Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Say, Haven't I Seen You Someplace Before? - "Airport"

Although the format and content of this blog has waffled about here and there through the years, it really came about as a place for me to foam at the mouth over all my beloved disaster movies of the 1970-1980 period. Those all-star spectacles in which a gaggle of name brand performers were pummeled with water or scorched or - as in this case - windblown and clinging for life in mid-air! The huge cast of Airport (1970) is riddled with such thespians. But interestingly, the performers who populate the other passengers on board The Golden Argosy flight to Rome depicted in the film were often known (or in some cases about to be known) entities themselves. The director George Seaton could have (and did) use extras for the movie, but he also made certain to cast experienced actors in many of the seats in order to ensure vivid reactions and an assortment of personalities within the airplane's skin. Hence this post, in which we spot some of the notable people you may not have recognized before. For example, did you know that in the famed shot above, there are - apart from the featured players Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset and Helen Hayes - a costar of a legendary sitcom, a B-movie leading lady and a former Jane, as in "Me Tarzan, you Jane" contained in the scene? More as we take off on this subject below.

Here we have a glimpse of one half of first class. The older lady looking at us is one Celia Lovsky. Once the wife of Peter Lorre, following their 1945 divorce, she began taking on multitudinous character parts in all sorts of movies and, in time, TV.

Lovsky was aboard the plane in Crash Landing (1958), traveled on a sinking freighter in Twilight for the Gods (1958) and later was on another plane with a bomb on board in Doomsday Flight (1973.) DO NOT travel with this woman!

She will always be remembered, though, by someone for her most famous TV appearance; that of T'Pau, ruler of the planet Vulcan, in a key episode of Star Trek!

Across the aisle is the other half of first class. The white-haired man in front is Benny Rubin, a comic actor whose incredible career on screen spanned from 1928 to 1985, with countless parts along the way. By the way, I always want to see more of the cute guy far right, but his seat assignment caused him to rarely be shown in the movie.  The balding man with a mustache towards the back? Another man you simply do not want to travel with...

Ray Ballard turned up five years later in Airport's sequel, Airport 1975!

Near the beginning of his career during Airport, by the time of the sequel he'd earned several lines as a severely skittish passenger on the plane which had collided with a small private aircraft. 

In a real departure from the norm, virtually every passenger on the plane was granted a character name! We would never hear these names in the movie, but it was all part of establishing real people with backgrounds (and the cast was shown a film of what happens to people during decompression of an aircraft.) Ray Ballard played a man called Gilbert Price and Benny Rubin played Sam Lasky. The young black gal is model Dawn Villere "playing" Dawn Williams. But who but they would ever truly know this?

Making our way into the rest of the plane, we find Dean Martin chatting up various passengers. He's visiting with the characters of amateur astronomer Schuyler Schultz and his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Schultz.

Many of you are probably familiar with Virginia Grey, who had a long career in movies and was a favorite "good luck charm" of producer Ross Hunter, who was in charge of Airport. And I've written before of the obnoxious son Lou Wagner, who had portrayed Lucius in Planet of the Apes (1968) and went on to play Harlan Arliss, the sometimes exasperated mechanic on CHiPs for 81 episodes.  But we can't forget the father, Dick Winslow.

He wasn't half-bad as a young man. Winslow essayed an astonishingly long and busy career as a character actor. His screen work stretched from work as a child in 1924 up until acting gigs as an old man in 1988! He had little parts in many, many movies and TV shows.

Eileen Wesson at the left plays Lloyd Nolan's niece Judy Barton and wasn't able to do a lot more after this, despite having worked in some projects beforehand. The lady on the right I don't know, but it never fails to annoy me the way she overacts recognizing her native tongue as the pre-flight announcement switches languages. LOL But, God, what about that scary-looking chick peering out from behind?! Little-known actress Savannah Bentley as Virginia Lopez. Maybe she was (with good reason!) scared of flying. Her husband Harold Lopez is played by Marco Lopez, who later was a passenger on the S.S. Poseidon!  
Lopez attending Gene Hackman's sermon on deck in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), right behind star Red Buttons.

