TCM Classic Film Festival 2020 Cancelled

This past week has seen many events cancelled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. With regards to cinema, both the South by Southwest Film Festival and the remainder of Noir City Hollywood have been cancelled. It was on Thursday, March 12 2020, that Turner Classic Movies announced the cancellation of the TCM Classic Film Festival.

TCM's official announcement read "Nothing is more important to TCM than the safety of our fans. In light of the increasing public health concerns related to coronavirus, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 TCM Classic Film Festival." The announcement was accompanied by a video message from Ben Mankiewicz, which I have embedded below.



Turner Classic Movies has stated that all pass purchasers will receive a 100% refund on their pass purchases. There is no need for written refund requests and refunds will take 10 to 15 business days to process. There will be a TCM Classic Film Festival in 2021. It will be announced in late summer or early autumn of this year. In the video Ben says that TCM has reached out to the many artists who had committed to attending the 2020 TCM Classic Film Festival and asked them to attend the 2021 festival.

Here I have to say that I do not think various groups are being alarmist in cancelling events in California. So far there are 247 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California. 11,400 people have been advised to monitor themselves for the virus. There have been 5 deaths from the coronavirus in California so far. Those numbers might not sound particularly large given the size of California, but it must be considered that coronavirus is a contagious disease and cases in California have continued to climb since January.

Of course, I am disappointed that the TCM Classic Film Festival has been cancelled I have never attended TCMFF and I was not going to this year, but I have always enjoyed the many photos, posts, and stories from my friends who have, as well as TCM itself. Even for those of who don't attend the festival, the TCM Classic Film Festival is a bit of a holiday along the lines of Halloween or Christmas. I know all of us look forward to it whether we attend TCMFF or not. That having been said, I am sure that this will make the 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival all the more special.

The Late Great Max von Sydow

Max von Sydow, the legendary actor who starred in films from Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (1957) to Flash Gordon (1980), died on March 8 2020 at the age of 90.

Max von Sydow was born Carl Adolf von Sydow on April 10 1929 in Lund, Scania, Sweden. He attended Lund Cathedral School where he learned English while very young. He became interested in the theatre after seeing a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Malmö during a class trip. He served in the Swedish Army Quartermaster Corps, where he changed his name to "Max" as people were constantly misspelling his name. The name "Max" came from a flea he had played in a sketch. Following his service he studied acting at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. He joined the Norrköping-Linköping Municipal Theatre in 1951 and in 1953 he joined the City Theatre in Hälsingborg.  Mr. Von Sydow made his film debut in 1949 in Only a Mother. Over the next few years he appeared in such films as Miss Julie (1951), Ingen mans kvinna (1953), and Rätten att älska (1956).

It was in 1955 that he joined the Malmö City Theatre, whose head director at the time was Ingmar Bergman. Mr. Bergman cast Max Von Sydow in the lead role of Antonius Block in The Seventh Seal (1957). The film, in which a knight plays a chess game against death as the plague overtakes Sweden, established Messrs. Bergman and Von Sydow on the international stage. It has since become one of the most iconic films of all time. The director and actor would ultimately make 13 films together. In the late Fifties Max von Sydow appeared in the Bergman films Wild Strawberries (1957), So Close to Life (1958), The Magician (1958), and The Virgin Spring (1960).  He also appeared in the movies The Minister of Uddarbo (1957), Spion 508 (1958), and The Wedding Day (1960).

In the Sixties Max von Sydow continued to appear in Ingmar Bergman's movies, including Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Winter Light (1963), The Silence (1963), Hour of the Wolf (1968), Shame (1968), and The Passion of Anna (1969). He also appeared in such films as The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Reward (1965), Hawaii (1966), The Quiller Memorandum (1966), Made in Sweden (1969), and The Kremlin Letter (1970).

