Diane McBain
Encyclopedia
Diane McBain is an American actress who, as a Warner Brothers contract player, reached a brief peak of popularity during the early 1960s. She is best known for playing an adventurous socialite in the 1960-62 TV series Surfside 6
and as one of Elvis Presley
's leading ladies in 1966's Spinout
.
, McBain moved to the Hollywood area at an early age and began her show business career as an adolescent model in print and television advertisements. During her senior year at Glendale High School
she was, while appearing in a Los Angeles
play, spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout and added to the studio's roster of contract performers who were appearing in an assembly-line-style mass production of TV episodes and theatrical features.
Starting with the September 13, 1955 premiere of the hour-long, three-shows-in-one Warner Brothers Presents, the studio's TV arm, Warner Brothers Television, provided ABC
with nearly twenty shows, including seven western and four detective series. At the age of seventeen, McBain was immediately put to work, making her TV acting debut in two episodes of Maverick
, March 8 and November 22, 1959, as well as the October 16 episode of 77 Sunset Strip
. Her first director, at the helm of the March 8 installment, "Passage to Fort Doom", was Warners stalwart Paul Henreid, best known as Victor Laszlo in the studio's 1942 Oscar-winner
Casablanca
.
, Grace Kelly
and even Marilyn Monroe
. She was given a prominent ingenue role in her first feature Ice Palace
, a top-budget 143-minute generational saga based on the Edna Ferber
novel which dramatized the lives and families of the pioneers who settled and developed Alaska
between World War I
and statehood
. McBain, whose character appeared only in the last part of the film, held her own against the three female leads, Martha Hyer
, Carolyn Jones
and Shirley Knight
as well as stars Richard Burton
and Robert Ryan
. The filmed-on-location Technicolor
epic was released on January 2, 1960 to mixed reviews, but McBain's notices were generally favorable.
milieu with a guest role in the March 6 installment of The Alaskans
. Eight days after that, she was in the March 14 Bourbon Street Beat
and the following day on the March 15 Sugarfoot
. Another episode of Bourbon Street Beat followed two weeks later, on March 28, and still another 77 Sunset Strip on May 6. In eight more days, on May 15, she was in an episode of Lawman
and, three weeks thereafter, on June 6, a third episode of Bourbon Street Beat in as many months.
1960 was a banner year for McBain. In addition to appearing in a top feature film and guest-starring in eight TV episodes, she was assigned two more theatrical features. The first would offer her one of three ingenue roles in a major "A" film, Parrish
, and the other was a title role in her own "B"-film vehicle, Claudelle Inglish. She was also given what would turn to be her only regular part in a prime-time series, Daphne Dutton on Surfside 6.
Warners' super-fast, corner-cutting production methods tended to stereotype actors and McBain's blonde-princess looks suggested upper-class party girls, heiresses and debutantes. The role of Daphne fit the category precisely, a flighty heiress whose yacht was moored alongside the Surfside 6 houseboat, she constantly stopped by for visits and occasionally participated in some cases. As with all multi-cast Warners shows, most installments starred a single cast member, with the others appearing at the beginnings and ends of storylines to allow for explanations and wrap-ups, thus enabling simultaneous filming of multiple episodes, each utilizing a separate film unit. While the majority of the episodes of Surfside 6 bookended Daphne's appearances, a number of them showcased her fairly prominently and a handful, such as October 9, 1961's "Daphne, Girl Detective", built the entire plotline around her.
When 77 Sunset Strip kicked off its sixth and final season in 1963 with a special five-part story entitled "Five," McBain played opposite Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
as the character of Carla Stevens.
).
, Burke's Law, Batman
, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
as well as films like A Distant Trumpet
. She toured Vietnam
in 1966 as part of Bob Hope's
USO shows.
McBain developed an image as a villainess, particularly in movies such as Claudelle Inglish (1961), Maryjane (1968) and The Mini-Skirt Mob
(1968). The last movie saw her killed off as an especially vicious biker
. She is remembered for a lighter role in the Elvis vehicle Spinout
(1966) and for playing opposite Annette Funicello
in the 1967 stock car racing
movie, Thunder Alley
.
During the 1970s McBain slowed her career somewhat to care for her son Evan, though she continued to make guest appearances in a number of television series. She was featured in Wicked, Wicked
(1973), yet another bad girl role. She remained active through the 1990s and into the new millennium, playing such character roles as a grandmother on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
.
