"The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure". I loved reading this. Kirk's longtime friend and former child star, Paul Petersen, said he was found dead in his Las Vegas home on Tuesday. Other books like Queering Teen Culture by Jeffery Dennis dont discuss the hurt or ruin that Kirk experienced. . The two starred in several films together including Pajama Party. I went to his wedding to Nina. He bonded strongly with his canine costar--who, like the whole line of Lassies, was male--and even took him home on weekends (the family had moved West in 1949). Ans. Tommy Kirk - IMDb - imdb.com. I didnt know what the consequences would be, but I had the definite feeling that it was going to wreck my Disney career and maybe my whole acting career. Tommy Kirk was born on 10 December 1941. And as I said, during the period of malimg Ol Yeller:, being gay was a vdeat sentence for the actor AND a studio that hired a gay. I asked my Dad this story a few times and he must have been confused. In July 1962 Disney announced he would make The Happiest American with Kirk but it appears to have not been made. $1. in 1954. No foul play was suspected at the time of discovery. Tommy Kirk, star of Disney 's Old Yeller and The Shaggy Dog has died. He was 79. Actor Tommy Kirk, who starred in classic Disney movies like "Old Yeller," "The Shaggy Dog" and "Son Of Flubber," was announced dead on Tuesday at the age of 79. Dedicated spaces for outdoor adventure beyond the parks makes Redding, well, Redding. Tommy Kirk, one of Disney's major young stars of the 1950s and early '60s, died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada yesterday. Sept. 29, 2021 6 PM PT. Dont know if they divorced or what. From hiking and skiing to kayaking and paddle boarding, outdoor recreation is . It must have been doubly hard on Tommy Kirk, since he began acting as a child at Disney; it must have felt like such a betrayal to him. Search instead in Creative? He was 79. This teamed him with Corcoran and two other Disney stars with whom he would regularly work, Fred MacMurray and Annette Funicello. Of course, when I did date girls their parents always trusted me because of my goody-goody TV image. Petersen said Kirk lived a private life . He was certainly a natural actor as a young teen, especially in OLD YELLER and SHAGGY DOG. He was wholesome, clean cut and quirky-things that easily won over Disney audiences. Save. Actors Tommy Cole and Bobby Burgess also paid tribute to their longtime friend. [26], Kirk began to work steadily in television throughout 1956 and 1957 in episodes of Lux Video Theatre ("Green Promise"), Frontier ("The Devil and Doctor O'Hara"), Big Town ("Adult Delinquents"), Crossroads ("The Rabbi Davis Story"), Gunsmoke ("Cow Doctor"), Letter to Loretta ("But for God's Grace", "Little League") and Matinee Theatre ("The Outing", "The Others" a version of Turn of the Screw).[27]. J.W. If you can get word to either of them I would greatly appreciate it. at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California. "Finally, I said, to hell with the whole thing, to hell with show business, I'm gonna make a new life for myself, and I got off drugs, completely kicked all that stuff.". Type above and press Enter to search. The actor was known for his role as Travis Coates in the 1957 film Old Yeller.. [8] Kirk also hosted short travelogues for the serial segment of the show's second season, sometimes with Annette Funicello. Kirk's career received its biggest break yet when in January 1957 Disney cast him as Travis Coates in Old Yeller (1957), an adventure story about a boy and his heroic dog. For the last several years of his life Tom was a successful software developer. Reading from you Pacoima folks is such a kick & brings back wonderful memories. In September 1965, Kirk made a beach party/crime film for Executive Pictures Corp, Catalina Caper released in 1967. Dr. Samuel D. Van Kirk always appreciates feedback from his valued patients. In 1990, Kirk said he was "poor", adding that: In 1990 he was working on a script about Abraham Lincoln but it appears to have not been made. This article will give you all the required information about Tommy Kirk. You can get all details provided below. 112 reviews #15 of 174 Restaurants in Redding $$ - $$$ Chinese Asian Vegetarian Friendly. I was a little stunned, but not really because its all to normal in this world of ours. Not like some of my so called straight friends. 65% of these people are married, and 35% are single. Thanks! We used to go over to his house and Tommy was always really nice to us kids. it felt like a friend had died. I have a nice business, a nice pension and friends, he said. PO Box *****, Hollister, CA. To be better behaved. I wanted to have friends, go out on dates--just lead a normal life. However, since films were changing so much in the 1960s and the 1970s, I still feel his career would have floundered. Find the latest Bollywood News and Celebrity Gossips from Latest In Bollywood. We did see Tommy often, who seemed nice and also shy. Is your Dad Johnny? He was close friends with my brother Glenn Rohrabacher. No cause of death has been reported. The post was for a blogathon about homosexuality in films-how it is portrayed, how it helped/ruined actors careers, etc. Kirk and his team are experienced in finding what's wrong and only recommending repairs to what's wrong. Candy(Candyce), I also went to school in Pacoima (Vena Elementary to Poly Hi), had a flirtation with Andy for years, and my sister had one with John (the youngest brother). Scheuer, Philip K., "'Shaggy Dog' Cast Will Kid Monsters: Jean Hagen Completes Roster; New Film Faster, Less Distorted". Kirk died at his Las Vegas, Nevada home on September 28, 2021, at the age of 79.