Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 27, 1990 TAG: 9004270147
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ Age: 50
\ Big break: Appeared on "American Bandstand" at age 12 in 1952; signed contract with Chancellor Records at 14.
\ Greatest success: Wound up teen years in 1959-'60 with three Top-10 singles ("Turn Me Loose," "Hound-Dog Man" and his theme song, "Tiger") and a gold album, "The Fabulous Fabian."
\ Questionable career move: Into film. After a reasonably promising start in such movies as "Hound-Dog Man" (inspired by his hit song), "North to Alaska" (with John Wayne) and the World War II epic "The Longest Day," he went into a steady decline in the mid-'60s with "Fireball 500" and "Maryjane", continuing into the '70s with "The Day the Lord Got Busted" and "Disco Fever."
\ Image-breaking tactics: Starred as gangster in 1970's "A Bullet for Pretty Boy;" posed for nude photo spread in Playgirl in 1974 (and later regretted it, saying he looked "fat and stupid").
\ Currently: Singing on the oldies circuit, including a recent performance at the Italian Street Festival in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla..
DAVY JONES
\ Age: 44
\ Big break: In 1965, selected over more than 500 other applicants, including Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills and Nash) and Danny Hutton (later of Three Dog Jones Night), to be one of four Monkees.
\ Background: Only Brit in group; was child actor in Britain, where he played Artful Dodger on stage in "Oliver!;" later a racehorse jockey.
\ Ups: Monkees were enormously successful, both on their TV series, which ran from 1966-'68, and on stage in their world tours in '67 and '68. Four of their first five albums went gold, the first yielding three Top-20 singles, "I'm a Believer," "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" and "Last Train to Clarksville."
\ Downs: Monkees movie, "Head," flopped when released in '69 (but has since become a cult item); after breakup of band, Jones and fellow former Monkee Mickey Dolenz joined forces with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart for disastrous 1976 album; these four ended up working supper clubs and state fairs in the late '70s.
\ Comeback: In 1986, Monkees reunited for successful 20th-anniversary album and tour; since then, Jones has acted on TV, including a guest shot on "My Two Dads," and stage, including the role of Fagin in "Oliver!"
DAVID CASSIDY
\ Age: 40
\ Big break: Cast as Keith, opposite stepmom Shirley Jones, in TV's "The Partridge Family," based on short-lived stardom of the Cowsill family.
\ Fame and fortune: The Partridge series, which aired 1970-'74, spawned megahit single, "I Think I Love You" (6 million copies) and loads of lucrative merchandising tie-ins for which he received royalties.
\ Checkered past: Was expelled from two public high schools before graduating from private academy; studied music and worked with Los Angeles Theater Group; appeared on Broadway in "Fig Leaves Are Falling" and had guest roles on "Bonanza" and "Marcus Welby, M.D."
\ Turning point: The Partridges generated such frenzy on their world tours that a 14-year-old London girl suffered a fatal heart attack during a 1974 show; act was subsequently toned down.
\ Image-breaking tactic: Posed for slightly racy "centerfold" in Rolling Stone in mid-'70s (shot was cropped a few inches below navel).
MATT DILLON
\ Age: 26
\ Big break: Discovered, a la Lana Turner, at age 14 by talent scout who spied him cutting class in a junior high school and got him cast in "Over the Edge."
\ Winning streak: Starred in Dillon teen hits "Little Darlings and My Bodyguard;" was only actor to appear in all three films based on S.E. Hinton's classic teen novels, "Tex," "The Outsiders" and "Rumble Fish."
\ Losing streak: Spent latter half of '80s making "Targets," "Rebel," "Native Son," "The Big Town," "Kansas" and "Bloodhounds of Broadway," most of which were barely released.
\ Comeback: Won Independent Spirit Award earlier this year for critically acclaimed work in "Drugstore Cowboy;" named by Us magazine as one of 10 Sexiest Bachelors of 1990.
\ Upcoming: Starring with Max von Sydow, Sean Young and Diane Ladd in remake of Ira Levin thriller "A Kiss Before Dying," written and directed by "Fatal Attraction" screenwriter James Dearden.
by CNB