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Lynne Marta, an actor who maintained a steady and prolific TV and film career for nearly 40 years best known for roles on Love, American Style and the 1984 film Footloose, died of cancer in Los Angeles January 11. She was 78.

Calling Marta “a beautiful light,” the actor’s friend Joan Sobel wrote on Facebook, “My friend, Lynne Marta lost her good fight. A wonderfully talented actress and a beautiful singer whose voice was of the angels. A dear heart who adored her friends both human and furry. I will miss her terribly.”

Born on October 30, 1945, in Somerville, NJ, Marta began her TV career in 1966 with appearances on Gidget and The Monkees, and relatively few years went by without a film or TV credit through her 2004 role in an episode of the NBC drama series American Dreams. She appeared in 24 episodes of the soap Days of Our Lives between 1983 and 2003.

A steady presence...

Lynne Marta, the actress known for her roles in films like Joe Kidd and Footloose, her regular appearance on Love, American Style, and numerous guest roles on TV shows, has passed away at the age of 78. She died on Thursday at her Los Angeles residence after battling cancer, as confirmed by her friend Chris Saint-Hilaire to The Hollywood Reporter. A native of New Jersey, Marta was featured in episodes of several Aaron Spelling-produced series such as The Mod Squad, The Rookies, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, Vega$, and Matt Houston. She also appeared in Quinn Martin productions, including The F.B.I., Dan August, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, and The Manhunter. She initiated her career on the syndicated teen dance program, The Lloyd Thaxton Show, and secured roles in episodes of Gidget and The Monkees in 1966. In 1969-70, she contributed to 18 episodes of the first season of...

Lynne Marta, the actress who appeared in films including Joe Kidd and Footloose, as a regular on Love, American Style and as a guest star on dozens of other TV shows, has died. She was 78.

Marta died Thursday in her Los Angeles home after a battle with cancer, her friend Chris Saint-Hilaire told The Hollywood Reporter.

The New Jersey native also showed up on episodes of such Aaron Spelling-produced series as The Mod Squad, The Rookies, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, Vega$ and Matt Houston and on Quinn Martin productions like The F.B.I., Dan August, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, The Manhunter and Caribe.

As the companion of a wealthy landowner (Robert Duvall), Marta caught the eye of a bounty hunter (Clint Eastwood) in John Sturges’ Joe Kidd (1972), and she portrayed Lulu Warnicker, the aunt of Kevin Bacon’s Ren, in the Herbert Ross-directed Footloose (1984).

The younger of two daughters,...

Clint Eastwood proves again that he Owns the western genre with this odd tale of land reform insurrection and establishment blowback, in New Mexico of 1906. To direct the script by the great Elmore Leonard, Eastwood brought in the western movie legend John Sturges. But Sturges discovered that collaboration now meant acceding to whatever the star wanted. The beautifully filmed movie falls apart even though Sturges saved the day with an 11th hour stunt action climax.

Joe Kidd

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date October 27, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon, Don Stroud, Stella García, James Wainwright, Paul Koslo, Gregory Walcott, Dick Van Patten, Lynne Marta, John Carter, Pepe Hern, Joaquín Martínez, Clint Ritchie, Chuck Hayward.

Cinematography: Bruce Surtees

Film Editor: Ferris Webster

Original Music: Lalo Schifrin

Written by Elmore Leonard

Produced by Sidney Beckerman

Directed by John Sturges

In 1971 the hottest...

They’re there. Just when you’ve given up hope of finding shining fecal matter at the bottom of the filmic pool, one catches your eye with a title alone. And when you crack open the fetid artifact and find it filled with everything you’ve wanted and more, well, it’s cause for celebration. Welcome to Help Me…I’m Possessed, a whack-a-doodle mélange of Al Adamson, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Mad Scientist flicks, and a heaping dose of insanity. It isn’t good, but it sure is wonderful.

Premiering in October in Orlando, Florida, Help Me (Aka Nightmare at Blood Castle) was given a limited theatrical release in ’76, followed by a brief life on video as The Possessed in the ‘80s. No matter which format you didn’t see it in back then these are different times, and even an obscure oddity like this gets a fancy Blu-ray to be preserved forever.