Patrick Adiarte Passes On

Patrick Adiarte, who played Ho Jon in the first season of M*A*S*H and appeared in both The King and I and Flower Drum Song, died on April 15 2025 at the age of 81. The cause was pneumonia.

Patrick Adiarte was born on August 2 1942 in Manila, Philippines. During World War II, he, his mother, and his sister were imprisoned by the Japanese on the island of Cebu in February 1945. His father, who was working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a month later. It was in June 1946 that the family migrated to the United States so that Patrick Adriarte's sister could have surgery to repair scars she had incurred from a Japanese grenade. 

Both Patrick Adiarte and his mother appeared in small parts on Broadway in The King and I. Afterwards he attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City. Later in the decade he played Wang San in the Broadway production of Flower Drum Song. In the Fifties he appeared in the movie adaptation of The King and I (1956) as Prince Chulalongkorn as well as the movie High Time (1960). During this period he was mentored by dancer Gene Kelly. He appeared with Mr. Kelly on the NBC TV show Omnibus, demonstrating the evolution of tap dancing through the years.

In the Sixties Patrick Adiarte reprised his role as Want San in the movie adaptation of Flower Drum Song (1961). He also appeared in the movies John Goldfarb, Pease Come Home! (1965) and Step Out of Your Mind (1966). On television he was one of the dancers on Hullabaloo. He guest starred on the TV shows CBS Playhouse, Look Up and Live, It Takes a Thief, and Ironside. He also had a brief singing career with the songs "Five Different Girls," "Don't Let This Room Become Your World," and "Where You Gettin' Your Kicks Now."

In the Seventies he appeared as Ho Jon, the orphan who assists Hawkeye and Trapper John, in the first season of M*A*S*H. On television he guest starred on the shows Bonanza, The Brady Bunch, Hawaii Five-O, Temperatures Rising, and Kojak.

Later Patrick Adiarte taught dancing at Santa Monica College, among other places.

Patrick Adiarte was certainly talented. He was a gifted singer and dancer, as demonstrated in Flower Drum Song. And he was also certainly a gifted actor. He did a great job as the thoroughly American, thoroughly non-traditional Wang San in Flower Drum Song. He played college student T.J. Padmanagham  in Blake Edwards's High Time, and had the admittedly politically incorrect role of an Arabic prince in the spoof John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! Of course, many will always remember him as Ho Jon on M*A*S*H, a role for which he will probably always be remembered. While he may not have had a long career, Patrick Adiarte certainly made an impact.

The Late Great Will Hutchins

Will Hutchins, best known for playing Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster on the TV show Sugarfoot, died on April 21 2025 at the age of 94. He also appeared in the movie No Time for Sergeants (1958) and played Dagwood in the short-lived Sixties sitcom Blondie.

Will Hutchins was born Marshall Lowell Hutchason on May 5 1930 in Los Angeles. When he was a boy he visited a film shoot and wound up in a crowd scene in the W.C. Fields movie Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). He attended  John Marshall High School in the Los Feliz in Los Angeles and then Pomona College. During the Korean War he served for two years in the United States Army Signal Corps as a cryptographer in Paris He attended the UCLA film school on the G.I. Bill following his service.

Wil Hutchins was in a play with fellow Pomona College alumnus Richard Chamberlain at the Ivar Theater in Hollywood, Mr. Chamberlain's agent, Dick Clayton, took notice of  Will Hutchins and signed him a contract with him as a client. Because he resembled Will Rogers Jr., Marshall Hutcason took the stage name "Will Hutchins." He made his debut in an episode of Conflict in 1956. He made his film debut in a bit part in Bombers B-52 (1957).

Will Hutchins was cast int the role of Tom Brewster, who was nicknamed "Sugarfoot," who earned the name int the show's first episode because he was "...someone who’s trying to work his way up to tenderfoot." The show was loosely based on 1954 Will Rogers Jr. movie The Boy from Oklahoma., which starred Will Rogers Jr. "Sugarfoot" Brewster didn't care for firearms in general and never carried a gun. When all else failed, he took out villains through his skill with a lasso. He drank nothing stronger than  sarsaparilla "with a dash of cherry." On Sugarfoot Will Huthcins also played Tom's evil lookalike cousin, The Canary Kid, one of the earliest evil twins on television. Warner Bros.' Western TV shows of the time existed in a shared universe, so that Brewster also appeared in episodes of Maverick, Cheyenne, and Bronco.

