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- Actor
- Soundtrack
Carl Switzer was an American child actor, singer, dog breeder, and hunting guide from Paris, Illinois. He became famous for portraying Alfalfa in the film series "Our Gang" during the 1930s. His character was one of the most memorable characters ever portrayed in the series. Later in his career, Switzer's acting roles were limited to bit parts and appearances in B-movies. He supported himself through other lines of work. Switzer was fatally shot by an acquaintance over a money dispute. The circumstances of his death are disputed, due to contradictory accounts by the shooter and by an eyewitness.
In 1927, Switzer was born in Paris, Illinois. A small city located about 165 miles (266 kilometers) south of Chicago and 90 miles (140 kilometers) west of Indianapolis. Switzer was the youngest of four children born to George Frederick "Fred" Switzer (1905-1960) and his wife Gladys Carrie Shanks (1904-1997). Switzer's older brother was the child actor Harold Switzer (1925-1967).
In the early 1930s, the Switzer brothers were locally famous in their hometown for their music performances. In 1934, the Switzer family traveled to California. They visited the Hal Roach Studios (1914-1961) while sightseeing. The Switzer brothers gave an impromptu performance in the the Our Gang Café, the studio's open-to-the-public cafeteria. They were both offered contracts by producer Hal Roach (1892 -1992), who wanted them to appear in the film series "Our Gang" (1922-1944). The long-running series featured a large group of child actors.
Switzer made his film debut in the "Our Gang" short film "Beginner's Luck" (1935), where his character performs as the "Arizona Nightingale". By the end of the year, Alfalfa (Switzer) had become one of the series' main characters. His brother Harold was relegated to performing background characters in the series. In 1937, Switzer surpassed George McFarland in popularity. At the time, McFarland was the nominal star of the "Our Gang" series. Switzer had a difficult relationship with his co-stars, as he enjoyed playing cruel jokes on them.
Switzer's performances in "Our Gang" ended in 1940. His last appearance as Alfalfa was in the short film "Kiddie Kure" (1940), where the gang members attempted to convince a hypochondriac that his pills were unnecessary. Switzer was 12-years-old at the time of the film's production, making him the oldest member of the main cast. The production team considered him too old to keep playing a child.
Switzer initially found more work in films of the time. He played a young boy scout in the comedy film "I Love You Again" (1940). He next appeared in "Barnyard Follies" (1940), a B-Movie depicting efforts to raise funds for a rural orphanage. Switzer had a leading role in the comedy film "Reg'lar Fellers" (1941), a feature-film adaptation of the long-running comic strip "Reg'lar Fellers" (1917-1949) by Gene Byrnes.
Switzer was reduced to a supporting role in "Henry and Dizzy" (1942), his first appearance in the-then popular film series about the Aldrich Family (1939-1944). The films were adaptations of a long-running radio sitcom of the same name, which lasted from 1939 to 1953. Switzer played a younger member of the Twine family in "There's One Born Every Minute" (1942), a comedy about false advertising. The Twine family profits from marketing their puddings as containing the fantastic Vitamin Z, with the press failing to realize that this vitamin does not exist. A local scientist is persuaded to act as a shill for their product.
Switzer had a minor role in the musical comedy "Johnny Doughboy" (1942), which featured a plot about fictionalized versions of "has-been" child stars. Several other real-life former child stars had roles in this film, including Baby Sandy, Bobby Breen, and George McFarland. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score.
Switzer had the uncredited role of Auggie in "The Human Comedy" (1943), a comedy-drama film about life in the home front of World War II. His character was a friend of Ulysses Macauley (played by Jackie Jenkins). Over the following few years, Switzer would frequently appear in uncredited roles, in films such as "Going My Way" (1944) and "Courage of Lassie" (1946).
Switzer had his first leading role in years when cast as Sammy Levine in "Gas House Kids" (1946). The film depicted the life of unruly youths from the Gas House District of New York City. It was partly inspired by the forced relocation of the District's residents in the 1940s, to make way for an urban renewal project. About 600 buildings were razed, and 3,100 families were forced to relocate. The real-life tragic conditions had inspired the popular culture of the time. The film was successful enough to have its own sequels, "Gas House Kids Go West" (1947) and The "Gas House Kids in Hollywood" (1947). Switzer had leading roles in both sequels, his last leading roles in any film.
