Louie The Movie Buff

Leading Ladies                  Fay Spain

                                           Al Capone/ Maureen Flannery
                                           God's Little Acre/ Darling Jill
                                           Welcome To Hard Times/ Jessie
                                           The Godfather: Part Two/ Mrs. Marcia Roth

Fay Spain was an American film and television actress.

She was born at Phoenix, AZ in 1932.

Spain began living alone in the attic of her English teacher. The teacher had a daughter who was connected with an acting stock company in Maryland. Through this connection Fay Spain got a job combining the duties of acting and babysitting. She later moved to New York where she worked in a tie shop. Through an associate of Walter Winchell , who was a gossip columnist and who mentioned her in the column, Ms. Spain received a call from Columbia Pictures but not a contract because they said that she was not pretty enough.

But within a few months she found work with a stock company in the Catskill Mountains.

After completing high school Ms. Spain chose to pursue a stock company apprenticeship instead of a college scholarship.

Her first screen test was with James Garner but the test was unfavorable. They said that she was not photogenic enough. In spite of rejections, she continued to pursue acting. She accepted any parts so as to develop herself in the acting trade.

She first came to prominence in the late 1950's in such films as The Crooked Circle and God's Little Acre.

Fay Spain made her film debut in 1957 in the film Drag Strip Girl.

Some of the film roles of Fay Spain were:

Drag Strip Girl (1957) as Louise Blake

The Abductors (1957) as Sue Ellen

Teenage Doll (1957) as Helen

The Crooked Circle (1957) as Carol Smith

God's Little Acre (1958) as Darling Jill

Al Capone (1959) as Maureen Flannery

The Beat Generation (1959) as Frances Culloran

Johnny Guitar (1959-TV) as Anna Carrick

The Private Lives Of Adam And Eve (1960) as Lil Lewis/ Lilith

Hercules And The Captive Women (1961) as Queen Antinea Of Atlantis

Black Gold (1962) as Julie

Thunder Island (1963) as Helen Dodge

Flight To Fury (1964) as Destiny Cooper

The Gentle Rain (1968) as Nancy Masters

Welcome To Hard Times ( 1967) as Jessie

The Naked Zoo (1970) as Pauline

The Todd Killings (1971) as Mrs. Mack

The Godfather Part Two (1974) as Mrs. Marcia Roth

The Godfather: A Novel For Television (1977-TV Miniseries) as Marcia Roth

Her television beginnings began as a contestant on the Groucho Marx Show "You Bet Your Life".

She made her TV debut in 1955 in the TV series Big Town.

Fay Spain appeared on may television programs including Big Town, Warner Brothers Presents, Cheyenne, Conflict, Dragnet, The Web, Sugarfoot, Whirlybirds, The Court Of Last Resort, Mike Hammer, The Millionaire, Perry Mason, Tombstone Territory, M Squad, Playhouse 90, The Texan, Bat Masterson, 77 Sunset Strip, The Restless Gun, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, Bonanza, Wanted Dead Or Alive, The Detectives, Markham, The Alaskans, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, Michael Shayne, The Deputy, Riverboat, Route 66, Maverick, Adventures In Paradise, The Untouchables, Ben Casey, Hawaiian Eye, Tales Of Wells Fargo, Rawhide, Laramie, The Greatest Show On Earth, Channing, Daniel Boone, Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, A Man Called Shenandoah, I Spy, The Rat Patrol, Death Valley Days, Iron Horse, Gunsmoke, Hogan's Heroes, Gomer Pyle M C, Medical Center, Mannix, Night Gallery, Ironside, Caribe and Police Woman among others.

She was married four times. Her first three marriages ended in divorce. Her last marriage was to Philip Westbrook and it lasted from 1968 until her death.

Fay Spain passed away in 1983 at age 50 from lymphatic cancer.

I enjoyed this actress in the films The Crooked Circle, God's Little Acre, Al Capone, Welcome To Hard Times, Flight To Fury and The Godfather Part 2.

Louie The Movie Buff

Men Of Character Character Actors

Johnny Seven

Guns Of The Timberland/ Vince

The Destructors/ Spaniard

Johnny Gunman/Allie

Cop Hater/ Willie Bronken

A prolific character actor, Johnny Seven was born John Anthony Fetto at Brooklyn, NY in 1926.

Seven was one of six children from an Italian American family. He was the only male out of the six children.

He served 2 1/2 years with the U. S. Army and appeared in several USO shows.

Johnny Seven was originally his nickname in the Army and he used the cool sounding name when he started his acting career.

Seven worked in the New York theater and live television performances before entering films and television guest spots.

He made his film debut in a non credited role in the film On The Waterfront.

In addition to his acting career, Seven has also written and directed television and films.

Some of the film roles of Johnny Seven were:

On The Waterfront (1954) as A Longshoreman

Johnny Gunman (1957) as Allie

Cop Hater (1958) as Willie Bronken

Never Steal Anything Small (1959) as Joe, A Steveador

The Last Mile (1959) as Tom D'Amoro

The Music Box Kid (1960) as Tony Maldano

The Apartment (1960) as Karl Matuschka

Boy Who Caught A Crook (1961) as Rocky Kent

Navajo Run (1964) as Matthew Whitehawk

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) as Pilate's Aide

What Did You Do In The War, Daddy? (1965) as Vittorio

Gunfight In Abilene (1967) as Loop

The Destructors ( 1968) as Spaniard

The Love God? (1969) as Petey

Murder At The World Series (1977-TV) as Detective Severino

Active on television, Johnny Seven appeared in such programs as Inner Sanctum, The Phil Silvers Show, Mike Hammer, The D. A's Man, Peter Gunn, The Lawless Years, The Lineup, Five Fingers, Tightrope, Man With A Camera, The Deputy, Lockup, One Step Beyond, Michael Shayne, Route 66, Bat Masterson, Surfside 6, The Roaring 20's, The Loretta Young Show, The Case Of The Dangerous Robin, Two Faces West, Whispering Smith, Everglades, 87th Precinct, Bronco, Adventures In Paradise, The Detectives, Hawaiian Eye, Death Valley Days, Ripcord, The Untouchables, Naked City, Temple Houston, Breaking Point, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Batman, Get Smart, Jericho, The Wild Wild West, The Virginian, The FBI, Lancer, Here Come The Brides, Marcus Welby MD, The Rookies, Ironside, Amy Prentiss, Barbary Coast, Switch, The Rockford Files, Police Woman, Charlie's Angels, Vegas, Chips, Trapper John MD, Can't Hurry Love and Murder She Wrote.

Mr. Seven starred as Lt. Carl Reese from 1968 through 1975 on Ironside.

His wife's name was Edith and they were married from 1950 until his death. The couple had two children.

Johnny Seven passed away in 2010 from lung cancer.

I enjoyed Johnny Seven from Ironside and his many guest TV appearances as well as the films The Last Mile, Guns Of The Timberland, The Apartment, Gunfight In Abilene and The Love God?.

Louie The Movie Buff

Ladies Of Character           Character Actresxses

Lois Nettleton

                                            The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas/ Dulcie Mae
                                            Butterfly/ Belle Morgan
                                            The Bamboo Saucer/ Anna Karachev
                                            The Man In The Glass Booth/ Miriam Rosen

Per Quinlan's Character Stars:

Light haired American actress of sunny features and warm personality, on the tall side for romantic roles, but very effective in the early part of her career before too many film misfires put a stopper on her Hollywood upsurge.

Lois Nettleton was born in 1927 at Oak Park, IL. She was a former Miss Chicago beauty pageant winner in 1948.

A very versatile and accomplished actress who appeared on stage, in films and on TV, she studied originally at Chicago's Goodman Theater and then at the Actor's Studio in New York.

She made her Broadway debut in 1949 in the play The Biggest Thief In Town.

Ms. Nettleton won the prestigious Clarence Derwent Award for her acting in the play God And Kate Murphy.

Her official film debut came in 1962 in the adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play Period Of Adjustment. However, she had a small non credited part in 1957 in A Face In The Crowd.

Some of the film roles of Lois Nettleton were:

A Face In The Crowd (1957) as A Nurse

Period Of Adjustment (1962) as Dorothea Bates

Come Fly With Me (1963) as Bergie Bergstrom

Mail Order Bride (1964) as Annie Boley

Valley Of Mystery (1967-TV) as Rita Brown

The Bamboo Saucer (1968) as Anna Karachev

Macbeth (1968-TV) as Lady Macbeth

Any Second Now (1969-TV) as Nancy Dennison

The Good Guys And The Bad Guys (1969) as Mary

Pigeons (1970) as Mildred

Dirty Dingus Magee (1970) as Prudence Frost

Weekend Of Terror ( 1970-TV) as Sister Ellen

The Forgotten Man (1971-TV) as Anne Wilson

Terror In The Sky (1971-TV) as Janet Turner

Women In Chains (1972-TV) as Sandra Parker/ Sally Porter

The Honkers (1972) as Linda Lathrop

The Man In The Glass Booth (1975) as Miriam Rosen

Fear On Trial (1975-TV) as Nan Claybourne

Echoes Of Summer (1976) as Ruth Striden

Thee American Woman: Portraits Of Courage (1976-TV) as Susan B. Anthony

Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977-TV Miniseries) as Linda Martin

Centennial (1978-79 TV Miniseries) as Maude Wendell

Tourist (1980-TV) as Terry Carrell

Deadly Blessing (1981) as Louisa Stohler

Soggy Botton, USA (1981) as Molly

Butterfly (1982) as Belle Morgan

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982) as Dulcie Mae

Brass (1985-TV) as Claire Willis

Manhunt For Claude Dallas (1986-TV) as Dee Pogue

Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance (1994) as Sister Marion

The Making Of A Hollywood Madam (1996) as Katherine

The Christmas Card (2006-TV) as Rosie Spelman

Ms. Nettleton was active on television appearing in such programs as Man Against Crime, Captain Video And His Video Rangers, Studio One In Hollywood, Armstrong Circle Theater, Kraft Theater, Decoy, The United States Steel Hour, Dow Hour Of Great Mysteries, Play Of The Week, Great Ghost Tales, The Twilight Zone, Naked City, The DuPont Show Of The Week, Route 66, General Hospital, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Doctors And The Nurses, Dr. Kildare, Mr. Novak, Twelve O'Clock High, The Fugitive, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, Daniel Boone, The Bold Ones - The New Doctors, The FBI, The Name Of The Game, The Interns, Bracken's World, Night Gallery, Cannon, Mary Tyler Moore, Movin' On, Marcus Welby MD, Barnaby Jones, Kung Fu, Hawaii Five-O, Medical Center, The Streets Of San Francisco, The Love Boat, Trapper John MD, Insight, Hotel, The Golden Girls, Cagney & Lacey, The Facts Of Life, Mr. Belvedere, In The Heat Of The Night ( as Joanne St. John), The Flash, Murder She Wrote, Seinfeld, Babylon 5, Coach, Baywatch Nights, Spider Man (voice), The Pretender, Crossing Jordan and House Of Mouse (voice).

