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1-50 of 110
- Actor
- Writer
Born July 27, 1937 in Brooksville, Kentucky. He was married to Linda Galloway [divorced], the former Linda Robinson, and had two daughters. Their names are Tracy and Jennifer. Married the second time to Linda Marie, he has two stepchildren: Sheila and Robert. He also has one brother. Education, University of Kentucky-Fine arts. He was well known as Sergeant Ed Brown in the TV series Ironside (1967). Now, he is on a Corporate training team, as a consultant special - specializing in public speaking, and also presents acting seminars.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Tura Satana started exotic dancing when she was only 13 years old. She integrated acrobatics, humor, and sensual beauty to her dancing art form. As a dancer, she started doing guest appearances in films such as Our Man Flint (1966) and Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) and made several films with low-budget auteur Ted V. Mikels. Her skills as a martial artist landed her small roles in TV shows such as Hawaiian Eye (1959), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966), The Greatest Show on Earth (1963) and Burke's Law (1963).- Actress
- Soundtrack
This relatively obscure, sweet-faced "B" level ingénue of the post-war 40s and 50s was born Beverly Jean Saul of modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on July 5, 1927. Her mother was a secretary who secured piano and music lessons for her young daughter. Her father was employed with a typewriter company. As a teenager Beverly made her singing debut on radio. Moving to Hollywood with her mother, she was groomed by MGM at the ripe old age of 14 and made her first picture with a bit part in The Youngest Profession (1943) using her real name. She was given the more attractive marquee name of "Beverly Tyler" before the ink had barely dried on her contract. Her career showed some signs of improvement after appearing opposite Tom Drake in The Green Years (1946) and Peter Lawford in the lightweight comedy My Brother Talks to Horses (1947), but then she was forced to wait out a lull.
Strangely enough, other than for a brief singing bit in Best Foot Forward (1943), Beverly was never promoted in musicals by MGM, or any other studio for that matter -- although she did test once for the Kathryn Grayson part in That Midnight Kiss (1949) starring Mario Lanza. She did, however, appear in the short-lived Kurt Weill musical "The Firebrand of Florence" on Broadway in 1945, and performed in the musical "Miss Liberty" in Los Angeles in 1950. Beverly also sang on TV on such variety shows as "Cavalcade of Stars" and "Shower of Stars."
She returned to the camera after a three-year absence in 1950 with Mickey Rooney in The Fireball (1950), and in another horse film, The Palomino (1950). Most of the roles offered had her playing an altruistic love interest amid rugged surroundings in such western adventures as The Battle at Apache Pass (1952) and The Cimarron Kid (1952). She made only a handful of films over the course of her career, which effectively ended once Voodoo Island (1957) and Hong Kong Confidential (1958) were in the can. A serviceable co-star, little attempt was made by the Hollywood powers-that-be to effectively challenge her multiple talents.
Although she dated the likes of Tom Drake, Peter Lawford, Audie Murphy, Mickey Rooney and Rory Calhoun, this lovely sparrow did not settle down in marriage until 1962 when she wed comedy writer/director Jim Jordan, Jr. ("The Colgate Comedy Hour"), who was the son of the famous "Fibber McGee & Molly" radio couple. Beverly instantly retired from the business and together the couple produced a son. The only performing she has done over the years was to appear in a few local theater productions in Reno, Nevada, having moved there in 1972. Her husband later became a developer. Beverly died at age 78 of a pulmonary embolism on November 23, 2005, and was survived by her son, James W. Jordan, and three step-daughters.- Actress
- Soundtrack
A bundle of bright sunshine and unabashed energy, lovely musical actress Barbara Ruick delighted audiences for over two decades. The brown-eyed singer/actress who admittedly came up short in the dancing department nevertheless toyed with top musical stardom in mid-1950s films and almost nabbed it. A vivacious beauty whose sparkling, fresh-faced appeal reminded one instantly of a Mitzi Gaynor or Vera-Ellen, Barbara's untimely death at age 41 robbed Hollywood of a tried-and-true talent.
