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Toian Matchinga, who guest-starred three times on the 1960s CBS series The Wild Wild West and appeared on such other shows as Death Valley Days, I Dream of Jeannie and The Odd Couple, has died. She was 82.

Matchinga, who later in her acting career went by her birth name, Caryn Matchinga, died Sunday of natural causes at home in Belmont, Massachusetts, her family announced.

In films, Matchinga appeared for Don Siegel in Madigan (1968), for Irvin Kershner in Up the Sandbox (1972) and NBC’s Raid on Entebbe (1977) and, in her final onscreen role, for Costa-Gavras in Mad City (1997).

The Ohio native booked gigs on The Wild Wild West, which starred Robert Conrad and Ross Martin, in 1965, 1967 and 1969. Her résumé also includes episodes of The Wackiest Ship in the Army, The Rat Patrol, The Flying Nun, The Big Valley, Rango, Ellery Queen and Rich Man, Poor Man.

Caryn Lee Matchinga was born in Painesville,...

You never could tell who was going to drop by "Gilligan's Island" during its three-season run in the mid-1960s. Actually, that's not entirely true. Frank Sinatra? He was way too big a name to mess with a silly network sitcom. Lyndon B. Johnson? The Texas lion of a politician did not have the temperament for that type of tomfoolery. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg? Lou Gehrig? The great Iron Horse of the New York Yankees was notoriously camera shy and dead.

For the most part, the famous people who turned up on that uncharted patch of land in the Pacific were then mid-level comedy celebrities like Phil Silvers, Don Rickles, and Larry Storch. Kurt Russell was easily the biggest movie star to ever set foot on the island, but he was just a precocious teenager at that point in his career. Numerous, soon-to-be-well-known character actors did have a penchant for stopping by the show,...

Big screen Westerns might've been falling out of favor at the U.S. box office in 1965 (thus paving the way for Spaghetti Westerns to become a surprise sensation when Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy rode into movie theaters throughout the course of 1967), but television Westerns were still swaggering their way to strong ratings thanks to "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," and the hybrid Western/spy/sci-fi series "The Wild Wild West." And with "Rawhide" finally drawing to a close that year (thereby allowing its star Clint Eastwood to become a modern Western star), there was suddenly room for a new, sudsy, ranch-bound saga about scheming landowners and warring heirs.

"The Big Valley" whooped it up for a solid four-season run, running out of steam in 1969 at around the same moment the television Westerns began going the way of classical big screen oaters. Until then, viewers were hooked on the doings at the Barkley Ranch,...

NCIS had its season premiere with a tribute to a special friend. The person had been someone who had been part of the show for over a decade. Actor Mark Harmon previously shared a statement over the friend’s passing.

The Tribute Came With The Start Of The Show’s Latest Season

The recent NCIS season premiere featured a note paying homage to crewmember George Schenck. The message wrote, “In Memory of our Dear Friend and Colleague George Schenck.” This was also paired with the message, “We will miss you.” The tribute came out with the Season 22 premiere, which aired on October 14.

George Schenck passed away on August 3 in his home in Los Angeles, California. He as 82 at the time of his passing. He was survived by his children, Kirk and Jeff, and four grandchildren. A private memorial service was held in his honor. In addition, at the time, the...

Will Smith became an A-lister in the ‘90s when he continuously gave hits such as Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black. The latter was a huge commercial success, and Smith was established as a bankable Hollywood superstar, despite all three films having a co-lead actor.

Smith then made the Wester-sci-fi comedy Wild Wild West with his Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld. Though it has a cult following now, the film was a box-office disaster upon release. It was one of the most expensive films ever made. Sonnenfeld reflected in his book why it did not work, and the reason was reportedly Kevin Kline.

Men in Black’s Barry Sonnenfeld Blamed Kevin Kline’s Vanity For Wild Wild West’s Failure A still from Men in Black | Credits: Sony Pictures

After the grand success of Men in Black, which reportedly earned over $589 million at the box office against a $90 million budget,...

Alan Hale, Jr. became a performer as part of his family's legacy. His mother was actress Gretchen Hartman who appeared in dozens of films in the 1910s, while his father, Alan Hale (real name: Rufus Edward MacKahan) racked up hundreds of credits in the silent era, typically as a reliable sidekick to Errol Flynn. Hartman retired from acting in 1929, and Hale, Sr. continued to work until his death in 1950. Alan Hale, Jr. first appeared on the screen as an infant, "starring" opposite his mother. Hale made his Broadway debut in 1931, when he was only 10, appearing in a very, very short-lived show called "Caught Wet" (it opened and closed in the same month). In 1933, Hale played uncredited role in William Wellman's Depression-era drama "Wild Boys of the Road," and it may be the first movie a casual observer would recognize him in. 

Staring in 1941, Hale began his acting career in earnest,...

George Schenck, who served as a writer, producer and/or co-showrunner on NCIS during the CBS drama’s first 15 seasons, died Saturday at his home in Los Angeles, a network spokesperson announced. He was 82.