In 1971 Max von Sydow appeared in Ingmar Bergman's film The Touch. In the Seventies he also appeared in such films as Embassy (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Steppenwolf (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Ultimate Warrior (1975), Cuore di cane (1976), Foxtrot (1976), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), March or Die (1977), Brass Target (1980), and Flash Gordon (1980). On television he appeared in the mini-series Kvartetten som sprängdes. He appeared on Broadway in The Night of the Tribades

In the Eighties Mr. von Sydow appeared in such movies as Victory (1981), Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983), The Soldier's Tale (1984), Dreamscape (1984), Dune (1984), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Duet for One (1986), The Second Victory (1987), Father (1990), and Awakenings (1990). On television he appeared in the mini-series Quo Vadis?, Christopher Columbus, The Last Place on Earth, and Gösta Berlings saga. He appeared in such TV movies as Samson and Delilah, Kojak: The Belarus File, and Red King, White Knight. He appeared on Broadway in Duet for One.

In the Nineties Max von Sydow appeared in such films as A Kiss Before Dying (1991), Oxen (1991), Needful Things (1993), Time is Money (1994), Judge Dredd (1995), Jerusalem (1996), What Dreams May Come (1998), and Snow Falling on Cedars (1999).  He appeared on television in the mini-series Den goda viljan and Radetzkymarsch. He guest starred on the TV shows The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Screen One. He was a regular on the show Professione fantasma.

In the Naughts Max von Sydow appeared in such movies as Vercingétorix (2001), Intacto (2001), Minority Report (2002), Heidi (2005), Rush Hour 3 (2007), Emotional Athematic (2007), Solomon Kane (2009), Shutter Island (2010), and Robin Hood (2010). In the Teens he appeared on the TV shows The Tudors and Game of Thrones. He guest starred on The Simpsons. He appeared in the mini-series Nuremberg and the TV movie Ring of the Nibelungs.  He appeared in the movies Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), Branded (2012), The Letters (2014), Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Les premiers les derniers (2106), and Kursk (2018).

There is a good reason that Max von Sydow was an acting legend. Quite simply, he appeared in a wide array of movies in a wide array of roles. The first film he ever made with Ingmar Bergman, The Seventh Seal, is considered one of the greatest films ever made. In it he played Antonius Block, a knight who returns to Sweden from the Crusades to find the country overtaken by the plague. He would play an entirely different sort of role in another Ingmar Bergman film, Through a Glass Darkly. In the film he played a doctor whose wife suffers from schizophrenia.

While Max von Sydow may be best known for appearing in the cerebral films of Ingmar Bergman, he appeared in many other sorts of films as well. Indeed, aside from Ingmar Bergman's movies, Mr. von Sydow may be best known for playing Father Lankester Merrin, the title exorcist in the classic horror movie The Exorcist. He may be equally well known for playing Flash's archenemy Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon. Over the years Mr. von Sydow played several historical figures, including Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Otto Frank in a 1967 television adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, Gustav Schröder in Voyage of the Damned, the apostle Peter in the mini-series Quo Vadis?, and Sigmund Freud in the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode "Vienna, November 1908." In many respects Max von Sydow's career spanned the whole of cinema, from time honoured classics to big budget blockbusters to low budget genre films. And in all of them Max von Sydow gave great performances. Every film in which Max von Sydow ever appeared was better because he was in it.

James Lipton Passes On

James Lipton, the actor, writer, and lyricist best known for hosting the long-running TV show Inside the Actors Studio, died on March 2 2020 at the age of 93.

James Lipton was born on September 19 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Betty, was a teacher and librarian. His father was journalist, beat poet, and graphic designer Lawrence Lipton. His parents divorced when James Lipton was six. To help support his family, James Lipton went to work when he was a teenager as a copy boy at The Detroit Times. At the same time he acted at the Catholic Theatre of Detroit. He also worked in radio. It was following his graduation from high school that he played the role of The Lone Ranger's nephew, Dan Reid, on the hit radio show The Lone Ranger.

James Lipton enlisted in the United States Air Force during World War II. Following his service in the Air Force, he went to New York City in hopes of becoming a lawyer. To support his education, he continued acting. He studied acting under Stella Adler for two and a half years, under  Harold Clurman for four years, and Robert Lewis for two years. Eventually he abandoned his plans for becoming a lawyer to concentrate on acting.

