Malcolm Atterbury

{{Short description|American actor (1907–1992)}} {{Infobox person | name = Malcolm Atterbury | image = File:Ronny Cox Lee McCain Malcolm Atterbury Apples Way 1974.JPG | caption = Atterbury as Grandpa Aldon (right) with ''[[Apple's Way]]'' co-stars [[Ronny Cox]] and [[Frances Lee McCain]] | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1907|2|20}} | birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1992|8|16|1907|2|20}} | death_place = [[Beverly Hills, California]], U.S. | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1954–1979 | spouse = {{marriage|Ellen Ayres Hardies|1937}} | children = 3 }}

'''Malcolm MacLeod Atterbury''' (February 20, 1907 – August 16, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor, and [[vaudeville|vaudevillian]].

==Early years and education== A native of [[Philadelphia]], Atterbury was the son of Malcolm MacLeod, Sr. and Arminia Clara (Rosengarten) MacLeod. He had an older sister, Elizabeth, a twin brother, Norman, and a younger brother, George Rosengarten MacLeod. After his father's death his mother remarried to General [[William Wallace Atterbury]],<ref name=ht/> president of [[Pennsylvania Railroad]]. Through this marriage, he had a half-brother, William Wallace Atterbury Jr.

He graduated from [[The Hill School]] in [[Pottstown, Pennsylvania]].<ref name="bde">{{cite news|title=Gilded Statue on Boro Stage Played by Gen. Atterbury's Son|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5674416/the_brooklyn_daily_eagle/|work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|date=February 9, 1938|location=New York, Brooklyn|page=16|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = June 24, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref>

In the mid-1930s, Atterbury decided to pursue a career in drama. He enrolled at [[Hilda Spong|Hilda Spong's Dramatic School]] using an assumed name. Later, after revealing his true identity, he went on to "finance a summer theater for the Hilda Spong Players at [[Cape May]], and they, in turn, asked him to be their managing director."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ross|first1=George|title=In New York|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5674235/fitchburg_sentinel/|work=Fitchburg Sentinel|date=June 25, 1936|location=Massachusetts, Fitchburg|page=6|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = June 23, 2016 }} {{Open access}}</ref>

==Career== ===Radio=== In 1928, Atterbury was the bass singer in a quartet that sang on WLIT in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Radio Programs: Philadelphia Stations|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5673953/delaware_county_daily_times/|work=Delaware County Daily Times|date=May 15, 1928|location=Pennsylvania, Chester|page=11|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = June 23, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> In 1930, he became the program director of a radio station in Philadelphia.<ref name="ht">{{cite news|title=Well-Known People|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5674007/harrisburg_telegraph/|work=Harrisburg Telegraph|date=April 11, 1930|location=Pennsylvania, Harrisburg|page=10|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = June 23, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> He went on to become business manager of [[WHAT (AM)|WHAT]].<ref name=bde/>

===Theatre=== Atterbury was a devoted theatre actor. He owned and operated two theatres in the [[Adirondack Mountains]] of [[New York (state)|New York]], the Tamarack Playhouse in [[Lake Pleasant, New York]] and the Albany Playhouse Co. in [[Albany, New York|Albany]].<ref>Variety, May 12, 1948, p. 56</ref> He also appeared on Broadway in the original cast of ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (play)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'', as Scanlon.

===Film=== Atterbury is perhaps best known for his uncredited role in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[North by Northwest]]'' (1959), as the rural man who exclaims, "That plane's dustin' crops where there ain't no crops!" Four years later, Atterbury appeared as the deputy in Hitchcock's ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963). He further appeared in such films as ''[[I Was a Teenage Werewolf]]'' (1957), ''[[Crime of Passion (1957 film)|Crime of Passion]]'' (1957), ''[[Blue Denim]]'' (1959), ''[[Wild River (film)|Wild River]]'' (1960), ''[[Advise and Consent (film)|Advise and Consent]]'' (1962), and ''[[Hawaii (1966 film)|Hawaii]]'' (1966). His last film was ''[[Emperor of the North]]'' (1973).

