October 23 Birthday Wishes

Rayford Barnes [1920 - 2000]
Dwight Yoakam [1956 - ]

Howdy Manco!!

Rayford Barnes began his film career back in 1952 and shortly after that, some casting director pegged him as a blustering, but cowardly, whining, gutless character actor and those type of roles are what he specialized in. Rayford appeared in more western films and t.v. series than you can shake a stick at. He appeared in Hondo, North To Alaska and Cahill, U.S. Marshal with John Wayne. He also had roles in Drum Beat, Seven Angry Men and The Wild Bunch as well as appearing on every t.v. western you can think of, including Laramie, Tombstone Territory, The Virginian, Colt .45 etc. His career spanned over 45 years, most of it in t.v.. You've seen him in more western t.v. episodes than just about anybody, with the exception of John Anderson. He was a medium build blonde fella and he almost always played a gang member or henchman or troublemaker. I remember him best from the t.v. series, The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp with Hugh O'Brien and the 7 episodes in which he played Ike Clanton. In particular, I remember the episode" Just Before The Battle", which starred Norman Alden as Johnny Ringo and William Phipps as Curly Bill Brocius. Both Alden and Phipps were wearing Arvo Ojala two gun rigs and Alden's six guns were pearl handled. Ya gotta hand it to those ole t.v. westerns, they sure knew how to make a villain look like a bad guy!!

Dwight Yoakam is probably better known as a hillbilly country music singer of the 80's, with hits like Guitars, Cadillacs, Honky Tonk Man, and Fast As You. He began his acting career in 1991 and within 5 years landed the plump role of the abusive boy friend in the hit film, Slingblade with Billy Bob Thornton. He next showed up in South Of Heaven, West Of Hell, with his longtime girlfriend, Bridgett Fonda, which he also directed. He landed another good role in Panic Room with Jodie Foster and in The Three Burials Of
Melquiades Estrada with Tommy Lee Jones. Yoakam can also play comedy. If you haven't seen Bandidas, with Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz with Yoakam as the moronic black clad villain, then do yourself a favor and watch it. It'll crack you up!!

Ed

Also today:

Hayden Rorke (1910-1987) started in theater, and moved into film an TV in the late 1940s. He appeared in The Lone Ranger, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Bronco, Bonanza, and Perry Mason, among others. But he's best remembered as Major Tony Nelson's long suffering superior Dr. Alfred Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie. He died of multiple myeloma at the age of 76.

James Daly (1918-1978) co-starred with Chad Everett in Medical Center, and appeared in many TV shows, such as The Twilight Zone, Custer, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, and Twelve O'Clock High. He played Honorius, an orangutan judge in Planet of the Apes, and the immortal Flint in the Star Trek episode Requiem for Methuselah. He's also the father of Tyne Daly (Cagny & Lacy) and Tim Daly (Wings).

Coleen Gray (1922-) played Victor Mature's wife in Kiss of Death, in Nightmare Alley with Tyrone Power, and as the ill-fated girl The Duke left with the wagon train in Red River. On TV, she appeared in Maverick, Rawhide, Mr. Ed, Bonanza, Have Gun Will Travel, Perry Mason, Family Affair, and Ironside.

Frank Sutton (1923-1974) first played on Tom Corbet, Space Cadet in 1950, and appeared in episodes of Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, The Twilight Zone, Combat, and The Untouchables, as well as the films Marty and Town Without Pity. But he's best remembered as Drill Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on Gomer Pyle, USMC. He died of a heart attack at the age of 50.

Sam Raimi (1959-) first gained notice as the writer, producer, and director of the horror film The Evil Dead and it's sequels. He later created Darkman, produced the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys an Zena: Warrior Princess, and directed The Quick and the Dead (1995) and the Spider-Man trilogy.

Howdy Tinhorn!!

Thanks for the update on James Daly. I remember the Star Trek episode, Requiem For Methuselah and the silver haired .Mr Daly as the immortal Flint, who having left earth's atmosphere had begun to age. I also remember the beautiful Louise Sorel as the robot, Rayna, who Capt Kirk fell in love with. I was unaware that James was the father of both Tyne and Tim Daly. I'm sure everyone remembers Cagney And Lacy, but the A.M.C. 90's sitcom Wings, with Steven Weber and Crystal Bernard was one of my favorites. Tim has appeared in the made for t.v. western The Outsider, which I thought was a well done western and the t.v. mini-series, Storm Of The Century, which was spooky. I was dismayed to read of James Daly's passing in 1978 of a heart attack , at the age of 59. He was a solid actor and I enjoyed his performances.

Ed