We Describe the Spy Movie (in 3 Words or Less)...You Name It!

Surely, I'm involved with this quiz!

For this quiz, we've shorted the movie descriptions to three words or less. Your mission--should you decide to accept it--is to name the films. Each answer is a spy flick made prior to 1970. A few of them are easy, but  three of them are pretty difficult. Please include the question number with your answer and limit your responses to no more than three--so other people can play, too. Good luck!

The phone in #4.

1. Bowler hat.

2. Rusted nail.

3. Chocolate.

4. Distinctive phone ring.

5. Wine.

The "bed-slide" in #7.

6. Oven.

7. Bed-slide into bubbles.

8. Code name "L".

9. Anti-gravity device.

10. Volcano.

The Duke and Dino Re-team for "The Sons of Katie Elder"

John Wayne had recently recovered
from lung cancer.

Katie Elder lived modestly in the frontier town of Clearwater. Her alcoholic, gambling husband lost their ranch in a poker game and was fatally shot (in the back) that same night. She made dresses and gave guitar lessons to earn the money to send the youngest of her four sons to college. Katie only owned two dresses herself--one for the winter and one for the summer. She never heard from her sons, but told the town's residents that they sent her money on a regular basis. She counted her oldest sons' letters among her most prized possessions and read them frequently--though he had stopped writing new ones long ago. She even prepaid for her funeral.

Michael Anderson, Jr. replaced
Tommy Kirk after a scandal involving
the latter.

All of this is news to her sons, who arrive in Clearwater at the beginning of The Sons of Katie Elder to bury their mother. We learn that the eldest son, John (John Wayne) left home ten years earlier and eventually became a gunfighter (the sheriff notes: "John Elder isn't wanted for anything...around here"). Matt Elder (Dean Martin) is a con man and gambler. Youngest son Bud (Michael Anderson, Jr.) doesn't want to return to college. And Matt Elder (Earl Holloway), well, he just seems to be wasting his life away. In short, the Elder boys are not a very sympathetic lot.

Instead of going their separate ways again after the funeral, the brothers decide to look into their father's murder. Though they can't find any witnesses nor evidence, they become suspicious of Morgan Hastings, a gun-maker who now owns the old Elder ranch. The town's mortician confides to John: "Hastings' bent on taking over the whole county." As the audience, we already know Hastings is bad--he has hired a gunfighter (George Kennedy) to dispose of John. It quickly becomes apparent that The Sons of Katie Elder is heading steadily toward a major showdown.

John Elder watches the funeral.

While Sergio Leone was reinventing the Western in Europe in the mid-1960s, American filmmakers like Henry Hathaway were churning out solid, traditional Westerns like this one. There are effective moments in the opening scenes of Katie Elder, such as John watching his mother's funeral in the distance, knowing his presence would only cause disruption. Hathaway frames his celluloid images like a painter, with colorful mountains often adding visual majesty to the backgrounds. There are some potentially rich themes in The Sons of Katie Elder, too, principally that tragedy can reinvigorate the bonds of family. After spending time with his brothers, John apparently wants the camaraderie to continue and proposes they join together to deliver a herd of horses. It's not a long-term solution toward reuniting the family, but it's a start.

Anthony Mann explored the importance of family masterfully in his adult Westerns of the 1950s. One wonders how Mann would have handled this material with a different cast (e.g., imagine an embittered James Stewart as John!). But The Sons of Katie Elder has no intentions of being a "serious Western." Yes, there are killings, but the bickering brothers also brawl playfully whether carousing in Mom's cabin or throwing each other in a river. And when it turns somewhat serious toward the end, the film jettisons its "importance of  family" theme in favor of two lengthy shootout scenes.

Dean co-starred with the Duke twice.

One can't fault the cast, which certainly appears game. However, it's unfortunate that Katie Elder re-teams  John Wayne and Dean Martin--simply because it recalls their earlier pairing in Howard Hawks' superior 1959 Western Rio Bravo. My recommendation is that you block out that movie and just accept The Sons of Katie Elder for what it is: a well-made, likable, but disposable Western that missed the opportunity to be more.

Classic Movies About Amnesia

Garbo ponders her identity.

A plot device staple, despite its unlikely real-life occurrence, amnesia has shown no favoritism toward any particular genre nor sex. Screen legend Greta Garbo made it fashionable for women to forget their identities in 1932's As You Desire Me, thus inspiring other actresses to ponder “Who am I?”  A sample roster spans five decades and includes Jennifer Jones (Love Letters), Ava Gardner (Singapore), Karen Valentine (Jane Doe), and Lindsay Wagner (Stranger in My Bed).  

Peck and Ingrid Bergman in Spellbound.

Males have proven to be equally forgetful, especially William Powell and Gregory Peck, both of whom suffered two bouts of amnesia (Powell in I Love You Again and Crossroads, Peck in Spellbound and Mirage). Greer Garson, who dealt with Ronald Colman's loss of memory in Random Harvest (1942), experienced it herself earlier in Remember? (1939). In an unusual plot twist, she and Robert Taylor played a bickering couple who take a potion that causes amnesia and then wind up falling in love again. Amnesia has also separated lovers in high-class soap operas like Random Harvest, Love Letters, and Singapore.

