Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938) and The Westerner (1940), making him one of only three male actors to win three Academy Awards, and the only male or female actor to win three awards in the supporting actor category. Brennan was also nominated for his performance in Sergeant York (1941). Other noteworthy performances were in To Have and Have Not (1944), My Darling Clementine (1946), Red River (1948) and Rio Bravo (1959). On television, he starred in the sitcom The Real McCoys (1957-1963).
Early life
Brennan was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on July 25 1894, less than two miles from his family's home in Swampscott. His parents were both Irish immigrants. His father was an engineer and inventor, and young Brennan also studied engineering at Rindge Technical High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
While working as a bank clerk, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a private with the 101st Field Artillery Regiment in France for two years during World War I. "While there, he suffered an injury to his vocal cords from exposure to mustard gas that left him with his screen trademark: a distinctively reedy, high-pitched voice that became a favorite for celebrity impersonators for decades."
After the war, he worked as a financial reporter for a newspaper in Boston. During the early 1920s, he made a fortune in the real estate market, but lost most of his money during a real estate slump.
Television
Brennan began to work on television, guest-starring on episodes of Screen Directors Playhouse, Lux Video Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse, Ethel Barrymore Theater, Cavalcade of America and The Ford Television Theatre. He played the old outlaw Joe in the 1956 episode "Vengeance Canyon" of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre.
He appeared as himself as a musical judge in the 1953–1954 ABC series Jukebox Jury. Brennan later said that he preferred television to films because there were not "long layoffs between jobs."
He continued to appear in movies such as Gunpoint! (1955) and The Proud Ones (1956) and was in a short film about Israel, Man on a Bus (1955).
Brennan appeared in films such as Glory (1956), Come Next Spring (1956) and Batjac's Good-bye My Lady (1956) with 14-year-old Brandon deWilde, with whom he recorded The Stories of Mark Twain that same year.
He appeared in The Way to the Gold (1957) and played Debbie Reynolds' grandfather in the romantic comedy Tammy and the Bachelor (1957).
Brennan was given another lead role in God Is My Partner (1957), a low-budget film that became a surprise hit.
The Real McCoys
Brennan had resisted overtures to star in a regular TV series but relented for The Real McCoys, a sitcom about a poor West Virginia family that relocated to a farm in Southern California. It was a hit and ran from 1957 to 1963.
Brennan continued to appear in films and other TV shows during the series' run such as Colgate Theatre and another Howard Hawks picture, Rio Bravo (1959), supporting John Wayne and Dean Martin.
After five years on ABC, The Real McCoys switched to CBS for a final season. Brennan joined with series creator Irving Pincus to form Brennan-Westgate Productions. The series was coproduced with Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions. It also featured Richard Crenna, Kathleen Nolan, Lydia Reed and Michael Winkelman.
For Brennan Productions, Brennan starred in Shoot Out at Big Sag (1962). He appeared as a villainous river pirate in MGM's epic How the West Was Won (1963).
Other TV roles and Disney
Brennan starred as the wealthy executive Walter Andrews in the short-lived 1964–1965 ABC series The Tycoon, with Van Williams.
Brennan had a support part in Those Calloways (1965), his first Disney film, again paired with Brandon deWilde. He had a small role in The Oscar (1966).
In 1967, he starred in another ABC series, The Guns of Will Sonnett (1967–1969), as an older man in search of his gunfighter son. It ran for two seasons.
Brennan was top-billed in Disney's The Gnome-Mobile (1967) and made a pilot for the TV series Horatio Alger Jones, which did not become a series.
After a support role in Who's Minding the Mint? (1967), he returned to Disney for The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968).
Brennan had a part as the villain in Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) with James Garner.
Later career
Brennan received top billing over Pat O'Brien in the TV movie The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) and Fred Astaire in The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970).
He joined the second season of the CBS sitcom To Rome with Love (1969–1971) with John Forsythe. This was Brennan's last television series as a member of the permanent cast, although he did make a number of appearances on Alias Smith and Jones.
