Mark Miller obit

Mark Miller, ‘Please Don’t Eat the Daisies’ Star and ‘Walk in the Clouds’ Screenwriter, Dies at 97

The father of actress Penelope Ann Miller, he also wrote and acted in the films 'Savannah Smiles' and 'Ginger in the Morning.'

 

He was not on the list.

Mark Miller, who portrayed the patriarch of a castle-dwelling family on the 1960s NBC sitcom Please Don’t Eat the Daisies and co-wrote the Keanu Reeves-starring romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds, has died. He was 97.

Miler died Friday in Santa Monica of natural causes, a family spokesperson announced. Survivors include his daughter and Tony-nominated actress Penelope Ann Miller.

Miller also wrote, produced and starred in the classic family film Savannah Smiles (1982), which was inspired by and named for his youngest daughter. It’s the story of a runaway girl (Bridgette Andersen) who forms an improvised family with the two escaped convicts (Miller, Donovan Scott) who find her.

On Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, which aired for two seasons and 58 episodes from 1965-67, the native Texan played college professor Jim Nash opposite Patricia Crowley as newspaper writer Joan Nash. They are the parents of four rambunctious boys (Kim Tyler, Brian Nash and twins Jeff and Joe Fithian) and a sheepdog.

A Walk in the Clouds (1995), starring Reeves, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and Anthony Quinn, was a box-office winner for 20th Century Fox, grossing $50 million worldwide. Based on the 1942 Italian film Four Steps in the Clouds, it also was a critical hit, with Roger Ebert calling the movie “a glorious romantic fantasy, aflame with passion and bittersweet longing.”

Born in Houston on Nov. 20, 1924, Miller trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. His first professional job was starring opposite classmate Grace Kelly in Noël Coward’s Private Lives at the Casino Playhouse in Newport, Rhode Island. (Miller and Kelly dated for two years and remained lifelong friends.)

He was then tapped by playwright Philip Barry to portray Sandy Lord in The Philadelphia Story opposite Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston Churchill.

Miller, who starred in more than 30 plays, captured the attention of William Inge, who waited until the actor was available to launch the first Broadway touring company of Bus Stop. Miller played the cowboy Bo opposite Elaine Stritch in that.

Just before opening in a North American tour of Dark at the Top of the Stairs with Joan Blondell, Miller married journalist Beatrice Ammidown, and they honeymooned while traveling with the production throughout Canada and the U.S.

While performing in the show at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles, Miller caught the eye of Desi Arnaz, who cast him in the 1960-61 ABC/Desilu sitcom Guestward Ho!, also starring Joanne Dru and J. Carrol Naish.

Miller moved to Los Angeles and appeared with James Franciscus, Suzanne Pleshette and Eva Gabor in Youngblood Hawk (1964) and on episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Gunsmoke, I Dream of Jeannie and Alfred Hitchcock Presents before landing on Please Don’t Eat the Daisies.

The show was based on a 1957 book by Jean Kerr (wife of famed drama critic Walter Kerr) and followed the popular 1960 movie version at MGM that starred Doris Day and David Niven.

 

For his first TV script, Miller was nominated for an Emmy for the Daisies 1966 episode “The Magnificent Muldoon,” guest-starring Burgess Meredith.

In 1970-71, Miller was featured in a cast of rotating characters opposite Robert Stack and Anthony Franciosa on the NBC series The Name of the Game, and he guest-starred on The Waltons, Barnaby Jones, Adam-12 and The Streets of San Francisco, among other shows, around this time.

He wrote, produced and starred in Ginger in the Morning (1974), for which he cast relative unknown Sissy Spacek as the title character and included several of her original songs in the movie.

A year after he and Ammidown divorced, Miller wed actress Barbara Stanger, and they collaborated on several screenplays, including Christmas Mountain: The Story of a Cowboy Angel (1981), in which he starred alongside his wife and Slim Pickens.

In the ’90s, Miller and Stanger relocated to Taos, New Mexico, where he wrote and produced full time. He also returned to the stage in 2010 when his play Amorous Crossing, based on Private Lives and starring Loretta Swit, was produced by the Alhambra Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida.

After Miller and Stanger divorced in 1998, he returned to California in 2013 to be near his children — Savannah, Penelope Ann and Marisa Miller from his first marriage and the late Gabe Miller from his second.

