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'''Don Terry''' (born '''Donald Prescott Loker''', August 8, 1902 – October 6, 1988) was an American film actor, best known for his lead appearances in [[B movie|B films]] and [[film serial|serials]] in the 1930s and early 1940s. His best known role is probably playing the recurring character of Naval Commander [[Don Winslow of the Navy (comic strip)|Don Winslow]] in [[Universal Pictures]] serials of the early 1940s, including ''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]'' (1942) and ''[[Don Winslow of the Coast Guard]]'' (1943).
'''Don Terry''' (born '''Donald Prescott Loker''', August 8, 1902 – October 6, 1988) was an American film actor, best known for his lead appearances in [[B movie|B films]] and [[film serial|serials]] in the 1930s and early 1940s. Perhaps his best-known role is Naval Commander [[Don Winslow of the Navy (comic strip)|Don Winslow]] in two [[Universal Pictures]] serials of the early 1940s, ''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]'' (1942) and ''[[Don Winslow of the Coast Guard]]'' (1943).


==Early life and background==
==Early life and background==
Terry was born Donald Loker (though some sources give ''Locher'') in [[Natick, Massachusetts|Natick]], Massachusetts in 1902. He was a 1925 graduate of [[Harvard]].<ref name=Discovery/><ref name=DailyBreeze/>
Terry was born Donald Loker in [[Natick, Massachusetts|Natick]], Massachusetts, in 1902. He was a 1925 graduate of [[Harvard]].<ref name=Discovery/><ref name=DailyBreeze/> Some sources give the family name as ''Locher'', perhaps confusing him with actor Charles Locher who became famous as [[Jon Hall (actor)|Jon Hall]]; the Loker spelling is correct, as many charitable enterprises bear the Loker name, as detailed below.


Terry was discovered while visiting [[Los Angeles]] as a tourist. During the visit, he hoped to see some film stars, but had been disappointed. Nearing the end of his trip, he decided to have lunch at [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]'s ''[[Café Montmartre]]'' since it was a favorite of many in the film industry. Terry thought he might finally see a film star while having lunch, but found only other tourists who had the same hope.<ref name=Discovery>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/photoplay3536movi#page/n77/mode/2up|title=Embarrassment|publisher=Photoplay|date=January 1929|pages=74, 105|author=Bailey, Vernon|access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref> However, [[20th Century Fox|Fox]] screenwriter Charles Francis Coe was at the restaurant and happened to see Terry and thought of the screenplay he had just completed, based on his 1927 novel.<ref name="Langman1998">{{cite book|last=Langman|first=Larry|title=American Film Cycles: The Silent Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltcNWzVEaEUC&pg=PA230|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-30657-0|page=230}}</ref> Coe introduced himself and asked Terry if he was in the film industry. He gave Terry his business card and invited him to the Fox lot for a [[screen test]]. Terry went to the lot expecting only to be able to see some film stars. When Terry's screen test came out of the film laboratory, he was signed as the lead in the 1928 film ''[[Me, Gangster]]'', the screenplay Coe had just written.<ref name=Discovery/>
Don Terry was discovered while visiting [[Los Angeles]] as a tourist. During the visit, he hoped to see some film stars, but had been disappointed. Nearing the end of his trip, he decided to have lunch at [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]'s [[Café Montmartre]] since it was a favorite of many in the film industry. Terry thought he might finally see a film star while having lunch, but found only other tourists who had the same hope.<ref name=Discovery>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/photoplay3536movi#page/n77/mode/2up|title=Embarrassment|publisher=Photoplay|date=January 1929|pages=74, 105|author=Bailey, Vernon|access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref> However, [[20th Century Fox|Fox]] screenwriter Charles Francis Coe was at the restaurant and happened to see Terry and thought of the screenplay he had just completed, based on his 1927 novel.<ref name="Langman1998">{{cite book|last=Langman|first=Larry|title=American Film Cycles: The Silent Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltcNWzVEaEUC&pg=PA230|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-30657-0|page=230}}</ref> Coe introduced himself and asked Terry if he was in the film industry. He gave Terry his business card and invited him to the Fox lot for a [[screen test]]. Terry went to the lot expecting only to be able to see some film stars. When Terry's screen test came out of the film laboratory, he was signed as the lead in the 1928 film ''[[Me, Gangster]]'', the screenplay Coe had just written.<ref name=Discovery/>


