Another Media "Star" Passed

Luke Letlow succumbed to complications of COVID-19 at the tender age of 41.

"Who?" you ask?

He was recently elected to Congress for the State of Louisiana, not even sworn in to take his place in Washington, DC. He leaves behind his wife and two young children. Here's his obituary: https://news.yahoo.com/louisiana-congressman-elect-luke-letlow-030237394.html

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Dawn Wells of "Gilligan's Island" fame has passed at the age of 82 from reported Covid-19 complications.

Dating myself a bit, but I watched "Gilligan's Island" from it's first run and Dawn's character, Maryanne was always my favorite....

 

Mary Ann was always my favorite as well and it saddens me that she is no longer with us.
Some more info about Dawn Wells: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/30/entertainment/dawn-wells-obit/index.html

To date myself, I watched Bob Denver (Gilligan) in his Maynard G. Krebs persona in the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis years before the Minnow got lost.

 

Adolfo Quinones passed away yesterday at the tender age of 65.

"Who?" you ask?

Shabba-Doo was one of the "forefathers" of hip-hop dancing back in the 1980s/1990s, plus he performed on a little-known show, Soul Train and two even more obscure movies (Breakin' and Breakin' 2, Electric Boogaloo). Here's his filmography and obituary: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0704044/?ref_=tt_cl_t2 https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment...shabba-doo-quinones-dies-at-65-212831596.html

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Ah, plenty old coots here at IO. We never watched Dobie Gillis, I think it ran opposite another show we preferred. Only 3 channels in our region at the time and no VCR in those days.

 

Wyatt Earp on ABC? Dobie Gillis was on CBS. And your third channel was presumably NBC. In NYC we had a whopping 7 channels on VHF and might get as many as 3 on UHF depending on weather.

Those were the days when TV programs usually had 39 episodes a season, unless there were scheduled pre-emptions like holidays etc. And actors usually got hundreds of dollars for each one and not hundreds of thousands like some stars got later.

Penny Marshall, who sadly left us two years ago, was a recurring character on The Odd Couple. At one point, everyone got a raise except her and she was informed she would receive no residuals. The management said that she would not quit because her brother Garry Marshall was a producer was on the show. Garry either went along with the idea without argument or actually instigated it according to your source. Penny went to her agent who said to her that in this business what goes around comes around. Just hang on, your time will come.

Years later, when Laverne and Shirley (produced by brother Garry) had become the most popular TV series in the history of TV, and her contract was up for renewal, Penny asked her agent, Is it time? Yes, it’s time. Penny and co-star Cindy Williams each held out for $300,000 an episode and got it. Carroll O’Connor had only gotten $250,000 per episode for All in the Family.

Moral: Treat people fairly the first time.

Like Jackie Gleason did. Back in the mid 1950s, when The Honeymooners had gotten very popular, Art Carney’s agent went to Gleason (who had total control of everything) and asked for a raise for Carney from $500 an episode to $600. Gleason replied that he could not possibly pay Carney less than $750. Gleason knew perfectly well what he had in Carney.

Although virtually identified with Ed Norton from The Honeymooners, Carney did quite well in a wide range of roles. Some examples: Inventing the character of Felix Unger in The Odd Couple on Broadway, a cross country odyssey with his cat in Harry and Tonto movie for which he got an Academy Award and a Golden Globe both for Best Actor, WW and the Dixie Dance Kings movie in which he plays a preacher convinced that Burt Reynolds is the devil. That last role is one of my favorites.

So many names that are no longer around. (Cindy Williams is still alive and I believe still working.)

But enough old coot rambling. We tend to do that.

 

We always had set-top rabbit ears. Our big challenge was to get the shadows (ghost images) on the left.

That's for sure. Yes, I believe she is and at twice her original size.

Yes, yes we do...

 

Phyllis McGuire passed away at the tender age of 89.

"Who?" you ask?

She was the youngest sister and lead singer of The McGuire Sisters, a pop group from the 1960s. Here's her obituary: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/phyllis-mcguire-dies-lead-singer-195258964.html.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Richard Lewis Thornburgh passed away at the tender age of 88.

