Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in ''

Northern Pursuit ''Northern Pursuit'' is a 1943 American World War II film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who tries to uncover a Nazi plot against the Allied war effort. The film was set ...

'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for his supporting role in '' The Caine Mutiny'' (1954). In 1960, Tully was honored with a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

for his contributions to the film industry.

Early years

Tully was born in

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

in southwestern

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, the son of Thomas H. Tulley and Victoria Lenore Day Tulley. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and worked as a reporter for the ''

Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 1 ...

'' in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, before he entered acting with the expectation of better pay.

Career

Stage

Tully debuted on Broadway in ''Call Me Ziggy'' (1937). His other Broadway credits include ''The Sun Field'' (1942), ''The Strings, My Lord, Are False'' (1942), ''Jason'' (1942), ''Ah, Wilderness!'' (1941), ''The Time of Your Life'' (1940), ''Night Music'' (1940), ''The Time of Your Life'' (1939), ''The White Steed'' (1939), and ''Chalked Out'' (1937).

Radio

In the era of

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

, Tully had the lead role of Joe in the serial ''Home of the Brave''. He also played Jim Carroll in the serial ''Life Begins'', Uncle Willie in the comedy ''My Mother's Husband'', and Charles Martin in the serial '' Stella Dallas''. He was a frequent guest actor on

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 chara ...

, portraying a wide range of parts.

Film

Tully's Hollywood film career spanned from the early 1940s until 1973. After a brief appearance in the film ''Carefree'' (1938), he next appeared in ''I'll Be Seeing You'' (1944) as the father of Shirley Temple's character. Reward-Unlimited-8

He received an

nomination for Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying the first commander of the ''Caine'' in the 1954 drama '' The Caine Mutiny'', with

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

. His last feature film role was as a crooked gun dealer in

Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut ...

's crime film '' Charley Varrick'' (1973), with

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), '' King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

Television

From 1954 through 1960, he played the role of police Inspector Matt Grebb on the CBS police drama, '' The Lineup'', with co-star

Warner Anderson Warner Anderson (March 10, 1911 – August 26, 1976) was an American actor. Early years Anderson was born to "a theatrical family" in Brooklyn, New York, March 10, 1911.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. ...

. In repeats, ''The Lineup'' was known as ''San Francisco Beat''. He made two appearances as Rob Petrie's (

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

) father on CBS's ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Prod ...

'' in 1964 and 1966. This role reunited Tully with Jerry Paris from '' The Caine Mutiny''. He also was a guest star on ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom, situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in colo ...

'' during the seventh season. He played Walt, the milkman in the episode, "Goodbye, Dolly." In 1962, he appeared on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

modern western series, ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' in the role of Tom Cole in the episode "Long Past, Long Remembered."

Richard Jordan Robert Anson Jordan Jr. (July 19, 1937 – August 30, 1993) was an American actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays. His films include '' Logan's Run'', ''Les Misér ...

appeared in this episode too as Jay Bee Fowler. The series starred Richard Egan as

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

rancher Jim Redigo. In 1963, he was cast as Danny Mundt in "A Taste for Pineapple" of the ABC crime drama, ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

''. That same year he portrayed Jethro Tate in "Who Killed Billy Jo?" on another ABC crime drama, '' Burke's Law'', with Gene Barry. In 1964, Tully had two appearances on CBS's '' Perry Mason''. The first was as defendant Carey York in "The Case of the Arrogant Arsonist;" the second was as murder victim Harvey Scott in "The Case of the Nautical Knot." During the 1966 season of ABC's ''

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a su ...

'' western series, he made 17 appearances as Tom Starett. Tully also guest starred twice in the western TV series ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'': in the 1965 episode "The Dilemma" as Sundown Davis and in the 1967 episode "The Sure Thing" as Burt Laughlin. Later, Tully continued his acting in television dramas such as '' Mission: Impossible'' and '' The Rookies''.

