Johnny Lingo Cast, The Jets, and Other Mormon Celebs: Where They Are Now

Thanks to the movie Johnny Lingo, being called an eight-cow wife is now a compliment. This 1969 film has lived on in Mormon culture through the decades, and not surprisingly, seminary teachers and Young Men and Young Women leaders still show it to their youth. Johnny Lingo has been shown in various denominations throughout the world, not just in LDS churches in the United States.

In the film, Johnny Lingo’s village scorns Mahana, Moki’s ugly daughter, because she looks as if she “has a face like a stone.” But when Johnny Lingo pays eight cows for her hand in marriage, her confidence soars and her ugly-duckling feathers fall away to reveal a beautiful young woman. Lingo confesses that he gave eight cows for Mahana because he always loved her and wanted her to believe in herself. “Many things can happen to make a woman beautiful. But what matters most is what she thinks of herself,” Johnny says.

“I think that’s the underlying message that the film stresses,” says Naomi Wilson, who played the role of Mahana. “That’s such a simple message that seems to resonate with people of different cultures. I think that’s the most surprising dimension of this whole experience: the cross-cultural application of the message. I never had a clue that it would be a factor 42 years later.”

MAHANA

When Hawaii native Naomi Kahoilua Wilson was cast as Mahana, she had no idea that this small role would stay with her for the rest of her life. “I don’t think I understood or appreciated what I was experiencing at the time,” says Wilson. “I didn’t really understand what the Lord was trying to make of us.”

Naomi Wilson and her daughter.

In 1970, she married Brent Wilson and soon after moved to Spokane, Washington. She and her husband are the parents of three children. As a proficient pianist, she teaches classical piano to advanced students and annually gives firesides about Mahana and the importance of believing in oneself. “Mahana has almost become like a shadow sister,” says Wilson. “When I show up for these assignments, no one wants to meet Sister Wilson at first; they will call me Sister Mahana.”

JOHNNY LINGO

Makee K. Blaisdell grew up in Hawaii and graduated from Brigham Young University, but he quickly entered the world of television in California. He played small roles on many television series throughout the ’60s and ’70s, series like Daniel Boone, Iron Horse, and Star Trek. It is rumored that Blaisdell would have replaced Leonard Nimoy as Spock should Nimoy have left Star Trek after its second  season. But he is most notably known for his role as Johnny Lingo. Blaisdell passed away in 1988 in Ventura, California, at age 56.

MR. HARRIS

Francis L. Urry was already a staple name in the world of LDS entertainment in the ’60s when he was cast as the tradesman on Johnny Lingo’s island. He worked with KSL radio and television in Salt Lake City and was often one of the few professionally trained actors on the set of Church films. Before Johnny Lingo, Urry played the role of President Lorenzo Snow in the Church film Windows of Heaven. He was highly praised for his excellent portrayal of the prophet since he was considerably younger than President Snow. Urry passed away in 1985 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

MOKI

Joseph W. Ah Quin has long been a musical legend in Laie, Hawaii. Even though the character of Mahana’s father, Moki, is greedy and unloving, Ah Quin has shown his great love for the people of Hawaii through his voice. He has even sung at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Recently, he has been involved with the internationally known Ko'olauloa Childrens Chorus choir in Hawaii.

Watch the entire feature of Johnny Lingo on the Mormon Channel.

Though he’d been in the business for 15 years, toured with Donny and Marie Osmond, and even performed at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, all-around musician Walt Gregory struggled to make a living from his music in the mid-’80s. Even so, he and his colleagues in the Walter & Hays Band—Tony Summerhays, Dan Stephensen, and Cory Brown—never lacked for gigs. They were continually booked throughout Utah, gradually acquiring fans with their unique and comical approach to music and eccentric stage presence and costuming.

But when “Mormon Rap” hit the airwaves in 1988, new doors quickly opened for the Utah-based novelty band. The nationally syndicated Dr. Demento radio show started spinning the tune and, before long, record companies were showing interest. Soon, the band was invited to perform at the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon in Disneyland and a number of other fancy shindigs. The song, which gently razzes Mormon culture, became an instant cult classic in Utah, and eventually sold more than 95,000 cassettes worldwide.

Cassette cover of "Mormon Rap," from RateYourMusic.com.

In the following years, the band performed in exotic locations like the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Florida, as well as a number of major U.S. cities. But the band never amassed the same excitement for their other songs, including numbers about cold fusion and the rivalry between BYU and the University of Utah. In 1993, the group disbanded when Gregory decided he wanted to forge a new path on his own.

To this day, Gregory earns his living in a one-man show he performs at corporate events and private parties in Utah and as a jingle-writer.

“I’m in it for life,” says Gregory, who still occasionally performs with Summerhays.

“We’re pretty well best friends,” Gregory says, adding that they try to find ways to shake it up when they perform together.

Gregory also continues to shake it up on his own, with a new album soon to be available on iTunes featuring a dance version of “Mormon Rap” and a follow-up called “Mormon From Jamaica.”

For his part, Summerhays has also continued as a full-time professional entertainer. In June, he celebrated 40 years in the industry with a dance in Murray, Utah. He also enjoys the occasional fishing trip with his son Andrew, who has also been involved in music (and specifically the drums) while studying at Salt Lake Community College.

After the breakup of Walter & Hays, Brown became a supervisor for the Utah Transit Authority, and Stephensen toured with various performers throughout the United States and Europe and went on to become a featured performer at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002. In recent years, he has played with Utah-based Easy Street, and the George Dyer show in Branson, Missouri, and continues to freelance in percussion.

Watch a video of "Mormon Rap."

In 2000, Golf Digest placed William “Billy” Casper at number 15 on a list of the greatest golfers of all time. Playing through what some dub the “Golden Age” of golf along with the game’s “big three”—Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player— Casper carved out his own legendary status, becoming perhaps best known as an ace on the putting green.

Born in San Diego in 1931, Casper picked up golf as a child and went pro in 1955. By the mid-1970s, he had amassed an impressive collection of golf’s highest honors. He had 51 PGA Tour wins to his credit (a feat that still lands him seventh on the all-time list of winners), had registered 23 holes-in-one, and had twice been named PGA Player of the Year. He had won two U.S. Opens and a Masters and played for the United States in eight Ryder Cup tournaments, where he logged 23.5 points, still the best for an American player. He had captured the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average five times—second only to Tiger Woods—and had become the second golfer ever to bank $1 million in tour earnings.

Still, Casper went largely underrated by the general public, despite being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978 and the PGA Hall of Fame in 1982. Casper followed up his professional career with success on the senior PGA tour (now called the Champions Tour) throughout the 1980s. Casper’s last of nine wins on the senior circuit came in 1989. That same year he founded Billy

Casper Golf with business partners Peter Hill and Bob Morris, with the vision of offering sophisticated golf course management, design, and marketing services. The company has since grown to be the second largest golf course operator in the United States, managing facilities in 25 states.

In 1992, Casper founded Billy’s Kids, also known as the Billy Casper Youth Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports youth programming in Utah and California. Casper’s ongoing dedication to young people was instrumental in his being awarded the PGA Distinguished Service Award in 2010.

Today Casper lives in Springville, Utah, with Shirley, his wife of 60 years. He remains active in philanthropic work and enjoys spending time with his family—11 children, 34 grandchildren, and more than a dozen great-grandchildren. Golf still factors into Casper’s life; now 81, he hits the links occasionally, and his grandson Mason is an NCAA qualifying golfer at Utah Valley University. “He learned a lot from his dad—my son,” says Casper of his grandson’s golf talent. “But occasionally I’d put my finger into the mix.”

After years of hosting his own youth golf camps, Casper has turned to hosting charitable tournaments, participating in as many as 15 each year. He’s also been employed by Crystal Cruises for over a decade, having most recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise, where he lectured and played golf with the patrons. 2012 has been an especially busy year for Casper, with the release of his autobiography, The Big Three and Me, and the corresponding Victory 51 tour.

“I’m busier now today than I’ve ever been before, and I’m enjoying it more,” Casper said.

If you grew up listening to pop music in the ’80s, you’re sure to remember the catchy lyrics of The Jets. Eight of the 17 children of the Wolfgramm family were the original members of the band, and although the family moved many times throughout the United States while growing up, they stayed close to their Tongan and LDS roots. With so many children, the family always had plenty of members ready to join the band to make some psychedelic music.

“There was never a dull moment in the Wolfgramm house with so many personalities,” says Moana, the oldest of the family. The original eight members ranged from

The Jets topped the charts with their hits like “Crush on You,” “You Got It All,” and “Make It Real.” Their single “Rocket 2 U” was even nominated for a Grammy Award, and Disney’s cartoon Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers still features the original theme song sung by The Jets.

The band toured all over the world, making their mark on countries in Asia and Europe. They also frequently visited their homeland of the Kingdom of Tonga. In 1988, the members of the band began to break away when Eugene left The Jets to form a new duo called Boys Club. Eddie, Elizabeth, and Kathi also eventually left the band to pursue individual projects. Throughout the ’90s, the group continued to change as older members moved on and younger children joined the ranks.

In 1994, lead singer Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 22. After surgeries and medication, the cancer went into remission. The doctors sadly told Elizabeth that she would never be able to have children, but she soon married and miraculously has had six children with her husband, Mark Atuaia.

Later on, five younger members of the family created the soul group Twin City. A few of the sisters moved towards more religious music, and Elizabeth and Moana reunited to write a few songs for the 1995 Especially for Youth CD, Return with Honor. In 2006, sisters Elizabeth, Kathi, Moana, Jennifer, and Hinalei released a CD of religious music called My Sisters.

In 2010, the band announced that they would be having a 25th anniversary concert in their hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they were first discovered. They sang their original songs along with a few other ’80s classics. The band is currently working on its newest CD, Reunited, which features all of the original band members, five new arrangements of their best songs, and ten new songs. Even though most of the original members of the band are married and raising families of their own, they still carve time out of their busy schedules to make music and memories together.

Moana says, “I’ve learned that whether you are successful in the world’s eyes or not, if you know who you are, you will always be happy, and your music will always come from the heart.”

Born on a cattle ranch in the tiny town of Cokeville, Wyoming, in 1960, Stewart Petersen was just 14 years old when he landed his first starring role as Billy Coleman in the beloved family tale Where the Red Fern Grows. Though he had never previously considered acting, Petersen was intrigued when his uncle, who was producing the movie, prompted him to audition for the part.

“From there, it just sort of took off,” says Petersen, who went on to star in six other family features over the next seven years, including a memorable portrayal of Joseph Smith in The First Vision in 1976. But, by the end of his teens, Petersen grew weary of the limelight. He enjoyed the experience of making films but not the notoriety that accompanied it, so he opted for a more ordinary life.

Petersen served a mission in the Netherlands and attended school, playing football at Rick’s College and joining the wrestling team at Brigham Young University, where he studied business management.

“I knew I wanted to be my own boss,” says Petersen, and the prospect of a business partnership with his uncle drew him and his wife, Chemene, back to the little valley he was raised in before he could finish his studies. Capitalizing on his love for the great outdoors, Petersen created Magic Mountain Outfitters, a guide service for big game hunters and summer pack trips.

“To me, [nature] is more than just happenstance,” says Petersen, attributing the landscape to a divine creator. “I get a kick out of taking people into the mountains and letting them see that for themselves.”

This business remains Petersen’s love and hobby, but it doesn’t pay all the bills, he says, so he is also the owner and operator of a custom home-building company called Frontier Summer Homes.

Since returning to beautiful Cokeville in 1989, Petersen has relished the opportunity to raise his own six children in the quiet, predominantly LDS community, of which he has been an active part. He served first on the town council, where he played an instrumental role in establishing the town’s chamber of commerce, then became chamber of commerce president and chair of the economic development committee. He currently sits as a trustee-atlarge on the Lincoln County School Board.

Petersen also enjoys time with his children— three boys and three girls ranging in age from 12 to 28, including a newly 19-year-old son who has been called to serve a mission in Brazil.

Today, Petersen reflects fondly on his days of making movies, seeing the Lord’s hand in an acting past that has opened the door to missionary work.

“Acting was never something I aspired to,” Petersen says. “In essence, it pursued me, but through it I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people about the Church. It’s been a blessing in my life and, I hope, in the lives of many others.”