FAQ

Chicago American, Tuesday, July 25, 1961, p. 9, c. 3 (extract):

ANN MARSTERS

Story of Stalled Career

A handsome young man with dark eyes and black wavy hair came calling on me the other day, and we had a long talk about his background, his adventures, and ambitions.

He is Robert Kendall, actor, teacher, lecturer, and writer. Obviously, he as a cultivated mind and high ideals. Chamales is his family name. His great-grandfather, Joe Chamales, came from Greece to settle in Chicago. And during the 1920's, Joe Chamales and his two brothers, Tom and Bill, operated the famous Green Mill rswtaurant.

Robert's cousin was the late writer, Tom T. Chamales, whose best-sellers, "Never So Few" and "Go Naked In the World," were filmed by MGM.

However, Robert stayed on in glamorland and four months later was spotted by an agent who took him to Universal studios which happened to need a replacement for Sabu the elephant boy in "The Song of Scheherazade." That started the turbaned phase of Kendall's career. He said:

"I suffered rom type casting. I've played Arabs six times and Baby Faced Nelson four times. Finally I decided to turn to teaching."

About his acting career? The dream still persists, but he is tired of turbans and crime dramas, tired of playing those 15 to 20 year old roles because, he said, "I'm past that age and yearning for some dramatic latitude."

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