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Cliffhanger Classics On Video Cassettes; Only $109.95
Topic Started: Jul 2 2013, 01:19 PM (2,498 Views)
The Batman
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Thank you, Mr Cranston! Each and every post you made in this thread was highly enjoyable.

Don't sink back for too long, this board needs that kind of lifeblood!


Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Pa Stark
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Lamont, I also attended four Housoncons and they were wonderful. At the first one I attended in 1973 , I became friends with several people there including Earl Blair, Joe DeLuke, Bob Malcomson, and "Parky" Parkhurst. Years later Joe Deluke said of that convention, that he felt like he died and went to Heaven. I totally agree, in fact I call them the four most wonderful days of my like.

I agree with Bats, don't drop out, please keep posting, you have said a lot of good things.
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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Lamont Cranston
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Thanks for making me feel at home! Pa were you in Houston when Earl and Snuff persuaded Roy Rogers to attend? I couldn't come but I heard it was practically a religious experience.
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The Batman
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Pa, answer the man! We need to encourage interesting posters like Mr Cranston to return.

Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Pa Stark
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I didn't meet Roy there, but I did a couple of other times. First time was before at a convention at Sheraton Universal. My friends and I bought a lot of 16MM film from Snuff Garrett, so he had us sit right behind Roy, Dale, and Pat Buttram during a screening of one of Roy's films in color. The other time was at the Golden Boot Awards in I believe 1983. I took my wife, who is from the Soviet Union there, and she didn't know Dale Evans from Gene Autry, but she did take a liking to Roy without knowing who he was. Among the guest that year were:
Rex Allen
Richard Alexander
Gene Autry
Sunset Carson
Eddie Dean
Jack Elam
Dale Evens
Monte Hale
Ben Johnson
Lash LaRue
Nat Levine
Doug McClure
Lee Majors
Clayton Moore
Roy Rogers
Charles Starrett
Bob Steele
Linda Stirling
Forrest Tucker
Lee Van Cleef
Iron Eyes Cody was not listed, on the site, and Pat Buttram was master of ceremonies.
Edited by Pa Stark, May 4 2016, 05:46 PM.
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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The Batman
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Thanks, Pa! What a line up, so jealous.


Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Lamont Cranston
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Wouldn't you love to be sitting quietly in the corner of the room when that bunch of old movie pros started swapping stories? They were usually pretty polite during the fan sessions. Wouldn't you have liked to have gotten the inside stories? The only thing I heard at memphis one year was from Richard Webb about the old Captain Midnight TV series. He said that Olan Soule was a lot more fun than he came off on camera. He enjoyed partying, ladies and managed to even capitalize on being the voice of Batman in the TV cartoons. Who knew that Tut" Jones was a ladies' man?
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The Batman
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As always, thanks for sharing, Mr Cranston! Love hearing these convention stories.


Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Pa Stark
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I attended many conventions during the 70's and met many serial and western stars. Almost every one of them was very nice. I met Don "Red" Barry three times and the first time was a disaster, but the other two times he came across as being much nicer. He was full of himself, but didn't stop and think that the fans he was with were very knowledgeable and could see right though him. He claimed he did his own stunts in ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER, but we could all see Dave Sharpe stunting for him. But he was also gracious when I paid him a compliment.

All guests would spend a lot of time with fans, but several were available all the time, like Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Victor Jory, and Yakima Canutt. Corrigan was the most fun of all the guests, if you wanted him in a photo with your wife or girlfriend, he would put his arm around her, and tell you to take your time taking the photo and not to be in a hurry. He did hand out some bs, but no one minded because it was part of the fun, like him claiming he got all the fan mail, and Robert Livingston got none. There was a convention in Hollywood in 1977 where maybe a 100 stars dropped in for a short time, then left. When it was over, the promoters lost a bundle, but Corrigan took out his checkbook and paid the bills.

William Witney was a different guest than everyone else, he didn't glad hand people or put on an act, he was a totally honest and sincere person, no bs at all. He just finished directing I ESCAPED FROM DEVIL'S ISLAND, and he told us not to see it, that it is a terrible film, that he had to direct the script he was handed. He was asked why he took the assignment, and he replied that he has to eat like everyone else. He didn't think his serials were all that great, and when fans praised them, he really believed we all got together and decided to play a joke on him.

Another really nice, sincere person was Jock Mahoney. It was my parents anniversary, and I phoned them and put him on the phone, and he wished my parents the best, and had a nice long talk with them. Years later I met him again and thanked him, and he did remember talking to them.
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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The Batman
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Pa, I've heard those stories from you before, but I could still listen to them again and again. It's always great to hear that the people you admire are also decent when you get to meet them.

These convention stories also make me quite envious of the opportunities I missed out on and will never get the chance to experience.

