ROBERT KELLARD
April 23rd, 1915 -- January 13th, 1981

Above: A smiling Robert Kellard poses with the beautiful Jean Rogers in a still from a non-serial romantic comedy, STOP, LOOK, AND LOVE.

I've been unable to gather much information about Robert Kellard, other than the fact that he was born in Los Angeles and the dates of his birth and death (listed above). However, even though we lack background info on him, Kellard was still one of the more talented and memorable serial leads. It’s truly a surprise that he didn’t go on to bigger movies, as he had far more intensity and acting range than some other serial heroes. His first two cliffhangers featured him in “co-hero” roles, but he moved into the unquestioned lead spot with his third and fourth outings. In his two best serials, KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED and DRUMS OF FU MANCHU, he combined intense dedication with a touch of impetuousity and hot temper to excellent effect.

Above: Robert Kellard (seated, center) has been caught trying to infiltrate Fu Manchu's secret Si-Fan group by Fu Manchu himself (Henry Brandon, standing). Si-Fan members George Pembroke (at the far end of the table) and James B. Leong (partially hidden behind Kellard) look on with obvious satisfaction. This scene is from Robert's first serial, DRUMS OF FU MANCHU (Republic, 1940).

Like Warren Hull, Kane Richmond, Charles Quigley, and many other fellow cliffhanger heroes, Kellard started his film career in the late thirties, as a fledgling star in B-pictures for major studios like Columbia and Twentieth Century Fox. No doubt he hoped to rise to stardom later on, but for some reason (possibly from an overabundance of new talent; most of Hollywood's major studios had a huge roster of young hopefuls vying for stardom at this time), the big studios ignored his work and, like Charles Quigley before him, he was snapped up to star in a cliffhanger for the King of the serial studios: Republic Pictures.

The serial was DRUMS OF FU MANCHU (Republic, 1940), based on the classic series of Fu Manchu mystery novels written by Sax Rohmer. Republic, notorious for taking liberties with famous characters in their screen adaptations, did right by Rohmer's character, creating what many feel (I among them) to be the definitive screen version of Rohmer's work. German-born Henry Brandon was top-billed in the role of the evil Chinese mastermind and arch-villain, Dr. Fu Manchu. Brandon, one of the most versatile actors of all time, delivered an incredibly sinister performance and brought the Fu Manchu of the printed page to vivid life. William Royle, second billed as Sir Denis Nayland Smith, British Secret Service Agent and the Dr.'s arch-enemy, also did a superlative job in his role, right down to the required British accent. Robert Kellard (don't worry, I haven't forgotten about him) as the heroic but rather impetuous Allan Parker was third billed, but he had a large amount of screen time, handled most of the action scenes, and participated in most of the cliffhangers. The character of Parker was a kind of composite of the various youthful heroes who assisted Smith from book to book of the Rohmer series; the son of a scientist murdered by the Oriental fiend, Allan joins Sir Denis in his crusade to stop Fu Manchu, whose newest plan is to gain control of the hordes of Asia by posing as a descendant of Genghis Khan, and use them to conquer the world. The good guys are successful in defeating this plot, but they miss destroying Fu Manchu himself, who escapes and vows his eventual return (this, also, was in the spirit of the books, where Fu Manchu always manages to escape the law just before the end). DRUMS OF FU MANCHU was a unique serial, one of the few serials that can stand on its own in comparison to movies of the time. Credit for this should go to all concerned--the actors, directors (William Witney and John English), screenwriters, and, of course, Sax Rohmer himself. Robert Kellard could not have picked a better serial to start out his cliffhanger career with.

Above: Allan Parker (Robert Kellard, far right) stops Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon, second from right) from performing a sinister brain operation on Sir Denis Nayland Smith (William Royle, on table) by threatening to blow up the building with nitro. John Merton, as Fu Manchu's chief dacoit Loki, is on the far left in this scene from DRUMS OF FU MANCHU (Republic, 1940).

Kellard's performance in DRUMS OF FU MANCHU so impressed Republic that they gave him another serial role the very same year: the part of RCMP Corporal Merrit in KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED, trusty assistant to Sergeant King (Allan Lane) in his battle against a band of Nazi spies after the valuable Compound X. Third billed again (behind Lane and chief villain Robert Strange) Kellard didn't receive quite the amount of screen time he got in DRUMS OF FU MANCHU, but the part was a good one, and in the end, it was Kellard's character who destroyed the spies and their submarine at the same time, sacrificing his life and saving King's in the process. With great scripting, directing, and acting, KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED, like DRUMS OF FU MANCHU, emerged as one of the all-time classics of the serial genre.

Above: Robert Kellard regains consciousness after being clobbered by the bad guys in this lobby card for KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED (Republic, 1940).

Kellard’s next serial was PERILS OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED (Columbia, 1942), and definitely his weakest effort. It could have been his best: the serial had a great cast, a tried-and-true plot, and some good locations, but it was all sabotaged by the direction of James W. Horne. Horne was a great comedy director, second to none, but he apparently disliked doing serials and let his dislike show through by inserting out-of-place humorous elements into his cliffhangers and insisting on over-the-top acting from his leads. Robert spent most of PERILS shouting out lines at the top of his lungs (even in scenes that called for more modulated delivery), engaging in near-slapstick brawls with the henchmen, and “living through” so many cliffhangers that he began to seem like a cartoon character. It was a sorry comedown from Kellard’s Republic work.

Above: A French (or possibly Canadian) lobby card for PERILS OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED (Columbia, 1942) shows Robert Kellard (center) being questioned by Black Bear (Nick Thompson, left) and another Indian (right). George Chesebro's face is shown in the left hand border. Note that Kellard is billed as Robert Stevens; this was his billing in several Columbia films.

Above: Another French card for PERILS OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED shows Kellard getting a foot in the face from I. Stanford Jolley as they tussle on a hillside.

After a six-year interim of small parts in various movies, Kellard returned to the serial world one more time for his last starring role, TEX GRANGER (Columbia, 1948). Based on a popular series of comic books, the serial pitted Tex Granger (Kellard) against three factions of outlaws: a crooked businessman named Carson (I. Stanford Jolley); a former outlaw turned corrupt sheriff, Blaze Talbot (Smith Ballew); and an outlaw leader known as Reno (Jack Ingram). Granger, editor of the local paper, dons the guise of the Mystery Rider to bring justice to the crime-ridden town. Kellard did a fine job in a more mature and easy-going cowboy characterization, abandoning both the impetuousness he had shown in DRUMS OF FU MANCHU and KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED, and the over-the-top theatrics he had employed in PERILS OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED.

Above: Robert Kellard as TEX GRANGER (Columbia, 1948).

Above: Peggy Stewart, Britt Wood, and Robert Kellard in TEX GRANGER (Columbia, 1948)

Kellard seems to have dropped out of films shortly after TEX GRANGER, his last screen appearances being in several different episodes of the Lone Ranger show in the late forties and early fifties. I hope he did well in whatever business he entered after leaving films. He must have done well. A man who can take on Fu Manchu, Nazi spies, and Western outlaws with such style and talent can handle almost anything.

Above: Robert, protecting Nell O’Day, strikes a dramatic pose in a still for PERILS OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED (Columbia, 1942).