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- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Once told by an interviewer, "Everybody would like to be Cary Grant", Grant is said to have replied, "So would I."
Cary Grant was born Archibald Alec Leach on January 18, 1904 in Horfield, Bristol, England, to Elsie Maria (Kingdon) and Elias James Leach, who worked in a factory. His early years in Bristol would have been an ordinary lower-middle-class childhood, except for one extraordinary event. At age nine, he came home from school one day and was told his mother had gone off to a seaside resort. However, the real truth was that she had been placed in a mental institution, where she would remain for years, and he was never told about it (he would not see his mother again until he was in his late 20s).
He left school at age 14, lying about his age and forging his father's signature on a letter to join Bob Pender's troupe of knockabout comedians. He learned pantomime as well as acrobatics as he toured with the Pender troupe in the English provinces, picked up a Cockney accent in the music halls in London, and then in July 1920, was one of the eight Pender boys selected to go to the United States. Their show on Broadway, "Good Times", ran for 456 performances, giving Grant time to acclimatize. He would stay in America. Mae West wanted Grant for She Done Him Wrong (1933) because she saw his combination of virility, sexuality and the aura and bearing of a gentleman. Grant was young enough to begin the new career of fatherhood when he stopped making movies at age 62.
One biographer said Grant was alienated by the new realism in the film industry. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he had invented a man-of-the-world persona and a style - "high comedy with polished words". In To Catch a Thief (1955), he and Grace Kelly were allowed to improvise some of the dialogue. They knew what the director, Alfred Hitchcock, wanted to do with a scene, they rehearsed it, put in some clever double entendres that got past the censors, and then the scene was filmed. His biggest box-office success was another Hitchcock 1950s film, North by Northwest (1959) made with Eva Marie Saint since Kelly was by that time Princess of Monaco.
Although Grant retired from the screen, he remained active. He accepted a position on the board of directors at Faberge. By all accounts this position was not honorary, as some had assumed. Grant regularly attended meetings and traveled internationally to support them. The position also permitted use of a private plane, which Grant could use to fly to see his daughter wherever her mother Dyan Cannon, was working. He later joined the boards of Hollywood Park, the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle - Hollywood, California), Western Airlines (acquired by Delta Airlines in 1987) and MGM.
Grant expressed no interest in making a career comeback. He was in good health until almost the end of his life, when he suffered a mild stroke in October 1984. In his last years, he undertook tours of the United States in a one-man-show, "A Conversation with Cary Grant", in which he would show clips from his films and answer audience questions. On November 29, 1986, Cary Grant died at age 82 of a cerebral hemorrhage in Davenport, Iowa.
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Grant the second male star of Golden Age of Hollywood cinema (after Humphrey Bogart). Grant was known for comedic and dramatic roles; his best-known films include Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963).- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Writer
Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by gospel music, country music, and rhythm and blues acts, which he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Ritchie, the 'California Kid' was from a family of poverty stricken fruit pickers and was the first rock star to originate from the West Coast and one of the innovators of 'Latino rock. In an eight month career he scored three hits with 'Come On Let's Go', 'Donna' and 'La Bamba' before being killed in an air crash on February 3rd 1959 which also took the lives of Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper.. He was just 17. Associate producer Daniel Valdez spent 2 1/2 years searching for Ritchie's family then discovered them living just 15 minutes from where he lived. He then spent months learning all about Ritchie before writing a script which he gave to the family for their approval and with it filming went ahead. The part of Ritchie went to the then 25 year old unknown Lou Diamond Phillips who put on 15lbs to get a chubbier face and learned how to sing and play the guitar after he'd past the audition. During the filming Lou married his own 'Donna' Julie Cyphers who was a production assistant on 'La Bamba'.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
John Falsey was born on 6 November 1951 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Northern Exposure (1990), I'll Fly Away (1991) and St. Elsewhere (1982). He was married to Julie and Kathy Suzanne Mynes. He died on 3 January 2019 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Dale White was born on 13 January 1932 in Otto, Wyoming, USA. He was an actor, known for The Jack Benny Program (1950). He was married to Marie Maughan. He died on 16 February 2006 in Pella, Iowa, USA.- Dick Dale was born on 14 September 1926 in Algona, Iowa, USA. He was married to Marguerite Gappa. He died on 26 December 2014 in Algona, Iowa, USA.