In the early Fifties Mr. Lipton continued to appear on radio in such shows as Now Hear This. In the Fifties he appeared on such television shows as Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Guiding Light, You Are There, Inner Sanctum, The Goldbergs, and Kraft Television Theatre. He appeared in the movie The Big Break (2003). It was during the Fifties that he also began work as a writer. He was a writer on the soap opera The Guiding Light. He also wrote on the daily serial The Edge of Night and he wrote an episode of The United States Steel Hour. In 1952 he appeared on Broadway in The Autumn Garden.

In the Sixties James Lipton wrote the books and lyrics for the Broadway shows Nowhere to Go But Up and Sherry!. He wrote episodes of the soap opera Another World and he served as head writer on the soap opera The Best of Everything. His book, An Exaltation of Larks, was published in 1968.

In the Seventies James Lipton wrote for the soap opera The Doctors and was head writer on the soap opera Return to Peyton Place. He wrote for three Bob Hope television specials, Happy Birthday, Bob; All-Star Birthday Party for Bob Hope... at Sea; and Bob Hope on the Road to China. He produced the Broadway shows The Mighty Gents and Monteith & Rand.

In the Eighties he was the head writer on the soap opera Capitol. He wrote the TV movies Mirrors (based on his own novel) and Copacabana.

It was in the Nineties that James Lipton created Inside the Actors Studio. The show was originally conceived to be a master class in acting and soon became one of the most popular and successful shows on the cable channel Bravo. James Lipton served as the show's host, interviewer, writer, and executive producer. He remained with Inside the Actors Studio until 2018.

In the Naughts James Lipton continued on Inside the Actors Studio. He also guest starred on the TV shows Cold Squad and According to Jim. He played himself in the movie Bewitched (2005) and provided the voice of The Director in the animated film Bolt (2008). In the Teens he guest starred on the TV show Suburgatory and had a recurring role on Arrested Development. He retired from Inside the Actors Studio in 2018.

I honestly think that to say James Lipton was one of the greatest television writers, hosts, and interviewers of all time would not be an understatement. As a writer he was articulate and eloquent, a master of words who could make things simple and clear so that even those unfamiliar with acting techniques could understand what he was saying. As an interviewer he was gifted not only with considerable knowledge of the craft of acting, but the ability to put his subjects at ease so that they would open up to him. James Lipton was able to get actors to discuss things on Inside the Actors Studio that they had not or would not discuss anywhere else. Frances Berwick, President of NBCUniversal's Lifestyle Networks (of which Bravo is one), called Mr. Lipton, "...a titan of the film and entertainment industry..." That he certainly was.

In Defence of Vanessa Marquez

 "You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty." Jessica Mitford

Many of you may realise why I have not made a post this week. Others of you may be wondering why I have not. It was this past Monday, March 2 2020, that Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey released her findings in the officer involved shooting of Vanessa Marquez (curiously, this was also the day before the Los Angeles District Attorney election). The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is attempting to justify the shooting of Vanessa, while at the same time portraying her as suicidal. As might be expected, I have serious issues with the report because of this. To say that the report has upset and angered me is an understatement.

To begin with, the report does not explain why police were sent to Vanessa's apartment rather than paramedics. As many of you already know, on August 30 2018 Vanessa asked me to call the paramedics because she was having severe seizures. I then called the fire department to request that paramedics be dispatched to Vanessa's apartment to treat her for the seizures. Apparently, before my call, a woman from Alabama, who identified herself was one of Vanessa's friends, called the paramedics and said that Vanessa was "not acting right" and was concerned because of Vanessa's history of medical problems. This call was then referred to the South Pasadena Police Department for a "welfare check." The police then arrived at 11:49 AM Pacific Time (I made my call at 11:48 AM Pacific Time). Here I want to stress that in my call I only told them that Vanessa was having severe seizures. I did not ask for a wellness check. I did not ask for the police to be sent to her apartment. In no way, shape, or form did I indicate that she was a danger to herself or anyone else. My call was not referred to the South Pasadena Police Department and I would have protested if it had been.

Now I do not know who this woman from Alabama was and I have no idea what the contents of her phone call may have been, but I think it was a mistake for the call to be be referred to the South Pasadena Police Department for a welfare check.  Instead, paramedics should have been dispatched right away, particularly given Vanessa's medical history. Obviously paramedics have the training necessary to deal with medical issues. The average police officer does not. For that reason, even for a welfare check, the paramedics should have been dispatched instead of the police. I think if paramedics had initially been sent to Vanessa's apartment on that day, then the whole situation may have played out very differently.