She was born on December 23, 1932 in sunny Pasadena, California, the daughter of show biz professionals. Father Mel Ruick was a well respected radio actor and announcer while mother Lurene Tuttle earned equal distinction as a radio player and (later) reliable TV and film performer playing a lovely assortment of fluttery matrons and mothering types. Deeply influenced by her parents' obvious success and fulfillment, the blonde and starry-eyed Barbara started acting on radio and TV as a Hollywood High School teenager. One of her first jobs was in the chorus of Chico Marx's TV show despite the fact she was a lackluster dancer.
Following other TV work, the just-turned-21 Barbara earned the attention of MGM and signed a long-term contract with the topnotch studio. She dutifully apprenticed in starlet parts with bit or not billed roles in both musical and dramatic outings including Invitation (1952), Scaramouche (1952) and Fearless Fagan (1952). Slightly better parts were handed to her in the films You for Me (1952), Above and Beyond (1952) and Apache War Smoke (1952). The last movie mentioned co-starred future husband Robert Horton, known for his rugged appearances in numerous westerns. The twosome married in Las Vegas in 1953.
The next couple of years were quite frustrating for Barbara at MGM. After finally earning a second female lead role in the film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) alongside Bobby Van, Debbie Reynolds and Bob Fosse, MGM inexplicably reverted her right back to playing bit parts again in such offerings as Confidentially Connie (1953), I Love Melvin (1953) and The Band Wagon (1953). She finally retreated from both MGM and Hollywood and returned to New York to concentrate on TV. She earned a slew of assignments including a number of variety show appearances. On series TV she was a bright and breezy regular for such stalwarts as Ezio Pinza, Jerry Colonna and Johnny Carson. She also proved her dramatic mettle on such programs as The New Loretta Young Show (1962), Public Defender (1954) and The Lineup (1954).
Out of nowhere Barbara was ushered back to Hollywood for the most important film role of her career. In Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic Carousel (1956), it seemed that stardom was just within reach after winning the cute and flighty Carrie Piperidge role alongside Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. Ruick shined in the well-mounted 20th Century-Fox production while offering a lovely rendition of "When I Marry Mr. Snow". Instead of this success propelling Barbara into other films, it would be her last movie for nearly two decades. She also recorded for Columbia Records around this period but, other than a couple of novelty items, none of her songs ever made it to the top of the charts.
Divorced from actor Horton in 1956, Barbara married Academy Award-winning composer and Boston Pops conductor John Williams that same year. They had one daughter and two sons. The boys went on to have musical careers of their own; their daughter became a doctor. She continued to thrive on TV in the late 50s. In 1965 angular Barbara and plump Pat Carroll camped it up and nearly stole the proceedings as the evil stepsisters with their uproarious version of "The Stepsisters Lament" in Rodgers & Hammerstein's star-studded musical special Cinderella (1965) starring Lesley Ann Warren.
Barbara was little seen in the ensuing years but did pop up for a small role as a barmaid in the comedy film California Split (1974) showcasing the then-hot film stars Elliott Gould and George Segal. Barbara died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 3, 1974 in Reno, Nevada. Although her musical gifts were shamefully underused by MGM in the early 1950s, her comeback role in Carousel (1956) will endure and remain a film treasure.- Actor
- Producer
Nathaniel Marston was born on 9 July 1975 in Sharon, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for One Life to Live (1968), The Craft (1996) and As the World Turns (1956). He was married to Rita Bias. He died on 11 November 2015 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Actress
- Writer