==Film career==
==Film career==
[[File:Don Terry 1928.jpg|thumb|right|Don Terry on his film debut in ''[[Me, Gangster]]'' (1928), opposite [[Anders Randolph]]]]
[[File:Don Terry 1928.jpg|thumb|right|Don Terry on his film debut in ''[[Me, Gangster]]'' (1928), opposite [[Anders Randolph]]]]
Known for his "typical clean-cut American hero roles",<ref name="Fyne1997">{{cite book|last=Fyne|first=Robert|title=The Hollywood Propaganda of World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sKb-szl1WqcC&pg=PA146|year=1997|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-3310-4|page=146}}</ref> it was also noted that Terry was "not the most facile of actors".<ref name="Fletcher2009">{{cite book|last=Fletcher|first=Anthony L.|title=Don't Dare Miss the Next Thrilling Chapter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=amOXLV0VMLwC&pg=PA84|date=November 2009|publisher=Hillcrest Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-936107-18-6|page=84}}</ref> He was a contemporary of [[Victor Jory]], [[Paul Kelly (actor)|Paul Kelly]], and [[Charles Quigley]], who all portrayed "bare-knuckled, sleeves-rolled-up hard hats" in various films.<ref name="SklarZagarrio">{{cite book|last1=Sklar|first1=Robert|last2=Zagarrio|first2=Vito|title=Frank Capra: Authorship and the Studio System|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s3ewZWu0YJEC&pg=PA234|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=978-1-4399-0489-3|page=234}}</ref>
Known for his "typical clean-cut American hero roles,"<ref name="Fyne1997">{{cite book|last=Fyne|first=Robert|title=The Hollywood Propaganda of World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sKb-szl1WqcC&pg=PA146|year=1997|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-3310-4|page=146}}</ref> he was signed by [[Columbia Pictures]] as a possible replacement for the studio's veteran action star [[Jack Holt (actor)|Jack Holt]]. Terry was one of several tough-guy heroes (including [[Victor Jory]], [[Paul Kelly (actor)|Paul Kelly]], and [[Charles Quigley]]) who portrayed "bare-knuckled, sleeves-rolled-up hard hats" in various films.<ref name="SklarZagarrio">{{cite book|last1=Sklar|first1=Robert|last2=Zagarrio|first2=Vito|title=Frank Capra: Authorship and the Studio System|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s3ewZWu0YJEC&pg=PA234|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=978-1-4399-0489-3|page=234}}</ref> Terry's Columbia "B" features include ''[[A Fight to the Finish (1937 film)|A Fight to the Finish]]'' (1937), ''[[Paid to Dance]]'' (1937),<ref name="LangmanFinn1995">{{cite book|last1=Langman|first1=Larry|last2=Finn|first2=Daniel|title=A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SntZAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 1995|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-29532-4|page=198}}</ref> ''[[Who Killed Gail Preston?]]'' (1937),<ref name="Rainey1992">{{cite book|last=Rainey|first=Buck|title=Sweethearts of the sage: biographies and filmographies of 258 actresses appearing in western movies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BeZkAAAAMAAJ|year=1992|publisher=McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub|isbn=978-0-89950-565-7|page=516}}</ref> ''[[When G-Men Step In]]'' (1938),<ref name="Moscati1986">{{cite book|last=Moscati|first=Massimo|title=I predatori del sogno: i fumetti e il cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R_Vx4sjgoFUC&pg=PA143|year=1986|publisher=Edizoni Dedalo|isbn=978-88-220-4517-1|page=143|language=it}}</ref> and ''[[Squadron of Honor]]'' (1938).<ref name="Slide1999">{{cite book|last=Slide|first=Anthony|title=Actors on Red Alert: Career Interviews with Five Actors and Actresses Affected by the Blacklist|url=https://archive.org/details/actorsonredalert0000slid|url-access=registration|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-3649-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/actorsonredalert0000slid/page/154 154]}}</ref> Terry's portrayals are complemented by his distinct New England accent, which he never completely lost.