During the 1950s, Switzer had a few significant supporting roles in films. He played a co-pilot in the aviation adventure "Island in the Sky" (1953), a pilot in the disaster film "The High and the Mighty" (1954), and a Native American ranch hand in the Western film "Track of the Cat" (1954). He had a minor part in the comedy film "Dig That Uranium" (1956), where the Bowery Boys seek an uranium mine in the Wild West. Switzer also had several appearances in television, serving as a recurring guest star in "The Roy Rogers Show".
Switzer's film career was not particularly lucrative during his adult years. He supplemented his income by breeding and training hunting dogs, and by serving as a guide to hunting expeditions. His most notable clients were Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, James Stewart, and Henry Fonda. In 1954, Switzer married his girlfriend Diantha "Dian" Collingwood (1930-2004). She was the heiress of the company Collingwood Grain, which specialized in the construction of grain elevators. The marriage was a rather hasty decision, as the couple had only met 3 months prior to the wedding.
In 1956, Switzer was broke and his wife Dian was pregnant. Switzer's mother-in-law offered them the administration of a farm near Pretty Prairie, Kansas, and Switzer took the offer. His only, son Justin Lance Collingwood Switzer, was born later that year. Switzer had a reunion with his former co-star George McFarland in 1957. McFarland recalled that Switzer seemed restless, and he got the impression that Switzer was bored with his life as a farmer. He figured that this life "wasn't going to last" for Switzer.
Switzer received a divorce in 1957, and lost custody of his son. In January 1958, Switzer was mysteriously shot in the upper right arm while sitting in his parked car, in front of a bar in Studio City, Los Angeles. The bullet smashed through the car's window. The shooter was never found, and no motive was ever established.
In December 1958, Switzer was arrested by the authorities. He had been cutting trees in the Sequoia National Forest, with the intention to sell them as Christmas trees. This practice was illegal. He was sentenced to pay a fine of 225 dollars, and was also sentenced to one year's probation. This left him in financial trouble for the last month of his life.
In 1959, Switzer was hired to train a hunting dog by Moses Samuel "Bud" Stiltz. Switzer and Stiltz had been business associates for years, having met each other at the Corriganville Movie Ranch. During the dog's training, the dog ran off to chase after a bear. Stiltz demanded that Switzer had to either relocate his dog or pay him the equivalent of the dog's value. Switzer placed a reward for the relocation of the dog and the safe return of the animal. When the dog was found, Switzer rewarded the rescuer with 35 dollars in cash, and the worth of 15 dollars in alcoholic beverages. The reward money pushed Switzer further into poverty.
In late January, 1959, Switzer had an emotional conversation about his financial troubles with photographer Jack Piott. The two figured that Stiltz had to reimburse Switzer for the finder's fee. The two of them headed together to Stiltz's home in Mission Hills, where they got into an argument with him. After being struck on the left side of his head, Stiltz proceeded to threaten the two men with a loaded a .38-caliber revolver.
What happened next is uncertain. Stiltz testified that Switzer pulled a knife on him, and that he had shot him in self-defense. Tom Corrigan (Stiltz's adolescent stepson) later testified that Switzer had decided to end the fight and to leave empty-handed, but Stiltz shot him anyway. In any case, the bullet damaged one of Switzer's arteries and caused massive internal bleeding. Switzer had already died by the time his body was transferred to a hospital. He was 31-years-old at the time of his death.
Switzer was buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, located in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. His gravestone depicts the image of a hunting dog, to commemorate that he trained hunting dogs for a living. His death initially attracted little attention from the press, but the controversial circumstances of his death have become the subject of true-crime articles and documentaries. Switzer is still remembered as one of the better child actors of his era, and as a reliable actor in supporting roles.- Actor
- Additional Crew
William Boyett was born on 3 January 1927 in Akron, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for When a Stranger Calls (1979), Newsies (1992) and Turner & Hooch (1989). He was married to Joan Amelia Reynolds and Willagene Wither. He died on 29 December 2004 in Mission Hills, California, USA.- Buck Kartalian was born on 13 August 1922 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Planet of the Apes (1968), The Rock (1996) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). He was married to Margaret Poloshjian and Mary E. Bannister. He died on 24 May 2016 in Mission Hills, California, USA.
