Walter Wanger Holt was signed to a contract by producer
Walter Wanger in January 1937. Wanger was going to use him in
Blockade, but that film was postponed. Instead he made his debut as
Anne Shirley's suitor in
Stella Dallas (1937) for
Sam Goldwyn – the same role that another film star's son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., had played in the 1925 version. When told he was given the role his father Jack said, "Fine. Let's have one good actor in the family." Wanger then cast him in
I Met My Love Again (1938) and used him for a Technicolor Western,
Gold is Where You Find It. In the latter the
Los Angeles Times said Holt "confirms the favorable impression he gave" in
Stella Dallas. RKO borrowed him for a western,
The Renegade Ranger (1938), supporting George O'Brien, then a leading star of B-westerns. Wanger wanted to star Holt opposite Henry Fonda and
Louise Platt in an adaptation of
Vincent Sheean's
Personal History; however after the problems Wanger had making
Blockade he decided to postpone the project. (It was later filmed as
Foreign Correspondent.) He lent Holt to Paramount to play the juvenile lead in
Sons of the Legion then RKO asked for him again in
The Law West of Tombstone, supporting
Harry Carey. Wanger then used Holt in the role of young Lieutenant Blanchard in the 1939 classic
Stagecoach. At Universal he appeared in a story of his old alma mater, Culver Military Academy,
The Spirit of Culver. His contract with Wanger expired. RKO signed Holt to a seven-year contract in December 1938.
RKO Pictures (1939) (1940) RKO gave Holt his first lead in the B-film
The Rookie Cop. It was popular, and RKO put him in
The Girl and the Gambler opposite
Leo Carrillo. He was then cast as the romantic lead for the studio's biggest star,
Ginger Rogers, in
5th Avenue Girl (1939). It was popular and the
Los Angeles Times said Holt "does unusually well in this", although the
New York Times thought he "seems a trifle young to be running a great corporation". He was meant to play the eldest son in
Three Sons (1939) with Edward Ellis, but he was withdrawn and replaced by
William Gargan. He was also meant to star in a Western,
Silver City, with
Betty Grable, but it was not made. In early 1940 it was announced Holt and Ginger Rogers would be reunited in an adaptation of
The Enchanted Cottage. The film was not made until
several years later with different stars. Instead he was assigned to play Fritz Robinson in the studio's expensive adaptation of
Swiss Family Robinson (1940). He also played the lead in
Laddie (1940); the
Los Angeles Times called him "engaging and capable".
Swiss Family Robinson was a financial failure and
Laddie was not particularly popular.
Western star During the late 1930s, actor
George O'Brien had made a number of low-budget Westerns for RKO. Holt later recalled, "I believe George O’Brien quit over money so RKO needed another Western star and I was put forward." O'Driscoll and Holt were meant to reteam in
Sir Piegan Passes but it was not made. Instead Holt appeared in
The Fargo Kid. Universal borrowed him to play
Charles Boyer's son in
Back Street (1941). The
Los Angeles Times said Holt had "some splendid scenes towards the end". Then it was back to Westerns:
Robbers of the Range (1941),
Along the Rio Grande (1941),
Cyclone on Horseback (1941) and
Six-Gun Gold (1941). Holt usually played a cowboy who had one or two friends, who occasionally sang. From 1940 to 1942 he made 18 Westerns. His first sidekick was
Ray Whitley, who was slightly older than Holt, and who would usually sing a song or two in each film. The other sidekick was a character "Whopper" played by
Emmett Lynn and then
Lee White. 1942 they were replaced by
Cliff Edwards as Ike. Author Tom Stempel later recalled: Holt, unlike many other B western stars, played characters not named Tim Holt. From his debut in 1934
Gene Autry always played "Gene Autry" and after 1941
Roy Rogers always played "Roy Rogers", but Holt's names varied, even if the basic character he played is the same... In these early films Tim's jobs were diverse. While
Hopalong Cassidy was always the foreman of the Bar 20 Ranch, Tim played a cowboy, a Treasury agent, a Texas Ranger, or a number of other occupations. The characters were pretty much the same: Tim, with his boyish good looks, is drawn into situations where he must right some wrongs. Holt had a charming personality on the screen, which made him one of the top western stars from 1940 to 1943. when
Orson Welles cast him as the lead in his second film,
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). "It was a lucky decision", Welles later said, calling Holt "one of the most interesting actors that's ever been in American movies". The
Washington Post thought Holt "gives an excellent account of himself". The
New York Times said he "draws out all the meanness in George's character which is precisely what the role demands". (In 1965 Welles wanted to reshoot the ending with those of the original cast still alive, including Holt, but it did not happen.) RKO announced they had purchased two stories for Holt,
Five of Spades (which became
The Avenging Rider) and
Adventures of Salt Valley. He was already announced for
There Goes Lona Henry. Holt was going to enter the army, so RKO quickly put him in six more Westerns:
Bandit Ranger (1942),
Red River Robin Hood (1942),
Pirates of the Prairie (1942),
Fighting Frontier (1943),
Sagebrush Law (1943) and
The Avenging Rider (1942). His entry into the
U.S. Army Air Forces was delayed long enough so that Holt could star in ''
Hitler's Children'' (1943). He was called to active duty during production. The film proved to be one of RKO's most profitable during the war.
