A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE

HONOREES FOR CINECON 60

Stefanie Powers began her career at age 15, dancing for famed Broadway choreographer, Jerome Robbins.  She was put under contract to Columbia Pictures in the final years of the Hollywood star system.  While under contract, she appeared in 15 of the 24 motion pictures she has made, co-starring with screen legends such as John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, David Niven, Roger Moore, Bing Crosby, Lee Remick, James Caan and Sammy Davis, Jr.   She co-starred with Richard Chamberlain in the critically acclaimed independent film, Three Days of Hamlet, and with Lena Olin and Bruce Dern in the 2019 film The Artists Wife. Cinecon is excited to present the rarely seen 1964 medical drama The New Interns which features Stefanie in a pivotal role opposite Dean Jones.

Her first television series, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., marked a milestone in U.S. television’s history as the first hour-long series featuring a female in the leading role.  Her television career includes 7 mini-series, over 55 television shows, 36 movies for television, and two more television series, The Feather and Father Gang and the long-running Hart to Hart with Robert Wagner.

She became a member of the Screen Writers’ Guild of America in the 1980s and has produced several of the screenplays she has written, one of which, Family Secrets, was not only a stepping-stone for the careers of James Spader and Gary Sinise but it garnered her a nomination for the best screenplay of the year by her peers in the Writers’ Guild. Her writing has extended to a memoir, One from the Hart, published by Simon & Schuster and in the UK by The Robson Press.

Throughout her career she has never neglected her theatrical roots, appearing in productions of; How the Other Half Loves, Under the Yum Yum Tree, Sabrina Fair, View from the Bridge, Oliver, Annie Get Your Gun, the West End debut of Matador, off-Broadway in The Vagina Monologues, back to the West End with Robert Wagner in Love Letters, which they also toured the United States with, becoming the cast most associated with the play after over 500 performances.

Among other musical performances, she appeared in the UK in the West End production of The King and I, which also toured the United States for ten months, the first revival of the musical Sunset Boulevard, and the Broadway-bound Gotta Dance.  She appeared in the UK co-starring opposite Richard Johnson of Royal Shakespeare Company fame, in the play, On Golden Pond, and with Clive Francis in 84 Charing Cross Road. 

She has recorded a CD with the legendary jazz artist Page Cavanaugh called On the Same Page, available online at JamboMusic.com.  Also, she has performed her one-woman show, Hart of My Heart, a tribute to the life and the lyrics of Lorenz Hart in the Matcham Room at the Hippodrome in London, San Francisco’s Jazz Room, Los Angeles’ Catalina Club, and at Feinstein’s in NYC.

While appearing in a production of Love Letters in the Middle East, she received a request from her dear friend, Valerie Harper, asking her to take over the role of Tallulah Bankhead in the play Looped.  Looped is about the encounter between the infamous actress Tallulah Bankhead with a sound editor who is overseeing her recording of a line of dialogue for the 1965 film Die! Die! My Darling! the last film Ms. Bankhead would ever make. Ironically, Stefanie co-starred in DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! with Ms. Bankhead in real life.

As much a part of her life as her career is her devotion to animal preservation and protection, which at times becomes more of a vocation than an avocation.  She is the founder and president of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, established in 1982 to continue and to further her long-time partner’s conservation work in East Africa after his death.  

She was appointed conservation consultant to Jaguar Motor Company of North America after creating the Jaguar Conservation Trust which she has operated in Central America and is on the advisory board of the Vanishing Herds Foundation in India, whose primary effort is the protection and preservation of the only remaining population of Asiatic Lions located in Gujarat India. 

She has been on the advisory board of four zoos in the United States and is a fellow of the Los Angeles Zoo, the Explorers’ Club, and the Royal Geographic Society. 

She is active in the movement to preserve and protect the remaining herds of North American wild horses and has received numerous international awards for her grassroots work in conservation which she considers a life-long commitment. 

