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Medusa Challenger (1976)
Unlisted Cast Member
Per Steven Elkins, writer/director, the bridge tender was played by Al Lamb, the actual bridge tender.
Go, Johnny, Go! (1959)
Richie Valens only on screen performance.
Go, Johnny, Go! Was the only film in which Richie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela) appears on screen. This is significant. 17 year old Valens was killed only a few months after filming, in the plane crash with The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson) and Buddy Holly, on February 3, 1959.
Go, Johnny, Go! wasn't released until the spring of 1959.
The crash itself, also has some unusual circumstances attached to it. The plane had been chartered by Buddy Holly so that he could join his band at the next stop, Fargo, North Dakota. Valens, Holly, "Jape" as the Big Bopper preferred to be called, and Dion and the Belmonts had been traveling on a bus throughout the Midwest on the "Winter Dance Party, 1959" tour. The bus had been having engine problems and the interior heating system was not working. As a result, "Jape" was coming down with the flu and asked Buddy Holly if he could have Holly's bass player's seat on the plane. The bass player for Holly at that time, was Waylon Jennings. Jennings gave up his seat and the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly took off at 1:00 AM in the morning from Clear Lake, Iowa and entered rock and roll history only eight miles from the airport.
At the time of the crash, Ritchie Valans's singles, "La Bomba" and "Donna" made him the most popular artist on the bill.
Flesh Gordon (1974)
The "Rock Horror Picture Show" of space porn.
A nice, light spoof of the old Flash Gordon serials combined with silly, soft porn. I think I saw this flick in drive-in theaters about six different times.
You get to the point where you are lip-syncing all the words of Dr. Flexi Jerkoff and warning people to watch out for the Penisaurous's lurking outside the snack bar.
The settings of the film were somewhat reminiscent of Jane Fonda's "Barbarella." The acting is "stiff" as it should be. Both for the serial plays and the soft porn. The dialog is clever without being pornographic. It would elicit the same "groaning" from teenage viewers as is heard when they watch the original "Reefer Madness" in modern day settings.
Beakman's World (1992)
Don and Herb, the penguins
I don't know if this is a hard fact, but I remember hearing, at the time the show was in production, that the names Don and Herb were selected as an homage to Don Herbert. Don Herbert, now in his late '80's (2005) played "Mr. Wizard", the greatest of all children's science programs hosts.
Mr. Wizard was explaining science long before "Bill Nye, the science guy" or "Beekman" ever came along.
The "Watch Mr. Wizard" show format was somewhat similar to Beekman's World. Take a science concept and explain in simple, but yet interesting terms that appeal to both kids and adults. Mr. Wizard did his demonstrations in what might be described as a "home kitchen laboratory" with simple props made from items you would find around the house (except for some of the weird chemicals.) The shows were shot with professional, child actors (because they wanted kids used to performing so as not to just stare blankly at the camera) but very little rehearsal, usually just a production meeting describing what to expect and a run-through, so that the expressions of the actors would be fresh and natural.
Several of the child actors went on to successful careers in television.
Don Herbert is alive and well today and still producing science oriented content for young people though his production company, "Mr Wizard Studios"