Tributes To Your Favorite Classic TV Stars (6 Viewers)

[The 1960's]

Thank you Ben and John for your William Shatner Birthday Tributes earlier today! Last year somehow we forgot Mr. Shatner’s Birthday. So on September 5th member @ScottRE, being the ultimate Star Trek fanatic decided to right that wrong and posted a William Shatner Tribute. You can view that here.

William Shatner (March 22, 1931) 93rd Birthday Tribute ​

As I did last month with It’s a Good Life, I’m going to present this classic primarily in a pictorial format, along with selected transcript and very little commentary of my own. Why? Because I feel there’s absolutely nothing I can add to what has been written by Rod Serling, the master of story telling. It would be an act in futility.

Today is the 93rd Birthday of a master of a different kind, William Shatner, who has been everything to classic television with a career spanning 73 years and 253 film credits, and still counting. I can think of no one else who has matched this feat and contributed so much in my lifetime. Happy Birthday Mr. Shatner, I hope I can do you justice today

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“On The Twilight Zone next comes more exciting work from the typewriter of Richard Matheson. Our show is called ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.’ William Shatner and Christine White share performing honors in an aircraft, but it’s the kind of flight none of us have ever experienced, and, I might add, I hope none of us ever will. ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,’ next time out on The Twilight Zone.”

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

Series Theme

S05E03 Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (Oct.11.1963) HD

Please enjoy the music track attached throughout while viewing this photo commentary.

Director
Richard Donner
Writers
Richard Matheson
Rod Serling

Stars
William Shatner … Bob Wilson
Christine White … Julia Wilson
Ed Kemmer … Flight Engineer
Asa Maynor … Stewardess
Leon Alton … Passenger
David Armstrong … Passenger
Nick Cravat … Gremlin
Rod Serling … Narrator / Self - Host

Produced by
Bert Granet
Cinematography by
Robert Pittack
Editing by
Thomas Scott
Casting By
Patricia Mock
Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Walter Holscher
Set Decoration by
Robert R. Benton
Henry Grace
Makeup Department
William Tuttle
Grant Keate
Production Management
Ralph W. Nelson
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Bonniwell
Carl 'Major' Roup
Sound Department
Franklin Milton
Philip Mitchell
Camera and Electrical Department
James V. King
Music Department
Marius Constant
Jerry Goldsmith
Bernard Herrmann
William Lava
Lyn Murray
Fred Steiner
Van Cleave
[Crew believed to be complete.]​

Stewardess: And you?
Passenger: All right, fine.
Stewardess: Enjoy your flight.
Stewardess: Well, hello. those all right?
Bob Wilson: Yeah, they're fine, give me that.

Julia Wilson: Do you want me to sit next to the window?
Bob Wilson: No. I’m fine. I can f...
Julia Wilson: Honey, what is it? The emergency window? Do you want to move?

Bob Wilson: No, no, no. doesn't matter. what's the difference where i sit? it's not the seat. it's the airplane.
Julia Wilson: Honey, don't smoke that now, wait till the plane takes off.
Bob Wilson: I’m not acting much like a cured man, am i?
Julia Wilson: Honey, you are cured. Dr. Martin wouldn't let you fly if you weren't, would he?
Bob Wilson: I suppose not.
Julia Wilson: I mean, if you weren't well, dr. martin just wouldn't let you fly all the way back home. it's just that simple.
Bob Wilson: Well, you make it sound simple anyway.
Julia Wilson: It is, bob.
Bob Wilson: Yeah. here i am hogging the whole state, and you're so tired. I’ve missed you... these last six months.
Julia Wilson: It's all over now, though, and mama's taking you home.
Bob Wilson: It must have been awful for you... taking care of the kids... bearing the full responsibility.
Julia Wilson: Well, everything is still intact.
Bob Wilson: Except me.
Julia Wilson: Now Bob, i'm not going to let... ( thumping)
Pilot: Cabin door secured.
Julia Wilson: What?
Bob Wilson: Just a little... abject cowardice, that's all. I’m going to be all right. had a teensy weensy breakdown, but now i'm cured. Understanding... it's wonderful. it isn't the airplane at all. overtension and overanxiety due to underconfidence.

Stewardess: Your seat belt, sir.

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:

“Portrait of a frightened man: Mr. Robert Wilson, thirty-seven, husband, father, and salesman on sick leave. Mr. Wilson has just been discharged from a sanitarium where he spent the last six months recovering from a nervous breakdown, the onset of which took place on an evening not dissimilar to this one, on an airliner very much like the one in which Mr. Wilson is about to be flown home – the difference being that, on that evening half a year ago, Mr. Wilson’s flight was terminated by the onslaught of his mental breakdown. Tonight, he’s travelling all the way to his appointed destination, which, contrary to Mr. Wilson’s plan, happens to be in the darkest corner of The Twilight Zone.”

Nightmare Begins / Serling Intro

​

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (Oct.11.1963) is one of, if not the greatest and most well known Twilight Zone episodes of them all. It is one of those episodes where you’re on the proverbial edge of your seat and can feel the tension throughout. Every single time I watch it it drains me. For my two cents, this is Shatner’s greatest performance at the height of his youthful and debonair looks.

The story opens with Bob Wilson (William Shatner) and his wife Julia Wilson (Christine White) boarding a jet airliner. Recently recovering from a nervous breakdown, he wonders if he is completely healthy.

The Nightmare begins almost immediatley.

Stewardess: Fasten your seat belt, sir.
( thunder crashing)
Stewardess: Fasten your seat belt, sir.
(thunder crashing)
Bob Wilson: I'm sorry, darling. Go back to sleep.
( groans)
Julia Wilson: I shouldn't have taken that sleeping pill. I should stay awake with you.
Bob Wilson: No, I don't want you to. Go back to sleep. I'm all right.
Julia Wilson: Can't you sleep?
Bob Wilson: I will. Don't worry about me.
Julia Wilson: Okay.

Bob Wilson: Here, quickly!
Stewardess: May I help you?
Bob Wilson: There's a man out there.
Stewardess: What?
Bob Wilson: Look, he's crawling on... I'm... I'm sorry. Must have been
Julia Wilson: The... Bob? What is it?
Stewardess: Oh, it's nothing, Mrs. Wilson. Can I get you anything?
Julia Wilson: A glass of water.
Stewardess: Surely. Is something wrong?
Bob Wilson: No. I thought I saw something out there.
Stewardess: What?

Bob Wilson: Nothing. I guess I need a little sleep.
Julia Wilson: Are you all right?
Bob Wilson: Yeah, fine.
Julia Wilson: Don't you think you ought to take a sleeping pill now?
Bob Wilson: Yeah, I'll take one of those.
Julia Wilson: Here you are.
Bob Wilson: Thank you.
Julia Wilson: You're welcome.
Stewardess: Can I get you a blanket?
Bob Wilson: No. Honey?
Julia Wilson: Oh. No, thanks. You going to be all right now?
Bob Wilson: Yeah. Fine.
Julia Wilson: Will you wake me if you need me?
Bob Wilson: I will.

Nightmare 1

 

[The 1960's]

( thunder crashing)
( thunder crashing)
Bob Wilson: It isn't there. It isn't there! Honey? Would you wake up, honey? Quickly.

Stewardess: Yes, Mr. Wilson? Can I help you, Mr. Wilson?
Bob Wilson: Are we going into a storm?
Stewardess: Just a small one. Nothing to worry about.

Bob Wilson: Honey... Would you wake up, please, honey?
( thunder crashing)
( thunder crashing)

Nightmare 2

​

Bob Wilson: Julia, wake up.
Julia Wilson: What? What are you looking at? Bob? Is it the storm? Does it bother you?
Bob Wilson: No. Honey, you remember what I told you before about seeing something outside?
Julia Wilson: Yes.
Bob Wilson: Julia, there's a man out there. I-I don't mean a man. I mean a... I don't know what I mean. I mean... Maybe a…what did they call them during the war... you know, the pilots... Gremlins. Gremlins! You remember the stories in the... Julia, don't look at me like that.
Julia Wilson: Bob...
Bob Wilson: I am not imagining it. I'm not imagining it. He's out there. Don't look! He's not there now. He... jumps away whenever anyone might see him. Except me. Honey, he's there. I realize what this sounds like. Do I look insane?

Julia Wilson: No, darling, no.
Bob Wilson: I know I had a mental breakdown. I know I had it in an airplane. I know it looks as if the same thing's happening, but it isn't. I'm sure it isn't. Look, the reason I'm telling you this... isn't just to worry you. You notice I didn't tell you before.
Julia Wilson: I want you to tell me.
Bob Wilson: I didn't tell you before because I wasn't sure whether it was real or not, but I am sure now. It is real. There's a man out there! Or... a… a Gremlin, or... whatever it... If I described him to you, you'd really think I was gone.
Julia Wilson: No, darling, it's all right, it's all right.
Bob Wilson: Julia, I know your Intentions are good. I know you love me and sympathize with me, but don't patronize me. I am not insane!
Julia Wilson: Did I say..?
Bob Wilson: It doesn't have to be said. It's in your face, in your... Look, for the last time, that creature's out there And the reason I'm telling you is he's starting to tamper with one of the engines. Look. Look. Look. Think anything you want. Think... I belong in a straightjacket if it pleases you.
Julia Wilson: If it pleases me?
Bob Wilson: No, I-I didn't mean that. What I mean is... whatever you think of me... that I'm losing my mind, anything... all I'm asking you to do Is to tell the pilots what I've said. Ask them to keep an eye on the wings. If they see nothing... all right. All right, then I'll... commit myself. I'll... but if they do... Won't you even allow the possibility?
Julia Wilson: I'll tell them.
Bob Wilson: I know it's... asking a lot. I... It's like asking you to… advertise your marriage to a lunatic.
Julia Wilson: No, I'll tell them. You just sit tight and I'll go tell them.
( knocking)
Stewardess: Mrs. Wilson, what's the problem?
Julia Wilson: My husband wants to see the flight engineer.
Stewardess: All right, if you’ll stay right here, I'll have him with you.
Julia Wilson: Thank you. It's very important. Hurry please.
( thunder crashing)

 

[The 1960's]

Bob Wilson: Hurry! Hurry! He's out there!

Flight Engineer: What's going on?
Bob Wilson: He's pulling up one of the cowling plates.
Flight Engineer: "He"?

Bob Wilson: Didn't my wife...? There's a man out there!
Flight Engineer: Keep your voice down.
Bob Wilson: I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Flight Engineer: I don't know what's going on here...
Bob Wilson: Will you look?
Flight Engineer: Mr. Wilson, I'm warning you.
Bob Wilson: Will you please look? In the name of..! Well? No, wait a minute. I saw him pull that plate up. I said I saw him pull that plate up!
Flight Engineer: Mr. Wilson, please. All right, you saw him. But there are other people aboard. We mustn't alarm them.
Bob Wilson: You mean, you've seen him too?
Flight Engineer: Of course we have, but we don't want to frighten the passengers. You can understand that.
Bob Wilson: Of course, of... I understand.
Flight Engineer: Now, the thing we've got to remember...
Bob Wilson: You can stop now.
Flight Engineer: Bob... Sir...
Bob Wilson: Get out of here.
Flight Engineer: Mr. Wilson...
Bob Wilson: I said you can stop.

Julia Wilson: Honey, what is it?
Bob Wilson: I won't say another word. I'll see us crash first.
Julia Wilson: Bob!
Flight Engineer: Mr. Wilson, try to understand our position.
Julia Wilson: Honey, I'll be right back.
Bob Wilson: He did pull it up. He did.
(thunder crashing)
Julia Wilson: Honey, I was going to tell them when you...
Bob Wilson: Were you? For me?
Julia Wilson: Please, Bob. You'll sleep. You'll sleep now, darling.
Bob Wilson: Sure.

Stewardess: Oh, boy. What did you do? Get his wife to give him those pills?
Flight Engineer: He'll be out for hours.
Stewardess: I hope so... The way the storm is coming up.
Flight Engineer: Don't worry, everything's fine.
Stewardess: I hope so.

(thunder crashing)
(thunder crashing)
(thunder crashing)
Bob Wilson: Honey? Honey, would you get me a glass of water, please? A glass of water, please. Hurry.