- Rocco Francis Marchegiano , better known as Rocky Marciano, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only heavyweight champion to have finished his career undefeated. His six title defenses were against Jersey Joe Walcott (from whom he had taken the title), Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Don Cockell and Archie Moore.
- Gene Blakely was born on 8 June 1921 in Osceola, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Used Cars (1980), Everything's Ducky (1961) and That Darn Cat! (1965). He died on 23 November 1987 in Creston, Iowa, USA.
- Big, brawny and burly, with a rough face, thick, dark curly hair, a furry mustache, a deep, growly voice, and a strong, stocky build, the redoubtable James Whitworth certainly made his aggressive and intimidating presence felt in several choice down'n'dirty 1970's drive-in exploitation pictures in which he often portrayed brutish, nasty and despicable bad guys. James was born on February 19, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York. Among Whitworth's more memorable roles are a vicious biker in "The Black Angels" (1970), a mean prison guard in the pleasingly sleazy "Sweet Sugar" (1973), one of the scuzzy low-life criminal inhabitants of "Terminal Island" (1973), and a hulking telephone repairman who's severely clobbered by a trio of desperate kidnappers in the terrific "The Candy Snatchers" (1973). Whitworth gave an especially wild go-for-broke frightening performance and thus achieved his greatest enduring popularity as Papa Jupiter, the ferocious father of the deranged desert-dwelling cannibal family in Wes Craven's outstanding "The Hills Have Eyes" (1977). Whitworth was likewise fine and impressive in a rare change-of-pace good guy lead as the tough and valiant take-charge hero of the hugely enjoyable low-budget science fiction outing "Planet of Dinosaurs" (1978). Besides his film credits, Whitworth also did guest spots on such TV shows as "Mission: Impossible," "The Rockford Files," "Fantasy Island," "Emergency!," "Quincy M.E.," and "B.J. and the Bear." He abruptly stopped acting in the early 1980's. James died of lung cancer on December 15, 1991.
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Joey Jordison was born on 26 April 1975 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Resident Evil (2002), Rollerball (2002) and Terminator 5: Smert Gollivuda (2004). He died on 26 July 2021 in Waukee, Iowa, USA.- James G. Becker (15 March 1966 - 5 December 2014; age 48) was a former background actor who appeared as the Starfleet officer known behind the scenes as Ensign Youngblood throughout the first three seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also worked as a stand-in on the series.
Hailing from a small farming community in Oswego, Illinois, Becker was on the road to becoming a farmer like his father, majoring in Agricultural Economics at the University of Illinois. After two years, however, he decided that, while he enjoyed farming, it was not something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He returned home to Oswego and, with his parents' blessing, took a construction job while saving money and contemplating what to do with his life. Fascinated with television (which did include the original Star Trek series), he ultimately decided to move to Los Angeles and try his luck in Hollywood.
Once in Los Angeles, Becker began taking acting classes. About six months later, a friend introduced him to Les Landau, the First Assistant Director for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Soon, Becker found himself on the set of TNG's pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint", as one of many background performers in the mall scene of Farpoint Station. The following week of filming the pilot, he was on the set of the USS Enterprise-D bridge in a science blue Starfleet uniform. Although his character never received an official name, his cast and crewmates referred to him as "Ensign Youngblood" - "an affectionate tribute to the way Becker's personality shines clean and fresh."