Ms. Nettleton was married to Jean Shepherd, the radio and TV humorist and writer from 1960 until 1967. The marriage ended in divorce.

Lois Nettleton passed away from lung cancer in January, 2008.

I always liked Lois Nettleton and thought that she was attractive. I enjoyed her in such films as Period Of Adjustment, The Bamboo Saucer, Dirty Dingus Magee, Terror In The Sky, Centennial and The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas as well as her many television appearances.

Louie The Movie Buff

Men Of Character              Character Actors

Roy Roberts

                                          He Walked By Night/ Captain Breen
                                          The Big Trees/ Judge Crenshaw
                                          Tumbleweed/ Nick Buckley
                                          Santa Fe/ Cole Sanders

Per Quinlan's Character Stars:

Staunch, solid, serious looking American character actor with thick wavy hair.

Roy Roberts was born at Tampa, FL in 1906.

Roberts had a successful career on Broadway before moving into films. He claims to have done over 900 performances encompassing the mediums of stage, films and television.

He could be on either side of the law, but for the most part he was a good guy. He assayed the villain Charles De Haven in Wyoming Renegades and the police captain in He Walked By Night.

Roberts is especially remembered as Vincent Price's vengeful ex partner in House Of Wax where he meets his end hanging in an elevator shaft.

He played police captains detectives, sheriffs, military men, ranchers, judges and upright citizens as well as a few villains for good measure. He even did a couple of priests.

His official motion picture debut came in 1943 in the film Guadacanal Diary.

Some of the film roles of Roy Roberts were:

Guadacanal Diary (1943) as Capt. James Cross

The Sullivans (1944) as Father Francis

Tampico (1944) as Crawford

Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944) as FBI Chief Frank Williams

Wilson (1944) as Ike Hoover, Chief White House Butler

Circumstantial Evidence (1945) as Marty Hannon

The Caribbean Mystery (1945) as Captain Van den Bark

A Bell For Adano (1945) as Colonel Middleton

Within These Walls (1945) as Marty Deutsch

Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946) as Army Captain Rampey

Behind Green Lights (1946) as Max Calvert

Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946) as J. P. Hartley

Strange Triangle (1946) as Harry Matthews

Smoky (1946) as Jeff Nix

It Shouldn't Happen To A Dog (1946) as Mitch Mitchell

My Darling Clementine (1946) as Mayor

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) as Mr. Foster

The Brasher Doubloon (1947) as Police Lt. Breeze

The Foxes Of Harrow (1947) as Tom Warren

Nightmare Alley (1947) as McGraw

Gentlemen's Agreement (1947) as Mr. Calkins

Daisy Kenyon (1947) as Attorney Quint

Captain From Castile (1947) as Capt. Alvarado

Fury At Furnace Creek (1948) as Al Shanks

The Gay Intruders (1948) as Charles McNulty

Joan Of Arc (1948) as Captain Wandamme Of Burgundy

No Minor Vices (1948) as Mr. Felton

He Walked By Night (1948) as Police Captain Breen

Force Of Evil (1948) as Ben Tucker

Chicken Every Sunday (1949) as Harry Bowers

Calamity Jane Meets Sam Bass (1949) as Marshal Peak

Flaming Fury (1949) as Captain Taplinger

Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) as Construction Foreman Roberts

The Reckless Moment (1949) as Nagel

Chicago Deadline (1949) as Jerry Cavanaugh

A Kiss For Corliss (1949) as Uncle George

Bodyhold (1949) as Charles Webster

Chain Lightning (1949) as Major General Hewitt

Borderline (1950) as Harvey Gumbin

The Palomino (1950) as Ben Lane

Sierra (1950) as Sheriff Knudson

Wyoming Mail (1950) as Charles De Haven

The Second Face (1950) as Allan Wesson

The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) as Mayor Of New York

Stage To Tucson (1950) as Jim Maroon

The Enforcer (1951) as Captain Frank Nelson

Santa Fe (1951) as Cole Sanders

I Was A Communist For The FBI (1951) as Father Novak

Fighting Coast Guard (1951) as Captain Gibbs

The Tanks Are Coming (1951) as Major General

The Man With A Cloak (1951) as Policeman

My Favorite Spy (1951) as Johnson Of The FBI

The Cimarron Kid (1952) as Pat Roberts

The Big Trees (1952) as Judge Crenshaw

Hoodlum Empire (1952) as Police Chief Tavis

Skirts Ahoy! (1952) as Captain Greymont

Cripple Creek (1952) as Marshal John Tetheroe

One Minute To Zero (1952) as Lt. Gen. George Thomas

Battles Of Chief Pontiac (1952) as Major Gladwin

Stars And Stripes Forever (1952) as Major George Porter Houston

The Man Behind The Gun (1953) as Senator Mark Sheldon

San Antone (1953) as John Chisum

House Of Wax (1953) as Matthew Burke

The Lone Hand (1953) as Mr. Skaggs

The Glory Brigade (1953) as Sgt. Chuck Anderson

Second Chance (1953) as Charley Malloy

Sea Of Lost Ships (1953) as Captain of the 'Eagle"

Tumbleweed (1953) as Nick Buckley

Wyoming Renegades (1954) as Sheriff McVey

They Rode West (1954) as Sgt. Creever

The Outlaw Stallion (1954) as Hagen

Dawn At Socorro (1954) as Doc Jameson

Big House, USA (1955) as Chief Ranger Will Erickson

Stranger On Horseback (1955) as Sam Kettering

The Eternal Sea (1955) as Review Board Captain

I Cover The Underworld (1955) as District Attorney

The Last Command (1955) as Dr. Summerfield

Backlash (1956) as Major Carson

The First Texan (1956) as Colonel Sam Sherman

The Boss (1956) as Tim Brady

Yaqui Drums (1956) as Matt Quigg

The White Squaw (1956) as Edward Purvis

The King And Four Queens (1956) as Sheriff Tom Larrabee

The Underwater City (1962) as Tim Graham

Kid Galahad (1962) as Jerry Bathgate

The Chapman Report (1962) as Alan Roby

Maggie Brown (1963-TV) as John Farragut

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as Policeman

Those Calloways ( 1965) as E. J Fletcher

I'll Take Sweden (1965) as Ship's Captain

Hotel (1967) as Bailey

Tammy And The Millionaire (1967) as Governor Alden

Now You See It, Now You Don't (1968-TV) as Mr. Stockman

Cry For Poor Wally (1969) as Doctor

This Savage Land (1969-TV) as Dr. Reynolds

Some Kind Of A Nut (1969) as 1st Vice President

The Million Dollar Duck (1971) as The Judge

The Outfit (1973) as Sheriff Bob Caswell

Chinatown (1974) as Mayor Bagby

The Strongest Man In The World (1975) as Mr. Roberts

Roy Roberts was very active on television appearing in such programs as Suspense, Mr. & Mrs. North, Racket Squad, Waterfront, Studio One In Hollywood, The Pepsi Cola Playhouse, The Adventures Of Rin Tin Tin, Adventures Of The Falcon, Topper, The Lone Wolf, The Loretta Young Show, The Lone Ranger, My Little Margie, December Bride, My Friend Flicka, You Are There, Celebrity Playhouse, Big Town, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, Screen Directors Playhouse, Playhouse 90, Studio 57, The Sheriff Of Cochise, The 20th Century Fox Hour, Crossroads, The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp, Zane Grey Theater, The Restless Gun, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theater, Oh Susanna!, The Deputy, Laramie, Surfside 6, Lawman, Hawaiian Eye, The Andy Griffith Show, Have Gun Will Travel, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Cheyenne, Dennis The Menace, Make Room For Daddy, The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis, Vacation Playhouse, The Twilight Zone, Channing, 77 Sunset Strip, Death Valley Days, Grindl, The Munsters, The Bill Dana Show, The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet, Lassie, The Jack Benny Program, McHale's Navy, Rawhide, Perry Mason, The Addams Family, Mona McCluskey, The Farmers daughter, Laredo, Bonanza, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Lucy Show, Peyton Place, Green Acres, Bewitched, My Three Sons, The Doris Day Show, Petticoat Junction, That Girl, Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color, Here's Lucy and Gunsmoke among others.

Roberts was married to actress Lillian Moore from 1947 until his death.

Roy Roberts passed away in 1975 of a heart attack at age 69 and is buried next to his wife in Fort Worth , TX at Greenwood Memorial Park.

I enjoyed Roy Roberts in the films House Of Wax, The Man Behind The Gun, The Big Trees, Wyoming Mail, He Walked By Night, Dawn At Socorro, Tumbleweed, The Enforcer, The White Squaw, Santa Fe, Cripple Creek and Borderline.

Louie The Movie Buff

Leading Ladies Eileen Herlie

Hamlet/ Gertrude The Queen
Hungry Hill/ Katherine
Freud/ Frau Ida Koertner

Originally born as Eileen Herlihy at Glasgow, Scotland in 1918, she was the daughter of a Catholic father and a Protestant mother.

Ms. Herlie was was on the Scottish and British stage originally and later on appeared on Broadway with Jackie Gleason in the musical Take Me Along.

Ms. Herlie was mainly known as Myrtle Fargate on the daily soap opera All My Children. She appeared on this series from 1976 until 2007.

Her total film output was 11 films including TV movies.

The film roles of Eileen Herlie were:

Hungry Hill (1947) as Katherine

Hamlet (1948) as Gertrude The Queen

The Angel With The Trumpet (1950) as Henrietta Stein

Gilbert And Sullivan (1953) as Helen D' Olye Carte

Cocktails In The Kitchen (1954) as Anne's Mother

Uncle Willie's Bicycle Shop (1954) as Mother

She Didn't Say No (1958) as Bridget Monohan

Freud (1962) as Frau Ida Koertner

Hamlet (1964) as Queen Gertrude

The Sea Gull (1968) as Polina, The Bailiff's Wife

The Woman I Love (1972-TV) as Queen Mary

Ms. Herlie, in addition to All My Children, appeared on television in such programs as BBC Sunday Night Theater, Loving and One Life To Live.

Ms. Herlie was married and divorced twice.

Eileen Herlie passed away in October, 2008 from pneumonia at age 90.

The only film that I have seen this actress in was Hamlet and she gave a very good performance.

Louie The Movie Buff

Ladies Of Character Character Actresses

Eileen Heckart

The Bad Seed/ Hortense Daigle
Bus Stop/ Vera
Butterflies Are Free/ Mrs. Baker
Heartbreak Ridge/ Little Mary

Per Quinlan's Character Stars:

Thin faced American actress with dark, tautly curly hair. When she arrived in Hollywood in 1956, after success on Broadway, Heckart set off to become a regular part of the cinema scene. But soon she returned to stage work., reappearing in 1970's films, only long enough to snatch an Oscar for Butterflies Are Free, having already bagged an Emmy in 1967 for Win Me A Place At Forest Lawn. Most of her characters were only happy when haranguing their fellows. Also nominated for an Academy Award for The Bad Seed.

