Bob Bailey - The Johnny Dollar

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Radio

Bob Bailey (1913-1983) started his career on the stage as a child actor. After a series of lack-luster jobs in the Mid-West, in the mid 1930's Bob moved back to Chicago and found his niche in radio. From the earliest program I can find documented (Mortimer Gooch - 1936) until 1960, Bob appeared in the following radio programs (listed alphabetically):

Programs with an asterisk (*) are ones where no program details exist. Those marked with a dagger (†) are programs purported to exist but which are not publically available.

A search of the 700+ existing programs** in which Bob is clearly identifiable or listed in the program credits are listed below:

Program Name	Program Date(s)	Program Title
Illinois March of Health	1940?	Have You Heard
Illinois March of Health	1940?	On Borrowed Health
The Chicago Theatre of the Air	1940-11-23	Eileen
Knickerbocker Playhouse	1941-05-03	It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog
Knickerbocker Playhouse	1941-11-15	Love on a Shoestring
That Brewster Boy	1941-12-29	A Visit From Dottie
The Mayor of the Town	1942-10-07	The War Orphan
To the President	1942-11-15	About My Mother
To the President	1942-11-29	Miracle in 3-B
Everything for the Boys	1944-04-04	The Living Book
The Lux Radio Theatre	1944-05-28	Old Acquaintance
Cavalcade of America	1945-03-19	Sign Here, Please
Arch Oboler's Plays	1945-05-17	Mr. Ten Percent
Cavalcade of America	1945-06-04	The Lieutenants Come Home
The Theatre of Famous Radio Players†	1945-07-29	Maid to Order - Pending Verification
The Green Mr. Pepper	1945-07-31	Audition Program
The Cavalcade of America	1945-09-10	Sawdust Underground
The Cavalcade of America	1946-01-28	Commencement in Khaki
Let George Do It	1946-05-14	As George Valentine in 200+ performances
Suspense	1946-08-08	Dead Ernest
Bob and Victoria	1947-03-10	To Lose One's Heart Is To Find It
Cavalcade of America	1947-03-10	The Stirring Blood
Cavalcade of America	1947-03-17	The Man With Green Fingers
Cavalcade of America	1947-05-05	The School For Men
Cavalcade of America	1947-09-08	Kitchen Scientist
Mystery is my Hobby	1947?	Murder Can Sometimes be Pleasant
Screen Director's Assignment	1949-03-20	The Perfect Marriage
Family Theater	1949-09-21	Queen of the Angels
The Harold Peary Show	1951-05-02	Little Marvin's Gang
The Lineup	1952-05-06	Babs the Baggy Bungling Brunette Bombshell
Stars Over Hollywood	1952-09-20	His First Mate
The Lineup	1952-10-15	Bentley's Boo-Boo Case
Stars Over Hollywood	1952-11-01	It's a Man's Game
Stars Over Hollywood	1952-11-22	The House that Jack Built
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar***	1953-02-15	The Lancer Jewelry Matter (Cast Member)
The General Electric Theatre	1953-08-27	Sometime Every Summertime
Family Theater	1953-09-30	Journey of the Pegasus
Saturday Theatre†	1954-10-02	I Give You Maggie - Pending Verification
Stars Over Hollywood	1953-10-10	With All My Heart
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar***	1954-02-23	The Classified Killer Matter (Cast Member)
Stars Over Hollywood	1954-03-06	Paid in Full
Romance	1954-05-28	Affair At Aden
Romance	1954-07-24	The Long Way Home
Romance	1954-07-31	The Fling
Romance	1954-08-14	Isle to the Windward
The Lux Radio Theatre	1954-10-05	The Turning Point
The Lux Radio Theatre	1955-01-11	Island In The Sky
The Lux Radio Theatre	1955-01-18	The Awful Truth
The Lux Radio Theatre	1955-02-08	War of the Worlds
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar	1955-10-03	First of 485 programs ending on 1960-11-27
Romance	1955-12-31	The Pride of Potowatommy, PA
Romance	1956-04-14	Between Gates
Romance	1956-06-09	The Bachelor

** There are several other programs that I have identified but not confirmed. If I can find an audio copy I will add them to the list.
*** There are two YTJD programs in which Bob Bailey appeared in the cast, however only "The Classified Killer Matter" is available.

But even Bob was unable to resist the siren song of Hollywood. In 1942 Bob moved to Los Angeles where he not only did radio, but ventured into the movies.

Movies and Television

Bob Bailey, the quintessential voice of Johnny Dollar, moved to Hollywood in the early 1940's and made several movies for 20th Century-Fox. His first two films, which featured him prominently, were with Laurel and Hardy (The Jitterbugs, 1943 and The Dancing Masters, 1943) as well as a Government film called "Don't be a Sucker". Bob also played a supporting role in "A Wing and a Prayer" (1944), with Don Ameche. According to his daughter, Bob also appeared in "Tampico" (1943), "The Eve of St. Mark" (1944), "Ladies of Washington" (1944), and "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944). While at 20th Century-Fox he was in at least one US Navy training film, "This is it" (1944).