Becker's determination had also shown through. Even when he wasn't working, Becker was still on the set observing and learning about the many intricacies of television production, including direction, lighting and photography. After filming on the pilot was finished, Becker asked Landau to allow him to become an occasional stand-in, which he permitted. A few weeks later, Becker's devotion and willingness to learn led to his becoming a stand-in for Jonathan Frakes and filming scenes with the regular actors. (The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 3, pp. 64-66)
After "Encounter at Farpoint", Becker went on to appear as Youngblood in 40 episodes of Next Generation. During the third season, Becker decided to return to Illinois and resume college. Among his last episodes was "The Offspring", directed by Jonathan Frakes. As a parting gift, Frakes gave Becker his first and only word of dialogue - "Gentlemen" - as well his first and only on-screen credit.
Becker settled in Britt, Iowa where he became a State Farm agent and a high school assistant boys basketball coach for West Hancock High School. He passed away on 5 December 2014 at the age of 48. - Music Department
- Soundtrack
The Big Bopper (real name: Jiles Perry Richardson Jr. ) was an American singer, songwriter, and disc jockey from Texas. His best known song compositions were" Chantilly Lace" (featuring a flirtatious phone conversation) and "White Lightning" (a rockabilly hit). Richardson was killed in an airplane crash in the winter of 1959, alongside fellow musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. He was only 28-years-old. Their death date on February 3, 1959 is remembered as "The Day the Music Died".
In 1930, Richardson was born in the small town of Sabine Pass, Texas. The town is primarily remembered as the location of two different battles in the American Civil War. It was annexed by the neighboring city of Port Arthur, Texas in 1978. Richardson's parents were the oil-field worker Jiles Perry Richardson (1905-1984) and his wife Elise Stalsby (1909-1983). Richardson was the eldest of three sons born to the family.
Richardson was primarily raised in Beaumont, Texas, and attended Beaumont High School. He graduated in 1947, at the age of 17. He was reportedly an athletic young man, and served as a defensive lineman in the American football team "Royal Purple". He received his college education at Lamar College in Beaumont, Texas (later renamed to Lamar University). He was a pre-law student.
During his college years, Richardson was a part-time worker at the radio station KTRM in his hometown of Beaumont Texas. In 1949, he was hired by the station as a full-time employee. He decided to drop out of college at that time. In 1952, Richardson married his girlfriend Adrienne Joy "Teetsie" Wenner (1936-2004). The new couple soon had their first daughter, Debra Richardson (1953-2006).
By 1954, Richardson had been promoted to the rank of supervisor of announcers at KTRM. In March 1955, Richardson was drafted into the United States Army. He completed his basic training at Fort Ord, California. He was then transferred to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where he spend his two years of army service as a radar instructor. He was discharged from the Army in March 1957, with the rank of corporal.
Richardson was immediately rehired by KTRM, and granted his own music show. Richardson had seen college students performing a dance called "The Bop". He decided to adopt the stage name "The Big Bopper" for his new show. His show run for 3 hours in the afternoons. He was also promoted, becoming the radio station's program director.
In May 1957, Richardson set a new record for length of on-air broadcasting. He performed a single continuous broadcast for a total of five days, two hours, and eight minutes, during which he played 1,821 different records. While he had become famous as a disc jockey, he soon started working as a songwriter. He composed notable songs for George Jones and Johnny Preston.
Richardson was interested in performing his own songs. He signed a contract with the record producer Pappy Daily (1902-1987), who specialized in promoting country acts. Richardson's first single, "Beggar to a King", was met with indifference by the public. Richardson had his first great hit with "Chantilly Lace" (released in June, 1958). It reached the 6th place on the pop charts, spending 22 weeks in the national Top 40. It established Richardson's new stage persona as a "good-natured caricature of a ladies' man".
Richardson had his second hit song with the novelty song "The Big Bopper's Wedding". The song's main character is about to get married, but gets cold feet at the altar. In January 1959, Richardson was ready to promote his music act with live performances. He signed up to participate in the concert tour "Winter Dance Party", alongside Buddy Holly (and his band-mates), Ritchie Valens, and the vocal group "Dion and the Belmonts". The tour was scheduled to cover twenty-four Midwestern cities in as many days, with no off days for the music performers.