[43][44]. I think it is sad that a person is judged by his sexuality. Thank you for stopping by! Its just too bad Tommy Kirk didnt get that kind of support from them. Candyce G. Hi Candy, By Max Miller / Sept. 29, 2021 6:30 pm EST. Suite 4 He was the son of Louis and Lucy. That evening I watched Old Yeller for the gazillionth time. Kirk was 21 years old. [18] Disney sent Kirk to England for The Horsemasters (1961), a youth-oriented horse riding film, which was made for U.S. television, but screened theatrically in some markets. Kirk later described this film as "sort of a clunker but it has a few cute moments, it's an oddity", and enjoyed working with Ed Wynn. Thanks for contacting us. [17], Kirk followed up with a secondary role in a fantasy comedy starring Fred MacMurray, The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), another huge hit. Here is my email address: [email protected]. He was a really good actor and I think I had a crush on him too at one point (of course I always had the major hots for James MacArthur in Swiss Family Robinson haha ). His other repeat co-stars, Annette Funicello and Fred MacMurray, had already been inducted (in 1992 and 1987, respectively). After touring with Mary Martin in Annie Get Your Gun, he landed roles in movies beginning age nine, making 17 films in total, among them River of No Return (1954), starring Marilyn Monroe, and perhaps most memorably as the boy with the vivid imagination in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953). LOS ANGELES Tommy Kirk, a child star who played in Disney films such as "Old Yeller" and "The Shaggy Dog," has died. [10] Kirk had the lead role in the film, a success at the box-office, and he became Disney's first choice whenever they needed someone to play an all-American teenager. Its really a shame that Disney was not more loyal to the stars who raked in so much dough for them. Tommy Kirk, 79, was an American actor. Anyway, we were good friends in jr High school. Scheuer, Philip K., "Hersey 'War Lover' Sold to Columbia: Directors Picks Annual Critic; U.S. Steel Sponsors a Winner". Kirk got along well with Buchanan and the two would often spend time together off-set. Do you want to know about his personal or professional life? He did a great job in all of his films and made the studio a great deal of money. Tommy Kirk, a child star who played in Disney films such as "Old Yeller" and "The Shaggy Dog," has died. If yes, so you came to the right place. Tommy Kirk was an actor best known for starring in Disney films such as "The Shaggy Dog" and in beach party movies. Thomas Kirk in California 182 people named Thomas Kirk found in Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose and 13 other cities. 28-in wide refrigerator. Spoke to him before his presentation. He said he continued to use marijuana in middle age but gave up stronger drugs when he became a vegetarian. Quite on the opposite side, Kirk was in highly heterosexual all-American teenage romance beach films. Tommys education details are not added anywhere on the internet. Heather. He also enjoyed writing and occasionally appearing at retro film conventions.[21]. In the 5th grade you were my idol, and Andy and I had the beginnings of a romance in early Jr. Hi. I feel sorry for him but others have fared worse. 30 total reviews. Newspaper columns occasionally linked Kirk and Funicello's names romantically,[24] though in fact, they were never anything more than friendly coworkers.[21]. [39] However, the damage to his career had been done. The news of Tommy's death was shared in a Facebook post from his longtime friend Paul Petersen on Sept. 29, 2021. It was very hard to meet people and, at that time, there was no place to go to socialize. For the Australian rugby league player, see. We invite you to share condolences for Tommy Kirk in our Guest Boo )[14], With his Disney contract completed, Kirk went to Universal Pictures, where he played the male lead in the English dub of a Soviet animated feature, The Snow Queen, opposite Sandra Dee. He was 79. But it wasn't until he sat down at a computer to compile a mailing list that he finally found himselfAt Ashton-Tate, Tom was one of the designers of dBASE III and wrote the essential reference book on it. His multiple drug busts eventually destroyed his marriage. When I was about 17 or 18 years old, I finally admitted to myself that I wasnt going to change, he said during a 1993 interview for Filmfax magazine, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In October 1966 Kirk was in a car racing film, Track of Thunder (1967) but his personal problems were beginning to affect his career: Kirk says he reached bottom in 1970 when he did two movies that were non-Screen Actors Guild, Ride the Hot Wind and Blood of Ghastly Horror, causing Kirk to almost lose his SAG card. He was 79. Im gonna make a new life for myself, and I got off drugs, completely kicked all that stuff. "Joe was star struck," said Kirk. AIP cast him in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966) with Deborah Walley. Joe was not cast, losing out to Bobby Driscoll, but Tommy was, and he made his stage debut opposite Will Rogers Jr. "It was five lines, it didn't pay anything, and nobody else showed up, so I got the part," said Kirk. He did the voice-over narration for "The Eagle Hunters" and dubbing work for the Danish-made film Vesterhavsdrenge, shown on the Mickey Mouse Club as the serial "Boys of the Western Sea". 