Infinity Entertainment, CBS Enterprises and Falcon Picture Group deliver as promised…’Tales Well Calculated to Keep You In…Suspense’ The Lost Episodes Collection 3. Suspense, the premier anthology drama series featuring stories of mystery and the macabre, that broadcasted live from New York on the CBS Television Network from 1949-54, with many of Hollywood and Broadway top stars.

This is the final set of 30 episodes to complete the set of 90, filmed in kinescope. All brought to you by Auto Lite. Before its television premier, it had been a weekly fixture on the CBS Radio Network from 1942 and had a twenty year run, totaling 945 radio episodes that won a Peabody Award and a special citation from the Mystery Writers of America.

On January 10, 1950, Suspense broadcast the chilling and suspenseful episode, The Bomber Command starring George Reeves, Susan Douglas, Joseph Hollard, Edward Bryce and Robert Gallagher. The cast is exceptionally good. There is one flubbed line by George Reeves, but being the consummate professional he is, recovers very well.

In the opening introduction of credits, a group of men that sound horribly off key and in a drunken state, are lulling through the old standard Auld Lang Syne as photos of days gone by of friends sharing moments of ‘friendship and camaraderie’ are undeniable back in 1943. For you readers out there who have wondered just what Auld Lang Syne means, even though you have sung it for years comes from an old Scottish tune that has been transcribed by Robert Barnes to mean ‘times gone by’ and is appropriate to the story line, tone and theme of this production.

It’s seven years later, and three men who have their backs against the camera continue in the chorus off key after a night of New Years reunion and cheer. Zita (Susan Douglas) and wife of D.P. Bradford (George Reeves), is seemingly pleased with the reunion she set up for the boys, greet Andy, George and D.P. with hugs and small talk. As this is going on, a sinister plot is being devised across the street by an on looking man named Hans Peterson (Joseph Hollard) to kidnap the young daughter of D.P. and Zita. D.P. suggests to the other guys it’s time to pass out as they plop on the sofa and chair. Zita exhibits surprise at out how early Susan and her dog enter the room being only 7:30 am, but is reminded by Susan it’s time to take the dog for a walk. The boys are awakened to go to assigned places for some sleep, but George (Edward Bryce) decides he’ll take the couch. But before they do, Andy (Robert Gallagher) and George discuss a sense that the old camaraderie is gone, and that D.P. has changed. George suggests that they all have, but Andy believes that D.P. is just tolerating them. And he is right because in the next room you see D.P. is frustrated with Zita and asks her why she insisted on them staying with them. D.P. goes on to express boredom and disappointment with his old friends. We will later learn in the episode that this is true about his whole life.

D.P. and Andy decide to turn in, but George wants to have conversation with Zita as they sip coffee. Perhaps George can get a little insight as to perhaps what’s wrong among the boys. This leads to Zita expressing her concerns that D.P. has lost interest with life in general and the reunion she planned for the three of them has turned into one big flop! George gives his perspective with the analogy, “Even a tree changes. Some grow tall and some rot their hearts out. Am I right?” Zita insists that all they’ve been through and what has encroached on their lives should not be the reason their relationships go to waste. You can see in this scene that Zita is doing everything within her to hold on to optimism in what seems like a losing battle. George responds, “I guess that’s life, Zita. The good things just don’t last.”

Outside the hotel, a silly drunk man who had a hard night of partying is sitting on the pavement in a near drunken stupor and notices a pair of feet to his right. He pulls off his scarf, and attempts to clean the shoes. However, unbeknownst to him, it’s the feet of Peterson, the kidnapper who has been waiting for the opportunity to apprehend Susan. As the annoyed Peterson attempts to walk away, the drunken man rises and snatches a bag out of the hand of Peterson, turns the other way, and out pops a toy drummer with a donkey’s head. Susan emerges up to it with a big smile on her face. This is the moment Peterson was waiting for.

The drunken man stumbles into the lobby of the hotel only to encounter Susan again with her dog. He refers to Peterson as that ‘nasty man’ outside. His words are true! The drunken man pulls out the toy he kept from the bag, winds it up at the delight of Susan and the dog. It’s the nicest toy Susan has ever seen and asks if she can keep it. The drunken man is obliged to do so and then excuses himself to the elevator. This action along with the gift is crucial to the plot and aftermath of the kidnapping. It’s a well crafted manipulation as Peterson encounters Susan. As he takes her away, mysteriously, a hand muff is left behind and a cleaning lady picks up the muff looking somewhat sinister.

The conversation between George and Zita continues as she conveys that D.P. is in a world of dissatisfaction and won’t communicate with her anymore; believing that he no longer cares about her or Susan. At that moment the phone rings. It’s Peterson, and he makes his demands to Zita of a ransom for Susan of $30,000.00 within 24 hours. Zita reminds him that the banks are closed, so he opts for 36 hours. D.P. is awakened, takes the phone. His whole countenance changes and Superman fans will really appreciate this as he takes on the ‘Superman Vigilante’ mode from the ’51 season we are familiar with, but perhaps increasingly indignant with the following lines, “You harm one hair on that child’s head and I’ll hunt you down until it takes me all my born days!” This scene is truly convincing by Reeves.

Andy hears a noise at the door and finds the hand muff. George was able to trace the call for D.P. He is handed a note from inside the hand muff and it describes what can happen to Susan if D.P. doesn’t cooperate. It’s an evil description as is manifested in the face of D.P.

It is great to see the men are now united once again in a common purpose. Save Susan. Hot on the trail, they find the elevator man which leads them to the drunken man on the fourth floor. Then enters the evil cleaning lady at the elevator with a look on her face that would frighten the devil!

As the men encounter the drunken man, he does his best to recall meeting Susan and of Peterson in front of the hotel, the grabbing of the bag and describing Peterson as a ‘German.’

Peterson is seen forcing Susan, who is gagged and her feet bound to write another ransom note. He then turns to the cleaning lady, assuring her $7,000.00 for helping out. The note tells D.P. where to take the money to be delivered by 11:00 am, the same place where they had found Susan’s dog.

George and Andy discover the cleaning lady they had seen earlier in a phone booth making a call to Peterson. They emerge and hold her at gun point and tell her to continue as if nothing is happening during the call. D.P. arrives and instructs George to get up on the cat walk just above where he is to meet Peterson and Susan for the ransom exchange. The cleaning woman is now the hostage for the men.

D.P. calls Peterson from the same phone booth where he is again instructed where to take the money. If he doesn’t do as instructed, Peterson will shoot Susan. D.P. then calls Zita and is confident with his plan by assuring her this was going to be ‘a milk run.’

The exchange begins by D.P. carefully laying the brief case on the floor and then backs away ever so slowly, carefully. He then crouches in wait as he sees in the distance an emerging Peterson and Susan. Susan is sent by Peterson to pick up the brief case, but she is hesitant in carrying out the deed. However, D.P. is continually encouraging her to complete the task. On the other side, Peterson lifts the gun, aiming it directly at Susan. She lifts the brief case and walks towards her kidnapper. As she is released and moves slowly towards D.P. the cleaning woman burst through the door running past D.P. in terror, warning Peterson of the plot against him. He lunges forward to apprehend Susan, holding her at gun point when all the sudden, George drops from the cat walk like a boulder, falling on Peterson while Susan breaks free. George succeeds in taking the gun away and holding Peterson on the ground.

Susan reunites with Zita and D.P. in a loving group hug. It’s a moving scene. Susan doesn’t seem to be traumatized or fazed a bit and focuses on the beautiful toy donkey. In the family embrace and through tears, Zita reminds Susan, “You better take good care of it, or it won’t last. That’s true of everything, toys, friendships and love.”

A Great Ending, Folks.

April 2009

Robert Woods:

The Most Popular Actor You Never Knew!

The Spaghetti Western & Cult Movie Anti-Hero

By Carl Glass

The Spaghetti Western as it has become to be known in film culture is a name for a sub-genre for movie westerns that emerged on the movie screens world wide in the mid 60s. Its golden age took place within the decade of 1965-1975. This particular genre of film depicts some of the worst human nature has to offer where actions will emote from the anti-hero and other characters the extreme expressions of darkness, brutality, violence and vengeance. The screenplays revolve around these themes. Lots of gunfights, action and dark sarcastic dialogue accompany the ‘don’t mess with me attitude!’ This is what distinguishes the Spaghetti Western from its American counterpart. And let’s not forget the unique music that played a significant role becoming one of the most recognized trademarks. The music could define the moment as well as its actors or director. And speaking of director’s, it was Sergio Leone who was the master in capturing all the darkness, brutality and death in the faces of his characters. It takes one close-up into the cold, hard face and angelic eyes of the Spaghetti Westerns finest actor, Lee Van Cleef to know what is…and what is to come. It’s a capture of the epitome of brutality, darkness and vengeance. I rest my case.

Like me, many in the American audiences and world-wide for that matter would develop a taste of the high intensity level of the violence and the way vengeance, justice or injustice were carried out. The focus was on the anti-hero who was the recipient of a beating, a double cross, or murder of a family member, loved one or a plan gone wrong. It was vengeance… vengeance… and more vengeance! Sad to say, we could live out our fantasies and darker side through these characters. No?! C’mon guys. Tell me you never wanted to wield out justice just once, one against many in a gunfight like ‘The Man With No Name’ pretending to be shootin’ down the enemies of your life.

There was a great advantage for the Italian studios producing these films as they were able to keep their cost productions low. The backdrop of the Tabernas Desert of Almeria, Andalucia region of Spain shared an affinity with the American Southwest. Another reason had to do with being able to access Italian/Spaniard actors as gangs and bandits.

Sometimes, I have the good fortune to find myself in the right place at the right time. It was that way when Jan Alan Henderson and I were outside of the ‘Ray Courts Show’ in Burbank two weeks ago. We were introduced to cult film favorite, actor Robert Woods (not to be confused with Robert S. Woods of One Life to Live soap fame). I didn’t realize I was shaking hands with a genuine international film star. I took one look at his resume and I realized just what this man meant to the golden age of the Spaghetti Western. He was indeed one of its finest stars. I remembered him and inwardly, I was floored. His myriad of fans around the world considers him a legend. I do too! Indulge me again by saying that if you are not a fan of the genre, you’ll gain plenty from Robert as he talks about his journey and the many famous actors, directors, the business and the stuff life encounters.

Actor Robert Woods:

The most popular actor you never knew!

CG: Robert, I first of all would like to thank you for so graciously taking time out for this interview and what a delight it was meeting you at the Ray Courts Show in Burbank. I found you to be a real gentleman, congenial and engaging. Like most fans of the ‘Spaghetti Western’ genre, it’s an honor meeting one of the screen’s pioneers and legends whose career spanned throughout the golden age of these uniquely made films.

I have learned that you are from Colorado. Would you give our readers some background as to where you grew up? What were your interests and what caused you to take the pathway into acting?

RW: I was born, abandoned and adopted in Colorado, raised until I was nearly eight years old on a high mountain ranch near Granby, Colorado. We moved to Boulder just before the Second World War. My dad enlisted in the Navy at that time and I was left in the care of my adopted mom and her sister. As far as the performing arts were concerned, it was never something I really had much of a desire to do…it just happened. I was in my first play in grade school, was first-chair trumpet in my high school band, sang and played gigs with a little jazz-band all over the state. I wasn’t a troubled youth, just energetic and tall, when it came to mischief, I was always the first to be seen, caught and disciplined. I dropped out of high school when I was sixteen and ran away from home, hitch-hiking to California with a friend. At seventeen I returned to Colorado.

Due to a little misunderstanding with a judge about a relationship with his daughter in my home-town, I joined the Navy with my father’s concerned permission and went off to basic training in San Diego. My company commander insisted that because of my height, I was to be his squad-leader in Boot Camp, but I wasn’t happy about that, so I snuck across the base without permission to audition for the Drum & Bugle Corps and was accepted. A group of us from the Corps formed a jazz group that was allowed off base to play gigs up and down the coast.