A confused Garner in Mister Buddwing.

It's hard to remember many amnesiac comedies, although Desperately Seeking Susan and The Road to Hong Kong spring to mind with little difficulty. The most interesting amnesiac plots have appeared in mysteries and espionage thrillers. Gregory Peck played the new head of an asylum who turns out to be an impostor with amnesia in Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945). Warner Baxter's The Crime Doctor was a sleuthing psychologist, who had been a master criminal before being reformed by amnesia. Unethical psychiatrist Tony Perkins tried to manipulate amnesiac killer Charles Bronson into murdering his wife's lover in the 1971 thriller Someone Behind the Door. James Garner, unable to remember his name, saw a Budweiser truck and an airplane and decided to call himself Mister Buddwing (1966). It was certainly one of the more commercial films of its time.

The article was reprinted with the authors' permission from the Encyclopedia of Films Themes, Settings and Series.

Coop's a Quaker and Hayley Buries Dead Animals

Gary Cooper and Dorothy Maguire.

Friendly Persuasion (1956). This pleasant, heartfelt tale of Quaker life in southern Indiana during the Civil War lacks the drama that went into bringing the film to the screen. Jessamyn West's 1945 novel was comprised of short stories published in various magazines beginning in 1940. William Wyler acquired the rights in 1948, but the project languished for several years. It didn't help that the House Committee on Un-American Activities proclaimed screenwriter Michael Wilson to be an "unfriendly witness." Despite winning an Oscar for co-writing A Place in the Sun in 1952, Wilson was blacklisted in Hollywood. When Wyler finally produced Wilson's adaptation of Friendly Persuasion, the credits did not list a screenwriter (in 1996, the opening credits were updated to include Wilson). As for Wyler, he intended to shoot the film on location in Indiana, but the budget spiraled out of control, forcing him to finish it in California (some outdoor scenes were clearly filmed in a studio).

Anthony Perkins.

Gary Cooper stars as the patriarch of the Birdwell family, although the film focuses on his oldest son Josh (Anthony Perkins) and daughter Mattie (Phyllis Love). Mattie has fallen in love with a Union officer and Josh can't decide whether to fight alongside his friends in the war or whether to remain faithful to his Quaker beliefs. It's a leisurely, episodic movie that doesn't build to a strong climax, but there are effective scenes along the way (e.g., when Mrs. Birdwell, played by Dorothy Maguire, deals with the Confederate soldiers). Cooper, then in his mid-50s, had doubts about playing a father--and a pacifist one at that. Just five years earlier, he starred as a strong-willed sheriff with a 23-year-old Grace Kelly as his bride in High Noon. Still, Cooper anchors Friendly Persuasion and provides the film with some much-needed humor, some of it centered around the elder Birdwell's desire to beat a neighbor in a weekly "unofficial" buggy race.

The surprisingly plush Birdwell home.

Friendly Persuasion won an Oscar for Best Sound and earned other nominations for Best Picture, director, supporting actor (Perkins), song, and--incredibly--screenplay (though the nomination was for the script and not the writer because Wilson was blacklisted). Pat Boone crooned the title song, written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Paul Francis Webster, which went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.


Sky West and Crooked (aka Gypsy Girl) (1965).  At the age of 19, Hayley Mills had pretty much wrapped up her highly-successful career as Walt Disney's biggest child star. She could still play teenagers, but adult roles were just around the corner. During this period in the mid-60s, she made several "transition" films such asThe Chalk Garden and The Truth About Spring--both personal favorites. She also starred in the unusual Sky West and Crooked, a Mills family project directed by Hayley's father, acclaimed actor John Mills, and co-written by her mother, Mary Hayley Bell.

 

Ian McShane as Roibin, the gypsy.

Set in rural England, Sky West and Crooked casts Hayley as Brydie White, a seventeen-year-old girl who has mentally blocked out a childhood tragedy. Her widowed, alcoholic mother possesses no parenting skills--leaving Brydie to fend for herself. The townsfolk think the girl is a bit daft (I surmised that was the meaning of the film's title). The local vicar and a coffin-maker's family treat her kindly and she has become the unofficial leader of the village children. Indeed, when Brydie buries her two dead hamsters in the church cemetery (she forgot to provide them with water), the other children follow suit. Soon, the children are scouring the countryside for dead animals to bury in the cemetery--much to the dismay of their parents. Brydie's life is further complicated by the arrival of a handsome gypsy lad (Ian McShane).

An animal's grave.

Sky West and Crooked is an obvious attempt to duplicate the success of the superior Whistle Down the Wind, a 1961 classic starring Hayley and based on a novel by her mother. Both films feature rural settings, uninvolved parents, and a group of children led by Hayley. They also explore religious themes: in Whistle Down the Wind, the children believe an escaped convict is Jesus; in Sky West, the coffin-maker's children launch into an unexpected discussion about souls during afternoon tea with their parents.

