Don Garner obit

Actor Don Gardner Has Died 

He was not on the list.

Don Garner was born on October 24, 1923 in Greeley, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for I Love Lucy (1951), Danger Zone (1951) and F.B.I. Girl (1951). He died on May 12, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

He was the Artist in Residence at Fontbonne College (now Fontbonne University) in St Louis, MO from 1965-1985. He was the Director of the Theatre Department where he retired from in 1985 as Professor Emeritus.

Don was born October 24, 1923 in Greely, Colorado. Son of the late Carrie Elser Garner and Robert Lee Garner. Attended Gardena High School in Gardena, CA and Los Angeles City College.

While attending City College, the film industry recognized his exceptional talent and signed him to a movie contract. Don appeared in 37 motion pictures including: My Darling Clementine with Henry Fonda, Captain Eddie with Fred McMurray, Law and Order with Ronald Reagan, Lady With A Passport with Hedy Lamar, and Command Decision with Clark Gable.

He also appeared in early network television—notably I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best, The Ray Milland Show and CBS Omnibus.

During the Korean War, he traveled with actor Raymond Burr in a USO tour in the Far East. Before coming to Fontbonne College (now Fontbonne University) in St. Louis, Don served as Executive Assistant to Jose Quintero (one of Broadway’s outstanding theatre directors) at Circle In The Square. He served as production stage manager and played the leading role in Thornton Wilder’s Plays for Bleeker Street, Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real, and a principal role in Elia Kazan’s production of Archibald MacLeish’s prize-winning play, J.B.

Prior to his Broadway experiences, Don was actor, director and co-producer during a seven-year Association with Dr. Madge Skelly who was producer at the famous Ramsdell Opera House in Manistee, Michigan.

In 1965 Don signed a one-year contract as artist-in-residence at Fontbonne College in St. Louis, MO. He assumed the position of Director of the Department of Theatre and served in that role for twenty years. Included in his position as Director of Theatre Don also taught, co-produced and appeared in numerous productions with the theater students. One of his endearing roles was as BoBo, the clown, in the Summer Theatre for Children.

He also guest-directed in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Southeast MO State University, and Stephens College in Columbia, MO.

In 2001 he received a Fontbonne Founders Award for Distinguished Service in theatre and Education. Don retired as Professor Emeritus in 1985.

In tribute to their college theatre professor and friend, two of Don’s former students had this to say: “Once in a young person’s lifetime, if they are lucky, they happen upon another human being who alters their artistic perception of the world forever and who enriches them beyond measure in shades too brilliant for words to pursue…we asked the most influential teacher in our lives to play the role of Henry in our production of Fantastiks in Los Angeles. He packed his bags and left his life back in St. Louis to join us on this unique theatre adventure.”

Don is survived by his partner of forty-four years, Russell McMahan, and his two brothers, Robert E Garner of Diablo, CA and John N. (Jack) Garner of Oceanside, CA. Don’s sisters, Madelyn Garner Crippin and Helen Margaret Garner Cordts, as well as his parents Robert Lee Garner and Carrie Elser Garner, preceded him in death.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Actor

The Mighty O

TV Movie

1962

 

Lon Chaney Jr. and John Hart in Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans (1957)

Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans

7.3

TV Series

Tommy Cutler

1957

1 episode

 

Father Knows Best (1954)

Father Knows Best

7.4

TV Series

Bob Tyler

1956

1 episode

 

Afternoon Film Festival

TV Series

Host (1957) (as Don Gardner)

1956

 

Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels in The Lone Ranger (1949)

The Lone Ranger

7.7

TV Series

Jeff Stanton

1955

1 episode

 

The Ray Milland Show (1953)

The Ray Milland Show

7.5

TV Series

1955

2 episodes

 

Fireside Theatre (1949)

Fireside Theatre

7.3

TV Series

1955

1 episode

 

Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)

General Electric Theater

6.9

TV Series

Teller

1955

1 episode

 

Jan Sterling and Neville Brand in Return from the Sea (1954)

Return from the Sea

6.3

Sailor (uncredited)

1954

 

Public Defender (1954)

Public Defender

7.5

TV Series

Rick Martin

1954

1 episode

 

Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy (1951)

I Love Lucy

8.5

TV Series

Delivery Boy

Grocery Boy

1954

2 episodes

 

Omnibus (1952)

Omnibus

8.4

TV Series

(segment "Nobody's Fool")

1954

1 episode

 

The Revlon Mirror Theater (1953)

The Revlon Mirror Theater

3.7

TV Series

1953

1 episode

 

Ronald Reagan, Ruth Hampton, and Dorothy Malone in Law and Order (1953)

Law and Order

6.1

Johnny Benton (uncredited)

1953

 

Chevron Theatre (1952)

Chevron Theatre

6.5

TV Series

1952–1953

2 episodes

 

Racket Squad (1950)

Racket Squad

7.5

TV Series

Jerry

1953

1 episode

 

Biff Baker, U.S.A. (1952)

Biff Baker, U.S.A.