She was born Anna Eileen Herbert at Columbus, OH in 1919. She was born out of wedlock and her mother married Leo Herbert who was not her father but it did away with the stain of illegitimacy.
However, she received her last name when she was adopted by her maternal grandmothers wealthy second husband and was raised by the grandparents. She also had two stepsisters.

Ms. Heckart graduated from Ohio State University with a B A in Drama.

She began her career on Broadway as an assistant stage manager and an understudy for the play The Voice Of The Turtle. She continued as a Broadway actress and appeared in such performances as Picnic, A View From The Bridge, Butterflies Are Free, The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs, A Family Affair and Barefoot In The Park among others.

Her nominations for Broadway's Tony Award came in the plays Butterflies Are Free, Invitation To A March, and The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs.

In 2000, at age 81, Ms. Heckart appeared in the off Broadway production of The Waverly Gallery, receiving more awards for a single performance in a single season than any actress in theater history. The awards included The Drama Desk Award, The Lucille Lortel Award, The Drama League Award and The Outer Critics Circle Award.

Ms. Heckart made her film debut in 1956 in the film Miracle In The Rain.

She won an Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress in 1972 for her performance in the film Butterflies Are Free. She was also nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress in 1956 for her performance of Mrs. Daigle in The Bad Seed.

Some of the film roles of Eileen Heckart were:

Miracle In The Rain (1956) as Grace Ullman

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) as Ma Barbella

Bus Stop (1956) as Vera

The Bad Seed (1956) as Hortense Daigle

The Little Foxes (1956-TV) as Birdie

Hot Spell (1958) as Alma's Friend

A Doll's House (1959-TV) as Kristine Lind

Heller In Pink Tights (1960) as Mrs. Lorna Hathaway

My Six Loves (1963) as Ethel

Up The Down Staircase (1967) as Henrietta Pastorfield

No Way To Treat A Lady (1968) as Mrs. Brummel

The Tree (1969) as Sally Dunning

All The Way Home (1971-TV) as Aunt Hannah Lynch

Butterflies Are Free (1972) as Mrs. Baker

The Victim (1972-TV) as Mrs. Harkes

Wedding Band (1974) as Herman's Mother

Zandy's Bride (1974) as Ma Allan

The Hiding Place (1975) as Katje

Burnt Offerings (1976) as Roz Allerdyce

Sunshine Christmas (1977-TV) as Bertha Hayden

Suddenly, Love (1978) as Mrs. Malloy

The Honeymooners (1978) as Mrs. Gibson - Alice's Mother

3 By Cheever (1979-TV Miniseries) as Rosemary

Backstairs At The White House (1979-TV Miniseries) as Eleanor Roosevelt

White Mama (1980-TV) as Three Bag Lady

F D R: The Last Year (1980-TV) as Eleanor Roosevelt

The Big Black Pill (1981-TV) as Sister Clara

Games Mother Never Taught You (1982-TV) as Martha Brewster

The Recovery Room (1985-TV) as Mrs. Griffin

Seize The Day (1986) as Funeral Woman #1

Hearttbreak Ridge (1986) as Little Mary

Morning Maggie (1987-TV) as Aunt Esther Handlesman

Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story (1993-TV) as Shelley

Breathing Lessons (1994-TV) as Mabel

Ultimate Betrayal (1994-TV) as Sarah McNeil

The First Wives Club (1996) as Catherine McDuggan

Ms. Heckart was active on television as well as films and stage appearing in such programs as The Ford Television Hour, Robert Montgomery Presents, Lux Video Theater, The Web, The Big Story,,Out There, Suspense, Justice, Campbell Summer Sound Stage, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, Goodyear Playhouse, The Alcoa Hour, Studio One In Hollywood, Kraft Theater, Playhouse 90, Play Of The Week, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dr. Kildare, Naked City, Ben Casey, The Defenders, The FBI, Felony Squad, The Fugitive, CBS Playhouse, Gunsmoke, The Streets Of San Francisco, Banyon, Love Story, Barnaby Jones, Hawaii Five-O, Rhoda, Switch, Mary Tyler Moore, Alice, Little House On The Prairie, Out Of The Blue, Trauma Center, Trapper John MD, Partners In Crime, Highway To Heaven, Nine To Five, Tales From The Darkside, Annie McGuire, The 5 Mrs. Buchanans, Murder One, Home Improvement and Cybill among others.

Ms. Heckart was married for 55 years to John Harrison Yankee, Jr until his death in 1997. The couple had a son named Luke.

Eileen Heckart passed away in 2001 from lung cancer.

I enjoyed this actress in the films Butterflies Are Free, The Bad Seed, Heartbreak Ridge, Somebody Up There Likes Me, No Way To Treat A Lady, Burnt Offerings and The First Wives Club.

Louie The Movie Buff

S

Men Of Character               Character Actors

Peter Mamakos

                                             The Searchers/ Jerum Futterman
                                             Forbidden/ Sam
                                             The Bandits Of Corsica/ Diegas
                                             Fort Bowie/ Sgt. Kukas

Peter Mamakos was an American character actor of Greek descent in films and movies for over 40 years.

His career in these mediums lasted from 1949 to 1990 with 183 credits between these two mediums

Mamakos was born at Somerville, MA in 1918.

He began on stage in 1939 and moved into films and television in the late 1940's. he played many ethnic types including Indian, Greek, Hispanic, Italian and Middle Eastern characters and villains complete with a bushy mustache.

His film debut came in 1949 in Bride Of Vengeance and he made his television debut in 1950 on The Magnavox Theater.

Some of the film roles of Peter Mamakos were:

Bride Of Vengeance (1949) as Ferrara's Crossbowman

Tuna Clipper (1949) as Capt. Manuel Periera

House Of Strangers (1949) as Bank Guard

Trail Of The Yukon (1949) as Rand

Cargo To Capetown (1950) as Gomez

Tarzan And The Slave Girl (1950) as Lionian Henchman

Between Midnight And Dawn (1950) as Cootie Adams

Kim 1950) as Conspirator

Flame Of Stamboul (1951) as Pierre

Pier 23 (1951) as Nick Garrison

Sirocco (1951) as merchant Businessman

China Corsair (1951) as Juan

Silver Canyon (1951) as Laughing Jack

Mask Of The Avenger (1951) as Sergeant

Comin' Round The Mountain (1951) as Gangster At Night Club

Let's Go Navy! (1951) as Chief Nurano

The Mark Of The Renegade (1951) as Pirate

The People Against O'Hara (1951) as James Korvac

Harem Girl (1952) as Sarab

Vivi Zapata! (1952) as Soldier

Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952) as Pilot

Captain Pirate (1952) as First Mate

Horizons West (1952) as Lt. Salazar

The Prisoner Of Zenda (1952) as De Gauter

Bandits Of Corsica ( 1953) as Diegas

City Beneath The Sea (1953) as Capt. Pedro Mendoza

Fort Vengeance (1953) as Broken Lance

The Glory Brigade (1953) as Colonel Kallicles

Forbidden (1953) as Sam

El Alemin (1953) as Colonel Singh Das

Private Eyes (1953) as Chico

The Miami Story (1954) as Gangster

The Gambler From Natchez (1954) as Etienne

The Adventures Of Hajji Baba (1954) as Chief Executioner

Pirates Of Tripoli (1955) as Keppa

The Prodigal (1955) as Guard

The Finest Gift (1955-TV) as Stefanos

A Bullet For Joey (1955) as Ship Captain

I Cover The Underworld (1955) as Charlie Green

Ain't Misbehavin' (1955) as Andy, Greek Fisherman

The Marauders (1955) as Ramos

The Twinkle In God's Eye (1955) as Cruishank

Desert Sands ( 1955) as Pvt. Lucky Capella

The Conqueror (1956) as Borgurchi

The Searchers (1956) as Jerum Futterman

When Gangland Strikes (1956) as Mr. Thirndyke

Miracle In The Rain (1956) as Headwaiter

Quincannon, Frontier Scout (1956) as Blackfoot Sam

The Ten Commandments (1956) as Chief Driver

Spook Chasers (1957) as Snap Sizzolo

My Gun Is Quick (1957) as LaRouche - Smuggler Chief

Looking For Danger (1957) as Hassan

The Crooked Circle (1957) as Nick

Sabu And The Magic Ring (1957) as Mazufar

Fort Bowie (1958) as Sgt. Kukas

Merry Andrew (1958) as Vittorio Gallini

The Rabbit Trap (1959) as Truck Driver

Terror At Black Falls (1962) as Juan Avila

Drums Of Africa (19630 as Chavera

Island Of Love (1963) as Nick

Taggart (1964) as Catina Owner

Ship Of Fools (1965) as Religious Man

Catalina Caper (1967) as Borman

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (1968) as Charles Spimonades

Justine (1969) as Kawwass

A Dream Of Kings (1969) as Falconis

The Resurrection Of Zachary Wheeler (1971) as Premier Mabulla

For Pete's Sake (1974) as Dominic

Rich Man, Poor Man (1976- TV Miniseries) as Captain

The Other Side Of Midnight (1977) as Cocyannis

The French Atlantic Affair (1979- Tv Miniseries) as Otto Lanier

The Man With Bogart's Face (1980) as Spoony Singh

Lucky Chances (1990-TV Miniseries) as Greek Priest

Mr. Mamakos was active on television appearing in such programs as The Magnavox Theater, Front Page Detective, The Files Of Jeffrey Jones, Gruen Guild Theater, Dangerous Assignment, China Smith, Space Patrol, Terry And The Pirates, Boston Blackie, Family Theater, Schlitz Plasyhouse Of Stars, Chevron Theater, You Are There, The Adventures Of Kit Carson, Lux Video Theater, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, Climax!, Passport To Danger, Four Star Playhouse, Man Against Crime, The Adventures Of Fu Man Chu, The Count Of Monte Cristo, Matinee Theater, Tales Of The 77th Bengal Lancers, Adventures Of Superman, Oh! Susanna, Broken Arrow, Code 3, The Adventures Of Jim Bowie, The Court Of Last Resort, Zorro, Gunsmoke, Frontier Doctor,The Adventures Of Rin Tin Tin, Maverick, Bronco, Richard Diamond Private Detective, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, The Texan, The Lawless Years, 26 Men, Mr. Lucky, Bourbon Street Beat, The Deputy, Riverboat, Route 66, The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp, The Untouchables, Surfside 6, Checkmate, Rawhide, Peter Gunn, The Dick Powell Theater, Hazel, Wagon Train, Sam Benedict, The Virginian, The Fugitive, Kraft Suspense Theater, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, The Red Skelton Hour, Burke's Law, Perry Mason, Batman, Family Affair, Get Smart, Ironside, Land Of The Giants, The Flying Nun, Mannix, The Bold Ones - The Protectors, Daniel Boone, Night Gallery, Cannon, The Streets Of San Francisco, McCloud, Mission Impossible, Barnaby Jones, Kojak, Fantasy Island, Operation Petticoat, T J Hooker and Airwolf among others.

Mr. Mamakos was married and after retirement he was active with his Greek Orthodox Chuch.

