"Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry had a pretty impressive career as a screenwriter, developing one of the most influential and popular science fiction franchises of all time. His legacy through "Star Trek" is truly something, impressing his progressive, humanistic outlook upon the world through the ideals of Starfleet, but even without "Star Trek," Roddenberry is also a (somewhat) secret legend for having survived multiple plane crashes during his time in the military and as a commercial pilot for Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). His work on "Star Trek" is much better known, of course, but the incredible stories behind his near-death experiences as a pilot help afford fans a better understanding of the man who gave us Captain Kirk, Spock, and the whole beautiful, utopian universe of "Star Trek."
(Sure, he originally pitched "Star Trek" to studios as a space Western, comparing it to the popular series "Wagon Train,...
(Sure, he originally pitched "Star Trek" to studios as a space Western, comparing it to the popular series "Wagon Train,...
- 8/25/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Actress Dawn Wells passed away in 2020 at the age of 82, having experienced a prolific career in TV and on film. In the early 1960s, Wells appeared on hot TV shows like "Wagon Train," "Maverick," and "77 Sunset Strip" in various supporting roles, and her career boomed in 1964 when she was hired to play the friendly hayseed Mary Ann on Sherwood Schwartz's mega-hit "Gilligan's Island." While "Gilligan's Island" was derided at the time for its silliness and broad, cartoony tone, it was still a huge hit, and the seven lead actors all became household names. Indeed, "Gilligan's Island" became so popular that several of its stars had trouble shaking off their association with the show.
After the series ended, Wells continued to work on hit shows like "Bonanza," and she appeared in notable horror movies like "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" and "Return to Boggy Creek," but many of her...
After the series ended, Wells continued to work on hit shows like "Bonanza," and she appeared in notable horror movies like "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" and "Return to Boggy Creek," but many of her...
- 8/18/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Evans Evans, a character actor who’d made some minor forays into television when she was cast in what would become her most remembered role as a kidnap victim in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, died Sunday, June 16. She was 91.
Additional details were not available. Her death was announced in a public obituary.
Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, on November 26, 1932, Evans was resident of Sherman Oaks, California, the widow of director John Frankenheimer. The two wed on December 13, 1963, and remained married until his death on July 6, 2002.
After a string of single appearances on such ’60s episodic TV programs as The Donna Reed Show, Wagon Train, Death Valley Days and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Evans was cast in what would become her signature role for 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde: As Velma Davis, she and scene partner Gene Wilder, in his big screen debut, portrayed two young lovebirds who, while kissing on their front porch,...
Additional details were not available. Her death was announced in a public obituary.
Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, on November 26, 1932, Evans was resident of Sherman Oaks, California, the widow of director John Frankenheimer. The two wed on December 13, 1963, and remained married until his death on July 6, 2002.
After a string of single appearances on such ’60s episodic TV programs as The Donna Reed Show, Wagon Train, Death Valley Days and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Evans was cast in what would become her signature role for 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde: As Velma Davis, she and scene partner Gene Wilder, in his big screen debut, portrayed two young lovebirds who, while kissing on their front porch,...
- 6/20/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Janis Paige, who racked up more than 100 film, TV and stage credits over six decades including The Pajama Game, Silk Stockings and Santa Barbara, died June 2 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 101.
Her friend Stuart Lambert told The Associated Press about Paige’s death.
During her long career, Paige toured with Bob Hope and danced onscreen with Fred Astaire, along with originating the Babe Williams role in The Pajama Game on Broadway in 1954. That same year she headlined It’s Always Jan, a CBS sitcom about the problems of single-parenthood during which she usually sang a song. It lasted a single season.
Born Donna Mae Tjaden on September 16, 1922, in Tacoma, Wa, she began singing in talent shows at a tender age and moved to Los Angeles after graduating high school.
Paige made her Broadway debut in 1951 opposite Jackie Cooper in the mystery comedy Remains to Be Seen but...
Her friend Stuart Lambert told The Associated Press about Paige’s death.
During her long career, Paige toured with Bob Hope and danced onscreen with Fred Astaire, along with originating the Babe Williams role in The Pajama Game on Broadway in 1954. That same year she headlined It’s Always Jan, a CBS sitcom about the problems of single-parenthood during which she usually sang a song. It lasted a single season.
Born Donna Mae Tjaden on September 16, 1922, in Tacoma, Wa, she began singing in talent shows at a tender age and moved to Los Angeles after graduating high school.
Paige made her Broadway debut in 1951 opposite Jackie Cooper in the mystery comedy Remains to Be Seen but...
- 6/3/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress Melody Thomas Scott and her real-life husband, producer Edward J. Scott, will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award during “The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards,” it was announced on Monday. Public television host and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich will also be honored.
The honors will be presented in person on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at the historic Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles with “The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” being broadcast Live Friday, June 7 on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
“We’ve long wanted to honor the legendary daytime duo of Melody Thomas Scott and her husband Edward J. Scott. With a combined 93 years of contributions to our community, they are true institutions in the world of Daytime television. In addition, Lidia Bastianich’s astounding success combines her love of cooking while simultaneously entertaining millions each day. It is an...
The honors will be presented in person on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at the historic Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles with “The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” being broadcast Live Friday, June 7 on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
“We’ve long wanted to honor the legendary daytime duo of Melody Thomas Scott and her husband Edward J. Scott. With a combined 93 years of contributions to our community, they are true institutions in the world of Daytime television. In addition, Lidia Bastianich’s astounding success combines her love of cooking while simultaneously entertaining millions each day. It is an...
- 5/6/2024
- by Errol Lewis
- Soap Opera Network
Daytime drama veterans and spouses Melody Thomas Scott and Edward J. Scott and PBS cooking show host Lidia Bastianich are set for career honors at the 2024 Daytime Emmy Awards next month. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will present Lifetime Achievement Awards to the trio during the 51st annual ceremony. on June 7.
“We’ve long wanted to honor the legendary daytime duo of Melody Thomas Scott and her husband Edward J. Scott,” NATAS CEO Adam Sharp said. “With a combined 93 years of contributions to our community, they are true institutions in the world of daytime television. In addition, Lidia Bastianich’s astounding success combines her love of cooking while simultaneously entertaining millions each day. It is an honor for us to say grazie for the many fine meals borne from her TV kitchen and cookbook pages.”
Thomas Scott has played Nikki Newman on The Young and The Restless since...
“We’ve long wanted to honor the legendary daytime duo of Melody Thomas Scott and her husband Edward J. Scott,” NATAS CEO Adam Sharp said. “With a combined 93 years of contributions to our community, they are true institutions in the world of daytime television. In addition, Lidia Bastianich’s astounding success combines her love of cooking while simultaneously entertaining millions each day. It is an honor for us to say grazie for the many fine meals borne from her TV kitchen and cookbook pages.”
Thomas Scott has played Nikki Newman on The Young and The Restless since...
- 5/6/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
10. Cheyenne (1955–1963)
Oh, Cheyenne! If we were to name every “first-ever” this TV show became back in the day, we’d sit here all day.
But it’s better to spend this time on the road with Cheyenne Bodie — the nomadic gunslinger who’s always on the road, looking for jobs that pay, villains that are asking for it, and women that are oh so charming.
9. The Wild Wild West (1965–1969)
Everyone and their grandmother loves spy shows. But how about espionage in the Wild Wild West? Enter James West and Artemus Gordon, two secret service agents working for the Old West government to foil many a villain’s plans to undermine that part of the US. There’s a lot of West in the previous sentence, but give it a west.
8. Wagon Train (1957–1965)
If your friends don’t believe that Westerns largely influenced sci-fi, show them Wagon Train. Following a notoriously...
Oh, Cheyenne! If we were to name every “first-ever” this TV show became back in the day, we’d sit here all day.
But it’s better to spend this time on the road with Cheyenne Bodie — the nomadic gunslinger who’s always on the road, looking for jobs that pay, villains that are asking for it, and women that are oh so charming.
