Star in the Family

One of my primary purposes in going to California was to visit this guy, my uncle, Wright King. When my siblings and I were kids, Wright and his wife June, existed as mythic family personalities, living in the shangri-la of southern California, where Wright worked as an actor. I didn't meet them in person until I was 17 and traveled to Los Angeles to visit the University of Southern California, where I would attend college for three years. 

Here are Wright and June on that first trip to California when I was 17.

Wright knew from the age of four that he wanted to be an actor. One of his early inspirations was fellow Oklahoman, Will Rogers. Wright's mom encouraged his interest in theater and took him to many plays in Kansas City and St Louis. After high school, Wright received a scholarship to the St. Louis School of Theater. He attended for one year and loved it, looking forward to going to New York to pursue his passion.

But before he started his acting career, military duty called. Wright was drafted into the Navy. He was initially stationed on the east coast. He spent much of his leave time going into New York to soak up the theater scene and learn as much as he could.

Wright shipped out for the Pacific, where he served as a pharmacy tech on the USS Indiana in World War II. The battleship supported our carriers in the Pacific, as the U.S. attacked Japan. After Japan surrendered, the Indiana spent nine days in Tokyo before steaming home to San Francisco, arriving on September 29, 1945.

After a visit home to, now Mt. Vernon, Illinois, Wright hitchhiked to New York. 

One of Wright's first major roles was as the newspaper collector in Streetcar Named Desire. He toured with the play and was also in the movie, starring Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski and Vivian Leigh as Blanche DuBois. 

Fun fact: In high school, Wright took a date to "Gone With The Wind." After the movie, Wright said to his date, "I'm going to kiss Vivian Leigh on the stage some day." Which he did in Streetcar!

Another fun story regarding Streetcar: Wright had been touring with the company awhile and had auditioned for another play, which he really wanted to do. He approached Streetcar's producer, Irene Selznick, about getting out of his contract to pursue this other opportunity. She told him, "I can't let you out; we're going to go on the road." But then later, she reconsidered and released him from his contract. When Wright went to thank her, she said, "Don't thank me. Thank Katherine Hepburn. I was talking about the situation with her and she said, 'Well, let him go. Give him a break.'" So she did!

Another big early role that Wright had was as Ernest P. Duckworth, the lead character in the children's science fiction television program Johnny Jupiter. When the show started, it filmed in New York. But soon after, the production moved to California. 

Wright and his wife June headed west too. They settled in Reseda in the San Fernando Valley, where they raised their three boys, Rip, Mike, and Meegan.

Wright worked on many early television shows. Here he is on The Twilight Zone.

He often played the bad guy in westerns like Gunsmoke and Wanted: Dead or Alive.

Another famous role was Dr. Galen in the original Planet of the Apes movie. Wright was unrecognizable. (Ha! Ha!)

Wright and June had good friends in the business, like Dennis Weaver. 

Here is how I think of him looking and as he still looks today--more like 65 than 95! After retiring, Wright and June spent time living in Mexico, the Florida panhandle, and Portland, Oregon. Shortly after June died in 2008, Wright returned to southern California.

He lives at the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF) retirement community, which is located in Woodland Hills, not far from Reseda.

The facilities and campus of the MPTF are gorgeous. I would like to go into the motion picture business solely so that John and I can live here one day!

It's beautiful inside as well as out.

Wright lives in a nifty studio apartment. His villa is named after a big time Hollywood law firm. Love his entry way, complete with fan artwork. Pretty cool!

I had such a wonderful visit with Wright. He is the family historian and has done a lot of genealogical research. He tells such fun stories. I can't wait to see him again!

P.S. So fun to see this sign earlier in my trip!