| Larry Thor | |
| Birth Name: | Arnleifur Lawrence Thorsteinson[1] |
| Birth Date: | 27 August 1916 |
| Birth Place: | Lundar, Manitoba, Canada[2] |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1952 - 1974 |
| Spouse: | Leona Finnie Jean Howell (1956) |
Larry Thor (August 27, 1916 - March 15, 1976) was a radio newscaster and announcer, an actor in film and radio, and a university professor. He "was noted for his distinctive voice ... his rich resonant tones."[3]
A native of Lundar, Manitoba, Canada, Thor was a soldier, a construction worker, a farmer, and a rancher before he went into broadcasting. His first experience in radio came in 1937[4] as an unpaid singer at CFAR in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. He soon became the writer for CFAR, a job he held for three years. From there he went to CKGB in Timmins as an announcer. Later, he moved to CKCL in Toronto as a newscaster.[1] In 1946, he moved to the United States, joining the staff of KFAC in Los Angeles.[4] Following that, Thor worked at KMPC, in Hollywood, California, as a newscaster[5] and writer.[6] In 1948, he left KMPC and went to KNX in Hollywood as an announcer.[7] From1964 to 1967 he was the radio announcer on the TV program Gilligan's Island, and appeared as himself on S02 Episode 04 Smile, You're on Mars Camera.
Thor's involvement with drama on radio began in Canada. In addition to his work as an announcer (noted above), he began his own company, Peak Radio Ltd., which produced radio dramas.[4] During Thor's time on American network radio, he was an announcer for Green Lama,[8] Rocky Jordan,[9] and Suspense.[10] He was perhaps best known for starring in Broadway Is My Beat, playing Detective Danny Clover.[9] He also was the announcer on the syndicated radio program, The Clyde Beatty Show.[8]
In 1964, Thor recorded a 12-song album for children.[3] Galloping on My Dinosaur was released on the Harmony label.[11] Thor also wrote the music and lyrics for the songs in the album.[4]
Thor wrote his first script for an episode of Suspense. "The Man Who Cried Wolf" was broadcast February 9, 1953.[10] He went on to write scripts for episodes of This is our Heritage, Fantasy of Fact, The Record Collectors, and Hallmark Hall of Fame. He also wrote four books.[4]
Thor began teaching in the screenwriting program at the University of California, Los Angeles, in January 1968, offering "a special course for the advanced writers."[4] He continued to teach there, enhancing his courses with "many professional actors, producers and writers who were brought into his class as guest lecturers" until he died in 1976.[4]
While still in Canada, Thor married the former Leona Finnie of Winnipeg[1] when he was 21. They had four children.[3] In 1956, Thor married Jean Howell, an actress and writer.[4] She divorced him after four months.[12]
Thor had roles in 29 feature films, as shown in the table below.[13]
| Title | Year | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pride of St. Louis | 1952 | St. Louis Home Games Announcer | Uncredited | |
| The Mississippi Gambler | 1953 | Captain | Uncredited | |
| The Roar of the Crowd | 1953 | Announcer | Uncredited | |
| The Kid from Left Field | 1953 | First Announcer | Uncredited | |
| The Fast and the Furious | 1955 | Detective Sergeant | ||
| Five Guns West | 1955 | Confederate Captain | ||
| Portland Exposé | 1957 | Captain Vincent | Uncredited | |
| Hell Bound | 1957 | Doctor | Uncredited | |
| The Amazing Colossal Man | 1957 | Maj. Eric Coulter, MD | ||
| Zero Hour! | 1957 | Vancouver Radio Dispatcher | ||
| The True Story of Lynn Stuart | 1958 | Police Sergeant | Uncredited | |
| Machine-Gun Kelly | 1958 | Detective Drummond | ||
| The Littlest Hobo | 1958 | Police Captain | ||
| The Hunters | 1958 | Captain Owynby | Uncredited | |
| The Gun Runners | 1958 | Captain | Uncredited | |
| Tarawa Beachhead | 1958 | Colonel Kempler | ||
| A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed | 1958 | Detective | Uncredited | |
| Gunmen from Laredo | 1959 | Captain Garrick | Uncredited | |
| Holiday for Lovers | 1959 | Captain | Uncredited | |
| Battle of the Coral Sea | 1959 | Army Major | Uncredited | |
| Wake Me When It's Over | 1960 | TV broadcaster | Uncredited | |
| Let's Make Love | 1960 | Wilson | Uncredited | |
| Spartacus | 1960 | Staff Officer | Uncredited | |
| Where the Boys Are | 1960 | Doctor | Uncredited | |
| Bachelor Flat | 1961 | Officer in Sheriff's Office | Uncredited | |
| Company of Killers | 1970 | Clarington | ||
| Tora! Tora! Tora! | 1970 | Maj. Gen. Frederick L. Martin | Uncredited | |
| The Phantom Tollbooth | 1970 | Tock the Watchdog | Voice | |
| Night Games | 1974 | Court Reporter | (final film role) |