The doctor looking at us is highly prolific performer Paul Picerni, who worked in countless on-screen projects. Across the aisle from him are two servicemen. The handsome black gent (character name Sgt. Edward Washington) is Marc Hannibal. Hannibal was right at the start of his career on TV and in movies (he also worked in The Grasshopper, which starred Jacqueline Bisset, this same year.) He proceeded to play an array of cops, judges and so on, but has an interesting blip on his resume...

Raise your hand if you've ever seen (or even heard of!) Super Stooges vs the Wonder Women (1974!) I certainly never have... What a hoot.

Hannibal does fill out his scanty costume rather well it must be said and is very strapping looking.

The soldier seated next to Hannibal is played by Richard Van Fleet. He's seen above dutifully handing out blankets to the cold and banged up passengers on the plane. Those of a certain age who ever watched All My Children ought to know him well.

In 1975 and for years on-and-off after he played Dr. Chuck Tyler, married to Donna Tyler. Chuck didn't know that his wife had not only once been a hooker, but also was unable to have children as a result of a prior abortion! Van Fleet still works in projects occasionally now.

All while Van Fleet is heading down the aisle, you can hear a woman repeatedly asking for a blanket. "Can we get a blanket??!" It turns out to be this lady in green.

If you don't already know, this is Marion Ross, better known as Mrs. Cunningham on Happy Days! Then a struggling actress and single mom, she won the "role" of Joan Myers, which proved to be an incredible break. For she made connections through this gig which eventually led to her iconic role on the sitcom.

Ross' seatmates are an attractive couple, one of which presumably was in dire need of that blanket she was hollering about. Ha! The lovely stewardess shown here Is Patty Poulsen, a real-life American Airlines flight attendant who was featured in their ads and was noted for her beauty and attractive figure. This was her only turn at screen acting.

Poulsen had been named Miss Astrojet and typified the slim, pert, glamorous image that the ladies in her profession once either aspired to (or were held to!) For a more detailed look at the stewardess uniforms of Airport, be sure to click here!

In the foreground on the left here is another notable name. Thomas Browne Henry, a staggeringly prolific actor who was dean of the Pasadena Playhouse.

I can't say his career went down the toilet because he voluntarily retired from the screen after this to concentrate on theatre, but he did sort of go out with a bang as he is the hapless passenger who happened to be in the lavatory the whole time Dean Martin and Van Heflin were squaring off over Heflin's bomb...!

Now's as good a time as any to bring up Peter Turgeon as Marcus Rathbone. His through-line in the movie is being as obnoxious and trouble-making as is humanly possible. He almost detonates Heflin's bomb on the shuttle to the airport and, as seen here, interferes with Dean Martin's plan to subdue Heflin with kindness.

Payback of a sort almost comes when he is left without oxygen for a time and nearly suffocates, but he's finally given a mask. Turgeon played all sorts of police detectives, lawyers (he was Richard Gere's in American Gigolo, 1980) and codgers over the course of his career.
One of the movie's cheapest (but biggest) laughs comes when the plane is attempting a landing and Turgeon is still annoying everyone with his comments. The priest across the aisle prays, then makes the sign of the cross...

...slapping Turgeon in the face to shut him up!

When he complains to second officer Gary Collins, Collins threatens to give it a try himself! There's a good glimpse of Marion Ross seated next to the big mouth.

Yes, the man in 21-D was a real pill from the start, complaining about stale nuts during the initial snack. To the left of him is not Shelley Winters' stunt double or stand-in, but one Barbara Morrison, a long-standing character actress. She had small roles in From Here to Eternity (1953) and played a mother superior in Papillon (1975), but is chiefly known as a sitcom foil for various stars, Lucille Ball and Red Skelton being primary ones.

