Jerry Maren Autograph

Yesterday, while digging around my bedroom closet looking for something else, I found some large envelopes and folders containing portrait photos of my parents and daughter.

Also, I found several autographed photos from different celebrities. Included was one of actor Jerry Maren, who was one of the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz (1939) and a Mole Man from Superman and The Mole Men (1951).

Looking at the date of the autographed item, it was from 2005. Maren passed away on May 24, 2018 at age 98. He is buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Noel Neill Autographs

Continuing my digging thorough boxes in my bedroom closet, I found a couple of items autographed by the late, great Noel Neill, "the original Lois Lane".

One is a photograph of Noel with her "Golden Boot Award" she received in 2004. The other is a reproduction lobby card of the second Columbia Pictures serial, Atom Man vs. Superman (1950). Kirk Alyn portrayed the Man of Steel and Clark Kent.

Somewhere around here is a reproduction poster/lobby card of Superman and the Mole Men (1951) signed by one of the mole men, Jerry Maren. I just have to find it.

Here's the ones I found:

Above, Noel Neill with her "Golden Boot Award".

According to Wikipedia:

The Golden Boot Awards is an American acknowledgment of achievement honoring actors, actresses, and crew members who have made significant contributions to the genre of Western television and film. The award is sponsored and presented by the Motion Picture & Television Fund.

Above, the signed reproduction lobby card of Atom Man vs. Superman. The serial
marked the first film appearance of Lex Luthor (Lyle Talbot). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Jerry Maren Dies At 98

Above, Jerry Maren is shown holding the Electrolux ray gun. 

Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin of the Wizard of Oz (1939) and a mole man in Superman and The Mole Men (1951) has died.

Fox News reported:

Jerry Maren, born Gerard Marenghi, the last living munchkin from the “Wizard of Oz” has died, his niece told Fox News. 

Stacy Michelle Barrington confirmed his death to Fox News, saying he died more than a month ago but the family decided to hold off on sharing the news with the media. She heard of her uncle's passing through an aunt and cousin. 

“I wish I had grown up with him and had spent more time and being around him growing up," she told us. "I’m grateful to have had such important people in my family. Uncle Jerry would want the legacy of the 'Wizard of Oz' to continue.” 

The 98-year-old actor died at a nursing care facility in San Diego, Calif. 

I met Maren at a Hollywood Collectors Show about 15 years ago and obtained his autograph on a poster similar to the one above.

To read more, go here.

Passages

Above, Jerry Maren as a Mole Man holds the Electrolux ray gun (far right).

Sad news arrived in rapid succession this afternoon and this past week.

George Kennedy - An Academy Award-winning actor (for Cool Hand Luke) who has appeared in a number of movies over the decades. He was 91. He specialized in tough-guy roles, but he also had comedic talent. In a couple of Clint Eastwood movies, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and The Eiger Sanction, Kennedy was a scene-stealer.

Jerry Maren - From being one of the Munchkins of The Wizard of Oz to a Mole Man in Superman and The Mole Men, Maren was one of those recognizable actors but whose name may not be known. I met Maren around ten years ago and had him sign a Mole Man poster. He also appeared in commecials as "Little Oscar" for Oscar Meyer and as Buster Brown. He was 96.

UPDATE (MARCH 1): THE MAJOR NEWS MEDIA, WHO REPORTED MAREN'S PASSING, HAVE RETRACTED THE STORY AS HE IS, HAPPILY, VERY MUCH ALIVE.

Charlie Tuna - His real name was Art Ferguson, but we in Los Angeles knew him as radio DJ Charlie Tuna. He began with Boss Radio KHJ on through KIIS-FM. He was only 71. He raised $2.5 million for Children's Hospital of Los Angeles over the years with his "Tunathons". He was also honorary mayor of my community, Tarzana. He will be missed.

Humbert Allen Astredo - He was the suave and oily-slick warlock Nicholas Blair in TV's Dark Shadows. He also appeared in commercials, movies, Broadway and off-Broadway productions and in other soap operas. But he will be remembered most as Blair in Dark Shadows. He was 86.

R.I.P.

"The Unknown People" Notes

Above, George Reeves and Phyllis Coates.

Due to owning the complete set of DVDs of the Adventures of Superman, it makes it easier for me to spot where broadcast versions of the show were cut.

Above, actress Beverly Washburn at the Superman Celebration Luncheon in August. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I noticed several snips during my watching of the two parts of "The Unknown People" on MeTV tonight. They were relatively minor, but still noticeable. I have seen worse hack jobs.

Above, Jeff Corey in 2001.

Still, it was nice to see the show on broadcast television. Next to I Love Lucy, the Adventures of Superman has had the longest longevity of any 1950s television show. A lot of that has to do with the start of color broadcasting of the show in 1965.

Someone within the Superman organization was smart to film the 1954 -1957 seasons in color and store them in a vault until the time was right.

I have met four of the stars of "The Unknown People"over the years. First, it was Jeff Corey, who played the villain Luke Benson. Then it was Billy Curtis, who played one of the mole men. Next, I met Phyllis Coates, who played Lois Lane. And, finally, I met Beverly Washburn, who played the little girl, at this year's Superman Celebration.

I Now Have Me-TV

Above, an ad from the 1950s.

Following the clean-up and putting away all my furnishings after the pipe break, I re-configured the antenna to the television set and discovered that I now can get Me-TV.

