Arthur Space

By Bruce Dettman

I had a bad experience with our family veterinarian when I was a boy. He botched the diagnosis of my dog, leaving him a crippled -- though still remarkably mobile -- canine for the rest of his life. Understandably, I harbored a bit of distrust - and dislike - for vets from that time on. There was, however, one exception to this cautionary viewpoint, Doc. Weaver on the TV series Lassie. Doc Weaver, portrayed in a kind, caring and avuncular manner by character actor Arthur Space (replacing Frank Ferguson in the part), tended the needs of the Miller family: Jeff, his mother Ellen and grandfather who lived on a farm (near Capitol City) with their wonderful canine. Later he would also apply the same expertise and sage advice on animal matters to the Martin family -- Ruth, Paul and Timmy -- who would inherit the collie later in the series run.

Arthur Space, veteran of hundreds of films and TV shows, also took time out from administering veterinarian care to the world's most famous canine (with apologies to Rin Tin Tin) to appear twice on the Adventures of Superman.

In the second season's Star of Fate he appears briefly as Dr. Wilson who tends to the victims, Lois Lane included, of a strange and unknown poison but who ultimately needs Superman's intervention to cure his otherwise doomed patients.

A more memorable part awaited him, however, the next year when, without the aid of kryptonite or the world's coldest freezer, he nearly puts one over on The Man of Steel. The episode in question is The Seven Souvenirs where Space portrays a certain Mr. Jasper who has devised a most clever plan to exploit Superman's own powers, namely his X-ray vision, for his own nefarious purposes. Most villainous parts on the series, particularly in the later shows, are usually pretty one dimensional and not to be taken seriously, but Space makes his character intelligent and believable. No over-the-top, scenery-chewing stuff here.
But then Space made a long and unsuccessful career out of being understated and believable. In a way, it was his trademark.

He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, October 12, 1908.

Like a lot of future actors and artists his long suit was never school although he did take up drama in his junior year of high school and was inspired and encouraged by the theatre coach there. In his senior year, in addition to appearing in a number of school plays, he was approached to also lend a hand at playing all the male roles at Douglas College, a well-known girl's academy. Before accepting the offer, however, he hopped a tramp steamer to South America where he spent some time bumming around until he returned to the States to work at the Douglas school in such productions as Seventh Heaven, The Royal Family and Death Takes A Holiday.

A decade of various productions followed which led to a stint with summer stock companies and assorted repertory theatres, eventually ending up in New York where he appeared in over fifty stage plays. There were lean years too and he was often kept afloat thanks to loans from his father.

In 1941 he up and came to California at the suggestion of Hollywood director Sylvan Simon who had worked with him in earlier theatrical productions. His first cinematic part was in The Bugle Sounds with Wallace Beery. Small but steady work followed in such films as Andy Hardy's Double Life, Tortilla Flat, Random Harvest, Enemy Agents Against Ellery Queen, Lassie Come Home (his first meeting with the collie), Dancing Masters (with Laurel and Hardy), Rio Rita (with Abbott and Costello), Whistling in Brooklyn, A Guy Named Joe, Wilson, 30 Seconds Over Tokyo, Wing and a Prayer, Mark of the Whistler and Our Vines Have Tender Grapes. In addition, he appeared as villains in two movie cliffhangers, Panther Girl of the Congo (opposite Phyllis Coates), and in Canadian Mounties Versus Atomic Invaders.

TV also beckoned. There were numerous minor appearances on many of the shows of the period. Then came along an episode of the small screen's first medical anthology series, Medic, where in 1955 he was given the lead role in a drama which told the story of Dr. Halstead, the physician who, in his attempt to find a more successful anesthesia, attempted experiments with cocaine which led to tragic results. Space earned excellent reviews for his portrayal which in turn led to a slew of TV assignments.

Just a few of his small screen credits include Annie Oakley, Stories of the Century, Topper, The Lineup, Gene Autry, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Four Star Theatre, Charlie Chan, Broken Arrow, The Restless Gun, Zorro, Wanted Dead or Alive, Leave It To Beaver, Amos and Andy, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Death Valley Days, Have Gun Will Travel, The Rifleman, Tales of Wells Fargo, Bonanza, Wagon Train, Perry Mason, The Big Valley, Wild Wild West, The Virginian, Ironside, Marcus Welby, The Six Million Dollar Man, Little House On The Prairie, Kojak, The Waltons, Charlie's Angels and Lou Grant. He also had a regular part as the father in the series National Velvet.

Arthur Space, who always added a sense of class, sophistication and complete professionalism to any project he was involved in, died January 13, 1983 in Hollywood. He left behind a wife and two daughters.

He was seventy-four years old.

Part of me also still believes he could have cured my dog.

Mr. Jasper is taken into custody.

Arthur Space in The Seven Souvenirs

Up Next: Peter Whitney

Bruce - December 12, 2010

Marshall Reed

By Bruce Dettman

"Hey, what happened to Inspector Henderson?"

    While there is no scientifically reliable means to accurately estimate how many Baby Boomers sitting cross-legged on their living room floors, their bodies maneuvered as close to the television sets as parental license would allow ("Get back from that thing now. You'll ruin your eyes!"), actually exclaimed this aloud while watching the first year episode of TAOS titled The Human Bomb but I suspect it was a goodly number. After all, Inspector William Henderson, as portrayed by actor Robert Shayne, was a regular on the series, as familiar to all of us as Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Perry White and, of course, Superman, and should rightfully have been the officer in charge when a local nutcase by the name of "Bet A Million" Butler showed up with a vest full of dynamite and a crazy scheme which included forcing Lois out on a narrow ledge of the Daily Planet building. Henderson, however, was simply nowhere to be found. Instead, some never before seen guy by the name of Inspector Hill, who all the regulars seemed to know, was in command. Perhaps Henderson was on another case. Perhaps he was off with his son Ray on a camping trip or home with the flu.

