User:Roman Spinner/Diane McBain and Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization: Difference between pages

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'''Diane McBain''' (born [[May 18]], [[1941]]) is an [[United States|American]] actress who, as a [[Warner Brothers Pictures|Warner Brothers]] contract player, reached a brief peak of popularity during the early [[1960s]]. She is best known for playing an adventurous socialite in the 1960-62 TV series ''[[Surfside 6]]'' and as one of [[Elvis Presley]]'s leading ladies in 1966's ''[[Spinout]]''.

[[Image:TEO1.jpg|right|]]

'''The Earth Organization''' is an independent, international [[non-profit]], [[non-partisan]], conservation and environmental organization, with new solutions, committed to the creative, responsible rehabilitation of planet Earth and the plant and animal kingdoms.

The Earth Organization was founded in 2003 by veteran [[South African]] conservationist [[Lawrence Anthony]].

A native of [[Cleveland]], Diane McBain moved to the [[Hollywood]] area at an early age and began her show business career as an adolescent model in print and television advertisements. During her senior year at [[Glendale High School (Glendale, California)|Glendale High School]] she was, while appearing in a [[Los Angeles]] play, spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout and added to the studio's roster of contract performers who were appearing in an assembly-line-style mass production of TV episodes and theatrical features.

The Earth Organization works in association with corporations and other environmental groups around the world in projects of mutual interest.

Starting with the fall 1955 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]-TV three-shows-in-one ''Warner Brothers Presents'', the studio's TV arm, [[Warner Bros. Television|Warner Brothers Television]], provided the network with nearly twenty shows, including seven western and four detective series. At the age of seventeen, Diane McBain was immediately put to work, making her TV acting debut in two episodes of ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'', [[March 8]] and [[November 22]], [[1959]], as well as the [[October 16]] episode of ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]''. Her first director, at the helm of the March 8 installment, "''Passage to Fort Doom''", was Warners stalwart [[Paul Henreid]], best known as Victor Laszlo in the studio's 1942's [[Academy Award|Oscar]]-winner ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'' who, while still occasionally acting was, during this period, directing feature films and numerous TV episodes for Warners and other studios.

==Purpose==

Having received a positive reaction to Diane's initial performances, the studio realized that it had a potential star under contract. The beautiful young blonde was beginning to be seen as Warners' possible answer to [[Carroll Baker]], [[Grace Kelly]] and even [[Marilyn Monroe]]. She was given a prominent [[ingenue]] role in her first feature ''[[Ice Palace]]'', a top-budget 143-minute generational saga based on the [[Edna Ferber]] novel dramatizing the lives and families of the pioneers who settled and developed [[Alaska]] between [[World War I]] and statehood. Diane, whose character appeared only in the last part of the film, held her own against the three female leads, [[Martha Hyer]], [[Carolyn Jones]] and [[Shirley Knight]] as well as stars [[Richard Burton]] and [[Robert Ryan]]. The filmed-on-___location [[Technicolor]] epic was released on [[January 2]], [[1960]] to mixed reviews, but Diane's notices were generally favorable.

The stated purpose of The Earth Organization is:

#''To create a fundamental change in mankind’s awareness of, and relationship to, his environment and the plant and animal kingdoms, by example and education, thereby reversing the downward spiral of life on Earth.''

Warners continued to keep Diane busy during 1960 with numerous appearances in episodes of their TV shows. She returned to ''77 Sunset Strip'' on February 26, nine days later was back in the [[Alaska|49th state]] with a guest role in the March 6 installment of ''[[The Alaskans]]'', eight days after that, she was in the March 14 ''[[Bourbon Street Beat]]'' and the following day, on the March 15 ''[[Sugarfoot]]''. Another episode of ''Bourbon Street Beat'' followed two weeks later on March 28, and still another ''77 Sunset Strip'' on May 6. In another eight days, on May 15, she was in an episode of ''[[Lawman (TV series)|Lawman]]'' and three weeks after that, on June 6, a third episode of ''Bourbon Street Beat'' in as many months.

#''To bridge the gap between mankind, industry, commerce and the environment through applicable environmentalism, workable tools, accurate data and a business and scientific approach to the field of the environment.''

#''To raise ethical standards within the conservation movement.''

