The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 76

2003:01:17:22:10:52 By Dennis McLellan Times Staff Writer John Mantley, who oversaw Matt and Kitty as executive producer of during the landmark TV final decade, has died. He was 82. Mantley, who had disease, died Tuesday at his home in Sherman Oaks, said his daughter, Maria Marill. Aformer stage and radio actor who began his television career directing live dramas in New York City in the early 1950s, Mantley later wrote for many live and filmed dramatic shows, including lu-Westinghouse Television Outer and as well as 23 episodes of the which began on radio in 1952, debuted on CBS-TV in 1955. With James Arness starring as Marshal Matt Dillon, the series helped usher in an era of TV western fare aimed at adult audiences.

Mantley began as a script consultant on the show in 1964. He became associate producer the following season, producer the next and, in 1967, took the reins as executive producer. Arness recalled this week: ratings were sliding a bit, and they wanted to get some new blood on the show. They luckily were able to get John, and he came and just completely revived the Shifting the show from its focus on the central characters to more of an anthology style with stories featuring guest stars such as Bette Davis, Arness said, one of the innovations that he brought in. And it really worked well, because this gave us the opportunity to broaden out the story approach to things by bringing in new characters and opening it With that, Arness said, drop in the ratings we were suffering at the time turned right around and went back Until was canceled in 1975 after 20 years, Arness said, ran that show and made it work better than it ever had Mantley was involved in all aspects of the series, Arness said.

was a guy who was just completely dedicated to doing the best possible job that could be done on the the actorsaid. he had a monumental amount of energy and drive. be up until 11 or 12 at night sometimes in the editing room going over and over a scene he wanted to make a little better. He lived for the show, and he had the desire for Looking back over his years on Mantley told The Times in 1975 that he thought the finest hours were during its period as a dramatic anthology with guest starsof the caliber of Jack Albertson, Richard Kiley, Vera Miles and Suzanne Pleshette. we were doing was said Mantley, referring to the respected dramatic anthology series that ran from 1948 to 1958 on television.

The producerregretted the loss of the classic western form. the American morality he said, stylized as a ballet, the eternal struggle between good and evil reenacted with good always After was canceled, Mantley was executive producerof the West Was an ABC series also starring Arness as amountain man that began as the 1976 miniseries later teamed up on Return to a 1987 CBS movie, which led to four other TV movie revivals. Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1920, Mantley grew up in a show business family. His parents were stage actors, and silent screen legend Mary Pickford was a second cousin. Mantley, who dreamed of becoming an actor as a boy, delivered the eulogy for in 1981.

Mantley earned a degree from the University of Toronto in 1942 and served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He earned a degree in theater arts from the Pasadena Playhouse in 1947. In 1951, after finding acting to be less exciting than he thought it would be, he became a director of live television in New York City. At one point, he was directing three half-hour shows aweek, including a show for the Italian community, which may have been the first foreign-language dramatic show on U.S. TV.

Moving to Rome in 1952, Mantley directed a filmed anthology series that aired in America as Conrad Nagle He also directed Italian feature films. Unable to land directing jobs when he returned to the United States in 1956, he turned to writing for television. He also wrote two novels in the 1950s 27th and Snow both of which were Book-of-the- Month Club selections and were turned into movies. Mantley, whose TV credits include a stint as producer of the western Wild Wild and co-producer of the 1968 western movie James Stewart and Henry Fonda, was inducted into the Producers Hall of Fame in 1992. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife of 50 years, Angela; a son, Clay of Sherman Oaks; a sister, Patricia Brown of Pompano Beach, and a grandchild Amemorial service will be held at 11 a.m.

