Tributes To Your Favorite Classic TV Stars (1 Viewer)

[The 1960's]

Continued From Previous Page
See Introduction … Post No. 1

The Robert Duvall 92nd Birthday Tribute Continues

Route 66 (1960-1964)
Stars Martin Milner George Maharis Glenn Corbett

S02E04 Birdcage On My Foot (Oct.13.1961)
Director Elliot Silverstein Writers Stirling Silliphant (teleplay) Elliot Silverstein (story) Herbert B. Leonard
Stars Martin Milner George Maharis Robert Duvall Mike Kellin Diana Millay​

---

---

 

[The 1960's]

---

---

 

[The 1960's]

---

---

You can stream it here.


​

---

This concludes the Robert Duvall Birthday tribute, the very best Tribute ever at Tributes To Your Favorite Classic TV Stars. It’s been a very busy two days here first with the Barbara Rush 96th Birthday Tribute and this one.

I want to thank the largest group of members ever starting off with Jeff for his exquisite introduction, followed by Scott (ponset), Doug Wallen, John Hopper, Scott (ScottRE) and Randall (Flashgear) for his extraordinary Route 66 introduction. Finally a special thanks to my long-time childhood friend Josh Alan Friedman for his beautifully crafted Naked City and Route 66 synopses.​

 

[Flashgear]

A LOT of great work here, guys! Kudos to Neal, Jeff, John, Scott, Doug, for your reviews, caps and career appreciation for Robert Duvall. Beautifully expressed and heartfelt, nothing better than that! This thread represents a warmly held nostalgia for the television era that gave him his start. A lot of great memories, as I'm old enough to have seen all of these shows first run. I'm as old as the dirt on Matt Dillon's boots!

 

[ScottRE]

Agreed, this was a hall of a fantastic Tribute Series, putting a lot of shows on my radar. And proof that no matter how slender or facile the role, Duvall never half assed it.

The screen shots were all so well chosen. Naked City is next on my list of classic shows to pick up.

 

[JohnHopper]

---

It's incredible how Duvall has had so many great parts during his Sixties era television work and that tribute shows it well.
He started in 1960 in a Playhouse 90 drama. I noticed he did one Untouchables and one Alfred Hitchcock Presents and even three episodes from Combat!.
As an actor, his career completely changed from the Seventies era like Gene Hackman. Actually, from 1969, he completely leans towards feature films: see The Rain People (1969), Mash (1970), The Revolutionary (1970), THX 1138 (1971).

---

Funny how Duvall will resume to his bald style from his Irwin Allen days in George Lucas’ THX 1138.

 

[The 1960's]

Thank you Randall, Scott, John!

Robert Duvall, certainly The Godfather of Classic Television is like Zelig, simply everywhere. In a word The Godfather of film and television, period!

---

 

[Sky King]

Neal,

I appreciate all the hard work you’ve done with this thread. The research you’ve put into the screen caps and attached summaries is very much appreciated by this forum member.
Keep up the good work.

John

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Here's wishing the wonderfully sexy and sophisticated Shirley Eaton a happy 86th birthday. Most famous for her role as the ill-fated gold-painted Bond girl in Goldfinger, Ms. Eaton enjoyed a brief yet busy career in films and television, including appearing four times on the ITC series The Saint and once on Man of the World, alongside Carlos Thompson in the backdoor pilot for The Sentimental Agent, her chemistry with her two co-stars very readily apparent. With her terrific figure, good looks, big beautiful eyes and above all, her sultry, "come hither" demeanor and deep purring voice, she was a welcome presence playing both good girls and bad in such films as The Girl Hunters (opposite author Mickey Spillane himself as Mike Hammer); the star-studded Ten Little Indians (1966), my personal favorite adaptation of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None; two Ivan Tors' joints: Rhino! and Around the World Under the Sea; The Million Eyes of Sumuru; several Carry On... films, and many more. Judging from interviews she seems an eminently sensible, down-to-earth person, retiring from the business in the late '60s to concentrate on her family. Here are a few images that will hopefully give a hint of her beauty and poise...but for maximum impact, it's best to see her in action by watching some of her work.

 

[Flashgear]

Neal has asked me to repost these captures (from my WAC DVD) of Yvette Mimieux's extraordinary and memorable guest starring role in Dr. Kildare S3, Tyger, Tyger, parts one and two (Jan. 16 and 23, 1964)...

On the first anniversary of this beautiful actresses' passing...R.I.P. and thanks for the memories...

Neal and other members will follow with their own submissions in further tribute to her memory...one of the dream girls of our classic TV and Movie world...

