John Agar

John George Agar Jr.(January 31, 1921 – April 7, 2002) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for starring alongsideJohn Waynein the filmsSands of Iwo Jima,Fort Apache, andShe Wore a Yellow Ribbon. In his later career he was the star ofB movies, such asTarantula!,The Mole People,The Brain from Planet Arous,Revenge of the Creature,Flesh and the SpurandHand of Death. He was the first husband ofShirley Temple.
Agar's career suffered in the wake of his divorce, but he developed a niche playing leading men in low-budget science fiction, Western, and horror movies in the 1950s and 1960s. John Wayne gave him several supporting roles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In later years he worked extensively in television.
Agar was born inChicago, Illinois, the son of Lillian (néeRogers) and John George Agar, a meat packer.His great aunt wasEdna Gladney.He was educated at the Harvard School for Boys in ChicagoandLake Forest AcademyinLake Forest, Illinois. He graduated fromTrinity-Pawling Preparatory SchoolinPawling, New York, but did not attend college. He and his family moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1942, after his father's death.
In 1941, Agar joined theU.S. Navy Air Corps, had basic training in Texas, and instructed in physical training atMarch FieldinRiverside, California. He was medically discharged from the Navy in 1943 due to an ear infection that affected his balance.He then enlisted in theU.S. Army Air Corps.He was asergeantand aphysical training instructorwhen he left the USAAF in 1946.
Agar metShirley Templein 1943 when he was asked to escort her to a Hollywood party.
After his marriage with Temple in 1945, her boss at the time,David O. Selznick, signed Agar to a five-year acting contract starting at $150 a week, including acting lessons.Agar made his film debut as Temple's love interest inFort Apache(1948),aJohn Fordwestern forRKOstarringJohn WayneandHenry Fonda. It was a financial and critical success.
Agar was reunited with Temple for his second film, asuffragettedramaAdventure in Baltimore(1949), also for RKO, which was a huge flop.
RKO used him inThe Woman on Pier 13(1950), ananti-communistdrama that was a pet project ofHoward Hughes. It was Agar's first movie without Temple, and he was billed afterRobert RyanandLaraine Day. It was another flop.
More successful was a reunion with Wayne and Ford,She Wore a Yellow Ribbon(1949), in which Agar played the romantic lead. It was a sizeable hit and has come to be regarded as a classic.Even more popular was the World War II filmSands of Iwo Jima(1949) where Agar supported John Wayne. Made byRepublic Pictures, it was a sizeable hit, earning Wayne an Oscar nomination and getting Agar some good reviews. Toward the end of his life, Agar blamed John Wayne for getting him hooked on cigarettes and alcohol, two addictive habits that would later ruin his life.
Warner Brosput Agar in a war film,Breakthrough(1950) which relied extensively on pre-existing war footage. It was a reasonable success at the box office.
Warner Bros used him inAlong the Great Divide(1951), supportingKirk Douglas. He made a low budget Arabian Knights film forSam KatzmanwithLucille Ball,The Magic Carpet(1951).
In 1952 Agar was fired by Selznick for driving under the influence of alcohol, which affected his career with the large studios in Hollywood.
Agar was third billed inWoman of the North Country(1952), a Western for Republic, and also starred inMan of Conflict(1953), an independent drama withEdward Arnold.
Agar had support roles inBait(1954), aHugo Haasdrama withCleo Moore;The Rocket Man(1954), aCharles Coburncomedy co-written byLenny Bruce; andShield for Murder(1954), a film noir starring and co-directed byEdmond O'Brien.
Agar returned to leading roles inThe Golden Mistress(1954), an adventure film directed byAbner Biberman.
In 1954 Agar signed a seven-year contract with Universal. He began the association withRevenge of the Creature(1955), the popular first sequel toCreature from the Black Lagoon(1954); it was produced byWilliam Allandand directed byJack Arnold. He was borrowed byLippert PicturesforThe Lonesome Trail(1955), then, at Universal, made a second film for Haas withCleo Moore,Hold Back Tomorrow(1955).
Agar made another science fiction film,Tarantula!(1955), made by Alland and Arnold, which was popular and became a cult favorite.
Universal starred him in a Western,Star in the Dust(1956) withMamie Van DorenandRichard Booneand produced byAlbert Zugsmith. A new company,American International Pictures, borrowed Agar for a Western,Flesh and the Spur(1956) withMarla EnglishandMike Connors(billed as "Touch Connors"). Then he went back to Universal forThe Mole People(1956), produced by Alland.
