Bart Patton
Bart Patton born Phillip Bardwell in Culver City, California on 11 July 1939 is an American actor, producer, and director.
Biography
Bart's first acting job was as Scampy the Clown in Super Circus where he was credited as "Bardy Patton".[1] He continued making acting appearances in souch television shows as 77 Sunset Strip whilst in high school. He replaced Burt Reynolds on Riverboat.
Patton attended UCLA where he met his future wife Mary Mitchell and Francis Ford Coppola who he made a student film with. He dropped out after only one semester of UCLA to make Gidget Goes Hawaiian; marrying Mitchell after completion of the film.
Coppola cast the couple in his Dementia 13 that introduced him to producer Roger Corman and Jack Hill who reshot some of the film. Patton moved behind the camera in Hill's Spider Baby as production manager and assistant director whilst Mary Mitchell co-starred. Corman used Patton to produce additional footage for some of his films for television release.[2]
Corman financed Patton's first film as a producer, Beach Ball.[3] Universal Pictures was impressed with Universal and MCA signing a contract in 1965 for Patton and director Lennie Weinrib to make 14 rock and roll films in a two-year period;[4] however, the only ones produced were a ski party type film Wild Wild Winter and a spy spoof Out of Sight. Patton also produced Coppola's The Rain People.
He made his directoral debut with Unshackled in 2000.
References
- ^ p.171 Albright, Brian Interviews with Exploitation Filmmakers of the 1960s McFarland
- ^ Lisanti, Tom Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969 2005 McFarland
- ^ http://www.cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/1596-TOM-LISANTI-RELIVING-THE-GUILTY-PLEASURE-OF-BEACH-BALL.html
- ^ Billboard Magazine, October 30, 1965
External links
- Bart Patton at IMDb