I wonder if Rodgers and Hammerstein could ever have envisioned the powerful impact their song and soundtrack for the “Sound of Music” would have on the world, either as part of a hit stage show or a phenomenally successful film or record album. I am sure we could also never have imagined or projected the impact the Beatles would have in both the musical and cultural changes that occurred in the sixties.
One thing I have always been fascinated with as a Beatles fan was their impact on others who had also attained a level of fame or notoriety, especially younger people, in particular child actors in Hollywood. That is the intended focal post of this post…
ANGELA CARTWRIGHT
Angela Cartwright starred as Brigitta von Trapp, the fifth von Trapp child in the worldwide film sensation, “The Sound of Music.” Angela was equally famous and well-known for her role as one of the daughters of Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) on the Danny Thomas hit television show. Angela Cartwright portrayed Linda Williams from 1957–1964. Later on, this was followed by quite the long stint of playing Penny Robinson on the Lost In Space hit television series.
Angela’s resume of TV and film appearances over the years is both lengthy and impressive.
Angela Cartwright’s wonderful website link is provided below for your convenience filled with her artwork, her books, jewelry items, photos, perfume and a section about her good friend and fellow actor who is an excellent musician, Bill Mumy (Twilight Zone, Lost in Space, and many others accomplishments on his own sterling resume’) Angela’s website site also contains items of her sister, Veronica Cartwright who is also an actress (and was in Alfred Hitchcock’s, “The Birds”) among many other notable accomplishments.
Hope you will check out the wonderful memories and items that Angela has at her website: Here is the link
One of the items that I have every intention to purchase in the near future is the Sound of Music book of memories that Angela has compiled as a scrapbook of her favorite recollections of the making of that memorable film..
Following one of the Beatles Hollywood Bowl concerts, Angela was invited to meet the Beatles as the following photograph will attest. She has graciously allowed me to post this signed photograph and to share her smile with you…
BILL MUMY
This musician/actor also has quite the resume’ including multiple classic appearances on Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone and starring as Will Robinson in the hit TV series “Lost in Space” along with fellow stars Angela Cartwright, June Lockhart, Guy Williams, Jonathan Harris, Marta Kristen and Mark Goddard.
It is interesting to note that despite Bill Mumy’s stellar TV career, you also realize that being a musician has always been his first true love.
Check out this recent interview with Bill that I recently saw on YouTube:
At the 59:30 mark of this great interview, Bill Mumy details one of his biggest regrets. Take a listen, it has to do with “The Beatles.” I’ll bet that Angela Cartwright never lets him live that decision down!!!
Came across this special treat on YouTube featuring Bill Mumy and the son of Monkee, Michael Nesmith, Christian Nesmith performing a George Harrison song.
Bill Mumy, Circe Link, Christian Nesmith – If I Needed Someone (The Beatles) – YouTube
A song that Bill Mumy penned in the folk style, which has always been his favorite, detailing many of his experiences as the character of Will Robinson in “Lost in Space.”
Bill Mumy ( Supermegafest 2018 ) – YouTube
A Bill Mumy website:
Bill Mumy also has numerous excellent CD offerings available on Amazon.
A great book release of Bill Mumy, which I purchased. Loved the stories in this book. Bill tells his stories in vivid and descriptive detail. When reading about Bill’s experiences with Steve McQueen, for example, in filming the movie Papillon, I felt the same level of anxiety and fear that Mr. Mumy did, reading about his interactions with the temperamental movie star.
The back cover of this wonderful book:
Bill’s wonderful personal inscription to me when I purchased his book:
Jon Walmsley,
Also known as Jason Walton, the character he played on the 9 year running network TV series, “The Waltons” Jon was in the original cast of the film “The Homecoming with actress Patricia Neal which along with another pre-cursor to the Walton TV series film called “Spencer’s Mountain” laid the groundwork for the hit TV series. Jon Walmsley continued in the role of Jason Walton that he played in the Homecoming and eventually the TV series began its staggering climb to the top of the TV ratings in the 70’s. In the series, Jon as Jason Walton, would be able to showcase his considerable and admirable musical talents as part of his TV character. Jon is not only a versatile instrumentalist, he is also a composer and singer.
Here is Jon’s website where you can purchase examples of his music
Jon Walmsley Music | Jon Walmsley Jon’s website- where you can order both photos, and his wonderful music and schedules where you might be able to see him play.