On January 23, 1959, the tour started with a live performance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By February 2, the touring performers reached Clear Lake, Iowa, for their 11th performance. However, the tour was poorly planned and the musicians had run into problems. The tour "erratically zigzagged back and forth across" the Midwestern United States, with the musicians spending between ten to twelve hours each day in a tour bus. They faced "freezing mid-winter temperatures" and poorly maintained rural highways. The tour buses broke down frequently, and had to be replaced 5 times in 11 days. No road crew had been hired to assist the musicians with transporting their equipment. Both Richardson and Valens were sick, experiencing flu-like symptoms.
By the time the touring musicians reached Iowa, Holly was fed-up with the traveling conditions. He chartered a plane to fly himself and his band to Fargo, North Dakota, which was closer to their next destination at Moorhead, Minnesota. The plane was a single-engined, V-tailed Beechcraft 35 Bonanza, with enough space for three seated passengers and the pilot. Richardson asked to join the flight, as he was too ill to keep traveling by bus. Valens requested the third seated place in the flight, and won it in a coin toss with another musician.
The chartered plane took off from Mason City Municipal Airport on February 3, 1959, with weather conditions including light snowing and winds estimated as reaching the speed of 20 to 30 mph (32 to 48 km/h). The flight would prove fatal for all three passengers. The Bonanza impacted terrain at high speed in a nose-down attitude. Richardson's body was found at some distance from the the wreckage of the aircraft, thrown into a cornfield. A coroner determined that the cause of Richardson's death was "gross trauma to brain".
Richardson was buried in his home state of Texas. Two months following his death, Richardson gained a posthumous son by his wife. The son, Jay Perry Richardson (1959-2013), became a musician as well. He used the stage name "The Big Bopper, Jr." The elder Richardson's remains were transferred alongside his wife's grave in 2007, at the request of their son. The couple are buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, located in Beaumont, Texas. A stainless steel monument to Richardson, Holly, and Valens was erected at the crash site in 1988.- Denny Gable was born on 27 November 1950 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Sextette (1977) and Pumping Iron (1977). He died on 23 July 2000 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Donald W. Thompson was born on 18 August 1937 in Hornell, New York, USA. He was a writer and director, known for The Prodigal Planet (1983), Image of the Beast (1981) and Blood on the Mountain (1974). He was married to Beverly Thompson. He died on 17 July 2019 in Iowa, USA.- Mike Niday was born on 26 August 1950 in the USA. He was an actor, known for Image of the Beast (1981), A Thief in the Night (1972) and The Prodigal Planet (1983). He died on 27 November 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Paul Gray was born on 8 April 1972 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Resident Evil (2002), Rollerball (2002) and Final Fight: Streetwise (2006). He was married to Brenna. He died on 24 May 2010 in Urbandale, Iowa, USA.- He fit the "tall, dark and handsome" Hollywood prototype beautifully and while the solidly built Greg McClure made a robust dent in Hollywood films after a "Cinderella Man" breakthrough toward the end of WWII, his name would be quickly forgotten following his early retirement.
He was born Dale D'Orr on April 5, 1915, in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of attorney Paul Bardsdale D'Orr. The family moved to Oakland, California when he was still young, and his parents divorced when he was but 12 years old. His stepfather was the pulp fiction writer Walter Easton, whose surname he eventually took.
After his years as a junior college football player in Oakland and playing football, he and brother Harvey relocated to Hollywood where they started a bodybuilding gym. An interest in acting led Greg to scout out stage and film extra work. With little on his resume except non-speaking soldier bits in such films as The Iron Major (1943) and See Here, Private Hargrove (1944), a change audition for the lead role in the Bing Crosby produced film The Great John L. (1945) led to a surprising hire. His marquee name was immediately changed to "Greg McClure" for the Irishman's part.