According to the International Movie Database (IMDB) Bob appeared in a number of movies and television programs both before, during and while he was playing Johnny Dollar. These appearances include:

• 1943 The Dancing Masters (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1943 Jitterbugs (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1943 Don't be a Sucker (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1944 This Is It - US Navy training film - Reel 1 as the Pilot of "Red-1"(VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1944 Tampico (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1944 The Eve of St. Mark (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1944 Ladies of Washington (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1944 Wing and a Prayer (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1944 Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1953 No Escape (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1954 Mr. & Mrs. North (TV series) - The Ungrateful Killer (uncredited)†
• 1955 Not as a Stranger (uncredited)(VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1957 The Lineup (TV series) - The Phoney Witness Case
• 1958 The Lineup - character Staples (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1958 Playhouse 90 (TV Series) - No Time at All (VERIFIED)
• 1958 Goodyear Theatre (TV Series) - Disappearance (VERIFIED)
• 1959 Tightrope (TV series) - Getaway Day (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1960 M Squad (TV series)- The Man with Frank's Face (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1961 The Asphalt Jungle (TV series)- The Lady and the Lawyer
• 1961 The Lawbreakers, Sam Henry (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1961 The Investigators (TV series) - Something for Charity
• 1961 Tales of Wells Fargo (TV series) - New Orleans Trackdown VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1962 Birdman of Alcatraz (Reporter on Dock - uncredited) (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1962 87th Precinct (TV series) - New Man in the Precinct (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1962-1963 - Sam Benedict (TV Series) - Judge Ionic (VERIFIED)[see below]
• 1964 A Tiger Walks (Disney Movie) - Reporter (VERIFIED)[see below]

† - This program is unverifiable. The program is available on YouTube, but the character Kells never appears in the program.

Below are screen shots taken from several of the above movies and TV programs. As I find more, I will add them.

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From "The Dancing Masters" - 1943	From "The Dancing Masters" - 1943 With Trudy Marshall
From "Jitterbugs" - 1943	From "Don't be a Sucker" - 1943
As the pilot of "Red-1" in the 1944 US Navy Training film "This Is It" The voice is unmistakeable.	As the pilot of "Red-1" in the 1944 US Navy Training film "This Is It" The voice is unmistakeable.
From "The Eve of St Mark" - 1944	From "Wing and a Prayer" - 1944
From "Tampico" - 1944	From "Tampico" - 1944
From "Tampico" - 1944	From Sunday Dinner for a Soldier" - 1944
From "Ladies of Washington" - 1944	From "Ladies of Washington" - 1944
From "Ladies of Washington" - 1944	From "No Escape" - 1953
From "Not as a Stranger" - 1955	As "Staples" in "The Lineup" - 1958
From TightRope - 1959	From TightRope - 1959
Un-dated Publicity Photo - Probably Late 50's	From "M Squad - The Man with Frank's Face" - 1960
From 87th Precinct - 1962	From 87th Precinct - 1962
Birdman of Alcatraz -1962	Birdman of Alcatraz -1962
In Bob's final scene in Birdman, his character asks Burt Lancaster a question, but the voice is not Bob's. Click below to listen for yourself.
Tales of Wells Fargo - 1961	From Adam Graham: Bob Bailey had a role in the 1961 episode of the program "Tales of Wells Fargo". The episode is titled "New Orleans Trackdown". Bob appears about about eleven and a half minutes into the program.
Adam Graham has found Bob Bailey in a film posted on YouTube. The film, "The Lawbreakers" - 1961 - includes Bob playing Sam Henry, a corrupt city worker.
The Lawbreakers" - 1961	The Lawbreakers" - 1961
A Tiger Walks - 1964	From Larry Hastings: Bob Bailey had a small role in the 1964 Disney movie "A Tiger Walks". He played a reporter who came in to town to cover the tiger story; he did have a few lines and featured in some close-ish shots. The movie is available on DVD.
From the TV Series Sam Benedict - 1963.	Larry Hastings has, yet again, provided a photo from one of Bob Bailey's TV appearances. This is from the series "Sam Benedict" in which Bob appeared in several episodes as "Judge Ionic". This photo is from the 1963 episode "Seventeen Gypsies and a Sinner Named Charlie". Interestingly, the star of Sam Benedict was Edmond O'Brien, who was the second actor to play Johnny Dollar on the radio.
	The photo at the left was sent to me by several Johhny Dollar fans. The picture was a publicity shot take during the filming of "Jitterbugs" in 1942-3. In the picture are Orson Welles, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy and Bob Bailey. Orson Welles was filming in the area and joined in for the shot.

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