- Patty Ann Gerrity was born on 14 May 1948 in Montebello, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Highway Patrol (1955), M Squad (1957) and 87th Precinct (1961). She died on 21 April 1991 in Mission Hills, California, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Prolific American character actor Johnny Seven was born John Anthony Fetto in the Italian section of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, to Marie and John Fetto. He was the only boy in a family of six children, with sisters Lillian, Terry, Connie, Dolores, and Jean. Considering that much of his future acting work consisted of playing tough gangsters and criminals, it may come as a surprise to discover that, until the age of 14, he was a boy soprano. He served 2-1/2 years in the US Army, with the 187th Field Artillery Battalion, and was bitten by the acting bug when he appeared in several USO shows during his military hitch. He married Edith Piselli on October 8, 1949, and they had two children, John Jr. and Laura. Seven worked in the New York theater community and did much live television until he was brought to Hollywood in 1958 by Universal Pictures to work in their many television series. He has since appeared in more than 600 TV shows, over 25 films, and numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions. In addition to acting, he has also written and directed for the stage (his first play, "Salvage", was written in 1958), television and movies (he produced, directed and starred in a 1964 western, Navajo Run (1964), and has directed several TV shows and shorts since then). He enjoys gardening, golf and all kinds of fishing, ocean, lake and especially fly fishing.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hardie Albright's parents had a traveling vaudeville act, in which he made his stage debut at the age of six. He studied drama at Carnegie Tech and was a member of Eva Le Gallienne's repertory theater. He appeared in many Broadway plays before making his film debut in 1931. Appearing in over 50 films, Albright retired from acting in 1948 and took a position as a drama instructor at UCLA, where he authored several books on acting and directing.- Jilly Rizzo was born on 6 May 1917 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Year of the Dragon (1985), Eternity (1990) and Cannonball Run II (1984). He was married to Dorothy. He died on 6 May 1992 in Mission Hills, California, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
This pretty, blonde 1940s B-movie starlet was the daughter of newspaperman Leonard Sanders and showgirl Blanche Thompson (who also appeared in a few silent pictures). By her own account, she was born in Hollywood as Nancy Lou Sanders on June 29 1925, the day of the Santa Barbara earthquake. Curiously, being in the movies had not been her primary career choice when she was spotted dancing at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub by journeyman actor and talent scout Don Dillaway. Dillaway took an instant shine to Nancy and managed to arrange a screen test at RKO. She passed muster and was rewarded with a six-month contract (being an experienced equestrian from the age of eight also helped clinch the deal). Before long, she found herself on the cover of Life magazine -- along with Jane Greer and Martha Hyer -- as one of 'nine hopefuls'. After five pictures, RKO dropped her option and Nancy moved over to Columbia where she went on to appear in no less than thirteen pictures in 1947 alone. Many of these were horse operas, including half a dozen of the Durango Kid series with Charles Starrett, shot at the Columbia ranch in Burbank. Nancy also doubled for Rita Hayworth in The Lady from Shanghai (1947) (wearing a blonde wig) and The Loves of Carmen (1948) (dressed as a gypsy). She was Gerald Mohr's leading lady in The Lone Wolf in London (1947) and popped up in a few Three Stooges comedies which she later said to have really enjoyed being in. When her Hollywood career began to falter in the early 50s, Nancy found work as a tour booking agent with Air Cal Airlines. In 1996, she came out of retirement for occasional TV guest appearances. She was predeceased by her husband of 43 years, a sales rep for Seagram and Jim Beam.- Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (December 21, 1959 - September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete. She is considered the fastest woman of all time based on the fact that the world records she set in 1988 for both the 100 m and 200 m still stand and have yet to be seriously challenged. During the late 1980s she became a popular figure in international track and field because of her record-setting performances and flashy personal style. She died in her sleep as the result of an epileptic seizure in 1998 at the age of 38. She attended California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