After boot-camp, I was accepted to The Navy School of Music, but the wait was over a year for admission which would have extended my enlistment, so I opted to be a Commissary man instead. After school, I was stationed at the Great Lakes and ultimately served the remainder of my time on a destroyer, Charles S. Sperry. I got my diploma from Boulder High School by taking GED tests. I also finished two years of college by correspondence course.

When my time in the Navy had been served, the day before my twenty-first birthday, I was put off the ship in Guantanamo Bay, flown home and honorably discharged. I consider that point the beginning of my life and I was just beginning to learn the art of putting one foot in front of the other. I didn’t know then, nor have I ever known what I wanted to be when I grew up. I certainly had no idea I would ever become an actor.

I had the GI Bill which gave me some money toward my education, so I blindly chose teaching as a possible avenue for a career. I went to college at San Diego State, majored in English with an education minor. The money from the Navy wasn’t really enough, so I started singing in talent contests to augment it. It difficult getting my chops again in the beginning, but with lot of practice and a desire to win for the money, I actually began to enjoy performing. I won the final contest at The Hillcrest Hideaway and got a paying gig at The Shelter Island Inn which led to another at The Saddle and Sirloin in Escondido.

On campus, I always studied in the little theater because it was generally abandoned and quiet. One day they had readings for the play Victoria Regina. The readings interrupted my routine, were less than entertaining and I was rude enough to laugh. The professor, Dr. Adams, looked up and said, “Are you here to read or to make fun?” I told him I was sorry. To which he replied, “This is the theater. Read, leave or shut up!” I decided to read and was offered the role of Prince Albert. It was uplifting, enjoyable, and not work in the truest sense and there were good reviews and applause. I liked it. At Dr. Adams suggestion, I changed my major. He turned out to be a great mentor, working long and hard with me to teach me technique. After the next project we did together, the Three Penny Opera, I went off to do The Girls in 509 at the Old Globe and West Side Story in the Amphitheater where I understudied the role of Tony. Thanks to Dr. Adams, I returned to Colorado and spent my last summer-break at The Perry-Mansfield School of the Theater in Steamboat Springs, teaching mime and directing the play Ring ‘Round The Moon.

When I graduated, Dr. Adams insisted I go to Hollywood with some letters of introduction he provided. I spent the first couple of months sleeping on his friend’s floors. The truth was they did little to help me. With no money and no GI Bill, I took a job as a singing waiter at The Flower Drum, a Chinese restaurant on Highland Avenue. One day, finally fed up with seemingly never getting an acting audition, I reluctantly stood in a line around the block at Central Casting, seeking extra work. They sent me to MGM in Culver City to stand in another line, (this time of look-alikes), waiting to stunt-double and stand-in for George Hamilton in the feature Where The Boys Are. Besides arriving late because I didn’t know where Culver City was, at six foot four, I was taller than anyone there and was relegated to end of the line. George came out of his dressing room and paced slowly down the line, like a general inspecting troops. When he finally got to me, I bent my knees, reducing my height to around six one and tried not to laugh. George looked down at my bent position and broke up. “I’ll take this one,” he said and an immediate friendship was born. I had so much fun. Before the first week was over, the producer Joe Levine, also a new friend, offered me a small part, the part of a policeman, (not an electric guitar player), a one liner with Chill Wills outside the police station which provided me with my Screen Actor’s Guild card and no credit.

CG: I’m glad you cleared that up about your role in that film. It goes to show you can’t trust IMDB. Where The Boys Are had a good cast. In fact its one of the better beach movies with the lovely Dolores Hart, George Hamilton, Yvette Mimieux, Jim Hutton, Barbara Nichols, Chill Wills, Frank Gorshin and of course Connie Francis who was riding high on the music charts in that era. I’m curious about the relationship you had with the cast. Any personal favorites? Anything special behind the scenes?

RW: I think I liked Paula Prentiss most of all. She was just out of Northwestern, fresh and new, her mother at her side. She was sweet, naïve and fun. Delores Hart…what charisma and beautiful spirit. Chill Wills could pick up two new pages of monologue, scan it, put it down and do the entire piece verbatim. Barbara Nichols…smarter than she appeared on film, very bubbly, very kind. Jim Hutton’s son Timothy was born during the shoot and he was running back and forth to the hospital so I didn’t really get to know him, or the very beautiful and allusive Yvette. Frank Gorshin’s impressions were outrageous, outstanding and he was always on and great fun to be around. Connie was fantastic, what a singing talent, sensitive and compassionate as a human being, always a kind word for everyone. George [Hamilton] was always on, always joking, a wonderful guy to hang out with, even work for. I’ll always like George. I actually ran into him on the Via Veneto in Rome when my career was in full swing. We reminisced about Where The Boys Are and had a few laughs.

CG: In your acting resume there seems to be a five year gap after Where The Boys Are. I have to believe these were transition years. Fill in that time period for us.

RW: Let me reiterate; I’ve really never thought about a having a career…I’ve always just lived my life. Entertaining, acting, writing and singing and have simply been a part of it. I have never had a publicist, with the exception of those connected with the films I’ve done, because in my mind I’ve never thought of the work as a career. It’s just fluff. The five year gap? There really wasn’t a gap…I was just practicing to live my life as usual. After Boys I hung in Hollywood for a while, worked briefly at Warner Bros as a staff writer, co-wrote an episode of The Jim Backus Show, continued to sing at The Flower Drum, saw beyond the glitter of Hollywood and had a desire to travel. One day out of the blue, I woke up on the conservative side of the bed and took a job with Underwood Olivetti and went off to Connecticut for training to run an office for them in Los Angeles. While I was in Harford, I took a trip to New York to visit a childhood friend (Larry Wilcox) a prominent musical arranger at the time. The first question he asked me was “Are you still singing?” and at about eleven o’clock that same night I found myself in Buster Davis’ apartment auditioning for The Voice of Firestone. Around midnight, Buster decided to call Buddy Bregman and sent me to the Camelot Club to audition for his new review. It was easy, I had fun. I got the job. It was a Monday and rehearsals were to start Friday at one P.M. That presented a major dilemma; I was just finishing my Olivetti training Friday morning and I knew I was cutting it close. But the security of a high paying regular job helped me make my decision. As fate would have it, I arrived two hours late to a lengthy lecture by Mr. Bregman. I had been replaced by Bobby Van. Because of that incident, The Voice of Firestone was also out of the question. But I still liked New York so I went to work for Olivetti on Fifth Avenue, sneaking out for the occasional audition.

I was up for a Joshua Logan Musical called, All American, which thanks to the advice of a friend, I turned down. It opened at The Garden Winter Garden and played for one night. After that, I landed a singing gig in the village, playing straight man to the famous drag-queen, Lynn Carter. I resigned from Olivetti. We played for nineteen weeks to packed houses and Lynn asked me to go to Canada and Australia as a permanent part of the act. It was fun but it wasn’t exactly my life-style, so I reluctantly declined. Apart from the occasional rude grope when I passed through the audience to get to my dressing-room, I had enjoyed doing that show and Lynn was a wonderful entertainer.

I studied acting privately in New York with Boris Marshalov, the last living member of The Russian Repertory Theatre. It was at his studio that I met Jimmy (James) MacArthur and his mother Helen Hayes for the first time. I also studied and worked at Circle In The Square in the days of Edward Albee and Alan Schneider. I was at the Circle until Virginia Wolf took them away with it and the group that they left behind was in decline. I also quietly did a little modeling for True Romance Magazine and did some covers for romance novels. I wanted to do more. It paid well, but they told me I was too tall for fashion.

Also, during my five year gap, I auditioned for Otto Preminger for the movie The Cardinal. He offered me a small but pivotal role, the part of a priest, but there was a condition. I would have to already be in Italy for the shoot and take care of my own expenses. I thought about it and decided to take the chance. I had very little money at the time, but I purchased a one way ticket on the Queen Elizabeth bound for Paris, with about four hundred dollars in my pocket. I arrived at the end of 1962. Filming on The Cardinal was to begin that spring in Rome. Running out of money and saddled with a large hotel bill, I discovered a group of American and British actors who were dubbing films into English and quickly got a job in a small dubbing studio just off the Champs Ellysee. At the same time I discovered The American Theatre on the Quay Dorsee where I auditioned and was accepted into their repertory company.

I was dubbing some films in a studio just below the Arch De Triumph and I stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant down the street called The Pam-Pam. I was having dessert when a man I can only describe as effeminate walked past me then turned around, walked back and asked me if I was a model. I told him I was an actor and he asked if would consider doing some test photography with him. It wasn’t encouraging and by the time the conversation had ended, I was late for work. He handed me his card on the way out and said, “If you ever change your mind…” When I arrived back at the studio a little late, the director wanted an explanation. I told him a gay guy, I believed was hitting on me with the excuse that he wanted to do photographs of me. I was simply trying not to be impolite. My dubbing director asked me who he was and I handed him the card the man had given me. His mouth dropped in disbelief. “You have to call this guy immediately,” he said. “If he’s the guy who gave you the card.” I protested. “I don’t want to put myself in that kind of position.” “I don’t blame you,” the director said. “It’s only Helmut Newton, one of the most famous photographers in the world. And believe me, he’s not gay.” So I called, went to his studio, met his wife June and realized Helmut had a kinky demeanor and an abstract view of life, but my director was right, he was definitely not gay and he was a brilliant photographer I did tests for days. For nearly the entire year of 1963 I was Helmut Newton’s model. Pierre Cardin, the man, not the corporation he became later, measured me personally, cut my suits and filled my closet. Needless to say I never made it to Rome to do The Cardinal.

CG: 1965 reveals to us that you went to work for director, writer and producer Alphonso Balcazar. His career spanned from the 50s to the 80s. He chose you to star as the lead in Los Pistolas de Arizona, aka: Five Thousand Dollars on One Ace. Tell us how you two got connected and how you landed that role?

RW: Because of time consumed at the photo-shoots and travel to exotic places I was forced to give up the dubbing. I did settle in Paris that year and spent my free time doing Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard at the American Theatre. One night Spanish Producer, Alfonso Balcazar came to see my performance and afterward made me an offer to do a Western in Barcelona. I was making a lot more money modeling, than he was offering, so I politely turned him down. He returned the next night and presented me with a contract for five films with money on a graduating scale even the modeling couldn’t compete with. I closed my eyes, thought about it for a second, then signed.

CG: Many American actors entered the ‘Spaghetti Western’ genre for various reasons. Clint Eastwood as an example had a popular TV run with Rawhide. However, after doing the big three, Fist Full of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, he becomes an international star. Guy Madison had already peaked from earlier years but chose to work in the genre. I could be wrong, but I saw that as a way to keep working or perhaps revive his career. I always wondered why Henry Fonda did them. Could you comment on the reasons American actors chose that path and what you felt working in that genre would do for you?

RW: Speaking for myself, I originally did film for the money, but once you work in European productions like the Spaghetti Westerns, you realize that there is a big difference between them and American films. It’s called collaboration! In America, everyone is divided into up-tight unionized groups. God help you if you help another group with its work. In Europe, you are part of a family where everyone; actors, extras, grips even drivers worked creatively together to produce a palatable end result. I don’t think there was ever one of those films, that when it was over and we went our separate ways, I didn’t feel the pain of separation. It was a beautiful way to make a living. I don’t know the reasons others give for their desire to do these films. But I do know that Charlie Bronson and Eric Flemming both turned Leone down for Fist Full of Dollars, before Clint was offered the role and it wasn’t because of the genre. It was the money. The initial film in their contracts always paid so little. If you got to the second film in the contract and beyond, the money was good. Leone loved Charlie and was determined to work with him. A long time passed before that happened. The genre was extremely successful and the money was there, before he agreed to do Once Upon A Time In America. Henry Fonda and I were very close, during and after Battle of The Bulge and he once told me he took the Leone project, because I had spoken highly about the diversion and the collaborative aspect of Spaghetti Westerns.