9. The Wild Wild West (1965–1969)
Everyone and their grandmother loves spy shows. But how about espionage in the Wild Wild West? Enter James West and Artemus Gordon, two secret service agents working for the Old West government to foil many a villain’s plans to undermine that part of the US. There’s a lot of West in the previous sentence, but give it a west.
8. Wagon Train (1957–1965)
If your friends don’t believe that Westerns largely influenced sci-fi, show them Wagon Train. Following a notoriously...
- 5/2/2024
- by [email protected] (Dean Black)
- STartefacts.com
Lynn Loring, who appeared as a young actress on Search for Tomorrow, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and The F.B.I. before becoming one of the highest-ranking female executives in Hollywood at the time, has died. She was 80.
Loring died Dec. 23 at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center after a series of chronic illnesses, her son, Chris Thinnes, told The Hollywood Reporter. Her family chose not to make public her death until now.
Loring also acted in a few movies, including Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass (1961), Pressure Point (1962) and, alongside then-husband Roy Thinnes, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969).
When she was 7, Loring joined the new CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow in September 1951 for the first of its 35 seasons. She would portray Patti Barron, daughter of Mary Stuart’s Joanne Gardner, for a decade until she graduated from the Calhoun School for Girls and entered Barnard College...
Loring died Dec. 23 at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center after a series of chronic illnesses, her son, Chris Thinnes, told The Hollywood Reporter. Her family chose not to make public her death until now.
Loring also acted in a few movies, including Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass (1961), Pressure Point (1962) and, alongside then-husband Roy Thinnes, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969).
When she was 7, Loring joined the new CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow in September 1951 for the first of its 35 seasons. She would portray Patti Barron, daughter of Mary Stuart’s Joanne Gardner, for a decade until she graduated from the Calhoun School for Girls and entered Barnard College...
- 4/2/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ron Harper, whose career in TV spanned several decades with roles in Generations, Planet of the Apes, Land of the Lost and Another World, died March 21 of natural causes in West Hills, CA. He was 91.
His death was confirmed by his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Pennsylvania-born actor studies at Princeton and served in the U.S. Navy before returning to New York City to serve as Paul Newman’s understudy in Sweet Bird of Youth on Broadway. He later moved to Los Angeles to kick off a career in television, starting with a 1960 role in NBC’s Tales of Wells Fargo before booking spots in shows like Wagon Train, Shotgun Slade and 87th Precinct, in which he played Det. Bert Kling for multiple episodes.
Other regular gigs on the small screen included a run on Garrison’s Gorillas, as well as Where the Heart Is and Planet of the Apes.
His death was confirmed by his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Pennsylvania-born actor studies at Princeton and served in the U.S. Navy before returning to New York City to serve as Paul Newman’s understudy in Sweet Bird of Youth on Broadway. He later moved to Los Angeles to kick off a career in television, starting with a 1960 role in NBC’s Tales of Wells Fargo before booking spots in shows like Wagon Train, Shotgun Slade and 87th Precinct, in which he played Det. Bert Kling for multiple episodes.
Other regular gigs on the small screen included a run on Garrison’s Gorillas, as well as Where the Heart Is and Planet of the Apes.
- 3/25/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Ron Harper, an actor best known for short-lived TV series like Land of the Lost and Planet of the Apes, has died. He was 91.
Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home. His daughter, Nicole Longeuay, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
More from TVLineRobyn Bernard, General Hospital's Terry Brock, Dead at 64Steve Lawrence, Grammy and Emmy-Winning Entertainer, Dead at 88Jennifer Hudson Posts Tribute to Late American Idol Vocal Coach Debra Byrd: 'She Will Be Dearly Missed'
The actor joined Sid and Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost in its third (and what would be final) season,...
Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home. His daughter, Nicole Longeuay, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
More from TVLineRobyn Bernard, General Hospital's Terry Brock, Dead at 64Steve Lawrence, Grammy and Emmy-Winning Entertainer, Dead at 88Jennifer Hudson Posts Tribute to Late American Idol Vocal Coach Debra Byrd: 'She Will Be Dearly Missed'
The actor joined Sid and Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost in its third (and what would be final) season,...
- 3/25/2024
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
Ron Harper, who starred on Planet of the Apes and four other short-lived primetime series and on the final season of the beloved kids TV show Land of the Lost during a very busy 15 years on television, has died. He was 91.
Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home in West Hills, his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, told The Hollywood Reporter.
After understudying for Paul Newman on Broadway, Harper portrayed Det. Bert Kling alongside Norman Fell, Robert Lansing, Gregory Walcott and Gena Rowlands on the 1961-62 NBC cop show 87th Precinct, based on the novels of Ed McBain.
He played Jeff Conway, the husband of Connie Stevens’ character, on the 1964-65 ABC sitcom Wendy and Me, also starring George Burns, who produced the show and appeared as the owner of the apartment building in which the young couple lives.
Next up for Harper were turns as the son of Jean Arthur...
Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home in West Hills, his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, told The Hollywood Reporter.
After understudying for Paul Newman on Broadway, Harper portrayed Det. Bert Kling alongside Norman Fell, Robert Lansing, Gregory Walcott and Gena Rowlands on the 1961-62 NBC cop show 87th Precinct, based on the novels of Ed McBain.
He played Jeff Conway, the husband of Connie Stevens’ character, on the 1964-65 ABC sitcom Wendy and Me, also starring George Burns, who produced the show and appeared as the owner of the apartment building in which the young couple lives.
Next up for Harper were turns as the son of Jean Arthur...
- 3/25/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" isn't quite like any other "Star Trek" show, and when it debuted in 1993, it was quite the departure from both the original series and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Instead of following intrepid explorers on starships trekking across the galaxy, "Deep Space Nine" followed the stories of the people who lived on board the space station Deep Space Nine (DS9) — civilians, Bajoran militia, and Starfleet officers alike. Showrunner Rick Berman was in charge of taking the "Star Trek" universe in a new direction following the success of "The Next Generation," but he ended up looking to a rather old television series for inspiration.
In an interview with StarTrek.com, Berman explained the inspiration behind "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and revealed that he and writer/producer Michael Piller got their biggest idea from a classic 1950s Western. That's pretty great given the fact that "Star Trek...
In an interview with StarTrek.com, Berman explained the inspiration behind "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and revealed that he and writer/producer Michael Piller got their biggest idea from a classic 1950s Western. That's pretty great given the fact that "Star Trek...
- 3/22/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Jean Allison, the familiar character actress who appeared on dozens of TV shows, from Have Gun — Will Travel, Bonanza, Hawaiian Eye and The Rifleman to McCloud, Adam-12, The Waltons and Highway to Heaven, has died. She was 94.
Allison, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, died Feb. 28, her family announced.
Allison made her big-screen debut as a woman menaced by a psychopath (Michael Higgins) in the United Artists drama Edge of Fury (1958), and her film résumé also included The Devil’s Partner (1960), Paul Sylbert’s The Steagle (1971), Robert Benton’s Bad Company (1972) and Paul Schrader’s Hardcore (1979).
Born in New York on Oct. 24, 1929, Allison attended Marymount High School in Tarrytown, New York, and Adelphi College, also in New York.
While appearing on stage in the Patricia Joudry drama Teach Me How to Cry, she was spotted and signed by agent Doovid Barskin. Her first TV gig came in 1957 on CBS’ General Electric Theater.
Allison, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, died Feb. 28, her family announced.
Allison made her big-screen debut as a woman menaced by a psychopath (Michael Higgins) in the United Artists drama Edge of Fury (1958), and her film résumé also included The Devil’s Partner (1960), Paul Sylbert’s The Steagle (1971), Robert Benton’s Bad Company (1972) and Paul Schrader’s Hardcore (1979).
Born in New York on Oct. 24, 1929, Allison attended Marymount High School in Tarrytown, New York, and Adelphi College, also in New York.
