William Schallert: 1922-2016

William Schallert signs autographs at a convention appearance in 2010. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I woke up to the news that character actor William Schallert has passed away at the age of 93. I met him in 2010 at a Southern California convention and found him to be extremely polite and friendly.

I probably knew Mr. Schallert best from his roles in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) and The Man from Planet X (1951). But if you name a '50s sci-fi film or TV program, chances are Mr. Schallert was in it.

It's a Man from Planet X reunion! William Schallert meets his old co-star again for the first time in decades. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Among other credits, William Schallert can be seen in: Gog (1954), Them! (1954), The Monolith Monsters (1957), and The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). His TV appearances were just as varied, having worked on everything from the original Twilight Zone TV series to Parker Lewis Can't Lose.

Rest in peace, Mr. Schallert. Thanks for the memories.

Monsterpalooza

Meeting Susan Gordon, from Attack of the Puppet People and Tormented.

Last night I returned home from two days at Monsterpalooza, which was held at the Burbank Marriott in (where else?) Burbank, CA. I had a great time meeting the guests and seeing some old friends, like Don Glut. I even ran into a costuming thread volunteer who regularly attends G-FEST. Small world!

Since Dennis Druktenis asked me to review Monsterpalooza for his excellent magazine Scary Monsters, I'll save the majority of my comments for my review. Plus, as the only regular G-FAN contributor in attendance, I'll also need to do a write-up for G-FAN. So I have to keep my powder dry for now. In the meantime, here are some photos from the event.

With Ann Robinson of War of the Worlds (1953). I watched her movie all the time in fourth grade.

Meeting William Schallert, who was a true gentleman.

One of the highlights for me was getting to spend more time with Julie Adams. I spoke to her at length about her acting career.

That's me with Donnie Dunagan, from Son of Frankenstein. He also supplied the voice of Bambi!

Another highlight was meeting Bert I. Gordon, whose '50s sci-fi films have been favorites of mine.