So, keep them coming, I am living vicariously through you lucky bastards.


Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Pa Stark
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Bats, I'll bet that almost all of the villains were in real life the nicest guys, and a couple of heroes were jerks. Roy Barcroft was the meanest villain at Republic, but I have never heard a bad word about him from anyone, he was supposed to be the sweetest, nicest person there. If you have read William Witney's autobiography, he comes right out and says what he thought of the people he worked with. Ralph Byrd and John English were two of his best friends, and others I remember off the top of my head that he praised were Henry Brandon, Clayton Moore, Rod Cameron, and Duncan Renaldo.

The three "heroes" he couldn't stand were John Carroll, Don Barry, and Allan Lane.
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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The Batman
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Thanks, Pa. I have the Witney bio, but haven't read it yet. Will definitely move it up i the queue.

I've heard both about Roy Barcroft geniality and the not-so-nice antics of both Lane and Barry.




Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Pa Stark
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Absolutely start reading Witney's book, you will be impressed on how honest he was. Witney wrote about when he first met Allan Lane at the casting of KING OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED. He said at first he seemed like a nice person, but when Lane turned around Witney noticed he had a big fat ass. He said that he would soon learn it applied to the entire person. I think it was Peggy Stewart who nicknamed him, "bubble butt." Lane had no sense of humor and didn't think it was funny at all.

A few years ago we met Adrian Booth at SerialFest, and she referred to Barcroft as "Bear Claw." I never heard that before. I asked her about Dick Purcell, and she said he was a very nice man. I did read somewhere that he was a very good natured person.

My friends and I were once at a convention with Dick Foran, Rod Cameron, and Chill Wills. Wills was drunk most of the time, and at one celebrity panel out of nowhere, he came out with, "My wife used to run a whorehouse in Albuquerque." Rod Cameron wasn't very happy with Wills's behavior. Rod Cameron brought his wife, and when I saw her, I thought, "Boy, is he married to an old bag." Later I found out the story that he divorced his wife, and married her mother. She was very cultured, and he was very happy with her.

We were at a Sons of the Desert convention in England in 1984, and Henry Brandon was one of the guests. Of course everyone was just interested in BABES IN TOYLAND, but one day we had lunch with him, and I talked with him about his serials. He thought he would throw me a curve, and asked me who played SECRET AGENT X-9, and without blinking an eye answered, Scott Kolk. He did a double take that I would know that.
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HAWKEYE
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I'm glad to be back, after 18 months away, while I dealt, with a number, of personal issues. I've been reading all the threads, with additions, since I left, which has caused me to reread a number, of older threads. This one really brought back memories, of all the great stars, that I personally met, at festivals, over the years. There were only one, or two, out of so many, that really turned me off. Unfortunately, I particularly recall, that 1976 convention, where Chill Wills was drunk, and totally obnoxious, for the whole time. Rod Cameron and Ben Johnson were the only ones, who could, actually, shut him up. The final icing, on the cake, for me, was one morning, while having breakfast, at 8 AM, with the great, character actor, Dan White, a drunk Chill plopped himself down, at our table, and when an 8 year old boy, approached him, for an autograph, his mean, and unprintable reply sent the boy running away, in tears. Dan and I told Chill, to leave our table, immediately, and go, to his room, and sober up. Thankfully, nothing over the decades, of meeting stars, ever approached my anger, at this.

I had met the great Bill Whitney, but we had never become close, but after one celebrity panel, that changed. During the discussions, he mentioned a popular, "B" actress, that he wanted to use, more often, but didn't, because of her drinking problem. He went to particular efforts, not to give any clue, whatsoever, as to her identity, so he was totally amazed, that I knew who she was, when I thanked him, for it, since she was a personal favorite, of mine. After that, it was like we were old friends.

Many times, over the years, people have asked me, who my favorite was, of all the stars, that I met, but there were so many great ones, that I really can't give an answer. The very first western star, that I communicated with, by letter, was personal favorite, Kermit Maynard, who really set me, on my course, to meet the stars, because of his friendliness and kindness. The deepest impression was the everyday, down-to-earth friendliness, of all-time great, George O'Brien. My fondest memory didn't take place, at a festival, but rather, in Clayton Moore's living room, in his Calabasas home, as we sat side-by-side, on his couch, watching Lone Ranger episodes. How could I have ever dreamed, as a kid, in 1950, watching these episodes, that this would ever happen? I am so fortunate, to have been able, to live out most, of my dreams.
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williejg
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Amazing story Hawkeye. I met Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger and got one of his plastic silver bullets when I was 5 years old, but that cannot compare to sitting on his couch with him watching episodes of the Lone Ranger. That memory must be amazing. The telling of it certainly is.
willie
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