The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 17

by Stephen Jones

  British actress Jan Holden (Valerie Jeanne Wilkinson) died after a long illness on October 11th, aged 74. She was the lead in Hammer’s Stranglers of Bombay and also appeared in Fire Maidens from Outer Space, Quatermass II (aka Enemy from Space), The Camp on Blood Island, The Haunted House of Horror (aka Horror House) and episodes of TV’s The Avengers and Journey to the Unknown. Her first husband was the actor Edwin Richfield.

  94-year-old American actress Mildred Shay, who lived in London for many years, died of a stroke on October 15th, while visiting her daughter in California. She began her film career in the early 1930s, and her credits include Roman Scandals, I Married an Angel, Superman III, Labyrinth and Little Shop of Horrors (1986). She also dubbed Greta Garbo’s voice in Grand Hotel (1932).

  British TV and film actress Barbara Keogh died the same day, aged 76. She appeared in The Abominable Dr. Phibes (with Vincent Price), Wuthering Heights (1978), The Quatermass Conclusion, Whoops Apocalypse and Paperhouse, plus episodes of Hammer House of Horror, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense and Highlander.

  British stage and screen actress Ursula Howells died on October 16th, aged 83. She played a werewolf in Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, and her other credits include The Oracle, Torture Garden, the psycho thriller Mumsy Nanny Sonny and Girly (aka Girly) and the TV movie The Cold Room.

  Eugene Lee (Gordon Lee) who, as a child actor, portrayed Spanky McFarland’s younger brother “Porky” in more than forty of MGM’s Our Gang (aka Little Rascals) comedy shorts (1935–39), died after a long battle with lung and brain cancer the same day, aged 71. He retired at the age of six and never acted again.

  American entertainer Elmer (“Len”) Dresslar, who recorded the “Ho, ho, ho” part of the “Jolly Green Giant” advertising jingle back in 1959, also died on October 16th, aged 80.

  Veteran character actor John Larch also died on the same day, aged 91. His credits include The Wrecking Crew, Play Misty for Me, Future Cop, The Amityville Horror, TV’s Future Cop and Fire in the Sky, along with numerous Westerns.

  Bald-headed British actor John Hollis, who portrayed the villain “Kaufman” in the 1960s TV serials A for Andromeda and The Andromeda Breakthrough, died after a long illness on October 18th, aged 74. He also appeared in such films as Casino Royale, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, Superman, The Empire Strikes Back, Flash Gordon (1980), Superman IV The Quest for Peace and the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (as “Ernst Stavro Blofeld”). Hollis’ other credits include the 1981 BBC adaptation of Day of the Triffids and episodes of Out of the Unknown, The Avengers (including “The Cybernauts”), Adam Adamant, Doctor Who, The Tomorrow People and Blakes 7.

  79-year-old Reggie Lisowski, a professional wrestler who appeared in the ring under the name “The Crusher” from the 1949 until the 1980s, died of complications from surgery to remove a brain tumour on October 22nd.

  Texan-born character actor William “Bill” Hootkins died of pancreatic cancer in Santa Monica on October 23rd, aged 58. Based for many years in England, his numerous credits include Star Wars (as rebel pilot “Red Six”), Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Sphinx, Flash Gordon (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dream Child, Biggles, Haunted Honeymoon, American Gothic, Superman IV The Quest for Peace, Batman, Hardware, Dust Devil, The NeverEnding Story III, Death Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Omega Code, The Breed and the 1987 TV movie The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Hootkins also appeared in Hammer House of Mystery: Black Carrion and more recently he portrayed Alfred Hitchcock in the London stage production of Hitchcock’s Blonde.

  Best remembered for his suave villains, Canadian-born actor Lloyd Bochner died of cancer in Santa Monica on October 29th, aged 81. In a film and TV career that spanned more than five decades, he appeared in William Castle’s The Night Walker, The Dunwich Horror, Crowhaven Farm, Satan’s School for Girls (1973), A Fire in the Sky, The Golden Gate Murders, Rona Jaffe’s Mazes and Monsters, the Manimal pilot, Millennium, Legend of the Mummy, the animated Batman: Vengeance and episodes of Thriller, Twilight Zone (the classic “To Serve Man”, based on the story by Damon Knight), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Wild Wild West, The Green Hornet, Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Tarzan, Bewitched, The Starlost, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantasy Island, Battlestar Galactica, Darkroom, Highway to Heaven, Superboy (as a vampire) and the 1992–94 Batman cartoon series (as the voice of “Mayor Hamilton Hill”). In 1998 Bochner co-founded the Committee to End Violence to look at the impact of violence in film and television on popular culture.