Don Terry also became a star of serials, his first chapter play being ''[[The Secret of Treasure Island]]'', released by Columbia in 1938. He was one of the three male leads in Universal's western serial ''[[Overland Mail (film)|Overland Mail]]'' (1942). Terry's best-known serials are the "Don Winslow" maritime adventures of the early 1940s, ''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]'' (1942)<ref name="Rowan">{{cite book|last=Rowan|first=Terry|title=World War II Goes to the Movies & Television Guide|year=2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OdvGBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA131|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-105-58602-6|page=131}}</ref> and ''[[Don Winslow of the Coast Guard]]'' (1943).
In the late 1930s, he appeared in several films directed by [[Charles C. Coleman (director)|Charles C. Coleman]], including ''[[A Fight to the Finish]]'' (1937), ''[[Paid to Dance]]'' (1937),<ref name="LangmanFinn1995">{{cite book|last1=Langman|first1=Larry|last2=Finn|first2=Daniel|title=A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SntZAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 1995|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-29532-4|page=198}}</ref> ''[[Who Killed Gail Preston?]]'' (1937),<ref name="Rainey1992">{{cite book|last=Rainey|first=Buck|title=Sweethearts of the sage: biographies and filmographies of 258 actresses appearing in western movies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BeZkAAAAMAAJ|year=1992|publisher=McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub|isbn=978-0-89950-565-7|page=516}}</ref> ''[[When G-Men Step In]]'' (1938),<ref name="Moscati1986">{{cite book|last=Moscati|first=Massimo|title=I predatori del sogno: i fumetti e il cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R_Vx4sjgoFUC&pg=PA143|year=1986|publisher=Edizoni Dedalo|isbn=978-88-220-4517-1|page=143|language=it}}</ref> and ''[[Squadron of Honor]]'' (1938).<ref name="Slide1999">{{cite book|last=Slide|first=Anthony|title=Actors on Red Alert: Career Interviews with Five Actors and Actresses Affected by the Blacklist|url=https://archive.org/details/actorsonredalert0000slid|url-access=registration|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-3649-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/actorsonredalert0000slid/page/154 154]}}</ref>

