Allen Case (born Alan Case Lavelle Jones, October 8, 1934[citation needed] – August 25, 1986) was an American television actor most noted for the lead role of Deputy Clay McCord in NBC-TV's The Deputy (1959–1961) opposite series regular Henry Fonda, who received top billing, but appeared far less frequently than Case.

Allen Case
Case as Deputy Clay McCord, on The Deputy with guest star Vivian Vance (1959).
Born
Alan Case Lavelle Jones

(1934-10-08)October 8, 1934
Dallas, Texas, US
DiedAugust 25, 1986(1986-08-25) (aged 51)
Truckee, California, US
Alma materSouthern Methodist University
OccupationActor
Years active1958–1982
Spouse
Bobbie Jones
(m. 1961; div. 1979)
Children1

Early years

edit

Case was born in Dallas, Texas. His parents were retail clothiers Casey Jones and Nadine Allen Jones. He attended Southern Methodist University, but left in his junior year.[1]

Career

edit

After he left SMU, Case sang on a television program in Dallas, and then toured in musicals. Following those experiences, he traveled to New York to audition for the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program.[1]

Case signed a contract with Columbia Records in 1955, and performed on the first studio cast recording of the Gershwins' musical Oh, Kay! He starred in his first Broadway show, Reuben, Reuben. He also toured with musicals, including South Pacific, Damn Yankees, and My Fair Lady.[2]

In addition to starring in The Deputy,[3]: 253  Case was one of the "friends" on Arthur Godfrey and His Friends.[3]

Case made more than 30 television appearances between 1958 and 1982. Case made three guest appearances on the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason, including the role of defendant Adam Conrad in the 1964 episode, "The Case of the Ruinous Road".

In the 1965–1966 season, Case co-starred as Frank James with Christopher Jones in the ABC Western series The Legend of Jesse James.[3]: 593  In 1969, Case played Sheriff Pat Garritt in the epiosode "Billy The KId' in the TV sho "Time Tunnell."

He made a return to Broadway book musicals in 1967 as the third lead in Jule Styne and Arthur Laurents' Hallelujah, Baby!, and his singing is featured prominently on the original cast album.[4]

Buoyed by his role on The Deputy, Case made personal appearances. In 1961, he came to Shreveport, Louisiana, to appear on KWKH radio and at the rodeo, at which he played Johnny Horton's guitar.[5]

In 1977, Case guest-starred on Quincy, M.E. in the second-season episode, "A Good Smack in the Mouth", as Stuart Harrison, the father of a runaway boy who crosses Quincy's path.

In 1981, Case played Harold Knitzer in The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts, a syndicated television drama.[3]: 600 

Partial television appearances

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1959 Lawman Larry Delong "Riding Shotgun"

(S1E29)

1959 Have Gun - Will Travel Tad Pike "Juliet" (S2E20)
1959-1961 The Deputy Deputy Clay McCord 76 episodes
1962 The Virginian Sheriff Blade "West" (S1E10)
1964 Gunsmoke Lieutenant "The Promoter" (S9E30)
1966 Gunsmoke Gabe Baker "The Good People" (S12E5)
1967 The Time Tunnel Sheriff Pat Garrett "Billy The Kid" (S1E22)
1979 "CHiPs" Councilman Walter Dunlap "Ride the Whirlwind" (S2E22)

Business activities

edit

In the late 1960s, Case went into business manufacturing fur coats for men. Furs used in the coats included wolf, Norwegian seal, muskrat, and sheared rabbit. Prices ranged from $350 to $1,250.[6]

Personal life

edit

On September 22, 1961, Case married Bobbie Jones. They had a daughter, and they divorced on June 27, 1979.[1]

Death

edit

While on vacation, he died after suffering a heart attack in Truckee, California, at the age of 51.[2]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 87–88. ISBN 9781476662503. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Allen Case, 51, Dies; Actor in Variety of TV Western Shows". Los Angeles Times. August 28, 1986. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  4. ^ Original Broadway Cast, Hallelujah, Baby!, 30 April 1967, Sony Broadway CD reissue SK 48218, 1992.
  5. ^ Shreveport Times, April 4, 5 and 7, 1961
  6. ^ DeStefano, Carl (September 18, 1968). "Fur Coats Are Back, This Time for Men". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Texas, Corpus Christi. Chicago Daily News Service. p. 26. Retrieved July 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
edit