- Richard Cromwell, This Day and Age, 1933. For his modestly billed “FIRST Great Spectacle of Modern Times,” director Cecil B DeMille felt Junior – the 1930 Huckleberry Finn – was too junior at 18 to be Steve Smith in CB’s only gangster talkie.. Just as Franchot Tone, at 27, was too senior.
- Eric Linden, Ah Wilderness! 1934. The intended star, Will Rogers, passed and then died in a plane crash. Then, Durkin – duie to be Richard – was killed in a car smash that also injured his Tom Sawyerco-star Jackie Coogan, and killed his father Coogan Snr. Elisha Cook Jr was asked to repeat his Broadway role – before it went to Linden.
- George Offerman, Jr, Jalna, 1935. The kid-turned-teen actor Durkin was on the verge from moving up into more adult roles when he was killed in a car smash when returning from a Mexican hunting trip. His actor pal, Jackie Coogan, was the sole survivour – they’d played Tom and Huck Finn in Tom Sawyer, 1930. (Coogan’s father was also killed in the crash). Acting since 2½, Junior was living with the notorious agent Henry Willson, who discovered Rory Calhoun, Troy Donahue, Tab Hunter, Rock Hudson, Guy Madison… and Lana Turner.
Birth year: 1915Death year: 1935Other name: Casting Calls: 3