(thunder crashing)
(thunder crashing)
(yelling)
(screaming)
(gunshots)
(screaming)
(indistinct radio transmission)
Flight Engineer: Nuttiest way of trying to commit suicide I ever heard of.
Julia Wilson: It's all right now, darling.
Bob Wilson: I know, but I'm the only one who does know... right now.

Spoiler Clip … At 20,000 Feet

​

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“The flight of Mr. Robert Wilson has ended now, a flight not only from Point A to point B, but also from the fear of recurring mental breakdown. Mr. Wilson has that fear no longer, though, for the moment, he is, as he has said, alone in this assurance. Happily, his conviction will not remain isolated too much longer, for happily, tangible manifestation is very often left as evidence of trespass, even from so intangible a quarter as The Twilight Zone.”

Closing Credits

​

My closing comment: Deserving mention is the soundtrack or stock music credited to seven individuals at IMDb including Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith. Without it, the entire series and particularly this episode would not have nearly the same impact. It also helped me to forget Goody Goody, (Tutti Frutti) from the Ozzie Nelson Tribute.

Episode Notes

1. Writer Richard Matheson said he was mostly pleased with Twilight Zone's version of his short story - except for the gremlin. He'd conceived it as a dark, creepy and nearly-invisible humanoid figure. "But this thing," he complained, "looked more like a panda bear."

2. This episode was one of four to be remade for Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). The relevant segment was directed by George Miller. In the movie, John Lithgow played the William Shatner role. Shatner and Lithgow appeared together in Dick's Big Giant Headache: Part 1 (1999), where both characters insist they have been on an airplane that a gremlin tried to crash.

3. One of six TZ episodes directed by Richard Donner. According to Donner, due to scheduling constraints and technical issues with the simulated weather, airplane engines, and a multitude of other special effect challenges, it was also one the show's most difficult shoots. Filming crammed three days of work into two and demanded extraordinarily long hours from the cast and crew.

4. William Shatner played an elaborate prank on set when he conspired with a friend who was visiting the filming, actor Edd Byrnes, to trick director Richard Donner into thinking Shatner died. During a filming break, and when Donner was off set, Shatner and Byrnes staged a fake fight on the set, which was suspended some 30 feet above the studio floor. When Donner ran back in the studio to see what was happening the two men chased each other around the back of the airplane set and wound up atop the plane wing. Donner saw a body falling off the wing and Byrnes yelling in terror as it impacted the concrete floor. Donner said when he ran to the fallen, motionless figure, thinking it was a dead or grievously injured William Shatner, he was greeted with laughter the moment he realized it was just an articulated human dummy the two men had found in another part of the studio and threw off the wing. Donner later joked, "Honestly, my first reaction was, 'Don't tell me I have to shoot the whole show over again.'"

5. Richard Matheson originally wanted Patricia Breslin to play Bob Wilson's wife, because she had played the wife of another William Shatner character very well in Nick of Time (1960), a story also written by Matheson.

6. William Shatner and Christine White (Mr. & Mrs. Wilson) not only starred in this fifth season episode, but also both appeared in the second season, although in separate episodes (Shatner in Nick of Time (1960), and White in The Prime Mover (1961)).

7. Commercial aircraft have a seated, marked with a triangle, indicating that it has the best vantage point for seeing the wings. Pilots joking call it "The Shatner Seat."

8 This episode featured two space heroes - one past and one future. William Shatner was two years away from Star Trek (1966). And Ed Kemmer, who played the flight engineer, a decade earlier starred in Space Patrol (1950) as Commander Buzz Corry.

9 Lee Bryant plays the panicked airline passenger who kept getting slapped around by various other passengers to calm her down in Airplane! (1980). The two would co-star in T.J. Hooker (1982).

William Shatner Related Media

William Shatner 1958 on the Ed Sullivan Show (Nov.15.1958)​

11/16/1958 " World of Suzie Wong." with William Shatner, France Nuyen, & cast members from the Broadway show. All rights go to Andrew Solt and SOFA Entertainment.

1975 THROWBACK: "William Shatner Geraldo INTERVIEW"
The Star Trekkies all come together for a huge convention at the Americana Hotel and the star of the old space show, "Star Trek," William Shatner comes on our show to discuss the renewed interest in star trek mania, his past role as Captain Of The Starship Enterprise, and what his plans are for the future.



William Shatner - Rocket Man (1978)
From The 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards



Nero Wolfe (1959) Unsold Pilot
Stars Kurt Kasznar William Shatner Alexander Scourby Phyllis Hill George Voskovec Eva Seregni Frank Marth John McLiam John C. Becher Eileen Fulton Rene Paul​

Pilot for a proposed Nero Wolfe TV series starring Kurt Kasznar as Nero Wolfe and William Shatner as Archie Goodwin. The short-lived adventures of portly detective Nero Wolfe, who would rather eat and tend to his orchids than hit the streets tracking down leads. The theme was composed by Alex North. Rumor has it there are two additional unsold pilots with this cast out there somewhere. Trivia Note: Guest star George Voskovec later appeared as "Fritz Brenner" in the 1981 Nero Wolfe tv series that starred William Conrad. This is in the public domain. An unsold, 1959 pilot for a proposed NERO WOLFE TV series starring Kurt Kasznar as Nero Wolfe and William Shatner as Archie Goodwin. The theme was composed by Alex North. Rumor has it there are two additional unsold pilots with this cast out there somewhere. Trivia Note: Guest star George Voskovec later appeared as "Fritz Brenner" in the 1981 NERO WOLFE tv series that starred William Conrad.

William Shatner for "Star Trek II" 1982 - Bobbie Wygant Archive



Star Trek Tribute Interviews (William Shatner/Leonard Nimoy) • 1982 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]



William Shatner Talks Star Trek and Doing His Own Stunts | Carson Tonight Show (Oct.27.1982)



William Shatner for "Star Trek IV" 1986 - Bobbie Wygant Archive



William Shatner for "Star Trek V" 1989 - Bobbie Wygant Archive



This Is Your Life (1955-2003)
Stars Eamonn Andrews Michael Aspel Elizabeth Dawn​

The UK version of the popular US show. Eamonn Andrews (later Michael Aspel) surprises celebrities by presenting them with the Big Red Book before taking them into the studio to tell viewers the story of their life, featuring guest appearances by members of their family, friends and colleagues.

S30E10 William Shatner (Dec.27.1989)
Stars Michael Aspel Harve Bennett Julie Harris​

Here's the great William Shatner aka Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek having the This is your Life Experience on Thames TV 27 December 1989.

William Shatner "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" 1991 - Bobbie Wygant Archive



William Shatner Rates Captain Kirk vs. Picard | Late Night with Conan O’Brien (Apr.15.1998)



William Shatner | The Complete "Pioneers of Television" Interview | Steven J Boettcher (2022)​

William Shatner talks about his early career, appearing on "Howdy Doody," acting in Canada, live television, playing James T. Kirk, his time on "Star Trek," Gene Roddenberry, TV's first interracial kiss with Nichelle Nichols, "Rescue 911," "T.J. Hooker," guest starring on Gunsmoke, and acting technique.

FULL OF SHAT: 40 TV guest appearances by William Shatner from 1956 to 1976 (2023)



William Shatner on Life's Final Frontier (Jan.09.2024)​

Chris Cuomo sits down with the legendary William Shatner to discuss aging in the public eye, the climate crisis, regret (or lack thereof), and more in this wide-ranging and insightful interview. They cover everything from social media's impact on discourse to new frontiers in space travel technology, with Shatner offering his trademark wit and wisdom along the way.

William Shatner talks storied career in ‘You Can Call Me Bill’ (Mar.19.2024)​

Actor William Shatner, best known for the original role of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," joins TODAY to discuss his decades long career in a new documentary title “You Can Call Me Bill.” He also shares how he’s preparing for a speech he’s set to give ahead of the solar eclipse in April.

Jimmy Kimmel Live
William Shatner on Turning 93, Going to Space & He Gets a Do-Over of His Star Trek Death Scene (Mar.21.2024)​

We celebrate William’s 93rd birthday, and he talks about not seeing his own documentary, what wisdom he has to share in his older age, living in a truck after Star Trek ended, going to Space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, being emotional during the trip, and since he didn’t love the way he delivered his dying line “Oh my” as Captain Kirk, Jimmy gives him a chance to redo it.

I Want to Be a Tree (Mar.21.2024)

​

William Shatner 93rd birthday tribute by Kevin Smith - March 22, 2024​

Kevin Smith leads a 93rd birthday tribute to William Shatner at the YOU CAN CALL ME BILL documentary film afterparty at the Culver Studios in Culver City on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Happy 93rd Birthday - William Shatner!!!​

Upcoming Tributes Remainder of March 2024

March 23rd Barbara Rhoades 78th Birthday Tribute
March 17th Kurt Russell 73rd Birthday Tribute (Delayed)
March 31st Richard Chamberlain 90th Birthday Tribute

 

[TravisR]

1. Writer Richard Matheson said he was mostly pleased with Twilight Zone's version of his short story - except for the gremlin. He'd conceived it as a dark, creepy and nearly-invisible humanoid figure. "But this thing," he complained, "looked more like a panda bear."

Matheson is right but that's one thing that I love about the episode- the gremlin's body looks like a teddy bear but that makes its face and actions more scary. The movie version also works with a much more malevolent take on the gremlin.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Happy 78th Birthday, Barbara Rhoades!​

Happy birthday to statuesque, 5'10" actress Barbara Rhoades, who brightened up several films and many TV episodes from the late '60s through the early '90s. Obviously her voluptuous figure and saucy demeanor caused her to be frequently cast in sexpot roles, but she balanced this out with a welcome straight-talking sass, an easygoing, down-to-earth sense of humor and a flair for comedy.

Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Rhoades began her career as a dancer on Broadway, before taking up acting in the late 1960s, eventually signing a contract with Universal Studios in 1967. Her first roles where on television, with supporting parts on The Virginian and It Takes a Thief. She then appeared in numerous feature films, including Don't Just Stand There (re-teamed with Thief star Robert Wagner), The Shakiest Gun in the West (amusingly paired with weedy Don Knotts), There Was a Crooked Man, Up the Sandbox, Scream, Blacula, Scream, Little Cigars, Harry and Tonto (opposite Art Carney), The Goodbye Girl and The Choirboys, all the while alternating between a busy career guest-starring on various television shows.

Among the series she worked on were Columbo, Ironside, Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, Love, American Style, The Odd Couple, Bronk, Sanford and Son, Bewitched, Polive Story, Switch, Maude, Trapper John, M.D., The Partridge Family, The Mod Squad, Rhoda, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, Cagney & Lacey, The Father Dowling Mysteries, Dallas, Diagnosis: Murder, Crazy Like a Fox, Magnum, P.I., Soap, Simon & Simon, Thirtysomething and Law & Order and many more. She was also one of the leads of the short-lived '70s sitcom, Busting Loose, a regular panelist on Match Game, and had a recurring role on the daytime soap, One Life to Live.

So to pay tribute to a fine actress and a very fine-looking woman on her birthday, here's a selection of some of her other TV appearances, not referenced above:

Alias Smith and Jones – 1.12 “The Fifth Victim”
Hannibal Heyes – a.k.a. “Smith” (Pete Duell), and Kid Curry – a.k.a. “Jones” (Ben Murphy) - are working as mountain lion hunters at the ranch of Jake and Rachel Carson (Joseph Campanella and Sharon Ackerman). Jake invites the boys to join a local poker game. Shortly afterwards, someone starts killing the game's participants one by one. Heyes is the fourth target, but survives with a head wound. While his buddy recovers, Curry goes on the hunt for the killer. Also with Woodrow Parfrey, Ramon Bieri and knockout redhead Barbara Rhoades (as a saloon gal who Curry, ahem, pumps for information).