As for the priest (Father Lonigan) who gave Turgeon a smack, that was James Nolan, a very busy character actor for 45 years in countless B-movies, television episodes and the occasional feature such as Dirty Harry (1971) or The Shootist (1976.) At the far left here is Robert Knapp playing a part called Jack Dunlap. 

Knapp was yet another very busy actor, co-starring in B-westerns, appearing in hordes of television series as a guest star and occasionally winning a bigger role as in Gunmen of Laredo (1959), in which he's shown taking on an opponent with a tomahawk above.

But there wasn't just a priest on board The Golden Argosy. There were also a couple of nuns. The younger one in the middle (Sister Katherine Grace) was played by Janis Hansen. Late in the film, she removes her wimple while helping to tend to a serious injury. Hansen had done some TV guest roles on series as diverse as The Big Valley, I Dream of Jeannie and The F.B.I.
She probably best known, though, for playing Tony Randall's girlfriend Gloria during the waning days of The Odd Couple, including one in which Hugh Hefner appeared and she was seen sporting a Playboy Bunny get-up! Quite a change of habit...!

The older nun (Sister Felice) wasn't exactly unknown herself. Does she appear any more familiar without her glasses on? The actresses name was Mary Jackson. A working actress from the dawn of the 1950s until the late-1990s when a stroke complicated her speaking voice, she played many matrons and biddies along the way.

She is unquestionably best known, however, for playing Emily, one half of The Baldwin Sisters on more than 60 episodes of The Waltons.

Along with Helen Kleeb as Mamie, this twosome perked up many an installment of the period family drama with their highly mannered shenanigans.

Unless you're blind, you ought to have spied that hunky serviceman with the nuns in the first photo of them. The strapping dreamboat Private First Class Bud Miller was enacted by Mark Russell. 

He's MY kind of man...! After the bomb explodes, he helps plug the gaping hole in the side of the aircraft.

The Scottish-born hunk played multitudinous policemen, guards, agents, soldiers and even henchmen over the years. He even appeared (uncredited) as a Vulcan in the very same episode of Star Trek that featured Celia Lovsky.

After many years of widely-varied bit parts, he landed on Kojak in 1973 as Detective Percy Saperstein. He was in the pilot TV movie as well as the farewell TV movie in 1985, his last credit. But he's still with us today and in his late 80s.

Visiting first class again for a moment, we see (right near Gary Collins' rear) an extra who I have seen in endless movies and TV shows over the years. I can't come up with his name, though. He almost never has lines. But the blonde lady near Collins' hand. That's Wilma Francis, a 1930s & '40s starlet who returned to bit roles later in her life and also worked as a casting director in her native Louisiana. 

She has a brief, but memorable, exchange near the end of the movie when she makes certain that crafty ol' Helen Hayes doesn't wander off with her expensive fur coat!

But what I only noticed this most recent time (out of dozens, I'm sure!) is that it is Francis who is at the ticket counter when Hayes weasels her way into the plane to begin with! It's a neat little bookend for these characters.

In this shot, we see the passengers reacting to the sudden decompression of the plane in the wake of Heflin's bomb exploding. Marion Ross is having a moment, but look at the opposite side in the middle next to the priest.

That's Sandra Gould, better known as the second Mrs. Kravitz on Bewitched! Gladys Freaking Kravitz was riding The Golden Argosy! LOL She was actually playing a "role" called Millie Miles. The doctor here, Dr. Grant, was essayed by Reginald Fenderson, who had been featured in a number of non-Hollywood all-black films which were seen around the world.

As a matter of fact, it was her friendship with Gould that led Ross to come to know the casting person who thought of her for Happy Days. So this was a momentous flight indeed for Ross. (No word if that is Elizabeth Taylor's lighting stand-in on BUtterfield 8, 1960, down in the lower right corner! Ha ha!!)

You may be forgiven for not recognizing the low-key man in the very rear of the plane (also appearing in the inset.) He certainly is not featured much in Airport, though there was a time he costarred in a couple of colorful adventure films.