"Who?" you ask?

Dick Thornburgh was the governor of Pennsylvania after my family moved to Milwaukee, a federal prosecutor, attorney general under Reagan and worked for CBS after he left government. Here's his obituary: https://www.yahoo.com/news/dick-thornburgh-ex-governor-u-195820947.html

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Gerry Marsden passed away at the tender age of 78.

"Who?" you ask?

He founded/fronted Gerry and the Pacemakers, a British rock band from the 1960s. One of his contemporaries was an unknown by the name of Paul McCartney. A couple of his hits were Ferry Cross the Mersey and Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying. Here's his obituary: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/gerry-marsden-lead-singer-gerry-021004820.html

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Hey, Phyllis, yes indeed, Gerry Marsden is rightly remembered for the songs you mention, but the standout is You'll Never Walk Alone, and there's no more stirring version than hearing Liverpool football fans giving it everything they've got.

 

Michael David Apted passed away at the tender age of 79.

"Who?" you ask?

Michael Apted was the director of the Seven Up documentary series as well as several others. Here are his obituary and filmography: https://www.yahoo.com/news/michael-apted-7-director-three-214145583.html https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000776/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Dearon Thompson passed away from a suspected heart attack at the tender age of 55.

"Who?" you ask?

Dearon “Deezer D” Thompson, who portrayed Nurse Malik McGrath on ER, was also a popular performer in the Christian and underground hip-hop music scene. Here are his obituary and his fimography: https://tvline.com/2021/01/08/er-actor-deezer-d-dead-nurse-malik-mcgrath-dies/#more-1234626734 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0195970/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Harvey Phillip Spector passed away at the tender age of 81.

"Who?" you ask?

Phil Spector, who was instrumental in the music business and other arenas, finally falling afoul with the law and losing pretty much everything and "living" in prison towards the end. Here's his filmography: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817489/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Henry Louis Aaron passed away at the tender age of 86.

"Who?" you ask?

Hank Aaron, Baseball Hall of Famer and the first major league baseball player to break Babe Ruth's home run record passed away quietly. Here are several tributes to him by both subsequent Hall of Fame players and celebrities as well as his obituary: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/hank-aaron-remembered-by-hall-of-famers-and-celebrities-165733397 html https://news.yahoo.com/hank-aaron-baseball-player-broke-160228148.html

As one person said about "Hammerin' Hank", he had every right to be angry but he held himself back with grace.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Lawrence Harvey Zeiger passed away at the tender age of 87.

"Who?" you ask?

Larry King was one of the more well-known interviewers/actors/producers/talk show hosts, known for both his "down-to-earth" style on the air as well as his "wild" lifestyle (married and divorced eight times as well as undergoing an octuple-bypass surgery after a massive heart attack.) Here are his filmography and his obituary: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005092/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/larry-king-dead_n_5852e1ffe4b012849c05f3c4

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Gregory Sierra passed away on 4, January, succumbing to cancer at the tender age of 83.

"Who?" you ask?

For those of you who are "into" older television shows, you might remember him as either Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale in Barney Miller or Julio Fuentes in Sanford and Son. He was also ADA Alvarez on Hill Street Blues. Here are his filmography and obituary: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0797268/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 https://www.yahoo.com/news/gregory-sierra-sanford-son-barney-033800157.html

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Cloris Leachman passed away from natural causes at the tender age of 94.

"Who?" you ask?

Some of the OFs might remember one of her parts from 1974's Young Frankenstein: Frau Blücher (cue the terrified whinnies of horses) but she was in numerable roles besides that one. Here's her filmography and obituary: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001458/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/cloris-leachman-dead-obituary-1.50133402

Here's her role as "Frau Blücher":

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

Heidi Weisel passed away at the tender age of 59.

"Who?" you ask?

Here's her obituary: Fashion Designer Heidi Weisel Dies at 59 (yahoo.com)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine