Mason Alan Dinehart

Mason Alan Dinehart

Born: April 30, 1936
in Hollywood, California, USA
Mason Alan Dinehart (born April 30, 1936), also known as Mason Alan Dinehart III, Alan Dinehart III, or Mase Dinehart, is an American business consultant and retired actor best known for his role as a youthful Bat Masterson in thirty-four episodes between 1955 and 1959 of the ABC/Desilu television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, starring Hugh O'Brian in the title role of the frontier marshal Wyatt Earp.

The Hollywood-born Dinehart was the only son of the actor Alan Dinehart and Dinehart's second wife, actress journalist, casting director and songwriter Mozelle Britton.[2] In 1936, he legally changed his name to Mason Alan Dinehart, the same name as his father, so that his younger son from the second marriage could be known as Mason Alan Dinehart III. This name change created confusion because the senior Dinehart's first son from his first marriage was already Alan Dinehart Jr. (1918–1992),[3] the former animation and voice director for Hanna-Barbera.[4]

Mason Alan Dinehart has been married four times and has seven surviving children. A son, Scott Dinehart, died in 2010 of an emergency hip operation.[citation needed] He has two children each from his first and second marriages to Evelyn Myers (1954–1958) and Barbara Blakely (1958–1965), respectively. In 1982, he married for the fourth time; he and the former Miranda Gazal have four children. Dinehart played the youthful Bat Masterson who is the understudy of Wyatt Earp in learning the proper techniques of frontier law enforcement. Earp rarely calls him "Bat" but "Mr. Masterson" to teach the young man maturity. In a 1956 episode "Bat Masterson Again," Earp shows young Masterson on the proper use of a pistol. During this time Masterson was elected sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, which includes the county seat of Dodge City. Bill Tilghman had been denied the right to run for sheriff again. Earp as an appointed town marshal works with an elected sheriff, and their differences in jurisdiction do not cause any problems. Bat's brother, Ed Masterson, played by Brad Johnson, formerly the deputy sheriff on the Annie Oakley television series, is shot in an ambush by drunken cowboys, and Masterson settles the score. When Earp finally comes to Tombstone, Arizona Territory, he lacks the working relationship with Sheriff Johnny Behan that he had in Kansas with Bat Masterson.

Dinehart's performance of Masterson was so highly regarded that ABC offered him a spinoff series, but he declined, soon left acting, and entered the business field. Dinehart's last appearance on the series is the episode "Dodge Is Civilized" (April 28, 1959), in which he serves notice that he is headed to Tombstone, where he hopes Earp will join him in time. There is never a reunion show, and the Masterson character, now a gambler, is written out of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. The historical Earp did visit Tombstone to see his friend Masterson, who in time became a figure of western folklore, finishing his long career as a sportswriter in New York City. Masterson's hat inspired the name of the Brown Derby restaurants in Los Angeles. CLR

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Movies for Mason Alan Dinehart...

Platinum High School
Title: Platinum High School
Character: Bob Treadwell (as Mason Alan Dinehart)
Released: May 13, 1960
Type: Movie
At an exclusive military academy on Sabre Island, rich young delinquents think money puts them above the law. Enter Steve Conway - there to investigate the death of his son, who he had been told died in an accident.
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Cast a Long Shadow
Title: Cast a Long Shadow
Released: August 24, 1959
Type: Movie
A young man without surname inherits a big indebted ranch and has to prove his worthiness managing a cattle drive.
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Roadracers
Title: Roadracers
Character: Kit
Released: March 1, 1959
Type: Movie
The father of a race car driver blames him for a death on the track, disowns him, and sponsors a rival racer.
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The Hot Angel
Title: The Hot Angel
Character: Joe Wilson
Released: December 1, 1958
Type: Movie
A veteran Korean War pilot takes a job with a small air service business, but he also finds himself targeted by the local bullying motorcycle gang. Director Joe Parker's odd hybrid of 50's teen exploitation and the airplane-in-distress thriller has a climax that takes place at the Grand Canyon.
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The Careless Years
Title: The Careless Years
Character: Bob Williams (as Alan Dinehart III)
Released: September 2, 1957
Type: Movie
A high school girl from a wealthy family falls for a fellow student from a poor family. Both families disapprove, and, unable to stand the pressure, the couple quit school and flee to Mexico.
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Easy Living
Title: Easy Living
Character: Urchin (uncredited)
Released: October 8, 1949
Type: Movie
A football halfback has a heart condition, a nagging wife and a team secretary who loves him.
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Blondie's Big Deal
Title: Blondie's Big Deal
Character: Rollo (as Alan Dinehart III)
Released: March 4, 1949
Type: Movie
Dagwood accidentally discovers a non-flammable paint. Bad guys Dillon and Stack steal it before he can give it to his boss Radcliffe. To show off his invention, Dagwood paints Radcliffe's house with it and is disgraced when the house burns down!