His best known role is probably playing the recurring character of Naval Commander Don Winslow in [[Universal Pictures]] serials of the early 1940s, including ''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]'' (1942)<ref name="Rowan">{{cite book|last=Rowan|first=Terry|title=World War II Goes to the Movies & Television Guide|year=2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OdvGBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA131|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-105-58602-6|page=131}}</ref> and ''[[Don Winslow of the Coast Guard]]'' (1943), co-starring [[Elyse Knox]].<ref name="FitzgeraldMagers2006">{{cite book|last1=Fitzgerald|first1=Michael G.|last2=Magers|first2=Boyd|title=Ladies of the Western: Interviews with Fifty-One More Actresses from the Silent Era to the Television Westerns of the 1950s and 1960s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vs1ECjGcuVEC&pg=PA121|date=2 February 2006|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-2656-0|page=121}}</ref> Knox previously worked with Terry in ''[[Top Sergeant (film)|Top Sergeant]]'' (1942).<ref name=FitzgeraldMagers2006 /> Terry appeared in ''[[Danger in the Pacific]]'' (1942) as a scientist, co-starring [[Louise Allbritton]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Barry |last=Monush |year=2003 |title=Louise Allbritton |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Film Actors from the Silent Era to 1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC&q=don-terry+actor&pg=PA8 |page=8 |volume=1 |publisher=Applause Theatre and Cinema Books |location=[[New York City]] |isbn=9781557835512 |access-date=19 December 2014 }}</ref> Other credits include ''[[Fugitives (1929 film)|Fugitives]]'' (1929), ''[[Border Romance]]'' (1929), ''[[The Secret of Treasure Island]]'' (1938), ''[[Barnacle Bill (1941 film)|Barnacle Bill]]'' (1941), ''[[Overland Mail (film)|Overland Mail]]'' (1942), ''[[Sherlock Holmes in Washington]]'' (1943) and ''[[White Savage]]'' (1943), his last screen appearance before enlisting in the [[U.S. Navy]]. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was awarded the [[Purple Heart]]. He left the Navy in 1946 and never returned to film.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/12887.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064254/http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/12887.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Terry signed with Universal in 1939, appearing in an incidental role in the [[W. C. Fields]] comedy ''[[You Can't Cheat an Honest Man]]''. The studio kept him busy in various roles, large and small. Terry appeared in ''[[Danger in the Pacific]]'' (1942) as a scientist, co-starring [[Louise Allbritton]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Barry |last=Monush |year=2003 |title=Louise Allbritton |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Film Actors from the Silent Era to 1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC&q=don-terry+actor&pg=PA8 |page=8 |volume=1 |publisher=Applause Theatre and Cinema Books |location=[[New York City]] |isbn=9781557835512 |access-date=19 December 2014 }}</ref> Other credits include ''[[Fugitives (1929 film)|Fugitives]]'' (1929), ''[[Border Romance]]'' (1929), ''[[Barnacle Bill (1941 film)|Barnacle Bill]]'' (1941), ''[[Sherlock Holmes in Washington]]'' (1943), and ''[[White Savage]]'' (1943), his last screen appearance before enlisting in the [[U.S. Navy]]. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was awarded the [[Purple Heart]]. He left the Navy in 1946 and never returned to the film industry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/12887.html |title=Katherine B. Loker Donates $1.5M to USC |access-date=2015-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064254/http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/12887.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Post-film life and career==
==Post-film life and career==
In 1941, Terry married [[Katherine Loker|Katherine Bogdanovich]], a daughter of the founder of [[Charlie the Tuna|StarKist tuna]].<ref name=UnionTimes/> Bogdanovich, a 1940 graduate of [[University of Southern California]] (USC), shared an interest in Olympic competition with her husband. She tried out for the [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Olympics]] as a [[Team sprint|sprinter]].<ref name=UnionTimes/> The couple had two daughters, and after completing his [[World War II]] service, Terry dropped his screen name and went to work for StarKist as vice president of public and industrial relations.<ref name=DailyBreeze>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20080719/obituary-loker-helped-local-colleges|title=Obituary: Loker helped local colleges|author=Littlejohn, Donna|work=Daily Breeze|date=July 17, 2008|access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref>
In 1941, Terry married [[Katherine Loker|Katherine Bogdanovich]], a daughter of the founder of [[Charlie the Tuna|StarKist tuna]].<ref name=UnionTimes/> Bogdanovich, a 1940 graduate of [[University of Southern California]] (USC), shared an interest in Olympic competition with her husband. She tried out for the [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Olympics]] as a [[Team sprint|sprinter]].<ref name=UnionTimes/> The couple had two daughters, and after completing his [[World War II]] service, Terry dropped his screen name and went to work for StarKist as vice president of public and industrial relations.<ref name=DailyBreeze>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20080719/obituary-loker-helped-local-colleges|title=Obituary: Loker helped local colleges|author=Littlejohn, Donna|work=Daily Breeze|date=July 17, 2008|access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref>

