Berry Kroeger

Berry Kroeger (October 16, 1912 – January 4, 1991) was an American film, television and stage actor.

Berry Kroeger
Kroeger as the narrator for The Big Story, 1947.
Born	October 16, 1912 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 4, 1991 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1932-1991
Spouse(s)	Mary Agnes (?-1991) (his death)

Early years

Kroeger was born in San Antonio, Texas.

Career

Kroeger got his acting start on radio as an announcer on Suspense and as an actor, playing for a time The Falcon in the radio series^[1] Also on radio, he portrayed Dr. Reed Bannister on Big Sister,^[2] narrated Salute to Youth,^[2]:293 and was a regular as Sam Williams on Young Doctor Malone.

Kroeger debuted on Broadway in The World's Full of Girls (1943)^[3] and went on to appear in Reclining Figure (1954), Julius Caesar (1950), and The Tempest (1944).^[4] He portrayed the High Lama in the 1956 musical adaptation of Lost Horizon titled Shangri-La.

Kroeger was discovered by filmmaker William Wellman while performing on Broadway^[5] and began appearing in films with his role in The Iron Curtain (1948). He specialized in playing slimy bad guys in films like Act of Violence (1948), The Iron Curtain (1948), a crooked lawyer in Cry of the City (1948) and a heavy in Joseph H. Lewis' crime film, Gun Crazy (1949). His flair for decadent leering and evil scowls often led to his being cast in "schlock fare", like Chamber of Horrors (1966) and The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971). He appeared in a small role as a village elder in Young Frankenstein (1974).

He appeared in dozens of television programs. He guest starred on seven episodes of Perry Mason, including murderer Edgar Whitehead in the episode, "The Case of the Blind Man's Bluff" (1961), murder victim Kirk Cameron in the episode, "The Case of the Illicit Illusion" and Rexford Wyler in the episode "The Case of the Wooden Nickels" (both 1964). He also appeared in shows such as Hawaiian Eye, Get Smart (as a character spoofing actor Sydney Greenstreet) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. His last major film role was in 1977's The Demon Seed (1977).

Death

On January 4, 1991, Berry Kroeger died of kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 78. He was survived by his wife^[3] and a sister.^[5]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1941	Tom, Dick and Harry	Boy Lead in Movie	Voice, Uncredited
1948	The Iron Curtain	John Grubb, aka 'Paul'
1948	Cry of the City	W.A. Niles
1948	The Dark Past	Mike
1949	Act of Violence	Johnny
1949	Down to the Sea in Ships	Manchester
1949	Black Magic	Alexandre Dumas, Sr.
1949	Fighting Man of the Plains	Cliff Bailey
1949	Chicago Deadline	Solly Wellman
1950	Gun Crazy	Packett
1950	Guilty of Treason	Hungarian State Police Col. Timar
1951	The Sword of Monte Cristo	Minister Charles La Roche
1952	Battles of Chief Pontiac	Col. von Weber
1955	Yellowneck	Plunkett
1955	Blood Alley	Old Feng
1956	Man in the Vault	Willis Trent
1960	Seven Thieves	Hugo Baumer
1960	The Story of Ruth	Huphim
1960	The Walking Target	Arnie Hoffman
1961	The Rifleman	Ansel Bain	Episode: "Closer than a Brother"
1961	Atlantis, the Lost Continent	Surgeon
1962	Womanhunt	Petrie / Osgood
1962	Hitler	Ernst Röhm
1964	The Time Travelers	Preston
1964	Youngblood Hawke	Jock Maas
1966	Chamber of Horrors	Chun Sing
1969	Nightmare in Wax	Max Black
1970	The Wild Scene	Tim O'Shea
1970	Tora! Tora! Tora!	U.S. Army General	Uncredited
1971	The Mephisto Waltz	Raymont
1971	The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant	Max
1971	The Seven Minutes	Paul Van Fleet
1973	Pets	The Art Connoisseur
1974	Young Frankenstein	First Village Elder	Uncredited
1975	The Man in the Glass Booth	Joachim Berger
1977	Demon Seed	Petrosian

References

1. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 13.
2. ^ ^{a b} Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
3. ^ ^{a b} Fraser, C. Gerald (January 12, 1991). "Berry Kroeger, 78, An Actor in Radio, Theater and Films". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
4. ^ "("Berry Kroeger" search results)". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
5. ^ ^{a b} "Berry Kroeger". Variety. January 13, 1991. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.

