Frank Bonner was born Frank Boers, Jr., and made his film debut under that name in a 1967 low-budget film called “The Equinox... A Journey Into the Supernatural.” The film was conceived in 1965 by an enterprising group of young filmmakers from Pasadena, CA. The production cost a reported $8,000. Filming entailed stop-motion animation and the construction of a forty-foot-long cave in a crewmember’s backyard. Special photographic effects man Jim Danforth was said to have donated five matte paintings he had previously made as a background artist.
In 1968, producer Jack H. Harris bought distribution rights to the picture, which ran 71 minutes long at that time. Leaving intact the special effects, Harris shot additional footage, which ultimately comprised sixty percent of the release length of 82 minutes. Original material was shot in 16mm, while Harris's footage was shot in both 16mm and 35mm. All of the sound for the film, including the dialogue, was done in post-production.
In the film, retitled as just EQUINOX, four friends—“David” (Edward Connell), “Susan” (Barbara Hewitt), “Jim” (Frank Bonner), and “Vickie” (Robin Christopher)—are attacked by a demon while on a picnic, due to their possession of a tome of mystic information. The story is told in flashbacks by the sole survivor.
Frank Bonner in EQUINOX
Dennis Muren and Mark Thomas McGee were the co-directors of the original version of the film, while Jack Woods directed the additional footage. Although it was announced that Dominic Frontiere would score the film, the revised version ended up being scored by John Caper, Jr. However, the film’s trailer was tracked with Frontiere’s music from “The Outer Limits” episode “The Forms of Things Unknown.” The film grossed $850,000.
Should he be buried I hope he's dressed in one of Herb's godawful suits, or at least the very least, cinched at the waist with that other fashion crime, his white belt.
I viewed (about half?), of the film 'Equinox', which was featured some months ago on The Criterion Channel. I had never seen it before and viewed it on the strengths of Criterion mentioning the special effects master who would go on to Oscar glory in later years, but had this film as his starting point. Also, I think I'd read about the score/film somewhere here on FSM over the years, so I thought I'd view it. I realize it wasn't a long film, but I simply had had enough and left it around the 30minute point. the film should be given the 'Rifftraxx' treatment. I do remember the large book he was carrying (in the photo provided in this thread), but I don't remember the Actor. The mentions of those (popular?) tv shows he was on, well, I never viewed even one episode of them. Apparently, he had a successful and enduring career, which was his reward.
Frank Bonner and Bill Ewing co-starred in the 1972 independent production THE HOAX. In this crime comedy, two scheming ne'er-do-wells find a lost nuclear weapon in the ocean near Los Angeles. They decide to light-heartedly try and blackmail the city by asking for money from each citizen. This obviously arouses the attention of the local authorities.
Robert Anderson directed the film, which has an unreleased score by Ray Martin. Writer Kevin Davis, a computer programmer, sold the script to Tempo Productions in 1970 for $5,000 and a percentage of the profits, which were miniscule.
FER-DE-LANCE told the story of a stricken submarine, wedged deep below the sea and crawling with deadly vipers. The made-for-television film starred David Janssen, Hope Lange, and Ivan Dixon. Frank Bonner had a small role as “Compton,” the sailor who sneaks the snakes onto the sub.
Russ Mayberry directed the film, which was written by Leslie Stevens. The film was broadcast on CBS on 18 October 1974. The film was produced and scored by Dominic Frontiere for Leslie Stevens Productions.
“Lucky” (Stella Stevens) is a LAS VEGAS LADY, who with two of her girlfriends, “Carol” (Lynne Moody) and “Lisa” (Linda Scruggs), plan to steal half a million dollars from “Eversull” (George DiCenzo), the sadistic manager of the Circus Circus Casino. A shadowy man, “Hoover” (Stuart Whitman), is their contact and organizer. Frank Bonner has a small role as “Claude.”
Noel Nosseck directed the 1976 release. The film sported the second feature film score by Alan Silvestri, which has gone unreleased.
In 1975, Andy Griffith co-starred with Jeff Bridges in HEARTS OF THE WEST, an on-target satire of pre-sound Hollywood. Frank Bonner had a bit part as an Assistant Director at a Musical Scene.
Howard Zieff directed the $2 million film, which was generally enjoyed by the critics, although not a big box-office success, with a $4.8 million gross.