Peter Mamakos passed away in 2008 at age 89.

I remember seeing this actor in many tv series and films. I enjoyed his performances in his TV appearances as well as the films The Searchers, Private Eyes, Merry Andrew, Terror At Black Falls, The Bandits Of Corsica, Ship Of Fools and The Conqueror..

Louis The Movie Buff

Ladies Of Character            Character Actresses

Una O'Connor

                                             Bride Of Frankenstein/ Minnie
                                             The Invisible Man/ Jenny Hall
                                             Witness For The Prosecution/ Janet
                                             The Adventures Of Robin Hood/ Bess

Per Quinlan's Character Stars:

Twittering, pinch featured, black haired Irish actress of pale complexion, darting eyes and birdlike movements.

Before the two scream queens of film , namely Evelyn Ankers and Jamie Leigh Curtis, there was Una O'Connor. She was more likely than not to run into some monster or creature. She especially was afraid of the Frankenstein monster.

Born Agnes Teresa McGlade at Belfast, Ireland in 1880, her early career was with The Abbey Theater in Dublin.

Ms. O'Connor started out in British films and then moved to America for Hollywood where she held her own against such heavyweights as Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Errol Flynn, Barbara Stanwyck and Sydney Greenstreet.

Her film debut was in 1929 in the film Dark Red Roses.

She was often used as comic relief with her thick Irish accent and her rubber faced expressions.

And when she came into contact monsters both visible and invisible, she usually let out a scream which could wake the dead!

Some of the film roles of Una O'Connor were:

Dark Red Roses (1929) as Mrs. Weeks

Murder! (1930) as Mrs. Grogram

Cavalcade (1933) as Ellen Bridges

Timbuctoo (1933) as Myrtle

Pleasure Cruise (1933) as Mrs. Signus

Horse Play (1933) as Clementia

Mary Stevens, M D (1933) as Mrs. Arnell Simmons

The Invisible Man (1933) as Jenny Hall

The Poor Rich (1934) as Lady Featherstone

Orient Express (1934) as Mrs. Peters

All Men Are Enemies (1934) as Annie

Stingaree (1934) as Annie

Chained (1934) as Amy, Diane's Maid

The Barretts Of Wimpole Street (1934) as Wilson

Father Brown, Detective (1934) as Mrs. Boggs

David Copperfield (1935) as Mrs. Gurnmidge

Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) as Minnie

The Informer (1935) as Mrs. McPhilip

Thunder In The Night (1935) as Julie

The Perfect Gentleman (1935) as Harriet Chatteris

Rose Marie (1936) as Anna

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) as Mary

Suzy (1936) as Landlady

Lloyd's Of London (1936) as Widow Blake

The Plough And The Stars ( 1936) as Mrs. Gogan

Personal Property (1937) as Cora

Call It A Day (1937) as Mrs. Milson, The Housekeeper

The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938) as Bess

Nobody Home (1938) as Mum Oaks

The Moon In The Yellow River (1938) as Aunt Columba

In Search Of Valor (1939) as Stasia Claremorris

We Are Not Alone (1939) as Susan O'Connor, Newcome's Maid

All Women Have Secrets (1939) as Mary

His Brother's Keeper (1940) as Eva

It All Came True ( (1940) as Maggie Ryan

Lillian Russell (1940) as Marie

The Sea Hawk (1940) as Ms. Latham

He Stayed For Breakfast (1941) as Ellie

The Strawberry Blonde (1941) as Mrs. Mulcahey

Her First Beau (1941) as Effie

Kisses For Breakfast (1941) as Ellie

Three Girls About Town (1941) as Maggie O'Callahan, Scrubwoman

Always In My Heart (1942) as Angie

My Favorite Spy (19420 as Cora

Random Harvest (1942) as Tobacconist

Forever And A Day (1943) as Caroline Ismay

This Land Is Mine (1943) as Emma Lory

Holy Matrimony (1943) as Sarah Leak

Government Girl (1943) as Mrs. Harris

The Canterville Ghost (1944) as Mrs. Umney

My Pal Wolf (1944) as Mrs. Blevin

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) as Nora

The Bell's Of St. Mary (1945) as Mrs. Breen

Cluny Brown (1946) as Mrs. Wilson

Of Human Bondage (1946) as Mrs. Foreman

Child Of Divorce (1946) as Nora The Maid

The Return Of Monte Cristo (1946) as Miss Beedle

Unexpected Guest (1947) as Matilda Hackett

Lost Honeymoon (1947) as Mrs. Tubbs

Banjo (1947) as Banjo

The Corpse Came C O D (1947) as Nora

Ivy (1947) as Mrs. Thrawn

Fighting Father Dunne (1948) as Miss O'Rourke

Adventures Of Don Juan (1948) as Duenna

Witness For The Prosecution (1957) as Janet MacKenzie

Ms. O'Connor appeared on early television in such programs as Lights Out, The Lux Video Theater, Tales Of Tomorrow, Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One, Kraft Television Theater and Armstrong Circle Theater.

The actresses' last film was Witness For The Prosecution. Her hilarious testimony is one of the films highlights.

Ms. O'Connor never married.

Una O'Connor passed away in 1959 from a heart ailment.

I enjoyed her performances in The Invisible Man and The Bride Of Frankenstein as well as other films such as The Adventures Of Robin Hood, This Land is Mine ( as Charles Laughton's mother), The Sea Hawk and naturally, Witness For The Prosecution.

Louie The Movie Buff

Men Of Character                 Character Actors

Arthur Batanides

                                             Police Academy 2, 3, 4 & 6/ Mr. Kirkland
                                             The Unearthly/ Danny Green
                                             Brannigan/ Angell
                                             Cry Tough/ Alvears

Arthur Batanides was an American character actor who appeared in films and television.

He appeared mostly on television but had both film and television credits that amounted to to 143 according to the IMDB and his career lasted from 1951 through 1989.

Batanides was born at Tacoma, Washington in 1923.

He originally became interested in acting after performing as a stand up comedian in front of his fellow G I's in Europe during World War Two.

Batanides received his education as an actor at The Actors Lab in Los Angeles. He also gained experience on the stage.

He is probably best known from his role as Mr. Kirkland in the Police Academy films as well as the supporting role of Sergeant Olivera in the syndicated crime drama Johnny Midnight (1959 - 1960) which starred actor Edmond O'Brien.

His film debut came in 1954. His television came in the TV series Out There in 1951.

Some of the film roles of Arthur Batanides were:

Black Tuesday ( 1954) as Reporter At Execution

The Ten Commandments (1956) as Hebrew At Rameses' Gate

The Unearthly (1957) as Danny Green

Violent Road (1958) as Ben

Cry Tough (1959) as Alvears

The Leech Woman(1960) as Jerry

Spartacus (1960) as Legionnaire

Man Trap (1961) as Cortez

The Plot Thickens (1963-TV) as Kazam

The Maltese Bippy (1969) as Tony

The Feminist And The Fuzz (1971-TV) as Joe

What's A Nice Girl Like You....? (1971-TV) as Flint

The Cat Ate The Parakeet (1972) as Marty

Evil Roy Slade (1972-TV) as Lee

The Heist (1972-TV) as Frank D'Amico

Brannigan (1975) as Angell

The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1975-TV) as Dawson

The Last Hurrah (1977-TV) as Ben Morrow

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985) as Kirkland

Police Academy 3 : Back In Training ( 1986) as Kirkland

Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol (1987) as Kirkland

Police Academy 6 : City Under Siege (1989) as Kirkland

Mr. Batanides was very active on television appearing in programs as Out There, The Web, Warner Brothers Presents, Men Of Annapolis, Studio 57, Navy Log, The Silent Service, Broken Arrow, Tombstone Territory, Maverick, The Millionaire, Colt 45, State Trooper, U S Marshal, Peter Gunn, Alcoa Theater, Man With A Camera, Zorro, Yancy Derringer, The Third Man, Border Patrol, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Whirlybirds, Decoy, Playhouse 90, Richard Diamond Private Detective, One Step Beyond, Mike Hammer, The Lawless Years, Lawman, Lock Up, Mr. Lucky, Johnny Staccato, Wanted Dead Or Alive, M Squad, Riverboat, Route 66, Stagecoach West, Bonanza, The Islanders, The Detectives, Rawhide, The Twilight Zone, Target The Corruptors, Adventures In Paradise, 87th Precinct, Perry Mason, G E True Theater, The Rifleman, Ben Casey, Combat!, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, The Great Adventure, Dr. Kildare, Kraft Suspense Theater, The Rogues, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Bill Dana Show, Burke's Law, Gunsmoke, Honey West, A Man Called Shenandoah, Get Smart!, Death Valley Days, The Man From UNCLE, The Time Tunnel, The Green Hornet, Lost In Space, Cimarron Strip, I Spy, Land Of The Giants, The Wild Wild West, Gomer Pyle USMC, Star Trek, Mod Squad, It Takes A Thief, Daniel Boone, The Silent Force, The Name Of The Game, Hawaii Five-O, Mission Impossible, The Streets Of San Francisco, McCloud, Ironside, Columbo, The Odd Couple, Police Story, Wonder Woman, The Misadventures Of Sheriff Lobo, Lou Grant, Quincy ME and Happy Days among others.

He was very much a familiar face on the small screen in the 1960's and 1970's.

He retired from acting after his last film Police Academy 6: City Under Siege in 1989.

Batanides was married to Madge Ware.

Arthur Batanides passed away in January, 2000 from natural causes.

I enjoyed this actor in Police Academy film series as well as The Unearthly, The Leech Woman, Brannigan, Violent Road and Cry Tough.

Louie The Movie Buff

Leading Men Dale Robertson

Tales Of Wells Fargo (TV)/ Jim Hardy
The Gambler From Natchez / Capt. Vance Colby
Son Of Sinbad/ Sinbad
The Silver Whip/ Race Crim

Per Quinlan's Film Stars:

Tall, dark, rugged American actor who quit school teaching for Hollywood in the late fifties and was soon seen in leading roles.

He was born Dayle Lymoine Robertson at Harrah, OK in 1923.

Robertson. was enrolled at Oklahoma Military Academy and fought as a professional boxer while enrolled there.

During this time he was offered the leading role in Golden Boy by Columbia Pictures but turned it down since he didn't want to leave the ponies that we was training at home.

Robertson served with a tank crew and with the combat engineers in North Africa and Europe during World War Two. He was wounded twice during this period.

He started his acting career while still on active duty with the U. S. Army. While stationed at San Luis Obispo, he decided to have a photograph made to send to his mother. He and several other soldiers went to Hollywood to find a photographer. A large copy of his photo was displayed in the photographer's window. Due to this he found himself getting letters from film agents who wanted to represent him.

Robertson could not continue his boxing career due to his wounds during the war so he stayed in Hollywood to continue his hand at acting.

He made his film debut in the film The Boy With The Green Hair in 1948 with an non credited role as a policeman.

For the most part of his career Robertson played in western roles in films and on television.