Claudia Martin was the daughter of Dean Martin and his first wife, Betty MacDonald. One of seven children, she was born in Ridley Park, PA, but spent her childhood in southern California. She did follow her father into show business, appearing on such television programs as The Donna Reed Show (1958) and My Three Sons (1960). She also appeared in a few films. She had a daughter, Jesse, with the late Kiel Martin, a star on the television series, Hill Street Blues (1981). From 1978 until her death in 2001, she and her husband, Jim Roberts, lived in Reno where they ran a printing business.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Rudy Sooter was born on June 17, 1904 in Canada as Roby Cecil Sooter. His parents were John Franklin Sooter and Hattie Blanch Tussing Sooter. Rudy first became known for his country and western music, both as a writer and performer. Bob Nolan and Roy Rogers were in his band before they formed the Sons of the Pioneers. Rudy Sooter worked in radio and in B Western Movies on a very regular basis and became a go to musician and band leader for B Western movie projects. In 1936 his Horse Opera Company featured guitar and mandolin. His Ranchmen recorded with Jimmie Davis for Decca Records. Their collaboration included the popular "You are My Sunshine." Between 1936 and 1951 Rudy appeared in eighty-one western movies as musician or singer in all but twelve where he had roles as character actors. From 1936 to 1943 he appeared in thirteen movies with Tex Ritter. In three of those films he both performed songs and wrote those songs. The 1937 Roy Rogers movie Billy the Kid Returns had a featured appearance by Sooter. In 1947, he collaborated with band leader Spade Cooley, playing in his band and co-writing several songs, including "It's Dark Outside," "Down at the Cuckoo House," and the probing "Who Dug the Hole I Am In?" Later in his acting career he became a familiar face on Gunsmoke, appearing in eighty-four episodes in a wide variety of roles. In six episodes he had a musical role and in four episodes he was a bartender. He died on June 9, 1991 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ivan Passer was one of the key authors of the "new wave" of Czech cinema, a group of young people who forged an energetic and transgressive film movement in the 1960s, breaking away from the precepts of hard socialist realism. Passer was not only the author of the scenarios of his own films, but he also worked on the scripts of the first four motion pictures made by his countryman, friend and colleague Milos Forman: "Konkurs" (1963), "Black Petr" ( 1964), "Loves of a Blonde" (1965) and "The Firemen's Ball" (1967).
Passer was born in Prague, the son of Marianna (Mandelíková) and Alois Passer. He was the grandson of a silent movie screenwriter. Ivan's parents were persecuted by the Nazis for their Jewish heritage. Ivan was a rebel boy, sent to a boarding school where he became friends with Milos. Together they went to study cinema at the FAMU film school in Prague, but young Ivan was eventually expelled from the academy. By then he had acquired skills in movie-making, some experience and had key friends, such as cinematographer Miroslav Ondricek. With Forman and other friends, they made their first movies.
In 1965 Passer made a remarkable first feature, the beautiful "Intimate Lighting", a film of impressionist inspiration that immediately established his name as a promising new director. But the social pressures and political unrest in Czechoslovakia, which culminated in 1968 with the Soviet invasion, led him into exile the following year. However, in the United States he did not achieve the notoriety of Forman, who received the best proposals, while he rejected offers that did not convince him: for example, he refused to make "Yentl" for a number of reasons, including his conviction that Barbra Streisand was too old and famous for the role, in opposition to other key performers as Mandy Patinkin and Amy Irving. Likewise, he refused to make films with elements of violence, which he always opposed. During World War II he had been directly exposed to violence, and he believed that it was dangerous to represent it in films: violence, he said, affects "some people who are not able to realize the difference between reality and fantasy."
However, he made some worthy movies, such as his American debut "Born to Win" (1971), a complex portrait of a heroin-addict hairdresser; his satire on civil surveillance, "Law and Disorder" (1974); the comedy about money-laundering bankers "Silver Bears" (1977), and the cult film "Cutter's Way" (1981), in which a war veteran investigates a crime, despite he only has one eye, one arm and one leg. For television he directed the biopic "Stalin" in 1992.
