Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1998: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture [illustrated edition] 0786407484, 9780786407484, 9780786452033

From actor Philip Abbott (February 23, 1998) to scriptwriter Jerald Ziegman (June 12, 1998), the obituaries of 566 actor

749 27 4MB

English Pages 245 [257] Year 1999

Report DMCA / Copyright

DOWNLOAD PDF FILE

Recommend Papers

Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1998: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture [illustrated edition]
 0786407484, 9780786407484, 9780786452033

  • Similar Topics
  • Art
  • 0 0 0
  • Like this paper and download? You can publish your own PDF file online for free in a few minutes! Sign Up
File loading please wait...
Citation preview

Obituaries in the Performing Arts, ¡998

This page intentionally left blank

Obituaries in the Performing Arts, ¡998 Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture by

HARRIS M. LENTZ III

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Je›erson, North Carolina, and London

ISSN ¡087-96¡7 / ISBN 0-7864-0748-4 (softcover : 50# alkaline paper)

©1999 Harris M. Lentz, III. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640

This book is dedicated to the memory of my friends Dina Stinnett, Claude Saxon, Eric Downey, Albert Gore, Sr., Charles Tuthill and Aunt Bess Turner, and to Cleveland Amory, Penny Edwards, Gene Evans, Carl Perkins and all the other great artists we lost in ¡998

This page intentionally left blank

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I greatly appreciate the assistance of my good friend , Carla Clark, and my mother, Helene Lentz. Special thanks also go to Bob King at Classic Images, for granting permission to use information from my columns, and to the people at Jerry Ohlinger’s for digging up many of the photographs appearing herein. Also, thanks to Andrew I. Porter at the Science Fiction Chronicle, Rosa Burnett and the staff at State Technical Institute library, Fred Davis, Eric Rohr, Ray Neilson, John Whyborn, Boyd Magers, Larry Tauber, Andrew Smith (aka

Captain Comics), Nikki and Jimmy Walker, Bettye Dawson, Casey Jones, Tony Pruitt, Bobby Mathews, Kent Nelson, Drew, Arrin, and Freddie Clark, Dale Warren, Forrest J Ackerman, Nina and Mark He‡ngton, Anne Taylor, Dia Barbee, Andy Branham, John Nelson, Richard Allynwood, Joy Martin, Laura Hunt, Denise Tansil, Gary Holder, Hal Stansbury, John Janovich, and the fine folks at J. Alexander’s, Tommy Gattas, James Gattas, the University of Memphis Library, Memphis and Shelby County public libraries.

vii

This page intentionally left blank

TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii Introduction ¡ Reference Bibliography 3 The ¡998 Obituaries

ix

5

This page intentionally left blank

INTRODUCTION The year ¡998, as any other, saw the passing of numerous individuals in the world of show business and the performing arts. This book provides a single source that notes the deaths of all major, and many minor, figures in the fields of film, television, cartoons, theatre, music and popular literature. The obituaries within this volume contain pertinent details of the deaths, including date, place and cause, of 566 celebrities. Biographical information and career highlights and achievements are also provided. I have also included a complete-as-possible filmography for film and television performers. Most obituaries are followed by citations to major newspapers and periodical stories reporting the death. A photograph has been included for many of the individuals. I have been writing obituaries of film personalities for over 20 years, beginning with a column in Forry Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland in the late ¡970s. Many of the film obituaries in the work are taken from my monthly column in Classic Images (P.O. Box

809, Muscatine IA 5276¡), a newspaper devoted to classic films and their performers. I also write a small column on science fiction film–related deaths for the Science Fiction Chronicle (P.O. Box 022730, Brooklyn NY ¡¡202). Information on the deaths of the individuals found in this volume has been gathered from a myriad of sources. Primary sources, as previously noted, are listed in the individual bibliographies, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Times (of London), The Washington Post, Variety, Time, People, TV Guide and Newsweek. Other sources include Boyd Magers’ Western Clippings, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, The Hollywood Reporter, The (Manchester) Guardian, The Comics Buyer’s Guide, Locus, The Boston Globe, Pro Wrestling Torch, Psychotronic Video, The Comics Journal and Facts on File. Several sources on the Internet have also been helpful, including You’re Outta Here! (http://www.cnjetworks.com/~roryb/ outta.html ) and the Internet Movie Database, Ltd. (http://us.imdb.com/ ).

¡

This page intentionally left blank

REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY Hunter, Allan, ed. Chambers’ Concise Encyclopedia of Film and Television. New York: W. & R. Chambers, ¡99¡. Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. New York: HarperPerennial, ¡994. Krafsur, Richard P. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡96¡–70. New York: R.R. Bowker, ¡976. Lenburg, Je›. The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoon Series. Westport, Conn.: Arlington House, ¡98¡. _____, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg. The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, ¡982. McNeil, Alex. Total Television. New York: Penguin, ¡996. Maltin, Leonard, ed. Movie and Video Guide ¡995. New York: Signet, ¡994. Marill, Alvin H. Movies Made for Television. Westport, Conn.: Arlington House, ¡980. Monaco, James. Who’s Who in American Film Now. New York: Zoetrope, ¡988. Munden, Kenneth W., ed. American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡92¡–30. New York: R.R. Bowker, ¡97¡. Nash, Jay Robert, and Stanley Ralph Ross. The Motion Picture Guide. ¡0 vols. Chicago: Cinebooks, ¡985. Nowlan, Robert A., and Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan. The Films of the Eighties. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡99¡.

Books The Academy Players Directory. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, ¡978–¡998. Brooks, Tim. The Complete Directory of Prime Time TV Stars. New York : Ballantine Books, ¡987. DeLong, Thomas A. Radio Stars. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡996. Dimmitt, Richard Bertrand. An Actors’ Guide to the Talkies. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, ¡967. Two volumes. Erickson, Hal. Television Cartoon Shows. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡995. Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, ¡940–¡949. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡994. _____. Sound Films, ¡927–¡939. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡992. Gi›ord, Denis. The British Film Catalog ¡895– ¡970: A Reference Guide. New York: McGraw-Hill, ¡973. _____. The Illustrated Who’s Who in British Films. London: Batsford, ¡978. Hansen, Patricia King, ed. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡9¡¡–20. Berkeley: University of California Press, ¡988. _____. The American Film Institute Catalog: Feature Films, ¡93¡–40. Berkeley: University of California Press, ¡993.

3

Reference Bibliography Oliviero, Je›rey. Motion Picture Players’ Credits. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡99¡. Parish, James Robert. Actors’ Television Credits ¡950–¡972. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, ¡973. _____. Film Actors Guide: Western Europe. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, ¡977. Ragan, David. Who’s Who in Hollywood, ¡900– ¡976. New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, ¡976. Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, ¡937–¡973. New York: Zoetrope, ¡986.

4 _____. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, ¡974–¡984. New York: Zoetrope, ¡986. Thomson, David. A Biographical Dictionary of Film. New York: William Morrow, ¡98¡. Tuck, Donald H. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy Through ¡968. Chicago: Advent, ¡974–¡978. Two volumes. Walker, John, ed. Halliwell’s Filmgoer’s and Video Viewer’s Companion, ¡0th ed. New York: HarperPerennial, ¡993. Willis, John, ed. Screen World. New York : Crown, ¡958–¡996.

OBITUARIES IN THE PERFORMING ARTS, 1998

Obituaries • 1998

Abbott, Philip Actor Philip Abbott died of cancer in Los Angeles on February 23, 1998. He was 74. Abbott was best known for his performance as Arthur Ward, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.’s bureau boss, in the long-running television series The F.B.I. from 1965 through 1974. Abbott was born Philip Abbott Alexander in Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 21, 1923. He served during World War II as a bomber pilot. He made his debut on the Broadway stage in Harvest of Years after the war. Abbott also appeared in productions of Square Root of Wonderful, Two for the Seesaw and Detective Story. He made his film debut in 1957’s The Bachelor Party. He also appeared in the science fiction film The Invisible Boy later in the year. Abbott starred as John Collier in the 1959 television series The House on High Street and portrayed Dr. Dan Walton on the television soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1961 through 1963. During the 1960s he was also featured in the films Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), The Spiral Road (1962), Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) and Those Calloways (1965). His numerous television credits also include episodes of Kraft Television Theatre, True Story, U.S. Steel Hour, Goodyear TV Playhouse, Studio One, Armstrong

6 Circle Theatre, Playhouse 90, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, One Step Beyond, Naked City, The Twilight Zone, The Detectives, Gunsmoke, Black Saddle, Hotel De Paree, Stoney Burke, The Defenders, Bus Stop, Saints and Sinners, G.E. True, Empire, Bonanza, Rawhide, The Fugitive, Route 66, The Outer Limits, the telefilm Kilroy for Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in 1965, Medical Center, Salvage 1, The Six Million Dollar Man, Quincy, Lou Grant, The Incredible Hulk, Airwolf, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Monsters, St. Elsewhere, Murder, She Wrote and thirtysomething. He was featured in the 1967 telefilm Campo 44 and was John Franklin in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man — Book II. He also appeared in the films Hangar 18 (1980), Savannah Smiles (1982) and The First Power (1990), and the telefilms Tail Gunner Joe (1977), Escape from Bogen County (1977), Cops and Robin (1978), The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984), Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story (1993) and Spring Awakening (1994). Abbott played Dr. Alex Baker in the television soap opera General Hospital in 1987. He was directed by his son, actor and writer David Abbott Alexander, in the 1993 play The Routine and the two appeared together in the 1998 film Starry Night. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 27, 1998, A34; New York Times, Mar. 2, 1998, A15; Variety, Apr. 27, 1998, 74.

Adams, Johnny Jazz and blues singer Johnny Adams died of cancer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 14, 1998. He was 66. Adams was born in New Orleans on January 5, 1932. He was a popular performer in New Orleans before gaining international recognition with the release of a series of albums from Rounder records from 1983. Adams last recording, Man of My Word, was released shortly before his death. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 17, 1998, A24; New York Times, Sept. 16, 1998, B11; Newsweek, Sept. 28, 1998, 51; Times (of London), Oct. 9, 1998, 27a.

Philip Abbott

7

Johnny Adams (Rick Olivier).

Adams, Philip Guest Philip Guest Adams died of heart failure in Dover, Delaware, on January 3, 1998. He was 85. Adams began his career in radio and was heard as villains in segments of The Green Hornet and Gangbusters radio serials. He later moved to television, where he was musical director for such shows as American Bandstand with Dick Clark. New York Times, Jan. 27, 1998, A17.

Addison, John British film composer John Addison died of a stroke at a Bennington, Vermont, hospital on December 7, 1998. He was 78. Addison was born in West Chobham, Surrey, England, on March 16, 1920. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London and composed the ballet Carte Blanche and other symphonic works early in his career. He began composing music for the stage

1998 • Obituaries and screen in 1950. Addison scored over 70 films and television productions during his career, including the Oscar-winning Tom Jones (1963) and the Emmy-winning theme to Murder, She Wrote. His numerous film credits include The Guinea Pig (1948), Pool of London (1950), Seven Days to Noon (1950), The Hour of 13 (1952), Brandy for the Parson (1952), Paratrooper (1953), Terror on a Train (1953), The Man Between (1953), One Good Turn (1954), High and Dry (1954), The End of the Road (1954), The Black Knight (1954), Touch and Go (1955), Make Me an Offer (1955), Reach for the Sky (1956), Private’s Progress (1956), The Cockleshell Heroes (1956), The Shiralee (1957), Lucky Jim (1957), Barnacle Bill (1957), Look Back in Anger (1958), I Was Monty’s Double (1958), School for Scoundrels (1960), A French Mistress (1960), The Entertainer (1960), A Taste of Honey (1961), His and Hers (1961), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Go to Blazes (1962), Tom Jones (1963), Girl with Green Eyes (1964), Guns at Batasi (1964), The Loved One (1965), The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965), I Was Happy Here (1966), Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain (1966), A Fine Madness (1966), Smashing Time (1967), The Honey Pot (1967), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), Start the Revolution Without Me (1970), Country Dance (1970), Cry of the Penguins (1971), Sleuth (1972) which earned him another Oscar nomination, Luther (1973), Dead Cert (1974), Swashbuckler (1976), The Seven-PerCent Solution (1976), Ride a Wild Pony (1976), Joseph Andrews (1977), A Bridge Too Far (1977), The Pilot (1979), Strange Invaders (1983), Grace Quigley (1984) and Code Name: Emerald (1985). He also scored the 1978 drama series The Eddie Capra Mysteries and Nero Wolfe in 1981. His other television credits include the miniseries Pearl (1978) and Centennial (1978), and the telefilms A Death in Canaan (1978), The Bastard (1978), Love’s Savage Fury (1979), Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982), Agatha Christie’s Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Mr. Boogedy (1986), Dead Man’s Folly (1986), Bride of Boogedy (1987), The Shadow on the Sun (1988) and the 1990 version of The Phantom of the Opera. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 13, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 12, 1998, A19; Variety, Dec. 14, 1998, 146; Washington Post, Dec. 14, 1998, E7.

Obituaries • 1998

Aiken, Elaine Actress Elaine Aiken died of cancer in New York on July 12, 1998. She was 71. Aiken was born Elena Arizmendi in Cordoba, Spain, in 1927. She was a leading acting teacher and was also featured in the film The Lonely Man (1957) and the 1980 comedy Caddyshack. She was the founder of the Actors Conservatory in Manhattan in 1987. New York Times, July 28, 1998, A16.

8 Wilderness (1958), Jungle Cat (1960), Islands of the Sea (1960) and The Legend of Lobo (1962). Algar also wrote and produced Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln for Disneyland and The Hall of Presidents for Disney World. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 28, 1998, A20.

Allen, Julian Artist Julian Allen died of non–Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 28, 1998. He was 55. Allen was staff artist with New Yorker magazine in the 1970s, where he drew illustrations for such subjects as the Watergate hearings and the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Allen created the comic strip Wild Palms for Details magazine with writer Bruce Wagner. The strip was adapted into a television miniseries produced by Oliver Stone in 1993. Allen was also the artist who created the blues singers stamps for the U.S. Postal Service in 1994. New York Times, Sept. 30, 1998, B8.

Elaine Aiken

Algar, James Nelson Director and animator James Nelson Algar died at his home in Carmel, California, on February 26, 1998. He was 85. Algar was born in Modesto, California, on June 11, 1912. He began his career in films as an animator for Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1934. Algar also directed The Sorcerer’s Apprentice sequence for the animated classic Fantasia in 1940. He also wrote and directed 1949’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and numerous episodes of the Oscar-winning Disney True Life Adventure series from the 1950s including Seal Island (1948), In Beaver Valley (1950), Nature’s Half Acre (1951), Water Birds (1952), The Living Desert (1953), Bear Country (1953), The Vanishing Prairie (1954), The African Lion (1955), Secrets of Life (1956), White

Julian Allen

Allen, Robert Cowboy star Robert “Tex” Allen died of cancer and a collapsed lung in New York on October 9, 1998. He was 92. Allen was born Irving

9

1998 • Obituaries (1938), Keep Smiling (1938), The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938), Winter Carnival (1939), Winner Take All (1939), Fighting Thoroughbreds (1939), Everybody’s Baby (1939), City of Chance (1940), Blazing Guns (1943) and She Gets Her Man (1945). After World War II Allen primarily worked on stage and television. He appeared in theatrical productions of Auntie Mame and Showboat. He also appeared in television productions of Brimstone and The Amish Horse, and in the soap operas Somerset and First Love. Allen was married to actress Evelyn Pierce until her death in 1960. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 13, 1998, B8; New York Times, Oct. 14, 1998, A21; Variety, Oct. 19, 1998, 88.

Alvarez, Santiago

Robert Allen

Theodore Baehr in Mt. Vernon, New York, on March 28, 1906. He began his screen career in 1926 as a stuntman in Richard Arlen’s The Quarterback. He was signed by Warner Brothers in the early 1930s, appearing in small parts in Animal Crackers (1930), The Reckless Hour (1931) and Party Husband (1931). He was a leading man in such films as Menace (1934), Jealousy (1934), Perils of Pauline (1934), Broadway Bill (1934), White Lies (1935), Love Me Forever (1935), Guard That Girl (1935), Death Flies East (1935), Crime and Punishment (1935), The Black Room (1935), Air Hawks (1935), I’m a Father (1935), I’ll Love You Always (1935), Party Wire (1935), Pride of the Marines (1936), Lady of Secrets (1936) and Craig’s Wife (1936). In 1935 he began a second career as a cowboy star co-starring with Tim McCoy in three Westerns. He was featured in such films as Law Beyond the Range (1935), The Revenge Rider (1935) and Fighting Shadows (1935). He subsequently starred in several films in Columbia’s Ranger Bob Allen series directed by Spencer G. Bennett including The Unknown Ranger (1936), Rio Grande Ranger (1937), Reckless Ranger (1937), Ranger Courage (1937), Law of the Ranger (1937), and The Rangers Step In (1937). Allen’s other film credits include The Awful Truth (1937), Up the River (1938), Penitentiary (1938), Meet the Girls

Cuban documentary filmmaker Santiago Alvarez died of a lung infection and complications from Parkinson’s disease at a Havana, Cuba, hospital on May 20, 1998. He was 79. Alvarez was a supporter of Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution and was a leading documentarist in Cuba during the 1960s. He created over 100 films including

Santiago Alvarez

Obituaries • 1998 the surrealist Cyclone (1963) and Now (1965). His other film credits include Muerte al invasor (1961), Cuba, 2 de enero (1965), Hanoi, martes 13 (1967), LBJ (1968), The Hour of the Furnaces (1968), La Hora de los cerdos (1973), El Tiempo es el viento (1976), Mi hermano Fidel (1977), El Desafio (1979), La Guerra necesaria (1980), Los Refugiados de la Cueva del Muerto (1983), El Soandor del Kremlin (1984), Brascuba (1987), Concierto por la vida (1997) and Concierto mayor (1997). New York Times, May 23, 1998, D16.

Ambler, Eric British suspense novelist Eric Ambler died in London on October 22, 1998. He was 89. Ambler was born in London on June 28, 1909. He began writing spy thrillers in the late 1930s and his early work included A Coffin for Dimitrios, The Dark Frontier, Background to Danger, Cause for Alarm and Epitaph for a Spy. Many of his novels were adapted into films including Journey into Fear (1942) starring Orson Welles, Background to Danger (1943), Hotel Reserve (Epitaph for a Spy) (1944), The Way Ahead (1944) and The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). Ambler produced and scripted

10 the films The October Man (1947) and The Passionate Friends (1949). He scripted several other films in the 1950s including Highly Dangerous (1950), The Magic Box (1951), The Promoter (1952), Shoot First (1953), The Cruel Sea (1953) which gained him an Academy Award nomination, Lease of Life (1954), The Purple Plain (1954), Yangtse Incident (1957), A Night to Remember (1958) recounting the Titanic tragedy, The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959), and uncredited work on 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty. His novel The Light of the Day was adapted into the popular 1964 caper film Topkapi. Journey into Fear was remade in 1975 and Ambler’s novel was the basis for the 1990 telefilm The Care of Time. Ambler’s other novels include Judgment on Deltchev (1951), The Schirmer Inheritance (1953), State of Siege (1956), Passage of Arms (1960), A Kind of Anger (1964), The Intercom Conspiracy (1969), The Levanter (1982) and Doctor Frigo (1982). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 24, 1998, A24; New York Times, Oct. 24, 1998, C16; Time, Nov. 2, 1998, 35; Times (of London), Oct. 24, 1998, 24a; Variety, Nov. 2, 1998, 66; Washington Post, Oct. 25, 1998, B8.

Ames, Ramsay Actress Ramsay Ames died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer at a Santa Monica, Cal-

Eric Ambler

Ramsay Ames

11

1998 • Obituaries

ifornia, convalescent hospital on March 21, 1998. She was 78. Ames was born in New York on March 30, 1919. She was a leading actress in B movies in the 1940s, appearing in such films and serials as Calling Dr. Death (1943), Two Senoritas from Chicago (1943), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), Follow the Boys (1944), Hat Check Honey (1944), The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) with Lon Chaney, Jr., A Wave, a Wac and a Marine (1944), Mildred Pierce (1945), Two Young to Know (1945), Below the Deadline (1946), The Gay Cavalier (1946), Beauty and the Bandit (1946), Green Dolphin Street (1947), The Black Widow (1947), The Vigilante (1947), Philo Vance Returns (1947) and G-Men Never Forget (1948). Though largely retired from the screen from the late 1940s, she made appearances in a handful of subsequent films including Vicki (1953), Alexander the Great (1956) and The Running Man (1963).

The Last Resorts (1952) and Who Killed Society? (1960). Amory was a panelist on the 1954 television quiz show One Minute Please and co-created, with Abe Burrows, the 1965 sitcom O.K. Crackerby! He was guest social commentator on NBC’s Today show for eleven years from 1952 until 1963. He subsequently served as the chief critic for TV Guide until 1976. Amory was also known for his trio of books about a cat that he rescued on Christmas Eve. The cat, whom he named Polar Bear, inspired The Cat Who Came for Christmas (1988), The Cat and the Curmudgeon (1990) and The Best Cat Ever (1993). His last published book was 1997’s Ranch of Dreams. Amory was also featured as Mr. Danforth in the 1988 film Mr. North. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 16, 1998, A30; New York Times, Oct. 16, 1998, B11; Time, Oct. 26, 1998, 31; Washington Post, Oct. 16, 1998, B8.

Amory, Cleveland

Amos, Keith

Writer and critic Cleveland Amory died in New York City of an aneurysm on October 14, 1998. He was 81. Amory was born in Nahant, Massachusetts, on September 2, 1917. His first book, The Proper Bostonians (1947), was part of a trilogy on social history which also included

Actor Keith Amos died in Los Angeles of chronic asthma on November 22, 1998. He was 30. Amos began his career on Broadway appearing in a revival of The Amen Corner. He became a popular commercial actor, well known for the “Got Milk?” commercial on television. Amos was Eric Nash in the daytime soap opera General Hospital in 1990 and was Miracle Miles Coolidge in the sitcom 1st & Ten from 1990 until 1991. He also appeared in the telefilms To My Daughter with Love (1994) and Breach of Contract (1994), and was featured in episodes of NYPD Blue, 21 Jump Street, Murphy Brown and Family Ties. Amos also appeared in the films Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998) and Fraternity Boys (1999).

Anthony, Michael

Cleveland Amory (with his cat, Polar Bear)

British stage actor Michael Anthony died of complications from a stroke on February 14, 1998. He was 86. He was born Michael Adam Anthony Chodzko in Jersey, England, on September 25, 1911. He began his career on stage in a production of Passing of the Third Floor Back in 1933. His career was interrupted by naval service during World War II. After the war he returned to the stage, appearing in such plays as King’s Rhap-

Obituaries • 1998

12

Arnold, Bob British actor Bob Arnold died on August 27, 1998. Arnold was best known to British audiences for his long-running role as Tom Forrest on the popular series, The Archers. He was 87. Arnold was born in Oxfordshire on December 27, 1910. He began working for BBC radio in the late 1930s for the series In the Cotswolds. He joined the original cast of The Archers in 1951. He was a leading member of the cast for the next two decades and remained with the program until his death. Times (of London), Aug. 2, 1998, 25a.

Michael Anthony

sody and Bill Bunter Shipwrecked. He continued to perform regularly until the early 1970s when he spent five years as a navigator with the Everard’s Line. He again returned to the stage in 1976, where he remained a popular performer until his retirement to St. Tropez in 1987. Anthony’s survivors include his second wife, actress Bernadette Milne, and their daughter, actress Lysette Anthony. Times (of London), Feb. 21, 1998, 25a.

Apstein, Theodore Film and television writer Theodore Apstein died of a stroke in Brentwood, California, on July 26, 1998. He was 80. Apstein authored several plays which were produced on Broadway including The Innkeepers (1956) and Come Share My House (1960). Apstein also scripted the films Without Each Other (1962), Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969) and The Link (1982), and the 1972 telefilm Baffled! which starred Leonard Nimoy. Apstein also scripted numerous television series, including episodes of Studio One, Alcoa Playhouse, Dr. Kildare, Marcus Welby, M.D. and The Waltons. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 6, 1998, A20; New York Times, Aug. 8, 1998, A13.

Bob Arnold

Asparagus, Fred Comedian and character actor Fred Asparagus died in Panorama City, California, of a heart attack on June 29, 1998. He was 51. Asparagus was born Fred Reveles in 1947. He began his career as a stand-up comic and made his film debut in 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap. His other film credits include Three Amigos! (1986), 8 Million Ways to Die (1986), Fatal Beauty (1987), Dragnet (1987), Colors (1988), Terminal Force (1990), Havana

13

1998 • Obituaries Crooked Men (1958), Dublin Nightmare (1958), The Mouse That Roared (1959), The End of the Line (1959), The Giant Behemoth (1959), The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960), Passport to China (1961), A Matter of Who (1961), Bungala Boys (1961), Hammer’s 1962 version of The Phantom of the Opera, The World Ten Times Over (1963), Zoo Baby (1964), The Fiction Makers (1967), Vendetta for the Saint (1970) and Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973). Times (of London), June 17, 1998, 21a.

Fred Asparagus

(1990), The Five Heartbeats (1991), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Steal Big, Steal Little (1995), Galaxis (1995) and Slappy and the Stinkers (1998). Asparagus was also featured on television in episodes of CHiPs, Wiseguy, Hunter, Cheers, Falcon Crest, Land’s End, Danger Theatre and Roseanne. Variety, Sept. 28, 1998, 193. Edwin Astley (right, with Patrick McGoohan)

Astley, Edwin British film and television composer Edwin Astley died in Moulsford, Oxfordshire, England on May 19, 1998. He was 76. Astley was born in Warrington, England , on April 12, 1922. He played with several bands in England after World War II. He began his career working in British television composing incidental music for Richard Greene’s 1955 series The Adventures of Robin Hood. He also composed music for such series as The Buccaneers, The Saint, Danger Man and My Partner, The Ghost (Randall and Hopkirk (deceased)). Astley also composed music for numerous films including Star of My Night (1954), The Happiness of Three Women (1954), Devil Girl from Mars (1954), Contrabando (1954), To Paris with Love (1955) which he also produced, The Hornet’s Nest (1955), The Woman Eater (1957), Kill Her Gently (1957), The Heart Within (1957), Three

Auerbach, Arnold Writer Arnold Auerbach died in a New York hospital on October 20, 1998. He was 86. Auerbach was born in Manhattan on May 2, 1912. He began writing for the stage while in college. He continued writing during his service in the U.S. Army during World War II, contributing to Frank Loesser’s musical comedy, “About Face,” produced to entertain the troops during the war. Auerbach was the scripter of a dozen Broadway shows after the war, including such hits as Call Me Mister (1946) and Inside U.S.A. (1948). He was also a popular radio writer for such comedy stars as Fred Allen and Milton Berle. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 22, 1998, A28; New York Times, Oct. 21, 1998, C27; Variety, Nov. 16, 1998, 47.

Obituaries • 1998

Aury, Dominique French author Dominique Aury died in Paris on April 26, 1998. She was 90. Aury was born Anne Desclos in Rochefort-sur-Mer, France, on September 23, 1907. She was the author of the controversial 1954 erotic novel The Story of O under the pseudonym Pauline Reage. The novel was filmed in 1975. Aury only acknowledged authorship in an interview in The New Yorker 40 years later in 1994. Los Angeles Times, May 3, 1998, B5; New York Times, May 3, 1998, I52; People, May 18, 1998, 123; Times (of London), May 7, 1998, 25a.

Dominique Aury

Autry, Gene Legendary singing cowboy star Gene Autry died at his Studio City, California, home on October 2, 1998. He was 91. Autry was born Orvon Gene Autry on a Tioga, Texas, ranch on September 29, 1907. He was encouraged to go into

14 show business when Will Rogers heard him singing while working as a railroad telegrapher in Oklahoma in the 1920s. He began his career on local radio in 1928 and was given his own radio show three years later. Autry made his film debut, singing in Ken Maynard’s 1934 Western In Old Santa Fe and the serial Mystery Mountain. The following year he starred in the science fiction Western serial The Phantom Empire and the feature film Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds. He continued to star in westerns for Republic, accompanied by his horse Champion and his grizzled comedy sidekick Smiley Burnette. His numerous westerns include Melody Trail (1935), Sagebrush Troubador (1935), The Singing Vagabond (1935), Comin’ Round the Mountain (1936), Guns and Guitars (1936), Oh, Susanna! (1936), The Old Corral (1936), Red River Valley (1936), Ride, Ranger, Ride (1936), The Singing Cowboy (1936), The Big Show (1937), Boots and Saddles (1937), Git Along, Little Dogies (1937), Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937), Rootin’ Tootin’ Rhythm (1937), Round-Up Time in Texas (1937), Springtime in the Rockies (1937) and Yodelin’ Kid from Pine Ridge (1937). Autry was the only Western star to make the list of Hollywood’s top ten moneymakers for four years from 1938. He continued to appear in such features as Gold Mine in the Sky (1938), Man from Music Mountain (1938), The Old Barn Dancer (1938), Prairie Moon (1938), Rhythm of the Saddle (1938), Western Jamboree (1938), Blue Montana Skies (1939), Colorado Sunset (1939), Home on the Prairie (1939), In Old Monterey (1939), Mexicali Rose (1939), Mountain Rhythm (1939), Rovin’ Tumbleweeds (1939), South of the Border (1939), Carolina Moon (1940), Gaucho Serenade (1940), Melody Ranch (1940), Rancho Grande (1940), Men with Steel Faces (1940), Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride (1940), Shooting High (1940), Back in the Saddle (1941), Down Mexico Way (1941), Ridin’ on a Rainbow (1941), Sierra Sue (1941), The Singing Hill (1941), Sunset in Wyoming (1941), Under Fiesta Stars (1941), Bells of Capistrano (1942), Call of the Canyon (1942), Cowboy Serenade (1942), Heart of the Rio Grande (1942), Home in Wyomin’ (1942) and Stardust on the Sage (1942). Autry served with the Air Transport Command as a flight officer during World War II. He had been replaced as Republic’s leading singing cowboy by Roy Rogers and after his discharge he went to Columbia, where he formed Flying A Productions. Often partnering with Pat Buttram, Autry continued to appear in films in-

15

1998 • Obituaries autobiography. Autry also introduced the popular Christmas song “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 1949. He was also a successful businessman, owning hotels, radio and television stations and oil wells. He became the owner of the California Angels baseball team in 1961. Autry had no children. He was married to Ina Mae Spivey from 1932 until her death in 1980. The following year he married banker Jacqueline Ellam, who remained with him until his death. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 3, 1998, A1; New York Times, Oct. 3, 1998, A15; People, Oct. 19, 1998, 116; Time, Oct. 12, 1998, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 5, 1998, 25a; Variety, Oct. 5, 1998, 83; Washington Post, Oct. 3, 1998, B4.