CG: You are working on or have just completed a film, Man From Canyon City. Then, you end up as a cast member on one of the greatest war films of all time, Battle of The Bulge with a stellar cast of Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews and Telly Savalas. In this role you play Henry Fonda’s pilot. How did you land that role? What were the rigors on working in this film and the relationship you had with the director, cast and crew?

RW: We had an incident, Alfonso Balcazar and I, during the Pistolero shoot. I did this one take, a long, dangerous scene where I fell off a cliff rolled down an embankment into a ditch (battered and bruised) crawled out, caught and mounted a horse and rode away. When it was over, he said “Let’s do one more for security!” I told him if he wanted it done again, he would have to do it himself and I refused. That evening after the shoot, I was driven to the office where he actually tore up my contract in front of me. We agreed to finish Pistolero with the stipulation that we would work no more together.

After we had wrapped the film and I left Barcelona with a bad taste in my mouth, I drove to Madrid and walked into the offices of Ken Anikin. I had no agent. Ken stood up, looked me over, drew up the contract while I waited, signed me and handed me the script. He didn’t require me to audition or do a test. Within days, William Morris took me on and David Niven, Jr. became my agent.

Just after that, Alfonso found me in Madrid and told me sweetly that MGM had bought Pistolero and they required an additional action scene, a stage-coach fight in the mud. I didn’t want to go back after the contract incident, but he insisted so I told him to call William Morris and talk to David. David got me more than double the pay to return and finish Pistolero and informed him that he only had a window of a week before I started Bulge. So I flew down to Barcelona and found my contract, scotch-taped and in tact on Alfonso’s desk. He insisted that when Bulge was over, he would honor our agreement. I did the scene in Pistolero that MGM wanted and returned to Madrid, ready for my close-up.

I was under contract for months on Battle of the Bulge, because the aerial scenes required blue and green backing to be delivered from America. I made a lifetime of friends with Fonda, Bronson, Telly, Robert Ryan, George Montgomery, Dana, Robert Conrad (who did second unit), Ty Hardin and Steve Rowland. I also renewed my connection with Jimmy MacArthur. I never really got to know Robert Shaw. Henry Fonda became the closest friend I have ever had in the business. Whenever he came to Rome, we spent a lot of time together. When I returned to America, we attended several events together. Through him I met a myriad of people including Jason Robards.

One day, while walking down the street with Fonda, I was approached by Roy Rosatti, David Lean’s right hand man to do Geraldine Chaplin’s test for Dr. Zivago. I had time, but no permission. Hank told me to do it quietly. They didn’t have to know. So I did her test with David Lean directing and no one knew…until one evening at the Madrid Hilton when the most of the cast you asked me about saw David come in a side door. A hush fell over the group. All you could hear were whispers adoration. “That’s David Lean”. He literally crossed the lobby straight to me, shook my hand and thanked me for doing Geraldine’s test. He told me that she got the job and he had something for me in it, and then walked away. Two days later, Julie Christie hand delivered a script from him to my apartment. He wanted me to do two pages of monologue as a soldier trying to stop deserters from leaving the battle field. It was a meaty role and I was excited. With the long wait for the backing I still had time to do it, but when I requested permission from Phil Yordan, he and Warner Bros. squelched it. Many scripts began coming from Rome and I agreed to do the lead in a film called Seven Guns for The MacGregors after I finished Bulge. I did the Man From Canyon City in less than a week, before I went to Rome to live and work.

CG: You are working quite steadily from 1965-75 primarily in the ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ as the lead character. In 1968 you worked with ‘B’ film legend John Ireland in a film entitled, Quel Caldo Maledetto Giorno di Fuoco, also known as That Damned Hot Day of Fire, Gatling Gun, or Machine Gun Killers. John Ireland, who played Tarpas was a half-breed, uncouth bandit who could throw a knife with his toes. As with most westerns of this genre it was quite violent. You take a real beating in this one. You’re dragged by a horse, used as a punching bag and even buried alive. There is also a gory extraction scene of a bullet removed from a hand. Would you share some of the memories of that film and what it was like working with John Ireland?

RW: Quel Caldo Maledetto Giorno di Fuoco was a film that Dr, Amati of Fida Films gave me carte Blanche to do. Six months before, I had done a little modern thriller called Hypnos directed by Paolo Bianchinni that I really liked so I hired Paolo write the script and direct. I had a choice between Henry Silva and John Ireland to do the part of Tarpas and thanks to mutual friend John Melson, who was the original writer of Battle of the Bulge, I had lunch with John and we hit it off immediately. John and I remained very close friends for the rest of his life. He was a special human being. He threw a wonderful party for me when I came back to America at his restaurant in Santa Barbara. We spent much time together.

CG: The ‘Spaghetti’ genre always demonstrates great amounts of physical violence and action sequences. It appears from the viewers stand point very demanding on the cast members and stunt workers. How involved were you in the action sequences of your films? And were you ever injured?

RW: Oh yeah I was bruised and battered in almost every Western, but never enough to halt production. Because of my height, I did most of my own stunts. Only once, doing a lead in Hong Kong on a film called Savage In the City with Viktor Buono did I seriously injure myself. John Shadow, the director asked me to jump from a wall. It was twelve feet and the surface I had to land on was concrete. I fractured my ankles, but somehow managed to finish the film. It took roughly two years to recover and I don’t and won’t do that anymore.

CG: As you did a few to several films a year in the decade between 1965-75, was it necessary to establish a residence in Europe?

RW: I never had a problem with it in Europe, but I hardly ever left. I loved Europe and the life style. I did however have a problem in England. I signed to do a British TV series in Malta, called Vendetta and when I arrived at London’s Pinewood Studios to shoot the first interiors, they paid me and sent me back to Rome, because of the quota. It’s interesting to note, they paid me nearly double what I had signed for because it was law and their mistake.

CG: One of my favorite films of yours is Savage Guns from 1971. In Quel Caldo Maledetto Giorno di Guoco, the Gatlin Gun is stolen and held ransom and it must be recovered before it falls into the hands of the Confederate Army. In Savage Guns the Gatlin becomes an instrument of revenge for you. It was quite clever as Mash Flanaghan and his gang was laying in ambush for the wagon to pass through thinking it was the wagon to rob of the goods. When they discovered after the wagon had stopped, the two guards in front driving the wagon were dummy figures. The side door of the wagon drops and you start blazing away. Mash thought you were out of the equation believing you were dead by one of his gang. Then you turn and another door drops and you finish off the ambushers. That was a great scene. And after you finish off Mash who you saved for last and put him on a horse, the real guards and wagon enters the scene and passes you by as if nothing happened. You and the Gatlin gun go hand in hand, Robert. Did it handle pretty well for you and what memories do you have of the film?

RW: I did two, three, maybe four films with Miles Deem (Dimofolo Fidani). My favorite was a thing called Peones about a revolutionary Mexican hero who gets killed in the end for the cause. Savage Guns was another one of those films that hurt me. In one of the fight scenes, the DP shot it with a hand held camera and he forgot to pull back as choreographed. He split my lip open with the sun-guard of the camera. They shot me in profile for the next three days. There was another scene, where I jumped off a hill onto the back of a horse. The wrangler was holding it in place with a wire. The horse pulled away ripping his hand open with the wire. When I landed, the horse’s head shot up with such force that it nearly took my head off. I finished the scene, got off the beast and collapsed.

CG: In 1972, you started to switch gears and entered into the Horror/Erotic genre. Was this a decision by your agent, or was this by personal choice? Who afforded you that opportunity?

RW: After I filmed Lina Wurtmuller’s Belle Star Story with Elsa Martinelli in Yugolslavia, I wanted to try something off beat and as fate would have it, Jess Franco called me to do the lead in a thing called The Strange Eyes of Dr. Orloff with Edmond Purdom and William Berger. I had directed Edmond in a film with Rosalba Neri called L’Amanti di la Demonio a year or so before this event, so I called him to find out how erotic Jess’s stuff really was. My parents were still alive! Needless to say I accepted his offer for one film and finished by doing four more (they were erotic but not porn by contract) on the island of Madieras, between Africa and the Canary Islands, then two more on the mainland. I wound up spending a year with Jess. Jess Franco has just reached cult hero status in France last year. I know because I have been getting many calls from all over the world about those films, most of which I remember little about. I do remember that some of the stuff I did with him was good and actually required acting skill. Jess won an award in Spain for The Other Side of The Mirror with Emma Cohen and me. I did do the lead in a couple of his most famous films. My parents never saw them I am happy to say.

CG: I’ve always found the character actors in these films to be quite memorable. I don’t always remember the names, but the faces are unmistakable and have made an indelible mark in the industry. Actors like Jose Terron, Antonio Molino Rojo, Aldo Giuffe, Klaus (the hunchback) Kinski, Luigi Pistilli, Jose Calvo and Joseph Egger. Who were among the favorite character actors you worked with?

RW: I liked Fernando Sancho/ worked with him quite a lot. Aldo Berti, Molino Rojo was a good friend. Klaus was a bit mad, but also a good friend.

CG: Klaus Kinski emanates that madness quite well through the screen. Especially after a match was lit off his back. Here’s a list of actors who were among your peers in the industry. They have made one or several Spaghetti Westerns, James Coburn, Clint Eastwood, Jack Elam, Henry Fonda, Terance Hill, John Ireland, John Phillip Law, Jack Palance, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Charles Bronson, Jason Robarbs and Keenan Wynn. I would be curious to know the relationship you might have had with any of these fine actors and their attitudes about the genre.

RW: Friends among this group; Jimmy Coburn and I have some stories and some history together. Clint and I worked often at the same small studio. We spent quite a bit of time together. Every once in a while, I take a trip to Carmel to relax with him and reminisce. I see him occasionally here, grab a bite and shoot the preverbal.

CG: Who would you consider your mentor in the business?

RW: HENRY FONDA was my biggest fan and supporter. He, plus and a composite of many characters from all walks that I have gotten to know in my life and travels.

CG: Is there a film, a scene, a moment where Robert Woods can say, ‘Yeah, that was my finest work ever?

RW: Not really. I have always refused to go to the rushes and seldom see the final result, because I’m not a very good judge of my own work. I just do it and if it makes money, I do it again. It does make me feel good when my work is praised by my peers.

CG: You’ve continued to do some work in the industry up until as recent as 2008. What is on the horizon for Robert Woods?

RW: It ain’t over ‘till the fat lady finds Fellini…

After I was honored at the Torino and Venice Film Festivals in 2007, opportunity has become more accessible. I have quite a lot in the works and apparently, though not so well known in America, I have a large fan base in the world. There is a lot more to do, some of which is in the works; a TV series called Aspen/ a film titled Bend Me/Shape Me/a western called Heathens and Thieves and someone in America has recently approached me about a documentary on my life tentatively titled; The Most Famous Actor No One Knows… And the beat goes on…

CG: Robert, I wish you much continued success. Keep me informed about your future projects as it would be a delight to keep the reading public informed. You’ve had a most interesting journey and thanks for your time sharing it with us.

RW: Thanks for taking the time to interview me, Carl. All the best.

March 2009

Info Research and Lobby Cards: The Spaghetti Western Data Base and Battle of the Bulge still: Warner Bros.

