Zebradelic

Doran Clark on Jake and the Fatman

In 1987, Doran Clark appeared as police officer Karen Stetson in a first season season episode of the TV series Jake and the Fatman. The actress would reprise her character in the third season of the show. Both episodes were great fun and Doran Clark was one of the best female co-stars that Joe Penny would have on Jake and the Fatman. The following is a brief look at these two guest appearances.

The episode 'Body and Soul' first aired in November, 1987 and introduced Jake Styles (Joe Penny) and Karen Stetson (Doran Clark) as former lovers. Karen begins work investigating a bad guy and Jake decides to back her up. Eventually, her investigation gets too dangerous and Jake must save her life.

The introductory credit sequence features a montage of tinted images of the pair:

Here are some images of Doran Clark on Jake and the Fatman:

In 1990, Doran Clark returned as Karen Stetson in the episode "I Ain't Got No Body'. Jake and the Fatman had moved to Hawaii by this point and so it is explained that Karen has come to the islands for a murder investigation. It turns out that there is a cult-ish health spa and resort that is bilking old ladies out of their money and also connected with several murders. Jake and Karen go undercover as a married couple to infiltrate this evil organization. During the course of this investigation, they attempt to reconcile their feeling for each other. The ending is left open-ended and it would have been really nice if they had brought Doran Clark back for one or more future episodes. Unfortunately, the actress never appeared on the show again.

Early press for Doran Clark

Here is a pair of early 1980s profiles of Doran Clark. Beginning in 1979, the actress maintained a steady presence on television but could never find a regular series that would stick. Finding more success with guest appearances and TV movies, Doran Clark was a cast member of three nigh-time soaps (Secrets of Midland Heights, King's Crossing and Emerald Point N.A.S.) all of which were cancelled after one season.

Here's what that photo actually looks like:

Wendy Kilbourne on Midnight Caller

On the TV show Midnight Caller, Wendy Kilbourne usually appeared in a supporting role. However, in the 1989 episode "Watching Me, Watching You," the plot focused on her character, Devon King, when she is targeted by a psychotic stalker (Tim Daly). In this episode, viewers were given the opportunity to learn more about Devon King and were again teased with more glimpses of romance between her and the show's star, Jack Killian (Gary Cole).

Wendy Kilbourne is genuinely appealing in this Midnight Caller episode, looking absolutely beautiful throughout and giving a sympathetic performance as a woman who is trapped in a disturbing situation.

Here are some images of Wendy Kilbourne in "Watching Me, Watching You":

Meg Foster early 1970s promotional photographs

Here are some promotional pics of Meg Foster from two of her earliest cinematic triumphs, Thumb Tripping and Welcome to Arrow Beach. Both remain pieces of classy entertainment to those in the know and to admirers of the lovely Meg Foster. Typically seen more on the small screen, especially early in her career, the actress always made an impact when she graced the big screen.

Two images used to promote Thumb Tripping:

A pair of images to promote Welcome to Arrow Beach:

Lynne Moody in Charleston (1979)

Previously, we took a look at Love's Savage Fury, a somewhat obscure 1979 TV movie set during the American Civil War. Well, here is another TV movie from the same year set in South Carolina during the same general time period. Charleston was actually a pilot for a proposed series and featured Delta Burke (in her first starring role), Lynne Moody (in between roles in the popular miniseries Roots and Roots: The Next Generations) and Patricia Pearcy (star of the horror film Squirm). Produced by the Robert Stigwood Organization and originally broadcast on NBC, Charleston didn't seem to make much of an impact. It was replayed on television throughout the 1980s but it never got a VHS release and has seemingly since been largely forgotten.

Lynne Moody got a bit of newspaper coverage in early 1979 because she was going to be reprising her role in the second Roots miniseries. However, even after being featured in the high-profile Roots and co-starring in TV movies like Charleston, the actress just couldn't find her way to the next level of success in the acting world.

Of course, Delta Burke was in Charleston too and here are two promotional images of the actress:

Jennifer O'Neill in Love's Savage Fury

In 1979, Jennifer O'Neill starred in Love's Savage Fury, a TV movie set during the Civil War and based on a book by famed romance novelist Rosemary Rogers. It was the first television project for Jennifer O'Neill, an actress who had been starring in feature films since 1970. Produced by the prolific Aaron Spelling, Love's Savage Fury was originally to have starred one of Spelling's Charlie's Angels stars, Jaclyn Smith (who supposedly turned down the lead role after her proposal that her real-life husband co-star with her was rejected). Apparently, Dallas star Victoria Principal also turned down the lead in Love's Savage Fury before it was taken on by Jennifer O'Neill.

Love's Savage Fury is one of those forgotten Civil War epics that is not so well remembered today. When the TV movie originally aired on ABC in 1979, it was somewhat overshadowed by the original broadcast of the CBS miniseries Blind Ambition. Love's Savage Fury got replayed on television occasionally through the 1980s and did get a VHS in the mid-'80s, but the project still remains relatively obscure.