 

[Jeff Flugel]

The beautiful Yvette Mimieux left us one year ago today. To commemorate the anniversary of her passing, I'm re-posting this brief review of one of her early TV appearances from the "What did you watch this week...?" thread. As I mentioned there, Ms. Mimieux was one of my first teen crushes as Weena in George Pal's The Time Machine.

Mr. Lucky – 1.31 “Stacked Deck”.
Mr. Lucky (John Vivyan) and his pal Andamo (Ross Martin) must contend with rich young blonde runaway, Margot (Yvette Mimieux), who has stowed away on their yacht-turned-floating restaurant, The Fortuna. The blonde is not the worst of their problems, though, as a Beatnik serial killer (Grant Williams, unrecognizable as the same guy from The Incredible Shrinking Man) is also on board, and determined to make Margot his next victim. The killer seems small fry compared to some of the hard cases Lucky and Andamo have taken out in past episodes, but the story rachets up some decent suspense…and this time it’s Andamo who ends up with the buxom Ms. Mimieux in his arms, not Lucky (Ross Martin, you old lady killer, you...)

There's some nicely noirish lighting on display here, as well as several clever camera setups, courtesy of veteran feature film director Jack Arnold (including a scene with a gun-toting Williams in the foreground and a pensive Vivyan reflected in a background mirror.) Needless to say, Yvette Mimieux, just a hair over 18 years old here, looks sensational. I’ve always considered Mimieux and Carol Lynley as similar types: both petite, stacked blondes, both fine actresses when called for, and both regularly gave off a somewhat spaced-out, beach bunny vibe that belied their innate intelligence. Both actresses have sadly passed on now, but their beauty and talent will remain, captured on film and forever etched in time.

 

[The 1960's]

In Tribute to the Memory of Yvette Mimieux (January 8, 1942-January 17, 2022)

The Time Machine (1960)
Stars Rod Taylor Alan Young Yvette Mimieux​

---

---

 

[JohnHopper]

Apart from The Time Machine, I remembered Yvette Mimieux in other productions.

CINEMA
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
Joy in the Morning
Dark of the Sun
The Neptune Factor
The Black Hole

TELEVISION
Death Takes a Holiday

Anybody know the short-lived series The Most Deadly Game (1970-1971), starring George Maharis, Ralph Bellamy, Yvette Mimieux?

 

[JohnHopper]

Death Takes a Holiday (1971)
starring Yvette Mimieux, Monte Markham, Bert Convy, Mirna Loy, Melvyn Douglas

Death takes a human form and visits Earth to try to find out why humans want so desperately to cling to life. He unexpectedly falls in love with a beautiful young woman.

 

[The 1960's]

A Tribute To Television’s First Man Of Steel​

George Reeves was born George Keefer Brewer on January 5, 1914 in Woolstock, Iowa. He was the son of Donald Carl Brewer and Helen Lescher. The couple separated soon after Reeves's birth and Reeves and his mother moved several times before finally settling in California. There his mother met and eventually married Frank Bessolo who adopted George and changed George’s last name to Bessolo. That marriage only lasted 15 years.

Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage while a student at Pasadena Junior College. While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. They married on September 22, 1940, in San Gabriel California. They had no children and divorced 10 years later. Reeves's film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton, one of Scarlett O’Hara’s suitors in Gone With The Wind. After that, he worked for Warner Brothers where they changed his professional name to George Reeves. He also worked at 20th Century Fox. Both companies let him go after poor box office performances of his movies.
He then appeared in five Hopalong Cassidy flicks and later appeared in So Proudly We Hail for Paramount Pictures.

In 1943 he was drafted by the US Army after enlisting and was later assigned to the U.S. Army Air Forces. He performed in the USAAF's Broadway show Winged Victory which eventually became a movie. At the end of the war, Reeves was discharged. Many studios were now slowing down their production schedules, with some shutting down completely. Acting roles were tough to find and Reeves was reduced to appearing in a low-end serial, The Adventures Of Sir Galahad and taking a second job digging cesspools. After moving to New York and appearing on live television anthologies, he returned to Hollywood and appeared in two notable films Rancho Notorious and From Here To Eternity with both pictures receiving a “best picture” award from the Academy.

In June 1951, Reeves was offered the role of Superman in a new television series entitled Adventures Of Superman. He was initially reluctant to take the role because, like many actors of his time, he considered television just a passing fad and believed few would see his work anyway. George Reeves took the plunge and his career as Superman began with Superman And The Mole Men, a film intended both as a B-picture and as the pilot for the TV series. Immediately after completing it, Reeves and the crew began production of the first season's episodes, all shot over 13 weeks on the RKO-Pathe stages and the RKO forty acres back lot. The Adventures Of Superman premiered on ABC in 1952. Kelloggs sponsored the show. Superman was filmed on a tight budget, about $15,000 an episode. Thirteen shows were shot over a two week period, a total of seven weeks a year.

