Jack Wrather
| Jack Wrather | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 24, 1918 Amarillo, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 1984 (aged 66) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
| Residence | Santa Monica, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation | television producer |
| Home town | Tyler, Texas |
| Net worth | US$150 million |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 4 |
John Devereaux Wrather Jr. (May 24, 1918 – November 12, 1984), was an entrepreneur and petroleum businessman who became a television producer and later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties. He is best known for producing The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, and Lassie television series in the 1950s as well as marrying actress Bonita Granville.
Wrather was born in Amarillo, Texas on May 24, 1918 to Mazie (Cogdell) and John Devereaux Wrather, Sr. They moved to Tyler, where he grew up and graduated from the local high school in 1935. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 1939. Wrather worked in the oilfields of East Texas as a wildcatter and pipeline walker as his college summer job. The early 1940s with his father's illness, Jack took over as president of his father's oil company, Overton Refining Company.
On July 31, 1941, he married Molly O'Daniel, the daughter of Democratic Governor and later U.S. Senator Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel. They had two children. They eventually filed for divorce in 1945. Wrather served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve during World War II (1942–1947) in three campaigns and commanded a Marine air group in the Philippines.
After the war, Wrather bought a home in Hollywood and became a movie producer, founding Jack Wrather Pictures Inc. In 1946, he produced his first movie,The Guilty, starring Bonita Granville, whom he would later marry. By 1955, he had produced six more movies, including High Tide, Perilous Waters, Strike It Rich and Guilty of Treason. The films were produced for Eagle-Lion Films, Warner Bros., Allied Artists and United Artists.
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