John Ashley Popular Books
John Ashley Biography & Facts
John Ashley (December 25, 1934 – October 3, 1997) was an American actor, producer and singer. He was best known for his work as an actor in films for American International Pictures, producing and acting in horror films shot in the Philippines, and for producing various television series, including The A-Team. Early life Ashley never knew his unmarried parents who gave him up for adoption. He was adopted by a doctor, Roger Atchley and his wife Lucille, and reared in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he had a younger sister, Kathryn.He attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, where he was a champion wrestler, then went to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater on a wrestling scholarship, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. Acting career While still in college, Ashley was holidaying in California. He visited an alumnus of his college fraternity, Sigma Chi, who was a press agent who represented Dick Powell and John Wayne. The agent took him to the set of The Conqueror (1956), where he met Wayne, who had also belonged to Sigma Chi. Wayne was impressed with the young man's good looks and set him up with an interview with William Castle.Castle was then making the TV anthology series Men of Annapolis, and was looking for someone to play a role that involved wrestling. Ashley's wrestling experience helped him get the job, and he did two episodes of the series, which helped him get an agent. American International Pictures Ashley broke into films when he accompanied a girlfriend to an audition at American International Pictures for a part in Dragstrip Girl (1957), directed by Edward L. Cahn. "We had a date at 6 p.m. but first she had to read for a part in a movie", he later recalled. "I was sitting in American International Picture's waiting room and a guy walked out and said, `Have we read everyone? What about this young man here?' It was the old Hollywood story -- I got a part in the film and she didn't." He ended up getting the part as the villain; his audition included an Elvis Presley impersonation. AIP signed Ashley to a four-picture non-exclusive contract expected to run for two years.Dragstrip Girl was a success relative to its small budget. Ashley became a particular favorite of the daughters of James H. Nicholson, one of the main figures at AIP, and Nicholson always hoped Ashley would become a big star. Ashley unsuccessfully auditioned for the lead in I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) but appeared in several of AIP's other movies.Ashley's second role for AIP, Motorcycle Gang (1957), was almost identical to Dragstrip Girl (it was again directed by Cahn). By this stage, Ashley had been drafted, and production was held up until he completed his basic training and could go on leave.Ashley only served six months in the Army, at the Presidio in San Francisco. AIP got an early release for him to appear in a war film, Suicide Battalion (1958), directed by Cahn.Outside AIP, he had a small role as a singer for Paramount's Zero Hour! (1957), had the lead in Frankenstein's Daughter (1958) and guest starred on Jefferson Drum (1958) in the episode "Arrival". Music career In addition to acting, Ashley was also a singer. His manager, Jerry Capeheart, also managed Eddie Cochran and in July 1957 his first single was released on Intro Records – the standard "Bermuda" and the song "Let Yourself Go Go Go"; Ashley performed the latter in Zero Hour!. The release of the single was timed to coincide with the release of Dragstrip Girl.Ashley went on to make a number of records, including the singles "Seriously in Love" (1958), "Let the Good Times Roll" (1958), "Born to Rock" (1958), and "Little Lou" (1961). In 1959, he recorded a double-sided single, "The Net" and "The Hangman," both of which were early collaborations between songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David.Ashley would perform the occasional concert; one of his musicians for a time was Glen Campbell. Ashley later said Randy Wood, head of Dot Records, "was terrific... but the kind of music he wanted me to sing was the kind of material I really didn't feel I sang that well. He was a very clean cut image guy. He didn't necessarily want a hard rocker."In 2001, the German label Hydra Records released Born to Rock, a compact disc collection of Ashley's music. Ashley was given a cameo as a singer in AIP's How to Make a Monster (1958) at the request of Nicholson. Ashley later said "that was casting more or less against type at that point because I had been playing delinquents and heavies."AIP wanted Ashley to make a film called Hot Rod Gang (1958) aka Fury Unleashed, written by Rusoff and directed by Lew Landers. Gene Vincent played himself and sang several songs, as did Ashley. It was Ashley's first sympathetic lead role. He was offered a part on the TV series Matinee Theatre, in an episode called "The Alleyway" with Janis Paige, and asked for the movie to be postponed so he could take it. However, Samuel Arkoff of AIP refused, and got an injunction preventing Ashley from appearing on TV. "I never really forgave him for that", said Ashley. "I was very upset about it. I felt they could shift the schedule one day to allow me to do it. As it turned out, and I'm sure they had their reasons, they couldn't do it." This led to Ashley's refusing to re-sign his contract with AIP. Television After his AIP contract wound up, Ashley worked steadily on TV. He was cast in the episode "Elkton Lake Feud" of the syndicated western television series Frontier Doctor, starring Rex Allen and directed by William Witney. He also appeared in the Henry Fonda show The Deputy ("The Wild Wind"), The Millionaire ("Susan Johnson", playing an aspiring singer) and Wagon Train ("The Amos Gibben Story"). Ashley thought he was often cast in Westerns because "I was from Oklahoma, and could ride, and had a bit of an accent when I first came out here. I always seemed the young Billy the Kid gunslinger."Ashley returned to features with the lead in High School Caesar (1960), playing a tyrant at high school; it was made for an even smaller budget than his AIP films and was distributed by Roger Corman's Filmgroup. He went back to TV, guesting on Death Valley Days ("The Holdup-Proof Sale"). Ashley later said that at this stage of his career, he had no interest in the production side of things. "I was just having fun doing it", he said. Straightaway From 1961 to 1962, Ashley was cast in a co-starring role with Brian Kelly on the ABC adventure series Straightaway, set in an automobile mechanic shop and often focusing on the sport of drag racing. Ashley would occasionally sing. It ran for 26 episodes. While a cast member of Straightaway, Ashley appeared in the 1961 episode, "The Holdup-Proof Safe" of then syndicated western anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. He played the role of Sandy, a young rodeo performer who wants to become a deputy sheriff so that he can marry his sweetheart, Katie Downs (Susan Crane). However, he is arrested for the theft .... Discover the John Ashley popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Ashley books.
