Movie/TV News (2 Viewers)

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, MAY 21

PRESSURE---trailer released for the World War II D-Day movie about Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and meteorologist Capt. James Stagg.

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LUCKY STRIKE---trailer released for the World war II Battle of the Bulge movie starring Scott Eastwood.

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AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER---trailer released for Season 2.

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VICTORIAN PSYCHO---trailer released for the horror move.

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OPERATION EPIC FURY---Michael Bay will direct Universal Picture's untitled movie based on the upcoming Mitchell Zuckoff book about the daring rescue of the two-man crew of a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber shot down over Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Bay will develop the movie with the same producers who made Bay's 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI.

MAN OF TOMORROW---DC Studios co-head Peter Safran confirmed Supergirl (Milly Alcock) is in MAN OF TOMORROW after she was sighted filming scenes in Atlanta and that Supergirl will be in more of the studio's projects, “She’s a major part of what we’re doing.”

THE BOYS---Elon Musk commented on the scene in which Homelander begged for his life and offered sexual favors before Billy Butcher killed him, "Pathetic". Showrunner Eric Kripke replied, “OMG this is his review of what @TheBoysTV did to Homelander, I’ll never get a better review ever.”

BETTY BOOP---Quinta Brunson (ABBOTT ELEMENTARY) is developing a movie about Max Fleischer's animated icon Betty Boop with the help of Fleischer's grandson, Mark. The movie will focus on how Fleischer developed the popular character.

HERCULE POIROT---the BBC is developing a new Hercule Poirot tv series in cooperation with Agatha Christie Limited. BBC's Mammoth Screen also developed other Christie tv projects including AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, THE ABC MURDERS and MURDER IS EASY.

SKYWARD---tv series underway based on the Brandon Sanderson sci fi novels about humans on a distant planet who are attacked by mysterious aliens.

TRIVIA---in the James Bond movie GOLDINGER, Richard Vernon played Col. Smithers, head of the Bank of England, who orders MI6 and James Bond to investigate gold magnate Auric Goldfinger for gold smuggling. In Blake Edwards' James Bond spoof movie, THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN, Vernon played Dr. Hugo Fassbender, inventor of a doomsday weapon, who is kidnapped by former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus. Dreyfus threatens to use Fassbender's doomsday weapon to destroy London unless the world powers unite to kill Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

In the James Bond movie GOLDINGER, Richard Vernon played Col. Smithers, head of the Bank of England, who orders MI6 and James Bond to investigate gold magnate Auric Goldfinger for gold smuggling.

In Blake Edwards' James Bond spoof movie, THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN, Vernon played Dr. Hugo Fassbender, inventor of a doomsday weapon, who is kidnapped by former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus. Dreyfus threatens to use Fassbender's doomsday weapon to destroy London unless the world powers unite to kill Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, MAY 22

VOUGHT RISING---trailer released for the Amazon Prime THE BOYS prequel tv series.

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THREE INCESTUOUS SISTERS---Josh O'Connor, Dakota Johnson, Mick Jagger, Saoirse Ronan, Isabella Rossellini and Jessie Buckley will star in the movie based on the novel whose plot is described as, "three sisters living in isolation, whose relationship is disrupted by the arrival of a lighthouse keeper’s son."

THE ODYSSEY---Lupita Nyong'o replied to criticism that she plays Helen of Troy and her twin sister, Clytemnestra, who are considered to be white, “I’m very supportive of Chris’s [Nolan] intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling. Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not...It’s quite something to be a part of THE ODYSSEY, because it is so grand. It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re occupying the epic narrative of our time.”

MOBLAND---Tom Hardy was fired from the Paramount+ crime series after conflicts with executive producer Jez Butterworth and others due to lateness and his demand for dialogue changes.

TOM CLANCY'S JACK RYAN: GHOST WAR---the movie rated No. 1 on Amazon Prime's Top 10 Movies in the US.

STAR WARS---Lucasfilm head Dave Filoni assured worried STAR WARS fans that the STARS WARS universe is in fine condition by quoting Palapatine from RETURN OF THE JEDI, “Everything is right now proceeding as I have foreseen it.”
Filoni added that he has learned a lot from working with George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Favreau, “I think the most critical element was getting involved in live-action. Which Kathy really backed. And brought me along in, and Jon, that was just so crucial to really understand not just the Star Wars galaxy, but producing these types of films.”

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY---Tom Holland will star in the movie based on the road trip novel.

SKELETONS---Brie Larson and JT Mollner will star in the movie whose plot is described as, "a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature."

