Karl Swenson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne Swenson was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Swedish parentage. Planning to be a doctor, he enrolled at Marietta College and undertook pre-medical studies but left that field to pursue acting. Swenson appeared extensively on the radio from the 1930s through the 1950s. Swenson entered the film industry in 1943 with two wartime documentary shorts, December 7 and The Sikorsky Helicopter, followed by more than thirty-five roles in feature films and television movies. No Name on the Bullet (1959) is only one of the many westerns in which he performed for both film and television. Swenson is remembered for his role as the doomsayer in the diner in Alfred Hitchcock's classic The Birds (1963) and had roles in The Prize (1963), Major Dundee (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Seconds (1966). In 1967, Swenson appeared in the western Hour of the Gun, and played the role of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in the western film Brighty of the Grand Canyon, with co-stars Pat Conway and Joseph Cotten. His later film appearances included roles in ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), The Wild Country (1970), Vanishing Point (1971) and Ulzana's Raid (1972). Swenson was married to actress Joan Tompkins. Swenson died of a heart attack at Charlotte Hungerford ...

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Vanishing Point (1971)

Action-packedIntenseGrippingFantastical

Kowalski works for a car delivery service, and takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to drive from Colorado to San Francisco. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Richard C. Sarafian
CAST:  Barry Newman  •  Cleavon Little  •  Dean Jagger  •  Victoria Medlin

Kowalski works for a car delivery service, and takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to drive from Colorado to San Francisco. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Richard C. Sarafian
CAST:  Barry Newman  •  Cleavon Little  •  Dean Jagger  •  Victoria Medlin

Flaming Star (1960)

Sam Burton's second wife is a Kiowa, and their son is therefore born mixed-race. When a struggle starts between the whites and the native Kiowas, the Burton family is split between loyalties.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Don Siegel
CAST:  Elvis Presley  •  Steve Forrest  •  Barbara Eden  •  Dolores del Río

Sam Burton's second wife is a Kiowa, and their son is therefore born mixed-race. When a struggle starts between the whites and the native Kiowas, the Burton family is split between loyalties.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Don Siegel
CAST:  Elvis Presley  •  Steve Forrest  •  Barbara Eden  •  Dolores del Río

How the West Was Won (1962)

EpicUpliftingBeautifulAdventurous

The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Marshall  •  Henry Hathaway  •  John Ford
CAST:  Carroll Baker  •  Lee J. Cobb  •  Henry Fonda  •  Carolyn Jones

The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Marshall  •  Henry Hathaway  •  John Ford
CAST:  Carroll Baker  •  Lee J. Cobb  •  Henry Fonda  •  Carolyn Jones

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Stanley Kramer
CAST:  Spencer Tracy  •  Burt Lancaster  •  Richard Widmark  •  Marlene Dietrich

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Stanley Kramer
CAST:  Spencer Tracy  •  Burt Lancaster  •  Richard Widmark  •  Marlene Dietrich

Lonely Are the Brave (1962)

A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the penitentiary.  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Miller
CAST:  Kirk Douglas  •  Gena Rowlands  •  Walter Matthau  •  Carroll O'Connor

A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the penitentiary.  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Miller
CAST:  Kirk Douglas  •  Gena Rowlands  •  Walter Matthau  •  Carroll O'Connor

Major Dundee (1965)

During the last winter of the Civil War, cavalry officer Amos Dundee leads a contentious troop of Army regulars, Confederate prisoners and scouts on an expedition into Mexico to destroy a band of Apaches who have been raiding U.S. bases in Texas.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sam Peckinpah
CAST:  Charlton Heston  •  Richard Harris  •  Jim Hutton  •  James Coburn

During the last winter of the Civil War, cavalry officer Amos Dundee leads a contentious troop of Army regulars, Confederate prisoners and scouts on an expedition into Mexico to destroy a band of Apaches who have been raiding U.S. bases in Texas.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sam Peckinpah
CAST:  Charlton Heston  •  Richard Harris  •  Jim Hutton  •  James Coburn

North to Alaska (1960)

