MICHAEL CALLAN: Dancing Teen Idol

In this high-grossing western comedy, Jane Fonda, as notorious outlaw CAT BALLOU (1965), is flanked by (from left) Dwayne Hickman, Michael Callan, Oscar winner Lee Marvin and Tom Nardini.

Michael Callan’s brief foray into regular TV series work was the sitcom OCCASIONAL WIFE (1966-1967) as a swinging bachelor with Patricia Harty (later his real-life wife) posing as his spouse to further his career.

Films of the Golden Age,
Issue Number 114,
Fall 2023

“All those years under contract to Columbia, I thought studio heads were godlike. I did what they told me to do. I only did one beach picture but got accused of doing a lot of them.”

Following his dancing triumph as Riff, the Jets’ gang leader, in the Broadway musical WEST SIDE STORY, aspiring actor MICHAEL CALLAN (1935-2022) was handed a Columbia studio contract with the hope of grooming him as the new James Dean or Tony Curtis. His customary teen angst film roles remained in the “B” category, however, with his best-known roles coming opposite Jane Fonda in CAT BALLOU (1965) and Ray Harryhausen’s special effects creatures in Jules Verne’s MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961) . He later transitioned quite comfortably into light comedic roles on TV often playing the opportunistic playboy, and enjoyed a brief brush with stardom in the sitcom OCCASIONAL WIFE (1966-1967).

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