John Smith Bio/credits

John Smith
Born:  March 6, 1931 (as Robert Van Orden) (in Los Angeles, CA)
Died:  January 25, 1995
Spouse(s):  Luana Patten (1960 - 1964, divorced)
Child(ren): 1 daughter
Parents:  Earl Van Orden, Margaret Van Orden
Height: 6'2"

Movies:
    1944
        Going My Way (uncredited)
    1945
        The Bells of St. Mary's (uncredited)
        Bells of Rosarita (uncredited)
    1950
        A Woman of Distinction (uncredited)
    1951
        The Guy Who Came Back (uncredited)
    1952
        Carbine Williams (uncredited)
    1953
        The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (uncredited)
        Battle Circus (uncredited)
    1954
        The High and the Mighty
    1955
        Desert Sands
        We're No Angels
        Wichita
        Seven Angry Men
    1956
        The Women of Pitcairn Island
        Friendly Persuasion
        Rebel in Town
        Hot Rod Girl
        Quincannon, Frontier Scout
        The Bold and the Brave
        Ghost Town
    1957
        The Crooked Circle
        The Lawless Eighties
        The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
        Fury at Showdown
        Tomahawk Trail
    1958
        Sea Divers (TV Movie)
        Handle with Care
    1959
        Island of Lost Women
    1964
        Circus World
    1966
        Waco
    1971
        Will to Die
    1972
        Justin Morgan Had a Horse  (see TV Shows > Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color)

TV Shows:
    About Faces
         - Episode dated March 7 (1960) (as himself)
    Adam-12
         - Citizens All (1972)
    Alfred Hitchcock Presents
         - A Night with the Boys (1959)
    Cimarron City (regular)
    Colt .45
         - Gallows at Granite Gap (1957)
         - Point of Honor (1958)
    Conflict
         - The Money (1957)
    Crossroads
         - The Singing Preacher (1956)
    Emergency!
         - Hang-Up (1972)
         - Crash (1972)
    Father Knows Best
         - Never the Twain (1956)
    The Ford Television Theatre
         - The Tryst (1954)
    Frontier
         - Paper Gunman (1955)
    General Electric Theater
         - The Rider on the Pale Horse (1954)
    The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
         - Gracie's Old Boy Friend, Dan Conroy, Comes to Town (1954)
    Gunsmoke
         - Cholera (1956)
    Here's Hollywood
         - Episode #1.53 (1960)
    Hondo
         - Hondo and the Eagle Claw (1967)
    I Spy
         - Tag, You're It  (1968)
    Laramie (regular)
    The Loretta Young Show
         - Thanksgiving in Beaver Run (1953)
    Marcus Welby, M.D.
         - Hell Is Upstairs (1974)
         - Calculated Risk (1975)
    Men of Annapolis
         - Ship's Log (1957)
         - The Irwin Brown Story (1958)
    Mike Hammer
         - Letter of the Weak (1958)
    The Millionaire
         - The Story of Lucky Swanson (1956)
    My Little Margie
         - Campus Homecoming (1953)
         - Mr. Uranium (1955)
    Our Miss Brooks
         - The Novelist (1954)
    Police Woman
         - The Chasers (1975)
   Project U.F.O.
         - Sighting 4009: The French Incident (1978)
    The Rounders
        - It's the Noble Thing to Do (1966)
    Schlitz Playhouse
         - The Hasty Hanging (1958)
    Stories of the Century
         - Sontag and Evans (1955)
    Telephone Time
         - The Immortal Eye (1958)
    The Virginian
         - Dark Corridor (1968)
         - Gun Quest (1970)
    Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
         - Justin Morgan Had a Horse: Part 1 (1972)
         - Justin Morgan Had a Horse: Part 2 (1972)
        (note: these episodes also ran as a feature-length film)
    Wire Service
         - The Comeback (1957)


Other Film Work: (shorts, documentaries, etc.)
    1954
        A Star Is Born World Premiere (TV Short) (as himself)





Regular Shows:


Cimarron City  (Sept. 1958 - Apr. 1959, 26 episodes)

     George Montgomery starred as Mayor Matt Rockford.  John Smith co-starred as Lane Temple, one of the town's lawman, and Audrey Totter co-starred as Beth Purcell, owner of Cimarron City's hotel.  Also appearing regularly were Dan Blocker (as Tiny Budinger) and Stuart Randall (as Sheriff Art Simpson/Sampson).
     The shows were very much adult-oriented, focusing on dramatic plotlines, with little action involved.  Episodes revolved around at least one of the three main characters.

Cimarron City on DVD:

Complete Series 





Laramie (Sept. 1959 - May 1963, 124 episodes)

     In Laramie, John Smith's character, Slim Sherman, owned a ranch and operated a stagecoach relay station just outside of Laramie, WY.  In the first episode, a drifter (Robert Fuller) named Jess Harper happens onto the ranch -- and never leaves.
     In the first season, Robert Crawford, Jr. and Hoagy Carmichael are regulars; Crawford playing Slim's younger brother, Andy, and Carmichael playing handyman Jonesy. 
     Later, in the third and fourth seasons, elderly Spring Byington and young Dennis Holmes join the Sherman household --  "Mike" is an orphan taken in by Slim and Jess, and "Daisy" is their new housekeeper.
Eddy Walker, as stagedriver Mose, and Stuart Randall, as Sheriff Mort Cory, were semi-regulars.

Laramie on DVD:

Season One
Season Two 
Season Three 
Season Four






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Movie/TV credit information is taken from Internet Movie Database, unless otherwise noted, and is updated and corrected if needed.