View source for George Murphy

{{short description|American actor and politician (1902–1992)}}
{{other uses|George Murphy (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = George Murphy
| image = George Murphy (R-CA).jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 1964
| jr/sr = United States Senator
| state = [[California]]
| term_start = January 1, 1965
| term_end = January 1, 1971
| predecessor = [[Pierre Salinger]]
| successor = [[John V. Tunney]]
| birth_name = George Lloyd Murphy
| birth_date = {{birth date|1902|7|4}}
| birth_place = [[New Haven, Connecticut]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1992|5|3|1902|7|4}}
| death_place = [[Palm Beach, Florida]], U.S.
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| parents = [[Mike Murphy (trainer and coach)|Mike Murphy]]<br />Nora Long
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{Marriage|Julie Henkel-Johnson|1926|1973|end=died}}
* {{Marriage|Betty Duhon Blandi|1982}}
}}
| children = 2
| education = [[Yale University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| office2 = President of the [[Screen Actors Guild]]
| termstart2 = 1944
| termend2 = 1946
| successor2 = [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]]
| predecessor2 = [[James Cagney]]
}}
'''George Lloyd Murphy''' (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American actor and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the [[Screen Actors Guild]] from 1944 to 1946, and was awarded an honorary [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] in 1951. Murphy served from 1965 to 1971 as [[U.S. Senator]] from [[California]], the first notable American actor to be elected to statewide office in California, predating [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], who each served two terms as governor.<ref>In 1944, [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Jimmie Davis]] (1899–2000)—popularizer of "[[You Are My Sunshine]]"—was elected to his first term as [[Governor of Louisiana]]. In 1948 [[Grand Ole Opry]] star [[Roy Acuff]] won the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nomination for [[Governor of Tennessee]] but was defeated in the [[general election]]. [[Helen Gahagan Douglas]] served in the House of Representatives from 1945 to 1951.</ref> He is the only United States Senator represented by a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].

==Early life==
Murphy was born in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], of Irish Catholic extraction, the son of [[Mike Murphy (trainer and coach)|Michael Charles "Mike" Murphy]], athletic trainer and coach, and the former Nora Long.<ref name="Scribner">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/murphy-george-lloyd|title=Murphy, George Lloyd|encyclopedia= The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives |publisher=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=January 10, 2020}}</ref> He was educated at [[Trinity-Pawling School]], [[Peddie School]] and [[Yale University]] in his native New Haven.<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m001092 George Lloyd Murphy], ''[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]]''. Accessed February 27, 2011.</ref>

== Career ==

=== Film ===
[[File:George Murphy.jpg|thumb|left|George Murphy as an actor {{circa|1930s}}.|200px]]
In movies, Murphy was known as a song-and-dance man and appeared in many big-budget musicals such as ''[[Broadway Melody of 1938]]'' (1937), ''[[Broadway Melody of 1940]]'' (1940) and ''[[For Me and My Gal (film)|For Me and My Gal]]'' (1942). He made his movie debut shortly after talking pictures had replaced silent movies in 1930, and his career continued until he retired as an actor in 1952, at the age of 50. During World War II, he organized entertainment for American troops.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m001092 |title=MURPHY, George Lloyd
|website=Biographical Directory of the U. S. Congress |publisher=Office of the Historian, U. S. House of Representatives |access-date=13 April 2019}}</ref>

In 1951, he was awarded an honorary [[Academy Award]]. He was never nominated for an Oscar in any competitive category.{{Citation needed |date=November 2023}} On March 14, 1951, he hosted the first ever [[Eddie Awards]] for [[American Cinema Editors]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Film Editors Hold First Annual Dinner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-citizen-news-film-ed/144066881/ |access-date=March 25, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |date=March 15, 1951 |pages=25 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ogilvie |first1= Jack |editor1-last=Smith |editor1-first=Fredrick Y. |title=ACE First Decade Anniversary Book |chapter=The Origin of the A.C.E.s |date=July 1961 |publisher=American Cinema Editors, Inc |location=Hollywood, California |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qsEvAQAAIAAJ |quote=The first annual Awards Dinner honoring the Nominees for Film Editing Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was held in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel on March 14, 1951.}}</ref>

He was the president of the [[Screen Actors Guild]] from 1944 to 1946. He was also a vice president of [[Desilu Productions]] and of the [[Technicolor]] Corporation.<ref name="Steinberg">{{cite news|last=Steinberg|first=Jacques|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/05/us/george-murphy-singer-and-actor-who-became-senator-dies-at-89.html|title=George Murphy, Singer and Actor Who Became Senator, Dies at 89|work=The New York Times|date=May 5, 1992|access-date=October 24, 2019}}</ref> He was director of entertainment for presidential inaugurations in 1953, 1957 and 1961.{{Citation needed |date=November 2023}}

=== United States Senator === 
[[File:GeorgeMurphy.jpg|thumb|Murphy while serving as U.S. Senator.]]
Murphy entered politics in 1952 by joining the leadership of the [[California Republican Party]], having also directed the entertainment for the [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]]-[[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] inauguration that same year.

