Russell Thorson (October 14, 1906 – July 6, 1982 ) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his co-starring role as Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom in

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's 1959–1962 hit crime drama, ''

The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor ''The Detectives'' (also known as ''The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor'', ''Captain of Detectives'', and ''Robert Taylor's Detectives'') is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons (sponsored by Procter & Gam ...

''.

Background

Thorson was born in

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

, and his family moved to Montana when he was 12 years old. In 1930, Thorson graduated with a degree in journalism from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

Career

In the early 1940s, Thorson played Charles Meredith in ''Midstream'' on radio, replacing

Hugh Studebaker Hugh Studebaker (May 31, 1900 – May 26, 1978) was an American actor, born in Ridgeville, Indiana, who starred in old-time radio programs. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Studebaker. Early years As a student, Studebaker was the male lea ...

when Studebaker had health problems. He starred in a later version (1949–1952) of the radio series, '' I Love a Mystery'', as Jack Packard, alongside Jim Boles as Doc and

Tony Randall Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in a television adaptation of the 1965 play ''The Odd Couple'' by Neil Sim ...

as Reggy. His other radio parts included the title roles in ''The Tom Mix Ralston Straightshooters'' and ''Dr. Paul'' and Bart Friday in ''

Adventures by Morse ''Adventures by Morse'' is a syndicated adventure series produced, written and directed by Carlton E. MorseTerrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 9. in the mid-1 ...

''. He was also a member of the cast of ''Family Skeleton''. In 1955, he began portraying Paul Barbour on the radio version of ''

One Man's Family ''One Man's Family'' is an American radio soap opera, heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of American radio. Television versions ...

'' after having had the same role in the TV version of the program. Thorson had small roles for film and television in ''

Double Dynamite ''Double Dynamite'' is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Jane Russell, Groucho Marx, and Frank Sinatra. The film was written by Leo Rosten (story), Melville Shavelson (screenplay), Mannie Manheim (bas ...

'' (1953), with

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films. Russell moved from th ...

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and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, ''

Dangerous Mission ''Dangerous Mission'' is a 1954 American Technicolor thriller film starring Victor Mature, Piper Laurie, Vincent Price and William Bendix. The film was produced by Irwin Allen, directed by Louis King and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is reme ...

'' (1954). He has also appeared in several classic movies, including '' Johnny Concho'' (1956), '' 36 Hours'' (1965), ''

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'' (1968), and '' Walking Tall'' (1973). Most of his career was spent on television. He is best remembered for playing the role of Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom in ''The Detectives'' from 1959 to 1961. He made four guest appearances on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', including three episodes during the first two seasons from 1958 to 1959. He appeared in guest-starring roles in such television series as ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

'' (in a

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

episode titled "Day of Reckoning"), ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for thr ...

'', ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...

'', '' Trackdown'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'' (as Mr. Brady in “Chester’s Mail Order Bride” - 1956), '' Lassie'', '' Peyton Place'', and '' The Virginian'', and is also known for his role as a ship captain in "Cocoon", the pilot episode of CBS's original ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'', starring

Jack Lord John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television progra ...

Filmography

References

Other sources

*Harmon, Jim (2003) ''Radio Mystery and Adventure and Its Appearances in Film, Television and Other Media'' (McFarland & Company)

External links

Classic Television Archive: Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected (1977)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorson, Russell 1906 births 1982 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male radio actors People from Eau Claire, Wisconsin Male actors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors University of Montana alumni