The entire cast is convincing, with acting honors going to Hayley, Geoffrey Bayldon as the vicar, and Ian McShane as Hayley's love interest. While Sky West and Crooked certainly doesn't rank with Hayley's best films, it's still an interesting--if slowly-paced--tale about the need for love and the challenges of becoming an adult.

James Drury Chats with the Café about "The Virginian," Sam Peckinpah, and "The Yank"

Television Western icon James Drury starred as The Virginian on NBC from 1962-71. The 90-minute series aired 249 episodes, making it one of television's most enduring Westerns. The series continues to air today and attract new fans. Mr. Drury, who was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, graciously agreed to sit down for a chat at the Café.

Café:  Prior to The Virginian, you appeared in Ride the High Country (1962), directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea (who once played The Virginian in a movie). What was it like working with that group?

James Drury:  It was a wonderful experience. Working with two such prominent and well-known actors as Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea was a great honor and privilege for me. And of course, Sam Peckinpah, who went on to direct The Wild Bunch and many other great movies, was just starting out in his career. I guess he’d done some movies before that, but this was his first major studio-backed movie. It was made at MGM, which at that time was a big, big studio. Everything involved in the film was first-class. Sam Peckinpah had a vision about a movie he was directing that he always kept at the forefront of his mind. We were never really told about the whole vision, but we trusted him because he was so easy to understand and easy to communicate with. He gave us all sterling direction and it turned out to be a classic film. It’s shown at least once a week somewhere on television and I’m always proud to hear about it. I was very delighted to get that role.  That role, I think, partly influenced my selection as an actor to play The Virginian.

Mariette Harley and James Drury in Ride the High Country.

Café:  Before being offered the lead in The Virginian, you made a pilot for a 30-minute Western series called The Yank. What would have been the premise of that show?

Nick Adams as The Rebel.

James Drury:  The Yank was a story of a man who had been a medical doctor before the Civil War. He had left his medical career behind and had gone to war with the Northern army as an artillery captain. The show takes place in a decimated South. Most of the Southern doctors had been killed in the war. There were only a few of them left. The lead character took to heart the words of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural speech when he said: “We must bind up the nation’s wounds." The Yank went to the South and offered his services as a doctor; the show would have consisted of stories of his adventures in the South. It was a spinoff of a very popular series with Nick Adams called The Rebel. Andrew Fenady was the producer of both shows and he wrote a wonderful script. At that time, the networks were going to one-hour shows and they were abandoning the half-hour Western format. Since we were a half-hour pilot, we weren’t picked up. It was a heartbreak to me when it didn’t sell, but if it had sold, I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to play The Virginian. So, everything worked out for the best.


Café:  During the nine-year-run of The Virginian, your ranch foreman worked for Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb), Morgan Starr (John Dehner), John Grainger (Charles Bickford), Clay Grainger (John McIntire), and Colonel MacKenzie (Stewart Granger). Who was your favorite owner of the Shiloh?

The Shiloh's first owner in the opening credits.

James Drury:  All those lead characters played the owner of the ranch at various times in the nine-year run and I enjoyed working with all of them. They all brought something different and unique to the roles. And, of course, Lee J. Cobb was the catalyst that got us started off as a series. Because of Lee J. Cobb’s name being immensely important, we were able to start a ninety-minute series with continuing characters, which had never been done on television before without even making a pilot. We went right into production because Lee J. Cobb was associated with the project. It was a success from the very first show. Lee was wonderful in the role of Judge Henry Garth--but he didn't like the series. He stayed for three years and then opted out. We missed him a lot, but John Dehner came along. He had another take on the ranch owner. He was very strong and very wonderful and I liked him a lot. Then, we came to John Grainger, played by Charles Bickford. He had been a big, big star in motion pictures, a very knowledgeable and wise actor. I learned a great deal from him, things that I use everyday. John McIntire, who played Clay Grainger, was, of course, a monumentally gifted actor. He and his wife, Jeanette Nolan, usually worked together; they did so in The Virginian as man and wife. They brought another important dynamic to the show. Then, we came to Colonel MacKenzie (Stewart Granger) in the last year. I really had very little to do with him. I think we were in one or two shows together; most of the time he was off doing another episode. Of them all, I couldn't pick a favorite and I wouldn't pick a favorite. They were all valuable in their own way.

Café:  The Virginian's name was never mentioned in Owen Wister's novel, but that must have created occasional challenges for the TV series' script writers. Was there ever any discussion about revealing the Virginian's name?