    In any case, Hill took over the case, or rather watched how things developed as Superman came up with a means to outwit Butler and save both Lois and the headstrong young Mr. Olsen, the latter deciding to tangle (unsuccessfully as it turned out) with the criminal thirty stories above ground. To his credit, he did have to go out on the ledge and bring Butler inside.

    One additional thing Hill did have going for him. His squared facial profile more resembled the Man of Steel's than Henderson's and since he eventually was called upon to lend his silhouette to Superman's scam in an attempt to fool Butler, this all worked out for the best.

    Hill was never seen in the show again and Inspector Henderson returned as Metropolis' most visible law enforcement official. Still in repeats we all wondered. Just where was Inspector Henderson?

    Fortunately, the actor selected to replace Shayne for that one episode, Marshall Reed, was both a familiar face and a good actor to boot with an extensive film and TV resume. He also showed up briefly a year later in the series as a government agent in the second season's The Whistling Bird.

    Marshal Reed was born May 28, 1917 in Englewood, California. He was involved in children's theatre at a very young age and later, during his high school years, belonged to two different theatrical groups. Following school he worked in a wide variety of jobs to support himself as he struggled to find work as an actor.

    He eventually finally secured a position with Denver's then well-known Elitch Gardens Sun Stock Theatre where he started at the bottom helping to build sets. After some small roles finally came his way he subsequently found work with several of the city's other theatrical concerns, later forming his own touring company. Stints in summer stock in both Los Angeles and New York City followed until 1942 when he decided to give Hollywood a crack. In order to supplement his initially sporadic income from films he worked at Lockheed Aircraft as did many struggling actors of the period. In 1943 he began his long association with Republic Pictures although leaving for two years to serve in the U.S. Navy during the closing years of World War II. Back at Republic he made scads of films, mostly westerns opposite sagebrush stars like "Wild Bill" Elliot, Tim Holt, Whip Wilson and particularly Johnny Mack Brown with whom he co-starred in thirty-three feature films.

    His extensive movie credits include Death Valley Manhunt, Partners of the Trail, Gentleman Joe Palooka, Web of Danger, In Old Sacramento, Law of the West, The Dalton Gang, Oh, Susanna, The Hallelujah Trail, The Lusty Men and They've Saved Hitler's Brain. He also appeared in numerous serials such as Tiger Woman, The Haunted Harbor, Zorro's Black Whip, The Scarlet Horseman, Pirates of the High Seas, Brick Bradford, The James Brothers of Missouri (with Noel Neill), The Great Adventures of Captain Kid, Riding With Buffalo Bill (in which he starred) and Federal Agents Verses Underworld, Inc.

    Like most character and supporting actors of the day who had made their bread and butter in "B" and programmers, Reed's career easily slipped into television where he worked nearly non-stop doing guest starring roles in a myriad pf shows in addition to a four year stint as policeman Fred Asher on the long-running police procedural Lineup (syndicated as San Francisco Beat).

    Only a partial list of his TV resume would feature Roy Rogers, The Range Rider, Boston Blackie, Cowboy G-Men, Hopalong Cassidy, Annie Oakley, Kit Carson, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, Wild Bill Hickok, Commando Cody, The Cisco Kid, The Red Skelton Show, Tightrope, Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, Lassie, Bronco, Checkmate, Maverick, Bonanza, Cheyenne, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, Dragnet, The Virginian, Marcus Welby, Cannon and Kung Fu.

    In addition to acting, Reed produced and directed several television documentaries for charitable organizations on the behalf of crippled children.

    Marshall Reed, a solid and dependable actor in and out of the saddle, passed away April 15, 1980 in Los Angeles.

Marshall Reed casting a shadow of Superman in...

The Human Bomb

Bruce - Sept. 4, 2010

Editors note: Marshall Reed bares an uncanny resemblance to Wayne Boring's illustrated version of Superman. - LK

Image Copyrighted by DC Comics-Warner Brothers.

Robert Wilke

By Bruce Dettman

Character actor and all-around cinema bad man Robert Wilke didn't just sneer when he was up to no good, he actually snarled. The one side of his lip would invariably creep upwards slowly displaying a sizable amount of ivory in the process, this act also forcing his one eye to close. It was not a countenance guaranteed to make an opponent - or victim - relax. On the contrary, it usually meant that violence was about to erupt. Early in his career, backing up Roy Roger's movies at Republic for instance, Hollywood tested a white hat on him for a short while but that snarl just wouldn't go away and he spent the majority of the rest of his career making trouble for a variety of leading men, many in many unforgettable films as well as scores of "B" efforts and TV shows of the 1950s and 60s. He was the nastiest of the four killers out to eliminate Marshal Gary Copper in the classic western High Noon, the mouthy wrangler who - recklessly as it turns out - goads James Colburn into testing his hand speed with a knife against his own with a six shooter in The Magnificent Seven and Captain Nemo's first mate who battled Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Wilke had a supporting role on TAOS in the excellent second year episode Perry White's Scoop but it was a memorable part all the same. He played Bingham, second banana and strong arm to Lynch (Steve Pendleton), a criminal mastermind dedicated to getting his grimy mitts on some note paper he intends to turn into counterfeit bills. Unlike most underlings in the series, Wilke has a goodly amount of screen time in this tightly woven story. In one memorable scene, posing as a gym manager, he pretends to interest Clark and Perry in a membership but when their true identities are revealed gleefully helps his boss herd them into steam cabinets cranked up to ensure their speedy deaths. Later in the show even the brutal Bingham balks at Lynch's sadistic plan to burn White, Jimmy and two other competing criminals in a railroad car ("You're not going to leave them in there?") but finally acquiesces and joins in the getaway until running into a Superman right cross. Most of the secondary criminals and henchman on TAOS were really pretty one-dimensional and forgettable but Wilke brought something highly memorable and interesting to the role of Lynch. But then, in a career that spanned over fifty years, he usually did.