REPUTATION---Naomie Harris and Christina Hendricks will star in the BBC lawyer tv series. Hendricks will play singing star Davina Knight whose song mentions her husband's abusive behavior which leads to her husband making counter accusations. Harris plays Knight's defense attorney.

TRIVIA---in the movie BLUE THUNDER, Warren Oates played LAPD Capt. Jack Braddock, who ordered his top helicopter pilot and Vietnam vet, Frank Murphy (Roy Scheider,) to test fly an advanced attack helicopter. Ironically, before he became an actor, Oates was a Marine aviation mechanic at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina and developed an interest in acting after reading theater books in the Cherry Point base library.
Oates died before BLUE THUNDER was released, and the movie's end credits dedication says, "For Warren Oates, with love for all the joy you gave us".

In the movie BLUE THUNDER, Warren Oates played LAPD Capt. Jack Braddock, who ordered his top helicopter pilot and Vietnam vet, Frank Murphy (Roy Scheider,) to test fly an advanced attack helicopter.

Ironically, before he became an actor, Oates was a Marine aviation mechanic at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina and developed an interest in acting after reading theater books in the Cherry Point base library.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, MAY 25

SUPERGIRL---new tv spots released.

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THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU---the STAR WARS movie beat forecasts by earning $102 million domestically and $163 million globally for its four-day premiere. By comparison, SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, which is considered a flop, earned $103 million domestically and $168 million globally in its four-day premiere in 2018 (not adjusted for inflation).

MANIAC COP---Nicolas Winding Refn will direct the remake of the 1988 horror movie starring Bruce Campbell in which a murdered cop returns seeking revenge.

BITCOIN---Casey Affleck, Gal Gadot and Isla Fisher will star in the Doug Liman movie whose synopsis says, “a man’s quest to prove he created Bitcoin, a claim that puts his life in peril and sets off a high-stakes race between tech billionaires and world leaders with the financial system hanging in the balance.” The movie will also feature AI-enhanced appearances of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, Eric Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un.

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE---Jared Leto is reportedly "not thrilled" that he has not been included in marketing for the movie in which he is the voice of Skeletor. Leto was paid $5 million, but Amazon MGM Studios has reportedly him not to discuss the movie and does not want to feature him in the marketing because of his recent movie failures TRON: ARES and MORBIUS and accusations of inappropriate behavior.

TRICIA HELFER---Tricia Helfer (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, PRIMITIVE WAR) announced she has joined the adults-only OnlyFans website, “At my age, I am in my ‘do what I want’ phase of life. I’m tired of being told what to do and how to do it. I’m looking at it as something to have fun with and something that I can be in control of...I enjoy shocking a little bit. Would I shock my parents with the images? Probably. But they saw [me in] PLAYBOY [in 2007], and they appreciated why I had done it. My passion is my job as an actor, and I’m using this platform as an extension of my creative, fun and flirty side. Helfer said she wants to show the“sexier side of my brand.” She added that her photos will consist of “artistic shots with great photographers” and photos and videos of “quiet and silly times” which include feeding her goats and working in her garden. Shannon Elizabeth (AMERICAN PIE) made over $1.2 million in several days after joining OnlyFans.

SHREK---Dana Carvey said Mike Myers told him about SHREK sequels, “We’re doing two more”.

SHE-HULK---Tatiana Maslany said she would like to return as She-Hulk to the MCU after she urged fans to cancel their Disney+, ESPN and Hulu memberships after Disney temporarily suspended Jimmy Kimmel in 2025, “If there was a space where it made sense for her to come back… I mean, I don’t know anything, and I do think that the internet will know before I do.”

SPARTACUS: HOUSE OF ASHUR---Starz cancelled the series. Lionsgate is shopping it to other outlets.

TRIVIA---Memorial Day movie trivia.
In the movie PATTON, character actor John Doucette played Maj. Gen. Lucian Truscott, who is ordered by Gen. George S. Patton to lead his division in an amphibious attack in Sicily. In World War II, Doucette fought in the Battle of the Bulge where Patton's relief of the besieged Belgian town of Bastogne is considered to be the high point of his career.

In the movie PATTON, character actor John Doucette played Maj. Gen. Lucian Truscott, who is ordered by Gen. George S. Patton to lead his division in an amphibious attack in Sicily.

In World War II, Doucette fought in the Battle of the Bulge where Patton's relief of the besieged Belgian town of Bastogne is considered to be the high point of his career.