⚫
Loker retired from the company in 1965, and the couple then devoted their time and energies to various philanthropic projects by establishing the Donald and Katherine Loker Foundation.<ref name=DailyBreeze/> The foundation supported many projects, with a special emphasis on the colleges that were the Lokers' alma maters. They supported USC as board members of long standing, and with financial gifts of more than $30 million over a period of time. The Lokers were longtime friends of [[Richard Nixon|Richard]] and [[Pat Nixon]] and were also supporters of the [[Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum|Nixon Library]].<ref name=UnionTimes>{{cite news|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080628/news_1m28loker.html|title=Katherine Bogdanovich Loker; Philanthropist supported Oceanside schools and USC|date=June 29, 2008|work=Union-Times San Diego|access-date=November 29, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205001558/http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080628/news_1m28loker.html|archive-date=December 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/white-house-east-room-opens-august-21-71613847.html|title=White House East Room Opens August 21|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref> Despite the Lokers' lack of experience in chemistry, Carl Franklin, who was at the time USC's legal vice president, referred them to the university's [[hydrocarbon]] research institute, which was established in 1978 with the Lokers' financial aid.<ref name=hydrocarbon>{{cite book |first=George Andrew |last=Olah |author-link=George Andrew Olah |year=2001 |chapter=Moving to Los Angeles: Building the Loker Institute&mdash;Hydrocarbons and Hydrocarbon Research |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DjAboQVLjOsC&q=don+loker&pg=PA114 |pages=114+ |title=A Life of Magic Chemistry: Autobiographical Reflections of a Nobel Prize Winner |publisher=Wiley-Interscience |location=[[New York City]] |isbn=9780471220404 |access-date=December 19, 2014 |via=[[Google Books]] }}</ref> In 1983, it was renamed [[Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute]] in their honor.<ref name=hydrocarbon/>


He died at [[Oceanside, California]] on October 6, 1988, aged 86. After his death, his widow continued the couple's philanthropic efforts until her death in 2008.<ref name=DailyBreeze/><ref name=USC>{{cite web|url=http://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/495/in-memoriam-katherine-b-loker-92/|title=In Memoriam: Katherine B. Loker, 92|publisher=USC Dornsife|date=June 2008|access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref>
⚫
Loker retired from the company in 1965, and the couple then devoted their time and energies to various philanthropic projects by establishing the Donald and Katherine Loker Foundation.<ref name=DailyBreeze/> The Foundation supported many projects, with a special emphasis on the colleges that were the Lokers' alma maters. They supported USC as board members of long standing, and with financial gifts of more than $30 million over a period of time. The Lokers were long-time friends of [[Richard Nixon|Richard]] and [[Pat Nixon]] and were also supporters of the [[Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum|Nixon Library]].<ref name=UnionTimes>{{cite news|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080628/news_1m28loker.html|title=Katherine Bogdanovich Loker; Philanthropist supported Oceanside schools and USC|date=June 29, 2008|work=Union-Times San Diego|access-date=November 29, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205001558/http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080628/news_1m28loker.html|archive-date=December 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/white-house-east-room-opens-august-21-71613847.html|title=White House East Room Opens August 21|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref> Despite the Lokers' lack of experience in chemistry, Carl Franklin, who was at the time USC's legal vice president, referred them to the university's [[hydrocarbon]] research institute, which was established in 1978 with the Lokers' financial aid.<ref name=hydrocarbon>{{cite book |first=George Andrew |last=Olah |author-link=George Andrew Olah |year=2001 |chapter=Moving to Los Angeles: Building the Loker Institute&mdash;Hydrocarbons and Hydrocarbon Research |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DjAboQVLjOsC&q=don+loker&pg=PA114 |pages=114+ |title=A Life of Magic Chemistry: Autobiographical Reflections of a Nobel Prize Winner |publisher=Wiley-Interscience |location=[[New York City]] |isbn=9780471220404 |access-date=December 19, 2014 |via=[[Google Books]] }}</ref> In 1983, it was renamed [[Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute]] in their honor.<ref name=hydrocarbon/> He died at [[Oceanside, California]] on October 6, 1988, aged 86. After his death, his widow continued the couple's philanthropic efforts until her death in 2008.<ref name=DailyBreeze/><ref name=USC>{{cite web|url=http://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/495/in-memoriam-katherine-b-loker-92/|title=In Memoriam: Katherine B. Loker, 92|publisher=USC Dornsife|date=June 2008|access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref>


