William Castle was born William Schloss in New York City on April 24, 1914.

One of Castle's first show business jobs was as an assistant stage manager for a road show production of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi.

Castle took over the lease of Orson Welles' Stony Creek Theater in Connecticut when the Mercury Theatre wunderkind went to Hollywood to begin shooting Citizen Kane (1941).

Castle's feature film directing debut was the "Boston Blackie" mystery The Chance of a Lifetime (1943).

Scenarist Robb White was a minister's son, born in the Philippines on June 20, 1909.

White once described William Castle as "absolutely the coldest, most ruthless con man I've ever known."

While writing The Tingler (1959), White voluntarily underwent a doctor-administered dose of LSD.

Robb White's daughter Bailey is a successful author and commentator for National Public Radio.

Composer Von Dexter later left show business to sell real estate.

Actor Donald Woods had worked with William Castle previously in Voice of the Whistler (1945). He can also be seen in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and in the 1961 Thriller episode "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper."

Child star Charles Herbert had played David Hedison's son in The Fly (1958).

Actress Jo Morrow's great grandfather was Commodore Robert Peary, one of the first explorers to reach the North Pole.

Margaret Hamilton's turn as the medium Elaine Zacharides is a sly allusion to her most famous role as The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Martin Milner was later the star of two successful TV series, Route 66 and Adam-12. Compiled by Richard Harland Smith

SOURCES:

Step Right Up, I'm Gonna Scare the Pants off America: Memoirs of a B Movie Mogul by William Castle
William Castle interview by Linda May Strawn, Kings of the Bs: Working within the Hollywood System
Interview with Robb White by Tom Weaver, Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes
Interview with Jo Morrow by Tom Weaver, Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks: Conversations with 24 Actors, Writers, Producers and Directors from the Golden Age