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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.

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).

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 had two stepchildren: Sheila and Robert. He also had one brother. Education, University of Kentucky-Fine arts. He was well known as Sergeant Ed Brown in the TV series Ironside (1967). Later on he was on a corporate training team, as a consultant special - specializing in public speaking, and also presented acting seminars.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 (1991) and Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds (1995). He was married to Denise Gibson. He died on 3 March 2023 in Reno, Nevada, USA.

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.

Jim Jordan was born in 1923. Jim was a director and producer, known for The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), The Nat King Cole Show (1956) and Matinee Theatre (1955). Jim was married to Beverly Tyler, Peggy Knudsen and Carmella Bergstrom. Jim died on 24 December 1998 in Reno, Nevada, USA.

James Vance was born on 12 October 1965 in California, USA. He died on 29 November 1988 in Reno, Nevada, USA.

Jill Van Ness was born on 1 December 1943 in Miami, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for The Monkees (1965). She died on 3 April 2011 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.

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.

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.

Michael Cutt was born on 21 July 1951. 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.

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.

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..

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.

Jules Irving was born on 13 April 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Loose Change (1978), What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977) and The Detective: Bull in a China Shop (1975). He was married to Priscilla Pointer. He died on 28 July 1979 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.

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.