Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935 – 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.
Career
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 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.[1] 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 At the Earth's Core, The Land That Time Forgot, 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.[2] McClure also appeared as the blonde 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
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. He was flown to Los Angeles for hospitalization. Doctors discovered that the lung cancer McClure had been battling for more than a year had spread to his liver and bones. 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.
Imagine the look on your family's faces when you serve up slices of this Ramen Noodles Pizza Bake. They'll be so surprised that you were able to make two of their favorites, pizza & noodles, into one dish! This ramen noodle recipe is a real dinner winner.
- 4 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles, seasoning packet discarded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 12 -14 slices pepperoni
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms, sauteed
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven to 400º. In a large pot of boiling water, add ramen noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just soft, then drain and toss with oil.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder; mix well. Add noodles and toss until evenly coated.
- Place noodle mixture onto pizza pan to form a crust. Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust. Top with pepperoni and mushrooms.
- Bake 25 minutes, top with mozzarella cheese, then bake for 5-8 more minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before slicing into wedges.
***Feel free to mix and match with your favorite pizza toppings!
1949 – Maurice Gibb, English musician (The Bee Gees) (d. 2003)
1949 – Robin Gibb, English musician (The Bee Gees) (d.2012)
Each year, Forefathers’ Day commemorates the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on December 21, 1620. The Old Colony Club of Plymouth, Massachusetts, introduced the observance in 1769. The town observes the holiday on December 22nd (unless on Sunday, then on the following Monday).
Carrying on the traditions established in 1769, the Old Colony Club recognizes the forefathers with several events. The celebration begins at 6:00 AM with a march by members to the top of Cole’s Hill next to Massasoit’s statue. Next, they read a proclamation honoring the forefathers, followed by a ritual firing of the club’s cannon.
The Old Colony Club and the Mayflower Society both include a succotash dinner as part of their celebration. Sauquetash was recorded as a part of the first celebration. Unlike later versions of succotash, in Plymouth, succotash is served as a broth containing large pieces of fowl and meat that are sliced at the table. And the Old Colony Club did not call the Forefathers “pilgrims” either. The name didn’t come along until much later.
Well into the 1800s from New England to Los Angeles, churches and other organizations celebrated the day with meals they called “New England” dinners. Speeches reflected on the lessons the years since the Plymouth settlers arrived. Others recounted their history.
Descendants of the Mayflower formed the Old Colony Club and established Forefathers’ Day on December 22, 1769, “to honor the forefathers.” When adjusting the date to the Gregorian calendar, the anniversary of the landing was mistakenly calculated to be December 22nd instead of December 21st.
Two noted celebrations occurred 100 years apart. The first in 1820 when the Pilgrim Society held its first celebration at First Parish Church. Daniel Webster spoke movingly about the pilgrims. It was Webster’s moving speech that put Plymouth Rock into the patriotic spotlight. On Forefathers’ Day that year, he made it a landmark like had never been before.
The largest Forefathers’ Day celebration took place in 1920 when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day as Pilgrims’ Day on December 21st, reflecting the more accepted conversion to the Gregorian calendar.