Robertson is probably best remember for his role as Jim Hardy in the television series Tales Of Wells Fargo which ran in prime time from 1957 to 1961.

Some of the film roles of Dale Robertson were:

The Boy With The Green Hair (1948) as a Policeman

Flamingo Road (1949) as Tunis Simms

The Girl From Jones Beach (1949) as Lifeguard

Fighting Man Of The Plains (1949) as Jesse James

The Cariboo Trail (1950) as Will Carey

Two Flags West (1950) as Lem

Call Me Mister (1951) as Capt. Johnny Comstock

Take Care Of My Little Girl (1951) as Joe Blake

Golden Girl (1951) as Tom Richmond

Return Of The Texan (1952) as Sam Crockett

The Outcasts Of Poker Flats (1952) as John Oakhurst

Lydia Bailey (1952) as Albion Hamlin

Full House (1952) as Barney Woods

The Silver Whip (1953) as Race Crim

The Farmer Takes A Wife (1953) as Dan harrow

Devil's Canyon (19530 as Billy Reynolds

City Of Bad Men (1953) as Brett Stanton

The Gambler From Natchez (1954) as Capt. Vince Colby

Sitting Bull (1954) as Major Bob Parrish

Top Of The World (1955) as Major Lee Gannon

Son Of Sinbad (1955) as Sinbad

A Day Of Fury (1956) as Jagade

Dakota Incident (1956) as John Banner

High Terrace (1956) as Bill Lange

Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957) as Sheriff Caleb Wells

Fast And Sexy (1958) as Raffaele

Law Of The Lawless (1964) as Judge Clem Rodgers

Blood On The Arrow (1964) as Wade Cooper

Diamond Jim: Skullduggery In Samantha (1965-TV) as Diamond Jim Brady

Coast Of Skeletons (1965) as Magnus

Scalplock (1966-TV) as Benjamin Calhoun

The One Eyed Soldiers (1966) as Richard Owen

Melvin Purvis G-Man (1974-TV) as Melvin Purvis

The Kansas City Massacre (1975-TV) as Melvin Purvis

The Last Ride Of The Dalton Gang (1979-TV) as Judge Isaac Parker

In addition to The Tales Of Wells Fargo, Mr. Robertson also starred on TV in the series Iron Horse as Matt Calhoun from 1966 to 1968 and J. J Starbuck as Jerome Jeremiah Starbuck from 1987 to 1988.

Other televisions programs that he appeared in were The Ford Television Theater, Studio 57, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, Climax, The 20th Century Fox Hour, Undercurrent, The Red Skelton Hour, Death Valley Days, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Dynasty, Matt Houston, Dallas, Murder She Wrote and Harts Of The West.

Mr. Robertson was a recipient of the Golden Boot Award in 1985 and was inducted into The Cowboy Hall Of Fame in Oklahoma City.

He has been married five times. His final wife at the time of his death was Susan and the marriage lasted from 1980 until his death. They lived together on a ranch near Oklahoma City. Robertson had a daughter from a previous marriage..

Dale Robertson passed away in February, 2013 at age 89 from lung cancer and pneumonia.

I enjoyed both of Dale Robertson's TV series ( Iron Horse & Tales Of Well Fargo) as well as his performances in the films The Outcasts Of Poker Flats, Lydia Bailey, Devil's Canyon, A Day Of Fury, Sitting Bull, The Law Of The Lawless, Son Of Sinbad, The Silver Whip and The Gambler From Natchez.

Louie The Movie Buff

:

Leading Ladies                   Norma Shearer

                                            Marie Antoinette/ Queen Marie Antoinette
                                            The Barretts Of Wimpole Street/ Elizabeth Barrett
                                            The Women/ Mrs. Stephen Haines
                                            A Free Soul/ Jan Ashe

Per Quinlan's Film Stars:

Brown haired Canadian actress who married M-G-M's top producer of the twenties and the thirties, Irving Thalberg, and became the studio's first lady until his death.

She was born Edith Norma Shearer in 1902 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Ms. Shearer won a beauty contest at age 14. She was rejected by the Ziegfeld Follies, but got extra work in films where Irving Thalberg spotted her. He gave her a 5 year contract with M-G-M.

After they were married Thalberg thought that she should retire, but Ms. Shearer wanted bigger parts.

They were married from 1927 until his death in 1936. The couple had two children.

Her first talkie was The Trial Of Mary Dugan in 1929. After four more films she won an Academy Award for Best Actress in The Divorcee (1930).

She was nominated six times for best actress but only won for The Divorcee.

Her other Best Actress Nominations were:

1930 - Their Own Desire ( She was nominated twice in the same year)
1931 - A Free Soul
1935- The Barretts Of Wimpole Street
1936 - Romeo & Juliette
1939 - Marie Antoinette

She cut her film exposure in the 1930's performing major roles in Thalberg's prestige productions. After his death she wanted to retire but was more or less forced into a six picture contract.

The film roles of Norman Shearer were:

The Flapper (1920) as Schoolgirl

Way Down East (1920) as Barn Dancer

The Stealers (1920) as Julie Martin

The Man Who Paid (1922) as Jeanne Thornton

The Leather Pushers (1922) as Rose Delmar

The Bootleggers (1922) as Helen Barnes

Channing Of The Northwest (1922) as Jess Driscoll

A Clouded Name (1923) as Marjorie Dare

Man And Wife (1923) as Dora Perkins

The Devil's Partner (1923) as Jeanne

Pleasure Mad (1923) as Elinor Benton

The Wanters (1923) as Marjorie

Lucretia Lombard (1923) as Mimi Winship

The Trail Of The Law (1924) as Jerry Vardon

The Wolf Man (1924) as Elizabeth Gordon

Blue Water (1924) as Lillian Denton

Broadway After Dark (1924) as Rose Dulane

Broken Barriers (1924) as Grace Durland

Empty Hands (1924) as Claire Endicott

He Who Gets Slapped (1924) as Consuelo

The Snob (1924) as Nancy Claxton

Excuse Me (1925) as Marjorie Newton

Lady Of The Night (1925) as Molly Helmer/ Florence Browning

Waking Up The Town (1925) as Mary Ellen Hope

Pretty Ladies (1925) as Frances White

A Slave Of Fashion (1925) as Katherine Emerson

The Tower Of Lies (1925) as Glory or Goldie

His Secretary (1925) as Ruth Lawrence

The Devil's Circus (1926) as Mary

The Waning Sex ( 1926) as Nina Duane

Upstage (1926) as Dolly Haven

The Demi-Bride (1927) as Criquette

After Midnight (1927) as Mary Miller

The Student Prince In Old Heidelberg (1927) as Kathi

The Latest From Paris (1928) as Ann Dolan

The Actress (1928) as Rose Trelawny

A Lady Of Chance (1928) as Dolly Morgan aka Angel face

The Trial Of Mary Dugan (1929) as Mary Elizabeth Dugan

The Last Of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) as Fay Cheyney

Their Own Desire (1929) as Lally

The Divorcee (1930) as Jerry

Let Us Be Gay (1930) as Kitty Brown

Strangers May Kiss (1931) as Lisbeth

A Free Soul (1931) as Jan Ashe

Private Lives (1931) as Amanda

Strange Interlude (1932) as Nina Leeds

Smilin' Through (1932) as Kathleen/ Moonyeen

Riptide (1934) as Mary

The Barretts Of Wimpole Street (1934) as Elizabeth Barrett

Romeo And Juliette (1936) as Juliette

Marie Antoinette (1938) as Queen Marie Antoinette

Idiot's Delight (1938) as Irene Fellara

The Women (1939) as Mrs. Stephen Haines - Mary

Escape (1940) as  Countess von Treck

We Were Dancing (1942) as Victoria Anastasia Wilomirska

Her Cardboard Lover (19420 as Consuelo Croyden

In 1942, Ms. Shearer remarried to Martin Arroge, a ski instructor. He was twenty years her junior. The couple had two children. They were married until her death in 1983.

After that Ms. Shearer shunned the limelight. In the last decade of her life she was in very poor health.

Norma Shearer passed away in 1983 of pneumonia.

This actress was outstanding in the film Marie Antoinette. I also enjoyed her the films The Barretts Of Wimpole Street, A Free Soul and Escape.

Louie The Movie Buff

Leading Ladies                         Katherine Ross

                                                 The Stepford Wives/ Joanna Eberhart
                                                 The Graduate/ Elaine Robinson
                                                 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid/ Etta Place
                                                 Mister Buddwing/ Janet

Per Quinlan's Film Stars:

Attractive, very dark, tart voiced American actress whose career did not race on at quite the pace expected after three big hits in the late 1960's. Tried ( perhaps too hard) to be choosy, but was in routine roles from the early 1970's. Her fifth husband (married since 1984) is actor Sam Elliott. Oscar nominee for The Graduate.

She was born Katherine Juliet Ross at Hollywood, CA in 1940.

Her family settled in Walnut Creek, CA east of San Francisco and she attended and graduated from Lomas High School in 1957.

Ms. Ross was introduced to acting via a performance of The King And I while at Santa Rosa Junior College. She left the school and moved to san Francisco to study acting. She joined The Actors Workshop and stayed with them for three years from 1959 to 1962 where she worked as an understudy and actress. She was cast by John Houseman as Cordelia in King Lear.

While at the Workshop she began acting in television series in Los Angeles. She was then brought to Hollywood by Metro but was dropped and was then picked up by Universal Studios.

She unsuccessfully auditioned for a part in West Side Story.

Her first TV appearance was in the TV series Sam Benedict.in 1962.

Her film debut was in 1965 in the film Shenandoah.

Some of Katherine Ross' film roles were:

Shenandoah (1965) as Ann

The Singing Nun (1965) as Nicole Arlien

Mr. Buddwing (1966) as Janet

The Longest Hundred Miles (1967) as Laura Huntington

Games (1967) as Jennifer Montgomery

The Graduate (1967) as Elaine Robinson

Hellfighters (1968) as Tish Buckman

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) as Etta Place

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969) as Lola

Fools (1970) as Anais Appleton

Get To Know Your Rabbit (1972) as Terrific Looking Girl

They Only Kill Their Masters (1972) as Kate Bingham

Chance And Violence (1974) as Dr. Constance Weber

The Stepford Wives (1975) as Joanna Eberhart

Origins Of The Mafia (1976-TV Miniseries) as Rosa Mastrangelo

Wanted: The Sundance Woman (1976-TV) as Etta Place/Mrs. Sundance/ Annie Martin

Voyage Of The Damned (1976) as Mira Hauser

The Betsy (1978) as Sally Hardeman

The Swarm (1978) as Capt. Helena Anderson

The Legacy (1978) as Margaret Walsh

Murder By Natural Causes (1979-TV) as Allison Sinclair

The Final Countdown (1980) as Laurel Scott

Rodeo Girl (1980-TV) as Sammy Garrett

Murder In Texas (1981-TV) as Ann Kurth Hill

Wait Until Dark (1982-TV) as Suzy Hendrix

Marian Rose White (1982-TV) as Nurse Bonnie MacNeil

Wrong Is Right (1982) as Sally Blake

The Shadow Riders (1982-TV) as Kate Connery/ Sister Katherine

Travis McGee (1983-TV) as Gretel Howard

Secrets Of A Mother And Daughter (1983-TV) as Ava Pryce

Red Headed Stranger (1986) as Laurie

Houston: The Legend Of Texas (1986-TV) as Susannah Dickerson

Conagher (1991-TV) as Evie Teale

A Climate For Killing (1991) as Grace Hines

Home Before Dark (1997) as Rose

Donnie Darko (2001) as Dr. Lillian Thurman

Don't Let Go (2002) as Charlene Stevens

Eye Of The Dolphin (2006) as Lucy

She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress In A Supporting role in 1968 for her role in The Graduate.