Remembering Christmas

Words & Music by Bill Strange - Scott Davis

Sung by – Elvis Presley

Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind
Memories, sweetened thru the ages just like wine

Quiet thought come floating down
And settle softly to the ground
Like golden autumn leaves around my feet
I touched them and they burst apart with sweet memories...Sweet memories

Of holding hands and red bouquets
And twilight trimmed in purple haze
And laughing eyes and simple ways
And quiet nights and gentle days with you

Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind
Memories, sweetened thru the ages just like wine,
Memories, memories, sweet memories

It seems the further I go down the road of life, the more precious my memories become. Anyone at my stage of life is fortunate enough to hold them. You take this Christmas tree for instance (1957). Not very majestic or pretty by any means, but it is the first one I ever remember. My grandparents had lived with the heartache of knowing what all of us kids had been through in the years prior of an unstable situation with my parents, and in their endeavor and success in getting custody of all seven of us was topped off with love and a Christmas we would never forget. Out of their poverty, they were able to bless each and every one of us. It was a cold, damp and foggy morning. The way Christmas should be in the central San Joaquin Valley.

To my delight, I received three outfits, one a ‘Davey Crockett’ coon skin cap and shirt, a sailor top and hat along with a baseball cap and shirt. And the biggest thrill was a machine gun with blue plastic bullets. My grandfather loaded it for me and gave me instruction not to point or shoot it at anybody, but the target it came with. I was not allowed to shoot it in the house.

The smells of the morning and early afternoon were filled with the pleasant aroma of turkey, gravy, potatoes, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce and the brussel sprouts I actually learned to enjoy. I remember the radio being on with Bobby Helm’s ‘Jingle Bell Rock.’ It was new on the air waves that Christmas. You always heard Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas,’ ‘I’m Getting Nuttin’ For Christmas’ by Barry Gordon, or Gene Autry’s ‘Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer’ written by Johnny Marks. The next Christmas you would get a good dose of those songs along with Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin Around The Christmas Tree.’ That was the Christmas my older sisters all got poodle skirts and hoola hoops. It was a wonderful feeling to see the sun break through in the early afternoon to try out the machine gun. No, I didn’t shoot my eye out! It really didn’t have a lot of kick.

We lived near the center of town and the power poles were decorated with plastic candles and wreaths all down the street. A Christmas parade had marched right in front of our house a few weeks before. We had a huge front porch and my grandparents didn’t mind neighbors or people who viewed the parade by sitting on our porch. There were so many paintings on local merchant’s windows with frost and designs of snowmen, Santa Claus and his reindeer. It always seemed the best art design was right near the ‘Schwinn’ bike you had been dreaming about at the local toy store. Many Christmas’s have come and gone, but none will be as special as the first one. It’s the one I like to connect with every year. The spirit of Christmas was new and exciting. And it didn’t matter what our economic status was because we were a rich household full of love, safety and security. In the late 80s with a walkman on my hip and earphones, I programmed the cassette tape with my favorite Christmas songs from that era, standing in the very place where our house use to be. The weather greeted me in the same old way, cold, damp and foggy. The ambience with its street décor didn’t let me down either.

We at ‘Glass House Presents’ wish you the finest Christmas and a prosperous New Year. And hold on to your memories. Make some good ones this year.

Carl & Leslie Glass

December 2008

WINGED VICTORY—1944

TWENTIETH CENTURY—FOX

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES

PRESENTS MOSS HART’S

WINGED VICTORY

In This Picture All the Boys in Uniform are Members of the U.S. Army/Air Forces

Are these the characters I'm going to have to teach to fly?

Patriotism and service for country ride high in this film of young men who have anticipated a letter of acceptance to train as pilots in the Army/Air Corps. After arriving at basic training, much of the naiveté of these future pilots comes to a stand still like wind eluding the sail. Visions of glory are substituted with the reality of the daily routine of K.P. and scrubbing floors. Even though this film is set during World War II, many of you who have served in the armed forces can relate to the daily duties that seem insignificant and mundane to the training of a soldier.

The film reflects the patriotism of the times, and basic training is intense, but what unfolds during this process is the camaraderie that builds between the groups of men who are to become a working unit of one. During the training period not all is rosy. Anticipation of failing tests and "Dear John" letters will challenge the moral and high ideals of the candidates, but letters from home become a precious commodity.

Not all will stand the test as having trouble with depth perception or slow reflexes as a pilot must make quick decisions based on certain scenarios. As some are rejected from continued pilot training, they are allowed to continue in other aspects that are significant to the operation of a bomber plane. They are also allowed before a panel of officers to protest a rejection. The film depicts one such incident of an aspiring pilot who had such high scores previously explains the circumstances of why he scored low in the final exams, and the panel truly understands this and gives him a waiver, discerning how a Dear John letter can affect study. He is restored. The film emphasizes that the functioning of a bomber plane calls for a team effort. Navigators and bombardiers are just as significant as the pilot to carry out missions.
This film has its share of heart break, romances, fun and the building of relationships, but training always takes precedent.

When one of the pilots does not return after night flight training the whole unit is disturbed, and again, a unit officer demonstrates compassion privately in the aftermath.
George Reeves is in excellent form as Lt. Thompson with both teasing and edifying the pre-graduating group under his care at a party the night before graduation exercises, and joins in with them in song. George comes across as a real natural in this setting, as if he’s born for the part of Lieutenant Thompson. In a line that’s somewhat ironic and jokingly to the new graduating class, sounds distinctly amusing to the George Reeves fan when he asks a question in a satirical manner, ‘Are these the characters I’m going to teach to fly?’

The realities of war of course brings its casualties and scars both literal and figuratively. However, occasional good news from home serves as an inspiration and resolve for the continued war effort and make for a better world for the next generation.
I find this film to not only be important as an addition to the George Reeves collection, but also for the fan of World War II films. It's right on the level of "So Proudly We Hail" and Guadalcanal Canal Diary, filmed in 1943 with Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, Richard Conte and Anthony Quinn.

Cast:
Sgt. Mark Daniels, Edmond O’Brien

Pvt. Lon McCallister

Cpl. Don Taylor, Lee J. Cobb

T/Sgt. Peter Lind Hayes

Cpl. Alan Baxter, Red Buttons, Barry Nelson

Sgt. Rune Hultman

Cpl. Bernard J. Tyers, Phillip Bournneuf, Gary Merrill, Whitner N. Bissell

Sgt. George Reeves

Pfc. George Petrie, Alfred Ryder

Cpl. Karl Malden

Pfc. Martin Ritt

Cpl. Harry Lewis

S/Sgt. Fred A. Cotton

Lt. Gilbert Herman

S/Sgt. Sascha Brastoff

Cpl. Archie Robbins

Cpl. Jack Slate

Pfc. Henry Slate

Jeanne Crain

Jane Ball

Jo-Carroll Dennison

Judy Holliday

Geraldine Wall

Music: Sgt. David Rose

Produced by: Darryl F. Zanuck

Directed by: George Cuckor

March 2008

...and George Slept Here

By Carl Glass

Don't it make you want to go home
All God's children get weary when they roam
Don't it make you want to go home – Joe South

You’ve heard the sayings, Home is where the heart is, or where I hang my hat is my home. To me they are expressions that emote pleasant connotations in the center of one’s being. It’s more about the heart and exceeds the place you live. Home can mean a place of love, security, safety, well being and building memories that last a lifetime. People can have a transitory life and find every dwelling to be truly a home by definition. And then again, what some would call a person’s home is nothing more than a house. It can be filled with people who are dysfunctional, angry and demonstrate hostility towards one another. Perhaps there was a time in your life when you said to yourself, “I can’t wait to get out of this house!”

In my earliest childhood memories, the place that was home for me sat at the corner of Bullard and Pollasky in Clovis, California. The house no longer exists, and neither does the thoroughfare of Bullard. Where my house once stood is now a parking lot abandoned by the Department of Motor Vehicles which is now located on Shaw Avenue, east of Fowler.

As I began to explore my past, the whole thing made sense as to why I felt at home in that location. It was the first home after my birth, and I was born in the hospital down the street on Pollasky. Just one block north on the corner of 5^th and Pollasky with just a turn to the right was ‘Tiny’s Barber Shop’ my first memories of hair cuts and next door was the local walk-in theater showing films like, Horror of Dracula with the most sinister of all vampires Christopher Lee, Kathy O’ casting Dan Duryea, Jan Sterling and Patty McCormak in 1958, Have Rocket Will Travel, featuring Larry, Moe and Curly Joe, The Fly Returns with Vincent Price and that awful guinea pig with human hands and feet. Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and The Shaggy Dog made their debuts on the big screen there as well in 1959. I loved going to the movies as a child. All we needed was a quarter to see two features and buy popcorn. These were great times and home was only a block away. Remember penny candy? You could get two items for a penny, and grandpa put a big smile on my face when he’d give me a dime and I would run to the market one block behind our house and I’d load up with nearly 18 pieces of candy! The proprietor never cheated me as my grandfather traded there.

My parents lived with my grandparents. Ray and Carla Glass struggled in their relationship throughout the 50s and at times made attempts to move us to other places to only again and again return to the big white house near the center of my birth town. Any other place had a sense of insecurity and fear. In 1958, my grandfather put an end to all transitory, unhealthy moves by my parents and got permanent custody of my siblings and me as my parents went in different directions, and we had a home for good. However, in 1960 we would move to Fresno, but none of the principles had changed in our new home. If you pause for a time, and think about the places you have lived through your lifetime, and connect those memories of every place you’ve lived, it shouldn’t be difficult to know what a home or house is to you.

There are three houses that most George Reeves admirers’ are familiar in connection with his life. And the question is, ‘What was a home or just a house for George?’

George Keefer Brewer was born on January 5, 1914 in Woolstock, Iowa at this two story three bedroom house to Don C. Brewer and Helen (Lescher) Brewer. I define it as a house because George had no memories of it. The Brewer’s rented two rooms while waiting for another house to move to. This one is known as the Pease Home. The house of course has been in a state of decay from the mid 80s. Here is a photo of the larger room Don and Helen occupied and the entry way door reveals the room baby George occupied. Some have said it is the room George was delivered in, but it is my theory that George was born in the larger room due to bed space. If the smaller room was set up for just a baby room, I doubt a large bed would occupy it. The Brewer’s didn’t stay there for a long period of time and occupied another house for a short time.

Don Brewer worked at the local pharmacy as shown upper right, which now serves as Woolstock’s local post office. The marriage was doomed to fail, so Helen, with baby George, moved back to Galesburg, Illinois, with a later stop over in Ashland, Kentucky.

As of this writing, there is no evidence that George returned to Woolstock, but according to recently discovered records at “The Adventures Continue…” web site, he knew that Woolstock was his birth place. A copy of his birth certificate is found in Speeding Bullet, The Life and Bizarre Death of George Reeves by Jan Alan Henderson on page 159 in the January 1999 edition. I must also give Jim Beaver and Jim Nolt credit for giving literary and photographic evidence that George did not spend a whole lot of time in Illinois and Kentucky. Helen and George vacationed in Ashland, Kentucky, but didn’t dwell there for long periods of time. The Woolstock house in my estimation would be classified as nothing more than a house, with no memories for George, just a point of reference.

As a toddler, Helen and George made their way to Southern California. Helen would meet and marry Frank Bessolo in 1917 when George was three and move into the house on 1447 Michigan Avenue. There have been very few additions to this house and it stands today in a beautiful dignified manner. Here are some photos of the front and side of the house. It is here where George grew up from his very early years through at least his time at the Pasadena Playhouse and his appearance in Gone with the Wind. His fellow actor and friend Fred Crane had expressed to me that after an evening of heavy drinking, celebrating their work on the movie and they miraculously found their way back to George’s house and woke up feeling their navels in their throat. However, it is here where George in his childhood years was subject to being picked on being described as a ‘momma’s boy’ by a boyhood friend, perhaps due to the way Helen dressed him, and his quiet shy manner. Dr. Leonard C. Emery, a childhood friend said, “young people didn’t treat him very well a lot of the time. They took exception to the fact that he seemed pampered, and he was not forceful.” These years also entailed a wonderful relationship between George and Frank, and Frank would eventually adopt George in 1927 and giving him his name at thirteen years of age.

