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- Actress
During the Golden Age of Hollywood there were an array of character actors who came out and perfected their craft alongside some of the era's most popular stars. Within that category is one Edith Evanson.
She was born on April 28, 1896 in Tacoma, Washington, the daughter of a Protestant minister. In the the 1910s she was educated at the historic Stadium High School in which she appeared in various drama productions. In the 1910s and 1930s she appeared in various stage productions through a stock company.
In 1939 she came to Hollywood to begin work as a supporting actress in motion pictures; she made her debut the following year in The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1940). She soon made a name for herself in films often appearing as spinsters, landladies, wealthy widows, maids, town gossips, middle-aged secretaries, and snobs.
During her film career she appeared in such classics as Citizen Kane (1941), Woman of the Year (1942), Reunion in France (1942), The Strange Woman (1946), Rope (1948), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), and Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960). With the advent of TV, she expanded in her career and made guest appearances on such programs as Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1955), The Loretta Young Show (1953), Lassie (1954), Bachelor Father (1957), and, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955).
In her later years work became harder to find due to old age and she retired from acting in 1974 following a guest role in the TV show Apple's Way (1974). Upon retirement she moved to Riverside Country, California, where she lived until her death from natural causes on November 29, 1980, aged 84. As she had no close family, she left money to her church, to the Democratic National Committee, and to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital.- Angela Stevens was born on 8 May 1925 in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Creature with the Atom Brain (1955), Outlaw Women (1952) and Blunder Boys (1955). She was married to George F. Zika. She died on 17 March 2016 in Canyon Lake, Riverside County, California, USA.
- Jane Burgess was born on June 4, 1931 in Long Beach, California, USA as Jane McKay Matthews. Her parents were commercial artist Howard Mark Matthews (March 19, 1906-May 10, 1965) and Grace Skillington Maass (April 10, 1906-August 26, 1999). Jane had one brother, Charles Maass (May 12, 1930 - April 24, 1998). She was an actress, known for Looking for Danger (1957), Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) and The Twilight Zone (1959). She died on August 22, 1991 in Riverside, California.
- Mary Halsey came from a prominent Milwaukee family. Her father was Jay S. Halsey, Western representative of the Ply metal company and her mother Zoe Halsey (1888-1965) was working as a interior decorator. The Halsey family went to California in the early twenties. Her parents divorced in 1924. Mary lived with her mother, brother William Henry Halsey and sister Betty in Beverly Hills. William Henry, her brother, died young. In the late twenties, Mary and her older sister Betty began working in movies. An uncle, Horace Halsey, worked as a set designer at one of the studios. In 1929, Mary Halsey was involved in a car accident when a man stepped from behind a parked car and walked in front of her car. The man, a tailor from Los Angeles, was struck and injured fatally by Halsey's car. Mary was not arrested and the coroner's jury held that she was not to blame for the man's death. She married several times; her husbands included Merrill Pye, the Hollywood art-director. She divorced Pye in 1940. She had one son, Jim, with Pye. She married Navy-officer Milton Hicks in 1944. Mary Halsey was also a Red Cross field worker and a member of the women's ambulance and defense corps. In WW 2, she was part of a RKO group who entertained the troops. Her sister Betty (1910-1996) married Maurice Geraghty, brother of movie-actress Carmelita Geraghty in 1932.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
William G. Schilling was born on 30 August 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Space Jam (1996), Ruthless People (1986) and In the Line of Fire (1993). He died on 28 February 2019 in Riverside, California, USA.- Indiana-born, Lyn Thomas acted on stage before she came to Hollywood in the late 40s, working under contract to Eagle Lion, Hal Wallis Productions and 20th Century-Fox and yet never catching the proverbial brass ring. Throughout the 1950s, she appeared in many B movies and TV series (including The Abbott and Costello Show, Adventure s of Superman, The Millionaire, Dragnet and General Electric Theatre); she also frequently appeared on TV commercials and billboards. In 1960, Thomas made her final screen appearance and then (in her words) "got married, married, married." Now (1999) living at a California golf club with her husband of 21 years ("That's a record"), the happily retired Thomas has become a popular guest at Western cons.
