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One of the outstanding cinematographers of Hollywood's Golden Age, Lang spent most of his career at Paramount (1929-1952), where he contributed to the studio's well-earned reputation for visual style. Lang was educated at Lincoln High School in L.A., then proceeded to the University of Southern California to study law. He quickly changed his career plans, however, and joined his father, the photographic technician Charles Bryant Lang Sr, at the small Realart Studio. He served a lengthy apprenticeship as a laboratory assistant and still photographer, before advancing to assistant cameraman, working with pioneering cinematographers H. Kinley Martin and L. Guy Wilky. Lang left Realart in 1922, had a stint with the Preferred Picture Corporation, then joined Paramount which had, by then, absorbed Realart at the end of the decade. In 1929, he became a full director of photography.

During the 1930's, Lang was one of a formidable team of cinematographers working at Paramount, including such illustrious craftsmen as Lee Garmes, Karl Struss and Victor Milner. At this time, the studio dominated the Academy Awards for cinematography, particularly in the field of black & white romantic and period film. Lang excelled in the use of chiaroscuro, light and shade, and was adept at creating the mood for every genre and style, from the sombre Peter Ibbetson (1935) to the glamour of Desire (1936) and the Parisian chic of Midnight (1939). Lang was an innovator in the use of long tracking shots. He was also liked by many female stars, such as Helen Hayes and Marlene Dietrich (and, later, Audrey Hepburn, because of his uncanny ability to photograph them to their best advantage, often using subdued lighting and diffusion techniques. Though nominated eighteen times for Academy Awards, he won just once, for A Farewell to Arms (1932). Among his many outstanding films of the 30's and 40's, are the lavishly photographed Bob Hope comedy/thriller The Cat and the Canary (1939) and the romantic, atmospheric The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947).

Lang's work with chiaroscuro lighting adapted itself perfectly to the expressionist neo-realism of films noir in the 1950's, most noteworthy examples being Ace in the Hole (1951) and The Big Heat (1953). He was at his best working with the directors Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang. The success of films like Sabrina (1954), Separate Tables (1958) and Some Like It Hot (1959) - all Oscar nominees for Lang's cinematography - owed much to his excellent camera work. Though he preferred the medium of black & white, he became equally proficient in the use of colour photography, working with different processes (Cinerama, VistaVision, etc.) on expansive, richly-textured and sweeping outdoor westerns like The Magnificent Seven (1960) and How the West Was Won (1962), as well as romantic thrillers like Charade (1963) and How to Steal a Million (1966). In 1990, Lang received a Special Eastman Kodak Award for colour cinematography.

Lang was known in the industry as one of the 'best-dressed men' behind the cameras, modest, yet a perfectionist and a consummate professional. He lived to the ripe old age of 96, dying in Santa Monica, California, in April 1998.

Rolf Olsen was born on 26 December 1919 in Vienna, Austria. He was an actor and writer, known for Uneasy Summer (1967), Bloody Friday (1972) and Kompanie der Knallköppe (1971). He was married to Ilse Peternell. He died on 3 April 1998 in Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany.

Cuban crooner who achieved international renown through radio and television broadcasts, countless recordings, and performances on stage and night-clubs. He was named at birth René José de Jesús Cabezas Rodríguez and grew up in Havana showing since early childhood a great interest in music and a passion for singing. His parents were very supportive making sure that their son received a proper education with the Salesians as well as singing lessons from the Italian dramatic tenor Arturo Gobbi who had settled in Havana after arriving in 1919 as Enrico Caruso's choral director.

After briefly trying his talent at opera, René decided he was more comfortable with the popular rhythms of his homeland. With a new repertoire of sentimental love songs, he made an auspicious debut in 1933 at Radio Salas moving later to CMBD Radio which offered him a better contract, certainly a sign of his growing popularity. His voice on radio reached the ears of Ernesto Lecuona, Cuba's top composer and pianist, who immediately hired him to appear in his music revue at Havana's Teatro Nacional. René was assigned by Lecuona the song "Yo quiero que tú sepas" (I want you to know) which became an instant hit with audiences and eventually, one of René's most popular recordings. Since then René considered Lecuona his true discoverer.

In 1937 René Cabel went to Mexico City to sing at the iconic XEW Radio and in various night clubs. He had an outstanding success and signed an exclusive recording contract with RCA Victor. The recordings were done in Havana and for those sessions he was paired with Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández. It was an inspired combination since René's voice with its unique warm sound was perfect for Mr. Hernandez's romantic boleros. The recordings made René popular all over the American continent and the singer embarked on his first international tour covering several cities in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, and The United States. He became known as the ultimate Tenor of the Antilles.

