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1-10 of 10
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Paul Alter, Born in Chicago, Illinois, is an American TV game-show director and producer. His career spanned fifty years and he is credited for producing and directing over 60 game shows and other productions. He studied at NYU the Yale School of Drama from where he graduated. Before starting his TV career, he also studied piano with Teddy Wilson, from the Benny Goodman Quartet and for that matter was a talented musician. Composing the 1969 theme music for To Tell the Truth, he finally put his talent to use. He is best known for his work on "I've Got a Secret", "To Tell the Truth", "What's My Line", "Password", "Family Feud" and "The Price is Right", "Man Against Crime", "Playhouse 90", "Perry Como Show", Member of ASCAP, DGA and other shows. He entered the entertainment industry in 1950 when he was hired as director for "Beat the Clock". After exploring the opportunities of the game shows arena he became a key figure in the field.
Paul Alter has had a long- lasting association with Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, and in the period from 1956 to 2000, he helped them create over 60 game shows, and directed the pilots for most of the production's series. Broadening his horizons, Alter also edited and scripted episodes of a 1950s crime drama called "Man Against Crime," called the shots in some of "The Perry Como Show" episodes, and in several occasions helped director Sidney Lumet with the editing tasks on the TV series "Danger". Going out of his comfort zone, in 1972, Paul Alter produced Simon Gray's "A Wise Child" which showed on Broadway. From 1986 to 2000, he served as the director and producer of "The Price Is Right", and directed both versions for the hit show. Since its debut the show aired over 8,000 episodes, and became one of the longest-running network series in United States television history. In 2007 it was even named "the greatest game show of all time". In 1996, Paul Alter won a Daytime Emmy award for his work on this show. However this wasn't his first Daytime Emmy as in 1982 he won his first Daytime Emmy for "Family Feud". In addition to his wins, he also has 14 Emmy nominations.
Although he was already known as a legendary game show producer and director, in 1992 Paul Alter became even more famous after he filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Co. He claimed that Disney used his treatment to develop the story for their movie "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid". In the late 1970s, the producer submitted his 12-page sketch to Disney which was turned down. In 1992, after he asked and was rejected for a letter of apology by Disney Company, he filed a lawsuit against Disney. During the case trial, Alter listed 17 areas of similarities and gained both notice and fame. The jury sided with Alter and ruled in his favor, while Disney was required to pay him $300,000.
After his departure from The Price Is Right in 2000, he retired and dedicated his time to composing the music and lyrics for the holiday season album "The True Spirit of Christmas," recorded by Pat Boone. On June 11, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, Paul Alter died of natural causes at the age of 89, leaving behind his wife Lorraine Cole Alter, his three daughters, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren which he all adored passionately.- Rene Bluestone was born on 6 April 1958. She was an actress, known for Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) and Law & Order (1990). She was married to David Stewart Schneider and Jacob N Guttman. She died on 11 June 2011 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Gunnar Fischer was born on 18 November 1910 in Ljungby, Sweden. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Wild Strawberries (1957), The Seventh Seal (1957) and Smiles of a Summer Night (1955). He was married to Gull Söderblom. He died on 11 June 2011 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.- Lesley Jackson was born in 1918 in New Zealand. She was an actress, known for BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950), ITV Play of the Week (1955) and Studio 4 (1962). She was married to Lloyd Lamble. She died on 11 June 2011 in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, UK.
- Actor
- Director
- Stunts
Lightning Bear was born in Houston, Texas in 1947 and from there moved to California. He has always had an interest in the entertainment Industry. It all started in his childhood in the first grade singing in a choir with a solo for Christmas. In Junior High School there was a talent show in which he did a comedy song with a friend and it was probably the beginning of or was the first lip sink to a song. It was great and in the end when he got shot and took the microphone and stand to the floor with him (his first stunt) the Vice-principal almost had a heart attack. He then went into theater in high school in acting, set making, and lighting.
His first work in film was with a production company doing commercials and travel logs for the Mexican government. They spent 6 months traveling through Mexico, him working as an actor, precision driver, diver and boat handler. In 1965 after leaving the company, a Scottish friend and him, decided to go to Hollywood to visit a friend they had met in Mexico. They decided to stay and he got his first job there, working at the Playboy Club parking cars. This was also during the time of the riots at Pandora's Box on Sunset Blvd. He did not have a car, so he had to hitchhike across Laurel Canyon Blvd., which was not easy, since he lived in studio city. He quit the club and got a job in a gas station working pumping gas and as a mechanic. It was here that he met the people who gave him his first break.