- Black American supporting actor Dedrick D. Gobert's career was cut short when he was fatally shot during an argument at a drag race at a Southern California racetrack in late 1994. The 22-year-old made his film debut playing Dooky in John Singleton's _Boyz N the Hood (1991)_.
- Robert Brubaker, son of George Brubaker and descendant of Jonas Sparks, a friend of frontiersman Daniel Boone, was born October 9, 1916 in Robinson, Illinois, a little town located two hundred and ten miles south of Chicago and seven miles from the Wabash River. Probably the towns only claim to fame is it is the home of Heath Candy Company. Bard Heath, the man who developed the English Toffee that eventually became the Heath Candy Bar, was the best man at Bob's parents wedding. Bob attended Robinson Township High School, which was where he became interested in theatrics. Bob started as a freshman, appearing in every production that was at the high school. When a lot of kids are growing up they want to be a soldier or a fireman; Bob had always wanted to be an actor. While in high school Bob was captain of the debating team and won the State Oratory contest. He had a public speaking teacher whose name was Helen Mowry, who was the one that really urged him about continuing his ambition as an actor. As a result of her urgings and her talking and her pushing, she suggested that Bob go to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, at the Annie Mae Swift School of Speech. Bob's freshman year was in September of 1934 and he decided they were trying to teach him to be a teacher instead of how to be an actor. While there he appeared in a show, which was a revival of a musical comedy called "Good News", in which he played the comedy lead, and it was a tremendous success. He received reviews in the Chicago Tribune where the critic stated he liked Bob's characterization of "Bobby" better than that of Jack Haley, which Bob felt was quite an accomplishment. After two years, Bob decided to leave school and learn his profession on the job. Martin Burton, who had, in conjunction with George Condoff, become producers of the first musical ever done by the Federal Theater, had seen Bob's work in "Good News", and offered him a great opportunity. The Federal Theater was the only time that this government had ever subsidized the theater. That was during the Works Progress Administration when Franklin D. Roosevelt was President. In the summer of 1936, Bob went to work in the Federal Theater in a show called "Oh Say Can You Sing, Dance or Act". One of the people in that show who went on to become very famous was a young seventeen-year old kid who did a tap dancing number with a pair of drumsticks. His name was Buddy Rich. That was Bob's first professional show and he worked in that until September 1937. Then, he had to make a decision. There were two ways he could go - he could go to New York or go to Hollywood, but was much more drawn to Hollywood than he was to New York. Which, as a matter of fact, may have been a decision that worked against him rather than for him, because when he got to Hollywood in 1937 there was a great feeling, and there was for many years afterward, the only people who knew how to act had to be brought out from New York. The first thing Bob did when he arrived in Hollywood was to go back to school. He went to a dramatic school by the name of "Bards". There are some well-known alumni from "Bards" that were in school when he was there: Alan Ladd, Jack Carson and Gig Young. Bob was with "Bards" off and on for over two years and finally became a teacher there to help pay for his tuition. While teaching there, Bob was the principal person who taught Turhan Bey how to speak English. In addition to attending "Bards", Bob worked on a number of radio shows at the original KMPC out on Wilshire Boulevard opposite the Beverly Hotel. At that time, Clete Roberts was staff announcer and William Conrad was one of the staff actors. While at "Bards", Bob was brought to the attention of a man who was at that time head of Paramount Studios on the West Coast. They used to have a talent show every so often at "Bards" and all the major talent scouts and casting directors and hierarchy of the production side of the studios that Ben Bard could get into the theater would come to see these talent shows. They did original skits and also scenes from plays and motion pictures. Bob did a scene as a young drunk, and when this guy saw him - it was right at the time Warner Brothers had picked up John Garfield and he made a big splash. When Bob first came to Hollywood, he was told he was not a leading man. His hair was curly and they typed him right away in what was called a juvenile character because, in those days, the leading man was the Robert Taylor / Tyrone Power type -- the very