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Janet Julian on Swamp Thing

In 1992 and 1993, Janet Julian portrayed the recurring character Dr. Ann Fisk on Swamp Thing. She appeared on the show several times, playing a former student Alec Holland, the man scientist who was transformed into Swamp Thing. Of course, once she discovers that the man she used to know is now Swamp Thing, she accepts his condition and they promptly fall in love. Over the course of several episodes she attempts to help him transform back into his normal state and also helps him battle the evil Dr. Arcane.

Janet Julian's appearances on Swamp Thing were essentially the last substantial work she would do. A couple of smaller TV guest appearances would follow, but she would retire by 1995. Previously, she had taken a few stabs at feature film, but it is appropriate that her swan song would be on television, where she had begun in earnest in 1978 as the new Nancy Drew.

The following are some images of Janet Julian playing Dr. Ann Fisk on Swamp Thing:

Better Angels (January 31, 1992)

Sonata (March 20, 1992)

Changes (August 14, 1992)

Swamp of Dreams (April 17, 1993)

Actress Jennifer Holmes

Jennifer Holmes and Steven Kampmann from Newhart

If you watched a lot of TV in the 1980s, or are just starting to catch up now, you might have seen actress Jennifer Holmes. She was a regular cast member on two shows, playing Leslie Vanderkellen on the first season of Newhart and later playing Jane Miller on the short-lived series Misfits of Science. Jennifer Holmes also appeared on a wide variety of television series from 1979 to 1989, making numerous guest appearances on half-hour and hour-long programs.

If you haven't seen Jennifer Holmes, you might want to take a look at some of her work. She's really fun to watch!

Check out this follow-up on Jennifer Holmes to see some more pictures of her.

The following is a chronological pictorial of selected TV appearances by Jennifer Holmes:

Jennifer Holmes on Quincy M.E. in 1980

Jennifer Holmes on The Incredible Hulk in 1981

Jennifer Holmes on Bosom Buddies in 1981

Jennifer Holmes on Simon & Simon in 1982

Jennifer Holmes on Voyagers! in 1982

Jennifer Holmes on Knight Rider in 1984

Jennifer Holmes on Webster in 1985

Jennifer Holmes on Misfits of Science in 1985

Jennifer Holmes on Tales of the Unexpected in 1985

Jennifer Holmes on The Love Boat in 1986

Jennifer Holmes on L.A. Law in 1987

Jennifer Holmes on Murder, She Wrote in 1987

Jennifer Holmes on Who's the Boss in 1988

Jennifer Holmes on Matlock in 1989

Samantha Eggar in Anna and the King

In 1972, Samantha Eggar co-starred with Yul Brynner in the ill-fated Anna and the King, a TV version of the popular 1956 film The King and I. Of course, the whole thing started with the 1944 book 'Anna and the King of Siam', which was followed by a 1946 movie of the same name (starring Rex Harrison, who Samantha Eggar would later co-star with in Doctor Dolittle).

Anna and the King was supposed to be a big deal. It was supposedly the most expensive half hour show ever produced up until that time. Yul Brynner kept a watchful eye over the production and made sure that original sets, props and costumes from the previous film versions were used. When the show premiered, however, it was met with mixed reaction. It came out at the same time as M*A*S*H (Anna and the King executive produced Gene Reynolds also worked on M*A*S*H) and that show went on massive success, while Anna and the King was not given a second season.

So why did Anna and the King fail? One reason may have been the focus of the show. Someone decided to gear Anna and the King towards a younger audience, adding an ill-advised laugh track and diminishing the role of the King and Anna in favor of a focus on their children. The show could have easily been family friendly and entertaining without having canned laughter and still having the primary concentration be on the relationship between Samantha Eggar and Yul Brynner.

In Anna and the King, Samantha Eggar portrays Anna Owens, a role previously played by Irene Dunne and Deborah Kerr. Of course, Yul Brynner had been playing the King of Siam on stage for years and had appeared alongside Deborah Kerr in the 1956 film The King and I. Supposedly, Yul Brynner handpicked Samantha Eggar to be Anna Owens in the television version. Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar had already worked together in the 1971 movie The Light at the Edge of the World.

I've only seen the pilot of Anna and the King, but Samantha Eggar does a wonderful job. She puts a lot of energy and zeal into her role and seems to enjoy wearing the variety of period costumes. In the TV production of Anna and the King, the character of Anna Owens is supposed to be from America, rather than Britain like in all previous versions of the story. Samantha Eggar does not attempt to do an American accent. However, one overlooked point is that people in mid-19th century America may not necessarily have had traditional American accents the way we think of them now. Many people in the United States in the 19th century may still have had strong European accents, depending on how long they had been in the country.

Here are some promotional materials for Anna and the King:

Here are a few images of Samantha Eggar in the 1972 pilot for Anna and the King:

Gay Rowan in Dead on Target

In 1976, Gay Rowan appeared in what was perhaps her most substantial post-Starlost role, in the TV movie Our Man Flint: Dead on Target. Canadian actress Gay Rowan is probably best remembered for her part in the 1973 cult science fiction TV show The Starlost. The Starlost was only on for a short time but it seemed sure that Gay Rowan would go on to bigger things. It didn't exactly work out that way, but she did make some notable appearances during the decade after the demise of The Starlost.

Our Man Flint: Dead on Target was television adaptation of the successful Flint feature films of the mid 1960s, Our Man Flint and In Like Flint. James Coburn portrayed Derek Flint in the movies and veteran TV/film actor Ray Danton (in one of his last acting roles before turning to directing full-time) assumed the role a decade later for Dead on Target. The ultra-chic '60s motif of the cinematic Flint was updated to reflect '70s chic for this television continuation. This version of Flint also seems a bit more down to earth. He no longer appears to be fabulously wealthy or incomparably slick, rather he seems more like a capable private investigator, driving a rather modest car and living in a nice house. Many of the more surreal aspects of the films are toned down.

Gay Rowan co-stars with Ray Danton as Bonita Rogers, a woman who wants to become Derek Flint's apprentice. Of course, he quickly accepts her and she plays Flint's sidekick for the duration of Dead on Target. Gay Rowan handles herself very well here. She is given limited material to work with but she makes the most of it and comes off as very charming. Bonita Rogers seems to have an affection for Derek Flint, becoming jealous of his masseuse at one point, and there is other occasional back-and-forth interplay concerning their relationship. Additionally, Gay Rowan's character gets to wear a variety of very fashionable 70s gear and she wears it quite well!

One gets the feeling that Our Man Flint: Dead on Target was a pilot film for a television series. I haven't read that specifically, but Dead on Target definitely has the same feel of other pilot films of the 70s and 80s. It's a shame that this wasn't made into a weekly series because I think it would have made a fun show. Obviously, Dead on Target had a few problems but I think they could have tightened things up in a series. It would have been particularly nice to see Gay Rowan return to television after The Starlost and to see the progression of her character from Dead on Target.

Here are some images of Gay Rowan in Dead on Target: