Happy Birthday, Joel McCrea

Actor Joel McCrea was born November 5, 1905. His show business career began when he was still in high school; he’d double for cowboy star Tom Mix in stunt scenes. During his career, McCrea worked with Alfred Hitchcock in Foreign Correspondent and Preston Sturges in Sullivan’s Travels and The Palm Beach Story. Westerns were his favorite films - he admitted as much, saying “I liked doing comedies, but as I got older I was better suited to do Westerns. Because I think it becomes unattractive for an older fellow trying to look young, falling in love with attractive girls in those kinds of situations…Anyway, I always felt so much more comfortable in the Western. The minute I got a horse and a hat and a pair of boots on, I felt easier. I didn’t feel like I was an actor anymore. I felt like I was the guy out there doing it.” It was fitting that he’d find success on radio in the cowboy crime drama Tales of the Texas Rangers. McCrea starred as Ranger Jayce Pearson in the NBC radio series from 1950 to 1952. McCrea lent a tough, no-nonsense air to the lead role of Ranger Jayce Pearson. He’s Joe Friday with a touch of Gary Cooper; Wyatt Earp with a radio and forensic knowledge. On screen, McCrea earned his spurs in The Virginian, Four Faces West, Ride the High Country, and more. Happiest when he was outdoors, McCrea described himself as a rancher with the hobby of acting. He passed away in 1990 at the age of 84.