In [[1964 United States Senate election in California|1964]], he was elected as a Republican to the Senate, having defeated [[Pierre Salinger]], the former presidential press secretary in the [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] [[White House]], who had been appointed several months earlier to serve the remainder of the late [[Clair Engle]]'s unexpired term. Murphy served from January 1, 1965, to January 1, 1971. He took his seat two days early, when Salinger resigned to allow Murphy to gain an edge in seniority; Murphy was then appointed by Democratic [[governor of California|Governor]] [[Pat Brown]] to serve the remaining two days of Salinger's term. (In turn, Murphy resigned two days before his term expired, extending the same courtesy to his successor.)

Murphy was in demand for a time to assist other Republican candidates seeking office. In 1966, he hosted a fundraising dinner in [[Atlanta]], for U.S. Representative [[Howard Callaway|Howard "Bo" Callaway]], the first Republican candidate for [[Governor of Georgia]] since [[Reconstruction era in the United States|Reconstruction]]. In the [[1966 Georgia gubernatorial election|election]], Callaway outpolled Democrat [[Lester Maddox]], but did not get a majority, and the state legislature elected Maddox.<ref>Billy Hathorn, "The Frustration of Opportunity: Georgia Republicans and the Election of 1966", ''[[Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South]]'', XXXI (Winter 1987-1988), pp. 42, 47</ref>

In 1967 and 1968, Murphy was the chairman of the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]]. During his Senate term, Murphy developed [[esophageal cancer|throat cancer]], and part of his [[larynx]] had to be removed. For the rest of his life, he was unable to speak above a whisper.

Murphy voted in favor of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/s78|title=TO PASS S. 1564, THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965.}}</ref> as well as the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1968/s346|title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION IN SALE OR RENTAL OF HOUSING, AND TO PROHIBIT RACIALLY MOTIVATED INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON EXERCISING HIS CIVIL RIGHTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.}}</ref>

In [[1970 United States Senate election in California|1970]], Murphy ran for re-election; he was challenged by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[John V. Tunney]]. Murphy's surgery and staunch support for the lingering [[Vietnam War]] worked against him, as did reports that he had continued to receive a salary from [[Technicolor]] after taking office.<ref name="Steinberg" /> Despite Governor [[Ronald Reagan]]’s re-election victory (by 7%) in the [[1970 California gubernatorial election|concurrent gubernatorial election]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=California. Secretary of State |url=http://archive.org/details/statementofvote197072cali |title=Statement of vote |date=1968 |publisher=Sacramento, Calif. : The Secretary |others=San Francisco Public Library}}</ref> Murphy lost his seat to Tunney by 618,941 votes. Tunney's successful Senate race in 1970 was reportedly the inspiration for the 1972 Robert Redford film ''[[The Candidate (1972 film)|The Candidate]]''.<ref>Christensen, Terry, and Hass, Peter. ''Projecting Politics: Political Messages in American Films'', p. 146</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Murphy was married to his ballroom dancing partner, Juliette "Julie" Henkel-Johnson, from December 18, 1926, until her death, in 1973. They had two children: Dennis Michael Murphy and Melissa Elaine Murphy.{{Citation needed |date=November 2023}}

He was married to Bette Blandi from 1982 until his death in 1992;<ref>{{cite news |title=The Personal Side of George Murphy at Age 83 |first=Zan |last=Thompson |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-12-vw-10468-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=12 June 1986 |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref> she died in 1999.

Murphy subsequently moved to [[Palm Beach, Florida]], where he died at the age of 89, from [[leukemia]].{{Citation needed |date=November 2023}}

==Legacy==
[[File:Telephone conference during 1946 CSU strike.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Seven actors and studio workers during a telephone conference held in the aftermath of [[Hollywood Black Friday]] in which [[American Federation of Labor]] officials denied issuing a "clarification" which set off the film strike, October 26, 1946.<br /><small>'''(L-R):''' James Skelton, [[Herbert Sorrell]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Edward Arnold (actor)|Edward Arnold]], Roy Tindall, '''George Murphy''', and [[Gene Kelly]].</small>]]
Murphy's move from the screen to California politics paved the way for the successful transitions of actors such as [[Ronald Reagan]] and later [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. Reagan once famously referred to George Murphy as his own "[[John the Baptist]]".