He began his career as Pincus Leff in vaudeville in the 1920s. In January 1925, he was hired by Betty Felsen to be a dancer in the acclaimed Boderick & Felsen vaudeville dancing act. Pincus Leff soon became a featured tap dancer in the act and was often mentioned in advertisements, notices, and reviews. He was part of the act throughout 1925 during its headline tour on the B.F. Keith vaudeville circuit throughout the Mid-West and East. In early 1926, he left the act to pursue his career as Pinky Lee on stage and in film and television.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Juanita Bartlett was born on 8 November 1927 in San Francisco, California, USA. She was a producer and writer, known for The Rockford Files (1974), The Greatest American Hero (1981) and Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983). She died on 25 February 2014 in Mission Hills, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
He was one of filmdom's last dying breed of crooning cowpokes following WWII. Jimmy Wakely had many talents (singing, songwriting, guitar-playing) and performed in many venues (radio, film, TV, rodeos, clubs) over his career. He began life in Mineola, Arkansas in 1914, but was raised in Depression-era Oklahoma. He started off simply as a farmer but his musical talents could not be denied. Eventually he created the vocal trio "The Bell Boys" along with Johnny Bond and entertained in local hot spots while cutting studio recordings. Country western lore has it that a happenstance meeting with Gene Autry while the star was touring in Oklahoma led to the vocal group high-tailing it to California and performing on his Melody Ranch radio program at CBS. The boys eventually settled in California and made their musical film debut in the Roy Rogers Republic western Saga of Death Valley (1939). Wakely's group ended up a staple on Autry's radio show as well, but Jimmy left within a couple of years to focus on films and a recording contract with Decca Records. He and his group appeared in two Hopalong Cassidy films in 1941, Twilight on the Trail (1941), and Stick to Your Guns (1941) and within the films they sang memorable songs such as Lonesome Guitar, Blue Moon on the Silver Sage, Lady O Lay, and My Kind of Country. He would become known for perfecting the hillbilly style with such classic songs as "Cimarron (Roll On)" (his first big hit), "I'm Sending You Red Roses," ""One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)," "Beautiful Brown Eyes," "Too Late" and "I'll Never Let You Go."
Over an extended period of time Jimmy's country trio would warble for a number of top westerns stars in their film vehicles. Known vicariously during their film stay as "Jimmy Wakely and his Rough Riders," "The Jimmy Wakely Trio," "Jimmy Wakely and his Saddle Pals" and "Jimmy Wakely and His Oklahoma Boys," the popular Dick Reinhart and Scotty Harrel often completed the trio along with Wakely and Bond. The boys traveled from studio to studio fine-tuning an assembly line of westerns for such established stars as Don 'Red' Barry, Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter and Charles Starrett, among others.
Thanks to the meteoric successes of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, the various studios were competitively grooming top country singers into film icons. "Poverty Row"-level Monogram Pictures exec Scott R. Dunlap managed to snag the slim, laidback, good-looking Jimmy as their own representative. For the next five years, the dark-haired singer would star in over two dozen oaters, his character heroes usually taking on his own name -- Jimmy Wakely. Dubbed the Bing Crosby of C&W, his stay at Monogram went considerably well though certainly not up to par with the success of the afore-mentioned.
Wakely's first Monogram vehicle was Song of the Range (1944), and he rode off into the sunset five years later with Lawless Code (1949). In between he smooth-sang a lot of tunes and was outfitted with a variety of different sidekicks, notably 'Lee "Lasses" White' and Dub Taylor. Though he took a distant ranking compared to others of his ilk, he proved to be a fine commodity for the fledgling studio. His lasting power was curtailed, however, by the demise of the singing cowboy (and eventually "B" westerns in general).
Following his heyday and into the 1950s, Jimmy continued writing songs and singing on stage. He remained a sturdy name on the rodeo circuit and in country western clubs. As a recording artist he charted a few country hits and was one of the few singers to cross over to the mainstream. In 1952, he became the star of "The Jimmy Wakely Show" for CBS radio and briefly alternated hosting duties on ABC-TV's Five Star Jubilee (1961) with Snooky Lanson, Carl Smith, Rex Allen and old film pal Tex Ritter. He eventually developed his own record company called Shasta Records in the 1960s and 1970s and owned two music publishing companies. Converting part of his California homestead into a recording studio, he made commercial records for other country western artists as well. Two of his children, Linda Lee and Johnny, showed singing talents and occasionally joined him on the performing stage. Long wed to wife Inez (since 1936) who became his business manager, they had two other daughters, Carol and Deanna. Jimmy developed emphysema in later years and died in California of heart failure in 1982.- Arthur Kardashian was born on 26 October 1917 in the USA. He died on 9 December 2012 in Mission Hills, California, USA.