The Adventures of Superman is on Me-TV's Saturday evening schedule (along with Batman and Wonder Woman) and tonight is the 1951 two-parter, "The Unknown People." "The Unknown People" is the edited television version of the 1951 theatrical feature, Superman and the Mole Men. It starred George Reeves and Phyllis Coates.

So, in just under an hour, I will be watching.

"Death Valley Days" Episode Featuring Clint Eastwood & Stanley Andrews

Above, Stanley Andrews as "The Old Ranger" on Death Valley Days.

It is sometimes surprising while looking at old television shows that things are discovered.

Back in the late 1950s to early 1960s, my family used to watch Death Valley Days, an anthology show featuring true stories of the Old West, especially near Death Valley, California.

The host of the shows, The Old Ranger, was played by Stanley Andrews. Andrews was the sheriff in Superman and the Mole Men (1951). I vaguely remembered The Old Ranger and I was surprised that he was played by Andrews when I saw an episode last night. I never made the connection between him and Superman. It had been around 50+ years since I last saw any episodes featuring The Old Ranger. He also appeared in "The Ghost Wolf" episode of the Adventures of Superman (1951) as Sam Garvin.

After Andrews retired as host of Death Valley Days, hosting chores were picked up by John Payne, Ronald Reagan and others.

Here is an episode featuring Stanley Andrews as The Old Ranger from 1956. A young Clint Eastwood is in this episode, "The Last Letter."

Jeff Corey Dies August 16, 2002

Above, Jeff Corey addresses the
L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
Photo courtesy of Jim Nolt.

Posted by Jim Nolt on Facebook:

On This Date...August 16:

2002: Jeff Corey, the actor best known to Superman fans as Luke Benson in SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE-MEN, passed away at St. John's Medical Center in Santa Monica of complications from a fall earlier in the week. He was 88. Corey was a gifted actor who was blacklisted for refusing to name names before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in the 1950s but later went on to become one of the most sought after teachers in Hollywood. He was survived by Hope, his wife of 64 years, three daughters, and six grandchildren. Superman fans paid tribute to Mr. Corey in July, 2001, during Superman Week, the ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN's 50th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles.

I had forgotten that Corey died a little over a year after we had the "Superman Week" ceremony at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. We were glad that he was able to attend and participate.

Above, the "Superman Week" ceremony.  Photo courtesy of Jim Nolt.

Corey also played the villain Tom Chaney in the John Wayne True Grit (1969).

Huffington Post: The Very First Season of TV's Superman Was Superb!

Above, Phyllis Coates and George Reeves in "Superman and The Mole Men."

Four days ago, an article appeared in the Huffington Post on the Adventures of Superman (1951-1957) television show starring George Reeves.

It seems whenever there's a new Superman movie released, the media takes a look back at past incarnations of the Man of Steel. Thank God for that!

The article, by Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D., begins with:

The very first season (1952-53) of TV's Superman with George Reeves was outstanding, including intense film noir elements, such as the deaths of a couple who learned his secret ID in "The Stolen Costume"... he flew them to a mountain cabin where they fell to their deaths trying to climb down (he was definitely responsible for their demise). 

And, in "The Secret of Superman," a nefarious criminal (Peter Brocco) who learned his ID was conveniently shot to death by the police. 

Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane was very serious, contributing to the drama of each episode. But, she was replaced after that first season by light-hearted Noel Neill (who actually previously had portrayed Lois in two serials). 

Actually, the series began as a 67-minute theatrical film, Superman and the Mole Men, then transitioned into a TV project. That film was later re-edited into an excellent two-part episode,"The Unknown People," which was the only two-parter during the run of the show.

I'll let you read the rest of the article for yourself.

Above, Phyllis Coates and Armand in 2007.  Photo courtesy of Carl Glass.

Next year, plans are being made to commemorate George Reeves's 100th birthday with a plaque dedication of one of the second season episodes, "The Man Who Could Read Minds" in Tarzana, California.  The plaque will be placed where the episode's location scenes were filmed. In the episode, the Metropolis Police Dept., headed by Inspector William Henderson (Bob Shayne), had a stakeout set up in the hopes to catch the "phantom burglar." The stakeout was filmed in a residential neighborhood of Tarzana in 1953.

The plaque will honor all of the principal cast members of the show.

To read the full article, go here.

Happy 86th Birthday, Phyllis Coates!

Above, Phyllis Coates and Armand in 2007 in Burbank.  Photo courtesy of Carl Glass.

Phyllis Coates was born Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell on this day in 1927 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

She is best known as Lois Lane to George Reeves's Superman in the feature-length movie, Superman and the Mole Men (1951) and in the first (1951) season of the Adventures of Superman on television.

Happy Birthday, Phyllis Coates!

Phyllis Coates To Be Honored September 2 At Cinecon 48

Above, Phyllis Coates and Armand in 2007.  Photo by Carl Glass.

Actress Phyllis Coates will be honored with a Career Achievement Award September 2 at Cinecon 48 in Hollywood.

From Cinecon.org:

Phyllis Coates, Samantha Eggar, Carleton Carpenter and Richard L. Bare will be honored with a Cinecon 48 Career Achievement Award at our celebrity banquet which will be held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel (formerly the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel) on Sunday evening, September 2, 2012.   

Above, George Reeves and Phyllis Coates.

Coates played Lois Lane in the Superman and The Mole Men (1951) full-length motion picture, which served as a pilot for the Adventures of Superman television show starring George Reeves.  She played Lois Lane in the show's first season.

For more on Cinecon 48, go here.