Turner Classic Movies

External links

• Berry Kroeger on IMDb
• Berry Kroeger at the Internet Broadway Database

Act of Violence

Act of Violence is a 1949 American film noir directed by Fred Zinnemann and adapted for the screen by Robert L. Richards from a story by Collier Young, starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan and Janet Leigh. The film was one of the first to address not only problems of returning World War II veterans but also the ethics of war.

Blood Alley

Blood Alley is a 1955 American seafaring Cold War adventure film drama from Warner Bros., shot in CinemaScope and Warnercolor. It was produced by John Wayne, directed by William A. Wellman, and stars Wayne and Lauren Bacall.

Cry of the City

Cry of the City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Robert Siodmak based on the novel by Henry Edward Helseth, The Chair for Martin Rome. The screenwriter Ben Hecht worked on the film's script, but is not credited. The film was partly shot on location in New York City.

Demon Seed

Demon Seed is a 1977 American science fiction–horror film directed by Donald Cammell. It stars Julie Christie and Fritz Weaver. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Dean Koontz, and concerns the imprisonment and forced impregnation of a woman by an artificially intelligent computer. Gerrit Graham, Berry Kroeger, Lisa Lu and Larry J. Blake also appear in the film, with Robert Vaughn uncredited as the voice of the computer.

Down to the Sea in Ships (1949 film)

Down to the Sea in Ships is a 1949 seafaring drama directed by Henry Hathaway, starring Richard Widmark and Lionel Barrymore. The supporting cast includes Dean Stockwell, Cecil Kellaway, Gene Lockhart, and John McIntire. This was a remake of the silent film version, directed by Elmer Clifton and starring Marguerite Courtot, Raymond McKee and Clara Bow.

Escape (radio program)

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high-adventure radio dramas, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed on as a sponsor for five months in 1950.

Despite these problems, Escape enthralled many listeners during its seven-year run. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with this introduction, as intoned by William Conrad and later Paul Frees:

"Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!"Following the opening theme, a second announcer (usually Roy Rowan) would add:

"Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half-hour of high adventure!"

Inner Sanctum Mystery

Inner Sanctum Mystery, also known as Inner Sanctum, a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941, to October 5, 1952, was created by producer Himan Brown and was based on the imprint given to the mystery novels of Simon & Schuster. In all, 526 episodes were broadcast.

Kroeger

Kröger or Kroeger is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Adolph Ernst Kroeger (1837–1882), American translator

Arthur Kroeger (1932–2008), Canadian academic and civil servant

Bernd J. Kröger (born 1959), German phonetician and professor

Berry Kroeger (1912–1991), American actor

Catherine Clark Kroeger (1925–2011), American writer

Chad Kroeger (born 1974), Canadian musician, lead vocalist and guitarist of Nickelback

Erhard Kroeger (1905–1987), German SS officer

Ernst R. Kroeger (1862–1934), American composer

Gary Kroeger (born 1957), American actor, former cast member of Saturday Night Live

Henry Kroeger (1917–1987), Canadian politician

Herman Kroeger (1831–??), politician from Wisconsin

Josh Kroeger (born 1982), American baseball player

Jürgen Kröger (1856–1928), German architect

Karl Kroeger (born 1932), American composer and music professor

Matthias Kröger (born 1969), German motorcycle racer

Meike Kröger (born 1986), German track and field athlete

Uwe Kröger (born 1964), German musician

Wolfgang Kröger, (born 1945), professor

Seven Thieves

Seven Thieves is a 1960 20th Century Fox film noir crime drama motion picture shot in CinemaScope. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins and Eli Wallach.

Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for the screen by Sydney Boehm, based on the 1959 novel The Lions At The Kill by Max Catto. Technical advisor was Candy Barr, who, as choreographer, taught dance routines to Collins.

Seven Thieves received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design Black-and-White (Bill Thomas).