Surfside 6
Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered around a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield, II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison ; and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne...
and as one of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's leading ladies in 1966's Spinout
Spinout
Spinout is a 1966 musical film and comedy starring Elvis Presley as the lead singer of a band and part-time race car driver. The movie was #57 on the year end list of the top-grossing films of 1966.-Plot:...
.
Early career
A native of Cleveland, OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, McBain moved to the Hollywood area at an early age and began her show business career as an adolescent model in print and television advertisements. During her senior year at Glendale High School
Glendale High School (Glendale, California)
Glendale High School is a high school located at 1440 Broadway Avenue East in Glendale, California. The school is the Flagship School of the Glendale Unified School District.-History:...
she was, while appearing in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
play, spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout and added to the studio's roster of contract performers who were appearing in an assembly-line-style mass production of TV episodes and theatrical features.
Starting with the September 13, 1955 premiere of the hour-long, three-shows-in-one Warner Brothers Presents, the studio's TV arm, Warner Brothers Television, provided ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
with nearly twenty shows, including seven western and four detective series. At the age of seventeen, McBain was immediately put to work, making her TV acting debut in two episodes of Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, March 8 and November 22, 1959, as well as the October 16 episode of 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
. Her first director, at the helm of the March 8 installment, "Passage to Fort Doom", was Warners stalwart Paul Henreid, best known as Victor Laszlo in the studio's 1942 Oscar-winner
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
.
Early film career
Having received a positive reaction to McBain's initial performances, the studio realized that it had a potential star under contract. The young blonde was beginning to be seen as Warners' possible answer to Carroll BakerCarroll Baker
Carroll Baker is a former American actress who has enjoyed popularity as both a serious dramatic actress and, particularly in the 1960s, as a movie sex symbol...
, Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
and even Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
. She was given a prominent ingenue role in her first feature Ice Palace
Ice Palace (film)
Ice Palace is a 1960 motion picture adapted from Edna Ferber's 1958 novel of the same name. The film, directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Richard Burton, dramatized the debate over Alaska statehood...
, a top-budget 143-minute generational saga based on the Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were especially popular and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big , Show Boat , and Giant .-Early years:Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan,...
novel which dramatized the lives and families of the pioneers who settled and developed Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
between World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and statehood
Alaska Statehood Act
The Alaska Statehood Act was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 7, 1958, allowing Alaska to become the 49th U.S. state on January 3, 1959.-History: the road to Statehood:...
. McBain, whose character appeared only in the last part of the film, held her own against the three female leads, Martha Hyer
Martha Hyer
Martha Hyer is an American actress.She attended Northwestern University and was a member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity. After completing her education, she next appeared in The Locket in 1946...
, Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses...
and Shirley Knight
Shirley Knight
Shirley Enola Knight is an American stage, film and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in 1960 for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and in 1962 for Sweet Bird of Youth....
as well as stars Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
and Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan
Robert Bushnell Ryan was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.-Early life and career:...
. The filmed-on-location Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
epic was released on January 2, 1960 to mixed reviews, but McBain's notices were generally favorable.
Early television appearances
Warners continued to keep McBain busy during 1960 with numerous appearances on their TV shows. She returned to 77 Sunset Strip on February 26, then nine days later found herself back in the 49th stateAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
milieu with a guest role in the March 6 installment of The Alaskans
The Alaskans
The Alaskans is a 1959 television series set in the port of Skagway, Alaska during the 1890s. The show features Roger Moore as "Silky Harris" and Jeff York as "Reno McKee", a pair of adventurers intent on swindling travelers bound for the Yukon Territories during the height of the Klondike Gold...
. Eight days after that, she was in the March 14 Bourbon Street Beat
Bourbon Street Beat
Bourbon Street Beat is a private detective series which aired on the ABC network from 1959-1960 and featured Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, Richard Long as Rex Randolph, Van Williams as Kenny Madison, and Arlene Howell as Melody Lee Mercer, the secretary at the New Orleans detective agency in which...
and the following day on the March 15 Sugarfoot
Sugarfoot
Sugarfoot is the title of a TV western that aired from 1957 to 1961. The series featured Will Hutchins as fledgling frontier lawyer Tom Brewster and Jack Elam as sidekick Toothy Thompson...
. Another episode of Bourbon Street Beat followed two weeks later, on March 28, and still another 77 Sunset Strip on May 6. In eight more days, on May 15, she was in an episode of Lawman
Lawman (tv series)
Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay on the ABC Television Network. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming during the mid to late 1870s. Warner Bros....
and, three weeks thereafter, on June 6, a third episode of Bourbon Street Beat in as many months.