The man is Nick Cravat, lifelong friend of the top-billed star of Airport, Burt Lancaster. The two were circus acrobats together and later worked together in The Flame and the Arrow (1950) and The Crimson Pirate (1952) in which the duo could perform any number of daring feats without the aid of stunt doubles.

His very thick Brooklyn accent led to him playing mute characters in any period movie, including both of these. He worked in quite a few Lancaster flicks along with others without him. Known to be tremendously strong, he also was capable of considerable belligerence when riled.

By far his most legendary and memorable credit is portraying the petrifying creature who terrorizes William Shatner in a famous installment of The Twilight Zone! Considering this, it's interesting that his Airport character Nick Valli is often seen peering out the window! 

And now at last we come back to that clump of people who began this post. In this shot we have the three people I mentioned earlier - a sitcom costar, a B-movie leading lady and a former Jane.

Pat Priest (as Mrs. Jerry Copeland), who was situated directly behind Helen Hayes on the plane, had previously played Marilyn Munster in The Munsters (this was after the initial Marilyn, Beverly Owen, took a quick hike.)

Right after The Munsters, she showed off a trim, yet curvy, bod in the film Easy Come, Easy Go (1967.)

Her leading man in that one? None other than "The King" himself, Elvis Presley. After that came a number of TV guest roles until her non-speaking part in Airport.

She was seen frequently (often playing cards), but says nothing.

Following Airport, she found herself playing the wife of scientist (!) Bruce Dern in The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971.) That's non other than Casey Kasem on the right as Dern's friend.

She was still showing off a trim figure in that...

...and sported some fun hair as well! After a 1976 appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Betty White's sister, she retired except for a bit part in a Munsters TV-movie.

In this shot, take note of the blonde lady at far left in sort of dim light.

As the situation shifts into one of increased tension, we see her from the other angle, now far right.

As you can see, she knew how to give good face, fixing her gaze on the mad bomber and never wavering.

Even as the shot drew in closer on Dean Martin, she's in it to win it. Hard to believe this utterly peripheral part is played by someone who starred in many secondary movies and had roles in others like All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Desk Set (1957) before heading her own syndicated TV series.

The actress is Merry Anders, a truly busy performer who worked in any number of flicks like The Dalton Girls (1957), The Hypnotic Eye (1960), House of the Damned (1963) and Elvis's Tickle Me (1965.) She also worked on the daytime soap Never Too Young and was a regular on Dragnet 1967.

Having worked as a model in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), she later starred in a syndicated TV show based on that blockbuster with Lori Nelson and Barbara Eden from 1957-1959.

With things such as 1964's The Time Travelers (seen here with burly Phil Carey), the descent into titles like Raiders from Beneath the Sea (1964) and Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966) began to dot her resume. After two more appearances in the wake of Airport, she retired, living until 2012.

Similar shot as the one with Merry Anders above. This time, we're focusing on the blonde lady a couple of rows back.

Here's a rare semi-decent glimpse of her (in my very favorite scene from the film.) Her name, which is never heard in the movie, is Mrs. David Corman.

Even though we're focusing on her, I thought it was neat that when Jackie Bisset shoves Whit Bissel aside...

...we wind up with another one of Merry Anders' gazes. Ha! But anyway... as to the other blonde in the back.

She's Eve Brent. Brent worked in quite a few TV shows of the 1950s & '60s and had the distinction of playing Jane on two occasions.

She experienced the joy of Gordon Scott's arms in Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958.)

The pair later did three episodes of a proposed television series which were edited into a TV-movie (not depicted here) called Tarzan and the Trappers (1960.) Though her fame didn't exactly explode, she remained a working actress with bit parts in movies like A Guide for the Married Man (1967) and Coogan's Bluff (1968) and plenty of TV. She proceeded to work in many shows and movies for many years after Airport, including The White Buffalo (1977), Going Berserk (1983) and The Green Mile (1999.)