The Earth Organization has a strong scientific orientation and a reputation for bold conservation initiatives, including the rescue of the [[Baghdad zoo]] during the coalition [[invasion of Iraq]] in April 2003, negotiations with the infamous Ugandan [[Lords Resistance Army]], to protect game rangers and raise awareness of endangered species, including the [[Northern White Rhinoceros]], and work with remote rural African communities to rebuild cultural and traditional ties to nature.

''Bourbon Street Beat'' turned out to be the only one of Warners' four detective series to last but a single season. The 1959-60 Monday night series starred [[Andrew Duggan]], [[Richard Long (actor)|Richard Long]] and [[Van Williams]] as a trio of [[New Orleans]]-based investigators. After completing 39 episodes the series was cancelled, but two of its detectives found other jobs. Richard Long's character made the long move to Los Angeles and joined the agency at ''77 Sunset Strip'' and Van Williams' character, Ken Madison, made a shorter move east and, with two partners, started a new agency, [[Miami Beach]]'s ''Surfside 6'' in the same Monday night time slot. The final repeat episode of ''Bourbon Street Beat'' was thus followed a week later by the [[October 3]], [[1960]] premiere of ''Surfside 6''. In addition to Ken Madison, the other two handsome, clean-cut, beach-boy-type detectives were Dave Thorne, played by [[Lee Patterson]] and Sandy Winfield II, played by [[Troy Donahue]], whose male-model, blonde good looks made him the idol of millions during his brief period of stardom which paralleled that of Diane McBain.

Through the activities of its scientific advisory board, The Earth Organization forwards and supports environmental education, targeting different age and culture groups, with the intention of firmly entrenching environmental education as a part of the syllabus of educational institutions.

1960 was a banner year for Diane—in addition to appearing in a top feature film and guest-starring in eight TV episodes, she was assigned two more theatrical features—the first would offer her one of three ingenue roles in a major "A" film, ''[[Parrish (film)|Parrish]]'' and the other, the title role in her own "B"-film vehicle, ''[[Claudelle Inglish]]''. She was also given what would turn to be her only regular part in a prime-time series—Daphne Dutton on ''Surfside 6''.

The Earth Organization is registered as an independent non-profit organization in South Africa, with branches in the USA, France, Canada, Hungary and Slovakia.

Warners' super-fast, corner-cutting production methods tended to stereotype actors and Diane's blonde-princess looks suggested upper-class party girls, heiresses and debutantes. Daphne precisely fit the category—a flighty heiress whose yacht was moored alongside the ''Surfside 6'' houseboat, she constantly stopped by for visits and occasionally participated in some cases. As with all multi-cast Warners shows, most episodes starred a single cast member, with the others appearing at the beginnings and ends of episodes, thus allowing for simultaneous filming of multiple episodes, each utilizing a separate film unit. While the majority of the episodes of ''Surfside 6'' bookended Daphne's appearances, a number of them showcased her fairly prominently and a handful, such as [[October 9]], [[1961]]'s "''Daphne, Girl Detective''", built the entire plotline around her.

==External links==

Diane McBain's second and third feature were released at the end of ''Surfside 6'''s first season, ''Parrish'' on [[May 4]] and ''Claudelle Inglish'' on [[September 20]], [[1961]].

*[http://www.earthorganization.org Official Website]

''Parrish'', at 140 minutes (later slightly edited to 138), was nearly as long as ''The Ice Palace'', as well as being another big-budget, Technicolor "A" picture. Diane had one of three ingenue roles, Daphne Dutton taken to much higher level, a flirtatious, sexually provocative and ultimately vindictive, spoiled daughter of [[Dean Jagger]], a wealthy, but philosophical and humane tobacco plantation owner. The other two ingenues were, like Diane, young Warners contract players—blonde [[Connie Stevens]], a regular on another detective show, ''[[Hawaiian Eye]]'', and brunette [[Sharon Hugueny]]. The three were competing for the attention of the audience as well as that of the title character, portrayed by Diane's ''Surfside 6'' co-star Troy Donahue. The four young actors were also competing for acting honors with a veteran cast which, in addition to Dean Jagger, included [[Claudette Colbert]] (as Troy Donahue's mother) and [[Karl Malden]] (as Sharon Hugueny's father).

*[http://www.earthorganization.org/WhoWeAre.aspx?CatID=1 The Earth Organization Scientific Advisory Board]

*[http://www.lawrenceanthony.co.za Founder of The Earth Organization]

[[category:animal charities]]

[[category:Environmental organizations based in South Africa]]