ARON KINCAID: SURF NO MORE

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I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of my friend actor Aron Kincaid. I am stunned. I spoke to him last in November and meant to call him over the holidays but something would come up. I am going to miss picking up the phone to hear him say with his deep voice, “Hello Tom. This is Aron.” We would talk for almost an hour at a time about old and new Hollywood. Aron despised the computer and telephone was the only way to stay in touch with him.

He had a treasure trove of comical stories and was not shy in telling me what he really thought about some of the actors he knew and worked with. Though he worked during the 60s starring on the last season of TV’s Bachelor Father and in the beach movies The Girls on the Beach, Beach Ball, Ski Party, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, etc. he just adored the actors/actresses of the 30s/40s whereas I loved his era. I think the only thing he hated more than the Internet was Hollywood autograph shows where celebrities charged for their autographs. He thought that was sacrilege! LOL

I first began speaking with Aron around 2001. I did an article on him and for my books he led me to many of his former co-stars that he stayed friendly with including Salli Sachse, Quinn O’Hara and Luree Holmes. Later he was the force behind my book Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies contacting his friends such as Bart Patton, Don Edmonds, and Ed Garner to particiapte, providing photos from his vast collection, writing the foreword, and even being the fabulous artist that he was designing the cover, which unfortunately the publisher passed on to my chagrin.

Aron was also a huge movie buff collecting autographs, photos, posters, etc. He even had practical every photo and lobby card from all the movies he appeared in and his entire modelling portfolio. He showed it all to me and my friend Shaun when we visited him in his great Hollywood Hills house that he bought in 1965. Built in the thirties, it had a secret room created during Prohibition and Aron decorated the bedrooms in homage to some of his favorite stars. There was the Stewart Granger room and the Anna May Wong room.

Though Aron is gone his words will be turning up in my soon to be released book Dueling Harlow’s: Race to the Silver Screen and next year’s Sixties Pop Cinema in a chapter called “Aron Kincaid: Beach Boy vs the Creature of Destruction.” I was so looking forward to see what he thought of my Harlow book and it has just hit me that I will never know. Goodbye good friend! I will miss you!

Below is a rarely seen trailer to The Girls on the Beach:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vax9uOrCeyk

THEY’RE HEEERE!

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Click here to read Stephen Bowie’s first-rate, in-depth article on the cult 60s sci-fi TV series The Invaders starring Roy Thinnes as the only human who knows aliens are secretly living among us to cause harm. Kudos to Stephen for rating “The Believers” episode with guest star Carol Lynley one of the series’ best.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOLGrXOtuwQ

JILL HAWORTH: LIFE WAS A CABARET OLE CHUM

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Over the past year, a number of 60s personalities have died, but the one that has most saddened me is Jill Haworth who died in her sleep yesterday. She was one of my most favorite interviews as she graciously invited me into her home in 1999. She was just so saucy and honest holding nothing back. What makes it even sadder for me is that I am reading the new entertaining Sal Mineo bio by Michael Gregg Machaud and Jill is quoted extensively throughout as she had a long romance and friendship with the actor.

Petite blonde Jill Haworth made three movies while under personal contract to Otto Preminger–Exodus (where she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Female Newcomer), The Cardinal, In Harm’s Way–before going freelance. After starring in the British horror movie It! she landed the role of Sally Bowles on Broadway in Cabaret. The musical was a huge hit and Jill remained in the role for 2 1/2 years. To this day I still prefer the original cast album over the movie’s. Especially love Jill’s singing “Don’t Tell Mama.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptAdY1D53c0

Surprisingly, when she returned to Hollywood in 1969 all she could get were TV guest spots and thrillers (including The Haunted House of Horror with Frankie Avalon, Horror on Snape Island, and a TV-movie that gave me the creeps as a kid, Home for the Holidays with Sally Field whom Jill adored). Though Jill never stepped on a Broadway stage again, she did do regional and Off-Broadway theater during the 70s and 80s (There’s a Girl in My Soup, Butterflies Are Free) and then concentrated solely on voice over work. She did one last movie Mergers & Acquisitions in 2000 playing a loopy ex-hippie mother of two competing sons. She stole the movie and was the hit of a screening I saw on top of a hotel in Manhattan one summer night.

Below are some of Jill’s sassiest comments to me:

When asked what she thought of John Wayne from In Harm’s Way.

“He was the meanest, nastiest man with the worst attitude I ever worked with.”

Asked why she stayed in Cabaret so long, she jokingly replied:

“Just to spite Walter Kerr.” (Who in his NY Times review wrote maliciously and unjustly “the musical’s one wrong note is Jill Haworth whose worth no more to the show than her weight in mascara.”)

When asked if she ever had a chance to play Sally in the film version of Cabaret, she said:

“No, they always wanted Liza Minnelli for the movie. She’s still doing the movie!”

When Cabaret was revived on Broadway in 2000 with Natasha Richardson and Alan Cummings, Jill was miffed that she was not invited to the opening. When I said “maybe they couldn’t find you”, she snapped, “I have only been living in the same apartment since 1966!”

Jill never let her stardom go to her head. She was in awe of her Sutton Place neighbor Greta Garbo who walked her dog almost the same time Jill would walk hers. But Jill was too shy to ever say anything. After Cabaret opened, she passed the reclusive star who said, “Good morning Miss Haworth” to which Jill replied, “Good morning Miss Garbo.” Jill told me that was worth more to her than anything.

Finally, I received one of the nicest compliments from her after my book Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema was released (now available in soft cover). She called to thank me for including her and told me that of all the interviews she had given, the piece I wrote really sounded like her and she appreciated that. Farewell dear Jill. Here’s hoping you went like Elsie…