7.4

TV Series

1952

1 episode

 

Sterling Hayden and Richard Carlson in Flat Top (1952)

Flat Top

5.9

Flyer (uncredited)

1952

 

James Cagney, Corinne Calvet, and Dan Dailey in What Price Glory (1952)

What Price Glory

6.1

Young Marine (uncredited)

1952

 

Edgar Buchanan, Martha Hyer, and Ben Johnson in Wild Stallion (1952)

Wild Stallion

5.8

Cpl. Thompson (uncredited)

1952

 

Wendell Corey, Vera Ralston, and Forrest Tucker in The Wild Blue Yonder (1951)

The Wild Blue Yonder

6.0

George (uncredited)

1951

 

F.B.I. Girl (1951)

F.B.I. Girl

6.0

Paul Craig

1951

 

John Derek and Donna Reed in Saturday's Hero (1951)

Saturday's Hero

6.3

Jamieson (uncredited)

1951

 

Dane Clark, Tom Drake, and Cathy O'Donnell in Never Trust a Gambler (1951)

Never Trust a Gambler

6.2

Policeman (uncredited)

1951

 

Hugh Beaumont, Pamela Blake, and Virginia Dale in Danger Zone (1951)

Danger Zone

5.3

Bud Becker (1st Episode)

1951

 

Richard Denning in Insurance Investigator (1951)

Insurance Investigator

6.2

Attendant (uncredited)

1951

 

Anne Baxter and Glenn Ford in Follow the Sun (1951)

Follow the Sun

6.4

Golf Nut (uncredited)

1951

 

Marina Berti, Tom Ewell, and David Wayne in Up Front (1951)

Up Front

7.2

Carter (uncredited)

1951

 

Two Flags West (1950)

Two Flags West

6.7

Ash Cooper (uncredited)

1950

 

Hedy Lamarr and John Hodiak in A Lady Without Passport (1950)

A Lady Without Passport

6.1

Dimitri Matthias

1950

 

Glenn Langan, Brenda Marshall, and George Montgomery in The Iroquois Trail (1950)

The Iroquois Trail

6.2

Sgt. Tom Cutler

1950

 

Love That Brute (1950)

Love That Brute

6.3

Page Boy (uncredited)

1950

 

Clark Gable, Brian Donlevy, Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and Walter Pidgeon in Command Decision (1948)

Command Decision

7.3

Flyer (uncredited)

1948

 

Joan Fontaine, James Stewart, Eddie Albert, and Joe in You Gotta Stay Happy (1948)

You Gotta Stay Happy

6.7

Bellhop (uncredited)

1948

 

Larceny (1948)

Larceny

6.9

College Student (uncredited)

1948

 

Agnes Moorehead, Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, Walter Huston, Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins, Marilyn Maxwell, and Frank Morgan in Summer Holiday (1948)

Summer Holiday

5.7

Gilbert Ralston (uncredited)

1948

 

This Time for Keeps (1947)

This Time for Keeps

5.8

Soldier (uncredited)

1947

 

Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

6.9

Young Saman (uncredited)

1947

 

Yvonne De Carlo, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Brian Donlevy, and Phillip Reed in Song of Scheherazade (1947)

Song of Scheherazade

6.4

Midshipman (uncredited)

1947

 

William Bendix, Deanna Durbin, Tom Drake, and Adolphe Menjou in I'll Be Yours (1947)

I'll Be Yours

6.5

Attendant (uncredited)

1947

 

Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, and Victor Mature in My Darling Clementine (1946)

My Darling Clementine

7.7

James Earp (uncredited)

1946

 

Celeste Holm, Vivian Blaine, and June Haver in Three Little Girls in Blue (1946)

Three Little Girls in Blue

6.4

Boy on Beach (uncredited)

1946

 

Lee Bowman, Adele Jergens, Rosalind Russell, and Charles Winninger in She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945)

She Wouldn't Say Yes

6.2

Soldier (uncredited)

1945

 

Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and José Iturbi in Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Anchors Aweigh

7.0

Soldier (uncredited)

1945

 

Lynn Bari and Fred MacMurray in Captain Eddie (1945)

Captain Eddie

5.9

Sgt. Alex

1945