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Tales Well Calculated to Keep You In…

The
Bomber Command
By Carl Glass
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 a nd
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.
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:
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 5th 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 16th. 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 17th 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.

you can write us at
carlesglass@aol.com
to let us know!
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