Stefanie is a frequent speaker and also serves on the faculty of the Oxford Literary Festival at Christchurch, Oxford. She was a board member of long standing on three of the mutual funds within the family of mutual funds called The American Funds. She resides part of the year in Kenya and has done so since 1973.

SPECIAL PRESENTER

NEILE ADAMS MCQUEEN

Actress, singer, and dancer Neile Adams McQueen will present the Cinecon Legacy Award to her friend Stefanie Powers on Saturday evening. Her Broadway credits include Kismet and The Pajama Game and she made her film debut in the MGM film This Could Be the Night in 1957. Neile was married to actor Steve McQueen from 1956 to 1972.

Russ’ career as an actor, dancer, choreographer, director, and artist has spanned nearly eight decades. Born Dec. 30, 1934, into a show business family, Russ has performed in every kind of venue, from small playhouses to Madison Square Garden. His roots began in the heyday of Hollywood; he was discovered by Lloyd Bridges who gave 10-year-old Russ his first part in a play, Stone Jungle. This launched Russ into an extensive career in motion pictures, television, and theatre.

Russ’ first motion picture credit came in 1948 when he played a supporting role in The Boy with Green Hair. Cecil B DeMille saw a special quality in Russ and cast him as young King Saul in the epic, Samson and Delilah. Many films followed, including Father of the Bride, and Father’s Little Dividend in which he portrayed Elizabeth Taylor’s brother. The title role in The Kid from Cleveland was next, but his dynamic performance in Warner Brothers’ Retreat Hell! won him a long-term contract with MGM Studios.

While there, Russ starred in the classic musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, bringing him worldwide fame for his dancing and acting. He also starred opposite Debbie Reynolds in Hit the Deck. His musicality, championship tumbling and cat-like agility, blending with his strong dramatic skills, made Russ ‘MGM’s Most Popular Young Star’. Russ’ career skyrocketed with an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the critically acclaimed film, Peyton Place. He also received a Golden Globe Award for ‘Most Promising Newcomer’. From there, Russ was offered starring roles in some of the hottest films in Hollywood, including Tom Thumb, Don’t Go Near the Water, High School Confidential, The Longships, and The Haunting. Most notably, Russ starred in West Side Story in his iconic role as ‘Riff’, the leader of the Jets.

In 1964, seeking a deeper means of self-expression, Russ’ creative focus shifted from the performing arts to the fine arts. His unique work in collage and assemblage brought him recognition in numerous gallery exhibitions and museums, including the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His art and poetry can be found in numerous international art publications. Russ continued his first love of the performing arts when he starred in such theatre works as Cabaret, Follies, The Music Man, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, George M. and Bye Bye Birdie, starring opposite Chita Rivera.

In the early eighties, Russ co-starred, co-wrote, and choreographed the rock-noir movie, Human Highway. This was a collaborative effort with long-time friends, Neil Young, Dean Stockwell, and Dennis Hopper. Russ again joined Neil Young in the 2003 – 2004 Greendale Tour as director and choreographer, as well as playing the role of ‘Captain John Green’.

Russ started his television credits with dancing on the Ed Sullivan Show and continued with guest-starring roles in various shows, including Gunsmoke, Babylon 5, Quantum Leap, and Nash Bridges. But he is most remembered for his performance as ‘Dr. Jacoby’ in the landmark television series Twin Peaks. He later reprised this role as the transformed and irascible Dr. Amp in David Lynch’s final series – Twin Peaks-the Return. Russ has mentored and managed his daughter Amber Tamblyn’s career. She starred in the title role of the CBS series Joan of Arcadia. Russ played the recurring role of the ‘Dog Walker/God’ in this hit series. In 2024, Russ completed a twenty-four year writing project – his memoir, “Dancing on the Edge“.

Mr. Tamblyn will be signing copies of his book during the dinner break on Sunday.

