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Collier Almost
Missed Stardom
(Date of this newspaper article is unknown, but it was probably written in early 1961.)
But in the end, he failed -- and is indeed at this very moment co-star with Barton MacLane in NBC-TV's highly regarded one-hour series, "The Outlaw." [sic] Mounger is none other than Don Collier, a stage name that struck his fancy, and his regular role is that of U.S. Deputy Marshal Will Foreman. You can see him in feats of derring-do tonight at 7:20 on Channel 4. In the years before getting the part, Don worked in an Oregon sawmill, was in the merchant marine, performed part-time as an actor, gained a football scholarship at Hardin-Simmons University, along with his Van Nuys High teammate, Bob McChasney, who later starred with the New York pro Giants. Next, he operated a poultry slaughter house in North Hollywood. He went broke. He then became a surveyor. But this year, Don achieved his greatest triumph in attempting to avoid stardom. He tested for and was rejected for the leading male roles in "Angel," "Michael Shayne," and "The Wrangler." (Not every actor can make that claim!) But somebody up there, probably touched by the boy's run of ill luck, must have decided that by golly, he was going to be a star despite everything. Ironically, although he lost out on the three tests, he won his present job WITHOUT one. Seems that Frank Telford, the original producer of "Outlaws," saw the unsuccessful "Shayne" test, liked it and hired Collier on the spot when the role opened up. The twist in "Outlaws" scripts is that each deals with a once notorious bad man of the West but attempts to characterize and show what makes him act as he does. I was curious to know if there had been any adverse comments from viewers on what some might deem a tender treatment of the brutes. He said there hadn't been. He added, "When the series was first conceived, NBC had in mind that they might do it in documentary form. But when the writers had thoroughly researched a number of the outlaws, they found them so bad and ignorant that no one would have believed a documentary about them. So we cleaned 'em up a bit and decided upon the present, more elastic form of presentation." (And here all the time I thought Billy the Kid and Belle Starr had their decent sides!) I asked Don, now that he had a regular role, if he felt chained to the series? "If this is being chained, I hope the links last about 10 years," he told me. Between stabbing at some sausages and eggs at the Paramount Commissary, I found time to pose one of my favorite questions. "Why are there so many shots fired in Westerns that bounce off rocks or just go plain wild and hit nothing?" Don considered gravely, then said, "The guys shooting are probably drunk. The men in the black hats, that is," he amended hastily. Also, now that you are a star, I suggested, perhaps you can help me with something. Just once, I'd like to see the wagon wheel stay on as the coach careens crazily down the mountain road...but best of all, it would be great good fun to have the Injun's arrow get stuck in his bow. He said, "Well, I will see what I can do, although I only act in 'em, I don't write them." All in all, it has been a wonderful year for this likable fellow who almost managed, like so many others, to avoid stardom. He married his childhood sweetheart last January, their first child, Steve, was born Dec. 10, and the couple is now buying a new home in Tarzana.
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Fifteen
years or so ago, a fellow by the name of Donald H. Mounger was a student at Van
Nuys High School. He left school to join the Navy and in the intervening time
has apparently done everything possible to stave off the fate of becoming a star
in a Western series