Ray Collins

• Name — Ray Collins • Birth Name — Ray Bidwell Collins • Born — 10 December 1889 • Birthplace — Sacramento, California, U.S. • Died — 11 July 1965 • Place of death — Santa Monica, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1902–1964 • Children — 1

• Illustration — Collins and wife Margaret Marriott, a vaudeville team, in 1912 Ray Bidwell Collins was born December 10, 1889, in Sacramento, California, to Lillie Bidwell and William Calderwood Collins. His father was a newspaper reporter and dramatic editor on The Sacramento Bee. His mother was the niece of John Bidwell, pioneer, statesman, and founder of society in the Sacramento Valley area of California in the 19th century. Collins was inspired as a young boy to become an actor after seeing a stage performance by his uncle, Ulric Collins, who had performed the role of Dave Bartlett in the Broadway production of Way Down East. He began putting on plays with neighborhood children in Sacramento. Collins made his professional stage debut at age 13, at the Liberty Playhouse in Oakland. In December 1912, Collins and his first wife, Margaret Marriott, were a vaudeville team, who performed at the Alhambra Theatre in Seattle. In July 1914, the couple and their young son, Junius, moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where Collins worked as an actor. In 1922, he was part of a stock company, Vancouver's Popular Players, which enacted plays at the original Orpheum Theatre. He operated his own stock company for five years at his own theatre, the Empress Theatre, in Vancouver. Collins toured in vaudeville and made his way to New York. Collins worked prodigiously in his youth. Between the ages of 17 and 30, he was, it is said, out of work as an actor for a total of five weeks. In 1924, he and Marriott were divorced. That same year, he opened in Conscience, and after that, he was almost continually featured in Broadway plays and other theatrical productions until the Great Depression began. In 1926, he married Joan Uron. At the start of the Great Depression, Collins turned his attention to radio, where he was involved in 18 broadcasts a week, sometimes working as many as 16 hours a day. He also played parts in short films, starting in 1930, including the Vitaphone Varieties series based on Booth Tarkington's Penrod stories. In 1934, Collins began a long association with Orson Welles, which led to some of his most memorable roles. They met when Welles joined the repertory cast of The American School of the Air, his first job in radio. In 1935, Welles won a place in the prestigious company that presented the news dramatization series The March of Time—an elite corps of actors, including Collins, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, and Paul Stewart, who would soon form the core of Welles's Mercury Theatre. On radio, Collins was in the distinguished repertory cast of the weekly historical drama Cavalcade of America for six years. Collins and Welles worked together on that series and others, including Welles's serial adaptation of Les Misérables (1937) and The Shadow (1937–1938). Collins became a member of the repertory company of Welles's CBS Radio series The Mercury Theatre on the Air (1938) and its sponsored continuation, The Campbell Playhouse (1938–1940). Through the run of the series, Collins played many roles in literary adaptations, including Squire Livesey in "Treasure Island", Dr. Watson in "Sherlock Holmes", and Mr. Pickwick in "The Pickwick Papers". Collins's best-known (albeit uncredited) work on this series, however, was in "The War of the Worlds", the celebrated broadcast in which he played three roles, most notably the rooftop newscaster who describes the destruction of New York. Additionally, he originated the title role in the popular Crime Doctor series. Along with other Mercury Theatre players, Collins made his feature-film debut in Citizen Kane (1941), in which he portrayed ruthless political boss Jim W. Gettys. He appeared in Welles's original Broadway production of Native Son (1941) and played a principal role in Welles's second film, The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). His ongoing radio work included Welles's wartime series, Ceiling Unlimited and Hello Americans (1942), and the variety show The Orson Welles Almanac (1944). Having returned to his native California, Collins appeared in more than 75 major motion pictures, including Leave Her to Heaven (1945); The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); Crack-Up (1946); A Double Life (1947); two entries in the Ma and Pa Kettle series; and the 1953 version of The Desert Song, in which he played the nonsinging role of Kathryn Grayson's father. He displayed comic ability in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and The Man from Colorado (1948), and played a supporting role in Welles's Touch of Evil (1958). On television, Collins was a regular in The Halls of Ivy (1954–1955), starring Ronald Colman. He appeared as Judge Harper in a 1955 TV adaptation of the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street, starring Thomas Mitchell, Teresa Wright, and MacDonald Carey. In 1957, Collins joined the cast of the CBS-TV series Perry Mason and gained fame as Los Angeles police homicide detective Lieutenant Arthur Tragg. By 1960, Collins found his physical health declining and his memory waning, problems that in the next few years brought an end to his career. About the difficulty in remembering his lines, he said: "Years ago, when I was on the Broadway stage, I could memorize 80 pages in eight hours. I had a photographic memory. When I got out on the stage, I could actually — in my mind — see the lines written on top of the page, the middle, or the bottom. But then radio came along, and we read most of our lines, and I got out of the habit of memorizing. I lost my natural gift. Today it's hard for me. My wife works as hard as I do, cueing me at home." In October 1963, Collins filmed his last Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Capering Camera", broadcast January 16, 1964. Although clearly Collins would not return to work on the series, his name appeared in the opening title sequence through the eighth season, which ended in May 1965. Executive producer Gail Patrick Jackson was aware that Collins watched the show every week and wished not to discourage him.