Babbs, Dorothy

Gene Autry

cluding Sioux City Sue (1946), The Last RoundUp (1947), Robin Hood of Texas (1947), Saddle Pals (1947), Trail to San Antone (1947), Twilight on the Rio Grande (1947), Loaded Pistols (1948), The Strawberry Roan (1948), The Big Sombrero (1949), The Cowboy and the Indians (1949), Riders in the Sky (1949), Riders of the Whistling Pines (1949), Rim of the Canyon (1949), Sons of New Mexico (1949), Beyond the Purple Hills (1950), The Blazing Sun (1950), Cow Town (1950), Indian Territory (1950), Mule Train (1950), Hills of Utah (1951), Silver Canyon (1951), Texans Never Cry (1951), Valley of Fire (1951), Whirlwind (1951), Apache Country (1952), Barbed Wire (1951), Blue Canadian Rockies (1952), Night Stage to Galveston (1952), The Old West (1952), Wagon Team (1952), Goldtown Ghost Raiders (1953), Last of the Pony Riders (1953), On Top of Old Smoky (1953), Pack Train (1953), Saginaw Trail (1953), Winning of the West (1953) and Alias Jesse James (1959). Autry also produced and starred in The Gene Autry Show from 1950 until 1955. He also produced the 1950s series Buffalo Bill, Jr., Annie Oakley and The Adventures of Champion. Autry also wrote over 200 songs including “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine.” He was identified with the theme song “Back in the Saddle Again,” which was also the title of his 1978

Dancer Dorothy Babbs died of complications from heart surgery in Thousand Oaks, California, on May 13, 1998. She was 71. Babbs was born in Amarillo, Texas, in 1926. She began her film career in 1939’s You Can’t Take It With You, where she taught star Jimmy Stewart how to dance the Big Apple. She was a member of the dance troupe Jivin’ Jacks & Jills in the 1940s, and appeared in such films as Scandal Street (1938), Star Maker (1939), It Could Happen to You (1939), Playmates (1941), What’s Cookin’? (1942), The Talk of the Town (1942), Give Out, Sisters (1942), How’s About It (1943), Chip Off the Old Block (1944), Earl Carroll Sketchbook (1946) and When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948). Babbs retired from performing in the 1950s to raise a family. Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1998, A24; Variety, May 25, 1998, 74.

Balter, Alan Orchestra conductor Alan Balter died on August 21, 1998, of complications from an infection following lung surgery at a Philadelphia hospital. He was 53. Balter began playing in orchestras professionally in the late 1960s. He was principal clarinetist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and began conducting there in the mid–1970s. He also conducted the Baltimore and Akron orchestras before becoming conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 1984. He

Obituaries • 1998

16 song, “Here I Come to Save the Day.” Barer also co-wrote the 1959 Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress, which starred Carol Burnett. He and Mary Rodgers also wrote five songs for the 1966 off–Broadway revue, The Mad Show, based on the popular humor magazine. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 27, 1998, A24; New York Times, Aug. 28, 1998, A23.

Barker, Blue Lu

Alan Balter

remained there until stepping down in May of 1998. Memphis Commercial Appeal, Aug. 25, 1998, A1.

Blues and jazz singer Blue Lu Barker died in New Orleans after a long illness on May 7, 1998. She was 84. Barker was born Louisa Dupont in New Orleans on November 13, 1913. She began performing as a child and married musician Danny Barker while in her teens. She accompanied her husband to New York, where she sang at several clubs. She was known for her risqué blues numbers including “Don’t You Feel My Legs,” “That Made Him Mad,” “Handy Andy” and “Never Brag About Your Man.” She had several hit recordings in the 1940s and 1950s, including “A Little Bird Told Me.” She and her husband returned to New Orleans in the 1960s, where she continued to perform until poor health forced her retirement in the 1980s. Times (of London), May 27, 1998, 21a.

Balter, Sam Radio announcer Sam Balter died in Los Angeles on August 8, 1998. He was 88. Balter worked as sports director at Los Angeles’ KLAC radio from the 1940s through the early 1960s. His voice was heard as an announcer in several films including The Pittsburgh Kid (1941), Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey (1950), Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) and Kiss Me Deadly (1955). He also played radio announcers on television in episodes of Superman and The Twilight Zone. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 1998, C5.

Barer, Marshall Lyricist Marshall Barer died of cancer at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on August 25, 1998. He was 75. Barer was best known for writing the words to the Mighty Mouse cartoon theme

Blue Lu Barker

17

Barnes, Binnie Actress Binnie Barnes died of natural causes in Beverly Hills on July 27, 1998. She was 95. Barnes was born Gitelle Gertrude Maude Barnes in London on March 25, 1903. She made her screen debut in 1929, often appearing in comedy shorts with Stanley Lupino. She also appeared in the British films Phonofilm (1929), A Night in Montmarte (1931), Out of the Blue (1931), Partner’s Please (1931), Murder at Covent Garden (1932), The Last Coupon (1932), Counsel’s Opinion (1933), Taxi to Paradise (1933), The Charming Deceiver (1933), The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) as Catherine Howard, The Lady Is Willing (1934) and The Private Life of Don Juan (1934). She went to Hollywood in the mid–1930s, where she continued to appear in such films as There’s Always Tomorrow (1934), Diamond Jim (1935) as Lillian Russell, Sutter’s Gold (1936), The Last of the Mohicans (1936), The Magnificent Brute (1936), Small Town Girl (1936), Three Smart Girls (1937), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Breezing Home (1937), The Divorce of Lady X (1938), The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), Three Blind Mice (1938), Holiday (1938), Tropic Holiday (1938),

1998 • Obituaries Gateway (1938), Always Goodbye (1938), The Three Musketeers (1939) as Milady De Winter, Frontier Marshal (1939), Wife, Husband and Friend (1939), Man About Town (1939), Daytime Wife (1939), ’Til We Meet Again (1940), This Thing Called Love (1941), Skylark (1941), Tight Shoes (1941), Angels with Broken Wings (1941), Call Out the Marines (1942), New Wine (1942), I Married an Angel (1942), In Old California (1942), The Man from Down Under (1943), Up in Mabel’s Room (1944), Barbary Coast Gent (1944), The Hour Before Dawn (1944), It’s in the Bag (1945), Getting Gertie’s Garter (1945), The Spanish Main (1945), The Time of Their Lives (1946), If Winter Comes (1948), The Dude Goes West (1948), My Own True Love (1949), The Pirates of Capri (1949), Fugitive Lady (1949), Shadow of the Eagle (1950), Decameron Nights (1953) and Fire Over Africa (1954). She subsequently retired from the screen. Barnes resumed her career in the 1966 films The Trouble with Angels and was also featured in the sequel Where Angels Go Trouble Follows in 1968. She also appeared in several episodes of The Donna Reed Show in the mid–1960s. Her final film performance was in 1973’s 40 Carats. She was married to film executive Mike Frankovich from 1940 until his death in 1992. Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1998, B8; New York Times, July 30, 1998, D19; Times (of London), Aug. 1, 1998, 21a; Variety, Aug. 3, 1998, 47.

Barnes, Walter

Binnie Barnes

Character actor Walter Barnes died of complications from diabetes at the Motion Picture Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on January 6, 1998. He was 79. Barnes played professional football with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1948 through 1951. He subsequently began his acting career, appearing in such features as Oregon Passage (1958), Revolt in the Big House (1958), Westbound (1959), Under Ten Flags (1960) and Captain Sinbad (1963). He appeared in several European films, many of them Westerns, in the 1960s including Apache Gold (Winnetou I) (1963), Duel at the Rio Grande (1963), Among Vultures (1964), Duel at Sundown (1965), Rampage at Apache Wells (1965), The Big Gundown (1966), Half Breed (1966), Garter Colt (1967), Clint the Stranger (1968), The Greatest Robbery in the West (1968) and The Moment to

Obituaries • 1998

18

Walter Barnes (from Escape to Witch Mountain).

Kill (1968). He returned to Hollywood in the early 1970s where he continued his film career in The Travelling Executioner (1970), The Christian Licorice Store (1971), Pigs (1972), High Plains Drifter (1973) with Clint Eastwood , Cahill, United States Marshal (1973), Mackintosh and T.J. (1975), Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), Another Man, Another Chance (1977), Day of the Animals (1977), Pete’s Dragon (1977), Every Which Way But Loose (1978) and Smokey Bites the Dust (1981). Barnes appeared as Sheriff Buford Pusser’s father, Carl, in the 1981 television series Walking Tall. He had previously starred in the 1960 adventure series Tales of the Vikings as Finn. His other television credits include the telefilms The Gun and the Pulpit (1974), The Blue Knight (1975) and Power (1980), and episodes of Zane Grey Theater, Death Valley Days, Richard Diamond, Private Eye, Colt .45, Cheyenne, Have Gun —Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Maverick, Bronco, The Rough Riders, Bat Masterson, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Alias Smith and Jones, Kung Fu, Mission: Impossible, The Dukes of Hazzard, Father Murphy and Stingray.

Barry, Philip, Jr. Television producer Philip Barry, Jr., died of cancer at a New York City hospital on May 16, 1998. He was 74. He was the son of playwright Philip Barry, author of The Philadelphia Story. The younger Barry began his career working in theatrical productions after World War II. He began working in television in the early 1950s, serving as story editor for Robert Montgomery Presents. He also worked as a producer on such series as The Elgin Hour, The Alcoa Hour, The Goodyear Playhouse, Center Stage and The Motorola TV House. He also produced several films including The Mating Game (1958) and Sail a Crooked Ship (1962). Barry received an Emmy Award for his production of the 1979 television special Friendly Fire with Carol Burnett. He also produced such critically acclaimed telefilms as The Glass House (1972), The Migrants (1974), The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975), First, You Cry (1978), Kent State

19 (1981), Chernobyl: The Final Warning (1991) and Eugene O’Neill’s Strange Interlude. Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1998, B5; New York Times, May 25, 1998, A13; Variety, May 25, 1998, 74.

Bartok, Eva Hungarian-born actress Eva Bartok died of heart failure at a London hospital on August 1, 1998. She was 72. Bartok was born Eva Ivanova Szoeke in Kecskemet, Hungary, on June 18, 1926. She was imprisoned in a concentration camp during World War II. She accompanied her second husband, producer Alex Paal, to London in 1948, where she changed her name to Bartok. Her husband produced her film debut, A Tale of Five Women, in 1951. She continued to appear in British and European films throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Her credits include The Assassin (Venetian Bird) (1952), The Crimson Pirate (1952)

1998 • Obituaries with Burt Lancaster, Spaceways (1953), Circus of Love (1953), Park Plaza 605 (1953), Der Letzte Walzer (1953), Orient Express (1954), Front Page Story (1954), Special Delivery (1955), Dunja (1955), the 1956 science fiction films The Gamma People with Paul Douglas, Durch die Walder, durch die Auen (1956), Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957), Madeleine (1958), Operation Amsterdam (1959), SOS Pacific (1959), Ein Student ging vorbei (1960), Beyond the Curtain (1960), Ferien wie noch nie (1962), Blood and Black Lace (1964) and Sabina (1967). Bartok was also married to public relations man Bill Wordsworth and German actor Curt Jurgens. She gave birth to a daughter, Deana, in 1957, while married to Jurgens. She later claimed the child was the product of an affair she had with singer Frank Sinatra. Bartok abandoned her film career in the late 1960s to study with the Pak Subuh sect in Indonesia. She subsequently taught philosophy at a school she founded in Honolulu. She had resided in a London hotel during her final years.

Eva Bartok

Obituaries • 1998 Los Angeles Times, Aug. 5, 1998, A16; New York Times, Aug. 5, 1998, D19; Times (of London), Aug. 4, 1998, 18a; Variety, Aug. 17, 1998, 46.

20

Baylor, Hal Character actor Hal Baylor died on January 5, 1998. He was 79. Baylor was a boxer before

Bates, Clayton “Peg Leg” Tap dancer Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates died suddenly after collapsing on his way to church in Greenville, South Carolina, on December 6, 1998. He was 91. Bates had performed the day before at an event honoring him in his home town. Bates lost his left leg in a cotton gin mill accident at the age of 12. He learned to dance with an artificial limb, which became his trademark. He performed throughout the United States and Europe and made over 20 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Bates retired professionally in 1989, but continued to perform at charity events. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 8, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 8, 1998, B10; Washington Post, Dec. 9, 1998, B6.

Hal Baylor

Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates

entering show business. The heavy-set actor appeared in numerous films and was a familiar face on television during the 1950s and 1960s. He was originally billed as Hal Fieberling in his film debut in 1949’s The Set-Up. Baylor continued to appear in such films as Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby (1949), The Crooked Way (1949), Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle (1950), Dial 1119 (1950), The Wild Blue Yonder (1951), Jim Thorpe — All American (1951), The Sun Shines Bright (1952), Big Jim McLain (1952), Fort Osage (1952), Champ for a Day (1953), Flight Nurse (1953), Island in the Sky (1953), Hot News (1953), This Is My Love (1954), Tobor the Great (1954), Black Tuesday (1954), Prince Valiant (1954), River of No Return (1954), Outlaw Treasure (1955), The Burning Hills (1956), The Young Lions (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), The Comancheros (1961), Quick, Before It Melts! (1964), Lord Love a Duck (1966), The Gnome-Mobile (1967), W.U.S.A. (1970), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), The

21 Barefoot Executive (1971), The Grissom Gang (1971), Evel Knievel (1971), Pickup on 101 (1972), The Emperor of the North Pole (1973), One Little Indian (1973), Disney’s Herbie Rides Again (1973), The Bears and I (1974), the 1975 science fiction cult classic A Boy and His Dog, Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975), Hustle (1975) and The Frisco Kid (1979). Baylor was featured regularly as Bill Thompson in the Wyatt Earp series in 1955. His other television credits include episodes of The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Fury, Wagon Train, Have Gun —Will Travel, Jefferson Drum, The Californians, The Thin Man, Lawman, Maverick, The Texan, Laramie, Hotel De Paree, Thriller, Bonanza, The Alaskans, Bat Masterson, The Deputy, The Rifleman, Gunslinger, Tales of Wells Fargo, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Death Valley Days, Rawhide, Wide Country, 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside 6, The Dakotas, The Virginian, Perry Mason, Mr. Lucky, Temple Houston, Daniel Boone, Judd for the Defense, A Man Called Shenandoah, My Favorite Martian, Laredo, The Road West, Pistols ’n’ Petticoats, Batman, The Invaders, The Big Valley, Star Trek, Tarzan, Iron Horse, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Mannix, The Mod Squad, Kung Fu, Barbary Coast, CHiPs, Hawaii 5-O and Planet of the Apes. He was also featured in the telefilms The Macahans (1976) and The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976).

Beaubrun, Theodore Haitian comedian and actor Theodore Beaubrun died at his Port-au-Prince home after a long illness with Parkinson’s disease on June 30, 1998. He was 79. Beaubrun was born in Port-auPrince on December 26, 1918. He was a popular figure on Haitian radio, television and films for over forty years. He was known as Languichatte Debordus, or cat’s tongue, and began his career as a satirical writer. He created one of Haiti’s first television series in the 1960s, Languichatte in the 20th Century, depicting typical middle-class life in the country. New York Times, July 2, 1998, B9.

Beechman, Laurie Actress and singer Laurie Beechman died of complications from ovarian cancer at her home

1998 • Obituaries

Laurie Beechman

in White Plains, New York, on March 8, 1998. She was 43. Beechman was born in Philadelphia on April 4, 1954. She was best known for her performance as Grizabella in the hit Broadway musical Cats for five years in the mid–1980s. She made her debut on Broadway in the 1977 musical Annie and appeared in the 1979 film version of the musical Hair. She received a Tony nomination for her work as the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1982. She continued to perform on stage and in concert and made several recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s. New York Times, Mar. 10, 1998, B9; Variety, Mar. 16, 1998, 79.

Behn, Noel Novelist and screenwriter Noel Behn died of a heart attack in New York City on July 27, 1998. He was 70. Behn was the author of the novels The Kremlin Letter which was filmed by John Huston in 1970, and Big Stick Up at Brink’s which was filmed in 1978 as The Brink’s Job with Peter Falk. Behn was also creative consultant for the 1993 television series Homicide: Life on the Streets, scripting several episodes of the series. He made brief appearances in several Woody Allen films

Obituaries • 1998

22

Ralph Bell

Bergerman, Stanley Noel Behn

including Stardust Memories (1980) and Another Woman (1988). New York Times, July 31, 1998, D17; TV Guide, Nov. 21, 1998, 8.

Film producer Stanley Bergerman died of cancer in Los Angeles on July 13, 1998. He was 94. Bergerman wrote the original story for Tom Mix’s 1932 film Riders of Death Valley. He also produced Mix’s Destry Rides Again (1932). Bergerman also served as producer on the films We! We! Marie! (1930), The Mummy (1932), The Unexpected Father (1932), Strange Wives (1935), Chinatown Squad (1935) and Werewolf of London (1935).

Bell, Ralph Actor Ralph Bell died of a heart attack in New York City on August 2, 1998. He was 82. Bell was born in New York City in 1916. He began his career in radio in the 1940s, appearing on such popular programs as This Is Nora Drake, Dimension X and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. He was briefly a victim of the McCarthy Era blacklist, but resumed his career writing scripts for The Loretta Young Show and The George Sanders Show. Bell also appeared in the films Wolfen (1981) and Woody Allen’s Zelig (1983). He was also featured in the 1973 telefilm Pueblo and appeared in episodes of Wanted: Dead or Alive and Law & Order in 1992. Bell was also a leading voice actor in commercials. Variety, Sept. 7, 1998, 84.

Beriosova, Svetlana Russian ballerina Svetlana Beriosova died of cancer in London on November 10, 1998. She was 66. Beriosova was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, on September 24, 1932. She made her New York debut in a production of The Nutcracker in 1941. She danced primarily with the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet from 1949 until 1975, appearing in productions of Antigone, Diversions and Swan Lake. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 14, 1998, A18; New York Times, Nov. 13, 1998, B15; Times (of London), Nov. 13, 1998, 25a; Variety, Nov. 23, 1998, 58.

23

1998 • Obituaries

David Berry

took power in Germany. He was the founder of the Bettmann Archives of photographic and illustrative material in 1936. He sold the archives in 1981 and the current owner, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, purchased them in 1995. Bettmann also appeared as a psychiatrist in Dudley Moore’s 1983 comedy film Lovesick. Los Angeles Times, May 4, 1998, A22; New York Times, May 4, 1998, A17; Time, May 18, 1998, 37.

Svetlana Beriosova

Berry, David Character actor David Berry died of cancer in Ridgefield, Connecticut, on August 30, 1998. He was 60. Berry was best known for his work in commercials as Alex, the Kroger meat cutter, for the past 13 years.

Bettmann, Otto L. Otto L. Bettmann died in Boca Raton, Florida, on May 1, 1998. He was 94. Bettmann was born in Leipzig in 1903 and emigrated to the United States in 1935, shortly after Adolf Hitler

Otto L. Bettmann

Obituaries • 1998

Bickman, Stan Film producer and production manager Stan Bickman died of complication from emphysema in New York City on May 30, 1998. He was 66. Bickman began his career in the 1950s working in low-budget films with Roger Corman. He worked on such films as The Brain Eaters (1958), Machine Gun Kelly (1958), High School Big Shot (1959), The Intruder (1962), Wild Angels (1966), The Trip (1967), Wild in the Streets (1968) and Rock ’n’ Roll High School (1979). Los Angeles Times, June 5, 1998, B6.

Bixby, Jerome Screenwriter and author Jerome Bixby died on April 30, 1998. He was 75. Bixby was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 11, 1923. He was a leading pulp science fiction writer who authored well over 1000 stories during his career. His best known short story was It’s a Good Life, which was adapted as a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone television series in the early 1960s and formed part of the 1983 film Twilight Zone: The Movie. Bixby scripted several science fiction films in the 1950s including The Lost Missile (1958), It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) and Curse of the Faceless Man (1958). He also penned the original story for the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage. Bixby also scripted four episodes of the original Star Trek in the late 1960s including “Mirror, Mirror,” “By Any Other Name,” “Day of the Dove” and “Requiem for Methuselah.” Variety, June 29, 1998, 44.

Blair, Nicky Actor and restaurateur Nicky Blair died of liver cancer in Los Angeles on November 22, 1998. He was 70. He was born Nicholas Macario in Brooklyn in 1928. Blair appeared in over 80 films during his career, often in small parts. He was best known for his performance as Shorty Farnsworth, Elvis Presley’s buddy, in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas. Blair’s other film credits include Rogue Cop (1954), Runaway Daughters (1956), Hold Back the Night (1956), Crashing Las Vegas (1956) with the Bowery Boys, Behind the

24 High Wall (1956), Until They Sail (1957), Submarine Seahawk (1958), Jet Attack (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), Ocean’s Eleven (1960), Hell to Eternity (1960), The Second Time Around (1961), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), The Nutty Professor (1962) with Jerry Lewis, Forty Pounds of Trouble (1963), Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1965), the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, Mr. Ricco (1975), Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), New York, New York (1977), Blake Edwards’ That’s Life! (1986), The Supernaturals (1986), Beaches (1988), Limit Up (1989), Rocky V (1990), The Godfather: Part III (1990), A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Crossing Guard (1995). He was also featured in the telefilms Hunter (1973), The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976), Contract on Cherry Street (1977), Portrait of a Showgirl (1982), The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987) and An Inconvenient Woman (1991). Blair starred as Charlie in the short-lived 1962 drama series Saints and Sinners. His other television credits include episodes of Tales of the Texas Rangers, Wagon Train, The Munsters, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Wild Wild West, Hunter and the animated Spider-Man as a voice actor. Blair opened his first restaurant in 1971. The eatery burned down in 1976. His best known restaurant, Nicky Blair’s on Sunset Boulevard, opened in 1986 and was a favorite dining spot for numerous Hollywood stars. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 24, 1998, B1.

Blake, Harry Makeup artist Harry Blake died of kidney failure in Northridge, California, on July 16, 1998. He was 78. Blake was head of the NBC makeup department for 20 years. He applied makeup to such stars as Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Dean Martin and Bob Hope during his 40year career.

Blake, Walter Producer Walter Blake died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on January 1, 1998. He was 94. Blake began his career in films as an art director for publicity at Warner. He began a business as-

25

1998 • Obituaries

Nicky Blair (from Viva Las Vegas).

sociation with director Robert Aldrich in the early 1950s. Blake served as associate producer on such films as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Four for Texas (1963), Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The

Dirty Dozen (1967), The Killing of Sister George (1968) and Too Late the Hero (1970). He also worked on the television series as You Are There, The Doctor and Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

Obituaries • 1998

26

Bodard, Lucien Actor and author Lucien Bodard died in Paris, France, on March 2, 1998. He was 84. Bodard was born in Chungking, China, on January 9, 1914, the son of the French consul. He was a leading journalist and the author of several bestselling novels, including Monsieur le Consul (1973) and Anne-Marie (1981). He was also featured in the 1966 French film Les Creatures and appeared as Cardinal Bertrand in the 1986 film The Name of the Rose with Sean Connery. Bodard’s final novel, Mao’s Dog, was published shortly after his death. New York Times, Mar. 18, 1998, D20; Times (of London), Mar. 7, 198, 25a.

Bono, Sonny Entertainer Sonny Bono was killed in a skiing accident at the Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California, on January 5, 1998. Bono collided with a tree and died of head injuries. He was alone at the time of the accident and his body was found two hours after he was reported missing by his family. He was 62. He was born Salvatore Bono in Detroit, Michigan, on February 16, 1935. He began his career in the music industry in the 1950s as a writer and producer at Specialty Records. Bono worked as a background singer on recordings for Phil Spector in the early 1960s. He met another background singer, Cher LaPierre. They soon married and formed the singing group Caesar and Cleo. They achieved fame in 1965 after changing their name to Sonny and Cher. The duo recorded numerous hits including “I Got You Babe,” which hit the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts after its release in August of 1965. Other hit records include “The Beat Goes On,” “It’s the Little Things” and “Laugh at Me.” Their success led to a television variety show, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, which aired on CBS from 1971 until 1974. The couple divorced that year and Sonny was less successful with the short lived program The Sonny Comedy Revue. Sonny and Cher attempted to revive their partnership, though not their marriage, in 1976, but The Sonny and Cher Show lasted only one season. Cher went on to remain a popular solo performer and Oscar-winning actress. Sonny

Sonny Bono

continued to perform as well, but without the success of his ex-wife. He appeared on television in episodes of Batman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, The Joey Bishop Show, Love, American Style, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Six Million Dollar Man and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He also appeared in the films Escape to Athena (1979), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and Troll (1986), and the telefilms Murder on Flight 502 (1975) and Murder in Music City (1979). Bono entered politics in the late 1980s and was elected mayor of Palm Springs, California, in 1988. He was successful in improving the city’s financial standing without a tax increase and started a local film festival. He completed his term in 1992, when he made an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. Two years later he defeated an incumbent Congressman to capture California’s 44th District. He easily won reelection in 1996. New York Times, Jan. 7, 1998, A16; People, Jan. 19, 1998, 76; Time, Jan. 19, 1998, 73; Times (of London), Jan. 7, 1998, 19a; TV Guide, Jan. 24, 1998, 14.

27

Boone, Brady Professional wrestler Brady Boone died on December 15, 1998. He was 40. Boone was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1958. He began wrestling professionally in 1984. He competed in Japan early in his career and learned aerial maneuvers there. He was co-holder of several tag titles in the Pacific Northwest in the mid–1980s. Boone competed as Fire Cat in Global Wrestling in the early 1990s.

Boswell, Eve Singer Eve Boswell died in Durban, South Africa, on August 14, 1998. She was 76. Boswell was born Eva Keleti in Budapest, Hungary, on May 11, 1922. She was raised in a theatrical family and made her stage debut in 1938. She and her family joined the Boswell Circus in South Africa during World War II. She soon changed her name to Eve Boswell and became a popular singing star with Roy Martin’s dance band. She went to England in 1949, where she performed with British

1998 • Obituaries band leader Geraldo. She recorded the hit records “I Can Dream Can’t I?” and “Sugar Bush,” and was a regular performer on such BBC programs as Hit Parade, TV Children’s Party and Off the Record. She also dubbed Vera-Ellen’s singing voice for the 1950 film Happy Go Lovely. She remained a popular performer throughout the 1950s with such songs as “Blue Star” and “Pickin’ a Chicken.” She was featured in the 1957 film The Big Chance and appeared on U.S. television on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Nat King Cole TV Special. Though her popularity waned during the 1960s, she continued to perform, appearing in the British television series Time Was in 1973. Boswell returned to South Africa in 1976, where she opened a singing school, which she maintained until her death. Times (of London), Aug. 14, 1998, 23a; Variety, Oct. 19, 1998, 88.

Boutross, Thomas F. Film editor Thomas F. Boutross died of heart failure in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 26, 1998. He was 69. Boutross began his film career after attending the USC School of Cinema. He became acquainted with actor Robert Clarke, and the two directed the 1959 low-budget science-fiction film The Hideous Sun Demon. Boutross also edited the film. He also served as editor on several other low-budget features including Rat Fink (1965), A Man Called Dagger (1967), Fever Heat (1968), The Savage Wild (1970), Bootleggers (1974), The Legend of Boggy Creek (1975), Winterhawk (1976), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), The Shadow of Chikara (1978) and Dark Before Dawn (1989). Boutross was also the editor of the long-running television western series Gunsmoke in the 1960s and 1970s, and wrote and edited wildlife segments for Disney’s The Wonderful World of Color. Variety, Sept. 7, 1998, 84.

Bradford, John

Eve Boswell

Television writer and director John Bradford died in Grass Valley, California, on July 2, 1998. He was 79. Bradford was born in Longbranch, New York, and began his career in local

Obituaries • 1998

28

television. He began writing for the television series The Real McCoys in the early 1960s and made his directoral debut with an episode of The Addams Family. He also wrote and directed episodes of The Flintstones, The Smurfs and Barney Miller.

Bradley, Owen Country music songwriter and executive Owen Bradley died in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital, on January 7, 1998. He was 82. Bradley was born in Westmoreland, Tennessee, on October 21, 1915. He began performing at roadhouses while in his teens and was hired by a Nashville radio station in 1935. A versatile musician, Bradley worked with numerous country and pop stars, becoming station WSM’s music director in 1947. Bradley also worked with Decca records, overseeing the recording of such hits as Kitty Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” and Red Foley’s “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy.” He became head of Decca’s country music division in 1958 where he became a pioneer of what became known as the Nashville Sound. He produced such hits as Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces” and Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s

Owen Bradley

Daughter.” Bradley remained with Decca, which had been absorbed by MCA, until 1976. He had been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame two years earlier. He continued to work in the music industry, working with such performers as Eddy Arnold and Jimmie Davis, and producing k.d. lang’s 1988 album Shadowland. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 9, 1998, A22; New York Times, Jan. 9, 1998, B8; Variety, Mar. 2, 1998, 102.

