One man auteur Bill Rebane, director, producer, screenwriter and photographer of such films as MONSTER A GO-GO (1965), INVASION FROM INNER EARTH (1974), THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION (1975), THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW (1982), THE GAME (1982) and BLOOD HARVEST (1985) has officially announced his candidacy for Governor of Wisconson. The following was taken off the UP NORTH WISCONSIN web site (www.ashlandwi.com):

Saxon Filmmaker Throws Hat In Gubernatorial Ring

 
By A.J. VAN BEEST 

The Daily Press 


SAXON - Independent thinker and retired film producer Bill Rebane is returning his attention to state politics and has declared his candidacy for governor.

Rebane previously ran for the position in 1979. 

Rebane said the biggest reason he is running is that he feels many of today's politicians are not adequately representing their constituents.

"My campaign platform is that I am a non-politician," Rebane said. "Politicians are out of touch with reality. Unless he is a real statesman, it doesn't take a professional politician to represent people."

Rebane said he has special interests in education, small business and increasing the ability of counties and communities to govern themselves.

Rebane operated the Shooting Ranch Motion Picture Studios in Gleason for almost 30 years ending in 1988. For part of that time, Rebane said he had the only full-time feature film studio in the Midwest. He also said he was instrumental in creating the Wisconsin Film Office in the late 70's. he said some of the skills he gained from these experiences would translate directly to the governor's office.

"I'm a business man," Rebane explained. "I built an industry unlike any other in Wisconsin, and I was very successful in managing my business and the many people involved in it. In many ways, the position of governor is not very different than that of a corporation's chief executive officer. My career demanded a great deal of skill in communicating, diplomacy, tact and manners"

Rebane said his first job on the campaign trail is to research some issues so he can discuss them at a higher level and help inform people.

"Do you know why the state is running a deficit?" he asked. "Neither do I. I think there are a very few people in the state understand the deficit. We need to know about these things; that should be part of a politician's job."

Rebane said he supports efforts to reform public school curriculum to better match the findings of cognitive development specialists.

"It's a proven fact that of you want to teach a child something, you start them young," he said. "If you want them to speak and read several languages, you start in grade school not in high school. You don't teach your kids French or Spanish or Russian in high school, you have to start them at an earlier age."

Rebane also said he thinks that colleges should include more practical forms of education in their curricula.

"If you took the graduating classes from Yale and Harvard and any of those students had to attend a formal state dinner, they'd be unable to function because they wouldn't know which is the salad fork and which is the meat fork," he said with a smile. "It seems like technical colleges do more for students than four year schools."

Rebane also said it's necessary for Americans to "return to family values" and have parents involved in their children's' lives by setting limits and providing support.

In addition to domestic opportunities for education, he said America needs to work to educate people around the world.

"We're not going to solve the problems of the world, like overpopulation, by sending rubbers to Africa, but through education," he said. "We have to help the people there become civilized and understand why they shouldn't have nine children when they can't afford them. It goes back to logic and common sense."

Rebane said he is a staunch supporter of the American entrepreneurial spirit. 

"Small business is this country's foundation, but it's in danger" he said. "I really have a problem with people going to big chains to buy things made in China and neglecting smaller merchants right there on Main Street selling American wares."

Rebane said he would work to reduce the amount of paperwork facing small business owners and try to make it easier for them to access state resources such as grants.

"It's always the business community using its creative mind to get something done," he said. "The government and representatives lack the creativity and innovative thinking needed to find better ways to solve problems."

Rebane said he wants to foster entrepreneurial opportunities across the state. 

"I came to America from Germany when I was 15 and couldn't speak English," he said. "I lived on the south side of Chicago, off 63rd St. I went to four movies a day and in six months, learned to speak English. The moment I could, I got myself a little red wagon, and went to the supermarket and made myself a bundle of money delivering groceries for people.

"That was the kind of America I remember: the America with tremendous opportunities for everyone. The only thing you needed was the willingness and ambition to work and make something of yourself. I don't know what happened to those days, but I miss them and want to bring them back. ... I've lived the American dream, and I want to pass some of that on to others and remind them of what this country is all about."

Who knew that this man, who has entertained me and countless others with his cheap regional films, had ambitions more far-reaching than any of his films could imagine? Hey, if a former b-actor could become president, why couldn't a b-director become governor? Stay tuned for further updates on his campaign.

A special thanks to William Forsche (www.forsche.com/folio/folio.html) for the heads-up.

George 'Buck' Flower personally sent CritCon this email:

"Buck Flower and Charles Napier have recently signed an agreement with Publish America to publish a novel, RED NECKS IN LOVE. Cowritten by Napier and Flower, this story, exploring back roads of Red Neck humor that Jeff Foxworthy would be terrified to tread, proves self expression to be sometimes possible for even bovine feces kickers. The book should be on the market before the end of 2002, in case anybody cares."

Buck Flower

This should be some crazy book considering the talent involved. See the George 'Buck' Flower Profile for more info on this crazy actor/writer/producer and all-around Jack of all trades. Charles Napier should be no stranger to those surfing this site. He had his face chewed off by Hannibal Lecter in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991), appeared in a slew of films with Mr. Flower and has done more TV appearances than you can shake a stick at. He is truly an icon in the B-Movie Hall of Fame.

On August 10, 2002 low-budget auteur Doris Wishman died in Coral Gables, Florida of lymphoma. She was somewhere in her 80s. Known for her no-budget nudies of the 60's, including BLAZE STARR GOES NUDIST (1960) DIARY OF A NUDIST (1961) and NUDE ON THE MOON (1962), Wishman graduated to "roughies" including BAD GIRLS GO TO HELL (1965) and ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MAN (1966). In the 70s she made a string of head-scratching films including THE AMAZING TRANSPLANT (1970), the Chesty Morgan duo DEADLY WEAPONS (1973) and DOUBLE AGENT 73 (1974), and the pseudo-documentary LET ME DIE A WOMAN (1978). She then tried tackling the horror genre with the howlingly-bad A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER (1979). This was her last film until Mike Vraney and his Something Weird Video company released a slew of her films on video in the early 90s. People were amazed by her penchant for pointing the camera at people's feet and inanimate objects at the most inopportune times. She did this to cover the fact that she filmed these films silent and avoided showing lip movement so she didn't have to match it in the dubbing process. Some have said that she lacked any talent at all and while that may have been true, her films were one of a kind. They were not meant to be viewed alone but rather with an alcohol or doobie-induced crowd. Her resurgance in popularity gave her the opportunity to direct more films including SATAN WAS A LADY and DILDO HEAVEN (both 2001). Doris Wishman passed away while in post-production of her final film EACH TIME I KILL (2002). She will be missed.

Andre de Toth, director of the ground-breaking 3-D film HOUSE OF WAX (1953), died of an aneurysm in his Burbank, California home on October 27, 2002. He was 90. The eye-patch wearing director (he lost an eye as a child and was not able to view the 3-D process due to lack of depth-perception) was also married to actress Veronica Lake (whose last film was the 1970 stinker FLESH FEAST) from 1944 - 1952 and had three children. Known for his crime noir films such as PITFALL (1947) and CRIME WAVE (1954) and westerns starring Gary Cooper (SPRINGFIELD RIFLE - 1952) and Randolph Scott (STRANGER WORE A GUN - 1953), de Toth had a style that was widely admired and emulated by other directors, such as Martin Scorcese and Quentin Tarantino. His last directorial effort was the slasher film TERROR NIGHT (1987).

