Richard Long

Richard McCord Long (December 17, 1927 – December 21, 1974) was an American actor best known for his leading roles in three ABC television series, The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor, and Bourbon Street Beat. He was also a series regular on ABC's 77 Sunset Strip during the 1961–1962 season.

Career Early films: International Pictures In 1946, Long was cast in his first film, Tomorrow Is Forever, as Drew, the son of the characters played by Claudette Colbert and Orson Welles. The role had been unfilled for months, and producers selected Long, who most closely matched the credentials required. It was made by International Pictures, which put him under contract.

Left to right: Edward G. Robinson, Long, Loretta Young, Martha Wentworth, Orson Welles, Philip Merivale, Byron Keith, and an unidentified actress in The Stranger (1946)Long impressed Welles, who cast the actor in The Stranger (1946), from International, as the younger brother of Loretta Young's character.

International was going to lend Long to 20th Century Fox to make Margie (1946), but then they changed their minds and put him in The Dark Mirror (1946) starring Olivia de Havilland and Thomas Mitchell and directed by Robert Siodmak.

Tom Kettle and Universal Pictures International Pictures merged with Universal Pictures, which took over Long's contract. His fourth film was The Egg and I (1947), playing Tom Kettle, the eldest son of Ma and Pa Kettle, the characters played by Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride. The movie was a huge hit – so much so that Universal decided to spin off the Kettles into their own series.

Long signed a contract with Universal, for which he appeared in Tap Roots (1948) and Criss Cross (1949), playing Burt Lancaster's brother in the latter for Siodmak. He supported William Bendix in The Life of Riley (1949) based on the NBC radio show.

Long reprised his role as Tom Kettle in Ma and Pa Kettle (1949), which was a solid success at the box office. So, too, was Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950). He was Frank James in the Western Kansas Raiders (1950).

In December 1950, Long was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Before he left, he made Jet Men of the Air (1951), and then served for two years at Fort Ord, California.

Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (1952) was Long's fourth and final Kettle movie. He was the juvenile lead in Back at the Front (1952) and had supporting parts in All I Desire (1953), All American (1953) (as the villain to Tony Curtis's hero), Saskatchewan (1954), and Playgirl (1954).

Long began guest-starring on TV shows such as Lux Video Theater ("I'll Never Love Again") and was finally given a lead role by Universal in Cult of the Cobra (1955) – though still billed under Faith Domergue.

Television Long focused on television over the next few years, guest-starring on episodes of shows such as Climax!, Screen Directors Playhouse, TV Reader's Digest, The United States Steel Hour, Hey, Jeannie!, Schlitz Playhouse, Suspicion, Alcoa Theatre, Wagon Train, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Millionaire, Matinee Theatre, The Twilight Zone episodes ("Number 12 Looks Just Like You" and "Person or Persons Unknown"), and The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen.

At Columbia, he had a top supporting role in the Western Fury at Gunsight Pass (1956) and in a Blake Edwards comedy, He Laughed Last (1956).

Long went to Japan to star in Tokyo After Dark (1959) and had a key role in William Castle's House on Haunted Hill (1959).

Maverick Long signed a contract with Warner Bros. and guest-starred in many of their TV series, including Lawman.

He played the recurring role of gambler/con artist Gentleman Jack Darby in four episodes of the ABC/WB Western series Maverick beginning in 1958, including the memorable "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" installment. His character always interacted with Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, including in "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres", which starred both James Garner and Kelly. He also never appeared with later series regular Roger Moore. Gentleman Jack Darby was created by Maverick producer Roy Huggins as a replacement for "Dandy Jim Buckley", played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr., after Zimbalist had moved on to his own series, 77 Sunset Strip.

Warner Bros. starred Long in a show, Bourbon Street Beat (1959–60) as Rex Randolph, Private Eye, which ran for only 39 episodes. with Andrew Duggan,

77 Sunset Strip Long reprised his character on episodes of Hawaiian Eye and joined the cast of 77 Sunset Strip from 1960 to 1962.

Long continued to guest star on shows such as Thriller, Tales of Wells Fargo, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Twilight Zone ("Person or Persons Unknown").