1,613 Matches for Tommy Kirk . For a child star who struggled so much, Tommy Kirk is really forgotten today. By the way, I really enjoyed your post on Caged! This is heartbreaking. But Walt asked me to return for the final Merlin Jones movie, The Monkey's Uncle, because the Jones films had been moneymakers for the studio.". In August 1956 Disney hired Kirk and former Mouseketeer Judy Harriet to attend both the Republican and Democratic presidential nominating conventions, for newsreel specials that later appeared on the show. Kirk Young Plumbing Inc Contact Information. Vintage Pyrex Lime Green & Gold Regency Ware Dishes 41 pieces. Hollywood seems to have a history of badly treating its popular actors who happen to be gay. USA. After some beach movies and teen horror like Village of the Giants (1965), Tommy was abandoned into a ghetto of drug abuse and late-1960s sleaze movies like Mars Needs Women and It's a Bikini World. What an interesting, but sad story. I went out and started my own business. Why Camp? In July 1958 Kirk was cast in The Shaggy Dog (1959), a comedy about a boy inventor who, under the influence of a magic ring, is repeatedly transformed into an Old English Sheepdog. From interviews Ive seen in recent years, Tommy Kirk seems to be bitter from the experience. I hadnt heard that part, I only tried to add things that I could back up with sources since it is a touchy subject. Ive done it for years and I live well. Jeff, hi candy,im john i mheathers uncle,hope denese is doing well last i knew tom was in redding ca hello glen,allen, hi candy,im john i mheathers uncle,hope denese is doing well last i knew tom was in redding ca hello glen,allen,cool your buns, Candyce,john kirk here,would love to hear from you and denice,hope both of you are well and happy!contact me 606-483-2443. [6] Later that year, Kirk and Corcoran were announced for the cast of Rainbow Road to Oz, a feature film based on the stories of L. Frank Baum, but this film was never produced. Tommy made his acting debut at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California where an agent from Gertz Agency saw him and signed Kirk for casting him in an episode of The Last Of The Old Time Shooting Sheriffs. Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 - September 28, 2021) [1] was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, Swiss Family Robinson, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, as well as the beach-party films of the mid-1960s. He appeared once more with Munro and Funicello. Curtis Waller's gonna be like past even numbered/future odd numbered "Edward Evans" like people on the list part one. Hope Denise is doing likewise. Cell phone: (530) 209-6600. Didnt want to add too much hearsay. Our ethnicity data indicates the majority is Caucasian. Kirk had the lead role in the film, which was enormously successful, and he became Disney's first choice whenever they needed someone to play an all-American teenager. Well well! It was not released until 1967. After they found out I was involved with someone, that was the end of Disney. (Taken from IMDB). Name. Kirk was cast as a Martian who arrives on Earth and falls in with a bunch of partying teenagers. The film was successful and Kirk was eventually Disneys first choice when they needed someone to play a teenager. Any info on Andy or Nina would be appreciated. However, the damage to Kirk's career had been done. In the 1970s he and his family lived on a farm near Arroyo Grande, CA, where he secretly grew marijuana between rows of corn. Everybody thought it was real cute for a kid my age to be so sophisticated, but it was murder on my emotional development. We found 3 records for David Kirk in Redding, CA. The district attorney's office subsequently refused to file a complaint against him on the marijuana charge. If you turn your back on someone like him then you are missing out on knowing some really nice people. heather,this is john,correction,i was the dog,walt was great to me,charley barton,the director bought the bike. Im not interestyed in his gay lifestyle, I just enjoyed the movies he made for Disney. . LOS ANGELES Tommy Kirk, a child star who played in Disney films such as "Old Yeller" and "The Shaggy Dog," has died. The book mainly seems to focus on the silly roles he was in and how overly sexual the males were in beach movies. Any info on Andy or Nina would be appreciated out on knowing some really nice people marijuana middle. He also enjoyed writing and occasionally appearing at retro film conventions. [ 21 ] not interestyed his. 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