Nathan Juran, best know as the director of ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMAN (1958 as "Nathan Hertz") and Acadamy Award winner for art direction for 1941's HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY died of natural causes in his Palos Verde Estates, California home on October 23, 2002. He was 95. The list of Juran's accomplishments in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy field is impressive, including THE DEADLY MANTIS, BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (all 1957), 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958), JACK THE GIANT KILLER (1962), FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1964) and THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF (1973 - his last film). Juran had also directed episodes of many fantasy and sci-fi TV series, including VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, LOST IN SPACE, THE TIME TUNNEL and LAND OF THE GIANTS.

June 8, 2003: Muscleman actor Trevor Goddard, a former boxer who once had a recurring role on the TV series JAG and plays a pirate in the upcoming movie "Pirates of the Caribbean," died in an apparent suicide, investigators said Monday. He was 37. Goddard's body was found in his North Hollywood home on Sunday by a woman who also lived at the location, according to Officer Grace Brady, a police spokeswoman. Police said they could not disclose her relationship to Goddard. An autopsy was planned Monday but the death had already been classified as suicide with prescription drugs, said Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County coroner's office. Corral said Goddard was in the midst of a divorce and his estranged wife, Ruthann, was in San Francisco during the weekend. The couple has two young sons. Born in Perth, Australia, Goddard's work as a professional boxer led to an acting role in a beer commercial. From there he had a small role in the 1994 action film "MEN OF WAR" and played the martial-arts fighter Kano in 1995's  MORTAL KOMBAT,  based on the popular fighting video game. In 1998, Goddard began a recurring part on the military TV series JAG as Lt. Cmdr. Michael "Mic" Brumby, a role he played until 2001. Other film credits include 1998's DEEP RISING, an uncredited role in 2001's car-theft thriller GONE IN 60 SECONDS and the role of Grapple in Disney's 2003 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. Unfortunately, he'll probably best be remembered for the commercial where he enters a kitchen after a kangaroo messes a woman's floor ands says, "I can clean that floor, mate!" Other roles on TV include guest starring on THE X-FILES, 18 WHEELS OF JUSTICE, NOWHERE MAN, SILK STALKINGS and others. He will be missed. UPDATE: It's 2006 and they just started reshowing his commerical with the kangaroo again after not showing it for almost two years. The Advertising biz has always amazed me!

October 20, 2003: Director Donald G. Jackson, maker of impossibly cheap horror and science fiction films such as THE DEMON LOVER (1976 - his debut film), ROLLER BLADE (1985 and 5 sequels), HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN (1987 - his most professional feature) and over a dozen more genre films passed away of leukemia. Don was a maverick filmmaker often filming his movies on video and using his own money or funds collected from friends and business partners (including long-time friend Scott Shaw). He was a weird individual who had a vision that no one else was able to quite understand and only very close friends knew of his fatal condition. While most of his films are not widely distributed, Mr. Jackson did have a cult following and his antics can be viewed in one of the best documentaries of the filmmaking business: DEMON LOVER DIARY, a no-holds barred look at low-budget filmmaking. If you can find a copy of this film, pick it up. Mr. Jackson was 60 years old when he was taken from us. R.I.P.

06/03/2004: My friend Mario has informed me that all-around filmmaker Robert A. Burns has taken his life after learning that he had terminal cancer. Burns was a driving force in horror films, acting as art director of the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974 - giving that house the creepy vibe that still chills me to the bone today), THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977), THE HOWLING (1981), DON'T GO NEAR THE PARK (1981), RE-ANIMATOR (1985), PLAY DEAD (1984), THE OUTING (1986) and many others. He also directed and wrote the obscure MONGREL (1982), starred as the title character in CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KILLER (1985) and worked in various capacities on films such as DISCO GODFATHER (1979), TOURIST TRAP (1978), MICROWAVE MASSACRE (1983) and many other genre films. He will surely be missed by all his fans who knew him for his good humor and dedication to the preservation of the B-Movie. Check out the following link: www.robert-a-burns.com/FAREWELL.HTML (The link and his site are no longer in service. It showed him laying next to a tombstone with his hands folded on his stomach, with a goodbye note to everyone.) to see that he knew what he was doing till the very end. Goodbye Robert, you will be missed by everyone who gave a damn about the small films that gave us the scares and thrills that most major Hollywood crap could not hold a candle to. I only hope God realizes what a good person he has in his hands now.

It breaks my heart to give you the following news. I'll let my friend Paul Gaita tell you in an email he sent me:

"Hello all:

Don Edmonds informed me this afternoon that character actor George "Buck" Flower passed away in his sleep last night (06/18/04). Buck had been struggling with his health for the better part of 2004. He was 66.

Buck's credits including appearances in five John Carpenter films (THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, STARMAN, THEY LIVE and VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED) as well as features by Robert Zemeckis (BACK TO THE FUTURE and its first sequel)  Tobe Hooper (SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION), William Lustig (MANIAC COP and RELENTLESS), Don Edmonds (ILSA, SHE-WOLF OF THE SS, BARE KNUCKLES), and many others. Buck also served as second unit director, casting director, scriptwriter and producer on countless independent films, including THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY and TAKIN' IT OFF series, and recently co-wrote a novel, REDNECKS IN LOVE, with friend and fellow character actor Charles Napier.

On a personal note, Buck was a good friend and an incredible source of information on low-budget and independent filmmaking in Los Angeles during the '70s, as well as one of the funniest and kindest people I've ever met. I will miss him very much.

Paul Gaita"

I'm still reeling from the news. I just talked to George a couple of months ago. I knew he was ill, but I didn't realize how bad it actually was. The filmmaking business has lost one of it's best character actors. I will miss him and his humor dearly. R.I.P. Buck.

Here's an email from Jim Wynorski which about explains it all:

"Just a note regarding Buck Flower.  As some of you know, I worked with Buck more than a few times over the years, and he was always one of the nicest, warmest individuals.  About two months ago, I received a phone call from him and he matter of factly told me he had inoperable cancer.  He'd debated about keeping it a secret, but finally decided to put it out there so his friends knew what was happening.  Naturally, I was saddened by the news, (1) because he was a really nice guy and (2) he added so much to any role I might throw at him.

Just last Saturday, I called him at home and his daughter told me he was at a local hospital.  I reached him there, and he told me the cancer had taken over his spine.  In trying to remove it, the doctors had paralysed him from the waist down. They were sending him home the next day to await the inevitable. It was agonizing to hear, but the great thing was what he said before he hung up -- "I may be down, but I'm not out.  The devil's gonna have helluva time with me."

I never got to see him because of a planned trip out of the country, but on hearing the sad news today, I can safely guarantee you  there's no way Mr. Scratch won that tussle - 'cause ol Buck kickin' ass up-stairs tonight. See you in the next life, partner.

Jim Wynorski" 

I only hope that Buck gets the proper write-ups in the obituary pages of the major newspapers (although I doubt he will). VARIETY will probably have a small obit but most other magazines and papers will probably no doubt just ignore his passing. Considering that he has appeared in over 150 films and many TV shows, I believe that we should not let his death go unnoticed. I was a major fan of his who became a friend about a couple of years ago, when he wrote thanking me for profiling him on my website. His humor and stories were so funny that I would find myself crying from laughter and almost wetting myself. I always believed he was a major talent caught up in doing minor roles. I was just watching him in the film CHEERLEADER CAMP recently (one of his biggest roles, being fifth-billed) and he got off some zingers in that one. He told me that most of the lines he did in that film were improvised by himself. At least we have all the films to remember him by. I know that I shall never forget him.

I received this email from his daughter Verkina, who worked with her dad on many films including appearing with him in DRIVE-IN MASSACRE:

"Hi, was searching the internet for sites that contained any info about my dad & came across yours, very cool & thanks so much for including him.
So funny to me that he always spoke of his career to be so much less than it really was. It took more than several minutes to print out his list of credits from imbd & I have an entire crate filled w/ tapes of his films, many of which I have never even seen. How many actors would give their left nut for such a list?
His last week was such a farce that I rather think he died of disgust & not of cancer.
I have 2 brothers, and he gave each of us a generous heart, an odd sense of humor and a sense of uncommon loyalty. We are really going to miss the old bastard.