handsome, almost beautiful, absolute straight slick-down patent leather hair. Bob went through all kinds of hell; they tried to straighten his hair. He went to Max Factor and you would not believe the agony he went through and they could do nothing. Bob's hair is curly and that's all there is to it; they were never able to straighten it. But anyway, this guy said they wanted Bob to be Paramount's answer to John Garfield, because that was sort of a breakthrough in that they were accepting a man who looked like that as a possible leading man. All these contracts were drawn up and sent back to be consummated by the head office in New York, and then there was a big rollover in the studio and all the people who were in the top echelon were all gone and nothing ever came of it. This was one of Bob's first "almosts" that didn't happen. Bob was involved in a radio program called "Gateway to Hollywood" in 1939. The producer of the show was a man from RKO named Jesse L. Lasky, and Bob appeared with guest stars such as Merle Oberon and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. It was a talent search and Bob made his way to the finals of that particular show. The first prize was a year contract for RKO. "Josephine Cottle" won the female prize and was given the name of Gale Storm; the fellow who won was Lee Bonnell, who later married Gale Storm. After leaving "Bards", Bob became involved with the Bliss-Hayden Theater for a time and then had the opportunity to go to New York and landed the male lead in a play called "Days of Our Youth" which was being done for the opening of The New School of Social Research, which was off-Broadway. That was in 1941. It was directed by John Baird who had been one of Bob's teachers at Northwestern. They had outstanding critical reviews from the major critics in the New York area, so much so that there were a couple of guys who were looking to invest some money. Their names were Olsen and Johnson, well-known comics who wanted to bring the show to Broadway. They did not think it was necessary to go out of town, so what they did was post an Equity Bond and got a theater lined up on Broadway. The show closed at The New School of Social Research and went into rehearsals for uptown, or Broadway, and, during this time, December seventh came along. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and they paid off the Equity Bond and that was the end of that. Bob eventually returned to Hollywood in the early part of 1942, and subsequently volunteered for the US Army Air Force, was selected, went into the cadet program and became a pilot. He was an instructor and then became an aircraft commander in B-24's. His group was selected to go overseas two different times - They got as far as San Francisco and, both times, they canceled their orders and they ended the war at Gowen Field up in Boise, Idaho. Bob was discharged from the service on December 15, 1945, and returned to Hollywood, and had to start all over again. When you are gone for any period of time, memory is very short in this town or in New York. He did some more radio work and performed on some of the major radio shows of that period. Then, Bob decided to return to New York, where he was a Hollywood actor in New York, and, at that time, they did not have much use for Hollywood actors in New York, so he went to work in the men's section for Lord and Taylor Department Store to survive. Then, Bob was recalled into the service. Anybody who was a pilot at the end of World War II and in physically good health was not discharged, just given separation papers from active duty but kept on active reserve. Bob was recalled to fly the airlift in 1949 on what they called a contract and was supposed to be in the service for eighteen months. He was to serve six months on the airlift, and then spend a year in the training command as an instructor. Bob did his six months on the airlift, flying one hundred and thirty missions into Berlin. When he returned home at the end of his six months, he was greeted by General Curtis LeMay, who was the Commanding General of the Strategic Air Command. General LeMay put out an emergency requisition letter saying that all four-engine pilots returning from the Berlin Airlift with bombardment experience would be assigned to the Strategic Air Command. So, instead of going into the training command for a year, Bob went into the Strategic Air Command and, instead of getting out in a year, he finally got out in February of 1954. During his second tour in the Air Force, Bob flew B-29's and was involved in the Korean War. He flew almost one hundred missions over Korea during the nine months he was over there. When he got out of the service, he came back to Hollywood and started his career all over again. He still had some friends who were active in the business. One was a woman by the name of Eve McVeagh. She had an agent that she steered him to by the name of Leon O. Lance (aka Leo Lance). Bob was very fortunate as he started working almost immediately in television. One of the very first shows that he was involved with was Reed Hadley's show, Public Defender (1954). Bob went on to work on Gunsmoke (1955). The first five years, off and on, he played "Jim Buck", the stagecoach driver; then from the fifth year to the nineteenth year he did a lot of Gunsmoke (1955)'s as a guest; and then when Glenn Strange, who played "Sam" the bartender, died, Bob took over that job as "Floyd". Bob also co-starred as "Deputy Blake" in the 1958 season of U.S. Marshal (1958) with John Bromfield. He also worked on such shows as Mr. Lucky (1959), Broken Arrow (1956), I Love Lucy (1951), Tombstone Territory (1957), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), The Deputy (1959), Tales of Wells Fargo (1957), _"The Rough Riders" (1950)_ (qv, _"The Invaders" (1970)_, Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958), The Andy Griffith Show (1960), Bonanza (1959), "The Texan" (1950)_, _"Kojak" (1970)_, The Rebel (1959), The Untouchables (1959), The Man from Blackhawk (1959), Dragnet (1951), Two Faces West (1960), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964), Death Valley Days (1952), Cheyenne (1955), The F.B.I. (1965), The Twilight Zone (1959), Navy Log (1955), Daniel Boone (1964), My Three Sons (1960), Tarzan (1966), Perry Mason (1957), Wide Country (1962), Dr. Kildare (1961), Kung Fu (1972), The Streets of San Francisco (1972), Barnaby Jones (1973), and later as a regular on Days of Our Lives (1965). Bob was signed by MGM to star in the series The Asphalt Jungle (1961) that Jack Warden eventually did. The networks were extremely powerful as far as what's on the air and what's not, and who gets on the air and who doesn't. When they received notice that MGM had signed Bob, they sent a query to MGM and said that they wanted an actor named Jack Warden, who was in New York, and asked, Who is Bob Brubaker? That was the syndrome about New York actors that was very prevalent in this business at one time. Anyway, they had to pay Bob off for the series, but he never got on the tube with it and he would much rather have gotten on the tube than to be paid off. Bob was involved in some major motion pictures in minor roles. He was "Major Hap Arnold" in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), with Gary Cooper; as a motion picture director with James Cagney in Man of a Thousand Faces (1957); the airport doctor in Airport (1970); a ferryboat operator in Barquero (1970) with Lee Van Cleef; in My Man Godfrey (1957) with June Allyson in which he played a fellow who had to carry a chimp above his head across a crowded dance floor. The last picture he did of any magnitude was The Sting (1973). He was in the famous gambling scene on the train when Redford really puts it to Robert Shaw. Other films included two Audie Murphy westerns, Apache Rifles (1964) and 40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967). Bob's favorite role was in the summer of 1954 after he was discharged from the Air Force. He was stationed in Savannah, Georgia, and had been active while there in the little theater. Bob Porterfield, who owned the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia, saw him do the lead in "Detective Story" and asked him to spend the summer at his theater. Bob went there and that summer he did "Stalag 17" and "Mister Roberts", but his favorite role of all time was when he had the opportunity to play "Willy Loman" in "Death of a Salesman". Bob told me that he had a lot of thrills as far as the theater is concerned, but the greatest thrill of his life was on opening night of "Death of a Salesman". At the end of the final curtain, there was absolute silence for about thirty seconds and then there was thunderous applause and shouts of "Bravo!" and stomping of feet; and again, very well received by the critics. Bob enjoyed his work on Gunsmoke (1955). He loved the opportunity to work in it and with the people who were part of it. He and Dennis Weaver became friends and their sons went to school together. He had worked with James Arness prior to the time he took on the "Matt Dillon" role. One of those things Bob was involved in was the first experiment that NBC did - A thing called "Matinee Theater". An hour color live production, a different one every day at noon. Bob and Arness did "Damian and Phythias". In the late 1970's, Bob took on employment as the Director of the Training Department for before-needs salespeople at Forest Lawn. Bob, after retiring from his employment, moved away from Los Angeles to a smaller California community, where he resided until his death in 2010.