Passer taught film at the University of Southern California, and lectured students in foreign film academies. He died in Reno, Nevada, on January 9, 2020.- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Jules Irving was born on 13 April 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977), Loose Change (1978) and Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II (1976). He was married to Priscilla Pointer. He died on 28 July 1979 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Alan Wells was born on 23 March 1926 in Benzonia, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Cape Fear (1962), Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1956) and The Great Missouri Raid (1951). He was married to Barbara Lang and Claudia Barrett. He died on 14 June 2008 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Easy Pickens was born on 31 December 1921 in Kingsburg, Fresno County, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970). He was married to Marilu A Althouse and Shirley Mae Andersen. He died on 24 January 2001 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
An American cowboy star of "B" westerns who had a brief career in the 1940s, Sunset Carson was born with the decidedly unheroic name of Winifred Maurice Harrison (although he was generally known to his family as Michael or Mick) in Gracemore, Oklahoma. He moved to Plainview, Texas, as a boy and became a successful rodeo rider. Supposedly spotted at a rodeo by Tom Mix, Carson--like Mix, never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story--was given a job in Mix's touring circus/Wild West Show. He also claimed to have appeared in a few bit parts in movies before traveling to South America in 1940 and winning the Champion All-Around Cowboy awards in Buenos Aires (!) two years in a row.
Returning to the US, he got small parts in such films as Stage Door Canteen (1943) and Janie (1944) before being spotted by Republic executive Louis Gray. His size, looks and horsemanship got him a Republic contract as the star of a series of "B" westerns, along with a name change to Sunset Carson. Within two years Carson was #10 on the list of top money-making western stars, but Republic parted ways with him in 1946. According to stuntman Yakima Canutt, Carson attended a studio function drunk and accompanied by an underage girl, and studio head Herbert J. Yates fired him. Carson claimed to have left over business disputes. In any case, he never again achieved the level of success he had had at Republic. After a string of very low-budget westerns for other companies, Carson retired from films in 1985 after making the sci-fi western Alien Outlaw (1985). Sunset Carson toured with Tommy Scott's Country Music Circus and Wild West Show. He replaced Tim McCoy after his death and stayed with them for five seasons. Thereafter he lived in retirement, making film appearances and attending western film conventions.
Sunset Carson died in Reno, Nevada, in 1990.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
A schoolteacher who became a stage actress (briefly), Lois Wilson entered films in 1916 at Paramount (her sisters, Diana Kane and Connie Lewis, also worked as actresses). Wilson played leading roles well into the sound era, and after she retired from the screen she worked sporadically in television and again appeared on stage.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Steve Barkett was born on 1 January 1950 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Aftermath (1982), Empire of the Dark (1990) and Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds (1995). He was married to Denise Gibson. He died on 3 March 2023 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Dorothy Whitney was born on 31 October 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955). She was married to Richard Bell Coney and Ramon Bieri. She died on 25 January 1977 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Shirley Walker was born in Napa, California in 1945. She was educated at Pleasant Hill High School; attended San Francisco State College on piano scholarship; studied composition with Dr. Roger Nixon; and piano with Harald Logan of Berkeley, California. She was soloist with San Francisco Symphony while in high school; performed with various hotel, jazz & art bands in San Francisco, 1964 - 1967.
Industrial film and jingles work 1967 - 1978. Oakland Symphony Orchestra pianist 2 seasons, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra pianist 2 seasons. Member American Federation of Musicians (AFM) 1962 - present Member National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) 1978 - present; Member American Society of Composers Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) 1980 - present; Member Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) 1987 - present; Awards Committee 1987 - 1988; Member Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) 1985 - present; Vice President 1988 - 1992; Board of Directors 1986 - 1994; Working Conditions Committee 1987 - 1989; author SCL Working Conditions Questionnaire; author for The Score, SCL periodical: Packaging Scores, The Business of Quality Orchestration, New Low Budget Film Rate, Assumption Agreements and the Special Payments Fund. Member Recording Musicians Association (RMA) 1990 - present, Board of Directors 1994 - present; Member Broadcast Music Inc., (BMI) 1993 - present; Member Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) 1994 - present; Executive Music Branch Committee 1994 - present.