Robert Joseph Wilke was born in Cincinnati in 1914, the son of German parents. He was enrolled in High School where he performed in skits and plays but otherwise did not take to a formal education, the result being that he was ultimately thrown out and forced to look for work at a young age.

An excellent swimmer and diver, he was able to eventually get a job performing aquatic exhibitions at the1934 World's Fair in Chicago. This in turn led to lifeguard gigs at New York's famed Coney Island and later Miami Beach.

A fall from a tree which broke his arm (he was reaching for a coconut to use to house some vodka in) ended his career on the beach and he and a buddy decided to journey to California and Hollywood to see if they could land work.

There were some lean times for Wilke but then luck intervened. Meeting and striking up a friendship with an assistant studio cameraman, he ended up watching a few movies being made and became interested in the role of the stuntmen in film. When he was informed how much they were paid he asked to be put on salary.

After a few years of falling off horses, jumping off cliffs and being banged around in western barroom brawls, stunt work began to seem like a dead-end, however when director Lesley Selander suggested he go into straight acting he jumped at the chance.

Although he never signed a contract with any one studio and always freelanced, a lot of his early work was at Republic, the majority of it being in westerns and cliffhangers.

Most of his early screen work was as an extra or uncredited but he continued to add to his resume. Films included San Francisco (as an earthquake victim), Man of Conquest, The San Antonio Kid, Jeepers Creepers, California Joe, Cowboy and the Senorita, Hidden Valley Outlaws, Marshal of Reno and Code of The Prairie. During this period he was also featured in a number of cliffhangers including The Fighting Devil Dogs, Adventures of Red Ryder, Spy Smasher, Captain America, Tiger Woman, The Masked Marvel, The Haunted Harbor, Daughter of Don Q, Zorro's Black Whip and Ghost of Zorro. He was also under the makeup in one of Republic Studio's few horror films of the period, The Catman of Paris.

Wilke might have continued with bit parts and walk-ons but his highly memorable stint as Pierce, one of the four killers in the aforementioned High Noon, helped ensure bigger and better parts including work in Best of the Bad Men, The Las Vegas Story, The Far Country, From Here to Eternity (with George Reeves), Powder River, Written on the Wind, Man of the West, Spartacus, The Cheyenne Social Club and The Hallelujah Train.

His final film was in the 1981 Bill Murray comedy Stripes.

During this period the fledgling medium television also made extensive use of his services. Wilke hardly missed appearing in any of the shows of the day including The Range Rider, Abbott and Costello, Gene Autry, Sky King, The Lone Ranger, Cisco Kid, Cowboy G-Men, Roy Rogers, Four Star Playhouse, Lassie, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, The Thin Man, Colt .45, The Lineup, The Rifleman, The Third Man, Wichita Town. Peter Gunn, Cheyenne, Tombstone Territory, Bat Masterson, Law of the Plainsman, Gunsmoke (as Wild Bill Hickok), Zorro, The Deputy, Wanted Dead or Alive, The Texan, Riverboat, The Untouchables (appearing as both gangsters "Bugs" Moran and "Dutch" Schultz), Bronco, Tarzan, Daniel Boone, Bonanza, Death Valley Days, The Fugitive and Dallas.

Robert Wilke was known away from the camera as one of the most dedicated golfers in Hollywood and it was said that he made more money on the links than he ever did as an actor.

But it is as an actor, and a good one, that he will be remembered.

Robert Wilke died in 1989 in Los Angeles.

Steven Pendleton and Robert Wilke from

Perry White's Scoop

Vidcap selection by Carl Glass

Bruce - July 2, 2010

Anthony Caruso

By Bruce Dettman

Anthony Caruso made only one appearance on TAOS but it was a dilly, appearing as one of the show's most memorable villains, Luigi Dinelli, on the first year episode Czar of The Underworld. Dinelli is the criminal kingpin of a Hollywood-based mob intent on bringing to a halt a motion picture that will reveal to the public the true story of his illegal operations. Clark Kent, who has written the factual expose that the film is to be based on, and Inspector Henderson travel to Hollywood to act as technical advisors on the production and soon run smack dab into more murder engineered by Dinelli. Eventually Superman confronts the smug, cigar-chewing mob boss at his hotel decked out in a gaudy smoking jacket. Apparently this criminal hasn't done his homework on his costumed visitor. He calls two of his goons in to take on The Man of Steel but this obviously gets him nowhere. Next he foolishly draws his own gun and empties it. No help there either. Finally he realizes what he is up against and begins to panic. The Man of Steel, however is having fun, taunting him, asking him what he's going to do with the gun now that it's empty. As an answer, Dinelli throws it but it bounces harmlessly off Superman's chest. Next thing he knows he has been knocked cold and flown (or a dummy, the head of which the Man of Steel inadvertently whacks against a building after landing) to the movie studio.