McClure's nascent leading man career lost its momentum when he was suddenly drafted into the Army not long after the film's release. Freelancing after his honorable discharge, he supplemented his erratic acting career by running a gym that included several film stars as clients. Later featured roles included a number of brutish boxers in such films as Bury Me Dead (1947), Lulu Belle (1948), Joe Palooka in the Big Fight (1949) and Roaring City (1951); the role of "Hammerhead" Hogan in the action adventure Thunder in the Pines (1948); a henchman in the Batman and Robin (1949) serial; a featured role in the "Cold War" espionage film Sky Liner (1949); one of the infamous Daltons in The Dalton Gang (1949); and a private in the war drama Breakthrough (1950);
McClure was forced to leave performing altogether in 1951 after it became known that he was a Communist sympathizer. In later years Greg found varied jobs as a soft drink exec, produce market manager, carpenter and handyman. He moved in with one of his four daughters from his first marriage following his second wife's death, McClure died at the age of 97 on December 7, 2012. - William Vincent St.Cyr, or Vince was born on the Winnebago Indian Reservation on the Eastern banks of the Missouri River in Nebraska. In 1950, he entered the United States Marine Corps where he served in Korea during the Korean conflict. During his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Ribbon as well as other medals and citations. His group was also awarded a presidential unit citation for being the first to employ rotary wing aircraft for assault operations. Once completing his tour of duty in Korea, he was honorably discharged in 1952 as a sergeant. After returning to Winnebago he helped to create the Nebraska Platoon with other Nebraska Veterans.
Upon his return from the Far East, he married his sweet heart Ida Mae Saunsoci of Macy, Nebraska. The couple then moved to Inglewood, California where "Vince" obtained a position with the Northrop Aircraft Corporation in the design division. In the mid-fifties, he began his acting career where he appeared in many television shows and commercials. He also performed in many motion picture and stage productions. He returned to Winnebago in 1978, where he served his community as an emergency medical technician and community health representative from 1980 to 1982. He kept active with his acting career, often performing in children's educational programs in Omaha, Nebraska.
Vince died Sunday, March 16, 1997, at a Sioux City hospital following a lengthy illness. He was laid to rest at the Native American Church Cemetery in Winnebago, Nebraska with full military honors. Vince left behind a wife and three children at the time of his death with one child preceding him in death. - Producer
- Writer
- Director
Born and raised in Iowa, Russell S. Doughten Jr. was interested in dramatics as a boy and yet never looked upon it as a profession. But while attending Drake University on an athletic scholarship, his interest in dramatics grew and, following a World War II Navy stint, he returned to Drake to study acting and directing. Doughten later attended the Yale Graduate School of Drama, where he wrote, directed and acted. After Yale, Doughten sent his résumé to companies that made religious movies and was invited to join Good News Productions, a filmmaking outfit operating out of the small village they owned in bucolic Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. When Good News formed a secular counterpart (Valley Forge Films), Doughten produced the first of their features, 1958's The Blob (1958). Doughten worked in Hollywood for several years but eventually returned to Iowa and founded Heartland Productions and Mark IV Pictures, under whose banners he has produced dozens of feature-length Christian movies (including an "end of days" series based on Biblical prophecies). When Heartland and Mark IV ended in the mid-90s, Doughten formed Russ Doughten Films, Inc. (www.rdfilms.com), to carry on the tradition.- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nicole Rae was born on 6 May 1982 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams (2010), Flick (2012) and Ash (2010). She died on 3 July 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.