“WKRP in Cincinnati” was a television sitcom that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta. Many of the characters and even some of the stories were based on people and events at WQXI. Wilson once told The Cincinnati Enquirer that he selected WKRP as the call sign to stand for C-R-A-P.
The ensemble cast consists of Gary Sandy (as program director “Andy Travis”), Howard Hesseman (as disc jockey “Dr. Johnny Fever”), Gordon Jump (as general manager “Arthur Carlson”), Loni Anderson (as receptionist “Jennifer Marlowe”), Tim Reid as disc jockey (“Venus Flytrap”), Jan Smithers (as billing clerk and then news reporter “Bailey Quarters”), Richard Sanders (as reporter “Les Nessman”) and Frank Bonner (as sales manager “Herb Tarlek”).
The cast of “WKRP in Cincinnati” (clockwise from upper left): Richard Sanders, Gordon Jump, Tim Reid, Gary Sandy, Jan Smithers, Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson, and Frank Bonner
Tarlek is usually boorish, tasteless and vain, and is sometimes referred to as "Little Guy" to Mr. Carlson's "Big Guy". He often wears loud plaid suits, with his belt matching his white shoes. He is unable to land the big accounts, but is effective in selling air time for products such as "Red Wigglers – the Cadillac of worms!" Although a married man with children, he persistently pursues Jennifer, who has absolutely no interest in him. Herb had a University of Arkansas Razorbacks coffee mug on his desk. Actor Frank Bonner was born and raised in Arkansas.
Frank Bonner in “WKRP in Cincinnati”
While Herb is portrayed as buffoonish most of the time, he occasionally shows a sympathetic side. One of Herb's catch phrases is "no problemo", another is "okay fine". Herb was based on radio executive Clarke Brown. Bert Parks appeared in one episode as Tarlek's father, Herb Tarlek, Sr. The elder Tarlek is very much like his son.
Bert Parks and Frank Bonner in “WKRP in Cincinnati”
CBS premiered the series on Monday, 18 September 1978, at 8 PM, where it faced off against NBC’s “Little House on the Prairie,” the #14-rated show on television that season. Initially receiving poor ratings, WKRP was put on hiatus after only eight episodes, even though they included some of the most famous of the series, including "Turkeys Away." But because of good reviews and positive fan reaction, especially from disc jockeys, who immediately hailed it as the first show that realistically portrayed the radio business, CBS brought WKRP back without any cast changes. At mid-season, CBS moved the show back to the 9:30 PM slot, replacing the #18 rated “One Day at a Time”. It was thought that WKRP could benefit, as had “One Day,” by the lead-in provided by “M*A*S*H” at 9 PM, then the #7-rated series on TV. Competition at that time was fierce, with ABC running “Monday Night Football” (#28) and NBC offering “Monday Night at the Movies” (#21). WKRP did not break into the top 30 shows, but held its own sufficiently to gain a renewal.
Frank Bonner and Loni Anderson in “WKRP in Cincinnati”
In its second season (1979-80), the Monday night line-up on all three networks remained the same. “M*A*S*H” was even stronger, coming in as the #4 show for the season, and dragging WKRP into the top 30 shows, at #22. As a result, both “Monday Night Football” and “Monday Night at the Movies” dropped out of the top 30. Still, CBS was disappointed with the performance of WKRP. In the spring of 1980, it moved the show to 8 PM so as to allow another new series, “House Calls” (with former “M*A*S*H” star Wayne Rogers), to benefit from “M*A*S*H”’s lead-in. “House Calls” made better use of the strong lead-in and ended up as the #14 show for the season.
Gordon Jump, Gary Sandy, and Frank Bonner in “WKRP in Cincinnati”
In season 3 (1980-81), CBS banished “WKRP” to the Saturday graveyard, running the show at 8 PM. “WKRP” faced ABC’s new series “Breaking Away,” based upon the recent Oscar-winning film, and “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters” on NBC. None of the series ended up in the top 30 shows of the year.
In season 4 (1981-82), “WKRP” was moved all over the schedule. It played in three different timeslots on Wednesday night, and ended the season back on Monday at 8:30 PM. The series had run its course, and was cancelled after 90 episodes.
