Roger Pryor

Roger Pryor

Slick, devilishly handsome leading man Roger Pryor was the son of prominent composer/bandleader Arthur Pryor. The younger Pryor made his stage bow as a teenager with Connecticut's Myskle-Harder Stock Company. His first Broadway appearance was in the 1925 production The Back Slapper. While appearing on-stage at night, Pryor faced the cameras at a New York movie studio by day in his film debut, the 1933 musical Moonlight and Pretzels. This led to long-term contracts at such studios as Universal and Columbia, where Pryor starred in B-pictures and played supporting roles. During his busiest Hollywood years, Pryor embarked upon a six-year marriage to actress Ann Sothern. Never in the upper echelons of screen stardom, Pryor was better served on radio, where for several seasons he hosted Gulf Oil's "Screen Guild Theatre"; he also upheld the family tradition by leading a dance band. Roger Pryor retired from show business in 1947 to enjoy a profitable second career as an ad executive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide