Writer Mickell Seltzer dies at 91
Mickell worked on 'One Million, B.C.,' 'Turnabout'Variety
Mickell Seltzer, writer and wife of producer Walter Seltzer, died Jan. 22 of heart failure in Woodland Hills, Calif. She was 91.After graduating high school, she started her career in the story department at the Hal Roach Studio, where she collaborated on the screenplay for fantasy "One Million, B.C." starring Carole Landis and Victor Mature. Her other screenplay credited included Thorne Smith's "Turnabout" and a trio of other Thorne Smith (Topper) comedies.
She was married in 1938 to publicist-turned-producer Walter Seltzer. She became a writer of celebrity magazine stories, and then worked as a publicist for Warner Bros, working with stars including Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Humphrey Bogart, and Lauren Bacall.She was active in volunteer work for mental health organizations.She is survived by her husband of more than 70 years, Walter.
Arthur A. Jacobs -Veteran film salesman and movie and television producer Art Jacobs succumbed to congestive heart failure after many years of ill health. He put up a gallant battle.
A former World War II veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, he served with distinction in the European Theater and was always proud to do anything his country asked of him. He leaves behind his adored wife of 58 years, Paula; devoted son, Brian; sister, Edith (Sig) Schiff; brother, David (Shirley) Jacobs. He will also be missed by brother-in-law, Edward (Myrna) Ross. He will be fondly remembered by numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. One of his proudest moments during the war was helping to rescue the wounded from the Battle of the Bulge, flying them immediately to hospitals in the U.S. for treatment. It saved many lives. He was grateful to have been a small part of that special history. He leaves behind many friends and fond memories in and of the movie business that he loved. He always said, "I miss the peaceful days of WWII " and made everyone laugh. He produced the low budget horror film SHE DEMONS in 1958.
John Martyn released a series of critically acclaimed albums in the 1970s. The jazz and folk-influenced musician was known for songs like Solid Air and May You Never.
May You Never was covered by Eric Clapton. Phil Collins and Gilmore played on his 1993 compilation No Little Boy. A statement on his website on Thursday said: "With heavy heart and an unbearable sense of loss we must announce that John died this morning."
Born Ian David McGreachy in Surrey in 1948, he spent his many of his early years at his father's home in Glasgow following his parents' divorce, before moving to London in his late teens. Martyn released a series of critically acclaimed albums in the 1970s but always remained on the fringes of the mainstream music scene. "I don't think of myself as anything, I just lurch along from one thing to another," he said in a 1993 interview. He was made an OBE for his services to music in this year's Queen's New Year's Honours.
In a man's world, Frances (Francheska) Kavanaugh wrote more scripts for western movies than any woman in Hollywood, and more than only a handful of men.
Dubbed by her colleagues the "Cowgirl of the Typewriter," the blonde, blue-eyed Texan, a well-known writer during the 1940s at Monogram, PRC, United Artists and Eagle Lion Studio, passed away January 23, 2009, at her home in Encino, California, after a long battle with Lymphoma cancer.
Born February, 1915, in Dallas, Texas and raised in Houston, Frances grew up surrounded by ranchers and cowboys. Her mother, Robbie, known for her beauty, was a well known horsewoman. "My mother loved horses, and we rode a lot. That gave me the feeling for westerns. On Saturdays my little sister, Jane, and I attended movie matinees which almost always showed western double features and a western serial. So I was also raised with western movies."
In Houston, Frances graduated from San Jacinto High School and matriculated at the University of Texas, majoring in accounting. When the family moved to California, settling in Los Angeles, Frances and Jane enrolled in Max Reinhardt's workshop, a prestigious drama school where many movie stars had received training. To enhance the acting classes, Frances began writing sketches for herself and other classmates. "I was al ways good in English, and I loved to write poetry, so writing the monologues and sketches seemed very natural. Some of them were westerns. The actors loved them because they were tailored for each one."
Occasionally, Hollywood producers or directors came to watch the workshop productions, including Bob Tansey, a well-known producer and director of westerns. After watching an original dramatic scene, he asked to meet the writer. He was surprised to learn it had been written by a female, a lovely blonde from Texas. Nevertheless, he offered her a job with his production company at Monogram.
As Frances tells it, "In the beginning, I just polished scripts and worked on dialogue. One day I was working on a script for a western, typing away. But the script was so bad I couldn't do anything with it. When I stopped typing, Bob Tansey wanted to know why. I told him, 'This script is terrible. It's the worst thing I've ever read. I can't fix it.' He stared at me, and I thought he was going to fire me. Instead he said, 'Well, my criteria is that whoever criticizes a script has to be able to do it better, according to five people. So, let's see you do better.' I was glad for the chance. I took the script home, happy as a lark. I just knew I could do better. I worked on it all night, swinging like I was on the end of a lariat. The next morning Bob Tansey was astonished when I gave him almost 100 typed pages. He took the script to his office and read it while I waited on needles and pins. When at last he came back, he said, 'I 'm not going to show this to five judges,' and my heart sank. I was sure he hated it. The he added, 'This is why better than mine.' 'Yours?' I said. 'That's right,' he said, 'I wrote the other one. But from now on, you're my writer.'"
During the next few years, Frances wrote more than 30 westerns, tailoring her scripts to feature many western stars such as Tim McCoy, Johnny Carpenter, Tom Keene, Jimmy Wakely, Duncan Renaldo (The Cisco Kid), Eddie Dean, and Chief Thunder Cloud. She created the legendary Trail Blazers with Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele. It was Frances Kavanaugh who first put a whip in the hand of Lash LaRue.
"I developed a writing technique. I tailored each script to fit the location, the cast - especially the stars - and the budget. I wrote for certain stars, certain times and, above all, a certain audience: people who loved what were known as B-Westerns."
In addition to writing, she also co-produced many productions. An experienced accountant, she assisted in the picture's acco unting, as well as preparing shooting schedules. She was paid by the script, basically as a free lance writer. "Between writing for Monogram, primarily for Bob Tansey, I wrote for other studios. I wrote an outline for Columbia called "Reward" that brought me five times the money I made for writing Monogram scripts." In addition to westerns, she also scripted such feature films as Enchanted Valley and Outpost in Morocco, starring George Raft.
"Sam Bischoff of Columbia Pictures called me when they were ready to leave for shooting and still didn't have an acceptable shooting script. He asked me to see what I could do with the script. In less than a week I rewrote the script, and that's what they used for shooting. I got well paid for my work, but never received screen credit."
In 1950, in a short story writing class at Hollywood High's night school, she met Lt. Col. Robert L. Hecker, a WWII veteran of the Army Air Corps, who was then employed by the Mutual Broadcasting System and also writing televisi on and radio scripts free lance. The following year Robert and Frances were married. Some people at the wedding looked at the vivacious Frances and the dashing Air Corp veteran and said it would never last. 58 years later they were still married.
During the early years of their marriage, they collaborated in writing television scripts for productions by the Disney Studio, Four Star Productions, Goldwyn Studios, and KABC television. After their first child, a daughter, Robbie Jane, was born, then a son, Robert Kavanaugh, Frances put aside writing to concentrate on raising her family. By then her husband, Robert, had left Mutual Broadcasting to write free lance full time, writing novels as well as for television and documentary films. France's interest in helping disadvantaged children led her and her husband, Robert, to become foster parents to Rosario, a 13 year old girl from Mexico, the same age as their daughter Robbie-Jane.
Over the years Rose became a citizen and part of the family, eventually a ttending universities with Robbie-Jane, Robert K. and, yes, Frances. When her children began their college careers, Frances - who had always been active in education - enrolled at California State University, Northridge, where she achieved an A.A. in Photojournalism. She had also become an accomplished artist, and during the next few years received a B.A. in Art. She then turned her agile mind to psychology, and after receiving a Masters Degree in Psychology, she worked for several years in art therapy for dysfunctional children. In 1997 the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, honored Frances' pioneering work in western motion pictures with a gala reception. Today a unique display at the museum features some of the western clothes she wore while working at Monogram, a selection of her scripts and press material, and her old L.S. Smith typewriter.
In 1998, Frances and Robert were invited to the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, where Frances was honored with a lifetime achievemen t award. A year later Frances was honored at a Reel Cowboys' Awards banquet with a unique granite plaque etched with her likeness by the famous western artist, Katie West. And the following year, she was presented with a special Lifetime Achievement Award by the Southern California Motion Picture Council in recognition of her volume of historical work as a writer of western motion pictures seen around the world.
Frances is survived by her husband, Robert L. Hecker; her daughter, Robbie-Jane Wedeen , and ESL teacher at Van Nuys High School; her son, Robert K. Persson-Hecker, President of the Borrmann Metal Center in Burbank; Rose Saldona-Newberry, an R.N. in Florida; four grandchildren; as well as her sister, Jane Borrmann, CEO of the Borrmann Metal Center. Private services are to be held at Forest Lawn. (LA Daily news)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
2009
Honky-tonk entertainer Billy Brown dies By RICK DE YAMPERT Entertainment writer
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- When local country singer Billy Brown heard a Jim Reeves song on his car radio in 1960 -- a song that sounded suspiciously like one he had recorded -- Brown crashed his car on Turnbull Bay Road.
Disillusioned, Brown "got saved on the roadside that night," said his wife, Jan. Brown mothballed his dreams of country music stardom and hit the road as an itinerant evangelist.
After seven years of preaching, Brown "backslid" into music again, Jan said. He returned here and became, along with his brother Tommy, one of Volusia County's most popular honky-tonk entertainers in the 1970s, before retiring in 1993.Brown, 79, died Saturday at his home in New Smyrna Beach with Jan, his wife of 17 years, by his side. Brown had battled emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for many years.
Brown (whose full name was William George Brown) told The News-Journal in 1977 that he had "signed a contract with the Grand Ole Opry and was headed for Nashville when the Korean War broke out."After serving in the military in Korea, Brown returned to the area and to country music. He recorded a version of the song "He'll Have to Go" for Columbia Records, "but Columbia just didn't push it." Country legend Jim Reeves recorded the same song and scored a career-defining hit with it in 1960.
"But Billy put the low note in it that made the song," Jan Brown said. "Jim Reeves did it exactly like Billy's version, except for the last few bars."
After his traveling preacher days and return to country music, Brown suffered a stroke in 1983. He recovered and continued singing, but he no longer could play guitar. Jan became Brown's sixth wife when they married in August 1991, five weeks after she first met him as he performed at an area nightclub."He never met a stranger," Jan said. "I loved him not because of the music. We were on the same wavelength. We shared everything."
"Lost in Space" Actor Has Died Posted Jan 18th 2009 4:08PM by TMZ Staff
Bob May -- who played the robot in "Lost in Space" -- died early this morning at the Lancaster Community Hospital in California. A rep for Bob said he was taken to the hospital on Friday, and died at around 3 AM this morning of congestive heart failure. Back in November, Bob had a stroke soon after a fire consumed his California home. Patricia Arthur, May's long time friend and agent, "Asks all his fans to take a moment of silence as one of Science Fiction's greatest has passed. Family and friends will miss him dearly." Bob was 69.
Producer Charles H. Schneer dies Hollywood vet worked with Ray Harryhausen By VARIETY STAFF
Producer Charles H. Schneer, who worked with Ray Harryhausen on films including "Jason and the Argonauts," died Jan. 21 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 88. Schneer started out at Columbia's B-picture unit, producing Harryhausen's special effects-laden films including "It Came From Beneath the Sea," box office hit "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers" and "20 Million Miles to Earth." He also produced films including "Hellcats of the Navy" and "Face of a Fugitive."
Convincing Harryhausen to work in color, Schneer produced their biggest hit of the 1950s, "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad." They continued with Columbia sci fi titles including "The Three Worlds of Gulliver," "Mysterious Island" and the influential "Jason and the Argonauts," while Schneer remembered as his favorite title of the collaboration. Schneer continued as an independent producer in London, shepherding films including "Half a Sixpence" and "The Executioner." He reteamed with Harryhausen on "The Valley of Gwangi," "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad," "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" and their final film, the bigger-budget "Clash of the Titans" for Universal. Born in Norfolk, Va., Schneer graduated Columbia University and made training films while serving in the Signal Corps during WWII. He was an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was Chairman of the London Events Committee from 1989-1998. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Shirley, two daughters; three grandchildren and four great grandchildren and a sister.
‘Wales’ greatest guitarist’ Mickey Gee diesJan 23 2009
by Nathan Bevan, Western Mail
TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to a rock musician dubbed “the best guitarist ever to come out of Wales”.Mickey Gee, who had played alongside such famous Welsh exports as Tom Jones, Dave Edmunds and Shakin’ Stevens during his lengthy career, passed away at the University Hospital of Wales on Wednesday morning, aged 64, following a long battle with emphysema.
Last night influential Welsh music industry figures paid tribute to the man best known to many for his distinctive work on Edmunds’ 1970 Christmas number one I Hear You Knockin’ and Stevens’ 1980s’ hits like Green Door.Kingsley Ward of the Rockfield Studios, near Monmouth, said: “He was purely a great guitar player, very individual.“Whenever I met famous people back then, they often asked me about Mickey Gee. He never received the acknowledgment of his true ability and was the unsung hero of Welsh guitar playing.”
Former Amen Corner guitarist Andy Fairweather Low said: “He was there doing it before all of us. Anyone who knows anything about music knows and respects Mickey Gee.”BBC Radio Wales presenter Owen Money said: “He was one of the greatest guitarists Wales has ever produced.”
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- When local country singer Billy Brown heard a Jim Reeves song on his car radio in 1960 -- a song that sounded suspiciously like one he had recorded -- Brown crashed his car on Turnbull Bay Road.
Disillusioned, Brown "got saved on the roadside that night," said his wife, Jan. Brown mothballed his dreams of country music stardom and hit the road as an itinerant evangelist.
After seven years of preaching, Brown "backslid" into music again, Jan said. He returned here and became, along with his brother Tommy, one of Volusia County's most popular honky-tonk entertainers in the 1970s, before retiring in 1993.Brown, 79, died Saturday at his home in New Smyrna Beach with Jan, his wife of 17 years, by his side. Brown had battled emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for many years.
Brown (whose full name was William George Brown) told The News-Journal in 1977 that he had "signed a contract with the Grand Ole Opry and was headed for Nashville when the Korean War broke out."After serving in the military in Korea, Brown returned to the area and to country music. He recorded a version of the song "He'll Have to Go" for Columbia Records, "but Columbia just didn't push it." Country legend Jim Reeves recorded the same song and scored a career-defining hit with it in 1960.
"But Billy put the low note in it that made the song," Jan Brown said. "Jim Reeves did it exactly like Billy's version, except for the last few bars."
After his traveling preacher days and return to country music, Brown suffered a stroke in 1983. He recovered and continued singing, but he no longer could play guitar. Jan became Brown's sixth wife when they married in August 1991, five weeks after she first met him as he performed at an area nightclub."He never met a stranger," Jan said. "I loved him not because of the music. We were on the same wavelength. We shared everything."
"Lost in Space" Actor Has Died Posted Jan 18th 2009 4:08PM by TMZ Staff
Bob May -- who played the robot in "Lost in Space" -- died early this morning at the Lancaster Community Hospital in California. A rep for Bob said he was taken to the hospital on Friday, and died at around 3 AM this morning of congestive heart failure. Back in November, Bob had a stroke soon after a fire consumed his California home. Patricia Arthur, May's long time friend and agent, "Asks all his fans to take a moment of silence as one of Science Fiction's greatest has passed. Family and friends will miss him dearly." Bob was 69.
Producer Charles H. Schneer dies Hollywood vet worked with Ray Harryhausen By VARIETY STAFF
Producer Charles H. Schneer, who worked with Ray Harryhausen on films including "Jason and the Argonauts," died Jan. 21 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 88. Schneer started out at Columbia's B-picture unit, producing Harryhausen's special effects-laden films including "It Came From Beneath the Sea," box office hit "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers" and "20 Million Miles to Earth." He also produced films including "Hellcats of the Navy" and "Face of a Fugitive."
Convincing Harryhausen to work in color, Schneer produced their biggest hit of the 1950s, "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad." They continued with Columbia sci fi titles including "The Three Worlds of Gulliver," "Mysterious Island" and the influential "Jason and the Argonauts," while Schneer remembered as his favorite title of the collaboration. Schneer continued as an independent producer in London, shepherding films including "Half a Sixpence" and "The Executioner." He reteamed with Harryhausen on "The Valley of Gwangi," "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad," "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" and their final film, the bigger-budget "Clash of the Titans" for Universal. Born in Norfolk, Va., Schneer graduated Columbia University and made training films while serving in the Signal Corps during WWII. He was an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was Chairman of the London Events Committee from 1989-1998. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Shirley, two daughters; three grandchildren and four great grandchildren and a sister.
‘Wales’ greatest guitarist’ Mickey Gee diesJan 23 2009
by Nathan Bevan, Western Mail
TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to a rock musician dubbed “the best guitarist ever to come out of Wales”.Mickey Gee, who had played alongside such famous Welsh exports as Tom Jones, Dave Edmunds and Shakin’ Stevens during his lengthy career, passed away at the University Hospital of Wales on Wednesday morning, aged 64, following a long battle with emphysema.
Last night influential Welsh music industry figures paid tribute to the man best known to many for his distinctive work on Edmunds’ 1970 Christmas number one I Hear You Knockin’ and Stevens’ 1980s’ hits like Green Door.Kingsley Ward of the Rockfield Studios, near Monmouth, said: “He was purely a great guitar player, very individual.“Whenever I met famous people back then, they often asked me about Mickey Gee. He never received the acknowledgment of his true ability and was the unsung hero of Welsh guitar playing.”
