James Darren
Also Known As: James & Evy, James & Gloria, James William Ercolani
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. James William Ercolani (June 8, 1936 - September 2, 2024), known by his stage name James Darren, was an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. He wanted to be an actor and studied in New York City with Stella Adler for a number of years. He would also occasionally sing although he later said "I wasn't really a singer. I was a kid in Philly whose dad would take him to bars and nightclubs and I would get up and sing two songs." Darren was discovered by talent agent and casting director Joyce Selznick after he got some photographs taken by Maurice Seymour to show potential agents: His secretary, a woman by the name of Yvonne Bouvier, asked me if I was interested in getting into film. I said yeah, I was. She said I know someone you should meet. She set up a meeting between me and Joyce Selznick, who worked for Screen Gems. Joyce brought me over to Columbia Pictures about a week later and got me a contract there. Columbia signed Darren to a long term contract in July 1956. A few weeks later, he was filming his first film, Rumble on the Docks. His appearance was well received and he got a lot of fan mail - second at the studio only to Kim Novak. Darren guest starred on an episode of TV's The Web ("Kill and Run") then Columbia gave him a support role in an "A" picture, the comedy Operation Mad Ball, starring Jack Lemmon. He had support roles in two films directed by Phil Karlson: The Brothers Rico and Gunman's Walk. In between he was in The Tijuana Story, although his role was relatively small. Darren was third billed in the surf film, Gidget. He also sang the title track. The film was a hit with teen audiences and so was the song. Darren wound up recording a string of pop hits for Colpix Records, the biggest of which was "Goodbye Cruel World". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Another sizeable hit was "Her Royal Majesty". He is also featured in one of the Scopitone series of pop music video jukebox films ("Because You're Mine"). Darren was third billed in a series of films for Columbia: The Gene Krupa Story, All the Young Men, and Let No Man Write My Epitaph. He had a cameo as himself in a teen film, Because They're Young, singing the title track. Darren had a supporting role in the World War II film The Guns of Navarone. Also popular was Gidget Goes Hawaiian, where Darren reprised his role as Moondoggie; he was given top billing. Darren also acted in Diamond Head as well as a third time in Gidget Goes to Rome, which he sang the title track for, Under the Yum Yum Tree. In 1963, Darren signed a seven picture deal with Universal, starting with The Lively Set. He was the singing voice of Yogi Bear in the animated film, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, on the song "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a". He was the singing voice of his own character "Jimmy Darrock" on an episode of The Flintstones. However the character's dialogue was provided by voice actor Lennie Weinrib. He subsequently launched a career as a director, notably of action-based series , including Hunter, The A-Team, Silk Stalkings, Renegade, and Nowhere Man, as well as dramas such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Darren, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Adult: No
Birthday: June 08, 1936
Age: 88 years old
Gender: Male
Deathday: September 02, 2024
Popularity:
Known For:
The Guns of Navarone
Overview: A team of allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.
Genres: War Adventure Thriller Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-04-27
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Venus in Furs
Overview: A musician finds the corpse of a beautiful woman on the beach. The woman returns from the dead to take revenge on the group of wealthy sadists responsible for her death.
Genres: Horror Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-08-19
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The Brothers Rico
Overview: Eddie Rico, the erstwhile bookkeeper for a big Mafia boss, is now making a living as an honest merchant in Florida with his family. Things go sour when the police start a search for his syndicate-linked brothers who are on the lam after a big hit, forcing Eddie to get involved with the Mafia again.
Genres: Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-09-01
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Gidget Goes to Rome
Overview: Francis, now 17, is still in love with Moondoggy. She can persuade her parents to allow them a journey to Rome, together with two of her and two of his friends. However they have to take an adult with them, so they choose Peter's eccentric aunt. In Rome they get the beautiful guide Daniela, who's fascinating the guys and making especially Gidget jealous. She starts looking elsewhere herself.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1963-08-07
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Gunman's Walk
Overview: A powerful rancher always protects his wild adult son by paying for damages and bribing witnesses, until his crimes become too serious to rectify.
