Jeanette Nolan started in radio in the 1930's, and made her film debut in 1948 in Orson Welles' version of Macbeth as Lady Macbeth, and later in Fritz Lang's film noir classic The Big Heat, and The Secret of Convict Lake with Glenn Ford. She would make guest appearances on dozens of TV shows, including 8 episodes of Gunsmoke (more than any other actress), and the recurring role of Holly Grainger on The Virginian. Her role of Sally Fergus on Gunsmoke was spun off into a short lived series Dirty Sally 1974. She was married to actor John McIntire from 1935 until his death in 1991, and appeared with him in 3 episodes of Wagon Train. Her final role was in Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer in 1998. She died of a stroke that same year.
Jack Lord appeared in movies and TV shows through the 1950s, including Man of the West with Gary Cooper (he's just maniacal in the scene where he forces Julie London to strip), and God's Little Acre. In 1962, he played CIA agent Felix Leiter in the first James Bond film, Dr. No. That same tear, he had the starring role in the short-lived series Stoney Burke. But his biggest claim to fame would be the role Det. Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O from 1968-1980. His final TV or film role was in the pilot episode of M Station: Hawaii, which he produced and directed, but the series was never picked up. In his final years he suffered from Alzheimer's, and he died of congestive heart failure at the age of 77.
Michael burns was a teenager when he cast as Barnaby West in seasons 4-8 of Wagon Train. Later he play on the short lived series It's A Man's World with Glenn Corbet and Randy Boone, as well as episodes of Gunsmoke, The Virginian, and The Legend of Jesse James, and as "Blue Boy" in the 1967 Dragnet episode "The LSD Story." He later became a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College and wrote 3 books on The Dreyfus Affair, retiring in 2002.
Also Today:
Tom Keene (1896-1963) came up through the silent era, and appeared in Westerns for Republic and Monogram throughout the 1930s and '40s. He began in the silents under his real name George Duryea (no relation to Dan). In the 1950s, he changed his name again to Richard Powers, and appeared in several TV shows. His last role was in Ed Wood's god-awful film Plan 9 From Outer Space.
Jo Van Fleet (1914-1996) was a theater and film actress who won a Tony Award for The Trip to Bountiful in 1954, and an Oscar for her role as James Dean's estranged mother in East of Eden. Her other film credits include Gunfight at the OK Corral, Cool Hand Luke, Wild River, and I Love You, Alice B. Toklas. She also appeared on episodes of Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, The Virginian and The Mod Squad. She made her last film in 1986.
Russ Tamblyn (1934-) started as a child actor, and had small role in his teens in Father of the Bride and Father's Little Dividend. His acrobatic prowess got hin cast in the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1954, and in The Fastest Gun Alive he does an amazing dance with a shovel early in the film. His last musical was West Side Story, playing Riff, the leader of the Jets. He plated the Confederate deserter in How The West Was Won, The Cherokee Kid in the 1960 version of Cimarron, and appeared in several movies and TV shows, up to the new movie Django Unchained.
by Laramie Wed Feb 08, 2023 5:26 pm
Subject: December 30 Birthday Wishes 