She married Don Walker in 1967 and they had two sons, Colin born 1970, Ian born 1972.- She was one of the archetypal flappers of the Jazz Age. Blonde, blue-eyed and impeccably coiffured, we recall Gwen Lee as tall, blonde flibbertigibbets and gold-digging vamps in films of the late 1920s and early '30s. Gwen was born in Nebraska and attended school in Omaha. Having suitably shortened her name from 'Gwendolyn LePinski' to 'Gwen Lee', she began her career as a department store model. An early foray to the stage as a dancer then led to her 'discovery' by the director Monta Bell and a contract with MGM in 1925. Gwen was named a WAMPAS baby star in 1928 and was duly rewarded with starring or co-starring roles in pictures like Lucky Boy (1929), A Lady of Chance (1928) and The Actress (1928). Once it became apparent that silent pictures were on the way out she began to ardently take voice lessons. Her time in the limelight turned out to be rather brief, alas. Her career and public image took a substantial hit when the synchronization of an early talkie, Untamed (1929), went badly awry: during a dancing sequence with Robert Montgomery, poor Gwen could be heard mouthing the dialogue of her partner (and vice versa) -- no doubt to the great amusement of the audience. Not long after, her dizzy screen personae apparently carried over into real life, as she was twice sued by department stores for non-payment of goods. In 1931, she was also taken to court by her mother who claimed guardianship, charging that her daughter was 'incompetent to handle her affairs'. Inevitably, Gwen's movie roles declined both and quality and in quantity. Down to bit parts, her career came to a swift end in 1938 after appearing in a bottom-of-the-bill potboiler at one of the Poverty Row outfits. After that, she faded from the scene. Gwen died in Reno, Nevada, in 1961, almost forgotten, at the age of 56.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
His mother talked him into watching The Wizard of Oz (1939) on his family's television when he was six years old. Samaras became fond of the tornado scene. After that scene ended, he had no interest in everything else from that musical film, not even the Wicked Witch. Samaras attended Lasley Elementary and O'Connell Junior High in Lakewood. His graduation was at Alameda International High School in 1976. In his twenties, he began to chase tornadoes for the science and humanity's safety every spring all over the United States until his tragic death.- Mills Lane was born on 12 November 1937 in Savannah, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Celebrity Deathmatch (1998), Celebrity Deathmatch (2003) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). He was married to Kaye Pierce and Judy Rumbaugh. He died on 6 December 2022 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Composer, violinist and educator, educated at first by his father and then the Imperial School at St. Petersburg with Auer. He made his violin debut at Berlin in 1907, followed by a tour of Europe. His American debut was with the Boston Symphony in 1911. Thereafter, he joined the faculty at the Curtis Institute in 1929 and became a director there in 1941. Conflicting sources give his date of birth as April 9th or April 21st, but because he was born in Russia prior to the 1917 Revolution, both dates can be considered as correct; one date is in the Old Style Calendar (pre-1917) while the other is within the New Style Calendar adopted with the revolution in 1917. His first wife was famed soprano Alma Gluck, one of the first sopranos to make best-selling recordings. He was the half-brother of author Marcia Davenport, the grandfather of Stephanie Zimbalist, and the father of Efrem Zimbalist Jr..- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Michael Cutt was born on 13 April 1965 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and producer, known for Volcano (1997), Kiss the Girls (1997) and Chicago Hope (1994). He died on 24 December 2022 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- American B-Western actress. Growing up in her native Reno, Nevada, she made her entree into films with small parts in films shooting on location in the Reno area. She travelled to Hollywood and got work as a trick rider and stuntwoman and eventually as a leading lady in low- budget Westerns for Monogram and Republic. She starred opposite Johnny Mack Brown in several films and married another cowboy star, Lash La Rue. She also had her own radio program in the 1940s, "Reno Rides the Range." She retired to her hometown of Reno and died there at the age of 70.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lorrie Collins was born on 7 May 1942 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952), Ranch Party (1957) and The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956). She was married to Stew Carnell. She died on 4 August 2018 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Margaret Roach was born on March 15, 1921 in Los Angeles. Her father was comedy producer Hal Roach and her brother was Hal Roach Jr.. As a teenager, she worked on in the theatre and sang at nightclubs. She briefly adopted the acting name of Diane Rochelle and began getting small roles in films. She was later known as Peggy Roach. Her father didn't want her to be an actress and initially refused to help her. However in 1940 he cast her in his comedies, including Turnabout (1940) and Road Show (1941).