Around this time he also starred in the TV movies The Young Country (1970), Two for the Money (1972) and Home for the Holidays (1972). He was announced for a Western that was not made, One Day in Eden.
He started filming Herbie Rides Again (1973) for Disney but fell ill and was replaced.
Brennan's last screen appearance was in the Western Smoke in the Wind (1975), directed by Joseph Kane.
In 1920, Brennan married Ruth Caroline Wells. They had three children in their 54-year marriage: Arthur, Walter and Ruth.
In 1940, Brennan purchased the 12,000-acre Lightning Creek Ranch, 20 miles north of Joseph, Oregon. He built the Indian Lodge Motel, a movie theater and a variety store in Joseph, and continued retreating to the ranch between film roles until his death. Some members of his family continue to live in the area.
Brennan spent his last years mostly in retirement at his ranch in Moorpark in Ventura County, California. He died of emphysema on September 21, 1974, at the age of 80 in Oxnard, California. His remains were interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles.
If you want to read more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Brennan
- SERVES
- 4
- COOK TIME
- 4 Min
Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, our Parmesan-Crusted Pork loin chops are fancy enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight meal.
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs (see Note)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 boneless pork loin chops, center cut, trimmed and pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- In a shallow dish, combine Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; mix well.
- Place flour and eggs in 2 separate shallow dishes; set aside.
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Evenly coat pork with flour then egg then bread crumb mixture.
- In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Cook pork in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden, and serve topped with Lemon Garlic Sauce (see below).
Lemon Garlic Sauce
In a small saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil with 3 tablespoons butter over low heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and simmer for 1 minute. Spoon sauce over pork cutlets and serve immediately.
NOTE: Flaky in texture, Japanese-style panko bread crumbs cook up crisp for many of our favorite recipes. They're readily available in our supermarkets with the other breading products.
We all have memories of going to the movie theater. The excitement we felt waiting in anticipation for our favorite movie star to appear on the screen was exciting. No movie was complete without a box of fresh buttered popcorn and our favorite drink in hand. If we were lucky, we were able to get some candy, too. On National Cinema Day, everyone is encouraged to go to a movie and relive that special feeling of seeing your favorite movie star on the big screen.
Behind the Scenes
Movies have been around since the late 1800s. Louis Le Prince receives credit for coming up with the idea of moving images on a screen. His Praxinoscope invention was a single-lens camera that had the ability to take 12 frames per second. Le Prince was in the process of patenting his invention when he was killed by an unknown person. Even though he met his demise, Le Prince was the inspiration for an industry that awes us just as much as the original movies did.
Who invented motion pictures? Thomas Edison receives the credit for inventing the first device to show a motion picture. In fact, Edison would be the first to commercially sell his kinetoscope invention even though he was skeptical about his idea. Interestingly, the device would be used in public kinetoscope parlors for public view. By 1915, small theaters were set up in storefronts to view a motion picture known as nickelodeons.
Early Motion Pictures
- 1891 – Dickson Greeting
- 1893 – Blacksmith Scene
- 1895 – The Execution of Mary Stuart
- 1896 – Le Manoir du diable (The House of the Devil)
- 1902 – A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Motion pictures have come a long way since the beginning. As technology has improved, so has the production of what we view on the screen. During the early years of movie production, the audience was awed by the ability to view moving people on the screen. Movies were in black and white and had no sound. Most of the time, live music was playing within a theater as the film moved on the screen. Today, movie goers expect to see amazing graphics, realistic stunts, and hear astounding music scores.
CINEMA CELEBRATIONS
- Go to the movie with family and friends.
- Buy movie tickets as a gift.
- Rent a movie theater for a private party viewing.
- Research the history of the movies.
- Purchase movie tickets for $3 on National Cinema Day.
THROUGH THE LENS
This celebration is being promoted by The National Association of Theater Owners and The Cinema Foundation to encourage people to head to the theater. The foundation is offering special pricing of $3 movies at participating theaters as a way to celebrate today. If you would like more information about a participating theater in your area, visit www.nationalcinemaday.org.