==Partial filmography==
==Partial filmography==
Line 50: Line 53:
*''[[The Billion Dollar Scandal]]'' (1933) - Boxer in Fight Montage (uncredited)
*''[[The Billion Dollar Scandal]]'' (1933) - Boxer in Fight Montage (uncredited)
*''[[Her First Mate]]'' (1933) - Purser, Albany Night Boat (uncredited)
*''[[Her First Mate]]'' (1933) - Purser, Albany Night Boat (uncredited)
*''[[A Fight to the Finish]]'' (1937) - Duke Mallor
*''[[A Fight to the Finish (1937 film)|A Fight to the Finish]]'' (1937) - Duke Mallor
*''[[A Dangerous Adventure (1937 film)|A Dangerous Adventure]]'' (1937) - Tim Sawyer
*''[[A Dangerous Adventure (1937 film)|A Dangerous Adventure]]'' (1937) - Tim Sawyer
*''[[Paid to Dance]]'' (1937) - William Dennis
*''[[Paid to Dance]]'' (1937) - William Dennis
*''[[Who Killed Gail Preston?]]'' (1937) - Tom Kellogg
*''[[Who Killed Gail Preston?]]'' (1937) - Tom Kellogg
*''[[When G-Men Step In]]'' (1938) - Larry Kent
*''[[When G-Men Step In]]'' (1938) - Fred Garth
*''[[The Secret of Treasure Island]]'' (1938) - Frederick 'Fred' Garth
*''[[The Secret of Treasure Island]]'' (1938, serial) - Larry Kent
*''[[Squadron of Honor]]'' (1938) - District Attorney Don Blane
*''[[Squadron of Honor]]'' (1938) - District Attorney Don Blane
*''[[You Can't Cheat an Honest Man]]'' (1939) - Ping-Pong Player (uncredited)
*''[[You Can't Cheat an Honest Man]]'' (1939) - Ping-Pong Player (uncredited)
Line 61: Line 64:
*''[[Mutiny in the Arctic]]'' (1941) - Cole
*''[[Mutiny in the Arctic]]'' (1941) - Cole
*''[[In the Navy (film)|In the Navy]]'' (1941) - Reef (uncredited)
*''[[In the Navy (film)|In the Navy]]'' (1941) - Reef (uncredited)
*''[[Tight Shoes (film)|Tight Shoes]]'' (1941) - Haystack - Reporter (uncredited)
*''[[Tight Shoes (film)|Tight Shoes]]'' (1941) - Haystack, Reporter (uncredited)
*''[[Hold That Ghost]]'' (1941) - Strangler (uncredited)
*''[[Hold That Ghost]]'' (1941) - Strangler (uncredited)
*''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]'' (1942) - Cmdr. Don Winslow
*''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]'' (1942, serial) - Cmdr. Don Winslow
*''[[Valley of the Sun (film)|Valley of the Sun]]'' (1942) - Lieutenant (uncredited)
*''[[Valley of the Sun (film)|Valley of the Sun]]'' (1942) - Lieutenant (uncredited)
*''[[Unseen Enemy]]'' (1942) - Canadian Army Captain William Flynn Hitchcock, aka Bill Flinn, posing as Captain Wilhelm Roering
*''[[Unseen Enemy]]'' (1942) - Canadian Army Captain William Flynn Hitchcock, aka Bill Flinn, posing as Captain Wilhelm Roering
Line 69: Line 72:
*''[[Escape from Hong Kong]]'' (1942) - Rusty
*''[[Escape from Hong Kong]]'' (1942) - Rusty
*''[[Danger in the Pacific]]'' (1942) - Dr. David Lynd
*''[[Danger in the Pacific]]'' (1942) - Dr. David Lynd
*''[[Top Sergeant (film)|Top Sergeant]]'' (1942) - Sgt. Dick 'Rusty' Manson
*''[[Top Sergeant (film)|Top Sergeant]]'' (1942) - Sgt. Dick "Rusty" Manson
*''[[Overland Mail (film)|Overland Mail]]'' (1942) - Buckskin Billy Burke
*''[[Overland Mail (film)|Overland Mail]]'' (1942, serial) - Buckskin Bill Burke
*''[[Moonlight in Havana]]'' (1942) - Eddie Daniels
*''[[Moonlight in Havana]]'' (1942) - Eddie Daniels
*''[[Sherlock Holmes in Washington]]'' (1943) - Howe
*''[[Sherlock Holmes in Washington]]'' (1943) - Howe
*''[[Don Winslow of the Coast Guard]]'' (1943) - Cmdr. Don Winslow
*''[[Don Winslow of the Coast Guard]]'' (1943, serial) - Cmdr. Don Winslow
*''[[White Savage]]'' (1943) - Chris (final film role)
*''[[White Savage]]'' (1943) - Chris (final film role)
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}
Line 93: Line 96:
[[Category:People from Natick, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Natick, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox contract players]]
[[Category:20th Century Studios contract players]]
[[Category:Male actors from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Male actors from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]