Fellow Republicans praised Murphy's ability to speak at fundraising dinners and so consequently backed his bid to become the chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Weaver|first1=Warren|title=Murphy Is Urged to Challenge Liberals for G.O.P. Senate Job; He Is Backed to Oppose Scott as Campaign Unit Leader Dirksen May Decide|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/12/08/82971955.pdf|access-date=8 October 2014|work=New York Times|date=8 December 1966}}</ref>

During his tenure in the Senate, Murphy created the [[candy desk]] by placing a supply of confectionery on his desk on the U.S. Senate floor. After 1971, the candy-desk duties were bequeathed to a string of successors; as of 2025, the keeper of the candy desk is [[Oklahoma]] Republican [[Markwayne Mullin]].

Murphy was the subject of a song by [[Tom Lehrer]] included on his album ''[[That Was the Year That Was]]'' with the same name, which criticized Murphy's comments about Mexicans working in the US.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lehrer|first=Tom|title=George Murphy (incl. The George Murphy Campaign Song and addenda)|url=https://tomlehrersongs.com/george-murphy/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=Tom Lehrer Songs|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Filmography==
[[File:George Murphy in London By Night.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Murphy in the film ''London by Night'' (1937).]]
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Kid Millions]]'' (1934) as Jerry Lane
* ''[[Jealousy (1934 film)|Jealousy]]'' (1934) as Larry O'Roarke
* ''[[I'll Love You Always]]'' (1935) as Carl Brent
* ''[[After the Dance (film)|After the Dance]]'' (1935) as Jerry Davis
* ''[[The Public Menace]]'' (1935) as Edward Joseph 'Red' Foster
* ''[[Woman Trap (1936 film)|Woman Trap]]'' (1936) as Keat Shevlin
* ''[[Top of the Town (film)|Top of the Town]]'' (1937) as Ted Lane
* ''[[London by Night (film)|London by Night]]'' (1937) as Michael Denis
* ''[[Broadway Melody of 1938]]'' (1937) as Sonny Ledford
* ''[[The Women Men Marry]]'' (1937) as Bill Raeburn
* ''[[You're a Sweetheart]]'' (1937) as Hal Adams
* ''[[Little Miss Broadway]]'' (1938) as Roger Wendling
* ''[[Letter of Introduction (film)|Letter of Introduction]]'' (1938) as Barry Paige
* ''[[Hold That Co-ed]]'' (1938) as Rusty
* ''[[Risky Business (1939 film)|Risky Business]]'' (1939) as Dan Clifford
* ''[[Broadway Melody of 1940]]'' (1940) as King Shaw
* ''[[Two Girls on Broadway]]'' (1940) as Eddie Kerns
* ''[[Public Deb No. 1]]'' (1940) as Alan Blake
* ''[[Little Nellie Kelly]]'' (1940) as Jerry Kelly
* ''[[A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob]]'' (1941) as Coffee Cup
* ''[[Tom, Dick and Harry (1941 film)|Tom, Dick and Harry]]'' (1941) as Tom
* ''[[Ringside Maisie]]'' (1941) as Skeets Maguire
* ''[[Rise and Shine (film)|Rise and Shine]]'' (1941) as Mo McGonigle
* ''[[The Mayor of 44th Street]]'' (1942) as Joe Jonathan
* ''[[For Me and My Gal (film)|For Me and My Gal]]'' (1942) as Jimmy Metcalf
* ''[[The Navy Comes Through]]'' (1942) as Lt. Thomas L. 'Tom' Sands
* ''[[The Powers Girl]]'' (1943) as Jerry Hendricks
* ''[[Bataan (film)|Bataan]]'' (1943) as Lieut. Steve Bentley
* ''[[This Is the Army]]'' (1943) as Jerry Jones
* ''[[Broadway Rhythm]]'' (1944) as Jonnie Demming
* ''[[Show Business (1944 film)|Show Business]]'' (1944) as George Doane
* ''[[Step Lively (1944 film)|Step Lively]]'' (1944) as Gordon Miller
* ''[[Having Wonderful Crime]]'' (1945) as Jake Justus
* ''[[Up Goes Maisie]]'' (1946) as Joseph Morton
* ''[[The Arnelo Affair]]'' (1947) as Theodore 'Ted' Parkson
* ''[[Cynthia (film)|Cynthia]]'' (1947) as Larry Bishop
* ''[[Tenth Avenue Angel]]'' (1948) as Steve Abbutt
* ''[[Big City (1948 film)|Big City]]''  (1948) as Patrick O'Donnell
* ''[[Border Incident]]'' (1949) as Jack Bearnes
* ''[[Battleground (film)|Battleground]]'' (1949) as 'Pop' Stazak
* ''[[No Questions Asked (film)|No Questions Asked]]'' (1951) as Inspector Matt Duggan
* ''[[It's a Big Country]]'' (1951) as Mr. Callaghan
* ''[[Talk About a Stranger]]'' (1952) as Robert Fontaine Sr.
* ''[[Walk East on Beacon]]'' (1952) as Inspector James 'Jim' Belden
* ''[[Deep in My Heart (1954 film)|Deep in My Heart]]'' (1954) (scenes deleted){{cn|date=July 2025}}
{{div col end}}