He and Frank Cardea shared a creative partnership for 40 years. In addition to collaborating on NCIS, they created the 1982-83 CBS adventure series Bring ‘Em Back Alive, starring Bruce Boxleitner; the 1984-86 CBS crime show Crazy Like a Fox, starring Jack Warden and John Rubinstein; and the 1991-92 ABC drama Pros and Cons, starring James Earl Jones and Richard Crenna.

After writing nearly 50 episodes of NCIS starting with show’s inaugural season in 2003, the pair were elevated to co-showrunners in November 2016 following the sudden death of Gary Glasberg two months earlier. “It’s with heavy hearts that we assume his duties,” they said at the time.

“So sorry to hear the news on George,” NCIS star...

Pluto TV, Paramount’s free streaming service, has revealed its July highlights. The Pluto TV July 2024 schedule includes a new Westerns category and a Yellowstone Fourth of July marathon.

You can also expect fireworks at the Big Brother house when season 26 premieres, and with Pluto TV’s dedicated 24/7 live feeds, you won’t miss a second of the drama. Fans can also relive past seasons of the competition series on a new dedicated channel.

Pluto TV is the leading free streaming television service, delivering hundreds of live, linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience. The Emmy Award-winning service curates a diverse lineup of channels in partnership with hundreds of international media companies.

Pluto TV offers various genres, languages, and categories featuring movies, television series, sports, news, lifestyle, kids, and much more. The service can be easily accessed and streamed across mobile, web, and connected TV devices.

In 1967, Agnes Moorehead made history as the first woman (and second performer) to receive Primetime Emmy nominations in two categories at once. By winning for her work on “The Wild Wild West” while also competing as a star of “Bewitched,” she blazed a trail for 55 other actresses who have since been given double or even triple chances at Emmy glory. Scroll through our chronological photo gallery to find out who else is included in this special group.

Over the years, 14 women have simultaneously competed for two acting Emmys at multiple points in their careers. The overall record for most entries on this or the corresponding male list belongs to Cloris Leachman, who was doubly recognized seven different times between 1973 and 2006.

Whereas James Earl Jones is the only male actor to have ever won two Emmys in a single year, eight actresses have accomplished the same feat. Aside from Leachman (1975), that...

Al Onorato, co-founder of the Casting Society of America and a casting director on such series as “Bewitched,” “Police Story,” “Fame” and “The Patridge Family,” has died. He was 88.

Onorato died April 21 in Los Angeles, his nephew Chris Onorato announced.

Onorato founded the Casting Society of America (then known as the American Society of Casting Directors) with Mike Fenton and Joe Reich in 1982. He and Jerold Franks — his Onorato/Franks Independent Casting partner — won the CSA’s Artios Award for best casting for a comedy film for 1989’s “Bagdad Café.” At the 34th annual Artios Awards in 2019, Onorato received a lifetime achievement award from the organization.

“Casting Society mourns the passing of Al Onorato, whose passion and dedication and love for casting was pivotal in co-founding our organization in 1982 Al helped build what CSA is today — a global organization with over 1200 members and a resource for the entertainment industry worldwide,...

Al Onorato, who handled casting for such TV shows as Bewitched, The Partridge Family, Police Story and Fantasy Island and represented Mark Harmon, Kristin Chenoweth and others as a talent manager, has died. He was 88.

Onorato died April 21 in Los Angeles, his nephew Chris Onorato announced.

Onorato founded the Casting Society of America (then known as the American Society of Casting Directors) with Mike Fenton and Joe Reich in 1982, and he received a lifetime achievement award from the organization in 2019.

Onorato won the CSA’s Artios Award for best casting for a comedy film for Bagdad Café (1987), sharing it with Jerold Franks, his partner in Onorato/Franks Independent Casting.

Alfred Louis Onorato was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Nov. 10, 1935. He graduated from Hackensack High School and Fairleigh Dickinson University, then worked as a page at NBC Studios in New York City.

He was a vice president in charge...

Upon sweeping the four main drama acting categories at the 2021 Emmy Awards, “The Crown” stars Olivia Colman, Josh O’Connor, Gillian Anderson, and Tobias Menzies all joined a special roster of lead or supporting TV academy honorees who were not part of their shows’ original casts. As members of the expansive Netflix series’ second of three distinct ensembles, this quartet and their co-stars were replaced ahead of season five by a new group of actors, some of whom could be added to said exclusive winners club later this year.

According to Gold Derby’s odds, the performer from the sixth and final season of “The Crown” with the best shot at Emmy glory is supporting female frontrunner Elizabeth Debicki. She played the role of Princess Diana for two seasons, finishing the job started by younger season four cast member Emma Corrin. The characters embodied by predicted nominees Imelda Staunton (Queen Elizabeth II...

Lynn Loring, who appeared as a young actress on Search for Tomorrow, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and The F.B.I. before becoming one of the highest-ranking female executives in Hollywood at the time, has died. She was 80.