SPECIAL PRESENTER

GEORGE CHAKIRIS

Academy Award-winning actor George Chakiris will present the Cinecon Legacy Award to his friend and West Side Story co-star Russ Tamblyn. We are honored to have Mr. Chakiris, a previous Cinecon honoree, return to be a part of Cinecon 60. He presents the award on the Sunday, September 1st of our festival programming.

Who hasn’t enjoyed the work of spry, curly-haired actor Tommy Cook? With literally hundreds of Hollywood credits to his name, he has been continuously working for over 80 years. Tommy was born in Duluth, Minnesota on July 5, 1930. He moved with his family to California when he was just a youngster, and his mother Fern brought him to the Pasadena Playhouse after he showed an unusual talent for performing. He made two shorts for MGM and RKO before striking gold in serial adventures. In 1940 Tommy won the role of “Little Beaver” in the 12-chapter “Red Ryder” cliffhanger series at Republic alongside western good guy ‘Don ‘Red’ Barry’. He followed that up by portraying Kimbu, the young jungle boy, alongside Frances Gifford’s heroine Nyoka in Jungle Girl (1941). He also played the role on radio, and over the years racked up a prolific score of performances in the medium, starting with Arch Oboler’s Plays, and subsequently appearing as Alexander Bumstead on Blondie, Junior on The Life of Riley, as well as roles on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Lux Radio Theater, Mercury Theater on the Air, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

On-screen, he continued with roles in both highly visible parts as well as unbilled ones. After playing “Little Beaver” he was more or less typecast in exotic parts, his characters’ names were usually dead giveaways — Paco, Salim, Ponca, Mario, Chito, Pablo, Little Elk, and Keoga among them. He was very busy during the 1940s including appearances in Good Luck, Mr. Yates (1943); Hi, Buddy (1943); as Kimba, the Leopard Boy in Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946) with Johnny Weissmuller and Brenda Joyce; The Song of Arizona (1946) with Roy Rogers; The Kid from Cleveland (1949) with Russ Tamblyn; a Filipino in American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950) starring Tyrone Power; and played a lead delinquent in the film The Vicious Years (1950), for which he won a Photoplay Award for “Outstanding Performance”.

In the 1950’s he graduated from UCLA and joined the U.S. Marines where he became a corporal. After that he became a notable presence on American television in such legendary series as The Untouchables, Have Gun, Will Travel, M Squad, The Rifleman, The Zane Grey Theater and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. In addition, Tommy has performed hundreds of voice-over roles on animated series such as Kid Flash on The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, Augie on The Funky Phantom and Biff on Jabberjaw.

Tommy’s days as a standout junior tennis player on the Southern California circuit eventually led to an entirely new existence in mid-life as a respected organizer (emcee/producer/director) of celebrity gala/charity events. He also created stories that led to the feature films Rollercoaster (1977) and Players (1979), the latter a love story with his beloved tennis serving as a background. His most recent on-screen appearance was as Rep. Bob White on the series Space Force in 2020. Cinecon is thrilled to be giving Tommy the Cinecon Legacy Award at the festival and we are equally excited to be presenting Paramount Pictures’ new restoration of the 1946 film Song of Arizona, in his honor. He has kindly consented to sign autographs in the lobby on Saturday and Sunday.

Tommy’s nephew Jon Thomas will be joining us to present the Legacy Award to his uncle.  

2018 Cinecon Legacy Award Honoree and festival favorite Cora Sue Collins will return for a special screening of the Republic feature The Harvester. Thought to be a lost film, it has not been shown since its original premiere in 1936 and Cora Sue has never seen it, so this is indeed a momentous occasion. Cinecon has been trying to book this film for several years, so we are indebted to our good friends at Paramount Pictures for making this brand-new digital restoration available to us!

We are pleased to announce that past Cinecon Honoree Gigi Perreau will be joining us on Saturday to sign autographs and take photos in the lobby of the theater. Please stop by her table to say “Hello!”