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Reed Hadley

Reed Hadley

Actor · Died December 11, 1974, aged 63 · Petrolia, Clay County, Texas, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Reed Hadley (June 25, 1911 – December 11, 1974) was an American movie, television and radio actor. Reed Hadley was born Reed Herring in Petrolia in Clay County near Wichita Falls, Texas, to Bert Herring, an oil well driller, and his wife Minnie. Hadley had one sister, Bess Brenner. He was reared in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Bennett High School in Buffalo and was involved in local theater with the Studio Arena Theater. Hadley and his wife, Helen, had one son, Dale. Before moving to Hollywood, he acted in Hamlet on stage in New York City. Throughout his thirty-five-year career in film, Hadley was cast as both a villain and a hero of the law, in such movies as The Baron of Arizona (1950), The Half-Breed (1952), Highway Dragnet (1954) and Big House, USA (1955). With his bass voice, he narrated a number of documentaries. He starred in two television series, Racket Squad (1950–1953) as Captain Braddock, and The Public Defender (1954–1955) as Bart Matthews, a fictional attorney for the indigent. Hadley also worked on the Red Ryder radio show during the 1940s, being the first actor to portray the title character. In films, among other things, he starred as Zorro in the 1939 serial Zorro's Fighting Legion. He is immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his television work. He was the voice of cowboy hero Red Ryder on radio and the narrator of several Department of Defense films: "Operation Ivy", about the first hydrogen bomb test, Ivy Mike, "Military Participation on Tumbler/Snapper"; "Military Participation on Buster Jangle"; and "Operation Upshot-Knothole" all of which were produced by Lookout Mountain studios. The films were originally intended for internal military use, but have been "sanitized", edited, and de-classified, and are now available to the public. During the period he narrated these films, Hadley held a Top Secret security clearance. Hadley also served as the narrator on various Hollywood films, including House on 92nd Street (1945), Call Northside 777 (1947) and Boomerang (1947). He died at age 63 on December 11, 1974, in Los Angeles, California, of a heart attack. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. Description above from the Wikipedia article Reed Hadley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 25, 1911
Died
December 11, 1974 (aged 63)
From
Petrolia, Clay County, Texas, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
54 on MovieCove · 111 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 4% in 30 days

What are Reed Hadley's films like?

Across their 27 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
58%
Self
15%
Bonds
9%
Power
6%
Survival
5%
Society
5%
Ideas
3%
Justice12 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 27 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 5 · Dark 8

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 8 · Charged 12 · Intense 7

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 19 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 16 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 25 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

15 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 7 of 15 analyzed roles.

Shadow
7 of 15
Mentor
3 of 15
Hero
2 of 15
Threshold guardian
2 of 15
Ally
1 of 15
Show the 15 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Thrilling
14
Romantic
5
Warm
4
Melancholic
5
Other
21

How their films linger

Feel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Reed Hadley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 54 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Reed Hadley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

111 credits, 54 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller(2002)

    as Jesse James (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story(1972)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Brain of Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Amir

  • The Fabulous Bastard from Chicago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Hondo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The St. Valentine's Day Massacre(1967)

    as Hymie Weiss

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Green Acres(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Pilot

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Curse of the Fly(1965)

    as Ike

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Young Dillinger(1965)

    as Federal Agent Parker

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Moro Witch Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Robert Collins

  • The Upper Chamber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Actor

  • All in a Night's Work(1961)

    as General Pettiford (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Tightrope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Raymond Braddock

  • Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Clement

  • Bat Masterson(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Raoul Cummings

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • The Texan(1958)

    Show 3 episodes · as Sheriff Ben Tildy · as Wild Jack Tobin

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Sea Hunt(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Perry Mason(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Medical Examiner

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Wagon Train(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Mort Galvin

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Mobs, Inc. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Capt. John Braddock

  • Lincoln Speaks for Himself (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Abraham Lincoln

  • Navy Log (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Big House, U.S.A.(1955)

    as Special FBI Agent James Madden

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Bart Matthews

  • Public Defender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 69 episodes · as Bart Matthews

  • Highway Dragnet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Det. Lt. Joe White Eagle

  • Hazard House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Television Host

  • Woman They Almost Lynched(1953)

    as Bitterroot Bill Maris

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Kansas Pacific(1953)

    as Bill Quantrill

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Cavalcade of America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Half-Breed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Frank Crawford

  • Operation Ivy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Host / Narrator

  • Little Big Horn(1951)

    as Sgt. Maj. Peter Grierson

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Racket Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 98 episodes · Actor

  • Insurance Investigator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Chuck Malone

  • Dallas(1950)

    as Wild Bill Hickok

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Killer That Stalked New York(1950)

    as Narrator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Return of Jesse James(1950)

    as Frank James

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • A Modern Marriage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Dr. Donald Andrews