Loring died Dec. 23 at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center after a series of chronic illnesses, her son, Chris Thinnes, told The Hollywood Reporter. Her family chose not to make public her death until now.

Loring also acted in a few movies, including Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass (1961), Pressure Point (1962) and, alongside then-husband Roy Thinnes, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969).

When she was 7, Loring joined the new CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow in September 1951 for the first of its 35 seasons. She would portray Patti Barron, daughter of Mary Stuart’s Joanne Gardner, for a decade until she graduated from the Calhoun School for Girls and entered Barnard College...

Stephen Kandel, the prolific screenwriter whose work over four decades in television spanned Sea Hunt to Star Trek, Batman to Barnaby Jones and Mannix to MacGyver, has died. He was 96.

Kandel died Oct. 21 of natural causes in his Boston apartment, his daughter Elizabeth Englander told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kandel also wrote multiple episodes of such shows as The Millionaire, The Rogues, Gidget, I Spy, Ironside, The Wild Wild West, It Takes a Thief, Dan August, The New Mike Hammer, Mission: Impossible, Room 222, The Magician, Medical Center, Cannon, Hawaii Five-o and Hart to Hart.

Plus, he co-created Iron Horse, a 1966-68 drama from ABC and Screen Gems that starred Dale Robertson, as a gambler turned railroad baron, Gary Collins and Ellen Burstyn.

“His résumé reads like a Baby Boomer’s dream list of must-see TV,” Tom Weaver wrote in his 2005 book, Earth vs. the Sci-Fi Filmmakers.

Kandel had a hand...

Sharon Farrell, who starred in many films in her long career in Hollywood, including opposite James Garner and Steve McQueen in the 1969 films ‘Marlowe’ and ‘The Reivers’ respectively, has died. She was 82. Farrell died on May 15 of natural causes at a hospital in Orange County. Her death was only recently discovered by relatives, who posted the news to Facebook, but they were unsure of the cause, as per Deadline.

Farrell had an extensive resume, but is best remembered for the film ‘It’s Alive’, in which she played the mother of a murderous deformed infant.

She also had roles in the films ‘The Stunt Man’, ‘Lone Wolf McQuade’, and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ (1987).

In the horror thriller ‘It’s Alive’ (1974), written and directed by Larry Cohen and featuring special effects make-up from Rick Baker, Farrell’s Lenore Davis tries to protect the hideously deformed child she just had, even though the infant...

Sharon Farrell, who starred as the mother of a murderous infant in It’s Alive and contributed strong supporting turns opposite James Garner and Steve McQueen, respectively, in the 1969 films Marlowe and The Reivers, has died. She was 82.

Farrell died unexpectedly May 15 of natural causes at a hospital in Orange County, her son, Chance Boyer, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Farrell also played a movie hairstylist in Richard Rush‘s The Stunt Man (1980), the ex-wife of Chuck Norris’ Texas Ranger in Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) and the mother of the cheerleader portrayed by Amanda Peterson in Can’t Buy Me Love (1987).

On television, Farrell recurred as Det. Lori Wilson on the final season (1979-80) of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o and was Florence Webster, mother of Tricia Cast’s Nina Webster, on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1991-97.

In the horror thriller It’s Alive (1974), written and directed by Larry Cohen and...

Richard Pryor did more than reinvent comedy, he changed culture, and not only in America. The five-time Grammy Award-winner, actor, writer, director, and standup icon underwent a series of self-discoveries which he revealed to audiences from the inside out long before co-writing Blazing Saddles, and conquering every aspect of showbiz. He did it without compromise. Listeners can study the growing genius of his most transformative years, 1968 through 1973, on newly remastered vinyl reissues of Pryor’s early live albums released through Stand Up! Records along with Omnivore Records and Pryor’s production company Indigo. Richard Pryor (1968), ‘Craps’ (After Hours) (1971), and the vinyl debut of Live At The Comedy Store, 1973, along with the bonus material, shows the artist’s evolution into a revolutionary force.

As the recordings will attest, Richard Pryor is his own theater troupe. Even without the visuals, we can visualize him inhabiting each and every character. He plays them with love,...

With its list of new releases for June 2023, Prime is bringing a handful of Amazon Originals and many recent movie hits to the fold.

It’s actually quite a busy month for non-American programming in Amazon Originals department. Shows and movies like Deadloch, My Fault, and Medellín all originate from outside the U.S. and U.K. For the American and British crowd, however, the streamer is debuting two big tentpoles.

The first is I’m a Virgo on June 23. Acclaimed director Boots Riley’s TV followup to Sorry to Bother You will tale the surreal and satirical tale of a giant in Oakland. That will be followed by the more conventional (assumedly) fourth season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on June 30.

The real fireworks this month come from a ludicrously deep bench of library TV and movie titles. Give them a look for yourself below but if we were to highlight just a few,...