After the stock market crash, it wouldn’t be long before Helen and Frank divorced, and it was a sad loss for George. But life went on. As he matured, he would go on to finding sports as an outlet and became very athletic, growing strong and handsome in stature. It was while living in this home and attending high school where he met his long time loyal friend Nati Vacio. He was a very popular student and played football, performed in the school band and sang in the choir. At Pasadena Community College he took interest in boxing and fencing. Music and the theater became an increasing and dominant force in his life and were the foundations for his career. I would say the Pasadena home years were happy even with occasional set backs, but this was truly a home for George.

George joined the Pasadena Community Playhouse in 1935. Fast forward through the years after George met and married Pasadena Playhouse actress Ellenora Needles, his appearances in many movies, time in the military, lack of success rebuilding a solid movie career and divorce. George would meet Toni Mannix who would eventually secure this house for George on 1579 Benedict Canyon Road in Beverly Hills. It can be described as a home filled with a party atmosphere and social engagements. It was a home filled with music, card playing, barbeques, some socialized drinking and laughter. George used the home on ideas he had for a different career possibility. George filmed The Candid Reporter here giving “Kellogg’s” props with Sam, his trusty schnauzer as the co-star. George spent time in the home doing linguistic studies, honing guitar skills, reading and writing for future projects. Gene LeBell spent many days and hours in this home and felt comfortable enough after a training session with George to shower and relax. Gene experienced the greatest of hospitalities in this home as most everyone else did until of course Lenore Lemmon came on the scene.

In the transitory final months of his life, George made decisions that ultimately brought him to his demise. Breaking off his relationship with Toni in 1958, and taking on new girl friend Lenore Lemmon brought into that home a major shift of it becoming a house that would eventually alienate his old friends into a house of strangers. Substantial tension was brought there by his own decisions as George attempted to move through it all the best he could demonstrating a great amount of patience and toleration. I believe he had considerable time to ponder the existing circumstances surrounding him. It ultimately brought to George the final tragic result. Not only did he lose his home, but his life. We can all take comfort in knowing that George found his eternal home and resting place.

January 2008

Tales Well Calculated to Keep You In…

The Lost Episodes, Collection 1 , Disc 2

A Running Commentary by Carl Glass

The Brush Off

Starring:

Leslie Nielsen, Mary Sinclair, George Reeves,

Gene Lyons and Royal Dano

Original Broadcast Date: November 14, 1950

CBS Enterprises, Falcon Picture Group and Infinity Entertainment are to be highly commended uncovering for fans of the early years of television with their newly released Suspense series, sponsored by Auto-Lite. It aired from 1949 to 1954 and was never rerun in syndication. 90 in all have been discovered with the first 30 released in this collection. They are from film kinescope masters. I personally enjoy the aura that emanates from them. It gives a feel of nostalgia and sense of what LIVE TV had to deal with shadow sound booms running along the prop walls as the camera pans the stage setting, with an occasional crew member being seen here and there behind the props and moving walls as doors are opened and closed.

In one particular scene of The Brush Off, when Leslie Nielsen walks into the entry way of the movie agent’s front office you can see a director or floor crew member clearly on the right side of the screen. I agree with others that this is the charm of LIVE TV. However, if you are a blooper hunter, you will have a field day with many of the episodes. On disc 2, the episode “The Suicide Club” with Ralph Bell and Ralph Clanton, the second half of the episode is missing and thus far has been the only disappointment.

As stated on the back of the four disc set, The TV version successfully created the atmosphere of its radio predecessor by using that same identifiable opening announcement, “And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in…Suspense!” The familiar Hammond organ accompanies every episode. The show which later ran concurrent with the CBS Radio Network had a twenty year run beginning in 1942, and was the recipient of the Peabody award and a special citation from the Mystery Writers of America. Suspense is a TV historian’s delight. This series will appeal to the baby boomer generation and those who are students or fans of early television production.

The box cover of set one features a large photo of Hollywood legend Boris Karloff with smaller photos on the bottom with stars Paul Newman, George Reeves, Eva Gabor, Leslie Nielsen and Rod Steiger. Why the photo of George Reeves? In my opinion it widens the potential purchasing audience with the George Reeves fans with last years release of Hollywoodland and the recent interest and inquiry into his life.

George Reeves once referred to television as ‘the bottom of the barrel.’ In the context of his career it is fully understood why he made that statement. However, early television in its pioneer work was the medium and testing ground for such fine actors as Jack Lemmon, Paul Newman, Richard Boone and Ray Walston to fine tune their acting skills.

The potential of talent and skill of actors and actress’ assembled together in this episode; The Brush Off with George Reeves is extraordinary. Leslie Nielsen has a resume with over 234 television and movie credits which span from serious dramatic roles to science fiction, police dramas, westerns and dead pan humor. Mary Sinclair was the first female actress to sign a seven year contract with CBS and had become an accomplished painter. I liken her to a queen of LIVE TV, and she has other TV and movie credits. Gene Lyons cut his teeth in the early days of television on The Philco Television Playhouse, Kraft Theater and The Alcoa Hour just to name a few. Royal Dano played Abe Lincoln early in his career and made numerous appearances on LIVE television in The United States Steel Hour, The Motorola TV Hour and Studio Hour with over 171 television and movie appearances. And now…

The Brush Off Broadcast November 14, 1950:

Brought to you by Auto-Lite. “You’re Always Right with Auto-Lite!”

With Your Host: Rex Marshall and the 96,000 Auto-Lite dealers everywhere!

Our episode begins with a suspicious looking character wearing a straw hat (Gene Lyons) named Steve on the telephone writing on the wall what appears to be an address, 2020 Sunset. While Steve is taking instructions on the phone, Ralph Farley (Leslie Nielsen) enters the background while the mystery man replies on the phone, “Okay, we’ll take care of that.” After Steve exits, Ralph rushes over to use the phone. Ralph Farley, an out of work actor in search of a gig, contacts Roger Sherman’s (George Reeves) movie agency. While waiting for the other line to answer he gets chastised for writing a number on the wall by the landlord even though he defends himself by ratting out the previous user for doing the same. It’s frustrating for Ralph, but this is just a taste of what is to come.

The phone is answered at Sherman’s office. You only hear Farley’s side of the conversation where he replies in frustration, “You know, that guy’s in a rut!” “Don’t get mad at me honey; I’m just an actor looking for work!” He’s told to come to the office and bring along some pictures. As he walks away from the phone, he hears a loud conversation between two men about a prominent attorney’s wife death due to an overdose of sleeping pills on account of some movie agent. Ralph stares puzzled at the door and ponders what he is hearing. The conversation reveals that these two men have been hired to bump off the movie agent. Royal Dano (Lefty) then says, “Let’s get out of here; this place gives me the creeps!” However, Ralph runs out of view before the two men exit their room.

In the next scene we see large headlines of the Daily Express that says, “Attorney’s Wife Commits Suicide Helen Nelson Takes Overdose of Sleeping Tablets.” Roger Sherman enters his front office with large white hat and overcoat draped over his shoulder and darts to the receptionist to collect his mail. It immediately becomes an atmosphere of pandemonium. While attempting to enter his private office an older bit player actor confronts him for work, but he is brushed off by Sherman and calls for his secretary Paula (Mary Sinclair) to come in his office. As they both enter, Sherman demands of Paula that he is to receive no calls the rest of the day. As Paula sits back at her desk she receives a phone call from Frank Nelson the attorney. Paula has a worried look on her face knowing Sherman has to take this call.

Sherman, with his feet propped on the desk and reading the latest Variety issue, Paula enters the office and gives him the news of Nelson’s call. He reacts swiftly and answers the call. He speaks to Nelson with a series of insincere condolences for the death of Helen. While Sherman is on the phone and remarks that he and Helen were just casual acquaintances you see a look on Paula’s face that is revealing of Sherman’s lie. Sherman feigns ignorance when Nelson tells him that something was found by him that he felt he should return. Sherman insists that he cannot meet with him today and insincerely apologizes for the loss, hangs up the phone with a truly worried and dour look.

In a panic, he immediately opens a drawer and removes a group of banded letters and photos instructing Paula to burn them. “Do this yourself, you understand?” Sherman then asks himself in front of Paula, “What could he want to return to me?” He then becomes aware of a key. He asks Paula in desperation if she remembered the key. Paula responded that she hadn’t seen the key since the day Sherman had Paula send Helen the key and two dozen roses. Sherman is sure that is it. Paula reminds Sherman that he has never met Mr. Nelson and includes that Nelson is a big criminal lawyer and might make things difficult. Sherman has a deep look of worry, but then he says in a brush off response along with his hand, “Oh, I’ll handle him alright!” On further orders by Sherman, Paula responds, “I understand.” Sherman gets irate and says, “You seem to understand everything!” In a stand up to the boss moment she fires back, “It’s my job to understand!” Sherman then walks away and apologizes. Before Paula leaves the private office she reminds Sherman of possible police involvement, especially with a recent publicity stunt Sherman pulled. He then says to her, “I wish the police would mind their own business.”

As Paula has sat back down at her desk in the front office, Ralph enters hoping to see Sherman. When Paula tells him that Sherman is busy he reacts with frustration and goes so far as to say that he doubts that Sherman even exists. Paula then suggests he try another agency and then Sherman at that moment walks out of his office. Ralph attempts to talk to Sherman, but again, he gives him the brush off and goes back into his office. Ralph then asks Paula, “Is Hollywood really like this?” Paula, feeling sympathy does tell of possible work in a new Hal Wallis picture. Before Paula sees Sherman, a very grateful Ralph makes an offer to take Paula to dinner and accepts. The receptionist reminds Paula that Ralph is an out of work actor, so she better eat before they go out.

So as not to give away too much of the excellent dialogue performances of the cast, Paula intercedes for Ralph with Sherman but to no avail. The killers enter Sherman’s front office and confront the receptionist and Paula demanding to see Sherman. When they force their way into his private office, Sherman is gone.

Then in a series of discovery of Sherman’s impending doom and confrontations between Ralph and the killers, Ralph is rendered unconscious in a struggle by one of the killers and locked up in Sherman’s office. As Ralph is coming to, the phone rings. It’s Paula. As Ralph is attempting to get information from Paula, one of the killers (Steve) enters back into the front office and pulls the plug from the phone board.

Ralph, realizing he has been locked in, attempts to open Sherman’s locked desk to find anything to open the office door. There is sound of a key attempting to unlock the door, so Ralph places himself on the side of the door to not be spotted. Sherman enters and a grateful Ralph begins to explain the attempt on Sherman’s life. Sherman brushes him off and believes that this is nothing more than an audition. In frustration before Ralph leaves he says to Sherman; “I think these gangsters have a point!”

Sherman reconnects the phone board and calls his apartment. Unbeknown to him, the killers are there as the phone continues to ring. Steve discovers the suicide note on Sherman’s desk written by Helen Nelson. He reads aloud, “I knew it couldn’t last forever, but when you brushed me off, I just couldn’t take it.” The killers create a scenario of how they will deal with Sherman by planting a bottle of whiskey, then tossing him out the window with the note that makes Sherman look as if he took his own life in despair. The killers hear someone at Sherman’s door and scramble for cover behind the curtains each side of the window. Paula, not finding Sherman, sits down and goes through a file of papers.

We next see Ralph back at the hotel on the phone informing the police of Sherman’s situation pleading for them to listen. However, the police are wary of Sherman’s past publicity stunts and are wise to his ways. The operator is contacted by Ralph to get his number but it comes up unlisted. Hoping to find an address or any information on Sherman he attempts to break into the killers’ apartment, but is caught by the landlord. Even with pleas for help, his explanation falls on deaf ears as she refuses to break policy. In desperation he’s on the phone again. The operator answers, but then he slowly lowers the receiver and spots on the wall, ‘Sunset 2020.’ It all makes sense now and concludes this is Sherman’s address.