Bradley, Thomas J.

Thomas J. Bradley

Thomas J. Bradley died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on September 29, 1998. He was 80. Bradley was born in Calvert, Texas, on December 29, 1917. He was elected Los Angeles’ first black mayor in 1973, serving five terms in office

29 before stepping down in 1993. He narrowly lost an election to become California’s governor in 1982. Bradley appeared as himself in the 1995 film Nick of Time. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 30, 1998, A1; New York Times, Sept. 30, 1998, A1; Newsweek, Oct. 12, 1998, 76; People, Oct. 12, 1998, 125; Time, Oct. 12, 1998, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 1, 1998, 25a; Washington Post, Sept. 30, 1998, B6.

Bragaglia, Carlo Ludovico Italian film director Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia died of complications from an operation for a broken hip in a Rome hospital on January 4, 1998. He was 103. Bragaglia was born in Frosinone, Italy, on July 8, 1894. He began working in the theater in the 1920s and joined Cines Studios in 1930. He directed documentaries for several years before making his feature directing debut with O la borsa o la vita in 1933. Bragaglia directed over sixty films during his career and scripted more than twenty. His film credits include Non son gelosa (1933), Quella vecchia canaglia (1934), Frutto acerbo (1934), Amore (1936), La Fossa degli angeli (1937), Pazza di gioia (1939), Un Mare di guai (1939), Belle o brutte si sposan tutte (1939), Animali pazzi (1939), L’Amore

1998 • Obituaries si fa cosi (1939), Il Prigioniero di Santa Cruz (1940), Forza bruta (1940), Una Famiglia impossibile (1940), La Scuola dei timidi (1941), Violette nei capelli (1941), Due cuori sotto sequestro (1941), Barbablu (1941), Alessandro sei grande (1941), Se io fossi onesto (1942), Non ti pago! (1942), La Guardia del corpo (1942), Fuga a due voci (1942), Casanova Would Do It That Way! (1942), La Vita e bella (1943) with Anna Magnani, Tutta la vita in ventiquattr’ore (1943), Non sono superstizioso ma… (1943), Torna a Sorrento (1945), Lo Sbaglio di essere vivo (1945), Partenza ore 7 (1945), La Primula bianca (1946), Albergo Luna, camera 34 (1946), L’Altra (1947), Toto le Moko (1949), Il Falco rosso (1949), Toto cerca moglie (1950), Bluebeard’s Seven Wives (1950), My Widow and I (1950), Figaro qua, Figaro la (1950), 47 morto che parla (1950), Una Bruna indiavolata (1951), Don Lorenzo (1952), A fil di spada (1952), Orient Express (1954), Il Falco d’oro (1955), The Queen of Babylon (1956), The Mighty Crusaders (1957), E permesso Maresciallo (1958), The Sword and the Cross (1958), Caporale di giornata (1958), Le Cameriere (1959), The Loves of Hercules (1960) with Jayne Mansfield, Hannibal (1960), Amazons of Rome (1961), Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (1961) and I Quattro moschettieri (1963). Bragaglia subsequently retired from films. He authored his autobiography, Bragaglia racconta Bragaglia, which was published in 1997. Variety, Jan. 19, 1998, 100.

Brasno, Olive Actress Olive Brasno died in Lakeland , Florida, on January 25, 1998. She was 80. Brasno was born in Oak Bridge, New Jersey, in 1917. She began her career as a vaudeville performer, appearing with her brothers Richard and George. She portrayed midgets in a handful of films in the 1930s including Sitting Pretty (1933), The Mighty Barnum (1934), the 1934 Our Gang comedy Shrimps for a Day, Carnival (1935), Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936), Arbor Day (1936) and Little Miss Broadway (1938). Brasno turned down a role as a Munchkin in 1938’s The Wizard of Oz. Her husband, midget actor Gus Wayne, died two days earlier. Variety, Apr. 6, 1998, 59. Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia

Obituaries • 1998

30

Bobo Brazil

Brickhouse, Jack Sportscaster Jack Brickhouse died of cardiac arrest at a Chicago hospital on August 6, 1998. Olive Brasno (with husband, Gus Wayne).

Brazil, Bobo Professional wrestler Bobo Brazil died of complications from a stroke in St. Joseph, Michigan, on January 20, 1998. He was 74. Brazil was born Houston Harris, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in 1923. He began wrestling professionally in the late 1940s, becoming one of the first black wrestlers to achieve prominence in the ring. He was a popular figure on television wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s, known for his headbutting maneuver known as the “coco butt.” Brazil held several tag-team and single championships through the 1980s. He was inducted into the WWF Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. Jack Brickhouse

31

1998 • Obituaries

He was 82. Brickhouse was born in Peoria in 1916. He went to Chicago in 1940, where he broadcast the White Sox games from 1940 until 1967 on WGN. He was also an announcer for the Chicago Cubs from 1941 until 1981. Brickhouse appeared as a ring announcer in the 1950 boxing film The Golden Gloves Story. New York Times, Aug. 7, 1998, D16; Time, Aug. 17, 1998, 23.

Bridges, Lloyd Leading film and television actor Lloyd Bridges died of complications from a heart condition at his Los Angeles home on March 10, 1998. He was 85. Bridges was born in San Leandro, California, on January 15, 1913. He was educated at the University of California before he began his acting career on the Broadway stage in a modern version of Othello in 1937. He also appeared on Broadway in productions of Death Takes a Holiday, A Doll’s House and Night Must Fall. He made his film debut in The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance for Columbia Pictures in 1941. He was featured in numerous films in the 1940s and early 1950s including Honolulu Lu (1941), Harmon of Michigan (1941), Two Latins from Manhattan (1941), Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), The Royal Mounted Patrol (1941), Son of Davy Crockett (1941), Sing for Your Supper (1941), I Was a Prisoner on Devil’s Island (1941), Three Girls About Town (1941), Our Wife (1941), You Belong to Me (1941), The Medico of Painted Springs (1941), The Deadly Game (1941), Cadets on Parade (1942), Harvard, Here I Come (1942), Flight Lieutenant (1942), Atlantic Convoy (1942), Alias Boston Blackie (1942), The Talk of the Town (1942), Shut My Big Mouth (1942), Blondie Goes to College (1942), Canal Zone (1942), Hello, Annapolis (1942), Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1942), Meet the Stewarts (1942), Riders of the Northland (1942), Sweetheart of the Fleet (1942), The Spirit of Stanford (1942), A Man’s World (1942), The Daring Young Man (1942), Underground Agent (1942), The Wife Takes a Flyer (1942), West of Tombstone (1942), North of the Rockies (1942), Stand By! All Networks (1942), The Heat’s On (1943), Pardon My Gun (1943), Sahara (1943), Passport to Suez (1943), The Crime Doctor’s Strangest Case (1943), Commandos Strike at Dawn (1943), The Heat’s On (1943), Hail to the Rangers (1943), Destroyer

Lloyd Bridges

(1943), The Great Glover (1943), Louisiana Hayride (1944), Strange Confession (1944), The Master Race (1944), She’s a Soldier Too (1944), Saddle Leather Law (1944), Two-Man Submarine (1944), Once Upon a Time (1944), Illegal Rights (1945), Strange Confession (1945), The Lost Trail (1945), the 1945 serial Secret Agent X-9, A Walk in the Sun (1946), Miss Susie Slagle’s (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Abilene Town (1946), The Trouble with Women (1947), Ramrod (1947), Unconquered (1947), Sixteen Fathoms Deep (1948), Moonrise (1948), Secret Service Investigator (1948), Mr. Whitney Had a Notion (1948), Trapped (1949), Home of the Brave (1949), Red Canyon (1949), Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949), Hideout (1949), Colt .45 (1950), the 1950 science fiction film Rocketship X-M, The White Tower (1950), The Sound of Fury (1950), Little Big Horn (1951), Three Steps North (1951), The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951), Plymouth Adventure (1952) and Last of the Comanches (1952). Bridges starred as Gary Cooper’s cowardly deputy in the 1952 Western classic High Noon. He was briefly blacklisted for alleged leftist leanings in the early 1950s, but was able to clear his name and return to work. He continued to appear in such films as The Tall Texan (1953), The Kid from Left Field (1953), City

Obituaries • 1998 of Bad Men (1953), The Limping Man (1953), Pride of the Blue Grass (1954), Apache Woman (1955), Third Party Risk (1955), Wichita (1955), Wetbacks (1956), The Rainmaker (1956), Ride Out for Revenge (1957) and The Goddess (1958). Bridges was also a popular television performer in the 1950s, appearing in episodes of Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One, Stage 7, Climax!, Front Row Center, Zane Grey Theatre, Alcoa Hour, Playhouse 90 and U.S. Steel Hour. He was perhaps best known for his starring role as Mike Nelson in the television adventure series Sea Hunt from 1957 through 1961. He also starred as Adam Shepherd in the series The Lloyd Bridges Show in 1962 and was William Colton in the 1965 Western series The Loner. He appeared in the films Around the World Under the Sea (1966), Attack on the Iron Coast (1968), Daring Game (1968), Lost Flight (1969) and The Happy Ending (1969) in the 1960s. He continued to appear on television in such telefilms as The Silent Gun (1969), Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969), The Love War (1970), Do You Take This Stranger? (1971), A Tattered Web (1971), The Deadly Dream (1971), To Find a Man (1971), Haunts of the Very Rich (1972), Trouble Comes to Town (1973), Crime Club (1973), Death Race (1973), Stowaway to the Moon (1975), the 1977 miniseries Roots as Evan Brent, Telethon (1977), The Force of Evil (1978), Shimmering Light (1978), The Great Wallendas (1978), How the West Was Won (1978), The Critical List (1978) and Disaster on the Coastliner (1979), and episodes of The du Pont Show, Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Great Adventure, The Eleventh Hour, Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre, Mission: Impossible, Here’s Lucy, Police Story and Battlestar: Galactica. He starred as Jim Conrad in the drama series San Francisco International Airport in 1970 and starred in the 1975 police series Joe Forrester. Bridges’ career gained a boost from his performance as McCroskey, the hard-drinking air traffic controller, in the comedy spoofs Airplane! (1980) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). He also appeared in the films Bear Island (1979) and The Fifth Musketeer (1979) as Aramis, and the telefilms and miniseries This Year’s Blonde (1980), Paper Dolls (1982), Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice (1982), East of Eden (1982), The Blue and the Gray (1982), Grace Kelly (1983), A Case of Libel (1984), George Washington (1984), Alice in Wonderland (1985), The Thanksgiving Promise (1986), North and South II (1986) as Jefferson Davis, Dress Gray (1986), She

32 Was Marked for Murder (1988), Cross of Fire (1989), Capital News (1990), Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean (1990) as Harry Helmsley, In the Nick of Times (1991), Devlin (1992), Secret Sins of the Father (1994), The Other Woman (1995), Nothing Lasts Forever (1995) and Peter and the Wolf (1996). Bridges also remained active in films during the last decade of his life, appearing in Weekend Warriors (1986), The Wild Pair (1987) with his son Beau, Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) with his son Jeff, Winter People (1989), Cousins (1989), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) with Tom Hanks, Hot Shots! (1991), Honey, I Blew Up the Kids (1992), Mr. Bluesman (1993), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), Blown Away (1994) with son Jeff, and the 1998 films Meeting Daddy and Mafia. Bridges also co-starred with his son, Beau, in the 1993 television series Harts of the West. He also appeared with Beau and grandson Dylan in the premier episode of cable television’s The Outer Limits in 1995. Bridges also appeared as aging fitness buff Izzy Mandelbaum in several episodes of the comedy series Seinfeld in 1997. His survivors include his wife of nearly 60 years, Dorothy Simpson, and his sons, actors Beau and Jeff Bridges. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 11, 1998, B1; New York Times, Mar. 11, 1998, B8; People, Mar. 23, 1998, 93; Time, Mar. 23, 1998, 39; Times (of London), Mar. 12, 1998, 25a; Variety, Mar. 16, 1998, 79.

Briggs, Lillian Singer Lillian Briggs died of lung cancer in North Miami Beach, Florida, on April 11, 1998. She was 64. Briggs was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She began her career in an all-girl orchestra in the early 1950s. She began her solo career in 1954, recording the hit song “I Want You to Be My Baby.” She appeared on numerous television series during the 1950s and early 1960s including The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Steve Allen Show, American Bandstand and the Tonight Show with Jack Paar. She was featured in the 1961 film The Ladies Man with Jerry Lewis. She was also heard on the soundtracks for the films My Sister Eileen (1955) and The Fugitive Kind (1960). She continued to perform through the early 1970s, before retiring to Miami Beach.

33

1998 • Obituaries 1998. She was 78. Bryden was born in Norwich, England, on May 11, 1920. She began performing in the late 1940s and recorded over 100 songs during her career, including the 1954 hit “Rock Island Line” with Lonnie Donnegan. She also performed with such jazz greats as Billie Holliday, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzergald, who called Bryden “Britain’s queen of the blues.” She continued to perform until shortly before her death. Variety, Oct. 19, 1998, 88.

Buddy

Lillian Briggs

Bryden, Beryl

Buddy, the golden retriever who played basketball in the 1997 film Air Bud, died at his home in San Diego of cancer on February 10, 1998. He was 9 1/2 or 10. Despite having his right rear leg amputated for cancer treatment last year, Buddy continued to shoot hoops. He also appeared on television in an episode of Full House and on Late Night with David Letterman. People, Mar. 2, 1998, 72.

British jazz singer Beryl Bryden died of lymphatic cancer at a London hospital on July 14,

Beryl Bryden

Buddy

Obituaries • 1998

34

Alan Burgess

Gregg Burge

Burge, Gregg Dancer Gregg Burge died of a brain tumor at an Atlanta, Georgia, hospital on July 4, 1998. He was 40. Burge was born in New York City in 1958. He began his career on the stage and television while in his teens, becoming a three-time winner of The Ted Mack Amateur Hour. He performed on Broadway as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, and also appeared in productions of Sophisticated Ladies, Song and Dance and Oh Kay! He was twice nominated for the Tony Award. Burge portrayed Richie in the 1985 film version of A Chorus Line and was Virgil Cloud in Spike Lee’s 1988 film School Daze. Burge was the choreographer for Michael Jackson’s 1987 music video Bad and appeared as Bill Robinson in the 1996 telefilm Baseball in Black and White. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 26, 1998, A14; New York Times, Aug. 24, 1998, A15.

Burgess, Alan British author Alan Burgess died in England on April 10, 1998. He was 83. Burgess was born in Birmingham on February 1, 1915. He began working with the BBC radio after World

War II, producing features and documentaries. He authored the book A Small Woman in 1957, about British missionary Gladys Aylward’s work in China. The book was adapted into the film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, with Ingrid Bergman, in 1958. He also authored Seven Men at Daybreak in 1966, an account of the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler’s Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia during World War II. This book was filmed as Operation Daybreak in 1976. Times (of London), May 2, 1998, 23a.

Burns, Lillian Silent screen actress Lillian Burns died in Los Angeles, California, on August 31, 1998. She was 94. Burns was a young girl when she appeared in a handful of silent films including Too Many Husbands (1914), A Florida Enchantment (1914), The Cave Man (1915) and The Shop Girl (1916).

Burrowes, Roy Jazz trumpeter Roy Burrowes died of lung cancer in a London hospital on December 3, 1998. He was 72. Burrowes was born in Jamaica on February 18, 1926, where he began playing in local clubs in Kingston at an early age. He came to the United States in the late 1940s and became a prominent member of the New York jazz scene, playing with such stars as Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald. He

35

1998 • Obituaries

Buscaglia, Leo

Roy Burrowes

also made a dozen recordings as a member of Duke Ellington’s band for several years in the mid–1960s. Times (of London), Dec. 16, 1998, 21a.

Author and self-help guru Leo Buscaglia died of a heart attack at his home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, on June 12, 1998. He was 74. Buscaglia was born Felice Leonardo Buscaglia in Los Angeles on March 31, 1924. He trained as a speech therapist after service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He worked with the California school system during the 1960s. Buscaglia’s first book Love (1972) became a best-seller with its message that human love was life’s one unifying force. The bearded advocate of love became known as “Dr. Hug,” authoring such further volumes as In the Way of the Bull (1974), Living, Loving and Learning (1982), Loving Each Other (1984), Born for Love (1992) and his last, Leo Buscaglia’s Love Cookbook. His books sold over 11 million copies. His appearances on television, radio and the lecture circuit made him one of the best-known and most popular self-help authors in the United States. Los Angeles Times, June 13, 1998, A14; New York Times, June 13, 1998, A10; People, June 29, 1998, 97; Time, June 22, 1998, 23; Times (of London), June 25, 1998, 27a.

Butler, Ivan British actor and writer Ivan Butler died on May 17, 1998. He was 89. Butler was born in Heswall, Cheshire, England, on April 9, 1909. He began his career on stage and, in 1929, appeared in the first London production of Dracula, where he understudied the vampire count. He began writing plays in the late 1940s and several were produced for radio and television, including The Man Who Faced Facts. Butler subsequently became a film critic and historian. His books include The Horror Film (1967), Religion in the Cinema (1969), The Cinema of Roman Polanski (1970), Cinema in Britain: An Illustrated Survey (1973), The War Film (1974) and Silent Magic: Reminiscences of the Silent Cinema (1987). He was also the author of several true crime books including Murderer’s London (1973), Murderer’s England (1973) and The Trials of Brian Donald Hume (1976).

Leo Buscaglia

Obituaries • 1998

36 She was 57. Butlin was born on February 16, 1940. She began writing for British television on The Clithero Kid series and wrote the first British health television series for Thames TV, Let’s Face It. She also scripted the comedy series Two D’s and a Dog. She scripted the first episode of Yorkshire Television’s Life Begins at Forty. She also wrote for the series That Beryl Marston, Third Time Lucky and Hells Bells. Butlin also wrote several plays during her career including Why Not Stay for Breakfast, Two and Two Make Sex and There Goes the Bride. Times (of London), Mar. 2, 1998, 23a.

Byers, June Women’s wrestling champion June Byers died on July 20, 1998. She was 76. Byers was born Dealva Snyder in 1922. She began wrestling professionally in the late 1940s. She became the Women’s World Champion, holding the title until her retirement in 1964.

Bykov, Rolan Ivan Butler (in a stage production of Dracula).

Butlin, Jan British drama writer and director Jan Butlin died of a hemorrhage on February 10, 1998.

Jan Butlin

Russian actor Rolan Bykov died in Moscow on October 6, 1998. He was 68. Bykov was born in Kiev, Ukraine, on November 11, 1929. He appeared in over eighty films during his career including School of Courage (1954), Road to Life (1955), It Began This Way (1956), The Overcoat (1959), Be Careful, Grandma! (1960), Baltic Skies (1960), Meet Me in Moscow (1963), Newton Street, 1 (1963), The Marriage of Balzaminov (1964), Someone Is Ringing, Open the Door (1965), Hello, That’s Me! (1965), The Commissar (1967), Running on Waves (1967), Two Comrades Were Serving (1968), Dead Season (1968), Wait for Me, Anna (1969), The Last Relic (1969), Subject for a Short Story (1969), Andrei Rublev (1969), Checkpoint (1971), The Prince and the Pauper (1972), To Come to the Shore (1973), Acting As (1973), Docker (1973), To the Bright Light (1975), The Orphans (1976), Duck Village. A Tale (1976), Yuliya Vrevskaya (1977), While the Dream Is Raving (1978), Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (1979), Foam (1979), Life on Holidays (1980), Golden Fleece (1981), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1981), Soul

37

1998 • Obituaries

Rolan Bykov

Story (1986), Requiem to Filet (1988), It (1989), Outside (1991), Arbiter (1992), Gray Wolves (1993), Ivan and Abraham (1993), Golden Bottom (1995), Shirli-Myrli (1995) and The Russian Locomotive (1995). Bykov also directed and starred in several films for children including Too Many Cooks (1962), Summer Has Disappeared (1963), Aibolit66 (1966), Attention, Turtle! (1970), Telegram (1971), Car, Violin and Blot the Dog (1974), Nose (1977), Wedding Gift (1982) and The Scarecrow (1983). Variety, Nov. 2, 1998, 66.

Cable, Bill June Byers

(1981), Amnesty (1981), Hero of Her Romance (1984), Participation in Murder (1985), Sincerely Yours… (1985), Hey, At the Battleship! (1985), The Accused (1986), Letters from a Dead Man (1986), Start All Over Again (1986), Chegem Detective

Actor Bill Cable died in Los Angeles on March 7, 1998. He was 51. Cable was born in Gary Indiana, on May 2, 1946. He was featured in several films including Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) and Basic Instinct (1992) with Sharon Stone.

Obituaries • 1998

38 birth of her son in 1953, remaining with the company as a teacher. Los Angeles Times, July 21, 1998, A15; New York Times, July 20, 1998, A13.

Caesar, Jimmy Comedian Jimmy Caesar died of lung cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 2, 1998. He was 63. He was born Caesar Pasquale Tronolone in Buffalo, New York, in 1935. He was a popular Vegas comedian and impersonator, opening for such acts as Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Danny Thomas and Norm Crosby. He was known for his impersonations of such diverse figures as John Wayne, Boris Karloff, Martin & Lewis and Stan Laurel. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 6, 1998, A23.

Calamai, Clara Italian actress Clara Calamai died of a stroke in Rimini, Italy, on September 21, 1998. She was

Gisella Caccialanza

Caccialanza, Gisella American ballerina Gisella Caccialanza died of a stroke in a Daly City, California, hospital on July 16, 1998. She was 83. Caccialanza was born to Italian-American parents in San Diego in 1915. She studied ballet in Los Angeles and Milan, Italy, and began performing in musicals and vaudeville shows in the late 1920s. She joined George Balanchine’s American Ballet in 1934, and starred in the 1937 production of Baiser de la Fee. She also performed in several films choreographed by Balanchine including The Goldwyn Follies (1938) and On Your Toes (1939). She also appeared in productions staged by the Ballet Caravan, the New York Ballet Society and the San Francisco Ballet, where she performed the role of the Sugarplum Fairie in The Nutcracker Suite. She was married to choreographer Lew Christensen from 1941 until his death in 1984. Caccialanza continued to perform with the San Francisco Ballet until the

Clara Calamai

39 83. Calamai was born in Prato, Italy, on September 7, 1915. She was a popular actress in the Italian cinema in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in such films as Io, suo padre (1938), Il Socio invisible (1939), Il Fornarettio di Venezia (1939), Le Sorprese del vagone letto (1940), Il Re del circo (1940), Caravaggio (1940), Capitan Fracassa (1940), Boccaccio (1940), Addio giovinezza! (1940), Regina di Navarra (1941), I Mariti (1941), Luce nelle tenebre (1941), La Cena delle beffe (1941), Brivido (1941), L’Avventuriera del piano di sopra (1941), Le Vie del cuore (1942), Le Sorelle Materassi (1942), Ossessione (1942), La Guardia del corpo (1942), Addio amore (1942), Enrico IV (1943), Due lettere anonime (1944), La Resa di Titi (1945), Il Mondo vuole cosi (1946), L’Adultera (1946), Amanti senza amore (1947), Cuando los angeles duermen (1947) and Vespro siciliano (1949). She returned to the screen as a prostitute in 1957’s White Nights and was featured in Aphrodite, Goddess of Love the following year. Calamai appeared in the 1966 supernatural film Le Streghe (The Witches) and starred as Carlo’s mother in Dario Argento’s 1975 horror film Profondo rosso (Deep Red ). Variety, Oct. 12, 1998, 55.

1998 • Obituaries Greece, on November 2, 1916. He came to the United States and settled in New York City as a child. Campanis began his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. He became a manager with the team, working closely with Branch Rickey. Campanis appeared in the 1953 baseball film Big Leaguer with Edward G. Robinson. He served as the Los Angeles Dodgers general manager from 1968 until 1987, when during an appearance on Ted Koppel’s Nightline he made a statement that indicated blacks were less qualified for management jobs in baseball. Despite his subsequent apology, he was forced to resign. Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1998, A1; New York Times, June 22, 1998, A17; People, July 6, 1998, 79; Time, July 6, 1998, 33.

Cameron, Hope Stage actress Hope Cameron died of cancer at her New York City home on November 20, 1998. She was 78. Cameron was best known for her performances as Letta in the Broadway debut of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. She also appeared on stage in productions of The Philadelphia Story and Captain Carvallo. Cameron was featured in several films during her career including The Chapman Report (1962), Tales of Ordinary Madness (1982) and In the Spirit (1990). She also appeared on television in episodes of The Patty Duke Show, The Defenders and Hazel. Variety, Nov. 30, 1998, 76.

Al Campanis

Campanis, Al

Canedo, Roberto

Baseball executive Al Campanis died of coronary artery disease at his home in Fullerton, California, on June 21, 1998. He was 81. He was born Allesandro Sebastian Campani in Kos,

Mexican actor Roberto Canedo died in Mexico City on June 16, 1998. He was born Roberto Canedo Ramirez in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He was a popular performer in numer-

Obituaries • 1998

40

Roberto Canedo

ous Mexican films and television series from the early 1940s. He was featured in a small role in the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart. Canedo’s Mexican film credits include El Penon de las Animas (1942), La Feria de las flores (1943), Bugambilia (1944), Amok (1944), Rio escondido (1947), Salon Mexico (1948), Pueblerina (1948), Maclovia (1948), La Malquerida (1949), La Casa chica (1949), Por la puerta falsa (1950), El Cristo di mi Cabecera (1950), La Bienamada (1951), La Rosa Blanca (1953), Republic of Sin (1959), Azahares Rojos (1960), Doctor of Doom (Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Ape) (1962), The Diabolic Duchess (1964), The Ghost of the Strangler (1965), The Bat Woman (1967), Pedro Paramo (1967), Santo vs. the Daughter of Frankenstein (1971), Mexico Norte (1977) and Lola la Trailera (1983).

Capehart, Jerry Neil Songwriter Jerry Neil Capehart died of brain cancer in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital on June 7, 1998. He was 69. His first hit song, “Beautiful Brown Eyes,” was recorded by Rosemary Clooney in 1951. Capehart met singer-musician Eddie Cochran in 1954 and the duo cre-

Jerry Neil Capehart

ated such songs as “Heart of a Fool,” “Latch On” and “Skinny Jim.” Capehart and Cochran wrote the rock and roll anthem “Summertime Blues,” which was recorded by Cochran with great success in 1958. The two continued to work together, also writing the popular song “C’mon Everybody,” until Cochran’s death in an automobile accident in England in 1960. Capehart continued to work in the music industry, managing such performers as Glen Campbell, for whom he wrote the 1961 song “Turn Around, Look at Me,” and impressionist Frank Gorshin, best known as Batman’s television foe, The Riddler. Los Angeles Times, June 10, 1998, A20.

Caray, Harry Baseball announcer Harry Caray died of cardiac arrest at a Rancho Mirage, California, hospital on February 18, 1998. He was 78. He had been in a coma since collapsing at a restaurant several days earlier. Caray was born Harry Christopher Carabina on March 1, 1919, in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his career in radio as a young man and began a long-standing association with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid–

41

1998 • Obituaries Los Angeles Times, June 12, 1998, A22; New York Times, June 29, 1998, B9.

Carrick, Edward

Harry Caray

1940s. He broadcast from KMOX-AM, often partnered with Jack Buck, during the 1950s and 1960s, until his firing in 1969. Caray subsequently announced games for the Oakland As, the Chicago White Sox and, from 1982, the Chicago Cubs. He became noted for his off-key rendentions of the song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” from the announcer’s booth. Caray suffered a stroke in 1987, but recovered and resumed his role as an announcer. He was elected to the broadcasters’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 19, 1998, A1; New York Times, Feb. 19, 1998, D25; Newsweek, Mar. 2, 1998, 91; People, Mar. 9, 1998, 72; Time, Mar. 2, 1998, 25; Washington Post, Feb. 19, 1998, D6.

British art director and production designer Edward Carrick died in Thame, Oxfordshire, England on January 21, 1998. He was 93. Carrick was born Edward Anthony Craig in London on January 3, 1905. The son of a leading stage designer, Carrick began his film career as an art director with Stoll Studios in 1927 and was soon working at Ealing. He served as art director on numerous films including Loyalties (1934), When Thief Meets Thief (1937), Western Approaches (1944), Captain Boycott (1947), Men of the Sea (1951), The Spider and the Fly (1952), It Started in Paradise (1952), The Light Touch (1955), The One That Got Away (1957), High Tide at Noon (1957), The Third Key (1957), The Gentle Touch (1957), Bachelor of Hearts (1958), The Battle of the Sexes (1959), Tiger Bay (1959), Macbeth (1961), Maniac (1962), What a Crazy World (1963), Hysteria (1964), Seaside Swingers (1965) and The Nanny

Carlile, Clancy Novelist Clancy Carlile died of cancer in Austin, Texas, on June 4, 1998. He was 68. He was born Clarence Lawson Carlile in Oklahoma in 1930. He began writing in the early 1960s. He was best known for his novel, The Honkytonk Man, about a country singer’s life and death. The novel was adapted into a successful 1982 film with Clint Eastwood. Carlile also authored Children of the Dust, which was filmed as a television miniseries with Sidney Poitier in 1995. His final book was the recently published Paris Pilgrims.

Edward Carrick

Obituaries • 1998 (1965). Carrick was also the founder of England’s first film school in 1937, and the author of such texts as Designing for Moving Pictures (1941) and Art and Design in British Films (1948). After retiring from film work in 1965 Carrick authored a biography of his father, Gordon Craig: The Story of His Life in 1968. He spent his later years creating gardens with his second wife, Mary Timewell. Times (of London), Jan. 29, 1998, 23a.