Her first marriage, to E.L. Hilton, ended in divorce. Following her mother's death in 1941 she became estranged from her father. She married actor and writer Robert Livingston in 1947 and they had a son, Addison Randall, who also became an actor. Although she made more than a dozen films she never became a leading lady.
She retired after appearing in the 1949 crime drama, The Devil's Sleep (1949). Her marriage to Livingston ended after four years. On November 25, 1964, Margaret passed away at 43 from undisclosed causes. She was buried near her mother at Holy Cross Cemetery in Los Angeles. - Rube Schaffer was born on 13 August 1904 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949), Flight (1958) and The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951). He died on 28 January 1994 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Robbie Knievel was born on 7 May 1962 in Butte, Montana, USA. He was an actor, known for Ninja III: The Domination (1984), Hawaii Five-0 (2010) and Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (2010). He died on 13 January 2023 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Lawrence Kane Kaye was born on 29 April 1924 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Eileen Barton and Ethel Marie Brown. He died on 19 May 2010 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Margaret Banks was born in 1924 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for West Side Story (1961), The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) and The Judy Garland Show (1963). She died on 28 June 2005 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Bob Wilkins was born on 11 April 1932 in Hammond, Indiana, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Captain Cosmic and 2T2 (1977), Creature Features (1971) and Cinema Insomnia with Mr. Lobo (2001). He was married to Sally Wilkins. He died on 7 January 2009 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Director
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Jim Jordan was born in 1923. Jim was a director and producer, known for The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), Matinee Theatre (1955) and The Chevy Show (1955). Jim was married to Beverly Tyler, Peggy Knudsen and Carmella Bergstrom. Jim died on 24 December 1998 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
Gene De Ruelle was born on 4 January 1936 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was an assistant director and production manager, known for Star Trek (1966), Mission: Impossible (1966) and The Savage Seven (1968). He was married to Lynette Forbes Webb and Gigi Perreau. He died on 24 June 2021 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Music Department
Tenor saxophonist, who formed his first band in Detroit in the mid 1930's but subsequently relinquished the leader position to Sonny Burke and joined Gene Krupa and His Orchestra. He remained for two years, then briefly worked with Harry James and Benny Goodman, before once again leading his own band on the East Coast in the early 40s. Donahue did most of the arrangements and the band had a strong Lunceford-inspired swinging style. The band attracted good bookings into some of the top spots, such as the Glen Island Casino.
In 1942, Donahue was drafted, wound up in Artie Shaw's navy band and assumed leadership of the band when Shaw left the service. This was considered one of the best of all wartime swing bands. Four years later, Donahue mustered yet another new outfit with a five-man strong saxophone section. Between 1946 and 1951 (when Donahue was asked to re-enlist because of the Korean War), band personnel included trumpeter Doc Severinsen, Wayne Herdell, Harry Gozzard, Leo Reisman (arranger) and vocalists Jo Stafford and Frances Wayne. With the decline of the big bands in the 1950s, Donahue worked variously with leaders such as Tommy Dorsey and Stan Kenton, briefly becoming frontman of Billy May's orchestra. From 1961 until the end of the decade, he assumed leadership of the original Tommy Dorsey orchestra, highlighting vocalist Frank Sinatra Jr..- Norma Brooks was born on 24 September 1936 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for Sea Hunt (1958), Blazing the Overland Trail (1956) and The Bob Cummings Show (1955). She died on 6 February 2005 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Anna Minot's first stage role was as a chickadee in a elementary school play. By the time she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College in 1939, she had acted in community theatre and in summer stock. She went on from there to a long and distinguished career on the stage, with occasional film and television work. She was in the first production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh", where she understudied and later succeeded Jeanne Cagney; she also worked with Frederic March and Florence Eldridge. A longtime resident of Greenwich Village, for a time Miss Minot was the stage manager of the Pearl Theatre where she also acted in a myriad of productions over the years.