James Drury:  No, there wasn't because we were maintaining the framework of The Virginian novel (The Virginian, Horseman of the Plains, written by Owen Wister in 1902) as much as we could. Now, we changed everything else, but we didn't change the fact that the original author did not give the Virginian a name. I believe he did that as a very sound dramatic device, because the Virginian was a mysterious character. When he came into a room and people whispered behind the back of their hand, "There’s the Virginian over there," it gave him an aura of  mystery that you couldn't achieve in any other way. That gives the character a mysterious potential. There is no other character that I know of in Western fiction that has had that characteristic. If you notice, the Virginian has been influential in so many of the Western films that were made; in fact virtually all of them. Where did we get The Man with No Name? Where did we get the title to The Redheaded Stranger? Where did we get the title to all the great Westerns that were made, The Searchers and The Plainsman, The Magnificent Seven and The Professionals? All these movies had main characters that either obscured their name or did not give a name. That harkens right back to the original book published in 1902--a great dramatic device. I enjoyed playing the role.

Café:  A lot of regular cast members came and went over The Virginian's long run, with you and Doug McClure being the only constants. Who were some of your favorite fellow regulars?

Roberta Shore as Betsy.

James Drury:  Gary Clarke and Roberta Shore started with the show and then Randy Boone and Clu Gulager came in and they all brought a unique perspective to their characters and to the series. They were all my favorites. We changed and Diane Roter came in and then Sara Lane and Don Quine came in. They all did a marvelous job in what they were assigned to do. L. Q. Jones played several guest star roles and then he came on as a regular character, Belden in the bunkhouse. He was a great source of humor and pride. I was really happy he was there because he had been one of my bothers in Ride the High Country.  Also, John Anderson, who was my older brother in Ride the High Country, played several guest star roles. I just enjoyed working with all of them. I love them all.

Café:  Given the current TV landscape, it's hard to fathom the making of a 90-minute TV series with 30 episodes a season.  That's like a movie a week. What was the filming schedule like?

James Drury and Doug McClure.

James Drury:  The majority of The Virginian episodes were shot in eight days. When we started out, they took about ten days. They decided they couldn't afford that much time because we aired the episodes every five days (excluding weekends). To keep up with the airing schedule, we had to run multiple units--as many as four or five different episodes filming at the same time. I would ride my horse or take the studio limousine back and forth between the sets to do my two line piece in one episode, ten pages of dialogue in another episode, do a cattle drive in another episode, a wild horse drive in another, and then a gunfight and a robbery in yet another episode. I had to keep everything straight and it was absolutely no problem and a joy to do. I would do it all over again tomorrow. It was a horrendous amount of time. I usually got to the studio about 6 AM and usually got out of there around 9 or 10 PM. And then I had to learn my lines for the next day, if I had any time at all. But, I have several gifts that helped me with that, the most important of which is my photographic memory for dialogue. I can’t remember my phone number half the time, but I can remember dialogue from plays I did forty years ago that I’d rather forget.

Café:  During season 9, The Virginian was restructured as The Men from Shiloh with a format in which you, Doug McClure, Stewart Granger, and Lee Majors rotated starring in episodes. What did you think of the changes?

L.Q. Jones and Drury (with long sideburns)
in The Men from Shiloh.

James Drury:  At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Everybody liked it, everybody endorsed it. I went along with it and thought it would be a good thing to give the show a new look. We all got new costumes and longer sideburns. I got a 7 ½ inch barrel Colt instead of a 5 ½ inch barrel Colt and a new horse. It all seemed bright and new as a new penny. But the American audience was looking for The Virginian in the ninth season and they couldn't find it on their TV. They never heard of Men from Shiloh and we went off the air. So, that just goes to show you, as the cowboy said when he jumped into the prickly pear bush: “It seemed like a good idea at the time”.

Café:  You've stayed busy after The Virginian, appearing in films and television series, providing the voice talent for audio books, and appearing at classic TV and Western conventions. Are there any upcoming events or projects that you'd like to share with our readers?

James Drury (photo from his FB page).

James Drury:  All my personal appearances are listed on my website: www.thevirginian.net. I have a schedule of personal appearances that I keep nearly every year. We’re going to the Memphis Film Festival in Tunica, MS (June 13-15, 2013), Cowboy Up for Veterans Horse Show in Swanton, OH (July 20-21, 2013), and Western Legends Round Up in Kanab, UT (August 22-24, 2013). This year, I'll attend some new festivals: Spirit of the Cowboy at Chestnut Square in McKinney, TX (October 11-13, 2013) and Weird West Fest in Giddings, TX (December 7, 2013). There will probably be other event requests as the year progresses. We try to go everywhere that is reasonable to get to and where the event organizers are able to come up with my requirements. I would like to be working in motion pictures every day of my life. At the age of 79, there don't seem to be too many inquiries in that direction. So, I do what I can and hope for the best. That’s about all we can do any day of our life.

In addition to his website, you can learn more about James Drury at the following Facebook pages:

James Drury-The Virginian II 

James Drury’s Virginian Posse – Fan Group

Bullitt: Steve McQueen Plays It Cool (What Else?)