Carter, Betty Jazz singer Betty Carter died of pancreatic cancer at her home in Brooklyn, New York, on September 26, 1998. She was 68. Carter was born in Flint, Michigan, on May 16, 1930. She was raised in Detroit and began singing in the 1940s. She performed with Lionel Hampton and his band from 1948 until 1951, when she relocated to New York. She began recording for Epic Records in 1956. Her 1961 album Ray Charles and Betty Carter included the popular duet “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” She continued to perform during the 1960s and 1970s. She received a Grammy Award for her 1988 album Look What I Got! and recorded the popular album Feed the Fire in 1994.

42 Los Angeles Times, Sept. 27, 1998, B5; New York Times, Sept. 28, 1998, B8; People, Oct. 12, 1998, 125; Time, Oct. 5, 1998, 27; Times (of London), Sept. 29, 1998, 25a; Variety, Oct. 5, 1998, 83 Washington Post, Sept. 27, 1998, B9.

Carter, Helen Country singer Helen Carter died in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital on June 2, 1998. She was 70. Carter was born in Maces Springs, Virginia, on September 12, 1927. She was the daughter of Mother Maybelle Carter and sang with her sisters, Anita and June, and other relatives as the early country music group, the Carter Family. Sister June married singer Johnny Cash and Helen and Anita continued to perform at Cash’s shows. Helen Carter played the autoharp, guitar, mandolin, accordion and piano and was the writer of such songs as “Poor Old Heartsick Me.” New York Times, June 8, 1998, B11; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Helen Carter (right, with Mother Maybelle and sisters June and Anita).

Betty Carter

43

Carter, Randolph Playwright Randolph Carter died in a Queens, New York, hospital on October 12, 1998. He was 90. He scripted several Broadway productions including Arms of Venus (1937), Wuthering Heights (1940) and Eugenia (1957). He scripted Florence Nightingale for radio in 1951 and adapted Wuthering Heights for a 1957 television production on The DuPont Show of the Month starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom. New York Times, Oct. 26, 1998, A19; Variety, Nov. 16, 1998, 47.

Cassilly, Richard

1998 • Obituaries He performed with the New York City Opera and the Chicago Lyric Opera over the next decade before going to Europe in 1965. He starred in a production of Raskolnikoff in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1965 and subsequently joined the Hamburg Opera. He performed in such operas as Pagliacci and Moses and Aaron. Cassilly made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in the 1970 production of Aida. He performed in over 100 productions at the Met and was seen on PBS in televised productions of Tannhauser and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. The burly Cassilly was also notable as Don Jose in Carmen and in various Wagnerian operas. New York Times, Feb. 4, 1998, B8; Time, Feb. 16, 1998, 35; Times (of London), Mar. 3, 1998, 23a.

Opera singer Richard Cassilly died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Boston on January 30, 1998. He was 70. Cassilly was born in Washington, D.C., on December 14, 1927. He made his operatic debut in a Broadway production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Saint of Bleeker Street in 1955.

Carlos Castaneda

Castaneda, Carlos

Richard Cassilly (Metropolitan Opera).

New Age writer and mystic Carlos Castaneda died of liver cancer at his Westwood, California, home on April 27, 1998. He was 72. Castaneda, who was deliberately obscure on many personal aspects of his life, was believed to have been born on December 25, 1925, in Cajamara, Peru (though other sources indicate December 25,

Obituaries • 1998 1931, in Sao Paulo, Brazil). He authored a series of best-selling books chronicling the thoughts and life of a supposed mystic shaman named Don Juan Matus, whom Castaneda claimed to have met in the early 1960s. His first book, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, was published with great success in 1968. Other successful books followed describing Castaneda’s mystical journeys with the sorcerer Don Juan, who could bend space and time. Castaneda claimed the works were fact rather than fiction, though many critics doubted even the existence of his supernatural mentor. The announcement of Castaneda’s death occurred nearly two months after his passing. He was cremated and his remains were taken to Mexico. Los Angeles Times, June 19, 1998, A1; New York Times, June 20, 1998, D16; People, July 6, 1998, 79; Time, June 29, 1998, 25; Times (of London), June 20, 1998, 25a; Washington Post, June 20, 1998, C1.

44 Question and designed the original set for Jackie Gleason’s The Honeymooners. Cates began producing for Broadway in the 1960s. He also directed a couple of films including Girl of the Night (1960), Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965) and The Fat Spy (1965). During the 1970s and 1980s he produced numerous television specials including dozens of country music specials with Johnny Cash. He became the only producer honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame. Cates’ survivors include his daughter, actress Phoebe Cates, and his brother, director Gilbert Cates. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 13, 198, B8; New York Times, Oct. 12, 1998, A17; Time, Oct. 26, 1998, 31; Variety, Oct. 19, 1998, 88.

Christensen, Wes Actor Wes Christensen died in El Segundo, California, on May 1, 1998. He was 84. Christensen appeared in the western films Stampede (1949) and Domino Kid (1957).

Cates, Joseph Television producer Joseph Cates died of complications from leukemia at a New York City hospital on October 10, 1998. He was 74. Cates was born Joseph Katz in New York on August 19, 1924. He began working in television at Dumont on such shows as The Cavalcade of Stars before moving to NBC. As a television producer he helped create the popular game show The $64,000

Christopher, Keith Actor Keith Christopher died of complications from AIDS on February 23, 1998. He was 40. Christopher was the first known HIV-positive performer to portray an HIV-positive character in the Another World soap opera in the mid–1990s. Christopher also appeared on the Guiding Light soap opera as an HIV counselor. He was also a singer and songwriter, best known for the song “Smiling in the Dark.” Variety, Mar. 9, 1998, 58.

Cisyk, Kasey

Joseph Cates

Singer Kasey Cisyk died of breast cancer at her home in Manhattan on March 29, 1998. She was 44. Cisyk was largely unknown, but heard by millions as the singing voice in commercials for Burger King, Delta Airlines, Coke, Pepsi and the long running “Have You Driven a Ford Lately?” advertising campaign. Cisyk also dubbed the Oscar-winning title song for the 1977 film You Light Up My Life. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 14, 1998, B8; New York Times, Apr. 13, 1998, B7.

45

Paddy Clancy (right, with Tommy Makem and brothers Tom and Liam).

Clancy, Paddy Folk singer Patrick “Paddy” Clancy died of cancer at his home in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland, on November 11, 1998. He was 76. Clancy was born in Carrick in 1922. In the 1950s Clancy came to the United States where, with his brothers, Tom and Liam, and Tommy Makem, formed the folk group the Clancy Brothers. An appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1961 brought the group a national following. They soon signed with Columbia Records, recording over forty albums during their career. Patrick Clancy returned to Ireland in 1964, though he continued to perform with the Clancy Brothers throughout his life. New York Times, Nov. 19, 1998, B13; Times (of London), Nov. 21, 1998, 24a.

1998 • Obituaries Thought of You (1944), I Won’t Play (1944), Hollywood Canteen (1944), God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), Pride of the Marines (1945), A Stolen Life (1946), The Way with Women (1947), Deep Valley (1947), Whiplash (1948), Moonrise (1948), Embraceable You (1948), Without Honor (1949), Highly Dangerous (1950), Gunman in the Streets (1950), Barricade (1950), Backfire (1950), Never Trust a Gambler (1951), Fort Defiance (1951), The Gambler and the Lady (1952), Thunder Pass (1954), Port of Hell (1954), Paid to Kill (1954), Go, Man, Go! (1954), Blackout (1954), The Toughest Man Alive (1955), Massacre (1956), The Man Is Armed (1956), The McMasters (1969), The Woman Inside (1981), Blood Song (1982) and Last Rites (1988). Clark starred as Dan Miller in the 1956 television series Wire Service and was Slate Shannon in the 1959 adventure series Bold Venture. Clark appeared as Lt. Arthur Tragg in the shortlived revival of The New Perry Mason in 1973. He was also featured in the telefilms and miniseries The Face of Fear (1971), The Family Rico (1972), Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972), Cop on the Beat (1975), James Dean (1976), Once an Eagle (1976), The French Atlantic Affair (1979) and Condominium (1980). His numerous television credits also include appearances in episodes of such series as The Philco Television Playhouse, Wagon Train, Science Fiction Theatre, The Mystery Show,

Clark, Dane Leading actor Dane Clark died of lung cancer at a Santa Monica, California, hospital on September 11, 1998. He was 85. Clark was born Bernard Zanville in Brooklyn, New York, on February 18, 1913. He began acting on stage at the suggestion of actor John Garfield. He went to Hollywood in the early 1940s, where he appeared in such films as Sunday Punch (1942), Tennessee Johnson (1942), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), The Glass Key (1942), Wake Island (1942), The Rear Gunner (1943), Action in the North Atlantic (1943), Destination Tokyo (1943), The Very

Dane Clark (from Backfire)

Obituaries • 1998 The U.S. Steel Hour, Rawhide, Twilight Zone, The Untouchables, I Spy, The Virginian, Night Gallery, Mission: Impossible, Cannon, Search, Ironside, Matt Helm, Hawaii Five-O, The Hardy Boys Mysteries, The Nancy Drew Mysteries, Salvage-1, Fantasy Island, Highway to Heaven and The Fall Guy. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 15, 1998, A22; New York Times, Sept. 16, 1998, B11; People, Sept. 28, 1998, 105; Time, Sept. 28, 1998, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 3, 1998, 24c; Variety, Sept. 28, 1998, 193.

Clark, Old Joe Manuel Dewey Clark, Jr., who performed country music as Old Joe Clark, died of complications after abdominal surgery in a Richmond, Kentucky, hospital on February 20, 1998. He was 75. Clark was a banjo playing humorist with the Grand Ole Opry for many years. He also performed with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys and at the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 24, 1998, A17.

46

Clarkson, Marianne Television writer Marianne Clarkson died on January 16, 1998. She was 49. Clarkson served as story editor for the MacGyver television series. She also scripted episodes of Hardcastle and McCormick, Hunter and Downtown.

Clayton, Jo Science fiction writer Jo Clayton died of cancer in Portland , Oregon, on February 13, 1998. She was 58. She was born Patricia Jo Clayton in Modesto, California, on February 15, 1939. She began writing science fiction novels in the mid–1970s. Clayton was best known for her Diadem series, including Diadem from the Stars (1977), Lamarchos (1978), Irsud (1978), Maeve (1979), Star Hunters (1980), The Nowhere Hunt (1981), Ghosthunt (1983), The Snares of Ibex (1984) and Quester’s Endgame (1986). She authored over 35 novels and numerous works of short fiction during her career. Her other series include Shadith’s Quest, Duel of Sorcery, Drinker of Souls and Wild Magic.

Old Joe Clark

Clark, Lon Radio actor Lon Clark died in New York on October 2, 1998. He was 86. Clark starred in the radio series Nick Carter, Master Detective from 1943 to 1955. He was also heard in such series as The Thin Man, Norman Corwin Presents and The Kate Smith Hour. Clark was also a popular stage performer from the mid–1950s, appearing in the Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Days’ Journey into Night in 1956. New York Times, Oct. 9, 1998, C19.

Jo Clayton

47

Clifford, Ruth Actress Ruth Clifford died in Los Angeles on November 30, 1998. She was 98. Clifford was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1900. She began her film career in 1914 with Thomas Edison Studio. She signed a contract with Universal two years later. She appeared in numerous silent films including Polly Put the Kettle On (1916), The

Ruth Clifford

Savage (1917), The Mysterious Mr. Tiller (1917), Mother o’ Mine (1917), Eternal Love (1917), The Desire of the Moth (1917), The Door Between (1917), The Red, Red Heart (1918), Midnight Madness (1918), The Lure of Luxury (1918), Hungry Eyes (1918), Hands Down (1918), Fires of Youth (1918), The Cabaret Girl (1918), The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin (1918), The Guilt of Silence (1918), The Millionaire Pirate (1919), The Game’s Up (1919), The Invisible Ray (1920), Tropical Love (1921), My Dad (1922), The Dangerous Age (1923), The Face on the Bar-Room Floor (1923), Truxton King (1923), Daughters of the Rich (1923), Mothers-in-Law (1923), Hell’s Hole (1923), April Showers (1923), Ponjola (1923), The Tornado (1924), The Whispered Name (1924), Abraham Lincoln (1924), Butterfly (1924), The Love Hour (1925), As Man Desires (1925), Her Husband’s Secret (1925), The Storm Breaker (1925), Typhoon Love (1926), Brooding Eyes (1926), Lew Tyler’s Wives (1926), The

1998 • Obituaries Thrill Seekers (1927), Don Mike (1927), The Devil’s Apple Tree (1929) and The Eternal Woman (1929). Clifford continued her film career into the talkie era as a character actress, appearing in over ten films directed by John Ford. Her film credits include On Ice (1933), The Hitchhiker (1933), Only Yesterday (1933), Elmer and Elsie (1934), Stand Up and Cheer (1934), Paddy O’Day (1935), Dante’s Inferno (1935) with Spencer Tracy, She Married Her Boss (1935), To Mary —With Love (1936), The Man Who Wouldn’t Talk (1940), Along the Rio Grande (1941), How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Unfaithfully Yours (1948), Cry of the City (1948), Three Godfathers (1948), You’re My Everything (1949), Not Wanted (1949), Everybody Does It (1949), Wagon Master (1950), Sunset Boulevard (1950), A Man Called Peter (1955), The Searchers (1956), The Last Hurrah (1958) and Two Rode Together (1961). Clifford was also the voice of Minnie Mouse in Disney cartoons from the late 1940s through the early 1950s. She also appeared on television during the 1950s in commercials and in episodes of Highway Patrol, Fireside Theater and I Led Three Lives. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 1998.

Cline, William C. “Bill” Author and film historian William C. “Bill” Cline died in his sleep at his home in North Carolina on April 13, 1998. He was 69. Cline worked as a theater manager and independent film booker from the 1940s. An avid fan of the serials, he was an original columnist for the Big Reel in the mid–1970s. He was also the author of the 1984 McFarland book In the Nick of Time: Motion Picture Sound Serials. Cline’s other books include Serials-ly Speaking (1994) and Stroke of Fortune, Adventures of a Motion Picture Showman.

Clower, Jerry Comedian Jerry Clower died in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital following heart surgery on August 24, 1998. He was 71. Clower was born in Amite County, Mississippi, on September 28, 1926. The 275-pound Clower was known for his bright red or yellow suits and his tales about rural

Obituaries • 1998

48

William C. “Bill” Cline

Southern folk, particularly the fictional Ledbetter family. He recorded his first album in 1970 and became a regular performer with the Grand Ole Opry three years later. Clower co-hosted the syndicated television variety series Nashville on the Road from 1975 until 1981. He was also the co-host of the cable television series Country Crossroads. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 26, 1998, A14; People, Sept. 7, 1998, 89; Variety, Nov. 2, 1998, 66.

Cohen, Ronald M. Screenwriter Ronald M. Cohen died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles on April 21, 1998. He was 58. Cohen was born in Chicago in 1939. He began writing for television in the early 1960s for Steve McQueen’s western series Wanted: Dead or Alive. He wrote the 1968 western film Blue and the 1969 film The Good Guys and the Bad Guys. Cohen also scripted the 1977 thriller Twilight’s Last Gleaming. Cohen created several short-lived television series including American Dream (1981) which earned him an Emmy nomination, Call to Glory (1984) and Fortune Dane (1986). He also scripted episodes of Ohara and Walker, Texas Ranger for television. He scripted the 1997 TNT production of Elmore Leonard’s Last Stand at Saber River. He was the

Jerry Clower

recipient of a Western Heritage Wrangler award for his script. He was adapting another Leonard novel, Gunsights, at the time of his death. Cohen’s survivors include his longtime companion, actress Julie Adams. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 24, 1998, A30.

Cole, Sidney Film editor Sidney Cole died in England on January 25, 1998. He was 89. Cole was born in south London on October 31, 1908. He began his career with Stoll Studios in the early 1930s and was soon working at Ealing. He edited such films as Freedom of the Seas (1934), Dance Band (1935), The High Command (1936), Gaslight (1939), A Day in Soviet Russia (1941), Went the Day Well? (1942), Breach of Promise (1942), Undercover (1943), My Learned Friend (1943), For Those in Peril (1944), San Demetrio, London (1947) and Men of the Sea (1951). Cole also scripted several films including They Came to a City (1944), Shetlandsgjengen (1954), The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp (1955) and The Kitchen (1961). Cole also

49

1998 • Obituaries lent Road (1958), Macabre (1958), Fort Bowie (1958), Frankenstein: 1970 (1958), Born Reckless (1959), Up Periscope (1959), I Deal in Danger (1966), Hello Down There (1969), Darker Than Amber (1970), The Delta Factor (1970), Save the Tiger (1973), Magnum Force (1973), The Last Tycoon (1976) which earned him an Academy Award nomination, The North Avenue Irregulars (1979), The Jerk (1979), The Long Riders (1980), The Four Seasons (1981), Paternity (1981), The Night Shift (1982), Tex (1982), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Impulse (1984) which also featured him in a small acting role, Splash (1984), Cocoon (1985), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Crossroads (1986), The Running Man (1987), Alien Nation (1988) Next of Kin (1989), Flight of the Intruder (1990) and Far and Away (1992). Collis also served as art director for the 1965 western television series The Loner and the 1966 war series The Rat Patrol. His other television credits include Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt, Emergency Hospital, Hawaii Five-O and Batman.

Connolly, Norma Character actress Norma Connolly died in Los Angeles of complications from a stroke on November 18, 1998. She was 71. Connolly was born on August 2, 1927. She was best known for Sidney Cole

produced the films Dead of Night (1945), Scott of the Antarctic (1948), Against the Wind (1948), The Man in the White Suit (1952), Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) and The Kitchen (1961). He also produced the British television series Robin Hood, The Buccaneers, Black Beauty and Smuggler, and the 1991 telefilm Robin Hood: The Movie.

Collis, Jack T. Veteran production designer Jack T. Collis died of natural causes in Encino, California, on February 1, 1998. He was 75. Collis began working as an art director and production designer in the late 1950s. His credits include Emergency Hospital (1956), Voodoo Island (1957), The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), Hell Bound (1957), Vio-

Norma Connolly

Obituaries • 1998

50

her long-running role as Luke Spencer’s Aunt Ruby Anderson on the General Hospital soap opera since 1979. She had previously appeared in the ABC soap opera The Young Marrieds as Lena Karr Gilroy from 1964 until 1966. She also appeared in several films including The Wrong Man (1956), Third of a Man (1962), The Other (1972) and They Only Kill Their Masters (1972). She was better known for her work on television in such telefilms as Ransom for a Dead Man (1971), the 2nd pilot film for the Columbo series, QB VII (1974) and F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1976), and episodes of Naked City, The Lloyd Bridges Show, Twilight Zone, I Dream of Jeannie, The F.B.I., Little House on the Prairie, The Bionic Woman and Charlie’s Angels. Connolly was also active on stage, appearing in Broadway productions of Love of Four Colonels and Make a Million. She was the widow of screenwriter Howard Rodman, who died in 1985. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20, 1998, A32; People, Dec. 7, 1998, 125.

Conrad, Charles Charles Conrad died in Thousand Oaks, California, on January 15, 1998. He was 88. Conrad was a member of the California State Assembly from 1947 through 1972. He was also a character actor on television, often portraying a judge in the Perry Mason series in the 1950s and 1960s. Conrad also appeared in an episode of Gunsmoke in the late 1950s and appeared in the 1957 film Plunder Road. People, Feb. 9, 1998, 95.

Cookson, Dame Catherine British novelist Dame Catherine Cookson died of a heart ailment in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, England, on June 11, 1998. She had suffered from a rare blood disease for many years. She was 91. Dame Catherine was born in Tyne Dock, England, in 1906. Born into poverty, she was a workhouse laundress until she began writing at the age of 40. Her first novel, Kate Hannigan, was a popular success. She authored over 100 books during her career, many of which were adapted into films or television productions. Her

Dame Catherine Cookson

novel A Grand Man was filmed as Jacqueline in 1956 and Rooney was filmed in 1958. Other novels adapted into telefilms or miniseries include A House Full of Men (1977), The Fifteen Streets (1989), The Black Candle (1991), The Black Velvet Gown (1993), The Man Who Cried (1993), The Cinder Path (1994), The Glass Virgin (1995), The Gift (1996), Tide of Life (1996), The Wingless Bird (1997) and The Round Tower (1998). Los Angeles Times, June 12, 1998, A22; New York Times, June 12, 1998, A19; Times (of London), June 12, 1998, 27a.

Cooley, Leland Frederick Television writer and producer Leland Frederick Cooley died of prostate cancer in Pope Valley, California, on October 27, 1998. He was 89. Cooley was born in Oakland, California, in 1909. He began his career as a radio newscaster and announcer in Los Angeles in the 1930s. He was one of television’s first producers, joining the Don Lee Broadcasting System’s Experimental Station

51 in Los Angeles in 1937. Cooley was best known as the producer and writer of The Perry Como Show in the 1950s. He also wrote several novels including The Richest Poor Folks (1963), California (1973) and The Art Colony (1975). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 5, 1998, B6; New York Times, Nov. 13, 1998, B15.

1998 • Obituaries also directed the 1958 British film The Young and the Guilty. New York Times, Nov. 19, 1998, B13; Times (of London), Nov. 13, 1998, 25a; Variety, Nov. 16, 1998, 47.

Cottafavi, Vittorio Cotes, Peter British film theatrical director Peter Cotes died on November 10, 1998. He was 86. Cotes was born Sydney Arthur Rembrandt Boulting, the older brother of twin directors John and Roy Boulting, in Maidenhead, England, on March 19, 1912. He began his career as an actor on stage at an early age. He was also featured in several British films including Pal o’Mine (1936), Pastor Hall (1940), The Gentle Sex (1943), Don’t Take It to Heart (1944), The Way to the Stars (1945), Beware of Pity (1946) and The Upturned Glass (1947). He also began directing for the stage after World War II, staging a well-received production of Pick-Up Girl in 1946. He directed numerous other theatrical productions, but was best known as the director of Agatha Christie’s long-running play The Mousetrap which debuted in 1952. Cotes

Italian film director Vittorio Cottafavi died on December 14, 1998. He was 84. Cottafavi was born in Modena, Italy, on January 30, 1914. He began directing films in Italy in the 1940s. His credits include I Nostri sogni (1943), La Grande strada (1948), La Fiamma che non si spegne (1949), Una Donna ha ucciso (1952), Il Boia di Lilla (1952), Traviata ’53 (1953), In amore si pecca in due (1953), Il Cavaliere di maison rouge (1953), Avanzi di galera (1954), Una Donna libera (1956) and Toro bravo (1957). Cottafavi was best known in the United States for directing several swordand-sandal films including The Warrior and the Slave Girl (1958), Legions of the Nile (1959), Goliath and the Dragon (1960), Messalina (1960), Amazons of Rome (1961), Hercules and the Haunted Women (1961) and Son of El Cid (1964). He also directed the 1967 Italian television miniseries Cristobal Colon. His most recent film was 1985’s Il Diavolo sulla collina. Variety, Dec. 21, 1998, 90.

Cox, Constance British playwright Constance Cox died on July 8, 1998. She was 82. Cox was born on October 25, 1915. She was best known for her adaptations of novels for BBC television in the late 1950s and 1960s. She received acclaim for her work on Jane Eyre, Martin Chuzzlewit and Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime.

Cox, David Marshall

Peter Cotes

Comedy writer David Marshall Cox died of complications from a stroke in Reno, Nevada, on November 16, 1998. He was 79. Cox began his career in radio before becoming part of the writing staff for The Tonight Show with Jack Paar in 1960. He remained with the show when Johnny

Obituaries • 1998

52

Cratty, Bill Dancer and choreographer Bill Cratty died at his London home of liver cancer on September 9, 1998. He was 47. Cratty was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 28, 1951. He began his dance career with the Jose Limon Dance Company in 1974. He remained with the company until 1982. He also performed on Broadway in a production of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. Cratty formed the Bill Cratty Dance Theater in 1981, choreographing The Kitchen Table as its first production. He left the theater in 1988, though he continued to teach. Cratty settled in London in 1994 to serve as director of the Transitions troupe. He choreographed William Blake’s The Poison Tree for BBC television in 1997. New York Times, Sept. 23, 1998, B12.

Bill Cratty

Constance Cox

Carson took over as host. Cox also wrote for The Joey Bishop Show and Rowan & Martin’s LaughIn in the late 1960s. He also provided material and comedy routines for such performers as Jackie Gleason, Robert Goulet and Bob Newhart. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 21, 1998, A24.

Craze, Michael British actor Michael Craze died in England on December 7, 1998. He was 56. Craze starred as Ben Jackson in the long-running British science fiction television series Dr. Who from 1966 until 1967. He had previously appeared as Geoffrey Wedgwood in the 1960 British series Target Luna. Craze also appeared in several horror films including Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (1972), Satan’s Slave (1977) and Terror (1979) and was featured in an episode of television’s Journey to the Unknown.

53

Michael Craze (from Doctor Who).

Cross, Beverley British playwright Beverley Cross died in London on March 20, 1998. He was 66. Cross was born on April 13, 1931. He began his career writing the play One More River in 1959 and achieved acclaim with the musical comedy Half a Sixpence, based on H.G. Wells’ novel Kipps, in 1963. Half a Sixpence was adapted into a film in 1967. Cross also scripted several films including The Long Ships (1963), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Genghis Khan (1965), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) and Clash of the Titans (1981). He also scripted the 1971 television miniseries The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Cross was married to actress Maggie Smith from 1975 until his death. New York Times, Mar. 30, 1998, B7; Times (of London), Mar. 24, 1998, 21a; Variety, May 11, 1998, 181.

1998 • Obituaries

Beverley Cross

Crothers, George D. Television producer George D. Crothers died in Sarasota, Florida, on November 27, 1998. He was 89. Crothers was born in Fort Morgan, Colorado, in 1909. He was a teacher at Columbia University before joining CBS in 1946. Crothers served as moderator for the radio program Invitation to Learning and produced the long-running religious television program Lamp Unto My Feet. Crothers retired from CBS in 1976. New York Times, Dec. 7, 1998, B10.

Cummins, Jack Film producer and writer Jack Cummins died of cancer in Los Angeles on April 22, 1998. He was 49. Cummins was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and began his career in films as an assistant director on such movies as The Howling (1981), Time Walker (1982) and Runaway Train (1985). Cummins subsequently served as a pro-

Obituaries • 1998

54

ducer on such films as Not for Publication (1984), Reform School Girls (1986), Stars and Bars (1988), Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), The Addams Family (1991), Needful Things (1993), Amos and Andrew (1993), The Scout (1994), Down Periscope (1996) and Inventing the Abbotts (1997). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 24, 1998, A30.

Dalrymple, Jean Theatrical producer Jean Dalrymple died at her Manhattan home on November 15, 1998. She was 96. Dalrymple was born in Morristown, New Jersey, on September 1, 1902. She began her career as a performer in vaudeville and began writing plays, with Salt Water, in the early 1930s. She married drama critic Ward Morehouse in 1932 and the two collaborated on a screenplay, It Happened in New York, that was filmed by Universal in 1935. The couple divorced two years later. In the early 1940s Dalrymple worked as a press agent for theatrical productions. She soon began producing plays herself with 1945’s Hope for the Best. Dalrymple produced numerous productions for the newly formed City Center in New York from the mid–1940s. She brought Jose Ferrer to the City Center to direct productions of Cyrano de Bergerac, The Shrike, Richard III and Charley’s Aunt in 1953. Other successes included productions of King Lear with Orson Welles and A Streetcar Named Desire with Tallulah Bankhead. Dalrymple continued to produce plays at the City Center until New York’s financial woes ended her tenure there in the late 1960s. She also wrote several books during her career including September Child (1963), Careers and Opportunities in the Theater (1969), Jean Dalrymple’s Pinafore Farm Cookbook (1971) and The Folklore and Facts of Natural Nutrition (1973). New York Times, Nov. 17, 1998, C30; Variety, Nov. 23, 1998, 58.

Jean Dalrymple

Gillis, in the television comedy series The Life of Riley from 1953 until 1958. D’Andrea also appeared as Tom in the television comedy series The Soldiers in 1955 and was Biff in the adventure series Dante in 1960. D’Andrea began his career in

D’Andrea, Thomas J. Actor Thomas J. D’Andrea died of heart disease in South Port Square, Florida, on May 14, 1998. He was 88. D’Andrea was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 15, 1909. He was best known for his performance as William Bendix’s friend, Jim

Thomas J. D’Andrea (with waiter on the set of To the Victor) (Warner).

55 Hollywood in the mid–1930s as a publicist for such stars as Gene Autry, Jackie Coogan and Betty Grable. He was soon writing radio scripts for comedians Jack Benny and Eddie Cantor. He made his film debut in the early 1940s and was featured in such movies as Saturday’s Children (1940), This Is the Army (1943) with Ronald Reagan, Pride of the Marines (1945), Humoresque (1946), Never Say Goodbye (1946), Night and Day (1946), Dark Passage (1946) with Humphrey Bogart, Love and Learn (1947), Fighter Squadron (1948), Silver River (1948), Smart Girls Don’t Talk (1948), To the Victor (1948), Flaxy Martin (1949), Tension (1949), The Next Voice You Hear (1950), Kill the Umpire (1950), Little Egypt (1951) and A House Is Not a Home (1964). D’Andrea’s other television credits include episodes of Appointment with Love, The George Gobel Show, My Living Doll, The Addams Family, The Farmer’s Daughter, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Smothers Brothers Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies and That Girl. Los Angeles Times, May 29, 1998, A34; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Dauman, Anatole French film producer Anatole Dauman died of a heart attack at his home in Paris on April 8, 1998. He was 73. Dauman was born in Warsaw, Poland , in 1924, and raised in France. He founded Argos Films in 1949 and produced several dozen short films in the 1950s by such directors as Georges Franju, Agnes Varda, Walerian Borowczyk and Alain Resnais. He also produced Resnais’ classic films Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959), Last Year at Marienbad (1961) and Muriel (1963), and Chris Marker’s La Jetee (1962). Dauman’s other film credits include Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) and Mouchette (1967), Jean Luc Godard’s Masculin-Feminin (1966) and 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967), Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales (1974) and The Beast (1975), Volker Schlondorff ’s 1979 Academy Award winning foreign-language film The Tin Drum, and Wim Wenders Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 1998, B6; Variety, Apr. 13, 1998, 41.

1998 • Obituaries

Donald Davis

Davis, Donald Canadian stage actor Donald Davis died of lung disease in Toronto on January 23, 1998. He was 69. Davis was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, in 1928. He began his career on stage in the early 1950s. He received an Obie award for his performance in the New York premiere of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape in 1960. Davis also appeared in productions of Edward Albee’s American Dream and The Zoo Story. He was also featured in the film Joy in the Morning (1965) and an episode of television’s Mission: Impossible in 1966. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 30, 1998, A27; New York Times, Jan. 28, 1998, D24; Variety, Mar. 23, 1998, 101.

Davis, Marvin A. Art director and designer Marvin A. Davis died in a Santa Monica, California, hospital after a brief illness on March 8, 1998. He was 87. Davis was born in Clovis, New Mexico, in 1910. He began working for Walt Disney Imagineering in 1953, where he worked on the design of such Disneyland attractions as the Haunted Mansion, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and Main Street, U.S.A. He subsequently worked as an art director for various Disney film and television productions

Obituaries • 1998 including Westward Ho the Wagons! (1956), Zorro (1957), The Swamp Fox (1959), Babes in Toyland (1961), Sammy the Way Out Seal (1962), Moon Pilot (1962), Bon Voyage! (1962), Big Red (1962), Savage Sam (1963), A Tiger Walks (1964), The Ugly Dachshund (1966) and Follow Me, Boys! (1966). Davis received an Emmy Award for his work on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in 1964. He resumed his work with Imagineering in the mid–1960s, where he was involved in the design of Florida’s Walt Disney World. Davis retired in 1975. Los Angeles Times, Ma. 13, 1998, B6.

56 eral strokes on September 16, 1998. She was 78. Ms. Day began her career on stage, appearing on Broadway in Dodsworth. She made her film debut with Republic as Roy Rogers’ leading lady in Saga of Death Valley. She also appeared in Village Barn Dance (1940), Thou Shalt Not Kill (1940), A Woman’s Face (1941), Federal Fugitives (1941), Mr. Celebrity (1942) and They Got Me Covered (1943). She subsequently left films to become one of the first female aerial daredevils, teaming with speed pilot John Livingston. Ms. Day also later worked as a model.

Dazai, Hisao

Dawn, Gay Burlesque star Gay Dawn died of pancreatic cancer at her home in Juneau, Alaska, on October 6, 1998. She was 75. Ms. Dawn was a leading performer in Los Angeles during the 1950s and 1960s. She was also featured in the 1950 film Everybody’s Girl. Dawn retired in the early 1970s.

Day, Doris

Japanese actor Hisao Dazai died of stomach cancer at a Tokyo hospital on November 20, 1998. He was 74. Dazai was born in Tokyo on December 26, 1923. He was best known for his role as Umetaro, the president of the printing company, in the popular Japanese film series Otoko wa tsurai yo (It’s Tough Being a Man), often called the Tora-san series, after the leading character. Dazai appeared in all 48 films in the series which began in 1969 and continued through 1995. The series star, Kiyoshi Atsumi, died in 1996.

Actress Doris Day (not the star of light comedy films of the 1950s and 1960s) died after sev-

Deems, Barrett

Doris Day

Jazz drummer Barrett Deems died in Chicago, Illinois, on September 15, 1998. He was 84. Deems was born in Springfield, Illinois, on March 1, 1914. He began his musical career touring with violinist Paul Ash in 1929. He continued to perform through the 1930s and early 1940s before joining the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. He toured Europe with Charlie Barnet in the early 1950s and performed in Pete Daily’s band in the 1951 film Rhythm Inn. He became the drummer in Louis Armstrong’s All Stars in July of 1954. He performed with the group on the song “Now You Has Jazz” in the 1956 film High Society with Bing Crosby. He also appeared in Edward R. Murrow’s 1956 film about Armstrong and his band, Satchmo the Great. He left the group in 1958 but continued to perform with such groups as The Saints and Sinners, Jack Teagarden and the Dukes of Dixieland. During his later career he primarily performed in the Chicago area.

57

1998 • Obituaries

Del Rio, Evelyn Child actress and dancer Evelyn Del Rio died in Los Angeles of complications from diabetes on November 26, 1998. She was 68. She was born Evelyn Bernadette Janer in Cantano, Puerto Rico, in 1930. She began dancing professionally at the age of four and became known as “the Latin Shirley Temple.” Del Rio appeared in several films as a child including You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939) and The Bank Dick (1940), both with W.C. Fields, and Aloma of the South Seas (1941). Del Rio retired from show business in the early 1950s.

Dempsey, Jerome

Barrett Deems

People, Oct. 5, 1998, 123; Times (of London), Sept. 28, 1998, 23a; Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43.

Del Prete, Dulio

Actor Jerome Dempsey died of heart failure at his New York City home on August 26, 1998. He was 69. Dempsey was best known for his work on the stage from the 1960s, appearing in such theatrical productions as The Deputy, King Lear, The Crucible, The Threepenny Opera, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Trelawney of the Wells. He also played Dr. Van Helsing opposite Frank Langella’s Dracula in the 1977 theatrical production. Dempsey appeared in a handful of films including Network (1976), Brewster’s Millions (1985), The Wizard of Loneliness (1988), Tune in Tomor-

Italian actor Dulio Del Prete died in a Rome Italy, hospital after a long illness on February 2, 1998. He was 59. Del Prete was born in Cuneo, Italy, on June 25, 1938. He began his career on stage working with Giorgio Strehler in Milan. He became a popular leading man in Italian films from the early 1970s, appearing in Joseph Losey’s The Assassination of Trotsky (1972), Alfredo, Alfredo (1973), We Want the Colonels (1973), How Funny Can Sex Be? (1973), Massacre in Rome (1973), Mark of the Devil, Part III (1973), Peter Bogdanovich’s Daisy Miller (1974) and At Long Last Love (1975), The Devil Is a Woman (1975), My Friends (1975), Redneck (1975), The Divine Nymph (1979), The Gift (1983), Mystere (1983), Tabloid Crime (1987) and Voices from Beyond (1990). Variety, Mar. 16, 1998, 79. Jerome Dempsey

Obituaries • 1998

58

row (1990), Mistress (1992) and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). He was also featured on television in several miniseries including The Adams Chronicles (1976), Gore Vidal’s Lincoln (1988) and The Kennedys of Massachusetts (1990). New York Times, Oct. 4, 1998, 49; Variety, Oct. 19, 1998, 88.

Denevi, Marco Argentine writer Marco Denevi died of cancer in Bueno Aires on December 12, 1998. He was 76. Denevi was born in Buenos Aires on May 12, 1922. He was best known as the author of the 1960 short story Secret Ceremony. The story was adapted into the 1964 Spanish film Anabel and filmed as Secret Ceremony by Joseph Losey in 1968 with Elizabeth Taylor in the starring role. Denevi also authored the play Rosaura a las diez in 1957, which was filmed by Argentine director Mario Soffici the following year. Denevi was one of Argentina’s most popular authors. His most recent work was the autobiographical novel Una familia argentina. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 14, 1998.

Denison, Michael British character actor Michael Denison died of cancer in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England on July 22, 1998. He was 82. Denison was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on November 1, 1915. He was a popular performer on the British stage and screen, often appearing with his wife, actress Dulcie Gray. They were married from 1939 until his death. Denison’s film credits include Hungry Hill (1947), My Brother Jonathan (1948), The Blind Goddess (1948), The Glass Mountain (1949), The Franchise Affair (1950), The Magic Box (1951), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), There Was a Young Lady (1953), The Frightened Bride (1953), Contrabando (1954), Angels One Five (1954), The Truth About Women (1958) and Faces in the Dark (1960). Denison also starred in the 1957 British television series Boyd Q.C. and appeared in an episode of The Persuaders in 1978. His final film appearance was in 1993’s Shadowlands. New York Times, July 26, 1998, I36; Times (of London), July 23, 1998, 25a.

Michael Denison (with his wife, Dulcie Gray).

Denning, Richard Film and television star Richard Denning died of cardiac arrest after a long battle with emphysema in Escondido, California, on October 11, 1998. He was 85. Denning was born Louis Denninger in Poughkeepsie, New York, on March 27, 1914. He decided to enter showbusiness after winning the radio show Do You Want to Be an Actor? in 1936. He made his film debut the following year in Hold ’Em Navy. The handsome actor appeared in numerous B films over the next two decades, first as a supporting player and later as a leading man. His film credits include King of Alcatraz (1938), Illegal Traffic (1938), Her Jungle Love (1938), The Buccaneer (1938), The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938), Television Spy (1939), Sudden Money (1939), Some Like It Hot (1939), Million Dollar Legs (1939), King of Chinatown (1939), The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), Golden Gloves (1939), Disputed Passage (1939), Ambush (1939), Union Pacific (1939), Seventeen (1940), Queen of the Mob (1940), Parole Fixer (1940), Love Thy Neighbor (1940), The Farmer’s Daughter (1940), Emergency Squad (1940), Those Were the Days (1940), North West Mounted Police (1940), West

59

Richard Denning

Point Widow (1941), Adam Had Four Sons (1941), Quiet Please: Murder (1942), Ice Capades Revue (1942), The Glass Key (1942), Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942), The Fabulous Suzanne (1946), Black Beauty (1946), Unknown Island (1948), Caged Fury (1948), No Man of Her Own (1949), Double Deal (1950), Weekend with Father (1951), Flame of Stamboul (1951), Target Hong Kong (1952), Okinawa (1952), Hangman’s Knot (1952), Scarlet Angel (1952), The Glass Web (1953), The Battle of Rogue River (1954), Jivaro (1954), The Magnificent Matador (1955), The Crooked Web (1955), Air Strike (1955), The Oklahoma Woman (1956), Million Dollar Manhunt (1956), Girls in Prison (1956), Naked Paradise (1957), Buckskin Lady (1957), An Affair to Remember (1957), Desert Hell (1958) and The Lady Takes a Flyer (1958). During the 1950s he also became well known as a leading man in several classic science fiction films, starring in The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Target Earth! (1954), Creature with the Atom Brain (1955), Roger Corman’s The Day the World Ended (1956) and The Black Scorpion (1957). Denning also starred with Lucille Ball on the CBS radio show My Favorite Husband. He also made an impact on television, starring as Jerry North in the light detective drama Mr. &

1998 • Obituaries Mrs. North from 1952 until 1954 and as Dr. Greg Graham, The Flying Doctor, in 1959. He also starred as Michael Shayne in the 1960 detective drama. His other television credits include episodes of Cavalcade of America, Ford Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Pitfall, Crossroads, Cheyenne, G.E. Theatre, Studio One, Going My Way and I Spy. He appeared in the 1960 film No Greater Love and starred in the 1963 film adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales. He returned to television the following year as Steve Scott in the short-lived comedy series Karen. He largely retired after appearances in the 1966 telefilm Alice Through the Looking Glass and the 1968 film I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew. He settled in Hawaii, where he was talked into taking on the recurring role of Governor Philip Grey in the police drama Hawaii Five-O from 1968 until 1980. Denning was married to actress Evelyn Ankers from 1942 until her death in 1985. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 13, 1998, B8; New York Times, Oct. 13, 1998, B11; People, Oct. 26, 1998, 113; Times (of London), Nov. 6, 1998, 27a; Variety, Oct. 26, 1998, 138.

Denver, Karl Pop singer Karl Denver died of a brain tumor on December 21, 1998. He was 67. Denver was born Angus McKenzie in Springburn, Glasgow, Scotland, on December 16, 1931. He began his career in music while in his early 20s under the name Karl Denver. His first major hit was “Marcheta” in 1961. This was followed by “Mexicali Rose” later in 1961 and 1962’s “Wimoweh.” The latter song was adapted from a South African ballad and was reworked as the popular hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Denver continued to record such songs as “Never Goodbye,” “A Little Love” and “Still.” His popularity diminished by the mid–1960s, though he continued to perform over the next three decades. He had brief resurgence in 1990 with the hit song “Lazyitis — One Armed Boxer.” Times (of London), Jan. 4, 1999, 23a.

Obituaries • 1998

60 Outcast (1954), Mission Over Korea (1954), The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954), An Annapolis Story (1955), Prince of Players (1955) as John Wilkes Booth, Run for Cover (1955), The Leather Saint (1956), The Ten Commandments (1956), Fury at Showdown (1957), Omar Khayyam (1957), The Flesh Is Weak (1957) and Hell High (1958). He appeared in several European features in the late 1950s including Il Corsaro della Mezza Luna (1958) and Prisoner of the Volga (1959). Derek starred as Ben Travis in the 1961 television series Frontier Circus with Chill Wills and Richard Jaeckel. He also appeared in episodes of Ford Theatre, Playhouse 90 and Zane Gray Theatre. He appeared in the film Exodus in 1960 and starred and co-produced the 1965 film Nightmare in the Sun, starring his then wife Ursula Andress, before largely abandoning his acting career. Derek began directing low-budget films in the late 1960s including Once Before I Die, which he also appeared in, A Boy — a Girl (1969), Childish Things (1969) and Fantasies (1981). Derek married 18-year-old starlet Mary Cathleen Collins in 1974. His wife, now known as Bo Derek, achieved stardom in the 1979 comedy 10. John Derek subsequently directed and photographed her in several unsuccessful films including Tarzan the Ape Man (1981),

Karl Denver

Derek, John Actor and director John Derek died of heart problems at a Santa Maria, California, hospital on May 22, 1998. He was 71. He was born Derek Harris in Hollywood on August 12, 1926, the son of director Lawson Harris and actress Dolores Johnson. He began his screen career after service in World War II, appearing in small parts in the films Since You Went Away (1944), I’ll Be Seeing You (1945) and A Double Life (1947). His darkly handsome features led to a brief career as a minor star in such films as Knock on Any Door (1949), All the King’s Men (1949), Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950), Mask of the Avenger (1951), Saturday’s Hero (1951), The Family Secret (1951), Scandal Sheet (1952), Thunderbirds (1952), Prince of Pirates (1954), Ambush at Tomahawk Gap (1954), The Last Posse (1954), Sea of Lost Ships (1954), The

John Derek

61 Bolero (1984) and Ghosts Can’t Do It (1990). Derek had previously been wed to actresses Patti Behrs, Ursula Andress and Linda Evans. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 1998, A22; New York Times, May 24, 1998, I36; People, June 8, 1998, 128; Time, June 1, 1998, 29; Times (of London), May 25, 1998, 23a; Variety, Jun 1, 1998, 57.

Deschamps, Hubert French actor Hubert Deschamps died in Paris on December 30, 1998. He was 75. Deschamps began his career performing in cabarets. He made his film debut in the early 1950s and appeared in several dozen French films during his career. His film credits include Only the French Can (1954), A pied, a cheval et en voiture (1957), Elevator to the Gallows (1958), Louis Malle’s Zazie in the Metro (1960), L’Affaire Nina B. (1961), Les Bonnes causes (1962), The Fire Within (1963), The Holes (1973), The Magnificent One (1973), ZigZag (1974), The Infernal Trio (1974), Male of the Century (1975), Dear Detective (1977), Hothead (1979), Waiter! (1983), Next Summer (1985) and Stranger in the House (1992). He was also a popular performer on French television in such 1960s series as Rocambole, Les Comediens, Saturnin Belloir and Jean de la Tour miracle.

1998 • Obituaries ety, Nov. 2, 1998, 66.

Dixon, Bob Bob Dixon died in a Bethel, Connecticut, nursing home on August 22, 1998. He was 87. Dixon was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1911. As Sheriff Bob Dixon, he served as host of The Chuck Wagon Playhouse, showing B-westerns on CBS television from 1949 until 1951. He also served as announcer for Edward R. Murrow’s Set It Now series in the 1950s. New York Times, Sept. 13, 1998, 63.

Dior, Richard Academy Award–winning recording engineer Richard Dior died of a heart attack at his Marlboro, New Jersey, home on October 25, 1998. He was 51. Dior was chief mixer at Todd–A.O. for 18 years, working on over 200 films and 300 documentaries during his career. He won the Oscar for sound for Ron Howard’s 1996 production of Apollo 13. Dior also worked with Howard on the films Parenthood (1989), The Paper (1994) and Ransom (1996). His other film credits include Dawn of the Dead (1978), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), China Girl (1987), Dirty Dancing (1987), The Accused (1988), Q & A (1990), Love Hurts (1991), Mississippi Masala (1991), Tim Robbins’ Bob Roberts (1992), The Pelican Brief (1993), Heavy (1995), 2by4 (1997) and Slam (1998). New York Times, Oct. 29, 1998, B14; Vari-

Bob Dixon (CBS ).

Dominguez, Wade Actor Wade Dominguez died from respiratory failure at a Los Angeles hospital on August 26, 1998. He was 32. Dominguez was best known for his role as Emilio Ramirez, the lead Latino student, in the 1995 film Dangerous Minds with Michelle Pfeiffer. Dominguez also appeared in the films City of Industry (1997), The Tax Man (1998) and Shadow of Doubt (1998).

Obituaries • 1998

62

Wade Dominguez

Donegan, Dorothy Jazz pianist Dorothy Donegan died of colon cancer at her Los Angeles home on May 19, 1998. She was 76. Donegan was born in Chicago on April 6, 1922. She began performing while in her teens. She was heavily influenced by jazz pianist Art Tatum. Donegan went to Hollywood in the early 1940s, where she appeared in the 1944 United Artists film Sensations of 1945, doing a piano duet with Gene Rodgers. She continued to perform throughout the United States and Europe, entertaining audiences with her flamboyant mixture of swing, boogie-woogie, pop, ragtime, and even classical beats. Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1998, B10; New York Times, May 22, 1998, A23; Time, June 1, 1998, 29.

Downs, Frederic Character actor Frederic Downs died in Los Angeles on April 24, 1998. He was 81. Downs was a leading performer on stage, film and television from the 1940s. His film credits include A Dou-

Dorothy Donegan

ble Life (1947), Naked City (1948), The Window (1949), On the Town (1950), The Killer That Stalked New York (1950), Terror from the Year 5,000 (1958), Happy Anniversary (1959), Who Was That Lady? (1960), Experiment in Terror (1962), The Hellcats (1968), I Love My Wife (1970), 1776 (1972), Bug (1975) and I, the Jury (1982). He was also featured in the telefilms Shadow on the Land (1968), The California Kid (1974), Huckleberry Finn (1975) and Power (1980). Downs other television credits include episodes of Perry Mason, The Detectives, Death Valley Days, Empire, Gunsmoke, The Addams Family, Route 66, Bonanza, Lancer, Bewitched, Night Gallery, Ironside, Mannix, Alias Smith and Jones, Search, Lucan, Spider-Man, The Greatest American Hero. Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1998, B10.

63

1998 • Obituaries 1998. He was 34. Draper was the leader of the popular choir group O’Landa Draper and the Associates. Known for his animated directing style, he was a five-time nominee for the Grammy Award. Draper’s most recent album, Reflections, was released earlier in 1998. Memphis Commerical Appeal, July 22, 1998, A1; People, Aug. 17, 1998, 73.

Dread, Judge

Frederic Downs

British reggae performer Judge Dread died of a heart attack after collapsing on stage in Canterbury, England, on March 13, 1998. He was 53. Dread was born Alex Hughes in Kent, England, in 1945. The physically imposing Hughes worked as a club disc jockey in the late 1960s, where he gained a following for his Jamaican-style sessions. He recorded his own record, “Big Six,” in 1972, which became a hit on the disco circuit, despite its crude lyrics which resulted in it, and most of

Draper, O’Landa Gospel singer O’Landa Draper died of kidney failure in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 21,

O’Landa Draper

Judge Dread

Obituaries • 1998

64

Dread’s subsequent recordings, being banned from the BBC Radio. This was followed by “Big Seven,” “Big Eight” and “Big Ten.” His popularity largely ended in the late 1970s, though he continued to record such albums as Working Class ’Ero and Not Guilty. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 1998, B8; Times (of London), Mar. 16, 1998, 23a.

Drew, Norma Actress Norma Drew died on August 23, 1998. She was 94. Drew appeared in a handful of films in the early 1930s. She was best known for her role in the 1931 Laurel and Hardy comedy Chickens Come Home, where she played Mrs. Laurel. She was also featured in What a Man (1930), Our Blushing Brides (1930), Forbidden Company (1932), Dr. Monica (1934) and Magnificent Obsession (1935).

Driftwood, Jimmy Folk singer and songwriter Jimmy Driftwood died of a heart attack in a Fayetteville, Arkansas, hospital on June 12, 1998. He was 91. Driftwood was born James Corbett Morris in Mountain View, Arkansas, on June 20, 1907. He was raised in a musical family and learned to play various instruments at an early age. Driftwood was a teacher at a rural Arkansas school when he wrote the folk ballad “The Battle of New Orleans” to help explain the War of 1812 to his history class. The song became a major hit when it was recorded by Johnny Horton in 1959, and Driftwood received a Grammy Award. He received three other Grammys for “Tennessee Stud,” recorded by Eddy Arnold, “Wilderness Road” and “Songs of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb.” During his songwriting career 300 of his works were published or recorded, though he is reported to have written nearly 6,000 New York Times, July 14, 1998, B10; Times (of London), July 25, 1998, 21a; Variety, Aug. 24, 1998, 37.

Jimmy Driftwood

Drury, Allen Allen Drury died of heart failure in Los Angeles, California, on September 2, 1998. He was 80. Drury was born in Houston Texas, on September 2, 1918. A former New York Times reporter, Drury was best known for writing the political bestseller Advise and Consent. The book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 and was filmed by Otto Preminger in 1962 starring Henry Fonda. He wrote six sequels to Advise and Consent, including A Shade of Difference (1962), Capable of Honor (1966), Preserve and Protect (1968), The Throne of Saturn (1971), Come Nineveh, Come Tyre (1973) and The Promise of Joy (1975). Drury also wrote the political trilogy Mark Coffin, U.S.S. (1979), The Hill of Summer (1981) and The Roads of Earth (1984). His other novels include Decision (1983), Pentagon (1986), A Thing of State (1995) and Public Men (1998). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 3, 1998, A24; New York Times, Sept. 3, 1998, C20; Newsweek, Sept. 14, 1998, 77; Time, Sept. 14, 1998, 25; Washington Post, Sept. 3, 1998, C6.

65

1998 • Obituaries

Dunn, Linwood

Allen Drury (Alex Gotfryd).

Duncan, Todd

Special effects cinematographer Linwood Dunn died of cancer in a Burbank, California, hospital on May 20, 1998. He was 94. Dunn was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1904. He began his career in Hollywood in the mid–1920s, working a camera for Pathe silents. He joined RKO as a cinematographer in 1928 and headed the studio’s photographic effects department until 1956. Dunn was involved in the production of such films as King Kong (1933), She (1935), Citizen Kane (1941), Cat People (1942), Mighty Joe Young (1949) and The Thing (1951). Dunn was also the founder of Film Effects of Hollywood in 1946. He continued to work on such films as Forty Guns (1957), China Gate (1957), West Side Story (1961), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Circus World (1964), Hawaii (1966) and The Devil’s Rain (1975). Dunn also worked on the original Star Trek television series, earning an Emmy nomination in 1967. Dunn’s design of the Acme-Dunn special-effects optical printer earned him an Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award for technology in 1984. Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1998, B5; Variety, June 1, 1998, 57.

Baritone Todd Duncan died at his home in Washington on February 18, 1998. He was 95. Duncan was born in Danville, Kentucky, on February 12, 1903. He began performing opera while on the faculty of Howard University. Duncan created the role of Porgy in George Gershwin’s musical Porgy and Bess in 1935. He also performed in revivals in 1937 and 1942. Duncan also performed in productions of Cabin in the Sky and Lost in the Stars, and became the first black singer to join the New York City Opera, performing in Pagliacci in 1945. Duncan also appeared in the films Syncopation (1942) and Unchained (1955). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 1, 1998, B3; New York Times, Mar. 2, 1998, A15; Times (of London), Mar. 28, 1998, 25a; Variety, Mar. 9, 1998, 58; Washington Post, Mar. 1, 1998, B8. Todd Duncan (with Anne Brown in Porgy and Bess, 1936).

Obituaries • 1998

66 sporting events and other national and international news. Los Angeles Times, May 14, 1998, B10.

Dunphy, Don

Richard Dunn

Boxing announcer Don Dunphy died of heart failure in a Roslyn, New York, hospital on July 22, 1998. He was 90. Dunphy was born in New York on July 5, 1908. He announced hundreds of fights including Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn, Muhammad Ali vs. George Forman and Ali vs. Joe Fraser. Dunphy appeared in a handful of films as a boxing announcer including Woody Allen’s Bananas (1971), Matilda (1978) and Raging Bull (1980). New York Times, July 24, 1998, B12; People, Aug. 10, 1998, 89; Time, Aug. 3, 1998, 31.

Dunn, Richard British television executive Richard Dunn died in England on August 4, 1998. He was 54. Dunn was born in East Anglia on September 5, 1943. He began his career with Pathe News in the early 1970s. He joined Thames Television in 1978 and became director of production three years later. During his tenure, controversy arose over the production and airing of Death on the Rock, a documentary about the shooting of three IRA suspects in Gibraltar. The program was denounced by Margaret Thatcher’s government and it was suspected to have played a part in Thames loss of its television franchise rights in 1991. Dunn subsequently left Thames and continued to work in television production. Times (of London), Aug. 6, 1998, 21a; Variety, Aug. 10, 1998, 52.

Dunn, Robert R. Television cameraman Robert R. Dunn died following a long illness in Thousand Oaks, California, on May 11, 1998. He was 73. Dunn was a cameraman at CBS in the early days of live television, filming such shows as Burns and Allen and Playhouse 90. He remained with the network for over 40 years, filming political conventions,

Don Dunphy

67

1998 • Obituaries during World War II. He was unable to resume his film career after the war was over.

Durbridge, Francis

David Durand

Durand, David Child star David Durand died in Bridgeview, Illinois, on July 25, 1998. He was 77. Durand was born David Parker Grey in 1920. He began his film career at the age of five, appearing in two Our Gang movies, Sundown Limited and Uncle Tom’s Uncle, in 1925. He continued his film career over the next two decades, appearing in Innocents of Paris (1929), Song of Love (1929), Ladies Love Brutes (1930), The Jazz Cinderella (1930), Rich Man’s Folly (1931), Bad Sister (1931), Silver Dollar (1932), Forbidden Company (1932), Son of the Border (1933), Jennie Gerhardt (1933), The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933), The Great Jasper (1933), Wednesday’s Child (1934), Hat, Coat, and Glove (1934), Viva Villa! (1934), Little Men (1935), A Criminal Is Born (1938), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Streets of New York (1939), Scouts to the Rescue (1939), Off the Record (1939), Golden Gloves (1939), Boys’ Reformatory (1939), Tulsa Kid (1940), The Ghost Breakers (1940), Pleased to Mitt You (1940), Naval Academy (1941), Fresh As a Freshman (1941), Glove Affair (1941), Mitt Me Tonight (1941), The Kink of the Campus (1941), Glove Birds (1942), A Study in Socks (1942), College Belles (1942), Keep ’Em Slugging (1943), Kid Dynamite (1943) and Million Dollar Kid (1944). Durand quit acting to serve in the Army

Writer Francis Durbridge died at his home in London on April 11, 1998. He was 85. Durbridge was born on November 25, 1912. He was the creator of Paul Temple, the popular detective character that debuted on BBC Radio in 1938. The detective was also featured in several films including Send for Paul Temple (1946), Paul Temple’s Triumph (1951) and Paul Temple Returns (1952) with John Bentley in the title role. Bentley also starred in a television series as Temple in 1968, with Dinah Sheridan playing the detective’s wife, Steve. Francis Matthews and Ros Drinkwater played the couple in a subsequent British television series. Durbridge’s other works include The Broken Horseshoe (1952), Portrait of Alison (1954), The Scarf (1959), Melissa (1962) and Bat Out of Hell (1966), which were serialized for British television. New York Times, Apr. 17, 1998, D21; Times (of London), Apr. 13, 1998, 23a.

Francis Durbridge

Obituaries • 1998

Walter D. Edmonds

Edmonds, Walter D. Writer Walter Dumaux Edmonds died in Utica, New York on January 24, 1998. He was 94. Edmonds was born in Boonville, New York, on July 15, 1903. He wrote his first novel, Rome Haul, in 1929. It was adapted as a Broadway play, The Farmer Takes a Wife, and was filmed in 1935 and again in 1953. Edmonds was best known as the author of the novel Drums Along the Mohawk, which was filmed by John Ford with Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert in 1939. His novel Red Wheels Rolling was adapted into the 1940 film Chad Hanna and the novel The Boys of Black River was made into the telefilm Born to Run in 1979. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 28, 1998, A18; New York Times, Jan. 28, 1998, D23; Washington Post, Jan. 28, 1998, B6.

68 age of 15. She appeared in such productions as Let’s Face It and The Duchess Misbehaves before going to Hollywood in the late 1940s. She appeared in the films My Wild Irish Rose (1947), That Hagen Girl (1947) with Shirley Temple and Ronald Reagan, Two Guys from Texas (1948), Feudin’, Fussin’ and A-Fightin’ (1948), Tucson (1949), Street Bandits (1951), Missing Women (1951), Million Dollar Pursuit (1951) and The Wild Blue Yonder (1951). She became well known in the early 1950s as Roy Rogers’ leading lady when Dale Evans went on hiatus. She appeared with Rogers in six films including Trail of Robin Hood (1950), North of the Great Divide (1950), Sunset in the West (1950), Spoilers of the Plains (1951), Heart of the Rockies (1951) and In Old Amarillo (1951). She remained a popular leading lady in Westerns in such films as Utah Wagon Train (1951), Pony Soldier (1952), Captive of Billy the Kid (1952), Powder River (1953), Ride a Violent Mile (1957) and The Dalton Girls (1957). Edwards moved to television in the 1950s, appearing in episodes of Cheyenne, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Restless Gun, 26 Men, Death Valley Days, The Californians, Rough Riders, Cimarron City, Wyatt Earp, Wagon Train, Perry Mason and The Alaskans. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 2, 1998, A16; Times

Edwards, Penny Western leading lady Penny Edwards died of lung cancer in Friendswood, Texas, on August 26, 1998. She was 70. Edwards was born Millicent Maxine Edwards in Jackson Heights, New York, on August 24, 1928. She began her career on stage, appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies at the

Penny Edwards

69 (of London), Sept. 19, 1998, 28c; Variety, Sept. 21, 1998, 119.