Former Amen Corner guitarist Andy Fairweather Low said: “He was there doing it before all of us. Anyone who knows anything about music knows and respects Mickey Gee.”BBC Radio Wales presenter Owen Money said: “He was one of the greatest guitarists Wales has ever produced.”
Thursday, January 15, 2009
still more 09
Ricardo Montalban dies at 88; 'Fantasy Island' actor
Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times
Montalban suffered from a painful spinal condition in his old age, but remained active in trying to raise the profile of Latinos in Hollywood.
He was often cast -- and stereotyped -- as a Latin lover and later was best known as Mr. Roarke of 'Fantasy Island.' He was respected for his work to improve the roles and image of other Latino actors.
By Lorenza Muñoz January 15, 2009
Ricardo Montalban, the suave leading man who was one of the first Mexican-born actors to make it big in Hollywood and who was best known for his role as Mr. Roarke on TV's "Fantasy Island," has died. He was 88.Montalban died Wednesday morning at his Los Angeles home of complications related to old age, said his son-in-law, Gilbert Smith.
Within the entertainment industry, Montalban was widely respected for his efforts to create opportunities for Latinos, although he and others believed that his activism hurt his career. In 1970, he founded the nonprofit Nosotros Foundation to improve the image and increase employment of Latinos in Hollywood."He paved the way for being outspoken about the images and roles that Latinos were playing in movies," said Luis Reyes, co-author of "Hispanics in Hollywood" (2000).On Wednesday, actor Edward James Olmos called Montalban "one of the true giants of arts and culture."
"He was a stellar artist and a consummate person and performer with a tremendous understanding of culture . . . and the ability to express it in his work," Olmos told The Times.
Montalban was already a star of Mexican movies in the 1940s when MGM cast him as a bullfighter opposite Esther Williams in "Fiesta" and put him under contract. He would go on to appear alongside such movie greats as Clark Gable and Lana Turner.
When major film roles dried up for him in the 1970s, he turned to stage and eventually TV, where he was familiar to millions as the mysterious host whose signature line, “Welcome to Fantasy Island,” opened the hit ABC show that aired from 1978 to 1984.
While "Fantasy Island" was renewing Montalban's career and giving him financial stability, he also won an Emmy for his performance as Chief Satangkai in the 1978 ABC miniseries "How the West Was Won."
In the 1970s and '80s, Montalban was also familiar to TV viewers as a commercial spokesman for Chrysler. He was later widely spoofed for his silky allusion to the “soft Corinthian leather” of the Chrysler Cordoba, although no such leather existed.
While making "Fantasy Island," Montalban also gave one of his best movie performances -- as Khan Noonien Singh in the “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), a follow-up to a beloved 1967 “Star Trek” television episode that also featured Montalban.
New Yorker magazine critic Pauline Kael said Montalban's performance as Khan "was the only validation he has ever had of his power to command the big screen."
Born Nov. 25, 1920, in Mexico City, Montalban was the youngest of four children of Castilian Spaniards who had immigrated in 1906 to the city, where Montalban's father owned a dry goods store.Montalban came to Los Angeles as a teenager with his oldest brother, Carlos, who had lived in the city and worked for the studios.
"I felt as if I knew California already, because of the movies," Montalban said in "Reflections: A Life in Two Worlds," the 1980 autobiography he wrote with Bob Thomas.Montalban studied English at Fairfax High School, where an MGM talent scout noticed him in a student play. He was offered a screen test, but his brother advised him against taking it and took him on a business trip to New York City.The handsome Montalban soon found himself the star of a short film that was made to play on a screen atop a jukebox. That three-minute movie, which debuted at the Hurricane Bar in midtown Manhattan, led to small roles in plays.
When his mother's illness took him back to Mexico, Montalban got a one-line role in a parody of "The Three Musketeers," starring Cantinflas. Around that time, he also met Georgiana Belzer, a model and Loretta Young's sister, whom he married in 1944. She died in 2007.
Montalban intended to stay in Mexico, where his film career was taking off, but MGM wanted him for "Fiesta." In the 1947 musical, he had a memorable dance scene with a young Cyd Charisse."
Fiesta" led to a contract at MGM, where he had a friendly rivalry with Fernando Lamas -- later Williams' husband off-screen -- as the studio's resident "Latin lovers." Bill Murray immortalized the duel between the two men with his classic "Saturday Night Live" skit, "Quien es mas macho, Fernando Lamas o Ricardo Montalban?"
David "Fathead" Newman(February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009)
David “Fathead" Newman was born in Corsicana, Texas on February 24, 1933. His family soon moved to Dallas, where they settled and David stayed through graduating Lincoln High School.
After school, David found gigs in local bands. He received a scholarship to Jarvis Christian College where he studied theology and music. After two years of college, David decided to go on the road full time with Buster Smith (Charlie Parker's mentor). The band played lots of one-nighters and dance halls, touring Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and sometimes California. On one of those tours, David met Ray Charles. Ray was working as a sideman with another group on the night's roster. They immediately bonded, both musically and as friends. When Ray started his own band, he called on David to be part of his group. In 1954, David began a twelve year association with the Ray Charles Band. David began as the baritone player and soon became the star tenor soloist.
In 1959, David recorded his first album as a leader titled, “Fathead: Ray Charles Presents 'Fathead'" on Atlantic records. It included Newman's dramatic and now famous rendition of Hard Times. He returned to Dallas for a short time and led his own bands. Then he moved to New York City where his career took off in many directions. Newman recorded many albums for Atlantic records, as well as Warner Brothers and Prestige. During this time in NYC, David gigged with Lee Morgan, Kenny Drew Sr., Billy Higgins, Kenny Dorham and so many other of the great jazz musicians hanging out on the New York scene. He gigged around the East Coast with his own quartet and soon began touring Europe and Japan as a leader.
As a studio musician he was very busy working on lots of recording projects with the likes of Herbie Mann, Aretha Franklin, Hank Crawford, Aaron Neville, to name a few. After meeting at a studio session, David joined forces with Herbie Mann during “The Family of Mann" era. Cal Tjader (later Roy Ayres) were part of this outstanding group. It was now time for David Newman to focus on his personal choices and let the public know more about the music that he chose to play. In 1980, Newman, determined to pursue his own musical identity, recorded several mainstream jazz albums for the Muse label.
Artists such as Cedar Walton, Jimmy Cobb, Buster Williams, Louis Hayes, and other fine NY musicians, helped round out the rhythm sections. David returned to Atlantic Records in the late eighties to record several albums. One of he recordings was done live at the Village Vanguard in NYC, featuring Stanley Turrentine and Hank Crawford. Newman's next recordings were on the Kokopelli label. This was a new label owned by Herbie Mann. David recorded a beautiful CD in tribute to Duke Ellington, titled Mr. Gentle, Mr. Cool. David produced the next one on Kokopelli, titled Under A Woodstock Moon. The late 1990's brought David to the High Note label where he has recorded six successful CDs. The most recent, I Remember Brother Ray, was released in January 2005 and became the #1 Most Played Jazz Album nationwide. In 2004, the academy Award-winning biopic "Ray" featured Newman as a key figure in Ray Charles' life. ...Actor Bokeem Woodbine portrayed Newman in the film.
David Newman has appeared on many television shows including Saturday Night Live, David Sanborn's Night Music, David Letterman, and various featured news segments. David appeared in Robert Altman's film Kansas City and did a national tour with the Kansas City Orchestra, for Verve Records. David “Fathead” Newman succumbed to pancreatic cancer yesterday, Tuesday January 20, 2009. He was 75.
From the Los Angeles Times PASSINGS
January 21, 2009 Russell Zink Father in 'Hardy Boys'
Russell Zink, 95, who under the stage name Russ Conway appeared in scores of films and television shows in the 1950s, '60s and '70s but was perhaps best known for playing Fenton Hardy, the father of Frank and Joe Hardy on "The Hardy Boys," which was part of Walt Disney's "The Mickey Mouse Club" TV program, died Jan 12 in Laguna Woods, family members said.
Zink was born April 25, 1913, in Brandon, Canada. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1937 at UCLA. Years later, he earned a master's in theater arts from UCLA and a teaching credential. During World War II, he was in an Army special services unit. For several months, he was entertainment director at Ft. Ord before serving in the Philippines and, at the end of the war, in Japan, where he worked as a producer and announcer for Armed Forces Radio.
He started acting in Hollywood in 1947. His film appearances included "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949), "War of the Worlds" (1953), "Love Me Tender" (1956) and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" (1962). His television guest spots included roles on "The Fugitive," "Mod Squad," "Barnaby Jones," "Mission Impossible," "Sea Hunt" and "The Untouchables." The Hardy Boys series, which ran on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1956 and 1957, featured Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk as the sleuthing teenage brothers and was based on the series of novels aimed at youths.
Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times
Montalban suffered from a painful spinal condition in his old age, but remained active in trying to raise the profile of Latinos in Hollywood.
He was often cast -- and stereotyped -- as a Latin lover and later was best known as Mr. Roarke of 'Fantasy Island.' He was respected for his work to improve the roles and image of other Latino actors.
By Lorenza Muñoz January 15, 2009
Ricardo Montalban, the suave leading man who was one of the first Mexican-born actors to make it big in Hollywood and who was best known for his role as Mr. Roarke on TV's "Fantasy Island," has died. He was 88.Montalban died Wednesday morning at his Los Angeles home of complications related to old age, said his son-in-law, Gilbert Smith.
Within the entertainment industry, Montalban was widely respected for his efforts to create opportunities for Latinos, although he and others believed that his activism hurt his career. In 1970, he founded the nonprofit Nosotros Foundation to improve the image and increase employment of Latinos in Hollywood."He paved the way for being outspoken about the images and roles that Latinos were playing in movies," said Luis Reyes, co-author of "Hispanics in Hollywood" (2000).On Wednesday, actor Edward James Olmos called Montalban "one of the true giants of arts and culture."
"He was a stellar artist and a consummate person and performer with a tremendous understanding of culture . . . and the ability to express it in his work," Olmos told The Times.
Montalban was already a star of Mexican movies in the 1940s when MGM cast him as a bullfighter opposite Esther Williams in "Fiesta" and put him under contract. He would go on to appear alongside such movie greats as Clark Gable and Lana Turner.
When major film roles dried up for him in the 1970s, he turned to stage and eventually TV, where he was familiar to millions as the mysterious host whose signature line, “Welcome to Fantasy Island,” opened the hit ABC show that aired from 1978 to 1984.
While "Fantasy Island" was renewing Montalban's career and giving him financial stability, he also won an Emmy for his performance as Chief Satangkai in the 1978 ABC miniseries "How the West Was Won."
In the 1970s and '80s, Montalban was also familiar to TV viewers as a commercial spokesman for Chrysler. He was later widely spoofed for his silky allusion to the “soft Corinthian leather” of the Chrysler Cordoba, although no such leather existed.
While making "Fantasy Island," Montalban also gave one of his best movie performances -- as Khan Noonien Singh in the “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), a follow-up to a beloved 1967 “Star Trek” television episode that also featured Montalban.
New Yorker magazine critic Pauline Kael said Montalban's performance as Khan "was the only validation he has ever had of his power to command the big screen."
Born Nov. 25, 1920, in Mexico City, Montalban was the youngest of four children of Castilian Spaniards who had immigrated in 1906 to the city, where Montalban's father owned a dry goods store.Montalban came to Los Angeles as a teenager with his oldest brother, Carlos, who had lived in the city and worked for the studios.
"I felt as if I knew California already, because of the movies," Montalban said in "Reflections: A Life in Two Worlds," the 1980 autobiography he wrote with Bob Thomas.Montalban studied English at Fairfax High School, where an MGM talent scout noticed him in a student play. He was offered a screen test, but his brother advised him against taking it and took him on a business trip to New York City.The handsome Montalban soon found himself the star of a short film that was made to play on a screen atop a jukebox. That three-minute movie, which debuted at the Hurricane Bar in midtown Manhattan, led to small roles in plays.
When his mother's illness took him back to Mexico, Montalban got a one-line role in a parody of "The Three Musketeers," starring Cantinflas. Around that time, he also met Georgiana Belzer, a model and Loretta Young's sister, whom he married in 1944. She died in 2007.
Montalban intended to stay in Mexico, where his film career was taking off, but MGM wanted him for "Fiesta." In the 1947 musical, he had a memorable dance scene with a young Cyd Charisse."
Fiesta" led to a contract at MGM, where he had a friendly rivalry with Fernando Lamas -- later Williams' husband off-screen -- as the studio's resident "Latin lovers." Bill Murray immortalized the duel between the two men with his classic "Saturday Night Live" skit, "Quien es mas macho, Fernando Lamas o Ricardo Montalban?"
David "Fathead" Newman(February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009)
David “Fathead" Newman was born in Corsicana, Texas on February 24, 1933. His family soon moved to Dallas, where they settled and David stayed through graduating Lincoln High School.
After school, David found gigs in local bands. He received a scholarship to Jarvis Christian College where he studied theology and music. After two years of college, David decided to go on the road full time with Buster Smith (Charlie Parker's mentor). The band played lots of one-nighters and dance halls, touring Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and sometimes California. On one of those tours, David met Ray Charles. Ray was working as a sideman with another group on the night's roster. They immediately bonded, both musically and as friends. When Ray started his own band, he called on David to be part of his group. In 1954, David began a twelve year association with the Ray Charles Band. David began as the baritone player and soon became the star tenor soloist.
In 1959, David recorded his first album as a leader titled, “Fathead: Ray Charles Presents 'Fathead'" on Atlantic records. It included Newman's dramatic and now famous rendition of Hard Times. He returned to Dallas for a short time and led his own bands. Then he moved to New York City where his career took off in many directions. Newman recorded many albums for Atlantic records, as well as Warner Brothers and Prestige. During this time in NYC, David gigged with Lee Morgan, Kenny Drew Sr., Billy Higgins, Kenny Dorham and so many other of the great jazz musicians hanging out on the New York scene. He gigged around the East Coast with his own quartet and soon began touring Europe and Japan as a leader.
As a studio musician he was very busy working on lots of recording projects with the likes of Herbie Mann, Aretha Franklin, Hank Crawford, Aaron Neville, to name a few. After meeting at a studio session, David joined forces with Herbie Mann during “The Family of Mann" era. Cal Tjader (later Roy Ayres) were part of this outstanding group. It was now time for David Newman to focus on his personal choices and let the public know more about the music that he chose to play. In 1980, Newman, determined to pursue his own musical identity, recorded several mainstream jazz albums for the Muse label.
Artists such as Cedar Walton, Jimmy Cobb, Buster Williams, Louis Hayes, and other fine NY musicians, helped round out the rhythm sections. David returned to Atlantic Records in the late eighties to record several albums. One of he recordings was done live at the Village Vanguard in NYC, featuring Stanley Turrentine and Hank Crawford. Newman's next recordings were on the Kokopelli label. This was a new label owned by Herbie Mann. David recorded a beautiful CD in tribute to Duke Ellington, titled Mr. Gentle, Mr. Cool. David produced the next one on Kokopelli, titled Under A Woodstock Moon. The late 1990's brought David to the High Note label where he has recorded six successful CDs. The most recent, I Remember Brother Ray, was released in January 2005 and became the #1 Most Played Jazz Album nationwide. In 2004, the academy Award-winning biopic "Ray" featured Newman as a key figure in Ray Charles' life. ...Actor Bokeem Woodbine portrayed Newman in the film.
David Newman has appeared on many television shows including Saturday Night Live, David Sanborn's Night Music, David Letterman, and various featured news segments. David appeared in Robert Altman's film Kansas City and did a national tour with the Kansas City Orchestra, for Verve Records. David “Fathead” Newman succumbed to pancreatic cancer yesterday, Tuesday January 20, 2009. He was 75.
From the Los Angeles Times PASSINGS
January 21, 2009 Russell Zink Father in 'Hardy Boys'
Russell Zink, 95, who under the stage name Russ Conway appeared in scores of films and television shows in the 1950s, '60s and '70s but was perhaps best known for playing Fenton Hardy, the father of Frank and Joe Hardy on "The Hardy Boys," which was part of Walt Disney's "The Mickey Mouse Club" TV program, died Jan 12 in Laguna Woods, family members said.
Zink was born April 25, 1913, in Brandon, Canada. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1937 at UCLA. Years later, he earned a master's in theater arts from UCLA and a teaching credential. During World War II, he was in an Army special services unit. For several months, he was entertainment director at Ft. Ord before serving in the Philippines and, at the end of the war, in Japan, where he worked as a producer and announcer for Armed Forces Radio.
He started acting in Hollywood in 1947. His film appearances included "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949), "War of the Worlds" (1953), "Love Me Tender" (1956) and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" (1962). His television guest spots included roles on "The Fugitive," "Mod Squad," "Barnaby Jones," "Mission Impossible," "Sea Hunt" and "The Untouchables." The Hardy Boys series, which ran on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1956 and 1957, featured Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk as the sleuthing teenage brothers and was based on the series of novels aimed at youths.
Secret Agent
Patrick McGoohan, TV's 'Secret Agent' and 'Prisoner,' dies
The British actor, 80, often played villains on TV and in movies. But he gained his greatest fame as the TV spy John Drake. He also won two Emmys for 'Columbo.'
By Dennis McLellan 9:57 AM PST, January 14, 2009
Patrick McGoohan, an Emmy Award-winning actor who starred as a British spy in the 1960s TV series "Secret Agent" and "The Prisoner" and was known for playing various villainous roles in films and on television, has died. He was 80.