Verkina Flower-Crow" 

We will all miss him, Verkina. By the way, I just saw you in THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA (1976), which not only starred your father, but he was also casting director as well. You played young Molly in the flashbacks. This film is a definite cult classic waiting to be rediscovered. Buck made a lot of films with director Matt Cimber (real name: Matteo Ottaviano), but I feel this one is his best.
I just watched Buck in his final role in director Jeffrey Obrow's THEY ARE AMONG US on Sci-Fi (07/17/2004). Buck has a pivital role in the film which really doesn't kick in till the final 30 minutes. It is a bigger role than he normally has gotten as of late and he really put his heart into it. In it, he plays the long-lost father of Alison Eastwood, who saves his daughter's life by placing a well-aimed shovel hit to an alien's head. The movie is a strange hybrid of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and Brian Yuzna's SOCIETY. It's left wide-open for a sequel.

Veteran character actor John Vernon passed away February 1, 2005 after complications from heart surgery. He was 72. Vernon skyrocketed to fame as Dean Wormer in ANIMAL HOUSE (1978) and enjoyed a long and varied career in both TV and films. He worked with the greats :Alfred Hitchcock in TOPAZ (1969), Don Siegel (DIRTY HARRY - 1971, as the angry Mayor) and Clint Eastwood (THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES - 1976, as the guilt-stricken Fletcher who lets Eastwood go at the end of the film by saying "I think I'll try to tell him the war is over.") as well as working the B-movie biz in such films as CURTAINS (1982), SAVAGE STREETS (1984), BLUE MONKEY (1987) and KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE (1988, as Officer Mooney, who ends up with a Klown's hand shoved up his ass and manipulated like a puppet) and many others. He appeared as a guest star on many TV series and starred in a few of his own in his native Canada (including the popular mid-60's series WOJECK which was considered groundbreaking for Vernon's portrayal of the title character, a medical coroner that would lay the way for the much-later series QUINCY). He was a major talent that will be missed. Check out the Internet Movie Database for his impressive filmography. He was the father of actresses Kate Vernon (HOSTILE TAKEOVER - 1987) and Nan Vernon.

Sheree North, the beautiful blond actress from many action films and TV shows has passed away at age 72 on November 4, 2005 from complications from cancer surgery. North is probably best known as the mother of Kramer on SEINFELD, who was the first to give out his first name, Cosmo. North was in such genre films as DESTINATION INNER SPACE (1966), MANIAC COP (1988), CHARLEY VARRICK (1973), TELEFON (1977) and many TV Movies from the 70's and 80's. She was also a guest star on many of the popular TV dramas and comedies from the 50's through the late 90's. Her most prolific role was that of the aforementioned Babs Kramer and she can be seen frequently in that role on reruns of SEINFELD. For someone like me, though, she will be best remembered as the tough as nails blond bombshell in the action films of the 70's. Goodbye Sheree. I will miss you.

Multiple Academy Award winning actress Shelley Winters , 85, died of a heart attack on January 14, 2006. While many normal film viewers will remember her as a mainstream actress in major motion pictures and TV series since the 1940's, I still have fond memories of her as the championship swimmer Belle Rosen in THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972), who doesn't survive the big dive but saves everyone who followed her, and her whacked-out performances in a pair of early 70's thrillers, WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO? and WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? (both 1971), both directed by cult director Curtis Harrington. Not one to hide her feelings, Ms. Winters was an outspoken person who would appear on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNY CARSON blind-stinking drunk, making Johnny cry with laughter as she would tell her true-life stories. No actor was safe from her acidic, yet somehow, comforting tongue. She was also an accomplished author and was considered a sexpot in her early acting career, once a roommate of Marilyn Monroe (But much more talented. Watch NIGHT OF THE HUNTER [1955] to see what I mean.). As she gained weight, she began taking on character roles and began a lucrative career as a TV movie actress in the 70s, appearing in such films as REVENGE (1971), THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER (1973) and many others and appeared in theatrical genre films such as THE MAD ROOM (1969), BLOODY MAMA (1970), POOR PRETTY EDDIE (1975) and THE VISITOR (1978). I always admired her as an actress, even if some of her career choices were questionable. But, she was one of those actors who improved whatever she was in. Most kids nowadays recognise her in the frequent repeats as the grandmother of Roseanne Barr's character on the TV series ROSEANNE. We are losing our best old-time actors at an alarming rate and, as a baby-boomer myself, will miss her. R.I.P. Shelly and I hope Heaven welcomes you with open arms. For more on Ms. Winter's career and her extremely long filmography, check out the Internet Movie Database.

Actor Rick Dean, who could be seen in countless Roger Corman productions, died suddenly at the age of 53 on February 3, 2006 according to long-time Dean friend Jim Wynorski. Known for his ruggedness and portrayals of bad guys, soldiers and bikers, Dean was the consummate performer, standing out from even the most professional "name" actor in the film he was currently in. Rick was the only person to be in 2 CARNOSAUR films, his first film was ISLAND OF BLOOD (1982), he had leading roles in Dan Golden's NAKED OBSESSION (1991) and Cirio Santiago's NAM ANGELS (1988) and could recently be seen in GACY (2003) and SPECIES III (2004). His last film will be SATANIC, also directed by Dan Golden and will be released in April of 2006. Dean had appeared in more than 50 films since 1982 which meant that his talents were sorely needed in the B films that he appeared in. You could always depend on him to put in a good performance. His talents and raw energy will be sorely missed. This is another case where I learned of the death of an actor strictly through emails. The newspapers (except for the entertainment periodical VARIETY) didn't even bother to mention his passing away. I know I will miss him. He had a face that you will never forget. R.I.P. Rick and let it be known that you did (and still do) have fans out there.

Val Guest, the versatile British director and screenwriter best known for directing science-fiction classics THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT and THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE has died. He was 94. Guest died of prostate cancer on May 10, 2006 in a Palm Desert hospice, said his wife, actress Yolande Donlan. He "brought a lot of intelligence to a genre that is often sorely in need of it," said director Joe Dante, a longtime fan of his films. "Every single one of his pictures is thoughtful and well-done." After becoming a director in the 1940s, Guest made comedies, thrillers and musicals, but he was best known for his science-fiction works. THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT was a 1955 science-fiction horror thriller with a semi-documentary feel about an experimental rocket ship that crashes in rural England with only one surviving crew member. An invisible force gradually transforms him into a monstrous creature as he consumes plants, animals and humans. In the 1961 film THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE, simultaneous nuclear explosions by the United States and the Soviet Union knock Earth off its axis and send it hurtling toward the sun. The picture earned Guest and co-writer Wolf Mankowitz best British screenplay awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Guest also was one of the five credited directors on the 1967 James Bond spoof CASINO ROYALE. "He was a jack-of-all-trades," Dante said. "But there are a lot of little gems in his output that, hopefully, will come to light now." Other Guest films include THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (OF THE HIMALAYAS) (1957), WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH (1970), KILLER FORCE (1976) and many others.

