Lenser Andrew Laszlo dies
Was cinematographer on 'First Blood,' 'The Warriors'
By Variety Staff

Emmy-nominated cinematographer Andrew Laszlo, who shot "The Night They Raided Minsky's," "The Warriors," "First Blood" and Star Trek V," as well as the miniseries "Shogun," died Oct. 7. He was 85.
Born in Papa, Hungary, Laszlo started as a camera apprentice at the Motion Picture Studios of Budapest when WWII began. He and his family were sent to a Nazi concentration camp, and he was the clan's sole survivor; in 1947 he immigrated to the U.S. and became a freelance still photographer. Drafted into the U.S. Army, he served in the Signal Corps as a combat photographer during the Korean War.

After working for a producer of industrial films in Pittsburgh, he began work in television during the mid-'50s, at first as a camera operator on "The Phil Silvers Show." He was cinematographer on "Naked City" in 1962-63 and later on the series "Coronet Blue."

Laszlo made his feature d.p. debut on "One Potato, Two Potato," shot the documentary "The Beatles at Shea Stadium" and then worked as with a young Francis Ford Coppola on the latter's 1966 film "You're a Big Boy Now."

In 1968 he lensed William Friedkin's "The Night They Raided Minsky's." From that point Laszlo was in demand as a cinematographer for more than two decades.

His next bigscreen projects included Arthur Hiller's "The Out of Towners," Herbert Ross' "The Owl and the Pussycat" and "Somebody Killed Her Husband." For TV his efforts included Delbert Mann's 1973 telepic "The Man Without a Country," drawing an Emmy nom; miniseries "The Dain Curse"; and epic mini "Shogun," for which he picked up a second Emmy nom.

Laszlo shot three films for director Walter Hill: "The Warriors," "Southern Comfort" and "Streets of Fire."

Other bigscreen work during the 1980s included Sylvester Stallone starrer "First Blood," MGM documentary "That's Dancing!," "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins," "Poltergeist II: The Other Side," "Innerspace" and "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier." His final films, in the early 1990s, were "Ghost Dad" and the musical "Newsies."

Laszlo was busy in other spheres as well. He had formed Andrew Laszlo Prods. as a producer of commercials, and he taught other cinematographers. In addition, he was the author of several books, including, with Andrew Quicke, the text " Every Frame a Rembrandt: Art and Practice of Cinematography" in 2000. His autobiography, "Footnote to History," was published in 2002, and he also wrote a novel.

He is survived by his wife, Ann; three sons and a daughter; and five grandchildren.

BALTIMORE — Patricia Modell, the wife of former NFL team owner Art Modell and a longtime television actress, has died. She was 80.

Mrs. Modell was pronounced dead around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens announced after being contacted by Modell’s son. She had been hospitalized for around five months.

During a 22-year acting career, Patricia Breslin Modell performed on the New York stage, in motion pictures and on television. She starred in the “People’s Choice” television series with actor Jackie Cooper and played the role of Meg Baldwin in the soap opera “General Hospital.” She also played Laura Brooks on the prime time soap opera “Peyton Place.”

Among her many television other roles, she was a regular on “Twilight Zone,” ‘’Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” ‘’Perry Mason,” and “Maverick.”

At one point in her career, Mrs. Modell had appeared on more television shows than any other woman in U.S. history. Her record was eventually broken by one of her best friends, Lucille Ball.

She married Art Modell, former owner and president of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, in 1969. She retired from acting at that time and immersed herself in her family and community improvement.

In Cleveland, Mrs. Modell served on the board at Ursuline College and was active in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Cleveland Musical Arts Association, the Cleveland Ballet, the Playhouse Square Foundation, and the Cerebral Palsy Association. She actively supported the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and she started and funded, along with her husband, the Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland.

After Art Modell moved his football team to Baltimore in 1996, his wife served on several boards, including: House of Ruth, Gilchrist Hospice, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and The Walters Art Museum. In addition, the Modells contributed money to the St. Vincent’s Center and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The Modells also gave $3.5 million to the Lyric Opera House, which was recently renamed the Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric.

The Modells pledged $5 million to help start a public boarding school for disadvantaged students. The SEED School, which opened in the Fall of 2008, recruits middle and high school students from around the state. The gift is believed to have been one of the largest private contributions to a single public school in Maryland.

Born in New York, Patricia Modell was the daughter of Edward and Marjorie Breslin. Her father was a Special Sessions Judge in New York City. Monsignor Patrick Breslin, for whom she was named, was Judge Breslin’s eldest brother.

Mrs. Modell graduated from the Academy of Mt. St. Ursuline and the College of New Rochelle.

She is survived by her husband, two sons, John and David, and six grandchildren.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/patricia-modell-actress-and-wife-of-art-modell-dies/2011/10/12/gIQAFW6ifL_story.html

William A. "Billy" Naylor, 95, thought to be the last surviving star of the silent era "Our Gang" comedies, died Oct. 5 at Royal Palm Skilled Nursing Facility.

The "Our Gang" kids, aka "The Little Rascals," were featured in dozens of short comedy films from the mid-1920s to the early 1940s about the adventures, and misadventures, of a group of children. The cast changed several times over the years. Billy Naylor appeared in several early silent films when the main stars were Mickey Daniels, Joe Cobb, Allen "Farina" Hoskins and Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison.

The more famous George "Spanky" McFarland, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer joined the gang for "talkies" in the 1930s.

Naylor's "Our Gang" movies included three made in 1926:

"Uncle Tom's Uncle": The gang puts on a version of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"; Naylor played a boy in the audience.

"The Fourth Alarm": The gang forms a junior fire department, with Naylor a member of the squad.

"Telling Whoppers": The gang takes on the neighborhood bully. Naylor overhears the bully's mother tell a police officer her son is missing and reports it to his buddies.

Before joining "Our Gang," Naylor appeared in several "Hey Fellas!" comic short films — including "The Klynick" and "Tin Hoss," both made in 1925 — that copied the "Our Gang" format.

After "Our Gang," Naylor appeared in many more movies, including Cecil B. DeMille's "The King of Kings" in 1927, in which he played a boy watching Jesus fix a doll, and "Special Agent" in 1935 starring Bette Davis, in which he was a newsboy.

"Uncle Bill was a very private person," said Jeanne Dunphy, 87, of Sebastian, Naylor's niece. "He never talked about being in movies. I remember telling him, 'You were a movie star.' Maybe he wasn't a movie star like Carole Lombard or Clark Gable, but he was a movie star in our eyes."

Naylor was born in San Francisco and lived most of his life in Los Angeles before moving to Vero Beach in February to be close to family members.

At 18, Naylor became the youngest actor at the time to join of the Screen Actors Guild. After appearing in movies, he continued to work at the Warner Bros. studio as casting director and sound effects editor.

He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 30 years, Valena Blaney.

Dunphy remembers seeing "Reducing," a 1931 comedy about a beauty parlor/"reducing" salon in which Naylor appeared, with her uncle and aunt in the late 1960s at a Hollywood theater specializing in classic films.

"The theater was filled with people in their 30s and 40s interested in old movies," she said. "But Uncle Bill didn't tell anyone that he was there and he had been in that movie. That's just how he was."

No services are scheduled. Arrangements are by The Neptune Society.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/oct/14/our-gang-star-from-silent-era-dies-at-vero-beach/