McGoohan died peacefully Tuesday in St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica after a short illness, said Cleve Landsberg, McGoohan's son-in-law. The family did not provide further details.
It was the height of James Bond mania in 1965 when McGoohan showed up on American TV screens in "Secret Agent," a British-produced series in which he played John Drake, a special security agent working as a spy for the British government.
The hour-long series, which ran on CBS until 1966, was an expanded version of “Danger Man,” a short-lived, half-hour series on CBS in 1961 in which McGoohan played the same character.
But it was McGoohan's next British-produced series, “The Prisoner,” on CBS in 1968 and 1969, that became a cult classic.
Once described in The Times as an "espionage tale as crafted by Kafka," "The Prisoner" starred McGoohan as a British agent who, after resigning his post, is abducted and held captive by unknown powers in a mysterious village, where he known only as No. 6.
McGoohan created and executive-produced the series, which ran for only 17 episodes. He also wrote and directed several episodes.
Among the memorable villains he played on screen was England's sadistic King Edward I in Mel Gibson's 1995 film "Braveheart."As a guest star on TV's "Columbo, McGoohan won Emmys in 1975 and 1990.
The British actor, 80, often played villains on TV and in movies. But he gained his greatest fame as the TV spy John Drake. He also won two Emmys for 'Columbo.'
By Dennis McLellan 9:57 AM PST, January 14, 2009
Patrick McGoohan, an Emmy Award-winning actor who starred as a British spy in the 1960s TV series "Secret Agent" and "The Prisoner" and was known for playing various villainous roles in films and on television, has died. He was 80.
McGoohan died peacefully Tuesday in St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica after a short illness, said Cleve Landsberg, McGoohan's son-in-law. The family did not provide further details.
It was the height of James Bond mania in 1965 when McGoohan showed up on American TV screens in "Secret Agent," a British-produced series in which he played John Drake, a special security agent working as a spy for the British government.
The hour-long series, which ran on CBS until 1966, was an expanded version of “Danger Man,” a short-lived, half-hour series on CBS in 1961 in which McGoohan played the same character.
But it was McGoohan's next British-produced series, “The Prisoner,” on CBS in 1968 and 1969, that became a cult classic.
Once described in The Times as an "espionage tale as crafted by Kafka," "The Prisoner" starred McGoohan as a British agent who, after resigning his post, is abducted and held captive by unknown powers in a mysterious village, where he known only as No. 6.
McGoohan created and executive-produced the series, which ran for only 17 episodes. He also wrote and directed several episodes.
Among the memorable villains he played on screen was England's sadistic King Edward I in Mel Gibson's 1995 film "Braveheart."As a guest star on TV's "Columbo, McGoohan won Emmys in 1975 and 1990.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
more 09
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Actor Brad Sullivan, died of cancer New Year's Eve.
Sullivan (1931-2008), a Chicago-born Korean War vet, enjoyed a successful career that included stage (six Broadway plays, five Off-Broadway), many movies, and dozens of TV appearances, not including his two series roles: As Zollicofer Weed, a coach, in "I'll Fly Away" (1991-92) and Father Leo, a priest, in "Nothing Sacred" (1997-98).
Kevin Anderson, who starred in the latter, also appeared with Sullivan in the 1989 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams's Orpheus Descending (later televised). Anderson played the male lead, Val Xavier; Sullivan was Jabe, the husband of Lady Torrance (Vanessa Redgrave).
Sullivan's movies included "The Sting," "Slap Shot," "The Untouchables," "The Prince of Tides," and "The Fantasticks" (in which he and Joel Grey played the fathers). Sullivan's last role was in a 2000 "Law & Order" episode.
His Broadway debut was in 1977's The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. For Working, Sullivan earned a Drama Desk nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Other Broadway credits: The Wake of Jamey Foster, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, On the Waterfront.Brad liked to share stories about his films.
After shooting "Ghost Story," Fred Astaire's final film, Brad recalled that, during on-location meals, the legendary performer (who seemingly ate little) always encouraged Brad to take food from his plate.
Speaking of "The Untouchables" scene where Al Capone (Robert DeNiro) circles a table of mobsters (one of them, Sullivan) and suddenly bashes-in an offender's skull with a baseball bat, Brad was astonished that the actors' tuxedos (seen only from the waist up and splattered with fake blood), each cost $1,500.
Unlike some "Prince of Tides" colleagues, Brad got along well with star-director Barbra Streisand. But he was never quite sure if the contents of a can of dog food that Kate Nelligan (playing his wife) served him was the real thing. Brad said that an actor should never question a director, and that it had tasted okay, whatever its pedigree.
Whenever I interviewed an actor who had worked with Brad Sullivan, he or she liked the man, and admired his talent. That's how I shall remember my friend. Bravo, Brad!
John Scott Martin
Published Monday 12 January 2009 at 14:30 by Catriona Martin
My father John Scott Martin had an acting career that spanned half a century and included West End musicals, the Monty Python films and even a role as chief Dalek in Doctor Who.
Born in Toxteth, Liverpool, on April 1, 1926, his first performanceswere as a chorister at St Philemon’s church.After active service with the Gordon Highlanders, he joined theLiverpool Grand Opera Company. A professional panto at the Liverpool Empire would start an acting career that lasted more than 50 years.
He performed in West End shows, such as Kismet, Oliver! and The Streetsof London, and played the rabbi opposite Topol in Fiddler on the Roofat Manchester Opera House.
John worked in the early days on live television. He appeared in more than 110 episodes of Doctor Who and as the chief Dalek, attempted to exterminate the first five doctors.
In film, John worked with Monty Python in Eric the Viking and TheMeaning of Life, he appeared in Little Shop of Horrors and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. His characterful face made him perfect for the retiring 192 in the 118 118 commercial and his final role was as Rico in Mine All Mine for Red Productions.
John lived in Great Maplestead, where he was church warden and school governor and, as he loved people, he enjoyed village life. As he bravely battled Parkinson’s disease, cared for by his devoted wife Margaret, he took great pleasure in following and supporting my acting career. He passed away peacefully, aged 82, on January 6. A perfect gentleman, warm, kind and funny, he will be missed by so many.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090108/NEWS01/901080344/1
Alvin Ganzer, who directed hundreds of movies and television shows, including "Hawaii Five-0" and "Hawaiian Eye," died Jan. 3 in Po'ipu, Kaua'i. He was 97.
Ganzer was born in Cold Springs, Minn., and moved to California at an early age. Desperate for work during the Great Depression, the young Ganzer took a job in the casting department at Paramount Pictures in 1932. Murial Ganzer said her husband wouldn't have gotten that job if not for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to stimulate the economy by forcing the major movie studios to hire young people. "I don't think he made $35 a month because nobody made any money those days," Murial Ganzer said. "His job was to go outside every morning with a board and hire extras for pictures that were being done by Cecil B. Demille and those people who had to hire hundreds of extras. They were hiring these extras for a buck or two a day."
It was with Paramount that Ganzer developed a love for movie production and met up-and-coming actors such as Anthony Quinn, who was hired as an extra by Ganzer.
Ganzer worked his way up and served as first director on many popular films, including the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" shows. In the 1950s, when many movie studios began to shut down, Ganzer made the move to the small screen as television began to gain in popularity. The transition went smoothly for Ganzer, who directed episodes of "Gunsmoke," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Route 66," and "The Twilight Zone." Later in his TV career, he directed several episodes of "Police Woman" and "Ironside." Ganzer's career also brought him to Hawai'i, where he directed episodes of "Hawaiian Eye" and "Hawaii Five-0" when the crime series began in 1968. Murial Ganzer said her husband was asked to direct more episodes of "Hawaii Five-0," but had commitments on the Mainland. Ganzer continued to work until the late 1970s before retiring. About six years ago, he and his wife moved to Kaua'i to live with their son. Murial Ganzer said her husband led a "wonderful" life. "He had a very interesting life. He had many people who loved him and adored him," she said. "He was a very talented, wonderful human being." In addition to his wife, Ganzer is survived by son, Alvin; daughter, Carolynn Jacobs Finnegan; three grandchildren; and 13 great- grandchildren.
Actor Brad Sullivan, died of cancer New Year's Eve.
Sullivan (1931-2008), a Chicago-born Korean War vet, enjoyed a successful career that included stage (six Broadway plays, five Off-Broadway), many movies, and dozens of TV appearances, not including his two series roles: As Zollicofer Weed, a coach, in "I'll Fly Away" (1991-92) and Father Leo, a priest, in "Nothing Sacred" (1997-98).
Kevin Anderson, who starred in the latter, also appeared with Sullivan in the 1989 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams's Orpheus Descending (later televised). Anderson played the male lead, Val Xavier; Sullivan was Jabe, the husband of Lady Torrance (Vanessa Redgrave).