I personally met Noel Neill (Lois Lane) and Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen) several times and they told me George was a generous, polite and caring man with a great sense of humor. Reeves worked tirelessly to raise money to fight myasthenia gravis. He served as national chairman for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation in 1955. Despite the tight shooting schedule, the cast members enjoyed doing the show and became good friends, occasionally socializing together at cookouts and the like. Reeves had a real affection for his young fans, and took his role-model as Superman, seriously. He avoided smoking where children could see him and he eventually quit altogether. He also kept his private life, including romances with Toni Mannix and Lenore Lemmon, from his young admirers. Reeves regretted he didn’t have more adult fans. Unfortunately, he never discovered that he did indeed have adult fans of his show, even during its initial run.

Between the first and second seasons of Superman, Reeves got occasional acting jobs in several TV anthology programs. He also appeared two feature films in 1953, Forever Female and The Blue Gardenia. However by this time, the Superman series was airing nationwide and Reeves found himself so associated with the series, that it was difficult for him to find other roles. Reeves, earned additional income from personal appearances as Superman, when not filming. He began tiring of the role by 1954 and wanted to leave the series and broaden his acting and directing horizons. Superman producers offered him a salary increase, and he returned to the series. He was reportedly making $5,000 (about $50,000 in today's dollars) per week, but only while the show was in production. Reeves established his own production company and conceived a TV adventure series called Port Of Entry, which would be shot on location in Hawaii and Mexico. Reeves wrote the pilot script himself. Due to lack of financing, this project never got off the ground. As the ‘50’s wore on, Reeves appeared in a Disney western, Westward Ho The Wagons, sang on TV with Tony Bennett and appeared as Superman on I Love Lucy. When on hiatus from filming, Reeves, Noel Neill, Natividad Vacio, Gene LeBell and a trio of musicians toured with a public-appearance show from 1957 onward.

In 1959, negotiations began for a renewal of the series, with 26 episodes scheduled to go into production. Contracts were signed, costumes refitted, and new writers assigned. Reeves now 45, was not anxious to reprise his role as Superman, but it did supply him with a decent salary and he agreed. Noel told me he was in good spirits and was promised more opportunities to direct several episodes. The show was now seen world wide.

As most of you know, George Reeves died under mysterious circumstances on June 15th 1959. We’ll leave it at that. Some info for this essay was obtained through Wikipedia.

By HTF Member John aka Sky King

---

Adventures of Superman (1952-1958)
Stars George Reeves Phyllis Coates Noel Neill Jack Larson John Hamilton Robert Shayne​

---

---

The Mind Machine Season One - Episode Eight
(Original Airdate November 7, 1952)
Stars George Reeves Phyllis Coates Jack Larson John Hamilton Griff Barnett Dan Seymour Ben Welden James Seay Harry Hayden Lester Dorr Stephen Carr James Conaty Joe Gilbert Dick Gordon Bill Kennedy Bert LeBaron Carl M. Leviness Harold Miller Cary Loftin Superman stunt double Dale Van Sickle Superman stunt double​

---

---

Dr. Edward Stanton (Griff Barnett) and his assistant John Hadley (Stephen Carr) have developed a Mind Machine intended to make contact with a person's mind in order to treat nervous disorders. While working in the lab, Dr. Stanton is kidnapped by gangster Lou Cranek (Dan Seymour) and two of his henchmen, Curley (Ben Weldon) and Al (Frank Orth). The Mind Machine is also taken.

Daily Planet editor Perry White (John Hamilton), Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) and Clark Kent (George Reeves) are discussing the upcoming “Crime Committee” hearings, dealing with Cranek, in White’s office when Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) informs Kent that a Mr. Hadley is in his office. After listening to Hadley’s account of what happened, Kent places an ad in the Daily Planet asking for any information on the whereabouts of Dr. Stanton.

Senator Taylor (James Seay) and his “Crime Committee” are to shortly begin questioning Carl Wagoner (Harry Hayden), an accountant who had served as head bookkeeper for Cranek. Wagoner is cooperative at first, then suddenly claims to not know Cranek. This is a result of the Mind Machine in operation. Wagoner suddenly leaves the hearing and while trying to evade Lois and Clark, first steals a car, then a school bus with three children inside. Superman comes to the rescue and finds Wagoner dead at the wheel of the bus. His mind destroyed by Stanton’s machine. Despite protests from Perry White and Clark Kent for Lois’ safety, Lois is next in line to testify.