He returned to films with a role in the MGM romantic musical Follow the Boys, along with co-stars Connie Francis, Paula Prentiss, and Roger Perry.

Long added that he hoped to play more character parts. "I'm rotting from the inside out and it's just gotten to my face", he said. "A man doesn't get interesting on screen until his 40s." (In 1953, Long had costarred with Stanwyck in the film All I Desire.

Long and Mills later provided their voices for two animated-film versions of the show: Nanny and the Professor (1972) and Nanny and the Professor and the Phantom of the Circus (1973).

Thicker Than Water In 1973, he starred alongside Julie Harris in the short-lived series, Thicker than Water.

His last jobs were the TV movies The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped (1974) and Death Cruise (1974).

Personal life Long served in the U.S. Army for two years during the Korean War, where he was posted to Fort Ord, California, alongside actors Martin Milner, David Janssen, and Clint Eastwood. He was also stationed in Tokyo, Japan. They had met in 1953, after her cancer diagnosis; her right leg was amputated in early 1954 and they married in April.

In 1957, he married actress/model Mara Corday in Las Vegas. The couple had three children together. In 1961, Long was arrested by police after Corday accused him of attacking her while drunk. Corday declined to pursue the charges, and after initially indicating she would file for divorce, she later reconciled with Long.

Death As a youth, Long contracted pneumonia, which apparently weakened his heart. He later experienced cardiac problems as an adult and suffered his first heart attack in 1961. After a month-long stay in Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles to treat additional attacks, he died on December 21, 1974, four days after his 47th birthday.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1946 Tomorrow Is Forever Drew Hamilton The Stranger Noah Longstreet The Dark Mirror Rusty 1947 The Egg and I Tom Kettle 1948 Tap Roots Bruce Dabney 1949 The Life of Riley Jeff Taylor Criss Cross Slade Thompson Ma and Pa Kettle Tom Kettle 1950 Kansas Raiders Frank James Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town Tom Kettle 1951 Air Cadet Russ Coulter Alternate title: Jet Men on the Air Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm Tom Kettle 1952 Back at the Front Sergeant Rose Alternate title: Willie and Joe in Tokyo 1953 All I Desire Russ Underwood All American Howard Carter Alternate title: The Winning Way 1954 Saskatchewan Abbott Alternate title: O'Rourke of the Royal Mounted Playgirl Barron Courtney III 1955 Cult of the Cobra Paul Able 1956 He Laughed Last Jimmy Murphy Fury at Gunsight Pass Roy Hanford 1959 House on Haunted Hill Lance Schroeder Tokyo After Dark Sergeant Robert Douglas 1963 Follow the Boys Lieutenant Peter Langley 1964 Make Like a Thief V. Bartley "Bart" Lanigan 1972 Nanny and the Professor Professor Harold Everett (voice) Animated film 1973 Nanny and the Professor and the Phantom of the Circus Professor Harold Everett (voice) Animated film 1974 The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped Michael Green ABC Movie of the Week Death Cruise Jerry Carter ABC Movie of the Week (final film role) Television series Year Title Role Notes 1958–59 Maverick "Gentleman" Jack Darby 4 episodes 1958–63 77 Sunset Strip Marc Harrington / Tony Wendice / Rex Randolph / Dick Lynwood / Charlie Carmichael 31 episodes 1959–60 Bourbon Street Beat Rex Randolph 38 episodes 1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Paul Devore Season 7 Episode 33: "The Opportunity" 1962 The Twilight Zone David Andrew Gurney Season 3 Episode 27: "Person or Persons Unknown" 1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Eddie Breech Season 2 Episode 5: "Blood Bargain" 1964 The Twilight Zone Uncle Rick / Dr. Rex / Professor Sigmund Friend / Tom /... Season 5 Episode 17: "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" 1965–69 The Big Valley Jarrod Barkley 98 episodes 1970 Love, American Style Reverend Richard Atkins Season 1 Episode 24:"Love And The Minister" 1970–71 Nanny and the Professor Professor Harold Everett 54 episodes 1972–73 Thicker than Water Ernie Paine 9 episodes 1974 Match Game '74 Himself 5 episodes