Franco Zeffirelli, directed ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ dies at 96 ROME — Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who delighted audiences around the world with his romantic vision and extravagant productions, most famously captured in his cinematic “Romeo and Juliet” and the miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth,” died Saturday at 96. While Zeffirelli was most popularly known for his films, his name was also inextricably linked to the theater and opera. He produced classics for the world’s most famous opera houses, from Milan’s venerable La Scala to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and plays for London and Italian stages. Zeffirelli’s son Luciano said his father died at home in Rome. ”He had suffered for a while, but he left in a peaceful way,” he said.
Actor Charles Levin, reported missing last week, found dead in remote area of rural Oregon He was a classic "that guy" character actor. I remember him as the mohel who screwed up a bris on "Seinfeld".
Edward Lewis, Producer of 'Spartacus,' 'Missing' and 'Grand Prix,' Dies at 99 Edward Lewis, who helped break the Hollywood Blacklist by employing Dalton Trumbo on Spartacus and shared an Oscar nomination with his wife, Mildred Lewis, for producing Costa-Gavras' Missing, has died. He was 99. Edward Lewis, who helped break the Hollywood Blacklist by employing Dalton Trumbo on Spartacus and shared an Oscar nomination with his wife, Mildred Lewis, for producing Costa-Gavras' Missing, has died. He was 99. Lewis died July 27 at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter Susan Lewis told The Hollywood Reporter. Mildred died April 7 at age 98, Susan also revealed, and she was his "indispensable partner" for 73 years as they worked together on movies, musicals and novels. Edward Lewis also produced or executive produced nine films directed by John Frankenheimer, including the classics Seven Days in May (1964), Seconds (1966) — he hired blacklisted actor John Randolph on that one — and Grand Prix (1966). For Spartacus (1960), Lewis arranged for Trumbo to write the screenplay, based on the 1951 novel by Howard Fast (like Trumbo, Fast also was blacklisted), with the producer serving as Trumbo's "front" as he presented the script to Universal Studios. (The screenwriter had been writing under pseudonyms for years.) Only after Universal had spent $8 million making the movie did Lewis reveal the true author of the screenplay. When the studio agreed to the proper credit, Trumbo wrote that Lewis had "risked his name to help a man who'd lost his name." Spartacus star Kirk Douglas, who executive produced the film through his Bryna Productions, also receives a wealth of credit in getting Trumbo his due. Lewis, however, did not go to any lengths to publicize his role. "It was part of his dignity and the values that he had," his daughter said. Other Lewis-produced films written by Trumbo included The Last Sunset (1961), Lonely Are the Brave (1962) — those two, like Seven Days in May, starred Douglas, too — and Executive Action (1973). He and his wife produced Missing (1982), which starred Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek and earned writer-director Costa-Gavras an Oscar for adapted screenplay. The thriller won the Palme d’Or at Cannes but lost out at the Academy Awards to Gandhi for best picture. He also assisted executive producer Mildred on the Hal Ashby cult classic Harold and Maude (1971), starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort. Lewis' other notable producing efforts included The List of Adrian Messenger, directed by John Huston and starring Douglas; the 1983 ABC miniseries The Thorn Birds, starring Richard Chamberlain; Crackers (1984), directed by Louis Malle; and his final film, The River (1984), starring Spacek and Mel Gibson. Born on Dec. 16, 1919, in Camden, New Jersey, Edward Lewis at age 16 entered Bucknell University, where he competed as a boxer and wrestler and belonged to the Jewish fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu. After a brief stint in dental school, he served as a captain during World War II. Moving to Los Angeles after the war, he married Mildred in 1946, and they collaborated on the screenplay adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's The Lovable Cheat (1949), featuring Buster Keaton. (Edward also co-produced the movie.) In 1952, he produced 20 installments of the pioneering CBS anthology series Schlitz Playhouse. Lewis and Frankenheimer also worked together on The Fixer (1968), The Extraordinary Seaman (1969), The Gypsy Moths (1969), I Walk the Line (1970), The Horsemen (1971) and The Iceman Cometh (1973). With Mildred and in consultation with Angela Davis, Lewis wrote the screenplay for Brothers (1977), a fictional account of the George Jackson story that starred Bernie Casey and examined racial injustice in the American prison system. He also authored, with Mildred, the books Heads You Lose (2002) and Masquerade (2006), as well as several plays and musicals. One, Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosy, was awarded the Harold Prince Musical Theater Prize in 1995. Edward and Mildred were actively involved in civil rights causes, working with Cesar Chavez to facilitate the establishment of the United Farmworkers of America's headquarters in La Paz, California and organizing a Hollywood Bowl fundraiser for the 1968 Poor People's Campaign. Avid travelers and art collectors, they loaned part of their collection to LACMA for exhibition. In addition to Lewis' daughters Susan and Joan, survivors include sons-in-law Robert and David and grandchildren Maya and Lewis. Douglas, Lewis, Frankenheimer