Back at Sherman’s apartment, Paula stands up for a stretch. Unbeknown to her one of the killers (Steve) behind the curtain raises a gun in her direction. She then moves towards a bar to pour herself a drink as the gun follows her direction. Suddenly she hears a noise at the window. Moving ever so cautiously towards the window, her countenance changes to worry and fear. It intensifies noting the ten story drop below the window. The phone rings and its Sherman. You see a sense of relief on his face. She is told to call it a day and that he is on his way home. Sherman smiles with a false sense of security.

Paula has left. The killers have a short dialogue when they hear a noise at the door. They scurry behind the curtains. Ralph is let in by a bell boy. He then calls out for Paula as he makes his way through the room. The killers emerge and Ralph is in for the fight of his life. While being knocked down he bumps Lefty, who is scared to death of heights out the window, plunging with a horrible scream of terror to his death. Steve knocks the standing Ralph back to the floor and rushes to the window calling out to Lefty. Paula enters the room with the police. The killer is identified, handcuffed and charged by Ralph with attempted murder. Paula had returned with the police for concern of the open window and the possibility of an intruder.

Ralph and Paula are now alone in the room. Then enters Sherman with a big smile greeting Paula but then turns to anger as he spots Ralph. Ralph attempts to inform him of the plot to kill him, but then Sherman brushes him off and in ‘Godfather” mode, jutting out his big jaw say’s, “Farley, I’m going to give you some free advice.” “You won’t get anywhere in Hollywood when you make a pest out of yourself.” “And one thing more, I’m going to see you are blacklisted all over town for what you’ve done!” Paula begins to plead with Sherman of the truth, but Sherman is in brush off mode and won’t hear of it. Before Ralph and Paula leave, he says to Sherman, “I won’t be around that long Mr. Sherman.” As Sherman’s face is turned away from them both his expressions display deceit and a hidden secret. This is one of Reeves biggest strengths in his craft. He can detail emotion like a real pro. Placing his hat and coat aside he discovers the suicide note of the brushed off lover Helen. As he is set to burn the note, a voice and figure appear with a gun pointed at Sherman and says, “Sit down Sherman!” In a defiant tone he asks, “Who are you?” He blows out the match, sits down with a look of fear. The figure moves towards the desk, placing a call to the police. In a calm tone he then asks, “Will you send someone over here right away?” “I’m going to commit a murder.” The police respond, “Who is this calling?” He replies, “This is Frank Nelson.” He lowers the phone, Sherman rises and then…

August 2007

Evolution of a Dream:

The Long and Winding Road

My lovely wife Leslie, co-web master of Glass House Presents and inspiration for everything I do has asked me on this occasion to tell the story of the events leading up to birth of the web site, the building blocks of relationships and where we go from here.

Listening to some Beatle tunes this morning there was one song that hit me between the eyes entitled, The Long and Winding Road. While listening, I thought about altering a lyric line that truly captures the feel of what needs to be told. The Long and Winding Road, That Leads to Your Internet Door.

The road begins in 1958 on the 13” Philco TV set owned by my grandfather where George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman made the indelible impression on my life. That would continue with the series coming back into syndication in the early 60s. I had the great fortune of sleeping on the couch in my grandparent’s home as they watched not only classic television shows, but every now and then, as they would watch The Late Show, I began discovering George in other film. I can honestly say at the age of ten, I became a fan of George Reeves. In 1964 there became this insatiable thirst to know everything about George. Back in those day, I hopped the bus for only a dime to downtown Fresno and searched the library, the card catalogue on the old Dewey Decimal System, but to no avail. I must have walked those aisles for hours every time I visited that library.

The winding road had a stop point twelve years later by encountering on the shelf at a local bookstore Gary Grossman’s Serial to Cereal. I hit pay dirt! Between TAOS marathons and an occasional George movie here and there through the years up pops Hollywood Kryptonite. Not content after that read, I remember saying aloud to myself, “Certainly there has to be someone out there who cares enough about the life of George Reeves to write about it in an objective manner.”

On the road of life through many of its twists and turns, I end up back in California in 1999. In 2001, it was pure blessing to meet up again with the love of my life, Leslie. During our burgeoning relationship, Leslie stopped by the house on her way to Bakersfield to store her computer. Leslie set it up at my house so I could play. I was not too familiar with the Internet, just computer programs I used at work. Wired up and ready to go with some instruction, her last words before she left was, “You can type in any subject you want, after all Al Gore invented it, so you have nothing to fear.” After a hearty laugh, she left and so I sat there for several minutes thinking about what I always wanted to know. Bingo! George Reeves. The first two sites that stood out to me were Jim Nolt’s The Adventures Continue…and Mary Spooner’s George Reeves site. I was up for hours every evening going through reams of paper and cartridges that Leslie left behind. On the TAC site, I began to discover all the sources for things I had looked for most of my life on the subject of George Reeves like TAC issues and Speeding Bullet by Jan Alan Henderson.

On the TAC website, I discovered a link to what is now known as The Friendly Adventures of Superman Discussion Board. When I got comfortable, I placed my first post and introducing myself. Lou Koza was the first person to welcome me. We continue a strong relationship to this day. He assisted me in acquiring the educational sources that had eluded me for so many years. Lou, as many of the old timer’s on the Schutz board can tell you, I exhibited a lot of enthusiasm. It was sincere and I was so happy to find out that others shared a common bond with George Reeves and TAOS. During the period of 2001-2003, I visited the board primarily to gain knowledge and develop relationships with those who were open to do so. It was in August of 2003 that I felt there was more for me in relationship with the George Reeves community after meeting Larry Ward, Noel Neill and Jan Alan Henderson. On the way home after the TV Land Convention, Leslie had said to me, “You know Carl, you should start a website.” My reply was “What could I possibly contribute other than what is already effectively accomplished and done? I’ll never have one.” I dropped that thought for quite a while until the latter part of 2004 when I started considering certain people on the board I had built relationships with and the talents they displayed. The thought or question occurred to me, “Wouldn’t it be great to assemble all these great people in one place to showcase their talents?” Then immediately the words that came to my mind were “Friendship and Camaraderie” because this love for “TAOS” is what draws us together in spite of our diversity or belief systems. It was in this spirit, I wanted to convey to any potential readers of the site. I also felt it was an expression of the personalities belonging to Leslie and me. It was just too talented of a group to neglect.

The foundation stones of Glass House Presents is personal relationships. In many cases with those who contribute, we have shared and walked through personal struggles and triumphs both large or small. The remaining question for me in seriously considering a web site to launch was “Where do I begin and what do I want to present?”

In early 2005, I received and email from Don Holmes, the original Mr. Bloopers. He had conveyed to me he had that other priorities in his life and that he needed someone to take over. This was amazing to me because I told him we were in the process of considering a website and should it become a reality, the Bloopers page would have a home. With much time and understanding, Don and I had worked together to see the Bloopers page make a safe transition. Don had been talking with some people about maintaining the page and Lou Koza had recommended me.

The development of GHP was not necessarily smooth on the technical end because we were learning as we went along, and still are, but because we had relationship with these good folks that took a few years, many were willing to help, then the rest fell into place. On a few occasions, some of the people we contacted were surprised that we would even want them to contribute. They would discover that we were tapping into talents or gifts even they were not aware of. I see it as humility on their part. The site has enabled us to meet some very wonderful people and we have had experiences that we never dreamed possible.

In those early days, our first contributors were Don Holmes, Lou Koza, Alfred Walker, Bruce Dettman and Eddie Caro. Color scheme changes, new additions, new link partners came aboard quite rapidly. We tried a few ideas, but they did not work, so we dropped them. However, we started getting emails from around the country and eventually from around the world. As we were being sought out by other websites, we felt the need to accommodate a rising audience by visual improvements, but worked diligently to not get too high-tech to maintain our original vision.

Our pride and joy is The George Reeves Hall of Fame, which came by way of inspiration through Lou Koza, current editor of The Adventures Continue web site. I wish I could recall for you the wording of the post Lou presented that day, but the first time the hint went over my head. He emailed me and wanted me to look at his post again. It clicked, and thus, on August 17, 2005, the George Reeves Hall of Fame was born thanks to the friendship and camaraderie of all the fine people who have been inducted as well as other fine contributors.

The seal for the GR:HOF was especially designed by Randy Garrett and is becoming recognized worldwide. Now just recently birthed is the Oh George website (by Richard Potter) that maintains the tradition of continuing the life and legacy of George Reeves.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Colete Morlock who has given that added dimension of a woman’s perspective to the George Reeves legacy at GHP. Colete, along with Gail McIntyre, Susan Schnitzer, Stargazer, Louise and Janet (and ladies, if I’ve forgotten you please forgive me) has let us know emphatically, that The Adventures of Superman is not exclusively a boys club.

Where does GHP go from here? Upward and onward…on that long and winding road.

Thanks for all your support and may GHP continue to find its way to your Internet door.

April 2007

Carl Loves Lucy

& Superman

By Carl Glass

Several years ago, Joe Garner, a New York Times best selling author came out with a book with DVD’s included entitled: Stay Tuned, Televisions Unforgettable Moments. Television moments will take us back to a time and place resurrecting thoughts, feelings and experiences that could stir the imagination, or become thought provoking, bring laughter, or result in genuine grief and sorrow. The book covers a wide array of those special moments in the history of television from entertainment like the Elvis debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Enter in the news with the Kennedy-Nixon Debate, or Walter Cronkite denouncing the Viet Nam War. Who will ever forget The Rescue of Baby Jessica, The Fall of The Berlin Wall, or that horrible tension associated with the 1972 Olympics in Munich? That incident elicits a very tense feeling for me as I was stationed in Wuerzburg Germany. I was on guard duty that evening with only three rounds of ammunition in my M16 rifle. Sports had its great moments to with the protest of Tommie Smith and John Carlos who raised their fists in protest to signify “Black Power” at the 1968 Mexico City Games. And of course, we are never to forget when the U.S. and Soviet Olympic Hockey teams faced off in Lake Placid for the Olympic gold series! “Do You Believe in Miracles?”

One of television's finest and most memorable moments, which I believe was a stroke of genius, occurred on the evening of January 14, 1957 when CBS showcased two of televisions greatest icons, Lucille Ball and George Reeves in the classic episode from I Love Lucy (Lucy Meets Superman). Unfortunately, I don’t remember this episode in its debut, but I have certainly seen it multiplied times. And what a thrill it was for me, just as it was for families gathered around their sets across the nation in mid January of 1957 when George Reeves entered feet first and made his way through those kitchen swing doors in a perfect landing. He did not miss a beat and was greeted by genuinely happy, excited children. I still get chills over that scene.

The episode begins as Little Ricky and Big Ricky are enamored in a scene of Superman in a back shot descending upon the city. Interestingly enough you can see one of the wires supporting his descent. This particular scene has never been shown on The Adventures of Superman.” I am not sure if it was specially done for I Love Lucy or some stored away footage from George’s show that never got used.

Lucy walks in from the kitchen, over to the television and shuts it off, because it is time for Little Ricky to go to bed. Just a slight protest, then Lucy removes the Superman costume from Little Ricky and just before he heads to bed, he asks his mom if Superman can come to his birthday party? She tells him that Superman will be at Macy’s and she would take him there. “Oh Boy!” is the reply. Side note: It was mentioned in the audio commentary by Steve Kay (aka Stevie Appleby) that George Reeves gave every child on the set a Superman costume that day, just like the one Keith Thibodeaux wore.

That evening the Appleby’s arrive, and the issue of Little Ricky and Stevie’s birthday parties become a tension point between Caroline and Lucy. Both had made plans for their boys for Saturday (even though Stevie was born two days before and Little Ricky two days after). Obviously an impasse and both ladies won’t budge. After prodding Ricky to get Superman to come to Little Ricky’s party, Lucy becomes over confident, and in a phone call to Caroline uses the bait of Superman attending the party. When Lucy over hears Stevie’s insistence that he wants to go to Little Ricky’s party, the debate is over. Just a little while later, Lucy learns from Ricky that Superman will not be able to attend due to the fact that he has to catch a plane to “Terry Hoot” Indiana. A Ricky Ricardo lingo for…Terre Haute. It doesn’t make any sense to Lucy, “If he’s Superman, why does he need a plane?”