His contract with Universal ended when he complained that he was tired of only doing science fiction roles.His final film with the studio was supporting Universal's Western starAudie Murphyin a comedyJoe Butterfly(1957).
He remained in demand for low budget science fiction, horror and Western films. He starred inThe Daughter of Dr. Jekyll(1957) forEdgar G. Ulmerat Allied Artists, then madeThe Brain from Planet Arous(1957) forHowco International.
Agar starred in some low budget Westerns for Lippert's low budget Regal Films at Fox,Ride a Violent Mile(1958) andFrontier Gun(1958). He went to the Philippines to makeCavalry Command(1958) and did two for AIP,Jet Attack(1958) andAttack of the Puppet People(1958). He shot atelevision pilotin 1958 that was released as a feature filmDestination Space(1959).
He didInvisible Invaders(1958) for directorEdward L. Cahnwho had madeJet Attack.
Agar could be seen inJourney to the Seventh Planet(1962) andOf Love and Desire(1963). He joined he ensemble casts in several low budget films for producerA.C. Lylesthat were released byParamount Pictures;The Young and The Brave(1963) withRory Calhoun,Law of the Lawless(1963) starringDale RobertsonandWilliam Bendix,Stage to Thunder Rock(1965) withBarry SullivanandMarilyn Maxwell,Young Fury(1965) with Rory Calhoun andLon Chaney Jr.,Johnny Reno(1966) withDana AndrewsandJane Russell, andWaco(1966) withHoward Keel, Jane Russell andBrian Donlevy.
He made some films forLarry Buchananat AIP that were originally meant as made-for-television-movies,Curse of the Swamp Creature(1966),Zontar, the Thing from Venus(1966) andHell Raiders(1968). He had the lead inWomen of the Prehistoric Planet(1966) andNight Fright(1967).
He had small parts in some studio films likeThe St. Valentine's Day Massacre(1967) withJason Robards Jr.andRalph Meeker, and three more pictures in a row with John Wayne:The Undefeated(1969),Chisum(1970), andBig Jake(1971).
His last prominent roles were small parts inKing Kong(1976),Miracle Mile(1988) andNightbreed(1990).
Agar's sister was a schoolmate ofShirley Temple. In 1944 Agar escorted Temple to a party held by her boss at the time,David O. Selznick. The two were married in 1945.Agar and Temple had a daughter together, Linda Susan Agar, born 1948 (who was later known as Susan Black, taking the surname of her stepfather,Charles Alden Black). However, the marriage foundered, in part because of Agar's drinking (he had been arrested for drunk driving) and in part because of pressures of their high public profile. Temple sued for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty in 1949.The two were divorced on December 7, 1950.After the divorce, Agar had little contact with his daughter or with Temple.
Agar married model Loretta Barnett Combs (1922–2000) in 1951. They tried to elope but officials refused to marry them for an hour because Agar had been drinking.They remained married for 49 years until her death in 2000. They had two sons, Martin Agar and John G. Agar III.
In 1950 Agar was fined for reckless driving.In 1951 he was sentenced to five months in jail for drunk driving, and released on probation after 60 days.In 1953 Agar was again arrested for drunk driving, and sentenced to 120 days in prison.In 1960 he was again arrested for drunk driving.
Agar supportedBarry Goldwaterin the1964 United States presidential election, andRonald Reaganin1980.
Agar was drinking at his friend and filmmakerEd Wood's apartment one day in the late 1960s when the afternoon news program erroneously announced Agar's obituary. Wood called the studio and told them: "He's alive... he's sitting right here with me now!" The story was corrected shortly thereafter.
Agar died on April 7, 2002, inBurbank, Californiafrom severe complications fromemphysema, after being confined for months to aniron lung.He was 81.
As for being associated with science fictionB movies, Agar said, "I don't resent being identified with B science fiction movies at all." Agar later said, "Why should I? Even though they were not considered top-of-the-line, for those people that like sci-fi, I guess they were fun. My whole feeling about working as an actor is, if I give anybody any enjoyment, I'm doing my job, and that's what counts."
The Seattle bandThe Young Fresh Fellowsrecorded the songs "The New John Agar" and "Agar's Revenge" on theTopsy Turvyalbum in 1985.
The television seriesMystery Science Theater 3000has featured several of Agar's films, includingThe Mole People, Women of the Prehistoric PlanetandRevenge of the Creature.