Willis Bouchey

Born in Clare, Michigan,^[1] on May 24, 1907,^[2] Bouchey was the son of Wilda May (née Willis) and Henry Bouchey.^[3][4][5] When his father died just six months after his birth,^[6] Willis and his mother moved in with her parents in Vernon, Michigan,^[7] and subsequently to Seattle, where Wilda raised her son with her second husband, Carl Ahlers.^[6][8]

Bouchey began acting as a high school student in Bakersfield, California. He went to the University of California intending to become a dentist, but left after two years because he thought he could make more money as an actor.^[9] He acted with the Bakersfield Community Theatre, sometimes as the male lead.^[10]

On old-time radio, Bouchey played the title role in Captain Midnight,^[11] Charles Williams in Kitty Keene, Inc.,^[11]: 190 Stanley Bartlett in Midstream,^[11]: 229 and Pa Barton in The Story of Bud Barton.^[11]: 317 He was also a member of the ensemble cast of Your Parlor Playhouse.^[11]: 362

Bouchey was a member of Jack Webb's Dragnet stock company, appeared in five episodes and was billed variously as "Willis Bouchey", "William Bouchey", "Willis Buchet," or "Bill Bouchey." He appeared as a sheep trader in the title 1958 episode "Cash Robertson" of the NBC children's western series, Buckskin. In 1960 to 1961, he was cast twice in the ABC sitcom, Harrigan and Son, and four times in the role of Springer in the CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys.

He guest starred on CBS's Dennis the Menace and played a judge in 23 episodes of that same network's Perry Mason, "one of the more frequent judges on the bench" in that program.^[12] He played Judge Neilson in "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" S1 E4 "I Saw the Whole Thing" which aired 10/10/1962. Also on CBS, on Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, Willis Bouchey appeared as Dr. Samuel Thorne in the episode "The Masks," which premiered March 20, 1964.

Also in 1964, he appeared on Petticoat Junction. He was Dr. John Rhone in the episode "Kate Flat on Her Back".

He also worked again with Perry Mason star Raymond Burr in an episode of NBC's Ironside. He made guest appearances on The Sheriff of Cochise (1957), The Great Gildersleeve (5 episodes), Have Gun Will Travel, Wanted: Dead or Alive (3 episodes), 77 Sunset Strip, Gunsmoke (2 episodes), Bonanza (2 episodes), Wagon Train, The Virginian (2 episodes), Crossroads; Richard Diamond, Private Detective; Daniel Boone, Laramie (5 episodes), Father Knows Best, The Danny Thomas Show, Gomer Pyle: USMC, F Troop, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, Johnny Ringo, Bat Masterson, The Doris Day Show, The Untouchables, Stoney Burke, Going My Way, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (2 episodes),The Beverly Hillbillies (2 episodes), Dr. Kildare, The Dakotas, Hazel (5 episodes), The Mod Squad, Green Acres, The Munsters (2 episodes), McHale's Navy (3 episodes), The Andy Griffith Show (4 episodes), Get Smart, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (3 episodes).

On ABC's Colt .45 television series, Bouchey played Lew Wallace, the governor of New Mexico Territory, in the episode "Amnesty". Wallace offered a pardon to the bandit Billy the Kid, played on Colt .45 by Robert Conrad.

Throughout his career, Bouchey worked in twelve productions for director John Ford and was one of the more frequently-used members of Ford's stock company. In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, he delivered the final line, "Nothing's too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance."

In December 1933, Bouchey married Thelma Evelyn Marguitte.^[13][1][14] They had one child, a daughter, Christine.^[15] For well over a decade (extending from 1958 to at least 1971), Mrs. Bouchey was frequently in the news as a prominent figure in Southern California's doll collection community.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Bouchey died at age 70 on September 27, 1977, in Burbank, California.^[20]