Vaughn's Debut

 (tcm)

 

NO TIME TO BE YOUNG-1957-Three immature losers can't face reality. Robert Vaughn (screen debut) is Buddy, a wise ass mamma's boy who wants to run away because he's afraid when he's drafted. He's also dating one of his college teachers Mrs. Dexter (Dorothy Green). Bob (Roger Smith) works in a grocery store and wants to marry waitress Gloria (Merry Anders) but he's partially responsible for her broken back. Stu (Tom Pittman) is a failed writer who lied to marry his wife. After much drama and Freudian plot twists they decide to rob Bob's place of business. Despite some reluctance on Bob and Stu's part, they go through with it but Buddy shoots the store manager. The trio fracture and Bob and Stuff are arrested. Buddy loses the money (while dancing…) and crashes a stolen truck. It's unclear whether he dies or not.1940's Superman Kirk Alyn has an unbilled role. 

Director David Lowell Rich later directed the 3 Stooges in HAVE ROCKET-WILL TRAVEL. He did a lot of TV later but occasionally did a big screen film (MADAME X (1966), THE CONCORDE: AIRPORT '79 (1979)). Vaughn starred in TEENAGE CAVEMAN the following year.

 (imdb)

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Clay

CLAY PIGEON-1971-Low budget Al Adamson like crime drama about a former 'Nam vet Joe Ryan (Tom Stern) turned drug taking slacker hippie used by a devious police detective Redford (Telly Savalas) to catch a grouchy drug dealer (Robert Vaughn who's nutty performance and crazy wardrobe make this mess worth watching!). He's assisted by henchman Simon (Ivan Dixon) who shoots Marlene Clark (who appears topless) in the head. Redford's equally grouchy police captain is played by John Marley. Burgess Meredith is an old hippie like junk dealer and Peter Lawford appears in one scene. 

Producer/writer/director Stern who's not much of an actor seems to be saying: cops are bad and drugs are good. He was in other movies and TV shows but this was his only directorial effort.

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Star Wars, Where Is Thy Sting?

STARSHIP INVASIONS-1977-After some strange looking aliens abduct a farmer (he looks like he could be one of the 3 Stooges) and he has sex with a woman on the ship (not shown!), we are introduced to Prof. Duncan (Robert Vaughn) a serious, easy going UFO investigator. His wife (Helen Shaver) thinks he's becoming obsessed with his research and says that UFOs “are such bizarre things”. Christopher Lee is Captain Ramses, an alien leader from the planet Alpha paving the way for a “massive migration” of this race to invade Earth before his planet's sun explodes. He talks by telepathy, which is a good thing since he looks like if he had to speak the lines he'd break out laughing! 

The group abduct a woman and stick a big needle in her. Later they all wind up dead. Ramses visits “The League of Races”, a group of different space aliens whose headquarters is in The Bermuda Triangle. They even have an intergalactic whore house! Most of the league aliens look like normal humans in funny clothes but some have round bald heads. Ramses and his small crew take over the base and plan on wiping out Earth inhabitants through a beam that makes everyone kill and/or commit suicide. The alien league fights back however and enlists Duncan to help stop Ramses' deadly plan. 

 There's a lot of low budget effects, some unintentionally funny interview segments and a couple of wobbly saucers but the acting is played straight. Some very funny looking robots make an appearance too. It was filmed in Canada by director-writer Edward Hunt who later made THE BRAIN. 

The soundtrack by Gil Melle' (NIGHT GALLERY, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, 6 MILLION DOLLAR MAN) is an interesting mix of orchestra pieces and electric piano driven Jazz. 

The same year Lee played an alien in the similar END OF THE WORLD, was in the big budgeted AIRPORT '77 and was on-screen narrator of MEAT CLEAVER MASSACRE. Among other things in 1977, Vaughn was the un-credited voice of the computer in DEMON SEED.

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