While appearing on stage in the Patricia Joudry drama Teach Me How to Cry, she was spotted and signed by agent Doovid Barskin. Her first TV gig came in 1957 on CBS’ General Electric Theater.
- 3/8/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jackie Loughery, who parlayed a victory in the first Miss USA pageant into an acting career that included a prominent role opposite future husband Jack Webb in the 1957 military drama The D.I., has died. She was 93.
Loughery died Friday in Los Angeles, Webb biographer Dan Moyer told The Hollywood Reporter. “She was like a mother to me and called me her kid,” he said.
The Brooklyn native also served as Johnny Carson’s assistant on a game show and appeared in the Western comedy Pardners (1956), starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis; the melodrama Eighteen and Anxious (1957), starring William Campbell; and the political drama A Public Affair (1962), starring Edward Binns.
And for television, Loughery portrayed the niece of the title character (Edgar Buchanan) on the 1955-56 syndicated Western series Judge Roy Bean.
Loughery played a cautious shop owner named Annie who is romanced by a tough U.S. Marine drill sergeant...
Loughery died Friday in Los Angeles, Webb biographer Dan Moyer told The Hollywood Reporter. “She was like a mother to me and called me her kid,” he said.
The Brooklyn native also served as Johnny Carson’s assistant on a game show and appeared in the Western comedy Pardners (1956), starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis; the melodrama Eighteen and Anxious (1957), starring William Campbell; and the political drama A Public Affair (1962), starring Edward Binns.
And for television, Loughery portrayed the niece of the title character (Edgar Buchanan) on the 1955-56 syndicated Western series Judge Roy Bean.
Loughery played a cautious shop owner named Annie who is romanced by a tough U.S. Marine drill sergeant...
- 2/26/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Who wouldn’t want to spend the holidays with some of their favorite TV characters? MeTV is making it easy this year with its “A Very Merry MeTV” programming lineup, which includes a selection of very special Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed episodes of classic shows such as The Waltons, The Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith, and more.
The celebration begins on Sunday, Nov. 19 and runs through Dec. 25. Check out some of the highlights below, as well as the full schedule.
‘The Waltons’ Thanksgiving episode airs Nov. 22 and 23 A Verry Merry MeTV | MeTV
Celebrate Thanksgiving with one of TV’s most famous fictional families. In 1973, The Waltons aired its only Thanksgiving special, a two-part episode titled “The Thanksgiving Story.” The season 2 episode focuses on John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas), who suffers a life-threatening head injury that puts his plans for college at risk. Meanwhile, his sister Mary Ellen (Judy Norton) auditions for the Thanksgiving play,...
The celebration begins on Sunday, Nov. 19 and runs through Dec. 25. Check out some of the highlights below, as well as the full schedule.
‘The Waltons’ Thanksgiving episode airs Nov. 22 and 23 A Verry Merry MeTV | MeTV
Celebrate Thanksgiving with one of TV’s most famous fictional families. In 1973, The Waltons aired its only Thanksgiving special, a two-part episode titled “The Thanksgiving Story.” The season 2 episode focuses on John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas), who suffers a life-threatening head injury that puts his plans for college at risk. Meanwhile, his sister Mary Ellen (Judy Norton) auditions for the Thanksgiving play,...
- 11/19/2023
- by Megan Elliott
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Joan Evans, an actress who was the goddaughter of Joan Crawford, died Oct. 21 in Henderson, Nevada, according to her son, John Weatherly. No cause was given.
During her career, she worked with the likes of Farley Granger, Audie Murphy, Irene Dunne, and Esther Williams, among many others.
Among her film roles were parts in On the Loose (1951), It Grows on Trees (1952); and Skirts Ahoy! (1952).
She signed her first film contract in 1948 at age 14 to work with producer Samuel Goldwyn.
While doing reshoots, she was accidentally shot in the arm by Farley Granger. His gun discharged and she need emergency surgery and hospitalilzation.
Evans later appeared in such films as The Outcast (1954), A Strange Adventure (1956), The Flying Fontaines (1959) and The Walking Target (1960), and on TV shows including Climax!, The Millionaire, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Wagon Train, Zorro, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Tall Man and Laramie.
She stopped acting in the...
During her career, she worked with the likes of Farley Granger, Audie Murphy, Irene Dunne, and Esther Williams, among many others.
Among her film roles were parts in On the Loose (1951), It Grows on Trees (1952); and Skirts Ahoy! (1952).
She signed her first film contract in 1948 at age 14 to work with producer Samuel Goldwyn.
While doing reshoots, she was accidentally shot in the arm by Farley Granger. His gun discharged and she need emergency surgery and hospitalilzation.
Evans later appeared in such films as The Outcast (1954), A Strange Adventure (1956), The Flying Fontaines (1959) and The Walking Target (1960), and on TV shows including Climax!, The Millionaire, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Wagon Train, Zorro, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Tall Man and Laramie.
She stopped acting in the...
- 10/28/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Joan Evans, the daughter of screenwriters and goddaughter of Joan Crawford, who starred opposite Farley Granger in her first three films and with Audie Murphy in a pair of Westerns, has died. She was 89.
Evans died Oct. 21 in Henderson, Nevada, her son, John Weatherly, told The Hollywood Reporter.
She also toplined the Charles Lederer-directed On the Loose (1951), playing a suicidal teenager in the drama written by her parents, Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert; portrayed Irene Dunne’s daughter in the fantasy It Grows on Trees (1952); and enlisted in the U.S. Navy with Esther Williams in the musical comedy Skirts Ahoy! (1952).
Evans played the love interest of Granger’s character in the title role of Roseanna McCoy (1949), a drama loosely based on the family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. The two worked together again in the 1950 releases Our Very Own and Edge of Doom, a bleak film noir directed by Mark Robson.
Evans died Oct. 21 in Henderson, Nevada, her son, John Weatherly, told The Hollywood Reporter.
She also toplined the Charles Lederer-directed On the Loose (1951), playing a suicidal teenager in the drama written by her parents, Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert; portrayed Irene Dunne’s daughter in the fantasy It Grows on Trees (1952); and enlisted in the U.S. Navy with Esther Williams in the musical comedy Skirts Ahoy! (1952).
Evans played the love interest of Granger’s character in the title role of Roseanna McCoy (1949), a drama loosely based on the family feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. The two worked together again in the 1950 releases Our Very Own and Edge of Doom, a bleak film noir directed by Mark Robson.
- 10/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Prior to creating "Star Trek," Gene Roddenberry had spent a decade as a TV journeyman, writing for multiple hit shows of the day including "Highway Patrol," "I Led 3 Lives," "Dr. Kildare," and 24 episodes of "Have Gun – Will Travel." He became adept at multiple genres and had a very good sense of how TV trends flowed by the time he went to pitch "Star Trek." Famously, Roddenberry pitched his sci-fi show as "Wagon Train to the Stars," referring to the massive hit Western that debuted in 1957 and ran until 1965. That notorious pitch has worked its way into known Trek lore and can be heard quoted by good Trekkies everywhere. These days, "Star Trek" is far more popular than "Wagon Train" ever was.
Looking over "Star Trek," one finds a lot of Western-inflected language, notably how space is referred to as the Final Frontier. While Roddenberry wanted to pointedly avoid any...
Looking over "Star Trek," one finds a lot of Western-inflected language, notably how space is referred to as the Final Frontier. While Roddenberry wanted to pointedly avoid any...
- 8/27/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Sharon Farrell, who starred in many films in her long career in Hollywood, including opposite James Garner and Steve McQueen in the 1969 films ‘Marlowe’ and ‘The Reivers’ respectively, has died. She was 82. Farrell died on May 15 of natural causes at a hospital in Orange County. Her death was only recently discovered by relatives, who posted the news to Facebook, but they were unsure of the cause, as per Deadline.
