Actor Doug Hale Passes On

Doug Hale, an actor who made frequent guest appearances on television and appeared in many movies, died on 28 April 2014. He was 73.

Doug Hale was born in Athens, Georgia on 11 June 1940. He was only five years old when he took up the trumpet and cornet. He was only eight years old when he started his acting career, appearing in a play at the University of Georgia. He started a career as a professional trumpet player when he was only 12 years old, playing with the University of Georgia dance band. He began college at the University of California, Berkeley and finished at the University of Georgia. He earned a BA in English Literature and a Medieval Literature and Linguistics. For two summers when he was in college he played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra conducted by Ray McKinley in Las Vegas. He taught for a time at the University of Georgia, followed by the University of North Carolina and then Carolina Chapel Hill and finally Columbus College. He joined the  United States Air Force Reserves in 1965 and served as a cargo pilot during the Vietnam War.

Mr. Hale retired from teaching to take up acting full time. He made his feature film debut in 1971 in Challenge (1974). In the Seventies he appeared in the films The Night They Robbed Big Bertha's (1975) and Pray TV (1980). He appeared on such TV shows as The Bionic Woman, Kojak, The Rockford Files, What Really Happened to the Class of '65?, and The Incredible Hulk.

In the Eighties he appeared on such shows as The Greatest American Hero, Hart to Hart, the revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Crazy Like a Fox, Hotel, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Highway to Heaven, Max Headroom, and Nigh Court. From the Nineties He appeared on such shows as Weird Science, Babylon 5, The West Wing, Mad Men, and Life. He appeared in the films Lullaby (2000), Ali (2001), and Stranger at the Pentagon (2013).

Leslie Carlson R.I.P.

Leslie Carlson, an actor perhaps best known for his appearances in many films directed by David Cronenberg, died at age 81 on 3 May 2014.

Leslie Carlson was born on 24 February 1933 in Mitchell, South Dakota. He earned both a BFA and an MA from the University of South Dakota. It was in the Sixties that he moved to Canada. He made his television debut in 1972 in an episode of Norman Corwin Presents. His film debut came in 1973 in the movie The Neptune Factor. In the Seventies he appeared in such films as The Hard Part Begins (1973), McQ (1974), Deranged, Black Christmas (1974), Shoot (1976), I Wasn't Scared (1977), Raku Fire (1977), Love at First Sight (1977), Deadly Harvest (1977), Who Has Seen the Wind (1977), High-Ballin' (1978), and Mr. Patman (1980). He appeared on the TV shows King of Kensington, The New Avengers. He had a recurring role on the TV show Custard Pie.

In the Eighties he appeared in such films as Improper Channels (1981), Circle of Two (1981), Videodrome (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), A Christmas Story (1983), The Fly (1986), Street Smart (1987),  and Rolling Vengeance (1987).  He appeared on such shows as The Littlest Hobo, Night Heat, American Playhouse, War of the Worlds, The Twilight Zone, Murphy's Law, Friday the 13th, and 21 Jump Street. He had a recurring role on Avonlea as Mr. Lawson.

In the Nineties Mr. Carlson appeared in such films as Chaindance (1991), K2 (1991), Morning Glory (1993), Young Again (1995), The Wishing Tree (1999), Camera (2000), and Silver Man (2000). He appeared on such shows as Scales of Justice, Highlander, The X-Files, Side Effects and PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal. From the Naughts into the Teens Mr. Carlson appeared in the films Looking for Angelina (2005) and Your Beautiful Cul de Sac Home (2007). He appeared on such shows as Odyssey 5, Haven, Lost Girl, and Murdoch Mysteries.

 Leslie Carlson was an incredibly versatile actor. Over his career he played everything from the sinister head of Spectacular Optical Corporation, Barry Convex, in Videodrome to the unassuming storekeeper Mr. Lawson on Avonlea to the canny Christmas Tree Salesman in A Christmas Story. Over the years he played everything from doctors to preachers to police officers to teachers, and he did all of them well. There can be little wonder why he was so prolific.

Godspeed H.R. Giger

Painter and sculptor H.R. Giger, who designed the title creature for the classic Alien (1979), died on 12 May 2014 at the age of 74. The cause was injuries he suffered from a fall.