Genres: Western
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1958-07-01
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Operation Mad Ball
Overview: In this wacky military spoof, Lemmon plays a terminally bored Army private waging a war of wits as he tries to throw a party under the nose of his obnoxious commanding officer.
Genres: Comedy War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-08-17
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Gidget Goes Hawaiian
Overview: Francis is desperate: her parents want to force her to come with them on vacation to Hawaii - just during the two weeks when her beloved "Moondoggy" is home from College. When he suggests her to go for it, she's even more in panic - doesn't he care to be with her? So she sets out for Hawaii in the worst mood. On the plane she meets the sociable Abby, who gives her the advice to forget about Jeff - and regrets it shortly after, when Francis follows the advice and steals her boyfriend Eddie, a famous dancer. But then Jeff discovers he's missing Francis...
Genres: Comedy Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-06-02
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Gidget
Overview: Due to an accident while swimming in the sea, Francis meets the surfer Moondoggie. She's fascinated with his sport and starts to hang out with his clique. Although they make fun of her at first, they teach her to surf and soon she's accepted and given the nickname "Gidget". But it's hard work to become more than a friend to Moondoggie.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-04-09
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The Gene Krupa Story
Overview: The story of legendary jazz drummer, Gene Krupa. Since his youth, all Gene ever wanted to do is play the drums and make music. This is something his parents would not approve of- they want him to be a priest. When Gene's father dies he promises to enter the priesthood. He soon realizes that he doesn't belong there and leaves to join his friend, Eddie's band. Ethel, Eddie's girlfriend, convinces Gene to go to New York and make it big. The 3 of them head to New York. Here Ethel and Gene soon fall in love and Gene makes a name for himself. Gene starts to live in the fast lane, with drugs, alcohol, women and parties. Ethel, unhappy with Gene's lifestyle, leaves him. Gene soon "hits rock bottom" where he has to face reality and choose where to take his life.
Genres: Drama Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-12-01
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City Beneath the Sea
Overview: A group of 21st-century colonists inhabit an underwater city called Pacifica. Originally intended as a purely scientific installation, the U. S. government wants to stash all its gold reserves from Fort Knox there, along with a fantastic new radioactive element. The brother of Pacifica's returning former commander plans to steal the gold and on top of that, the city faces destruction by an asteroid from outer space!
Genres: Science Fiction Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1971-07-16
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Rumble on the Docks
Overview: A Brooklyn-born 17-year-old's loyalty is torn between his parents' old-fashion values and a local gangster's flashy lifestyle.
Genres: Crime Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-12-01
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For Those Who Think Young
Overview: A wealthy young man tries to woo a university student, while her two uncles work to popularize a local club.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1964-06-01
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Mooch Goes to Hollywood
Overview: A dog tries to become a canine star with the help of Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Genres: Comedy Family
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1971-12-31
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Let No Man Write My Epitaph
Overview: Nick Romano lives in a poor tenement building on the south side of Chicago with his well-meaning but drug-addicted mother, Nellie. She encourages him to pursue his piano-playing talent in hopes that it will bring him a better life. Nellie's neighbors, like the alcoholic ex-lawyer who secretly loves her, help her in keeping Nick away from Louie, the resident drug dealer. But a chance meeting between Nick and Louie could change things forever.
Genres: Drama Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-11-10
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All the Young Men
Overview: During the Korean War, the lieutenant in charge of a Marine rifle platoon is killed in battle. Before he dies, he places the platoon's sergeant, who's black, in charge. The sergeant figures on having trouble with two men in his platoon: a private who has much more combat experience than he does, and a racist Southerner who doesn't like blacks in the first place and has no intention of taking orders from one.
Genres: Action Adventure Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-08-26
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The Lively Set
Overview: A college student drops out to build a race car and falls for his buddy's sister.