- Actor
- Casting Director
- Additional Crew
Michael Greer was an actor and comedian. His most famous role was as Queenie, the prison drag queen in Sal Mineo's stage and the Harvey Hart film versions of "Fortune and Men's Eyes" (Fortune and Men's Eyes (1971)), which dealt with sex in prison. Mr. Greer appeared as Don Johnson's friend in the 1960s cult film The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970). That movie was also Don Johnson's big screen debut. Other credits include the B-Movie sex comedy Summer School Teachers (1975) and The Gay Deceivers (1969) about two guys avoiding combat in Vietnam by pretending to be gay. He also had bit parts in the Steve Martin comedy The Lonely Guy (1984) and the Bette Midler vehicle The Rose (1979)
Michael was also famous for his live performances as a comedian. Of particular note was a monologue, as the Mona Lisa, holding a giant gilded frame around himself.
He wrote supplemental material for Debbie Reynolds Vegas act, and was once called in to dub Bette Davis' voice when she refused to loop over scenes.
Greer was somewhat a victim of early "gaysploitation" films. A talented actor, it never occurred to him that once he had turned in solid performances as designated that he would not be allowed to work as much else, partially because no one had done it before.
He is not acknowledged much in gay cinema because of a climate of political correctness. He is probably more accurately remembered by friends, colleagues, and punters that saw his live work, than by Hollywood.- Herb Voland was born on 2 October 1918 in New Rochelle, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Airplane! (1980), Play of the Week (1959) and The Love God? (1969). He was married to Betty Jean Carlton and Laura Elizabeth Hale. He died on 26 April 1981 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Frank Gifford was born on 16 August 1930 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Jerry Maguire (1996), Viva Knievel! (1977) and Spin City (1996). He was married to Kathie Lee Gifford, Astrid Gifford and Maxine Avis Ewart. He died on 9 August 2015 in Riverside, Connecticut, USA.- Mary Scott was born on 9 December 1921 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for The Prudential Family Playhouse (1950), Philo Vance Returns (1947) and Johnny Cool (1963). She was married to Cedric Hardwicke. She died on 22 April 2009 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Jean Engstrom was born on 25 July 1920 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She was an actress, known for Voodoo Island (1957), Telephone Time (1956) and Medic (1954). She was married to Elliott Erwin Engstrom and Richard Harold Moon. She died on 20 March 1997 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Kathy O'Dare was born on 27 August 1957 in Eagle Rock, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Eat My Dust (1976), Texas Detour (1978) and Happy Days (1974). She died on 18 July 2010 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Roland Harrah III was born on 20 January 1973 in Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Airwolf (1984), Magnum, P.I. (1980) and Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988). He died on 3 January 1995 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Quentin Sondergaard was born on 11 January 1925 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He was an actor, known for Badman's Gold (1951), Rescue 8 (1958) and This Property Is Condemned (1966). He died on 15 February 1984 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Lean and lanky Gil Lamb should have been a professional contortionist. Every part of him seemed to be elastic. He could bend at the hip and jackknife to the floor, his head almost touching the ground, face turned sideways. That face was also peculiarly long and lugubrious. His 'fish-eyed' double-take became one of his trademarks. Even his neck and Adam's apple lent themselves to a comedy routine in which he pretended to have swallowed a harmonica. An eccentric dancer and funny man, Gil came from a vaudeville background. He got his entry visa to films via a stint as a character named Homer Clinker opposite Verna Felton in a slapstick radio segment of the "Rudy Vallee Show" in 1942. He was then signed by Paramount and enlivened several musicals of the 1940's as perennial comic relief and specialty dancer. Best of these were The Fleet's In (1942) and Star Spangled Rhythm (1942). One of Gil's most typical screen incarnations was that of the comic sailor, as in the Technicolor romp Rainbow Island (1944), starring (predictably) a sarong-clad Dorothy Lamour.
Between 1949 and 1953, Gil starred in his own series of eight two-reel comedies for RKO, which were directed by Hal Yates. In these, he invariably played an accident-prone goofball named Slim, who leaves disaster in his wake. This was true slapstick in the old style, but very well made. In the 1950's, Gil entered the world of television, often in supporting roles or cameos as drunks, party guests or janitors, allowing him to brush up some of his old routines for episodes of popular shows like Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966) and The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968). He was an 1890's policeman in "Once Upon a Time", a curious slapstick entry into the The Twilight Zone (1959), starring Buster Keaton.