Tim Conway reunited with his partner from “The Carol Burnett Show,” Harvey Korman, for the 1986 comedy THE LONGSHOT. In the film, four misbegotten small-time horse track habitués, “Dooley” (Conway), “Lou” (Korman), “Elton” (Jack Weston), and “Stump” (Ted Wass), receive a tip on a horse named French Majesty from a trainer named “Santiago” (Jorge Cervera)—on the condition that they each put up $1,000 for Santiago to lay down his own bet on the horse. The four partners borrow money from gangsters to make their bets, but the "sure thing" is anything but. Frank Bonner had a small role as a realtor in the film.
Mike Nichols was originally offered the film to direct, but he was otherwise committed to directing HEARTBURN, and instead agreed to serve as executive producer. As a result, the film was made more viable to potential lenders, and the film was financed on a loan for under $10 million.
Paul Bartel directed the film. Orion Pictures acquired the film on a negative pickup deal and funded all release print and ad costs, which they were entitled to recoup before sharing revenue with the producers. The film has an unreleased score by Charles Fox.
The film opened 17 January 1986 on a regional basis with 116 prints in circulation, and with a second regional wave commencing 24 January 1986. However, THE LONGSHOT was a bomb at the box office, grossing only $200,000.
“Eddie Hayes” (David Packer) is new to Los Angeles and seeks to take a job to re-start his life after a failed relationship in his Ohio home town. His slacker cousin, “Skip” (Scott McGinnis), sets him up with a job interview at an advertising company, headed by the eccentric “Peter Newcomb” (David Leisure), who instead hooks Eddie up with his punk half-brother “Tony” (Anthony Geary) at a surfboard shop. Eddie meets a potential new girlfriend, named “Peggy Kellogg” (Bridget Fonda), who works for a dating service. When Eddie decides to moonlight as a director of low-budget TV commercials for the dating service in order to be close to Peggy, he finds that YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE. Frank Bonner and Luana Anders play Eddie’s parents, “Chuck and Marcie Hayes.”
Writer-director Richard Martini made his theatrical film debut with this picture. Bob Esty’s score has not had a release. The $750,000 production was a relative success, grossing $9.3 million.
Three actors from “WKRP in Cincinnati” appeared in a sequel series, “The New WKRP in Cincinnati”. Gordon Jump (“Arthur Carlson”), Frank Bonner (“Herb Tarlek”), and Richard Sanders (“Les Nessman”) reprised their roles from the original show, while Howard Hesseman reprised the role of “Dr. Johnny Fever” on a recurring basis (four episodes in the first season, then five in season two).
The series aired in first-run syndication for two seasons, from September 7, 1991, to May 22, 1993. The week before the show's premiere, many stations carrying the program aired the hour-long “WKRP in Cincinnati 50th Anniversary Special,” centered on a newspaper reporter interviewing Arthur Carlson about the fictitious station's golden anniversary, which served as a setup to show clips of memorable moments from the original series.
Picking up nine years after the original series ended, the new series finds that program director “Andy Travis” (Gary Sandy) is gone, and the station has fallen into disfunction. Almost all of the staff at the station has left, with only two longtime employees, boorish sales manager “Herb Tarlek” (Frank Bonner) and comically inept news director “Les Nessman” (Richard Sanders), remaining. With the station's 50th anniversary approaching, Mr. Carlson hires new program director “Donovan Aderhold” (Mykelti Williamson) to help turn the station around. Already at the station when Donovan arrives are DJs "the Morning Maniacs" “Jack Allen” (Michael Des Barres) and “Dana Burns” (Kathleen Garrett), a couple in the throes of divorce who nevertheless work as a team on-air. The new receptionist was “Ronnie Lee” (Wendy Davis).
The show underwent many cast changes during its run, eventually dropping or replacing most of the initial "new" cast. Partway through the first season, the characters of Dana Burns and Ronnie Lee were written out. Ronnie's replacement as receptionist was spacey blonde “Nancy Braithwaite” (Marla Jeanette Rubinoff). Dana's character was not replaced. After the first season, more characters were dropped, including Jack Allen. French Stewart joined the cast in the second season as morning DJ “Razor D” and Tawny Kitaen played nighttime DJ “Mona Loveland.”
Despite the challenges of syndication, which included varying airtimes (sometimes late at night) in various markets, the series was able to operate in the black, until its cancellation after two seasons.
"The New WKRP in Cincinnati" – Second Season Opening
MOTEL is a thriller in which a cowardly thief tries to solve the murder of a prostitute as compensation for his own crimes. Frank Bonner played “Gressil” in the 1998 film. The picture was written and directed by David B. Parker. Although the film played a few film festivals, it did not get a theatrical release.