Not only do I have issues with the police having been sent to her apartment instead of paramedics, but I have serious objections to a portion of the report that uses specially selected posts from Vanessa Marquez's Facebook account out of context to make it look like she was suicidal. Vanessa was not a physically healthy woman. She suffered from  stage 2 refractory coeliac disease and fibromyalgia. She regularly experienced seizures. Despite this Vanessa generally kept her sunny disposition, discussing classic movies and TV shows, joking around, and generally enjoying her friends and life. Like many of us, however, there would be those times when her illness would get her down. Like many of us, she might say things to the effect of "I just wish I could die" or even, rarely, post them to Facebook. I am sure all of us have done that. When I have had particularly bad toothaches I have been known to say, "I just want to just die." That having been said, I didn't mean it when I said it and I certainly was not suicidal. All of us, when we are sick and in pain, sometimes say these things and we never mean them. Vanessa did not mean it when she made those Facebook posts and she certainly was not suicidal.

Among Vanessa's few Facebook posts included in the report is one that I find very questionable and has aroused my suspicions regarding the whole investigation. They claim that Vanessa's final Facebook post, allegedly made around 1:46 PM Pacific time, was "there shooting cremate me pour ashes over Hollywood sign." Now I had Vanessa set to notifications on Facebook so that I saw every post she made. On top of that, on August 30 2018, I was very worried about Vanessa. After all, the South Pasadena Fire Department never bothered to call me back to let me know what was going on. I was then checking her Facebook profile constantly to see if she had posted any updates. I then find it very curious that I do not remember seeing this Facebook post at all. What is more, it is not now visible on her Facebook profile and has never been visible on her Facebook profile, at least not to me. Vanessa's other friends I have talked to do not remember this alleged post either. Now it is possible that Vanessa made the post so that only specific friends could see it and I was not among those friends.  While Vanessa made nearly all of her posts publicly, I cannot rule this out as a possibility. That having been said, until I see a screenshot of that post and can have it definitively verified as not being a forgery, I am always going to have serious doubts as to whether she made it at all.

The fact is that not only was Vanessa not suicidal, but she still had a good deal of enthusiasm for life. Despite her illness, Vanessa could be very lively and animated, and she took enjoyment out of the things she loved. Even shortly before her death, Vanessa was still very much looking forward to life. In our final conversation on the phone, we talked about the 25th anniversary X-Files marathon that was going to be on  BBC America that September. She was also very excited about an upcoming John Williams concert that was going to be in the area. As always, we talked about me visiting her one day. She talked to another friend about a sale at Sephora that weekend. Individuals who want to commit suicide do not talk about the future because as far as they are concerned, they have none. Vanessa was still enthusiastic about life and she thought she still had a future.

This brings me to another issue that I have with the Los Angeles District Attorney's report regarding Vanessa's death. I know for a fact that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department interviewed some of Vanessa's friends. I know that I was among them. When I was interviewed I was asked if Vanessa had ever expressed a desire to commit suicide or a desire to harm herself. In each instance I told the deputy "NO" so strenuously that he was taken aback. I cannot say what every single one of  Vanessa's other friends may have said in their interviews, but I know that many of them also said that Vanessa was not suicidal. Despite this, none of these interviews are included in the District Attorney's report. I cannot say for certain why the interviews of Vanessa's friends were not included in the report, but my suspicion is that they were not included because they would have refuted the District Attorney Office's claim that Vanessa was suicidal. I am guessing the District Attorney's Office thought that a woman committing "suicide by cop" would play better than police officers killing a disabled woman, who had been having seizures all day, in her own home. Here I have to point out that, insofar as I know, Jackie Lacey has never prosecuted an officer involved shooting. I know for a fact that in the past police unions have contributed millions of dollars to political action committees supporting Jackie Lacey and she has also been endorsed by police unions.

