Barry Mahon
Barry Mahon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jackson Barrett Mahon February 5, 1921 |
| Died | December 4, 1999 (aged 78) |
| Other names | T.A. Dee / Barrett Mahon / J. Barrett Mahon / J. Barret Mahon / Jackson B. Mahon / James Michael |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, cinematographer, producer |
| Years active | 1959–1994 |
| Spouse | Clelle Mahon (? –1999) |
Barry Mahon, born Jackson Barrett Mahon (February 5, 1921 – December 4, 1999) was an American film director, cinematographer and producer.[1]
Early years[edit]
Mahon was born in Bakersfield, California and attended the Page Military Academy (now Page Private School) in Los Angeles and graduated from Laguna Blanca Boys School in Santa Barbara, California.[2] He learned to fly while in high school.[3]
World War II[edit]
In 1941 he joined the Royal Air Force, and by the winter was flying combat with No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron, composed of American volunteers. Pilot Officer Mahon damaged three German fighters and two Focke-Wulf Fw 190s in April and a Messerschmitt Bf 109 in May, before scoring his first confirmed victories of two Fw 190s, downed in the Saint-Omer area, on June 8, 1942. On July 31 he destroyed two more Fw 190s over the Berck-Sur-Mer area and became an ace while covering the commando raid on Dieppe, August 19, 1942, his 98th fighter pilot mission. At 08:30, flying his Spitfire Vb, nicknamed "Barry", Mahon shot down an Fw 190 and another Fw 190 before his plane was hit and he was forced to bail out of the burning aircraft. Landing in the sea, he was taken prisoner. Although Mahon filed a claim for shooting down two Germans that day, he was only given credit for one after the war. Thus, for a tally-record of five confirmed, two probables and three damaged Mahon received the British Distinguished Flying Cross in 1985.
Mahon was imprisoned at Stalag Luft III and managed to escape, but was captured on the Czechoslovakian border. He escaped later, only to be recaptured again, and was finally liberated by Patton's 3rd Army in 1945.
Post war cinema career[edit]
After the war he became the personal pilot for, and later the manager of, Errol Flynn. Having produced a number of Flynn and Gina Lollobrigida pictures (including the abortive Story of William Tell), as well as a considerable output of children's programs, Mahon established The Production Machine, a high-tech film production company in Hollywood. He made motion pictures for theatrical and television release. Mahon was the first film producer to adapt and apply computer technology (as well spreadsheet applications, such as MultiPlan) to the breakdown, scheduling, budgeting and financial analysis of feature-length motion pictures and movies-of-the-week for Columbia Pictures.
Other names[edit]
T.A. Dee / Barrett Mahon / J. Barrett Mahon / J. Barret Mahon / Jackson B. Mahon / James Michael
Personal and family life[edit]
Mahon was married to Clelle until his death. He is the father of Columbia/CBS producer Doris Keating.
Selected filmography[edit]
- 1954 - Crossed Swords
- 1959 – Cuban Rebel Girls
- 1961 – Rocket Attack U.S.A.
- 1961 – The Dead One
- 1961 - Pagan Island
- 1964 – Crazy, Wild and Crazy
- 1965 – The Beast That Killed Women
- 1966 – Prostitutes Protective Society
- 1967 – Sex Killer
- 1967 – Fanny Hill Meets Dr. Erotico
- 1968 – The Warm, Warm Bed
- 1969 – The Wonderful Land of Oz
- 1970 – Santa's Christmas Elf (Named Calvin)
- 1970 – Jack and the Beanstalk (attached to R. Winer's Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny in 1972)
- 1970 – Thumbelina (attached to R. Winer's Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny in 1972)
- 1994 – Nudes, Nudists, and Nudism Vol. 2 (1994) (V) (episode "Art School for Nudists") (Mahon's last movie)
In popular culture[edit]
Some of his films have been spoofed by the likes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Rocket Attack U.S.A.),[4] The Cinema Snob (Santa's Christmas Elf (Named Calvin)[5][6]) and RiffTrax (Wonderful Land of Oz, both versions of Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny featuring both Thumbelina and Jack and the Beanstalk).[7][8][9][10]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Obituaries: Barry Mahon, 78: December 4, 1999 Lentz, Harris, III. Classic Images [Muscatine, Iowa] 01 Feb 2000: 52.
- ^ "Jackson Barrett Mahon - American Air Museum in Britain". Americanairmuseum.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ Ryan, Craig Magnificent Failure: Free Fall from the Edge of Space Smithsonian Institution, 2 September, 2014
- ^ MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XXVII (DVD)|Film Threat
- ^ Santa's Christmas Elf (Named Calvin) - The Cinema Snob by Stoned Gremlin Productions on YouTube
- ^ "The Cinema Snob" Santa's Christmas Elf (Named Calvin) (TV Episode 2017) - IMDb
- ^ "'Santa and The Ice Cream Bunny': Strange holiday entertainment from the 1970s|Movies & TV|standard.net". Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ RiffTrax: 25 On-Demand Movies You Need to Watch|Den of Geek
- ^ 'Santa And The Ice Cream Bunny' Gets RiffTrax Treatment - Chicago Tribune
- ^ The Wonderful Land of Oz|RiffTrax
References[edit]
- Frasier, David K. (1998). Russ Meyer : The Life and Films : A Biography and A Comprehensive, Illustrated, and Annotated Filmography and Bibliography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0472-8.
- Meyer, Russ (2000). A Clean Breast : The Life and Loves of Russ Meyer (3 Volume Set). El Rio, Texas: Hauck Pub Co. ISBN 0-9621797-2-8.
External links[edit]
- Barry Mahon at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- American film directors
- American film producers
- American Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
- Royal Air Force officers
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
- 1921 births
- 1999 deaths
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
- Stalag Luft III prisoners of World War II
- Escapees from German detention
- World War II prisoners of war
- Shot-down aviators
- People from Bakersfield, California