The fourth and final season of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” arrives on Prime Video on June 30. It finds Ryan — now the new acting CIA director — unearthing internal corruption and suspicious black ops that leaves the United States vulnerable to attack. John Krasinski stars as the tough-as-nails Ryan.

Watch the “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” trailer:

“Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” is a new docuseries that reveals the truth behind the myth of the wholesome religious family and their involvement with the predatory Bill Gothard and The Institute in Basic Life Principles. The organization’s abusive practices — and the insidious long political game it plays — is revealed on June 2. The Duggars and their 19 “happy” kids are exposed as frauds, while also being manipulated by Gothard and enduring the scandal of Josh, their sexually abusive son.

Check out the “Shiny Happy People” trailer:

When a body is found on the beach in the Tasmanian town of Deadloch,...

Gunsmoke was the longest-running prime-time TV western in history, running for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975. It was highly rated and beloved by fans both during and long after the show stopped airing. Part of what made Gunsmoke so special was the characters that made up Dodge City. Characters like Caleb the farmer. Here’s a look back at Caleb and the actor who played him, John Dehner.

John Dehner | ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Caleb on ‘Gunsmoke’

Caleb is a 43 year-old-farmer whose wife loves to remind him that he’s a failure. In a seemingly loveless marriage, Caleb and his wife wed after they learned she was pregnant. But the child died early on, setting the tone for Caleb’s sad life.

At a crossroads, yearning for a better life, Caleb ventures into Dodge to visit Marshal Dillon. But when Caleb gets into town, he learns...

Sharon Acker, best known as Lee Marvin’s unfaithful wife in the 1967 film Point Blank, died March 16 in a Toronto residential home. She was 87 and her death was confirmed by daughter Kim Everest, a casting director.

Acker had a long and varied resume in film, television, and the stage. In 1956, she played the teacher Mrs. Stacey on a CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. She then joined the Stratford Shakespeare Festival company, starring as Anne Page opposite future Star Trek costar William Shatner in a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

In addition to Point Blank, her film credits include Lucky Jim (1957). Acker also was in Don’t Let the Angels Fall (1969), which played in competition at Cannes. She was selected by the Motion Picture Exhibitors of Canada as their Film Star of Tomorrow that year,

Her memorable TV roles included a 1976-77 CBS adaptation of Executive Suite, playing...

Sharon Acker, the Canadian actress who portrayed Lee Marvin’s unfaithful wife in the 1967 neo-noir classic Point Blank and the right-hand woman Della Street opposite Monte Markham on a rebooted Perry Mason in the 1970s, has died. She was 87.

Acker died March 16 in a retirement home in her native Toronto, her daughter Kim Everest, a casting director, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Star Trek fans know Acker for her January 1969 turn as Odona, a desperate woman from an overpopulated planet, on the third-season episode “The Mark of Gideon.”

She also starred on a 1976-77 CBS adaptation of Executive Suite, playing the wife of Mitchell Ryan‘s Dan Walling. (Acker and Ryan assumed the parts performed by William Holden and June Allyson in the 1954 MGM film directed by Robert Wise.)

In John Boorman’s Point Blank, Acker’s character takes up with John Vernon’s Mal Reese after he shoots Walker (Marvin...

"Batman: The Animated Series" may be a wholly original take on the Dark Knight but it's also indebted to numerous inspirations. Show co-creators Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, along with writer Paul Dini, were keen to draw on not just the best of Batman's history, but cultural history in general. The goal was to produce a show that, as Dini told Syfy, depicted "a dark world, a world where crime really exists on every level." That approach would often cause them to run afoul of the Fox censors, who weren't enthusiastic about the show's mature tone. After all, this was a Fox Kids cartoon.

Thankfully, the team behind "Batman: Tas" were adept at navigating their way through the treacherous waters of Standards and Practices, maintaining their mature vision despite frequent pushback. And that extended beyond the usual stuff that gets censors riled up, such as violence or edgy language. The...

Miiko Taka, who made her film debut with a starring turn opposite Marlon Brando in Sayonara, the 1957 Korean War-set drama about “defiant desire,” has died. She was 97.

News of her death was posted Jan. 4 on social media by a grandson. Details of her death were not available, with her son informing The Hollywood Reporter through a spokesperson that his family did not want to participate in an obituary.

Taka also appeared with Glenn Ford and her Sayonara co-star Miyoshi Umeki in the war comedy Cry for Happy (1961), alongside Bob Hope in A Global Affair (1963), opposite James Garner (another Sayonara actor) in Norman Jewison’s The Art of Love (1965) and with Cary Grant in his last film, Walk Don’t Run (1966), set during the Tokyo Olympics.

Directed by Joshua Logan and adapted by Paul Osborn from a 1954 novel by James Michener, Sayonara featured Brando as U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Lloyd...

Click here to read the full article.

Maggie Thrett, the actress and singer who portrayed one of the three glamorous humanoids who require pills to keep them from aging on the early Star Trek episode “Mudd’s Women,” has died. She was 76.