Anthony Caruso as Luigi Dinelli in Czar of the Underworld

It's a great five minutes and a favorite scene of many of the show's fans, me included. Caruso plays the role to the hilt in traditional Hollywood gangster fashion and it's always great fun to watch him go from cocky tough guy to a scared rabbit in a few moments.

Anthony Caruso, though born in Frankfort, Indiana (1916), always played -- with the exception of those numerous occasions when he was cast as an American Indian -- the parts of foreigners, usually Italians, Greeks or even south sea islanders -- and more often than not these were not very nice people. His handsomely chiseled features, strong but slightly menacing, bore a distinct ethnic stamp (he was he son of Italian immigrants) and this led to a long and successful Hollywood career impersonating gangsters, hit men, half-breed killers, bloodthirsty pirates and the like.

Raised from the age of ten in Long Beach, California, he joined a local stock company of actors after graduating from high school in 1934. This led to his enrolling in the famed Pasadena Playhouse where another aspiring actor, George Reeves, was studying his craft. It was also during this period that Caruso befriended actor Alan Ladd who became one of his closest friends. Once Ladd had become an established leading man he often helped Caruso, who had gone on to try his luck in Hollywood, to get parts. They eventually appeared in twelve motion pictures together and remained close pals until Ladd's premature death.

Caruso was always in demand and rarely if ever without a paycheck. His credits include over a hundred films and TV shows.

Some of his screen work includes: Johnny Apollo, Northwest Mountain Police, You're In The Army Now, Across the Pacific, Lucky Jordon, Above Suspicion, Watch on the Rhine, Whistling in Brooklyn, Objective Burma, Story of Dr. Wassell, Crime Doctor's Courage, Pride of the Marines, A Gun In His Hands, The Blue Dahlia, Last Crooked Mile, My Favorite Brunette, They Won't Believe Me, Undercover Man, Anna Lucasta, The Asphalt Jungle, His Kind of Woman,Pals of the Golden West, Blackbeard, the Pirate, Fort Massacre, Hell on Frisco Bay, Cattle Queen of Montana and Walk the Proud Land. In addition to many mainstream films he was featured in two Tarzan movies, Tarzan and the Slave Girl and Tarzan and the Leopard Woman. He also had a small part in the Columbia serial The Phantom and was featured in horror films The Catman of Paris and Phantom of the Rue Morgue.

If anything he was even busier on the small screen with appearances on Racket Squad, Fireside Theatre, Stories of the Century, Four Star Playhouse, The Lone Ranger, Fury, Soldiers of Fortune, Broken Arrow, The Crusader, Adventures of Jim Bowie, Wire Service, Circus Boy, The Restless Gun, Tombstone Territory, Line-Up, Zorro (he was regularly featured during the first season), Gunsmoke (a near appearance record of fourteen shows), Mike Hammer, Sugarfoot, Peter Gunn, Abbott and Costello, Tales of Wells Fargo, Riverboat, Wanted Dead or Alive, The Untouchables, The Deputy, Tightrope, Thriller, Bourbon Street Beat, Surfside Six, Have Gun Will Travel, Laramie, Star Trek (as, of course, an alien gangster), Wagon Train, Cain's Hundred, Bonanza, Rawhide, Get Smart, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Mannix, Mission Impossible and My Three Sons.

Caruso continued working up through the 1980s with his final role in The Legend of Grizzly Adams in 1990.

Known as a real class act throughout the industry, the actor once commented that he had only had two regrets about his career, that he never had the opportunity to work with either Clark Gable or John Wayne.

Anthony Caruso died three days before his 87th birthday in Brentwood, California.

His ashes were scattered over the Pacific.

Anthony Caruso as Luigi Dinelli, George Reeves and Robert Shayne

Bruce - May 27, 2010

Myron Healey

By Bruce Dettman

Hollywood was no easy nut to crack after World War II. The studio system was coming to an end, budgets were being trimmed, actors, even long-standing stars and well-known feature players, were being laid off as were scads of film executives, writers and directors. And if this wasn't bad enough, something was looming on the horizon, something called television.

Into the churned-up waters of the movie-making industry, contributing further congestion, were many young men, veterans of World War II, who had studied acting on the G.I. Bill. A few of these hit the big time but many did not even manage to make a single dent in the world of motion pictures. Then there was the third group, none fated for major stardom but individuals who managed by their talents and looks -- and sometimes just good timing -- to secure steady, productive and lengthy berths in the movies and on television.

One of these individuals was Myron Healey who is reported to have appeared in some one hundred and thirty motion pictures and over five hundred TV shows.

Healey was born in Pasadena, California in 1923. His father was Robert, a noted physician, his mother, appropriately named California, was busy in civic activities. And his godfather was Luther Burbank, the world famous horticulturist.

Myron's first work in the entertainment industry was on radio where he appeared as a child prodigy on a game show. In addition, he was involved in amateur theatrics where he sang, danced and played various instruments.

From 1940-1941, under the auspices of the Victory Committee -- which would later become the USO -- he toured in shows entertaining the troops. Not long after this he signed a contract with MGM studios and was a featured player in several of their Crime Doesn't Pay series of short features.