In the late Fifties Will Hutchins guest starred on such shows as Warner Bros. Conflicts, Matinee Theatre, and 77 Sunset Strip. In movies he played B-24 pilot Lt. Bridges, who has the misfortune of having a hangover, in No Time for Sergeants (1958). He also appeared in the movie Lafayette Escadrille (1958).

In the Sixties Will Hutchins played the lead in the short-lived sitcom Hey, Landlord and Dagwood Bumstead in the short-lived, but notorious sitcom Blondie. He guest starred on the shows The Roaring 20s, Surfside 6, Gunsmoke, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Perry Mason. He appeared in the movies Claudelle Inglish (1961), Merrill's Marauders (1962), The Shooting (1966), Spinout  (1966), Clambake (1967), and Shanghai Patrol (1970). He also appeared on Broadway in Never Too Late.

In the Seventies Will Hutchins appeared in the movies Magnum Force (1973), Slumber Party '57 (1976), and The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977). He guest starred on the shows Love, American Style; The Nw Perry Mason; Emergency!; Chase; Movin' On; The Streets of San Francisco; and The Quest.

Will Hutchins appeared in the movie Roar (1981) before leaving Hollywood and joining the circus. At various times he served as a ringmaster and was a member of a troop of clowns in Los Angeles. He spent three years travelling throughout Australia as Patches the Clown in the Ashton Family Circus. He also appeared in the movies The Gunfighter (1999) and The Romantics (2010).

Will Hutchins was a very talented actor. He certainly had a gift for comedy, and that gift was certainly on display on Sugarfoot, which was television's first comedic Western (it beat Maverick to the air by five days). On the show not only did Will Hutchins do well as would-be lawyer Tom Brewster, but as Brewster's evil cousin, The Canary Kid. Of course, Will Hutchins's career went beyond Sugarfoot. While Blondie was not a particularly good show, Will Hutchins was ideal as Dagwood and did well as the classic cartoon character. Over the years he played many good roles from store owner's on Dennis Peasley in Clauelle Inglish to clumsy police officer Lt. Tracy Richards in Spinout to real-life scout  Frederick Russell Burnham in Shanghai Patrol. Will Hutchins had a great deal of talent and always gave a good performance.

TCM's Two for One Returns This May

Turner Classic Movies' programming block Two for One returns on Saturday, May 3 2025. For those unfamiliar with Two for Onem, it features double features curated by influential filmmakers. Indeed, I prefer to call it "TCM Double Feature." This time around Two for Runs will run through July, winding up on July 19.

This time out Two for One will include such notables as Lin Manueal Miranda, John Carpenter, Paul Giamatti, and Joe Dante. Like most TCM fans I am looking forward to Two for One, although I do wish they would move it to Friday. Too often it runs over and pushes Noir Alley back past 11:00 PM Central.

Anyway, here the schedule below. The fun kicks off at 7:00 PM Central on Saturdays.

May3: Lin Manual Miranda-The Band Wagon (1953) and All That Jazz (1979)
May 10: Jamie Lee Curtis-The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
May 17: John Carpenter-Frankenstein (1931) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
May 31: Kathy Bates-Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Stage Door (1937)

June 7: Paul Giamatti, Carnival of Souls (1962) and Rosemary's Baby (1968)
June 14: Brian Tyree Henry, Imitation of Life and The Learning Tree (1969)
June 28: Nathan Lane-Double Indemnity (1944) and Chinatown (1974)

July 5: Joe Dante-The Night of the Hunter (1955) and The Fool Killer (1965)
July 19: Rosie Perez- Killer's Kiss (1955) and The Harder They  Fall (1956)

Sian Barbara Allen Passes On

Sian Barbara Allen, who guest starred in two episodes of The Waltons as Jenny Pendleton, died on Mach 31 2025 at the age of 78. She had Alzheimer's.

Sian Barbara Allenw was born on Reading, Pennsylvania on July 12 1946. After she graduated from high school, she studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse on a scholarship and studied acting as a member of the Journeyman program at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles under Peggy Feury.

She made her television debut on an episode of O'Hara, U.S. Treasury in 1971. She made her movie debut in You'll Like My Mother in 1972. Sian Barbara Allen appeared frequently on television in the Seventies. In addition to her guest appearances on The Waltons, she also guest starred on the shows Alias Smith and Jones; Gunsmoke; The Bold Ones: The Lawyers; Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law; The F.B.I.; Bonanza; Love, American Style; Columbo; Kojak; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Ironside;The Rockford Files; Lucas Tanner; Adam-12; Kate McShane; Police Story; Kingston Confidential; Hawaii Five-O; Baretta; W.E.B.; Sword of Justice; and The Incredible Hulk/ She appeared in the movie Billy Two Hats (1974). She also  wrote an episode of Baretta.