H. R. Giger was born on 5 February 1940 in Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland. He attended the School of Applied Arts in Zurich where he studied architecture and industrial design. Following graduation Mr. Giger worked for Andreas Christen designing furniture. He also directed the short "High and Heimkiller" (1967) and the documentary feature Swiss Made (1968). He took up art full time in 1968.

In 1973 he directed the documentary short Tagtraum. In 1977 he published his first book of paintings, H.R. Giger's Necronomicon. He was commissioned by director Alexandro Jodorowsky as a designer for a planned adaptation of the novel Dune, but the project fell through. It was after director Ridley Scott saw a copy of H.R. Giger's Necronomicon that he convinced 20 Century Fox to hire the artist as a designer on Alien. He later served as a designer on the films Species (1995) and Alien³ (1992).

In all H. R. Giger published 20 books of his artwork. He also designed many album covers over the years, starting with the cover for Walpurgis by The Shiver in 1969. Among the album covers he designed were Brain Salad Surgery for Emerson Lake & Palmer, Koo Koo for Debbie Harry, Frankesnchrist for The Dead Kennedys, How the Gods Kill for Danzig.

In 1998 H. R. Giger bought the Château St. Germain in Gruyères, Switzerland and opened a museum there. It not only contains Mr. Giger's artwork, but also that of Salvador Dali and other surrealists.

There can be no doubt that H.R. Giger had a singular talent, one that was particularly suited to the late 20th Century. His art often portrayed downright nightmarish machinery, often meshing together biology and technology. If his work for Alien had such an impact, it is perhaps because Mr. Giger's work looked alien, and yet at the same time seemed somehow familiar. Perhaps no artist captured the darker recesses of the 20th Century imagination like H.R. Giger did. 

Please Help Fellow Classic Film Fan Vanessa Marquez

You might know Vanessa Marquez as Nurse Wendy Goldman from the TV show ER or  as Ana Delgado from the film Stand and Deliver (1988). If you are part of the Turner Classic Movies fan community on Twitter you have probably encountered Miss Marquez at any number of TCM Parties held there. You might also know her from the Star Wars fan community. She is not only a talented and beautiful actress, but she is one of the nicest, sweetest individuals with whom one can interact as well.

Sadly, Vanessa Marquez is involved in a fight for her life with a very deadly disease, Stage 2 Refractory Coeliac Disease. It is a very dangerous disease that even carries with it an increased risk for a type of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Unfortunately treatment for Refractory Coeliac Disease is very expensive and Vanessa has exhausted her life savings fighting the disease. To continue treatment Vanessa has to raise a good deal of money in a short amount of time. There is a fundraiser currently under way for Miss Marquez at GiveForward.com. Please give whatever you can to help or if you cannot afford a monetary contribution please share the GiveForward page for Miss Marquez's fundraiser. Both she and her many friends will greatly appreciate it!

TV Director and Actress Nancy Malone Passes On

Nancy Malone died 8 May 2014 at the age of 79. The cause was complications from a recent fight with leukaemia. Miss Malone was an actress who played Detective Flint's girlfriend Libby on the classic TV show Naked City, and also directed several episodes of various TV shows. In the Seventies she was an executive at 20 Century Fox.

Nancy Malone was born Ann Maloney on 19 March 1935 in New York City. She was only seven years old when she started a career as a model and appeared in print advertisements for such companies as the Ford Motor Company, Kellogg's, and Macy's. She was only 10 years old when she appeared on the 10th anniversary cover of Life as "the Typical American Girl".

 In 1950 she made her television debut in an episode of The Silver Theatre. During the Fifties she appeared in such television shows as The First Hundred Years, The Bigelow Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Alcoa Hour, Robert Montgomery Presents, Kraft Theatre, and Route 66. In 1960 she was cast as Libby on Naked City and appeared throughout the run of the show. During the Fifties she also appeared in the films Fright (1956) and The Violators (1957).

In the Sixties she was a regular on The Guiding Light from 1961 to 1963 and The Long, Hot Summer. She appeared on such shows as The Great Adventure, Dr. Kildare, 77 Sunset Strip, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Run for You Life, The Fugitive, Bonanza, Tarzan, The Andy Griffith Show, The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-O, Marcus Welby M.D., The Flying Nun, and McCloud. She appeared in the films An Affair of the Skin (1963) and Intimacy (1966).

