Donald Gene Dubbins was an American actor. He became known for his uncredited roles in the films From Here to Eternity and The Caine Mutiny. He subsequently played supporting roles in the films Tribute to a Bad Man, The D.I., From the Earth to the Moon and The Prize. He also appeared in many television series and plays.
Film
Actor James Cagney took a liking to Dubbins and procured roles for him in two 1956 films, These Wilder Years and Tribute to a Bad Man. In the former, Dubbins played Cagney's long-lost biological son; in the latter, he was in a romantic triangle with cattle boss Cagney for the affections of a senorita. In 1957, Dubbins, who had served in the United States Marine Corps from 1946 to 1948, played a callow Marine recruit in Jack Webb's military-themed film The D.I. In 1958, Dubbins was cast in From the Earth to the Moon, a science fiction picture based on Jules Verne's novel of the same title. As Dubbins' career progressed, he appeared in such films as The Prize, The Illustrated Man , and Death Wish II.
Television
Dubbins appeared in many television series, including seven episodes of CBS's Perry Mason in many typecasts, from a scheming nephew and murder victim in "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank," to Bill Vincent, one of Hamilton Burger's deputydistrict attorneys in "The Case of the Impetuous Imp" and murderer Harley Elliott in "The Case of the Duplicate Daughter". He appeared in four episodes each of CBS's Gunsmoke and Rawhide, in the latter in the first-season episode "Incident of the Dog Days". Early in 1959 he appeared in an episode on Alfred Hitchcock Presents with Barbara Bel Geddes titled "the Morning of the Bride". In the spring of 1959, Dubbins was cast in different roles in two consecutive episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Sugarfoot with Will Hutchins in the title role. In "The Mountain", he played "good guy" Vic Bradley, an escaped convicted murderer for whom Sugarfoot brings news of a new trial based on additional evidence uncovered in the case. Miranda Jones plays Bradley's Indian wife, Jean. The couple is hidden away in a mine shaft in a mountain, and much of the episode deals with Sugarfoot and Jean seemingly lost in a cave-in. Bradley's brother-in-law, Dixon White Eagle, on his deathbed from a snake bite, confesses to the crime for which Bradley had been convicted, the killing of an old miner. In "The Twister", Dubbins plays the outlaw Sid Garvin who comes into a quiet town looking for his estranged brother, a schoolteacher who calls himself "Roy Cantwell", who has hidden away $20,000 in loot from a Garvin robbery. In 1960, Dubbins appeared in the episode "Elegy" of CBS's The Twilight Zone. That same year he guest starred on the CBS western series, Johnny Ringo, starring Don Durant. He and Mel Torme appeared together in NBC's crime drama, Dan Raven, starring Skip Homeier. He played the character Grant in the 1960 episode "The Challenge" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, The Alaskans, starring Roger Moore. He also starred in the episode "Bitter Water" of the western TV seriesBonanza as Todd McCarren. In 1961, Dubbins played a deputy who inadvertently killed his outlaw-brother in an episode of Stagecoach West, a Four Star Television series which aired on ABC. He was cast as Willoughby in the 1961 episode "The Efficiency Expert" of the NBC family drama, National Velvet. Dubbins subsequently appeared on two CBS anthology series, The Lloyd Bridges Show and GE True, hosted by Jack Webb. He was then with Walter Brennan in ABC's western series, The Guns of Will Sonnett. In 1964, he made one appearance on Petticoat Junction. He played Smokey Harner in the episode "Kate Flat on Her Back". He was cast in the 1965 pilot episode of I Dream of Jeannie, and returned for one of the series' final episodes in 1970. In 1966, Dubbins appeared with Robert F. Simon as guest stars in the episode "Long Journey to Leavenworth" in the NBC series The Road West, starring Barry Sullivan, Andrew Prine, and Glenn Corbett. In 1967, he appeared also as a guest star in the episode "Rescue" in the fourth season of the science fiction series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Dubbins appeared twice on NBC's Little House on the Prairie with Michael Landon and five times on CBS's Barnaby Jones crime drama with Buddy Ebsen. Dubbins was cast in several episodes of Jack Webb's Dragnet 1967 series on NBC. His most notable role in Dragnet, '67 was as neo-Nazi fanatic and would-be bomber Donald L. Chapman. In 1973, Dubbins played Officer Steve Tyson in an episode of the Jack Webb-produced series, Adam-12. The episode, "Suspended", aired February 21, 1973. He played the part of Billy Carter in "The Incident of the Dog Days" of CBS's Rawhide and guest-starred in an episode of ABC′s The New Land. Dubbins' last TV roles were in episodes of CBS's Knots Landing, ABC's Dynasty, and NBC's Highway to Heaven.
Later years
The Brooklyn-born Dubbins retired to Greenville, South Carolina, where his last acting was at the Warehouse Theater as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.
Death
Dubbins succumbed to cancer at the age of sixty-three. His remains were laid to rest in Greer, South Carolina's Hillcrest Memorial Gardens.