Sian Barbara Allen's career slowed after 1980. She guest starred in the shows Darkroom, Falcon Crest, Cagney & Lacey; and L.A. Law. After retiring from acting she devoted much of her time to politics, supporting Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. She also wrote poetry.

Like many I will always think of Sian Barbara Allen as John Boy's romantic interest Jenny on The Waltons. She and Richard Thomas were dating in real life at the time, and their rapport translated well to the small screen. John Boy would date other girls, but for me Jenny remained his most memorable love interest. Of course, Sian Barbra Allen appeared in many other roles. I remember her also from the Bonanza  episode "Ambush at Rio Lobo," on which she played a staunch, but caring pregnant who is held hostage along with Ben Cartwright by a bunch of outlaws. In the horror movie You'll Like My Mother, she played Kathleen, the intellectually disabled, non-verbal sister of lead character Francesca (Patty Duke). She was nominated for the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for the role. Sian Barbara Allen had a gift for bringing characters to life and she always made an impression.

Happy Easter 2025

Here at A Shroud of Thoughts we realize there are those who might appreciate some cheesecake along with their Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. Here then is this year's batch of Easter pinups.

First up is Phyllis Davis, who is gathering Easter eggs with help from two Easter bunnies.

And here's Pat Crowley with some rather large eggs!

Here is Mary Tyler Moore and a friend.

Loretta Young is dressed for the holiday.

Elaine Riley is dyeing her eggs.

And last but no least, the lovely Ann Miller is gathering eggs.

Happy Easter!!!!!

Some Thoughts on the 90th Anniversary of Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Most everyone who knows me knows that I love the Hammer horrors. When I think of Dracula, it's Sir Christopher Lee who comes to my mind. I have seen most of the classic Hammer horror movies multiple times. It might then surprise some to discover that my favourite horror movie of all time was made by Universal. It is Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and it's not only my favourite horror movie, but I consider it the greatest horror movie ever made. It opened on this day in Chicago, New York City, and Portland, Oregon.

I wrote an in-depth post on Bride of Frankenstein ten years ago, which you can read here, but I thought I would discuss the impact the film has had upon me. Like most Gen Xers I saw it when I was young. It would be the movie that cemented my love for the old Universal horror movies. I enjoyed Frankenstein (1931) a good deal, but I found Dracula (1930) a bit dull (my apologies to the movie's fans). Bride of Frankenstein impressed me in a way that Frankenstein and Dracula hadn't. It seemed much more modern in both its attitudes and its execution that the other Universal monster movies I had seen.

Indeed, even though it was released after the Pre-Code Era had ended, it seemed as if director James Whale got way with more in Bride of Frankenstein than he had in the first movie or Tod Browning had in Dracula. I was not very old when I realized that Dr. Pretorius could be a coded homosexual, a feat made easy by Ernest Thesiger's overly camp performance. There is also a good deal of religious symbolism in the movie, including one point in the movie where the villagers capture Frankenstein's creature and tied him to a pole in a cruciform pose. It honestly seems to me that there is more violence in Bride of Frankenstein than some of Universal's Pre-Code movies.

As grim as Bride of Frankenstein can be, it also has a good deal of humour. Much of this comes through Dr. Pretorius's wit, although there is outright comedy to be found in Una O' Connor and E. E. Clive. The presence of humour alongside horror in Bride of Frankenstein put it more in line with later horror movies than earlier ones, this even as it dealt with themes which even the Pre-Code horrors rarely bothered to touch.

Ultimately, it would be Bride of Frankenstein that would lead me to seek out other Universal horrors, from James Whale's The Dark Old House (1932) to The Black Cat (1934). Along with the soap opera Dark Shadows and the Hammer horror movies, the Universal monster movies would make me a fan of the horror genre. It was Bride of Frankenstein that helped me along a path that would lead me to such authors as Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, and Clive Barker and directors such as John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Wes Craven. To me it's still the greatest horror movie of all time.

Godspeed Jean Marsh

Jean Marsh, who co-created the classic TV show Upstairs, Downstairs and played parlourmaid Rose Buck on the show, died on April 13 at the age of 90 from complications from dementia.

Jean Marsh was born on July 1 1934 in London. As  a child she had Bell's palsy. Her mother sent her to dance school in the hope that it would strengthen her. As a young girl Miss Marsh also spent much of her time reading books. She attended the Aida Foster Theatre School. She made her acting debut in Pardon My Claws opposite Sonnie Hale.