Tuesdayat the Mantley home in Sherman Oaks. John Mantley, 82; Oversaw in Its Later Years JOHN MANTLEY The executive producer in 1973, sitting in front of a photo from a western movie set also wrote for many live and filmed dramatic TV shows. be up until 11 or 12 at night sometimes in the editing room going over and over a scene he wanted to make a little better. He lived for the show, and he had the desire for James Arness actor who played Marshal Matt Dillon on OBITUARIES OC B13 LOSANGELESTIMES By H.G. Reza Times Staff Writer Retired Brig.

Gen. Jay W. Hubbard, former commanding general of the 4th Marine Air Wing and a custom home builder in Orange County, has died. He was 80. Hubbard died of cancer Jan.

1 in Laguna Niguel. A memorial service is scheduled next week. Hubbard served 32 years in the Marine Corps, beginning his career as a private and infantryman and retiring as a commanding general after flying 165 combat missions over Korea and Vietnam. He grew up in Huntington Park and enlisted in 1940 after attending what was then Compton Junior College. He served aboard the battleship Mississippi as an enlisted man before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1942 and assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion.

Hubbard fought as an infantryman in several Pacific island battles during World War II. After the war, he completed flight training and piloted fighters for the next 25 years and in two wars until his retirement. His combat awards include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Combat Action Ribbon and Purple Heart. Hubbard served as director of police in Memphis until 1975; in 1978, he formed his own company and built custom homes in Orange County for several years. He is perhaps best known locally as the moving force behind the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro Historical Foundation, which created an air museum at the old base.

The Marine Corps named the museum the Jay W. Hubbard Aviation Museum. The museum and its contents were moved to the Miramar Marine air base in San Diego when the El Toro base closed. Hubbard is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Dorla; children Clint Hubbard of Coto de Caza, Brad Hubbard of Trabuco Canyon, Glenn Hubbard of Irvine and Diana Carr of Fairfax, and 12 grandchildren. Amemorial service will be held at 1 p.m.

Friday at the Chapel of the Marine Corps Air Station at the Miramar base. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation, P.O. Box 45316, San Diego, CA 92145-0316. Aprivate ceremony will be held later at Arlington National Cemetery. Jay W.

Hubbard, 80; Marine Pilot, Builder By David Reyes Times Staff Writer Memorial services for James B. Stoddard, a former Newport Beach mayor who died Jan. 12 in Newport Beach, will be held at 1 p.m. todayat Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar. He was 90.

Stoddard served on the Newport Beach City Council from 1954 to 1964. He was best known for helping to secure engineering and financing for the Big Canyon Reservoir project, said Robert Shelton, former city manager and a longtime friend. He also was on the City Council that pushed for the first rescue vessel, a 30- foot, twin-engine boat. He earned a degree in chemical engineering at Caltech and was a chemical engineer. He is survived by his wife, Florence; a son, Peter Stoddard of Sacramento; and a granddaughter, Margaret Detken of Costa Mesa.

The family requests that donations be sent to the Sherman Library, 614 Dahlia Corona del Mar, CA 92625. Stoddard, 90; Former Newport Beach Mayor cago, which he headed until retiring in June. He also wrote operas, symphonies and, while living in Los Angeles, film scores. Dean Amadon, 90; Ornithologist, Curator, Expert on Birds of Prey Dean Amadon, 90, an authority on birds of prey and former curator of birds at the American Museum of Natural History, died Sunday in Tenafly, N.J. The cause of death was not disclosed.

The longtime museum staffer wrote or co-wrote 400 publications, including several works considered classics by naturalists and bird lovers. From Times Staff and Wire Reports William Russo, 74; Jazz Composer, Arranger, Educator William Russo, 74, a jazz composer and educator best known for his innovative arrangements in the 1950s for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, died Jan. 11 in Chicago. He had been battling cancer and pneumonia. Russo played trombone in several Chicago-area jazz bands as a teenager and studied with pianist Lennie Tristano.

By his late teens, Russo had joined the Kenton orchestra as a trombonist, composer and arranger. Russo later founded the Contemporary American Music Program at Columbia College in Chi- PASSINGS.