On stage, Gil played Ichabod Crane in a 1949 Broadway run of "Sleepy Hollow", alas, rather short-lived. However, that same year Disney animators used his looks and movement as inspiration for Ichabod in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949).- Music Department
- Actress
- Composer
Etta James is an American singer who performed in various genres, including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz, gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". She faced a number of personal problems, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.
Etta James's powerful, deep, earthy voice bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. She won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Rolling Stone magazine ranked James number 22 on its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time; she was ranked number 62 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.- American actress of the 1940s and '50s, a former Esquire model and wartime pin-up girl. She got her start in Hollywood via a scholarship to the Max Reinhardt workshop on the strength of being 'The Coca Cola Girl' and elected 'ad queen of Chicago'. Her first starring role on stage was in 'Seventeen' in 1940. Her subsequent film career was desultory and after a year under contract to Paramount as a stock bit part player, she protested by changing her name from Alicia Brandes to Rebel Randell. While she did eventually appear in several minor films, Rebel became a much bigger star on radio in the 1950's. The only female DJ in Hollywood, she broadcast (at KCBS) for the American Forces Radio Service as hostess of 'Radio Calling' and, later, 'Jukebox, USA'. She was popularly known as 'Miss Double Distilled Honey' and 'The Girl whose Voice could Melt an Iceberg'. Rebel also made headlines as a result of several stormy failed marriages: twice to radio personality William M. Moore (aka Peter Potter) and a particularly acrimonious third to actor/salesman Glenn Thompson.
- Lester Fletcher was born on 18 August 1922 in Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Battlestar Galactica (1978), Switch (1975) and Hitler (1962). He died on 8 December 1989 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Regis Parton was born on 27 January 1917 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Monster Squad (1987), The Stunt Man (1980) and Remote Control (1988). He died on 31 May 1996 in Riverside, California, USA.- Julie Duncan was born on 17 January 1919 in Cornish, Sullivan County, New Hampshire, USA. She was an actress, known for Texas Trouble Shooters (1942), Desperate Cargo (1941) and Cowboy in the Clouds (1943). She was married to James Monroe Jefferson Jr and Jerrold Jerome Kessler. She died on 20 June 1986 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Robert McLane was born on 4 August 1944 in Macon, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Up! (1976), A Very Natural Thing (1974) and Barbara (1970). He died on 30 September 1992 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Morris Buchanan was born on 26 February 1923 in Riverside, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Coffy (1973), Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955) and St. Ives (1976). He was married to Noella Austin and Bessie K. Brown. He died on 14 August 2014 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Ken Miles was born on 1 November 1918 in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom. He died on 17 August 1966 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Zola Taylor was born on 17 March 1938 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Coronación (2000), Rock All Night (1957) and Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). She was married to Frankie Lymon, Lawrence James Savage and James Baptiste. She died on 30 April 2007 in Riverside, California, USA.- Tom McDonough was born on 26 September 1913 in Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Tales of Wells Fargo (1957), Mission: Impossible (1966) and The House on Telegraph Hill (1951). He died on 12 January 2007 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Charles Emmett Mack was born on 25 November 1895 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Driven (1923), Dream Street (1921) and Old San Francisco (1927). He was married to Marianne Lovera (actress). He died on 17 March 1927 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Bill Dyer was born on 4 October 1923 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981), Playhouse 90 (1956) and The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962). He died on 31 March 2006 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
Jack Wagner was born on 17 October 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Sea Hunt (1958), Jive Junction (1943) and Highway Patrol (1955). He died on 16 June 1995 in Riverside, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
She was a pert brunette with a winning smile who decorated several minor screen entertainments in the 1940s. A genuinely talented singer and tap dancer, even a fair actress, Mary Hatcher enjoyed a promising start, yet -- like so many other hopefuls -- her career barely got off the ground. Mary was born and raised in Florida where her good singing voice (coloratura soprano) found a willing sponsor in her father's wealthy employer. With ample funds for her vocal tuition thus available she went on to train under the famous Metropolitan Opera diva Gladys Swarthout. For some reason, or other, grand opera didn't pan out and Mary went on to take singing lessons from a local band leader, Frank Grasso, who also happened to be musical director at a radio station in Tampa. She then sang on radio broadcasts and eventually made her public debut at a 'Latin American Fiesta' in 1940. This was followed by gigs at various charity events for British War Relief. In 1941, still cheerfully subsidized by her father's boss, she undertook further studies at the Juilliard School of Music.
