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Supertrain Guest Stars
Rebecca Balding appears in "The Green
Girl" episode of the series. At the time "Supertrain" aired, she would have been seen in ABC's "Soap."
According to the IMDb, Rebecca Balding's '70s network TV credits include "The Rockford Files"; "Lou
Grant"; "The Bionic Woman" and "Starsky and Hutch." More recently, you may
have seen her in "Charmed" on the WB.
Scott Brady
The late Scott Brady made many appearances
on American network TV in the 1970s. His appearance as a presidential campaign manager in "Hail To The Chief" happens
close to the same time you could have seen Scott Brady in episodes of "The Rockford Files,"
"Taxi," "Baretta" and NBC's 1979 Joe Don Baker series "Eischied."
Brady also was among the crew running the ill-fated nuclear power plant in 1979's "The China Syndrome."
Victor Buono
A familiar character actor with many TV and feature film
credits, Buono played a presidential kidnapper in "Hail To The Chief." Victor Buono's
television work during the late '70s included a regular stint on NBC's "The Man From Atlantis" in 1977.
He was a guest on shows including "The Nancy Drew Mysteries," "Fantasy Island" and "Vegas" on
ABC and "Alice" on CBS. Feature film roles for the late Victor Buono included "Hush
Hush Sweet Charlotte" (1964) and "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (1970).
Dennis Dugan
Dugan works both in front of and behind
the camera. Around the time of his appearance on "Supertrain," Dennis Dugan worked on his own series
"Richie Brockelman Private Eye" and appeared in the pilot episode of "Alice." Dugan
also did guest roles on "The Rockford Files"; "Columbo"; "The Waltons";
"The Mod Squad" and "Hill Street Blues." His directorial efforts include: "Happy
Gilmore" and "Big Daddy" both starring Adam Sandler.
Playing the damsel in distress in the first episode of "Supertrain"
is Char Fontane. Fontane's credits include her role on NBC's short-lived 1978 series
"Joe & Valerie"; the TV-miniseries "Pearl" in 1979 and the 1983 TV-movie "The
Night The Bridge Fell Down." Her guest appearances on TV include: "The Love Boat"; "Love,
American Style" and "Barnaby Jones."
Barry Gordon appears in the final episode
"Where Have You Been Billy Boy." Gordon has had an extensive career in show business. According
to TV.com, he sang the Top 40 hit "Nuttin' For Christmas" in the early '50s. Gordon
was a long-time Screen Actors Guild president; serving from 1988 to 1995. Contemporary with his "Supertrain" appearance
would be his status as a regular on ABC's "Fish" series. His body of work in television goes back to
"Leave It To Beaver" and "Love American Style" and forward to recent appearance on "NYPD
Blue" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" among others according to IMDb.com.
George Hamilton
One of the actors receiving Special Guest Appearance
billing on the first episode of "Supertrain," Hamilton has a long list of credits in movies and TV shows.
For the "Supertrain" time period, you might have seen George Hamilton in the theatrical film "Love
At First Bite" (1979); he was in the NBC TV-movie "Death Car On The Freeway" and an episode of "Sword
of Justice" both in 1979. His other film credits include Mae West's final film 1978's "Sextette";
"Evil Knievel" (1971) and "The Godfather, Part III" (1990).
Randee Heller
Playing the sought after star in "Superstar" opposite Dennis
Dugan, Randee Heller has long list of work in both TV and movies. Many will remember her for
role as the mom in 1984's "The Karate Kid." Heller has recently been on the big screen
with a small role in "Monster-in-Law" (2005). Around Heller's 1979 "Supertrain" appearance,
you could have seen her in the Gabe Kaplan feature "Fastbreak" and ABC's "Soap."
One of the poker players in "The Green Girl" episode, David
Huddleston is veteran character actor with a long list of credits spanning over four decades. At the time of
Supertrain, Huddleston had his own series on NBC, "Hizzonner" where he played the mayor
of a small town in the short-lived 1979 sitcom. Other Supertrain era TV-work includes: "Petrocelli";
"Emergency"; "Police Woman"; "Sanford and Son" and "Vegas." On
the big screen Huddleston may be found in films like "Smokey and the Bandit II"; "Capricorn One"
and "Breakheart Pass" during the time of "Supertrain."
Appearing as Billy Boy's ill-fated police escort in Supertrain's
final episode, Rick Hurst has worked on a number of TV shows and appeared in numerous movies.
Around the time of his Supertrain role, Hurst also appeared in Disney's "The Cat From Outer Space" (1978);
"Going Ape!" (1981); and "Tunnelvision" (1976). Rick's TV credits
include the NBC miniseries "From Here To Eternity" in 1979; "Baretta"; the Bea Arthur sitcom
"Amanda's" from 1983; and he played Deputy Cletus Hogg in a number of episodes of "The Dukes
of Hazzard" in the early '80s. Recent roles include appearing in "The Guardian."
Among the hostages in the dining car of Supertrain's last
episode, Elaine Joyce worked on many TV shows around the time of her appearance in "Where Have You Been Billy
Boy." Joyce can be found on episodes of "Sweepstakes"; "Project UFO";
"Mr. Merlin"; "Sword of Justice"; "The Incredible Hulk"; "The Love
Boat" and "CHiPs."
