Thursday, August 7, 2025

Thelma Lou: Betty Lynn, Joi Lansing, Grant Williams, Virginia Gregg (Book Reviews)

Not a month goes by that I do not received a package at my front doorstep containing a book that the author or the publisher asked me to review. Somehow I feel obligated because they went to all the time and expense to ship it to me, and write the customized letter requesting the favor. The most recent box came from Bear Manor Media and contained four biographies about actors and actresses that are long overdue. 

GRANT WILLIAMS

By Giancarlo Stampalia

An accomplished actor in film, theater, television, and old-time radio, Grant Williams, best-known for playing the title role in The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), gradually shrank away from the world. His film work reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood’s Golden Years, with such famous filmmakers as director Jack Arnold, writer Richard Matheson, and producer Walt Disney. 

 

After gaining experience in theater and studying with Lee Strasberg, Grant graduated to live American television, and then to small roles in film, such as Written on the Wind (1956) and dozens of television series, such as Gunsmoke (1959), Hawaiian Eye (1960-1963), The Outer Limits (1965), Bonanza (1960-1965), and Perry Mason (1964-1965), among many others. A melancholy loner despite being surrounded by Hollywood hullabaloo, his gradual fade from films and fame left him as an enigma . . . until now. 

 

Through archival and personal documents, the author now divulges details never known by the public and dispels the myths about the man that were created by columnists of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Rual Askew, Emily Belser, Harrison Carroll, Mel Heimer, Hedda Hopper, and Bob Thomas. 

 

I recall his role in The Monolith Monsters (1957) when I grew up, not The Incredible Shrinking Man, but I do hear his name credited on Suspense and Johnny Dollar radio shows from time to time. Grant Williams may be known today only as the Incredible Shrinking Man, but his legacy now finally enlarges again through this titanic tribute to a tallest of talents. Illustrated with 122 photos, many never before seen, including portraits, candid or personal photos, behind-the-scenes photos, publicity and production stills, and frame captures from films and television shows. Bibliography, a List of Film and Television Credits, and an Index. 

 

Giancarlo Stampalia did an excellent job with this book, helping to preserve the life and career of Grant Williams, who might otherwise have fallen into obscurity by now. 

 

 

UNCREDITED: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF ACTRES VIRGINIA GREGG

By Lona Bailey

She had one of the most recognizable faces and voices in American media for over 40 years. On the Have Gun - Will Travel radio program, she was Missy Wong. On I Led Three Lives, she was a villainous Comrade of the Communist Party who kept close eyes on Herbert A. Philbrick. But her voice remains largely uncredited and it seems unlikely all of her radio work will ever be fully documented. Consider her legendary performance as the voice of "Norma Bates" from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic Psycho, who provides the closing narration of the movie but is never credited on screen. 

 

In radio she was a semi-regular on classics like DragnetYours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and Richard Diamond, Private Detective. On television she made guest appearances on Gunsmoke and The Twilight Zone. In film she gave her most memorable performances in productions including Operation Petticoat, and Spencer's Mountain.


The character actress was well-loved by those who worked with her and I was pleased to see someone went to the trouble of documenting her career in a book.


 

GONE TOO SOON: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF RISING STAR STEVE IHNAT

By Linda Alexander

In 1967, Steve Ihnat was on top of the world in Hollywood, an actor on the precipice of true stardom. He was seen as both a heavy and a leading-man type, an actor who could fit into any role that came his way. He was making excellent money as a guest star on virtually every episodic show on television, seen on the screen most every night. Star TrekThe VirginianThe Outer Limits, and many other shows were already part of his resume. He’d branched off into movies, finding himself up against heavy-hitting superstars. Casting directors rang his phone constantly, and he never wanted for work. He was moving into writing and directing movies, and his personal life was turning the page into a deeper, more meaningful story. He was just beginning to live the life he’d always wanted for himself. 

 

Five years later, Steve Ihnat was dead. He was a man of international mystery, from the country of his birth, Czechoslovakia, to his home country, Canada, to his adopted country, the United States. His existence proved to be one of intrigue, not only in a great many of the roles he played, but in some of the underlying tones of his personal life. This was the late ‘60s and into the early 1970s. The world was in great turmoil with much change going on. Certain things were happening behind the scenes that would alter the direction of Steve Ihnat’s story, one which became a tale not even Steve could have imagined. Not even he could have written such a script if he had been trying to put together a movie with him in the starring role ... and that’s exactly what he had been doing. To this day, Steve Ihnat stars in a mystery which continues to develop.

 

Linda Alexander contacted his family and thus scored what is always essential for writing a biography: going directly to the source. She also interviewed people who worked with him. Through exclusive never-before-published photographs to exclusive recollections from colleagues, her biography about Steve Ihnat will be the quintessential book you ever need.