Ms. Ross also appeared on television in such programs as Sam Benedict, Kraft Suspense Theater, The Lieutenant, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Arrest And Trial, Ben Casey, The Virginian, Mr. Novak, Wagon Train, Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater, Gunsmoke, Run For Your Life, The Big Valley, The Loner, The Wild Wild West, Preview Tonight, The Road West and The Colby's.

In January 2015 she appeared at the Malibu Playhouse in the first of a series entitled A Conversation With.

In February of the same year she appeared with her husband, Sam Elliott, in Love Letters also at the Malibu Playhouse.

Katherine Ross has been married five times Her current husband is actor Sam Elliott and they have been married since 1984. The couple have one daughter named Cleo Rose.

I have enjoyed this actress in the films The Stepford Wives, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, The Graduate, The Shadow Riders, The Sward, Voyage Of The Damned and They Only Kill Their Masters.

Louis The Movie Buff

Ladies Of Character           Character Actresses

Ernestine Wade

                                           Amos 'N Andy (TV)/ Sapphire Stevens
                                           Amos 'N Andy (Radio)/ Sapphire Stevens
                                           The Girl He Left Behind/ Lorna
                                           The Guns Of Fort Petticoat/ Hetty

Ernestine Wade was an African American actress who was born at Jackson, MS in 1906.

Her most famous role was that of Sapphire Stevens on the Amos ' N Andy show on both radio and television.

She was trained as a singer and organist . Her family was strongly connected with the theater. Her mother, Hazel Wade , was a performer in vaudeville and her grandmother, Mrs. Johnson, worked for the Lincoln Theater in Baltimore, MD.

Ms. Wade grew up in Los Angeles and started her acting career at age four.

She was a member of the Four Hot Chocolates singing group and did bit parts in films as well.

Ms. Wade was the voice of the Butterfly in the Walt Disney production Song Of The South.

She was a member of the choir organized by actress Anne Brown for the filming of the George Gershwin biographical film Rhapsody In Blue. She also appeared as one of the Catfish Row residents in the film.

On radio, Ms. Wade began playing the the role of Sapphire Stevens in 1939. She was originally was going to play the part of Valada Green, but eventually got the role of Sapphire.

On the radio program she also did the roles of The Widow Armbruster, Sara Fletcher and Mrs. Van Porter.

She was the natural choice for the role of Sapphire on the TV series.

Ernestine Wade also appeared in films and her film roles were:

Santa Fe Trail (1940) in A Bit Role

Cabin In The Sky (1943) as A Churchgoer

The Girl he Left Behind (1956) as Lorna

Three Violent People (1956) as The Maid

The Guns Of Fort Petticoat (1957) as Hetty

Bernadine (1957) as Cleo

High Time (1960) as Judge Carter's Maid

Critics Choice (1963) as Thelma

She starred as Sapphire Stevens in the Amos 'N Andy TV series from 1951 to 1955.

Other TV series that Ms. Wade appeared in were Playhouse 90, The Adventures Of Jim Bowie, The Untouchables, Family Affair, Julia, The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, Love, American Style and That's My Mama.

She also did voice work for radio and cartoons. After the Amos 'N Andy TV series ended she did voice work in both radio and television commercials.

Ms. Wade said that she could always get extra radio work because of her ability to let out a blood curdling scream.

She continued her career through 1975.

When not working on radio , television or in films, she supported herself as a professional seamstress.

She was an accomplished organist as well. She played at churches and at funeral parlors,

Ernestine Wade passed away in 1983 at the age of 76.

I do not remember her on radio, but I do remember her on the TV series. She was superb as Sapphire Stevens and I don't think anyone else could have played that part as well.

I also remember seeing her in the films The Guns Of Fort Petticoat, Bernadine and Critics Choice.

Louie The Movie Buff

THE BIG LAND 1953

The Big Land is a 1957 western filmed in Warnercolor.

Directed by Gordon Douglas

Produced by Alan Ladd

Based on the 1956 novel The Big Land by Frank Gruber

Cinematography by John F. Seitz

The cast includes:

Alan Ladd as Chad Morgan

Virginia Mayo as Helen Jagger

Edmond O'Brien as Joe Jagger

Anthony Caruso as Brog

Julie Bishop as Kate Johnson

John Qualen as Sven Johnson

David Ladd as David Johnson

Don Castle as Tom Draper

Jack Wrather, Jr. as Olaf Johnson

George Lewis as Dawson

James Anderson as Cole

Former Confederate office Chad Morgan leads a cattle drive to Missouri assuring the ranchers to get $20 a head.

However a ruthless cattle baron named Brog scared off all the other buyers and will pay a much lower amount per head.

Morgan is blamed for what has happened and he chooses not to return back to Texas with the ranchers. He spends the night in a livery stable and comes across the town drunk Joe Jagger, who is nearly lynched for stealing whisky. Chad help keeps him sober after they leave town.

The two come across farmers who need a better way to sell their wheat. They go to Kansas City to meet Tom Draper, a railroad man presenting to him an idea to build a railroad spur to ship the wheat. Castle is also engaged to Helen Jagger, who is Joe's sister and a singer in the town saloon.

Helen is very happy with the change in Joe. She is appreciative with Chad for helping in the change, but this also brings out some jealousy in Tom.

Villain Brog disrupts the towns construction for a spur while Chad is out of town. Joe tries to stand up to Brog but is gunned down by the same.

The death of Joe turns Helen against Chad when he returns and Brog stampedes cattle through the town .destroying a lot of what has been built.

In self defense Chad kills Brog and his henchman who triy to ambush him.

Helen in turn embraces Chad and Tom realizes that he has lost her. However, he agrees to build the railroad spur.

This is a very good western and has it's fair share of action.

Ladd is his usual stolid self and gives a good performance. So also does Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien. Anthony Caruso makes a good villain though he has been seen more in the gangster genre films.

And as a footnote, David Ladd is the son of Alan Ladd.

The overall acting by the cast is very good. The movie does not drag and moves along at a good pace.

According to IMDB, the rating of this movie is 6.4 out of 10.

This film comes on television and is also available on DVD.

Recommended film for a western movie collection.

Louie The Movie Buff

THE CRIME OF DR. CRESPI                 1935

This is a 1935 American horror film and is loosely based on the Edgar Alan Poe story " The Premature Burial.

Directed by John H. Auer

Produced by John H. Auer Herb Hayman

Based on The Premature Burial by Edgar Alan Poe.

Written by : Lewis Graham
                    Edward Olmstead
                  John H. Auer

Production Company: Republic Pictures

The cast included:

Erich von Stroheim as Dr. Andre Crespi

Harriet Russell as Estelle Gorham Ross

Dwight Frye as Dr. Thomas

Paul Guilfoyle as Dr. John Arnold

Geraldine Kay as Miss Rexford

Jean Brooks as Miss Gordon

Patsy Berlin as Jeanne Ross, The Child

Joe Verdi as Dr. Angelo

Dean Raymond as Minister

The plot of the film is this per IMDB.

Doctor. Crespi has a festering hatred for Doctor. Stephen Ross, the man who has married his ex sweetheart. Ross must undergo surgery and Crspi, sensing an opportunity, seizes it. Ross "appears" to die but Crespi has given him a drug that places the victim in a trance like state but leaves the victim in possession of his senses. Crespi attends the premature burial of his hated colleague. Doctor. Arnold has his suspicions and calls on Doctor. Thomas to help him. They exhume Ross' body and finds him alive., although now a terrified ghostly figure given to stalking the hospital corridors.

Further plot information:

Doctor. Crespi has developed a serum that paralyzes his victims so that he can bury them alive. He puts them into a sort of catatonic state.

Thus Ross revives and comes back to consciousness. He then heads to Crespi's office who is at his desk drinking coffee. Terror stricken Crespi thinks that Ross is a ghost but soon realizes that he is not. Thomas and Arnold rush in and Doctor Crespi, realizing that he has been exposed, shoots himself.

Doctor Arnold now become the new head of the hospital and drops his former girlfriend Miss Rexford. for Estelle and Estelle become interested in Doctor. Thomas who is now a respected doctor.

The film is still somewhat hammy basically due to  the time period that the film was made (1935)

Erich Von Stroheim, who was a director and producer, and appeared several times as an actor gives a good performance.

I had seen him as Germans and Nazi's but never new he could talk without a German accent. His English was just fine.

However, the interest here is Dwight Frye. Instead of being a hunchback, an off beat horror character or a mad doctor's assistant, he plays a perfectly normal role and is one of the heroes of the film. When he performed on stage he generally played straight roles as well as having had played in musicals. It was refreshing to see this perfectly capable actor play against his normal film characterizations.

The rating on the IMDB was a 5.4 out of 10. This rating seems correct due to the age of this film. If it had been made in the 1940's, it would probably would have had a higher rating.

The film is available on DVD and also comes on television.

An unusual addition to a horror film collection.

Louie The Movie Buff

Leading Men                      Richard Denning

                                           Creature From The Black Lagoon/ Mark Williams
                                           Mr. And Mrs. North (TV)/ Jerry North
                                           Hangman's Knot/ Lee Kemper
                                           Target Earth/ Frank Brooks

Per Quinlan's Film Stars:

Tall, fair haired, breezy, athletic American actor with a natural smile who served a crowded apprenticeship before war service, but whose leading man career afterwards was confined to almost entirely to second features. He found some popularity on TV series in the 1950's, and later lived for many years in Hawaii.

He was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger at Poughkeepsie, NY in 1914.

Denning was best known for starring in science fiction films in the 1950's.

He made his film debut in 1937 in the film Hold 'Em navy in 1937.

Military service during World War Two disrupted his acting career, but after he returned it would be another year and a half before Paramount Studios offered him any film roles.

He and his family lived in a mobile home parked between Malibu and Palm Springs. His period of unemployment ended when he was hired to star on the radio opposite Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband.

He married Evelyn Ankers in 1942 who was one of the first movie "Scream Queens" and she was making films at this time.

Denning restarted his film career again in the film Black Beauty in 1946 moving along into some crime dramas and then into science fiction leads.