The call of duty, however, proved more important than credits on the big screen. Myron enlisted in the United States Air Corp where he served with the 323rd Marine Bomber Group as well as Martin's famed Marauders as both a navigator and bomber. Later he was shot down by the German Luftwaffe's experimental rocket-powered fighters but fortunately survived the crash.

In 1946, finished with his service duty, he returned to film work.

After small parts in several movies he made his first western in 1948, a Glenn Ford picture called The Man from Colorado, a picture that would alter his cinematic destiny. Following this he never looked back as far as work was concerned. Whether on the big or small screen he was always kept busy.

With his sturdy build, resonant voice and tough features -- which included slightly beady eyes -- he was a natural for villainous roles and got them, scads of them, many in westerns where he played opposite the best-known western stars of the day including Whip Wilson, Monte Hale, Allen Lane, Charles Starrett, Gene Autry, Joel McCrea, Rod Cameron, John Wayne and Bill Elliot. Some of these "B" westerns include Gunlaw Justice, Wyoming Bandit, Range Justice, The Lawless Code, West of Wyoming and Pioneer Marshal. He also wrote the script for Colorado Ambush (1951) in which played opposite Johnny Mack Brown.

Some of his early non-western roles - many uncredited -- were The Iron Major, Thousands Cheer, I Dood It, See Here, Private Hargrove, The Crime Doctor's Manhunt, Blondie's Big Moment, Buck Privates Come Home, Combat Squad, Cattle Queen of Montana, The Corpse Came C.O.D., Kill the Umpire, Fuller Brush Girl, Walk A Crooked Mile, Wake of the Red Witch, Federal Man, I Was An American Spy and Between Midnight and Dawn. He also turned up in cliffhangers, a small part in Columbia's Batman and Robin (1949) and as Phyllis Coates' co-star in Panther Girl of the Congo (1955) as well as venturing into the realm of horror in the cult classic The Unearthly (1957) with John Carradine and "Scream Queen" legend Allison Hayes.

His work on TV was equally extensive with appearances on Fireside Theatre, Burns and Allen, Cowboy G-Men, The Range Rider, Hopalong Cassidy, Ramar of the Jungle, Stories of the Century, Waterfront, The Falcon, Kit Carson, The Cisco Kid, Buffalo Bill Junior, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Sky King, M Squad, Judge Roy Bean, Sea Hunt, Bourbon Street Beat, Riverboat, Bronco, Colt .45, Broken Arrow, Annie Oakley, Casey Jones, Gene Autry and The Lone Ranger. In one of his favorite acting stints he also temporarily replaced Douglas Fowley as Doc Holliday on Wyatt Earp. Another historical character he played multiple times was gangster John Dillinger who he portrayed both in the 1957 film Guns Don't Argue and on the TV series Gangbusters.

Myron appeared on The Adventures of Superman three times. None of the episodes are rated very highly in the pantheon of best shows but there are many fans of his first assignment, the third season's Bully of Dry Gulch where he plays Gunner Flinch, a modern day western bad man and sagebrush con artist who not only tries to dispel frontier (in) justice on Jimmy and Clark but has the temerity to make "goo-goo eyes" at Lois. From this point on his fate was sealed although, as it turns out, he's all bluff and not such a bad guy after all. The next season he showed up for two shows, Dagger Island, as Paul Craymore, one of three siblings in line for a sizable inheritance, and the rather silly Jolly Roger as a modern day pirate.

In real life Myron was married and had two daughters and a granddaughter. He enjoyed the outdoor life, particularly fishing.

In 2000 he was awarded the prestigious Golden Boot Award for his work in westerns.

Myron Healey, a hardworking, durable, talented and appealing actor despite his ties to cinematic villainy, passed away December 21, 2005 in Simi Valley, California.

Left to right: George Reeves, Myron Healey, Jack Larson and Raymond Hatton.

Dagger Island

Bruce - April 7, 2010

Lane Bradford

By Bruce Dettman

Relatives were rare on TAOS. Both of Clark Kent's set of parents were dead and there were no siblings. Unlike her comic book counterpart, Lois Lane had no sisters or brothers and seemed to have been raised by a Miss Taisey in a place called Clifton by the Sea that would figure in the first year adventure The Deserted Village. Jimmy Olsen had a mother who he lived with but no brothers or sisters that we know of while Inspector Henderson had a son named Ray (The Talking Clue). It was Daily Planet Editor Perry White who seemed to have the most family, a globe-trotting sister named Kate (Drums of Death) and a nephew named Chris who showed up in the second season adventure Jet Ace.

Chris White had first been introduced on the Superman radio series. It is unclear due to insufficient data on certain lost episodes if he appeared more than once on the airwaves. On TV, however, it was just a single occasion. It was also one of the show's more interesting casting selections. Even as a kid, seeing the episode for the first time, I recall finding it odd if not a bit jarring that the actor picked to play the youthful test pilot was Lane Bradford. I was not familiar with his name at this juncture but I certainly knew his face, one trademarked with a broken nose, lantern jaw and receding hairline. Anyone who watched TV, even infrequently, did.

In looking over Bradford's professional resume one finds an absolutely staggering amount of film and television appearances with the vast majority of them being in westerns. Examining this list of credits it is hard to believe that the actor ever had a day off during the so-called Golden Age of Television.