The Six Million Dollar Man – 3.7 “Target in the Sky”
This show has been one of the big surprises of my TV-on-DVD collecting in recent years. My memories were that it was childish and cheesy. That certainly still holds true when watched today, but I’ve been quite impressed with just how much fun this series is, at least in its first few seasons. This episode was no exception, as Steve Austin goes undercover as a lumberjack (cue lots of footage cribbed from the Paul Newman film, Sometimes a Great Notion.) Barbara Rhoades plays the tough but fair owner of a struggling logging company, and big Denny Miller plays the conflicted foreman who’s up to no good. It’s a testament to Rhoades' Amazonian stature that she stands up well to both of her co-stars. Lots of fun bits of bionic business here, as Steve bends chainsaw blades, chops down trees and all manner of other feats of strength. I just had a total blast watching this.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker – 1.13 “Primal Scream”
Another episode that plays well despite an underwhelming monster-of-the-week, thanks to Darren McGavin’s engaging presence, comic exchanges with various guest stars, and some sly jabs at corporate culture. Ms. Rhoades only has one extended scene, playing the steely secretary of an oil company involved with scientific experiments gone wrong. Kolchak, who isn’t usually phased by feminine wiles (at least as depicted in the TV series), seems unusually taken with the statuesque redhead, sniffing her hair lasciviously and letting out a little “Ooooh” when he gets an eyeful of her cleavage. John Marley plays one of the meaner police antagonists of the series, deliberately stepping on and destroying Carl’s camera, after the reporter snaps some shots of the ape man that has been terrorizing Chicago. Jamie Farr has a delightful scene as a put-upon high school science teacher who fills Kolchak in on the Missing Link, and Playboy Playmate Jeannie Bell has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her cameo as one of the creature’s victims.

Kojak – 1.2 “Web of Death”
There’s some great neo-noir cinematography in this intense episode, which focuses on Hector Elizondo as a cop in Kojak’s squad, who "breaks bad" and kills a lawyer who has been having an affair with his wife (Rhoades). Elizondo does a fine job eliciting sympathy for the wayward cop, as more and more things go pear-shaped and the noose gradually tightens. I’d forgotten just how terrific a 70s cop show Kojak is, with a real gritty, authentic feel for how cops talk and interact. It’s a perfect role for Savalas, who holds center stage with ease (and I see his odd, Continental style of holding a cigarette has been carried over from his role as Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.)

Ellery Queen – 1.9 “The Adventure of Veronica’s Veils”
Ms. Rhoades’ very impressive physique is on full display here. She’s in full-on brassy dame mode as Veronica, a stripper who is one of the suspects in the death of the producer of a burlesque show. George Burns appears as the murder victim, addressing the audience in a cheeky black-and-white film screened during his funeral, where he lays out the chief suspects, and charges “radio detective” Simon Brimmer (John Hillerman, warming up for Higgins) with solving the case. Of course, it’s Ellery who actually finds out whodunnit, and how. As is typical for this series, the guest cast is fabulous; in addition to Burns and Rhoades, we also get Julie Adams, Don Porter, Jack Carter and William Demarest - in one of his last roles, and he does not look well, but delivers his usual feisty performance.

Mannix - 2.2 "Comes Up Rose"
Watching this episode several years back was my first exposure to a Mannix episode past season 1. Basically, nothing's changed. Sure, Mannix is no longer working for Intertect (so no more Joseph Campanella, alas) and he's gained a secretary in the form of sweet Gail Fisher as Peggy, but everything else is present and accounted for: Joe tooling around town his his cool convertible, talking to miscellaneous hot women (including Sheree North and Barbara Rhoades), helping out an old friend (for free, of course), there are plenty of fisticuffs (including yet another near-coma for Joe) and gunfights. All in a day's work for Mannix.

McCloud – 2.7 “Give My Regrets to Broadway”
Marshal Sam McCloud (Dennis Weaver) talks his cop colleague Charlie Harrington (Arthur Franz) into swapping shifts with him so McCloud can watch the Knicks game with girlfriend Chris (Diana Muldaur), but comes to regret that decision when Charlie is killed while on duty later that night. McCloud is understandably down in the dumps, blaming himself for Charlie's death. Depressed, and on the verge of hanging up his spurs and leaving the Big Apple for good, McCloud receives an anonymous note stating that Charlie was targeted for murder. McCloud starts to dig into a recent case Charlie was working on, regarding a claim brought by wealthy cougar widow, Louise Blanchard (Barbara Rush), that Broadway producer Malcolm Garnett (Milton Berle) defrauded her dead hubby’s estate of $2 million. Two weeks prior to his death, Charlie had dropped the case, and shortly thereafter, his ingenue daughter, Carol (pretty redhead Lane Bradbury), was suddenly, and rather surprisingly, given her inexperience, cast in Garnett’s next big musical production. Now the Garnett case file has gone missing, and a re-galvanized McCloud goes to work, digging out the truth about who wanted Charlie killed, and why.

Although not all of the central mystery plot hangs together, this is otherwise a typically enjoyable outing of this NBC Mystery Movie mainstay, benefitting from Weaver’s “aw shucks” good ol’ boy charm in the lead, as well as a good (if eclectic) supporting cast, which also includes Vic Tayback (as Garnett’s thuggish “secretary”), Reginald Owen, Jeff Pomerantz (as Louise’s homicidal boy toy) and brick house Barbara Rhoades, in a funny albeit too brief bit as a gold-digger honey at a party who’s obviously trying to work her rich, elderly husband into an early grave. There’s an extended rehearsal musical number featuring petite bundle of energy Lane Bradbury dancing her little heart out while obviously (and badly) lip-synching to a show tune. McCloud’s dyspeptic boss (J.D. Cannon) is uncharacteristically gentle with the bane of his existence McCloud this entry, knowing how guilty the marshal is over swapping shifts with the unfortunate Charlie. Uncle Miltie himself gets plays it straight but obviously relishes some juicy dialogue as the smarmy produce. And Barbara Rush, who recently celebrated her 96th birthday, has a ball as the sexy, scheming black widow in the center of the case.

McMillan & Wife
2.7 “Two Dollars on Trouble to Win”
When Sally’s racehorse owning uncle, Cyrus (crusty William Demarest, on fine crotchety form), appears to be the target of multiple attacks on his life, Mac (Rock Hudson) and Sgt. Enright (John Shuck) soon get on the case. They have to sift through several suspects to find the culprit, including Cyrus’ estranged brother and rival racehorse owner (Murray Matheson), as well as various employees at the track, including the trainer (Jackie Coogan), the stable boy (Robert Donner), and two jockeys (Lou Wagner and Rafael Campos). In a humorous bit of casting, the wife of one of the diminutive jockeys is played by the Amazonian Barbara Rhoades. Typically breezy NBC Mystery Movie fare, benefiting from the usual strong chemistry between Hudson and cutie pie Susan St. James...plus the reduced presence of Nancy Walker as the McMillan’s nosy housekeeper, Mildred (she only gets one scene). John Astin has fun as an eccentric forensics tech.

3.3 "Freefall to Terror"
This one has an interesting "impossible crime" set-up, courtesy of mystery short story writer extraordinaire, Edward D. Hoch. Mac and Sally seemingly witness a business exec jump out a 17th floor window, but there's no trace of a body. Then, 3 and 1/2 hours later, they see the missing man fall to his death, from the same window...for real this time. So, how to account for the delay? Suspects include Tom Bosley, James Olson, Edward Andrews and Barbara Feldon. Another enjoyable entry in this series, although too much time is spent on Sally's jealousy over Feldon's character, an old flame of Mac's - which sorry, I'm just not buying. I mean, Ms. Feldon is an attractive enough lady, but Susan St. James is not only much younger (by about 13 years at the time of filming), but MUCH cuter, IMO. Also, Feldon - adept at comedy, as witnessed in Get Smart - struggles with her more dramatic role here. Luckily, though, we do get a couple of scenes with a more memorable (and buxom) Barbara...i.e., Barbara Rhoades (rowr!) as a secretary busy (ahem) working her way up the corporate food chain.

Petrocelli – 1.15 “Once Upon a Victim”
Another strong episode of this series, with John Dehner as a dedicated doctor accused of killing the difficult patron of his hospital. Ms. Rhoades only has a small part as a belly dancer here, but it’s a fun bit, as she teaches Maggie (the luminous Susan Howard) how to shake and shimmy like a pro. Barry Nelson is in nearly every scene and brings a welcome intensity and intelligence to Tony Petrocelli.

Harry-O – 2.15 “Book of Changes”
A flighty young woman named Jamie (Joanne Nail) comes to Harry’s beachside bachelor pad late at night, having witnessed the murder of her boss, Kate (Barbara Cason) at the underground gambling club she ran. Jamie brings with her an envelope containing a $5,000 retainer and a tape recording of Kate explaining about a book of hers that's filled with incriminating intel and photos of influential people in Los Angeles. She wants Harry to find and destroy that book and to protect Jamie from the killers. David Jannsen’s gruff, hangdog charisma is put to good use on this show, and his chemistry and banter with police Lt. Trench (Anthony Zerbe, terrific here) is first rate. Also with Barbara Rhoades, Russell Wigans, Richard Kelton, John S. Ragin and David Healy (the token Yank on many U.K. TV shows from the 1960s through the ‘90s).

---

Bobbie Wygant interview for There Was a Crooked Man (1970):



Ms. Rhoades on Bewitched (1971):



On Sanford and Son (1976):







On Match Game (1978)



Discussing working with Peter Falk on Columbo and her days as a Universal contract player (audio only):

 

[ScottRE]

As an addendum to the amazing Bill Shatner Tributes (fantastic job guys!), the Storyfile A.I. Shatner is live and you can ask him a bunch of questions. It's actually both scary and cool. You can wish him a happy birthday.

StoryFile

ask.storyfile.com

 

[Doug Wallen]

Kurt Russell

​

March 17, 1951​

From Wikipedia: Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company, where he starred as Dexter Riley in films such as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), and The Strongest Man in the World (1975). According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, Russell became the studio's top star of the 1970s.

As with most of us on this board, we all seem to be about the same age and our viewing experiences probably are similar. Seems like I have been watching Kurt Russell all of my life. Growing up, my family's favorite way to watch movies were at the local drive-in (so glad I have those memories). My first memory of Kurt was watching him as the minor delinquent rescued by Fred MacMurray in Follow Me, Boys!(1966). (I still want this on blu-ray.) Seems like most years thereafter you could count on Kurt showing up in a new Disney film playing Medfield College's Dexter Riley. Dexter had the worst luck but starred in some right funny films.

Seems like at every birthday milestone, Kurt kept advancing his characters. He first teamed up with John Carpenter in the made for tv film, Elvis (1979). His performance was spot on and with Ronnie McDowell providing the vocals, he was a near perfect Elvis.

The director/actor combination proved to be a good fit and started a profitable film collaboration. We got the first appearance of Snake Plissken in Escape From New York (1981). “Call me Snake.”

The next partnership gave us one of the most creative horror/sci fi films ever, the remake of The Thing (1982). I was living in Macon by this time and was able to view this on a drive-in screen. Perfect film to watch at a drive-in. So much better than that other 1982 alien (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial).

Childs: Fire's got the temperature up all over the camp. Won't last long though.
MacReady: Neither will we.
Childs: How will we make it?
MacReady: Maybe we shouldn't.
Childs: If you're worried about me...
MacReady: If we've got any surprises for each other, I don't think we're in much shape to do anything about it.
Childs: Well, what do we do?
MacReady: Why don't we just... wait here for a little while... see what happens?

By this time Kurt was making a pretty funny high school comedy about living in the past costarring Robin Williams, Pamela Reed and Holly Palance, The Best Of Times (1986). A truly funny comedy that seems to have flown under the radar.

The next film I remember is his return engagement with John Carpenter, the kung fu mystical mash-up known as Big Trouble In Little China (1986). What can be said about this film that hasn't already been said. I thought it was great in the theater and it has only gotten better with each subsequent viewing. Kurt's performance is near perfection.

From the Asian West to the American West, Kurt rode into history as Wyatt Earp in the amazing western Tombstone (1993).

I was impressed with his action hero role in Executive Decision (1996). So glad he was the star after Segal's early exit. He and Halle Berry made a terrific partnership. Kurt's commitment to each role is what keeps drawing me back to his films. He always gives his all to each performance and I appreciate and support his work.