Thrett died Sunday of complications from an infection at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, family members told The Hollywood Reporter.

Thrett also starred as a flower child alongside Yvette Mimieux, Christopher Jones and Judy Pace in the sex revenge romp Three in the Attic (1968), a box office hit for indie distributor Aip. She and the film received a mention on a TV spot that played in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

On “Mudd’s Women,” which premiered on Oct. 13, 1966, as the sixth episode of NBC’s Star Trek — it was shot as the series’ second installment — Thrett, with her long brown hair,...

Diane McBain, whose quick rise to fame as a young Warner Bros. contract player in the early 1960s soon had her starring in the ABC series Surfside 6 and co-starring opposite Elvis Presley in 1966’s Spinout, died of liver cancer today at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 81.

Her death was announced by her friend Michael Gregg Michaud. McBain and Michaud co-authored her 2014 memoir Famous Enough.

“It is with great sadness that I report actress Diane McBain lost her battle with liver cancer and passed away on December 21, 2022,” Michaud wrote on social media.

Discovered by a talent scout while working as model, McBain signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers Studios on her 18th birthday in 1959, according to Michaud. That same year she made her TV debut in an episode of ABC’s Maverick starring James Garner.

The following year she appeared in...

Diane McBain, whose career playing spoiled rich girls included turns as the yacht owner Daphne Dutton on the ABC crime show Surfside 6 and an author stalking Elvis Presley in Spinout, has died. She was 81.

McBain died Wednesday morning at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills after a battle with liver cancer, her friend and writing partner, Michael Gregg Michaud, told The Hollywood Reporter.

McBain also guest-starred on four episodes of ABC’s Batman, first as a hat shop assistant who’s in cahoots with David Wayne’s Mad Hatter in 1966 and then as stamp company proprietor Pinky Pinkston — she wore only pink and had a pink dog — on the memorable 1967 installment that featured The Green Hornet (Van Williams) and Kato (Bruce Lee).

In her first film, McBain appeared with Richard Burton in Vincent Sherman’s Ice Storm (1960), then starred alongside Troy Donahue and Claudette Colbert...

Paramount Global, flexing its corporate synergy muscles, is pulling a massive batch of TV shows out of the CBS vault and putting them on its free, ad-supported Pluto TV service.

Popular CBS classic series coming to Pluto’s linear streaming service through the end of 2022 include “Frasier” and “Cheers” (in the Sitcom Legends channel); “Star Trek: The Original Series” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (Star Trek channel); “Have Gun – Will Travel” and “The Wild Wild West” (Westerns TV channel) and “Petticoat Junction” (Classic TV Comedy channel).

On the on-demand side, Pluto is adding more than 6,300 episodes — tripling the amount of CBS series currently available on-demand on the streamer — including crime dramas “Criminal Minds” and “Hawaii Five-o.”

Other titles on tap for Pluto TV’s on-demand include “Beverly Hills 90210,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Family Ties,” “Gunsmoke,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “The Love Boat,...

Bill Pitman, a guitarist whose work as part of the legendary recording session group The Wrecking Crew made an invaluable contribution to countless radio hits, TV series and films, died yesterday at his home in La Quinta, California. He was 102.

His death was announced to The New York Times by wife Janet Pitman, who told the publication her husband died after four weeks of hospice care following a fall that fractured his spine.

Pitman’s guitar playing was ubiquitous, if largely anonymous, for decades beginning in the 1950s. Just a sampling of the songs he played on: The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night,” Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were, The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and The Monkees’ “Papa Gene’s Blues.” He played the ukelele on the B.J. Thomas hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,...

Bo Hopkins, who appeared in such memorable films as The Wild Bunch (1969), The Getaway (1972), American Graffiti (1973), The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973), Posse (1975), and Midnight Express (1978), has died at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys. He was 80 and had a heart attack.

Born William Hopkins in 1942 in Greenville, South Carolina, Hopkins appeared in more than 100 film and television roles in a career that spanned more than five decades.

He picked up the nickname “Bo” thanks to a character of the same name he played in Bus Stop, his first off-Broadway play.

Hopkins television appearances included The Phyllis Diller Show, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West and The Andy Griffith Show. His first shot at a regularly scheduled TV series came in 1973 in medical drama Doc Elliott, which lasted one season.

He also appeared in a number of made-for-television movies of the mid-1970s, including Judgment: The Court Martial of...

Emmy award winning show runner Mitch Watson discusses some of the movies he saw when he was a kid that ruined him for life.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

A History Of Violence (2005)

On The Border (1998)

Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness celebration

E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1964)

Harold and Maude (1971) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Witchfinder General (1968) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Shampoo (1975) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Swashbuckler (1976)

Jaws (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Tfh’s Shark Attack At Hero Complex Gallery

The Neverending Story (1984)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Starship Troopers (1997)

They Live (1988)

Magic (1978)

Dead Of Night...