His TV work includes Wild Bill Hickok, Craig Kennedy, Sky King, Cowboy G-Men, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Stories of the Century, Rocky Jones, Lineup, Father Knows Best, Gene Autry, Adventures of Champion, Judge Roy Bean, The Cisco Kid, Buffalo Bill Jr., State Trooper, Adventures of Jim Bowie, Annie Oakley, Rin Tin Tin, Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, Adventures of Charlie Chan, Sugarfoot, Richard Diamond, Zorro, The Grey Ghost, The Lone Ranger, Broken Arrow, Jefferson Drum, Yancy Derringer, Mike Hammer, Rough Riders, Bronco, Have Gun Will Travel, The Restless Gun, 26 Men, Colt .45, Bourbon Street Beat, Dick Powell, The Plainsman, Black Saddle, Bat Masterson, The Texan, Johnny Ringo, Tate, Lawman, Rifleman, Wyatt Earp, Tall Man, Maverick, Klondike, Sea Hunt, Wells Fargo, Thriller, Rawhide, The Untouchables, Cheyenne, Laramie, Ripcord, Ben Casey, The Fugitive, My Favorite Martian, Wagon Train, Perry Mason, Branded, Daniel Boone, Girl From U.N.C.L.E., Lost in Space, Bat Masterson, Larado, Lassie, The Virginian, Dragnet, It Takes A Thief, High Chaparel, Bonanza, Gunsmoke,, Cannon and Marcus Welby. His favorite role was that of the famed California Indian Chief Sequoia on an episode of Death Valley Days.

He was born Myrtland La Varre Jr. in New York in 1922. His father was the actor John Merton, himself a veteran of hundreds of B movies, many of them westerns, action films and serials including a performance on the Adventures of Superman (Man in the Lead Mask).

Lane began his career in the film industry working as an extra earning $7.50 a day. This in time led to a stint as a stuntman specializing in work with horses. Not long afterwards his acting career kicked in, most of his early roles being uncredited, but his resume continued to grow, mostly in B westerns and more often than not as a villain making things bad for some of the most popular western heroes of the period including Tim McCoy (Frontier Crusader), Charles Starrett (Riders of the Badlands), Wild Bill Elliot (North From Lone Star), Bob Steele (Thundering Trails), Bob Livingston (Death Riders of the Plains), Buster Crabbe (Terror On Horseback) Johnnie Mack Brown (Shadow On The Range) and Alan Lane (Bandit King of Texas). He occasionally found himself in non-genre roles in such films as Hangmen Also Die, The Immortal Sergeant and Ten Men From West Point but these were rare and it was on a saddle and clutching a six shooter that was responsible for most of his bread and butter. He also showed up in a number of cliffhangers including Jack Armstrong, The Vigilante, The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James and, in his most offbeat role, as the lead Martian in Zombies of the Stratosphere.

In addition to playing Chris White in Jet Ace where he tangles with spies and thanks to Superman's help comes out on top, he was also featured in two other episodes of the series, The Phantom Ring where he was one member of a gang of criminals capable of turning themselves invisible and in Test of A Warrior in the role of an unidentified Indian disguised as a bear out to harm Jimmy.

Despite his looks and villainous resume Lane Bradford is reported to have been one of the nicest guys in the business. This writer has been told by film historian and makeup artist Michael Blake that his father Larry Blake, who played opposite the actor in Jet Ace, found him to be extremely friendly and impressive to work with.

Next to acting, Lane's great love was sailing. After retiring from the screen he moved to Hawaii where on June 7, 1973 he died aboard his boat. He was only fifty-one years old.

Jet Ace

Bruce - December 07, 2009

UP NEXT: Myron Healey

Frank Richards

By Bruce Dettman

Frank Richards looked like he'd had about a hundred bar fights and lost 99% of them. For the many bad guys he played both on the big and small screens, however, his puffy and misshapen mug, accompanied by a rough, muffled, sometimes barely inarticulate style of speech, served him well. Frank never won a beauty contest, but he did win a lot of roles. Born in New York City in 1909 his early acting work was on the stage but he soon gravitated towards Hollywood.

Frank appeared three times on the Adventures of Superman but his most famous moment was not in any of the original scripts, not exactly anyway. In the first season's A Night of Terror, as a sadistic hoodlum named Solley who is trying to prevent Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) from leaving a crime scene, he not only fends off a purse unleashed in his direction by the spunky and resilient reporter but fires back with a most ungentlemanly punch of his own. Problem was actress Coates somehow got off her mark and went down faster than a shot of tequila in a biker bar. For Coates this was the most memorable moment on the show at least the one she recalls most vividly. Being the pro she is she has always taken full responsibility for the screw-up. More than fifty years later she still recalls with laughter how they revived her and began shooting again as soon as possible so her jaw wouldn't swell up in front of the cameras. Frank was reportedly horrified about the incident. But that's show biz.

Frank's other appearances in TAOS weren't quite as memorable, either on camera or behind the scenes, but he was always interesting to watch. In the second season's Shot In The Dark he's one of criminal mastermind John Eldredge's two henchmen who almost succeed in crashing a subway train. Similarly in Tin Hero, he is part of Big Jack's (Jack Lomas) mob.

