Marshall Reed

  1. Allan  “Rocky” Lane, Santa Fe Uprising, 1946.     While trying to get started in movies, the Denver actor worked nights at Lockheed Aircraft. (Marilyn Monroe, her first husband Jim Dougherty and his pal, Robert Mitchum, worked the day shift). After US Navy service in the Pacific, 1944-1945, Republic Pictures was turned on to  him for the third Red Ryder by the second, “Wild” Bill Elliott.  He was Reed’s buddy (and, indeed, best man)  and praised him  to studio chief, Herbert J Yates. “I’d talked to Yates, and everything was beautiful…  all cut and dried. At the time this was happening, Allan Lane was working on the lot in a hockey picture [Gay Blades, 1946], and Herb Yates was looking at the dailies one day and, just like that, he decided Lane was going to be the new Red Ryder. But Yates was the kind of guy who would change his mind at the drop of a hat. So that was the end of my deal, and Allan Lane was the new Red Ryder.”
  2. Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger, TV, 1949-1957.    “Marsh” then lost George  W Tredle’s masked hero… twice!  “I had some tough breaks.  I tried out… and Clayton Moore got it. When Clayton went on strike [for 52 episodes], I tried out again, but this time, it went to John Hart.”  In all, Reed won 213 other  screen roles during 1943-1978. Most of these B-cowhands used to say they were (like jockeys) merely “scufflin’ for groceries.”

 Birth year: 1917Death year: 1980Other name: Casting Calls:  2