Best Seller John Ashley Books of 2024
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Cricketers at War
Greg GrowdenAussie cricketing heroes who also fought for Australia during wartime'That's nothing. Pressure is having a Messerschmitt up your arse.'Keith Miller, when asked if he felt under pre...
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The Visibles
Sara ShepardThis #1 New York Times bestselling author of the “spinechilling thriller that blurs the lines of fact and fiction” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author) The Elizas weave...
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Coming Home
Karen KingsburyThe emotional and touching conclusion to the Baxter family series!The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven’t had in year...
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Chasing Lost Times
Geoffrey Beattie & Ben BeattieGeoffrey Beattie is an extremely successful academic and celebrity psychologist. He was perhaps a less successful father. His obsession with his career and his driving passion for ...
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The Baxters Take One
Karen KingsburyTwo unknown producers struggle to fulfill their dreams to change lives through the power of film. With millions of investors’ dollars on the line, everything starts to fall apart a...
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The Above the Line Collection
Karen KingsburyThe Baxters Take OneCould they change the worldbefore the world changes them? Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison left the mission field of Indonesia for the mission field of H...
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Someone Like You
Karen KingsburyNow a major motion picture starring Sarah Fisher! Science raises questions only hope and faith can answer in this instant New York Times bestselling “tale of forgiveness and love” ...
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Two Weeks
Karen KingsburyAN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Baxter Family novelsnow a TV seriescomes a heartwrenching and redemptive story about a cou...
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Another Weird Year 4
Huw DaviesIn timehonoured fashion, Another Weird Year 4 brings you the stories that no lover of bizarre, inexplicable and downright hilarious news items can afford to miss, all handily group...
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Love Story
Karen KingsburyThe instant New York Times bestseller featuring everyone’s favorite familythe Baxtersin a deeply emotional novel “faithful fans will no doubt relish” (Publishers Weekly). When John...
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The Baxters Take Two
Karen KingsburyWill the price of fame be worth the cost?Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison have completed their first feature film, and Hollywood is buzzing with the news. In the wake of tha...
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A Dark and Lonely Place
Edna BuchananFrom Pulitzer Prize winner Edna Buchanan, the novel she has always wanted to write: the gripping saga of starcrossed lovers across generations.From Pulitzer Prize winner Edna Bucha...
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Just Once
Karen KingsburyThe #1 New York Times bestselling author “known for her deeply heartfelt novels” (Woman’s World) and the Baxter Family novels writes a sweeping World War II love story about a youn...
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A Distant Shore
Karen KingsburyThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Baxter Family novels and “inspirational fiction superstar” (Publishers Weekly) presents this high stakes love story of danger, passi...
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First Love, Last Love
Katie FlynnA powerful story of two sisters, and the love that changed their livesIt wasn't a privileged childhood, but it was a happy one. Sybil and Lizzie Cream, brought up in a fisherman's ...
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The Baxters
Karen KingsburyNow an original series on Prime VideoThis warmhearted prequel to the “hearttugging and emotional” (RT Book Reviews) #1 New York Times bestselling Baxter Family Seriesnow a televisi...
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Fashion in the 1970s
Daniel Milford-CottamThe 1970s was a decade of style contrasts: every extreme of fashion was met by an equally trendy opposite reaction. Anklelength maxi skirts vied for attention with supershort hotpa...
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UnSweetined
Jodie SweetinIn this “explosive” (Us Weekly) and “brutally honest” (E! Online) memoir, Jodie Sweetin, once Danny Tanner’s bubbly daughter on America’s favorite family sitcom, takes readers behi...
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The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness
Laura Kemp'Witty, Warm, and Wonderful. I loved it!' Milly JohnsonSometimes all it takes to make the world a better place is a small act of kindness...'A truly wonderful and heartwarming read...
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John D. Archer and Ashley Creek Phosphate
Supreme Court Of UtahDURHAM, Justice : This is an appeal from a summary judgment by the district court upholding an order of the Board of State Lands and Forestry. We affirm.
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When We Were Young
Karen KingsburyFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a classic story about second chances, featuring the beloved Baxter family and a young father who finds his whole wor...
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Truly, Madly, Deeply
Karen KingsburyINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER In love for the first time, a son’s decisions about the future divides his family in this fearless and thoughtprovoking novel from the #1 New York ...
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Don Quixote
Miguel Cervantes & IcarsusContains Active Table of Contents (HTML) and in the end of book include a bonus link to the free audiobook. Don Quixote, errant knight and sane madman, with the company of his fa...
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Devils Within
S. F. HensonA 2018 William C. Morris Award FinalistKilling isn’t supposed to be easy. But it is. It’s the after that’s hard to deal with.Nate was eight the first time he stabbed someone; he wa...
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Forgiving Paris
Karen KingsburyThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of lifechanging fiction brings her signature “emotional, hearttugging” (Woman’s World) prose to this wise and worldly novel of forgiveness ...