John Doucette is shown with his sister after returning home from combat in Europe.

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, MAY 26

TOY STORY 5---trailer released for the sequel.

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THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD---featurette released for the movie starring Hugh Jackman.

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THE HORROR OF DRACULA---Hammer teaser trailer released for the restored 4K version of the 1958 vampire movie that starred Christopher Lee.

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PRESIDENT CURTIS---trailer released for the Adult Swim RICK AND MORTY spinoff series.

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DAS BOOT---the four-season German U-boat tv series that is a sequel to the 1981 Wolfgang Petersen movie will be streamed in the US for the first time on MHz Choice beginning on July 7.

NICOLAS CAGE---Nicolas Cage commented on turning down movie offers, “David O. Russell offered me a movie a million years ago. It was a good movie, and he offered it and I said no, and he’s the only director that I ever said no to who actually came back and offered me another movie.
Most of them, they get their feelings hurt and don’t call you back. It’s happened a million times to me. It’s happened with Christopher Nolan, it’s happened with Woody Allen, it’s happened with Paul Thomas Anderson. They don’t call me back.
Anyway, David did call me, and it showed a lot of class that he would call me back and invite me again, and I didn’t want to say no to him again because I have great respect for his talent. And it was a beautiful experience. I enjoyed working with David [in the John Madden biomovie MADDEN]. I enjoyed working with Christian [Bale], John Mulaney.”

F1---co-star Kerry Condon commented on the status of the sequel to the Brad Pitt racing movie, "Yeah, I have heard about that, and they all love the script, but I guess it's going to be when Joe [Kosinski], our director, is available, and then also we have to go with the F1 schedule. So it might be a little bit of a wait, but I think that's okay."

IGNITION---Maisie Williams (GAME OF THRONES) stars in the action movie whose plot is described as, "Sylvie Johnson, whose drive to London is thrown into chaos when an anonymous caller informs her that a bomb has been planted in her car. Trapped and cut off from any outside help, Sylvie is forced to follow the terrorist’s instructions, her every move watched, and with no choice but to deliver the ticking bomb to its target — the Royal Albert Hall. As the clock counts down, she must confront her deepest secrets, use all her wits to survive and uncover why, of all people, she’s been entangled in this elaborate terror plot."

OLDER WOMEN MOVIES---the University of West London School of Film, Media and Design, which supports more movie roles for older women, conducted a study involving the top 100 highest-earning movies of 2023, 2024 and 2025. The study's results show that six of the movies had a starring actor named Chris and five had lead roles for women over 60 years old. It also found that a movie with a talking animal as the lead character was four times more likely than a movie with a lead female over 60. Emma Thompson, 67, commented on the study, “Women are half the population, and we get older. So where are the stories about us? The older we get, the more interesting we are. I want to see more films center aging women, we are compelling, relatable, and overdue for center stage. Older women don’t need permission to exist on screen. They already exist in the world, cinema just needs to catch up.”

TRIVIA---character actor Frank Ashmore's career included big roles involving the letter "V". In the classic spoof movie AIRPLANE!, Ashmore played Trans America flight engineer Victor Basta (Ashmore returned in AIRPLANE II: THE SEQUEL as an unnamed air traffic controller). In the alien invasion miniseries V and its sequels V: THE FINAL BATTLE and V: THE SERIES, Ashmore played alien Martin, who befriended Earthlings and became the leader of the Fifth Column battle against the invading alien reptiles.

In the classic spoof movie AIRPLANE!, Ashmore played Trans America flight engineer Victor Basta.

In the alien invasion miniseries V and its sequels V: THE FINAL BATTLE and V: THE SERIES, Ashmore played alien Martin, who befriended Earthlings and became the leader of the Fifth Column battle against the invading alien reptiles.

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27

DISCLOSURE DAY---trailer released for the Steven Spielberg UFO movie.

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ENOLA HOLMES 3---trailer released for Season 3.

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PRIMETIME---trailer released for the movie about the DATELINE NBC's TO CATCH A PREDATOR series hosted by Chris Hansen starring Robert Pattinson.

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TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA---trailer released for the slasher movie starring Gillian Anderson.

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SUPERGIRL---movie tracker Box Office Theory's early projections for SUPERGIRL are for a premiere of $47 million--$65 million in the US. By comparison, SUPERMAN earned $125 million in the US. SUPERGIRL's early projections are similar to box office bombs THE MARVELS and BLACK ADAM.
James Gunn posted a photo of Milly Alcock and David Corenswett with the caption, “First ever photo of the cousins together on the set of #Superman.”