- Charla Sampsel was born on 15 August 1966 in California, USA. She was an actress, known for Poison Ivy (1992) and Heaven (1987). She was married to Darren Mack. She died on 12 June 2006 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Location Management
- Actor
- Writer
Cass Martin was born on 2 September 1937 in Connecticut, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Hitcher (1986), Back to School (1986) and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988). He died on 30 October 2002 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Writer
- Actor
Gary Brandner was born on 31 May 1930 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Howling (1981), Howling II: ... Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985) and The Howling. He was married to Barbara Nutting, Martine Wood Brandner and Paula Moon. He died on 22 September 2013 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ronnie Dayton was born on 29 September 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Bikini Beach (1964), Pajama Party (1964) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). He died on 27 August 2005 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Although Young was originally from California, he was reported to the Midwestern United States in 2000 after a spell working on Hollywood film crews. He decided to take off on a two month storm chasing adventure in the Great Plains hoping to catch a glimpse of a few tornadoes but ended up with over a dozen supercell thunderstorm encounters. His experience with the raw force of nature in Nebraska was unlike any pyrotechnic display on a high-tech Hollywood set. This inspiration led him to the study of tornado dynamics and ultimately a masters degree in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada in Reno. While attending a meteorological conference, Young met Tim Samaras who encouraged him to collect meteorological data from inside tornadoes as the principal focus of his thesis research. Every spring since 2003, Young headed out with Samaras, and together the team tracked down over one hundred and twenty-five tornadoes. His finest moment came on June 11, 2004 near Storm Lake, Iowa. While working with Samaras, they defied the odds and deployed their probes right in the path of a tornado. The six-camera video probe captured amazing footage from multiple angles while the sensor probe recorded data that revealed just how fast wind speeds are close to the ground. Young remained eternally optimistic that they could repeat the same feat despite the huge challenges for successful deployments until his tragic death.- James Vance was born on 12 October 1965 in California, USA. He died on 29 November 1988 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Patty Perez died on 17 September 2021 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Ann Toth was born on 23 March 1922 in Modesto, California, USA. She was an actress. She died on 13 December 1991 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Producer
- Additional Crew
Harry Pappas was born on 14 March 1946 in Modesto, California, USA. He was a producer, known for Interview (2007), WWF: The Wrestling Classic (1985) and Broadcasting & Cable Magazine's 16th Annual Hall of Fame Awards (2006). He died on 24 April 2024 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Actress
Peggy Satterlee was born on 7 September 1926 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She was an actress. She died on 5 November 2005 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Dean White was born on 22 January 1915 in Concord Township, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Return of the Bad Men (1948) and The Stratton Story (1949). He was married to Gail Patrick. He died on 3 September 1993 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Sabel Starr was born on 15 August 1957 in Palos Verdes, California, USA. She died on 18 April 2009 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Glen Holtzman was born on 9 October 1930 in Kilgore, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Urban Cowboy (1980), Pursuit (1958) and Hennesey (1959). He died on 6 May 1980 in Reno, Nevada, USA.
- Oscar Natalio Bonavena was Argentina's most famous heavyweight boxer from 1964 until his murder in 1976. He was 6' 1" tall and weighed a muscular 217lbs. Nicknamed "Ringo" because of his "Beattle's" style haircut, he compiled a 58-9-1 record with 44 knockout victories. He became famous for knocking down future Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier twice in their first fight (Bonavena lost two decisions), going 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali(before being knocked out for the only time in his career), and for dropping close decisions to two more former champions Floyd Patterson and Jimmy Ellis. Bonavena's lifestyle outside of the ring was just as colorful. A friendly, yet not always even tempered man, he was a noted "partier" and had "an eye" for the ladies. In 1976, he launched a comeback in the United States in Reno, Nevada and won a 10 round decision over Billy Joiner. It would turn out to be the last fight of his career. He was shot and killed at the Mustang Ranch on May 22, 1976 in the parking lot by a Ranch "security guard". He was given a hero's burial in his native Argentina.
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Stephanie Pond-Smith was born on 25 May 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Payback (1999), Conspiracy Theory (1997) and Popeye (1980). She died on 18 March 1998 in Reno, Nevada, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bill Days was born on 2 April 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Isle of Destiny (1940), Puddin' Head (1941) and Paris Follies of 1956 (1955). He died on 6 May 2002 in Reno, Nevada, USA.