Farrell had an extensive resume, but is best remembered for the film ‘It’s Alive’, in which she played the mother of a murderous deformed infant.
She also had roles in the films ‘The Stunt Man’, ‘Lone Wolf McQuade’, and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ (1987).
In the horror thriller ‘It’s Alive’ (1974), written and directed by Larry Cohen and featuring special effects make-up from Rick Baker, Farrell’s Lenore Davis tries to protect the hideously deformed child she just had, even though the infant...
Farrell had an extensive resume, but is best remembered for the film ‘It’s Alive’, in which she played the mother of a murderous deformed infant.
She also had roles in the films ‘The Stunt Man’, ‘Lone Wolf McQuade’, and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ (1987).
In the horror thriller ‘It’s Alive’ (1974), written and directed by Larry Cohen and featuring special effects make-up from Rick Baker, Farrell’s Lenore Davis tries to protect the hideously deformed child she just had, even though the infant...
- 8/6/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Sharon Farrell, whose long career included star turns in film, television, and on Broadway, died May 15 in Orange County. Her death at 82 was only recently discovered by relatives, who posted the news to Facebook, but they were unsure of the cause.
Farrell had an extensive resume, but is best remembered for the film It’s Alive, in which she played the mother of a murderous deformed infant. She also had roles in the films The Stunt Man, Lone Wolf McQuade, Marlowe, The Reivers (with Steve McQueen) and Can’t Buy Me Love (1987).
On television, Farrell recurred as Det. Lori Wilson in the final season of the original Hawaii Five-o. She was also Florence Webster on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1991-97.
Born Sharon Forsmoe on Christmas Eve in 1940 in Sioux City, Iowa, she moved to New York, where she acted and modeled.
She made her film debut in 1959’s Kiss Her Goodbye,...
Farrell had an extensive resume, but is best remembered for the film It’s Alive, in which she played the mother of a murderous deformed infant. She also had roles in the films The Stunt Man, Lone Wolf McQuade, Marlowe, The Reivers (with Steve McQueen) and Can’t Buy Me Love (1987).
On television, Farrell recurred as Det. Lori Wilson in the final season of the original Hawaii Five-o. She was also Florence Webster on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1991-97.
Born Sharon Forsmoe on Christmas Eve in 1940 in Sioux City, Iowa, she moved to New York, where she acted and modeled.
She made her film debut in 1959’s Kiss Her Goodbye,...
- 8/5/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Sharon Farrell, who starred as the mother of a murderous infant in It’s Alive and contributed strong supporting turns opposite James Garner and Steve McQueen, respectively, in the 1969 films Marlowe and The Reivers, has died. She was 82.
Farrell died unexpectedly May 15 of natural causes at a hospital in Orange County, her son, Chance Boyer, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Farrell also played a movie hairstylist in Richard Rush‘s The Stunt Man (1980), the ex-wife of Chuck Norris’ Texas Ranger in Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) and the mother of the cheerleader portrayed by Amanda Peterson in Can’t Buy Me Love (1987).
On television, Farrell recurred as Det. Lori Wilson on the final season (1979-80) of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o and was Florence Webster, mother of Tricia Cast’s Nina Webster, on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1991-97.
In the horror thriller It’s Alive (1974), written and directed by Larry Cohen and...
Farrell died unexpectedly May 15 of natural causes at a hospital in Orange County, her son, Chance Boyer, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Farrell also played a movie hairstylist in Richard Rush‘s The Stunt Man (1980), the ex-wife of Chuck Norris’ Texas Ranger in Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) and the mother of the cheerleader portrayed by Amanda Peterson in Can’t Buy Me Love (1987).
On television, Farrell recurred as Det. Lori Wilson on the final season (1979-80) of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o and was Florence Webster, mother of Tricia Cast’s Nina Webster, on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1991-97.
In the horror thriller It’s Alive (1974), written and directed by Larry Cohen and...
- 8/5/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
History repeated itself last week when actors went on strike at the same time as writers, who have been picketing for more than two months. This is only the second time in the history of the industry that both guilds have halted work simultaneously, with advancements in technology at the root of their cause, and it’s been 63 year since that event shook Hollywood. Today, writers and performers are fighting for their fair share of residuals in a world that has now largely turned to streaming services, and to protect their work from being taken over by AI, whereas in 1960, they were fighting for residuals from reruns and theatrical films being shown on a relatively new medium — television. Let’s turn back time and flashback to life during that history-making time of the 1960 strikes.
The WGA began their strike on January 16, 1960, followed by the actors strike on March 7. Future United...
The WGA began their strike on January 16, 1960, followed by the actors strike on March 7. Future United...
- 7/18/2023
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
It was announced today that controversial actor Robert Blake has died at the age of 89. His niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed that he died at his Los Angeles home after a longtime battle with heart disease. Blake was best known for his roles in Richard Brooks’ adaptation of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, David Lynch’s Lost Highway, and for starring in the 1970s detective series Baretta.
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Actor Robert Blake, a man with a long and complex legacy, has died, a representative for his son-in-law Gregg Hurwitz confirmed to Variety. The former child actor was best known for his Emmy-winning role as the cockatoo-owning undercover cop in the popular 1970s TV series “Baretta” and, more infamously, for his trial following the 2001 murder of his wife. He was 89.
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Perry Mason is back on the case. Season 2 of HBO’s reimagined take on the classic legal drama premieres Monday, March 6, with Matthew Rhys again stepping into the title role. The Americans star has said he didn’t watch Raymond Burr’s iconic take on the character before season 1, which aired in 2020. But for many TV viewers, Burr is Perry Mason. The actor played the crusading defense attorney from 1957 to 1966, and again in a series of TV movies from the mid-80s through the early ‘90s.
Burr’s run as Perry Mason ended with this death in 1993. But are any other original Perry Mason cast members still alive?
‘Perry Mason’ star Raymond Burr died in 1993 Raymond Burr as Perry Mason, right, and Ray Collins as Lt. Arthur Tragg ‘in ‘Perry Mason’ | CBS via Getty Images
The Canadian-born Burr had a long career in Hollywood, including roles in classic films such...
Burr’s run as Perry Mason ended with this death in 1993. But are any other original Perry Mason cast members still alive?
‘Perry Mason’ star Raymond Burr died in 1993 Raymond Burr as Perry Mason, right, and Ray Collins as Lt. Arthur Tragg ‘in ‘Perry Mason’ | CBS via Getty Images
The Canadian-born Burr had a long career in Hollywood, including roles in classic films such...
- 3/5/2023
- by Megan Elliott
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Gunsmoke was one of the most popular television shows ever to hit the air. The network, CBS, knew what it had on its hands after its 1955 premiere and milked it for 20 seasons before suddenly canceling it in 1975. The Western genre later died off, as its wave of popularity never quite returned to form. Here’s a list of five other vintage television shows to dig into if Gunsmoke was your jam.
L-r: Milburn Stone as Doc Adams, James Arness as Matt Dillon, Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, and Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen | CBS via Getty Images ‘Bonanza’ (1959-1973) L-r: Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright, Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright, Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright, and Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Bonanza first hit the air in 1959, a few years after Gunsmoke first established its legs among Western shows. The story follows...
L-r: Milburn Stone as Doc Adams, James Arness as Matt Dillon, Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, and Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen | CBS via Getty Images ‘Bonanza’ (1959-1973) L-r: Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright, Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright, Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright, and Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Bonanza first hit the air in 1959, a few years after Gunsmoke first established its legs among Western shows. The story follows...
- 2/28/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Abraham Lincoln, for whatever his historical faults, is perhaps the most cinematic President the Unites States has ever had. Whether you put him in a theatrical D.C. backroom drama like Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," or in a silly, pulpy movie like Timur Bekmambetov's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" (from the same year!), you get a great film. Maybe it's because of his iconic appearance, maybe it's due to the almost mythical challenges of leading a country in the midst of a Civil War, or maybe it stems from the temptation to cast him as a hero battling the evils of U.S. slavery.
Spielberg's "Lincoln" has scenes set in the wreckage of battlegrounds. "Vampire Hunter" has Honest Abe fighting vampires on runaway trains. Most every film about Lincoln dramatizes the Civil War to some degree, and they typically allude to Ford's Theatre, where he was assassinated. That's what...
Spielberg's "Lincoln" has scenes set in the wreckage of battlegrounds. "Vampire Hunter" has Honest Abe fighting vampires on runaway trains. Most every film about Lincoln dramatizes the Civil War to some degree, and they typically allude to Ford's Theatre, where he was assassinated. That's what...
- 2/26/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
John Huston is one of the most celebrated directors and screenwriters in Hollywood. Born on August 5, 1906, in Nevadaville, Colorado, he was the son of actor Walter Huston and Rhea Gore. He began his career as a journalist and later worked as an amateur boxer before entering movies.
Huston’s movies were often morally ambiguous, with elements of both comedy and tragedy. He rose to fame for movies such as “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), which starred Humphrey Bogart, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston, and “The African Queen” (1951), starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. He also wrote many movies including “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950) and directed iconic movies such as “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975).
Huston was highly acclaimed by critics for his skillful direction in movies that explored complex themes such as greed and morality. Many of his movies featured actors who had trained under revered director Erich von Stroheim.
Huston’s movies were often morally ambiguous, with elements of both comedy and tragedy. He rose to fame for movies such as “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), which starred Humphrey Bogart, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston, and “The African Queen” (1951), starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. He also wrote many movies including “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950) and directed iconic movies such as “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975).
Huston was highly acclaimed by critics for his skillful direction in movies that explored complex themes such as greed and morality. Many of his movies featured actors who had trained under revered director Erich von Stroheim.
- 2/19/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Gerald Fried, a composer for some of television’s biggest moments in the 1960s, died Friday at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, Ct of pneumonia at age 95.
Fried won an Emmy for the miniseries Roots, rescuing the project when Quincy Jones missed several deadlines.
His career included scoring five early Stanley Kubrick films, including “Paths of Glory” and “The Killing” and received the only Oscar nomination ever given for a documentary score, 1975’s “Birds Do It, Bees Do It.” Fried earned five other Emmy nominations during his long career.
Fried was a go-to composer in his time. His resume includes providing music for episodes of Star Trek, Gilligan’s Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ben Casey, Mission: Impossible, Lost in Space, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Mannix, Police Woman and “Dynasty.
He also composed the themes to the 1950s western Shotgun Slade, the sitcom It’s About Time, and the nighttime soap,...
Fried won an Emmy for the miniseries Roots, rescuing the project when Quincy Jones missed several deadlines.
His career included scoring five early Stanley Kubrick films, including “Paths of Glory” and “The Killing” and received the only Oscar nomination ever given for a documentary score, 1975’s “Birds Do It, Bees Do It.” Fried earned five other Emmy nominations during his long career.
Fried was a go-to composer in his time. His resume includes providing music for episodes of Star Trek, Gilligan’s Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ben Casey, Mission: Impossible, Lost in Space, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Mannix, Police Woman and “Dynasty.
He also composed the themes to the 1950s western Shotgun Slade, the sitcom It’s About Time, and the nighttime soap,...
- 2/18/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Composer Gerald Fried, who won an Emmy for the landmark miniseries “Roots” and whose 1960s scores, from “Star Trek” to “Gilligan’s Island,” left an indelible impression on a generation of TV watchers, died of pneumonia Friday at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, Ct. He was 95.
His wide-ranging career included scoring five early Stanley Kubrick films, including “Paths of Glory” and “The Killing”; receiving the only Oscar nomination ever given for a documentary score, 1975’s “Birds Do It, Bees Do It”; and earning five other Emmy nominations for music in specials, TV movies and miniseries.
The prolific Fried scored approximately 40 films, some three dozen TV-movies and miniseries, and episodes of another 40 TV series during a career that spanned more than six decades.
Among his most famous TV series music was from the original “Star Trek.” He scored five episodes of the series, most famously the Spock-in-heat episode “Amok Time,” which...
His wide-ranging career included scoring five early Stanley Kubrick films, including “Paths of Glory” and “The Killing”; receiving the only Oscar nomination ever given for a documentary score, 1975’s “Birds Do It, Bees Do It”; and earning five other Emmy nominations for music in specials, TV movies and miniseries.
The prolific Fried scored approximately 40 films, some three dozen TV-movies and miniseries, and episodes of another 40 TV series during a career that spanned more than six decades.
Among his most famous TV series music was from the original “Star Trek.” He scored five episodes of the series, most famously the Spock-in-heat episode “Amok Time,” which...
- 2/18/2023
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
The Yellowstone universe continues growing as Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren join yet another prequel introducing another generation of Duttons. In the Western drama series 1923, Mirren and Ford play Cara and Jacob Dutton. But the English actor recently revealed what annoys her about many American Westerns.
‘1923’ takes place during Prohibition Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in ‘1923’ | Emerson Miller/Paramount+
1923 is set 40 years after the events of 1883 and Elsa Dutton’s death. Harrison Ford’s character, Jacob, is the patriarch of the Dutton ranch and is married to Cara. Jacob and Cara don’t have children, but they raise their nephews Spencer and John as their own.
The prequel follows the Duttons as they navigate hard times from drought to Prohibition and the early stages of the Great Depression that took its toll on Montana even before the 1929 Stock Market Crash. 1923 premiered on Paramount+ on Dec. 18, 2022, with Ford and Mirren in the lead.
‘1923’ takes place during Prohibition Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in ‘1923’ | Emerson Miller/Paramount+
1923 is set 40 years after the events of 1883 and Elsa Dutton’s death. Harrison Ford’s character, Jacob, is the patriarch of the Dutton ranch and is married to Cara. Jacob and Cara don’t have children, but they raise their nephews Spencer and John as their own.
The prequel follows the Duttons as they navigate hard times from drought to Prohibition and the early stages of the Great Depression that took its toll on Montana even before the 1929 Stock Market Crash. 1923 premiered on Paramount+ on Dec. 18, 2022, with Ford and Mirren in the lead.
- 2/5/2023
- by Produced by Digital Editors
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Kevin O’Neal, the younger brother of actor Ryan O’Neal who for a time built a steady, if less widely known, performing career of his own died in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, California, on Saturday, Jan. 28. He was 77.
His death was announced by his nephew Patrick O’Neal, Ryan O’Neal’s son.
“Kevin had a wicked sense of humor, just like his older brother, and we have his stories to keep him in our hearts forever,” Patrick O’Neal wrote on Instagram, adding, “When Kevin walked into a room you heard him before you saw him. That energy and personality is an old O’Neal trademark. Heaven better be ready for him!”
Kevin O’Neal began his television career in the early 1960s, making guest appearances on such series as The Danny Thomas Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Twilight Zone, My Tree Son and Wagon Train.
His death was announced by his nephew Patrick O’Neal, Ryan O’Neal’s son.
“Kevin had a wicked sense of humor, just like his older brother, and we have his stories to keep him in our hearts forever,” Patrick O’Neal wrote on Instagram, adding, “When Kevin walked into a room you heard him before you saw him. That energy and personality is an old O’Neal trademark. Heaven better be ready for him!”
Kevin O’Neal began his television career in the early 1960s, making guest appearances on such series as The Danny Thomas Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Twilight Zone, My Tree Son and Wagon Train.
- 1/31/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Kevin O’Neal, the younger brother of Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O’Neal and a regular on the 1960s ABC comedy No Time for Sergeants, has died. He was 77.
O’Neal died Saturday in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
O’Neal also appeared as the character Yale in one of Elvis Presley’s final films, The Trouble with Girls (1969).
O’Neal portrayed Private Ben Whitledge on No Time for Sergeants, which lasted one season. The 1964-65 comedy was produced by George Burns’ production company and Warner Bros.
Based on a novel by Mac Hyman, No Time for Sergeants premiered on Broadway in 1954 and was adapted a year later for an ABC U.S. Steel Hour production and then for a 1958 feature. All three starred Andy Griffith.
Geoffrey Garrett O’Neal was born in Los Angeles on March 26, 1945. His parents were novelist-screenwriter Charles “Blackie” O...
O’Neal died Saturday in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
O’Neal also appeared as the character Yale in one of Elvis Presley’s final films, The Trouble with Girls (1969).
O’Neal portrayed Private Ben Whitledge on No Time for Sergeants, which lasted one season. The 1964-65 comedy was produced by George Burns’ production company and Warner Bros.
Based on a novel by Mac Hyman, No Time for Sergeants premiered on Broadway in 1954 and was adapted a year later for an ABC U.S. Steel Hour production and then for a 1958 feature. All three starred Andy Griffith.
Geoffrey Garrett O’Neal was born in Los Angeles on March 26, 1945. His parents were novelist-screenwriter Charles “Blackie” O...
- 1/31/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
You know Kurt Russell from "Big Trouble in Little China," "Tombstone," "Stargate," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," and the 1979 TV movie "Elvis." But did you know that he actually got to work with Elvis? He was 10 years old at the time, and the film was 1963's "It Happened at the World's Fair," as we learn in a 2016 interview with GQ. The film had Elvis Presley as a crop-dusting pilot who ends up at the World's Fair. Elvis's character Mike likes a nurse (Joan O'Brien) who isn't interested. He pays Russell's character a little spare change to kick him in the shins, so he has a reason to visit this nurse. Of course, later on, the boy blows Mike's cover by asking if he'd pay to have the kid do it again.
Russell says in the GQ article that he really wasn't familiar with Presley as a rock and roll...
Russell says in the GQ article that he really wasn't familiar with Presley as a rock and roll...
- 1/29/2023
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Cue the menacing tuba. And the Imperial March. And the rousing Indiana Jones theme. Five-time Oscar-winning composer John Williams is getting the feature documentary treatment, and his half-century collaborator is among those wielding the baton.
Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Television are teaming with Imagine Documentaries and Nedland Media for an untitled doc about the legendary composer behind such franchises as Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter, Deadline has confirmed. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau (Five Came Back), the project is in the early stages, with Spielberg exec producing alongside Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein and Meredith Kaulfers.
Related Story Golden Globes: ‘The Fabelmans’ Wins Best Motion Picture Drama – Complete Winners List Related Story BAFTA Heads Talk "Extraordinary" Nominations, Spielberg & Tease "More Entertainment" At Ceremony Related Story AFI Awards Bring Out The Best In The Season; 'The Whale' Rising?; Oscar's...
Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Television are teaming with Imagine Documentaries and Nedland Media for an untitled doc about the legendary composer behind such franchises as Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter, Deadline has confirmed. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau (Five Came Back), the project is in the early stages, with Spielberg exec producing alongside Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein and Meredith Kaulfers.
Related Story Golden Globes: ‘The Fabelmans’ Wins Best Motion Picture Drama – Complete Winners List Related Story BAFTA Heads Talk "Extraordinary" Nominations, Spielberg & Tease "More Entertainment" At Ceremony Related Story AFI Awards Bring Out The Best In The Season; 'The Whale' Rising?; Oscar's...
- 1/20/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s the new year, and there are a lot of new shows and films coming to Amazon Prime Video, including the Jennifer Lopez-led comedy “Shotgun Wedding” and Season 2 of the platform’s animated fantasy series “The Legend of Vox Machina.”
If you’re not in the gym working on those New Year’s resolutions, you can go on an comedic adventure with Prime Video’s “Shotgun Wedding,” which stars Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel who play a couple that attempts to wrangle their family members together for an ultimate designation wedding. However, things take a dark turn when the couple starts to get cold feet, and the entire wedding ends up being held hostage. The film drops on Prime Video Jan. 27.
As for shows, “Hunters” returns Jan. 13 with its second and final season. The series follows a group of skilled Nazi hunters who are on a mission to...
If you’re not in the gym working on those New Year’s resolutions, you can go on an comedic adventure with Prime Video’s “Shotgun Wedding,” which stars Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel who play a couple that attempts to wrangle their family members together for an ultimate designation wedding. However, things take a dark turn when the couple starts to get cold feet, and the entire wedding ends up being held hostage. The film drops on Prime Video Jan. 27.
As for shows, “Hunters” returns Jan. 13 with its second and final season. The series follows a group of skilled Nazi hunters who are on a mission to...
- 1/14/2023
- by Raquel "Rocky" Harris
- The Wrap
As the calendar flips over to 2023, Prime Video is attempting to start a new year on the right track with fresh seasons of some major originals.
Prime Videos’ list of new releases for January 2023 is highlighted by Hunters season 2 on Jan. 13. The first season of Hunters was set in 1977 and followed young Jonah Heidelbaum’s (Logan Lerman) introduction to a world of Nazi-hunting. After a lengthy wait for season 2, the fresh (and final) batch of episodes will find Jonah and friends venturing to South American to take out none other than Adolf Hitler, himself.
While Nazi-hunting undoubtedly takes up a lot of streaming space, two other Amazon original series of note arrive in January. The Rig, a supernatural thriller set on a Scottish oil rig, premieres Jan. 6. That will be followed by season 2 of fantasy role-playing animated series The Legend of Vox Machina on Jan. 20.
The action comedy Shotgun Wedding...
Prime Videos’ list of new releases for January 2023 is highlighted by Hunters season 2 on Jan. 13. The first season of Hunters was set in 1977 and followed young Jonah Heidelbaum’s (Logan Lerman) introduction to a world of Nazi-hunting. After a lengthy wait for season 2, the fresh (and final) batch of episodes will find Jonah and friends venturing to South American to take out none other than Adolf Hitler, himself.
While Nazi-hunting undoubtedly takes up a lot of streaming space, two other Amazon original series of note arrive in January. The Rig, a supernatural thriller set on a Scottish oil rig, premieres Jan. 6. That will be followed by season 2 of fantasy role-playing animated series The Legend of Vox Machina on Jan. 20.
The action comedy Shotgun Wedding...
- 1/1/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
The new year is upon us and Amazon Prime Video is kicking things off in grand fashion. Not only are they debuting the third season of their Tom Clancy adaptation “Jack Ryan,” they’re also debuting the final season of the ambitious, Al Pacino-starring actioner “Hunters.”
Initially debuting to the service in February of 2020, right as the pandemic started, the series’ first season follows a ragtag group of Nazi hunters in 1977 New York City. The so-called Hunters discover that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living in the United States and are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in America. The Nazi hunters, led by Pacino, will embark on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their genocidal plans. The series concluded in 2020 and has taken some time to get back to screens. Unfortunately, this second season will be a finale as well so fans...
Initially debuting to the service in February of 2020, right as the pandemic started, the series’ first season follows a ragtag group of Nazi hunters in 1977 New York City. The so-called Hunters discover that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living in the United States and are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in America. The Nazi hunters, led by Pacino, will embark on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their genocidal plans. The series concluded in 2020 and has taken some time to get back to screens. Unfortunately, this second season will be a finale as well so fans...
- 12/16/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Robert Brown, who starred alongside David Soul and Bobby Sherman by portraying the oldest of the three logging Bolt brothers on the 1968-70 ABC series Here Come the Brides, has died. He was 95.
Brown died Sept. 19 at his home in Ojai, his friend Kiki Bremont told The Hollywood Reporter.
Brown appeared twice on Broadway and guest-starred as alternating versions of a dilithium-lusting character named Lazarus on the 1967 Star Trek episode “The Alternative Factor.” He got that gig when John Drew Barrymore failed to show up on the morning of the shoot.