2006 sure turned into a bad year for fans of genre cinema. A lot of celebrities, both well-known and little known, have passed away this year. It seems more have died this year than any other year in recent memory. At the rate this is happening, we won't have many of our favorite stars from the 50's 60's & 70's left alive to appear in new films. Who will Fred Olen Ray employ? The following is just a small sampling of the people who shared our love of cinema that have passed away (and a lot of them really hit me where it hurts):

*SHELLEY WINTERS - See above.
*RICK DEAN - See above.
*VAL GUEST - See above.
*JACK PALANCE - On of the great villians of cinema. Adept in all genres of film including Horror (CRAZE - 1973; DRACULA - 1973; ALONE IN THE DARK - 1982), Westerns (SHANE - 1953; GOD'S GUN - 1976), Action/Adventure ( ONE MAN JURY - 1978; TANGO & CASH - 1989), Fantasy (HAWK THE SLAYER - 1980; BATMAN - 1989), Science Fiction (THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME - 1979; CYBORG 2 - 1993) and many others, including CITY SLICKERS (1991), for which he won the Acadamy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Who can forget his acceptance speech at the Oscars when he did the one-handed pushups? A true great who always entertained even when the character he played was despicable. He was 87 years old and died of natural causes on November 10, 2006.
*GARY GRAVER - For more on Mr. Graver's illustrious career, please click HERE.
*NELSON DE LA ROSA - Not very many people know his name, but once you saw him you would never forget him. Standing at only 27 inches tall, he is best remembered as Marlon Brando's diminutive sidekick in THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU (1996). He also appeared in the Italian horror film RATMAN (1987) and was the blueprint for Mini-Me in the AUSTIN POWERS films. Sports fans on the East Coast also knew him as the pal of then-Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, who used Nelson as a good luck charm during the Sox's 2004 World Series run. Nelson died October 22, 2006 of a heart attack. He was 38 years old. R.I.P. Nelson.
*AL LEWIS - Best known as Grampa on the 60's TV series THE MUNSTERS, Al Lewis had a varied career in many fields. He was a restauranteur, political candidate who ran for Governor of New York and a basketball talent scout. Some of the genre films Al Lewis has appeared in are THE NIGHT STRANGLER (1973), BLACK STARLET (1974) and FRIGHT HOUSE (1988). He released a tape of horror and sci-fi trailers in 1989 called GRAMPA'S SCI-FI HITS. His exact age cannot be verified. He claims to have been born in 1910, but after his death his son said that he was actually born in 1923. He died on February 3, 2006.
*AARON SPELLING - Probably the most successful producer in TV history. His list of television hits is staggering and there is no need to post them here. What isn't well-known are his television flops. Who here remembers ALL SOULS (2001)? How about BUDDY FARO (1998)? Does 10-8 (2003) ring a bell? The truth is that he had more failures than hits, but he always bounced back with one long-running series after another. Spelling was also responsible for a lot of TV movies, including SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS (1973 & 2000), CROWHAVEN FARM (1970), THE LAST CHILD (1971), A TASTE OF EVIL (1971) and many others. Aaron Spelling died June 23, 2006 of complications from a stroke. He was 83 years old. TV will never see the likes of him again.
*ANTHONY FRANCIOSA - Likable actor who started out doing live television in the 50's and has appeared in many genre films, including WEB OF THE SPIDER (1970), THE DEADLY HUNT (1971), ACROSS 110TH STREET (1972), CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW (1977), FIREPOWER (1979), SIDE SHOW (1981), DEATH WISH II (1982), Dario Argento's TENEBRE (1982), DAUGHTER OF DEATH (1982), DEATH HOUSE (1987, directed by John Saxon), FASHION CRIMES (1989) and GHOST WRITER (1990). Some of his TV series include THE NAME OF THE GAME (1968), SEARCH (1972) and MATT HELM (1975). He was also the third husband of Shelley Winters, who also passed away this year.  Mr. Franciosa died of a stroke on January 19, 2006. He was 78.
*CHRIS PENN - One of the biggest shocks of the year for me was the death of Chris Penn at the age of 40 from complications of an enlarged heart. While many people may solely consider him the less-talented brother of Sean Penn (who he appeared with in AT CLOSE RANGE in 1986), I think of him as a talented actor who appeared in many excellent action films, including RESERVOIR DOGS (1992), TRUE ROMANCE (1993), FIST OF THE NORTH STAR (1995) and THE FUNERAL (1996). His many TV appearances included guest stints on CHICAGO HOPE (1995), CSI: MIAMI (2003), WILL & GRACE (2003) and LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT (2005). Mr. Penn died on January 24, 2006.
*DARREN McGAVIN - Versatile actor who was a personal favorite of mine ever since he starred in the two TV movies and the subsequent series KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER (1974) and then much later did guest appearances on THE X-FILES (1993 - 2002) as a favor to creator Chris Carter, who was a huge fan of Kolchak. Mr. McGavin starred in a slew of genre features, including HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, LOVE GEORGE (1973, which he also directed), THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES (1980), HANGAR 18 (1980), DEAD HEAT (1988), BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT (1990) and HAPPY HELL NIGHT (1992). He has over 170 film and TV credits dating back to 1945, including my personal fave of playing Frank Black's (Lance Hendriksen) father on an episode of Chris Carter's MILLENNIUM (1997). Mr. McGavin died on February 25, 2006 at the age of 83 of natural causes.
*RICHARD FLEISCHER - Director of films in various genres, but excelled when directing films in the Fantasy, Action and Sci-Fi categories. His list of films include 20000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954), FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966), THE BOSTON STRANGLER (1968), SEE NO EVIL (1971), SOYLENT GREEN (1973), MR. MAJESTYK (1974), the infamous MANDINGO (1975), AMITYVILLE 3-D (1983) and CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984). His father was Max Fleischer, producer of the early Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman cartoons. Mr. Fleischer died on March 25, 2006 at age 89 of natural causes.
*DAN CURTIS - Prolific producer/director who created the first horror soap opera DARK SHADOWS (1966 - 1970). He took the success of that series and made two theatrical films based on it: HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970) and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (1971). He directed a bunch of horror features including the wildly popular TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975), THE NORLISS TAPES (1973),  DRACULA (1973), THE NIGHT STRANGLER (1973, which led to the KOLCHAK TV series)  SCREAM OF THE WOLF (1974), BURNT OFFERINGS (1976), CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW (1977) and many, many others. He later became known for producing and directing quality mini-series such as THE WINDS OF WAR (1983) and WAR AND REMEMBERANCE (1988). He is best remembered by me for scaring the crap out of me in the 70's with all his scary TV movies, some which are listed above. He died of a brain tumor on March 27, 2006, 21 days after the death of his wife. He was 78 years old.
* CANDICE RIALSON - Popular 70's exploitation actress who retired from films as the decade ended. Her film list is impressive and bizarre: PETS (1974); THE GIRL ON THE LATE,LATE SHOW (1974); CANDY STRIPE NURSES (1974); SUMMER SCHOOL TEACHERS (1974); MAMA'S DIRTY GIRLS (1974); HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD (1976); CHATTERBOX (1977, the talking vagina movie!); MOONSHINE COUNTY EXPRESS (1977) and WHO IS KILLING THE STUNTMEN? (aka STUNTS -1977). Her last credit is WINTER KILLS (1979). She also had extensive TV credits during the 70's, including guest stints on SHAFT (1974), MAUDE (1975), SWITCH (1976), FANTASY ISLAND (1978) and others. Ms. Rialson died of liver disease (Uncomfirmed sources say it was brought on by alcoholism) on March 31, 2006. She was 54 years old.
*ROBERT DONNER - Superb character actor, whose long, skull-like face was perfect for psycho and heavy roles. He originally appeared as one of the bad guys in a lot of Westerns, especially the later John Wayne ones. Some of his genre films are VANISHING POINT (1971), HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER (1973), THE HORROR AT 37,000 FEET (1973), DAMNATION ALLEY (1978) and HYSTERICAL (1983 - as Crazy Ralph, who was constantly getting run over while riding his bike warning people that they are doomed). A lot of fans of the MORK & MINDY TV show will recognize him as Exidor. He did a ton of television guest roles on such series as ADAM-12, THE MOD SQUAD, THE WALTONS and THE FALL GUY, just to mention a few. Mr. Donner died of a heart attack on June 8, 2006. He was 74 years old.
*MAKO - Superb Japanese actor, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his first film role in THE SAND PEBBLES (1966). He later appeared in a ton of genre films, including THE KILLER ELITE (1975), THE BIG BRAWL (1980), AN EYE FOR AN EYE (1981), CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984), ARMED RESPONSE (1986), THE PERFECT WEAPON (1990), BULLETPROOF MONK (2003) and many others. He also guest-starred in numerous TV series, including KUNG FU (1973), QUINCY M.E. (1977), WALKER, TEXAS RANGER (1997) and is probably better-known for his numerous appearances on M*A*S*H (1971). His small 5' 4" frame never hindered his performances. He always seemed larger than life. He was always a joy to watch. Mako died on July 21, 2006 of cancer. He was 72 years old.
*JOSEPH STEFANO - If only for his involvement in the original series of THE OUTER LIMITS (1963 - 1965) as writer and producer, Mr. Stefano will always have my unending gratitude. It will always be the most influential television series in my life. But he did so much more. This multi-award winning writer wrote the screenplays for Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO (1960), EYE OF THE CAT (1969), REVENGE (1971), SNOWBEAST (1977), PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING (1990) and many others. One of the holy grails of film collecting is the rare pilot that Mr. Stefano wrote and co-directed after he left THE OUTER LIMITS. The name of the film was THE GHOST OF SIERRA DE COBRE (1964) starring Martin Landau (who has said it was the best film he has ever appeared in) and it was originally meant as a pilot for a series that never materialized. It is supposedly so scary that network executives nearly shit their pants when they viewed it. Naturally they passed on it and it was shown in foreign markets and never televised in the US. The last film credit Joseph Stefano had (besides the abortion called PSYCHO - 1998, made without his co-operation) was an update of his teleplay, "A Feasibility Study" for the new version of THE OUTER LIMITS (1995 - 2002). Mr. Stefano died of a heart attack on August 25, 2006. He was 84 years old.
*TAMARA DOBSON - This 6' 2" ex-model didn't make a lot of films, but nearly every one of them should be of interest to readers of this site. She made her mark as an extra in early 70's films (COME BACK, CHARLESTON BLUE - 1970; FUZZ - 1972), before gaining star billing as the title character in two Blaxploitation classics: CLEOPATRA JONES (1973) and CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975). She made three more films (MURDER AT THE WORLD SERIES - 1977; CHAINED HEAT - 1983; AMAZONS - 1984) and appeared as a guest star on a couple of TV series before retiring from acting to devote her time to designing her own line of clothing. She is listed in Guinness as the tallest leading actress to ever appear in films. Ms. Dobson died of pneumonia and multiple sclerosis (which she was fighting since 2000) at age 59 on October 2, 2006.
*JEREMY SLATE - Highly recognizable long-time exploitation actor who made a bunch of 60's biker (he wrote the story and starred in HELL'S ANGELS '69 [1969]) and drug-themed films, mixing in a lot of TV guest star work. His lists of films include: THE BORN LOSERS (1967); THE MINI-SKIRT MOB (1968); THE HOOKED GENERATION (1968); HELL'S BELLES (1970); CROSSCURRENT (1971); THE CENTERFOLD GIRLS (1973); STOWAWAY TO THE MOON (1975); STRANGER IN OUR HOUSE (1978); THE DEAD PIT (1989); TRENCHCOAT IN PARADISE (1989) and THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992). Some of the many TV series he appeared in were: IRONSIDE (1969); MANNIX (1971); GHOST STORY (1972); THE ROOKIES (1974) and MY NAME IS EARL (2006). Mr. Slate died on November 18, 2006 of esophageal cancer. He was 80 years old.
*DON DOHLER - Maryland-based director/writer/producer, who made a string of no-budget horror features that somehow got video and TV exposure. Starting out with the sonambulistic THE ALIEN FACTOR (1977), a story about and alien spaceship that crashes in a Maryland neighborhood, containing a zoo of collected alien species that escape, is the first in a series of films that contain themes of neighbors fighting alien entities. The other films that followed were, FIEND (1980), NIGHTBEAST (1982), THE GALAXY INVADER (1985), BLOOD MASSACRE (1987) and ALIEN FACTOR 2: THE ALIEN RAMPAGE (1999). He then quit using film and began producing video efforts for other people including, HARVESTERS (2001), STAKES (2002) and others.  Mr. Dohler died December 2, 2006 of brain cancer. Age unavailable as of this writing.