Frank had a long run in films, nearly thirty five years. His tough and beleaguered features lent themselves to villainous roles but also played his share of blue collar everyman types. His entry was Before I Hang in 1940. The years following this were filled with all manner of walk-ons, uncredited parts, bits and occasionally a meatier character role. Some of these films include The Corsican Brothers, Reap The Wild Wind, Alias Boston Blackie, The House on 92nd Street, The Setup, Tough Assignment, The Threat, Carbine Williams, Across the Wide Missouri, A Double Life, Appointment Murder, Destry, Father of the Bride, The Atomic Kid, I, The Jury, Guys and Dolls, Teacher's Pet, From the Terrace, and finally, his last film, A Woman under The Influence in 1974.

He also kept busy in TV managing to appear in all the major shows of the era, again usually as a bad guy. Just a few of these include Racket Squad, Sky King, Ramar of the Jungle, The Lone Ranger, Stories of the Century, Death Valley Days, Medic, Jungle Jim, Annie Oakley, M Squad, The Restless Gun, 26 Men, Ozzie and Harriet and The Twilight Zone.

Tough, menacing, always watchable Frank Richards died in 1992.

Big Jack (Jack Lomas) and Marty (Frank Richards) realize their bullets are useless against Superman and the Metropolis Prison is the only place they will be spending their next few years.

Tin Hero

October 26, 2009 - Bruce

UP NEXT: Lane Bradford

Maurice Cass

By Bruce Dettman

Sometimes "over-acting" gets a bad rap. While excessive chewing of the scenery by a particular actor can often destroy the effectiveness of a scene if not on occasion an entire production, certain practitioners of over-the-top theatrics and excessively ripe deliveries have not only done quite well for themselves but have been very popular with the public. The trick is to know how far is far enough.

Vincent Price was a master at this. His histrionics in his later horror films, particularly the Edgar Allen Poe adaptations produced by Roger Corman, were not only tolerated but embraced with great affection by fans. John Carradine and Basil Rathbone could also be capable of pushing the envelope when the right moment called for it, and on the distaff side of things, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis were not exactly shrinking violets in the scene-stealing departments. A great favorite of mine was Richard Boone who must have kept a tweezers with him to remove the shards of wood that stuck in his gums after some of his performances. But I loved the guy.

The Mystery of the Broken Statues

Maurice Cass, who would appear on two episodes of The Adventures of Superman, was of this school and makes the most of his appearances. In The Mystery of the Broken Statues, from the first season, his role is a small one, simply the proprietor of a curio shop who watches with devilish satisfaction and delight as some cheap figurines he is only too happy to part with are smashed right in front of him by a couple of suspicious customers. This role, however, was just a warm-up for his most memorable contribution to TAOS, namely that of Meldini, the rogue scientist genius and cohort of gangster Happy King (Peter Mamakos) from the second season's The Defeat of Superman. It is Meldini who puts a very dangerous two and two together and comes up with the theory that an element from Superman's home planet Krypton (don't ask how anyone, Superman included, knows where he originally came from) might prove to be dangerous to the Man of Steel. When this is confirmed, King and Meldini hatch a scheme to lure Superman to his death using Lois and Jimmy as bait and a brick of Kryptonite to destroy him.

If anything, Cass's gleeful, maniacal, scene-stealing performance as Meldini eclipses in enthusiasm his earlier stint as the antique dealer. He is obviously relishing this juicy part and director Tommy Carr doesn't just let him run with it, he allows him to go at a full gallop. His scenes with Mamakos are particularly wonderful as he goads and teases his less intelligent boss. Cass was nearing the end of his life when he did his turn as Meldini. It was, in fact, one of his last performances before passing away from a heart attack on June 8, 1954. Because of his advanced age he didn't have a chance to do much TV work although there were a few credits such as The Mickey Rooney Show and Fireside Theatre. He received the most attention on the small screen from his nine appearances on the series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger where he played Professor Newton, the wise old scientist quite adept at spouting scientific goblilgook that sounded most impressive to the kids watching the show. Cass died in harness, making Rocky when he died.
The diminutive actor was born October 12, 1884 in Lithuania.

Coming to America he decided on an acting career and worked on the stage for years before entering films in 1932. Because of his small stature, bird-like features and the pince-nez he never seemed without he was often cast as educated and brainy characters who a writer once described as projecting a "slightly absent-minded aloofness."

Cass made over 120 films in which he was often not credited. Some of these include The Skull Murder Mystery, The Man Who Broke The Bank Of Monte Carlo, Pigskin Parade, Charlie Chan At The Opera, Woman of Glamour, Thin Ice, The Lady Escapes, Gangs of New York, The Lone Wolf In Paris, The Great Man Votes, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Blood And Sand, Blondie Goes To College, Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen and Cat Man of Paris.

His wonderful turn as Meldini will never be forgotten by Superman fans. "Check and double check, Mr. King!!"

The Defeat of Superman

August 26, 2009 - Bruce

Billy Nelson

By Bruce Dettmann

Billy Nelson always seemed to be losing the battle against gravity. His face, weathered and worn like an old catcher's mitt, sagged and drooped sorrowfully, and on TAOS his baggy suits never seemed to fit quite right. Billy didn't just have bags under his weary eyes, he had foot lockers. His expression seemed to proclaim, without the need for words, that he had seen it all and really wasn't too interested in seeing much more.