Lucy, as always, has a solution. She tells Ethel that she will dress up as Superman, run around the room real fast and no one will notice that she's not Superman. The party begins with Fred and Ethel playing “London Bridge” with the children as Caroline and Lucy are placing party items on the table. Caroline asks Lucy of Superman’s arrival and she replies “very soon.” It is her cue to leave. Lucy and Ethel go into an empty apartment for Lucy to change. Lucy then carefully exits the window in Superman attire including headgear, plaid shorts, tights with the Superman emblem and that beautiful cape. Meanwhile, Ethel returns back to the Ricardo’s apartment. There is a knock on the door, and two potential renters (one is Madge Blake) who want to see the available apartment. Ethel takes over for Fred, and tries to do a rush job while the husband makes inquires about decorating. Lucy on the other hand is on the ledge making her way through a flock of pigeons. If you notice in this episode she is careful not to step on them, but they surely give her a difficult time with a few making themselves home on her head and shoulder.

Meanwhile back at the party, Ricky arrives with the news to Fred that Superman decided to come when he heard it was a birthday party and he was in the kitchen. Ricky inquires of the whereabouts of Lucy. Fred says she went out for more ice cream, but Ricky can not hold Superman too long. Ricky groups the kids together, making sure their eyes are closed and then introduces to them the arrival of their favorite television star…Superman!

In spectacular fashion, Superman enters through those swinging doors. It was a good thing he had Thol (Si) Simonson his special effects man from “TAOS” to make sure the stunt was done correctly! And what was so impressive to me…he didn’t miss a beat …he landed and walked right over to the enthralled group of kids.

Superman asks, “Which one of you is Little Ricky?” Proudly, pointing to himself, the reply is, “That’s me!” And how many of us envied Little Ricky as Superman hoisted him on up on his right shoulder? Superman, “Any of you fellas want to wrestle?” Now Lucy of course has made it to the window of her apartment observing that the party is a success and says to the pigeon on her shoulder, “We’re not needed here anymore.” Making her way back to the empty apartment, she turns a corner and reaches out to a drain pipe that gives way! But she is able to hold on for dear life! As Lucy makes her way to the window, in eye shot, Madge Blake goes into hysterics as she sees Lucy outside the window. She declares she saw something strange. Her husband replies, “Something strange from three flights up? Was it a bird? Was it a plane?” Her reply, “It’s a Super Man!”

Now the rain begins to pour heavily with Lucy on the ledge, and the man inside decides to close and lock the window before Lucy can get back inside. It is the beginning of quite a fiasco as Lucy gets her cape caught on something in the corner where the outside walls join (a screw?). As the party is coming to an end with waves and goodbyes to Superman, it is discovered through Ethel that Lucy is on the ledge. Ricky opens the window, asks her what she’s doing out there, and then says he is on the way to get her. However, he is having a difficult time moving the piano out of the way. But Little Ricky knows the solution and says, “No Daddy, let Superman do it!” After setting down little Ricky and moving toward the piano he says, “Allow me” and with ease moves the piano out of the way and gracefully moves through the window onto the ledge making his way with no effort towards Lucy. The dialogue is great as the rain continues to pour down on them. Superman frees the caught end of the cape, and makes his way with Lucy in hand towards the window with Ricky totally irate over the situation demanding an explanation (along with Fred, Ethel, and Little Ricky) as to why she is on the ledge…for 15 years he’s never understood how she can get into such situations!

Then came that famous exchange between George and Desi...

“Wait a minute, Ricardo, you mean to say that you’ve been married to her for fifteen years?”

“Yeah! Fifteen years!”

“And they call me Superman!”

Yes, Carl still loves Lucy & Superman.

Painting by Randy Garrett for Carl's 50th Birthday

August 2006

WOW...look at me now! I am officially an EXPERT!

I was a phone guest on Planet Access on WPAA in Connecticut.

Thanks Joe and Bill! I had a GREAT time!

Warner/TAOS Season 2 Review

by Mr. X

I've viewed Season 2 and these are my observations:

The packaging is identical to Season 1. The box is a little awkward to deal with, but certainly not objectionable. I've seen better and worse. The design of the packaging is such that if one doesn't use proper care, a scratched disc may result.

The artwork for the five discs is way cool. It's difficult to produce artwork for a DVD, with the big hole in the middle, I know, I've tried. Two thumbs up to Warner for this.

I really love the colorized graphic of George on the box cover. Warner chose a wonderful still and did a superb job with it. The Empire State and the Chrysler building are in the background. As a fifth generation New Yorker, I heartily approve.

Other then one line descriptions of each episode, there are no liner notes. I love detailed liner notes. I think they add a great deal. It would have been nice if Gary Grossman, Michael Hayde, or Jim Nolt were retained to contribute their written observations. The episode descriptions used in Columbia House's release, written by Allan Asherman, Michael Hayde's episode commentary for Fred Berney's collection, and Jim Nolt's comments for our collection are all outstanding, and far superior to Warner's lackluster effort.

The DVD menus are the same as those used in Season 1, except different footage and audio were used. Personally, I find the menus cumbersome and unintuitive to navigate. And the new theme music is banal. Using original TAOS theme music would have made a world of difference, but I guess Warner didn't care to pop for the royalties.

The video quality of each episode is exquisite. The 1953 film stock is in good condition by and large, and the high resolution Warner employed didn't magnify flaws as it did the 1951 episodes. Without a doubt, these episodes are visually the best ever produced. Unlike the syndicated versions, no electronic compression was employed. Average running time is more than twenty six minutes per episode. There are no hackneyed edits inserted to accommodate commercials, a welcome relief. The audio no longer suffers from the effects of slipshod electronic compression. Many syndicated episodes were badly off pitch. Returning to the uncompressed originals has eliminated the problem. Other than that, the audio quality is unimproved and mediocre. I have to think it could have been tinkered with. I know I've done so with good results.

The Season 1 episodes have various running lengths. This is because the previews were cut. The previews were originally added to give each episode uniform running time. This is not the case for Season 2. Each episode should run about 26 minutes and 16 seconds, plus or minus a few seconds.

I checked the running time of all 26 episodes. "My Friend Superman" runs 25 minutes 23 seconds, and "Around the World" runs 25 minutes 17 seconds. Their missing scenes would bring both to about 26 minutes 16 seconds. The other 24 episodes all run 26 minutes 16 seconds, give or take a second or two, indicating that they are complete and uncut.

The two episodes mentioned above run short because they each are missing a scene. The box cover says, "The Complete Second Season featuring Every Thrilling Episode." I find this irksome. Maybe Warner included every episode, but every episode is certainly not complete. The scene from MFS is not important, but the one from ATWWS is integral to the plot, and perhaps Superman's most tender moment in 104 episodes. It's a shame the scene was cut. I have no explanation other then Warner's indifference that prevented its restoration. An uncut, 16 millimeter print, reportedly in pristine condition was auctioned on EBay recently for $220. Too bad Warner didn't win the auction.

The running time of these two episodes being significantly shorter than the other 24 should have been completely obvious to Warner. They certainly can't claim that they didn't realize that these two episodes were incomplete.

There is no mention of Kellogg's in any of the openings or closings. It would have been nice if one episode tipped its hat to Battle Creek with original audio. I guess legal hocus pocus got in the way. The openings themselves seem pieced together, the edits are obvious, and the audio spikes noticeably at some edit points. But, truth be told, I didn't buy the collection to watch the openings, so this doesn't unduly bother me.

There is virtually no restoration of any type, audio, video, or missing footage. Warner used current technology to produce high resolution versions of the twenty six 1953 episodes in syndication, and other than that, did nothing of note to improve on them. There are a number of elements which could have been easily restored to perfect condition. Warner chose to ignore them.

Two episodes included commentaries by Jack and Noel, and they were a joy to hear. Jack is a first class raconteur and I love listening to him. Kudos to Warner for preserving his comments for posterity!

"Stamp Day for Superman" is included, with a brief introduction by Gary Grossman and Jack. For those of you who have seen John Field's print, its condition is approximately the same.

The other bonus feature is "Noel Neill, the First Lady of Metropolis". It's a very nice feature, but it runs only seven minutes. I would have liked to have seen a whole lot more.

The going price for the five disc set is $26, a great bargain for the price.

I think most TAOS fans will be enormously pleased with Season 2. Perhaps I'm overly critical, but I wish Warner had made some restorative effort, to fix poor audio and video, and to replace missing footage. They can't plead ignorance, at my behest a personal friend of Allan Asherman wrote him to apprise him of missing scenes from ATWWS and MFS. When Jim, Randy, and I were working on our TAOS DVD collection, we agreed that complete episodes, even those patched with inferior footage, were preferable to pristine but incomplete episodes. I wish Warner shared our philosophy.

In conclusion, I recommend Season 2 highly. Run to your video store and snap up a copy. The collection scores on what I think is most important for a vintage television series, video quality. I give it eight out of a possible ten “S” emblems.

Mister X

February 2006

When I Met Superman’s Girl Friend:

Noel Neill

By Carl Glass

There is perhaps no greater feeling in the world than when your dreams come true. That happened for me on August 17, 2003 when Leslie and I had the opportunity to meet the lovely Noel Neill for the first time. I had been previously corresponding with Larry Ward through Dave Schutz’ Friendly Adventures of Superman Discussion Board.

When Leslie and I arrived at the autograph table, I immediately walked up to where Ms. Neill was sitting and introduced myself. She was a little startled and then pointed to Larry Ward and said, “That’s the man you want to see!” Obviously, we were expected, and she knew it, but Larry was expected to take care of the encounter. After exchanging pleasantries, Larry asked me a question. “How big is your car?” I thought to myself, “Does Larry need a ride home?” Then he pointed to a large poster sized photo of George and Ms. Neill. He said, “After the convention this is yours and I’ll make sure Noel autographs it before you leave.” I asked Ms. Neill if Leslie and I could take photos with her after the convention and she happily agreed. I was very impressed with how graciously Larry treated Leslie and me.

I must mention that it was at this convention that I also met Jan Alan Henderson, author of Speeding Bullet: The Life And Bizarre Death of George Reeves, and Behind The Crimson Cape: The Cinema of George Reeves. Leslie and I continue to have a great relationship with Jan to this day.

We attended just about every interview session at the convention that afternoon with the many stars of the past, but we were really there for the session with Jack Larson and Noel Neill. Jack was not feeling well that afternoon, but he came through like a trooper.

It was now nearing the end of the day. As I was waiting for Ms. Neill’s autograph session to wind down, Larry took my camera and said, “Well, now we’re ready for some photos.” I sat down next to Ms. Neill, I put my arm around her and said, “Ms. Neill, I have waited for this moment for over forty years!” She returned a beautiful smile at me. We then both looked into the camera and…click! I proudly display this photo along with the autographed poster in a frame that says, “Carl & Leslie, Best Wishes, Noel Neill, Lois Lane” in my bedroom. I acquired another poster from the Valencia Showstopper’s in April of 2004 and display that one on the other wall in my bedroom. Leslie says it’s so I can wake up every morning with my heroes!

This indeed was a childhood dream come true! I believe that if you dream hard enough, and believe with all your heart, your dreams can come true.

Little did I realize on that day, that there would be several more events to meet with Larry and Ms. Neill. There was breakfast in Hollywood in February of 2004 along with Jan Alan Henderson, the Valencia Showstopper’s, Metropolis, and the Hollywood Celebrities and Collector’s Show.

The next great event that Leslie and I are looking forward to meeting Noel will be at her appearance in Lone Pine this October. I’ll get plenty of photos and write of the events.