/Jean Marsh made her film debut in a bit part in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby in 1947. In the Fifties she appeared in the movies Will Any Gentleman...? (1953), The Limping Man (1953), and The Love Lottery (1954). She appeared in television shows on both sides of the Atlantic. She guest starred on the shows ITV Television Playhouse, Omnibus, The Third Man, and The Twilight Zone. She made her Broadway debut in 1959 in Much Ado About Nothing.

In the Sixties she played Joanna in the Doctor Who serial "The Crusade" and Sara Kingdom in the Doctor Who serial "The Daleks' Master Plan" she was a regular on the British show The Informer. She guest starred on the shows Danger Man, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, ITV Play of the Week, The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre, The Saint, ITV Sunday Night Drama, Gideon's Way, I Spy, Adam Adamant Lives!, Detective, The Wednesday Play, Thirty-Minute Theatre, The Expert, Department S, The Root of All Evil?, UFOm, and ITV Saturday Night Theatre. She appeared in the films Call Me Genius (1961), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), Cleopatra (1963), Unearthly Stranger (1963), Face of a Stranger (1964), Charles Bubbles (1967), The Limbo Line (1968), and Jane Eyre (1970). She appeared on stage in The Bird of Time at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool and the Savoy Theatre in Westminster, London.

Jean Marsh and her best friend, fellow actress Eileen Atkins, co-created Upstairs, Downstairs. She appeared in all five series of the show as Rose Buck. She guest starred on the TV shows ITV Saturday Night Theatre, The Persuaders!, Play for Today, The Befrienders, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Camera Three, The Waltons,and  Hawaii Five-O. She appeared in the movies Frenzy (1972), Dark Places (1974), The Eagle Has Landed (1976)), and The Changeling (1980). She appeared on Broadway in Habeas Corpus and Whose Life is It Anyway?.

In the Eighties Jean Marsh was a regular on the sitcom 9 to 5, based on the movie of the same name. She guest starred on the shows Trapper John, M.D.; The Love Boat; Tales from the Darkside; and Doctor Who. She appeared in the mini-series Goliath Awaits, Master of the Game, and Act of Will. She appeared in the movies Return to Oz (1985) and Willow (1988). She appeared on stage in Let Us Go Then You and I at the Lyric Theatre in Westminster, London.

In the Nineties Jean Marsh co-created the TV series The House of Elliott with Eileen Atkins. She was a semi-regular on The All New Alexei Sayle Show and a regular on The Ghost Hunter. She guest starred on the shows Screen One; Murder, She Wrote; The Tomorrow People; Dangerfield; and Kavanagh QC. She appeared on stage in The Chalk Garden at the King's Head Theatre in London.

In the Naughts Jean Marsh continue to appear on The Ghost Hunter. She reprised her role as Rose Buck on the revival of Upstairs, Downstairs. She appeared in the mini-series Sensitive Skin and Sense and Sensibility. She guest starred on the shows Holby City, Doctors, Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder, and Crooked House. She appeared in the movie The Heavy (2009).  She appeared on stage in The Old Country at various locations, Boeing, Boeing in the Comedy Theatre in Westminster, London, and The Portrait of a Lady at the Theatre Royal, Bath and the Rose Theatre Kingston.

In the Teens she continued to appear in the revival of Upstairs, Downstairs. She guest starred on the show Grantchester.

I am guessing Jean Marsh will always be best remembered as the prim, proper, pragmatic, and yet ultimately cheerful Rose Buck on Upstairs, Downstairs, as well as one of the show's creators. The show itself would have a lasting influence, inspiring such shows as The Duchess of Duke Street,; m You Rang, M'Lord?; Beacon Hill; and on down to Downton Abbey. Of course, Jean Marsh also had close ties to Doctor Who, appearing in three different serials. In "The Crusade" she played Princess Joanna, the sister of King Richard the Lionheart. In "The Daleks' Master Plan" she played Sara Kingdom, a Space Security Agent helping the Doctor in his fight against the Daleks. In "Battlefield" she played a role well removed form either Princess Joanna or Sara Kingdom, Morgaine, better known as Morgan le Fay.

Beyond Upstairs, Downstairs and Doctor Who she appeared in a number of shows on both sides of the Atlantic. She was an android created as a companion for a man exiled to an asteroid in the Twilight Zone episode "The Lonely." On The Waltons she played the Baldwin sisters' cousin who had married a German citizen and is now worried about the Nazi regime given her husband is Jewish. In movies she played everything from Octavia in the film Cleopatra to Queen Bavmorda in Willow. As a television show creator Jean Marsh was brilliant and she was brilliant as an actress as well. She played a number of different roles throughout her career.