1960 was a banner year for McBain. In addition to appearing in a top feature film and guest-starring in eight TV episodes, she was assigned two more theatrical features. The first would offer her one of three ingenue roles in a major "A" film, Parrish
Parrish (film)
Parrish is a 1961 drama film made by Warner Bros.. It was written, produced and directed by Delmer Daves, based on the novel by Mildred Savage. The music score was by Max Steiner, the cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr., the art direction by Leo K...
, and the other was a title role in her own "B"-film vehicle, Claudelle Inglish. She was also given what would turn to be her only regular part in a prime-time series, Daphne Dutton on Surfside 6.
Warners' super-fast, corner-cutting production methods tended to stereotype actors and McBain's blonde-princess looks suggested upper-class party girls, heiresses and debutantes. The role of Daphne fit the category precisely, a flighty heiress whose yacht was moored alongside the Surfside 6 houseboat, she constantly stopped by for visits and occasionally participated in some cases. As with all multi-cast Warners shows, most installments starred a single cast member, with the others appearing at the beginnings and ends of storylines to allow for explanations and wrap-ups, thus enabling simultaneous filming of multiple episodes, each utilizing a separate film unit. While the majority of the episodes of Surfside 6 bookended Daphne's appearances, a number of them showcased her fairly prominently and a handful, such as October 9, 1961's "Daphne, Girl Detective", built the entire plotline around her.
When 77 Sunset Strip kicked off its sixth and final season in 1963 with a special five-part story entitled "Five," McBain played opposite Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
as the character of Carla Stevens.
Second and third feature films
McBain's second and third features were released at the end of Surfside 6s first season, Parrish on May 4 and Claudelle Inglish on September 20, 1961. Parrish, at 140 minutes, was nearly as long as The Ice Palace, as well as being another big-budget, Technicolor "A" picture. Diane had one of three ingenue roles, Alison Post, who was Daphne Dutton taken to much higher level: a flirtatious, sexually provocative and ultimately vindictive daughter of tobacco plantation owner Sala Post (Dean JaggerDean Jagger
Dean Jagger was an Academy Award winning American film actor.-Career:Born Ira Dean Jagger in Columbus Grove, Ohio, Jagger made his film debut in The Woman from Hell with Mary Astor...
).
Later roles
McBain also appeared in many other 1960s TV shows, such as MaverickMaverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, Burke's Law, Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
as well as films like A Distant Trumpet
A Distant Trumpet
A Distant Trumpet is a 1964 American Western film, the last directed by Raoul Walsh. It stars Troy Donahue, Suzanne Pleshette and Diane McBain....
. She toured Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in 1966 as part of Bob Hope's
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
USO shows.
McBain developed an image as a villainess, particularly in movies such as Claudelle Inglish (1961), Maryjane (1968) and The Mini-Skirt Mob
The Mini-Skirt Mob
The Mini-Skirt Mob is a 1968 action film about a female motorcycle gang. The film was directed by Maury Dexter, and stars Patty McCormack, Harry Dean Stanton, Diane McBain and Sandra Marshall....
(1968). The last movie saw her killed off as an especially vicious biker
Motorcycle club
A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles.In the U.S. the abbreviation, MC or MCC, can have a special social meaning from the point of view of the outlaw subcultures, and is usually reserved by them for those clubs that are mutually...
. She is remembered for a lighter role in the Elvis vehicle Spinout
Spinout
Spinout is a 1966 musical film and comedy starring Elvis Presley as the lead singer of a band and part-time race car driver. The movie was #57 on the year end list of the top-grossing films of 1966.-Plot:...
(1966) and for playing opposite Annette Funicello
Annette Funicello
Annette Joanne Funicello is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films.-Early life and early stardom:...
in the 1967 stock car racing
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
movie, Thunder Alley
Thunder Alley (film)
Thunder Alley is a 1967 film directed by Richard Rush and starring Annette Funicello and Fabian.-Plot:A race car driver retires after a blackout causes the death of another driver on the motorway. After the accident, he then begins working at a "Thrill Circus" as a stunt driver. There he meets the...
.
During the 1970s McBain slowed her career somewhat to care for her son Evan, though she continued to make guest appearances in a number of television series. She was featured in Wicked, Wicked
Wicked, Wicked
Wicked, Wicked is a 1973 horror-thriller feature film starring David Bailey, Tiffany Bolling and Randolph Roberts that was presented in "Duo-Vision," a gimmick more commonly known as split-screen.-Plot:...
(1973), yet another bad girl role. She remained active through the 1990s and into the new millennium, playing such character roles as a grandmother on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
.