In 1968, Brown was on the other end of a last-minute replacement situation. All set to star as Det. Steve McGarrett on the original Hawaii Five-0, he was replaced by Jack Lord five days before filming on the pilot began after producer Leonard Freeman had a change of heart about his leading man.
Robert Brown, who starred alongside David Soul and Bobby Sherman by portraying the oldest of the three logging Bolt brothers on the 1968-70 ABC series Here Come the Brides, has died. He was 95.
Brown died Sept. 19 at his home in Ojai, his friend Kiki Bremont told The Hollywood Reporter.
Brown appeared twice on Broadway and guest-starred as alternating versions of a dilithium-lusting character named Lazarus on the 1967 Star Trek episode “The Alternative Factor.” He got that gig when John Drew Barrymore failed to show up on the morning of the shoot.
In 1968, Brown was on the other end of a last-minute replacement situation. All set to star as Det. Steve McGarrett on the original Hawaii Five-0, he was replaced by Jack Lord five days before filming on the pilot began after producer Leonard Freeman had a change of heart about his leading man.
- 10/3/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Award-winning actress Louise Fletcher has died at age 88.
Deadline reports that news of her death was announced Friday, Sept. 23 by her family via agent David Shaul.
While no cause of death was specified, Shaul told the outlet that Fletcher passed away in her sleep, surrounded by family, at the home she had built from a 300-year-old farmhouse in Montdurausse, France. Earlier on Friday, she said to her family about her home, “I can’t believe I created something so meaningful to my well-being.”
Fletcher won the Best Actress Oscar at the 1976 Academy Awards for her portrayal of sadistic Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, a role that remains her best-known; the character was successfully resurrected in 2020 for the Netflix series “Ratched”, which told the her backstory.
Read More: ‘Ratched’ Is Netflix’s Most-Watched Series Debut Of 2020
Born in 1934 to deaf parents, Fletcher famously used American Sign Language...
Deadline reports that news of her death was announced Friday, Sept. 23 by her family via agent David Shaul.
While no cause of death was specified, Shaul told the outlet that Fletcher passed away in her sleep, surrounded by family, at the home she had built from a 300-year-old farmhouse in Montdurausse, France. Earlier on Friday, she said to her family about her home, “I can’t believe I created something so meaningful to my well-being.”
Fletcher won the Best Actress Oscar at the 1976 Academy Awards for her portrayal of sadistic Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, a role that remains her best-known; the character was successfully resurrected in 2020 for the Netflix series “Ratched”, which told the her backstory.
Read More: ‘Ratched’ Is Netflix’s Most-Watched Series Debut Of 2020
Born in 1934 to deaf parents, Fletcher famously used American Sign Language...
- 9/24/2022
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Louise Fletcher, best known for her Academy Award-winning role as Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," has died at the age of 88. Fletcher's family confirmed to Deadline through her agent that she died in her sleep at her home in Montdurausse, France, on Friday.
Fletcher was born to deaf parents in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 23, 1934. She learned to speak and act from her aunt at the age of 8, and attended the University of North Carolina before a cross-country trip left her marooned in L.A. (per Variety). There, she became involved in acting in a professional capacity, appearing on television in guest spots on shows like "The Untouchables," "Wagon Train," and "Perry Mason." However, her filmography soon went dark in 1963 with the film "A Gathering of Eagles."
Fletcher was one of the interviewees in Peter Biskind's book "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood,...
Fletcher was born to deaf parents in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 23, 1934. She learned to speak and act from her aunt at the age of 8, and attended the University of North Carolina before a cross-country trip left her marooned in L.A. (per Variety). There, she became involved in acting in a professional capacity, appearing on television in guest spots on shows like "The Untouchables," "Wagon Train," and "Perry Mason." However, her filmography soon went dark in 1963 with the film "A Gathering of Eagles."
Fletcher was one of the interviewees in Peter Biskind's book "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Louise Fletcher, the sweet actress from Alabama who won an Academy Award for her turn as the heartless Nurse Ratched — one of the most reviled characters in movie history — in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died. She was 88.
Fletcher died Friday of natural causes at her home in Montdurausse, France, her son Andrew Bick told The Hollywood Reporter. She had survived two bouts with breast cancer.
A daughter of deaf parents — she made one of the most touching acceptance speeches in Oscar history — Fletcher also starred as a psychiatrist in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and played opposite Peter Falk amid the star-studded ensemble in The Cheap Detective (1978).
On television, she portrayed the religious leader Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and received Emmy nominations in 1996 and 2004 for her guest-starring stints on Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia, respectively.
Louise Fletcher, the sweet actress from Alabama who won an Academy Award for her turn as the heartless Nurse Ratched — one of the most reviled characters in movie history — in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died. She was 88.
Fletcher died Friday of natural causes at her home in Montdurausse, France, her son Andrew Bick told The Hollywood Reporter. She had survived two bouts with breast cancer.
A daughter of deaf parents — she made one of the most touching acceptance speeches in Oscar history — Fletcher also starred as a psychiatrist in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and played opposite Peter Falk amid the star-studded ensemble in The Cheap Detective (1978).
On television, she portrayed the religious leader Kai Winn Adami on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and received Emmy nominations in 1996 and 2004 for her guest-starring stints on Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia, respectively.
- 9/24/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Henry Silva, who starred in Johnny Cool, fought Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate and was one of Sinatra’s fellow thieves in Ocean’s 11, among dozens of screen roles spanning a half-century, died Wednesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 95.
An actor whose distinctive face often led to typecasting as the heavy, his 130-plus film and TV credits also include The Bravados, starring Gregory Peck (1958); Cinderfella, with Jerry Lewis (1960); the Rat Pack-led Western Sergeants 3 (1962); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Love and Bullets with Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger (1979); the Burt Reynolds pics Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1982); Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990); Steven Seagal’s first film Above the Law (1988); and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with Forest Whitaker (1999).
Along with the title role opposite Elizabeth Montgomery in Johnny Cool...
An actor whose distinctive face often led to typecasting as the heavy, his 130-plus film and TV credits also include The Bravados, starring Gregory Peck (1958); Cinderfella, with Jerry Lewis (1960); the Rat Pack-led Western Sergeants 3 (1962); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Love and Bullets with Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger (1979); the Burt Reynolds pics Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1982); Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990); Steven Seagal’s first film Above the Law (1988); and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with Forest Whitaker (1999).
Along with the title role opposite Elizabeth Montgomery in Johnny Cool...
- 9/16/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
William Reynolds, who portrayed crime-stopping Special Agent Tom Colby opposite Efrem Zimbalist Jr. on the final seven seasons of the ABC crime drama The F.B.I., has died. He was 90.
Reynolds died Wednesday in Wildomar, California, from non-covid 19 complicated pneumonia, a family spokesperson announced.
The Los Angeles native also starred in three other series, all short-lived: as the trumpet player on the 1959 NBC drama Pete Kelly’s Blues, created by Jack Webb; on ABC’s The Islanders, a 1960-61 adventure show set in the East Indies; and on the World War II-set The Gallant Men, which ran on ABC from 1962-63.
In 1960, Reynolds memorably played a WWII officer who can’t ignore an ominous light on the faces of his men destined to be killed in the acclaimed Twilight Zone season-one episode “The Purple Testament.”
On the big screen, he appeared in the...
William Reynolds, who portrayed crime-stopping Special Agent Tom Colby opposite Efrem Zimbalist Jr. on the final seven seasons of the ABC crime drama The F.B.I., has died. He was 90.
Reynolds died Wednesday in Wildomar, California, from non-covid 19 complicated pneumonia, a family spokesperson announced.
The Los Angeles native also starred in three other series, all short-lived: as the trumpet player on the 1959 NBC drama Pete Kelly’s Blues, created by Jack Webb; on ABC’s The Islanders, a 1960-61 adventure show set in the East Indies; and on the World War II-set The Gallant Men, which ran on ABC from 1962-63.