 

WHEN A GIRL’S BEAUTIFUL: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF JOI LANSING

By Richard Koper

Joi Lansing made a career in Hollywood at a time when being blonde and curvy was much appreciated. Although she never became as successful as Jayne Mansfield or Mamie Van Doren, let alone Marilyn Monroe, she carved out a path for herself, appearing in several iconic television shows. In the 1960s, she took a new route by becoming a singer, earning praise for her newfound talents.

 

Insecurity about her looks and talent plagued her all her life. In growing older, she did everything to stay young and beautiful. Nevertheless, Joi was also acute enough to know that it had taken more than good looks to become famous. In 1965 she stated that, “Looks are important, of course. But after the looks go, what does a girl have? What I mean is, a girl has to have more than just looks to succeed in Hollywood.” 

 

“When a Girl’s Beautiful” — The Life and Career of Joi Lansing tells the story of a vulnerable, sweet and talented woman, who gave her all to become famous and struggled to survive in the harsh world of show business. With an overview of Joi Lansing’s film and television appearances, it also contains rare pictures and many never-before-seen photographs from family albums. It’s enlivened with quotes and anecdotes of people who knew and worked with her. If you wanted to know anything about the actress, this book covers her entire life and career and is illustrated heavily with lots of photographs.


Friday, August 1, 2025

George O'Brien and The Lone Ranger Mystery

Seems I have a photograph in my archives that remains a mystery. Correctly dated 1936, cowboy actor George O'Brien posed outside the Strand Theatre, in East Los Angeles, California. The actor was playing cowboy heroes on the big screen so it seems unlikely he played the role of the famed radio masked man on stage, but rather one of his movies was being screened at the theater that week. But the mystery resolves about who played the role of The Lone Ranger on stage. Was this a performance? Was this a brief stage play? 

It is a known fact that had producer George W. Trendle, back in Detroit, learned about this, he would have thrown a fit. He was adamant about having anyone masquerade as The Lone Ranger on stage without his permission. The Lone Ranger on stage was more than likely unauthorized and slipped through the cracks without being observed by Trendle.

So... who was that masked man? 



Thursday, July 24, 2025

ORCHIDS AND ERMINE (1927) Movie Review

A number of years ago I saw a 1927 silent comedy, Orchids and Ermine, starring Colleen Moore as a 1920s flapper girl, “Pink” Watson, a switchboard operator at the Ritz Hotel, who abandons her dream of wearing orchids and ermine after numerous disappointing experiences with real and fraudulent millionaires. Richard Tabor, an unassuming but wealthy young oil tycoon, arrives at the hotel and switches identities with his valet Hank to avoid notoriety. Richard and Pink proceed to fall in love, while Hank wins the heart of Ermintrude, a gold-digging flower girl who believes him to be the real millionaire. After a series of amusing misadventures, each lands in jail. When all is resolved, Pink finds herself married to a real millionaire.

 

While the plot sounds cute (and perhaps zany) I have to admit the film not only had charm (thanks to the performance of Colleen Moore) but was highly entertaining. Now, I do not watch a lot of silent films but I manage to view about half a dozen every year and after decades of movie watching I can say this film is easily on the top ten list of must-see silent classics. So entertaining that this film made it on the American Film Institute’s 2000 list of the “Top 100 Funniest American Movies.” 

 

Exteriors for the film were shot on location in New York City, helping to preserve what was part and parcel of the roaring twenties on camera. Shortly after the arrival of the troupe in the city, from Los Angeles, the weather turned cold and rainy. This gives the film the distinction of being one of the first major motion pictures to show the streets of New York in the rain (the studio, making the most of a bad situation, chose to say they had planned for it to rain, and it was the lack of rain that had kept the troupe from returning to Los Angeles from New York on schedule). Cameras were placed in hidden locations so scenes could be shot with unsuspecting pedestrians, however when viewing the rushes of scenes just show, one news boy was seen staring directly into the camera in every shot; the sharp-eyed boy had noticed the hidden cameras in every instance.

 

But the child who really steals the film is Mickey Rooney, at the age of four. A number of reference guides and websites will claim this was Rooney’s film debut, but he did appear in a short subject prior. Naturally, this film pre-dates his popular Mickey McGuire series. And Rooney has a larger-than expected role as a millionaire midget.

 

I recommend you do yourself a favor and find this movie to watch. 

 

 

 

Friday, July 18, 2025

FOUR BOOK REVIEWS: Peter Mark Richman, Peter Marshall

Once again I feel obligated to provide a number of brief book reviews for a box that arrived on my front door, from Bear Manor Media publishing. I am posting stars to rate my opinion of the books, from one star to four stars, but do not let my opinion sway your purchase decisions. If the subject matter is what suits you, consider one of these as beach reading material. I know I took all four with me to the beach last week to read.

