Fred Crane, Herman Frederick Crane, (March 22, 1918 â€" August 21,
2008) was an American film and television actor and radio announcer.
He is probably best known for his role as Brent Tarleton in the 1939
film, Gone with the Wind, speaking the opening lines in the movie
during the opening scene with Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) and
Stuart Tarleton (George Reeves).Crane was born in New Orleans,
Louisiana in 1918. Along with his brothers John and Harry, he grew up
on General Pershing St. and went to the MacDonough #13 and Alcee
Fortier schools. His father was a dentist, whose father and
grandfather also were dentists. Fred was to break the trend, getting
into acting and football at both Loyola and Tulane Universities. His
first job in his teens was working in his spare time for an ice
delivery service, back before electric refrigerators had caught
on.Around the time he was 20, his mother gave him that legendary "$50
and a suitcase" to come out to Hollywood and get into motion pictures,
impressed that a neighbor's daughter had signed a movie contract, but
also knowing that her son had the mettle to perform (on stage at
college, and later in film, television and radio).At first he stayed
with relatives as well as taking a job at the local zoo to pay the
rent, after which at night he would read books to a relative whose
vision was deteriorating. It wasn't too long before he was invited on
that fateful trip to Selznick International Pictures, where his
cousin, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, (daughter of Leatrice Joy) was going to
audition for the part of Suellen in the movie, "Gone With the Wind."
He was taking in all the sights and sounds of the studio, when during
a discussion, his authentic Southern accent combined with striking
good looks landed him a meeting with Gone With The Wind first director
George Cukor and producer David O. Selznick, which led to a script
reading with Vivien Leigh, who had been chosen to play Scarlett
O'Hara. Selznick was impressed, and signed Crane to a 13-week contract
at $50 a week.
2008) was an American film and television actor and radio announcer.
He is probably best known for his role as Brent Tarleton in the 1939
film, Gone with the Wind, speaking the opening lines in the movie
during the opening scene with Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) and
Stuart Tarleton (George Reeves).Crane was born in New Orleans,
Louisiana in 1918. Along with his brothers John and Harry, he grew up
on General Pershing St. and went to the MacDonough #13 and Alcee
Fortier schools. His father was a dentist, whose father and
grandfather also were dentists. Fred was to break the trend, getting
into acting and football at both Loyola and Tulane Universities. His
first job in his teens was working in his spare time for an ice
delivery service, back before electric refrigerators had caught
on.Around the time he was 20, his mother gave him that legendary "$50
and a suitcase" to come out to Hollywood and get into motion pictures,
impressed that a neighbor's daughter had signed a movie contract, but
also knowing that her son had the mettle to perform (on stage at
college, and later in film, television and radio).At first he stayed
with relatives as well as taking a job at the local zoo to pay the
rent, after which at night he would read books to a relative whose
vision was deteriorating. It wasn't too long before he was invited on
that fateful trip to Selznick International Pictures, where his
cousin, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, (daughter of Leatrice Joy) was going to
audition for the part of Suellen in the movie, "Gone With the Wind."
He was taking in all the sights and sounds of the studio, when during
a discussion, his authentic Southern accent combined with striking
good looks landed him a meeting with Gone With The Wind first director
George Cukor and producer David O. Selznick, which led to a script
reading with Vivien Leigh, who had been chosen to play Scarlett
O'Hara. Selznick was impressed, and signed Crane to a 13-week contract
at $50 a week.
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