Versatile actor John Dehner had a long career (1940-1989) playing countless roles in all media. He appeared in more than 250 films and in thousands of radio and television shows. He began his career as an animator for the Walt Disney Studios but his love for performing found him work at KFWB in Los Angeles as a news editor and disc jockey. Dehner possessed a deep, resonant voice and soon landed supporting roles in radio dramas, including The Whistler, Gunsmoke, and Philip Marlowe. His big break came when he was cast as Paladin in the radio version of Have Gun-Will Travel. He also portrayed J.B. Kendall, the lead role on radio’s Frontier Gentleman. Dehner became one of the most sought-after actors during The Golden Age of Radio and worked most days and nights on numerous radio shows. When television beckoned, he made a seamless transition appearing in shows like Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Kit Carson, Playhouse 90, The Zane Grey Theatre, Perry Mason, The Rifleman, The Wild Wild West, Hogan’s Heroes, The Real McCoys, The Texan, three episodes of The Twilight Zone and many more. He also had a very successful movie career, best-remembered as Sheriff Pat Garrett in The Left-Handed Gun opposite Paul Newman as Billy the Kid. We’ve carefully selected 12 of John Dehner’s finest radio performances for this exciting collection and we hope you enjoy it!
Have Gun-Will Travel 8-28-60 “For the Birds”
Have Gun-Will Travel 9-11-60 “Deadline”
Have Gun-Will Travel 9-18-60 “Nellie Watson’s Boy”
Frontier Gentleman 3-2-58 “The Lost Mine”
Frontier Gentleman 8-10-58 “A Wagon Full of Cats”
Frontier Gentleman 8-17-58 “The Fastest Gun That Never Was”
Escape 11-5-50 “Earth Abides Pt. 1”
Escape 11-12-50 “Earth Abides Pt. 2”
Gunsmoke 4-11-53 “Gonif”
The CBS Radio Workshop 4-27-56 “The Record Collectors”
Fort Laramie 3-25-56 “The Coward”
Suspense 3-15-55 “The Game”
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