- Michael Cornelison began his professional career as an actor in 1967, at the age of fifteen, appearing in a series of educational shorts for Coronet Films. In 1974, Michael co-starred with Cliff Robertson and Robert Preston in the ABC-TV movie, My Father's House (1975). In 1978, Cornelison returned to Los Angeles for an extended run. He completed pilots for three television series: Nightside (1980), "Inspector Perez" and Family in Blue (1982). He also guest-starred on many series in the mid-eighties, including Hill Street Blues (1981), Remington Steele (1982), Dallas (1978), Knots Landing (1979) and The Greatest American Hero (1981), among others. Michael also starred in and co-produced Stephen King's The Woman in the Room (1984), the first collaboration between Stephen King and Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999)). In 1984, he was lured back to the Midwest by the prospect of being artistic director of his own theatre, "The Two Rivers Acting Company". In the ensuing two decades, Michael has appeared in a wide variety of plays, including classics such as "A Man For All Seasons", "Inherit The Wind", "Of Mice And Men" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" and contemporary works like "Camping With Henry And Tom", "Sideman", "The Guys" and "The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare" (Abridged). He also served as artistic director of "Rejection Slip Theatre", a radio comedy/drama anthology which ran on WHO radio for over ten years. In addition, Cornelison has done a great deal of work, in partnership with writer/director Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition (2002)), having appeared in no less than five films for Collins, Mommy (1995), Mommy II: Mommy's Day (1997), Real Time: Siege at Lucas Street Market (2001), Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life (2005) and "Three Women". Cornelison also narrated Collin's award-winning documentary, "Mike Hammer's Mickey Spillane". Other film work included an appearance in Rain (2001), produced by Martin Scorsese. He has recently recorded "A Little Death", a Mike Hammer adventure audio novel, starring Stacy Keach as Hammer, and will play "Captain Pat Chambers" in a second Hammer story, "Encore for Murder". Both written by Max Allan Collins and based on original material by the late Mickey Spillane. He makes his home in Iowa with his wife, Cindi, and his son, Nick Cornelison.
- Jodi Huisentruit was born on 5 June 1968 in Long Prairie, Minnesota, USA. She died on 27 June 1995 in Mason City, Iowa, USA.
- Dustin Wehde was born on 1 August 1981 in Storm Lake, Iowa, USA. He died on 13 December 2001 in Early, Iowa, USA.
- Nancy Price was born on 16 March 1925 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. She was a writer, known for Sleeping with the Enemy (1991). She was married to Howard J. Thompson. She died on 20 November 2023 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA.
- Lois Rayman was born on 6 July 1934 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Pillow Talk (1959), Tightrope (1959) and Cheyenne (1955). She died on 13 October 2014 in Hiawatha, Iowa, USA.
- Marcel De la Brosse was born on 4 August 1902 in Hericy, France. He was an actor, known for Le chanteur de Séville (1931), Suspicion (1957) and 77 Sunset Strip (1958). He died on 5 July 2001 in Carroll, Iowa, USA.
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Thomas Jerome "Tom" Fugle born 1941 in Sioux City, was an American craftsman and legendary biker. Tom was the son of Salmer and Bernadine (Schumacher) Fugle. Tom graduated from Central High School in Sioux City. He married Connie Anderson in 1969 to together they had a daughter, Natasha. Connie and Tom later divorced. Tom started dating Jennie DeCora on July 4, 1998 and they got married on October 23, 2016. Tom Fugle was one of the founders and the undisputed president of the El Forastero Motorcycle Club. Fugle built his first chopper in 1961 after buying a Harley-Davidson dresser with 3,000 miles on it for $800. He later said it was the most money he ever paid for a motorcycle. His last bike was an Evolution chopper. There are two documentaries featuring Tom Fugle, "21 Days Under The Sun" came out in May of 2016 on Netflix, and another by Jesse James called "The History Of The Chopper". The 8 mm documentary "EFMC" depicts the rituals of the El Forastero Motorcycle Club in the late 60's.- Richard Lage was born on 1 April 1931 in Hartley, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Captain Z-Ro (1955) and Haunting Villisca (2006). He was married to Janice Lage. He died on 2 April 2009 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
- Sherman Pendergarst was born on 1 February 1967 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for Oxy-Morons (2010), Bellator Fighting Championships (2009) and UFC 65: Bad Intentions (2006). He died on 20 July 2012 in Davenport, Iowa, USA.
- Julie Noble was born on 9 September 1961 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Caged Fury (1990), Mischief (1985) and The Killing Game (1988). She died on 23 December 2008 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
- Frank Gotch was born on 27 April 1877 in Humboldt, Iowa, USA. He was married to Gladys Oestrich. He died on 16 December 1917 in Humboldt, Iowa, USA.