So, you see? You never know who you may be sliding in next to on a plane! I hope you enjoyed this little excursion into some of the folks who populated this massive hit with a massive cast. Till next time!

25 comments:

BryonByronWhatever said...

Awesome post! I don't know how you keep finding all this amazing(ly obscure) and entertaining info. Bravo!

Dean W. said...

Another hoot, Poseidon...thanks! Seeing Red Buttons with his then, au courant neck-kerchief reminded me how fickle fashion can be!

Oh, and those 'Airport’ movies were so much fun (I think there were four of them, in all). I also went back and read your October 7, 2013 article about Airport ’77 (the one where they all take a wet-and-wild dunking), and really enjoyed your dissertation-quality post :>)

I’d also like to note that Ms. Olivia de Havilland (one of the bright spots in that film) was quite an accomplished individual, outside of her being a noted movie star.

She not only took on the studio-system and challenged the ‘seven-year contract-rule,’ and won – and that’s even with Warner blackballing her – she also completed numerous and quite dangerous tours of war zones, to entertain our troops during WW II. Ms. de Havilland was a great star of her age, and also a truly outstanding human being.

jamesgray said...

A terrific post - as we've come to expect!
Well Done

Dan said...

I picture the inside of your head as one of those old Univac computers, with thousands of punch cars whizzing around and sorting themselves by actor, film, and genre. How else to explain this level of obsessive detail? Of course, I meant obsessive in the most flattering way possible!

A said...

Hi Poseidon, great post!

I don't know how I missed Mark Russell; although I will say he looks familiar. I'll have to look him up.

I do recall Nick Cravat. Huba huba.

I remember Merry Anders from Perry Mason episodes - she was in three episodes, I think The was the epitome of a supporting starlet on the series.

I gotta add - I don't think anyone filled out a captain's uniform better than Dean Martin. When I first saw him in that, it totally changed the way I saw him.

Thanks again!

Scooter said...

Your eye and attention to detail continue to impress. Love this post!

Gingerguy said...

This was an amazing amount of information, kudos. Like imitates art, some blacked out drunk idiot on a Southwest flight had to be taped into his seat after freaking out on the flight Attendants this week, so there's still drama in the air.I'm so happily surprised to see Virginia Grey, it never registered when I watched this but have noticed her in small parts in other movies, "Backstreet" etc. Lol on the Italian Lady over doing it, will watch for that, does she clap her hands with joy? I tell people I never watched soaps as a kid but totally remember the Donna Tyler hooker thing.
Love the Patti Poulson pix! and the use of "pert" so right on. And Mark Russell is a dreamboat, I am probably going to Scotland next month and will look for his relatives. This was super fun to read

Poseidon3 said...

Thank you so much to everyone for your kind and appreciative words! Does a body good during these trying times.

ByronByron, I have been carrying around a lot of random info and memories for many decades now (and obviously have to look up a great deal as well.) It helps to get it up and out there (where it is presumably left in stasis until someone stumbles upon it! ha! Thanks!

Dean W, the "fickle" fashion you refer to is one reasons I am so wary about tattoos. What's hot now may not be so hot later... I'm so glad you liked my other post about "Aiport '77." I simply HAVE to watch those four films every so often, like a vampire who needs blood or a plant that needs sunlight! If you haven't already, check out my tribute(s) to Ms. de Havilland from some years back. I adore her. :-) Thanks!

https://neptsdepths.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-dont-need-reason-to-liv.html

https://neptsdepths.blogspot.com/2020/07/disastrous-demise-olivia-outlasting.html

jamesgray, how nice! Thank you. But that's a lot to live up to now. I may have a real dud soon. Ha ha!

Dan, I appreciate it so much. I was always an only child with an active imagination and it did sort of morph into an obsessive mania for showbiz. But as I mentioned above, I *do* have to look up quite a bit of this in addition to whatever I absorbed while wasting countless hours planted in front of a TV set or movie screen. :-) It's all good, though, because I still love learning more about the people and projects that I love. Thanks much.