In 1960, Reynolds memorably played a WWII officer who can’t ignore an ominous light on the faces of his men destined to be killed in the acclaimed Twilight Zone season-one episode “The Purple Testament.”
On the big screen, he appeared in the...
- 8/31/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
William Reynolds, who portrayed Special Agent Tom Colby for six seasons on the television series The F.B.I., died August 24 from non-covid-19 complicated pneumonia, his son Eric Regnolds confirms. He was 90.
Born in Los Angeles, Reynolds was born William de Clercq Regnolds on December 9, 1931. He began his career under contract to Universal Pictures and had credits in Carrie (1952) as Laurence Olivier’s son and The Son of Ali Baba where he was Tony Curtis’ best friend. For 20th Century Fox, he portrayed Rommel’s son opposite James Mason in The Desert Fox.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Following his military service in Japan during the Korean War, Reynolds co-starred in Cult of the Cobra (1955). In 1959, he starred as trumpeter Pete Kelly in the television series Pete Kelly’s Blues. In 1960-1961, he starred as air charter entrepreneur and adventurer Sandy Wade on the ABC Warner Bros. Television series, The Islanders,...
Born in Los Angeles, Reynolds was born William de Clercq Regnolds on December 9, 1931. He began his career under contract to Universal Pictures and had credits in Carrie (1952) as Laurence Olivier’s son and The Son of Ali Baba where he was Tony Curtis’ best friend. For 20th Century Fox, he portrayed Rommel’s son opposite James Mason in The Desert Fox.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Following his military service in Japan during the Korean War, Reynolds co-starred in Cult of the Cobra (1955). In 1959, he starred as trumpeter Pete Kelly in the television series Pete Kelly’s Blues. In 1960-1961, he starred as air charter entrepreneur and adventurer Sandy Wade on the ABC Warner Bros. Television series, The Islanders,...
- 8/31/2022
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Everyone has their favorite incarnation of "Star Trek." There's something to recommend in just about every version, even if it's just the inevitable Jeffrey Combs cameo. Fans who like weirder aliens can enjoy "Prodigy. Those who want to see characters' moralities challenged in times of war have "Deep Space Nine." For some, Patrick Stewart's master thespian skills make "The Next Generation" an undisputed winner, while others may argue that "Star Trek" was never about great acting, but rather broadly operatic sci-fi adventures.
So, which is the best? Beat-for-beat, episode-for-episode, it has to be the very first "Star Trek" show, known to fans as "Star Trek: The Original Series." Almost every subsequent incarnation of Trek draws its strengths from the original, and their weaker episodes usually occur when they depart from the roadmap that "The Original Series" provided. Meanwhile, every episode featuring William Shatner's Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy's Mr.
So, which is the best? Beat-for-beat, episode-for-episode, it has to be the very first "Star Trek" show, known to fans as "Star Trek: The Original Series." Almost every subsequent incarnation of Trek draws its strengths from the original, and their weaker episodes usually occur when they depart from the roadmap that "The Original Series" provided. Meanwhile, every episode featuring William Shatner's Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy's Mr.
- 8/18/2022
- by Luke Y. Thompson
- Slash Film
Clu Gulager, the character actor who famously played Burt in “The Return of the Living Dead” and Mr. Walsh in “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” among hundreds of other credits, has died at the age of 93.
Gulager was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma in 1928. His legal name was William Martin Gulager, but he received the Cherokee nickname “Clu” at a young age because his middle name is Martin and purple martins are often referred to as “clu-clu birds.” Gulager made his screen acting debut in a 1955 episode of “Omnibus,” and soon found success as a television Western star.
He famously played Billy the Kid on the NBC series “The Tall Man” for its entire two season run, and later joined “The Virginian” in Season 3 as Deputy Sheriff Emmett Ryker, eventually appearing in 104 episodes. He also guest starred on many other Western series including hits like “Wagon Train” and “Bonanza.
Gulager was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma in 1928. His legal name was William Martin Gulager, but he received the Cherokee nickname “Clu” at a young age because his middle name is Martin and purple martins are often referred to as “clu-clu birds.” Gulager made his screen acting debut in a 1955 episode of “Omnibus,” and soon found success as a television Western star.
He famously played Billy the Kid on the NBC series “The Tall Man” for its entire two season run, and later joined “The Virginian” in Season 3 as Deputy Sheriff Emmett Ryker, eventually appearing in 104 episodes. He also guest starred on many other Western series including hits like “Wagon Train” and “Bonanza.
- 8/6/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
L.Q. Jones, the colorful character actor who worked on dozens of Westerns, including the Sam Peckinpah classics The Wild Bunch and Ride the High Country as a member of the famed filmmaker’s regular posse, has died. He was 94.
Jones died Saturday of natural causes at his home in the Hollywood Hills, his grandson Erté deGarces told The Hollywood Reporter.
Jones portrayed ranch hand Andy Belden on 25 episodes of NBC’s The Virginian over an eight-year span, was one of the bad guys who slipped a noose over Clint Eastwood’s neck in Hang ‘Em High (1968) and played a sheriff on the 1983-84 NBC primetime soap The Yellow Rose, starring Sam Elliott, Cybill Shepherd and Chuck Connors.
The Texas native also portrayed Clark County Commissioner Pat Webb, Robert De Niro’s nemesis, in Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995) and country singer Chuck Akers in...
Jones died Saturday of natural causes at his home in the Hollywood Hills, his grandson Erté deGarces told The Hollywood Reporter.
Jones portrayed ranch hand Andy Belden on 25 episodes of NBC’s The Virginian over an eight-year span, was one of the bad guys who slipped a noose over Clint Eastwood’s neck in Hang ‘Em High (1968) and played a sheriff on the 1983-84 NBC primetime soap The Yellow Rose, starring Sam Elliott, Cybill Shepherd and Chuck Connors.
The Texas native also portrayed Clark County Commissioner Pat Webb, Robert De Niro’s nemesis, in Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995) and country singer Chuck Akers in...
- 7/9/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This week's episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is, essentially, the show's take on "Alien." A crew of officers, trapped in a downed starship, must face a species of vicious, poison-spitting lizards that incubate their young inside host bodies. It's a straight-up monster movie in miniature. It's tragic -- several characters die -- and it's scary.
"Star Trek" fits under the banner of several genres. Primarily, it is a science fiction show, yes, specifically a pioneering space Western; Gene Roddenberry initially pitched it as "'Wagon Train' to the stars" in reference to the hit 1957 TV series. Secondarily, "Star Trek" is a...
The post 10 Terrifying Star Trek Episodes to Watch After This Week's Strange New Worlds appeared first on /Film.
"Star Trek" fits under the banner of several genres. Primarily, it is a science fiction show, yes, specifically a pioneering space Western; Gene Roddenberry initially pitched it as "'Wagon Train' to the stars" in reference to the hit 1957 TV series. Secondarily, "Star Trek" is a...
The post 10 Terrifying Star Trek Episodes to Watch After This Week's Strange New Worlds appeared first on /Film.
- 6/30/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When Gene Roddenberry first pitched "Star Trek" to CBS, he sold it as "Wagon Train" to the stars, a reference to the long-running 1957 western TV series. Roddenberry wanted the show to be about bold frontiersmanship and cultural exchange but with the bonus of being expressly anti-colonialist. "Star Trek's" famed Prime Directive ensured that no ultra-advanced civilization would be permitted to enforce their will on another culture. Roddenberry also wanted to ensure that his vision of the future was without prejudice (he asked for a multicultural cast) and beyond religion (he rejected a studio note to include a chaplain on the Enterprise).
After...
The post Gene Roddenberry Wasn't Happy With Star Trek: Wrath of Khan's Most Famous Scene appeared first on /Film.
After...
The post Gene Roddenberry Wasn't Happy With Star Trek: Wrath of Khan's Most Famous Scene appeared first on /Film.
- 3/18/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
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