Jack Whitaker, legendary CBS Sports announcer, has died at 95 Jack Whitaker, legendary sportscaster and World War II veteran, died Sunday morning in his sleep in Devon, Pennsylvania, of natural causes. He was 95 years old. Whitaker was a CBS Sports announcer for 22 years, starting in the late 1950s. He covered everything from football and horse racing to golf. Whitaker called Super Bowl I for CBS Sports as well as the 1973 Triple Crown Race with Secretariat emerging victorious. After his time at CBS Sports, Whitaker worked at ABC Sports. Whitaker was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, where he attended Saint Joseph's University, before serving in World War II from April 1943 to November 1945. Whitaker began his broadcast career at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. In addition to his celebrated broadcast career, Whitaker was a United States Army veteran who landed on Omaha Beach three days after the D-Day Invasion of June 6, 1944. According to a 2014 article by The Desert Sun, Whitaker was wounded by a blast from an artillery shell or mortar, which sent shrapnel tearing into his arm. After his recovery, Whitaker was wounded once more and was honorably discharged from the Army in 1945. "Some angels were looking over me," Whitaker told The Desert Sun in 2014. CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz released a statement on Sunday praising the broadcast legend. "When I first met Jack Whitaker in 1986 at Pebble Beach, I felt like I had just been introduced to Ernest Hemingway," Nantz said. "I grew up watching him deliver contemplative and contextual prose with his famous short essays, bringing class and dignity to his industry. He was enormously proud to have called Super Bowl I for CBS and was the last surviving network commentator from that landmark game. I spoke to him this week after hospice came to his home and his mind was still brilliantly sharp right to the end." CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus issued a statement expressing his condolences to Whitaker's family, saying, "There will never be another Jack Whitaker in sports broadcasting." "His amazing writing ability, on-air presence and humanity are unmatched. His unique perspective on sports ranging from horse racing to golf to NFL football was extraordinary," McManus said. "My father and Jack shared an incredible respect for each other and had the warmest of friendships that lasted for decades. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jack's family." Whitaker was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2012. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date. Whitaker is survived by his wife, Patricia, daughters Marybeth Helgevold (Chuck), Ann Hanan (Bob); sons Gerry Whitaker, Jack Whitaker III and Kevin Whitaker (Rachelle). He was predeceased by his son, Geoffrey Whitaker. He had 11 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
Now THAT was a class act. I would always sigh inwardly when I heard him broadcasting a game. An old friend to my ears
https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/08/22/larry-siegel-rip/ It is with great sadness that I have to share the news that my father, Larry Siegel passed away last night at the age of 93 after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was a fighter until the end and as of last weekend, still singing his beloved Frank Sinatra songs and his favorite WWII era song “Brother, Can you Spare a Dime.” As one of the original comedy writers for Mad Magazine, Playboy, The Carol Burnett show and Laugh-In, his comedy writing will live on forever, and his infectious sense of humor and love of life will be remembered by all those who loved him and were lucky enough to share a laugh with him over the years. He loved to tell people about his career and was proud of his 3 Emmys, but never, ever talked about his time in WWII where he was a decorated war hero and won a Purple Heart along with a slew of other medals.
Lynley was so beautiful. Loved her and she had a good career although she wasn't really that active after she turned 35. Here's an interesting story about her which is not very well known. In the late 70s, she was offered 2 different guest shots on series, both of which were shooting the same week. One was for a little remember show called Sword Of Justice, which ran for half a season. That was the one she took. The other was for an episode of Dallas , which she turned down. That part was as Val Ewing, the wife of Gary Ewing, the estranged brother. Joan Van Ark took the part which was then spun off to Knots Landing, which ran for 14 years.
I switched the TV channels last night just to discover that we now get TCM. It just so happened that Bunny Lake Is Missing was about to come on so I got to watch that movie last night. Yes, she was very beautiful. I first saw her in The Poseidon Adventure when I was in my teens.
I had a huge crush on Jerome, what a great voice! Rusty was a bit creepy though... a handkerchief with a rubber head, lived in a sack on the wall, brr... Rod Coneybeare had quite an interest in classic a radio, music and silent films. His son Wilson posted a nice tribute on his blog here: THE GREAT BEARE Also: Friendly Giant puppeteer Rod Coneybeare passes away in Lindsay at 89 | kawarthaNOW Someone might want to tell Steve Hoffman as he mentioned watching this show?