Sullivan's movies included "The Sting," "Slap Shot," "The Untouchables," "The Prince of Tides," and "The Fantasticks" (in which he and Joel Grey played the fathers). Sullivan's last role was in a 2000 "Law & Order" episode.
His Broadway debut was in 1977's The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. For Working, Sullivan earned a Drama Desk nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Other Broadway credits: The Wake of Jamey Foster, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, On the Waterfront.Brad liked to share stories about his films.
After shooting "Ghost Story," Fred Astaire's final film, Brad recalled that, during on-location meals, the legendary performer (who seemingly ate little) always encouraged Brad to take food from his plate.
Speaking of "The Untouchables" scene where Al Capone (Robert DeNiro) circles a table of mobsters (one of them, Sullivan) and suddenly bashes-in an offender's skull with a baseball bat, Brad was astonished that the actors' tuxedos (seen only from the waist up and splattered with fake blood), each cost $1,500.
Unlike some "Prince of Tides" colleagues, Brad got along well with star-director Barbra Streisand. But he was never quite sure if the contents of a can of dog food that Kate Nelligan (playing his wife) served him was the real thing. Brad said that an actor should never question a director, and that it had tasted okay, whatever its pedigree.
Whenever I interviewed an actor who had worked with Brad Sullivan, he or she liked the man, and admired his talent. That's how I shall remember my friend. Bravo, Brad!
John Scott Martin
Published Monday 12 January 2009 at 14:30 by Catriona Martin
My father John Scott Martin had an acting career that spanned half a century and included West End musicals, the Monty Python films and even a role as chief Dalek in Doctor Who.
Born in Toxteth, Liverpool, on April 1, 1926, his first performanceswere as a chorister at St Philemon’s church.After active service with the Gordon Highlanders, he joined theLiverpool Grand Opera Company. A professional panto at the Liverpool Empire would start an acting career that lasted more than 50 years.
He performed in West End shows, such as Kismet, Oliver! and The Streetsof London, and played the rabbi opposite Topol in Fiddler on the Roofat Manchester Opera House.
John worked in the early days on live television. He appeared in more than 110 episodes of Doctor Who and as the chief Dalek, attempted to exterminate the first five doctors.
In film, John worked with Monty Python in Eric the Viking and TheMeaning of Life, he appeared in Little Shop of Horrors and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. His characterful face made him perfect for the retiring 192 in the 118 118 commercial and his final role was as Rico in Mine All Mine for Red Productions.
John lived in Great Maplestead, where he was church warden and school governor and, as he loved people, he enjoyed village life. As he bravely battled Parkinson’s disease, cared for by his devoted wife Margaret, he took great pleasure in following and supporting my acting career. He passed away peacefully, aged 82, on January 6. A perfect gentleman, warm, kind and funny, he will be missed by so many.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090108/NEWS01/901080344/1
Alvin Ganzer, who directed hundreds of movies and television shows, including "Hawaii Five-0" and "Hawaiian Eye," died Jan. 3 in Po'ipu, Kaua'i. He was 97.
Ganzer was born in Cold Springs, Minn., and moved to California at an early age. Desperate for work during the Great Depression, the young Ganzer took a job in the casting department at Paramount Pictures in 1932. Murial Ganzer said her husband wouldn't have gotten that job if not for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to stimulate the economy by forcing the major movie studios to hire young people. "I don't think he made $35 a month because nobody made any money those days," Murial Ganzer said. "His job was to go outside every morning with a board and hire extras for pictures that were being done by Cecil B. Demille and those people who had to hire hundreds of extras. They were hiring these extras for a buck or two a day."
It was with Paramount that Ganzer developed a love for movie production and met up-and-coming actors such as Anthony Quinn, who was hired as an extra by Ganzer.
Ganzer worked his way up and served as first director on many popular films, including the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" shows. In the 1950s, when many movie studios began to shut down, Ganzer made the move to the small screen as television began to gain in popularity. The transition went smoothly for Ganzer, who directed episodes of "Gunsmoke," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Route 66," and "The Twilight Zone." Later in his TV career, he directed several episodes of "Police Woman" and "Ironside." Ganzer's career also brought him to Hawai'i, where he directed episodes of "Hawaiian Eye" and "Hawaii Five-0" when the crime series began in 1968. Murial Ganzer said her husband was asked to direct more episodes of "Hawaii Five-0," but had commitments on the Mainland. Ganzer continued to work until the late 1970s before retiring. About six years ago, he and his wife moved to Kaua'i to live with their son. Murial Ganzer said her husband led a "wonderful" life. "He had a very interesting life. He had many people who loved him and adored him," she said. "He was a very talented, wonderful human being." In addition to his wife, Ganzer is survived by son, Alvin; daughter, Carolynn Jacobs Finnegan; three grandchildren; and 13 great- grandchildren.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
2009
Veteran actor Pat Hingle dies at 84
CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — Pat Hingle, a veteran actor whose career included a recurring role as Commissioner Gordon in the Batman movies, has died. He was 84.
Family spokeswoman Michelle Seidman said Hingle died at his home in Carolina Beach shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday. Seidman said Hingle's wife, Julie, was with him.Hingle had lived at Carolina Beach for more than 15 years. Seidman said Hingle decided to settle in the coastal town after shooting the movie "Maximum Overdrive" in the area in 1986. She said Hingle had battled multiple health problems over the last several years.
His career in movies and television spanned six decades, and he was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1958. Hingle's last movie was "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which was released in 2006.
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Actor Don Galloway, who's career was launched in the early days of television soap operas and later included the big screen, died Thursday in Reno, his family said. He was 71.
Galloway and his wife, Linda, have lived in the Reno area for about a year, said his stepson, Robert Julian. He died at Renown Regional Medical Center."He's been hospitalized since Christmas," Julian told The Associated Press.
A cause of death was not immediately released, but Julian said his stepfather's health has been ailing.
Galloway was born July 27, 1937 in Brooksville, Ky. His television career began in the 1950s on the soap opera "The Secret Storm."In the early 1960s, he was a regular on ABC's "General Hospital."Galloway also played Officer Ed Brown in the show "Ironside," starring Raymond Burr. He also starred in the 1983 movie "The Big Chill."
Actress, dancer Olga San Juan dies at 81
The Associated PressPosted: 01/06/2009 01:53:08 PM PSTBURBANK, Calif.—Olga San Juan, the actress dubbed the "Puerto Rican Pepperpot" for singing and dancing roles alongside the likes of Bing Crosby, has died. She was 81.
San Juan died Saturday night at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank of kidney failure stemming from a long-term illness, said her son-in-law Barry Adelman, executive producer of the Golden Globe Awards. Of Puerto Rican descent, San Juan was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. She started dancing when she was 5 or 6 years old, said Adelman, and performed as a girl with mambo percussionist Tito Puente. She began her acting career in radio and theater, then went on to movies in the mid-1940s.
"Those were the days where the studios were very active in building images. She was very tiny, but very spunky and lively. So the name Puerto Rican Pepperpot fit," Adelman said. San Juan appeared opposite Fred Astaire and danced with him in the 1946 musical "Blue Skies," and also sang with Crosby in the film, according to a press release. She also appeared in such '40s films as "Duffy's Tavern," "Variety Girl" and "One Touch of Venus."
In 1951 she starred in the Broadway production of Lerner and Loewe's "Paint Your Wagon." San Juan was the ex-wife of the late actor Edmond O'Brien. They met at a publicity luncheon for Fox studios and married in 1948, according to the press release. The pair had three children. It was the second marriage for O'Brien, who won a best supporting actor Oscar in 1954 for "The Barefoot Contessa." San Juan retired in the 1950s to raise her children. The couple divorced in 1976. O'Brien died in 1985.
San Juan is survived by her children Bridget O'Brien Adelman, a television producer, and actors Maria O'Brien and Brendan O'Brien, plus her sister Aura Grady and three grandchildren.
CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — Pat Hingle, a veteran actor whose career included a recurring role as Commissioner Gordon in the Batman movies, has died. He was 84.
Family spokeswoman Michelle Seidman said Hingle died at his home in Carolina Beach shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday. Seidman said Hingle's wife, Julie, was with him.Hingle had lived at Carolina Beach for more than 15 years. Seidman said Hingle decided to settle in the coastal town after shooting the movie "Maximum Overdrive" in the area in 1986. She said Hingle had battled multiple health problems over the last several years.
His career in movies and television spanned six decades, and he was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1958. Hingle's last movie was "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which was released in 2006.
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Actor Don Galloway, who's career was launched in the early days of television soap operas and later included the big screen, died Thursday in Reno, his family said. He was 71.
Galloway and his wife, Linda, have lived in the Reno area for about a year, said his stepson, Robert Julian. He died at Renown Regional Medical Center."He's been hospitalized since Christmas," Julian told The Associated Press.
A cause of death was not immediately released, but Julian said his stepfather's health has been ailing.
Galloway was born July 27, 1937 in Brooksville, Ky. His television career began in the 1950s on the soap opera "The Secret Storm."In the early 1960s, he was a regular on ABC's "General Hospital."Galloway also played Officer Ed Brown in the show "Ironside," starring Raymond Burr. He also starred in the 1983 movie "The Big Chill."
Actress, dancer Olga San Juan dies at 81
The Associated PressPosted: 01/06/2009 01:53:08 PM PSTBURBANK, Calif.—Olga San Juan, the actress dubbed the "Puerto Rican Pepperpot" for singing and dancing roles alongside the likes of Bing Crosby, has died. She was 81.
San Juan died Saturday night at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank of kidney failure stemming from a long-term illness, said her son-in-law Barry Adelman, executive producer of the Golden Globe Awards. Of Puerto Rican descent, San Juan was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. She started dancing when she was 5 or 6 years old, said Adelman, and performed as a girl with mambo percussionist Tito Puente. She began her acting career in radio and theater, then went on to movies in the mid-1940s.
"Those were the days where the studios were very active in building images. She was very tiny, but very spunky and lively. So the name Puerto Rican Pepperpot fit," Adelman said. San Juan appeared opposite Fred Astaire and danced with him in the 1946 musical "Blue Skies," and also sang with Crosby in the film, according to a press release. She also appeared in such '40s films as "Duffy's Tavern," "Variety Girl" and "One Touch of Venus."
In 1951 she starred in the Broadway production of Lerner and Loewe's "Paint Your Wagon." San Juan was the ex-wife of the late actor Edmond O'Brien. They met at a publicity luncheon for Fox studios and married in 1948, according to the press release. The pair had three children. It was the second marriage for O'Brien, who won a best supporting actor Oscar in 1954 for "The Barefoot Contessa." San Juan retired in the 1950s to raise her children. The couple divorced in 1976. O'Brien died in 1985.
San Juan is survived by her children Bridget O'Brien Adelman, a television producer, and actors Maria O'Brien and Brendan O'Brien, plus her sister Aura Grady and three grandchildren.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Ending 2008
'Shadow' illustrator Cartier dies at 94
Jan 3, 2:23 PM (ET)
RAMSEY, N.J. (AP) - Edward D. Cartier, whose illustrations graced "The Shadow" and numerous other science fiction and mystery publications in a career that spanned several decades, has died at 94.
Cartier died Dec. 25 at his home in Ramsey, according to his son, Dean Cartier. The elder Cartier had suffered from Parkinson's disease in recent years, his son said.
Cartier's artwork appeared in works by authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, but he is perhaps best known for the hundreds of illustrations he did for "The Shadow" in the 1930s and 1940s.
Written by Walter B. Gibson, "The Shadow" novels appeared in pulp magazines and detailed the exploits of a mysterious, black-attired crime fighter.
Cartier began doing illustrations for the novels in 1936. Not long after that, he turned down an offer to be an assistant to Norman Rockwell, according to Anthony Tollin, editor of "The Shadow & Doc Savage" reprint trade paperbacks.
In addition to more than 800 illustrations for "The Shadow," Cartier drew hundreds of illustrations for numerous other science fiction magazines. He also was the premier artist for the Fantasy Press and Gnome Press book publishing houses in the 1950s.
Dean Cartier said his father created a Christmas card that he sent to family and friends each year starting in the late 1970s. The last one, drawn in 2005, depicted Santa Claus handing "The Shadow" a gift.
Original Texas Playboys fiddler Bob Boatright dies
Thursday, January 1, 2009 – Bob Boatright, 69, fiddle player for Bob Wills Original Texas Playboys, died Sunday of cancer. Mr. Boatright was born Sept. 30, 1939, in Denison, Texas. "He started taking lessons when he was 10 years old on the fiddle," said Mr. Boatright's wife, Linda in an obituary in the Fort Worth, Texas Star-Telegram. "That is what his daddy wanted him to play. He never bucked his daddy. He did what his daddy told him to."
While a student in math and physics at Midwestern State University, Boatright played fiddle on the side. After graduating, Boatright worked as a math teacher at a high school, Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. and at a junior college in Gainesville, Texas.
He and his family later moved to Mansfield. Boatright played the fiddle around Fort Worth at nights and on weekends. He later joined on with the Texas Playboys, founded in the 1930s by Wills.
"He was the most reliable, sober musician in the group," said Leon Rausch, a leader of the Playboys who had known Boatright since the early 1970s, in the Star-Telegram. "He was my right-hand man, and it's going to be awfully hard to replace him." Boatright played with Rausch for about 35 years.
Edmund Purdom, 1950s Hollywood star, dies aged 84
ROME (AFP) — British actor Edmund Purdom, star of Hollywood blockbusters "The Egyptian" and "The Prodigal" in the mid-50s, has died aged 84 in Rome where he was a longtime resident, his family told AFP on Friday.
Purdom, who died Thursday, began his acting career in theatre on both sides of the Atlantic.He landed the lead role in the MGM musical "The Student Prince" in 1954, displacing an overweight Mario Lanzo, and moved on to replace Marlon Brando who opted out of "The Egyptian" the same year.
After settling in Rome in the mid-60s, Purdom played in "sword and sandal" epics and Italian B movies, and then worked for many years as a voice-dubbing actor, mainly from Italian into English.
In a romantic history that included four weddings and three divorces, Purdom was best known for abruptly leaving his first wife Anita Philips and their children to marry Mexican actress Linda Christian, with whom he starred in "Athena" (1954). Christian was the ex-wife of American heartthrob Tyrone Power.
El Paso songwriter Clint Ballard Jr. dies at age 77
By Doug Pullen / El Paso TimesPosted: 12/31/2008 12:00:00 AM MSTEL PASO -- A memorial service is scheduled on Wednesday in Denton, Texas, for an El Paso native who wrote some memorable pop songs of the 1960s and '70s. Clinton Conger Ballard Jr., better known as Clint Ballard Jr., wrote myriad songs, but two topped the charts.
Linda Ronstadt had a No. 1 hit in 1975 with "You're No Good," which was included on her "Heart Like a Wheel" album. The song was recorded before that by R&B singers Betty Everett and Dionne Warwick. Johnny Cash, Reba McEntire, Michael Bolton, Jose Feliciano and Little Milton are among dozens of artists who also recorded it.
His other signature song was "Game of Love," which was a No. 1 hit in 1965 for Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and later featured in the Robin Williams movie "Good Morning Vietnam."
Ballard, 77, died "peacefully in his sleep" on Dec. 23 in Denton, according to friend Jacqueline Martinez.
He was born and raised in El Paso, graduated from Tex as Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso) and received a bachelor of science degree in radio production, according to a biography supplied by Martinez.
"He was a highly successful composer of popular songs and Broadway musicals," she said via fax."As early as the age of 3, Clint's musical ability was recognized and he played the piano for KTSM, a local radio station," according to the biography.
"At age 11, he attended a musical program for gifted students at North State State Teachers College (now the University of North Texas), in Denton."After a stint in the Army, Ballard moved to New York to pursue a career in music. He became a successful pop song writer and a composer of musicals, including "Come Back Little Sheba."
His song, "Hey, Little Baby," was recorded by band leader Mitch Miller and used as the theme of the 1958 World's Fair in Belgium.
Ballard wrote more than 550 songs and musicals, according to his biography. All Music Guide lists recordings of his songs by Rick Nelson, Connie Francis, the Hollies, the Zombies, Billy Eckstine, Louis Prima, Patti Page, Jan & Dean and Frankie Avalon.
By JENNIFER 8. LEE
Donald E. Westlake, a prolific, award-winning mystery novelist who pounded out more than 100 books and five screenplays on manual typewriters during his half-century career, died Wednesday night. He was 75.
Mr. Westlake collapsed, apparently from a heart attack, as he headed out to New Year’s Eve dinner while on vacation in San Tancho, Mexico, said his wife, Abigail Westlake. Mr. Westlake, considered one of the most successful and versatile mystery writers in the United States, has earned three Edgar Awards, an Academy Award nomination for screenplay writing, and the elite title of Grand Master from the Mystery Writers of America in 1993. Since his first novel, “The Mercenaries,” was published by Random House in 1960, Mr. Westlake has written under his own name and several pseudonyms, including Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Samuel Holt and Edwin West.
Despite the diversity of names, one shared feature was that almost all his books were set in New York City, where he was born. He used many names in part to combat skepticism over his rapid rate of writing books, which at some points reached four a year.
“In the beginning, people didn’t want to publish more than one book a year by the same author,” said Susan Richman, his publicist at Grand Central Publishing, his current publisher. In the later half of his career, Mr. Westlake had narrowed himself to his own name and Richard Stark, author of a dark series about a one-name criminal named Parker.
