sixties

R.I.P. Paul Burke

Sad to report Hollywood has lost another 60s actor, Paul Burke. Click here to read Variety’s obituary.

I was never a big fan of his and felt on the big screen he came off wooden while his female co-stars went over the top. This helped though make Valley of the Dolls and Once You Kiss a Stranger camp classics. In the former, he is the hot shot entertainment lawyer who falls for good girl turned pill popping model Barbara Parkins as Ann Wells before being enticed away from her by booze-swilling, pill popping bitchy diva Patty Duke as Neely O’Hara. By the time he realizes his mistake, a cleaned-up Ann wants nothing to do with him.

In Once You Kiss a Stranger, he is the stoic golfer hero pulled into a bizarre reciprocal murder scheme by psycho heiress, Carol Lynley. You can read more about this pairing in a future article to be published in the print edition of Cinema Retro Magazine. About 8 years later this duo teamed up again on Fantasy Island in “Lady of the Evening.” Carol played a call girl on vacation who falls in love with good guy Burke.

AUTHOR! AUTHOR! PART II

Being the new owner, with my partner Ernie, of two adorable black kittens named Teddy and Maxie, I recently purchased Fantasy Femme Celeste Yarnall’s new book, The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat co-written with Dr. Jean Hofve. It is very impressive and beautifully produced with many photos. Though very informative, it is a truly easy, entertaining read. The layout makes it very simple to reference specific subject areas such what to feed your kitties, when to have your cat fixed, etc.

The nutrition chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Already we upgraded our cat’s food, which was rated at one paw out of five. We are now at three paws (natural cat food with meat as first ingredient, very little carbs and meal filler, with raw food once a week). The chapter on vitamins is another one we need to conquer soon. What I like best about the book is that it gives you alternatives if you cannot or just don’t have the time to follow a strict holistic health care plan and the health consequences of your cat if you don’t do anything. Bravo, Celeste!

On a completely different topic, if you are into art or art books, click here to view Celeste’s friend Nazim’s work. It is truly wonderful.

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

Former 60s starlet and Drive-in Dream Girl Quinn O’Hara has just released her first novel called Copper and the Jo Jo Mystery? co-written with Blair Whipple. It is a lighthearted look at the two authors’ pets. Click here for more information and links to purchase.

Quinn, who co-starred in A Swingin’ Summer and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, among others, is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet and here is hoping her book is a big success. Click here for her web site chock filled with photos then and now.

HELICOPTERS! SPIES! CAROL LYNLEY! OH MY!

The latest issue of Cinema Retro has been released and once again it is jammed packed with great articles. Click here for more information. The one I am looking forward to most is on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie, The Helicopter Spies featuring Carol Lynley and as sexy Miss Zalamar, Glamour Girl Thordis Brandt.

Below is an excerpt on it from my book (co-written with Louis Paul) Film Fatales and a clip from the trailer:

Carol Lynley switched sides for The Helicopter Spies (1968), which was the feature film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. two-part episode “The Prince of Darkness Affair” (10/2 &10/9/67), written by Dean Hargrove. THRUSH is after a ray generator called the Thermal Prism and Waverly recruits master criminal Luther Sebastian (Bradford Dillman) in aiding agents Solo and Illya in retrieving it. But Sebastian (the leader of a religious sect called The Third Way) plans to snatch the Prism to control the balance of power in the world. Lynley plays the episode’s innocent Annie who stumbles into the plot determined to get Napoleon to lead her to Sebastian because “my fiancé Hugh Winslow of the Bakersfield’s Winslow’s is in a Turkish prison because Sebastian framed him for a murder he committed. I’ve spent a whole year collecting evidence. I must free my poor Hugh from that awful prison.”

The episode’s running gag is that the brothers (each played by H. M. Wynant) of Hugh ‘s cellmate (also framed by Sebastian) accompany her and as one is killed off another takes his place. The U.N.C.L.E. agents are forced to bring Annie along but she becomes more of a thorn-in-the-side with her interference. Lynley looks fantastic in this role and gives a delightful performance as the misguided Annie. Her performance is truly a standout.