Todd’s Serial Blog

Though his son, Jason Robards, Jr. is probably better known by film fans, the patriarch of the Robards acting dynasty enjoyed a long career as first a leading man, then character actor.  Trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Robards became a popular stage actor before coming to film in the twenties, making his film debut in The Gilded Lily (1921).  He became a popular leading man in rural dramas like The Cohens and the Kellys (1926), Hills of Kentucky (1927) and Casey Jones (1927).  With the coming of sound, Robards found himself less in demand as a leading man and switched to character parts, usually as a villain in films like Charlie Chan Carries On (1931), White Eagle (1932) and The Devil’s Mate (1933).

His forte of playing villains brought him to Mascot where he made three serials.  Burn ‘Em Up Barnes (1935) cast Robards as a crooked race track promoter working with an equally crooked business man to steal some oil rich land from a garage owner who is helped by a friendly race car driver and his ward.  Next up Robard’s was Charles Middleton’s second in command in their attempt to drive a tribe of Indians off their reservation so they can mine a newly discovered explosive.  His final Mascot serial, The Fighting Marines (1935) was  a change of pace as he played a military man’s servant who might just be the mysterious saboteur and pirate known as The Tiger Shark.

At this point his career shifted again and he became more of a bit player, making small appearance in films like The Man Who Cried Wolf (1937), The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) and I Stole a Million (1939).  His serial work was much the same, except for a henchman role in Scouts to the Rescue (1939) most of his serial work consisted of small roles in Zorro Rides Again (1937), Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939) and The Green Hornet Strikes Again (1940).

The forties was a continuing string of bit parts in a variety of films ranging from Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1942) and Zomibies on Broadway (1945) to The Farmer’s Daughter (1947) and Mr  Blandings’s Builds His Dream House (1948).  Work slowed down in the fifties due to an eye infection, but he returned to work in the latter part of the decade, appearing on stage with his son Jason Robards, Jr in The Disenchanted as well as popping up on TV in episodes of Studio One, Wagon Train, Leave It to Beaver and The Adventures of Ozie and Harriet.  His final film appearance was the Elvis Presley vehicle Wild in the Country (1961).

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Claire James was a runner up for the 1938 Miss America crown before moving into acting.  Though her career lasted almost fifteen years she rarely moved above bit player status in films like Road to Singapore (1940), Ziegfield Girl (1941), Voodoo Man (1944) and Saddle Serenade (1945).

Her biggest roles were in Columbia serials.  Hop Harrigan (1946) cast her as the daughter of Hop’s businessman employer, who sometimes helped the good guys protect Dr Tobor from being kidnapped by The Chief Pilot.  In Jack Armstrong (1947) James played the leader of a jungle tribe that helps the heroes stop a madman from developing a death ray.

During the fifties her acting career consisted of more bit parts on shows like Racket Squad and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

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Many B-Western heroes were actual cowboys.  Such was the case with Bob Custer, a former cowboy and rodeo star who made an easy transition to film in the mid twenties, signing with Jess Goldberg’s low budget company where he gain instant popularity in films like Trigger Finger (1924), The Range Terror (1925) and The Devil’s Gulch (1926).

Trying to broaden his appeal, Custer made a few non western films under his real name Raymond Glenn, but audiences didn’t want to see him in films like Temptations of a Shop Girl (1927), so it was back to being Bob Custer in West of Santa Fe (1928) and The Oklahoma Kid (1929).

The coming of sound dealt Custer a heavy blow when it became apparent that his acting ability did not equal his riding expertise. Some reports say he couldn’t remember lines and others state it was a severe case of mike fright causing him to choke when ever he had to deliver lines.  Whatever the case, Custer appeared like a total amateur on screen, but managed to soldier on through increasingly cheaper productions like Covered Wagon Days (1930), Law of the Rio Grande (1931) and Mark of the Spur (1932).

Like many other former silent stars, Custer came to the attention of Nat Levine, who teamed him with Rex, the Wonder Horse and Rin Tin Tin, Jr. in Mascot’s Law of Wild (1934) where Custer is framed for murder in an attempt to steal Rex from him and turn the horse into a champion racer.

Custer called it quits after a few more films, his last performance was in Santa Fe Rides (1937).  Getting a degree in engineering, Custer found work as a building inspector, eventually working his way up to Chief Building Inspector for the city of Newport Beach.

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