In his final years, he formed Gypsy Moon Productions. His last screenplay, The Heart of the Storm, was written in the spirit of A Walk in the Clouds; it’s about two people who are thrown together in a hurricane and fall in love, despite their best efforts not to.

At the time of his death, Miller was working on a remake of Savannah Smiles with producer Rob Moran and Bay Point Media at Atlanta-based Trilith Studios, his family said.

Survivors also include his granddaughters, Amelia, Eloisa, Gretta, Sophie, Maria and Celeste.

Actor (51 credits)

 1990 Disney Sing Along Songs: I Love to Laugh! (Video short)

 1982 Savannah Smiles

Alvie

 1981 Christmas Mountain

Gabe Sweet

 1977 The Hunted Lady (TV Movie)

Sen. Roger Clements

 1975-1976 Days of Our Lives (TV Series)

J.R. Barnett

- Episode #1.2750 (1976) ... J.R. Barnett

- Episode #1.2706 (1976) ... J.R. Barnett

- Episode #1.2705 (1976) ... J.R. Barnett

- Episode #1.2508 (1975) ... J.R. Barnett

- Episode #1.2495 (1975) ... J.R. Barnett

Show all 17 episodes

 1976 Dixie Dynamite

Tom Eldridge

 1975 Mr. Sycamore

Rev. Fletcher

 1973-1975 The Streets of San Francisco (TV Series)

Jerome Greenwood / Benson

- The Cat's Paw (1975) ... Jerome Greenwood

- No Badge for Benjy (1973) ... Benson

 1975 Harry O (TV Series)

Cary

- Group Terror (1975) ... Cary

 1975 Matt Helm (TV Series)

Brandon

- Deadly Breed (1975) ... Brandon

 1973-1975 Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Series)

Paul Carpenter / Martin Loring

- Public Secrets (1975) ... Paul Carpenter

- The Other Martin Loring (1973) ... Martin Loring

 1974 The Waltons (TV Series)

Ted Hanover

- The Spoilers (1974) ... Ted Hanover

 1974 Ginger in the Morning

Charlie

 1974 Kung Fu (TV Series)

Horace Mercer

- A Dream Within a Dream (1974) ... Horace Mercer

 1974 Barnaby Jones (TV Series)

Cal Medford

- The Deadly Jinx (1974) ... Cal Medford

 1973 Emergency! (TV Series)

Charles Evans

- Computer Error (1973) ... Charles Evans

 1973 Cannon (TV Series)

Arnold Benton

- Trial by Terror (1973) ... Arnold Benton

 1973 Griff (TV Series)

Weiss

- Death by Prescription (1973) ... Weiss

 1972 Adam-12 (TV Series)

Tom Dunne aka Tom Dunbar

- Gifts and Long Letters (1972) ... Tom Dunne aka Tom Dunbar

 1972 The F.B.I. (TV Series)

Vern Collins

- Holiday with Terror (1972) ... Vern Collins

 1972 The Smith Family (TV Series)

Marty Shelton

- Where There's Smoke (1972) ... Marty Shelton

 1971 Harpy (TV Movie)

Don Haskins

 1969-1971 The Name of the Game (TV Series)

Ross Craig / Nate Pearson / Luther Storm

- Beware of the Watchdog (1971) ... Ross Craig

- Why I Blew Up Dakota (1970) ... Ross Craig

- All the Old Familiar Faces (1970) ... Ross Craig

- So Long, Baby, and Amen (1970) ... Ross Craig

- Island of Gold and Precious Stones (1970) ... Nate Pearson

 1970 Bright Promise (TV Series)

Howard Jones

- Episode #1.214 (1970) ... Howard Jones

- Episode #1.203 (1970) ... Howard Jones

- Episode #1.202 (1970) ... Howard Jones

- Episode #1.201 (1970) ... Howard Jones

- Episode #1.200 (1970) ... Howard Jones

 1969 That Girl (TV Series)

Bob Harrison

- Kiss That Girl Goodbye (1969) ... Bob Harrison

 1969 I Dream of Jeannie (TV Series)

Wild Bill Barrows

- Ride 'Em Astronaut (1969) ... Wild Bill Barrows

 1968 European Eye (TV Movie)

Paul Cameron

 1968 Premiere (TV Series)

- The Search (1968)

 1967 The Invaders (TV Series)

Jack Palay

- The Spores (1967) ... Jack Palay

 1965-1967 Please Don't Eat the Daisies (TV Series)