Nehemiah Persoff, an actor who went from the uncredited role of a cab driver in On The Waterfront‘s iconic “coulda been a contender” scene to become one of the busiest character actors in television and film for five decades, died Tuesday at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, California. He was 102.

Persoff had retired from acting in recent decades after suffering a stroke and other health issues. His death was reported to Deadline by a family friend.

Born in Jerusalem, Palestine, Persoff and his family moved to the United States in 1929, and after serving in the U.S. Army in World War II he relocated to New York to pursue a career in theater. He became a member of the famed Actors Studio in the late 1940s, studying with Elia Kazan, who would pay him a reported 75 to play the silent cab driver in Waterfront.

Persoff was also performing...

Marvin J. Chomsky, the Emmy-winning director and producer who helmed episodes of beloved TV shows like “Roots” and “Star Trek,” died Monday, his son Peter Chomsky confirmed to Variety. He was 92.

A prolific director of the small-screen with a career spanning four decades, Chomsky won four Emmys over the course of his career, all for his work on various miniseries or television films: “Holocaust” in 1978, “Attica” in 1980,” “Inside the Third Reich” in 1982 and “Peter the Great” in 1986. He was additionally nominated for four other Emmys, and won two Director’s Guild of America awards out of four nominations.

Born in 1929 in New York City, Chomsky got his start in television as an art director and set director, before scoring his first directing credits in 1964, helming three episodes of medical drama “The Doctors and the Nurses.” Over the course of the 60s and early 70s, he directed episodes of numerous well-known and popular television series,...

Marvin J. Chomsky, the multi-time Emmy-winning director known for his work on series such as Roots, Star Trek, and Hawaii Five-o, has died. He was 92. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chomsky passed away on Monday evening of natural causes in a hospice facility in Santa Monica, California. He is survived by his three sons, Peter, Eric and David, and his granddaughter, Liliana. Chomsky was born in 1929 in New York City and is the cousin of American linguist Noam Chomsky. He began his career in the film and television industry as an art director, set decorator, and producer on TV series such as Play of the Week and The Doctors and the Nurses. During the 1960s, he would move into directing, leading several episodes of The Wild Wild West, Star Trek, and Gunsmoke. He would go on to direct various feature films through the 1970s and 1980s, including Evel Knievel (1971), Live A Little,...

Marvin J. Chomsky, a four-time Emmy-winning director whose credits include the seminal 1977 miniseries Roots, Holocaust and dozens of TV series including the original Star Trek and Hawaii Five-o, died Monday. He was 92.

His son, producer Peter Chomsky, told Deadline that his father died in his sleep but gave no other details.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

The elder Chomsky already was a veteran TV director when he scored an Emmy nomination for helming two episodes of the groundbreaking slavery saga Roots. He went on to win Emmys for directing the harrowing 1978 miniseries Holocaust, telefilms Attica (1980) and Inside the Third Reich (1982) and the Maximilian Schell-led miniseries Peter the Great (1986). He earned nominations for helming Evita Peron (1981), Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) and Billionaire Boys Club (1987), also scoring an Outstanding Miniseries nom as the latter’s supervising producer.

When he accepted his Emmy for Inside the Third Reich, Chomsky...

Lou Cutell, a prolific character actor known for portraying proctologist Dr. “Assman” Cooperman on “Seinfeld” and Big Larry in “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” has died. He was 91.

Cutell also played Dr. Brainard in “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and Abe on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

His friend Mark Furman announced the news on Facebook.

Furman posted about Cutell on his social media on Sunday, writing, “After 91 years, and a great life, my friend Lou Cutell went home. A film, theater and character actor. Big Larry in ‘Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,’ Ass Man in ‘Seinfeld,’ Abe in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ S12, E4. He took me to Lucille Ball’s house in 1986. Rest in peace Lou.”

“Besides my own film, my favorite thing Lou acted in was when he played an alien doctor in 1965’s ‘Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster.’ In real life, he was wonderful—sweet, caring and unassuming. He was also slyly and wickedly funny,...

Lou Cutell, who played the “Assman” on Seinfeld and the rainbow-Mohawked Amazing Larry in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure among 100-plus TV and film credits spanning five decades, has died. He was 91.

His friend Mark Furman announced the news on social media but did not provide details.

“After 91 years, and a great life, my friend Lou Cutell went home,” Furman posted Sunday (see it below). “A film, theater and character actor. Big Larry in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Ass Man in Seinfeld, Abe in Grey’s Anatomy S12,E4. He took me to Lucille Ball’s house in 1986. Rest in peace Lou.”

Cutell might be most recognizable to TV fans for his one-off Seinfeld role as Dr. Howard Cooperman in the 1995 episode “The Fusilli Jerry.” It featured Kramer (Michael Richards) picking up his new license plates at the Dmv, only to find that they are someone else’s vanity plate that reads “Assman.

Actress Jean Hale Coleman, who had over 60 appearances in films and on TV staples of the ’60s and ’70s, passed away on August 3 in Santa Monica, according to family. She was 82.

