#i mean Mr Gene Bradley‚ world's greatest secret agent and also most famous actor who ever lived who draws a crowd anywhere he goes? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mariocki · 1 year ago

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Alexandra Bastedo guest stars as "actress" Lola Wells in The Adventurer: Action! (1.13, ITC, 1972); actually she's a member of a sinister, uh.. anti-violence group, who will stop at nothing (not even.. violence..) to get their way

#fave spotting #alexandra bastedo #the champions #sharron macready #the adventurer #action!#itc #classic tv #character actors #the adventurer is a very dumb show‚ ok? in fact that's its saving grace #it's so dumb that it kind of cycles around and becomes charming for it #i mean Mr Gene Bradley‚ world's greatest secret agent and also most famous actor who ever lived who draws a crowd anywhere he goes?#it's absurd. as is the villain's plan this week‚ which is to strike a blow for peace by having Gene Bradley (film star) brainwashed into #assassinating a high ranking american general. who's in the country.. on peace talks? i think? it wasn't clear #or i switched off a little. i mean. it's just. dumb.#but yes lovely Alexandra is part of the deception and she gets to hang around and prod Gene into being a good brainwashee #alas no reunion with her former Champions costar Stuart Damon‚ who'd been fired by this point in production; speaking of which #in my fave spotted post for him i suggested maybe he was fired at Gene Barry's instigation. having now watched the interviews with Damon #and Adventurer costar Catherine Schell on the dvd set i feel confident in saying that is absolutely what happened: Schell backs Damon up #completely‚ supports his story that Barry had him fired bc he was so much taller‚ and also reveals various details about just what a dick #he was. it's honestly worse than i expected: Damon wasn't even told he was fired‚ just kept on contract for weeks as he watched various #guest actors turn up and fill his hastily rewritten part episode by episode. eventually a costume fitter let him know and he was allowed to #leave the production but not to do other work (still being under contract) and although he made some money from the experience it was so #crushing that he almost abandoned acting completely (luckily he later won his part on General Hospital that gave him job security for the #rest of his life). Schell was fired too incidentally‚ lasting longer than Damon‚ but Gene seems to have just hated sharing the limelight #with anyone and eventually had her taken off the series. even Barry Morse‚ a well known Very Nice Man‚ had nothing good to say about #Gene B.... which says a lot. yeesh.#oh but one minor bit of trivia while we're on the subject of assassinations (the ep remember?): for all his many faults as a tv show lead #Gene was also an astute political campaigner and supported the democrats throughout his life with contributions and personal appearances as #well as friendship and advice: he was particularly involved with Bobby Kennedy's campaign and was in fact present at his killing

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