Before neighbor Ron Hagerthy settled down to be a realtor in Newport Beach, he acted in over 50 Hollywood TV shows and movies. During the 1950s to ‘60s, he appeared in many Saturday morning “must-see TV” shows of the Boomer generation. Years after the 1950s show Sky King ran (where he regularly played nephew Clipper King), people can still recall the show’s announcer proclaiming, “From out of the clear blue of the Western sky comes...Sky King!”). The show, and Ron, are even questions in Trivial Pursuit!

 

Born in South Dakota in 1932, by the late 1930s Ron and his family had relocated to Los Angeles. While attending Glendale City College, 18-year old Ron was discovered by Warner Bros. film scouts while acting in The Glass Menagerie.

 

Starting in 1951 he was cast in seven movies—I Was a Communist for the FBI, Starlift, Make Haste to Live, Eighteen and Anxious, Charge at Feather River, City That Never Sleeps, and Force of Arms— alongside many of the famous actors of his time (including John Wayne, William Holden, James Arness, and Clint Eastwood).

 

Ron says he became “a featured player, a working actor. It was a lot of fun. I fought the Civil War; I was on submarines and carriers and airplanes. I used to say this is a tough way to make an easy living!” (Ron was drafted for real during the Korean war, where he produced variety shows for troops stateside, shipboard and in Austria and Italy.)

 

He appeared in a wide range of TV shows, often cast as a “baby-faced” killer or gunslinger. Ron admits “I played eighteen years old for ten years. I always looked young.”

 

Ron swaggered with a gun at his hip, defended the town with a badge on his chest, or rode horses across your screen in his fair share of TV Westerns—Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, Annie Oakley, Gunsmoke, Tombstone Territory, Tales of the Texas Rangers, The Sheriff of Cochise, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Have Gun-Will Travel, Bonanza, The Texan, U.S. Marshal, Death Valley Days, Rawhide, Wichita Town, The Rifleman, The Man from Blackhawk, Pony Express, Colt .45, Gunslinger, Guns of Diablo, and The High Chaparral.

 

He also acted in TV adventures—Lassie, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, West Point, Border Patrol, The Untouchables, 77 Sunset Strip, and Saints and Sinners. In variety shows—Fireside Theatre, Cavalcade of America, The Jack Benny Program, and The Bill Dana Show. In medical dramas—Frontier Doctor and Ben Casey. In comedies— The Beverly Hillbillies and The Bob Newhart Show. And thrillers— Destination Nightmare and The Twilight Zone.

In the 1960s, Hagerthy left Hollywood for the real estate investment market, becoming division president of a company in Century City, then moving to Newport Beach and starting a small company here. Ron first married his school sweetheart Patti Taylor. With second wife Mari, he had two children, Kelly Ann and Patrick. In 1984 he married Judy Marsch. They moved to CdM, where they’ve been strong members of our community. You may know Judy from Sherman Gardens, where after retiring as a software developer, she became a regular volunteer.

 

Over 60 years later Ron still gets letters from fans. Many fond of his classic Westerns or his role in The Twilight Zone/Deadman’s Shoes, or were inspired to learn to fly when watching Sky King.

 

Ron acted in an era of classic TV tales of “good vs. bad.” Where the clearly-defined hero, who had an unwavering personal code of honor and justice, went up against the bad guys. And in the end... the good guys always won!