Film Articles

I have always loved actors! Having been one myself at one time, I hold the deepest respect for them, especially those wonderful vintage performers of the Golden Age. Whether they be the great stars of their day, or second tier ‘B” level leads, or second leads, or familiar character actors whose names you couldn’t place, or even the smallest of bit actors, as exemplified by dear Bess Flowers, (who would be famously dubbed “Queen of the Extras”), all of these fine performers have earnestly contributed to the glory of the Golden Age of films in their own individual way.

I began in the early 1980’s with the idea of writing a huge reference book about actors and their stage, film and TV work along with interesting trivia. I even dreamt up the title for it — the Jeopardy-inspired “Actors and Their Roles for 1000.” I spent years and years and years researching while gathering tons of information in local libraries and old newspaper articles. And then came the age of the Internet. Before you knew it, all my research and hard-sought information was instantly on-line and available at the touch of a hand. My beloved, all-encompassing labor of love suddenly became obsolete and unneeded. And so, I scrapped it.

Instead, I found IMDb (the Internet Movie Database). I discovered I could be of use there by writing IMDb mini-bios on those lesser-known actors that few knew much about except the most hardcore of film buffs — everyone from Lee Aaker to Vera Zorina. I wound up writing over 1200 profiles and received some very nice compliments for many of them, along with some very opinionated fiery notes (some admittedly deserved). Gaining a noticeable following, the mini-bios I posted that received the most attention were about those actors that film fans knew very little about. Those bios seemed to go over the best and have the most response. That led me to CLASSIC IMAGES and FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE.

Around the millennium, I had become a loyal subscriber of two wonderful vintage movie magazines CLASSIC IMAGES (monthly, founded in 1960) and its sister magazine, FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGES (quarterly, founded in 1995). Rich in information, they also treated their subjects with respect and reverence without avoiding or sugar-coating the facts. They were also dedicated to contributing articles on lesser-known actors. That was right up my alley! These two magazines are nearly the last of the cinema magazines still in mail subscription form today. While I had never had anything ever published, I did have a knack for writing these bios and was prodded by my husband Reece Holland, also a former actor, (TV’s “Adventures in Wonderland”), to try and write an in-depth article for the magazines. After finally getting in touch with Bob King, the long-time editor of both magazines, I was politely discouraged as a result of my lack of writing/publishing experience. Most of his contributing writers, including Laura Wagner, Tom Weaver and Joe Collura, were already noted historians and had full-length biographies in publication. I was hardly in their field.

Normally, I would have shrugged my shoulders and accepted the rejection. In this case, I didn’t. I was compelled to try and prove to Mr. King I was worthy. I decided to go ahead and write an in-depth article anyway on an actor of my choosing and submit it with no expectations of it being published. The actor of my choosing came in the form of the handsomely rugged leading actor Scott Brady, best known for his work in post-WWII film noir and action adventures via my communication (through IMDb) with the late actor’s son, Tim Tierney. Gerard Kenneth Tierney was Scott Brady’s christened name. He was the brother of actor Lawrence Tierney but chose “Brady” as a stage moniker to distance himself from his brother’s fame (or infamy, in this case). I asked Tim if I could work alongside him in writing a piece on his father for the above-mentioned magazine(s). I told him up front there was no guarantee my article would be published. He consented and, as he was a Los Angeles resident, I could easily work with him face to face. Tim happened to be the bearer of all his father’s magazine articles, family pics and photo stills so I was able to spend several days at his home discussing what Scott was like off-camera as a husband and father, as well as delving into his many boxes of Scott Brady memorabilia for career information. It was heaven! I was finding pertinent information no one else had!

Being extremely detailed and taking great care to please my subject’s son and his family, it took a good month or so to finish. Upon completion, I submitted to the editor. In short, Bob King loved it and agreed to publish it along with many of the family pictures and movie stills I uncovered. Scott Brady: Fighting Irishman was given a generous spread (17 pages with nearly 30 pictures used). Seeing my very first article published in FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE (Winter 2009/2010 issue) was a source of pride and accomplishment. This started my over decade-long love affair with editor Bob and his beloved magazines, having now written over 30 biographical sketches for the two prestigious publications! In addition to writing articles, several years back I began to conduct and publish interviews with some of our favorite Golden Age actors still with us. They were more than excited to share their Hollywood stories. These interviews have also led to precious friendships — Hope Holiday, Cynthia Pepper, Ann Robinson, Billy Gray, Tommy Cook, Richard Tyler, Christopher Riordan and the late Joanna Barnes and Carleton Carpenter. I was also the last to conduct an in-depth interview with wonderful singer/comedienne Kaye Ballard that was published in FGA just before her passing. The 93-year-old star tearfully called just to say how grateful she was as no one had ever written such a generous piece on her and her life before.

And so, it continues! Below are all the over 40 actors I have completed articles on or interviewed. The list continues to grow! I hope you enjoy reading these studies as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Information for obtaining copies of the CI or FGA issues are listed below.