Wendy Kilbourne is Devon King on Midnight Caller

In 1988, Wendy Kilbourne was cast as Devon King, the wealthy owner of a radio station, on the NBC hour-long drama Midnight Caller. Beginning in 1984, she had maintained a solid presence on American television, guest starring on several popular TV series and taking part in the miniseries North and South and North and South Book II. She was cast in the failed pilot for Condor in 1986 and also joined the cast of the TV show version of the movie Nothing in Common the following year. Her hard work eventually paid off with her casting in Midnight Caller. Though the show was not exceedingly well-watched at the time, its controversial topics helped make it a cult favorite. Midnight Caller was at least good enough and watched by enough people to get three seasons.

One of the selling points of Midnight Caller, beyond the broaching of contentious subject matter, was the relationship between the star of the show, ex-cop turned late-night radio talk show host Jack Killian (played by Gary Cole), and rich radio station owner Devon King. Their interactions on the show were always fun and there was a rather obvious sexual tension between the two.

Of course, Jack Killian and Devon King did not end up together. Wendy Kilbourne left Midnight Caller at the beginning of the third season and was replaced by actress Lisa Eilbacher. The show was not given a fourth season. Coincidence? I don't know but I do think Wendy Kilbourne was an integral part of Midnight Caller and her leaving definitely hurt the show.

Here are some pics of Wendy Kilbourne and Gary Cole from Midnight Caller:

Some cast photos from Midnight Caller:

Samantha Eggar on Ghost Squad

1963 was a busy year for Samantha Eggar. She had begun her career just two years before, making her television debut on the BBC's Rob Roy series, followed by a guest appearance on the dramatic anthology series Rendezvous. 1962 saw Samantha Eggar appear in her first feature film (alongside several other rising stars) in The Wild and the Willing. 1963 saw Samantha Eggar take part in a number of UK teleplays and TV shows, including Ghost Squad, as well as being featured in another movie, Doctor in Distress. Her final television guest star role before focusing exclusively on cinema for a decade was on The Saint, in late 1963. Two years later she would be nominated for an Oscar and win the Golden Globe award for best actress.

Back in 1963, however, Samantha Eggar was still an up-and-coming actress and her guest appearance on the crime drama Ghost Squad shows significant evidence of her potential. She has a strong and wonderful presence and her star quality is very apparent.

In the Ghost Squad episode 'Hot Money', a convoluted tale about counterfeit money, Samantha Eggar plays Mina. Mina is the granddaughter of an old Italian man, who owns an art shop and, even though she moved to England when she was five years old, still retains a rather strong Italian accent. As a testament to her burgeoning acting skills, the quite British Samantha Eggar does a fine job using a foreign accent throughout the episode. She also sports a fabulously puffy hairdo, which she likewise pulls off in great style.


The following are some images of Samantha Eggar appearing on Ghost Squad:

Samantha Eggar in LIFE Magazine 1965

Deep within the May 14, 1965 issue of LIFE Magazine was a short photo essay concerning The Collector. The film was to be released to theaters the following month and this article served as a nice preview of the movie. The focus of the pictures and words is Samantha Eggar and she is shown in various stages of fright and is given several quotes to accompany a lovely head shot in the final section.

(Each image may be clicked on to enlarge.)

Wendy Kilbourne in Condor

In 1986, Wendy Kilbourne co-starred with actor Ray Wise in a feature-length pilot for a proposed television series called Condor. Condor was a sci-fi project, set in the near future of 1999. Ray Wise played a crime fighting cop named Christopher Proctor, working for the Condor Organization run by the wealthy Cyrus Hampton (played by Craig Stevens). At the beginning of the movie, Proctor is teamed up by Hampton with a new partner: a 'bionic woman' of sorts named Lisa Hampton (Wendy Kilbourne). They go on to battle The Black Widow, a supercriminal who has just escaped from prison and is out to do some damage and get revenge on Proctor for having put her away in the first place.

Wendy Kilbourne was no stranger to television in 1986. She had already been the featured guest star on shows like Knight Rider, Riptide, The A-Team, and Hotel. Her biggest success had come in 1985 after playing a prominent role in the massive cast of the TV miniseries North and South and its subsequent continuation North and South Book II in 1986.

Condor didn't end up getting made into a proper TV series. That's unfortunate because I think it would have made a really fun show. Wendy Kilbourne has such a charming presence, I would have enjoyed seeing more of her in this type of show. I know some people have thought that Condor didn't come off all that well, but I think some of that may be from expecting too much. Condor seems to be designed to be light, fluffy and campy and works best as sheer entertainment.

Following Condor, Wendy Kilbourne maintained her presence on television. In 1987 she was cast in the short-lived TV show version of the movie Nothing in Common. The following year she landed her biggest role since North and South, as rich radio station owner Devon King on the popular NBC series Midnight Caller.

Wendy Kilbourne and Craig Stevens

Wendy Kilbourne's eyes

Wendy Kilbourne and Ray Wise

Wendy Kilbourne and James Avery