Ann Prentiss, the younger sister of actress Paula Prentiss, had a pretty good career in front of the camera, She was featured in a number of small roles on some of the most popular TV series on the 60s and 70s. Adept at both comedy and drama, Ann appeared in episodes of Mannix, Hogan’s Heroes, Bewitched, Get Smart!, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Virginian and many, many others. She was featured on the big screen alongside Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis in the original Out-of-Towners, as well as a co-starring role in Robert Altman’s California Split with George Segal and Elliot Gould. Ann was the love interest in the single season sitcom Captain Nice opposite William Daniels. She even lent her voice to a character in seven episodes of the science-fiction send-up Quark, starring her brother-in-law, actor Richard Benjamin.

In 1996, Ann was tried and convicted of assault against her father. She had also made threats against other members of her family including her sister Paula and Paula’s husband, Richard Benjamin. While incarcerated for the assault, Ann made plans with another inmate to kill her father, Paula and Richard. She was sentenced to 19 years in prison. She passed away in 2010 while serving her sentence. Ann was 70.

Comments

comments

As a psychology major at Yale University, Bruce Geller discovered his real calling — theater.

He started his career writing scripts for shows on the fledgling DuMont Television Network in the early 1950s. He also tried his hand at writing librettos for several musicals, none of which were successful. Looking for better opportunities, he left his native New York City for Los Angeles. This proved to be a move in Bruce’s favor. Soon, he was writing scripts for a number of popular Western TV series, including Zane Grey Theater, Rawhide, Have Gun, Will Travel and The Rifleman. He was given a co-producer credit for the 1964-65 season of Rawhide.

With the job security that Rawhide provided, Bruce began developing another kind of series. In 1966, he conceived, wrote, directed and produced the ultra-suave and often complicated TV series Mission: Impossible. The show, known for its iconic “self-destructing” tape player, ran for seven seasons on CBS, garnering over two dozen Emmy nominations. Bruce himself was awarded two Emmys.

In 1967, one year after Mission: Impossible premiered, Bruce wrote, directed and produced another hit series — Mannix starring Mike Connors as the title tough private investigator. Sometimes focusing of socially-relevant issues, Mannix was recognized with over a dozen Emmy nominations in the course of its eight season network run.

Bruce made his only venture into feature films in 1973, directing and producing James Coburn and Walter Pidgeon in the pickpocket caper Harry in Your Pocket. This was one of the last films in Pidgeon’s illustrious career.

Bruce developed an interest in flight, specifically small aircraft. In 1974, he was killed when the twin-engine Cessna Skymaster, in which he was a passenger, ran into fog and crashed near Santa Barbara, California. He was 47 years old.

Comments

comments

In 1955, Carolyn Bryant made up a story that resulted in a 14 year-old young man being brutally beaten and lynched.

She died on April 25, 2023. She hung on to her made-up story for sixty-eight years.

With no remorse.

Comments

comments

Shortly after the 1938 annexation of Austria by the Nazis, Herbert Zipper and two of his brothers were sent to Dachau concentration camp. Despite the horribly adverse conditions, Herbert volunteered for demeaning jobs, where he could steal wood and other materials to make musical instruments for himself and his fellow prisoners. He assembled a small, secret orchestra that performed for the other inmates. Herbert composed “Dachau Song,” which was performed in secret and eventually would find its way to other camps.

Through his father’s persistence, Herbert was released in 1939. He was offered the position of conductor of the Manila Symphony Orchestra in the Philippines, which he accepted. He was imprisoned once again when the Japanese army invaded the Philippines. He was released after four months. After his release, he worked secretly for the Allies, transmitting shipping information by radio.

In 1946, Herbert emigrated to the United States. He became an advocate for music education, teaching at several respected schools in Chicago and in Southern California. He remained active until his death in 1997 at age 92.

Comments

comments

Anthony Newley was a talented, versatile actor, singer and songwriter. As a teenager, he was the star of a popular British film serial. This part led to a featured role in a 1946 film production of Oliver Twist, placing him as “The Artful Dodger” alongside Alec Guinness as “Fagin.” Later, he topped the British charts with recordings of the Lloyd Price tune “Personality” and “Why,” originally a hit for Frankie Avalon. He earned multiple Tony nominations for the musical Stop the World — I Want to Get Off. Anthony co-wrote the libretto, the songs and starred in the show on the London Stage, as well as its Broadway run. He won a Grammy in 1963 for “What Kind of Fool Am I,” the song he introduced as the show’s finale. He followed his success with another favored musical — The Roar of the Greasepaint — The Smell of the Crowd. He appeared in dozens of movies, including a co-starring part in Dr. Doolittle. In addition he co-wrote the title song for the James Bond film Goldfinger and all the songs for the beloved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

In 1970, Universal Pictures sunk half a million dollars into new musical from the golden pen of wunderkind Anthony Newley. The film — Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? — was a self-indulgent, psychedelic mish-mash that proved to be a financial and critical failure for the studio. With Anthony as producer, director, music director, composer and star, he led the cast down a confusing road of fantasy-charged, sexually-rampant, nonsensical scenarios for a bewildering 107 minutes. Due to its content, the movie was given an “X” rating and a lot of newspapers refused to carry its advertising for that reason.

In the very loose autobiographical film, Anthony plays the titular “Heironymus Merkin,” a respected musical performer approaching middle age and questioning his relevance as presented in a series of erotic production numbers. He cast his his then-wife Joan Collins as the suggestively-named “Polyester Poontang,” Milton Berle as a dapper devil-like character called “Goodtime Eddie Filth” and George Jessel as an unnamed messenger from Heaven. Rounding out the cast was 22-year old Connie Kreski, as the “Mercy Humppe” mentioned in the film’s elongated title. Hand-picked by Anthony on recommendation by his pal Hugh Hefner, Connie was making her film debut. Her only previous “before the camera” experience was posing nude in Playboy, earning the title of 1969’s “Playmate of the Year.” The film was fraught with innuendo and overt symbolism, weird sets and outlandish costumes and featured Anthony taking on the dual role as main character and the film’s on-screen director, depicted in harlequin makeup and often breaking the “fourth wall.” Joan Collins noted in her 1978 memoir that this film was a major factor in her divorce from Anthony Newley.

Despite the film’s miserable performance, Anthony remained active. He was often seen on television, variety shows, special programming, night clubs and even an appearance on the popular game show Hollywood Squares. He continued to write songs and ideas for musicals. He was working on a musical take on Richard III when he died of renal cancer in 1999 at the age of 67.

Connie Kreski enjoyed a modestly successful acting career, with roles in a few films and episodic television. She was close friends with actress Sharon Tate and was devastated by her brutal murder. Connie wrote a lovely heartfelt memorial piece about Tate for the Detroit Free Press. Connie passed away in 1995 from a previously undetected blockage in her carotid artery. She was 48 years old.

Comments

comments