Eklund, Bengt Swedish actor Bengt Eklund died in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 19, 1998. He was 73. Eklund was born in Stockholm on January 18, 1925. He began his film career in Sweden in the 1940s. His film credits include Krigsmans erinran (1947), Railroad Workers (1947), Thirst (1949), Monika (1953), Sir Arne’s Treasure (1954), Crime in Paradise (1959), Make Way for Lila (1962), Night Is My Future (1962), Port of Call (1963) and The Doll (1964). He was a frequent performer on Swedish television in the 1960s and 1970s. His later film credits include 1989’s Code Name Coq Rouge and 1990’s Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg.

Elias, Lee Artist Lee Elias died at an Indianapolis nursing home on April 8, 1998. He was 77. Elias began working as a comic artist in the early 1940s, working at Fiction House and Wings Comics. He also created the character of Black Cat for Harvey Comics. He was best known for his work with writer Jack Williamson on the Beyond Mars daily comic strip from 1952 until 1955. Elias worked for DC Comics, drawing stories for such books as Flash, Showcase, Brave and the Bold, The Unexpected, The Witching Hour, House of Secrets and Challengers of the Unknown. He also drew issues of Omega the Unknown, Power Man and The Human Fly for Marvel Comics. He was also a ghost artist on Al Capp’s Li’l Abner comic strip for several years. Elias retired in 1980. Science Fiction Chronicle, Aug. 1998, 21.

1998 • Obituaries tle Show. He went to Hollywood in the 1930s, where he wrote scripts for such films as Silk Hat Kid (1935), Paddy O’Day (1935), Music Is Magic (1935), Little Miss Nobody (1936), High Tension (1936), Every Saturday Night (1936), Little Tough Guys in Society (1938), Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939), Sis Hopkins (1941), Isle of Missing Men (1942), Something to Shout About (1943), Hey, Rookie (1944), The Gay Senorita (1945) and Three Husbands (1950). Eliscu was also a lyricist, working with such composers as Vernon Duke, Nacio Herb Brown, Billy Rose and Gus Kahn to create the songs “Carioca,” “Flying Down to Rio,” “They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree” and “Happy Because I’m in Love.” New York Times, June 22, 1998, A17; Variety, July 27, 1998, 65.

Evans, Gene Veteran character actor Gene Evans died at a Jackson, Tennessee, hospital after a brief illness on April 1, 1998. He was 75. Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona, on July 11, 1922, and was raised in Colton, California. He served with distinction in the army during World War II and was decorated for his service. Evans began his acting career while in the army, touring Europe

Eliscu, Edward Playwright and songwriter Edward Eliscu died at his Newtown, Connecticut, home on June 18, 1998. He was 96. Eliscu was born in Manhattan on April 2, 1902. He appeared on Broadway in The Racket with Edward G. Robinson. He subsequently began writing comedy sketches for such plays as Meet the People and The Third Lit-

Gene Evans

Obituaries • 1998 with a theatrical company of GIs. After the war Evans went to Hollywood, where he made his film debut in 1947’s Under Colorado Skies. The rugged red-headed actor often played heavies or soldiers in numerous western and war films. He was featured in such films as Berlin Express (1948), Larceny, Inc (1948), Mother Was a Freshman (1948), Assigned to Danger (1948), Criss Cross (1949), It Happens Every Spring (1949), Wyoming Mail (1950), The Big Carnival (1950), Armored Car Robbery (1950), Dallas (1950), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Storm Warning (1950), Never a Dull Moment (1950), The Steel Helmet (1951) one of several films he did with director Sam Fuller, Sugarfoot (1951), Force of Arms (1951), Fixed Bayonets (1951), I Was an American Spy (1951), Park Row (1952), Mutiny (1952), Thunderbirds (1952), Donovan’s Brain (1953) with future First Lady Nancy Davis Reagan, The Golden Blade (1953), Hell and High Water (1954), The Long Wait (1954), Cattle Queen of Montana (1954), Wyoming Renegades (1955), Crashout (1955), Jet Pilot (1957), The Sad Sack (1957), The Helen Morgan Story (1957), Damn Citizen! (1958), Money, Women and Guns (1958), The Bravados (1958), The Giant Behemoth (1958), Young and Wild (1958), Revolt in the Big House (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), The Hangman (1959), Gold of the Seven Saints (1961), Shock Corridor (1963), Nevada Smith (1966), Waco (1966), Apache Uprising (1966), The War Wagon (1967), Anzio (1968), Support Your Local Sheriff (1969), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), There Was a Crooked Man… (1970), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), Camper John (1972), Walking Tall (1973), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), A Knife for the Ladies (1973), Peopletoys (Devil Times Five) (1974), Sourdough (1976) and The Magic of Lassie (1978). Evans was also a popular performer on television, starring as Rob McLaughlin, the father, in the 1950s television series My Friend Flicka. He also appeared regularly as Sgt. Hanrahan in the 1975 spy series Matt Helm and was Spencer Parish in Spencer’s Pilots in 1976. He appeared in numerous telefilms including The Intruders (1970), The Bounty Man (1971), Shoot-Out in a One-Dog Town (1974), Sidekicks (1974), The Last Day (1975), The Macahans (1976), The Rhinemann Exchange (1977), Fire! (1977), Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978), The Sacketts (1979), The Concrete Cowboys (1979), The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang (1979), Casino (1980), California Gold

70 Rush (1981), Travis McGee (1982), The Shadow Riders (1982), The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory (1987) and Once Upon a Texas Train (1988). His other television credits include episodes of The Lone Ranger, Newsstand Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, The Restless Gun, Wagon Train, Science Fiction Theatre, Walt Disney Presents Texas John Slaughter, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Yancy Derringer, Follow the Sun, Route 66, Rawhide, Johnny Ringo, Target: The Corrupters, Bonanza, Wichita Town, Riverboat, The Outlaws, Gunslinger, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Temple Houston, Death Valley Days, Daniel Boone, Tarzan, Dragnet, Branded, Mannix, Iron Horse, Cimarron Strip, The Legend of Jesse James, Custer, Here Come the Brides, The Men from Shiloh, Nichols, The Sixth Sense, The Hardy Boys Mysteries, Alias Smith and Jones, Dirty Sally, Charlie’s Angels, The Incredible Hulk, Here’s Boomer, M*A*S*H, Simon & Simon, Longstreet, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Fantasy Island, Blacke’s Magic, The A-Team and Murder, She Wrote. Evans retired to a farm in Jackson, Tennessee, in the late 1980s. He was a familiar face at the Memphis Film Festival for the past decade, always ready with an interesting anecdote for his many fans. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 3, 1998, A30; New York Times, Apr. 4, 1998, A14; Variety, May 18, 1998, 87.

Falco Austrian-born singer and songwriter Falco died of injuries received in a traffic accident in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on February 6, 1998. He was 40. Falco was born Johann Holzel in Vienna, Austria, on February 19, 1957. He was a classically trained child prodigy at the Vienna Conservatoire, but turned to rock music in the late 1970s. He played with the punk band Drahdiwaberl in Germany from 1979 until beginning a solo career in 1982. He was best known for the 1986 pop hit “Rock Me Amadeus.” His other recordings include “Der Kommisar” and “Vienna Calling.” Falco appeared in the German films Feel the Motion (1985) and Geld oder Leber! (1986). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 8, 1998, B5; Variety, Mar. 9, 1998, 58.

71

Falco

Farber, Viola Choreographer and dancer Viola Farber died of a cerebral hemorrhage in a Bronxville,

Viola Farber (with Ralph Lemon in 1995’s Threestep Shipwreck) (Sara Krulwich).

1998 • Obituaries New York, hospital on December 24, 1998. She was 67. Farber was born in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1931. She emigrated with her family to the United States at the age of 7. Farber studied dance and was a founding member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 1953. She created roles in several of Cunningham’s early works including Crises, Nocturne and Rune. Farber also appeared in Cunningham’s production of Dracula and choreographed Legacy in 1968. She formed the Viola Farber Dance Company in 1968, choreographing most of the productions until the company disbanded in 1985. She also appeared in the 1991 documentary film Cage/ Cunningham. Farber’s final role was in 1995’s Threestep (Shipwreck), which she co-choreographed with Ralph Lemon. New York Times, Dec. 31, 1998, A15.

Farlow, Tal Jazz guitarist Tal Farlow died of cancer in New York on July 25, 1998. He was 77. Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 7, 1921. He began playing the guitar in his early 20s and performed with Marjorie Hyam’s band from 1948. He played with Red Norvo and Artie Shaw in the 1950s. He also led his own band and recorded several albums before largely retiring in 1958. He resumed touring and recording in the mid–1970s. Farlow was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame two months before his death. New York Times, July 28, 1998, A16; Times (of London), Aug. 19, 1998, 17a.

Tal Farlow

Obituaries • 1998

Farris, Jack D. Author Jack D. Farris died of heart failure at a Silver Springs, Maryland, hospital on November 26, 1998. He was 77. Farris was born in Forest, Texas, in 1921, and raised in rural Ola, Arkansas. He published his first novel, Ramey, in 1953. The Depression-era drama was adapted into the 1974 tele-film The Greatest Gift starring Glenn Ford. The Family Holvak, a subsequent television series based on the characters, ran for two seasons from 1975 until 1977. Farris also authored the novels Me and Gallagher (1980), The Abiding Gospel of Claude Dee Moran, Jr. (1987) and Keeping the Faith (1990). New York Times, Dec. 13, 1998, 67.

Faye, Alice Alice Faye, the musical star of 20th Century–Fox films of the 1930s and 1940s, died in a Rancho Mirage hospital on May 9, 1998. She had undergone surgery for the removal of two tumors the previous month. She was 83. Faye was born Alice Jeanne Leppert in New York City on May 5, 1915 (some sources indicate 1912). She began

Alice Faye

72 her career on stage as a chorus girl at the age of 14 and gained notice from her performances in George White’s Scandals in 1931 with Rudy Vallee. She was soon singing on Vallee’s radio program and accompanied him to Hollywood to co-star in Fox’s 1934 film version of George White’s Scandals. Her relationship with Vallee led to an offscreen scandal, when she was named by the singer’s wife in a stormy divorce case the following year. Faye subsequently signed a contract with Fox, where she remained the leading musical comedy star for the next decade. Her film credits include Now I’ll Tell (1934), She Learned About Sailors (1934), 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934), George White’s 1935 Scandals (1935), Every Night at Eight (1935), Music Is Magic (1935), King of Burlesque (1936), Sing Baby Sing (1936), Stowaway (1936), Poor Little Rich Girl (1936), On the Avenue (1937), You Can’t Have Everything (1936), Wake Up and Live (1936), You’re a Sweetheart (1937), In Old Chicago (1938), Sally Irene and Mary (1938), Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), Tail Spin (1939), Rose of Washington Square (1939), Barricade (1939), Hollywood Cavalcade (1939), Little Old New York (1940), Lillian Russell (1940), Tin Pan Alley (1940), That Night in Rio (1941), Weekend in Havana (1941), The Great American Broadcast (1941), Hello Frisco Hello (1943), The Gang’s All Here (1943) and Four Jills in a Jeep (1944). Her relationship with Fox boss Darryl F. Zanuck was often turbulent and she walked out on her contract with the studio after her starring role was edited in the unsuccessful 1945 drama Fallen Angel. She largely retired from the screen, making rare subsequent appearances in the films State Fair (1962), Won Ton Ton — The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), Every Girl Should Have One (1978) and The Magic of Lassie (1978). She also returned to the stage in 1973 in a revival of Good News opposite her former film leading man, John Payne. Faye was married to singer Tony Martin from 1936 until 1940, and to bandleader-actor Phil Harris from 1941 until his death in 1995. New York Times, May 10, 1998, I35; People, May 25, 1998, 83; Time, May 18, 1998, 37; Times (of London), May 11, 1998, 23a; Variety, May 18, 1998, 87.

73

1998 • Obituaries

Fell, Norman

Charlie Feathers

Feathers, Charlie Rockabilly singer Charlie Feathers died of complications from a stroke at a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on August 29, 1998. He was 66. Feathers was born near Holly Springs, Mississippi, on June 12, 1932. He began performing and recording in Memphis in the mid–1950s. His first single, “I’ve Been Deceived ,” was released in 1955. He also recorded “Defrost Your Heart” for Sun Studios in 1955 and the popular “Tongue Tied Jill” for Meteor. He continued to record on minor labels over the next two decades. During the 1970s Feathers gained a following in England after the release of the single “That Certain Smile” and a British television documentary featuring his music. Several collections of Feathers’ hits were subsequently released including Rockabilly Mailman (1978) and The Living Legend (1988). Feathers continued to perform regionally with a band that included his son and daughter. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 1998, A14; New York Times, Sept. 11, 1998, B8; Times (of London), Sept. 11, 1998, 25a.

Actor Norman Fell died of cancer at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s retirement home in Woodlawn Hills, California, on December 14, 1998. He was 74. Fell was born in Philadelphia on March 24, 1924. He began his acting career on stage after serving in the Pacific during World War II. He was soon appearing on such early television productions as Goodyear Theater, Philco Television Playhouse and Studio One. He also played Mike the Cabbie on the short-lived 1956 sit-com Joe & Mabel. Fell went to Hollywood in 1958 and appeared in the film Pork Chop Hill the following year. His other film credits include The Rat Race (1960), Inherit the Wind (1960), Ocean’s Eleven (1960) with Frank Sinatra, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), PT 109 (1963), Quick Before It Melts (1964), Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers (1964) with Ronald Reagan, The Graduate (1967) with Dustin Hoffman, Fitzwilly (1967), The Young Runaways (1968), Sergeant Ryker (1968), The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968), Bullitt (1968), If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), Catch-22 (1970), The Boatniks (1970), Charley Varrick (1973), The Stone Killer (1973), Airport 1975 (1974), Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975), Guardian

Norman Fell

Obituaries • 1998 of the Wilderness (1976), Mountain Man (1977), Rabbit Test (1978), The End (1978), The Kinky Coaches and the Pom Pom Pussycats (1980), Paternity (1981), On the Right Track (1981), Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), Stripped to Kill (1987), CHUD II: Bud the Chud (1989), You’re Driving Me Crazy (1990), The Boneyard (1991), For the Boys (1991), The Naked Truth (1992), Hexed (1993), Beach House (1995) and The Destiny of Marty Fine (1996). Fell was best known for his performance as landlord Stanley Roper in the television sitcom Three’s Company from 1977 until 1979. He and his television wife, Audra Lindley, also starred in their own series, The Ropers, from 1979 until 1980. Fell had previously played Detective Meyer Meyer in the 1961 police series 87th Precinct and was Sgt. Charles Wilentz in Burt Reynolds’ Dan August series from 1970 until 1971. He was also Nathan Davidson in the short-lived 1973 sit-com Needles and Pins and was Ben Cooper in the comedy series Teachers Only in 1982. He also appeared as Smitty in the 1976 mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man — Book I and was Bernie Raymond in the 1979 mini-series Roots: The Next Generation. He appeared in several telefilms including The Heist (1972), Thursday’s Game (1974), Death Stalk (1974), Richie Brockelman, Private Eye (1976), This Year’s Blonde (1980), For the Love of It (1980), Uncommon Valor (1983) and Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare (1995). Fell’s other television credits include episodes of Sunday Showcase, The Untouchables, Perry Mason, The Tab Hunter Show, Sam Benedict, The Lieutenant, The Fugitive, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Bewitched, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, A Man Called Shenandoah, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Invaders, The Wild Wild West, I Spy, Judd for the Defense, The F.B.I., Love, American Style, Marcus Welby, M.D., Medical Center, Police Story, Cannon, McMillan and Wife, Rhoda, Fay, The Bionic Woman, The Streets of San Francisco, Charlie’s Angels, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, The Love Boat, Simon & Simon, Webster, Murder, She Wrote, 1986’s The Twilight Zone, Magnum, P.I., Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, Murphy’s Law, Hooperman, Out of This World, The Munsters Today, Good Grief and Flying Blind. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 15, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 16, 1998, C21; Time, Jan. 4, 1999, 59; Variety, Dec. 21, 1998, 90; Washington Post, Dec. 16, 1998, B6.

74

Ferrer, Nino French singer Nino Ferrer committed suicide with a hunting rifle in a wheat field near Montcuq, France, on August 13, 1998. He was 63. Ferrer was born in Genoa, Italy, on August 15, 1934. He began singing professionally in the early 1960s and had his first hit, “Mirza,” in 1965. Ferrer continued to record such popular French songs as “Le Telefon,” “Les Cornichons” and “Madame Robert.” Ferrer’s career suffered setbacks in the early 1970s with the commercial failure of the albums Metronomie (1972) and Nino and Radiah (1975). From the 1970s Ferrer often collaborated with former T-Rex guitarist Mickey Finn. The two continued to work together through Ferrer’s final album, La Desabusion, in 1993. Times (of London), Aug. 21, 1998, 23a; Variety, Sept. 21, 1998, 119.

Nino Ferrer

Feuillere, Edwige French actress Edwige Feuillere died in Paris on November 13, 1998. She was 91. Feuillere was born Edwige Caroline Cunati in Vesoul, HauteSaone, France, on October 29, 1907. She was a leading performer on the French stage from the 1930s. She became a leading femme fatale of the French cinema, appearing in numerous films including Mam’zelle Nitouche (1931), Monsieur Albert (1932), Topaze (1932), Matricule 33 (1933),

75

1998 • Obituaries Los Angeles Times, Apr. 11, 1998, A18; New York Times, Apr. 19, 1998, I45; People, Apr. 27, 1998, 132.

Field, Sylvia

Edwige Feuillere (from The Idiot).

Le Miroir aux alouettes (1934), Golgotha (1935), Abel Gance’s Lucrezia Borgia (1935) where she briefly appeared nude, Compliments of Mr. Flow (1936), Amore (1936), Marthe Richard (1937), Feu! (1937), La Dame de Malacca (1937), J’etais une aventuriere (1938), Sans lendemain (1939), Mayerling to Sarajevo (1940), Mam’zelle Bonaparte (1942), Blind Desire (1945), Eagle with Two Heads (1947), The Idiot (1947), Woman Hater (1949), Souvenirs perdus (1950), Pit of Loneliness (1950), Le Cap de l’esperance (1951), Adorable Creatures (1952), The Game of Love (1954), Les Fruits de l’ete (1955), Le Septieme commandement (1957), When the Woman Gets Confused (1957), Love Is My Profession (1958), Life as a Couple (1958), Crime Does Not Pay (1961), Do You Like Women? (1964), Listen, Let’s Make Love (1969) and Flesh and the Orchid (1974). She continued to perform on stage through the early 1990s, starring in a one-woman show, Edwige Feuillere en scene, in 1992. New York Times, Nov. 23, 1998, B7.

Actress Sylvia Field Truex died in Fallbrook, California, on July 31, 1998. She was 97. Field was best known for her role as Mrs. Wilson on the television series Dennis the Menace in the early 1960s, playing opposite Gale Gordon’s grumpy Mr. Wilson. Field was born in Alliston, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1901. She began her career on stage at the age of 17. She appeared in several films in the late 1920s including Voice of the City (1929), Stewed, Fried and Boiled (1929) and The Exalted Flapper (1929), but primarily performed on stage. She married actor Ernest Truex in the 1940s and subsequently the couple moved to California. She was featured in a handful of films in the 1940s including Blondie for Victory (1942), Nobody’s Darling (1943), Her Primitive Man (1944), Salome, Where She Danced (1945) and Junior Miss (1945). She starred as Mrs. Remington in the television comedy series Mr. Peepers with Wally Cox from 1953 until 1955. She was

Fickling, Forrest Author Forrest E. “Skip” Fickling died of a brain tumor in Los Angeles on April 3, 1998. He was 72. Fickling was the author of 16 detective novels, and was best known for creating the character of Honey West, one of fiction’s first female detectives. Fickling wrote eleven books featuring the character under the pseudonym G.G. Fickling including Dig a Dead Doll, Bombshell and A Gun for Honey. The character was the basis of the Honey West television series from 1965 to 1966 starring Anne Francis as the private eye.

Sylvia Field (with Jay North and Joseph Kearns in Dennis the Menace).

Obituaries • 1998 also featured on television in episodes of Philco Television Playhouse, Goodyear Television Playhouse, Perry Mason, The Mickey Mouse Club, The Millionaire, Father Knows Best, Hazel, Petticoat Junction, World of Disney and Harry O. She made her final film appearances in the late 1950s with All Mine to Give (1957) and Annette (1958). Her husband, Ernest Truex, died in 1973. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 12, 1998, A20; New York Times, Aug. 15, 1998, D16; People, Sept. 7, 1998, 89; Variety, Aug. 31, 1998, 107.

Flora, James Artist and illustrator James Flora died at his home in Rowayton, Connecticut, on July 9, 1998. He was 84. Flora was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1914. He studied art and worked as a book illustrator in the 1930s. He was hired by Columbia Records in the early 1940s to become one of the first artists to design record album covers. His surreal and cartoonish designs adorned numerous jazz recordings and he soon became an

76 advertising manager with Columbia. He left the company in 1950 to become a free-lance illustrator. He wrote the first of his 17 children’s books, The Fabulous Firework Family, in 1954. His other books include The Day the Cow Sneezed (1957), Charlie Yup and His Snip-Snap Boys (1959), Leopold, the See-Through Crumbpicker (1961), Kangaroo for Christmas (1962) and Wanda and the Bumbly Wizard (1980). New York Times, July 18, 1998, D16.

Fontaine, Eric Eric T. Downey, who wrestled as Eric Fontaine, died in Memphis, Tennessee, of injuries received in an automobile accident on December 15, 1998. He was 33. Downey began wrestling in 1982. He competed as Eric Fontaine in the USWA and Global, where he teamed with Randy Rhodes as the New Pretty Young Things. They were managed by Christopher Love. Fontaine sometimes wrestled as the Dark Patriot and the Scorpion. He also wrestled briefly in the WWF, teaming with Demolition Ax. Fontaine continued to wrestle in independent promotion through the early 1990s.

Forest, Jean-Claude Jean-Claude Forest, who created the French comic strip Barbarella, died of a respiratory illness at a hospital near Paris on December 30, 1998. He was 68. Forest was born on September 11, 1930, and drew his first comic strip, The Black Arrow, at the age of 19. During the 1950s he created the adventure strips The Haunted Ship and Bicot. Forest created the futuristic sex goddess Barbarella in April of 1962 for V Magazine. Producer Dino de Laurentiis secured the film rights to the character and Roger Vadim directed a 1968 feature starring his then-wife Jane Fonda in the title role. Forest served as set designer for the controversial and popular film. Barbarella continued in publication until 1981. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2, 1999; New York Times, Jan. 3, 1999, A21; Time, Jan. 11, 1999, 25. James Flora

77

Jean-Claude Forest

Fowler, Gene, Jr. Film director and editor Gene Fowler, Jr., died in Hollywood Hills, California, on May 11, 1998. He was 80. Fowler was born in Denver, Colorado, on May 27, 1917, the son of screenwriter and novelist Gene Fowler. He began his ca-

1998 • Obituaries reer as an editor at 20th Century–Fox, where he worked on such films as Thanks a Million (1935), Weekend in Havana (1941), Western Union (1941), Hangmen Also Died (1943), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Philo Vance Returns (1947), Main Street to Broadway (1953), Captain Scarface (1953), While the City Sleeps (1956), Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956), Run of the Arrow (1957), Forty Guns (1957) and China Gate (1957). Fowler was best known for directing the 1950s cult science fiction films I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) with Michael Landon and I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958). He directed several more films in the late 1950s including Showdown at Boot Hill (1958), Gang War (1958), The Rebel Set (1959), Here Come the Jets (1959) and The Oregon Trail (1959). He subsequently returned to editing, receiving an Oscar nomination for his work on It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). He also edited the films A Child Is Waiting (1963), Hang ’Em High (1967) with Clint Eastwood, Walls of Fire (1971) which earned him a Golden Globe Award, Molly and Lawless John (1972), Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979), Caveman (1981) and Cracking Up (1983). Fowler also worked often in television, earning Emmy Awards for his work on Rawhide, The Glass House (1972), The Waltons (1973) and The Blue Knight (1974). He also edited the tele-films The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971), The Crooked Hearts (1972), Pursuit (1972), The Girls of Huntington House (1973) and The House on Garibaldi Street (1979) Los Angeles Times, May 14, 1998, B10; New York Times, May 17, 1998, I36; Variety, May 18, 1998, 87.

Fowley, Douglas

Gene Fowler, Jr.

Character actor Douglas Fowley died at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on May 21, 1998. He was 86. Fowley was born Daniel Vincent Fowley in New York City on May 30, 1911. He began his career on stage and made his film debut in 1933’s The Mad Game. The mustachioed actor was featured in over 200 films during his career, often playing villains in crime dramas or westerns. His numerous credits include I Hate Women (1934), Gift of Gab (1934), Let’s Talk It Over (1934), The Woman Who Dared (1934), Student Tour (1934), The Girl from

Obituaries • 1998

Douglas Fowley (from The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao).

Missouri (1934), The Thin Man (1934), Operator 13 (1934), Two for Tonight (1935), Straight from the Heart (1935), Night Life of the Gods (1935), Transient Lady (1935), Old Man Rhythm (1935), Miss Pacific Fleet (1935), Small Town Girl (1936), Ring Around the Moon (1936), Navy Born (1936), Crash Donovan (1936), Sing, Baby, Sing! (1936), Dimples (1936), 15 Maiden Lane (1936), Big Brown Eyes (1936), 36 Hours to Live (1936), Woman Wise (1937), Time Out for Romance (1937), Roads to Town (1937), This Is My Affair (1937), Wild and Woolly (1937), One Mile from Heaven (1937), She Had to Eat (1937), Love and Kisses (1937), Wake Up and Live (1937), Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937), On the Avenue (1937), Mr. Moto’s Gamble (1938), Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), Submarine Patrol (1938), City Girl (1938), Passport Husband (1938), Walking Down Broadway (1938), Keep Smiling (1938), Time Out for Murder (1938), Inside Story (1938), Arizona Wildcat (1938), Meridian 7-1212 (1938), Lucky

78 Night (1939), Dodge City (1939), The Boy Friend (1939), It Could Happen to You (1939), Henry Goes Arizona (1939), Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939), Slightly Honorable (1940), Cafe Hostess (1940), Twenty Mule Team (1940), Street of Missing Women (1940), Ellery Queen — Master Detective (1940), Wagons Westward (1940), Pier 13 (1940), The Leather Pushers (1940), Cherokee Strip (1940), East of the River (1940), Mississippi Gambler (1940), The Devil with Hitler (1941), The Great Swindle (1941), Tanks a Million (1941), The Parson of Panamint (1941), Doctor’s Don’t Tell (1941), Dangerous Lady (1941), Secrets of the Wasteland (1941), Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (1941), Sunset on the Desert (1942), Mr. Wise Guy (1942), Hay Foot (1942), I Live on Danger (1942), Meet the Mob (1942), The Man in the Trunk (1942), Stand By for Action (1942), Pittsburgh (1942), Somewhere I’ll Find You (1942), So’s Your Aunt Emma (1942), For the Common Defense (1942), The Kansan (1943), Gildersleeve’s Bad Day (1943), Bar-20 (1943), Minesweeper (1943), Colt Comrades (1943), Johnny Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1943), Lost Canyon (1943), Riding High (1943), Sleepy Lagoon (1943), Chance of a Lifetime (1943), Jitterbugs (1943), See Here Private Hargrove (1944), Racket Man (1944), Rationing (1944), One Body Too Many (1944), Shake Hands with Murder (1944), Detective Kitty O’Day (1944), Lady in the Death House (1944), And the Angels Sing (1944), Life with Blondie (1945), Along the Navajo Trail (1945), Behind City Lights (1945), the 1945 serial Chick Carter, Detective, Don’t Fence Me In (1945), Driftin’ Along (1946), Her Sister’s Secret (1946), In Fast Company (19467), The Glass Alibi (1946), Rendezvous 24 (1946), Larceny in Her Heart (1946), Freddie Steps Out (1946), High School Hero (1946), ’Neath Canadian Skies (1946), North of the Border (1946), Blind Alibi (1946), Wild Country (1947), Undercover Maisie (1947), Three on a Ticket (1947), Yankee Fakir (1947), Jungle Flight (1947), Backlash (1947), Merton of the Movies (1947), Desperate (1947), The Fall Guy (1947), Tenderfoot (1947), The Trespasser (1947), Gas House Kids in Hollywood (1947), Scared to Death (1947), Ridin’ Down the Trail (1947), Roses are Red (1947), The Sea of Grass (1947), Rose of Santa Rosa (1947), Key Witness (1947), The Hucksters (1947), Coroner Creek (1948), Docks of New Orleans (1948), Waterfront at Midnight (1948), The Dude Goes West (1948), If You Knew Susie (1948), Joe Palooka in Winner Take All (1948),

79 Renegades of Sonora (1948), Behind Locked Doors (1948), Gun Smugglers (1948), The Denver Kid (1948), Badmen of Tombstone (1948), Black Bart (1948), Mighty Joe Young (1949), Battleground (1949), Flaxy Martin (1949), Massacre River (1949), Arson, Inc. (1949), Susanna Pass (1949), Search for Danger (1949), Satan’s Cradle (1949), Renegades of the Sage (1949), Joe Palooka in Counter-Punch (1949), Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), Any Number Can Play (1949), Bunco Squad (1950), Rider from Tucson (1950), Armored Car Robbery (1950), Hoedown (1950), Killer Shark (1950), He’s a Cockeyed Wonder (1950), Mrs. O’Malley and Mr. Malone (1950), Rio Grande Patrol (1950), Beware of Blondie (1950), Stage to Tucson (1950), Edge of Doom (1950), Across the Wide Missouri (1951), Tarzan’s Peril (1951), Chain of Circumstance (1951), Criminal Lawyer (1951), South of Caliente (1951), Callaway Went Thataway (1951), Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Just This Once (1952), This Woman Is Dangerous (1952), Man Behind the Gun (1952), Room for One More (1952), Horizons West (1952), Cruisin’ Down the River (1953), A Slight Case of Larceny (1953), Kansas Pacific (1953), The Band Wagon (1953), Casanova’s Big Night (1953), The Lone Gun (1954), Three Ring Circus (1954), Untamed Heiress (1954), Red River Shore (1954), Deep in My Heart (1954), Catwomen of the Moon (1954), The Naked Jungle (1954), The High and the Mighty (1954), The Girl Rush (1955), The Lonesome Trail (1955), Texas Lady (1956), The Broken Star (1956), Bandido! (1956), The Man from Del Rio (1956), Rock, Pretty Baby (1956), Bayou (1957), Kelly and Me (1957), Raiders of Old California (1957), The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957), These Thousand Hills (1959), Desire in the Dust (1960), Barabbas (1961), Miracle of the Wild Stallions (1962), Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963), Guns of Diablo (1964), The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), Nightmare in the Sun (1965), The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969), Run, Cougar, Run (1972), Walking Tall (1973), Homebodies (1974), From Noon Till Three (1976), Black Oak Conspiracy (1977), The White Buffalo (1977) and The North Avenue Irregulars (1979). He was also featured in the tele-films Arthur Hailey’s The Moneychangers (1976), The Oregon Trail (1976) and Sunshine Christmas (1977). He also produced and directed the low-budget 1960 horror film, Macumba Love. Fowley was best known for his television performances on the 1950s western se-

1998 • Obituaries ries The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He appeared as Doc Fabrique from 1955 until 1956 and was Doc Holliday from 1957 until 1961. Fowley also was featured as Grandpa Hanks in the western comedy Pistols ’n’ Petticoats from 1966 to 1967 and was in the 1979 comedy series Detective School. His numerous television credits also include episodes of Wild Bill Hickok, The Abbott and Costello Show, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, December Bride, Damon Runyon Theatre, Topper, The Red Skelton Show, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, The Gale Storm Show, Death Valley Days, Cheyenne, Jefferson Drum, Trackdown, Perry Mason, The Texan, Pony Express, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Temple Houston, The Andy Griffith Show, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Gomer Pyle, USMC, My Three Sons, Mayberry RFD, The Virginian, Bonanza, Laredo, Daniel Boone, The Second Hundred Years, A Man Called Shenandoah, Iron Horse, Dundee and the Culhane, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Gunsmoke, The Streets of San Francisco, Kung Fu, Police Woman, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Barbary Coast, Quark, Marcus Welby, M.D., CHiPs, The Rockford Files, The Quest, Fantasy Island and Father Murphy. Los Angeles Times, May 28, 1998, B10; New York Times, May 29, 1998, A19; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Franchina, Sandro Italian actor and filmmaker Sandro Franchina died in Paris of cancer on February 22, 1998. He was 58. Franchina was born on September 25, 1939. He began his film career as Ingrid Bergman’s doomed son in Roberto Rossellini’s 1951 film The Greatest Love (Europa ’51). Franchina subsequently attended film school in Rome and directed the 1960 short Collage di Piazza del Popolo. He directed his only feature, the critically acclaimed Morire Gratis, in 1968. Franchina directed a series of documentaries on contemporary artists in the 1990s. Variety, Mar. 23, 1998, 101.