  Stage and screen actress Paula Laurence, who played “Hannah Stokes” in TV’s Dark Shadows, died of complications from a broken hip the same day, aged 89.

  1950s Rockabilly singer Barbara Pittman died of heart failure in her Memphis home also on October 29th, aged 67. She recorded for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records and later dated Elvis Presley. She toured with Jerry Lee Lewis and The Righteous Brothers, and was lead singer with Barbara and the Visitors, and The Thirteenth Committee. Best known for “I Need a Man”, she also performed the title song for the Vincent Price film Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966), directed by Mario Bava.

  81-year-old British actress Mary Wimbush died of a stroke on Hallowe’en after collapsing at the BBC’s Birmingham studios shortly after recording an episode of Radio 4’s The Archers. Her credits include Fragment of Fear, Hammer’s Vampire Circus, the 1981 Doctor Who spin-off K-9 and Company and Century Falls. She was married to actor Howard Marion Crawford (who died in 1969).

  American actress Jean Carson died of a stroke on November 2nd, aged 82. Her credits include I Married a Monster from Outer Space and episodes of Inner Sanctum and The Twilight Zone.

  British character actor Geoffrey Keen died on November 3rd, aged 89. Best known for his role as “Sir Frederick Gray”, the stuffy Minister of Defence, in such later James Bond films as Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights, he also appeared in Seven Days to Noon, Meet Mr. Lucifer, The Malpas Mystery, Horrors of the Black Museum, The Mind Benders, TV’s The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, Berserk!, Hammer’s Taste the Blood of Dracula, Doomwatch and Holocaust 2000.

  American actress Sheree North (Dawn Bethel) died of complications from surgery on November 4th, aged 72. Originally groomed by the studios as a replacement for Marilyn Monroe, she later became an accomplished character actress in such films as Destination Inner Space, The Trouble with Girls (with Elvis and Vincent Price), Maneater, The Cloning of Clifford Swimmer, Telefon and Maniac Cop. On TV she appeared in episodes of Future Cop, Fantasy Island and Freddy’s Nightmares.

  American rock guitarist Link Wray (Fred Lincoln Wray, Jr.), whose best-know hit was the 1958 instrumental “Rumble”, died in Copenhagen, Denmark, on November 5th, aged 76. Later hits included “Jack the Ripper” in 1962 and a version of the “Batman Theme” three years later. His music was also used on the soundtracks of Streets of Fire, Pulp Fiction, Twelve Monkeys and Independence Day, amongst other films. Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Marc Bolan, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen are amongst those who cited him as an influence.

  Stuntman, character actor and professional wrestler The Great John L (William H. Clark) died on November 6th, aged 80. He made his movie debut as a stuntman in the 1958 Journey to the Center of the Earth, and was one of Burt Lancaster’s beast-men in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977).

  Character actress, singer and comedienne Avril [Florence] Angers died of pneumonia on November 8th, aged 87. A pioneer in post-war British television comedy, her infrequent film appearances include The Brass Monkey (aka The Lucky Mascot), The Green Man and Devils of Darkness.

  American actress Pamela Duncan, who starred in Roger Corman’s Attack of the Crab Monsters, died of a stroke on November 11th, aged 73. Her other film credits include Corman’s The Undead and Girls! Girls! Girls! before her retirement from the big screen in 1962 to conce
ntrate on TV work. She also appeared in episodes of Captain Video, Rocky Jones Space Ranger and Thriller.

  Leading man Keith Andes (John Charles Andes) was found dead at this Californian home the same day, aged 85. He had committed suicide by asphyxiation after suffering from various physical ailments in recent years. Andes played “Dr. Barnett” in the 1973 TV series Search and was “Akuta” in the original Star Trek episode “The Apple”. His other credits include episodes of The Outer Limits and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

  Actor Rik Van Nutter, who portrayed James Bond’s friend, CIA agent “Felix Leiter”, in Thunderball, died of a heart attack on November 12th, aged 75. His other credits include Uncle Was a Vampire (with Christopher Lee) and Assignment Outer Space.

  Former child actress Ruthi Robinson (Ruth E. Poe), who played “Little Red Riding Hood” in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), died on November 15th, aged 55.