Mary's first attempt to get into films proved to be inauspicious, having twice failed auditions in New York. Her mother was ambitious for her to succeed and this may well have prompted the Hatcher family moving to California. In 1944, Mary was successfully screen-tested and signed to a seven-year contract by Paramount. Simultaneously, she was loaned out to a touring New York Theatre Guild production of "Oklahoma". As a result, she didn't make her screen bow until 1946. Her first three pictures were bit parts. Most of her subsequent leads turned out to be lightweight in nature. Her first was a star-studded musical jamboree: Variety Girl (1947) featured cameos from just about every Paramount contract star (except for Betty Hutton who was pregnant at the time). Opportunities for an upcoming starlet to shine were inevitably limited. At least, Mary got to warble "Julicat" in George Pal's 5-minute Puppetoon segment of "Romeow and Julicat".
She then played one of three sisters (the others were Veronica Lake and Mona Freeman) in a tepid black & white period musical (Isn't It Romantic (1948)), danced with Desi Arnaz in the cheerful low-budget musical Holiday in Havana (1949) and starred as a tomboy love interest opposite Mickey Rooney in The Big Wheel (1949) (an implausible tale of a garage mechanic who ends up becoming an Indianapolis 500 champion). In 1949, Mary landed the plum role of Dallas Smith in the original Broadway musical production of Johnny Mercer's "Texas, L'il Darlin" which ran for a respectable 293 performances, closing in September 1950. The following year, she made her movie swan song playing Maid Marian in a Poverty Row production of Tales of Robin Hood (1951), purportedly the pilot for a failed TV series. Mary gave up film work shortly thereafter and faded into relative obscurity.
Both of her husbands were involved in the big band scene: her first was the comedian Herkie Styles (at the time an alumnus of the Benny Goodman orchestra, later a regular on the Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964) TV show), the second was the renowned swing-era drummer Alvin Stoller.- Actor
- Stunts
- Transportation Department
Darwyn (Dar) Swalve began in community theater and his dream was to be in a Broadway play. His acting agent Keith Wolfe placed Darwyn with actor-turned-agent, Morgan Paul, who had contacts in the theater, as well as films. Darwyn's dream of being in a Broadway show was realized when he landed a role in the award winning Broadway show, "City of Angels." He played six months at the Shubert Theater in Century City and toured for one year with the show. In the movies in which he played he also did some of his own stunts. Darwyn also did commercials including one for Ford Mustang with Katherine Zeta-Jones. He had just finished a TV series project for Nickelodeon Productions ("The Journey Of Allen Strange") a few weeks before he passed away in May 1999 from a heart attack.- Darwood retired from acting in his teens. He became a Seventh-day Adventist minister. As such he spent 17 years in Thailand. At the time of his death he was part time pastor at La Sierra University Seventh-day Adventist Church in Riverside.