July's contributor to "the Corner" is none other than John "JFOK" O'Keefe...our good friend from the Cape Cod area...about as far away from Bakersfield, California as you can get! John has his own version of life--in the 60's and the impact of TAOS.

Memories, Music, and TAOS

by John O'Keefe

When I look back on my childhood, a few things pop into my mind almost immediately.

The first thing I think of is my family life. I am the oldest of eight ( 6 boys, 2 girls ) and life in our Connecticut home always had a bit of a circus atmosphere about it...always something going on...a whirlwind of activity. In spite of all this, it was a loving and secure home and my parents did a remarkable job in raising us. Added to the mix for good measure, was a beagle named Princess, born in May of 1964. Sadly, Princess was not to be with us very long, meeting her demise in the spring of 1966 after chasing one too many vehicles...a habit we unfortunately, could never break her of. An eternally youthful chocolate lab named Candy arrived on the scene as a pup in the late fall of 1967. She would spend 16 wonderful years with us before old age finally caught up with her.

During the Easter and Thanksgiving holidays, we'd load up our faithful Dodge station wagon and make our annual trek to visit my grandparents in Massachusetts. They spoiled us rotten, much to the chagrin of my parents and to our delight. Then there was Christmas morning and all the surprises it held. For years, my brother Rick and I would wake up real early and sneak downstairs to see who Santa left the biggest pile of gifts for. You can imagine the clean up involved after 8 kids opened up all their goodies.

We spent our summers on ole' Cape Cod...a place I now call home. It's not quite as quaint today as it was during the 1960's, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. The summers here are breath-taking.

The next childhood memory I have involves music. The British Invasion had just started when I began listening to top 40 radio and there always seemed to be fresh music and innovative groups to listen to. It seemed as if the Beatles had a new song out every other week. They dominated the airwaves back then and I never grew tired of them. The Motown sound was also growing in popularity during this time. For one reason or another, I remember three Motown gems as especially popular in my area. The Supremes, Martha and The Vandellas, and Mary Wells. WMCA and WABC, ( known back then as W...A...BEATLE...C ), ruled the airwaves and DJs like Cousin Brucie and Dan Ingram, were always whacky and fun to listen to. I captured it all on my red Sears Silvertone pocket radio which I had received as a "First Communion" gift in May of 1964. I even remember the first thing I heard on it..."Chapel Of Love" by the Dixie Cups.

Then there are my television memories. For a good part of the 1960's we watched TV on a 1955 DuMont which was a wedding gift to my parents. My earliest TV memories are of "The Mickey Mouse Club", "Romper Room" and "Captain Kangaroo." I also had some local TV favorites thru the 1960's. They included Sandy Becker, Capt. Jack McCarthy, Officer Joe Bolton, and "Wonderama", hosted by Sonny Fox.

On that DuMont I also watched the news coverage of both Kennedy assassinations, John Glenn's first trip around the earth, the first appearance of the Beatles on the "Ed Sullivan Show", "Mr. Ed", "Batman", "My Favorite Martian", "Lost In Space", the annual showings of "The Wizard Of Oz" and of course, every weekday afternoon on WPIX-TV, "The Adventures Of Superman."

My TAOS viewing actually goes back to an earlier time when it aired on WABC-TV. I don't remember watching it then, but I was reminded of this when in moving to the Cape in 1999, I found an envelope addressed by me to Superman in care of WABC-TV. As a child watching Superman, I was frequently perplexed with the TAOS openings that didn't show Superman's or Clark Kent's entire body. Their legs just seemed to fade out from the knees down. It's silly when I think of it now, but I didn't realize back then, that this was most likely caused by the technology at hand in the early 1950's. The first time I saw TAOS in color was at my friend, Johnny Haines' house. They had just bought a Philco color TV and one afternoon low and behold, there it was in all it's full color glory..."The Adventures Of Superman."

Now, Johnny and I made it a point to watch TAOS almost every afternoon back in the black and white days, but now that it was in color, it was a whole new show to us. The vibrant colors of Superman's outfit, the color of Lois' hair and even the color of George's eyes when an "x-ray vision moment" was called for, were all an awesome sight to behold.

Now, as I close in on the magic number of 50, I think back and say to myself, as we all do, "where did the time go ?" Those carefree times are now so long ago and far away. So much has happened in the ensuing years. We no longer live in Connecticut. Dad passed away, as did my grandparents. All my brother and sisters have married. We no longer have that Dodge station wagon. Two more dogs have come and gone since Candy. I've unfortunately, lost contact with Johnny Haines and I no longer have those carefree summers to goof off with. The music pillars of my youth, WABC and WMCA no longer play music and now...only two Beatles are left, but fear not, all is not lost.

I got married after a long bachelor-hood, to an awesome woman named Paula who is the light of my life. I've also enjoyed a rewarding career, ( thanks to my late Uncle Everett ), working with the mentally disabled for over 20 years now. Last but not least, I now live where I've always wanted to...Cape Cod.

There is however, a part of my childhood still very much alive and well to this day, "The Adventures Of Superman." I've seen each episode countless times yet I'm still drawn to it. I never tire watching the "man of steel" in action.

One of the highlights of my life was meeting Noel Neill last fall in Boston. Here was the woman I watched so many years ago on that DuMont in Stamford, Connecticut...still looking beautiful and still sounding exactly the same. Oh yes, that 1955 DuMont, I still have that too.

1959: A Landmark

Year

by Carl Glass

“But February made me shiver,

With every paper I’d deliver,

Bad news on the doorstep…

I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride

But something touched me deep inside

The day the music died.”

(Don McLean…American Pie)

“I was twelve years old when George died. I was absolutely devastated”…

”There were kids crying, and kids who just plain looked like zombies.”

”No one believed it was true.”

(quote from David Miller in Speeding Bullet by Jan Alan Henderson)

It couldn’t better stated that 1959 was a “Landmark Year.” Nikita Khrushchev makes his famous visit to the United States by invitation of President Eisenhower. Fidel Castro becomes Premiere of Cuba, Errol Flynn and Mario Lanza check out of this life, and the “World Series” is played for the first time west of the Mississippi in a contest between the “Los Angeles Dodgers” and “The Chicago White Sox.”

However, in retrospect of that year, there would be two other events that would impact multiplied millions…the loss of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson. They met their untimely death in a plane crash (Four-Seat Beech Bonanza) that had been rented for the purpose of getting Holly to North Dakota to avoid another ride in a tour bus that had no heating. Holly also wanted to get some laundry done before the next show. The plane crashed shortly after take off and smashed into an Iowa cornfield at 170 mph. February 3, 1959 will always be known as “The Day The Music Died.” I was almost five years old, and wouldn’t learn of Holly’s death until 1962, and wasn’t even aware that the music had died.

Buddy Holly was a man of great influence. His tunes were of great significance to teenagers in England in the fifties. The “British Invasion” in 1964-65, with groups such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Yardbirds, credit Holly with their motivation, drive, and success.

Holly was the first rocker to conceptualize orchestration and rock. His influence is felt to this day. I have collections of his music, and I appreciate his work more than ever. My personal favorite is “True Love Ways” which would be later recorded by British Invasion duo “Peter & Gordon.” People across the country continue to pay homage to him by creating websites and annually visiting the sight where he crashed.

The other event that brought great sorrow and unbelief to millions of America’s baby-boomers was the horrible news on the morning of June 16^th. Millions woke up to the headline that said, “George (Superman) Reeves was dead as a result of a gunshot wound to the head.” This left parents with the major task of explanation. In the ensuing days and weeks many stories and rumors surfaced that Reeves believed he was Superman and attempted to fly or to prove he was super by doing the bullet deed himself.

This event brought much confusion and devastation to children because they believed Reeves was Superman, and how could Superman die? No one talked about it in our house. I was probably out in the yard playing Superman, and my grandfather just didn’t have the heart to tell me the news. The reality of Reeves death came to me when I entered kindergarten in the fall of 1959. I wanted all those other kids to role-play Superman with me. I clearly remember one of the boys telling me, “We can’t play Superman, he’s dead, silly!” That is where my confusion began. It was like being the last one to know that there was no Santa Claus.

The death of George Reeves is referred to as “The End of Innocence.” I agree. However, George Reeves continues to inspire and impact. He was a model for charity and good deeds. He raised multiplied thousands for his favorite charity “Myasthenia Gravis,” the crippling muscle disease, and did great work for “The City of Hope.” He visited the sick, maimed, and unfortunate. He fed the hungry, and made appearances in the barrio to give kids hope. And it has been said, “he gave away more money than he had without it being returned.” Now to me that is a real Superman! No confusion about that!

Like Holly, many websites have been created and dedicated to the memory of Reeves. We also read of people who take that ride up to Benedict Canyon Road to get a few photographs of the house Reeves lived in, or of another dedicated fan who places flowers every Christmas at the sight of George’s urn in Altadena California.

There are two things I have learned from the life and death of these great influential men. One, the music didn’t die, and secondly, heroes still exist. Their influence lives on.

(Newspaper icon from globegazette.com and New York Post photo courtesy of Lou Koza)

LIFE FOR ME

By Carl Glass

Life for me began in the fall of 1954. Dwight D. Eisenhower was President, the New York Giants became “World Series Champions” defeating the Cleveland Indians in four straight games, including that unforgettable over the shoulder catch by center fielder Willie Mays. The U.S. Supreme Court” would rule against racial segregation in schools. Vietnam becomes independent from France and is split at the 17^th parallel into Communist North and non-Communist South, and, The Adventures of Superman was being filmed in color that year.

Of all those people and events, only one would impact my life profoundly, and that of course is TAOS with George Reeves. Willie Mays comes in a close second.

My first conscious memory of television happened in late 1957, or early 1958. My grandfather owned a 13" Philco set, and I remember it sitting on a table just out of my reach. When someone turned it on, that would be famous “Superman Main Title” theme began to fill my ears. The music gave me chills even at that age. “Kellogg’s…the greatest name in cereals presents…The Adventures of Superman!”

My grandfather told me in later years, that I sat affixed on the floor not moving an inch with my mouth gaped open. He got a real kick out of it. As the show progressed, I ended up with a towel around my neck. Grandpa probably did that while I was in a hypnotic spell viewing the episode. I have to admit however, that by 1958 I could clearly remember the episodes “The Magic Secret” where the weakened Superman who is being bombarded by “kryptonite” rays from the top of a deep concrete hole levitates the lovely “Noel Neill” to prevent a moveable concrete wall from crushing him, Lois, and Jimmy. Then, Jimmy is instructed to climb the wall, and of course with camera tricks, does it in parallel fashion. I thought he really did it!

Then of course in Divide And Conquer it was truly amazing to see Superman split into two Supermen. And yes, in my young impressionable mind, I thought he really did that too! That is how impacting the series was for me. There was something about the man George Reeves that kept me glued to that old Philco. It was something special that emanated from his very being that reached out from that little screen and captured this little boy and brought him joy and happiness in the midst of a traumatic childhood. Actually, there were two Supermen who came to the rescue of little Carl and his siblings, George Reeves and Carl Godfrey. The greatest grandfather who ever lived and a “Superman” in his own right!

With a towel around my neck, I found beds, porches, the hood of grandpa’s car, or just about anything to jump from for take off points for super adventures. Most of my landings were pretty successful with an occasional sore ankle or bottom. I must have driven my grandparents nuts! I use to lay on any object I could find extending those arms just like George did making those sounds from young vocal chords creating flight effects just like the show. I did the same thing with my famous landings. In this role play, my mind always had the image of George Reeves. And of course, “Noel Neill” as “Lois Lane” was my first memory of a lady on TV. She was the focal point for all my imaginary rescues. I could never imagine in my wildest dreams that one day I would get to meet her and call her friend. However, my first encounter with her would not be until August 2003. A dream that came true!

Indeed, in the late fifties, this is when "Life For Me" began.

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