He has appeared in so many good films that it is impossible to speak to all of them. See the following; Silkwood, Overboard, Tango & Cash, Tequila Sunrise, Unlawful Entry, Backdraft, Stargate, Escape From L.A., Breakdown, Soldier, Vanilla Sky, Miracle, a return to Disney with Sky High, Poseidon, Death Proof, Bone Tomahawk, The Hateful Eight, Deepwater Horizon, The Fate Of The Furious, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.

Finally we come to a final favorite, Kurt has put on the big red suit and is having a blast playing Santa Claus in the Netflix original The Christmas Chronicles (2018). A new annual favorite.

Kurt Russell channeling Elvis in jail.



Sorry to be a bit late with this tribute to a living legend (life, you know). Kurt you have given me so much enjoyment throughout your career. May you have continued health and that your career continues. Thank you so much.

Upcoming Tributes March-April 2024

March 31st Richard Chamberlain 90th Birthday Tribute
April 2nd Buddy Ebsen Birthday Memorial
April 6th Roy Thinnes 85th Birthday Tribute
April 7th James Garner Birthday Memorial
April 10th Chuck Connors Birthday Memorial
April 14th Arlene Martel Birthday Memorial
April 18th James Drury Birthday Memorial
April 19th Elinor Donahue 87th Birthday Tribute
April 24th Michael Parks Birthday Memorial

 

[Bryan^H]

Fantastic work on the tributes everyone!! I just spent 6 hours (6?) YES 6 hours on two pages of content.
It is a treasure trove of info, screencaps, write ups and videos. I love it, and love you guys for going so deep into these tributes. Like I said before, time is a luxury...wish I had more time to read every one of these tributes (I'm probably backlogged at least 6 pages worth). I loved the William Shatner tributes (amazing work Neal, Ben, and John). Jon Provost (I met him...sort of awkward) and Barbara Feldon tributes were wonderful too.

Jeff Flugel's tribute to Barbara Rhoades melted my computer. I don't know how you do it Jeff, but just when I think I have the answer to the most beautiful classic TV actor, you change the question. Very nice.

Keep em coming!!!!

 

[ponset]

Shatner.

 

[Flashgear]

Awesome work here in tributes by all you great guys!

Today is Richard Chamberlain's 90th birthday, the "King of the Miniseries" (Centennial, The Thornbirds, Shogun etc.), movies (The Three Musketeers, Four Musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo, Towering Inferno, King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quatermain and the City of Gold, etc.) in the '70s and '80s, and a long career in which his foundational success was had in his casting as NBC TV's Dr. Kildare in the fall of 1961 for a long-running medical show that naturally has always been associated with it's pop-culture counterpart on CBS, Vince Edward's Ben Casey, which started in near unison that same season, both ending in 1966, and with both shows aspiring to, and often achieving, some of the most powerful, topical and important urban contemporary drama on television of that era. Prestige dramas, huge guest stars, critically acclaimed and with deep popular culture impact with all ages.

I believe that one of Richard Chamberlain's best early performances is found in Dr. Kildare S2E15 The Thing Speaks For Itself (January 10, 1963) W: John W. Bloch, D: Don Medford. Starring Richard Chamberlain and Raymond Massey. Guest starring: John Williams, Fritz Weaver, Zohra Lampert, George Macready, Paul Newlan, Kelly Thordsen et al.

Res Ipsa Loquitur (Latin medical and tort litigation law term for "The Thing Speaks For Itself")...

Recent Intern and now young resident Doctor Kildare is about to administer an infusion of radioactive dye contrast tracer to patient Maxine Claudier (Michelle Montau), a world famous Parisian fashion designer. Young Mrs. Claudier is suffering unexplained abdominal pain for which a Fluoroscopy has been ordered in the quest for diagnosis...an unchallenging and routine procedure performed every day in hospitals around the world (I've had two myself, most recently in 2019).

Kildare and nurse Joan Kaiser (Jo Helton) are having a pleasant conversation while infusing the dye tracer into Mrs. Claudier, who appears nervous but comfortable with the infusion, until suddenly developing respiratory distress, which escalates shockingly to cardiac arrest with a panicky Kildare calling for the crash cart and administering oxygen and adrenaline...young Madame Claudier dies shockingly fast with a devastated Kildare staring agape into the distance as his mentor Dr. Gillespie enters (Hollywood legend Raymond Massey)...my screen caps from the Warner Archive DVDs...

In the aftermath of this tragedy, and because of the fame of the deceased Madame Claudier, the news media soon descends on Blair General Hospital...badgering doctors Kildare and Gillespie with the news that Claudier's wealthy husband has launched a medical malpractice lawsuit, suing the hospital for one million dollars and both Kildare and Gillespie for $300K each...with perhaps both their careers on the line, Kildare and Gillespie confer with the hospital administrator (familiar craggy face Paul Newlan) and lawyer Arthur Hobler (the great Fritz Weaver)...Kildare and Gillespie are further shocked when Hobler tells them to expect the worst, from a jury trial with renowned and high priced celebrity litigation attorney Harper Faring (the scary George Macready) going after them for both their money, and worst yet, their reputations...

The legal foundation of the malpractice suit is the long standing principle of 'Res Ipsa Loguitur', literally, "The Thing Speaks For Itself"...'to infer negligence from the very nature of an accident or injury, in the absence of direct evidence of negligence in the context of tort litigation...to explain the injury that does not ordinarily occur (in routine procedure) without negligence, willful or otherwise'

This is an astoundingly literate, profound and powerful script by accomplished screenwriter John W. Bloch, expertly delivered by what amounts to an all-star cast, and directed by no slouch in Don Medford....the story being so topical also, as our society was about to be transformed in litigation by legions of newly minted law graduates and mercenary law firms making their fortunes on malpractice and class-action lawsuits (although there's nothing wrong with going after real quacks or careless doctors).

This will be a tense and suspenseful jury trial, with plaintive attorney Faring calling a succession of expert witnesses to testify that such an unchallenging and routine procedure should never result in injury, let alone sudden death...Madame Claudier had cleared her sensitivity tests (to the radiotracer dye) by the Radiologist...so a careless Dr. Kildare, under the direct supervision of Dr. Gillespie, must have introduced an embolism leading to the patient's pulmonary edema and subsequent cardiac arrest...after all, she was young and in apparent good health!

As with most Dr. Kildare episodes, there is another parallel story here, but fundamentally intertwined with the story as a whole...elder physician and lecturer Dr. George Hazzard (the great British actor and longtime Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder favorite, John Williams of Dial M For Murder, To Catch a Thief, Sabrina, Witness For the Prosecution, 10 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and a long and illustrious career), has recently joined the staff at Blair as surgeon and lecturer for training to interns and residents. But Dr. Hazzard has a troubled past...after being sued for malpractice and into ruin, he spent "15 years in the wilderness, longing for a new start at a finer hospital"...after one of Hazzard's lectures, Dr. Kildare encounters a fainting young lady in a stairwell, Rose Kemmer (lovely Zohra Lampert, future Emmy winner), and Kildare discovers that she is at Blair hoping to convince Dr. Hazzard to perform an angiogram with the hope of Dr. Hazzard doing surgery on her congenital heart defect...she was Dr. Hazzard's patient as a baby, and with the whole medical staff now being spooked by the malpractice lawsuit, Dr. Hazzard is terrified of running the risk in treating Rose, and losing his career for a second time!

Meanwhile, Blair General's lawyer Arthur Hobler plans defense strategy with defendants Kildare and Gillespie...the mood is dark indeed...Hobler tells them he will fight 'Res Ipsa Loquitur', and high priced celebrity litigation attorney Faring...but that with no out-of-court settlement being possible and a civil trial by jury date now set, they should expect professional, reputational and monetary ruin...

Concluded next post...

 

[Flashgear]

Richard Chamberlain 90th birthday tribute post, concluded...

Dr. Kildare S2E15 The Thing Speaks For Itself (January 10, 1963), continued from previous post...

In the aftermath of this tragedy, and because of the fame of the deceased Madame Claudier, the news media soon descends on Blair General Hospital...badgering doctors Kildare and Gillespie with the news that Claudier's wealthy husband has launched a medical malpractice lawsuit, suing the hospital for one million dollars and both Kildare and Gillespie for $300K each...with perhaps both their careers on the line, Kildare and Gillespie confer with the hospital administrator (familiar craggy face Paul Newlan) and lawyer Arthur Hobler (the great Fritz Weaver)...Kildare and Gillespie are further shocked when Hobler tells them to expect the worst, from a jury trial with renowned and high priced celebrity litigation attorney Harper Faring (the scary George Macready) going after them for both their money, and worst yet, their reputations...

The legal foundation of the malpractice suit is the long standing principle of 'Res Ipsa Loguitur', literally, "The Thing Speaks For Itself"...'to infer negligence from the very nature of an accident or injury, in the absence of direct evidence of negligence in the context of tort litigation...to explain the injury that does not ordinarily occur (in routine procedure) without negligence, willful or otherwise'

This will be a tense and suspenseful jury trial, with plaintive attorney Faring calling a succession of expert witnesses to testify that such an unchallenging and routine procedure should never result in injury, let alone sudden death...Madame Claudier had cleared her sensitivity tests (to the radiotracer dye) by the Radiologist...so a careless Dr. Kildare, under the direct supervision of Dr. Gillespie, must have introduced an embolism leading to the patient's pulmonary edema and subsequent cardiac arrest...after all, she was young and in apparent good health!

As the trial is underway, Rose Kemmer (Zohra Lampert), who has suffered from a congenital heart defect since she was a baby, has approached Dr. Hazzard (John Williams), who treated her heart condition as an infant, to perform an angiogram as a prelude to hoped-for future surgery...she is married now, and desperately wants to have a baby...but has long been warned that her heart is too weak to carry a baby to delivery...Dr. Hazzard, spooked by the malpractice suit that Kildare and Gillespie are now dealing with, is terrified to treat the delicate young woman with precarious health...Dr. Hazzard was sued into the wilderness and reputational ruin in an earlier malpractice suit 15 years before, and fears losing his career again!

Kildare, back on shift at Blair in between court appearances, is enraged at Dr. Hazzard's hesitation to help Rose...a tremendous dialogue delivered mostly in heightened voices if not shouting results...

Dr. Hazzard, a world-weary physician who knows far more than the idealistic Kildare, closes the conversation with a knowing statement: "You're so very young, aren't you?"

Dr. Hazzard, try as he might to turn Rose away, is a grandfather after all...and this girl reminds him in ways all too real to his own heart, of his own daughter...

Hazzard consults Dr. Gillespie over this conundrum...Gillespie, head of surgery at Blair General and currently facing malpractice ruin, tells Hazzard to follow his own heart, but also bearing in mind their shared risks...these guys express themselves as veritable philosopher kings!

Meanwhile court reconvenes...attorney Faring (the great and scary George Macready), having savaged young Kildare on the witness stand, has a knowing smirk...Kildare, noble as always and self-sacrificing, is indignant at Faring's allegation that Kildare carelessly introduced an embolism during the radiotracer dye infusion, leading directly to cardiac arrest and the death of an otherwise healthy young lady...

Back at Blair, Dr. Hazzard relents, and with Kildare assisting, performs the angiogram on Rose Kemmer...both doctors are on edge as they monitor Rose's vital signs for distress...

For Kildare, he can't help but relive the nightmare of the last minutes of Madame Claudier's life...as she slipped away under his care...

Court reconvenes again...Faring now bares his fangs at Dr. Gillespie under oath...Faring is sure that he will now drop the hammer and close the case for a guilty verdict by the jury...

Another terrific scene transpires between these two masters!

With the Judge listening intently (played by familiar face Kelly Thordsen, 'Colorado Charlie' on Yancy Derringer and a lengthy career) Gillespie, in the person of master Raymond Massey and in the words of writer John W. Bloch, delivers what amounts to an ancient Greek oratory on the physician's ethics...brilliant monologue...you may as well be hearing from Hippocrates himself!

Faring still believes that he has delivered a knockout blow, but perhaps defense attorney Arthur Hobler will have the convincing last word for the jury to acquit...using the deceased's autopsy report from the coroner's office to settle this sad and tragic story...the great Fritz Weaver also shines!