Bullitt was not the film that established the Steve McQueen "cool quotient." Steve was displaying coolness earlier in the 1960s in movies such as The Great Escape (1963), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Heck, his character was even known as The Cooler King in The Great Escape (okay, that was a different kind of "cooler"). Yet, if Steve was already cool, Bullitt elevated him to a new level and became perhaps his most iconic film. Think of Bullitt and two things spring to mind: the high-speed car chase through San Francisco and the poster with McQueen in a dark turtleneck with shoulder holster looking...yes...pretty damn cool.

McQueen plays Lieutenant Frank Bullitt, a no-nonsense detective for the San Francisco Police Department. An ambitious politician (Robert Vaughn) handpicks Bullitt to protect a mob informant who's scheduled to testify at a Senate subcommittee hearing. Despite taking all the normal precautions, a professional hit man shoots the informant at the safe house. When the would-be witness dies in the hospital, Bullitt covers up the death. Bothered by too many loose ends (e.g., who divulged the location of the safe house?), he launches his own investigation--even as others look to make him a scapegoat.

In her big scene, Bisset's face is obscured
by McQueen's shoulder and green weeds.

Stripped of McQueen's charisma, the famous car chase, and the scenic splendor of San Francisco, Bullitt is just another urban cop drama. Veteran actors such as Simon Oakland, Don Gordon, and Norman Fell are in fine form, but they're just inhabiting stock characters: the tough, trustworthy boss; the loyal partner; and the agitated superior. Jacqueline Bisset fares even worse in a throwaway part as Bullitt's girlfriend, who--in her one meaty scene--gets saddled with insipid dialogue such as: "Do you let anything really reach you? You're living in a sewer, Frank, day after day." (Well, he's a police detective in a big city...who did she think she was dating?)

McQueen's Mustang GT appears in the rearview mirror as the chase gets underway.

The car chase officially begins at the 1:08 mark in the film when the bad guys in the Dodge Charger strap on their seat belts. The next seven minutes are a delirious combination of squealing tires, burning rubber, skidding turns, roaring engines, and speeding cars flying over the hills of San Francisco. Director Peter Yates and editor Frank P. Keller--who won an Oscar for his work--expertly cut between shots of the cars, the drivers' faces, and nerve-racking first-person views. I love the shot where the driver of the Charger looks through his rearview mirror and sees nothing but dust. Assuming that Bullitt's Mustang has crashed, a very slight smile crosses his face.

Steve driving his iconic car. Actually, two Mustangs were used in the film.

Stunt driver Bill Hickman.

Steve McQueen and stunt driver Bud Ekin drove the dark-green Mustang GT, while Bill Hickman drove the black Charger. Hickman was also behind the wheel in The Seven-Ups, which features--yes, I said it--an even more impressive car chase sequence. It was directed by Philip D'Antoni, who produced Bullitt. (For our picks for cinema's five best car chases, click here.) By the way, the Bullitt car chase is often listed as nine minutes long, but that includes a prelude in which the baddies tail Bullitt. It's when our hero craftily creeps up behind them--and the seat belts get clicked--that the high-speed chase officially starts. From that point until the fiery conclusion, it's almost seven minutes.

Robert Vaughn.

As for McQueen, he plays his authority-defying hero to perfection. In a typical scene, Bullitt even refuses to
back down from Vaughn's powerful politician, telling him: "You work your side of the street. I'll work mine." It's a typical McQueen role, but one that audiences expected at that point in the actor's career.

Yes, that's Steve McQueen!

Still, the huge success of Bullitt cemented McQueen's superstar status and enabled him to take more chances on future films. He collaborated with Sam Peckinpah on Junior Bonner and The Getaway (both 1972). The former contains what critics now consider one of McQueen's best performances. The latter was one of his biggest hits and also where he met his second wife (of three) Ali MacGraw. And in 1978, he was almost unrecognizable as the bearded, bespectacled protagonist in An Enemy of the People, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1882 play.

TV Western Themes: "Branded" and "The Virginian"

The answers to this week's TV quiz referenced the theme song to the 1965-66 Chuck Connors Western series Branded. Frankly, I was surprised by the number of people who remembered both the series and the song fondly. Did you know the series was created by the prolific Larry Cohen (e.g., The Invaders TV series, It's Alive, Phone Booth)? So, for all you Branded fans, here's that famous opening (and as a bonus, the closing, too):

And to get everyone prepared for James Drury's interview at the Cafe next Monday, here's the opening theme to The Virginian. It was composed by Percy Faith, who is best known for his instrumental cover of Max Steiner's Theme from a Summer Place. That record was a #1 smash in 1960 and remains the best-selling instrumental single of all time. Note that these opening credits for The Virginian are from 1963 and include the famous NBC peacock.

We Describe the TV Series...You Name It!

The rules are the same as the movie edition of this game: Name each TV series below based on our vague description. Be sure to include the question number with your response. Please don't answer all the questions so others can play, too. There is one TV show that is the single, best answer to each description. 