I have belatedly learned of the death of dancer-choreographer David Winters: David Winters (choreographer) - Wikipedia David Winters (April 5, 1939 – April 23, 2019) was an English-American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, film distributor, director and screenwriter. Winters participated in over 150 television series, television specials, and motion pictures. His accolades include two Emmy Award nominations, a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award, and many more. At a young age, he was seen acting in film and television projects such as Lux Video Theatre, Naked City, Mister Peepers, Rock, Rock, Rock, and Roogie's Bump. He received some attention in Broadway musicals for his roles in West Side Story and Gypsy. In the film adaptation of West Side Story he was one of the few to be re-cast. It became the highest grossing motion picture of that year, and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. While Winters continued acting, he gained recognition for his dance choreography. He was frequently seen on television with his troupe David Winters Dancers in various variety shows most notably Hullabaloo where he was the first to choreograph the Watusi, originated the Freddy, and popularized several dances in the 1960s. He was a common collaborator of Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret including their hit film Viva Las Vegas. Other dance choreography credits include T.A.M.I. Show, Send Me No Flowers, Billie, A Star Is Born, and more. For the TV movie Movin' with Nancy, he is noted to be the first dance choreographer to be nominated in the history of the Emmys in the category Special Classification of Individual Achievements before the category Outstanding Achievement in Choreography (for which he was also nominated) was created. He eventually became a director and a producer starting with a streak of star-studded TV specials including Raquel! and Once Upon a Wheel. His first theatrical release was the concert film Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare, it is noted for imaginative costumes and set. Winters as Baby John in the original Broadway production. He does the same dance moves in the film version, although he plays a different character, A-Rab.
Jan Merlin, Actor and Emmy-Winning Writer, Dies at 94 His toughest gig may have come on 'The List of Adrian Messenger,' for which he received no screen credit. Jan Merlin, who played villains in dozens of films and TV shows and good guys on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and The Rough Riders, died Friday in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 94. In a painful year in England and Ireland in which he served as a "movable prop" and received no screen credit, Merlin donned masks and heavy makeup to portray several characters and substitute for Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra and others in John Huston's The List of Adrian Messenger (1963). He then wrote a 2001 novel, Shooting Montezuma, based on that experience. Merlin wrote several other books, many in collaboration with William Russo, who wrote Saturday in a blog post: "Most of our Hollywood history tales were based on his insider knowledge of how a set works, from knowing nearly every star of the 1950s and 1960s. [Merlin] laughed they were all 'six feet tall,' no matter what the truth might be." Merlin also spent about five years as a writer on the NBC soap Another World, winning a Daytime Emmy in 1975 and receiving another nomination two years later. Born on April 3, 1925, Merlin was a torpedo man aboard U.S. Navy destroyers during World War II. He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and appeared in the ensemble in the original 1948 Broadway production of Mister Roberts, starring Henry Fonda. From 1950-54, Merlin starred as Roger Manning on the kids TV program Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, based on a comic strip. He moved to Hollywood for a role in Six Bridges to Cross (1955), starring Curtis, then appeared with Mamie Van Doren in Running Wild (1955), with Dale Robertson in A Day of Fury (1956), with Tom Tryon in Screaming Eagles (1956) and with Ann Sheridan in Woman and the Hunter (1957). In 1958-59, Merlin portrayed Lt. Colin Kirby on The Rough Riders, an ABC series set in the aftermath of the Civil War. His credits also included the films Guns of Diablo (1964), The Oscar (1966), The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), Take the Money and Run (1969) and The Hindenburg (1975) and such TV shows as Laramie, The Virginian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Mannix, Mission: Impossible and Little House on the Prairie. Merlin had no problem playing the heavy, he told Boyd Magers in an interview for the Western Clippings website. "The 'heavy' is the engine who actually runs the film … he's the reason for stirring up all the action and leads the rest of the cast on a merry chase until the end, when he generally gets his just desserts," he said. "It's always the most interesting role in the film, and it's a challenge to find different ways to die. The 'good guy' gets top billing and the girl, but he's only reacting to whatever the 'bad guy' has done." Kirk Doug-- er, I mean Jan Merlin in The List Of Adrian Messenger
David Hurst - Wikipedia David Hurst (born Heinrich Theodor Hirsch; 8 May 1926 – 15 September 2019) was an Anglo-German actor, best known for his role in the film Hello, Dolly as Rudolph the headwaiter.
