Jack Wrather
John Devereaux Wrather Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 May 1918 Amarillo, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | 12 November 1984 (aged 66) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, oil industry executive, television producer |
| Known for | Producing The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Lassie; owning Disneyland Hotel |
John Devereaux Wrather Jr. (May 24, 1918 – November 12, 1984) was a prominent entrepreneur and oil industry executive who later expanded his ventures into television production, broadcasting ownership, and resort investments. He is notably recognized for producing the 1950s television shows The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, and Lassie. Wrather was married to actress Bonita Granville, and their daughter Linda made an appearance in one of the final episodes of The Lone Ranger, titled The Angel and the Outlaw.
Biography
Born on May 24, 1918, in Amarillo, Texas to Mazie (Cogdell) and John Devereaux Wrather, he was raised in Tyler, where he completed high school in 1935. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 1939. During his college summers, Wrather gained early experience as a wildcatter and pipeline inspector in East Texas oil fields. In the early 1940s, following his father's illness, he took over as president of Overton Refining Company, his family’s oil business.
First marriage and military service
Wrather married Molly O'Daniel, daughter of Democratic Governor and U.S. Senator Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, on July 31, 1941. They had two children before divorcing in 1945. During World War II (1942–1945), Wrather served as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, leading a Marine air group through three campaigns in the Philippines.
Film business
After the war, Wrather reconnected with his former roommate, actor Don Castle, who was encountering difficulties in Hollywood. Wrather acquired film rights to Cornell Woolrich's short story "Two Men in a Furnished Room" and founded Jack Wrather Pictures Inc., producing The Guilty (1947), starring Castle alongside Wrather’s wife Bonita Granville. By 1955, he had produced six additional films such as High Tide, Perilous Waters, Strike It Rich, and Guilty of Treason, collaborating with studios including Eagle-Lion Films, Warner Bros., Monogram/Allied Artists, and United Artists.
Wrather and Granville had two children together.
Broadening his interests into broadcasting, Wrather acquired a 70% stake in Tulsa television station KOTV from oil magnate George Cameron. The remaining shares were held by station manager Maria Helen Alvarez and commercial manager John Hill. Wrather later increased Alvarez’s and Hill’s ownership to equal halves in exchange for their operational management. After Hill left to pursue real estate ventures, Wrather purchased his shares and elevated Alvarez to a 50% stake within Wrather-Alvarez Television and Wrather-Alvarez Broadcasting.
In 1953, Wrather-Alvarez purchased San Diego’s television and radio outlets KFMB-TV and KFMB, followed by New York City radio station WNEW in 1955. KOTV was sold in 1954 when Alvarez relocated to San Diego. The company also owned Boston's WJDW-TV until donating it in 1965 to the WGBH Educational Foundation, which transformed it into PBS station WGBX-TV.
Wrather-Alvarez financed and owned the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim after Walt Disney had exhausted his credit during Disneyland’s construction. Finished in 1955, the hotel thrived alongside Disneyland's popularity. Although Disney later sought to purchase the hotel outright, Wrather declined to sell.
In 1954, Wrather-Alvarez secured full ownership rights to the Lone Ranger character and took over production of its television series from 1954 through 1957. The company also acquired the series Lassie in 1956 and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon in 1957.
The partnership deteriorated when Wrather discovered that Alvarez had married former partner Hill after his shares were transferred to her. Despite filing a fraud lawsuit against her, Wrather was unsuccessful. In 1958, he purchased Alvarez’s shares outright, becoming sole owner of all television and hotel properties. Subsequently, he reorganized these holdings into distinct entities: Wrather Hotels, Lone Ranger Inc., Lone Ranger Television, Lone Ranger Pictures, and Lassie Television.
That same year, Wrather co-founded Independent Television Corporation alongside British firm ITC Entertainment. This venture primarily syndicated television programs produced by either Wrather or ITC. Around 1959–1960, he divested his shares to ITC. Additionally, he established Los Angeles public television station KCET.
Wrather is also remembered for legally restricting Clayton Moore from making public appearances as the Lone Ranger during production of a late-1970s film adaptation—an action that generated unfavorable publicity for The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981). Prior to his passing, Wrather permitted Moore to resume appearances dressed as the Lone Ranger.
Additional Investments
Wrather expanded his business interests by investing in and managing several resort hotels throughout the United States. Besides owning the Disneyland Hotel, his portfolio featured properties such as the Twin Lakes Lodge in Las Vegas, the L'Horizon Hotel located in Palm Springs, California, the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach, and Anaheim’s Inn at the Park. Although there were proposals during the 1970s to extend the Disneyland-Alweg monorail line to connect with the Inn at the Park, these plans were never realized. The Inn has experienced multiple ownership changes over time and currently operates under the name Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort.
In 1957, Wrather took ownership of Muzak Corporation, a company specializing in background music services for commercial venues, boasting an extensive easy listening catalog and one of the world’s largest recording facilities. He divested from Muzak in 1972.
Throughout the early 1980s, Wrather invested in restoring prominent tourist landmarks, including the Spruce Goose and other attractions situated in Long Beach, California.
His enterprises covered a diverse range of sectors through various companies such as Evansville Refining Co., Overton Refining Co., Jack Wrather Pictures, Freedom Productions Corporation, Western States Investment Corporation, Wrather-Alvarez Broadcasting, General Television Corporation, Jack Wrather Productions, Wrather Hotels, Lone Ranger Inc., Lone Ranger Television and Pictures, Lassie Television, Muzak Corporation, and the A.C. Gilbert Company. By 1961, he unified these holdings under the umbrella of the Wrather Corporation.
Passing and Legacy
Wrather succumbed to cancer at age 66 on November 12, 1984, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His memorial service was conducted at the Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, followed by his burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.
Between 1987 and 1988, The Walt Disney Company acquired full control of the Disneyland Hotel by purchasing outstanding shares of the Wrather Corporation. While Disney retained ownership of the hotel property, it sold off most other business interests. Presently, numerous franchises originally owned by Wrather are under the stewardship of DreamWorks Classics.
The business archives of Wrather and Bonita Granville are preserved within collections at Loyola Marymount University’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles as well as at the Harry Ransom Center.
Films
- The Guilty (1947)
- High Tide (1947)
- Perilous Waters (1948)
- Strike it Rich (1948)
- Guilty of Treason/Treason (1950)
- The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958)
- The Magic of Lassie (1978)
- The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Television
- The Lone Ranger (1949–57)
- Lassie (1957–74)
- Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (1955–58)