 (From Old Corral collection) | Jack Ingram Full name: John Samuel Ingram 1902 - 1969 |
John Samuel Ingram was born November 15, 1900 or 1902 in Chicago and his parents were Jacob (born Ireland) and Ann/Annie (nee Fitzgerald) Ingram (born Illinois).
Ken Jones and Arthur F. McClure had a profile on Jack Ingram in their book Heroes, Heavies and Sagebrush (A. S. Barnes and Company, 1972):
He joined the Army at the age of 15, and was wounded, spending two years in a hospital in France. Although he studied law at the University of Texas, he found that he had the ability to entertain and became a member of a successful traveling minstrel show and later toured the country with the Mae West state shows. In 1929 he was signed by Paramount ...
Ingram's grave marker has a 1902 birth year and "Texas, Pvt, HQ Company, 8th Field Artillery, World War I". Checking military history, the 8th Field Artillery was formed July, 1916 at Fort Bliss, Texas and sailed to France in August, 1918. World War I ended a few months later, with the Armistice signed on November 11, 1918. Based on Ingram's November 15, 1902 birth date (which appears to be correct), he would have been only sixteen years and a few days old when the war ended. And he would have been about 15 years and 9 months of age when his unit sailed to France. I do realize that he probably falsified his age when he enlisted.
More details have become available on Ingram's military record since the Jones and McClure book biography (details further down this webpage). He enlisted in the National Guard in Dallas, Texas on June 28, 1917 and claimed to be 18 and 2/12 years old (which seems to confirm that he fibbed on his age). He served overseas with the 8th Field Artillery from August 18, 1918 to June 6, 1919; attained the rank of Private; and he was honorably discharged on August 22, 1919. As to him being wounded and recovering in a hospital in France - that appears to be incorrect. His military record includes the notations "Wounds or other injuries received in action: None" and "Was reported 0 per cent disabled on date of discharge ...".
The earliest trace of Ingram's movie career occurs circa 1935, and he quickly became typecast as a henchman in serials and westerns. By the 1940s, he often portrayed the brains heavy or assistant to the boss villain. Sometimes he was clean shaven, and sometimes he wore a mustache.
He freelanced everywhere and anywhere and was one of the most prolific performers in westerns and serials. Les Adams has him identified in 300+ sound era films - included in that quantity are over 200 oaters and about 50 cliffhangers. If you view his film career in detail, the bulk of his western and serial work is tied to several producers, directors and production companies:
When western and serial production began to fade in the early 1950s, Ingram moved to TV work and can be seen in episodes of GENE AUTRY, ANNIE OAKLEY, THE CISCO KID, TALES OF WELLS FARGO, THE LONE RANGER, more.
His movie (and TV) career spanned about twenty years, from the mid 1930s through the mid 1950s.
Ingram was married twice (his first wife has not been identified). He married Eloise "Lou" Fullerton on August 11, 1944, and they were together through Jack's passing on February 20, 1969 from arteriosclerotic heart disease.
 (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above is Jack Ingram - with his stache - chewin' on a a toothpick - and menacing the world!  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is from the pressbook for the Texas Rangers film GUNS OF THE LAW (PRC, 1944). Believe it or don't! Note that Ingram's sister is called "Helen" as well as Mrs. Paul Drew of Chicago. Census information at the bottom of this page indicates that Mrs. Paul Drew is Jack's sister Violet (who may have had a first or middle name of Helen). Or perhaps the writer of this pressbook article simply made an error with her name. |
On subsequent pages, you will also see a 4-page brochure from Ken Jones' collection which promotes Ingram's western musical stage show. The brochure is from the early 1950s since it includes a list of his 1950-51 film appearances. You'll also find a color shot of Ingram with screen bad guy Ted Adams, and the guess is that this was used when Ingram and Adams toured with some western hero or band circa 1940s.
Bobby Copeland provides some info and trivia on Jack Ingram and his movie location ranch:
Prior to Ingram owning the land, it was purchased by two other movie cowboys as a scheme to avoid being drafted by the Army during World War II. The land was also once part of the Charlie Chaplin estate.
Apparently, Jim Newill and Dave O'Brien heard about some provision by the government that provided deferment to those owning ranches and raising animals. They decided to buy the land and raise goats. They did not have the property long, until they were called for physicals --- both were classified 4-F. They immediately started looking for a buyer, and sold the ranch to Jack Ingram (in 1944), who had worked with Newill and O'Brien in some of their Texas Rangers features at PRC. Ingram, in an economy move, bought an old bulldozer and enlisted the help of several other movie badman friends to clear the site.
