Villain of the Month: Don Haggerty
Don Haggerty built a solid career as a character actor after returning home from World War Two. The former Brown University star athlete made his film debut in The Gangster (1947), and quickly became cast as either a tough cop or a tough cowboy, depending on the film. His one serial was playing chief henchman Dirk in Republic’s King of the Rocketmen (1949), helping mystery villain Dr. Vulcan commit acts of sabotage and murder. His realistic thugish portrayal helped to ground the more fantastic elements of the science fiction/ superhero serial.
From there he went on to appear in The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Narrow Margin (1951), The Atomic Kid (1954), Day of the Badmen (1958), Seven Ways From Sundown (1959), Muscle Beach Party (1964) and The Killers (1965). He was also a familiar face on TV. After a semi-regular role as Marsh Murdock during the first season of The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp, he also had a recurring role as Wes on Walt Disney’s Tales of Texas John Slaughter. Other TV work included appearances on Bonanza, Leave It To Beaver, The Munsters, The Andy Griffith Show, Perry Mason and My Favorite Martian.
Haggerty’s son Dan would follow in his father’s footsteps, himself achieving lasting fame in the seventies on TV as the star of Grizzly Adams.
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