A, I almost mentioned the exact thing you said about Merry Anders and "Perry Mason." She sort of exemplifies the type of gal you might find on that series, though it certainly wasn't all she did. It still amazes me that she played this wordless, extra role with barely any attention on her! Of course I would have LOVED, killed even, to be an extra in this sort of movie. I broke a pair of sunglasses once at the Universal Studios "Earthquake" attraction when I was selected to be up on the set for a demonstration of the special effects!!! HA HA! Dean Martin was handed many a snarky remark over his casting in "Airport" (due to his boozy - faux or not - Rat Pack image... people gasped at a "drunk" flying the plane), but -- apart from some sort of "groovy" dialogue at times -- I thought he acquitted himself beautifully and was really committed to what he was doing, especially as the story got close to its climax. Thanks!

Thank you, Scooter! Glad to see you.

Gingerguy, the last time I flew (December 2019) I was seated in front of an unruly female passenger who came VERY close to being ejected. She proceeded to totally destroy my flight home with her crazy mouth. I'm glad there is zero tolerance for nitwits on planes these days. And, yes, please bring me home a souvenir from Scotland in the form of a Mark Russell type. LOL Have a wonderful time!! Play the theme song of this movie on the drive/ride in. I WORSHIP the opening credits music, but still crack up at a review I once read in which the author described the exhilarating music roaring through the speakers as "absolutely nothing is happening on screen." HAHAHAHHA!

Dean W. said...

Poseidon, thanks for the two, interesting links! Ms. de Havilland had a far more storied career than I'd imagined; though, I wished she'd had better management, as some of her later film choices did not befit her talents!

Beef said...

I LOVE this post! Years ago, I was watching "Airport" (for the umpteenth time), and I said, "That blonde lady passenger certainly looks a lot like Pat 'Marilyn Munster' Priest." Was shocked to discover that it WAS her--and was surprised that this fairly well-known actress was basically an extra in "Airport." But I wasn't aware that "Gladys Kravitz" and other familiar, established performers were also recruited to play unbilled "Passengers" in this film! Maybe the pay was good?? After reading your post, I feel that I MUST watch "Airport" again (in its entirety!) with this new awareness of the "all-star" extras who appeared in the flight scenes! "Airport" fans (and I believe that there are MILLIONS of us) thank you for this vital information!

Dan said...

I just remembered something David O Selznick wrote - that it was foolish to economize on bit players because, for the few moments they are on screen, they ARE the stars of the film. This post certainly supports that.

Poseidon3 said...

Beef, thanks, and I'm glad this resonated for you! Sometimes I forget that I'm not alone in my adoration of these movies. I recommend a large screen and a Blu-Ray, but do what you can. ;-) I'd LOVE to see this on a big theater screen. It gets kicked around by naysayers, but in its day it was THE movie of the year. Such a finely-tuned script that brings several disparate elements (from the source novel) all together for a vivid connection at the big moment. As an aside, I kept smiling at how Helen Hayes was ON in every single moment, even when it was her turn to be a background player.

Dan, DOS was obsessive and near-insane, but he nonetheless had some great instincts and insights. I LOVE the instance that you bring up. I can never forget Ann Rutherford exclaiming to him how elaborate and detailed her costume was for "Gone with the Wind" when no one will ever see the layers and layers of petticoats underneath. His reply? "YOU'LL know they're there." Just love that...! Think about all the dreary B westerns with '50s actresses slogging around in old thin costumes that even they don't believe are authentic or appropriate. It does show. Thanks!!

FilmFan1 said...

In addition to your tremendous love for movies, especially the disaster movie genre, your respect for Hollywood featured actors and bit players is admirable. Imagine a child, grandchild or great-grandchild googling their acting ancestor's name and coming across one of your posts that identifies and pays tribute to their long-departed loved one. You offer these long ago professionals a type of immortality that cannot be measured. Just terrific!!!










