About Me
December 2, 1911 - December 21, 1987
A Hollywood leading man who had the requisite tall, dark and handsome features (plus an excellent singing voice) that Hollywood often relied upon, Robert Paige was an extremely capable player, performing in the company of other Hollywood greats such as Clark Gable, Deanna Durbin, Abbott and Costello, Natalie Wood, Grace McDonald and Andy Devine.
Born John Arthur Paige on December 21, 1911 in Indiana to an English father and Irish Mother, Robert attended West Point but eventually left the Academy and moved to the Los Angeles area to focus on an entertainment career. Initially an usher for the Fox West Coast Theatres, he started using the moniker David Carlyle while singing on a Long Beach radio station and moved into announcing work at radio station KMTR in Hollywood.
He entered short films in 1931 and progressed to feature status within a few years. A studio scout had the hopeful player screen-tested at Columbia, and he was put under contract. In the course of his career he was also a studio player for Warner Bros., Paramount and, more notably, Universal. His first prime second-lead role occurred crooning to Marion Davies in Cain and Mabel (1936). He went on to give a solid performance (still as David Carlyle) in Smart Blonde (1937), which introduced the "Torchy Blane" series, and finally top-lined his own romantic comedy "Meet the Boyfriend" (1937) opposite Carol Hughes.
In 1938 he returned to his given last name and billed himself as Robert Paige. There he fronted such standard programmers as Highway Patrol (1938), The Main Event (1938) and the serial cliffhanger Flying G-Men (1939. Following that at Paramount, Emergency Squad (1940) Women Without Names (1940), Golden Gloves (1940) and The Monster and the Girl (1941). He earned his first singing lead with the mini-musical Dancing on a Dime (1940) in which he and co-star Grace McDonald sang the title song. The musical introduced the songs of Burton Lane and Frank Loesser, including "Mañana" (which Peggy Lee later made a signature hit) and the certified hit "I Hear Music."
Paige had his big chance at stardom at Universal in Can't Help Singing (1944) in which he sang "Californ-i-ay" in a duet with the studio's reigning warbler Deanna Durbin...the only man ever allowed to sing with her in a film.
The Gable-esque, often mustachioed baritone co-starred in other Universal musicals where he had plenty of opportunities to display his rich voice such as Hellzapoppin (1941), Pardon My Sarong (1942), What's Cookin'? (1942/I) and How's About It (1943).
He fared wonderfully in rugged adventures, sprightly comedies, crime yarns and horror opuses, including Son of Dracula (1943) with Lon Chaney Jr. and Fired Wife (1943) with frequent co-star Louise Allbritton.
From 1946 on, Paige freelanced. While on tour to promote the movie The Red Stallion (1947), Paige met oil millionaire Glenn McCarthy, who financed the picture The Green Promise (1949) in which Paige produced and starred. By the early 50s, he abandoned films for the most part and sought out TV roles. His well-modulated voice was ideal for hosting/emcee duties and went on to include "Bride and Groom" and "The Big Payoff" with former "Miss America" Bess Myerson, among his jobs. His last two roles on films were minor bits in The Marriage-Go-Round (1961) and Bye Bye Birdie (1963). From 1966 to 1970 he went full circle, returning to his radio roots as an ABC newscaster and political correspondent in Los Angeles. From there he moved into public relations. Married twice in all, the durable leading man died in 1987.
Paige had several nominations for his films and won an Emmy in 1955 for "Best Male Personality", a category which no longer exist's today.
His only child, born to him at the age of 55, is daughter Colleen Paige (by his second wife, actress JoAnne Ludden) who is an animal behaviorist, author, actress, singer, artist, and the founder of National Dog Day. She currently resides in Seattle with her husband and son, Paige's only grandchild, also named Robert. Sadly, Paige died from cardiac arrest on December 21, 1987.Free MySpace Layouts by Iron Spider