The verdict delivered...Kildare perhaps having gained some wisdom with his idealism intact...Gillespie, ever the father figure, and lawyer Hobler have saved the day...and Rose will be healed, and find the blessings of motherhood in her future...while the esteemed Dr. Hazzard finds his bravery and confidence again...

A beautifully done and effective soap-opera of the primetime kind, but to only say that of it would be to deny that it's also an enormously powerful and emotionally moving example of some of the finest television drama of it's era...and a very satisfying viewing experience!

The first time I showed this series to my ladyfriend, who served a lengthy career as a Registered Nurse in Trauma Care, she said "this is better than St. Elsewhere!" Viewing a half-dozen episodes with me, and seeing Dr. Kildare again for the first time since the 1960s, she was amazed and very moved as I showed her some of my favorite episodes...

Happy 90th birthday Richard Chamberlain!

 

[timk1041]

Shirley Jones also turned 90 yesterday 3/31. Bit surprised no tribute for her unless I missed something on here.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Amazing tribute to Richard Chamberlain and his work on Dr. Kildare, Randall...great to see you back posting in this thread!

---

Buddy Ebsen Birthday Memorial​

Happy birthday to the multi-talented Buddy Ebsen.

Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen, Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971); afterwards he starred as the title character in the detective drama Barnaby Jones (1973–1980).

Originally a dancer, Ebsen began his film career in Broadway Melody of 1936. He also appeared as a dancer with child star Shirley Temple in Captain January (1936). He was cast to appear in The Wizard of Oz (1939), originally as the Scarecrow, and before filming began, his role was changed to the Tin Man. He fell seriously ill during filming due to the aluminum dust in his makeup and was forced to drop out. He appeared with Maureen O'Hara in They Met in Argentina (1941) and June Havoc in Sing Your Worries Away (1942). In Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), he portrayed Doc Golightly, the much older husband of Audrey Hepburn's character. Before his starring role in The Beverly Hillbillies, Ebsen had a successful television career, the highlight of which was his role as Davy Crockett's sidekick, George Russell, in Walt Disney's Davy Crockett miniseries (1953–54). (Detailed bio continued here on Wikipedia.org)

Despite enjoying an extensive career in films and television, when I think of Buddy Ebsen, what first comes to mind is his terrific work on The Beverly Hillbillies. As Jed Clampett, he makes it all look easy, never stretching for the jokes, just letting them come one after the other, served up with his bone-dry delivery and relaxed, never-fussed demeanor. Ebsen's Jed is always the calm center in the middle of the craziness surrounding him, taking everything in stride - and he almost always gets the best lines, delivered with expert comic timing.

The Beverly Hillbillies
1.27 “Granny’s Spring Tonic”
Granny (Irene Ryan) and cousin Pearl (Bea Benederet) fret when Jed, recent recipient of a double dose of Granny’s spring tonic, seems to be falling for the curvaceous charms Gloria Buckles, a gold-digging employee of Mr. Drysdale’s bank (played by sultry siren Lola Albright, a few years after smoldering her way through three seasons of Peter Gunn). But Jed, despite his cornpone hick ways, is one clever fellow, and not so easily duped by a pretty face and a low-cut dress. As usual, I laughed all the way through this one.

2.1 "Jed Gets the Misery"
In this very funny episode, Jed pretends to be sick to cheer Granny up, and she commences to "doctoring" him back to health. Before long, Mr. Drysdale and his own doctor (familiar prune-face Fred Clark) are subjected to Granny's "cures."

Jethro: "I couldn't find no wretchweed or dogbane either. Couldn't find no lizard eggs nor dried beetles."

Granny: "How can you be a doctor in Beverly Hills without the proper medicine?"

2.2 "Hair-Raising Holiday"
It's Possum Day, and the Clampetts are excited to see how Los Angeles celebrates...which makes life difficult for Mr. Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) and Ms. Hathaway (Nancy Culp), who have to gin up some sort of parade to keep their millionaire charges happy. Not to mention the fallout from Granny's doctorin' (as seen in the previous episode, "Jed Gets the Misery"), as the irate Dr. Clyburn (Fred Clark, fuming to amusing effect), fuming from having his hair chopped off as part of Granny's "cure," threatens to prevent her from practicng medicine ever again. The final scene is full of some great visual gags, as the Clampetts form the V.I.P. part of the Possum Day parade, and Ms. Hathaway gets a crash course in "possum juggling." Everyone in the cast is spot-on, but I'm always especially taken with Buddy Ebsen's pitch-perfect delivery of every line.

2.3 “Granny’s Garden”
Granny is all fired up to start plowing up the expansive lawn in front of the Clampett’s mansion, much to neighbor Mr. Drysdale’s horror. A recalcitrant mule stalls Granny’s plans just long enough for Miss Hathaway to take the family on a tour of California farmland, finishing up at a deluxe supermarket, in an effort to convince Granny that she doesn’t need to grow her own produce now that she's moved to Beverly...Hills, that is. The episode on the S2 DVD set also includes a lengthy (and slightly surreal) sponsor spot with the main cast singing a little ditty in praise of the food industry. Always get plenty of laughs from this, IMO one of the funniest of all ‘60s sitcoms.

4.2 "That Old Black Magic"
Granny becomes convinced that Mrs. Drysdale (Harriet E. MacGibbon) has been turned into a crow. This was the first color episode of this series that I can recall watching, and the show seems even broader here in S4 than it did in the black-and-white earlier seasons. I thought this ep started a bit slow but became much funnier in the second half, especially when Jed misinterprets the vet's instructions and subjects Mrs. Drysdale to all manner of indignities. As always, very very silly, but funny, which is what counts.

Gunsmoke - 17.11 “Drago”
Buddy Ebsen returned to this iconic western series for the third and final time in 1971, as grizzled mountain man and former Army scout Drago, who’s been living the comfortable life with a friendly widow (Tani Guthrie) and her young son. When the leader (Ben Johnson) of a gang of scuzzy outlaws kills the woman and seriously injures her son, the resourceful and very dangerous Drago, accompanied by his equally dangerous Rottweiler, inexorably tracks down the gang members one by one. Can a determined Newly (Buck Taylor) keep the vengeance-seeking old man from taking the law into his own hands? Very good episode, again predominantly shot outdoors (in Kanab, Utah), and Ebsen excels in a meaty role…although I would’ve liked it even better if that pesky Newly had kept out of Drago’s way and let him exact his bloody revenge undeterred. Though he doesn’t get too many lines, it’s always a treat to see honest-to-God cowboy Ben Johnson show up, either as a goodie or a baddie. Pat Hingle tops and tails the episode as Dr. Chapman, Milburn Stone’s temporary replacement, as the actor recovered from heart surgery.

Barnaby Jones
1.5 "Perchance to Kill"
Ebsen's next big success as lead actor on television was on this Quinn Martin detective drama, which ran for a whopping eight seasons. In contrast to his work on Hillbillies, Ebsen played things totally straight, and virtually humorless, here as tenacious, milk-swilling private eye Barnaby Jones. In this early episode, The Rat Patrol's Eric Braedon makes for a fine, arrogant villain in the Columbo mold, but his murder is done spur of the moment and so is pretty sloppy - no real challenge for sneaky old raccoon Barnaby. Buddy Ebson almost cracks a smile this episode, but it looks more like he's suffering from indigestion. A young Richard Hatch also appears as a surly hippie.

1.7 "Murder in the Doll's House"
Quite a cast in this one, as Barnaby investigates the disappearance of a writer who got too close to his old hometown's buried secrets. The wonderfully slimy Jack Cassidy is in prime, arrogant killer mode here (fans of Columbo will realize what sort of treat they're in for when they see Cassidy's name in the credits). Also with Whit Bissell, Anne Francis, Cathy Lee Crosby and Estelle Winwood. As was the case in Columbo, this show benefits from having a worthy opponent for Barnaby to mix it up with. We also get to witness the amazing sight of Buddy Ebsen choking out Whit Bissell!

1.8 “Sing a Song of Murder”
When a party-animal rock star falls to his apparent death while fooling around with his latest groupie (Judy Strangis), the girl runs off scared, and the rocker’s managers (Jackie Coogan, Arlene Golonka) decide to take advantage of the situation, bury the body in a garbage dump and stage a fake kidnap-and-ransom plot. A friend of the missing girl (Heidi Vaughn) hires Barnaby to find her, and soon the wily old fox puts paid to the managers’ scheme. Solid episode of this reliably entertaining crime drama, and it’s always fun to see Barnaby put the squeeze on the suspect(s).

1.9 "See Some Evil...Do Some Evil"
Roddy McDowell plays the murderer in this one, a supposedly blind pianist who supplements his income with blackmail. Marlyn Mason plays the singer who was having an affair with the murder victim. Barnaby hangs out at the jazz bar, drinks some milk and verbally fences with McDowell until it's time to draw the noose tight.

1.10 "Murder-Go-Round"
Barnaby investigates a conspiracy of murder and greed in a small mountain town, doing his usual folksy, friendly shtick, poking and prodding at the guilty parties (including Claude Akins, Dabbs Greer, and Geoffrey Lewis) until their nerves start to crack. Lee Meriwhether looks particularly fine this episode, just a stunning woman all round. A real hoot, this one...but sadly, I'm slowly running out of pristine quality, uncut first season episodes...gonna have to bite the bullet and order S2, even though half or more of the episodes on that set are from reportedly grotty, syndicated prints.

1.11 "To Denise, with Love and Murder"
Bill Bixby guest stars as a sneaky gigolo killer who manages to outwit Barnaby for a good chunk of this episode. Of course it's only a matter of time before Barnaby turns the tables and gets his man. It's a kick to see Bixby play a smug bad guy.

1.12 "A Little Glory, a Little Death"
Cagey ol' Barnaby puts the psychological screws to a fading movie star (Barry Sullivan), who accidentally murders an actress at a party. Sullivan plays a more sympathetic killer than usual for this show, and so it's a little less enjoyable to watch him get his comeuppance, than the usual run of smug, cold-blooded slimeballs that Barnaby takes down. Featuring an early role for spooky-eyed Meg Foster, and a brief appearance by '50s femme fatale Carol Ohmart as the victim.

1.13 “Twenty Million Alibis”
Peter Haskell plays Tony Neill, a renowned former jewel thief who has seemingly gone straight and now writes best-selling crime novels. Neill, using a six-minute window of time while waiting in a dressing room before an appearance on a live TV talk show, carries out an elaborate theft as part of a publicity stunt…but things backfire spectacularly when a butler walks into the room and Neill accidentally kills him. Before long, shrewd old goat Barnaby (Buddy Ebson) is on the scene, hired by the insurance company to try and retrieve the stolen jewels. Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game between slick master thief Neill and wily P.I. Barnaby. I’m not overly familiar with Haskell but he makes a fine foil for Ebson in this entertaining entry, which closed out the abbreviated 13-ep first season of this long-running QM crime drama. Also with sultry Suzanne Benton as Neill’s secretary girlfriend, Marie Windsor as the society woman whose jewels were stolen, Bert Freed as the head cop on the case, and Gary Owens, with his instantly recognizable voice, as the talk show host. Lee Meriwether, as Barnaby's widowed daughter-in-law turned secretary, isn't given much to do, per usual, but is a welcome presence anyway.

2.2 "Death Leap"
An older but still attractive Brooke Bundy has a small role here as Barnaby's client. Tim O'Connor is clearly having fun playing a right rat bastard, lawyer Peter Harris who, needing a fat stack of cash to pay off heavy gambling debts, hires Bundy's fiancee, a highwire artist, to fake a suicide attempt to distract the police while two other hirelings (Jonathan Lippe and Ben Frank) rob a jewelry company down the hall for half a mil's worth. Cold-blooded Harris then proceeds to knock off his partners, beginning with the highwire guy, shooting him through the knee and causing him to fall to his death. The dead man's girlfriend can't believe he committed suicide, so Barnaby is soon engaged in his patented down home country boy Columbo shtick, badgering Harris until he finally gets the goods on him. A radiant, pre-Petrocelli Susan Howard co-stars as Harris's innocent young wife. Also starring Ramon Bieri as the police lieutenant on the case.