Genres: Action Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1964-10-24
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Diamond Head
Overview: Rich Hawaiian pineapple grower and US Senatorial candidate Richard Howland tries to control everything and everyone around him, including his headstrong sister, Slone.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1962-12-27
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The Tijuana Story
Overview: Courageous newspaper editor Manuel Acosta Mesa tries to take on the mob in Tijuana through his newspaper, reporting on the violence, prostitution and drug sales in the border town.
Genres: Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-10-01
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Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!
Overview: Following a misunderstanding about Yogi Bear’s whereabouts, Cindy Bear ends up in captivity at a Missouri circus. It’s now up to Yogi and his friend, Boo-Boo, to save her.
Genres: Animation Comedy Family Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1964-06-03
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Because They're Young
Overview: Director Paul Wendkos' 1960 film adaptation of the controversial novel "Harrison High", about an idealistic young high-school teacher dealing with over-sexed and troubled teenagers, is notable for its casting of newcomer Dick Clark in the starring role. Others in the cast include Tuesday Weld, Michael Callan, Victoria Shaw, Roberta Shore, Warren Berlinger, Doug McClure, Linda Watkins, Rudy Bond, Philip Coolidge, Stephen Talbot, Kathryn Card, James Darren, Duane Eddy, The Rebels and Bess Flowers.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-04-01
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Scruples
Overview: Sequel to the 1980 mini-series, taking up the plot where it -- and Judith Krantz's source novel -- left off. Billy Ikehorn (Shelley Smith) is the owner of a chic Beverly Hills boutique against which romantic, corporate and political power plays unfold in the classic soap opera tradition. It was the pilot to a prospective series.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1981-05-22
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Lucky
Overview: Follows the journey of a 90-year-old atheist and the quirky characters that inhabit his off-the-map desert town. He finds himself at the precipice of life, thrust into a journey of self-exploration.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2017-09-29
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The Boss' Son
Overview: Bobby Rose has just returned home after graduating business school. He agrees to start working for his father, a successful carpet manufacturer. Bobby's dreams of a cushy junior exec position are quashed when he's told to report to the shipping department, where he's trained as a delivery driver. Learning the business from the ground up embitters Bobby, as well as his coworkers, some of whom, he discovers, are stealing from the company.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1978-10-02
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What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Overview: A documentary exploring the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the reasons it went from the black sheep of Star Trek to a beloved mainstay of the franchise, and a brainstorm with the original writers on what a theoretical eighth season of the show could look like.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-10-12
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Aliens From Another Planet
Overview: A senator is sent to inspect a project that can send people into the future or past & decide if it is feasible to continue. One of the scientists working on it, decides to go through it anyway... This is a compilation of three episodes of the 1960's TV series, "The Time Tunnel".
Genres: Science Fiction TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1982-03-10
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The Lives of Jenny Dolan
Overview: A newspaper reporter's life is endangered when she is assigned to investigate a political assassination.
Genres: Thriller Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1975-10-27
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Turnover Smith
Overview: A criminology professor uses scientific methods, advanced computer technology, his expertise in chess, and the leg work of several of his students to track down a crazed killer in San Francisco.
Genres: Crime Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1980-06-08
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New Dimensions
Overview: Surf music came out of Orange County California in the late fifties and early sixties. It exploded the radio waves along the coast line to become one of the most iconic genres of musical history. From the West to the East, Surf Bands were popping up everywhere. One such band to emerge was a group of 12 to 14 year olds out of LA. These kids loved surfing, the beach, girls and most importantly... Surf Music. They were The New Dimensions and this is their story!
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-11-04
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T.J. Hooker - Blood Sport
Overview: Hooker and his team become the protection detail of a Senator, and an old friend of Hooker's, after Hooker saves his life during a routine prisoner transfer in Hawaii while the Senator pushes his anti-terrorist bill.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-05-21
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