John Doucette

By Colete Morlock

From the first time I heard his deep and somewhat raspy voice, I came to have a deep respect for this character actor from The Adventures of Superman. John Arthur Doucette was born on January 21, 1921 in Brockton, Massachusetts. The son of a shoemaker, John and his family lived near the factories until they closed, and moved almost continually to another town, another home.  As a result, Mr. Doucette attended numerous schools, making it difficult to build friendships for any period of time. Teachers often felt sorry for him and one of them put him in charge during her absence. John eased into this authoritative role and this stance would serve him well in later years.

Upon graduation from elementary school, the Doucettes relocated to Los Angeles where John attended Lincoln High School. It was here under the tutelage of a German instructor that he and his fellow students were regimented in the fine art of performing numerous plays and radio shows simultaneously. After high school, he enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse appearing in 27 plays over the next two years. Although he landed his first film role in 1943, the casting call came from Uncle Sam for the European campaign of WW II. He began his stint in the Air Corps operating a forklift, but was reassigned to the infantry in Germany under General Patton. How ironic would this be when he appeared years later in a movie entitled Patton!

       

The Playhouse once again afforded Mr. Doucette the opportunity to resume his career after the war ended.  He landed a part in a play featuring Mae West entitled Come on Up, Ring Twice and went on tour with her for a year. He then performed in the film adaptation of The Pilgrimage Play, since he had been quite successful in the theater version. It is here that he met his beloved wife, Katherine, one of the choir members. They married and eventually had eight children together.

His roles paired him with some of the industry’s most famous stars. Most of his 138 films were westerns, police dramas, and an occasional biblical epic. In fact, he was one of the busiest character actors of his time, starring with Glenn Ford, Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison, George C. Scott, and John Wayne to name just a few. He also appeared with George Reeves in both Rancho Notorious and Bugles in the Afternoon. 

In addition to cinema, Mr. Doucette appeared in 128 television series or made-for-TV features.  His face and voice were famous, for the most part, as those of the characters you would despise or love to see get caught. His tough, “bad guy” image spanned many of the genre’s television westerns like Annie Oakley, The Lone Ranger, Bat Masterson, and Bonanza to name just a few. The three distinct episodes of Bonanza truly showcased different aspects of his acting ability. A more prominent role came as Lt. Jim Weston on the Lockup series with MacDonald Carey. He guest starred in other series such as Seahunt, in which his enthusiasm was a joy to watch. He demonstrated his ability to be an authority figure in the Time Tunnel episode, “Revenge of the Gods” (1966) with his portrayal of Ulysses outside the Greek city of Troy. For a more comedic role, Doucette was in Get Smart’s “To Sire with Love – Parts I and II” as Colonel Van Klaus. His German accent rivaled Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes.

Of his three TAOS appearances, I consider “The Birthday Letter” (1951) to be his best performance.  It is his equivalent of George Reeves’ “The Face and the Voice”.  Isa Ashdown, as Kathy Williams, was a crippled girl who wrote a letter to Superman to take her to the fair.  Lois, feeling sorry for her, did a feature article in the hopes that Superman would answer Kathy.  As Slugger, Doucette, sporting a Brooklyn accent, impersonated Superman, kidnapped Kathy, and brought her to cohorts, Marcel and Marie in order to obtain information regarding the arrival of stolen engraver bank plates from France.  Masterfully playing a likeable lug, Doucette as Slugger was taken into custody by Inspector Henderson, but Kathy Williams, his advocate, interceded on his behalf.

Two years later, “Lady in Black” (1953) showed John sporting a nasty scar on his right cheek.  He was part of a ring of thieves who stole valuable paintings and replaced them with imitations.  The paintings were being smuggled from the museum vault through the basement of an apartment building where Jimmy Olsen was staying. Viewers witness how sinister and ruthless John Doucette could be in this role. Jimmy received a threat by scar-faced John that would frighten anyone if he were to tell who or what he had seen. While his time in front of the camera was limited, that stone-faced glare and steely voice left quite an impression on the viewer.  

His final appearance, from the color years, was “Clark Kent, Outlaw” (1954).  Also featured were Tris Coffin as the ringleader and Sid Tomack and fellow henchman.  Both Mr. Doucette and Mr. Tomack were trapped in a cabin by police. Perry and Clark drove up during the shootout to join Inspector Henderson. Tear gas forced Doucette out first, while Tomack had a little help from Superman.  When no one was looking, Doucette’s character planted the stolen money in Kent’s glove compartment.  Along with the two crooks, Clark was taken in for questioning since he was found with the incriminating bankroll,  While Perry White and Henderson were aware of Clark working undercover, he infiltrated the gang in order to find out who was behind the ring. Doucette’s character, along with Coffin’s was skeptical that Kent had suddenly turned to a life of crime.  They set a trap using Perry White to reveal Kent’s real intentions. This episode demonstrated a more cunning and suspicious character for John.

Mr. Doucette continued to grace us with his performances until 1987, at which time he retired from show business. He remained a devoted family man throughout his life and instilled strong values in all of his children. He died on August 16, 1994 from cancer, but he left us with countless memorable performances.  It is our honor to induct Mr. John Doucette into the George Reeves Hall of Fame.

Special thanks to John A. Doucette, Jr. for his assistance and friendship and to Paul Guenther, Pasadena Playhouse for providing the program and playbill.