- Bill Sackter was born on 13 April 1913 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He died on 16 June 1983 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
William Norris was an actor and writer, known for Re-Animator (1985), The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) and Temporary Girl (1998). He died on 30 November 2021 in Iowa, USA.- Marold Glaspey was the son of Wallace Henry and Alice Lorinda (DeBrie) Glaspey and brother to Mrs. Betty Letts and Mrs. Leta Mae Seaton, both of the Iowa City area. "Timer" grew up in Hills, Johnson County, Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa in 1941 with a degree in speech and drama. After World War II where he worked as a quartermaster for the U.S. Coast Guard, he worked in radio in Shenandoah and the Quad Cities, and served for a time as a deputy sheriff in Johnson County, Iowa before heading out to Hollywood. He acted under the name "Richard Warren" and retired in 1972, spending his remaining days at home in Iowa. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Iowa City, Iowa on September 14, 1999.
- Betty Lou Varnum was born on 3 May 1931 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Rifleman (1958) and The Magic Window (1951). She was married to Jim Varnum. She died on 4 August 2021 in Ames, Iowa, USA.
- Tony Baker was born on 16 February 1945 in Fort Madison, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Number One (1969), The NFL on CBS (1956) and NFL Monday Night Football (1970). He died on 9 August 1998 in Mediapolis, Iowa, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Von Dexter was born 9 December 1912 in Aurora, Illinois. He later moved to Chicago where his professional music career began while still at school playing in Chicago bars and night clubs. After gaining a music degree at USC he settled in California and became West Coast MD for NBC. From 1952 he was MD for Ralph Edwards' 'This Is Your Life' and scored episodes of several TV series.
After scoring four films for William Castle 1958-61, Dexter suffered from a hand condition resulting in stiffening of the fingers. This made it impossible to write film scores at the necessary speed. He and his wife Catherine moved to Reinbeck, Iowa, where they ran a music publishing business, Video Music. After Von Dexter died of lymphoma on 4 February 1996, Catherine carried on the business. Special thanks to Catherine for supplying this information.- Alvin Straight was born on 17 October 1921 in Scobey, Daniels County, Montana, USA. He was married to Francis L. Beeks. He died on 9 November 1996 in Laurens, Iowa, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Director
- Actor
A major league baseball player for 12 seasons, he won the American League batting title as a first baseman in 1929 - the highlight of a career plagued by injuries. Starting out as a second baseman with the Cincinnati Reds, his life took a surprising turn after joining the Cleveland Indians when his baseball career crossed paths with the developing motion picture industry. While appearing in Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927), he became fascinated with film and immediately developed a great interest in the ways the medium could be used to both improve and promote the game of baseball. He was named manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1932, and began using film to analyze his team and to look for ways to eliminate weaknesses and flaws in their play. After he was dismissed as manager in 1934, he went on to serve both major leagues as a director of promotions, creating films which studied and celebrated the sport and which were used throughout the world to teach fundamentals of the game to young players.- Clarence Balmer was born on 3 February 1929 in Nebraska, USA. He was an actor, known for A Thief in the Night (1972). He died on 24 February 1997 in Ankeny, Iowa, USA.
- Bobbie Battista was born on 23 July 1952 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Contact (1997), Cherry Malicious (2016) and Getting Away with Murder (1996). She was married to John Mahon Brimelow and James Michael Battista. She died on 3 March 2020 in Davenport, Iowa, USA.