Some of the film roles of Richard Denning were:

Hold 'Em Navy (1937) as Midshipman Jepson

The Buccaneer (1938) as Captain Reid

Her Jungle Love (1938) as Pilot

You And Me (1938) as Salesman

The Texans (1938) as Cpl. Parker, CSA

Campus Confessions (19380 as Buck Hogan

King Of Alcatraz (1938) as Harry Vay

Illegal Traffic (1938) as Silk Patterson

Ambush (1939) as Police Garage Mechanic

Persons In Hiding (1939) as Powder

King Of Chinatown (1939) as Protective Association Henchman

Sudden Money (1939) as Johnny Jordan

Union Pacific (1939) as Reporter

Some Like It Hot (19390 as Mr. Weems

Undercover Doctor (1939) as Frank Oliver

The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939) as Fred

Grand Jury Secrets (1939) as Murph

Million Dollar Legs (1939) as Hunk Jordan

The Star Maker (1939) as Assistant Dance Director

Television Spy (1939) as Dick Randolph

Geronimo (1939) as Lt .Larned

Emergency Squad (1940)as Dan Barton

Parole Fixer (1940) as Bruce Eaton

The Farmer's Daughter (1940) as Dennis Crane

Seventeen (19400 as Jack

Queen Of The Mob (1940) as Charlie Webster

Those Were The Days! (1940) as Briggs

Golden Gloves (1940) as Bill Crane

North West Mounted Police ( 1940) as Constable Thornton

Love Thy Neighbor (1940) as Joe

Adam Had Four Sons (1941) as Jack Stoddard (older)

West Point Widow (1941) as Lt. Rhody Graves

Beyond The Blue Horizon (1942) as Jackra The Magnificent

The Glass Key (1942) as Taylor Henry

Quiet Please: Murder! (1942) as Hal McByrne

Ice-Capades Review (1942) as Jeff Stewart

Black Beauty (1946) as Bill Dixon

The Fabulous Suzanne (1946) as Rex

Seven Were Saved (1947) as Capt. Allan Danton

Caged Fury (1948) as Blaney Lewis

Lady At Midnight (1948) as Peter Wiggins

Unknown Island (1948) as John Fairbanks

Disaster (1948) as Bill Wyatt

No Man Of Her Own (1950) as Hugh Harkness

Harbor Of Missing Men (1950) as Jim "Brooklyn" Gannon

Double Deal (1950) as Buzz Doyle

Flame Of Stamboul (1951) as Larry Wilson

Insurance Investigator (1951) as Tom Davison

Secrets Of Beauty (1951) as Dr. John Waldron

Week End With Father (1951) as Don Adams

Okinawa (1952) as Lt. Phillips

Scarlet Angel (1952) as Malcolm Bradley

Hangman's Knot (1952) as Lee Kemper

Target Hong Kong (1953) as Mike Lassiter

The 49th Man (1953) as Chief Investigator Paul Reagan

The Glass Web (1953) as Dave Markson

Jivaro (1954) as Jerry Russell

Battle Of Rogue River (1954) as Stacy Wyatt

Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) as Mark Williams

Target Earth (1954) as Frank Brooks

Air Strike (1955) as Commander Stanley Blair

The Magnificent Matador (1955) as Mark Russell

Creature With The Atom Brain (1955) as Dr. Chet Walker

The Gun That Won The West (1955) as Dakota Jack Gaines

The Crooked Web (1955) as Frank Daniel

Day The World Ended (1955) as Rick

The Oklahoma Woman (1956) as Steve Ward

Girls In Prison (1956) as Reverend Fulton

Million Dollar Manhunt (1956) as Major Gregory Keen

Naked Paradise (1957) as Duke Bradley

The Buckskin Lady (1957) as Dr. Bruce Merritt

An Affair To Remember (1957) as Kenneth Bradley

The Black Scorpion (1957) as Hank Scott

The Lady Takes A Flyer (1958) as Al Reynolds

Desert Hell (1958) as Sgt. Major Pierre Benet

Twice Told Tales (1963) as Jonathan Maulie

Alice Through The Looking Glass (1966-TV) as Alice's Father

I Sailed To Tahiti With An All Girl Crew ( 1968) as The Commodore

The Asphalt Cowboy (1980-TV) as Charles Van Heuran

Richard Denning starred in the following TV series:

Mr. & Mrs. North ( with Pamela Britton) as Jerry North ( 1952 - 1954)

The Flying Doctor as Dr. Greg Graham (1959)

Michael Shayne as Michael Shayne (1960-1961)

Hawaii Five-O as Governor Paul Jameson - in a recurring role (1968 -1980)

Denning also appeared on television in such programs as Cavalcade Of America, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, Cheyenne, TV's Reader's Digest, Celebrity Playhouse, Crossroads, Lux Video Theater, The Ford Television Theater, General Electric Theater, Going My Way, Karen . I Spy and McCloud

Richard Denning was married to actress Evelyn Ankers from 1942 until her death in 1985. He remarried to Patricia Leffingwell from 1986 until his death in 1998.

Richard Denning passed away in 1998 at age 84 from a heart attack.

I always enjoyed this actor especially in the TV series Mr. & Mrs. North and the films The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Unknown Island, The Black Scorpion, Day The World Ended, Hangman's Knot, Creature With The Atom Brain, Target Earth, The Buckskin Lady, Jivaro and The Battle Of Rogue River.

Louie The Movie Buff

Ladies Of Character           Character Actresses

Linda Watkins

                                            One Life To Live (TV)/ Robin Crosley R N
                                            From Hell It Came/ Mrs. Mae Kilgore
                                            The Parent Trap/ Edna Robinson
                                            Ten North Frederick/ Peg Slattery

Linda Watkins was an American character actress of theater, film and television.

She was born Linda Mathews Watkins in Boston, MA in 1908, the daughter of Gardiner and Elizabeth Watkins.

At the age of sixteen she was sent to study at the Theater Guild and after six months she was appearing with the summer program of the Guild in Scarborough, NY.

Instead of finishing her schooling she pursued a job at the office of Charles Watkins Theater. When asked what she preferred playing she said "tragedy".

She performed with Frederic March in the Tom Cushing comedy The Devil In The Cheese at the Charles Hopkins Theater in New York. She was only 17 years old at the time. She appeared in the Forest Theater production of Tripped by Samuel Shipman. She also appeared in the revival of The Wild Duck in 1928, starred in the George Kaufman and Ring Lardner comedy Julie Moon in 1929 as well as co starred with Ralph Morgan in Sweet Stranger in 1930.

Linda Watkins made her motion picture debut in 1931 in the film Sob Sister. She continued on in films and also moved later on into television making her debut there in the TV series The Billy Rose Show in 1950.

Her early years were spent in theater and some films. Her career as far as films and television were concerned lasted from 1931 to 1974 with 72 credits for those two mediums.

In later years she was mostly on television.

Some of the film roles of Linda Watkins were:

Sob Sister (1931) as Jane Ray

Good Sport (1931) as Marilyn Parker

Charlie Chan's Chance (1932) as Gloria Garland

Cheaters At Play (1932) as Tess Boyce

The Gay Caballero (1932) as Ann Gray

Playthings Of Desire (1933) as Gloria Dawn

From Hell It Came (1957) as Mrs. Mae Kilgore

Going Steady (1958) as Aunt Lola

Ten North Frederick (1958) as Peg Slattery

As Young As We Are (1958) as Mrs. Hutchins

Cash McCall (1960) as Marie Austen

Because They're Young (1960) as Frances McCalla

The Parent Trap (1961) as Edna Robinson

Good Neighbor Sam (1964) as Edna

Harpy (1971-TV) as Mrs. Reed

Huckleberry Finn (1974) as Mrs. Grangerford

Bad Ronald (1974) as Mrs. Schumacher.

Ms.  Watkins appeared on television appearing in such programs as The Billy Rose Show, Lux Video Theater, Wagon Train, Cheyenne, M Squad, How To Marry A Millionaire, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, The Adventures Of Jim Bowie, Suspicion, The Lineup, The David Niven Show, Perry Mason, Death Valley Days, Johnny Staccato, The Detectives, Markham, General Electric Theater, The Roaring 20's , The Asphalt Jungle, Surfside 6, The Loretta Young Show, Peter Gunn, Dr. Kildare, Adventures In Paradise, Boris Karloff's Thriller, Sam Benedict, The Untouchables, Hawaiian Eye, The Third Man, 77 Sunset Strip, Hazel, Route 66, The Munsters, Run For Your Life, My Three Sons, The Girl From Uncle, One Life To Live, The Doris Day Show, Ironside, Love American Style, Bonanza, Emergency!, McMillan & Wife, Gunsmoke, The Waltons, Mannix and Apple's Way among others.
She was married to film board lawyer Gabriel Hess from 1932 until 1969. They had a son named Adam.

Linda Watkins passed away in 1976.at age 68.

I enjoyed Ms. Watkins in the films The Parent Trap, From Hell It Came, Ten North Frederick and Good Neighbor Sam. I also enjoyed her television appearances as well, especially her roles in two of the Boris Karloff's Thriller series namely The Cheaters and A Wig For Miss Devore.

Louie The Movie Buff

Ladies Of Character          Character Actresses

Mary Nash

                                          The Rains Came/ Miss Mac Daid
                                          The Cobra Woman/ The Queen
                                          The Little Princess/ Amanda Minchin
                                          The Philadelphia Story/ Margaret Lord

Per Quinlan's Character Stars:

Dark haired, tight lipped, stern looking American actress of upright bearing and reproving gaze. She interrupted her long stage career to run in two dozen film credits between 1934 and 1946 and be absolutely beastly twice to Shirley Temple.

Her original name was Mary Ryan and she was born at Troy, NY in 1884.

Ms. Nash was educated at the Convent Of St. Anne in Montreal and trained for acting at the American Academy Of Dramatic Arts.

Her stage debut was in 1904 in The Girl From Kay's. Prior to films she had a long career as a stage character actress.

Mary Nash is best remembered as Kathryn Hepburn's socialite mother in The Philadelphia Story (1940) and as Shirley Temple's cruel nemesis in Heidi (1937) and The Little Princess (1939)

She was also the unexpected villainess in Charlie Chan In Panama, the nemesis of detective Charlie Chan.

Some of the film roles of Mary Nash were:

The Unbroken Road (1915) as Constance Turner

Arms And The Woman (1916) as Rozika

Uncertain Lady (1934) as Edith Hayes

College Scandal (1935) as Mrs. Fresnel

Come And Get It (1936) as Emma Louise

The King And The Chorus Girl (1937) as Duchess Anna Of Elberfield

Easy Living (1937) as Mrs. Ball

Heidi (1937) as Fraulein Rottenmeier

Wells Fargo (1937) as Mrs. Pryor

The Little Princess (1939) as Amanda Minchin

The Rains Came (1939) as Miss Mac Daid

Charlie Chan In Panama (1940) as Miss Jennie Finch

Sailor's Lady (1940) as Miss Purvis

Gold Rush Maisie (1940) as Sarah Davis

The Philadelphia Story (1940) as Margaret Lord

Men Of Boys Town (1941) as Mrs. Maitland

Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942) as Emma Hope

The Human Comedy (1943) as Miss Hicks

The Lady And The Monster (1944) as Mrs. Fame - The Housekeeper

Cobra Woman (1944) as The Queen

In The Meantime, Darling (1944) as Mrs. Vera Preston

Yolanda And The Thief (1945) as Duenna

Monsieur Beaucaire (1946) as The Duenna

Till The Clouds Roll By (1946) as Mrs. Muller

Sweet Guy (1946) as Sarah Duncan

She was married to Jose Reuben but the marriage ended in divorce.

