Hero of the Month: John Compton
Sometimes when you look up an actor all you can find is his filmography and very little else. This is what I found in regards to John Compton. A teen actor in the mid to late forties, he worked regularly in film and TV for about twenty years but is all but unknown today by even the most die hard B western fans. His first big role was as Ted Forrester in Mildred Pierce (1947). He also appeared in Night and Day (1946) and Cheyenne (1947).
His biggest part came at Republic, playing Clayton Moore’s side kick in Jesse James Rides Again (1947) helping a group of farmers fighting a gang after their oil rich land. After making some low budget westerns like California Passage (1950) Compton would primarily work on TV.
His TV work included appearances on The Cisco Kid, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke and Surfside Six. His last credit is The Real McCoys in 1963. After that he simply disaapeared from people’s radar.