Back in Cuba he continued recording backed by some of Cuba's most emblematic big bands such as the Riverside Orchestra, the Hermanos Castro Orchestra, the Casino de la Playa Orchestra, the Havana Casino Orchestra and those under the direction of Alberto Brito, Enrique González Mántici, and Julio Gutiérrez. In the 1950's he hosted his own television program titled "Cita con René Cabel" (A Date with René Cabel) featuring national and international guest stars such as Olga Guillot, Mario Moreno "Cantinflas," Arturo de Córdoba, María Félix, Pedro Vargas, Agustín Lara, and many others. Around this time René diversified his activities by becoming the artistic director of "Karachi", a plush Havana night club, where he booked the best Cuban orchestras and vocalists. René became very successful as talent manager and agent for several artists, an activity that he found fascinating and rewarding since he loved all aspects of show business and had the experience for the job.

After the 1959 Cuban revolution, René decided to leave the embattled island and settled in Bogotá, Colombia where he proceeded with his singing career as well as launching and managing new talents and organizing music events, activities that kept him busy and in the public eye for more than three decades. He was instrumental in importing from Cuba and other countries several talented musicians who, thanks to his efforts, were able to display their talents in Colombia achieving international notoriety. René Cabel died in 1998 due to diabetes complications but his voice lives on in his prolific discography and in the memories of several generations.

Born in Long Beach, California, Forrest E. Fickling, better known as "Skip", lived in California and Washington State. He attended three colleges, finally earning a degree from the University of Southern California in 1949. He also served in the U.S. Army Air Force during the last two years of World War II, then in the Marines during the Korean conflict. In between he met the love of his life, Gloria Gautraud, marrying her in May 1949. They had three sons.

After his military service, Fickling worked in advertising but took periodic breaks from this career to write novels, the first two of which were unsuccessful. Gloria supported him, sometimes working in publishing but often getting unskilled jobs to make ends meet. Finally, in 1957, Skip wrote "This Girl For Hire", the novel that introduced Honey West, a tawny-haired private eye with a mole near her lip, not unlike Anne Francis, the actress who would eventually portray Honey in the subsequent TV series (Honey West (1965)). The name "Honey" was chosen because it is a term of endearment, while "West" was chosen because Fickling loved the western U.S.

Gloria is usually given credit for co-authoring the Honey West novels, but she has said repeatedly that Skip did all of the writing. She does seem to have contributed her editorial skills, however, and many of the inner thoughts of the female private eye, as well as Honey's fashion sense, came from Gloria's suggestions. Skip is thought to have modeled Honey's spunky personality on Gloria's to a large degree, and his nom de plume, G. G. Fickling, appears to derive from the initials of his wife's maiden name.

Eight of the 11 Honey West novels were written from 1957 to 1961, during which time Fickling often turned out two books per year. The speed with which he wrote seems to be reflected in their slapdash construction, meandering plots, stereotyped characters and dialog. Timelines do not always make sense, and some details about Honey and other recurring characters are contradicted from novel to novel. Despite these detriments, Fickling's presentation of his female private eye was unique and compelling in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some critics believe that "Kiss For a Killer" (1960) and, to some extent, "This Girl For Hire" (1957) are almost worthy efforts.

While the early novels provided enough income to support the Ficklings, the sale of the television rights afforded them a comfortable retirement. The Honey West TV series (1965-1966) did not, however, increase the demand for more novels in the series, and after the final entry in 1971, Fickling retired his creation. An attempt to republish the series in the 1980s met with little success.

Skip Fickling died from a brain tumor on April 3, 1998, in Laguna Hills, California, just short of his 73rd birthday. He was also a year shy of celebrating his 50th anniversary with Gloria, who has continued to live in the Laguna-Long Beach area of Southern California. In 2005, she was active in promoting a new edition of "This Girl For Hire".

Wolf Vostell was born on 14 October 1932 in Leverkusen, Germany. He was a director and actor, known for Fluxfilm Anthology 1962-1970 (1971), Sun in Your Head (1963) and Ticket of No Return (1979). He was married to Mercedes Vostell. He died on 3 April 1998 in Berlin, Germany.

Elmer Iseler was born on 14 October 1927 in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. He is known for Folio (1955), Due South (1994) and Stravinsky (1965). He died on 3 April 1998 in Caledon East, Ontario, Canada.

Tim Yohannan was born on 15 August 1945 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He died on 3 April 1998 in Berkeley, California, USA.

Maurice Max was born on 31 October 1918 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor. He died on 3 April 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.