Steve Brodie (actor)
Encyclopedia
Steve Brodie was an American movie and television actor.
Born John Stevenson in El Dorado, Kansas
, he took his screen name from the Steve Brodie who claimed that he jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge
in 1886 and survived.
to the early 1950s
working at MGM, RKO and Republic Pictures
appearing mostly in westerns
and B-movies. He mainly played supporting roles in films such as the film noir
classic Out of the Past
(1947) and the classic crime film Armored Car Robbery
(1950), although he did have the starring role in Desperate
(1947). He later appeared with Elvis Presley
in Blue Hawaii
(1961) and Roustabout (1964).
Beginning in the mid-1950s he appeared largely on television, including, for instance, The Public Defender
, three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
, and in the episode "Vendetta" of the syndicated
western series Pony Express
. He and Sterling Holloway
appeared in the 1960 episode "Love Me, Love My Dog" of the syndicated crime drama The Brothers Brannagan
.
from 1946 until her death in 1968. Their son Kevin Brodie
(born 1952) was a child actor, and is now a film writer and director.
Born John Stevenson in El Dorado, Kansas
El Dorado, Kansas
El Dorado is a city situated along the Walnut River in the central part of Butler County, located in south-central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Butler County...
, he took his screen name from the Steve Brodie who claimed that he jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
in 1886 and survived.
Film career
Most of his acting work was from the mid 1940s1940s
File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...
to the early 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
working at MGM, RKO and Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
appearing mostly in westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
and B-movies. He mainly played supporting roles in films such as the film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
classic Out of the Past
Out of the Past
Out of the Past is a 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring , with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M...
(1947) and the classic crime film Armored Car Robbery
Armored Car Robbery
Armored Car Robbery is a 1950 American film noir shot in a semi-documentary style, directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charles McGraw. The movie was filmed on location in Los Angeles, California....
(1950), although he did have the starring role in Desperate
Desperate (film)
-Plot:Steve Randall is an independent trucker who is hired by an old friend to haul some freight. Only when Steve arrives at the warehouse, does he realize that what he has been hired to haul away is stolen goods. A cop is killed when they bust in during the delivery.Later, after kidnapping Steve,...
(1947). He later appeared with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written American Musical. The movie opened at no...
(1961) and Roustabout (1964).
Beginning in the mid-1950s he appeared largely on television, including, for instance, The Public Defender
The Public Defender (TV series)
The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June 23, 1955, a season and a half.-Premise:...
, three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, and in the episode "Vendetta" of the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
western series Pony Express
Pony Express (TV series)
Pony Express is a half-hour syndicated western television series which ended its 39-episode schedule in 1960, the centennial of the launching of the Pony Express, a short-lived venture promoted by William Hepburn Russell of the freight company Russell, Majors and Waddell...
. He and Sterling Holloway
Sterling Holloway
Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company...
appeared in the 1960 episode "Love Me, Love My Dog" of the syndicated crime drama The Brothers Brannagan
The Brothers Brannagan
The Brothers Brannagan is an American crime drama television series that aired in syndication from September 24, 1960, and July 15, 1961.-Synopsis:...
.
Personal life
He was married to actress Lois AndrewsLois Andrews
Lois Andrews was an American actress. Born in Huntington Park, California, as Lorraine Gourley, she played in films during the 1940s and early 1950s....
from 1946 until her death in 1968. Their son Kevin Brodie
Kevin Brodie
Kevin Brodie is a film director, screenwriter and former child actor. He was the son of actors Steve Brodie and Lois Andrews....
(born 1952) was a child actor, and is now a film writer and director.
Selected films
- Out of the PastOut of the PastOut of the Past is a 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring , with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M...
(1947) - CrossfireCrossfire (film)-External links:* review at DVD Savant by Glenn Erickson* film trailer at YouTube...
(1947) - DesperateDesperate (film)-Plot:Steve Randall is an independent trucker who is hired by an old friend to haul some freight. Only when Steve arrives at the warehouse, does he realize that what he has been hired to haul away is stolen goods. A cop is killed when they bust in during the delivery.Later, after kidnapping Steve,...
(1947) - The return of the bad men (1948)
- Home of the BraveHome of the Brave (1949 film)Home of the Brave is a 1949 film based on a 1946 play by Arthur Laurents. It was directed by Mark Robson and stars Douglas Dick, Jeff Corey, Lloyd Bridges, Frank Lovejoy, James Edwards, and Steve Brodie...
(1949) - The Big WheelThe Big Wheel (film)The Big Wheel is a 1949 film starring Mickey Rooney and Thomas Mitchell.-Plot:Rooney plays Billy Coy, a young man determined to follow in his father's footsteps as a race car driver. Despite the fact that his father, "Cannonball" Coy, was killed in a fiery crash during the Indianapolis 500, Billy...
(1949) - Armored Car RobberyArmored Car RobberyArmored Car Robbery is a 1950 American film noir shot in a semi-documentary style, directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charles McGraw. The movie was filmed on location in Los Angeles, California....
(1950) - Kiss Tomorrow GoodbyeKiss Tomorrow GoodbyeKiss Tomorrow Goodbye is a 1950 film noir starring James Cagney, directed by Gordon Douglas and based on the novel by Horace McCoy. The film was banned in Ohio as "a sordid, sadistic presentation of brutality and an extreme presentation of crime with explicit steps in commission."Supporting Cagney...
(1950) - Winchester '73Winchester '73 (1950 film)Winchester '73 is an American Western film starring James Stewart and Shelley Winters, and released by Universal Pictures in 1950. This is the first of eight collaborations between Stewart and director Anthony Mann. The movie features early roles for Rock Hudson , Tony Curtis, and James Best, and...
(1950) - MM (1951 film)M is a 1951 American remake of Fritz Lang's film of the same name, shifting the action from Berlin to Los Angeles and changing the killer's name from Hans Beckert to Martin W. Harrow. The remake, directed by Joseph Losey with David Wayne playing Peter Lorre's role, was not well received by critics...
(1951) - The Steel HelmetThe Steel HelmetThe Steel Helmet is a war film directed by Samuel Fuller and produced by Lippert Studios during the Korean War. It was the first film about the war, and the first of several war films by producer-director-writer Fuller.-Plot:...
(1951) - The Charge at Feather RiverThe Charge at Feather RiverThe Charge at Feather River is a 1953 Western film directed by Gordon Douglas, was originally released in 3D with lots of arrows, lances, and other weapons flying directly at the audience in several scenes....
(1953) - Donovan's BrainDonovan's Brain (film)Donovan's Brain is a 1953 film, starring Lew Ayres, Gene Evans, and Nancy Reagan , based on the 1942 horror novel Donovan's Brain by Curt Siodmak.-Plot:...
(1953) - The Far CountryThe Far CountryThe Far Country is a 1954 American western movie directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their fourth western collaboration...
(1955) - Gun Duel In Durango (1957)
- Blue HawaiiBlue HawaiiBlue Hawaii is a 1961 musical film set in the state of Hawaii and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written American Musical. The movie opened at no...
(1961) - Of Love and Desire (1963)
- RoustaboutRoustaboutA roustabout is a labourer typically performing temporary, unskilled work. The term has traditionally been used to refer to traveling-circus workers, natural gas, or oil rig workers....
(1964) - The Giant Spider InvasionThe Giant Spider InvasionThe Giant Spider Invasion is a low-budget 1975 film produced by Transcentury Pictures, a partnership owned by the film's director Bill Rebane. The film is about giant spiders that terrorize the town of Merrill, Wisconsin and the surrounding area. The Giant Spider Invasion was given a U.S. release...
(1975)