H is for Ross Hagen!
I first encountered Ross Hagen in the mid-to-late 80’s when he started turning up in nearly every new movie from director Fred Olen Ray. Switching from good guy to bad guy with ease, Hagen soon became one of the names I liked to see in the credits of any movie or TV show I watched – as he always brought something good to the table.
Born in Arizona Hagen came to acting in his late twenties, appearing in small guest spots on several series in the mid 60’s. He joined the cast of the popular series Daktari in its third season and stayed with the show through its cancellation at the end of the fourth season. After that he went on to some movie roles - in biker flicks mostly – as well as more TV show guest spots.
In 1969 Hagen turned to producing with the biker picture Five the Hard Way – called Sidehackers when it was ripped a new one by MST3K - and across the next decade continued to act, write, and produce.
In 1979 Hagen added director to his resume with the action revenge movie The Glove, and continued pursuing all four vocations off and on across the the intervening decades until his passing in 2011. Some of my fave Hagen performances are in Armed Response, Commando Squad, Phantom Empire, Dinosaur Island, Bikini Drive-In, and Hard Bounty. To sample his writing, producing and directing talents track down Wonder Women (due out in a brand new DVD edition from the fine folks at Retromedia Entertainment just any day now), The Glove, and B.O.R.N.
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| Ross Hagen (1938-2011) |
"I" hope you come back tomorrow, and until that post, you Can Poke Me With A Fork, Cause I Am Outta Here!
Man, do I recognize this guy. I've seen him so many times, but I never knew his name. Shame on me! Dinosaur Island and Armed Response were terrific.
ReplyDeleteYeah he's one of those guys - and those are two of his best! Cheers, MB!
DeleteI love hearing stories about people who stuck with the business, adapting to survive. To go from actor to writer/producer/director? Very cool! And it goes to show how much talent some of these people have.
ReplyDeleteLoved Wonder Woman--and I need more retro in my life. Can't wait to see the DVDs!
He's a very cool guy who just kept trying new things as you say - to adapt and stay viable.
DeleteI love Wonder WomAn too, but his film was Wonder WomEn, a batcrap crazy sci-fi/horror/ action flick. You could still check it out, just do it when the rest of the household is out or asleep...
I know who he is but couldn't recall his name. I haven't seen these films but I do remember Daktari. Clarence the cross-eyed lion and Judy the chimp...those were the days.
ReplyDeleteDaktari - there was a family friendly show - back when that was a good thing!
DeleteI'll have to watch Hagen's "Invaders" and find out if its good sci-fi movie
ReplyDeleteLet me know! I'm interested to hear!
DeleteRoss who? Hm, I've seen some Daktari as a child, but I actually don't remember him, or any of the other actors. Clarence is the only thing I still remember :)
ReplyDeleteGood ol' Clarence!
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