Later years

In November 1969, Tully traveled to

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, currently

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

, for the

United Service Organization The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

. His "handshake tour" took him to hospitals, radio interviews, and flight behind enemy lines, courtesy of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, to visit strategic military outposts such as the "Hawks Nest" in the Phum Valley. While in Vietnam entertaining troops, Tully contracted a filarial worm, similar to the creature that causes

elephantiasis Elephantiasis is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling. It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstruction of lymphatic vessels. It may affect the genit ...

. After returning to the United States, his condition worsened. Because a blood clot in a major vein shut off circulation, his left leg was amputated close to the hip. The amputation was performed in

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, close to his home in

San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for " St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St ...

. Complications from his surgery caused pleuritis, deafness, and serious debilitation. At the time of his death, Tully had completed a manuscript about his grandmother and grandfather, David F. Day, a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. Day enlisted in the army at age 14, served with the 57th Ohio Infantry, fought in the battles of Shiloh and Stones River, and was awarded the

for actions when he was just 16 years old. Day was the owner of the newspaper in

Ouray, Colorado Ouray () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 1,000 as of the 2010 census. The Ouray Post Office has the ZIP Code 81427. Located at an elevation of , Ouray's cl ...

, formerly known as '' The Solid Muldoon'', now the '' Durango Herald''.

Politics

Tully refused to join the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, and was out of work during the Hollywood blacklist, for nine months.

Personal life

In 1930, Tully married Helen Brown in Colorado. They had a daughter, and they were divorced on November 26, 1935. In 1938, he married actress Frances McHugh, to whom he remained wed until her death in 1953. On June 20, 1954, he married Ida Johnson in Los Angeles, and they remained married until his death. Tully played chess by mail, was a fly-fisherman, and voiced childrens books for an elementary school. Tully died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

at the age of 73 on April 27, 1982 at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California.

Recognition

In 1960, Tully's

star, 6119

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

near Gower Street, is one of the inaugural 1,558 stars, yet misspelled as ''Thomas L. Tully''.

Partial filmography

*'' The Sign of the Cross'' (1932) – Hoboken (1944 Re-Release Prologue) (uncredited) *'' Mission to Moscow'' (1943) – American Engineer in Russia (uncredited) *''

'' (1943) – Inspector Barnett *'' Destination Tokyo'' (1943) – Mike Conners *''

Reward Unlimited ''Reward Unlimited'' is a short film produced in 1944 by David O. Selznick's Vanguard Films, for the United States Public Health Service, dramatizing the need for volunteer military nurses for the U. S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II. Dire ...

'' (1944, Short) – Peggy's Father *'' Secret Command'' (1944) – Colonel Hugo Von Braun aka 'Brownie' Brownell *''

The Town Went Wild ''The Town Went Wild'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Freddie Bartholomew and Edward Everett Horton Plot Like Romeo and Juliet, next door neighbours David Conway and Carol Harrison are deeply in love wi ...

'' (1944) – Henry Harrison *'' I'll Be Seeing You'' (1944) – Mr. Marshall *'' The Unseen'' (1945) – Sullivan *'' Kiss and Tell'' (1945) – Bob Pringle *''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

'' (1945) – Gus *'' The Virginian'' (1946) – Nebraska *'' Till the End of Time'' (1946) – C.W. Harper *'' Lady in the Lake'' (1946) – Capt. Kane *'' Intrigue'' (1947) – Marc Andrews *'' Killer McCoy'' (1947) – Cecil Y. Walsh *'' Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!'' (1948) – Robert 'Roarer' McGill *''

Rachel and the Stranger ''Rachel and the Stranger'' is a 1948 American Western film starring Loretta Young, William Holden, and Robert Mitchum. The Norman Foster-directed film was one of the few to address the role of women in the pioneer west, as well as portray ea ...

'' (1948) – Parson Jackson *''

June Bride ''June Bride'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. The screenplay, which was based on the unproduced play ''Feature for June'' by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer, was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for ...

'' (1948) – Mr. Whitman Brinker *''

Blood on the Moon ''Blood on the Moon'' is a 1948 RKO black-and-white "psychological" Western film noir starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston and Walter Brennan. Directed by Robert Wise, the cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca. The mov ...

'' (1948) – John Lufton *''

Illegal Entry Illegal entry is the act of foreign nationals arriving in or crossing the borders into a country in violation of its immigration law. Human smuggling is the practice of aiding people in crossing international borders for financial gain, often i ...

