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-Photo courtesy of the Webster County Historical Society
This movie poster features the stars of “Beach Blanket Bingo.”
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Samuel Z. Arkov
-Photo courtesy of the Webster County Historical Society
This movie poster features the stars of “Beach Blanket Bingo.”
Samuel left Zee. Arkoff makes an indelible mark on Hollywood movies with a constant stream of fast cars, monsters and beautiful women.
But long before he released a long list of action-packed films aimed at teens, Arkoff was a student at Fort Dodge Senior High School and frequented local theaters.
The Webster County Historical Society is preparing to highlight the Fort Dodge film producer with an event Friday featuring one of his films, “Beach Blanket Bingo” will be displayed.
Items from the Historical Society’s collection related to Arkoff will be on display. Community members will discuss the film producer’s local connection.
The event will begin at 1:30 pm at the Fort Dodge Public Library next to City Square.
Samuel Z. Arkov
“Beach Blanket Bingo” It was released in 1965. It stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and Linda Evans. Don Rickles and Buster Keaton co-star.
Arkov was born in Fort Dodge on June 18, 1918. He graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School in 1935. During World War II he served as a cryptographer in the Army Air Forces.
After the war, he moved to California, where he graduated from Loyola Law School.
He began his career in Hollywood doing legal work for movie companies. In 1954, he co-founded American Releasing Corp. The company was created to release films produced by other studios, but was soon renamed American International Pictures and began producing its own films.
The company’s first film was… “The Fast and the Furious” A movie about fast cars that debuted more than 50 years before Vin Diesel and his crew plugged a car into the current film series with a very similar name.
American International Pictures had a long string of profitable films during the 1950s and 1960s.
The company’s films have featured stars such as Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Robert DeNiro, Nick Nolte, and Bruce Dern. Michael Landon “Little house on the meadow” Fame played the monster “I was a teenage werewolf.” In 1957.
Arkoff died in 2001.
If you go
What: A Webster County Historical Society event dedicated to Samuel Z. Arkoff, which shows the film “Beach Blanket Bingo”
Time: 1:30 pm on Friday
Where: Fort Dodge Public Library
People are encouraged to RSVP to we*************@gm***.com. People can bring their own snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
