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1-7 of 7
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Actress Barbara Lang was a beautiful, brassy "B"-level blonde of the 50s in the Barbara Payton mold. Lang's life was certainly not as reckless as that of Payton, who also flourished during the 1950s, but it did have its share of roller coaster rides. She also did not make as many films as Payton -- three to be exact.
Born Barbara Jean Bly on March 2, 1928, Barbara was the daughter of a silent movie dancer, Esther Kaufman, who went by the name Maureen Knight, and a non-professional father, Leonidis Bly. Born in Pasadena, California, she was raised in the Los Angeles area and started out her teen years toiling as a jewelry sales girl and used her nubile features and curvy figure to her advantage as a part-time model. She also earned tips as a cocktail lounge singer and piano player but avoided nightclubs per se because of the propositioning male clientèle that frequented them.
Out of nowhere Lang woke up one day in late 1953 unable to move. Stricken by polio, her speech was affected and her legs and facial muscles paralyzed. Told that she might never walk again, she miraculously recovered after months and months of treatment but the lingering effects of her illness robbed her of much of her stamina and she would tire easily for the rest of her life.
After her recovery she pursued an acting career, and one of Barbara's earliest acting jobs was on a few episodes of "Death Valley Days" in 1955 and 1956. Barbara met her first husband, actor and co-star Alan Wells, on one of those episodes. The couple married in 1956. A talent scout happened to catch Barbara's appearance on the show and MGM took an interest. As a result, she signed with the studio and began taking dramatic lessons. The starlet's first role was a bit part in Hot Summer Night (1957). She then progressed to the lead role in the prison noir House of Numbers (1957) as the wife of jailbird Jack Palance, which was actually filmed inside the walls of Folsom Prison. It seemed Barbara was on her way.
A huge disappointment then for Barbara was when she lost out on the co-starring role opposite Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock (1957). After being initially named by the studio for the part, Judy Tyler was given the coveted role instead. Tragically, Ms. Tyler was killed in a car crash shortly after the filming. Instead Barbara went on to play the supporting role of Ginger D'Amour, a 30's gangster-styled showgirl in the film noir Party Girl (1958) starring veteran MGM stars 'Robert Taylor' and Cyd Charisse
In the meantime Barbara tried to keep on track with TV guest roles playing sexy foils in both crime drama ("Maverick," "77 Sunset Strip") and comedy ("The Bob Cummings Show," "Car 54, Where Are You?") but things soon slowed down to a halt. With her annulment from Wells finalized in 1958 and a career going into an abrupt tailspin, Barbara attempted suicide in 1959 with an overdose of sleeping pills.
She recovered but her career did not. She later married and divorced a second time. Little was heard from Barbara until her reported death from pneumonia at the relatively young age of 54 in Los Angeles.- Garry had an early involvement with the stage appearing at the Patch, Repertory and Playhouse Theatres. One occasion was in 1957 when Sol Sainken produced a play titled 'Small Hotel' by Rex Frost, which starred Garry Meadows and Frank Baden-Powell at the Playhouse. The Playhouse had only been recently built and was opened the year before on 22 August 1956.
Garry then went on to become a well known radio and television presenter both in Perth and in the eastern states, before his untimely death at 43.
Garry joined radio station 6IX as a breakfast announcer in 1959.
In 1960, he moved into television with TVW Channel Seven as a newsreader and host of the teenage music program Teenbeat, but departed Seven at the end of 1961.
Garry was known not only as a great entertainer but also as an interesting character, a bit of a wild one in the early years before he mellowed.
After a job with a Newcastle, NSW, radio station, Garry returned to Perth in 1967 to host TVW's Spellbound and take over In Perth Tonight from his friend Gary Carvolth.
1968 was a busy time for Garry, who also hosted Perth's New Faces and was the front man for Bairds department store commercials, compering at the Nan King restaurant, whilst Martin St James performed his hypnotism cabaret act, and being a top radio personality with 6PR
Garry Meadows, was one of the first to incorporate talkback radio into his morning program when it was considered so revolutionary. When he and on-air partner, actress Joan Bruce, made personal appearances, thousands of people turned out.
In 1968, Garry was one of the principal hosts for TVW's first Telethon, appearing alongside Graham Kennedy, Bobby Limb, Stuart Wagstaff and Johnny O'Keefe.
In 1970 and 1971, Garry represented Western Australia at the Logie Awards, winning the Best Male Personality category (for TVW-7).
In 1973 he went back to Melbourne to host a national games quiz show The Price is Right (1973-1974) on the 0-10 Network, he also briefly hosted The Newlyweds Game for the 0-10 Network, returning again to 6PR in 1977, but left the station in 1978.
Also that year, Garry appeared in the comedy TV series The Bluestone Boys, then in 1977 he was in Bluey, followed by Bobby Dazzler in 1978 and Prisoner in 1980. Garry also hosted the 1980 Christmas Appeal (on TEN).
Garrett Seaton (Garry) Meadows passed away on Thursday, July 22nd, 1982. Garry died of a heart attack as he arrived at the 3DB studios in Melbourne for his evening radio program. He collapsed in the walkway at the Herald Building and ambulance-men worked for more than an hour to try to revive him. He had been found lying on his back by a member of the 3DB staff at about 7pm. Garry was due to go on-air at 8pm.
Garry was survived by his wife Rhonda and four children, Blake, Kelly, Tonya and Lee. - Music Department
- Soundtrack
Sonny Stitt was born on 2 February 1924 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is known for On the Road (2012), Black Girl (1972) and Les tricheurs (1958). He died on 22 July 1982 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.- Stefanie Watson was born on 3 July 1955 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. She died on 22 July 1982 in Laurel, Maryland, USA.
- Polde Dezman was born on 13 October 1916 in Ljubljana, Austria-Hungary [now Slovenia]. He was an actor, known for Valley of Peace (1956) and Life in Kajzar (1952). He died on 22 July 1982 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia.
- Winicjusz Wieckowski was born on 6 August 1929 in Biezun, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Z tamtej strony teczy (1973), Rdza (1982) and Zycie na goraco (1979). He died on 22 July 1982 in Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland.
- Writer
- Composer
- Music Department
Sven Paddock was born on 4 May 1909 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was a writer and composer, known for Vårat gäng (1942), Södrans revy (1950) and Gatans serenad (1941). He died on 22 July 1982 in Stockholm, Sweden.