As to the issue of whether the police officers were justified in shooting Vanessa, even after reading the report I am convinced that they were not. What is more, given the sheer number of shots fired, I personally think they may have used excessive force. As to the police officers feeling threatened by Vanessa, I cannot see how they possibly could have been. She stood all of 5'3" and weighed all of 87 pounds. Even if they had felt threatened by her, I do not think a police officer being "scared out of his mind" is reasonably sufficient grounds for them to even draw their firearm, much less respond with gunfire. If a civilian killed someone and claimed they felt threatened, even if they said that they were "scared out of their mind," that civilian would be charged with murder. Police should be held to the same standards as civilians. I also have to question why the police officers did not use non-lethal measures to deal with Vanessa. As tiny as she was, they could have simply taken the gun from her. They could have used pepper spray. They could have used a taser. They could have used BolaWrap.  Now many of these non-lethal alternatives could have seriously  injured Vanessa--they may have even killed her--but they would have shown that the police officers were trying to preserve Vanessa's life. From the way the report reads to me, it sounds like they made little effort at all to defuse the situation or, for that matter, try to preserve her life.

Here I also have to question why the police officers or anyone else present that day did not call one of Vanessa's friends to talk her down. I would think that they would have the numbers of the woman from Alabama and myself. I would also think they would have the phone number of her emergency contact. They called none of us. I don't know if I could have talked Vanessa down or not, but I would at least liked to have had the opportunity to do so. It would have been much better than allowing her to be senselessly killed by police officers. Here I have to also point out that when Vanessa died, they did not call any of Vanessa's friends for whom they had numbers. I had to learn about Vanessa's death from the website The South Pasadenan that night.

I do have my own theory as to what happened on that terrible day. I know for a fact that Vanessa had been having seizures all day. Individuals having seizures often experience a period of confusion and even psychosis following a seizure. Vanessa was then not thinking clearly to begin with. On top of this I think it is likely that she was startled by police officers bursting into her apartment (I know I would be, and I have friends who are police officers). Beyond even this, one has to consider that Vanessa did not want to go back to the hospital, because she had bad experiences there. I know in July, after she had experienced heatstroke, that I begged her go to the hospital if she felt even a little bit odd, but she wouldn't listen. Although I have no proof of this, I also have to wonder if the disposition of the police officer on the scene did not make matters worse. Anyway, between experiencing confusion or even psychosis due to her seizures, possibly being alarmed at police officers barging into her home, the officers' insistence that she go to the hospital, and her fear of returning to the hospital, Vanessa took the only course she felt she had left to her. Ultimately, I have to wonder if things would have gone differently if paramedics had been sent instead of police officers or the police officers had handled the situation more responsibly.

I know there are those who will claim that I am so consumed by grief and anger that I am not seeing things clearly. And I cannot deny that I am consumed by grief and anger. Vanessa was the dearest person in my entire life, a woman I will always love, and even one year and six months following her death my grief is still palpable. That having been said, I think neither my grief nor my anger invalidate many of my points here. There are many things about the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office's report that do not make sense. In many ways it brings up more questions than it offers answers. It is because of this that I still honestly believe that Vanessa did not have to die. I am still hopeful that we can still get justice for Vanessa Marquez.

Claudette Nevins Passes On

Actress Claudette Nevins, who had recurring roles on Headmaster, Melrose Place and JAG as well as guest starring on such shows as The Defenders and M*A*S*H, died on February 20 2020 at the age of 82.

Claudette Nevins was born Claudette Weintraub on April 10 1937 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Her parents were both Austrian immigrants. She graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City and graduated from New York University with a degree in English.

Claudette Nevins made her debut on Broadway in The Wall in 1960. In the Sixties she appeared on Broadway in Danton's Death, Wait Until Dark, and Plaza Suite. She made her film debut in The Mask in 1961. She made her television debut in a guest appearance on The Nurses in 1964. She guest starred on The Defenders. In 1970 she played Margaret Thompson, the wife of the title character Andy Thompson (played by Andy Griffith) on the short-lived TV  series Headmaster.