'' (1949) – Nick Gruber *'' A Kiss for Corliss'' (1949) – Harry P. Archer *'' The Lady Takes a Sailor'' (1949) – Henry Duckworth *''

Where the Sidewalk Ends ''Where the Sidewalk Ends'' is a 1974 children's poetry collection written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It was published by Harper and Row Publishers. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also present purely fanc ...

'' (1950) – Jiggs Taylor *'' Branded'' (1950) – Ransom *''

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...

'' (1951) – Dan Castello *''

Dick Turpin's Ride ''Dick Turpin's Ride'' (reissued as ''The Lady and the Bandit'') is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Louis Hayward. It follows the career of the eighteenth century highwaymen Dick Turpin. It is based on the poem ...

'' (1951) – Tom King *'' Texas Carnival'' (1951) – Sheriff Jackson *''

Return of the Texan ''Return of the Texan'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Dale Robertson and Joanne Dru.Love Is Better Than Ever'' (1952) – Mr. Charles E. Macaboy *''

Lure of the Wilderness ''Lure of the Wilderness'' is a 1952 romantic adventure Technicolor film directed by Jean Negulesco and based on the 1941 novel ''Swamp Water'' by Vereen Bell. The film is a remake of Jean Renoir's 1941 adaption of the novel. Walter Brennan ...

'' (1952) – Zack Taylor *'' The Turning Point'' (1952) – Matt Conroy *''

Ruby Gentry ''Ruby Gentry'' is a 1952 film directed by King Vidor, and starring Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston, and Karl Malden. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to K ...

'' (1952) – Jud Corey *'' The Jazz Singer'' (1952) – Dan McGurney *''

Trouble Along the Way ''Trouble Along the Way'' is a 1953 comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring John Wayne and Donna Reed, with a supporting cast including Charles Coburn and Marie Windsor. The black-and-white film was released by Warner Bros. with an ...

'' (1953) – Father Malone *'' The Moon Is Blue'' (1953) – Michael O'Neill *'' Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach'' (1953) – Michael O'Neill *''

Sea of Lost Ships ''Sea of Lost Ships'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Joseph Kane and starring John Derek, Wanda Hendrix and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the US Coast Guard. Plot The son of a deceased Coast Guard hero is raised by a Coast Gua ...

'' (1953) – Ice Patrol Capt. Holland *''

Arrow in the Dust ''Arrow In the Dust'' is a 1954 American western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray and Keith Larsen.Pitts p.15 Shot in Technicolor, it was produced and distributed by Allied Artists. The film is base ...

'' (1954) – Crowshaw *'' The Caine Mutiny'' (1954) – Lieutenant Commander William H. De Vriess *'' Soldier of Fortune'' (1955) – Tweedie *'' Love Me or Leave Me'' (1955) – Frobisher *''

Behind the High Wall ''Behind the High Wall'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Abner Biberman starring Tom Tully and Sylvia Sidney. It featured an early performance by John Gavin who had just signed with Universal. It was sometimes referred to as ...

'' (1956) – Warden Frank Carmichael *''

Ten North Frederick ''Ten North Frederick'' is a novel by John O'Hara, published by Random House in 1955. It tells the story of Joseph Chapin, an ambitious man who desires to become president of the United States, and his relationships with his patrician wife, two ...

'' (1958) – Mike Slattery *'' The Wackiest Ship in the Army'' (1960) – Capt. McClung *'' The Carpetbaggers'' (1964) – Amos Winthrop *'' McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force'' (1965) – Gen. Harkness *''

Coogan's Bluff Coogan's Bluff is a promontory near the western shore of the Harlem River in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. Its boundaries extend approximately from 155th Street and the Macombs Dam Bridge viaduct to ...

'' (1968) – Sheriff McCrea *'' Charley Varrick'' (1973) – Tom

References

External links

Tom Tully
at

tcmdb Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tully, Tom 1908 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American male actors American amputees American male film actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California Male actors from Denver People from Durango, Colorado People from Greater Los Angeles United States Navy officers Military personnel from Colorado