John Corrydon

John Corrydon (Beasley) was born March 1, 1931 in Santa Cruz Ca to Orel Lee Beasley a bookkeeper and Ruth Whittaker Beasley a housewife. His maternal great grandmother was Laura Kean Whittaker who was named after the actress Laura Kean who was on stage the night Lincoln was shot. He grew up in Pacific Grove, Ca, Morro Bay Ca, Kerman, Ca with summers in Boulder Creek. Ca and Santa Cruz, Ca. He attended Pasadena City College in Pasadena majoring in Radio and Drama. He appeared in many Main Stage and Little Theatre productions including I Remember Mama as Nels, Little Women as Laurie and Peg Of My Heart as Aleric. For two years he wrote and played Ronnie Holliday in the weekly radio program Holliday House and many other radio productions. Classmates included William Regnolds now William Reynolds, Leonard Smith and Morris Buchanan. Serving in the U.S. Navy at Sangley Point in the Philippines he was involved the formation of organizing The Sangley Players Theatre both acting and directing. He also did a weekly radio show called The Best of Broadway that was a like a Lux Radio Theatre presentation of great plays from the Theatre. Returning to the States he decided to try Hollywood. Like Tab Hunter before him he began his career as a Soda Jerk at Wil Wrights Ice Cream. An actor friend, Ashley Cowan, invited him to lunch at 20th Century Fox and there introduced him to Casting Director George Light. Through George he got a job in the Mail Room and later became a Fox Panic, a term for a handful of people who weren't under contract but worked constantly doing bit parts, dubbing (voice over today), Standing In, Inserts and, in his case, being the go-to for Office Boys, Soldiers, Delivery Boys, Students and various and sundry jobs. He stood in for many wonderful actors including Ray Stricklyn, Dean Stockwell, Bob Denver, Brandon DeWilde, Red Buttons, Tony Randall, Nick Adams and Gary Crosby among others. At 31 it was time to retire as the oldest teenager in Hollywood to quote director Rod Amateau. So when Dobie Gillis was finished He took Rod's advise and did just that. Besides Dobie Gillis he left behind work in dozens for films including The Diary of Anne Frank, The Remarkable Mister Pennypacker, From The Terrace, A Private's Affair, Peyton Place, Compulsion, A Certain Smile, The Best of Everything among them. Leaving the sound stages of Fox with his partner, Addison Schaumer, he moved to Carmel, Ca and they opened The 3 Rings Bookshop. They moved on to Santa Cruz and designed and published The Santa Cruz County Date Book. Jack became interested in cooking and began classes at Cabrillo College which led to his teaching cooking classes for The Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation Department and from there to becoming the Instructor-Coordinator of Farmers Exchange Cooking School. That, in turn, led to being a consumer advisor for Cuisinart Food Processors, writing food stories for The Santa Cruz Sentinel and Good Times, doing TV cooking segments for San Jose Television stations, and his own Jack's Kitchen Cook Show. When Farmers Exchange sold be began teaching in the Applied Living Arts food program at Cabrillo College. Moving to San Francisco he created and taught a food service training program for the homeless for the Central YMCA of San Francisco. When the grant expired he became the Senior Program Coordinator for the Y and eventually, returning the Santa Cruz, the Senior Program Coordinator for The Santa Cruz County Parks and Recreation Department. It was now time to hang up the working careers and move into retirement. With Addison he moved to Mexico and has been there ever since. First to Guadalajara where they met Selena Royle who had been a well known contract player at MGM. Then came a move to Barra DE Navidad, a fishing village and next to Colima where they opened a gourmet food store. Back to Barra DE Navidad to build a cottage where they are at this writing. However, they are getting ready to build again in Colima where the services are better for people their age.