10/19/06: RightWingTrashMan: Wayne Rogers

Not to brag, but we’re the kind of political insiders who get e-mails from the folks at NewsMax. Lots of e-mails. Too many, really—and yet we were still happy to get one with the heading of “Actor Wayne Rogers Became Rich Investing.”

We already knew Wayne Rogers became rich investing—most famously as the executive producer (and screenwriter) of 1968’s The Astro-Zombies. He’d made Dr. Sex back in 1964, but The Astro-Zombies gave Rogers his first big bankroll. He invested wisely from there, and it wasn’t long before pals like Peter Falk were turning to Rogers for financial advice. That’s why Lt. Columbo is living large while The Man From U.N.C.L.E. sells autographs at sci-fi conventions.

The NewsMax spam left out all that good info. It’s just some kind of pitch for the magazine’s financial supplement. Still, it’s no surprise to see which M*A*S*H veteran is hanging out with the conservatives. Wayne Rogers always seemed like RightWingTrash just by getting rich off a film that starred Tura Satana. Plus, he’s from our hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.

Rogers also managed some classic moments on both the big screen (Cool Hand Luke) and the small screen (City of Angels). Don’t forget 1966’s Chamber of Horrors, which was a TV-movie that ended up in theaters for being too violent. But, above all, Wayne Rogers is our hero for starring in a 1962 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

“The Big Kick” is based on a Robert Bloch short story that’s too cruel to rate an entry on its own. Suffice to say that Rogers plays a wealthy square who’s taken in by a beatnik couple with an eye on his money. Before it’s all over, there’s one hacked hipster and another who's bought a one-way ticket to Jailsville. Rogers spends the whole episode looking like he’s having the time of his life. He’s probably also enjoying the on-the-job training in being filthy rich.

“The Big Kick,” incidentally, first aired on the same night that your humble host was born into the world. In fact, it was most likely airing as your humble host was born into the world. That’s a pleasant thought.

Make him your own: In addition to being underrated, Wayne Rogers is underrepresented. There’s no available commercial release of City of Angels or the seventh season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. At least we can enjoy the roots of Wayne’s riches with Dr. Sex and The Astro-Zombies. (He’s not associated with the Astro-sequel.) And check out Jackie Cooper’s autobiography for a quick salute to Rogers (along with co-star/co-capitalist Larry Linville) as the only decent guy on the M*A*S*H set.

 

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