A few musical samples of Jon’s formidable musical talents from YouTube: I admit to my biased choices of several Beatles-related samples to showcase:
Here Comes The Sun – Happy Birthday George Harrison! – YouTube Jon’s birthday tribute to George Harrison
Blackbird – Happy Birthday Paul McCartney! – YouTube–Jon’s birthday tribute to Paul McCartney
Jon Walmsley Britweek 2013 – YouTube Jon’s excellent Something guitar solo
Jon Walmsley – “Another Perfect Day” Live – YouTube Another excellent Jon Walmsley performance in the UK
“Wonderful Tonight” – Nashville, IN – 22 Oct 2023 – YouTube Jon plays the song Eric Clapton created for Pattie Boyd, George
A wonderful recent CD of Jon’s that I purchased features many covers of some classic British Rock: Including 2 Lennon/McCartney covers. The cd also features a couple of Jon’s original compositions
The track listing for the cd:
JON PROVOST – TIMMY on “LASSIE”
Jon Provost as Timmy on Lassie was one of the first TV child stars that I followed on my family’s early black and white set. He and Lassie made quite the team and the entertainment back then was certainly more family-oriented and less shock-centered for the viewing audience. Both Jon Provost and June Lockhart who played Timmy’s mom on a portion of the series were great in presenting interesting story lines on a regular basis for an audience that seemingly had a pretty wide age base.
Jon’s wife, Laurie Jacobson, has written a wonderful book about her husband’s role in the series, dealing with such issues as the trials and tribulations of being a child star back in that era. It is also interesting to note some of the observations that several of the actors have had about a common co-star, June Lockhart, who is currently in her late 90s. June, according to the actors, loved rock music and was far more accepting of the new music than many that were her junior. It is also interesting to note that June worked with Angela, Bill Mumy and Jon Provost.
Here is the Jacobson book about Jon Provost. Once again, you will marvel at many of the stories in this title…
Jon Provost and Laurie Jacobson’s very warm personal inscription to me in the book:
Here is a listing of some of the books by Laurie Jacobson as well as her website link:
website: www.lauriejacobson.com
Laurie Jacobson book titles:
Hollywood Haunted — Authors’ Cut
Top of the Mountain: The Beatles at Shea Stadium 1965
TV Dinners
Dishing Hollywood
Timmy’s in the Well
Hollywood Heartbreak
Laurie, in discussions with her husband, Jon Provost, has graciously shared the following information
with me:
“Jon was fortunate to see the Beatles twice — once at the Hollywood Bowl ’65 and the second at Dodger Stadium ’66. He never received an invitation to meet the Beatles after the concert at a private home like his friend Angela Cartwright. He didn’t hear about it until it was all over. We thought about it as we wrote this. Jon’s mom fielded a lot of his invitations. He remembers coming home one day in 1960 and being told that she got a call inviting Jon as the special guest at some car race. She said no. Jon figured out it was the Indy 500 and was able to save the day on that one.
We wonder if she got the call for Jon to meet some rock and roll band. She very well could have said no and never mentioned it to him. Maybe it happened that way, but the bottom line is that he never got to meet them. But he did see them twice. The Dodger Stadium concert was their 2nd to last concert in the US. After that, it was Candlestick and home. When Paul heard that Candlestick Park was closing, he insisted on being the last act there. Jon and I went, of course. Paul played some footage of the ’66 concert during his concert- full circle moment.
PS: Jon loved everything about the Beatles. Of course he loved their music. He grew his hair long, wore groovy clothes, And once some of the kid stars started having top 10 hits, like Shelley Fabares, with “Johnny Angel” Shelley Fabares was also on The Donna Reed Show as Paul’s sister…and later on “Coach”, Paul Petersen from the Donna Reed show with “My Dad”, Johnny Crawford from the Rifleman with “Cindy’s Birthday”, a record company asked Jon if he was interested in auditioning. Music was not Jon’s strong point, but who didn’t want to be a rock star! He went down with 2 friends. Jon played bass on “Long, Tall Texan” and basically got a “don’t call us; we’ll call you” response.”
Laurie Jacobson was so kind in sharing another wonderful detail about Jon’s Beatles boots that he had acquired all those years ago. “Jon also kept the Beatle boots which I treasure and proudly display. The fact that he saved them says a great deal about his love for “the Fabs.”
Laurie went on to say that she went on Chris Carter’s “Breakfast With The Beatles” show to discuss and promote her Beatles at Shea Stadium book. Her comments about Chris Carter, “He is so great, was in the successful band Dramarama! Jon went with me, and Chris completely flipped out meeting him. Then the Beaver – Jerry Mathers – called me at the studio to request one of his fave Beatle songs, HELP! and I thought Chris was going to pass out. He shouted, “This may be the best show I’ve ever done!” Considering who he’s interviewed, that was something.”
Thank you, Jon and Laurie, for the wonderful recollections of times gone by! They are much appreciated!
Highly recommend that you check out this wonderful book by Laurie Jacobson about what it was like for a childhood TV star to grow up in that era and in that locale…Despite the almost exclusively positive public perception of the Hollywood lifestyle, as Ringo Starr would sing in the song, “It Don’t Come Easy.”
The back cover of the Jon Provost title:
Jon was always very photogenic and as he became a teenager his photos were featured in many Teen magazines such as 16:
Jon’s change in hair length and facial hair was both symptomatic and reflective of the times:
This photo of Jon Provost, June Lockart, and Lassie will always take me back to a seemingly simpler time when there was a lot less to worry about or lose sleep over. I don’t know if that is just nostalgia on my part or if there is a lot of truth in that feeling or perception.
