which companies might end up sponsoring them. They were concerned that cigarette companies might not be willing to sponsor a program if bad guys were seen using their product, so bad guys didnât smoke in those shows. Only heroes relaxed with a cigarette.
As a character actor, Leonard played an amazing array of characters, although his specialty was being the heavy, the bad guy. While some Ziv shows would not use actors more than once, other shows were far more relaxed about it. He did eight episodes of Lloyd Bridgesâs Sea Hunt, for example, playing everything from a revolutionary student to an explosives thief. In one episode, he would have a mustache; in another, heâd take off the mustache and wear a hat. He did a variety of accents, whatever it took to earn a paycheck. Most Ziv shows paid $80 a day and were shot in two days; Sea Hunt was one of their most successful shows, so it had a larger budgetâthey paid $100 a day and shot in two and a half days, so if they needed a Spaniard with a mustache and glasses, Leonard said, â SÃ, señor, â pasted on the mustache, and wore glasses. During the next few years, Leonard appeared in many of the most successful series on television, working with some of our best actorsâand gaining a reputation in the business as a go-to bad guy.
He became a regular on westerns, playing both cowboys and Native Americans, appearing in Colt .45, Tombstone Territory, The Rough Riders, Mackenzieâs Raiders, 26 Men, Tate âthe adventures of a one-armed gunfighterâ Outlaws, Death Valley Days, Cimarron City, three episodes of Broken Arrow, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Rebel, and Doug McClureâs The Virginian. He worked with Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine in one of his four appearances on Wagon Train, Clint Eastwoodâs Rawhide, Bonanza, and of course four episodes of Jim Arnessâs Gunsmoke, as well as all the others. He played a soldier in Dean Stockwellâs infantry platoon on the last day of World War II on The Twilight Zone, a submariner on three episodes of The Silent Service, and a sailor on Navy Log . He played both cops and robbers, he did two episodes of the science-fiction show The Outer Limits, and he worked on medical shows from General Hospital to Dr. Kildare.
A lot of professionalism and little money went into these shows. There was no time for preparation or rehearsal; you just did it. When these shows went on location, they shot from sunup to the last light. They literally would chase the sunlight, running away from the encroaching shadows. The crew would take the camera and reflectors and run up a hill, staying just ahead of the shadow, stopping and shooting for a minute, then picking up and moving another ten feet. Close-ups were often shot against a wall so they could be done after the sun went down simply by lighting a small area. If there was a way to save money, they figured it out. They didnât deceive themselves into believing they were creating art; they were making television shows.
âIt was great training,â Leonard once said. If you flubbed a line or made a mistake, the camera kept rolling, then they would go back and just pick it up one line earlier. There were no lengthy retakes, no second or third takes of a scene. Often the actors didnât know the context of the scene when it was shot. It was make your entrance, do your exit. Then they shot the close-ups. That was the one chance to show any kind of expression. He believed that âwhether or not you got called back had to do with whether or not you could hit your marks and say your lines on demand. I tried very hard to be proficient at that so I would be invited back.
âI remember doing an episode of M Squad, a cop show starring Lee Marvin. I played an arsonist; my brother was played by James Coburn. We worked together for three or four days. One morning we were supposed to be in makeup at 7:30 and on the set, ready to go, at eight
As a character actor, Leonard played an amazing array of characters, although his specialty was being the heavy, the bad guy. While some Ziv shows would not use actors more than once, other shows were far more relaxed about it. He did eight episodes of Lloyd Bridgesâs Sea Hunt, for example, playing everything from a revolutionary student to an explosives thief. In one episode, he would have a mustache; in another, heâd take off the mustache and wear a hat. He did a variety of accents, whatever it took to earn a paycheck. Most Ziv shows paid $80 a day and were shot in two days; Sea Hunt was one of their most successful shows, so it had a larger budgetâthey paid $100 a day and shot in two and a half days, so if they needed a Spaniard with a mustache and glasses, Leonard said, â SÃ, señor, â pasted on the mustache, and wore glasses. During the next few years, Leonard appeared in many of the most successful series on television, working with some of our best actorsâand gaining a reputation in the business as a go-to bad guy.
He became a regular on westerns, playing both cowboys and Native Americans, appearing in Colt .45, Tombstone Territory, The Rough Riders, Mackenzieâs Raiders, 26 Men, Tate âthe adventures of a one-armed gunfighterâ Outlaws, Death Valley Days, Cimarron City, three episodes of Broken Arrow, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Rebel, and Doug McClureâs The Virginian. He worked with Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine in one of his four appearances on Wagon Train, Clint Eastwoodâs Rawhide, Bonanza, and of course four episodes of Jim Arnessâs Gunsmoke, as well as all the others. He played a soldier in Dean Stockwellâs infantry platoon on the last day of World War II on The Twilight Zone, a submariner on three episodes of The Silent Service, and a sailor on Navy Log . He played both cops and robbers, he did two episodes of the science-fiction show The Outer Limits, and he worked on medical shows from General Hospital to Dr. Kildare.
A lot of professionalism and little money went into these shows. There was no time for preparation or rehearsal; you just did it. When these shows went on location, they shot from sunup to the last light. They literally would chase the sunlight, running away from the encroaching shadows. The crew would take the camera and reflectors and run up a hill, staying just ahead of the shadow, stopping and shooting for a minute, then picking up and moving another ten feet. Close-ups were often shot against a wall so they could be done after the sun went down simply by lighting a small area. If there was a way to save money, they figured it out. They didnât deceive themselves into believing they were creating art; they were making television shows.
âIt was great training,â Leonard once said. If you flubbed a line or made a mistake, the camera kept rolling, then they would go back and just pick it up one line earlier. There were no lengthy retakes, no second or third takes of a scene. Often the actors didnât know the context of the scene when it was shot. It was make your entrance, do your exit. Then they shot the close-ups. That was the one chance to show any kind of expression. He believed that âwhether or not you got called back had to do with whether or not you could hit your marks and say your lines on demand. I tried very hard to be proficient at that so I would be invited back.
âI remember doing an episode of M Squad, a cop show starring Lee Marvin. I played an arsonist; my brother was played by James Coburn. We worked together for three or four days. One morning we were supposed to be in makeup at 7:30 and on the set, ready to go, at eight
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