2.13 "Secret of the Dunes"
An unlucky motorcyclist happens upon scumbag business mogul Charles Wheeling (Patrick O'Neal) and a couple of his cronies out in the desert, burying the body of a young woman (Wheeling's girlfriend, who had found out a bit too much about his shady business dealings than was good for her). The motorcyclist attempts to flee but is run down by the baddies, he and his bike dropped out of a helicopter to make it look like he accidentally drove off a cliff. Barnaby is hired by the man's skeptical young widow to investigate, and soon, in his laid-back yet tenacious way, begins to put the squeeze on the killers, which threatens to put a crimp in the cash-strapped Wheeling's plans to make a business deal with the Mob. Gidget's Don Porter shows up as Wheeling's lawyer, who is none to happy to be involved in the cover-up of a double (soon to be triple) homicide. Lovely redhead Laraine Stephens also has a small role, as the roommate of the murdered woman. It all ends up with Wheeling and his ruthless right-hand man (Frank Marth) gunning for Barnaby out in the desert...but the old but far from decrepit detective retaliates with a few well-chosen shotgun blasts. The resulting helicopter explosion strikes a cheesy sour note in an otherwise strong episode (frankly, I would have prefered it if they had used that tired-and-true budget-saving device of the helicopter going down behind a hill or copse of trees before blowing up). Lee Meriwether gets more to do here than she usually did in S1, donning some hip-hugging Levis and hitting the road to assist Barnaby on the case.

2.15 "The Deadly Jinx"
This one starts out as a potentially lively little tale, as a former acquaintance of Barnaby's (Ida Lupino) hires him to determine whether some wackjob is targeting any man who gets close to her charge, pretty young orphaned heiress, Jenny Sutherland (Meredith Baxter), who has had several of her beaus meet grisly ends. Suspects seem plentiful at first, as a whole slew of guys are jonesing to be next in line as Jenny's main man...but a surprise reveal about midway through shifts the plot in another (and less interesting) direction. More bodies hit the floor before Barnaby brings the true culprit to book. Look for, as one of the victims, a young and already gravelly-voiced James Gammon (who'd go on to not only be a ubiquitous presence in westerns in the 80s and 90s, but also to play Don Johnson's dad on Nash Bridges). I enjoyed my time hanging out with the extremely likable Mr. Ebsen as sly silver fox Barnaby...typical, and typically entertaining, Quinn Martin fare.

Matt Houston – 3.18 “New Orleans Nightmare”
Decided to check out an episode from the third and final season, mainly to see how the addition of the septuagenarian Buddy Ebsen to the main cast (as Houston’s Uncle Roy) affected the series. Ebsen, who appears in nearly every one of S3's 22 episodes, is always good value, and brings a welcome touch of warmth to what has now become a pretty grim, boilerplate series...at least judging from this entry, which seems tired and rote, missing the cheerful Texas swagger and good-natured idiosyncracy of the very enjoyable, Burke's Law-style first season. A stewardess friend of Matt’s (played by a striking but wooden Shari Belafonte) witnesses a murder in New Orleans and asks for his help to keep her safe from the killers. Houston proves to be a pretty worthless bodyguard, and keeps on bungling throughout the story, just barely managing to nab the bad guys with the help of his geriatric (but still savvy) uncle, with an assist from Roy's former military pal, now a local police detective, played by Ray Walston. A good cast here, including John Anderson and Robert Fuller, but this one’s mostly a paint-by-numbers affair, the only real pluses being several big hair '80s babes and extensive location shooting around the seedy streets of N'awlins.

---

Pictured below: Ebsen and his daughter, Kiki...one of his seven (!!) children:

So here's a special thanks to Mr. Ebsen, who brought so much joy, laughter and entertainment to so many over his lengthy and fruitful career.

 

[ponset]

Good Ol Buddy,

Buddy sings "Mail Order Bride".



Narrating a Red Cross commercial.

Thank You Randall for the Richard Chamberlain Tributes.

 

[The 1960's]

I wanted to take a moment to give thanks to my two greatest HTF mentors, Jeff, for his Barbara Rhoades Birthday Tribute & Buddy Ebsen Birthday Memorial, and of course Randall, for his Richard Chamberlain 90th Birthday Tribute. When I first joined HTF in April of 2021, almost 3 years ago, both of these guys not only welcomed me here, but encouraged me and showed me how to create images and become a better writer. So to have both of them here at Tributes is particularly special. In addition thanks to all of you guys for your wonderful Tributes including Doug who was not feeling well but took the time to post his Kurt Russell Birthday Tribute, Scott @ponset, The Master of Imagery and Bryan for his very kind accolades!

Roy Thinnes (April 6, 1938) 85th Birthday Tribute​

Roy Thinnes (/ˈθɪnɛs/; born April 6, 1938) is an American former television and film actor best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the ABC 1967–68 television series The Invaders. He starred in the 1969 British science fiction film Doppelgänger (a.k.a. Journey to the Far Side of the Sun outside Britain), and also played Manhattan District Attorney Alfred Wentworth in the pilot episode of Law & Order. Roy Thinnes (/ˈθɪnɛs/; born April 6, 1938) is an American former television and film actor best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the ABC 1967–68 television series The Invaders. He starred in the 1969 British science fiction film Doppelgänger (a.k.a. Journey to the Far Side of the Sun outside Britain), and also played Manhattan District Attorney Alfred Wentworth in the pilot episode of Law & Order. His first primetime role was in "A Fist of Five", a 1962 episode of The Untouchables, as a brother of an ex-policeman (played by Lee Marvin). Later that year he appeared in a small role as a cowboy named “Harry” on James Arness's TV Western Gunsmoke (“False Front” - S8E15). He appeared on General Hospital as the "philandering Dr. Phil Brewer" [from 1963 to 1965, which was later described as "Thinnes' big break.” In 1964, he guested twice in episodes "Murder by Scandal" and the "Lost Lady Blues" of the 13-episode CBS drama The Reporter. Later he co-starred as Ben Quick in the short-lived 1965-66 television series The Long Hot Summer, which ran on ABC. During its run he received around 1,500 letters per week and appeared on the cover of TV Guide… Continue @ Wikipedia

Television appearances which focused on Roy Thinnes seemed to be scarce. One of his very best prior to his signature role in The Invaders was The Long, Hot Summer (1965-1966), but it’s unlikely it will ever be available in any form other than the very mediocre prints on YouTube. But here’s one not likely seen by many as it was never released to home video until very recently via streaming. It isn’t award winning by any means but it is a good acting performance by Mr. Thinnes and James Caan as well and almost feels like it might have been a backdoor pilot for a series of it’s own.

Death Valley Days (1952-1970) HD Stream

Series Theme/Intro by The Old Ranger

S11E25 Shadow of Violence (Apr.24.1963)

Directed by
Dick Moder
Writing Credits
Robert Hardy Andrews

Stars
James Caan ... Bob
Roy Thinnes … Jim
Sherwood Price … Manderly
Hugh Sanders ... Uncle
Karyn Kupcinet ... Julie
Walter Reed … Sheriff
Stanley Andrews … The Old Ranger
Albert Cavens … Townsman (uncredited)
Richard Reeves … Townsman (uncredited)
Robert Robinson … Townsman (uncredited)
Jack Tornek … Townsman (uncredited)

Produced by
Stephen Lord
Robert Stabler
Cinematography by
Emmett Bergholz
Set Decoration by
Raymond Boltz Jr.
Makeup Department
Del Acevedo
Production Management
Glenn Cook
Editorial Department
Fred W. Berger
Music Department
Marlin Skiles
Script and Continuity Department
Joan Eremin​

Mr. Manderly interrupts brothers Bob (James Caan) and Jim (Roy Thinnes) as they appear to be digging up an unmarked grave in the town cemetary. The strangers in town claim to be looking for and old friend. But these are not just any men, they are legendary men.

Going under the alias’ Bob Hempstead and little brother Jim, they look up their Uncle Woodson (Hugh Sanders) at the Health Haven Mineral Baths.

They promise not to cause any trouble, even accompanying him to Church and taking up donations.

Jim is most anxious to get to know Julie Anderson (Karyn Kupcinet), Mr. Manderly is jealous.

Manderly tells Julie there’s no excuse for getting mixed up with either of the brothers. He attempts to goad Jim into a gunfight. Woodson warns him against it for his own good. Jim challenges Manderly to a card game after he refers to the brothers as grave robbers. Jim cleans his clock.

Behaving like a spoiled sport, Bob escorts Mr. Manderly out of the saloon.

Uncle Woodson doesn’t want Julie anywhere near Jim.

A gunfight ensues between Manderly and Jim. However the Sheriff (Walter Reed) intervenes.

Gunfight

​

Manderly convinces the boys at the saloon that Bob and Jim Hempstead were grave digging for money and after buying supplies they’re headed back to the cemetary to finally dig up a treasure before they leave town. He claims they are wanted criminals and that’s why they hid the “loot” there.

Not a single person in the town of Paciolla California had a clue as to what the brothers were really doing there.

Spoiler

The Old Ranger / Closing Credits

Roy Thinnes Related Media

The Long, Hot Summer (1965-1966)

S01E02 A Time for Living (Sep.23.1965)
Stars Edmond O'Brien Nancy Malone Roy Thinnes Anne Helm Paul Geary Tisha Sterling Harold Gould Warren J. Kemmerling Jason Wingreen Phil Chambers Brian Cutler Michael Zaslow George Selk Ruth Roman​

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When Clara rides onto Ben Quick's property, her charging horse knocks Ben to the ground, cracking several of his ribs. Over Ben's objections, Clara endeavors to nurse him back to health.

The Invaders (1967-1968)

S01E10 The Innocent (Mar.14.1967)
Stars Roy Thinnes William Smithers Patricia Smith​

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The aliens take David Vincent up into their spaceship and then attempt to prove they have nothing but peaceful intentions by showing him what they've done to a desert valley. But all is not what it seems.

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Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun (1969) Movie Music



Spielberg Completist: THE PSYCHIATRIST: “Par for the Course” and “The Private World of Martin Dalton” (1971)



The Norliss Tapes (1973)
Stars Roy Thinnes Don Porter Angie Dickinson​

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An investigative reporter stumbles onto an artist that has made a pact to come back after his death to sculpt a statue of a demon using human blood and clay. Once the demon is awakened he will be granted immortality.

The Horror at 37,000 Feet (1973)
Stars Chuck Connors Buddy Ebsen Roy Thinnes Tammy Grimes​

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CBS TV-Movie. An invisible demon in the cargo hold of a jet airliner terrorizes the passengers.



THE INVADERS star talks the vintage, sci-fi series! (2022)



The Invaders Roy Thinnes Interview



Happy 85th Birthday Roy Thinnes!!
​

Upcoming Tributes April 2024

April 7th James Garner Birthday Memorial
April 10th Chuck Connors Birthday Memorial
April 14th Bradford Dillman Birthday Memorial
April 14th Arlene Martel Birthday Memorial
April 15th Michael Ansara Birthday Memorial
April 18th James Drury Birthday Memorial
April 19th Elinor Donahue 87th Birthday Tribute
April 23rd Lee Majors 85th Birthday Tribute
April 24th Michael Parks Birthday Memorial
April 27th Jack Klugman Birthday Memorial
April 30th Al Lewis Birthday Memorial

Later today The Roy Thinnes 85th Birthday Tribute Continues

 

[ScottRE]

ROY THINNES BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE

THE INVADERS (In Color)
A Quinn Martin Production
Season 1 Episode 1
Starring Roy Thinnes as Architect David Vincent
The Guest Stars in Tonight’s Story: Diane Baker, James Daly, J.D. Cannon, John Milford. Featuring Skip Ward, Bonnie Beecher, Ellen Corby, Vaughn Taylor

Tonight’s Episode: “Beachhead”
Written by Anthony Wilson
Directed by Joseph Sargent​

“How does a nightmare begin?”

David Vincent, architect, is driving home from a business trip. Going off the main drag looking for a shortcut, he stops at a closed, deserted diner. Unable to keep his eyes open, David digs in to sleep when an eerie glow envelops his car. He awakens to a loud whine and sees a spacecraft land.

An hour later, he’s in a police station telling his story to Detective Holman (J.D. Cannon). Naturally, his claims are met with disbelief. Daivd’s friend and partner, Alan Landers (James Daly), arrives to help but he doesn’t believe David either. They go back to the scene of the landing to find the name of the diner changed and two camping honeymooners, John and Mrs. Brandon (Skip Ward and Bonnie Beecher), swearing nothing happened. However, David notices John seems to have trouble bending his pinky finger.

That night, David returns to confront the couple and gets into a fight with John, who is ill and weakening. During the scuffle, John glows red and his eyes become black. Knocking David out, the couple escapes. David awakens in a hospital under an assumed name, provided by Landers for his protection. A fellow patient, a sympathetic old woman (Ellen Corby) talks about the aliens landing and she’s obviously senile. Until David leaves the room and we see her own straight pinky fingers. David returns home, promising the rest before perusing the matter but his apartment is burned to the ground. Just before he escapes the blaze, he sees the same old woman in the room.

Now homeless and cut off, David has Alan get him the information about the Brandon’s. David goes to the town of Kinney, their last reported residence. The town is nearly deserved, bought out by Kogan Enterprises with a few holdouts left. David meets Kathy Adams (Diane Baker) who runs the local hotel. She tries to help David who goes on his own investigation of the Kogan Enterprise warehouse. He finds strange equipment and enough evidence to support his fear that an alien invasion is under way, conducted by beings from another world who are taking human form. He calls Alan to come witness what he believes are regeneration chambers and waits for him in a nearby coffee shop with Kathy. Over the course of their conversations, it becomes clear that Kathy Is an alien.

Alan arrives and is intercepted by the old woman and she directs him to the Kogan warehouse where she says David is waiting. Alan enters the building and is surrounded by a small group of silent alien workers, who shepherd him into one of the chambers. David, having run from Kathy to meet Alan, comes across his body as the last of the Kogan trucks leaves. Now totally discredited, alone and cut off from his former life, David begins a lonely quest to expose the invasion before it’s too late.

This dense pilot is an exceptionally strong story and the perfect launch for the series. Roy Thinnes shines here as the put upon David Vincent, a respectable man in a solid profession who sees something so unbelievable that he comes off – at best – as a victim of an exhaustion fueled hallucination when he tells people about it. The aliens try to silence him at first but once the attempts fail, it’s made clear that killing him would only lend credibility to his claims. The extended, unaired pilot (which is my source of the screen grabs) is more fully realized than the edited broadcast premiere. More interesting dialog is retained when David and Alan debate the reality of what David witnessed. It gives a lot more meat to their friendship and makes Alan’s ultimate fate even sadder as he was the one person willing, even desperate to believe him.

The episode is anchored by Thinnes’ grounded and realistic portrayal of a man alone, desperate to convince people there is an alien invasion underway as they slowly unravel his life. His is an impossible task for a number of reasons. First and foremost, he’s immediately dismissed as a crackpot. Even his friend and business partner, a man who wants to believe him, thinks he was just exhausted and imagined seeing a spaceship land in the dead of night. Second, David has no idea who is or is not an alien. At first, he thinks he’s cracked the code when he notices the famous crooked pinky. But when Kathy doesn’t have that attribute, he learns they’re not all the same. In the end, we and David have no idea who is an alien. Even the police who keep insisting David drop it could be inhuman invaders. Exhausted and beaten, Thinnes shows us that David Vincent isn’t defeated as his drives away from his broken and destroyed life and begins again with a new purpose.

 

[ScottRE]

This is one of the finest pilots of the era, a confident and professionally done story with layers of atmosphere and paranoia. Fully capturing the “Reds under the bed” scare of the day (even the aliens start to glow red as they weaken), this episode is ripe with “even your neighbors could be your enemy.” This pilot and the first season episodes which follow, double down on the fear. The music by Dominic Frontiers, which is tracked mostly from The Outer Limits, Stoney Burke and The Unknown (the main series theme and scene wipes are swiped from it), is enormously effective. This is more of a horror story than science fiction.

Roy Thinnes fully embraced the character and even claimed to have seen a UFO himself. His dedication to the part is legendary. Because of how the character is written, Thinnes didn’t have much of a chance to show his natural charm. David Vincent is driven, often cold and suspicious, sometimes even obsessed. Thinnes sacrificed likeability for realism and it fits for the concept, but not so much for an actor who may have wanted stardom. He was always a solid, dependable actor with great ability and a passing resemblance to Paul Newman, which served him well in The Long, Hot Summer. He also left his mark on the genre when he played one of the leads in Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s first live action production, the 1969 film Doppelganger (released in the US as Journey to the Far Side of the Sun) with his second wife Lynn Loring. He was a shining spot in an otherwise dry and extremely depressing film that didn’t do much for anyone involved other than springboard the Andersons into live action television (certainly not a bad thing).

 

[ScottRE]

In later years, Thinness was a regular in the Dark Shadows remake, and reprised his role as David Vincent in the failed mini-series pilot revival of The Invaders with Scott Bakula in the lead. Thinnes also appeared in two episodes as an alien himself in two episodes of the classic Fox series The X-Files. He was even considered for the role of Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

One of my favorite stories about Thinnes was his involvement in the Alfred Hitchcock film Family Plot. From Wikipedia:

Thinnes was cast in Alfred Hitchcock's 1976 film Family Plot in the role of nefarious jeweler Arthur Adamson when Hitchcock's first choice, William Devane, was unavailable. Thinnes had already shot several scenes for the film when Devane suddenly became available. Hitchcock fired Thinnes and re-shot all of his scenes. He confronted Hitchcock in a restaurant and asked the director why he was fired. Flabbergasted, Hitchcock simply looked at Thinnes until the actor left. Some shots of Thinnes as the character (from behind) remain in the film.

Thinnes also provided introductions to the episodes in the DVDs of The Invaders. He’s still with us today and, like many of our favorites, is reportedly a very nice and friendly person who never shied away from his part in SF TV history. While The Invaders was a blockbuster ratings bonanza at the start, the concept wasn’t strong enough, or the production wasn’t “sci-fi” enough to sustain the audience (even with the late addition of believers), and it ended after a season and a half. Yet, David Vincent and Roy Thinnes cemented their place in cult TV history and today we celebrate Mr. Thinnes’ birthday, happy he’s still fighting the good fight for all of us non-believers.

 

[Sky King]

James Garner
Birthday Memorial
April 7, 1929 – July 19, 2014​

James Garner was born James Scott Bumgarner on April 7, 1928 in Denver, Oklahoma to Weldon Warren Bumgarner and Mildred Scott who died five years after his birth. His older brothers were Jack Garner, also an actor, and Charles Warren Bumgarner a school administrator. After their mother's death, Garner and his brothers were sent to live with relatives.
Garner was reunited with his family in 1934 when his father remarried. He had a volatile relationship with one of his two stepmothers, Wilma, who beat all three boys. When he was 14 years old, he fought with her, knocking her down and choking her to keep her from retaliating against him physically. Wilma left the family and never returned. His brother Jack later commented, "She was a damn no-good woman.". Garner's last stepmother was Grace, whom he said he loved and called "Mama Grace", and he felt that she was more of a mother to him than anyone else had been.

After working at several jobs he disliked, Garner joined the U.S. Merchant Marine at age 16 near the end of World War II. He liked the work and his shipmates, but he had chronic seasickness. After World War II, Garner joined his father in Los Angeles and was enrolled at Hollywood High School, where he was voted the most popular student. A high school gym teacher recommended him for a job modeling Jantzen bathing suits. It paid $25 an hour but, in his an interview he said he hated modeling. He soon quit and returned to Norman. There he played football and basketball at Norman High School and competed on the track and golf teams. He dropped out in his senior year and admitted, "I was a terrible student and I never actually graduated from high school, but I got my diploma in the Army.

Garner enlisted in the California Army National Guard, serving his first 7 months in California. He was deployed to Korea during the Korean War, and spent 14 months as a rifleman in the 5th Regimental Combat Team, then part of the 24th Infantry Division. He was wounded twice: in the face and hand by shrapnel from a mortar round, and in the buttocks by friendly fire from U.S. fighter jets as he dove into a foxhole. Garner would later joke that "there was a lot of room involving my rear end. How could they miss? Garner received the Purple Heart in Korea for his initial wounding. He also qualified for a second Purple Heart (for which he was eligible, since he was hit by friendly fire which was released with the full intent of inflicting damage or destroying enemy troops or equipment, but did not actually receive it until 1983, 32 years after the event due to a clerical error. At the ceremony where he received his second Purple Heart, Garner understated: "After 32 years, it's better to receive this now than posthumously." Reflecting on his military service, Garner recalled: "Do I have fond memories? I guess if you get together with some buddies it’s fond. But it really wasn’t. It was cold and hard. I was one of the lucky ones

In 1954, Paul Gregory, a friend whom Garner had met while attending Hollywood High School, persuaded Garner to take a nonspeaking role in the Broadway production of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

Garner eventually moved to television commercials and then to television roles. In 1955, Garner was considered for the lead role in the Western series Cheyenne, which went to Clint Walker because the casting director could not reach Garner in time. His first film appearances were in The Girl He Left Behind and Toward the Unknown in 1956.

Garner appeared with Ralph Bellamy and Gloria Talbott in a half-hour television episode of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre titled "Star Over Texas" in which a rivalry exists between Bellamy and Garner over Talbott until they're attacked by a group of Native Americans.

Maverick series producer Roy Huggins noted that he subsequently cast Garner as the lead in Maverick due to his comedic facial expressions. Garner changed his last name from Bumgarner to Garner after the studio had credited him as "James Garner" without permission.

After several feature film roles, including Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando, Garner got his big break playing the role of professional gambler Bret Maverick in the Western series Maverick from 1957 to 1960. The show almost immediately made Garner a household name. Garner was the lone star of Maverick for the first seven episodes but production demands forced the studio, Warner Bros., to create a Maverick brother, Bart Maverick, played by Jack Kelly. This allowed two production units to film different story lines and episodes simultaneously, necessary because each episode took an extra day to complete, meaning that eventually the studio would run out of finished episodes to air partway through the season unless another actor was added. Critics were positive about the chemistry between Garner and Kelly​

Garner quit the series after the third season because of a dispute with Warner Bros. he did make one fourth-season Maverick appearance, in an episode titled "The Maverick Line" starring both Garner and Jack Kelly that had been filmed in the third season but held back to run as the season's first episode if Garner lost his lawsuit against Warner Bros. Garner won in court, left the series, and the episode was run in the middle of the season instead.

After his acrimonious departure from Warner Bros. in 1960, Garner briefly found himself gray listed by Warner until director William Wyler hired him for a starring role in The Children's Hour (1961) with Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. After that role, the gray list was broken and Garner abruptly became one of the busiest leading men in cinema. In Boys' Night Out (1962) with Kim Novak and Tony Randall and The Thrill of It All (1963) with Doris Day, he returned to comedy. Garner also starred opposite Day in Move Over, Darling (1963). This movie was originally titled Something's Got to Give, but was recast and retitled after Marilyn Monroe died and Dean Martin chose to withdraw as a result.Garner next starred in The Great Escape (1963) with Steve McQueen, Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily (1964), Garner's favorite of all his work with Julie Andrews, and Roald Dahl's 36 Hours (1965) with Eva Marie Saint. All three pictures are set in World War II.

In 1964, Garner had formed his own independent film production company, Cherokee Productions. His company first produced, The Art of Love (1965) with Dick Van Dyke and Elke Sommer. His company went on to produce other features including

Grand Prix (1966) with Eva Marie Saint and Yves Montand, directed by John Frankenheimer. This movie left Garner with a fascination for car racing that he often explored by actually racing during the ensuing years. Garner had an interest in auto racing since his youth, but his interest was magnified during preparations for the filming of Grand Prix. John Frankenheimer, the director and impetus behind the project, was determined to make the film as realistic as possible. Garner proved to be a good student, a hard worker and a talented driver.

In 1969 Garner scored a hit with the comedy Western Support Your Local Sheriff! with Walter Brennan and Jack Elam. Also in 1969 he starred in Support Your Local Gunfighter! (similar to the western spoof Support Your Local Sheriff!),

In 1971, Garner returned to television in an offbeat, short lived series, Nichols, in which his character was killed and replaced by a less colorful twin brother at the end of the series. Garner chose to kill his character because they had already cancelled the show and played his own twin because they had to finish the episode.