For decades, Hale worked steadily on some of network TV’s biggest series including Bonanza, Hawaii Five-o, McHale’s Navy, My Favorite Martian, The Perry Mason Show, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Hogan’s Heroes, Cannon, The Wild Wild West and many others.

She also memorably played the Mad Hatter’s fetching paramour Polly, the hatcheck girl, in two episodes of the ABC’s iconic Batman series starring Adam West.

Hale was born December 27, 1938 in Salt Lake City to Doris Norrell and Stanton G. Hale. Her father was a major corporate leader of Mormon heritage and her great grandfather, Soloman Hale, owned a ranch with Brigham Young. She was raised in Darien, Connecticut.

Hale was educated...

No, we don’t need the Wayback Machine, today, we can get by with the Halfback Machine. (Be glad it wasn’t the Nickelback Machine.)

The last time I wrote about a TV show it was The Wild Wild West, so I needed the Wayback Machine, because, while that show may not date back to when Adam was a pup, it does go back to when Eve was a rib. This time I’ve set my crosshairs on Supergirl, Season 5, Episode 1, “Event Horizon.” That was only a year or ago, so I can use a time machine that has short range and even shorter reach; my memory.

In “Event Horizon” we learned Lena Luthor had to raise capital for a new project so she sold her holdings in CatCo; the news conglomerate which employs Kara (Supergirl) Danvers, Jimmy Olsen, and the other Supergirl characters we care about; to Andrea Rojas,...

Richard Donner, the director and producer of film and television including "The Omen" (1976), "Superman" (1978) and the "Lethal Weapon" series has died: 

Donner started his film career with hopes of acting but got a job at Desilu, where he directed commercials. 

He transitioned into TV dramas in the late 1950's, directing episodes of the Steve McQueen western series "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and Chuck Connors in "The Rifleman".

In his early career as a TV director Donner also worked on "Have Gun Will Travel", "The Fugitive", "Combat!", "Get Smart", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "The Wild Wild West", "Gilligan's Island"...

..."Kojak", "Tales from the Crypt" and "The Twilight Zone" episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" starring William Shatner. 

Click the images to enlarge...

There’s no denying that Richard Donner, who died Monday at 91, was one of the most influential architects of the blockbuster era. He directed “Superman,” the 1978 man-of-steel epic that invented the comic-book movie as we know it. He directed all four films in the “Lethal Weapon” series, which may be the quintessential incarnation of the joshingly abrasive, throwaway buddy-cop movie. He directed “The Omen,” the 1976 Satan-is-alive-and-he’s-a-scowling-schoolboy horror film that ruled the box office and spooked a generation of moviegoers’ imaginations.

Yet unlike those other formative directors of the blockbuster era, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Donner was a crowd-pleasing showman who never pretended to be a deep cinematic artist. At his best, he worked with a straight-down-the-middle craft and vitality, and with a human touch that made his movies play like escapist fairy tales.

A telling thing about him is that he didn’t just start off in television,...

Richard Donner, the prolific director behind 1978’s “Superman” and the “Lethal Weapon” franchise has died, according to media reports. Donner was 91. Donner passed away on Monday, according to his wife, producer Lauren Schuler Donner.

Donner’s last film was 2006’s “16 Blocks.” Other classics directed by Donner include “The Omen,” “The Goonies,” “Ladyhawke,” “Scrooged” and “Conspiracy Theory.”

Born in 1930 in the Bronx, Donner started his career directing commercials for Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s Desilu banner. Donner then pivoted to directing television in the 50s and directed episodes of “Wanted: Dead or Alive” and “The Rifleman.” Donner would end up working on 25 television series which included “Have Gun Will Travel,” “The Fugitive,” “Combat!,” “Get Smart,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Wild Wild West,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “Kojak, “Tales from the Crypt” and “The Twilight Zone.” Donner directed the classic “Twilight Zone” episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” which starred William Shatner...

Richard Donner, the prolific Hollywood director and producer whose helming credits include some of the most iconic movies of the 1970s and ’80s including the Christopher Reeve-starring Superman, The Goonies and the Mel Gibson-Danny Glover buddy cop series Lethal Weapon, has died. He was 91.

Donner passed away Monday, according to his wife, the producer Lauren Schuler Donner, and his business manager. No cause of death has been revealed.

The Bronx-born Donner, a genial man with a booming voice, started his career directing for television. His TV credits include a laundry list of staple shows from the ’60s including Route 66, The Rifleman, The Twilight Zone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Gilligan’s Island, Perry Mason and The Wild Wild West. His debut feature X-15 in 1961 with Charles Bronson (and a young Mary Tyler Moore) was followed by the 1968 crime comedy Salt & Pepper starring Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford,...