Caladan59 said...

Great post!

Polly Esther said...

How funny; I’m watching The Munsters as I read this post!! Pat Priest was so pretty but under used.
Saw this movie and the titular Poseidon Adventure; actually ALL the disaster movies, in the theatres that featured Panavision, Vistavision or whatever that super wide screen was called. What an experience! Of course I saw Earthquake with Sensurround. What a gimmick.
Thanks for another great post.

Ken Anderson said...

What a delight this post was! Virtually overflowing in info, trivia, and film history. Your doing such a magnificent job of identifying these players is enhanced by this being one of my favorite films. Just love this and congratulate you on your research/knowledge! Learning has seldom been so much fun. Thanks

Poseidon3 said...

FilmFan1, I appreciate your comments so much! I would dearly love it if someone associated with one or more of these people was brought some degree of further information or just plain enjoyment at seeing the person's name mentioned. As much as I would have LOVED to play an extra in virtually any of my beloved disaster movies, I do know what it's like to be on set and live through the incredible tedium of filming. You wait and wait and wait until they're ready for those few moments of "fun" and then you have to repeat it time and again! Then it's back to waiting again. At least some strong friendships can be built (along with short romances, though not in my own case!) Thanks much.

Caladan59, I appreciate you taking a moment to offer a compliment! Glad you liked this.

Polly, I'm jealous! I saw SOME of these movies in the theater, but not all. The ones I did have stuck with me all my life, though. Thanks!!

Ken, I'm so happy you liked this so much! My mania for certain things probably bores a lot of people, so it's a real treat when someone actually derives considerable entertainment from it! LOL

BTW, I sorta feel like I failed on some level because I never wound up identifying the lady right next to Dean Martin in the first pic. Rarely has an extra been featured so heavily in promotional shots for a movie! Due to her haircut and a suit that resembles a uniform somewhat, I saw a photo one time many years ago that identified her as Jacqueline Bisset and it cracked me up!! (That particular moment had Jacks a little bit more obscured in the background.) In other news, I was watching a season one ep of "Bonanza" last night (with John Beal & Mala Powers as the guests) and who turned up but humpy Mark Russell as a silver miner -- shirtless even for a hot second! This time I knew who he was. :-D

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this!!!!!

Glitter said...

So surprised to see Marian Ross in an "extra" roll. She'd been in movies since 1953 and had a nice, supporting roll in Teacher's Pet (1958) starring Doris Day and Clark Gable. She really hit it big with her roll as Mrs. Cunningham on "Love American Style" just 2 years or so after Airport. BTW, she is STILL working, with an acting credit in 2021!

Love this article.

Dan said...

Just now watching the Perry Mason episode with a dewy young Marion Ross. She plays a rather over emotional woman quite unlike the unflappable Mother Cunningham. Oh, and in that last pic, just noticed Tarzan’s red thong underwear!

Poseidon3 said...

Dan, I can't be *positive* but I think some of the lobby cards from this era were tinted after the fact from black & white original photos (note the strangely greyish skin tone on Mr. Scott.) And his outer loincloth seems almost navy blue...! As Blanche once referred to Rose in a moment of rage, "a bubblehead whose hair looks like it was colorized by Ted Turner!" Ha!

Forever1267 said...

this is just incredible work. What an eye for detail! So fun to read, and I want to marathon these now myself!

Poseidon3 said...

Forever1267, thanks so much! I'm glad you liked this. I hope you get to watch the movies soon, too, and now can know a little bit more about the people on board The Golden Argosy! ;-) Take care.

Unknown said...

Wonderful post. I think you may love "Airport" almost as much as I have since its original release. I even flew from Houston to Chicago this past June for a 70mm film festival to see a new 70mm print issued by Universal.

And yes, this is the cinematic zenith for opening titles sequences.

Poseidon3 said...

Thanks so much for visiting/commenting! I had no clue about the "Airport" screening or I might have driven 5 hours there myself! I can never get enough of these movies...