Delivering virtually no dialog, but winning Supertrain's
poker championship in "The Green Girl" was guest Clyde Kusatsu. Kusatsu has a
long list of credits in both movies and television. Around the time he was on Supertrain, Kusatsu appeared
on TV in "All in the Family"; "Baa Baa Black Sheep"; "Ellery Queen"; "Alice";
"Harry O" and "Kung Fu." His feature film credits of the Supertrain era include "Midway"
(1976); "Black Sunday" (1977); "Meteor" (1979) and "The Frisco Kid" (1979)
Steve Lawrence
Enjoying the largest role in the first run of "Supertrain,"
Steve Lawrence has enjoyed a long career in show business. In the late '70s when Lawrence
did his guest turn on "Supertrain," you could have also found him in "Police Story"; "The Dean Martin
Show"; a host on NBC's short-lived variety extravaganza "The Big Show" and he appeared in 1980's
"The Blues Brothers" from Universal.
Vicki Lawrence
Appearing in the debut episode of "Supertrain," Vicki
is doubtless best known for her work on "The Carol Burnett Show" and her Mama character. Vicki
Lawrence enjoyed success with her own long-running "Mama's Family" sitcom beginning in the early
'80s. She had a number one Top 40 hit in the early '70s with "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia."
When she appeared on "Supertrain" in early '79, Vicki would have recently done an episode of NBC's "Eddie
Capra Mysteries" and would later in 1979 appear as a regular on "Carol Burnett & Company" on
ABC.
Larry Linville
Probably most familiar to TV viewers as Major Frank
Burns on CBS' "M*A*S*H" from 1972-1977, Linville guests on the second episode of "Supertrain."
Linville's credits contemporary to his "Supertrain" appearance would include: "Grandpa Goes To Washington";
"The Rockford Files"; "Lou Grant"; "CHiPs"; and 1979's "A Christmas
for Boomer" TV-movie.
Befriended by Dick Van Dyke in Supertrain's
second run is redhead Barbara Rhoades. Her credits contemporary to her appearance in the series
include: NBC's "Quark"; "Rhoda"; "The Love Boat" and "Maude."
Theatrically in the era of "Supertrain," you could find Rhoades in "The Goodbye Girl" (1977); "The
Choirboys" (1977) and "Serial" (1980). TV-movie roles included 1979's "Sex and the
Single Parent" and ominously-titled "The Day The Women Got Even" (1980).
Taking a ride on the third run of the series, "The Queen
And The Improbable Knight" was Paul Sand. Sand headlined his own series in 1974, "Paul
Sand in Friends and Lovers" and made numerous appearances on various network television shows dating back to the
'60 and continuing through today. You can find Paul Sand in episodes of "Bewitched";
"The Mary Tyler Moore Show"; "Wonder Woman"; "Cagney & Lacey";
"Trapper John M.D."; "Quantum Leap"; "Empty Nest"; "L.A. Law";
"Sabrina The Teenage Witch"; and "Joan of Arcadia" among others. Theatrically, Sand's
has an small role in the infamous Village People movie "Can't Stop The Music!" from 1980. In addition,
Sand's movie credits include "Teen Wolf Too" (1987); "Wholly Moses!" (1980);
and "The Main Event" (1980) among others.
At the time of her trip on "Supertrain," Loretta
Swit was a regular on the CBS series "M*A*S*H." Around the time of her guest appearance opposite
Roy Thinnes in "Hail To The Chief," Swit could have been seen in the TV-movies "Friendship,
Secrets and Lies" and "Valentine." NBC fans of The Supertrain Era would note Loretta
Swit was the host of an episode of "The Big Show" in 1980.
Sylvia Sydney
Sylvia Sydney was marking half a century
in the entertainment business in 1979, when she appeared on "Supertrain" in the episode "Superstar." Sylvia
Sydney's '70s cinema sightings include 1978's "Damien Omen II." Sydney's
late '70s TV resume has appearances in "Eight Is Enough" and "WKRP in Cincinnati."
Big Screen credits for Roy Thinnes include
appearing in "Airport 1975" (1974) and "The Hindenburg" (1976). Thinnes
appeared in the two-part "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" episode of "Battlestar Galactica" during the same 1978-79
season that guest starred in the "Hail To The Chief" installment of "Supertrain." Thinnes television
credits include starring in "The Invaders" in 1967-68 and more recently appearing in "Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit", "Oz" and "The Sopranos."
Dick Van Dyke played against his usual image
for his trip aboard Supertrain's Episode Two-"And A Cup Of Kindness, Too" appearing as an apparently dark and threatening
character determined to perform a favor for a new-found friend. Dick Van Dyke is probably most well-known
for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" which ran on CBS from 1961-1966. At the time of his guest appearance on
"Supertrain," he'd recently been the star and host of the short-lived NBC 1976 variety series "Van Dyke and Company."
Perhaps best known for her supporting role in the 1978 movie
"Animal House," Mary Louise Weller appeared frequently on television in the late '70s and
into the early 1980s. Her credits include "BJ and the Bear"; "Baretta"; "Kojak";
"The Hardy Boys Mysteries"; "Vegas"; "CHiPs" and the TV-movie "Valentine
Magic on Love Island" (1980). Weller appears in the third "Supertrain" episode, "The Queen And The Improbable
Knight."
Fred Williamson
Appearing in the first episode of "Supertrain," Fred
Williamson has a long list of credits in both television and movies. His film work includes: "Hell
Up In Harlem" (1973); "That Man Bolt" (1973) and "Hammer" (1972). On TV,
Williamson has appeared in: "Julia"; "CHiPs"; "Lou Grant";
and "Fantasy Island."
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The information provided here has been
compiled from a variety of sources, including The Internet Movie Database(www.imdb.com); TV.Com (www.tv.com) and TV Guide issues from 1979, as well as from my own collection of "Supertrain" episodes.
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