Some Baby Boomers remember the name? One or two TV shows?
Wayne began his career with some promise. He was a handsome, light-haired actor ready to lead the ladies along...like Edy Williams in "The Seven Minutes."
Rather than being the next Robert Redford, Maunder found himself going in a new and challenging direction when he starred as...WHO? Oh, no, you have GOT to be kidding...
"They sent him West to be forgotten. But NOBODY would ever forget...GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER!!"
Something like that. The late 60's and early 70's saw a lot of improbably TV shows get on the air. Some were stupid and didn't last, like "Second Hundred Years," about a thawed out fellow experiencing modern times. Others, were stupid and DID last, like "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Gilligan's Island." No idea was too peculiar to be assured of failure. "Hogan's Heroes," despite a lot of complaints, became a funny show about a stalag. ABC thought it was a neat twist to concentrate not on Custer's well known recklessness, or the blunder that led to the slaughter at the Little Big Horn.
No. Custer did a lot of GOOD things. He was as maligned as...as Chuck Connors' character on "Branded," the man who supposedly ran at Bitter Creek, but really didn't, and had to spend an entire TV season trying to clear his name.
Maunder returned to clean-shaven and strawberry blond when he and James Stacy played unlikely brothers (or was it half-brothers) on "Lancer." This was another of those shows about ranch life. Andrew Duggan was the new Lorne Greene ("Bonanza") and a bit more masculine Barbara Stanwyck ("Big Valley") as he tried to keep his feuding sons from destroying the place.
Only triviasts can instantly tell you what happened to Maunder after that show ended. It wasn't much. He had a co-starring role in the 1973 series "Chase," which despite the pedigree (an early Stephen J. Cannell effort, produced by Jack Webb) it didn't last. He had almost no TV credits after that. Quinn Martin, known for casting actors going through tough times, brought him in for episodes of "Streets of San Francisco" (1975) and "Barnaby Jones" (1977) but otherwise, acting work was scarce. His last credit was in the film "Porky's" in 1981.
Most vintage TV fans know what happened to his "Lancer" co-star, black-haired James Stacy. Thanks to a drunk driver, his motorcycle was wrecked and he ended up minus and arm and a leg. His female passenger was killed. Thanks to Kirk Douglas, when Stacy was well enough, he was given a role in Kirk's new movie "Posse." In 1977, his comeback seemed complete with the gimmick-casting in "Just a Little Inconvenience," playing a disabled Vietnam veteran. Still, there weren't many roles out there for him. His next headlines, in 1995, involved a charge of child molestation. He later attempted suicide. The hard luck story eventually had a fairly happy ending, thanks to friends, a new love, and the fans of "Lancer" who bought his memorabilia on eBay, and came to see him at autograph signings.
Maunder didn't have the horrendous heartbreak his "Lancer" brother did, but he had plenty. His son Dylan Maunder died of a drug overdose in 2005; he was 36. For a while, Wayne didn't mind the attention of some fans, and was pretty affable, often indulging dealers as he and Stacy co-signed "Lancer" photos for $35 or $50 each. But in his 70's, he called a halt with a terse missive sent to a James Stacy fan website. The letter doesn't seem to be around, but one response from a fan should suffice:
Like "Man from Uncle" years earlier, "Lancer" had a big female fan base, and the argument was over which brother, blond or brunette, was the cutest. Obviously, at some point, Maunder no longer needed to hear about such nostalgia, and no longer wanted to replay the past. That was about four or five years ago.
Now, some are mourning that there are NO SURVIVORS of "LANCER," and therefor, nobody to pester with inane questions over which was the best episode, or what type of gun was in the holster, or if any funny incidents happened while on horseback, or what Andrew Duggan was really like. In other words, Wayne Maunder had good reason to quit caring about the show and the fans. Perhaps an irony is that fans still care about him, and are still upset that while "Custer" is actually available on legit DVDs, "Lancer" is not.
Wayne didn't need "mercy" casting. His decision to withdraw from acting was prompted by the fact that he assumed full custody of his young son, Dylan, and chose to become a full time father. During that time, he participated behind the scenes in production, and also made small independent films.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to his fans, he had a change of heart when he discovered that a number of them genuinely appreciated not only his talent and physical attributes, but his humanity. He approved of, and participated in, a Facebook site that catered to his fans, and in a last e-mail before his passing, was looking forward to the exchange of Christmas greetings that had become a yearly event.
He also responded to questions re: what was his favorite Lancer episode (there were two that stood out, Zee and Blue Skies for Willie Sharpe), cleared up the fact that it was not Dylan he was holding in "Foley", that he knew he was on the way out at the end of season two, and was actually looking forward to doing something else; hopefully getting a chance to do comedy.
Although he had in the past worked and contributed to fund raising efforts for Jim Stacy (from which he never took a dime), he was looking forward to his move East and finally being able to concentrate on his own work, a dark, contemporary film project entitled "Heart of Malice".
And in his "spare" time before leaving Hollywood, he spearheaded a fan based drive to contribute to St. Jude's Children's Hospital; where -- again -- every dollar that was raised went directly to the charity.
He is missed; and will be. Above all, he will be remembered as a generous, caring man with a great sense of humor, who was filled with compassion and forgiveness, even for the people who had used him for their own benefit.
Thank you, Kit.
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