Franco, Ricardo Spanish film director Ricardo Franco died of a heart attack in Madrid on May 21, 1998. He

Obituaries • 1998

80

was 48. Franco was born in Madrid on May 24, 1949. He began his career in films in the 1960s and served as assistant director on Jesus Franco’s 1969 film Deadly Sanctuary. Ricardo Franco subsequently directed the 1970 film El Desastre de Annual. His other film credits include Pascual Duarte (1975), Los Restos del naufragio (1978), El Sueno de Tanger (1986), Berlin Blues (1988) and Despues de tantos anos (1994). Franco received critical acclaim for his 1997 film La Buena estrella (The Good Star), which received several awards at Spain’s Goya Film Awards and a special mention at the Cannes Film Festival. His final film was 1998’s Lagrimas negras. New York Times, June 1, 1998, B11; Variety, June 1, 1998, 57.

ward in 1955. He also worked with Sheilah Graham on Beloved Infidel, the story of her life with w r i t e r F. Scott Fitzgerald. The book was adapted into a film in 1959 starring Gregory Peck and Deborah Kerr. He also authored the 1966 book The Boston Strangler, which was made into a film with Tony Curtis in 1968. Frank also wrote the 1963 story of British diplomat Lord Moyne’s assassination, which earned him an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He also authored An American Death, a book about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 1998, A25; New York Times, Sept. 19, 1998, A13; Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43.

Frank, Gerold

Frankel, Kenneth

Celebrity biographer Gerold Frank died in Philadelphia on September 17, 1998. He was 91. Frank co-authored Lillian Roth’s memoir I’ll Cry Tomorrow, which was filmed with Susan Hay-

Theatrical and television director Kenneth Frankel died of a brain tumor at his Los Angeles home on February 14, 1998. He was 56. Frankel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1941. He was a leading figure in regional theater, working at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, the Pasadena Playhouse and the Dallas Shakespeare Festival. His forty stage productions include the 1973 New York staging of When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder? and Harold Pinter’s Old Times. He received the Obie Award for his offBroadway production of Quartermaine’s Terms in 1984. Frankel also directed the 1992 television special I Remember You and episodes of the series The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and Doogie Howser, M.D. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 14, 1998, A20; New York Times, Feb. 19, 1998, D24; Variety, Apr. 6, 1998, 59.

Frankfather, William

Gerold Frank (Doubleday).

Character actor William Frankfather died in Los Angeles of internal bleeding on December 27, 1998. Frankfather was a popular character actor from the late 1970s. His film credits include Foul Play (1978), Inside Moves (1980), Pennies from Heaven (1981), Flashpoint (1984), Alamo Bay (1985), the 1986 remake of Invaders from Mars, Valentino Returns (1987), Harry and the

81

William Frankfather

Hendersons (1987), Baby Boom (1987), Defense Play (1988), War Party (1989), The Rocketeer (1991), Little Sister (1992), Cool World (1992), Death Becomes Her (1992), Born Yesterday (1993), When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), Rough Draft (1997) and Mouse Hunt (1997). Frankfather also appeared often on television, starring as Sheriff Bailey in the short-lived 1993 series drama Angel Falls. He also appeared in the tele-films Dallas: The Early Years (1986), Blue de Ville (1986), Crossings (1986), The Women of Brewster Place (1989), I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989), Family of Spies (1990), Keep the Change (1992) and Where Are My Children? (1994). His other television credits include episodes of The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Night Court, MacGyver, Hunter, The Twilight Zone, Freddy’s Nightmares, Amazing Stories, Highway to Heaven, Murphy Brown, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Tales from the Crypt, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Dark Skies.

1998 • Obituaries wife, Joanna Loudon, on the television comedy series Newhart from 1982 until 1990. She also appeared as D.B. Bentley in the television soap opera Return to Peyton Place from 1973 until 1974 and as Amanda Howard Peters in the soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1974 until 1979. She also starred as Nan Hollister in the short-lived drama series King’s Crossing in 1982 and the 1990 miniseries Jackie Collins’ Lucky/Chances. Frann also appeared in the tele-films Portrait of an Escort (1980), Gidget’s Summer Reunion (1985), Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion (1987), Dance ’Til Dawn (1988), Single Women, Married Men (1989), I’m Dangerous Tonight (1990) and Fatal Charm (1992). Her other television credits include episodes of Bonanza, That Girl, The Wild Wild West, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cannon, Search, The Rockford Files, The Fantastic Journey, WKRP in Cincinnati, Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Nero Wolfe, Darkroom, The Hitchhiker, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, the 1994 revival of Burke’s Law, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Diagnosis Murder. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 24, 1998, B6; New York Times, Sept. 25, 1998, B10; People, Oct. 12, 1998, 120; Time, Oct. 5, 1998, 27; Variety, Sept. 28, 1998, 193.

Frann, Mary Actress Mary Frann died during her sleep at her Beverly Hills home on September 23, 1998. She was 55. Frann was born Mary Francis Luecke in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 27, 1943. She was best known for her role as Bob Newhart’s

Mary Frann

Obituaries • 1998

Fried, Valeri Russian screenwriter Valeri Fried died on September 7, 1998. He was 78. Fried began scripting films in the early 1960s. His credits include Sixteenth Spring (1962), Too Many Cooks (1962), There Was an Old Couple (1965), Two Comrades Were Serving (1968), Burn, Burn My Star (1969), High Title (For the Life on Earth) (1974), Tale About Czar Pyotr Arranging Arap’s Wedding (1976), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1979), The Crew (1979), Every Tenth (1983), And Then Came Bumbo… (1984) and Lost in Siberia (1991).

Friendly, Fred W. CBS News executive Fred W. Friendly died after a series of strokes at his New York City home on March 3, 1998. He was 82. Friendly was born Ferdinand Friendly Wachenheimer in New York on October 30, 1915. He began working in radio in the late 1930, where he worked on biographical programs on prominent historical figures. He served in the army during World War II and began working for NBC radio after the war. He

82 produced the quiz show Who Said That? and the radio documentary about the atomic bomb, The Quick and the Dead. He moved to CBS in 1950, where he became associated with newsman Edward R. Murrow. Friendly produced many of Murrow’s programs, including the radio show Hear It Now and the television sequel See It Now. The news program was often controversial, and was one of the first network programs to expose Senator Joseph McCarthy’s witchhunt tactics in the 1950s. The show was canceled in 1958, though Friendly remained with CBS as a producer of documentaries for CBS Reports. He became president of CBS News in 1964, but resigned two years later when the network broadcast an I Love Lucy rerun rather than live coverage of a Senate committee hearing on Vietnam. Friendly was the recipient of 10 Peabody Awards during his career and authored the books Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control (1967) and The Good Guys, the Bad Guys and the Fist Amendment (1976). He was a professor at Columbia University from 1966 until his retirement in 1990. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 5, 1998, A1; New York Times, Mar. 5, 1998, B10; Newsweek, Mar. 16, 1998, 82; People, Mar. 23, 1998, 151; Time, Mar. 16, 1998, 25; Times (of London), Mar. 6, 1998, 29a; TV Guide, Apr. 4, 1998, 11; Variety, Mar. 9, 1998, 58; Washington Post, Mar. 5, 1998, D6.

Gable, Christopher

Fred Friendly (Gabriel Clooney).

Ballet dancer and actor Christopher Gable died of cancer at his Leeds, England, home on October 23, 1998. He was 58. Gable was born in London on March 13, 1940. Gable began performing with the Royal Ballet in the 1950s. He received acclaim for his partnership with Lynn Seymour in such productions as The Invitation and The Two Pigeons. Gable left ballet in the late 1960s because of arthritis. He began a career as a film actor, appearing in Ken Russell’s The Music Lovers in 1970. His other film credits include Women in Love (1970), The Boy Friend (1971) with Twiggy, The Slipper and the Rose (1976), Russell’s 1988 cult horror film Lair of the White Worm, Jungle Assault (1989) and The Rainbow (1989). Gable was seen on television in such tele-films and mini-series as Song of Summer (1968), The Cherry Orchard (1971), The Merchant of Venice

83

1998 • Obituaries for nearly twenty years. The 1973 novel JR, earned him the National Book Award. He received a second National Book Award for A Frolic of His Own in 1994, about a playwright’s lawsuit against a Hollywood producer for plagiarism. He also completed the novel Agape, which remained unpublished at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 18, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 17, 1998, C22; Time, Jan. 4, 1999, 59.

Christopher Gable (MGM).

(1972), The Devil’s Crown (1981), A Woman of Substance (1983) and Wagner (1983). He also starred in an episode of the British science fiction television series Dr. Who in 1984. Gable formed the Central School of Ballet in London in 1982 and had worked as artistic director of the Leeds’ Northern Ballet Theater. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 1998, A21; New York Times, Nov. 1, 1998, 47; Times (of London), Oct. 26, 1998, 25a; Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43.

Gaddis, William Novelist William Gaddis died of prostate cancer at his East Hampton, New York, home on December 16, 1998. He was 75. Gaddis was born in New York in 1922. He attended Harvard University in the early 1940s, where he edited the satirical Harvard Lampoon magazine until his expulsion from the school in 1945. Gaddis continued writing and published his first novel, The Recognitions, in 1955. A lengthy tale of an art forger, the novel’s reputation has continued to grow since its publication, and is now widely hailed as a masterpiece. Its initially cool reception from the critics delayed Gaddis’ second novel

William Gaddis ( Jerry Bauer).

Garvin, Terry Former professional wrestler Terry Garvin died of stomach cancer on August 17, 1998. He was 60. Garvin was born Terry Joyal in 1938. He was a leading tag team wrestler in the early 1970s, holding several championships in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, often teamed with Ron Garvin. Terry Garvin became an executive with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after his retirement from the ring. He remained with the WWF until a sex scandal forced his resignation in the early 1990s.

Obituaries • 1998

84 Hollywood, where he played a newsboy in the 1948 film The Time of Your Life. Gary subsequently performed in Ken Murray’s Blackout revues. He was the featured singer for Don McNeill’s radio show Breakfast Club in the early 1960s. He signed a contract with RCA Records after his first album, Catch a Rising Star, was a success in 1963. He subsequently appeared on such television programs as The Danny Kaye Show, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show and Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. Gary hosted his own television variety show, The John Gary Show, in 1966 and 1968. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 6, 1998, B8; New York Times, Jan. 6, 1998, D21.

Terry Garvin

Gary, John

Gaynor, Jock

Singer John Gary died of cancer in Dallas, Texas, on January 4, 1998. He was 65. Gary was born John Gary Strader in Watertown, New York, on November 29, 1932. He began performing for USO shows at the age of 12. Columnist Hedda Hopper was instrumental in bringing Gary to

Actor Jock Gaynor died on April 2, 1998. He was 68. Gaynor was born in New York City in 1929. He was best known for his portrayal of Deputy Marshal Heck Martin during the first season of the television western series The Outlaws in 1960. His other television credits include episodes of Wichita Town, Colt .45, Wyatt Earp, Tate, Cheyenne, Rawhide, Gunslinger, Laramie, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Iron Horse, Coronet Blue, Batman, Mission: Impossible, The Invaders and Knight Rider. Gaynor also starred in

John Gary

Jock Gaynor

85 the 1972 horror film The Deathhead Virgin and was executive producer of the 1984 horror film The Initiation.

Gebler, Ernest Irish novelist Ernest Gebler died of a bronchial infection and complications from Alzheimer’s disease at a Dublin nursing home on January 26, 1998. He was 83. Gebler was best known for his novel The Plymouth Adventure, which was filmed with Spencer Tracy in 1952. Gebler also scripted the 1970 film adaptation of his novel Hoffman, which starred Peter Sellers. He scripted several television productions including the 1968 Emmy-winning Call Me Daddy. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 19, 1998, A14.

Gellhorn, Martha Novelist and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn died at her London home on February 15, 1998. She was 89. Gellhorn was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 8, 1908. She

1998 • Obituaries began writing for The New Republic shortly after her graduation from college in 1927. She wrote for various publications over the next decade. Gellhorn worked for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in the mid–1930s, writing about the plight of ordinary people during the Depression Era. Her writings formed the basis for her first major book, The Trouble I’ve Seen, in 1936. She was sent to cover the Spanish Civil War for Collier’s Weekly in 1937. During her time there she became the lover of fellow writer Ernest Hemingway, and became the prototype of the character Maria in his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. She and Hemingway were married in 1940. Gellhorn continued to work as a war correspondent during World War II, covering the London blitz, the D-Day landing and the horrors of Dachau concentration camp. Her often stormy marriage to Hemingway ended in divorce in 1945. Many of her dispatches during war time were collected in the books The Face of War and The View from the Ground. Gellhorn continued to travel, covering conflicts in Lebanon, Vietnam and El Salvador. She also wrote the popular travel book Travels with Myself and Another in 1979. Her later works include The Weather in Africa (1988) and The Novellas of Martha Gellhorn (1993). She also appeared in the 1994 documentary The Troubles We’ve Seen: A History of Journalism in Wartime. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 17, 1998, A16; New York Times, Feb. 17, 1998, B11; Newsweek, Mar. 2, 1998, 91; People, Mar. 2, 1998, 72; Time, Mar. 2, 1998, 25; Times (of London), Feb. 18, 1998, 23a.

Giant Haystack

Martha Gellhorn

British professional wrestler Martin Ruane, better known as Giant Haystack, died of cancer in England on November 29, 1998. He was 52. Ruane was born in London on October 10, 1946. He was known for his huge size, standing over 6'11" tall and weighing nearly 350 lbs. He began wrestling professionally in 1970, often as a villainous brute. He was a leading personality on ITV’s World of Sport, often battling the popular Big Daddy. Wrestling’s popularity diminished in England in the 1980s. Ruane attempted to revive his career in the United States, wrestling as Loch Ness Monster against Hulk Hogan in the WCW

Obituaries • 1998 in 1995. He retired shortly afterwards when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Times (of London), Dec. 3, 1998, 25a.

86 dren, became one of the country’s top hits of the year.

Gist, Robert Character actor and director Robert Gist died on May 21, 1998. He was 74. Gist made his film debut in the 1947 Christmas fantasy Miracle on 34th Street. He was also featured in The Stratton Story (1949) Scene of the Crime (1949), Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949), A Dangerous Profession (1949), Jigsaw (1949), The Jackpot (1950), I Was a Shoplifter (1950), Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951), One Minute to Zero (1952), Angel Face (1952), The Band Wagon (1953), D-Day the Sixth of June (1956), Wolf Larsen (1958), The Naked and the Dead (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), The FBI Story (1959), Al Capone (1959), Blueprint for Robbery (1961) and Jack the Giant Killer (1962). Gist also appeared on television in episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Decision, Gunsmoke, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Black Saddle, The Untouchables, Zane Grey Theater, Johnny Ringo, Pony Express, U.S. Marshal, Hotel de Paree, Perry Mason, The Virginian, Rawhide and Nichols. Gist turned to directing in the 1960s, helming the 1966 Star Trek episode “The Galileo Seven,” and the classic “Lizard’s Leg and Owlet’s Wing” episode of Route

Giant Haystack

Gimby, Bobby Canadian musician and songwriter Bobby Gimby died in his sleep at a North Bay, Ontario, home for the aged on June 20, 1998. He was 79. Gimby was born in Cabri, Saskatchewan, on October 15, 1918. He came from a musical family and began playing professionally in Vancouver in the 1940s. He was a regular performer on Canadian radio’s Happy Gang program for over ten years. He was a leading composer of pop songs and advertising jingles when he wrote the song “Can-na-da” for a documentary on Canada’s Centennial in 1967. The song, sung by chil-

Robert Gist

87

1998 • Obituaries

66 starring Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Lon Chaney, Jr. He also directed episodes of Naked City, The Twilight Zone, The Untouchables, The Fugitive, Della, An American Dream, Mission: Impossible and The High Chaparral.

Glouner, Richard Cinematographer Richard C. Glouner died of Lou Gehrig’s disease at a Newport Beach hospital on February 9, 1998. He was 66. Glouner began his career at Disney in the mid–1950s as an animation cameraman for the feature film The Lady and the Tramp. He served as director of photography on many films from the 1960s including The Devil’s 8 (1969), The Gay Deceivers (1969), The Dunwich Horror (1970), Glory Boy (1971), Making It (1971), Summertree (1971), Payday (1972), The Soul of Nigger Charley (1973), Christina (1974), The Gumball Rally (1976), The Gong Show Movie (1980) and The Man with Bogart’s Face (1980). Glouner also worked in television, where he received an Emmy Award in 1975 for an episode of Columbo. His other television credits include the tele-films V, Return to Mayberry and The Girl Most Likely… and the shortlived Logan’s Run series.

Goldman, James

Godden, Rumer

Playwright and screenwriter James Goldman, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for The Lion in Winter in 1968, died in New

British novelist Rumer Godden died in a nursing home in Thornhill, Scotland, on November 8, 1998. She was 90. Godden was born in Eastbourne, East Essex, England, on December 10, 1907. Her best known novel, Black Narcissus was published in 1939. It was adapted into a film with Deborah Kerr in 1947. Her 1949 novel The River was filmed by Jean Renoir in 1951. Several other films were based on her works including Enchantment (1948), Innocent Sinners (1958), Loss of Innocence (1961) and The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965). In This House of Brede was adapted into a tele-film with Diana Rigg in 1975, and The Peacock Spring became a tele-film in 1995. Godden published her 21st novel, Cromartie vs. The God Shiva, in 1997. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 1998, A22; New York Times, Nov. 10, 1998, B12; People, Nov. 23, 1998, 131; Time, Nov. 23, 1998, 41; Times (of Lon-

Rumer Godden

don), Nov. 11, 1998, 23a; Variety, Nov. 16, 1998, 47.

James Goldman

Obituaries • 1998 York of a heart attack on October 28, 1998. He was 71. Goldman was born in Chicago on June 30, 1927. He received acclaim for his 1961 play They Might Be Giants. The play was adapted into a 1971 film starring George C. Scott as a man who thinks he is Sherlock Holmes and Joanne Woodward as his psychiatrist and companion, Dr. Watson. Goldman collaborated with Stephen Sondheim for the 1966 television musical Evening Primrose. He wrote the play The Lion in Winter for Broadway in 1966 and adapted it for the screen two years later in a production that starred Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn. He again worked with Sondheim on the 1971 Broadway musical Follies. He also scripted the films Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Robin and Marian (1976) starring Sean Connery as Robin Hood in his later years, and White Nights (1985). He also scripted the 1986 tele-film Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna. Goldstone worked with his brother and fellow Oscar winner, William Goldstone, on the play Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole and the book A Family Affair. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 30, 1998, B6; New York Times, Oct. 29, 1998, B15; Time, Nov. 9, 1998, 35; Times (of London), Nov. 25, 1998, 25a; Variety, Nov. 2, 1998, 66.

88

Serge Golovine

Golovine, Serge Goldstone, Louis “Duke” Film editor and television director Louis “Duke” Goldstone died of heart failure in Los Angeles on April 16, 1998. He was 84. Goldstone was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913. He began his career in films as a property man at Universal in the early 1930s. He subsequently worked as an editor for Paramount and RKO, working on such shorts as Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood in the early 1940s and George Pal’s The Great Rupert in 1950. Goldstone also edited Pal’s 1950 science fiction feature Destination Moon. He began directing animated television commercials for Swift-Chaplin Productions in the early 1950s, working with such characters as the Jolly Green Giant and Speedy Alka-Seltzer. He also directed variety shows featuring Liberace, Frankie Laine, Connie Haines and Florian Zabach in the 1950s. Goldstone also directed Betty White’s 1953 sit-com Life with Elizabeth. Goldstone formed RFG Associates in 1965 to produce commercial and educational films. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 24, 1998, A30.

French ballet dancer Serge Golovine died of complications from heart surgery at a Paris hospital on July 31, 1998. He was 73. Golovine was born in Monte Carlo on November 20, 1924. He studied ballet from an early age and joined the Ballet of the Monte Carlo Opera in 1941. He soon became principal dancer with the group. After World War II Golovine went to Paris, where he performed in Balanchine’s Palais de Crystal and Serenade with the Ballet d l’Opera. He returned to the Monte Carlo ballet under the Marquis de Cuevas in 1949, performing the Black Swan in Swan Lake and the Prince and the Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty. He also danced in the ballets La Sylphide with Alicia Markova, Piege du Lumiere with Rosella Hightower, and Annabel Lee, based on a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Golovine formed his own ballet troupe in the early 1960s and was principal dancer and artistic director of the Geneva Opera Ballet from 1964 until 1969. He retired from performing in 1976, spending the remainder of his career as a teacher, notably with the Paris Opera Ballet School.

89

1998 • Obituaries

New York Times, Aug. 8, 1998, A13; Times (of London), Aug. 24, 1998, 21a.

Goode, Mark Television producer Mark Goode died on December 22, 1998, in a Berlin, Germany, hospital of injuries suffered in an automobile accident the previous September. He was 66. Goode was born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1932. He began his career in television in the late 1950s, directing news programs and daytime game shows. In the 1960s Goode began producing and directing such programs as The Lawrence Welk Show, Queen for a Day, The Milton Berle Show, Shindig, The Hollywood Palace, The Don Rickles Show, General Hospital and Barney Miller. He also produced four Academy Award programs and specials for such performers as Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and Kenny Rogers. Goode became involved in politics as producer of the Pat Paulsen’s Half a Comedy Hour, when he assisted in Paulsen’s comic presidential campaign. Goode was named by President Richard Nixon to serve as the White House’s radio and television advisor in 1971. He remained in that position until 1973. Goode later served as Ronald Reagan’s television consultant. He formed Mark Goode Enterprises in 1981, where he produced corporate and political videos. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 5, 1999.

Goodwin, Archie Comic book writer and editor Archie Goodwin died of cancer in New York on March 1, 1998. He was 60. Goodwin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 8, 1937. He began working as a writer and editor for Warren Publications in the 1960s, where he worked on the black-andwhite horror comics Creepy and Eerie. Goodwin subsequently moved to Marvel Comics, where he wrote for such characters as Spider-man and Wolverine. He also scripted several newspaper strips including Star Wars and Secret Agent X-9. He joined DC Comics in the late 1980s as an editor, where he worked on the titles Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Azrael and Starman.

Archie Goodwin

Gora, Claudio Italian actor Claudio Gora died of heart failure at his home near Rome on March 13, 1998. He was 84. Gora was born Emilio Giordana in Genoa on July 27, 1913. He began his career on stage in 1937 and made his film debut two yeas later in Raffaele Matarazzo’s Trappola d’amore. He became a popular leading man in the Italian cinema during World War II, appearing in such features as Signorinette (1942), Squadriglia bianca (1942), L’Amico delle donne (1942), Resurrezione (1943) and Il Fiore sotto gli occhi (1944). Gora also began directing films in the early 1950s. His directoral credits include The Sky Is Red (1950), Febbre di vivere (1953) with Marcello Mastroianni, The Enchanting Enemy (1953), La Contessa azzurra (1960) with Zsa Zsa Gabor, and the 1969 Western Hate Is My God. Gora also continued to perform in such films as Pietro Germi’s The Facts of Murder (1960), Dino Risi’s The Easy Life (1962) and Luigi Zampa’s Il Medico della mutua (1968). Gora appeared in over 130 films during his career including Marie Antoinette (1955), The Dauphins (1960), Everybody Go Home! (1960), The Pavements of Paris (1961), Ghosts of Rome (1961), Swordsman of Siena (1962), The Swindlers (1963), Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), The Slave (1963),

Obituaries • 1998 Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1965), The Hellbenders (1966), An Angel for Satan (1966), Satyricon (1968), The Family Doctor (1968), Danger: Diabolik (1968), The Five Man Army (1969), Michael Strogoff (1970), Seven Orchids Stained in Red (1971), Confessions of a Police Captain (1971), Shadows Unseen (1972), Innocence from Hell (1973), Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973), The Flower in His Mouth (1975), The Diamond Peddlers (1975), The Sunday Woman (1976), Mad Dog (1977), I Know That You Know That I Know (1982), I’m a Paranormal Phenomenon (1985), Ben Webster: The Brute and the Beautiful (1989) and Christmas Vacation ’91 (1992). Gora was also a popular television performer, appearing in the long-running Italian series The Octopus. Variety, Apr. 20, 1998, 58.

Goring, Marius British actor Marius Goring died of cancer at his West Sussex County, England, home on September 30, 1998. He was 86. Goring was born on the Isle of Wight on May 23, 1912. He became well known in England for his portrayals of Nazi military figures in films during World War II. Goring made his film debut in the mid–1930s, appearing in such features as The Amateur Gentleman (1935), Rembrandt (1936), Consider Your Verdict (1938), Dead Men Tell No Tales (1938), The Spy in Black (1939), Flying Fifty-Five (1939), The Last Straw (1939), The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940), Pastor Hall (1940), The Big Blockade (1942), Night Invader (1943), When We Are Married (1943), The True Story of Lilli Marlene (1944), Night Boat to Dublin (1945), A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven) (1946), Take My Life (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill (1948), Odete (1950), Highly Dangerous (1950), Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) with James Mason, Circle of Danger (1951), The Magic Box (1951), So Little Time (1952), Nachts auf den Strassen (1952), The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (1953), Rough Shoot (1953), The Mirror and Markheim (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954) with Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner, Break in the Circle (1955), The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1956), Ill Met By Moonlight (1957), The Magic Carpet (1957), The Truth About Women (1958), RX for Murder (1958), The Moonraker (1958), Son of Robin Hood (1958),

90 I Was Monty’s Double (1958), Whirlpool (1959), The Angry Hills (1959), The Treasure of San Teresa (1959), Desert Mice (1959), Beyond the Curtain (1960), Exodus (1960), The Unstoppable Man (1960), The Life of Hitler (1961), Lisa (1962), The Devil’s Daffodil (1962), The Devil’s Agent (1962), This Garden England (1963), The Crooked Road (1964), Up from the Beach (1965), The 25th Hour (1966), Girl on a Motorcycle (1967), Subterfuge (1968), First Love (1970), Zeppelin (1971), Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979) and Strike It Rich (1990). Goring was also well known for his television performances, starring as The Scarlet Pimpernel in the 1958 adventure series and portraying the flamboyant red-bearded forensic scientist Dr. John Hardy in the 1960s BBC series The Expert. He also appeared in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust and was featured in such telefilms and mini-series as Edward and Mrs. Simpson (1980), Cymbeline (1983), The Old Men at the Zoo (1983) and The Late Nancy Irving (1984). His other television credits include episodes of Out of the Unknown, Dr. Who, Man in a Suitcase, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and Hammer House of Horror. New York Times, Oct. 6, 1998, B9; Times (of London), Oct. 2, 1998, 29a.