GOMER SAYS HEY!  **

By Denny Reese

While several books have been written on The Andy Griffith Show where the Gomer character premiered, this is the first tome devoted to the spin-off series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Here is an insider’s look at the sixties’ TV show from creation to analysis. Marine history is provided and the author’s viewpoint of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.ranked high with the service. The book also includes in-depth reviews of select episodes. There is career-spanning bios of the show’s main stars, recurring characters are featured, and there is a bounty of hand-picked photos throughout.

 

Included is an exclusive interview with one of the last remaining stars of Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., Ronnie Schell. The Mayberry franchise is extremely popular to this day. Now here’s a humorous and informative record of the years a hayseed recruit went toe-to-toe daily with his sergeant—invariably saving the day—and enriching the lives of everyone around him through side-splitting, sometimes heart-tugging life lessons.

 

 

 

DEANNA DURBIN: A HOLLYWOOD FAIRY TALE  *

By William Harper

Never has a “star” blazed more brightly across the Hollywood silver screen world as did Deanna Durbin. Without any stage or movie experience she flashed on the screen with a box office smash in 1936, at the age of fourteen, and continued with financial successes year after year – movie after movie to become Hollywood’s highest paid actress. In 1949, at the age of 28, she walked away from all of it too take up housekeeping and raising children with her third husband in the environs of Paris, France - stepping out of the spotlight into anonymity. However, when she died April 17, 2013 obituaries from around the world loudly proclaimed – Deanna Durbin was not forgotten.

 

In the pages of this book you will find biographical information as well as a look at every movie she starred and co-starred. 

 

I have a policy not to review a book if it is bad, avoiding the uncomfortable means of writing a negative review. But Bear Manor Media sent this to me and I feel obligated so I do want to put this out. I read the book in two hours. I truly expected a lot more about Deanna Durbin, and I suspect spending a few hundred hours browsing newspaper archives online, cinema magazines and even Variety’s online database would have provided me with so much more about the singer-actress. That is not to say this is a bad book, but when an entry for a movie devotes more time providing me with a plot summary than the behind-the-scenes trivia related to background production, adding newspaper reviews of the movies, I was slightly disappointed. A good read? Yes. Could there have been a lot more? Yes. If I spent money buying this book, I would have really been disappointed.

 


 

BACKSTAGE WITH THE ORIGINAL HOLLYWOOD SQUARE  ****

By Peter Marshall and Adrienne Armstrong

With a Foreword by Alex Trebek, this is one of those books that is quintessential for fans of television quiz programs. Peter Marshall, influenced by brother-in-law Dick Haymes, started his career as a big band crooner. Shortly thereafter, he hooked up with Tommy Noonan to form the comedy team of Noonan and Marshall. They appeared in major nightclubs and theatres throughout the country and made a number of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show which established them with television viewers nationally. 

 

Later, Peter starred in Bye-Bye Birdie on stage in London and Skyscraper on Broadway. He has returned to the stage many times during his long career in such shows as The Music Man42nd Street and La Cage Aux Folles among many others. Peter has starred in films, television series (dramatic, variety and game shows), nightclubs and concerts. He now hosts a top radio show on The Music of Your Life radio network, and continues to perform in concerts all over the world and has released two acclaimed CD's. 

 

This is his book, Backstage With the Original Hollywood Square, is certain to be a big hit with game show afficionados and fans.

 


 

I SAW A MOLTEN WHITE LIGHT…  ****

By Peter Mark Richman

Peter Mark Richman is a true Renaissance man: actor, writer, director, producer, and painter. He is also one of those character actors that did almost everything. A star of film (William Wyler's Friendly Persuasion), theatre (A Hatful of Rain, Albee's The Zoo Story) and more than 500 guest star roles on TV including The Twilight ZoneBonanzaThe Love BoatMission: ImpossibleThree's CompanyDynasty, and many others. He is instantly recognizable to millions, but his legion of fans haven't heard his extraordinary life story… until now.


From his childhood in South Philadelphia, to leading roles on Broadway and in Hollywood, Peter Mark Richman took time to tell many stories about the luminaries he encountered during his six decades in show business and about the spiritual quest that was the main influence in his life as a father of five, grandfather of six, and as a husband married to the love of his life for 65+ years. He recounted the production of a fantastic film often overlooked, The Dark Intruder (1965), how the cast and crew caught walking bronchitis during filming of an episode of The Outer Limits, and other fascinating recollections.


I SAW A MOLTEN WHITE LIGHT… is not just another celebrity autobiography but a highly personal work from a very public figure. This is his story.