==Radio==
* ''[[Suspense (radio program)|Suspense]]'' (episode "Death on Highway 99," 1945)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.escape-suspense.com/2012/03/suspense-death-on-highway-99.html|title=Escape and Suspense!: Suspense - Death on Highway 99|website=www.escape-suspense.com|access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' (episode ''[[Royal Wedding]],'' 1952)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirby|first1=Walter|title=Better Radio Programs for the Week|newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2394805/decatur_daily_review_april_13_1952/|agency=The Decatur Daily Review|date=April 13, 1952|page=48|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = May 11, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>

==Television==
* ''[[New Comedy Showcase]]'' (episode "You're Only Young Twice," 1960)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/unsold_pilots_on_television_56_66/ |title=UNSOLD PILOTS ON TELEVISION, 1956–1966 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=15 August 2019 |website=tvobscurities.com |publisher=Television Obscurities |access-date= 3 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/06/status-guide-new-comedy-showcase/ |title=Status of New Comedy Showcase |author=Robert Jay |date=13 June 2009 |website=tvobscurities.com |publisher=Television Obscurities |access-date= 4 June 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{Portal|Biography|Connecticut|California|Florida}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* {{IMDb name|0614278}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M001092 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]
* [http://www.passportland.com/images/murphy-george/murphy-george.html Images of George Murphy's 1974 passport] from www.passportland.com

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{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Goodwin Knight]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[California]]<br />([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 1]])|years=[[1964 United States Senate election in California|1964]], [[1970 United States Senate election in California|1970]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[S. I. Hayakawa]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Thruston Ballard Morton]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]]|years=1967–1969}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Tower]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Everett Dirksen]]<br>[[Gerald Ford]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Response to the State of the Union address]]|years=1968|alongside=[[Howard Baker]], [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Peter H. Dominick|Peter Dominick]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Robert P. Griffin|Robert Griffin]], [[Thomas Kuchel]], [[Melvin Laird|Mel Laird]], [[Bob Mathias]], [[Richard Harding Poff|Dick Poff]], [[Charles H. Percy|Chuck Percy]], [[Al Quie]], [[Charlotte Thompson Reid|Charlotte Reid]], [[Hugh Scott]], [[William A. Steiger|Bill Steiger]], [[John Tower]]}}
{{s-vac|next=[[Donald M. Fraser|Donald Fraser]], [[Henry M. Jackson|Scoop Jackson]], [[Mike Mansfield]], [[John William McCormack|John McCormack]], [[Patsy Mink]], [[Edmund Muskie|Ed Muskie]], [[William Proxmire|Bill Proxmire]]}}
|-
{{s-par|us-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pierre Salinger]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Senators from California|U.S. Senator (Class 1) from California]]|years=1965–1971|alongside=[[Thomas Kuchel]], [[Alan Cranston]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John V. Tunney]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{USSenCA}}
{{NRSC Chairs}}
{{SAG Presidents}}
{{Academy Honorary Award}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, George}}
[[Category:1902 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American dancers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients]]
[[Category:American actor-politicians]]
[[Category:American male dancers]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American miners]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American tap dancers]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1970 United States elections]]
[[Category:Catholics from Connecticut]]
[[Category:Catholics from Florida]]
[[Category:Deaths from leukemia in Florida]]
[[Category:Florida Republicans]]
[[Category:Male actors from New Haven, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:Musicians from New Haven, Connecticut]]
[[Category:New Right (United States)]]
[[Category:Peddie School alumni]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild]]
[[Category:Republican Party United States senators from California]]
[[Category:University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
[[Category:MPAPAI members]]