Doug McClure

For the footballer, see Doug McClure (footballer).

Doug McClure
McClure c. 1961
Born
Douglas Osborne McClure

(1935-05-11)May 11, 1935
DiedFebruary 5, 1995(1995-02-05) (aged 59)
Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
Alma materUCLA
OccupationActor
Years active1956–1995

Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935[1] – February 5, 1995) was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1971 of the series The Virginian and mayor turned police chief Kyle Applegate on Out of This World. From 1961 to 1963, he was married to actress BarBara Luna.[2]

Career

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McClure's acting career included such films as Gidget (1959), The Enemy Below, The Unforgiven, and Because They're Young, then he landed the role of Trampas on The Virginian, a role that would make him famous. He also starred:

  • As different characters in several episodes in 1957 of Death Valley Days
  • As Flip Flippen in the 1960 television western series Overland Trail, in which he co-starred with William Bendix for 17 episodes
  • As Jed Sills in the 1960-1962 CBS television series Checkmate for 70 episodes.
  • As C.R. (Christopher Robin) Grover in the sci-fi/detective series Search (1972–1973), in which he rotated the lead with Hugh O'Brian and Anthony Franciosa as a high-tech probe agent.
  • As Cash Conover, casino owner, co-starring with William Shatner, in the one-season series The Barbary Coast (1975–1976). McClure replaced Dennis Cole, who played the role of Conover in the show's pilot.
  • As Mayor Kyle Applegate on the fantasy sitcom Out of This World (1987–1991).
McClure as Trampas in NBC's The Virginian

McClure was in the third episode "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" of CBS's The Twilight Zone.

In 1962, he was cast as Trampas on NBC's The Virginian. His co-stars throughout the series were James Drury, Roberta Shore, Lee J. Cobb, Randy Boone, Gary Clarke, Clu Gulager, Diane Roter, Charles Bickford, Sara Lane, Tim Matheson, Jeanette Nolan, and John McIntire.

In 1965, he appeared in Shenandoah, a movie directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, Katharine Ross, and Rosemary Forsyth.

After The Virginian ended in 1971, McClure was slated to co-star with Bette Davis on a series about a parolee assisting a judge, played by Davis, by doing detective work. The pilot, produced and written by the team of Richard Levinson and William Link, failed to generate interest in the series and was released as a TV movie titled The Judge and Jake Wyler.[3] McClure made another attempt at a television series during the 1972–1973 season by co-starring on SEARCH as a hi-tech investigator, rotating with Anthony Franciosa and Hugh O'Brian, and again in 1975–1976 in The Barbary Coast, co-starring William Shatner (with whom he'd starred in The Virginian episode "The Claim"). He shifted to low-budget science-fiction movies such as The Land That Time Forgot, At the Earth's Core and The People That Time Forgot, all three based on the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs. In 1967, he played the Errol Flynn role in a remake of Against All Flags titled The King's Pirate. He was cast in the lead in three adventures: The Longest Hundred Miles, The Birdmen, and State of Division (also known as Death Race). In 1978, he also starred in Warlords of Atlantis. In the 1970s and 1980s, McClure appeared in commercials for Hamms Beer.[4] McClure also appeared as the blond slave to Jamie Farr's character in the sequel Cannonball Run II (1984).

He also had a cameo role as a poker player in the 1994 remake of Maverick.

In 1994, McClure was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television at 7065 Hollywood Blvd. It was unveiled in what was his final public appearance.

Death

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Doug McClure's gravestone
Doug McClure's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

On February 5, 1995, McClure died at age 59 from lung cancer in Sherman Oaks, California. On January 8 of that year, the actor was working on an episode of the television series One West Waikiki in Hawaii when he collapsed from an apparent stroke on the set.[5] He was flown to Los Angeles for hospitalization.[5] Doctors discovered that the lung cancer McClure had been battling for more than a year had spread to his liver and bones.[5][6] McClure was married to his fifth wife at the time of his death. He was divorced four times, including twice while he was performing on The Virginian.[7]

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Doug McClure and Troy Donahue served as inspiration for the name and certain character aspects of the character of Troy McClure on The Simpsons.[8][9][10] Mike Reiss, executive producer of The Simpsons, said that Doug McClure's daughter informed him that Doug was a big fan of The Simpsons. She said that while watching an episode Doug saw the character Troy McClure on the show and said, "Are they making fun of me?" Doug said he thought the parody was funny, and his daughters would call him Troy McClure behind his back as a joke.[11]

Filmography

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William Bendix, Lynn Bari, and McClure in Overland Trail (1960)
Sebastian Cabot, Carolyn Craig, and McClure in Checkmate (1962)

Film

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Television

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References

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  1. ^ https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LCRB-TMY/douglas-osbourne-mcclure-1935-1995
  2. ^ Thomas, Nick. "BarBara Luna's stellar career". The Spectrum. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Shipman, David (February 7, 1995). "OBITUARY: Doug McClure". The Independent. London. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  4. ^ Kleiner, Dick (October 29, 1982). "Doug McClure Played Trampas and commercial". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Doug McClure's death". The Honolulu Advertiser. February 7, 1995. p. 15.
  6. ^ "Doug McClure's cancer battle". Quad-City Times. December 22, 1994. p. 32.
  7. ^ Oliver, Myrna (February 5, 1995). "Actor Doug McClure Dies at 59". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  8. ^ Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike (2002). The Simpsons The Complete Second Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  9. ^ Groening, Matt (December 29, 2004). "Fresh Air". WHYY-FM (Interview). Interviewed by Terry Gross. Philadelphia: NPR. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  10. ^ Reiss, Mike; Klickstein, Mathew (2018). Springfield confidential: jokes, secrets, and outright lies from a lifetime writing for the Simpsons. New York City: Dey Street Books. p. 100. ISBN 978-0062748034.
  11. ^ The Simpsons, Season 2 DVD, Episode: "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment"
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