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Robert Paige
Acting
1911-12-02 - Present
Robert Paige (born John Arthur Page December 2, 1911 in Indianapolis, Indiana, died Dec 21,1987) was a TV star and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime and was the only actor ever allowed to sing on film with Deanna Durbin (in 1944's Can't Help Singing). He was a graduate of West Point and was related to Admiral David Beatty, hero of the World War I Battle of Jutland. Paige began his screen career in 1934. His handsome features and assured speaking voice earned him prominent roles in motion pictures, such as Cain and Mabel with Clark Gable and Marion Davies. In 1936, to avoid confusion with another rising leading man, John Payne, Paige briefly adopted the screen name "David Carlyle." He worked primarily for Warner Brothers and Republic Pictures during this period. In 1938 he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures, which changed his screen name to Robert Paige. Columbia cast him in "B" features and starred him in one serial, Flying G-Men. When the Columbia contract lapsed, Paige moved to Paramount Pictures and finally found a home in 1941 at Universal Pictures. Robert Paige quickly became one of Universal's reliable stars, playing romantic leads. He is prominent in many of Universal's comedies and musicals, including those of Abbott and Costello, Olsen and Johnson, Gloria Jean, and Hugh Herbert. He had a good singing voice and a flair for comedy, and the studio capitalized on these talents. Beginning in 1943 Universal gave Paige important roles in its biggest productions, but by then he was so established as a B-picture lead that he never quite graduated to mega-stardom. Paige, along with other contract players, left Universal after a corporate shakeup in 1946. He became an independent film producer in 1947 and entered the new field of television. He was the last permanent host of NBC's variety series The Colgate Comedy Hour, and won an Emmy in 1955 for "Best Male Personality" (a category that no longer exists). In the 1960s he became a TV newscaster in Los Angeles. Paige continued to work in occasional films through 1963; his last two films were The Marriage-Go-Round (1961) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963). From 1966 to 1970 Paige was a newscaster and political correspondent for ABC News in Los Angeles. He left the news desk to become Deputy Supervisor of Los Angeles under Baxter Ward, and then moved into the public relations field. He retired in the late 1970s. Robert Paige died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm in 1987.
Credits
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Bye Bye BirdieasBob Precht
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Son of DraculaasFrank Stanley
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It Happened to JaneasRobert Paige
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The Many Faces of DraculaasFrank Stanley (archive footage)
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Hellzapoppin'asJeff Hunter
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Crazy HouseasRobert Paige
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San Antonio RoseasCon Conway
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Cain and MabelasRonny Cauldwell
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Smart BlondeasLewis Friel
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The Green PromiseasDavid Barkley
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Fired WifeasHank Dunne
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Abbott and Costello Go to MarsasDr. Wilson
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There's Always a WomanasJerry Marlowe
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Can't Help SingingasJohnny Lawlor
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The Lady ObjectsasKen Harper
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The FlameasBarry MacAllister
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Blonde IceasLes Burns
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First LoveasBall Guest
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Women Without NamesasFred MacNeil
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Emergency SquadasChester 'Chesty' Miller
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What's Cookin'?asBob J. Riley
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Pardon My SarongasTommy Layton
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The Cherokee StripasTom Valley
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Shady LadyasBob Wendell
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The Red StallionasAndy McBride
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Split SecondasArthur Ashton
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Rhythm in the CloudsasPhil Hale
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TangierasPaul Kenyon
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Homicide BureauasThurston
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Talent ScoutasBert Smith
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Keep 'Em SluggingasStar of Movie House Film
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The Main EventasMac Richards
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I Stand AccusedasJoe Benson
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The Monster and the GirlasLarry Reed
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Don't Get PersonalasPaul Stevens
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Golden GlovesasWally Matson
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Dancing on a DimeasTed Brooks
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Meet the Boy FriendasTony Page
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Cowboy in ManhattanasBob Allen
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Rose BowlasFootball Player
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Get Hep to LoveasStephen Winters
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Parole FixerasSteve Eddson
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Once a DoctorasDr. Burton
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Melody for TwoasMr. Carlson
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Dracula: A Cinematic ScrapbookasFrank Stanley (archive footage)
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The Marriage-Go-RoundasDr. Ross Barnett
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Get GoingasBob Carlton
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Her Primitive ManasPeter Mathews / Pangi
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Death of a ChampionasAlec Temple
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Melody LaneasGabe Morgan
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Jail House BluesasCliff Bailey
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Mister BigasJohnny Hanley
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Hi, BuddyasJohnny Blake
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You're Telling MeasDr. Burnside 'Burnsy' Walker
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How's About ItasGeorge Selby
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Hi'ya, ChumasTommy Craig
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Opened by MistakeasJimmie Daniels
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Who Killed Gail Preston?as'Swing' Traynor
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Almost MarriedasJames Manning,lll
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When G-Men Step InasG-Man Bruce Garth
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Flying G-MenasHal Andrews / The Black Falcon
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The Last WarningasTony Henderson (as Robert Page)
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Frontier BadmenasSteve Logan
Highway PatrolasWilliam Rolph
What We Are Fighting ForasKarl Baxter