She cannot just give her files to the Crime Committee because much of what she knows was memorized. Clark and Hadley using Dr. Stanton’s plane, are able to find the location of the Mind Machine using the plane’s radar. Clark is then told by Perry White via radio telephone, that Lois has just taken the witness stand. Kent then transforms into The Man of Steel after switching the plane’s autopilot on and knocking out Hadley. He swoops into Crank's mountain hideout, mere seconds before he can give Lois orders to change her testimony via the Mind Machine. Cranek and his two henchmen are quickly dispatched by Superman. Dr. Stanton then destroys his Mind Machine so it can never fall into the wrong hands again. He then becomes a key witness in the investigation of Lou Cranek. This episode is, in my opinion, one of the standouts of the entire series. It has all the elements of a 1940’s movie cliffhanger. Action, suspense, great music, believable characters and drama all wrapped around a plausible story.

By HTF Member John aka Sky King

---

---

 

[The 1960's]

 

[The 1960's]

---

---

The following video clip was created by Superman George Reeves Historian Jim Nolt from the Jim Nolt YouTube channel. It’s all about the uncredited stunt doubles used for George Reeves as Superman in Adventures Of Superman. See also The Adventures Continue​

---

​

---

The Mind Machine (Nov.07.1952) contains appearances by Superman Stunt Doubles Cary Loftin and Dale Van Sickle.

Cary Loftin

---

Dale Van Sickle

---

 

[The 1960's]

Adventures of Superman Kellogg’s TV Commercials (1954)

The following Adventures of Superman Kellogg’s commercials are from the iconic tvdays YouTube account. There is no one on Earth who has acquired and preserved more classic television treasures, in fact treasures of all kinds from the past, like the inimitable Ira Gallen. I purchased these over 30 years ago from Ira who was a pleasure to deal with.

In 2011, below some of his YouTube video uploads he wrote, “I restored 21 original Kellogg commercials that were aired on The Adventures of Superman in 1954. In 1988 I was working with DC Comics on the fiftieth anniversary of Superman and talked Kellogg’s in letting us use the spots in the Superman DVD Box set with George Reeves.” See also tvdays.com​

---

George Reeves Superman Kellogg's Corn Flakes Test Footage Commercial at his home.​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes with George Reeves using his Super Hearing​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Sugar Smacks with George Reeves as Clark Kent from Superman​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes with Tony The Tiger & George Reeves as Superman​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Cereal Katy The Kangaroo & Clark Kent as Superman​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Sugar Smacks with the Superman Gang at Jimmy Olsen’s House​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes Superman T-Shirt​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Sugar Smacks at Perry White’s Office​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Sugar Smacks with Clark Kent and Kids behind a tree​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Corn Flakes Jimmy Olsen & Clark Kent​

---

​

---

George Reeves Camping With Kellogg's Corn Flakes​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Sugar Smacks George Reeves Superman Jack Larson John Hamilton​

---

​

---

George Reeves Joins Kids For Kellogg's Breakfast​

---

​

---

George Reeves Finds Missing Boy With X-Ray Vision​

---

​

---

Superman Kellogg's Frosted Flakes George Reeves​

---

​

---

George Reeves & Boy with Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes​

---

​

---

Superman and the Little Girl Kellogg's​

---

​

---

Kellogg's Superman Belt Premium​

---

​

---

Superman TV Kellogg's Comic Book Premium Commercial​

---

​

---

Donald MacBride & Superman Kellogg's Corn Flakes​

---

​

 

[The 1960's]

I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
Stars Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Vivian Vance

S06E13 Lucy and Superman (Jan.14.1957)
Stars Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Vivian Vance William Frawley George Reeves Madge Blake Ralph Dumke Steven Kay Richard Keith George O'Hanlon Doris Singleton Terry Burnham​

---

Lucy competes with her friend Carolyn Appleby over invitations and scheduling for Little Ricky's birthday party. When her husband Ricky mentions that Superman is in town, Lucy tries to get Superman to come to Little Ricky's party, sure that this will make it a much bigger draw than the one Carolyn is hosting. Ricky tries, but Superman can't make the party. So Lucy disguises herself as Superman, but gets herself into great peril. Fortunately, the real Superman does show up to save the day. (IMDb) A few choice screen caps from possibly the only place we’ll ever see remastered HD images of Mr. Reeves as Superman.​

---

---

---

---

---

George Reeves and his Man of Steel will never be forgotten!​

 

[ponset]

Mock comic book cover of Lucy and Superman.