The birthday today of veteran actor Peter Haskell (born Oct. 15, 1934) brings to mind the fantastic–especially to movie lovers–TV series that he starred in back in 1969-70 for NBC.  It was the movie studio-set melodrama Bracken’s World, an exciting behind-the-scenes look at moviemaking, produced by Twentieth Century-Fox.  Much of the action took place on the then lavish and ultra-busy Fox lot in West Los Angeles, with frequent cameos by real life actors and actresses, blended with regular cast members in stories about the glamorous and scandalous world of studio production. 

In addition to the amiable and talented Peter Haskell, who is probably best known for his large body of TV work, as writer/producer Kevin Grant, the Bracken’s World cast was a mixture of veterans and new faces alike.  Haskell’s neurotic wife was played by Madelyn Rhue, Sylvia Caldwell,  the mysterious studio head Bracken’s secretary, was portrayed by Eleanor Parker, and Elizabeth Allen played Laura Dean, the head of the Young Talent school where all the beautiful starlets learned their craft.  The main trio of up-and-coming actresses was played by Linda Harrison as Paulette Douglas, a starlet who was being pushed into a career by her mother, played by veteran actress Jeanne Cooper.  Around the time of BW Linda was on movie screens in the original Planet of the Apes as Nova, the mute, skin-clad primitive beauty who’s stuck in ape prison with Charlton Heston.  Laraine Stephens was socialite Diane Waring, trying to overcome her blue blood and make it in Hollywood.  Ms. Stephens later went on to marry producer David Gerber and more-or-less retire from acting, though she did make some appearances in her husband’s shows.  Rounding out the trio was Karen Jensen as Rachel Holt, the sexy starlet who wasn’t above using her charms to further her career.  Jensen was a frequent guest star on many TV shows during the 1960s and ‘70s, but seems to have retired in the early 1980s.  Prominently featured the first season was popular TV heartthrob Dennis Cole as a hunky stuntman, earning him frequent appearances in the teen magazines of the period.

Bracken’s World was created by veteran screenwriter Dorothy Kingsley, who had cut her creative teeth as a comedy writer for Edgar Bergen and Bob Hope, then moved into movies with a long string of assignments for MGM, including many Mickey-Judy films, several Esther Williams features, and an Oscar writing nomination for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  Bracken’s World was essentially the TV version of Valley of the Dolls, minus the truly sordid stuff but full of juicy insider plotlines and with a mature outlook that makes a quick read of the episode descriptions leave you yearning to see the show, which isn’t on DVD yet. 

Since the show was producer by Fox, they called upon stars making movies for them on the lot to drop by for frequent cameos, which was one of the fun things about watching the show.  The list of actors enlisted is impressive, including Omar Sharif, Raquel Welch, Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds, Cliff Robertson, Tony Curtis, Edward G. Robinson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ray Milland, James Coburn, Walter Pidgeon,  and that doesn’t include stars who merely appeared in roles on the show, including Janet Leigh, Ida Lupino, Ricardo Montalban, Jack Albertson, Lee Grant, Anne Baxter and many others.  The show also had an amazing array of now-famous guest stars, such as Sally Field, Tom Selleck, Martin Sheen, Richard Thomas (as a nut who kidnaps the sexy Rachel and holds her hostage on the backlot–great episode!), Lee Majors, Sam Elliot, and just tons more.  It was a really class production on all fronts, and though highly touted by NBC it undoubtedly was just too cutting edge and sophisticated for most viewers. 

I especially fondly recall the aforementioned Richard Thomas episode, and a great hour with Lois Nettleton as an actress who’s being pressured to do a nude scene, and of course so many others.  Just for the opportunity to see the famous Fox lot in all its glory, before booming real estate prices put much of it on the auction block, is reason enough to petition 20th Century-Fox to release this rare gem on DVD.  Bracken’s World was a serious attempt to look behind the mystique of moviemaking at a time before the ins-and-outs of production were commonplace filler and entertainment news blanketed the airwaves.  I am sure that I’m not alone in pining for the return of Bracken’s World!

And Happy Birthday to Peter Haskell, the suave and intelligent Kevin Grant!  Today, anybody playing a writer/producer would have to wear a T-shirt and baseball-cap and be twenty-five years old, but back then, turtlenecks and sport coats were the order of the day.  Let’s hope that we get the chance to see Peter Haskell and this amazing TV show again soon!