While he was working one night, a man came in whose car had broken down. They had to take the car back to the station. His friend that was with him asked if he could give him a ride home. Since it was time for him to get off he did. He lived in the hills over looking Universal Studios. This was, as he was going to find out, Spanky McFarland who was on the "Little Rascals". He was producing and directing at Universal Studios at the time. They talked that night and Spanky asked if he was interested in the film industry. Lightning Bear told him of his work in Mexico and that he loves the industry and Spanky offered to help him. His friend that owned the car was Carl Ambrosia who was a Casting Director. In those days it was not easy to get into SAG. You needed to be in SAG to work in a film and you had to have worked in a film to get into SAG. They got Lightning Bear into central casting and then used his credits in Mexico to get him into SAG.
Spanky had the idea of making a star out of Lightning Bear, but he was there to actually go to school. Besides as all knows, you can go to a party 7 days a week in Hollywood, which he did for a time to meet the right people. But when you leave a party at 2 or 3 am and you have a 6 o'clock call and have to get straight, it has a tendency to be a bit hard. So Lightning Bear told him that he just wanted to work and go to school and being famous was not that important to him. Spanky said that the best position for this was in stunts.
In those days there were no schools for stunts and everything was OJT. Spanky got him his first show, which was the Virginian. Here Lightning Bear met Dick Shane who was the Stunt Coordinator for the show who started to train him. Also during the filming he met Hal Needham who started the first Stunt Association in Hollywood called Stunts Unlimited.
After returning from Vietnam in the 70s he had the chance to work with Richard Harris on the film "A Man Called Horse" which later helped get him on Star Wars. It was during preproduction and production of the "Return of a Man Called Horse" that he traveled to England and heard about Star Wars. His blood brother who is from England was working as a model maker on Star Wars at Elstree Studios. He took Lightning Bear with him and helped get him work as a Stormtrooper. Later Lightning Bear was fortunate to work on the other films as both a Stormtrooper and Biker Scout. One of the highlights of his life was being able to meet and work with the late great Peter Diamond.
Lightning Bear also had a company in film and television doing work as the Executive Production Co-coordinator. They had done shows for Home Box Office. He produced a show for the Tropicana Hotel called "After Midnight" and Lightning Bear's partner was responsible for the development of the colorization process used in the industry today. Since that time, Lightning Bear went more for the behind camera work as a Stunt Co-coordinator and 2nd Unit Director. Lightning Bear also did acting in summer stock, one of which was "West Side Story", playing one of the Sharks. During the 70s Lightning Bear was able to work with Sean Connery on "Diamond are Forever" in Las Vegas.
Lightning Bear took a break from the industry as he was also teaching and it got busy. He decided after doing "Black Rain", to only teach for a while. After moving to Germany in 1997, he started to meet people in the industry there and decided then to go back into it. In 2005, Lightning Bear got his first chance at Directing an Independent Film called "Bad Blood". It was not until this time that Lightning Bear was asked to attend his first Star Wars convention. The greatest honor and highlight in his life was being asked to speak at the Memorial Tribute that was done for Richard Harris in London.
Lightning Bear says he has been very lucky in his life as the industry is and always has been his first love. He likes the way it is always changing with new methods and technology, never having exactly the same circumstance or conditions and the ability to travel and see different countries, cultures, people and locations. This is especially true of the Star Wars and other Conventions, as he loves to meet the fans and talk with them.- Giorgio Celli was born on 16 July 1935 in Verona, Veneto, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Balsamus l'uomo di Satana (1970), Thomas... ...gli indemoniati (1970) and La mazurka del barone, della santa e del fico fiorone (1975). He died on 11 June 2011 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Frank Pomroy was born on 13 October 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He died on 11 June 2011 in Boxford, Massachusetts, USA.
- Writer
- Director
Juan Farias was born on 31 March 1935 in Serantes, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. He was a writer and director, known for Palabras cruzadas (1974), El kiosco (1984) and Crónicas de un pueblo (1971). He died on 11 June 2011 in Madrid, Spain.- Art Ditmar was born on 3 April 1929 in Winthrop, Massachusetts, USA. He died on 11 June 2011 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Irén Szöllösi was born on 14 February 1920 in Budapest, Hungary. She was an actress, known for Mi újság a Futrinka utcában? (1961), Mazsola és Tádé (1969) and Minden egér szereti a sajtot (1981). She died on 11 June 2011.