  • Motor Patrol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Detective Robert Flynn

  • The Baron of Arizona(1950)

    as John Griff

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Riders of the Range(1950)

    as Clint Burrows

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Red Desert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

  • Grand Canyon(1949)

    as Mitch Bennett

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Rimfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as The Abilene Kid

  • I Shot Jesse James(1949)

    as Jesse James

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • He Walked by Night(1948)

    as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Bailing Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Narrator

  • Last of the Wild Horses(1948)

    as Riley Morgan

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Walk a Crooked Mile(1948)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Jungle Goddess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Radio Newscaster (uncredited)

  • The Return of Wildfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Marty Quinn

  • The Iron Curtain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Man from Texas(1948)

    as Marshall Gregg

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Panhandle(1948)

    as Matt Garson

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Captain from Castile(1947)

    as Juan Escudero (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Fabulous Texan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Jessup

  • Boomerang!(1947)

    as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Brasher Doubloon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Dr. Moss (uncredited)

  • 13 Rue Madeleine(1947)

    as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Razor's Edge(1946)

    as Party Waiter (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • If I'm Lucky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Jed Conklin, Magonnagle's Campaign Manager

  • It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Mike Valentine

  • The Dark Corner(1946)

    as Frank Reeves

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Shock(1946)

    as O'Neill

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Doll Face(1945)

    as Flo Hartman

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Leave Her to Heaven(1945)

    as Dr. Mason

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress Bomb Loading Procedures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Tactics Colonel

  • The Last Bomb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Narrator

  • The House on 92nd Street(1945)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • A Bell for Adano(1945)

    as Commander Robertson

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Caribbean Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Dr. Rene Marcel

  • Circumstantial Evidence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Prosecutor

  • Rainbow Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as High Priest Kahuna

  • In the Meantime, Darling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Maj. Phillips

  • Wilson(1944)

    as White House Usher (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Home in Indiana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Narrator in Opening Scene (uncredited)

  • Roger Touhy, Gangster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as FBI Agent Boyden

  • Four Jills in a Jeep(1944)

    as Fighter Pilot Dispatcher on Loudspeaker (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Primary Flight Training: Flight Sense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as First Dive-bomber Pilot

  • Happy Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

  • Guadalcanal Diary(1943)

    as War Correspondent/ Narrator

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Wintertime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

  • I Married a Witch(1942)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Lady in a Jam(1942)

    as Man at Auction (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Mystery of Marie Roget (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Naval Officer

  • Jail House Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Boston

  • Arizona Terrors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Jack Halliday aka Don Pedro de Berendo

  • Road Agent(1941)

    as Henchman Shayne

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Appointment for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Ferguson (uncredited)

  • Sea Raiders(1941)

    as Carl Tonjes

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Whistling in the Dark(1941)

    as Beau Smith

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • I'll Wait for You(1941)

    as Tony Berolli

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Ziegfeld Girl(1941)

    as Geoffrey's Friend in Audience (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Sky Raiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Caddens

  • Adventures of Captain Marvel(1941)

    as Rahman Bar

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Adventures of Captain Marvel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Show 12 episodes · as Rahman Bar

  • Flight Command(1940)

    as Admiral's Aide (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Bank Dick(1940)

    as Francois

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Meet the Wildcat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Basso--Henchman

  • Ski Patrol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Ivan Dubroski

  • I Take This Woman(1940)

    as Bob Hampton

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Zorro's Fighting Legion(1939)

    as Don Diego Vega / Zorro

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Man from Montreal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Ross Montgomery, aka L. R. Rawlins

  • Bachelor Mother(1939)

    as Polly's First Dance Partner (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Stronger Than Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Flagg's Party Guest (uncredited)

  • Calling Dr. Kildare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Tom Crandell

  • Sergeant Madden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Lawyer

  • Sunset Murder Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Oliver Helton

  • Female Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Bruce Dunning

  • Hollywood Stadium Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Ralph Mortimer

Career shape

Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 111 titles from 1938 to 2002; peak year 1971.

Biggest box office

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

$2.7K worldwide

Highest rated

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

He Walked by Night (1948)

Film career

19382002

Peak 1971 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting111 of 111: 111 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score62nd

By decade

1930s9 · acting1940s60 · acting1950s30 · acting1960s9 · acting1970s2 · acting2000s1 · acting

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 0% of 23 roles
3949

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Reed Hadley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 48; across their 27 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Reach · how many have seen their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Midcredits score across 54 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th27
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

33 of their 54 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser33
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story (1972)

60th percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

Midcredits 95th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Reed Hadley work with?

People who share at least 2 of Reed Hadley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Carl K. Hittleman shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles