ALBANY — The Albertson Memorial Library in Albany will show a series of movies with Albany native John Litel featured in prominent roles. During his 37-year movie career (1929-1966), Litel appeared in over 200 movies. Litel was born in Albany in 1894. His father was the president of the bank in Albany. John graduated from Albany High School in 1911.
After briefly attending the University of Pennsylvania, Litel went on to pursue a career on the stage. In 1917, Litel put his acting career on hold to volunteer to serve in the French army medical corps during World War I. He was decorated twice by the French for his bravery while evacuating wounded soldiers from the front line.
When he returned from the war, Litel resumed his acting career, eventually appearing in his first feature length movie The Sleeping Porch in 1929. Litel worked under contract for Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, California for much of his career.
In addition to his movie career, Litel appeared in a number of 1950s and 60s TV shows such as “I Love Lucy,” “Zorro,” “Bonanza,” “Maverick,” “Perry Mason” and the “Kaiser Aluminum Hour.” In his movie roles, Litel was generally cast as a supporting actor. He appeared with such stars as Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Errol Flynn, Anne Sheridan and Olivia De Havilland.
Litel appeared in his last movie Nevada Smith, at the age of 73. The movie starred Steve McQueen. In 1974 The Filmgoer’s Companion described the movie roles that John Litel played as “Judge, Lawyer, or Stern Father.”
John Litel died Feb. 3, 1972 at the age of 77. A Monroe Evening Times obituary for Litel stated that movies in which Litel played even a minor part drew a large number of Albany residents to area theaters whenever they were shown.
The series will begin Wednesday, March 11 at 2 p.m. with the 1938 movie “Comet over Broadway,” an appropriate title given that the Albany High School sports teams are called The Comets. The following Wednesdays in March “Nancy Drew Detective” and “The Hired Gun” will be shown. The movies will be 70 to 90 minutes long.