===Television=== Atterbury made frequent appearances on television. He was cast in five episodes of [[CBS]]'s murder mystery series ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Three times he played the murderer. He played Sam Burris in the 1957 episode, "The Case of the Angry Mourner".

His guest-starring roles included appearances on ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', ''[[The Asphalt Jungle (TV series)|The Asphalt Jungle]]'', ''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]'' (episode: "Shot by Request"), ''[[Wagon Train]]'', ''[[Window on Main Street]]'', ''[[Straightaway (TV series)|Straightaway]]'', '' [[Bonanza]]'', ''[[Hazel (TV series)|Hazel]]'', ''[[Kentucky Jones]]'', ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series, episode: "A Barnacle Adventure"), ''[[The Rookies]]'', ''[[The Sheriff of Cochise]]'', ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[State Trooper (TV series)|State Trooper]]'', ''[[Rescue 8]]'', ''[[Fury (American TV series)|Fury]]'', ''[[The Man from Blackhawk]]'', ''[[The Tall Man (TV series)|The Tall Man]]'', ''[[The Invaders]]'' (episode: "The Trial") and ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' (episode: "The Cow Thief", 1962), ''The Bob Newhart Show'' (episode: "No Sale").

He had a rare regular role as Grandfather Aldon in the 1974–75 [[CBS]] television family drama, ''[[Apple's Way]]''.

==Personal life== Atterbury was married on February 6, 1937 to Ellen Ayres Hardies (1915–1994) of [[Amsterdam, New York]], daughter of judge Charles E. Hardies Sr. and sister of Charles Hardies Jr., who later became [[Montgomery County, New York|Montgomery County]] district attorney.<ref name=bde/>

==Filmography== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} *''[[Dragnet (1954 film)|Dragnet]]'' (1954) - Lee Reinhard *''[[Man Without a Star]]'' (1955) - Fancy Joe Toole (uncredited) *''[[The Rawhide Years]]'' (1955) - Luke, Paymaster (uncredited) *''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1956) (Season 1 Episode 27: "Help Wanted") as the Blackmailer *''[[Silent Fear]]'' (1956) - Dr. Vernon *''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (1956) - (twice) Seldon & Liveryman *''[[The Lone Ranger (1956 film)|The Lone Ranger]]'' (1956) - Phineas Tripp (uncredited) * ''[[Frontier (1955 TV series)|Frontier]]'' (1956) Season 1, Episode 19 ''The Assassin'' as Donley *''[[The Steel Jungle]]'' (1956) - Mailman *''[[Miracle in the Rain (film)|Miracle in the Rain]]'' (1956) - Special Delivery Man (uncredited) *''[[Stranger at My Door (1956 film)|Stranger at My Door]]'' (1956) - Reverend Hastings *''[[A Day of Fury]]'' (1956) - Gaunt Farmer (uncredited) *''[[Crime in the Streets]]'' (1956) - Mr. McAllister *''[[Dakota Incident]]'' (1956) - Bartender / Desk Clerk *''[[Johnny Concho]]'' (1956) - Milo, Mail Dispatcher (uncredited) *''[[Storm Center]]'' (1956) - Frank (uncredited) *''[[Toward the Unknown]]'' (1956) - Hank - Bell Technical Representative * ''[[Reprisal!]]'' (1956) - Luther Creel (uncredited) *''[[Crime of Passion (1957 film)|Crime of Passion]]'' (1957) - Police Officer Spitz *''[[Slander (1956 film)|Slander]]'' (1957) - Byron (uncredited) *''[[Hot Summer Night (film)|Hot Summer Night]]'' (1957) - Jim - Newspaper Man on Street (uncredited) *''[[Fury at Showdown]]'' (1957) - Norris *''[[I Was a Teenage Werewolf]]'' (1957) - Charles Rivers *''[[Valerie (film)|Valerie]]'' (1957) - Sheriff *''[[Blood of Dracula]]'' (1957) - Lieutenant Dunlap *''[[The Walter Winchell File]]'' "The Witness" (1957) - Major Frank Spears *''[[The Dalton Girls]]'' (1957) - Mr. Sewell, the Bank Manager *''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (1957) (Season 1 Episode 7: "The Case of the Angry Mourner") - Sam Burris *''[[Too Much, Too Soon]]'' (1958) - Older Attendant (scenes deleted) *''[[The High Cost of Loving]]'' (1958) - Harry Lessing (uncredited) *''[[From Hell to Texas]]'' (1958) - Hotel Clerk *''[[No Time for Sergeants (1958 film)|No Time for Sergeants]]'' (1958) - Bus Driver with Applications (uncredited) *''[[How to Make a Monster (1958 film)|How to Make a Monster]]'' (1958) - Security Guard Richards *''[[Badman's Country]]'' (1958) - Buffalo Bill Cody *''[[Rio Bravo (film)|Rio Bravo]]'' (1959) - Jake (Stage Driver) (scenes deleted) *''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' (1959) (Season 1 Episode 3: ‘Mr. Denton on Doomsday’) - Henry J. Fate *''[[High School Big Shot]]'' (1959) - Mr. Grant *''[[North by Northwest]]'' (1959) - Man at prairie crossing (uncredited) *''[[Blue Denim]]'' (1959) - Marriage License Clerk (uncredited) *''[[Hell Bent for Leather (film)|Hell Bent for Leather]]'' (1960) - Gamble *''[[Wild River (film)|Wild River]]'' (1960) - Sy Moore *''[[From the Terrace]]'' (1960) - George Fry *''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'' (1960) (Season 1 Episode 1: "Black November") - Bolton *''[[Summer and Smoke (film)|Summer and Smoke]]'' (1961) - Reverend Winemiller *''[[Advise & Consent]]'' (1962) - Senator Tom August *''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963) - Deputy Al Malone *''[[Cattle King]]'' (1963) - Abe Clevenger * ''[[Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre]]'', episode:"A Killing at Sundial" (1963) *''[[Seven Days in May]]'' (1964) - Horace - White House Physician (uncredited) *''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 3: ‘Man on a String’) -Sheriff Mead *''[[Joy in the Morning (film)|Joy in the Morning]]'' (1965) - Willis J. Calamus (uncredited) *''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' (1966) (Season 3 Episode 20: ‘Stroke of Genius’) - Sheriff Bilson *''[[Bonanza]]'' (1966) (Episode: 'The Unwritten Commandment') - Willard Walker *''[[The Chase (1966 film)|The Chase]]'' (1966) - Mr. Reeves *''[[Hawaii (1966 film)|Hawaii]]'' (1966) - Gideon Hale *''[[The Hardy Boys (1969 TV series)|The Hardy Boys]]'' (1969) - Clams Daggett *''[[The Learning Tree]]'' (1969) - Silas Newhall *''[[Emperor of the North]]'' (1973) - Hogger *''[[The Towering Inferno]]'' (1974) - Jeweler (uncredited) *''[[The Bob Newhart Show]]'' (1976) (Season 4 Episode 16: 'No Sale') – Mr. Arbogast *''[[Police Story (1973 TV series)|Police Story]]'' (1978) (Season 5 Episode 4: 'Day of Terror... Night of Fear') – Alfred Weiser *''[[Quincy M.E.]]'' (1978) (Season 4 Episode 8: 'No Way to Treat a Body') – Raymond Kaufman *''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]'' (1979) (Season 6 Episode 13: 'The Angry Heart') - Brewster Davenport {{div col end}}

==References== <references/>

==External links== * {{IMDb name}} * {{TCMDb name}} * {{IBDB name}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atterbury, Malcolm}} [[Category:1907 births]] [[Category:1992 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] [[Category:20th-century American male singers]] [[Category:20th-century American singers]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:American male stage actors]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:Male actors from Philadelphia]] [[Category:The Hill School alumni]]