THE FURIOUS---poster released for the Lionsgate R-rated martial arts movie whose synopsis says, “After the daughter of Wang Wei is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself. His only ally is Navin – a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by a furious vengeance, the unlikely duo ruthlessly fights against the kidnappers in this explosive martial arts showdown.”

DOCTOR WHO---a British tabloid claims the Christmas special is in doubt because of who the next Doctor Who will be, “The problem is that they have found it difficult to find anyone who’ll take on the part of the 16th Time Lord, partly because it now feels like a role that comes with all the baggage of the most recent series. There are fears that even if they do manage to pull something together, it is going to be a poor cousin to previous Christmas specials, which have always been adored by fans.”

MOBLAND---a source commented on why Tom Hardy was fired, “[Hardy] refused to come out of his trailer for hours at a time…He kept the cast waiting, [which is] a power play. Keeping Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and others waiting is career suicide, I would wager.” Sources say there is a possibility that Hardy might return.

BLOOD ON THE PROMONTORY---Jack Quaid, Sam Worthington and Jai Courtney will star in the Western movie about five escaped convicts who are shackled together and must survive in the mountains after a bloody train robbery.

TRIVIA---May 27, 2026 is the 85th anniversary of the Battle of the Denmark Strait during World War II in which Royal Navy warships sank the German super battleship Bismarck.
British actor Jack Gwillim is known to US audiences for appearing in Ray Harryhausen's JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS as King Aeetes, who used the Hydra's teeth to unleash skeleton warriors against Jason and the Argonauts. In PATTON, Gwillim played Gen. Harold Alexander. Gwillim also played a Royal Navy warship commander in two movies based on the true World War II stories of Royal Navy warships battling German battleships.
Gwillim's first movie role was in PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE (UK title: BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE) in which he played Capt. Edward Parry, commander of the light cruiser HMS Achilles as it helped battle the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee off the coast of South America.
Gwillim also appeared in the movie SINK THE BISMARCK! in which he played Capt. Wilfrid Patterson, commander of the battleship HMS King George V which led the battle group that sank the German super battleship Bismarck.

British actor Jack Gwillim is known to US audiences for appearing in Ray Harryhausen's JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS as King Aeetes, who used the Hydra's teeth to unleash skeleton warriors against Jason and the Argonauts.

In PATTON, Gwillim played Gen. Harold Alexander.

Gwillim's first movie role was in PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE (UK title: BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE) in which he played Capt. Edward Parry, commander of the light cruiser HMS Achilles as it helped battle the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee off the coast of South America.

Gwillim appeared in the movie SINK THE BISMARCK! in which he played commander Capt. Wilfrid Patterson, commander of the battleship HMS King George V which led the battle group that sank the German super battleship Bismarck.

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, MAY 28

IN THE HAND OF DANTE---trailer released for the Netflix movie starring Oscar Isaac.

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THE GET OUT---trailer released for the action movie starring Russell Crowe.

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SUGAR---trailer released for Season 2.

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GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY PASS---trailer released for the comedy movie starring Jennifer Aniston.

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SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY---photo and description of the Savage Hulk action figure, “In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Bruce Banner uses an inhibitor that keeps him in human form since the events of Endgame. But this constraint has its limits: the film marks the return of the Hulk in his feral form, a departure from the Smart Hulk of previous films. Banner and Peter Parker, both grappling with an uncontrollable transformation, find themselves in a narrative parallel at the heart of the film.”