Sam and George strike gold in Alaska. George sends Sam to Seattle to bring George's fiancé back to Alaska. Sam finds she is already married, and returns instead with Angel. Sam, after trying to get George and Angel together, finally romances Angel, who, in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Henry Hathaway
CAST:  John Wayne  •  Stewart Granger  •  Ernie Kovacs  •  Fabian

Sam and George strike gold in Alaska. George sends Sam to Seattle to bring George's fiancé back to Alaska. Sam finds she is already married, and returns instead with Angel. Sam, after trying to get George and Angel together, finally romances Angel, who, in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Henry Hathaway
CAST:  John Wayne  •  Stewart Granger  •  Ernie Kovacs  •  Fabian

Seconds (1966)

An unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity – one that comes with its own price.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Frankenheimer
CAST:  Rock Hudson  •  Salome Jens  •  John Randolph  •  Will Geer

An unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity – one that comes with its own price.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Frankenheimer
CAST:  Rock Hudson  •  Salome Jens  •  John Randolph  •  Will Geer

The Birds (1963)

IntenseViolentBrilliantEmotional

Chic socialite Melanie Daniels enjoys a passing flirtation with an eligible attorney in a San Francisco pet shop and, on an impulse, follows him to his hometown bearing a gift of lovebirds. But upon her arrival, the bird population runs amok. Suddenly, the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alfred Hitchcock
CAST:  Rod Taylor  •  Tippi Hedren  •  Suzanne Pleshette  •  Veronica Cartwright

Chic socialite Melanie Daniels enjoys a passing flirtation with an eligible attorney in a San Francisco pet shop and, on an impulse, follows him to his hometown bearing a gift of lovebirds. But upon her arrival, the bird population runs amok. Suddenly, the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alfred Hitchcock
CAST:  Rod Taylor  •  Tippi Hedren  •  Suzanne Pleshette  •  Veronica Cartwright

The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Norman Jewison
CAST:  Steve McQueen  •  Edward G. Robinson  •  Ann-Margret  •  Karl Malden

An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Norman Jewison
CAST:  Steve McQueen  •  Edward G. Robinson  •  Ann-Margret  •  Karl Malden

The Hanging Tree (1959)

Joseph "Doc" Frail is a doctor with a past he's trying to outrun. While in Montana, he comes across a mining camp with a hanging tree and rescues a man named Rune from the noose. With Rune as his servant, Frail decides to settle down, and he takes over as town ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Delmer Daves
CAST:  Gary Cooper  •  Maria Schell  •  Karl Malden  •  George C. Scott

Joseph "Doc" Frail is a doctor with a past he's trying to outrun. While in Montana, he comes across a mining camp with a hanging tree and rescues a man named Rune from the noose. With Rune as his servant, Frail decides to settle down, and he takes over as town ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Delmer Daves
CAST:  Gary Cooper  •  Maria Schell  •  Karl Malden  •  George C. Scott

The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

The four sons of Katie Elder reunite in their Hometown of Clearwater, Texas for their Mother's funeral, and discover that the family ranch is now in the hands of Morgan Hastings, the town's gunsmith.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Henry Hathaway
CAST:  John Wayne  •  Dean Martin  •  Martha Hyer  •  Michael Anderson Jr.

The four sons of Katie Elder reunite in their Hometown of Clearwater, Texas for their Mother's funeral, and discover that the family ranch is now in the hands of Morgan Hastings, the town's gunsmith.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Henry Hathaway
CAST:  John Wayne  •  Dean Martin  •  Martha Hyer  •  Michael Anderson Jr.

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

ClassicFantasticalAdventurousCharming

Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Wolfgang Reitherman
CAST:  Sebastian Cabot  •  Karl Swenson  •  Junius Matthews  •  Norman Alden

Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Wolfgang Reitherman
CAST:  Sebastian Cabot  •  Karl Swenson  •  Junius Matthews  •  Norman Alden

Ulzana's Raid (1972)

Report reaches the US cavalry that the Apache leader Ulzana has left his reservation with a band of followers. A compassionate young officer, Lieutenant DeBuin, is given a small company to find him and bring him back; accompanying the troop is McIntosh, an ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Aldrich
CAST:  Burt Lancaster  •  Bruce Davison  •  Jorge Luke  •  Richard Jaeckel