In the Seventies she had regular roles on the short-lived series Husbands, Wives & Lovers and Married: The First Year. She guest starred on the shows The F.B.I., The Bob Newhart Show, Police Story, Barnaby Jones, The Magicians, Petrocelli, Archer, Harry O, Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II. Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, The Rockford Files, Lou Grant, Rafferty, The Fitzpatricks, Switch, Three's Company, Mrs. Columbo, M*A*S*H, Shirley, The Lazarus Syndrome, Knot's Landing, and Family. She was a regular voice on the animated series Return to the Planet of the Apes.

In the Eighties Miss Nevins guest starred on the TV shows Behind the Screen, Hart to Hart, CHiPs, Cassie & Co., Police Squad!, One Day at a Time, The Mississippi, Legmen, Hardcastle and McCormick, Lime Street, The Tortellis, Brothers, Hotel, Head of the Class, L.A. Law, Out of This World, Snoops, Macuso F.B.I., Free Spirit, Dallas, and Lifestories. She appeared in the movies ...All The Marbles (1981), Over Here, Mr. President (1983), Tuff Turf  (1985), and Jake's M.O. (1987).

In the Nineties Claudette Nevins had recurring roles on Melrose Place and JAG. She guest starred on the TV shows Designing Women, The Antagonists, The Young Riders, Veronica Clare, Civil Wars, Picket Fences, Beverly Hills 90120, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Thunder Alley, Coach, ER, 7th Heaven, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy and The District. She appeared in the movies Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), Final Vendetta (1996), The Doyles (1997), and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).

In the Naughts she guest starred on the television shows Providence, The Agency, Without a Trace, and Strong Medicine. She appeared in the movie Eulogy  (2004).

Claudette Nevins was a remarkable actress. I particularly remember her from the M*A*S*H episode "Mr. and Mrs. Who?", in which she played Donna Marie Parker, whom Winchester thought he had married while drunk. Throughout her career she played a wide variety of roles, including a nun on The Young Riders, a judge on Hardcastle and McCormick, and even Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1981 TV movie Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Claudette Nevins was very versatile and always gave a good performance.

Godspeeed Ben Cooper

Ben Cooper, who had recurring roles in the TV shows The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo and The Fall Guy, as well as appeared in numerous Western TV shows and movies, died on February 24 2020 at the age of 86.

Ben Cooper was born on September 30 1933 in Hartford, Connecticut. His acting career began when he was only 9 years old when he appeared on Broadway in the play Life with Father. He made his television debut in 1950 in an episode of Inside Detective. That same year he appeared in an episode of Suspense. In the Fifties he guest starred on such shows as Fireside Theatre, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Matinee Theatre, The Millionaire, Playhouse 90, One Step Beyond, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wichita Town, Johnny Ringo, Wagon Train, Zane Grey Theatre, Stagecoach West, and The Westerner. He made his movie debut in an uncredited bit part in the movie Side Street in 1952.In the Fifties he appeared in such movies as Thunderbirds (1952), Woman They Almost Lynched (1953), A Perilous Journey (1953), Flight Nurse (1953), Johnny Guitar (1954), Hell's Outpost (1954), The Last Command (1955), The Rose Tattoo (1955), Rebel in Town (1956), Duel at Apache Wells (1957), and Outlaw's Son (1957).  Ben Cooper also had a career in Old Time Radio, appearing in over 3000 radio shows. He had a regular role on the radio show Mark Trail and also appeared on such radio shows as The Eternal Light, Horizons West, and American Gallery.

In the Sixties Ben Cooper appeared frequently on the Western TV shows of the era, making guest appearances on the shows The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Laramie, Rawhide, Death Valley Days, and The Virginian. He also appeared on other sorts of shows during the decade, including Perry Mason (on which he appeared four times), The Twilight Zone, Adventures in Paradise, Window on Main Street, The Littlest Hobo, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Combat!, The Time Tunnel, Premiere, The Outside, It Takes a Thief, Marcus Welby M.D., Adam-12, and Mannix. He appeared in the movies Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963), The Raiders (1963), Arizona Raiders (1965), Waco (1966), Red Tomahawk (1967), and The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967).

In the Seventies Mr. Cooper had a regular role on the TV series The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. He guest starred on the shows Funny Face, Room 222, Kung Fu, Lucas Tanner, The Wonderful World of Disney, and B.J. and the Bear. He appeared in the movies Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), One More Train to Rob (1971), and The Sky's the Limit (1975).