POLTERGEIST---director Joseph Kahn resurrected the controversy of who directed the hit 1982 horror movie---Tobe Hooper or Steven Spielberg, “I am a huge Spielberg nerd, and also a Tobe Hooper fan (especially Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). So, knowing both styles in and out, I say this with full conviction and authority: Spielberg directed Poltergeist. I think at a certain point Tobe spoke to the actors, but no question, Spielberg staged the scenes, the camera work, the lighting, the editing, the music, story, script, locations, casting, basically everything else. Except talk to the actors…and even on that part, debatable. Anyone who doesn’t think Spielberg directed it simply has no eye for cinema. No sense of editing or movement. It’s night and day. It’s like watching Michael Jordan wear a Tobe Hooper skin suit and do dunks from the free throw line. And no, people cannot suddenly emulate this style. If they could there would be a million Spielbergs. There is only one. And I’ll add one very f*cking obvious thing: Poltergeist is shot with Spielberg’s LENSES. Spielberg controls actual T Stops and DEPTH OF FIELD like few directors do, certainly not Hooper.“
Caroline Williams, who starred in Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, replied to Khan, “Joseph Kahn considers himself to be a film expert. He will never achieve the legendary heights that Tobe Hooper did and revels in trying to add to the libel that Tobe didn’t direct Poltergeist. Steven’s letter to Tobe puts the lie to that. When confronted with proof in print, he resorts to ‘Hollywood politics.’ He’s a mean, envious, ordinary little man who only feels himself when he’s pretending to be better than all the others. My views are well known and better expressed through John Bloom’s article Last of the Hippie Filmmakers. It explains Hollywood politics surrounding the film then and now.
Steven offered the film to Tobe & enthusiastically worked with him on it. All of the stars except the embittered Zelda Rubinstein said so. When I worked with Craig T. Nelson on The District we shared Tobe stories. At an industry party, I did the same with JoBeth Williams. Neither said that Tobe didn’t direct the film, were actually flattering about their portrayals of him. While I grow tired of this bullshit popping up occasionally, I enjoy the support of Mick Garris (listen to his podcast with me) and Joe Russo, who have taken up the cause. As I stated, John Bloom’s article Last of the Hippie Filmmakers states the case. … Mick was unit publicist and was there every day, as well as in production meetings, etc. He’s also the single most honorable man in show biz. Whatever he says, you can take to the bank.“

AI---Steven Spielberg commented on AI in movies, “Where I don’t love AI is where it takes a position or there’s an empty chair at a writer’s table. I’m not willing to substitute, you know, because I don’t really believe in sentience. I don’t believe there is any substitute for the soul. I don’t think that is an algorithm that’s inventible…
A computer that thinks it feels more than we feel is anathema to the way I was raised and how I’ll practice my own trade of producing and directing in the future.”
He added, “Don’t tell me how to write my dialogue for this character. Don’t tell me where the camera has to go. And also don’t tell me what the set should look like, unless AI is simply a tool in a large tool chest of the production designer. Use AI as a tool, but do not use AI as the final word on anything creative. That’s where I draw the line.”

FACE/OFF 2---Nicolas Cage commented on the sequel to the 1997 movie after director Adam Wingard left, “Listen, Adam and I had a great lunch together at the Smoke House in Burbank, and we had a terrific conversation. We share similar interests. I like what he’s been doing with the Godzilla group, and we talked about one of our favorite supervillains in the old Godzilla movies, which was Hedorah. I’m sure at some point our paths will cross again. I don’t know what happened, and I have zero idea if it’s going to happen. I’m the last guy to know anything.”
Cage also commented on him starring in TRUE DETECTIVE Season 5, “I’m not signed on to anything; we’re just talking. I like Issa López a lot, and would be thrilled to work with her, but nothing is concrete. And I’ve never seen the first season of TRUE DETECTIVE, but I’ve heard great things.”

STAN LEE---the Stan Lee Universe and ElevenLabs are teaming up to launch AI-generated Stan Lee for the marketplace. The first venture is Lee's AI-generated voice which will narrate books in the Stan Lee Book of the Month Club.

MORIARITY---Fremantle is developing a tv series based on the Sherlock Holmes villain whose plot is described as a “modern reinvention of the crime procedural, based on the most famous villain in all of detective fiction...a Professor of Criminal Psychology at Durham University but leads a secret double life as the mastermind behind every crime of sophistication in the North of England."

FIONA---Maggie Grace (LOST) will star in the horror movie whose plot is described as, "a lonely, divorced doctor who falls in love with a mysterious woman in rural America, only to discover she is channeling the raw forces of Mother Nature toward an apocalyptic purpose. He must then decide whether to save the woman he loves or the world she intends to destroy."

TRIVIA---in THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode "Nervous Man In a Four Dollar Room", Richard D. Gordon played mob boss George, who ordered petty criminal Jackie Rhoades to murder someone who refused to pay protection money. Gordon is best known for co-starring in the classic THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode "Eye Of The Beholder" where he played surgeon Dr. Bernardi, who is unsuccessful for the 11th time in transforming hideous Janet Tyler into a beautiful woman.

In THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode "Nervous Man In A Four Dollar Room", Richard D. Gordon (left) played mob boss George.

Gordon is best known for co-starring in the classic THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode "Eye Of The Beholder" where he played surgeon Dr. Bernardi, who is unsuccessful for the 11th time in transforming hideous Janet Tyler into a beautiful woman.