  Radio writer and announcer Ralph Edwards, who created and hosted the NBC TV show This is Your Life (1952–61), died of heart failure on November 16th, aged 92. Boris Karloff was the subject of a 1957 episode. Emmy Award-winning Edwards’ other successful shows include Truth or Consequences and The People’s Court.

  American character actor Harold J. Stone (Harold Hochstein) died on November 18th, aged 93. His film credits include The Invisible Boy, X – The Man with X-Ray Eyes, Girl Happy (with Elvis), The Greatest Story Ever Told and The Werewolf of Washington. He also guest-starred in more than 150 TV shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Twilight Zone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart and Highway to Heaven.

  American actress Carolyn Kearney, who starred in Hot Rod Girl and The Thing That Couldn’t Die, died of complications from heart problems on the same day, aged 75. After appearing in just four feature films, she moved to TV, where she appeared opposite Boris Karloff in the Thriller episode “The Incredible Doktor Markesan”, along with episodes of the Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It is reported that Hitchcock considered Kearney for the role in Psycho that eventually went to Vera Miles.

  Actress [Dolores] “Dodo” Denney died after a short illness on November 20th, aged 77. She began her career playing “Marilyn the Witch” in The Witching Hour on local television, and her other credits include Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (as “Mrs Teevee”), Splash and Ride with the Devil.

  Mexican-born Luz Potter, one of the last eight surviving Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz (1939), died of Alzheimer’s disease on November 21st, aged 90. A former circus performer, she also appeared in the Universal comedy Ghost Catchers (1944); played Violet, a midget, in The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and, billed as “Luce Potter”, portrayed the creepy tentacled head of the Martian Intelligence in the classic Invaders from Mars (1953).

  Veteran American-born stage and screen actress Constance Cummings [Levy] CBE (Constance Halverstadt) died in London on November 23rd, aged 95. A long-time UK resident after her marriage to British playwright Benn W. Levy (who died in 1973), her first film credit was Howard Hawks’ The Criminal Code (1931), also featuring Boris Karloff. She went on to appear in Behind the Mask (also with Karloff), James Whale’s Remember Last Night?, Blithe Spirit and “The Scream” segment of Three’s Company.

  American singer and actress Beverly Tyler (aka “Beverly Jean Saul”) died of a pulmonary embolism the same day, aged 78. Her film credits include Voodoo Island (with Boris Karloff), before she retired from the screen in the 1960s.

  73-year-old Japanese-American character actor Pat Morita (Noriyuki Morita) died of heart and kidney failure on November 24th, while awaiting a kidney transplant. After being released from an internment camp during World War II, he became a stand-up comedian before getting his big break as “Arnold” in the TV series Happy Days. Along with his Oscar-nominated role in The Karate Kid and its three sequels, he appeared in When Time Ran Out, Full Moon High, Slapstick (of Another Kind), Alice in Wonderland, Babes in Toyland, Spy Hard, Do or Die, Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies, Timemaster, Disney’s Mulan and King Cobra, plus episodes of Man from Atlantis, The Incredible Hulk, Space Rangers and the 1990s Outer Limits.

  Actress, singer and dancer Adele Lamont (Adele Thompson), who appeared in The Brain That Wouldn’t Die as the model whose torso is selected by mad scientist Jason Evers, died the same day, aged 74. A singer with Xavier Cugat’s band, she was also in an Off-Broadway production of He Who Gets Slapped with Robert Culp.

  Jocelyn Brando, the older actress sister of brother Marlon (who died in 2004), died on November 25th, aged 86. She appeared in the TV movies Dark Night of the Scarecrow and Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land, along with episodes of One Step Beyond, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Alfred Hitchcock Hour (Ray Bradbury’s “The Jar”), Thriller and Darkroom.

  Veteran character actor, scriptwriter, film director and former opera singer Marc Lawrence (Max Goldsmith), best known for his many gangster roles, died of heart failure on November 26th, aged 95. In films since 1932, his numerous credits include The Spider’s Web, Beware Spooks!, S.O.S Tidal Wave, Charlie Chan on Broadway, Charlie Chan in Honolulu, Charlie Chan in the Wax Museum, The Monster and the Girl, Hold That Ghost, Hurricane Island, My Favorite Spy, King of Kong Island, Diamonds Are Forever, Pigs (aka Daddy’s Deadly Darling, also wrote, produced and directed), Dream No Evil, The Man with the Golden Gun, Night Train to Terror, Donor, Cataclysm, From Dusk Till Dawn, End of Days and Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Lawrence was subpoenaed to appear before the House of un-American Activities Committee in 1951, where he admitted that he had once been a US Communist party member. After reluctantly implicating several co-workers (including Jeff Corey, Sterling Hayden, Lionel Stander, Larry Parks and Anne Revere) as alleged communist sympathisers, he was blacklisted and moved to Italy for six years. Lawrence’s autobiography, Long Time No See: Confessions of a Hollywood Gangster, was published in 1991.