- Actor
- Script and Continuity Department
- Additional Crew
Born in Orange, New Jersey, Conway was the son of vaudevillians -- his father was an acrobat and juggler, his mother, a singer and pianist. Conway studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School in New York. In 1937, he joined the Group Theater as an assistant stage manager and had a walk-on part as a boxing arena employee in Harold Clurman's original 1937 staging of Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy." Within a year, Conway was playing a lead, as a reform school youth in "Dance Night," staged by Lee Strasberg. After serving in the Army during World War II, Conway headed for Hollywood, where he played minor parts in William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Elia Kazan's interracial drama Pinky (1949), and had small roles in other films. Conway began directing in 1947 at the Actors Lab in Hollywood, and he directed the first interracial production of "Golden Boy" for the Negro Art Theater in Los Angeles. But in 1950, caught up in the Hollywood blacklist era and finding film job offers drying up, Conway returned to New York. After working as an understudy in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," during which he got to play Biff Loman "for one glorious week," Conway went on to direct "Hedda Gabler" and "La Ronde" at the Actors Lab. He subsequently directed an off-Broadway revival of "Deep Are the Roots" and made appearances with Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. In addition to road company productions of "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial" and "On a Clear Day", he had small roles in the movies The Three Musketeers (1948), Little Big Man (1970), and The Arrangement (1969) and on TV's St. Elsewhere (1982). Conway also worked in local theater productions. With Los Angeles' Group Repertory, he had roles in Miller's "A Memory of Two Mondays" and in Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!" Conway was preceded in death by his wife of 21 years, Aletta, and his brother. He is survived by a son, Robin of Mission Hills, and two grandchildren.- The adopted daughter of an Air Force colonel, strawberry blonde Cynthia Patrick grew up in Europe, acting and modeling there before relocating (and finding the same sort of work) in Hollywood. A Universal-International contractee, she appeared in a small handful of pictures (mostly bits) before she began to freelance in TV. Patrick later went into real estate.
- Stunts
- Actress
Stuntwoman May Boss was born on October 7, 1924 in New York. May was a trick rider in the rodeo circuit prior to entering the film industry in the early 1950's heyday of Hollywood Westerns. Among the notable actresses that Boss doubled for are Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth, Sandra Dee, Doris Day, Leslie Caron, and Dorothy Malone. Her career as a stuntwoman spanned five decades. Sadly, May's health declined after suffering a stroke in 2008. The mother of stuntman Clay Boss, Boss died at age 90 on September 16, 2015 in Mission Viejo, California.- Make-Up Department
Don L. Cash was born on 24 February 1920 in Pleasant Home, Nebraska, USA. He is known for The Night of the Hunter (1955), All the President's Men (1976) and What's Up, Doc? (1972). He died on 16 September 2012 in Mission Viejo, California, USA.- Edna Glover was born on 18 March 1925 in New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Mannix (1967) and Charlie's Angels (1976). She died on 21 November 2020 in Mission Hills, California, USA.
- Richard Bailey was born on 26 September 1919 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Manhunt of Mystery Island (1945), The Train (1964) and City of Silent Men (1942). He died on 6 February 2000 in Mission Viejo, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Doris Leader Charge was born on 4 May 1930 in Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota, USA. She was an actress, known for Dances with Wolves (1990), Son of the Morning Star (1991) and The Making of 'Dances with Wolves' (1990). She died on 20 February 2001 in Mission, South Dakota, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
Christopher Bowman (Bowman the Showman), a southern California native was born in Hollywood, California on March 30, 1967, raised in Van Nuys and trained in Burbank for 18 years of his skating career. At a very young age, his parents realized the need for good training and representation therefore enlisting Mary Grady of the Mary Grady Agency (at that time the best children's agency in the business) and acting coach Alice Hour, best known as the script coach for the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho (1960) starring Anthony Perkins. Christopher appeared in over 500 television commercials and television shows including Little House on the Prairie (1974) & Archie Bunker's Place (1979), alongside legends Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert and Carol O'Connor (I).
