One of the original DEAD END KIDS, HALLY CHESTER, who also produced “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” is dead at 91.Alternately known as HAL CHESTER, HAL E. CHESTER, he was born Harold Ribotsky in Brooklyn, New York, on March 6 1921, the son of a real estate developer who went bust during the Wall Street crash of 1929.Chester wanted a career in show business and from an early age was employed as a magician’s assistant on Coney Island, He also earned money for his family as a runner on Wall St and selling newspapers.Adopting the stage name Hally Chester he became one of “The Dead End Kids” along with Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey appearing in Sidney Kingsley’s hit Broadway play “Dead End” in 1935. Ironically, he didn't appeared in the film adaptation.Chester moved to Hollywood with the rest of the gang, appearing in a series of B movies, including “Crime School” (1938) with warden Humphrey Bogart.When the gang split off into two movie series, Chester went with the “Little Tough Guys” (1938), a social satire as a gang of Lower East Side street toughs were unleashed on a high society Long Island estate. Despite cast changes including Jackie Cooper, Chester stayed a Little Tough Guy throughout the series.With his youth on the wane, Chester began producing low budget flicks at poverty row studio Monogram. He secured the rights to the popular Ham Fisher comic strip about a boxer “Joe Palooka” and produced 11 fisticuffs comedies.Chester had his first big hit as a producer in 1953, with “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” helmed by the first solo effort by stop motion animator Ray Harryhausen about an unfrozen dinosaur loose in Manhattan. The indie produced flick was picked up by Warner Brothers -- and aided by a stirring David Buttolph score -- made cinema history.In 1955, Chester relocated to Europe and began producing films for the newly emerging international co-productions toplining established American stars like Mickey Rooney and Lizabeth Scott.He produced two other films considered classics: “Night of the Demon” (aka “Curse of the Demon”) starring Dana Andrews and Nial MacGinnis which features a satanic cult and centers upon a parchment curse in runic symbols. Martin Scorsese called it one of the scariest horror films ever made.The comedy “School for Scoundrels” (1960) with Terry-Thomas and Alistair Sim is about a failure who enrolls at the “School of Lifemanship”, where he is taught how to win in life by being a scoundrel.In 2003 Chester was paralyzed by a stroke and never fully recovered.Farewell to Hally the Dead End Kid who persevered.http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/dead-end-kid-dead

Ralph Ferraro dies at 82Was composer, orchestrator for films, TVBy Jon BurlingameVarietyRalph Ferraro, a composer and orchestrator whose credits include episodes of "The Virginian" and the cult movie spoof "Flesh Gordon," died of respiratory failure April 3 at UCLA Medical Center. He was 82. Ferraro was best known as an orchestrator for composers including Leonard Rosenman (on films including "A Man Called Horse," "Bound for Glory" and the animated "Lord of the Rings"), Randy Edelman (on films including "Gettysburg," "DragonHeart" and "XXX"), Quincy Jones ("The Wiz") and Bill Conti ("Masters of the Universe"). But he was also a composer who was active in television, especially in the 1960s, scoring episodes of "The Virginian," "It Takes a Thief," "The Name of the Game" and "The Men From Shiloh." He scored several pilots including "Riding for the Pony Express" in 1980. In addition to composing the music for the 1974 sendup "Flesh Gordon," Ferraro scored several 1960s and '70s films including "The King's Pirate," "She Beast" and "Antonio." He was born in Waterbury, Conn., and earned a master's degree in music from the Manhattan School of Music. After serving in the Navy, he relocated to Rome, Italy, where he worked as a jazz drummer, including considerable work for Italian cinema and television. Ferraro played percussion on numerous classic scores for Nino Rota (including "La Dolce Vita," "8 1/2" and "Juliet of the Spirits"), Ennio Morricone ("The Battle of Algiers"), Riz Ortolani ("Mondo Cane") and Armando Trovaioli ("Two Women"). He began arranging for Rosenman in Rome in 1962 and continued to do so when he returned to the U.S. in 1967. He also arranged for singers including Andy Williams, Rod McKuen and Donny Osmond. For Walt Disney's Epcot Center in 1982, he orchestrated the ride "Imagination" based on songs by Disney songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman. Survivors include his wife and two daughters.

Lel McCullough counts herself fortunate for her 62-year marriage to Jim McCullough Sr. — a ride she described as wild."It's been fun, and it's been scary (just for me)," she said laughingly. "Boy, he was a risk taker."A pioneer in Louisiana film making, Jim McCullough died Friday in Shreveport at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife, son Jim Jr., and daughter Cathy Glover. Services are set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist of Shreveport's Church Frost Chapel."He was a family storyteller," his wife said. "He always wanted it to be a good message for families and an intense look at characters and personality, and to make it worthwhile — he had quite a sense of adventure."Born May 12, 1928, the filmmaker grew up in Lebanon, Mo.. According to his wife, it was there that he began his quest for adventure, including an avid love for hunting and fishing. That sense of adventure propelled him to become a pilot, and eventually begin a career in filmmaking.It was at Centenary College in 1945 when he met his wife."At Centenary, it was a wonderful atmosphere for us to get to know each other, and he was trying to get a handle on my conservative upbringing," McCullough said. "We had such a different style that when he said he wanted to go to the West Coast and go to UCLA, it scared me to death."In California, Jim got started in the film business, working as an actor in CBS's live-action "Playhouse 90 Theater" and Ziv Studio's "Highway Patrol" and "Black Beauty."As a producer and director, Jim's work included "The St. Tammany Miracle," "Video Murders," "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" and "The Aurora Encounter." Other works of his include "Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.," "Creature from the Black Lake," "Charge of the Model T's" and his most famous, "Where the Red Fern Grows.""He was film when film wasn't cool," said local actor Richard Folmer, who worked with Jim on "The St. Tammany Miracle.""He loved the process, and worked very hard at it. His energy would be a big, big help to the area even now, because now the opportunities are happening.""He was a hands on producer and very, very in love with film," Folmer said. "They weren't huge, blockbuster movies, but they were movies shot in Louisiana. He was a major contributor to film activity in the area when there wasn't that much going on. He gave a lot of local people some work."One of those people was John Fertitta."He gave me my break into the business, as he did so many other people," said Fertitta, who acted in five of Jim's films. "He was a great guy, and taught me so much about the film business — not only me, though, there were so many others he gave a break to. I was lucky to be working in front of the camera and behind it with him. I know how important to him that was."http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20120410/NEWS01/204100334/Local-filmmaker-family-storyteller-dies?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

Former The Dictators and Twisted Sister star Richard Teeter has died at the age of 61.News of the drummer's death was confirmed in posts on both bands' websites, but no other information was available as WENN went to press. The statement posted on the Twisted Sister site reads, "Twisted Sister is saddened to note the passing of drummer Richie Teeter. Richie was a member of The DICtators with Mark 'The Animal' Mendoza and later played drums for Twisted Sister from December 1980 until April 1981. Our thoughts and prayers are with Richie's family at this time." The DICtators add, "Sad news to report on the passing of the former DICtators drummer. Rest in peace, brother." Teeter joined The DICtators in 1976 and played on two of the punk group's albums before leaving in 1979. He went on to join Twisted Sister in 1980 as a replacement for Tony Petri, but Teeter bowed out in 1981.http://www.contactmusic.com/news/drummer-teeter-dies_1316083