On July 11, 1965, Collins died of emphysema at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, at age 75. Masonic funeral services were held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

Collins supported Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election.

Ray Collins played 900 roles on the legitimate stage. • Date — Title — Role — Notes • June 23 – July 5, 1924 — The Blue Bandanna — Gentleman Jim Delano — Vanderbilt Theatre, New York • September 11, 1924 – January 1925 — Conscience — Jeff Stewart — Belmont Theatre, New York • March 26, 1925 – — Eve's Leaves — Theodore Corbin — Wallack's Theatre, New York • September 28 – October 1925 — The Bridge of Distances — Captain Aylmer Herryot — Morosco Theatre, New York • August 30 – December 1926 — The Donovan Affair — Nelson — Fulton Theatre, New York • September 18 – October 1928 — The Big Fight — Majestic Theatre, New York • November 9, 1928 – January 1929 — On Call — John Q. Smith — Waldorf Theatre, New York • September 16 – October 1929 — A Strong Man's House — Allen — Ambassador Theatre, New York • February 26–28, 1931 — Paging Danger — Kenneth Holden — Booth Theatre, New York • March 24 – June 28, 1941 — Native Son — Paul Max — St. James Theatre, New York

• Date — Title — Role — Notes • 1930 – — The American School of the Air — Repertory cast • February 9, 1931 – — The Eno Crime Club — Mystery drama series • March 6, 1931 – — The March of Time — Repertory cast • January 16, 1933 – — Just Plain Bill — Serial drama • July 25, 1936 — Five Star Theatre — "Behind That Curtain", conclusion of a Charlie Chan mystery • July 14 – September 22, 1935 — America's Hour — Repertory cast — Patriotic documentary drama • 1935–41 — Cavalcade of America — Repertory cast — Weekly anthology drama series • March 22, 1936 — Terror by Night — "The Bells" • February 23 – September 16, 1936 — Peter Absolute — Augustus Crabtree — Weekly dramatic serial Collins plays a strolling tragedian in this story of a boy's adventures during the early days of the Erie Canal • June 1, 1936 – — Wilderness Road — Daniel Boone — Frontier serial drama • July 25, 1936 — Columbia Workshop — Repertory cast — "Broadway Evening" • August 1, 1936 — Columbia Workshop — Repertory cast — "Cartwheel" • September 2, 1936 – August 1937 — The Heinz Magazine of the Air — John — Serial drama segment, "Trouble House" • September 12, 1936 — Columbia Workshop — Repertory cast — "A Voyage To Brobdingnag" • July 23 – September 3, 1937 — Les Misérables — Seven-episode weekly series First drama by Orson Welles's nascent Mercury Theatre radio company • August 30, 1937 — Shakespearean Cycle — "Twelfth Night" • September 26, 1937 – September 11, 1938 — The Shadow — Commissioner Weston Repertory cast • December 3, 1937 — Grand Central Station — Starring Martin Gabel • December 23, 1937 — The Kate Smith Hour — "Blessed Are They" • July 11, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Russian Captain — "Dracula" • July 18, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Ben Gunn — "Treasure Island" • July 25, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Prosecutor — "A Tale of Two Cities" • August 1, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — "The Thirty-Nine Steps" • August 8, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — "My Little Boy", "The Open Window", "I'm a Fool" • August 15, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — "Abraham Lincoln" • August 22, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — "The Affairs of Anatol" • August 29, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Abbé Faria — "The Count of Monte Cristo" • September 5, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — The Professor — "The Man Who Was Thursday" • September 25, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Dr. Watson — "Sherlock Holmes" • September 29, 1938 — Columbia Workshop — "The Lighthouse Keeper" • October 9, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — "Hell on Ice" • October 16, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Mr. Parcher — "Seventeen" • October 23, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Detective Fix — "Around the World in Eighty Days" • October 27, 1938 — Columbia Workshop — "Air Raid" • October 27, 1938 – August 26, 1939 — County Seat — Doc Will Hackett — Serial drama • October 30, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Mr. Wilmuth Mr. Harry McDonald Announcer from Broadcasting Building roof — "The War of the Worlds" • November 6, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Marlow — "Heart of Darkness", "Life with Father" • November 13, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — "A Passenger to Bali" • November 20, 1938 — The Mercury Theatre on the Air — Samuel Pickwick — "The Pickwick Papers" • December 9, 1938 — The Campbell Playhouse — Frank Crawley — "Rebecca" • December 15, 1938 — Columbia Workshop — "A Trip to Czardis" • December 16, 1938 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Call It a Day" • December 23, 1938 — The Campbell Playhouse — "A Christmas Carol" • December 30, 1938 — The Campbell Playhouse — "A Farewell to Arms" • 1938 — No Help Wanted — The story of the WPA, produced for BBC broadcast by the radio division of the Federal Theatre Project • January 6, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Counsellor-at-Law" • January 13, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Thomas Birkitt — "Mutiny on the Bounty" • January 20, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Hibbard — "The Chicken Wagon Family" • January 27, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Faye — "I Lost My Girlish Laughter" • February 3, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Professor Gottlieb — "Arrowsmith" • February 10, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Dr. Traherne — "The Green Goddess" • February 17, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Burlesque" • February 24, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "State Fair" • March 10, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Royal Regiment" • March 10, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Shad O'Rory — "The Glass Key" • March 17, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Beau Geste" • March 24, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Oliver Webb — "Twentieth Century" • March 31, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Windy — "Show Boat" • April 2, 1939 — Americans All, Immigrants All — 26-episode CBS cultural documentary drama series produced by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the WPA "Contributions in Science" • April 7, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Les Misérables" • April 9, 1939 — Americans All, Immigrants All — "Contributions in Arts and Crafts" • April 14, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "The Patriot" • April 15, 1939 — Arch Oboler's Plays — "Three Plays of the Ways of Men" • April 16, 1939 — Americans All, Immigrants All — "Contributions in Social Progress" • April 23, 1939 — Americans All, Immigrants All — "A New England Town" • April 28, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Black Daniel" • April 30, 1939 — Americans All, Immigrants All — "An Industrial City" • May 5, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Wickford Point" • May 7, 1939 — Americans All, Immigrants All — "Grand Finale" • May 12, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Our Town" • May 19, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Uncle Phipps — "The Bad Man" • May 26, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Repertory cast — "American Cavalcade: The Things We Have" • May 12, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Victoria Regina" • July 20, 1939 — Columbia Workshop — "John Brown's Body" • September 10, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Governor — "Peter Ibbetson" • September 17, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Nat Miller — "Ah, Wilderness!" • September 24, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Willy Cameron — "What Every Woman Knows" • October 1, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Caderousse — "The Count of Monte Cristo" • October 8, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Slimane — "Algiers" • October 15, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Murdered Cop Forgiving Judge Unforgiving Farmer — "Escape" • October 29, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Fred Amberson — "The Magnificent Ambersons" • November 5, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Father Paul — "The Hurricane" • November 12, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Mr. Raymond — "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" • November 19, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Lt. de Trevignac — "The Garden of Allah" • November 26, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Tubby — "Dodsworth" • December 3, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Lost Horizon" • December 17, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — Nicky Shayne — "There's Always a Woman" • December 24, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "A Christmas Carol" • December 31, 1939 — The Campbell Playhouse — "Come and Get It" • January 14, 1940 — The Campbell Playhouse — Jed Waterbury — "Theodora Goes Wild" • January 21, 1940 — The Campbell Playhouse — The Rector — "The Citadel" • January 22, 1940 – — Life Begins — Alvin Craig — Serial drama • January 28, 1940 — The Campbell Playhouse — "It Happened One Night" • April 18, 1940 — Columbia Workshop — "Three Strikes and You're Out" • May 29, 1940 — Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons — "The Case of the Woman Who Wasn't Needed" • June 5, 1940 — Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons — "The Case of the Woman Who Wasn't Needed" (conclusion) • August 4, 1940 – — Crime Doctor — Dr. Benjamin Ordway — Weekly crime drama • December 22, 1940 — Columbia Workshop — "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas" • April 6, 1941 — The Free Company — Bill Knaggs — "His Honor, the Mayor" • May 9, 1941 — Great Moments from Great Plays — "Ceiling Zero" • June 9, 1941 — Salute to Canada Lee — Nationwide Mutual Network program that concludes with Canada Lee and Collins performing the last scene from Native Son Cast: Paul Robeson (emcee), Eddie Anderson, Ray Collins, Duke Ellington, Canada Lee, Hattie McDaniel, Bill Robinson, Richard Wright • July 2, 1941 — The Pursuit of Happiness — Episode dramatizing John Peter Zenger's fight for freedom of the press" • July 6, 1941 — Columbia Workshop — "Between Americans" • July 25, 1936 — Columbia Workshop — "Ann Was an Ordinary Girl" • August 24, 1941 — Columbia Workshop — "Job" • September 22, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show — The Devil — Segment titled "The Right Side" • September 29, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show — Segment titled "The Interlopers" • October 6, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show • October 20, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show — With cast members from The Magnificent Ambersons, which begins shooting the following week • November 3, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show • November 10, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show • November 16, 1941 — Red Cross Roll Call — Hour-long program on all major radio networks to benefit the American Red Cross Cast: Judith Anderson, Lionel Barrymore, Roy Collins, Raymond Massey, Paul Muni ("Narrative in Red and White") • December 1, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show • December 15, 1941 — Cavalcade of America — "The Great Man Votes", broadcast from Hollywood • December 22, 1941 — The Orson Welles Show • January 12, 1942 — The Orson Welles Show — Phil — "The Apple Tree" • January 19, 1942 — The Orson Welles Show — "My Little Boy" • April 20, 1942 — Cavalcade of America — "In This Crisis" • May 25, 1942 — Cavalcade of America — "Young Tom Jefferson" • June 14, 1942 — Towards the Century of the Common Man — UN Flag Day program • November 9, 1942 — Ceiling Unlimited — "The Flying Fortress" • November 22, 1942 — Hello Americans — "The Andes" • November 23, 1942 — Ceiling Unlimited — "The Navigator" • November 29, 1942 — Hello Americans — "The Islands" • January 31, 1943 — Hello Americans — "Bolivar's Idea" • April 27, 1943 — Suspense — "The Diary of Saphronia Winters" • September 9, 1943 — Suspense — "Marry for Murder" • January 26, 1944 — The Orson Welles Almanac • August 17, 1944 — Suspense — "The Diary of Saphronia Winters" • November 27, 1944 — Cavalcade of America — "Witness for the People" • December 19, 1944 — This Is My Best — Santa Claus — "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas" • April 10, 1945 — This Is My Best — "The Master of Ballantrae" • November 13, 1945 — This Is My Best — "Colonel Paxton and the Haunted Horse" • May 14, 1946 — This Is My Best — "Tugboat Annie Sails Again"