1. Pediatrician quits practice due to circumstances surrounding family tragedy.

2. Young man, who lives with uncle, aspires to be a film director for Mammoth Pictures.

3. Man gets his sword broken in half--in the opening credits of every episode!

4. Two bachelors live in a train caboose.

5. Architect encounters trouble after late-night stop for coffee.

6. Rigid rules of a "retirement" community don't appeal to new independent-minded member.

7. Two astronauts land "in the strangest place."

8. Young teacher solves problems at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles.

9. Two guys in a Corvette.

10. Man interested in jewelry becomes bodyguard.

11. Mother has gas...all the time!

12. Supervisor worked for five bosses during the nine-year run of this show. Only one regular employee worked for the supervisor during that span.

13. The premise of this sitcom starring a famous young actress is genetically impossible.

14. Good thing the lead character never had rhinoplasty!

15. The lead character was supposed to be a male, but was played by a female named Susie.

"The Long, Hot Summer"...the TV Series!

Ah, the wonder of YouTube! I vaguely remember my parents watching a mid-1960s TV series based on the 1958 Paul Newman-Joanne Woodward hit The Long, Hot Summer. But since the show--which lasted just one season--quickly faded into obscurity, I figured it would never be released on video. Then, one night last week, I decided to search YouTube and--voila!--discovered four complete episodes. It's a small sample to judge a season comprised of 27 episodes, but still provides a feel for how the series was progressing...and perhaps why it failed.

Jimmie Rodgers sings the sublime title
songs over the opening credits.

Not surprisingly, the 1965-66 Long, Hot Summer TV series is based more on the theatrical film than on William Faulkner's Snopes family novels about life in Frenchman's Bend, Mississippi. Roy Thinnes plays Ben Quick, a good-looking drifter who has recently returned to the rural town with little money. Ben runs afoul of Will Varner (Edmund O'Brien), a domineering man who owns pretty much everything. Secretly, Varner admires Ben's pluck, but he doesn't like the hint of a spark between Ben and Varner's daughter Clara (Nancy Malone). Other characters include: Varner's weak son Jody (Paul Geary); Varner's mistress Minnie Littlejohn (Ruth Roman); and Eula (Lana Wood), a young woman of modest means who works for Minnie. Undoubtedly, fans of the 1958 film recognize all these characters. Indeed, the only substantial difference is that Jody and Eula are married in the movie, but only dating (in spite of Varner's objections) on the TV series. (Also, for the record, no one in the TV series attempts a Southern accent and Will Varner called his daughter "Missy" instead of "Sister").

Thinnes (without shirt) and Edmund O'Brien.

So how does it all work? Roy Thinnes and Dorothy Malone fare pretty well in the roles made famous by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Thinnes can't replicate Newman's mischievous charm, but he broods well (and takes off his shirt a lot, especially in the beefcake-heavy second episode). Malone faces a bigger task, given that Woodward was a delight in the movie. Yet, she still captures Clara's spunk and mistrust of Ben. She shows promise in the second episode, but, alas, doesn't play a major role in the others ones I viewed.

Edmund O'Brien has big shoes in fill in taking over Orson Welles' larger-than-life portrayal of Will Varner. His take on the character seems more subdued, but the result is that his Varner seems meaner (and not the manipulative rascal played by Welles). Unfortunately, O'Brien left the series midway through the season (some sources claim he clashed with the producers on the direction of the show). Dan O'Herily replaced him and, though a fine actor, he lacks the charisma required for the part.

Lana Wood as Eula.

Among the supporting players, Ruth Roman registers effectively as Minnie. Paul Geary is incredibly bland as Jody (and nothing like the desperate son played by Tony Franciosa). Lana Wood (Natalie's sister), who is well-cast physically as Eula, does what she can with a poorly-developed part.

The episodes that focus on Ben and Clara's relationship work best. Unfortunately, other episodes (e.g., a falsely-accused murderer hiding in the swamp, Will thinking he may be terminally ill) come off as routine filler. One is left with the feeling that a TV version of The Long, Hot Summer may have worked better as a miniseries (incidentially, it was made into a two-part TV movie in 1985 with Don Johnson, Judith Ivey, and Jason Robards).

Roy Thinnes in The Invaders.

Following the show's cancellation, Roy Thinnes scored the lead in The Invaders TV series, which didn't last long either, but has acquired a cult following. Nancy Malone became a producer and director and eventually vice-president of 20th Century-Fox television. Lana Wood appeared as Plenty O'Toole opposite 007 in Diamonds Are Forever and guest-starred in numerous TV series. Cult favorite Tisha Sterling had a small recurring role on The Long, Hot Summer, as did Bobby Pickett--who scored a huge hit single with "The Monster Mash."

The Philadelphia Experiment: Time Travel Romance...and Urban Legend

Nancy Allen and Michael Paré.

There are better time travel romances, such as Somewhere in Time, Time After Time, and I'll Never Forget You. And yet, I know a surprising number of people who view The Philadelphia Experiment with affection. That's all the more amazing considering that this modest 1984 film didn't make a dent at the box office and was released to video less than three months after its theatrical release. Maybe there's a Paré pattern 
here--Eddie and the Cruisers, another film starring Michael Paré, followed a similar trajectory after audiences discovered it on pay cable.