Others who have died in 2006: They may not have extensive genre credits, but they did make their mark in motion picture history. By that, I mean that they have appeared in many films but only a few that would interest viewers of this site:

*DON STEWART - (January 9, 2006): Actor - THE DOOMSDAY FLIGHT (1966); PRESCRIPTION: MURDER (1968); CARNIVAL MAGIC (1981); AMERICAN NINJA (1985); FUTURE ZONE (1990); LISTEN (1996)
*ANNE MEACHAM - (January 12, 2006): Actress - LILITH (1964); DEAR DEAD DELILAH (1972); SEIZURE (1974); SEEDS OF EVIL (1975)
*JEAN BYRON - (February 3, 2006): Actress - THE MAGNETIC MONSTER (1953); INVISIBLE INVADERS (1959); McCLOUD (TV-1972)
*FRANKLIN COVER - (February 5, 2006): Actor - SHORT WALK TO DAYLIGHT (1972); THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975)
*PEDRO GONZALEZ-GONZALEZ - (February 6, 2006): Actor - RING OF FEAR (1954); BATES MOTEL (1989); GHOST WRITER (1989); DOWN THE DRAIN (1990)
*PHIL BROWN - (February 9, 2006): Actor - THE BOY CRIED MURDER (1966); STAR WARS (1977); MANEATERS ARE LOOSE! (1978)
*ANDREAS KATSULAS - (February 13, 2006): Actor - COMMUNION (1989); THE DEATH OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK (1990); EXECUTIVE DECISION (1996)
*XAVIER BARQUET - (February 15, 2006): Actor - FORTRESS OF AMERIKKKA (1989); JUNGLE ASSAULT (1989); I'M DANGEROUS TONIGHT (1990)
*PAUL CARR - (February 17, 2006): Actor - THE SEVERED ARM (1973); THE BAT PEOPLE (1974); TRUCK STOP WOMEN (1974); SISTERS OF DEATH (1977); HIDDEN VIEW (1990)
*RICHARD BRIGHT - (February 18, 2006): - Actor - GIRLS NITE OUT (1983); CUT AND RUN (1985); GHOUL SCHOOL (1990, as "Eddie Gambino");
*DENNIS WEAVER - (February 24, 2006): Actor - WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? (1971); DUEL (1971); TERROR ON THE BEACH (1973); DON'T GO TO SLEEP (1982)
*DON KNOTTS - (February 24, 2006): Actor/Comedian - THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN (1966); I LOVE A MYSTERY (1973); THE PRIVATE EYES (1981); PLEASANTVILLE (1998)
*JENNY TAMBURI - (March 1, 2006): Actress - WOMEN IN CELL BLOCK 7 (1973); FRANKENSTEIN ITALIAN STYLE (1975); THE PSYCHIC (1977)
*HOWARD JACKSON - (March 7, 2006): Martial Artist/Actor - DISCO GODFATHER (1980); CODE OF SILENCE (1985); INVASION USA (1985); DEATHROW GAMESHOW (1987);
*GORDON PARKS - (March 7, 2006): Director - SHAFT (1971); SHAFT'S BIG SCORE! (1972); THE SUPER COPS (1974)
*MAUREEN STAPLETON - (March 13, 2006): Actress - THE FAN (1981); THE ELECTRIC GRANDMOTHER (1982); COCOON (1985); COCOON: THE RETURN (1988)
*BOB DELEGALL - (March 21, 2006): Actor - SUPER DUDE (1974); DR. STRANGE (1978); THE PRESIDIO (1988); BACK TO BACK (1996)
*ELOY DE LA IGLESIA - (March 23, 2006); Director/Screenwriter - CANNIBAL MAN (1972); CLOCKWORK TERROR (1972); THE DEPUTY (1978)
*SHIN SANG-OK (aka SIMON SHEEN) - (April 11. 2006): Producer/Director/Writer - 3 NINJA Films (1994 - 1998); GALGAMETH (1996);  GARDEN OF EVIL (1998)
*ANTHONY-JAMES RYAN - (April 15, 2006): Producer/Writer/Actor - VIXEN! (1968); CHERRY, HARRY & RAQUEL (1970); SWEET SUZY (1973); SUPERVIXENS (1975)
*BRETT GOLDIN - (April 16, 2006): Actor - SLASH (2002); CITIZEN VERDICT (2003); BLAST! (2004)
*SCOTT BRAZIL - (April 17, 2006): TV Producer/Director -  SPACE RANGERS (1993); STRANGE LUCK  (1995); THE BURNING ZONE (1996); BUFFY (1997); THE SHIELD (2002)
*HENDERSON FORSYTHE -(April 17, 2006): Actor - DEATHDREAM (1973); IN THE LINE OF DUTY: MANHUNT IN THE DAKOTAS (1991); SPECIES II (1998)
*ALIDA VALLI - (April 22, 2006): Actress - EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960); LISA AND THE DEVIL (1973); THE TEMPTER (1974); SUSPIRIA (1977); INFERNO (1980)
*JENNIFER JAYNE - (April 23, 2006): Actress - THE CRAWLING EYE (1958); DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965); THE MEDUSA TOUCH (1978)
*BETSY JONES-MORELAND - (May 1, 2006): Actress - LAST WOMAN ON EARTH (1960); CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA (1961); THE HINDENBURG (1975)
*BYRON MORROW - (May 11, 2006):  Actor - CYBORG 2087 (1966); COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970); THE STONE KILLER (1973); PANIC ON THE 5:22 (1974)
*PAUL MARCO - (May 14, 2006): Actor - BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (1955); PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959); NIGHT OF THE GHOULS (1959); THE NAKED MONSTER (2005)
*DAN Q. KENNIS - (May 17, 2006): Producer - ANGELS' WILD WOMEN (1972); GIRLS FOR RENT (1974); RAIDERS OF THE LIVING DEAD (1986); ALIENATOR (1989)
*SALVATORE BILLA - (May 22, 2006): Actor - KIDNAP SYNDICATE (1975); LEGEND OF THE WOLF WOMAN (1976); a bunch of 70'S ITALIAN CRIME THRILLERS
*LEONARDO PESCAROLO - (May 24, 2006): Producer - WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? (1972); AUTOPSY (1975); RINGS OF FEAR (1978);
*PAUL GLEASON - (May 27, 2006): Actor - WELCOME TO SPRING BREAK (1988); DIE HARD (1988); DIGITAL MAN (1995); ABOMINABLE (2004)
*AUDREY CAMPBELL - (June 8, 2006): Actress - WHITE SLAVES OF CHINATOWN (1964); OLGA"S HOUSE OF SHAME (1964); OLGA'S GIRLS (1964); SIN IN THE SUBURBS (1964);
*MONTY BERMAN - (June 14, 2006): Producer/Director - THE CRAWLING EYE (1958); BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE (1958); JACK THE RIPPER (1959); THE FIENDISH GHOULS (1960)
*ARTHUR FRANZ - (June 16, 2006): Actor - INVADERS FROM MARS (1953); BACK FROM THE DEAD (1957); MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS (1958); THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE (1959); SISTERS OF DEATH (1977)
*RICHARD STAHL - (June 18, 2006): Actor - BEWARE! THE BLOB (1972); FUZZ (1972); TERMINAL ISLAND (1973); THE DARING DOBERMANS (1974); GOOD AGAINST EVIL (1977)
*BENJAMIN HENDRICKSON - (July 1, 2006): Actor - THE DEMON MURDER CASE (1983); MANHUNTER (1986); RUSSKIES (1987); CONSENTING ADULTS (1992)
*JAN MURRAY - (July 2, 2006):  Comedian/Actor - WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR (1965); DAY OF THE WOLVES (1973); FEAR CITY (1984)
*AMZIE STRICKLAND - (July 5, 2006): Actress - CURSE OF THE UNDEAD (1959); DEATH CRUISE (1974); THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN (1975)