Have to take the time to spotlight and recommend Laurie Jacobson’s wonderful book about the Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965. It can be purchased at her website or at Amazon and many other book venues:
BUTCH PATRICK
I met Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) at a Fest for Beatles Fans many years ago when he was promoting a book about the Munsters. He remains a diehard Beatles fan and collector to this day. As a Beatles book collector, I discovered that the Beatles themselves enjoyed the Munsters TV show as is evidenced by a sample page from the following book below that I purchased: “The Munsters A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane.”
Back Stage Books –Publisher
Publication date September 1, 2006 Author: Stephen Cox
A sample page from my copy of the book. The afterword of this book was written by Butch Patrick who played Eddie Munster on the series. To this day, he is a big Beatles fan and also a fellow Beatles collector. When I bought my copy of the Munster book by Stephen Cox, this page in particular, appealed to my crossover interests in both the Beatles and this very funny TV show. Grandpa Munster (Al Lewis) and Eddie seemed to be the two Munster characters that had quite an affinity for the Beatles.
The Standells – I Wanna Hold Your Hand – IN COLOR – YouTube–
Saw this posted on YouTube. Remember this performance by the Standells? If you do, you are a first-generation Beatles fan!!!
Never saw this in color as to the best of my knowledge, it was never produced or recorded in color. The Munsters two years on TV only featured black and white episodes, though they did make a pilot episode in color. So what you see above, must have been a colorization process by someone.
JOHN RITTER
Though not a childhood actor, John Ritter joined The Waltons as the character, the Rev. Matthew Fordwick, in the 70s. He was later to star on the hit TV show Three’s Company. John was also a very big Beatles fan. His dad was none other than musician Tex Ritter. When John Ritter passed away from his heart problem unexpectedly, he left no doubt as to his love for the Beatles. His gravestone carries the line from the Abbey Road LP “And in the End, the love you take is equal to the love you make…”
John Ritter was a Beatles fan – BeatleLinks Fab Forum
On the hit TV series, Three’s Company, you would often see camera shots inside the interior of character Jack Tripper’s bedroom, and you could see the following Beatles poster hanging on the wall. Jack Tripper, of course, was brilliantly played by John Ritter.
John Ritter’s gravestone:
Here is a picture of the late Vincent Price, the late Carrie Fischer, Ringo Starr and the late John Ritter
Some of the details of the TV special that John Ritter did with Ringo Starr in the seventies...
STANLEY AND BARRY LIVINGSTON
Stanley Livingston (Chip from the long-running “My Three Sons” TV series) is also a Beatles fan, and according to this bio, he is or was working on the production of a Quarrymen film – look toward the end of this link
Stanley Livingston – Stanley’s Bio, Credits, A… – Stage 32
Stanley Livingston – Nite of Dreams
Stanley’s brother Barry Livingston, who played Ernie on My Three Sons, once did a guest appearance on Chris Carter’s Breakfast with the Beatles:
Barry Livingston joins Chris Carter for Breakfast With The Beatles 30th Anniversary!
My signed photo of the Livingston Brothers who both liked the Beatles very much and they acted for many years on the “My Three Sons” television show as the characters, Chip and Ernie Douglas! They also have lengthy film credits to their wonderful careers.
Actor Mark Hamill from the Star Wars film series is also another rabid Beatles fan, as was the late actress Cindy Williams from the Laverne and Shirley television series. She had a John Lennon lithograph in her collection. I remember distinctly reading that somewhere, but the original source of that information escapes me…
Trust me when I tell you that this is only a very small sample of Hollywood stars that love or loved the Beatles. Ask Dustin Hoffman what he thinks of McCartney and his Drink to Me (Picasso’s Last Words) song which Paul composed right in front of him!!!
For you first-generation Beatles fans out there, do you have a favorite overlap memory with something about the Beatles appearing or occurring in one of your favorite TV shows from the sixties or maybe even the seventies? For more recent generations, when you see an older TV series that your parents or grandparents may have enjoyed, might you have the same joy in viewing episodes of this old show, or do they seem out of place or dated to you? What do you enjoy the most about the old programs, and what is your biggest pet peeve about them?
Look forward to your responses!
The number of Hollywood stars, both young and old, who loved the Beatles is massive. Burt Lancaster once had all of the Beatles in his house for a film screening of Peter Sellers ‘ “A Shot in the Dark.” One obvious lesson from all of this discussion in this post is that not only weren’t there any age restrictions in loving the Beatles from the players/actors in TV Land but many celebrities who were famous and well-known in their own lives were still massively impressed with the mass adulation and the fame attained by those 4 individuals from Liverpool. I don’t remember the source, but I recall John Lennon once making a comment that when he and the other guys were in a gathering of other very famous and notable people, attention still gravitated towards them and they “The Beatles”, couldn’t fathom or understand why all of the fuss. We may not be able to put the answer to that question clearly in words, but our ears and our hearts certainly can tell us the reasons why!
Hope you enjoyed today’s post!
BUZZ
Art & Craft
Original art and craft related to Liverpool and the Beatles
Another very interesting and enjoyable nostalgic read! I remember all these shows!