Michael Paré...after Davy learns to drive
without a stick shift.

The Philadelphia Experiment opens in 1943 with the Navy testing a new device that will render the USS Eldridge invisible to radar. However, the experiment goes terribly wrong and the ship's crew begins to glow in agony. Two sailors, Davy (Paré) and Jimmy (Bobby Di Cicco), jump ship and travel through a vortex to the Nevada desert in 1984--though they don't realize they've traveled through time. After a misunderstanding at a diner, they try to steal a car. Unfortunately, Davy doesn't know how to drive a car with automatic transmission, so he kidnaps its driver, Allison (Nancy Allen).

Jimmy glows at the hospital.

By the time Davy and Jimmy realize what has happened, they are captured by the police. Jimmy, whose hand has started glowing, is taken to a hospital--where he disappears. Davy escapes again and Allison, who has fallen for the time traveler, goes with him. Meanwhile, a huge electrical cloud begins to form over the area where Davy and Jimmy appeared. Two experiments, apparently conducted simultaneously in parallel times, have opened up a "hole" that could destroy the world.

The plot of The Philadelphia Experiment doesn't hold up well under close scrutiny. Davy goes to great lengths to elude the military authorities that he later wants to confront about his predicament. He could have saved a lot of time by turning himself in! Earlier, during a high-speed pursuit, a military vehicle flips over and bursts into flames. We don't see anyone escaping from the wreckage, so we can only assume the jeep's occupants died. Davy walks up to the burning vehicle and I assumed he was going to pull the bodies free from the fire. Instead, he recovers some secret documents--showing no remorse for the two dead men. A bit cold, I think.

The always likable Nancy Allen.

Of course, the heart of The Philadelphia Experiment is its romance and, to their credit, Paré and Allen pull that part off nicely. His brooding good looks and her girl-next-door charm make for a winning combination and the leads have an easy-going chemistry. Parts of The Philadelphia Experiment remind me of the same year's superior Starman. In both films, women trek cross-country with fish-out-of-water guys and elude government officials. Both films even feature incidents that take place at a country diner. Interestingly, John Carpenter directed Starman and executive produced The Philadelphia Experiment (after turning down a chance to direct it).

A prologue to The Philadelphia Experiment suggests there really were mysterious Naval experiments in Philadelphia in 1943. In some accounts, the USS Eldridge was rendered invisible and teleported to Norfolk, Virginia. There are a surprising number of variations to this urban legend, so many in fact that the U.S. Navy addresses the Philadelphia Experiment (aka Project Rainbow) on a naval history and heritage site. Click here to read the Navy's response.

As for the movie version of The Philadelphia Experiment, its slow-building popularity was enough to warrant Philadelphia Experiment II, a belated 1993 sequel. It featured none of the original cast, although Paré's character returned. In 2012, the SyFy Channel televised a pseudo-sequel, The Philadelphia Experiment, which featured Paré in a supporting role as another character.

Angela Cartwright Talks with the Café about Danny Thomas, Lost in Space, The Sound of Music, and Her Artwork

Danny Thomas' stepdaughter on The Danny Thomas Show, Penny Robinson in Lost in Space, and Brigitta von Trapp in The Sound of Music--Angela Cartwright may have been the most successful young actor of the 1960s. Born in Cheshire, England, but raised in Los Angeles, Angela and her sister Veronica entered show business at a young age. In fact, Angela was just three-years-old when she appeared in Somebody Up There Likes Me starring Paul Newman. Over the years, she has modeled, acted on stage, and opened an "eclectic store" called Rubber Boots. However, she is best known as an accomplished photographer and artist. She took time out of her packed schedule to drop by the Café for a chat.

Angela as Linda Williams on
The Danny Thomas Show.

Café:  The rapport between your character, Linda Williams, and her stepfather (played by Danny Thomas) seemed incredibly natural on The Danny Thomas Show. How would you describe your real-life relationship with Danny Thomas while making the series?

Angela Cartwright: I thought Danny was hilarious and he was always cracking me up. He was loud and gregarious, nothing like my real Dad who is far more reserved than that. So, it was fun to be able to make smart remarks and get away with it. I would never have talked to my real parents that way, but in the make-believe world of the Williams family I got away with that.

Café:  Your web site includes some delightful photos of Angela Cartwright toys, such as a jigsaw puzzle, a "Buttons 'n Bows" game, and a doll that came in three sizes. What was your first reaction when you saw the "Angela Cartwright" dolls?

AC:  I was pretty young to remember my exact reaction, but what little girl wouldn't want a doll made in her likeness? I never thought the Linda doll looked an awful lot like me though, but it was cool that the Linda doll came in three different sizes. One was even big enough that she walked with you. Madame Alexander also made two Brigitta, Sound of Music dolls and they were also favorites of mine. I especially liked the one in the sailor suit carrying a book.

Café:  What was it like to be reunited with The Danny Thomas Show cast when you returned six years later for Make Room for Granddaddy (1970-71)?