Latest revision as of 13:59, 6 January 2023

This article is about the actor who portrayed the fictional character, Don Winslow. For the author, see Don Winslow.

Don Terry
Terry in 1928
Born
Donald Prescott Loker

(1902-08-08)August 8, 1902
Natick, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 1988(1988-10-06) (aged 86)
Oceanside, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1928–1943
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1940)​
Children2

Don Terry (born Donald Prescott Loker, August 8, 1902 – October 6, 1988) was an American film actor, best known for his lead appearances in B films and serials in the 1930s and early 1940s. Perhaps his best-known role is Naval Commander Don Winslow in two Universal Pictures serials of the early 1940s, Don Winslow of the Navy (1942) and Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (1943).

Early life and background[edit]

Terry was born Donald Loker in Natick, Massachusetts, in 1902. He was a 1925 graduate of Harvard.[1][2] Some sources give the family name as Locher, perhaps confusing him with actor Charles Locher who became famous as Jon Hall; the Loker spelling is correct, as many charitable enterprises bear the Loker name, as detailed below.

Don Terry was discovered while visiting Los Angeles as a tourist. During the visit, he hoped to see some film stars, but had been disappointed. Nearing the end of his trip, he decided to have lunch at Hollywood's Café Montmartre since it was a favorite of many in the film industry. Terry thought he might finally see a film star while having lunch, but found only other tourists who had the same hope.[1] However, Fox screenwriter Charles Francis Coe was at the restaurant and happened to see Terry and thought of the screenplay he had just completed, based on his 1927 novel.[3] Coe introduced himself and asked Terry if he was in the film industry. He gave Terry his business card and invited him to the Fox lot for a screen test. Terry went to the lot expecting only to be able to see some film stars. When Terry's screen test came out of the film laboratory, he was signed as the lead in the 1928 film Me, Gangster, the screenplay Coe had just written.[1]

Film career[edit]

Don Terry on his film debut in Me, Gangster (1928), opposite Anders Randolph

Known for his "typical clean-cut American hero roles,"[4] he was signed by Columbia Pictures as a possible replacement for the studio's veteran action star Jack Holt. Terry was one of several tough-guy heroes (including Victor Jory, Paul Kelly, and Charles Quigley) who portrayed "bare-knuckled, sleeves-rolled-up hard hats" in various films.[5] Terry's Columbia "B" features include A Fight to the Finish (1937), Paid to Dance (1937),[6] Who Killed Gail Preston? (1937),[7] When G-Men Step In (1938),[8] and Squadron of Honor (1938).[9] Terry's portrayals are complemented by his distinct New England accent, which he never completely lost.

Don Terry also became a star of serials, his first chapter play being The Secret of Treasure Island, released by Columbia in 1938. He was one of the three male leads in Universal's western serial Overland Mail (1942). Terry's best-known serials are the "Don Winslow" maritime adventures of the early 1940s, Don Winslow of the Navy (1942)[10] and Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (1943).