  New Orleans band leader, singer and producer Joe Jones died on November 27th, aged 79. He is best remembered for his song, “You Talk Too Much”, which was recorded in 1959 but did not become a hit until it was featured in Barry Mahon’s The Dead One (aka Blood of the Zombie, 1960). Originally released by New Orleans label Ric, it was picked up by New York-based Roulette who took it to #3 in the US charts. Jones also discovered the Dixie Cups (“Chapel of Love”) at a talent show and got them signed with Red Bird records.

  62-year-old drummer Tony Meehan, a founding member of Cliff Richard’s backing group The Shadows, died on November 28th from head injuries sustained in a fall at his home in London. He played on such hits as “Living Doll”, “The Young Ones” and “Apache” before leaving the group in 1961 to become a producer at Decca Records.

  Austrian-born character actor Joseph Furst died on November 29th, aged 89. Based in the UK for many years, he appeared in Theatre of Death and The Brides of Fu Manchu (both with Christopher Lee), Diamonds Are Forever, Inn of the Damned and episodes of One Step Beyond, Doctor Who and Doom Watch.

  47-year-old American actress and comedienne Wendie Jo Sperber died the same day after a long battle with breast cancer. She starred in the 1980s TV series Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks and also appeared in Steven Spielberg’s 1941 and the first and final episodes of the Back to the Future trilogy (as Marty’s kid sister “Linda McFly”). After being diagnosed in 1997, Sperber founded the weSPARK Cancer Support Center in Sherman Oaks, California.

  American leading lady Jean Parker (Luise Stephanie Zelinska, aka “Lois Mae Green”), who starred opposite John Carradine in Edgar G. Ulmer’s Bluebeard (1944), died of complications from a stroke on November 30th, aged 90. Her many film credits include Rasputin and the Empress, Gabriel Over the White House, Murder in the Fleet, The Ghost Goes West (1935), Beyond Tomorrow, Dead Man’s Eyes (with Lon Chaney, Jr.) and One Body Too Many (featuring Bela Lugosi). Parker was married to her fourth husband, actor Robert Lowery, from 1951–57, and in later years she worked as an acting coach before becoming something of a recluse.


  71-year-old actor and teacher Jack Colvin, best known for his recurring role as investigative reporter “Jack McGee” in the TV series The Incredible Hulk (1978–82), died on December 1st after suffering a stroke in October. He also appeared in The Terminal Man, Embryo and Child’s Play, the TV movies The Spell, Exo-Man and The Incredible Hulk Returns, plus episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman and The Invisible Man (1975).

  Radio actor Anthony Georgilas, whose credits include The Lone Ranger (“Who was that masked man?”) and The Green Hornet, died on December 3rd, aged 78. He was also a production manager on TV’s The Twilight Zone.

  Voice actor Gilbert Mack, who began his career in vaudeville, died on December 5th, aged 93. He was heard on such radio shows as Inner Sanctum and Dick Tracy and contributed to numerous cartoon TV shows, including Johnny Jupiter (as the title character), Astro Boy (as “Mr. Pompus”), Gigantor and Godzilla.

  American radio newscaster and announcer George Walsh died of congestive heart failure on December 5th, aged 88. Best known as the announcer for the Gunsmoke radio and TV series during the 1950s, his voice was also used in the “Smokey the Bear” forest fire prevention campaign and the now-closed Disneyland rides Flight to the Moon and Mission to Mars. In June 1947, while working as a programme director at a radio station in Roswell, New Mexico, he broke a story about a UFO being captured by the local Air Force that has passed into folklore.

  Character actor, production associate and acting mentor Beach Dickerson, best known for his roles in Roger Corman movies, died on December 7th, aged 81. He made his debut in Corman’s Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), for which he also worked on the special effects. Subsequent credits include War of the Satellites, Teenage Caveman, Visit to a Small Planet, Creature from the Haunted Sea, The Trip, The Dunwich Horror, School Spirit, Deadly Dreams and Future Kick.