War service Holt became a decorated combat veteran of World War II, flying in the
Pacific Theatre with the
United States Army Air Forces as a
B-29 bombardier. He was also a recipient of the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
Post-war '' (1948) Following the war, Holt returned to films and went back to RKO. According to his biographer David Rothel, "No more was he the callow, youthful cowboy with big, silly grin on his face. Now he exuded a steady, serious no-nonsense type of mature cowboy who was less impulsive, more contemporary, and somewhat ‘world weary." Tom Stempel argues that "While Holt had lost his baby fat during the war, he still had a wonderful grin and cute dimples. He used the mixture of charm and seriousness very well."
Under the Tonto Rim (1947) and
Wild Horse Mesa (1947). He also made
Western Heritage (1947), which was an original screenplay. The budgets were around $100,000 a film, making them among the more expensive B Westerns.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Holt was next borrowed by Warner Bros for the role for which he is probably best remembered — that of Bob Curtin to
Humphrey Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs in
John Huston's
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), about two men who team up to prospect for gold, only to have greed tear apart their partnership. Holt's father also appeared in a small part. Tim Holt tended to be outshone in reviews by Bogart and
Walter Huston, the latter winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. However the
Chicago Daily Tribune said he was "very likeable". The
Los Angeles Times said Holt "gives a rare and sincere impression of character in his performance". According to the
Los Angeles Times, Holt's casting in
Madre impressed RKO studio chief
Dore Schary who announced "expanding plans" for the actor, looking to cast him in films other than Westerns. He also promised a bigger budget for Holt's Westerns such as
The Arizona Ranger (1948), which cast him opposite his father. However the films remained undistinguished:
Guns of Hate (1948),
Indian Agent (1948) and
Gun Smugglers (1948). His most frequent director was
Lesley Selander and his sidekick in more than 25 of these movies was
Richard Martin. Martin played Chito Jose Gonzales Bustamente Rafferty, a character created by writer Jack Wagner for the
1943 film Bombardier and who had appeared in some
Robert Mitchum westerns before being put into Tim Holt films. Stempel: The chemistry between Holt and Martin was immediate. Tim was entertained by Chito's constant pursuit of the ladies, which gave Holt a variety of reactions to play: amusement, surprise, slight irritation, bafflement at the hopelessness of Chito's attempted conquests. Unlike Hopalong Cassidy's young sidekick Lucky, who just mooned after girls, Chito was active, which was a lot more interesting to watch, especially with Tim's reactions. Chito was not just a lovesick fool, but he was also ready for action. As he explained his name, his mother was Spanish, and the Spanish is for loving, and his father was Irish, which is for fighting. Chito performed the crucial functions of a B western movie sidekick: he was somebody with whom the hero could discuss the plot, and he provided some comedy relief. In the 47–52 series, the comic relief is verbal rather than visual, and often a part of the story. The directors can shoot both Chito's flirting and Tim's reaction in one shot. Unlike other B westerns, such as those Holts with Cliff Edwards, the movie does not have to stop while the comic does his routine. It makes for much smoother flowing films. However that year
Brothers in the Saddle (1948) recorded a loss of $35,000 The Westerns continued:
Dynamite Pass (1950),
Storm over Wyoming (1950),
Rider from Tucson (1950),
Border Treasure (1950) and
Rio Grande Patrol (1950).
Law of the Badlands (1951) was the cheapest Tim Holt vehicle since the war years, made for $98,000, but still recorded a loss of $20,000. After
Gunplay (1951),
Saddle Legion (1951) had a higher quality female lead –
Dorothy Malone – and then Holt unexpectedly appeared in an "A", supporting
Robert Mitchum and
Jane Russell in
His Kind of Woman for director
John Farrow. In September 1950 it was announced Holt would support
Montgomery Clift for director
Nicholas Ray in
The Flying Leathernecks (1951) but the film was made without either actor. Instead it was back to Westerns:
Pistol Harvest (1951),
Hot Lead (1951),
Overland Telegraph (1951),
Trail Guide (1952),
Road Agent (1952),
Target (1952), and finally
Desert Passage (1952). The latter lost $30,000 so it was decided to end the series. He made a TV appearance for
Chevron Theatre. ==Later career==