Allan Lane

Most western action film heroes begin and end their career in the saddle. Not so for cowboy idol Allan Lane "Rocky", who started as a leading man in major studio dramas, only to segue into "B" serials and sagebrush sagas in later life. The Indiana native was born in 1909 (some sources claim 1904). His attentions, however, veered toward the theater and he left school to join a Cincinnati stock company. He toured with "Hit the Deck" to New York City and continued there in various other theater projects. A Fox talent scout discovered Lane in 1929, and he left New York for Hollywood. Making his debut with Not Quite Decent (1929), he had trouble rising in stature, however, and left Hollywood in 1932, giving it a second try a few years later. His second attempt saw him enjoying second lead roles in good quality "B" films, throughout the late 1930s, including Stowaway (1936) with little Shirley Temple, Maid's Night Out (1938) with Joan Fontaine, and Twelve Crowded Hours (1939) co-starring Luc