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60 Years Ago, the Star of ‘Rawhide’ Died While Filming a Forgotten ‘Wizard of Oz’ Show

‘Rawhide’ star Eric Fleming drowned in Peru while shooting a two-part episode of ‘Off to See the Wizard’ that was never completed.

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Eric Fleming first rose to prominence for playing Gil Favor on the CBS Western series Rawhide, alongside Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates. After seven seasons with the show, Fleming was fired, reportedly because the ratings had started to slip; he ended up landing very few other roles prior to his untimely death in 1966. That same year, Fleming had a part in the Doris Day comedy The Glass Bottom Boat and appeared in three episodes of........

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