Shangri-La (musical)

Shangri-La is a musical with a book and lyrics by James Hilton, Jerome Lawrence, and Robert E. Lee and music by Harry Warren.Based on Hilton's classic 1933 novel Lost Horizon, it focuses on Hugh Conway, a veteran member of the British diplomatic service, who stumbles across a utopian lamasery high in the Himalayas in Tibet after surviving a plane crash in the mountainous terrain. When the dying High Lama asks him to take charge after his death, Conway must decide between embracing the inner peace, love, and sense of purpose he has discovered in this mysterious world or attempt to return to civilization as he knows it.

The Broadway production, directed by Albert Marre and choreographed by Donald Saddler, opened on June 13, 1956 at the Winter Garden Theatre, where it ran for only twenty-one performances. The cast included Dennis King, Shirley Yamaguchi, Jack Cassidy, Alice Ghostley, Carol Lawrence, Berry Kroeger, Harold Lang, and Robert Cohan.

Irene Sharaff was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design.

An audiotape of the show was recorded live during a performance, but an original cast album never was released. The show was mounted for a 1960 television production as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame, with several new songs, starring Richard Basehart, Claude Rains, Gene Nelson, Helen Gallagher, and Ghostley reprising her Broadway role.

The Dark Past

The Dark Past is a 1948 psychological thriller film noir directed by Rudolph Maté, and starring William Holden, Nina Foch, and Lee J. Cobb. The film, released by Columbia Pictures, is a remake of Blind Alley (1939), also released by Columbia, and based on a play by American playwright James Warwick.

The Falcon (radio series)

The Falcon radio series premiered on the Blue Network on April 10, 1943, continuing on NBC and Mutual until November 27, 1954. Some 70 episodes were produced.

The Iron Curtain (film)

The Iron Curtain is a 1948 black-and-white thriller film starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney, directed by William Wellman. The film was based on the memoirs of Igor Gouzenko. Principal photography was done on location in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by Charles G. Clarke. The film was later re-released as Behind the Iron Curtain.

In Shostakovich v. Twentieth Century-Fox, Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich unsuccessfully sued the film's distributor, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, in New York court, for using musical works of his that had fallen into the public domain.

The Sword of Monte Cristo

The Sword of Monte Cristo is a 1951 American adventure film written and directed by Maurice Geraghty. The film stars George Montgomery, Rita Corday, Berry Kroeger, William Conrad, Rhys Williams and Steve Brodie. It is loosely based on The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. The film was released on March 3, 1951, by 20th Century Fox.

The Walking Target

The Walking Target is a 1960 crime film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Joan Evans, Merry Anders, and Ronald Foster. The screenplay concerns an ex-con who gets out of prison looking for the $260,000 he hid before he was arrested, and finds unexpected romance with the widow of his former partner in crime.

The Web (1950 TV series)

The Web is an American dramatic anthology series that aired live on CBS for four seasons from July 11, 1950 to September 26, 1954. The program was produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and was narrated by Jonathan Blake. A series with the same title and a similar premise was also broadcast briefly by NBC during the summer of 1957.

Womanhunt

Womanhunt is a 1962 American drama film directed by Maury Dexter and written by Russ Bender and Edward J. Lakso. The film stars Steve Peck, Lisa Lu, Berry Kroeger, Bob Okazaki, Anna Lee Carroll and Tom Daly. The film was released on June 3, 1962, by 20th Century Fox.

Yellowneck

Yellowneck is a 1955 adventure drama war film directed by R. John Hugh starring Lin McCarthy, Stephen Courtleigh, Berry Kroeger and Harold Gordon. that told the story of five deserters from the Confederate Army who make their way past the Everglades and angry Seminole Indians, in an attempt to get to the Florida coast and then to Cuba.

The film was made in Trucolor and released by Republic Pictures. The title refers to a Confederate word for a deserter.

Young Doctor Malone

Young Doctor Malone (a.k.a. Young Dr. Malone) is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced Pepper Young's Family and later was a co-creator with husband Ted Corday of NBC Daytime's Days of Our Lives.

Sponsored by General Foods and Post Cereals, the radio serial began on the Blue Network on November 20, 1939. The 15-minute program aired daily at 11:15am, continuing until April 26, 1940. Without a break, it moved to CBS on April 29, 1940, where it was heard for two decades, first airing at 2:00pm weekdays (1940–1944) and then 1:30pm (1945–1960). In 1945, Procter & Gamble assumed sponsorship of the program.