Mardik Martin, screenwriter on 'Raging Bull' and 'Mean Streets,' dies at 84 Born Sept. 16, 1934, in Abadan, Iran, Martin moved to Baghdad as a child with his siblings and parents, both Armenian. He found the city colorless and depressing. “Baghdad, even then, was filthy, dirty, disgusting, with dust and sand,” he recalled in a 2007 interview with The Times. “Then you see Betty Grable in unbelievable Technicolor and the beautiful scenery in the background. It’s like another dimension, it’s like finding paradise.” When he turned 18, Martin was sent to the U.S. by his father, who wanted his son to get an American education and avoid service in the Iraqi army. He landed in Michigan, enrolled in an English immersion program and then moved to New York, where he was among the first students at the new film school at New York University. There he met Scorsese, a fellow student and aspiring filmmaker. The two became fast friends. “We used to stay up every night till dawn, watching movies,” Scorsese told The Times. “We had so many ideas,” Martin added. “We just wrote and wrote.” One of their first full-length collaborations was “Mean Streets,” a gritty crime film starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. He wrote the treatment on “The Last Waltz,” a documentary about the final concert by the Band that is generally regarded as one of the finest concert films ever made. He also co-wrote “New York, New York.” “Raging Bull,” however, marked Martin’s arrival, and Scorsese’s too. A wrenching, violent, profane, animalistic descent into the life of middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and was hailed for its hard-charging dialogue. The screenplay, which Martin co-wrote with Paul Schrader, was nominated for a Golden Globe in screenwriting.
Film Historian and Author Rudy Behlmer Dies at 92 Rudy Behlmer, author of “Memo From David O. Selznick” and nearly a dozen other film-history books, died Friday at his home in Studio City, Calif. He was 92. Behlmer was among the most widely respected historians of Golden Age Hollywood, in part because of his insistence upon researching “primary source material” and not relying on faulty memories or exaggerated press accounts of the time. “Memo From David O. Selznick,” which Behlmer edited from thousands of Selznick’s private letters, telegrams and memoranda, was a best seller in 1972. Behlmer first interviewed the “Gone With the Wind” producer for a 1963 article for “Films in Review,” one of dozens of magazine pieces he wrote over the decades. Other books followed: “Hollywood’s Hollywood: The Movies About the Movies” (with co-author Tony Thomas, 1975), “Inside Warner Bros. 1935-1951” (1985), “Behind the Scenes: The Making Of…” (1989) and “Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck” (1993). Behlmer’s first book, co-written with fellow film historians Tony Thomas and Clifford McCarty, was “The Films of Errol Flynn” in 1969. An admirer since boyhood of the actor, he later edited and annotated two screenplays for classic Flynn films, “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and “The Sea Hawk,” as part of the University of Wisconsin Press’s series of published scripts. His last books were also as editor: “W.S. Van Dyke’s Journal: White Shadows in the South Seas, 1927-28 and Other Van Dyke on Van Dyke” (1996), “Henry Hathaway: A Directors Guild Oral History” (with Polly Platt, 2001) and “Shoot the Rehearsal! Behind the Scenes With Assistant Director Reggie Callow” (2010). His expertise extended to the MGM Tarzan movies, producer-director Merian C. Cooper and “King Kong,” and the music of Golden Age composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Miklos Rozsa. His DVD commentary tracks on such classics as “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” “Gone With the Wind,” “Casablanca,” “12 O’Clock High,” “Objective: Burma!” and “How the West Was Won” were widely praised as definitive. He also served as editor, music consultant and annotator for the Warner Bros. music set “50 Years of Film Music” in 1973, just one of many film-score albums and CDs for which he penned liner notes. But essays and journalism were only part of Behlmer’s life. He enjoyed a lively and successful career in television and advertising throughout the 1950s and ’60s. He was stage manager, then staff director and producer, at Los Angeles’ KLAC-TV (now KCOP) from 1950 to 1956, working on such shows as “Liberace,” “Piano Playhouse,” “Mike Roy’s Kitchen,” “Hawthorne,” “Baxter Ward News” and “Cliffie Stone’s Hometown Jamboree.” He was director on ABC’s “Ray Anthony Show,” featuring the big-band leader and his orchestra, during the 1956-57 season, and served as executive producer and director for KCOP from 1960 to 1963, overseeing various shows including his own “Movies’ Golden Age.” Behlmer began producing and directing commercials for Grant Advertising from 1957 to 1960, which led to a two-decade career as a vice president at the Hollywood branch of the Chicago-based ad agency Leo Burnett Inc. from 1963 to 1984. He produced dozens of now-classic spots including the “No More Rice Krispies” opera spot for Kellogg’s (declared by Entertainment Weekly as among the top 10 commercials of all time) and others featuring the Pillsbury Doughboy, the lonely Maytag repairman, two spots featuring Buster Keaton, and others. He was born Oct. 13, 1926, in San Francisco. He served for two years in the Naval Air Corps and, after World War II, was a theater arts major at Los Angeles City College and Pasadena Playhouse College. He later lectured weekly on film topics at California State University at Northridge and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and guest lectured at USC, UCLA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He was a longtime member of the Directors Guild of America, a charter member of the American Film Institute and served on the board of directors of the Society for the Preservation of Film Music (now the Film Music Society). He is survived by his wife Stacey, son Curt and daughter-in-law Anna. The family suggests memorial contributions to Guide Dogs for the Blind, P.O. Box 3950, San Rafael, CA 94912-3950, a charitable organization of which Behlmer was a longtime supporter.