In the 1970s, Roy Huggins had an idea to remake Maverick, but this time as a modern-day private detective. Huggins worked with co-creator Stephen J. Cannell to rekindle the success of Maverick, eventually recycling many of the plots from the original series in The Rockford Files, Starting with the 1974 season, Garner appeared as private investigator Jim Rockford for six seasons, for which he received an Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1977. Veteran character actor Noah Beery Jr. played Rockford's father "Rocky".

Between 1978 and 1985, Garner co-starred with Mariette Hartley, (who had made an Emmy nominated appearance on The Rockford Files,) in 250 TV commercials for Polaroid. They portrayed a bantering, bickering couple so convincingly that some viewers believed that the two were married, The Rockford Files was cancelled in 1980. The physical toll on Garner resulted in his doctor ordering him to take some time off to rest. Appearing in nearly every scene of the series, doing many of his own stunts, was wearing him out. A knee injury from his National Guard days worsened in the wake of the continuous jumping and rolling, and he was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer in 1979.[When Garner's physician ordered him to rest, the studio immediately cancelled The Rockford Files. Garner was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards during his television career, winning twice in 1977 as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series…The Rockford Files

In 1978 Garner and Jack Kelly reappeared as Bret and Bart Maverick in a made-for-television film titled The New Maverick.

Garner's only Oscar nomination was for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” for the film Murphy's Romance (1985), opposite Sally Field. Field and director Martin Ritt had to fight the studio to include Garner. Columbia Pictures saw Garner as more of a TV actor. Garner got the role. Field reported that her on-screen kiss with Garner was the best cinematic kiss she had ever experienced.

In 1993 and went on to reprise his role as Jim Rockford in eight The Rockford Files made-for TV movies beginning the following year.]Practically everyone in the original cast of recurring characters returned for the new episodes except Noah Beery Jr., who had died in the interim.

Despite his popularity and sociable nature, Garner was seen by others as a down-to-earth man who kept his family life private. He stated, “ I drank to get drunk. but ultimately didn't like the effect. Not so with grass. It had the opposite effect from alcohol: it made me more tolerant and forgiving. I did a little bit of cocaine in the Eighties, courtesy of John Belushi, but fortunately I didn't like it. But I smoked marijuana for 50 years and I don't know where I'd be without it. It opened my mind and now it eases my arthritis. After decades of research I've concluded that marijuana should be legal and alcohol illegal.” Garner was only married once, to Lois Josephine Fleischman Clarke, whom he met at a party in 1956. They wed 14 days later on August 17, 1956. "We went to dinner every night for 14 nights. I was just absolutely nuts about her. I spent $77 on our honeymoon, and it about broke me." When Garner and Clarke married, Lois' daughter Kim from a previous marriage was seven years old and recovering from polio. Garner had one daughter with Lois, Greta "Gigi" Garner who was born on January 4, 1958. Although Garner and his wife Lois were married at Garner's death in 2014, they'd had two separations: the first for three months in 1970 and the second in 1979. They reunited two years later in September 1981. Garner stated that during this second period apart he split his time between Canada and "a rented house in the Valley." In each case Garner said the separations were caused by the stress of his acting career and were not due to marital problems. In the case of The Rockford Files he was in almost every scene, in constant pain due to his arthritic knees, and under tremendous stress from the studio to continue. He stated when he quit the series in 1979 he simply needed to spend time alone in order to recover. Garner's death in 2014 was less than a month before their 58th wedding anniversary. His wife died seven years later, on October 30, 2021.

Garner had an interest in auto racing since his youth, but his interest was magnified during preparations for the filming of Grand Prix. John Frankenheimer, the director and impetus behind the project, was determined to make the film as realistic as possible. Garner proved to be a good student, a hard worker and a talented driver.
Garner was an avid golfer for many years. Along with his brother, Jack, he played golf in high school.[ Jack even attempted a professional golfing career after a brief stint in the Pittsburg Pirates baseball farm system. Garner took it up again in the late 1950s to see if he could beat Jack. He was a regular for years at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In February 1990 at the AT&T Golf Tournament, he won the Most Valuable Amateur Trophy. Garner appeared on Sam Snead's Celebrity Golf TV series, which aired from 1960 – 1963. These matches were 9-hole charity events pitting Snead against Hollywood celebrities.
Garner was noted as an enthusiastic fan of the Raiders in the NFL; he regularly attended games and mixed with the players. He was also present when the Raiders won Super Bowl XVIII over the Washington Redskins in January 1984 at Tampa, Florida

Garner's knees became a chronic problem during the filming of The Rockford Files in the 1970s, with "six or seven knee operations during that time." In 2000, he underwent knee replacement surgery for both knees. April 22, 1988, Garner had quintuple bypass heart surgery. Though he recovered rapidly, he was advised to stop smoking. Garner eventually quit smoking 17 years later in 2005. Garner underwent surgery on May 11, 2008, following a severe stroke he had suffered two days earlier.His prognosis was reported to be "very positive." On July 19, 2014, police and rescue personnel were summoned to Garner's Brentwood, Los Angeles home, where they found the actor dead at the age of 86. He had a heart attack caused by coronary artery disease. He had been in poor health since his stroke in 2008.

James Garner was a talented actor who could do both comedy and drama with ease. He was easy going and well liked by those who worked with him. He also cared about others and wore his heart on his sleeve. I remember watching an episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Garner was a guest that night. Noah Beery Jr. who played his dad Rocky on The Rockford Files had recently died. Garner got very emotional talking about “Rocky,”



Sources: Wikipedia, TV Guide, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

 

[DBF]

Chuck Connors Birthday Memorial - (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992)

Biography from https://www.therifleman.net/chuck-connors/

Born Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors in Brooklyn, New York on April 10, 1921, Connors was the elder of two children whose parents, originally from Ireland, had immigrated to the US via Newfoundland. As a child of the Depression, he grew up poor in a family that knew hard times, with his mother doing menial jobs and his father perennially unemployed, eventually landing a job as a bank guard in New York City. Young Kevin Connors played baseball on the sand lots as a kid and displayed such exceptional ability that he was given an athletic scholarship at Adelphi Academy, making him one of the few youngsters ever to win a prep school scholarship for sports. Upon graduation from Adelphi, more than 25 colleges offered Connors athletic scholarships. He cast his lot with Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, where he developed his natural athletic ability. At college, he added basketball to his sports schedule and was instrumental in leading the Seton Hall team to national prominence as a basketball power. He acquired the nickname "Chuck" in South Orange, and it stuck.

Although he attended Seton Hall on a sports scholarship, Connors was a serious student and enrolled as an English major. He soon demonstrated a flair for performing by entering and winning an elocution contest in his freshman year. He recited Vachel Lindsay's sonorous poem, "Congo." Winning the contest made him consider for the first time the prospect of pursuing an acting career. He left Seton Hall after two years, and in 1940, he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, but by the summer of 1942, had moved to the New York Yankees' minor league organization.

In October 1942, Connors enlisted in the Army at Fort Knox. He was stationed at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and later at West Point, New York, spending most of the war as an instructor in tank-warfare. While at West Point, during the winter months Connors moonlighted as a professional basketball player, and during the summer season he played semi-professional baseball. After being discharged from the Army in 1946, he joined the newly formed Boston Celtics basketball team. In 1946, he became the first player in the NBA to shatter a backboard. He got his first break to play baseball in the Major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. He played just one season, then joined the Chicago Cubs in 1951, playing in 66 games, usually as first baseman and occasional pinch hitter. After one season, he was demoted and sent to the Los Angeles Angels farm club in the Pacific Coast League. If it was a disappointment to Connors at the time, later he would think of it very differently, saying in 1954, "Greatest break I ever got. I'm out there right in the middle of the movie business where, if a guy has anything, he's got the chance to break in."

Connors has the distinction of being one of just 12 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played for both Major League Baseball and the NBA. Later, in 1966, Connors would play an off-field role in bringing Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax back to the negotiating table to resolve a contract dispute between the owners and players. During his stint on THE RIFLEMAN series, Connors invited several sports icons to make guest appearances on the show; they included baseball legend Don Drysdale, Duke Snider and football hall of famer Sid Gilman.

While playing professional baseball in southern California, Connors was spotted by an MGM casting director, who cast him in a small role as a police captain in the sports-themed romantic comedy "Pat and Mike" (1952), starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. The film featured a who's who roster of famous athletes making cameo appearances. He hung up his gloves and spikes and concentrated on developing his skills as an actor. In 1953, he appeared in the Burt Lancaster film "South Seas Woman" and in 1957, the Disney film "Old Yeller" and also "The Hired Gun." His portrayal of Burn Sanderson, owner of Old Yeller, would clinch him the role of Lucas McCain in THE RIFLEMAN—beating out 40 other actors vying for the part of a widowed rancher raising his young son in the American frontier of the 1880s. As the father of four boys in real life, playing a strong father figure came naturally to Chuck Connors. Standing 6'5", Connors' physical stature, rugged build and good looks also made him ideally suited for the role. He learned to shoot and do his own stunts to prepare for the role. The same year he was cast in the lead for THE RIFLEMAN, Connors was tapped by director William Wyler to play Buck, the trouble-making son of Hannassey (Burl Ives) in "The Big Country." It was the role regarded by critics and fans alike as his finest screen performance.

If segueing from baseball star to Hollywood actor seemed like an unlikely career transition, according to Connors, it was a snap. "Anytime a batter is called out on strikes, he acts plenty when he returns to the dugout. After all," he laughed, "he has to make the manager believe the umpire was wrong in his decision." Connors' histrionics were so effective that his teammates dubbed him "The Lawrence Olivier of the diamond." As the star of ABC-TV's western series, THE RIFLEMAN, however, he no longer had to worry about balls and strikes.

As Lucas McCain, Connors had two primary concerns in life—first, confronting and overcoming injustice with resolve, fair-mindedness and decency and second, making a home for his young boy, Mark, whose mother passed away. Father and son settle on a ranch near the frontier town of Northfork and begin forging a life in the New Mexico territory. The casting of Johnny Crawford as young Mark was an inspired choice. A little-known child actor, Crawford and Connors had a genuine chemistry playing father and son. Off-screen, Connors invited his young co-star to accompany him on camping trips with his own sons. Their warm bond persisted, and at Chuck Connors' memorial service, after passing away at age 71 on November 10, 1992, Crawford gave his TV father and real-life friend a moving eulogy.

While under contract to Four Star Productions for THE RIFLEMAN series, Connors played the title role in the western biopic film "Geronimo" (1962). Over the next two and a half decades, he appeared in other films in a variety of genres, including the James Garner–Doris Day romantic comedy "Move Over, Darling" (1963). Connors went on to do several other series after THE RIFLEMAN, the best-known of which was "Branded" (1965–1966). He played the role of US cavalry officer Jason McCord, who was drummed out of the service on the strength of a false accusation of cowardice. The show aired for two seasons, with each of the 32 episodes having the disgraced captain roaming the West, attempting to redeem his reputation. He played Attorney Jim Egan in the crime drama "Arrest and Trial" (1963–1964), co-starring Ben Gazarra and Roger Perry, and he played Jim Sinclair in the short-lived adventure series, "Cowboy in Africa" (1967–1968). He continued to make film and television appearances, playing recurring characters in several series, including Jeb Hollister in "The Yellow Rose" (1983–1984), Janos Skorzeny in "Werewolf" (1987–1988) and Gideon McCay in "Guns of Paradise" (1989–1990). His portrayal of slave owner Tom Moore in the mini-series "Roots" (1977) earned Connors an Emmy award nomination. Connors received a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" on July 18, 1984.

In one of his last on-screen appearances, Connors reprised the character of an aged Lucas McCain in the Kenny Rogers made for television movie "The Gambler Returns: the Luck of the Draw" (1991). In an interview with movie reviewer Leonard Maltin, Connors was asked if he felt somewhat bitter at carrying the mantle of his best-known role as Lucas McCain, and the actor was quick to reply that, on the contrary, he was proud to be associated with a show that was so admired and play a character who continued to be popular with fans. The year before he passed away, Connors was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.