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1-26 of 26
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Michael Daniel Cassady was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Love (2016), Drunk History (2013) and Doughboys (2015). He has been married to Deanna Russo since 2014. They have one child.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
By the early 1950s, future movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff was a brash 30-ish lawyer scratching out a living by representing his in-laws and the Hollywood fringe, which included many of now infamous director/angora-clad transvestite Edward D. Wood Jr.'s social circle. As a shark, Arkoff was physically imposing and capable of scaring the snot out of anyone who opposed him. One of his penny ante clients was Alex Gordon, a screenwriter who had submitted an unsolicited script to Realart Pictures, an outfit that was profitably re-releasing 20-year-old movies, often under new titles conjured up by its owner, Jack Broder. One such film, Man Made Monster (1941), had just been re-issued as "The Atomic Monster", coincidentally the same title of Gordon's screenplay. Arkoff, smelling blood in the water, paid Broder a visit and, incredibly, obtained a $500 settlement. Broder's sales manager, James H. Nicholson, was dumbfounded by Arkoff's ability to extract a dime, let alone $500, out of his notoriously tightfisted boss. He met with Arkoff and proposed a partnership, which led to the formation of American Releasing Corp. in 1954. The company's first release was Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954), a low-budget feature by 29-year-old producer'Roger Corman'. Made for less than $50,000, it netted $850,000 and Corman was brought into the fold as a silent partner. By 1955 the company was renamed American-International Pictures, generally known as AIP in the industry. Initially focusing on westerns on the premise that shooting on location was cheaper than renting space in a studio. Although the films were profitable, Arkoff was unhappy with the returns and solicited theater owners for advice on what types of films filled seats.
By the mid-'50s, thanks to television, movie audience numbers had dwindled considerably, with the key demographic now teenagers and young adults, who craved horror movies and, especially, drive-ins (where they could gather together without their parents). AIP jumped into the horror genre with both feet and made a fortune. Under the aegis of Nicholson and Arkoff, the company survived in a constricting industry by catering to the whims of the teenage trade and adapting to trends. AIP's long (350-plus) roster of kitsch classics, running the gamut from horror to rock-'n'-roll, from juvenile delinquency to Italian muscle men and from Edgar Allan Poe to Annette Funicello, have formed their own unique niche in film history. His company became infamous for clever advertising schemes that were often more entertaining than the films themselves. Arkoff never tolerated egos and his films were more often than not profitable, thanks to tight budgets and a clear understanding of the company's target market. After Nicholson's 1972 resignation, Arkoff assumed full control of the company and remained in charge until the 1979 merger with Filmways prompted his own departure. He then became the head of Arkoff International Pictures.- Terence Goodman was born on 29 November 1950 in Fort Dodge,Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Ode to Billy Joe (1976), Final Rinse (1999) and Small Town Crime (2017).
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Mark Christopher was born on 8 July 1963 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for 54 (1998), Berlin and Alkali, Iowa (1995).- Thomas Heggen was born on 23 December 1919 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a writer, known for Mister Roberts (1955), Ensign Pulver (1964) and Mister Roberts (1965). He died on 19 May 1949 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Director
- Cinematographer
William Matthew Tilghman served as a lawman for 35 years. In his career he rode with the Earps, was a lawman in Dodge City, Kansas, and battled the Dalton gang and the Wild Bunch. In the early 1900s he became fed up with the way Hollywood glamorized the outlaws of the west and, along with his friends E.D. Nix and Chris Madsen, set out to make a movie of how it really was back then. They starred in the film, Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws (1915), as themselves and arranged to have a member of the Dalton gang named Arkansas Tom released from prison to act as a technical consultant. They met with some difficulty in getting the film shown--theater owners didn't want to show it because there were no name actors in it. Hollywood told them to put Tom Mix in it if they wanted it to sell, but Tilghman refused.
In 1924, some businessmen from the town of Cromwell, Oklahoma, contacted Tilghman, hoping to persuade him to accept the position of town sheriff. Cromwell was a virtual cesspool of crime: bootlegging, gambling and prostitution (many of the prostitutes being underage) were among the illegal activities going on, all under the protection of a corrupt federal Prohibition agent named Wiley Lynn. Cromwell was a booming oil town, and its citizens wanted Tilghman to run the "bad element" out of town in order to preserve its future; they didn't want the town to dry up when the oil did. Tilghman was reluctant at first, but finally took the job and promised to clean up the town. He made good on his promises, closing down gambling houses, arresting bootleggers and moonshiners and sending the prostitutes home to their families. This upset those in town who were running the various crime rings, including Wiley Lynn. One night as Tilghman was having dinner with friends at Ma Murphy's restaurant, Lynn showed up. He claimed he had a warrant, and was coming in to clear out the underage girls who worked there, dancing with lonely men. He was brandishing a pistol, and according to witnesses was either drunk or high on cocaine. As Tilghman and his deputy attempted to disarm Lynn, he pulled out a .22-caliber pistol and shot Tilghman in the mid-section. He escaped, while Tilghman lay dying on the boardwalk. A doctor was summoned, and a friend fetched Tilghman's young wife and children. The doctor was unable to save him, and Tilghman died on a table in Ma Murphy's, surrounded by his friends and family (in 1925 Wiley Lynn was tried for and acquitted of Tilghman's murder, but was dismissed from federal service. In 1932 he was shot and killed by an agent of the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation).- Writer
- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
Walter Kempley was born on 15 September 1926 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Happy Days (1974), Der Andro-Jäger (1982) and Die Gimmicks (1978). He died on 11 August 2001 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Jay Devlin was born on 8 May 1929 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Three Days of the Condor (1975), All My Children (1970) and Law & Order (1990). He was married to Callie and Jean C Lamendola. He died on 9 November 2014 in Monroe, New York, USA.
- Brad Steiger was born on 19 February 1936 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a writer, known for Valentino (1977), World Beyond Death (1976) and Mysteries of Time and Space: The Truth About.... UFO's and ET's (1982). He was married to Sherry Hansen, Frances Paschal and Marilyn Ann Gjefle. He died on 6 May 2018 in Mason City, Iowa, USA.
- Judy Parrish was born on 9 August 1916 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Barney Blake, Police Reporter (1948), Studio One (1948) and The Ford Theatre Hour (1948). She was previously married to John Harvey.
- Actress
- Producer
- Casting Department
Katie O'Dell was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. Katie is an actor and producer, known for The Unbreakable Boy (2025), Spoken Gospel (2019) and Unplanned (2019).- Producer
Vic Eliason was born on 14 May 1936 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a producer, known for In Focus (2009). He was married to Freda Mae Thomas. He died on 5 December 2015 in Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA.- Corita Kent was born on 20 November 1918 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA.
- Sound Department
- Actor
Michael Colgan was born on 26 January 1921 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Saturday Night Fever (1977), The Getaway (1972) and Altered States (1980). He was married to Judy Osborne and Patty. He died on 9 February 2006 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Mitch Krebs was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA.
- Actress
Maureen Buhr was born on 15 January 1941 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. She is an actress, known for Sammy (1977).- Mack Hellings was born on 14 September 1915 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He died on 11 November 1951 in Kern County, California, USA.
- Chad Svendsen was born on 17 February 1968 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for The Problem (1999). He has been married to Tabatha Svendsen since 22 June 1993.
- Neil Schaffner was born on 24 May 1892 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Omnibus (1952). He was married to Caroline Helen Hannah (actress) and Cecil Manners. He died on 3 July 1969 in Burlington, Iowa, USA.
- Mary Kelly was born in 1941 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA.
- Actress
- Make-Up Department
- Costume Designer
Paige Peterson was born on 4 November 1974 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. She is an actress and costume designer, known for Chicago Hope (1994) and Piece a' Cake (2003).- Charles Kennedy was born on 19 October 1937 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was married to Lois Klotz. He died on 20 October 2004 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Lee Stokes was born on 11 March 1966 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Mattina Presto Luce (2010), Valentine's Day (2008) and Talk to the Gun (2022).- Gene Elston was born on 26 March 1922 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He died on 5 September 2015 in the USA.
- Donna Curtis was born on 12 January 1938 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. She is an actress, known for Great Performances (1971).