AC:  I loved it. The Danny Thomas Show had ended six years prior. In the interim, I made The Sound of Music, I played Penny in Lost In Space, I made various TV guest appearances and commercials, and modeled in Europe. I returned home to appear on the Granddaddy show. Life was good…I loved the fantastic guest stars we had on the show and I was older now, so I learned from the experience. Even though we were plagued with the Writer’s (Guild) strike in 1970, it was still a good year.

Angela as Brigitta in The Sound of Music.

Café:  How did you come to be cast in The Sound of Music?

AC:  I went on an interview for the part of Brigitta. I was still filming The Danny Thomas Show, but I knew the series was coming to an end. After several auditions, I was the first von Trapp cast. I asked Danny Thomas if he would let me out of my contract so I could be in the movie and he was very gracious to let me out of the last show of the season. He didn’t have to do that and I am very grateful he did.

Café:  What are some of your favorite memories of making The Sound of Music?

AC:  I was thrilled to get the part of Brigitta and I totally enjoyed making The Sound of Music. Singing and dancing and playing with other kids while running around Salzburg, Austria, with Julie Andrews was a fantastic experience. How could you not enjoy that? Being turned over in a rowboat was certainly a memorable experience…I can just remember wanting to get out of the water as soon as I could because there were leeches on the bottom of the pond. The sights, the sounds and the foods of Salzburg made the whole experience magical. It is an honor to be in a film that has touched so many people.

Café:  What were some of the challenges of making a science fiction series like Lost in Space in the 1960s?

AC:  I did enjoy playing the part of Penny Robinson. I thought how exciting it would be to portray a family in space exploring new worlds and encountering aliens. The challenge was trying to make an hour show in eight days with special effects and long scenes. It was grinding work, but we must have done something right to have such a following and love of the show decades later.

As Penny Robinson in "My Friend,
Mr. Nobody" (Season 1, Ep 8).

Café:  What was your favorite Lost in Space episode and why?

AC:  "My Friend, Mr. Nobody" was my favorite episode. I love the black and white film noir feel to it. I loved the message it had...though I remember it was challenging to talk to "no one" through the whole episode.

Café:   You seem to have maintained enduring relationships with the real-life performers in your TV and film families:  the Williams’s, the Robinsons, and the von Trapps. That's unusual in show business. What is the secret to your success?

AC:  Friendships need to be nurtured. It was important to me to maintain the close relationships I had forged while working in film and television. I nurtured those relationships as I have in my personal life, and made it a point to keep in touch.

Café:  What led to your interest in photography? When did you open the Angela Cartwright Studio?

AC:  I love photographs and have since I was a small child and it was my Dad who started taking photographs. I always loved fashion and design. I would take photos of my friends in their latest outfits and then develop the photos and print them in my Dad’s darkroom in the garage. That love of photography has stayed with me all my life and I carried it into my art. The art I create is by taking my black and white photographs and hand painting them with oil paint or watercolors and other mediums. I also wrote a book about these techniques called Mixed Emulsions: Altered Art Techniques for Photographic Imagery. You can see my artwork here: http://acartwrightstudio.com 

I opened Angela Cartwright Studio a couple years ago when I designed my art wear line. Finally the technology was available for me to take my hand-painted photographs and transform them onto natural fabric to create art wear. Every piece is made to order here in the USA.  It’s all very exciting and the possibilities are endless.

"Bustling."

Café:  In addition to photography, you've painted, drawn sketches, and worked in other forms of art. If you could only work in one media and style, what would it be?

AC:  I would have to say give me a pen and paper and I will be very happy. My Dad was a terrific artist and I always wanted to sketch like he did…but his style was more realistic and mine is more "unruly." I break rules all the time. Art is one place you can do that with delightful consequences. 

"3 Portals."

Café:  You're incredibly busy with your artwork and web sites and somehow even found time to contribute to last year's publication of The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook. What's on your horizon that you'd like to share with Café readers?

AC: There is an exciting new project I am working on that I can’t talk about yet. Let’s just say it has been a phenomenal experience.  It is due for release in 2014 and as soon as I can spill the beans I will on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog. Better yet, sign up on my mailing list on my website if you want to be the first to know all the latest. 

I would like to tell all the Sound of Music fans that we have some limited editions of The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook that are signed by the seven film von Trapp kids. If you are a fan of the movie, you will love this book because it tells our story about making the movie. We have filled the book with never-before seen photographs from our personal photo albums and included some of our home movies taken on location in Austria. You can buy the signed version at our website. We also have a Facebook page. With the 50^th Anniversary of The Sound of Music on the horizon, I am sure there will be some exciting events on the horizon so I hope you will visit us.

You can "like" Angela Cartwright on Facebook www.facebook.com/acartwrightstudio and follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/acstudio. You can also visit her web sites:

art studio:......... http://acartwrightstudio.com
art wear:........... http://angelacartwrightstudio.com
showbiz:........... http://angela-cartwright.com