- Marcia Blakesley was born on 11 May 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Breaking Point (1963), Gunsmoke (1955) and Here's Hollywood (1960). She was married to G. Dan Cervantes. She died on 31 July 1975 in Atlantic, Iowa, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bobby Beers was born on 18 October 1926 in Cushing, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for South of Santa Fe (1942). He was married to Donna Lee Beers. He died on 19 November 2008 in Marshalltown, Iowa, USA.- A 1933 graduate of Drake University,with a joint major of music and journalism Jane Margaret Truesdell married Earl Canady, the owner of a gas station and spent the first years of her marriage helping him in his business and raising five children. However, she continued to write, and subsequently (1958) joined the Des Moines "Register & Tribune" as Society Page Reporter; upon her marriage to Warren Edgington, she was known to her readers as Jane Canady-Edgington. At her retirement in 1980, she had risen to the Editor of the Society Page.
- Jordan Schmidt was born on 16 May 1997 in Moline, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Children of the Corn (2009). He died on 12 January 2013 in Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
- Irv Shoemaker was born on 7 April 1925 in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil (1959), Thunderbolt the Wondercolt (1952) and Willy the Wolf (1954). He was married to Alberta Borem, Patricia Reynolds and Mary Louise Curci. He died on 2 December 1988 in Marion, Iowa, USA.
- Special Effects
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Visual Effects
Clarence Slifer was born on 31 August 1904 in Missouri, USA. He is known for Portrait of Jennie (1948), The North Star (1943) and The Paradine Case (1947). He died in 1993 in Grundy Center, Iowa, USA.- Paul Dale was born on 30 July 1923 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for It's a Small World (1950). He died on 2 November 2016 in Marshalltown, Iowa, USA.
- Kenneth Harry Gibson was born October 23, 1932, in Clinton, Iowa, the son of Kenneth H. and Mildred L (Turner) Gibson. He graduated from Clinton High School. Ken attended college in Bismark, North Dakota, and is a graduate of Scott Community College were he received his Associate Degree in Nursing Home Administration. He served as an Army Private in the Korean War. Ken has lived in Clinton, Iowa, Davenport, Iowa, Carbon Cliff, Ill., Colona, Ill., and Kewanee, Ill., before residing in Williamsburg, Iowa, in the late 1980s. Ken was a health care administrator for the Williamsburg Care Center for many years. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Williamsburg. He held the position of Quarter Master for 11 years for the Iburg Poulson VFW Post #8797 in Williamsburg, he was a member of the 700 Bowling Club of America and he was the Iowa State All Events Bowling Champion in 1961. He was an active volunteer for the VA Medical Center in Iowa City. Ken's creative skills created the character "Vincent Hedges" the vampire who starred in the 1970s era Acri Creature feature. This much loved character is still remembered by many throughout Iowa and Illinois. Ken's life was a life lived for "the other." A relentless volunteer, he spent much of his life volunteering and as a recruiter of resources for many charities. An estimate of the dollars generated through his efforts rise into the hundreds of thousands and the list of lives touched is in the tens of thousands. But more important to him, were not the impressive totals, but rather the inherent belief that his life, and all of our lives, is to be lived for "the other." Self riches and self grandeur never entered this humbled servants thoughts. Ken firmly believed that all of us need to understand "that which you do to the least of these, you do unto me." Even in his death, he continued this belief through the donation of his body to the University of Iowa so that still others might learn from his gift. Glory and thanks be to God for Ken's life lived. Ken died Thursday, September 28, 2006, at the VA Medical Center in Iowa City after a short illness. He lived 73 years, 11 months and 5 days.
Ken is survived by his children, Terry (Phillip) Mitro, of Williamsburg, Kenneth (Jodi) Gibson, of Dubuque, Iowa, Laurence (Jenny) Gibson, of Mahomet, Illinois, and Joseph (Lisa) Gibson, of Plymouth, Indiana; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Pete (Connie) Anderson, of Bellevue, Iowa, and Carl (Sandy) Chase, of Clinton, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth Gibson and Mildred Turner Anderson, stepparents, Carl Anderson and Winifred Anderson, and a sister Jaqueline Winoski. - James Grahlmann was born on 5 November 1931 in Des Moines, Iowa. He was an actor, known for Hawaii Five-O (1968). He died on 10 February 2011 in Sioux City, Iowa, USA.