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The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.



(From Old Corral collection)
1947
In Search of
Bob Duncan


Full name MAY be:
Robert Edward Duncan

1906 - 1967



(From Old Corral collection)

Above - screen capture of Bob Duncan as "Trigger Gans" in THE MARSHAL'S DAUGHTER (1953).
No one seems to know much about Bob Duncan except that he worked in 30+ movies during a period from about 1944 - 1957. Most were westerns for Monogram, PRC, and Ron Ormand's Western Adventures production company and starred Jimmy Wakely, Lash LaRue, Eddie Dean, Johnny Mack Brown, and the Tex Ritter / Dave O'Brien version of the Texas Rangers trio series. Once in a while, Duncan portrayed the brains heavy, but most often was second-in-command or a gang member.

He may have been in Hollywood circa 1940 and had a bit part in the Roy Rogers THE CARSON CITY KID (Republic, 1940). If he does appear in that oater, there was a break of several years until his next film appearance in late 1944 when he was nearly forty years old. That time off may indicate that he did World War II military service.

As with many B western workers, his wages were meager ... and he certainly wasn't doing much film work. Must have had some other livelihood which helped pay the rent and put groceries on the table.

As the B western faded away in the late 1940s - early 1950s, scores of familiar faces went to work on television westerns. I found it strange that Duncan was not among those who opted for TV work paydays.

In his later years, Duncan resided in North Hollywood, California. On the morning of March 13, 1967, he called the local police and told them he was about to commit suicide. Officers arrived a few minutes later and found the 62 year old Duncan on his couch, dead from a gunshot from a .22 rifle. Link below to a newspaper article on his suicide.

The California Death Index has dual records for "Bob Duncan" and "Robert E. Duncan". He was born December 7, 1906 in Kansas, Mother's maiden name of Spencer, and passed away March 13, 1967 in the Los Angeles area. He is interred at Grand View Memorial Park and Crematory, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.

I've spent considerable time searching for Duncan at Family Search and Ancestry.com, and he and his life are a mystery. Found nothing except those California Death Index records. No birth info ... no census records ... no family trees ... no Social Security Death Index (SSDI) ... and no World War II draft registration. The lack of records and family trees indicates that Duncan may be his screen name ... not his real surname.

Some biographies have him doing script / screenplay writing with his wife Wanda. That Bob Duncan was not our B western movie guy. The husband and wife team of Wanda Louise Scott Duncan (1925 - 2007) and Robert Lipscomb Duncan (1927 - 1999) wrote many movie and TV screenplays. More on Bob and Wanda Duncan further down this webpage.



(From Old Corral collection)

Above - PRC's singing cowboy hero Eddie Dean does battle with Bob Duncan in a lobby card from CARAVAN TRAIL (PRC, 1946), one of Dean's Cinecolor adventures.



(From Old Corral collection)

Above - in this lobby card from THE WESTWARD TRAIL (PRC, 1948), Carl Mathews has the drop on Eddie Dean and Phyllis Planchard. Bob Duncan is the crooked lawmen on the far right. Crop below. Duncan plays the boss baddie in this. He's trying to get control of some ranches ... kills the local lawman ... and becomes the new sheriff in town.

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Bob Duncan: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0241911/

March 13, 1967 Los Angeles Citizen News had an article on Bob Duncan's suicide, and the headline reads: "Former Actor Bob Duncan Shoots Self": https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-citizen-news-suicide/140071156/

Dual records in the California Death Index for Robert E. Duncan and Bob Duncan. He was born December 7, 1906 in Kansas, mother's maiden name of Spencer, and passed away on March 13, 1967 in the Los Angeles area:
     Robert E. Duncan: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP4T-Q6X
     Bob Duncan: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPKP-817

Find A Grave notes that Robert Edward Duncan (1906 - 1967) is interred in the lower level of the West Mausoleum, Grand View Memorial Park and Crematory, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47487357/robert-edward-duncan

YouTube has THE MARSHAL'S DAUGHTER (Ken Murray Prod./United Artists, 1953) which you can stream or download. Bob Duncan has a credited role as no-good "Trigger Gans". And "Bob Duncan" is credited for the screenplay. Perhaps our movie baddie created this story?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we5Y8P6AP2k

The Bob Duncan (1927-1999) that wrote
screenplays and scripts ... with wife Wanda.

As mentioned, some sources have B western actor Bob Duncan writing scripts and screenplays for movies and TV. That appears to be an error. Movie and TV writer Bob Duncan was Robert Lipscomb Duncan (1927 - 1999) and married to Wanda Louise Scott Duncan (1925 - 2007). And there's many trade publication mentions of the team of "Bob and Wanda Duncan" writing the movie BLACK GOLD (Warners, 1962) and episodes of TV programs LOST IN SPACE, THE TIME TUNNEL, DR. KILDARE, BONANZA, RIVERBOAT, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, more.

The Oklahoman newspaper has a 1985 article about Bob and Wanda Duncan titled "Husband, Wife Writers Team Up for Success". They resided in Norman, Oklahoma, and spent many years doing stories for TV and movies. Later, they wrote novels: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1985/05/26/husband-wife-writers-team-up-for-success/62762782007/

Robert Duncan was inducted in the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame in 1991: https://deeproots.library.okstate.edu/index.php/a-homepage-section/

Find A Grave has a photo of the shared marker for Wanda Louise Scott Duncan (1925 - 2007) and Robert Lipscomb Duncan (1927 - 1999). They are interred next to each other at IOOF Cemetery, Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34510420/robert-lipscomb-duncan


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