Terry signed with Universal in 1939, appearing in an incidental role in the W. C. Fields comedy You Can't Cheat an Honest Man. The studio kept him busy in various roles, large and small. Terry appeared in Danger in the Pacific (1942) as a scientist, co-starring Louise Allbritton.[11] Other credits include Fugitives (1929), Border Romance (1929), Barnacle Bill (1941), Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943), and White Savage (1943), his last screen appearance before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was awarded the Purple Heart. He left the Navy in 1946 and never returned to the film industry.[12]

Post-film life and career[edit]

In 1941, Terry married Katherine Bogdanovich, a daughter of the founder of StarKist tuna.[13] Bogdanovich, a 1940 graduate of University of Southern California (USC), shared an interest in Olympic competition with her husband. She tried out for the 1932 Olympics as a sprinter.[13] The couple had two daughters, and after completing his World War II service, Terry dropped his screen name and went to work for StarKist as vice president of public and industrial relations.[2]

Loker retired from the company in 1965, and the couple then devoted their time and energies to various philanthropic projects by establishing the Donald and Katherine Loker Foundation.[2] The foundation supported many projects, with a special emphasis on the colleges that were the Lokers' alma maters. They supported USC as board members of long standing, and with financial gifts of more than $30 million over a period of time. The Lokers were longtime friends of Richard and Pat Nixon and were also supporters of the Nixon Library.[13][14] Despite the Lokers' lack of experience in chemistry, Carl Franklin, who was at the time USC's legal vice president, referred them to the university's hydrocarbon research institute, which was established in 1978 with the Lokers' financial aid.[15] In 1983, it was renamed Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute in their honor.[15]

He died at Oceanside, California on October 6, 1988, aged 86. After his death, his widow continued the couple's philanthropic efforts until her death in 2008.[2][16]

Partial filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Bailey, Vernon (January 1929). Embarrassment. Photoplay. pp. 74, 105. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Littlejohn, Donna (July 17, 2008). "Obituary: Loker helped local colleges". Daily Breeze. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  3. ^ Langman, Larry (January 1, 1998). American Film Cycles: The Silent Era. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-313-30657-0.
  4. ^ Fyne, Robert (1997). The Hollywood Propaganda of World War II. Scarecrow Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-8108-3310-4.
  5. ^ Sklar, Robert; Zagarrio, Vito. Frank Capra: Authorship and the Studio System. Temple University Press. p. 234. ISBN 978-1-4399-0489-3.
  6. ^ Langman, Larry; Finn, Daniel (January 1, 1995). A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties. Greenwood Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-313-29532-4.
  7. ^ Rainey, Buck (1992). Sweethearts of the sage: biographies and filmographies of 258 actresses appearing in western movies. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 516. ISBN 978-0-89950-565-7.
  8. ^ Moscati, Massimo (1986). I predatori del sogno: i fumetti e il cinema (in Italian). Edizoni Dedalo. p. 143. ISBN 978-88-220-4517-1.
  9. ^ Slide, Anthony (January 1, 1999). Actors on Red Alert: Career Interviews with Five Actors and Actresses Affected by the Blacklist. Scarecrow Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-8108-3649-5.
  10. ^ Rowan, Terry (2012). World War II Goes to the Movies & Television Guide. Lulu.com. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-105-58602-6.
  11. ^ Monush, Barry (2003). "Louise Allbritton". The Encyclopedia of Film Actors from the Silent Era to 1965. Vol. 1. New York City: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. p. 8. ISBN 9781557835512. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  12. ^ "Katherine B. Loker Donates $1.5M to USC". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c "Katherine Bogdanovich Loker; Philanthropist supported Oceanside schools and USC". Union-Times San Diego. June 29, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  14. ^ "White House East Room Opens August 21". PR Newswire. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Olah, George Andrew (2001). "Moving to Los Angeles: Building the Loker Institute—Hydrocarbons and Hydrocarbon Research". A Life of Magic Chemistry: Autobiographical Reflections of a Nobel Prize Winner. New York City: Wiley-Interscience. pp. 114+. ISBN 9780471220404. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ "In Memoriam: Katherine B. Loker, 92". USC Dornsife. June 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

External links[edit]

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