In the Seventies Nancy Malone appeared on such shows as Dan August, The Partridge Family, The F.B.I., Owen Marshall: Counsellor at Law, Ironside, Cannon, McMillan & Wife, Gemini Man, and Switch. She had a recurring role on Forever Fernwood. She appeared in the film Capricorn One (1977). In 1975 she produced the TV film Winner Takes All. During the Seventies she would go onto produce the TV movies Sherlock Holmes in New York; Handle with Care; and Like Mom Like Me. In 1976 she became the first woman to be vice president of television at 20th Century Fox. It was in 1975 that she founded  Women in Film, a nonprofit organisation devoted to advancing women in the film and television industries.

In the Eighties Miss Malone took up directing, her directorial debut being the television movie Merlene of the Movies (which she also produced) in 1981. She went onto direct episodes of such shows as The Colbys, Cagney & Lacey, Hotel, and Dynasty, as well as the television movie There Were Times, Dear (which she also produced). She produced the television movies The Violation of Sarah McDavid  and The Impostor. She appeared in the TV shows Lou Grant and Scene of the Crime.

From the Nineties into the Naughts Nancy Malone directed episodes of such shows as Knot's Landing, Sisters, Melrose Place, Picket Fences, Star Trek: Voyager, Diagnosis Murder, Judging Amy, and Teh Guardian.

"Soul Man" by Sam & Dave

Tonight I feel under the weather and not quite up to a full blog post. For that reason and since it is the 77th anniversary of Dave Prater's birth, I will leave you with "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave.

Comic Book Artist Dick Ayers Passes On

Dick Ayers, who illustrated Marvel Comics ranging from Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos to The Incredible Hulk, died on 4 May 2014 at the age of 90.

Dick Ayers was born in Ossining, New York on 28 April 1924. His work was first published while he was serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, in the comic strip Radio Ray in the military newspaper Radio Post. Following the war Mr. Ayers studied at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School in New York City under legendary illustrator Burne Hogarth. In 1947 he worked in the studio of Joe Schuster, artist and co-creator of Superman. It was Joe Schuster who put Dick Ayers in touch with Vin Sullivan, then editor at Magazine Enterprises. At Magazine Enterprises Dick Ayers illustrated various Western comic books, including Ghost Rider (which he co-created).

It was in 1952 that Mr. Ayers began to freelance for Atlas Comics (as Marvel Comics was called in the Fifties). He drew art for Atlas Comics' various horror and science fiction titles, including Astonishing, Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, and Uncanny Tales. When the Golden Age Human Torch was revived in the mid-Fifties (running in Young Men # 21-24, June 1953 - Feb. 1954), it was Dick Ayers who provided the art. Mr. Ayers also freelanced for Charlton Comics during the Fifties, drawing art for their horror title The Thing.

As Atlas Comics evolved into the modern day Marvel Comics, Dick Ayers often served as an inker for Jack Kirby. He inked Mr. Kirby on such titles as Amazing Adventures, Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, and Tales to Astonish, as well as early issues of Fantastic Four and early appearances of Ant-Man, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk.  Mr. Ayers also inked Jack Kirby on early issues of  Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.He took over entirely as its artist with issue #8, July 1964, and remained on the title for ten years. Mr. Ayers also worked on the Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D feature. He also worked on Marvel's version of Ghost Rider (the Western character) in the Sixties.

In the Seventies Dick Ayers good deal of work at DC Comics. He served as a penciler on such titles as Freedom Fighters, Kamandi, Sgt. Rock, and Weird Western Tales (on the feature Jonah Hex), and an inker on such titles as G. I. Combat, House of Mystery, and The Witching Hour. Later in his career he did a good deal of promotional work for Radio Shack promoting the TRS-80. In the Naughts he inked the "Doris Danger" stories in the magazine Tabloia #572-576.

There can be no doubt that Dick Ayers was one of the best artists working for Marvel in the Sixties and for DC in the Seventies. He had a very precise style with an attention to detail often lacking in other comic book artists. What is more, his style was all his own. One could tell an illustration by Dick Ayers from that of anyone else. His work on Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos and Jonah Hex remain some of the best artwork ever seen in comic books.