There were stars during the golden age of radio and one of the biggest and brightest was John Dehner.  He was also one of the few that broke into the first age of television. On this edition of Ron’s Amazing Stories – The Blog, we look at the life and times of one of the best, John Dehner.

Dehner was born in Staten Island, New York. His father was a painter, so during his younger years he lived in some pretty incredible places like: Oslo, Copenhagen, London, and Paris. Dehner initially went into art after studying at the Grand Central School of Art in New York City, New York. One of his many jobs was as an animator at Walt Disney Studios.

If you were ask Dehner about how he got his start in show business he would probably begin by talking of his extensive radio career. His early radio jobs included being a news editor and a disc jockey. As a radio actor he appeared as a lead or supporting player in such series as, The Whistler, Gunsmoke, Suspense and many others. He starred as Paladin in the radio version of Have Gun – Will Travel and in Frontier Gentleman, another western series.

He made his film debut in the 1940s, and has appeared in dozens of films. A tall and distinguished looking man with a rich voice and somewhat flamboyant demeanor, Dehner often was cast as an outlaw leader, crooked banker or saloon owner in westerns and adventure films, although he was occasionally cast against type in comedies, and played a crusading newspaper reporter in the TV series The Roaring 20’s. Dehner had over 250 television and film credits to his name. His earliest being in 1941 to the motion picture classic The Right Stuff in 1983. He finished his work with the award winning mini-series, War and Remembrance in 1989.

Whether he was working as an artist, actor or professional pianist John Dehner was one of a kind. He died of emphysema in 1992 at the age of 76 in Santa Barbara, California.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week a UFO crashes in a family’s backyard, we tell the true story of a camping trip gone very wrong and we also have another five minute mystery. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

December 01 – The Horror Express #13
December 08 – Gigantopithecus – (RAS #268)
December 15 – Special Guest – Julie Hawkins – (RAS #269)
December 22 – (RAS #270)
December 29 – Christmas Break 2016
January 05 – (RAS #271)