Report reaches the US cavalry that the Apache leader Ulzana has left his reservation with a band of followers. A compassionate young officer, Lieutenant DeBuin, is given a small company to find him and bring him back; accompanying the troop is McIntosh, an ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Aldrich
CAST:  Burt Lancaster  •  Bruce Davison  •  Jorge Luke  •  Richard Jaeckel

… tick… tick… tick… (1970)

Racial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the Deep South.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ralph Nelson
CAST:  Jim Brown  •  George Kennedy  •  Fredric March  •  Lynn Carlin

Racial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the Deep South.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ralph Nelson
CAST:  Jim Brown  •  George Kennedy  •  Fredric March  •  Lynn Carlin

Disney's Halloween Treat (1982)

Contains memorable scenes from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Lady and the Tramp," "Peter Pan," "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," and "The Sword in the Stone."  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Hal Douglas  •  Bobby Driscoll  •  Peggy Lee  •  Bing Crosby

Contains memorable scenes from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Lady and the Tramp," "Peter Pan," "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," and "The Sword in the Stone."  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Hal Douglas  •  Bobby Driscoll  •  Peggy Lee  •  Bing Crosby

The Wild Country (1970)

Uprooted from their comfortable home in Pennsylvania, James and Kate Tanner, along with their sons, Virgil and Andy, journey to the wild country of 1890s Wyoming to become farmers. Soon, they come face-to-face with tornadoes, bears and wolves. But through the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Totten
CAST:  Steve Forrest  •  Vera Miles  •  Ron Howard  •  Clint Howard

Uprooted from their comfortable home in Pennsylvania, James and Kate Tanner, along with their sons, Virgil and Andy, journey to the wild country of 1890s Wyoming to become farmers. Soon, they come face-to-face with tornadoes, bears and wolves. But through the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Totten
CAST:  Steve Forrest  •  Vera Miles  •  Ron Howard  •  Clint Howard

One Foot in Hell (1960)

Mitch Barrett becomes embittered because his wife is allowed to die when he can't pay for the medicine she needs. The remorseful townspeople hire Mitch to be a deputy sheriff, thereby enabling him to plot an elaborate bank robbery with the help of an artist, a ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  James B. Clark
CAST:  Alan Ladd  •  Don Murray  •  Dan O'Herlihy  •  Dolores Michaels

Mitch Barrett becomes embittered because his wife is allowed to die when he can't pay for the medicine she needs. The remorseful townspeople hire Mitch to be a deputy sheriff, thereby enabling him to plot an elaborate bank robbery with the help of an artist, a ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  James B. Clark
CAST:  Alan Ladd  •  Don Murray  •  Dan O'Herlihy  •  Dolores Michaels

The Gun and the Pulpit (1974)

In the days of the "Wild West," a gunslinger, with a price on his head, discovers the body of a traveling minister who has been killed in an ambush. Fearing those who are following him, he assumes the dead minister's identity.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Daniel Petrie
CAST:  Marjoe Gortner  •  Slim Pickens  •  David Huddleston  •  Geoffrey Lewis

In the days of the "Wild West," a gunslinger, with a price on his head, discovers the body of a traveling minister who has been killed in an ambush. Fearing those who are following him, he assumes the dead minister's identity.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Daniel Petrie
CAST:  Marjoe Gortner  •  Slim Pickens  •  David Huddleston  •  Geoffrey Lewis

Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

At the Doll House, a 1930s New Orleans bordello, Hallie is the main attraction both for clients and for Jo, the madame. Her comfortable if tedious life is disrupted by the arrival in town of Dove Linkhorn, her true love of three years before who is now searching ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Edward Dmytryk
CAST:  Laurence Harvey  •  Capucine  •  Jane Fonda  •  Anne Baxter

At the Doll House, a 1930s New Orleans bordello, Hallie is the main attraction both for clients and for Jo, the madame. Her comfortable if tedious life is disrupted by the arrival in town of Dove Linkhorn, her true love of three years before who is now searching ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Edward Dmytryk
CAST:  Laurence Harvey  •  Capucine  •  Jane Fonda  •  Anne Baxter
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