In the Eighties Ben Cooper had a recurring role on The Fall Guy. He guest starred on Who's the Boss, Dallas, 1st & Ten, Knot's Landing, and L.A. Law. In the Nineties he guest starred on the TV show Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. He appeared in the movie Lightning Jack (1994).

Ben Cooper seemed as if he was born to play a cowboy. He had ridden horses as a child and was certainly comfortable on a horse. It is little wonder that he appeared on so many Western TV shows and in so many Western movies. Of course, he could play other roles and, although he was best known for his appearances in Westerns, he appeared in a variety of TV shows. He played murderers on Perry Mason, an Army corporal on Combat!, and a police officer on Adam-12. Ben Cooper was equally adept at playing heroes and villains, and he always gave a good performance.

Diana Serra Cary Passes On

Diana Serra Cary, who rocketed to fame as silent movie star Baby Peggy in the 1920s and later carved out a niche for herself as a writer and a film historian, died on February 24 2020 at the age of 101.

Diana Serra Cary was born Peggy-Jean Montgomery on October 29 1918 in San Diego, California. Her father, Jack Montgomery,  was a former cowboy who moved the family from San Diego to Los Angeles after hearing the film industry needed stuntmen. One day her mother took her two daughters to visit the Century Film Co. lot in Hollywood. Director Fred Fishback took notice of the 19 month old Peggy-Jean and hired her to appear in a series of short films with the canine star Brownie the Wonder Dog. Their first short together, "Playmates," proved to be a hit and Baby Peggy's film career took off.

From the years 1921 to 1924 Baby Peggy appeared in 150 short subjects for Century Film Co. It was in 1923 that she began working in feature films for Universal. At Universal she appeared in such films as The Darling of New York (1923) and Captain January (1924). Baby Peggy proved to be phenomenally successful. She would be sent on extensive personal appearance tours throughout the United States. Baby Peggy also performed on stage in Los Angeles and New York City at such venues as Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre and the Hippodrome. Baby Peggy would be among the first movie stars to generate a good deal of merchandise associated with her, including dolls, cut-outs, books, sheet music, jewellery, and even milk. Baby Peggy also earned a good deal of money. Her contract with Universal was worth $1.5 million a year, while she made $300 a day on her vaudeville tours. Unfortunately, none of this money was set aside for Baby Peggy's future.

To make matters worse, Baby Peggy worked under conditions would that would be rough even on an adult. Even as a toddler she worked eight hours a day, six days a week, and was often required to perform her own stunts. During her film career she also received very little in the way of an education.

Baby Peggy's career would end rather abruptly when her father had a quarrel with producer Sol Lesser. Baby Peggy then found herself effectively blacklisted in Hollywood. Afterwards she launched a successful career on vaudeville that lasted from 1925 to 1929. Unfortunately, her family would lose their money with the stock market crash in 1929. In the Thirties Peggy-Jean Montgomery attempted to make a comeback as an actress, but she found herself in bit parts and working as an extra. Her last feature film was Having a Wonderful Time (1938), in which she had an uncredited role as a camp guest.

In 1938 she married actor Gordon Ayres and took the name "Diana Ayres" to separate herself from her past as Baby Peggy. She worked as a writer for radio shows. She divorced Gordon Ayres and would later marry Bob Cary. She took the name Diana Serra Cary, "Serra" being her Catholic confirmation name. She would work as a switchboard operator, a bookstore clerk, and a gift shop manager.

Having always been interested in history and writing, Diana Serra Cary then became a freelance writer. In addition to her autobiography, What Ever Happened to Baby Peggy: The Autobiography of Hollywood's Pioneer Child Star, she also wrote the books The Hollywood Posse: The Story of a Gallant Band of Horsemen Who Made Movie History, Hollywood's Children: An Inside Account of the Child Star Era, and Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King: A Biography of Hollywood's Legendary Child Star. She also wrote the historical novel The Drowning of the Moon.

Over the years Diana Serra Cary would attend various silent film festivals, as well as the TCM Classic Film Festival. She also appeared in various documentaries about her film career and the Silent Era, as well as various interviews. She was not only well respected for her knowledge of film history, but for her warmth and friendliness as well.