*JUNE ALLYSON - (July 8, 2006): Actress - SEE THE MAN RUN (1971); CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW (1977); BLACKOUT (1978)
*BARNARD HUGHES - (July 11, 2006): Actor - RAGE (1972); SISTERS (1973); THE UFO INCIDENT (1975); THE LOST BOYS (1987)
*RED BUTTONS - (July 13, 2006): Comedian/Actor - WHO KILLED MARY WHAT'S 'ER NAME? (1971); THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972); SIDE SHOW (1981)
*CARRIE NYE - (July 14, 2006): Actress - TOO SCARED TO SCREAM (1982); CREEPSHOW (1983)
*MICKEY SPILLANE -(July 17, 2006): - Writer/Actor - RING OF FEAR (1954); KISS ME DEADLY  (1955): THE GIRL HUNTERS (1963); I, THE JURY (1982)
*JACK WARDEN - (July 19, 2006): Actor - THE WHITE BUFFALO (1977); THE PRESIDIO (1988); THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD (1995)
*ROBERT CORNTHWAITE -(July 20, 2006): Actor - WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953); FUTUREWORLD (1976); TIME TRACKERS (1989); WHITE DWARF (1995); THE NAKED MONSTER (1995/2005)
*ELISABETH VOLKMANN - (July 25, 2006): Actress - NURSES REPORT (1972); SEX LIFE IN A CONVENT (1972); BEYOND THE DARKNESS (1974); RED HEAT (1985)
*PATRICK ALLEN - (July 28, 2006): Actor - ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED (1967); THE BODY STEALERS (1969); WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH (1970); PUPPET ON A CHAIN (1971); THE GRAVEYARD (1974)
*BRUNO KIRBY - (August 14, 2006): - Actor - BORDERLINE (1980); FLESH & BLOOD (1985); ONE EYED KING (2001); HELTER SKELTER (2004)
*ALAN VINT - (August 16, 2006): Actor - WELCOME HOME, SOLDIER BOYS (1972); BADLANDS (1973); MACON COUNTY LINE (1974); EARTHQUAKE (1974)
*SIG SHORE - (August 17, 2006): Producer/Director/Screenwriter - SUPER FLY (1972); SUPERFLY T.N.T. (1973): SUDDEN DEATH (1985); THE SURVIVALIST (1987): THE RETURN OF SUPERFLY (1990)
*GLENN FORD - (August 30, 2006): Actor - THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT 412 (1974); SUPERMAN (1978); THE VISITOR (1978); HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (1980)
*ROBERT EARL JONES - (September 7, 2006): Actor - SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983); WITNESS (1985); MANIAC COP 2 (1990)
*PAT CORLEY - (September 11, 2006): Actor - THE SUPER COPS (debut - 1974); AUDREY ROSE (1977); NIGHTWING (1979); THE STEPFORD CHILDREN (1987)
*MICKEY HARGITAY - (September 14, 2006): Bodybuilder/Actor - BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965); LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1971); DELIRIUM (1972); THE REINCARNATION OF ISABEL (1973)
*EDWARD ALBERT - (September 22, 2006): Actor - GALAXY OF TERROR (1981); FIST FIGHTER (1989); DEMON KEEPER (1994); STAGEGHOST (2000)
*TIM ROONEY - (September 23, 2006): Actor - VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS (1965); RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP (1967); THE LONERS (1972)
*GIUSEPPI BENNATI - (September 27, 2006): Director - THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS (1974)
*TOM BELL - (October 4, 2006): Actor - QUEST FOR LOVE (1971); STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING (1972); THE KRAYS (1990); LONG TIME DEAD (2002)
*DEREK BOND - (October 15, 2006): Actor - STRANGER FROM VENUS (1954); THE HAND (1960); BLIND SIGHT (1996)
*DANIEL EMILFORK - (October 17, 2006): Actor - MIDI MINUIT  (1970); THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (1971); WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE? (1978); CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (1995)
*PHYLLIS KIRK - (October 19, 2006): Actress - HOUSE OF WAX (1953)
*JANE WYATT - (October 20, 2006): Actress - WEEKEND OF TERROR (1970: STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986); AMITYVILLE IV: THE EVIL ESCAPES (1989)
*MILTON SELZER - (October 21, 2006); Actor - CROWHAVEN FARM (1970); BLOOD AND LACE (1971); THE EVIL (1978); CAPRICORN ONE (1978); SHOOT TO KILL (1988)
*ARTHUR HILL - (October 22, 2006): Actor - THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN (1971); ORDEAL (1973); FUTUREWORLD (1976); REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES (1980); MURDER IN SPACE (1985)
*TINA AUMONT - (October 28, 2006): Actress - TORSO (1973); LIFESPAN (1974); TWO ORPHAN VAMPIRES (1997)
*NIGEL KNEALE - (October 29, 2006): Writer - Wrote the screenplays to: FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1964); THE WITCHES (1966); QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967); THE STONE TAPE (1972) and THE WOMAN IN BLACK (1989) among others
*ADRIENNE SHELLY - (November 1, 2006 - Murdered): Actress/Director - HEXED (1993); THE ROAD KILLERS (1994); REVOLUTION #9 (2001)
*BASIL POLEDOURIS - (November 8, 2006): Film Composer - TINTORERA (1977); CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984); RED DAWN (1984); FLESH & BLOOD (1985); ROBOCOP (1987)
*MARIO MEROLA - (November 12, 2006): Actor/Singer - FROM CORLEONE TO BROOKLYN (1978); THE NEW GODFATHERS (1979);  HUNTED CITY (1979); THE MAFIA TRIANGLE (1981)
*JOHN HALLAM - (November 14, 2006): Actor - QUEST FOR LOVE (1971); THE WICKER MAN (1973); HENNESSEY (1975); THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT (1977); LOVE AND BULLETS (1979); DRAGONSLAYER (1981); LIFEFORCE (1985)
*FRANCIS GIROD - (November 19, 2006): Director - THE INFERNAL TRIO (1974); THE ELEGANT CRIMINAL (1990); DEATH IN THERAPY (1996); TRANSFIXED (2001)
*ROBERT ALTMAN - (November 20, 2006): Director - BREWSTER McCLOUD (1970); IMAGES (1972); THE LONG GOODBYE (1973); THIEVES LIKE US (1974); QUINTET (1979): POPEYE (1980); THE GINGERBREAD MAN (1998)
*PERRY HENZELL - (November 30, 2006): Director - Directed one of the greatest cult films of all time: THE HARDER THEY COME (1972) and brought reggae music to the masses.
*DON DOHLER - (December 2, 2006): Director/Producer/Writer - THE ALIEN FACTOR (1977); FIEND (1980); NIGHTBEAST (1982); THE GALAXY INVADER (1985); BLOOD MASSACRE (1989); ALIEN FACTOR 2: ALIEN RAMPAGE (2001); HARVESTERS (2001); many more.

