Michael Landon

 "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager, Yvonne Lime and Whit Bissell. It was co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen---and was one of the most successful films released by American International Pictures (AIP).

According to producer Herman Cohen, Jack Nicholson was turned down for the lead role, because he was "the wrong type." Nicholson later played a werewolf in "Wolf" (1994).

"I Was a Teenage Werewolf" helped launch Landon's career, as he became a regular on "Bonanza" only two years later, staying for the entire TV show's run. Although today the film is largely regarded as a source of "camp" humor, and while at the time of release the idea of an adult human turning into a beast was nothing new, the idea of a teenager doing just that in a movie was considered avant-garde—and even shocking—in 1957.

Dawn Richard, who plays a teenaged gymnast in the film, was actually a 22-year-old Playboy centerfold model at the time, appearing in the magazine's May 1957 issue, which hit the newsstands a couple months ahead of the movie.

American International Pictures released this on a double bill with "Invasion of the Saucer Men" (1957) with the tag line "We DARE You To See The Most Amazing Pictures of Our Time!"

Landon later satirized his role in this film on his TV show, "Highway to Heaven" (1984). In the 1987 Halloween episode, "I Was A Middle Aged Werewolf," written and directed by Landon, the angel Jonathan Smith turns himself into a werewolf to scare off some bullies. Smith and his friend, Mark Gordon (Victor French) watch the movie on TV. Watching the werewolf, Mark tells Jonathan, "You know, this guy in the movie reminds me a lot of you. I mean, when he's a regular guy, not when he's got fuzz all over his face."

Happy Birthday, Michael Landon!