Wayne Fitzgerald, Prolific Main Title Designer, Dies at 89 Wayne Fitzgerald, the main title designer who set the tone and atmosphere for hundreds of films, from Auntie Mame and Pillow Talk to The Godfather: Part II and Total Recall, has died. He was 89. Fitzgerald died Monday on South Whidbey Island in Washington after a brief illness, his wife, MaryEllen Courtney, told The Hollywood Reporter. Fitzgerald spent some 55 years in the business, including his first 17 at Pacific Title & Art Studio, where he rose to lead its art and design department. Fitzgerald's lengthy résumé — he has 460 listed credits on IMDb — also included collaborations with Francis Ford Coppola on The Conversation (1974), The Godfather: Part II (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Outsiders (1983), The Rainmaker (1997) and The Godfather Part III (1990); with Warren Beatty on Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Reds (1981), Dick Tracy (1990) and Love Affair (1994); and with Roman Polanski on Rosemary's Baby (1968) and Chinatown (1974). A three-time Emmy winner, Fitzgerald also helped introduce scores of TV shows, among them Maverick, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Ed, It Takes a Thief, Night Gallery, Columbo, McMillan & Wife, Knots Landing, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Dallas, Matlock and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Wrote Mitch Tuchman in a 1982 profile for Film Comment: "Master of montage, wizard of the three-minute movie, Fitzgerald doesn't create title sequences so much as trailers; briskly edited filmettes that provide a dense, but uncluttered, précis of things to come. This is power-pop art." The website Art of the Title describes Fitzgerald's work on the Rosalind Russell-starring Auntie Mame (1958) as "a vivid and joyful piece of title design." "First, the Warner Bros. logo on pink glass like strawberry skin. The red velvet hands, the cigarette holder, and that little cylinder, all decked in jewels, coming together to introduce a vortex of color. The kaleidoscope envelops us in a swirl of vibrant, shifting shards of painted glass as a piece from Bronislau Kaper's elegant score plays and glittering sequins and gems gather to form several of the credits." Said Fitzgerald in an interview on the site: "I was shown the movie, and it was decided that it really needed something colorful up in the beginning — a very colorful design but sort of abstract — because Mame was a colorful character. That’s the best we could do in this sort of abstract form — just make it very colorful."
Julie Gibson, Singer in 'The Feminine Touch' and 'Hail the Conquering Hero,' Dies at 106 Julie Gibson, a singer, actress, studio rep and dialogue coach who collaborated with Preston Sturges, Orson Welles, Ida Lupino, John Huston, Edgar Bergen and The Bowery Boys during a fascinating career, has died. She was 106. Gibson died in her sleep Oct. 2 in North Hollywood, her cousin, James Rogers, told The Hollywood Reporter. A onetime contract player and "Sweater Girl" at Paramount, the petite Gibson had small roles in such notable films as Bing Crosby's Going My Way (1944) and Judy Garland's The Clock (1945). She sang in a nightclub scene at the start of The Feminine Touch (1941), and Sturges picked her to perform the opening number in Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), where she wore a gown designed for her by Edith Head. Later, she ran an acting studio with Agnes Moorehead, and two of their students were Sidney Poitier and Maya Angelou, her cousin said.
Bernard Slade - television writer & playwright, originally from St Catharines, Ontario, (Not 'St. Catherines'). https://www.zoomerradio.ca/news/latest-news/canadian-writer-producer-bernard-slate-dies/ He left his mark on tv and other places. For more: Bernard Slade, 'Partridge Family' Creator and 'Same Time, Next Year' Writer, Dies at 89 (I'm from St Catharines as well.)