MARCH 6, 2007: Roger Watkins, the controversial director of the 70's grindhouse hit LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET, died of heart failure. He was 58 years old. Watkins, who also directed the seldom-seen horror film SHADOWS OF THE MIND (1980), worked in films for many years usually using pseudonyms. Watkins directed the above-average porn films HER NAME WAS LISA  (1979) and MIDNIGHT HEAT (1983) using the pseudonym "Richard Mahler". Watkins spent most of his filmic career using a wide array of names, including Claude Armand, Ray Hicks, Victor Janos, Richard Joseph, Norman F. Kaiser, Brian Laurence, Steven Morrison. Brian Newett and Bernard Travis. Watkins was in negotiations to film a sequel to LHODES when he passed away. R.I.P "Terry Hawkins".

MARCH 7, 2007: Andy Sidaris, the director/producer/screenwriter of a string of sexy spy thriller passed away of throat cancer at the age of 76. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was best known for his "Bullets, Bombs, and Babes" series of B-movies produced between 1985 and 1998. These films featured a rotating "stock company" of actors mostly made up of Playboy Playmates and Penthouse Pets including Julie Strain, Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, Cynthia Brimhall, Roberta Vasquez, Julie K. Smith, Shae Marks and Wendy Hamilton. Sidaris pioneered what he called the "honey shot", close-ups of cheerleaders and pretty girls in the stands at sporting events. He won an Emmy Award in 1969 for directing the Summer Olympics.
Before the B-movies, Sidaris was a pioneer in sports television. He directed coverage of hundreds of football and basketball games, Olympic events, and special programs and won seven Emmy awards for his work in the field. His best known work was with ABC's Wide World of Sports; he was the show's first director, and continued in that post for 25 years. Sidaris branched out to dramatic television in the 1970s, directing episodes of programs like GEMINI MAN (1976), KOJAK (mid-1970s), THE HARDY BOYS/NANCY DREW MYSTERIES (late-1970s) and Monday Night Football.
Then he expanded into film, specializing in action flicks featuring gun-toting Playboy Playmates with titles like MALIBU EXPRESS and DO OR DIE. Most of Sidaris' "Triple B" series (later given the title L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies) focused on the adventures of a team of secret agents and were mostly filmed in Hawaii. Several entries in the series were only produced by him and were written and directed by others. Although the series featured recurring characters, continuity between films was not a priority and it was common for an actress who played a villain (and was killed off) in one film to re-appear in a subsequent film as a hero. With his wife as his production partner, he made 12 films. His son, Christian Drew Sidaris, took over the directorial reins on two of the L.E.T.H.A.L Ladies films: ENEMY GOLD (1993) and THE DALLAS CONNECTION (1994).

MARCH 20, 2007: John P. Ryan, a character actor who appeared in Bob Rafelson films, died March 20 in Los Angeles of a stroke. He was 70. Born in New York, he served in the military and was introduced to the film business by Jack Nicholson. He appeared with Nicholson in Rafelson's FIVE EASY PIECES and THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS as well as in Arthur Penn's THE MISSOURI BREAKS. His other genre film credits include IT'S ALIVE (1974) and the sequel IT LIVES AGAIN (1978), FUTUREWORLD (1976), RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985), AVENGING FORCE (1986), FATAL BEAUTY (1987), CLASS OF 1999 (1990) and DELTA FORCE 2 (1990), in which he was injured in a helicopter accident that also killed 5 people.  John P. Ryan (who also used to appear simply as "John Ryan") was also a veteran of many television series of the 70's and 80's including: KOJAK, MATT HELM, STARSKY AND HUTCH, HAWAII FIVE-O and M*A*S*H. His manic acting style and bug-eyed appearance (especially as flustered police captains or nasty villians), made him an exploitation film staple, which was sealed as the father of the mutant baby in the first two of Larry Cohen's IT'S ALIVE series. His passing went unreported in most major newspapers. He will be missed.

