Our Miss Brooks: A New Boynton is Born
At the time, Jeff Chandler, who played the role of Mr. Boynton–Connie Brooks’ timid love interest– was becoming a major movie star. Although, Ms. Arden says he was sentimental and hated to leave the show his time could stretch only so far.
In addition, it was felt that his “macho” appearance didn’t lend itself to a visual portrayal of the Boynton character who had to be handsome and manly while portray shyness and diffidence.
But then they found Robert Rockwell. His portrayal of Phillip Boynton caused viewers to accept the fact that this good-looking man could also be timid and reluctant while occasionally displaying enough of a spark of interest in Connie Brooks to keep her hopes alive.
Ironically, because of his identification with the role and his excellent job in portraying the character Rockwell became so identified with the role of Mr. Boynton that other roles, particularly dramatic ones, were often denied him.
Success in a role sometimes brings typecasting.
Still, he had a fifty-year acting career, appeared in over 350 television shows and on stage. Perhaps his greatest role on stage was playing opposite José Ferrer in the 1946 Broadway production of Cyrano de Bergerac. As an interesting footnote, he played Superman’s father Jor-El.