Christopher eventually branched into Feature Films as an Actor and Stuntman through Stunts Unlimited. He's been seen in various films including Casey's Shadow (1978) with Walter Matthau, the Troma cult classic Surf Nazis Must Die (1987), License to Drive (1988) with Corey Haim and Joel Schumacher's epic film The Lost Boys (1987).
As a skater, Christopher became internationally known as "Bowman the Showman" and became one of the most electric, mesmerizing men's singles skaters in history. His eighteen year career was nurtured by legendary coach Frank Carroll, past coach of skating greats Linda Fratianne and Michelle Kwan. Christopher was in the spotlight of United States and World figure skating as a 2-time United States National Champion and the winner of 5 United States National Championship Medals and 2 World Championship Medals, Junior Worlds Champion and 2-time Untied States Winter Olympic Team Member. Christopher had the largest fan base in the history of Winter Olympians.
After a very successful competitive skating career, Christopher has once again found himself at home in front of a camera as he has embarked on a natural career of television commentating with FOX sports and as the lead skating analyst for ESPN covering US National and World Championships and numerous elite international events. It was through NBC Radio and WFAN out of New York, he announced for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Christopher is a fun-loving guy and serious about his sport. He is now a well-known coach, with a very successful skating school that hosts figure and power skating seminars internationally.
Most recently, Christopher has re-embarked in his first love of acting, landing a role as an assistant football coach in the family feature film Down and Distance (2010) to be released early in 2008 with Gary Busey, Master P, Little Romeo and football legend Brian Bosworth.- Loretta Sayers was born on 23 February 1911 in Seattle, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for Fifty Fathoms Deep (1931), Lover Come Back (1931) and High Speed (1932). She died on 14 September 1999 in Mission Viejo, California, USA.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Best known for doing three things: for scripting an episode of the cult 1960s series Star Trek (episode title: For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky), for scripting six episodes of the semi-cult 1960s series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He also did a Batman adventure. However, his constant jumping to various tv genres, and not sticking to the one genre, means that he is a hard man to describe.
His Star Trek came in the show's third season when some were saying the series was dropping in quality. However, Vollaerts was able to surprise some viewers as he presented a love story where Dr McCoy was dying. The opening scene of this hour ranks as one of season three's most powerful moments. His touching script put some female viewers into tears.
He remained with Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea for six episodes and, for this writer, that is a long period. Vollaerts invaded the submarine Seaview with amphibians, a giant fish that attacks the Seaview, a power-mad General, a human body snatching space brain, a human body snatching Shadowman, and finally, a human body snatching Deadly Cloud.
His Voyage scripts ended up sounding great when acted out by talents such as Richard Basehart (Admiral Nelson), Del Monroe (Seaman Kowalski) Dick Tufeld (space brain), Lloyd Bochner (power-mad General), Jim Mills (Shadowman), etc.
He also scripted a two-part episode of 1960s Batman, done in season one when things were less silly and over-the-top than they would become. His Batman adventure was about a new bad guy called, "The Bookworm", played by Roddy McDowall. Perhaps the most memorable part of the script was the amusing moment when Batman (Adam West) struggles with the idea of fighting with people wearing spectacles.
When you put this all together, you could say that Vollaerts added something special to 1960s tv fantasy.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Buckie and Tommy Mitchell were married until his death April 28th 2001, they had 4 children Gregory (deceased 2012), Karen, Michael, Sandra. they lived in mission Viejo, Ca for over 30 years. She left show business after the birth of her second child but remained in contact with Cliff Stone and Ernie Ford until their deaths. She would attend the Hometown Jamboree reunions at the Hollywood Palladium.- In a way Allan Weiss made a incredible successful career in Hollywood. He almost never got good reviews for the movie he wrote, but all seven feature films written by him were big moneymakers.
"Blue Hawaii" (1961) was his first screenplay. Producer Hal B. Wallis used his screenplays for five other Elvis Presley films which all proved to be commercially successful. Writer's Guild of America nominated him for Best Written American Musical award in 1965 for the film "Roustabout" (1964).
His only non-Elvis Presley film screenplay was "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965) which was directed by Henry Hathaway. Starring John Wayne and Dean Martin it got best reviews ever for a Allan Weiss film.