Ray Milland (1907–1986)

Alcoa-Goodyear Theater 12-29-58 "Coogan's Reward": Willie Coogan is a World War II combat correspondent who hates covering the war. Starring Tony Randall, Robert Gist, Roxanne Berard, and Alan Dexter. Produced by Winston O'Keefe, directed by movie star Ray Milland, teleplay by Jameson Brewer from a story by May Edginton, produced by William Froug. Alcoa Theatre was a half-hour anthology series that ran from September 30, 1957 through May 23, 1960. You can find more episodes of this and other vintage TV anthologies in the BetaGems playlist "Anthology Television 1950s-1960s."

BetaGems are culled from an archive of over 1000 beta video tapes recorded from 1983 into the 1990s. Most feature live music performances broadcast on television in San Diego CA, though there are also rarely seen commercials, comedy clips, and other material that doesn't seem to be anywhere else on Youtube or online. Most of the tapes were recorded on a Sony SL-HFT7 Super Beta Theater Hi-Fi Stereo - the same model was refurbished and is being used for these digital transfers and uploads.

In rare occasions where a BetaGems clip does appear elsewhere, we're only uploading if our own beta master is better quality or contains material not seen previously. Much footage comes from public television and public access broadcasts that the taper, who worked for a local cable TV production company in the 1980s, monitored nightly for several years. Some of the programming is strictly regional, mostly from the San Diego area.… (més)

Actor's biographies are a mixed lot. Sometimes as in Candice Bergen's "Knock Wood", they are valuable documents and educate the reader. Sometimes they are obvious ghost-written pieces of puffery that are mentally classified as failed guilty pleasures. Ray Milland, I suspect had this one run up by co-operating with a ghost. Famous in his day, with an Oscar for his performance as an alcoholic in "The Lost Weekend", Milland has perfectly demonstrated his screen persona in this book. He often played perfect gentlemen, and comes across as one in this picture of Hollywood in the 1930's to 1950's.
It would offend no one, and didn't amuse me.… (més)