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has apologized for misrepresenting actor Marguerite Ray with a photo of living actor Veronica Redd in the In Memoriam segment that aired during the 48th annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

A photo of Redd appeared under the caption that identified her as Ray, who died last November, during the pre-recorded ceremony that aired Friday on CBS. Ray had a 10-year run on the CBS soap “The Young and the Restless” from 1980 to 1990 as the character Mamie Johnson. Redd took over the role in 1990 for 14 years.

Is anyone going to acknowledge the #DaytimeEmmy screw up during the memorial segment? They put up a picture of Veronica Redd instead of Marguerite Ray! They both played Mamie on #Yr but still. That’s quite the mixup! Shameful :-[ #DaytimeEmmys pic.twitter.com/B298k5HCCI

— Joshua (@MrJoshie) June 26, 2021

“We sincerely apologize to the Ray family — as well as to Veronica Redd, whose image was inadvertently used instead.

Sellers are presenting a robust slate of packages at this week’s virtual market.

The latest round of bidding between independent distributors, streamers and studios for the plum film packages gets underway this week at the Pre-Cannes Screenings (June 21-25), albeit under drastically different circumstances from a year ago.

Sixteen months after lockdowns began in the west, there is hope. Yes, differing government responses and vaccination rollouts have highlighted shocking inequality, with Latin America, India and other regions mired in the pandemic. Yet the business marches on. Money never sleeps, as a notorious Hollywood antihero once said.

Production has been returning,...

Sellers are presenting a robust slate of packages at this week’s virtual market.

The latest round of bidding between independent distributors, streamers and studios for the plum film packages gets underway this week at the virtual Cannes market and Pre-Cannes Screenings (June 21-25), albeit under drastically different circumstances from a year ago.

Sixteen months after lockdowns began in the West, there is hope. Yes, differing government responses and vaccination rollouts have highlighted shocking inequality, with Latin America, India and other regions mired in the pandemic. Yet the business marches on. Money never sleeps, as a notorious Hollywood antihero once said.

I watched an old episode of The Wild Wild West the other day; well duh, there haven’t been any new episodes in decades. It was “The Night of the Skulls”, in which James West, intrepid Secret Service agent during the U.S. Grant administration and our hero, shot and killed his intrepid Secret Service partner, Artemus Gordon. And that was just in the teaser.

Now don’t worry, we learned at the beginning of the episode’s first act that Artie was still alive. We learned this, because Artemus Gordon, master of disguise, was posing as the minister at his own funeral and Jim went to it to confer with Artie. It seems Jim had pretended to kill Artie to attract the attention of The Skulls, a secret league of assassins, so that he could infiltrate them and learn what they were up to. (To what they were up?...

Henry Darrow, a prolific TV actor from the 1950s through the early 2000s who found his breakthrough success as Manolito Montoya, son of a wealthy Mexican ranch owner on NBC’s hit 1967-71 Western The High Chaparral, died Sunday at his home in Wilmington, Nc. He was 87.

His death was announced on Facebook by his former publicist Michael B. Druxman. A cause was not specified.

In addition to The High Chaparral, Darrow is best remembered by daytime viewers for his Daytime Emmy-winning 1989-92 role in NBC’s Santa Barbara.

Already a familiar presence on television by the mid-1960s through appearances on series including Wagon Train, Stoney Burke, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Wild Wild West, Darrow scored his signature role on The High Chaparral opposite Leif Erickson, who played a wealthy Arizona ranch owner in the 1870s married to the Mexican daughter of a rival rancher.

Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis turned a high concept into a charming, enduring film in Back to the Future. It spawned two uneven sequels (and I am so glad Gale see s no reason for a fourth installment) with time-hopping DeLorean and the character of Doc Brown melding into the pop culture zeitgeist.

The films, certainly the first one, deserve to be seen by all, including the current generation to whom the 1950s and 1980s are equally ancient.

Thankfully, Universal Home Entertainment agrees and we have been treated to DVDs, and Blu-rays ever since. Out this week, in time for everyone’s holiday shopping, comes Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy as the films receive the Ultra HD treatment. In a lovely embossed slipbox, you get six discs with carryover content from the 2010 and 2015 editions.

Doc Brown has invented a time machine and with Marty on hand, they travel...

Duane L. Tatro, who composed for nearly two dozen TV series, including such long-running hits as “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat” and “Barnaby Jones,” died Sunday at his home in Bell Canyon, Calif. He was 93.

Tatro’s music accompanied the action on “The FBI,” “Mannix,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “Cade’s County,” “Cannon,” “Most Wanted,” “Vega$” and “Matt Houston,” as well as the comedy of “M*A*S*H” and the romantic melodrama of “Glitter,” “The Colbys” and “Hotel.” His first series was the sci-fi thriller “The Invaders” in 1967, and he worked steadily in TV for the next two decades.

He got to compose the series theme for just one show: Quinn Martin’s period detective drama “The Manhunter,” which lasted a single season in 1974-75.

Tatro was born in Van Nuys on May 18, 1927. The son of an inventor, he played saxophone with Stan Kenton’s big band while he was just 16 years old.