- James O'Connell was born on 5 March 1935 in New York, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Cable Guy (1996) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). He died on 1 February 2005 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Animation Department
- Writer
- Director
Eric Cleworth was born on 3 January 1920 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He was a writer and director, known for The Aristocats (1970), Lady and the Tramp (1955) and Robin Hood (1973). He died on 10 December 1999 in Riverside County, California, USA.- Tony Owen was born on 2 May 1907 in Illinois, USA. He was a producer, known for The Donna Reed Show (1958), Finger of Guilt (1956) and The Way Out (1955). He was married to Donna Reed. He died on 12 May 1984 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Russell Wade was born on 21 June 1917 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Shoot to Kill (1947), The Body Snatcher (1945) and Sundown Riders (1944). He was married to Janie. He died on 9 December 2006 in Riverside, California, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Rick Warick was born on 9 April 1915 in New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Brass Legend (1956), Temple Houston (1963) and Adam-12 (1968). He died on 2 May 1986 in Riverside, California, USA.- Pat Harmon was born on 3 February 1886 in Lewiston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Midnight Express (1924), The Freshman (1925) and Breed of the Sea (1926). He was married to Pearl Owings. He died on 26 November 1958 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Dick Paxton was born on 21 November 1918 in Lamar, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Public Enemies (1941), Hit and Run (1957) and Sky Commando (1953). He died on 28 February 1997 in Riverside, California, USA.- Georgie Nokes was born on 22 October 1936 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was an actor, known for It's a Wonderful Life (1946), State of the Union (1948) and Song of the South (1946). He died on 22 May 1986 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Helen Spring was born on 30 December 1898 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Willard (1971), Mission: Impossible (1966) and The Millionaire (1955). She died on 21 February 1978 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
El Duce was born Eldon Wayne Hoke on March 24, 1958 in Seattle, Washington. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Hoke. Eldon had a brother named Steven and two sisters named Christina and Annetta. Hoke attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle, Washington. Bald, bearded, and portly, with a rough gravel voice, a wickedly funny sense of blithely crude'n'rude irreverent humor, and a friendly happy-go-lucky demeanor, Eldon was without a doubt one of the single most amusing, colorful, and entertaining figures to achieve iconic status in the late 1970's/early 1980's punk music scene. Hoke was best known as the drummer and lead singer for the outrageous and controversial "rape rock" punk group the Mentors, which he was an original founding member of in 1977. Eldon not only was featured on a handful of albums with the Mentors, but also recorded several solo albums. Hoke was notorious for his gleefully obscene and offensive antics on a few talk shows: He was a delightfully boorish and outspoken frequent guest on "Hot Seat with Wally George" -- he was usually forcibly removed by security personnel on this particular program -- and made an especially memorable appearance on a January 31, 1997 episode of "The Jerry Springer Show" entitled "Shock Rock." Outside of music, Eldon worked as an extra in films, music videos, and TV shows. Hoke claimed that Courtney Love offered him $50,000 dollars to kill Kurt Cobain; he took a polygraph test to confirm the veracity of this claim and passed said test with flying colors. His last live performance was at Al's Bar in downtown Los Angeles on April 18, 1997. Eldon died at age 39 when he was hit by a freight train while intoxicated on April 19, 1997 in Riverside, California.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Marie DeForrest was born on 11 November 1913 in Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Lash of the Penitentes (1936) and Artists and Models Abroad (1938). She was married to Barney Phillips. She died on 11 November 1990 in Riverside, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Art Mix was born on 18 June 1896 in Atlas, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Bandit Chaser (1928), Treason (1933) and Maisie (1939). He was married to Inez Gomez. He died on 7 December 1972 in Riverside, California, USA.- Patricia Lake was born on 18 June 1919 in Paris, France. She was married to Arthur Lake. She died on 3 October 1993 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Mary Ford was born on 4 September 1893 in Morristown, New Jersey, USA. She was married to John Ford and Robert C. Martin. She died on 29 July 1979 in Riverside, California, USA.
- Molly Magruder was born on 31 December 1936. She was an actress, known for Surfside 6 (1960), The Danny Thomas Show (1953) and You Bet Your Life (1950). She died on 5 March 2001 in Riverside County, California, USA.
- Arthur Lake Jr. was born on 1 March 1943 in Hollywood, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Meet the Family (1954). He died on 6 April 1994 in Blythe, Riverside County, California, USA.
- Casey MacGregor was born on 6 February 1904. He was an actor, known for Seven Doors to Death (1944), The Panther's Claw (1942) and Arson Squad (1945). He died on 15 December 1988 in Riverside, California, USA.