Jim Nash

- The Day the Play Got Away (1967) ... Jim Nash

- A Matter of Concentration (1967) ... Jim Nash

- Professor, Please! (1967) ... Jim Nash

- When I Was a Young Man (1967) ... Jim Nash

- Just While You're Resting (1967) ... Jim Nash

 1965 General Hospital (TV Series)

Randy Washburn

- Episode #1.571 (1965) ... Randy Washburn

- Episode #1.540 (1965) ... Randy Washburn

 1964 Youngblood Hawke

Ross Hodge

 1963 The Patty Duke Show (TV Series)

Martin Lane

- Pilot (1963) ... Martin Lane

 1963 The Twilight Zone (TV Series)

Roger

- I Dream of Genie (1963) ... Roger

 1963 The Hook

Lt. D.D. Troy

 1962 Hawaiian Eye (TV Series)

Victor Jason

- The After Hours Heart (1962) ... Victor Jason

 1962 Stoney Burke (TV Series)

Morgan Julian

- Sidewinder (1962) ... Morgan Julian

 1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series)

Claude

- Apex (1962) ... Claude

 1962 The Tall Man (TV Series)

Sam Kirby

- Property of the Crown (1962) ... Sam Kirby

 1961 Follow the Sun (TV Series)

Mark Chambers

- The Hunters (1961) ... Mark Chambers

 1961 The Andy Griffith Show (TV Series)

Bob Rogers

- Barney's Replacement (1961) ... Bob Rogers

 1961 Bus Stop (TV Series)

Dick

- Success Story (1961) ... Dick

 1960-1961 Guestward Ho! (TV Series)

Bill Hooten / Bill Hooton

- No Place Like Home (1961) ... Bill Hooten

- The Beatniks (1961) ... Bill Hooten

- The Wild West Show (1961) ... Bill Hooten

- Hooten's Second Car (1961) ... Bill Hooten

- The Hootons Versus Hawkeye (1961) ... Bill Hooten

 1960 The Millionaire (TV Series)

Alan Duncan

- Millionaire Patricia Collins (1960) ... Alan Duncan

 1959 Zane Grey Theatre (TV Series)

Det. Ward Pendleton

- Checkmate (1959) ... Det. Ward Pendleton

 1959 Gunsmoke (TV Series)

Frank Paris

- Wind (1959) ... Frank Paris

 1957 Blonde in Bondage

Larry Brand

 1957 Robert Montgomery Presents (TV Series)

- Sturdevant's Daughter (1957)

 1957 Stanley (TV Series)

Rack Spencer

- The Celebrity (1957) ... Rack Spencer

 1956 I Spy (TV Series)

- Copperhead (1956)

 1954 The Inner Flame (TV Series)

Tony Faraday

- Episode dated 7 July 1954 (1954) ... Tony Faraday

Writer (11 credits)

 1995 A Walk in the Clouds (screenplay)

 1990-1991 The Munsters Today (TV Series) (written by - 4 episodes)

- Diary of a Mad Munsterwife (1991) ... (written by)

- A-Camping We Will Go (1991) ... (written by)

- Mind Reader (1990) ... (written by)

- It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To (1990) ... (written by)

  What a Dummy (TV Series) (story by - 1 episode, 1991) (written by - 1 episode, 1990)

- Tucker's on the Air (1991) ... (story by)

- Car Wars (1990) ... (written by)

 1988 Savannah (book "Savannah Smiles")

  Nothing Is Easy (TV Series) (written by - 1 episode, 1986) (story - 1 episode, 1986)

- A Chicken in Every Wok (1986) ... (written by)

- It Happened One Night (1986) ... (story)

  Diff'rent Strokes (TV Series) (teleplay by - 2 episodes, 1984) (written by - 1 episode, 1984)

- The Boyfriend (1984) ... (teleplay by)

- The Wedding (1984) ... (written by - part 1)

- Drummond's Lady (1984) ... (teleplay by)

 1982 The Jeffersons (TV Series) (teleplay by - 1 episode)

- Laundry Is a Tough Town: Part 1 (1982) ... (teleplay by)

 1982 Savannah Smiles (screenplay) / (story)

 1981 Christmas Mountain

 1974 Ginger in the Morning (screenplay)

 1966 Please Don't Eat the Daisies (TV Series) (written by - 1 episode)

- The Magnificent Muldoon (1966) ... (written by)