Billy honed a total of five appearances on the series, showing up in each season save the first. He was also cast in the special Stamp Day for Superman show. You can find him as Louie in The Dog Who Knew Superman, as Larry McCoy in The Machine That Could Plot Crimes, as Blinky in the aforementioned Stamp Day, as Sully in Joey, as Knuckles Nelson in The Big Forget and, given his rather unremarkable physique, as the oddly named "Muscles McGirk" in The Talking Clue. In all honesty, his roles were pretty much the same, nearly interchangeable in fact. He was usually cast as the taciturn, thoughtless henchman and petty crook but on occasion was promoted to lead bad guy. Still, he never seemed to have a truly mean streak despite his criminal credentials and always looked tired, more suited for an easy chair than an electric one. It was hard to dislike him.

Billy Nelson was born in New York City in 1903 although very little is known about his formative years.

He entered films in the early thirties working in short comedies at the Hal Roach Studios. In many of his initial assignments he was featured opposite a largely forgotten British comedian named Douglas Wakefield. From there he began to appear in feature length films, his first part being in the movie Crook's Tour in 1933. He worked fairly steadily after that although most of his parts were small and often uncredited. Some of these include: Dillinger, Waterfront, Salute to the Marines, Anchors Away, The Whip Hand, The Pride of St. Louis, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Seven Little Foys, The Kid From Brooklyn, Under Cover Man, His Kind of Woman, 12 Angry Men, Mr. Scoutmaster, Cowboy In Manhattan and Ten Cents a Dance.

He was also extremely active in early television with appearances on Lassie, Death Valley Days, Boston Blackie, Wild Bill Hickok, Dragnet, Lineup, Bat Masterson, Tombstone Territory, M squad, Death Valley Days, Highway Patrol and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

He began to work less and less as the 1950s came to a close.

Billy Nelson passed away in 1979, finally getting that long rest he always appeared to be seeking.

Billy Nelson as Sully, George Reeves as Superman. Episode: Joey

June 10, 2009 - Bruce

Richard Benedict

By Bruce Dettman

Squat and beefy actor Richard Benedict (born Riccardo Benedetto, January 20, 1920), who logged up three appearances in the Adventures of Superman, had a smile as crooked as the characters of some of the less than stellar characters he occasionally played throughout his long career. When he was a villain there was something rather unsettlingly gleeful about his bad guys. They weren't just bad, they enjoyed being bad and took enormous pride and satisfaction in the fact. And yet there was also a likable trait to Benedict that also made him believable when found himself on the opposite side of the street playing the good guy.

The nasty side of the actor is best personified in Benedict's first outing on the show as Baby Face Stevens in the first season's gritty and tough Night of Terror. Stevens is a hired gun, a contract killer paid by an unseen crime boss to show up at the Restwell Tourist Camp and kill anyone there who might be available to implicate his employer in certain illegal dealings, including visitors Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson (Phyllis Coates and Jack Larson). He is known for only using the exact number of bullets required for his intended victims and obviously relishes both his infamous reputation and skill. This is no clownish, hard-to-take-seriously buffoonish villain of the later shows, but a real nasty customer not to be taken lightly. and Benedict shines in the part, almost uncomfortably so. Good thing Superman appears just in time to re-arrange his mug and that lopsided lip.

He also appears on the wrong side of the law in the second season's very popular episode Semi-Private Eye playing Cappy Leonard, part of a team of kidnappers who try to kill Lois and Jimmy with poison gas but are foiled by Superman.

His third and final appearance on the show was in the offbeat fifth season entry Close Shave where he played Tony, the hypnotist barber who makes it his life's business to reform certain misguided customers. The show lacks punch but Benedict is good in the part.

The Italian-born Benedict (whose nickname was Peppy) started his career in the mid-1940s, just as WWII was grinding to a victorious halt for the Allies. Many of his early roles were small and uncredited but he kept working. He was good in war and service-related films where he often played glib, wisecracking urban sorts. Even when he was cast as a good guy there was something slightly shifty and suspect about him and he shined in street smart roles. Some of these early credits include Winged Victory, A Walk In The Sun, O.S.S., Somewhere in The Night, Till The End of Time, Crossfire, City Across the River, Race Street, Streets of San Francisco, The Window, Destination Big House, State Penitentiary, Ace In The Hole, Hoodlum Empire and Murder Without Tears. He was also featured in the cult sci-fi film It: The Terror From Beyond Space which not only was the forerunner of the "Alien" movies but which co-starred TAOS alumni Ann Doran and Dabbs Greer.

Benedict's everyman look made the transition to television effortless with appearances
in most of the shows of the period, particularly the dramatic ones. A selection of these would include Waterfront, G.E. Theatre, The Whistler, Navy Log, Circus Boy, M Squad, Wyatt Earp, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, The Lone Ranger, Perry Mason, Laramie, Dragnet, Surfside Six, Highway Patrol, The Lone Wolf, The Untouchables, Peter Gunn, Hawaiian Eye, The Roaring Twenties, Mike Hammer and Schlitz Playhouse.

During the late 1950s, however, while he was guest-starring in the above shows, he also began the transition to director, eventually totally retiring from acting in favor of behind the camera duties and helmed a large number of series' including Bronco, Surfside Six, The Fugitive, I Spy, The Man From Uncle, The High Chaperrel, Mission Impossible, The Bold Ones, Get Smart, Marcus Welby, Mannix, Police Woman and Quincy. He also scripted an episode of The Virginian in 1965.

Richard Benedict, a familiar and talented figure both in front and behind the camera, passed away in April 1984 in Studio City. Actor Nick and producer Sam are his sons.

(l. to r.) Douglas Henderson as Noodles and Richard Benedict as Cappy are two bad guys from:
Semi-Private Eye

April 11, 2009 - Bruce

Lou

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