APRIL 4, 2007: Director Bob Clark, who is well-known to genre fans for his early films CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS (1972), DEATHDREAM (1972) and BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) was killed today by a drunk driver while driving along a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. Clark's 22 year-old son, Ariel, was also killed in the crash. Clark would later receive mainstream attention for his PORKY'S franchise in the early 80's and his best film, the Christmas perennial, A CHRISTMAS STORY in 1983. For people who think that driving drunk is a victimless crime, let this be your wake-up call. Both the drunk driver and his passenger only received minor injuries. Let's hope he receives major jail time. Bob Clark was 67 years old. May he rest in peace.

APRIL 30, 2007: Tom Poston, the beloved sad-eyed comedian most fondly remembered as confused handyman George Utley on NEWHART, paseed away at the age of 85. Known for playing funny sad sacks, Mr. Poston appeared in many TV comedy series, starting with GET SMART as a guest star and was a favorite of Bob Newhart, who had him appear on every comedy series he did, leading up to his co-starring role as George Utley. He was widely used in comedy series of the 90's and 00's, guest starring or having recurring roles on THAT 70'S SHOW, COACH, FAMILY MATTERS, MURPHY BROWN, GRACE UNDER FIRE and many others. Genre fans may remember him for two films he did with William Castle in the early 60's: ZOTZ! (1962) and THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1963). Mr Poston also appeared on Boris Karloff's THRILLER TV series (the episode titled "Masquerade"), was a co-star in Mad Magazine's UP THE ACADEMY (1980), and was a guest on Chris Carter's THE LONE GUNMEN, just to name a few. He was married to his NEWHART SHOW co-star Suzanne Pleshette (who is battling lung cancer) when he died.

MAY 7, 2007: The Los Angeles Times reports that actor Nicholas Worth, known for villainous roles in numerous horror features, died of heart failure today at Van Nuys’ Valley Presbyterian Hospital at age 69. After work in blaxploitation movies (starting with 1973’s SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM!) and TV in the ’70s, Worth first caught serious attention from genre fans for his performance as deranged strangler Kirk Smith in 1980’s DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE! (recently released on uncut DVD by Deimos/BCI Eclipse). Wes Craven subsequently cast him as one of Louis Jourdan’s henchmen (paired with David Hess) in 1982’s SWAMP THING, in the 1984 TV movie INVITATION TO HELL and as the uncredited voice of the Reaper in 1984’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART 2. Worth was also a bad guy in Sam Raimi’s DARKMAN (1990), in which he memorably confronted “himself” (actually the titular hero in a false face). His other genre credits include 1986's THE LADIES CLUB (as a rapist who gets castrated), 1987’s HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN and the action flicks ACTION JACKSON (1988) and DEAD WEEKEND (1995), along with episodes of many TV series, including THE X FILES (“The Goldberg Variation”). On a more personal note: I met Nicholas Worth a few times early in my career when I was a cameraman on commercial shoots. He was alway a charming, funny gentleman who was nothing like his persona on the big screen. He was a true professional as well as a truly nice human being. He will be missed.

MAY 21, 2007: Italian director Bruno Mattei, who directed a ton of horror and exploitation films usually under the names "Vincent Dawn", "Stefan Oblowsky" and about a dozen other pseudonyms, died today at Grassi Hospital in Ostia City, Italy after battling an undisclosed illness and being in a coma for several days. He was 75 years old. Mattei was king of the Italian exploitation films and one of the very few horror directors still working in the business. Known for directing such sleaze epics as SS GIRLS (1977), THE OTHER HELL (1980), NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES (1980), CAGED WOMEN (1982), WOMEN'S PRISON MASSACRE (1983), RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR (1984), and ZOMBI 3 (1988), he also directed a string of low-budget "homages" to some of the big budget blockbusters, including ROBOWAR (1988), SHOCKING DARK (1989) and CRUEL JAWS (1994). Mattei was one of the few remaining Italian exploitation directors alive still making films and turned out inexpensive horror films, shooting in the digital video format. Most of his later films are as yet unavailable to the U.S. market. Let's hope some enterprising distributor picks these up (titles include: LAND OF DEATH - 2003; CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST: THE BEGINNING - 2003; THE TOMB - 2004; ISLAND OF THE LIVING DEAD - 2006: and his last film, ZOMBIES: THE BEGINNING - 2007) and put them out on DVD for the whole world to enjoy. Bruno Mattei was never apologetic for the type of films he made and he was right. There was (and still is) a market for these types of films. It's just unfortunate that no one but Mr. Mattei was still making them. His death is an important end to to an era of genre filmmaking. An era that we will not likely see ever again. R.I.P. Bruno Mattei.

May 25, 2007: I was just notified by Patricia Frost that her father, director/producer/writer Lee Frost, has passed away on May 25. I was a big fan of Mr. Frost, as he had directed the notorious LOVE CAMP 7 (1969), as well as HOUSE ON BARE MOUNTAIN (1962), ZERO IN AND SCREAM (1970), THE THING WITH TWO HEADS (1972), POLICEWOMEN (1974), THE BLACK GESTAPO (1975) and many, many others. He also wrote the screenplay (with frequent partner Wes Bishop) for RACE WITH THE DEVIL (1975) and appeared as an actor in many of his and his friends films. He was a pioneer during the 60's sexploitation boom who moved on to action, horror and blaxploitation flicks throughout his career. His last directorial effort was PRIVATE OBSESSION in 1994.

I was a big fan. He will be missed. For more on the career of Lee Frost, view my profile by clicking HERE.

RIP Mr. Frost.

June 5, 2007: Veteran producer Peter Simpson, maker of some 40 Canadian-financed movies and TV shows including THE ELEVENTH HOUR and the PROM NIGHT franchise, died Tuesday in a Toronto hospital from complications due to lung cancer. He was 64. Known as much for his outspoken manner as his lengthy list of credits, the Scottish-born former adman produced his first film in 1978, THE SEA GYPSIES, before moving on to his 1980 breakthrough PROM NIGHT. The teen horror, which featured Leslie Nielsen and Jamie Lee Curtis, was a hit and led to a string of genre movies through the '80s and '90s, including CURTAINS (1982), the actioners NO CONTEST (1994), THE RAGE (1996) and PROM NIGHT III: THE LAST KISS (1990), his sole effort as a director. In 1997, he cofounded Norstar Filmed Entertainment and went on to produce notable titles including the World War I drama REGENERATION (1997) and the Gemini Award-winning THE ELEVENTH HOUR (2002). "He was a one-of-a-kind guy, passionate about the industry, passionate about everything he invested himself in. That was part of his charm," says longtime friend and colleague Milt Avruskin. "When you got beneath that, there beat a heart of gold." Upon accepting a special Genie Award in 2004 for his contributions to the industry, Simpson spoke out against Telefilm Canada for a secret and controversial deal it had struck with Creative Artists Agency, in which the Hollywood outfit was to recruit Canuck actors based in L.A. to appear in Canadian productions, in return for a packaging fee. "I hope Stursberg doesn't [expect] to get his phone calls answered at that price," Simpson quipped, referring to Telefim's then-boss Richard Stursberg. Simpson courted controversy again in 2005 when he represented KARLA, the U.S.-made biopic of Karla Homolka, to Canadian distributors, eventually striking a deal with Christal Films. His most recent credits include the supernatural thriller THE MARSH, starring Forest Whitaker, and the forthcoming CTV mini WOULD BE KINGS, on which he executive produced alongside his wife, Ilana Frank.