Mary Nash passed away in 1976.

I enjoyed Mary Nash in the films Heidi, The Philadelphia Story, The Rains Came, Come And Get It, The Cobra Woman and Charlie Chan In Panama.

Louie The Movie Buff

Men Of Character                      Character Actors

Larry Gates

                                                    The Sand Pebbles/ Jameson
                                                    Invasion Of The Body Snatchers/ Dr. Dan Kaufman
                                                    The Strange One/ Major George Avery
                                                    In The Heat Of The Night/ Eric Endicott

Larry Gates was an American character actor who played in films, television and the stage.

Gates was born in Minneapolis, MN in 1915.

He made his Broadway debut as the befuddled Sydney Redtich in Bell, Book And Candle. This was the big break that he had waited for in his career.

He was nominated for Broadway's Tony Award in 1964 as Best Supporting Actor ( Dramatic) for his role in A Case Of Libel.

In his career has portrayed two U. S. Presidents, namely Chester A. Arthur and Herbert Hoover.

His film and television career began in 1952 and lasted until 1989 with a total of 98 credits in those two mediums.

Some of the film roles of Larry gates were:

Glory Alley (1952) as Dr. Robert Ardley

Has Anyone Seen My Gal (1952) as Charles Blaisdell

Francis Covers The Big Town (1953) as Dan Austin

Take Me To Town ( 1953) as Marshal Ed Daggett

The Girl Rush (1955) as Hap Halliday

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956) as Dr. Dan Kaufman

The Strange One (1957) as Major George Avery

Jeanne Eagels (1957) as Al Brooks

The Brothers Rico (1957) as Sid Kubik

On Borrowed Time (1957-TV) as Mr. Pilbeam

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) as Dr. Baugh

Some Came Running (1958) as Professor Robert Haven French

The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959) as Reverend Dr. Fielding

One Foot In Hell (1960) as Doc Seltzer

The Great Imposter (1961) as Cardinal

Underworld USA (1961) as John Driscoll

The Hoodlum Priest (1961) as Louis Rosen

The Young Savages (1961) as Randolph

Ada (1961) as Joe Adams

The Spiral Road (1962) as Dr. Kramer

Toys In The Attic (1963) as Cyrus Warkins

Cattle King (1963) as President Chester A. Arthur

Evening Primrose (1966-TV) as Roscoe Potts

The Sand Pebbles (1966) as Jameson

In The Heat Of The Night (1967) as Endicott

Hour Of The Gun (1967) as John P. Clum

Death Of A Gunfighter (1969) as Mayor Chester Sayre

Airport (1970) as Commissioner Ackerman

Pueblo (1973-TV) as American Negotiator

Lucky Luciano (1973) as Jude Herlands

Aloha Mean Goodbye (1974-TV) as Torger Nilsson

The Missiles Of October (1974-TV) as Secretary Of State Dean Rusk

Funny Lady (1975) as Bernard Baruch

Backstairs At The White House (1979- TV Miniseries) as President Herbert Hoover

F D R: The Last Year (1980-TV) as Adm. Leahy

The Henderson Monster (1980-TV) as President Doby

Playboy Of The Western World (1983-TV) as Old Mahon

Leonard Part 6 (1983) as Medusa Guard

Mr. Gates was active on television.

He was a regular on Guiding Light as H. B. Lewis from 1983-1989).

Other television programs that he appeared on were The Philco Goodyear Television Playhouse, Danger, Robert Montgomery Presents, Goodyear Playhouse, Ponds Theater, The United States Steel Hour, Kraft Theater, The Alcoa Hour, Climax!, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Studio One In Hollywood, Father Knows Best, Playhouse 90, Armstrong Circle Theater, Bonanza, The Untouchables, Outlaws, Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Americans, The Law And Mr. Jones, One Step Beyond, Checkmate, The Twilight Zone, Kraft Mystery Theater, Stoney Burke, Hazel, The Defenders, The Doctors And The Nurses, Channing, Mr. Broadway, Slattery's People, For The People, Rawhide, Cimarron Strip, The Invaders, The Outcasts, Then Came Bronson, Banyon, NET Playhouse, The FBI, Mannix, Kate McShane, Lou Grant and Great Performances among others.

Mr. Gates was married and his wife's name was Judith. She was by profession a costume designer.

Larry Gates passed away in 1996 from leukemia.

I remember this actor well from television and enjoyed his top notch performances in such films as The Sand Pebbles, The Strange One, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, Cattle King, Death Of A Gunfighter, Above And Beyond, The Spiral Road, In The Heat Of The Night and Hour Of The Gun.

Louie The Movie Buff

Leading Ladies                   Julie Bishop

                                            Rhapsody In Blue/ Lee Gershwin
                                            Sands Of Iwo Jima/Mary
                                           The High And The Mighty/ Lillian Pardee
                                           Westward The Women/ Laurie Smith

Per Quinlan's Film Stars:

Chestnut haired American actress, the forthright heroine in many a thriller and western, or the girl back home in war films.

Her original name was Jacqueline Wells and she was born in 1914 at Denver, CO. She was the daughter of a wealthy banker and oilman and was raised in Texas and also in Los Angeles after her parents divorce.

Ms. Bishop was a child actress from 1923 to 1926 and acted under her original name. When she continued on acting she still used her original name until 1941 when she got a contract from Warner Brothers and they decided for her new name to be Julie Bishop.

She was associated with many "B" movies over the years. She worked for Universal in "B' movies and acted under the name of Jacqueline Wells which included both silents and talkies.

Some of the film roles of Julie Bishop were:

Credited as Jacqueline Wells:

Children Of Jazz (1923) as A Child

Bluebeard's Eight Wife (1923) as A Child

Maytime (1923) as A Little Girl

Dorothy Vernon Of Haddon Hall (1924) as A Child Extra

The Golden Bed (1925) as Flora As A Child

The Home Maker (1925) as Helen Knapp

Classified (1925) as Jeanette

The Family Upstairs (1926) as Annabelle Heller

Heroes Of The West (1932) as Ann Blaine

Clancy Of The Mounted (1933) as Ann laurie

Tarzan The Fearless (1933) as Mary Brooks

Tillie And Gus (1933) as Mary Sheridan

The Black Cat (1934) as Joan Allison

The Loudspeaker (1934) as Janet Melrose

Kiss And Make Up (1934) as Salon Client

Happy Landing (1934) as Janet Curtis

Square Shooter (1935) as Sally Wayne

Coronado (1935) as Barbara Forest

Night Cargo (1936) as Claire Martineau

The Bohemian Girl (1936) as Arline As An Adult

The Frame Up (1937) as Betty Lindale

Girls Can Play (1937) as Ann Casey

Counsel For Crime (1937) as Ann McIntyre

She Married An Artist (1937) as Betty Dennis

Paid To Dance (1937) as Joan Bradley

Little Miss Roughneck (1938) as Mary LaRue

When G-Men Step In (1938) as Marjory Drake

Flight Into Nowhere (1938) as Joan Hammond

The Main Event (1938) as Helen Phillips

Highway Patrol (1938) as Jane Brady

Flight To Fame (1938) as Barbara Fiske

Spring Madness (1938) as Mady Platt

The Little Adventuress (1938) as Helen Gould

My Son Is A Criminal (1939) as Myrna Kingsley

Behind Prison Gates (1939) as Sheila Murray

The Kansas Terrors (1939) as Maria del Montez

Torture Ship (1939) as Joan Martel

My Son Is Guilty (1939) as Julia Allen

Girl In 313 (1940) as Lorna Hobart

The Ranger And The Lady (1940) as Jane Tabor

Young Bill Hickok (1940) as Louise Mason

Her First Romance (1940) as Eileen Strong

Back In The Saddle (1941) as Taffy

From The Point On She Is Credited As Julie Bishop

The Nurse's Secret (1941) as Florence Lentz

International Squadron (1941) as Mary Wyatt

Steel Against The Sky (1941) as Myrt

Wild Bill Hickok Rides (1942) as Violet

Lady Gangster (1942) as Myrtle Reed

I Was Framed (1942) as Ruth Marshall Scott

Escape From Crime (1942) as Molly O'Hara

Busses Roar (1942) as Reba Richards

The Hidden Hand (1942) as Rita Channing

Action In The North Atlantic (1943) as Pearl O'Neill

Northern Pursuit (1943) as Laura McBain

Princess O'Rourke (1943) as Stewardess

Rhapsody In Blue ( 1945) as Lee Gershwin

You Came Along (1945) as Mrs. Taylor

Idea Girl (1946) as Pat O'Rourke

Cinderella Jones (1946) as Camille

Strange Conquest (1946) as Virginia Sommers

Murder In The Music Hall (1946) as Diane

Last Of The Redmen (1947) as Cora Munro

High Tide (1947) as Julie Vaughn

Deputy Marshal (1949) as Claire Benton

The Threat (1949) as Ann Williams

Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949) as Mary

Secrets Of Beauty (1951) as Ruth Waldron

Westward The Women (1951) as Laurie Smith

Sabre Jet (1953) as Mrs. Marge Hale

The High And The Mighty (1954) as Lillian Pardee

Headline Hunters (1955) as Laura Stewart

The Big Land (1957) as Kate Johnson

Ms. Bishop was active on television appearing in such programs as My Hero, Fireside Theater, TV Reader's Digest, Warner Brothers Presents, The Bob Cummings Show and The Ethel Barrymore Theater.

She also appeared on the stage as well in such productions of The Merchant Of vencie and Hamlet.

Ms. Bishop was both a licenced pilot and a painter of some repute. A painter of still life, she staged some successfukl exhibitions.

She was married three times., one ending in divorce and the second one with the death of her husband Clarence Shoup.

Her third marriage was to William Bergin and the marriage lasted from 1968 until her death. She had two children from her second marriage.

Julis Bishop passed away in 2001 from pneumonia at age 87.

I enjoyed this actress in such films as Northern Pursuit, The Sands Of Iwo Jima, The Big Land, The Black Cat, The High And The Mighty, Westward The Women and Sabre Jet.

Louie The Movie Buff.

FAY SPAIN

JOHNNY SEVEN

LOIS NETTLETON

ROY ROBERTS

EILEEN HERLIE

EILEEN HECKART

PETER MAMAKOS

UNA O'CONNOR

ARTHUR BATANIDES

DALE ROBERTSON

NORMA SHERER

KATHERINE ROSS

ERNESTINE WADE

THE BIG LAND (1953)

THE CRIME OF DR. CRISPI

RICHARD DENNING

LINDA WATKINS

MARY NASH

LARRY GATES

JULIE BISHOP