The full panoply of all his books was a spectacle to behold, his friends said. “We were in his library, this beautiful library surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of titles, and I realize that every single book was written by Donald Westlake, English language and foreign language editions,” said Laurence Kirschbaum, his agent. Mr. Westlake’s cinematic style of storytelling, along with his carefully crafted plots and crisp dialogue, translated well to the screen. More than 15 of his books were made into movies, some multiple times.
In addition, he himself wrote a number of screenplays, including “The Grifters,” which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991. Donald Edwin Westlake was born to Lillian and Albert Westlake on July 12, 1933, in Brooklyn, but raised in Yonkers and Albany. He attended a number of colleges in New York State, but did not graduate from any of them. He married his current wife, Abigail, in 1979, and the couple made their home in Gallatin, N.Y.
He was previously married to Nedra Henderson and Sandra Kalb. He is survived by his wife; his four sons by his previous marriage, Sean Westlake, Steven Westlake, Paul Westlake, Tod Westlake; two step-daughters, Adrienne Adams and Katherine Adams; a step-son, Patrick Adams; his sister, Virginia; and four grandchildren. He was writing all the way till he passed away. His next novel, “Get Real,” is scheduled to be released in April 2009.
Jan 3, 2:23 PM (ET)
RAMSEY, N.J. (AP) - Edward D. Cartier, whose illustrations graced "The Shadow" and numerous other science fiction and mystery publications in a career that spanned several decades, has died at 94.
Cartier died Dec. 25 at his home in Ramsey, according to his son, Dean Cartier. The elder Cartier had suffered from Parkinson's disease in recent years, his son said.
Cartier's artwork appeared in works by authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, but he is perhaps best known for the hundreds of illustrations he did for "The Shadow" in the 1930s and 1940s.
Written by Walter B. Gibson, "The Shadow" novels appeared in pulp magazines and detailed the exploits of a mysterious, black-attired crime fighter.
Cartier began doing illustrations for the novels in 1936. Not long after that, he turned down an offer to be an assistant to Norman Rockwell, according to Anthony Tollin, editor of "The Shadow & Doc Savage" reprint trade paperbacks.
In addition to more than 800 illustrations for "The Shadow," Cartier drew hundreds of illustrations for numerous other science fiction magazines. He also was the premier artist for the Fantasy Press and Gnome Press book publishing houses in the 1950s.
Dean Cartier said his father created a Christmas card that he sent to family and friends each year starting in the late 1970s. The last one, drawn in 2005, depicted Santa Claus handing "The Shadow" a gift.
Original Texas Playboys fiddler Bob Boatright dies
Thursday, January 1, 2009 – Bob Boatright, 69, fiddle player for Bob Wills Original Texas Playboys, died Sunday of cancer. Mr. Boatright was born Sept. 30, 1939, in Denison, Texas. "He started taking lessons when he was 10 years old on the fiddle," said Mr. Boatright's wife, Linda in an obituary in the Fort Worth, Texas Star-Telegram. "That is what his daddy wanted him to play. He never bucked his daddy. He did what his daddy told him to."
While a student in math and physics at Midwestern State University, Boatright played fiddle on the side. After graduating, Boatright worked as a math teacher at a high school, Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. and at a junior college in Gainesville, Texas.
He and his family later moved to Mansfield. Boatright played the fiddle around Fort Worth at nights and on weekends. He later joined on with the Texas Playboys, founded in the 1930s by Wills.
"He was the most reliable, sober musician in the group," said Leon Rausch, a leader of the Playboys who had known Boatright since the early 1970s, in the Star-Telegram. "He was my right-hand man, and it's going to be awfully hard to replace him." Boatright played with Rausch for about 35 years.
Edmund Purdom, 1950s Hollywood star, dies aged 84
ROME (AFP) — British actor Edmund Purdom, star of Hollywood blockbusters "The Egyptian" and "The Prodigal" in the mid-50s, has died aged 84 in Rome where he was a longtime resident, his family told AFP on Friday.
Purdom, who died Thursday, began his acting career in theatre on both sides of the Atlantic.He landed the lead role in the MGM musical "The Student Prince" in 1954, displacing an overweight Mario Lanzo, and moved on to replace Marlon Brando who opted out of "The Egyptian" the same year.
After settling in Rome in the mid-60s, Purdom played in "sword and sandal" epics and Italian B movies, and then worked for many years as a voice-dubbing actor, mainly from Italian into English.
In a romantic history that included four weddings and three divorces, Purdom was best known for abruptly leaving his first wife Anita Philips and their children to marry Mexican actress Linda Christian, with whom he starred in "Athena" (1954). Christian was the ex-wife of American heartthrob Tyrone Power.
El Paso songwriter Clint Ballard Jr. dies at age 77
By Doug Pullen / El Paso TimesPosted: 12/31/2008 12:00:00 AM MSTEL PASO -- A memorial service is scheduled on Wednesday in Denton, Texas, for an El Paso native who wrote some memorable pop songs of the 1960s and '70s. Clinton Conger Ballard Jr., better known as Clint Ballard Jr., wrote myriad songs, but two topped the charts.
Linda Ronstadt had a No. 1 hit in 1975 with "You're No Good," which was included on her "Heart Like a Wheel" album. The song was recorded before that by R&B singers Betty Everett and Dionne Warwick. Johnny Cash, Reba McEntire, Michael Bolton, Jose Feliciano and Little Milton are among dozens of artists who also recorded it.
His other signature song was "Game of Love," which was a No. 1 hit in 1965 for Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and later featured in the Robin Williams movie "Good Morning Vietnam."
Ballard, 77, died "peacefully in his sleep" on Dec. 23 in Denton, according to friend Jacqueline Martinez.
He was born and raised in El Paso, graduated from Tex as Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso) and received a bachelor of science degree in radio production, according to a biography supplied by Martinez.
"He was a highly successful composer of popular songs and Broadway musicals," she said via fax."As early as the age of 3, Clint's musical ability was recognized and he played the piano for KTSM, a local radio station," according to the biography.
"At age 11, he attended a musical program for gifted students at North State State Teachers College (now the University of North Texas), in Denton."After a stint in the Army, Ballard moved to New York to pursue a career in music. He became a successful pop song writer and a composer of musicals, including "Come Back Little Sheba."
His song, "Hey, Little Baby," was recorded by band leader Mitch Miller and used as the theme of the 1958 World's Fair in Belgium.
Ballard wrote more than 550 songs and musicals, according to his biography. All Music Guide lists recordings of his songs by Rick Nelson, Connie Francis, the Hollies, the Zombies, Billy Eckstine, Louis Prima, Patti Page, Jan & Dean and Frankie Avalon.
By JENNIFER 8. LEE
Donald E. Westlake, a prolific, award-winning mystery novelist who pounded out more than 100 books and five screenplays on manual typewriters during his half-century career, died Wednesday night. He was 75.
Mr. Westlake collapsed, apparently from a heart attack, as he headed out to New Year’s Eve dinner while on vacation in San Tancho, Mexico, said his wife, Abigail Westlake. Mr. Westlake, considered one of the most successful and versatile mystery writers in the United States, has earned three Edgar Awards, an Academy Award nomination for screenplay writing, and the elite title of Grand Master from the Mystery Writers of America in 1993. Since his first novel, “The Mercenaries,” was published by Random House in 1960, Mr. Westlake has written under his own name and several pseudonyms, including Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Samuel Holt and Edwin West.
Despite the diversity of names, one shared feature was that almost all his books were set in New York City, where he was born. He used many names in part to combat skepticism over his rapid rate of writing books, which at some points reached four a year.
“In the beginning, people didn’t want to publish more than one book a year by the same author,” said Susan Richman, his publicist at Grand Central Publishing, his current publisher. In the later half of his career, Mr. Westlake had narrowed himself to his own name and Richard Stark, author of a dark series about a one-name criminal named Parker.
The full panoply of all his books was a spectacle to behold, his friends said. “We were in his library, this beautiful library surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of titles, and I realize that every single book was written by Donald Westlake, English language and foreign language editions,” said Laurence Kirschbaum, his agent. Mr. Westlake’s cinematic style of storytelling, along with his carefully crafted plots and crisp dialogue, translated well to the screen. More than 15 of his books were made into movies, some multiple times.
In addition, he himself wrote a number of screenplays, including “The Grifters,” which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991. Donald Edwin Westlake was born to Lillian and Albert Westlake on July 12, 1933, in Brooklyn, but raised in Yonkers and Albany. He attended a number of colleges in New York State, but did not graduate from any of them. He married his current wife, Abigail, in 1979, and the couple made their home in Gallatin, N.Y.
He was previously married to Nedra Henderson and Sandra Kalb. He is survived by his wife; his four sons by his previous marriage, Sean Westlake, Steven Westlake, Paul Westlake, Tod Westlake; two step-daughters, Adrienne Adams and Katherine Adams; a step-son, Patrick Adams; his sister, Virginia; and four grandchildren. He was writing all the way till he passed away. His next novel, “Get Real,” is scheduled to be released in April 2009.
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