Since the land already had a nice house on it, Jack made it his family home. Often, when making a movie, Ingram would only have to step off his front porch to go to work. Some of the films shot there were several with Lash LaRue, including MARK OF THE LASH, Bill Elliott's KANSAS TERRITORY, Wayne Morris' THE DESPERADO, and many others. Some of the TV shows were THE LONE RANGER, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, and THE CISCO KID. In 1955, the enterprising Ingram bought a yacht, and, like he had done with the ranch, made it his home (it was also used for Lloyd Bridges' TV show, SEAHUNT). In 1956, failing health forced Ingram to sell his ranch to 4 Star Productions, which used the site for a number of years for filming.
 (Courtesy of Ken Jones)
As mentioned, Ingram acquired his movie ranch in 1944 and sold the property in the mid 1950s. The new owners planned to turn the property into a dump, and there are a few articles on the legal battles and local protests in the Van Nuys (California) News newspaper on the Newspaper Archive website. Those articles contradict reports that 4 Star Productions purchased the property (though 4 Star may have leased or rented the facility while the owners continued to push for the dump). It also appears that Jack sold the property in 1955. Excerpts below from two of the articles:
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Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Jack Ingram: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0408984/
Daniel Neyer's "The Files of Jerry Blake" serial website has lots of details and images on Jack Ingram doing cliffhangers: https://filesofjerryblake.com/serial-henchmen/jack-ingram/
Jerry Schneider's Movie Making Locations website has a section on the Ingram Ranch: http://www.movielocationsplus.com/INGRAM.HTM
More on Jack Ingram can be found at the Family Search website (free), Newspaper Archive, death certificate, California Death Index, and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI):
Find A Grave website has grave marker photos of John Samuel Ingram (1902-1969) and wife Eloise Fullerton Ingram (1906 - 1996) who are interred next to each other at Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth, California. The marker for Ingram includes "Texas, Pvt, HQ Company, 8th Field Artillery, World War I":
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78589542/eloise-ingram
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11312117/jack-ingram
(Footnote: checking military history on the Internet, the 8th Field Artillery was formed July, 1916 at Fort Bliss, Texas and sailed to France in August, 1918. The Armistice ending World War I was signed November 11, 1918.)
There's a brief mention of Ingram's marriage to Eloise Fullerton on August 11, 1944: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~casfvgs/v4fl.html
 (From Old Corral collection) The above lobby card is from the 1959 re-release of the chapterplay, ZORRO RIDES AGAIN (Republic, 1937). Star John Carroll is on the far left in his Zorro outfit. That's Bob Kortman (green shirt) and Jack Ingram (red shirt), both of whom are gang members in the employ of Dick Alexander and Noah Beery Sr.  (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Three Mesquiteers member Max Terhune has this quartet of baddies captured and stripped down to their long johns in WILD HORSE RODEO (Republic, 1937). From left to right are Henry Isabell, Edmund Cobb, Jack Ingram and Art Dillard.  (From Old Corral collection) In the above lobby card from WHISTLING BULLETS (Ambassador/Conn, 1937), hero Kermit Maynard and leading lady Harlene Wood check out the prone Jack Ingram. During the 1930s, Harlene/Harley Wood worked in about a half dozen westerns, and after a name change to Jill Martin, was the heroine in the HAWK OF THE WILDERNESS serial. There's more about her in the Heroines/Leading Ladies section on the Old Corral.  (Courtesy of Ed Phillips) Above - hero Jack Luden with Jack Ingram in a scene from PHANTOM GOLD (Columbia, 1938), the last of Luden's four starring oaters for producer Larry Darmour at Columbia.  (Courtesy of Ed Phillips) Above - Jack Ingram vs. hero Monte Rawlins in a still from ADVENTURES OF THE MASKED PHANTOM (Equity, 1939). This was the one and only starring film for Rawlins whose real name was Dean Calvin Spencer.  (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above - Ingram and pretty Iris Lancaster in a scene from RIDIN' THE TRAIL (1940), one of the singin' cowboy oaters starring Fred Scott. Originally produced circa 1939 by C. C. Burr for release by Spectrum Pictures, the film got lost when Spectrum folded. Arthur Ziehm picked it up a year or so later, and distributed it. |
