And there was also the television movie, The Scarface Mob (1959). He delivered breakout performances in his signature role as T-man (Treasury agent) Eliot Ness on The Untouchables (1959) which, after the pilot, ran for four seasons (118 episodes). Stack made the transition to the new medium that was sweeping the country: television. Unfortunately, this did not sit well with 20th-Century Fox, which had him under contract, and had lent him to Universal for this picture. His onscreen fame had grown and, for Written on the Wind (1956), he received an Academy Award nomination. The former perennial bachelor found out he liked being married and being a father. The couple wed two years later and had two children: Elizabeth Stack and Charles Stack. Rosemarie had been under contract to MGM and Columbia, making such movies as Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) and The Golden Mistress (1954). Around 1955, Robert (Hollywood's most eligible bachelor) was introduced to Rosemarie Bowe, by mutual agent Bill Shiffrin. Stack attended the premiere, and recalled people's reactions to the 3-D lion scenes: "People in the audience jumped out of their seats, some even fainted." The movie broke box office records, and immediately started the demand to film more movies in 3-D (such as House of Wax (1953)). This gave startling effects to the story, which was based on real-life lion attacks in Africa. In 1952, he made movie history (much like Al Jolson had done in 1927, being in the first "talkie") - he starred in Bwana Devil (1952), the first 3-D movie. Robert became a local legend when some Mexicans asked him what he did in the War, Robert said: "I taught machine gun." The rumor spread: "Roberto teaches chingas!" (that's Spanish for "hookers"). There were wild times, and lots of tequila. There were several weeks of delays, they could not get a crew or a sound stage, until they realized that, in Mexico, it is necessary to bribe the local union some money was passed and filming started, immediately. The movie had a great script unfortunately, two bullfighters were gored while filming. Stack had fond memories for Bullfighter and the Lady (1951), a movie produced by his friend, John Wayne, which meant 12 weeks filming in sunny Mexico. For the next 10 years, Stack did Westerns, war movies and romantic comedies. he was now a bona-fide star, but Universal was still only paying him $150 a week. After two more movies, he was teamed with Durbin again, in Nice Girl? (1941). Pierce (who had done all the monsters for Universal), and Stack became a matinee idol, overnight. That makeup man was genius and Oscar winner, Jack P. At first, he did not want to listen to the makeup man who had told him, "no blond has ever made it as a leading man", and insisted on dyeing his hair black and uncurling it. ![]() That superstar was Deanna Durbin (acquired from MGM), and Stack made his screen debut as her lover in First Love (1939). ![]() Stack arrived at Universal City Studios in 1939, when the movie studio (once riding high on the successes of movies such as Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931)) was in financial trouble, and looking for a superstar. In 1935, he came in second in the National Skeet Shooting Championship (held in Cleveland) and, in 1936, his 5-man team broke the standing record at the National Skeet Championships (held in St. He was not interested in team sports, so he took up skeet shooting. Young Robert spoke fluent Italian and French, but had to learn English when they returned to Los Angeles. His brother, James Langford Stack Jr., stayed in the United States with their father. He did not learn to speak English until he was six years old. His parents had divorced when he was one-year-old, and his mother took him to Europe when he was three. (The name Robert reportedly referred to no one in particular.) His elder brother and only sibling was James Langford Stack (1916-2006). Born in Los Angeles, California, the younger son of James Langford Stack (1860-1928), the owner of an advertising agency, and Mary Elizabeth Modini Wood (1891-1975), he was originally named Charles Langford Modini Stack at birth by his mother but his father soon changed the name to Robert Langford Stack. "Straight Shooting" - whether skeet shooting, or portraying Eliot Ness - Robert Stack always told it like it was, and shot straight.
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