Marius Goring

91

1998 • Obituaries sion of The Muppets. He also produced the telefilm Madame Sin (1972) starring Bette Davis, and the features The Cassandra Crossing (1976), The Big Sleep (1978), Escape to Athena (1979) and 1980’s Raise the Titanic!. The latter big-budget film was a disaster at the box-office. During the 1980s Grade invested in such popular successes as On Golden Pond and Sophie’s Choice. He was created a life peer as Lord Grade in 1976 and formed The Grade Company in 1985. Grade authored his autobiography, Still Dancing, in 1987. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 13, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 14, 1998, B8; Times (of London), Dec. 14, 1998, 21a; Variety, Dec. 21, 1998, 90; Washington Post, Dec. 14, 1998, E7.

Graham, Virginia

Lord Grade

Grade, Lord Film and television producer Lord Grade died of heart failure at a London hospital on December 13, 1998. He was 91. He was born Louis Winogradsky in Tokmak, Ukraine, on December 25, 1906. He and his family emigrated to England in 1912. Taking the name Lew Grade, he began his career as a dancer in the 1920s. He decided to become an agent for other talent in the 1930s, partnering with Joe Collins, father of actress Joan Collins. Grade formed a new agency with his brother, Leslie, in 1943. They were responsible for bringing such major American stars as Jack Benny and Bob Hope to Great Britain. Grade became a major investor in Britain’s Associated Television (ATV) in 1955, becoming ATV’s managing director in 1962. Under Grade’s leadership, ATV produced such programs as The Saint, The Persuaders, and the soap opera Crossroads. He also produced such television biographies as Moses and Jesus of Nazareth. Grade began producing films in the 1970s, including The Return of the Pink Panther and a feature film ver-

Radio and television talk show host Virginia Graham died of complications from a heart attack at a New York City hospital on December 22, 1998. She was 86. Graham was born Virginia Komiss in Chicago on July 4, 1912. She began her career in radio, writing scripts and serving as the voice of “Betty Baker,” a subsidiary of Betty Crocker. In the 1930s she replaced Margaret Truman as host of the Weekday program. She was best known as the host of Girl Talk, a nationally syndicated talk show that aired from 1963 until 1969. She also hosted The Virginia Graham Show from 1970 until 1972. Graham was a panelist on the 1952 game show Where Was I and hosted the 1954 variety show Summer in the Park. She also made frequent appearances on such NBC shows as Strike It Rich, The Big Payoff, Today and the Jack Paar Show. She appeared in cameo roles in the films Slapstick (Of Another Kind) (1983) and The Perils of P.K. (1986). She also played Stella Stanton in the television series Texas in 1982 and was briefly Lila Quartermaine in the soap opera The City in 1997. Graham also appeared as herself in an episode of The Nanny in 1995 and made appearances on Roseanne, Rosie O’Donnell and Tom Snyder. She was married to theatrical costumer Harry Guttenberg until his death in 1980. She authored several books including her autobiography There Goes What’s Her Name, Life After Harry: My Adventures in Widowhood and the unpublished I Love Antiques but I Don’t Want to Be One.

Obituaries • 1998

92

Virginia Graham Benny Green

Los Angeles Times, Dec. 24, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 25, 1998, B11; Washington Post, Dec. 27, 1998, B10.

Green, Benny Musician and writer Benny Green died in England of cancer on June 22, 1998. He was 70. Green was born in Marylebone, England, on December 9, 1927. He began playing the saxophone at an early age and joined Ronnie Scott’s jazz band in the early 1950s. Green’s music career wound down in the late 1950s and he took a job with the Observer as a jazz critic. He became a leading commentator on American popular music and jazz in his columns and on the British radio program The Art of the Songwriter. Green also wrote several musical plays and a musical tribute to Cole Porter during a career that lasted until shortly before his death. Times (of London), June 24, 1998, 23a.

Green, Julian Novelist and playwright Julian Green died in Paris on August 13, 1998. He was 97. Green was born to American parents in Paris on September 6, 1900. He served in the French army during World War I and subsequently attended the University of Virginia for several years. He returned to Paris in 1921 and wrote the first of his 18 novels, Avarice House, in 1926. Over the next two decades he authored such critical and popular works as Leviathan (1929), The Dark Journey (1929), Flotsam (1932) and Midnight (1936). Green spent most of the war years in the United States, where he wrote Memories of Happy Days in 1942. He again returned to France after the war, authoring the dark novels Moira (1950) and Each Man in His Darkness (1960). During the 1950s Green also began writing plays with South in 1953. Despite his American citizenship, he was elected to become one of the “immortals” of the Academie Francaise in 1971. Green also continued to write his memoirs, four volumes in the

93

1998 • Obituaries Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20, 1998, A24; New York Times, Aug. 18, 1998, B8; People, Aug. 31, 1998, 115; Time, Aug. 31, 1998, 22; Times (of London), Aug. 19, 1998, 17a.

Griffis, William

Julian Green

1970s. His final major work was a trilogy about the antebellum South —The Distant Lands (1991), The Stars of the South (1993) and Dixie (1995).

Actor William Griffis died at a Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hospital on April 13, 1998. He was 81. Griffis began his career on stage and made his Broadway debut in a production of A Pin to See the Peep Show in 1952. He also appeared in Broadway productions of Call Me Madame, 1776, and Oscar Wilde. Griffis appeared in the films Simon (1980) and Mr. Destiny (1990) and the 1984 tele-film It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. He was also a frequent performer on television, appearing in episodes of Armstrong Circle Theater and a production of Miracle on 34th Street for Hallmark Hall of Fame. He appeared as the court clerk in the 1960 drama series The Witness and starred as Harlan Tucker in the daytime soap opera All My Children from 1977 until 1981 and in 1983. He was also featured in the pilot episode of the 1987 series Once a Hero. New York Times, Apr, 25, 1998, B18.

Grimek, John John Grimek died of natural causes at his home in York, Pennsylvania, on November 20, 1998. He was 88. Grimek was a pioneer in the sport of bodybuilding in the 1930s. He was the winner of the first Mr. American competition in 1940, and repeated his victory the following year.

Guess, Stacy

William Griffis

Stacy Guess, a former member of the alternative swing band Squirrel Nut Zippers, died of a heroin overdose at a Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hospital on March 11, 1998. Guess began playing the trumpet with the Squirrel Nut Zippers in 1993 and performed on the 1995 debut album, The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers. Guess began treatment for drug addiction the following year and did not rejoin the band.

Obituaries • 1998

94

Sheldon Gunsberg

Gunther, Lee John Grimek

Gunsberg, Sheldon Film publicist and theatre chain executive Sheldon Gunsberg died of a heart attack in New York on June 18, 1998. He was 78. Gunsberg was born in Jersey City in 1920. He began his film career as a publicist for United Artists for Laurence Olivier’s 1945 film version of Henry V. He joined Universal in 1948, marketing such films as The Lavender Hill Mob and Kind Hearts and Coronets. He began working with the Walter Reade organization in 1954, becoming chief operating officer of the theater chain in 1971. He also headed the chain’s Continental Distributing subsidiary which released such films as Britain’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, France’s Mon Oncle and the Soviet Union’s War and Peace, and produced the features A View from the Bridge and Ulysses. He became the chain’s president in 1973 after Walter Reade, Jr., was killed in a skiing accident in Switzerland. He headed the 80– movie house organization until 1985, when Columbia Pictures bought out the chain. New York Times, June 25, 1998, B10.

Animation producer Lee Gunther died at his Woodland Hills, California, home of a stroke on August 25, 1998. He was 63. Gunther began his career at Warner before joining De-Patie-Freleng studio, where he was editor of the Oscarwinning animated short The Pink Phink in 1965. He subsequently became executive vice president for Marvel Productions. Gunther earned four Emmy awards for his work on the animated series Muppet Babies. He also served as executive producer of the animated series Transformers, G.I. Joe and Nickelodeon’s Angry Beavers. Variety, Sept. 21, 1998, 119.

Hahn, Jess Actor Jess Hahn died in France on June 30, 1998. He was 76. Hahn was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1922. He remained in Europe after serving during World War II. He began a career in films in France, appearing in such features as The Most Wanted Man in the World (1953), The Happy Road (1957), Le Coin tranquille (1957), Action Immediate (1957), When the Woman Gets Confused (1957), Nathalie (1957), A Woman Like Satin (1958), Le Fauve est lache (1958), Le Desert

95

1998 • Obituaries

Jess Hahn (from Up to His Ears).

de Pigalle (1958), Cheri, fais-moi peur (1958), The Sign of Leo (1959), Time Bomb (1959), Y’en a marre (1959), La Valse du gorille (1959), The Big Gamble (1961), Cartouche (1962), Kaf ka’s The Trial (1963), Stop Train 349 (1964), Les Gorilles (1964), The Great Spy Chase (1964), Topkapi (1964), What’s New, Pussycat (1965), Chinese Adventures in China (1965), Secret Agent Super Dragon (1966), The Saint Lies in Wait (1966), Fuller Report (1967), The Crazy Kids of the War (1967), Triple Cross (1967), The Night of the Following Day (1968), The Novices (1970), Rum Runners (1971), Supergirl (1971), The Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo (1972), The Big Showdown (1972), The Sicilian Connection (1972), Bad Man’s River (1972), Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973), Three Tough Guys (1974), Johnny West (1977), Tegeran-43 (19890), Mamma Dracula (1980), White Fire (1983), Les Morfalous (1984) and Le Galette du roi (1985).

Hampton, Henry Documentary filmmaker Henry Hampton died of lung cancer at a Boston hospital on November 21, 1998. He was 58. Hampton was born on January 8, 1940. He was the producer of the acclaimed civil rights documentary Eyes on the Prize, which aired on PBS in 1987. He also produced over 60 documentary films including The Great Depression, Malcolm X: Make It Plain and America’s War on Poverty. New York Times, Nov. 24, 1998, B10; Variety, Nov. 30, 1998, 76.

Henry Hampton

Hansen, Benny Danish actor Benny Hansen died on August 27, 1998. He was 54. Hansen was born in Denmark on February 22, 1944. He began his film career in the early 1960s and was featured in such Danish films as Ullabella (1961), Olsanbanden (1968), Stine og drengene (1969), The Only Way (1970), Olsenbanden i Jylland (1971), Between the Sheets (1973), Agent 69 (1978), Black Harvest (1993) and Backstabbed (1996).

Hanson, John British singer and actor John Hanson died in England on December 4, 1998. He was 76. Hanson was born John Watts in Ontario, Canada, on August 31, 1922. He accompanied his family to England as a child and he began singing with the BBC’s Children’s Hour at an early age. In the late 1940s he starred on such British radio programs as Songs from the Shows, Variety Bandbox and Laughing Through. He starred in a tour-

Obituaries • 1998

96 iff and the Satellite Kid (1979), Iron Hand (1979), Why the UFOs Steal Our Lettuce (1980), S.A.S. San Salvador (1982), Thunder Warrior (1983), Thunder Warrior II (1985), The Manhunt (1985), The Wolves (1995) and Vienna Murder Mystery (1997). Harmstorf also starred in the 1991 television series African Skies and the 1996 mini-series Jungle Hospital.

John Hanson

ing company production of The Desert Song in 1953 to great success. He subsequently starred in such popular operettas as The Maid of the Mountains, Wild Violets and The Student Prince. He continued to perform on stage, radio and television over the next three decades, until poor health forced his retirement in the 1980s. Times (of London), Dec. 12, 1998, 24a.

Harmstorf, Raimund German actor Raimund Harmstorf committed suicide in Marktoberdorf, Germany, on May 3, 1998. He was 57. Harmstorf had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, on October 7, 1940. He began his acting career in the 1960s and starred with Sybil Danning in the 1971 German film The Long Swift Sword of Siegfried. He also appeared as Wolf Larsen in a German television mini-series version of The Sea Wolf. Harmstorf was also featured in such European films as White Fang (1972), The Cry of the Black Wolves (1972), Bloody Friday (1972), Call of the Wild (1972), Challenge to White Fang (1974), The Genius (1975), Deadly Mission (1977), Mr. Mean (1977), California (1977), They Call Him Bulldozer (1978), The Sher-

Raimund Harmstorf

Hartman, Phil Comic actor Phil Hartman was found dead of a gunshot wound at his Encino, California, home on May 28, 1998. When police arrived to investigate the shooting, Hartman’s wife of eleven years, Brynn (formerly Vicki Omdahl), shot herself to death in what is presumed to be a murder-suicide. He was 49. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, on September 24, 1948. He was raised in Connecticut and California, and joined the Groundlings comedy troupe in Los Angeles in 1975. He appeared in the 1982 comedy thriller Pandemonium and co-scripted Pee-wee’s Big Adventure with fellow Groundling performer Pee-wee Herman in 1985. He was also featured in the 1984 film Weekend Pass and was a voice actor in the cartoon series Challenge of the GoBots in 1984. He was a regular on the shortlived television variety series Our Time in 1985.

97

1998 • Obituaries Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sgt. Bilko (1996) with Steve Martin, and the tele-film The Second Civil War (1997) as the President. He also starred in the 1998 Small Soldiers. Hartman is the latest in a series of Saturday Night Live performers who died tragically young including John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Danitra Vance, Michael O’Donoghue and Chris Farley. New York Times, May 29, 1998, A12; Newsweek, June 8, 1998, 56; People, June 15, 1998, 56; TV Guide, June 13, 1998, 47; Variety, June 1, 1998, 57.

Harvey, Rodney

Phil Hartman

The following year Hartman joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, where the tall, smug-acting performer would impersonate such celebrities as Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Ed McMahon and Frank Sinatra in a series of comedy sketches. He also continued to appear in such films as Three Amigos! (1986), Last Resort (1986), Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986) with Whoopie Goldberg, Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Blind Date (1987), How I Got into College (1989), Fletch Lives (1989), Quick Change (1990), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), CB4 (1993), National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon (1993), Coneheads (1993), Houseguest (1994) with Sinbad , Greedy (1994), The Crazysitter (1995) and Stuart Saves His Family (1995), many of which featured other Saturday Night Live stars and alumni. Hartman also appeared as Captain Carl in the children’s series Peewee’s Playhouse and was a voice actor in the films The Brave Little Toaster (1987) and The Pagemaster (1994). He could also be heard in the cartoon series Rick Moranis in Gravedale High (1990) and The Simpsons, where he voiced such characters as Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure. Hartman left Saturday Night Live in 1994. The following year he was cast as pompous newsman Bill McNeal in the NBC comedy series NewsRadio. The series was just renewed for another season shortly before his death. He also continued to appear in such films as Jingle All the Way (1996) with

Model and actor Rodney Harvey died of a heroin overdose in Hollywood on April 10, 1998. He was 30. Harvey was born in Philadelphia on July 31, 1967. He began his career as a print model before making his film debut in the 1984 comedy Delivery Boys. He also appeared in the films Mixed Blood (1985), Zoomstone (1987), Initiation (1987), Five Corners (1987), Spike of Bensonhurst (1988) and Salsa (1988). Harvey starred as Sodapop Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola’s shortlived television series The Outsiders in 1989. He appeared in the 1990 film La Bocca and co-starred with the late River Phoenix, another victim of drug abuse, in Gus Van Sant’s 1991 film My Own

Rodney Harvey

Obituaries • 1998

98

Private Idaho. Harvey’s last film credit was in 1992’s Guncrazy. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 22, 1998, A22; People, May 4, 1998, 97.

Haskell, Jack Television personality Jack Haskell died in Englewood, New Jersey, on September 26, 1998. He was 79. Haskell was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1919. He was a regular on the Chicago-based Garroway at Large television variety series from 1949 until 1951. He subsequently came to New York, where he worked with Dave Garroway on the original NBC Today show. Haskell also worked sometimes as an announcer on The Tonight Show while Jack Paar was host and was a frequent guest and substitute host for Johnny Carson during the 1960s. He also appeared on such series as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Bell Telephone Hour, The Garry Moore Show and Monitor. Haskell also performed in Irving Berlin’s 1962 Broadway musical Mr. President. New York Times, Oct. 1, 1998, B12; People, Oct. 19, 1998, 127.

Hatfield, Hurd Actor Hurd Hatfield, who was best known for his starring role in the 1945 film version of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, died at a friend’s home in Monktown, Ireland, on December 25, 1998. He was 80. Hatfield was born William Ruckard Hurd Hatfield in Manhattan on December 7, 1918. He began his career on stage with the Dartington Hall company in England. His arrogant on-screen manner made him an ideal choice for the jaded Dorian Gray in Albert Lewin’s film adaptation which also starred George Sanders, Angela Lansbury and Donna Reed. Hatfield also appeared in the films Dragon Seed (1944), Diary of a Chambermaid (1946), The Unsuspected (1947), The Beginning or the End (1947), Joan of Arc (1948) with Ingrid Bergman, The Checkered Coat (1948), Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950), Destination Murder (1950), Chinatown at Midnight (1950), The Left-Handed Gun (1958), the 1961 Spanish film Heroes de blanco, King of Kings (1961) as Pontius Pilate, El Cid (1961),

Hurd Hatfield

Mickey One (1965), Harlow (1965) as Paul Bern with Carol Lynley as Harlow, The Boston Strangler (1968), The Red Baron (1971), Waiting to Act (1985), King David (1985), Crimes of the Heart (1986) with Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek, and Her Alibi (1989). Hatfield also continued to perform on stage throughout his career, appearing on Broadway in Christopher Fry’s Venus Observer in 1952. He also made frequent appearances on television including roles in the tele-films and mini-series Thief (1971), Between Time and Timbuktu (1972), The House and the Brain (1973), The Norliss Tapes (1973), The Word (1978), You Can’t Go Home Again (1979) and Manions of America (1981). Hatfield hosted the 1950 television series Hollywood Screen Test and appeared as Pilgrim in the television soap opera General Hospital in 1986. His other television credits include episodes of Your Show Time, Suspense, Masterpiece Playhouse, Light’s Out, The Web, Broadway Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, You Are There, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Millionaire, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Climax!, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Du Pont Show of the Month, Playhouse 90, Lux Playhouse, Ellery Queen, Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Wild Wild West, The F.B.I., Bonanza, Search, Kojak, Lime Street, Murder, She Wrote, Knight Rider, Amazing Stories, Blacke’s Magic and The Fall Guy. One of his final appearances was

99

1998 • Obituaries

in the 1991 tele-film Lies of the Twins. Hatfield settled in Ireland, and continued to tour on stage throughout Europe. He made an appearance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in July of 1997 during an exhibition of the work of Ivan Albright, including the portrait painted for his role as Dorian Gray. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 29, 1998, A15; Time, Jan. 11, 1999, 25; Washington Post, Dec. 31, 1998, D7.

Hawley, Adelaide Adelaide Hawley Cumming, television’s original Betty Crocker, died of kidney and lung failure in a Bremerton, Washington, hospital on December 21, 1998. She was 93. She was born Dieta Adelaide Fish in Willet, New York, in 1905. She began her career on radio as host of the Adelaide Hawley Program from 1937 until 1950. She also narrated the Fashions on Parade television series from 1948 to 1949. In 1949 Ms. Hawley was chosen by General Mills to personif y “Betty Crocker,” their fictional baker who was created by the company in 1929. Hawley hosted the Betty Crocker Show from 1950 until 1952 and also hosted Betty Crocker Star Matinee and Bride and Groom in 1952. She also represented the company on radio and television commercials until General Mills dropped her as spokeswoman in 1964. She subsequently earned a doctoral degree and taught English to foreign language students until her death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 24, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 25, 1998, B11; Washington Post, Dec. 24, 1998, B6.

Adelaide Hawley

Patricia Hayes

Hayes, Patricia British comic actress Patricia Hayes died in London on September 19, 1998. She was 88. The diminutive actress was born in England on December 22, 1909. She was well known in England for her work on radio as Henry Bones, boy detective, on the BBC’s Children’s Hour in the 1940s. She appeared in numerous films from the early 1940s including 48 Hours (1942), When We Are Married (1943), The Dummy Talks (1943), Candles at Nine (1944), Hotel Reserve (1944), Great Day (1945), Nicholas Nickleby (1947), To the Public Danger (1948), Skimpy in the Navy (1949), Poet’s Pub (1949), The Love Match (1954), Operation Conspiracy (1955), The Deep Blue Sea (1955), The Battle of the Sexes (1959), Kill or Cure (1962), Reach for Glory (1962), Heavens Above! (1963), Saturday Night Out (1963), The Bargee (1964), The Sicilians (1964), the Beatles films A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965), A Ghost of a Chance (1967), The Terrornauts (1967),

Obituaries • 1998

100

Can Hieronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) with Peter O’Toole, Carry on Again, Doctor (1969), Fragment of Fear (1970), Raising the Roof (1971), Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1972), which earned her a British Academy Award, Love Thy Neighbour (1973), Mafia Junction (1973), Danger on Dartmoor (1980), The Neverending Story (1984), Little Dorrit (1986), Willow (1988), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), War Requiem (1988), The Last Island (1989), The Fool (1990), Blue Ice (1992), Six Characters in Search of an Author (1992), Crime and Punishment (1993) and The Steal (1995). She was also featured in the tele-films Grasshopper Island (1970), The Corn Is Green (1979), Cymbeline (1983), The House of Bernarda Alba (1991), Master of the Moor (1994) and Lord of Misrule (1996), and appeared in episodes of such British series as The Goodies, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, The Tomorrow People, The Last of the Baskets, ’Till Death Do Us Part, Boon, Lady Is a Tramp and Murder Most Horrid. Times (of London), Sept. 21, 1998, 25a; Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43.

Hayes, Peter Lind Actor and entertainer Peter Lind Hayes died in a Las Vegas hospice on April 21, 1998. He was 82. Hayes was born Joseph Conrad Lind in San Francisco on June 25, 1915. He began his career in vaudeville with his mother, Grace Hayes. He began working in films in the late 1930s, appearing in such features as His Exciting Night (1938), Danger on the Air (1938), These Glamour Girls (1939), Million Dollar Legs (1939), All Women Have Secrets (1939), Seventeen (1940), Dancing on a Dime (1940), Zis Boom Bah (1941), Playmates (1941), Seven Day’s Leave (1942), College Sweethearts (1942), Winged Victory (1944) and The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947). Hayes married actress Mary Healy in 1940 and they both starred in Dr. Seuss’ 1953 fantasy film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Hayes was also a popular television performer, hosting the series Inside U.S.A. with Chevrolet in 1949, The Peter Lind Hayes Show in 1950, and Star of the Family from 1951 to 1952. He and Mary Healy also starred in the 1960 television sit-com Peter Loves Mary and was featured in the Behold, Eck! episode of The Outer Limits.

Peter Lind Hayes

Hayes’ other television credits include episodes of Armstrong Circle Theatre, Studio One, Goodyear Playhouse, Lux Video Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Danny Thomas Show and a 1959 production of Miracle on 34th Street. He appeared in several more films including Once You Kiss a Stranger (1969), The Yin and Yang of Mr. Go (1969) and Lookin’ to Get Out (1982) before retiring to Las Vegas. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 22, 1998, A22; New York Times, Apr, 23, 1998, A22.

Hayward, Chuck Actor and stuntman Chuck Hayward died of Hodgkin’s disease at his home in North Hollywood on February 23, 1998. He was 77. Hayward was born in Nebraska in 1920 and began working in the rodeo as a trainer and bronco rider in the mid–1930s. He began working in films in the late 1940s as a stuntman in Westerns. Hayward worked with John Wayne on the 1949 film The Fighting Kentuckian and became close friends with the actor. He worked on over 20 of Wayne’s films during his career. He was also a stunt double for such actors as Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner and Stuart Whitman. Hayward’s film credits include Desperadoes of the West (1950), Wagon-

101

1998 • Obituaries

master (1950), Fair Wind to Java (1953), Jubilee Trail (1954), the 1954 serial Man with the Steel Whip, The Searchers (1956), Forty Guns (1957), Run of the Arrow (1957), The Big Country (1958), Escort West (1959), The Horse Soldiers (1959), Pork Chop Hill (1959), Sergeant Rutledge (1960), The Alamo (1960), The Deadly Companions (1961), Merrill’s Marauders (1962), Two Rode Together (1961), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), Five Card Stud (1968), Rio Lobo (1970), Joe Kidd (1972), Night of the Lepus (1972), The Longest Yard (1974), Rooster Cogburn (1975), Hustle (1975), Parts: The Clonus Horror (1978), The Swarm (1978), Tom Horn (1979) and The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981). Hayward also worked in television on such series as Zane Grey Theater, The Outer Limits, Gunsmoke, Wichita Town, Have Gun —Will Travel, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, Maverick, Bonanza, CHiPs and Kung Fu. Hayward was a member of the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame.

Joan Heal

production of Night Must Fall in 1940. She was a popular performer in musicals and revues in the 1940s and 1950s. She was also featured in a handful of films in the 1950s and 1960s including Happy Go Lovely (1951), The Pickwick Papers (1952), The Good Die Young (1954), Tiger By the Tail (1955), Make Mine Mink (1960), In the Doghouse (1961) and Heavens Above! (1963). She continued to perform on stage over the next two decades, graduating to character parts in the early 1970s. She was featured in the tele-films Hold the Dream (1986) and Jekyll & Hyde (1990) and the 1991 feature Let Him Have It. She suffered from multiple sclerosis in recent years, which curtailed her acting career. Times (of London), Apr. 23, 1998, 25a. Chuck Hayward

Heal, Joan British actress and singer Joan Heal died in England on April 12, 1998. She was 75. Heal was born in Somerset, England, on October 17, 1922. She began her career on the English stage in a

Hecht Lucari, Gianni Italian film and television producer Gianni Hecht Lucari died in Rome on August 27, 1998. He was 76. Hecht Lucari was born in Vienna in 1922. He began working in films after the end of World War II. During his career Hecht Lucari

Obituaries • 1998

102

headed several companies including Multimedia Junior Film International and Plurivision, producing over 1000 documentaries and numerous television series including the popular drama Linda and the Brigadier. He also produced over 100 feature films including Too Bad She’s Bad (1954), Casa Ricordi (1954), The Warrior Empress (1960), La Parmigiana (1963), Anyone Can Play (1967), Girl with a Gun (1968), And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars (1968), Metello (1970), The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970), Why (1971), Blood Brothers (1973), Somewhere Beyond Love (1974), The Playing Field (1974) and The Inheritance (1976). Variety, Sept. 14, 1998, 92.

Herthum, Harold Character actor Harold G. Herthum died of a heart attack in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on July 4, 1998. He was 69. Herthum began his acting career as an extra in Richard Pryor’s 1982 film The Toy. He also appeared in the films Blaze (1989), JFK (1991), Cobb (1994) and Tin Cup (1996). He was best known for his portrayal of the doctor in the hit film Forest Gump in 1994. People, July 20, 1998, 66.

Harold Herthum

Irene Hervey

Hervey, Irene Irene Hervey, a leading actress in dozens of films in the 1930s and 1940s, died of heart failure in Los Angeles on December 20, 1998. She was 89. Ms. Hervey was born in Los Angeles on July 11, 1910. The attractive, dimpled actress made her film debut in the early 1930s, appearing in such features as The Count of Monte Cristo (1930), The Dude Ranger (1931), The Stranger’s Return (1933), The Women in His Life (1933), Three on a Honeymoon (1934), Let’s Try Again (1934), White Lies (1934), The Winning Ticket (1935), Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935), His Night Out (1935), Motive for Revenge (1935), Honeymoon Limited (1935), Hard Rock Harrigan (1935), The Three Godfathers (1936), Absolute Quiet (1936), Along Came Love (1936), Woman in Distress (1937), The League of Frightened Men (1937), The Girl Said No (1937), The Lady Fights Back (1937), Say It in French (1938), Society Smugglers (1939), House of Fear (1939), East Side of Heaven (1939), Missing Evidence (1939), Destry Rides Again (1939) with Jimmy Stewart, Three Cheers for the Irish (1940), The Crooked Road (1940), The Boys from Syracuse (1940), San Francisco Docks (1941), Mr. Dynamite (1941), Night Monster (1942), Bombay Clipper (1942), Gang Busters (1942), He’s My Guy (1943), Half way to Shanghai (1943), Mickey (1948), Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948) as Clifton

103 Webb’s wife Polly Peabody, The Lucky Stiff (1949), Manhandled (1949), Chicago Deadline (1949), A Cry in the Night (1956), Teenage Rebel (1956), Going Steady (1958) and Crash Landing (1958). During the 1950s and 1960s Ms. Hervey appeared often on television in episodes of such series as Fireside Theatre, Public Defender, Studio 57, Climax, Gulf Playhouse, The George Burns-Gracie Allen Show, Stage 7, Damon Runyon Theatre, The Millionaire, Matinee Theatre, The Charlie Farrell Show, Lux Video Theatre, Twilight Zone, Studio One, Playhouse 90, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, The Ann Sothern Show, Perry Mason, Bourbon Street Beat, Circus Boy, O’Conner’s Ocean, Peter Gunn, Shirley Temple Theatre, Surfside 6, Target: The Corruptors, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Follow the Sun, The Baileys of Balboa, Straightaway, Hawaiian Eye, Wide Country, Dr. Kildare, Love on a Rooftop, The Mod Squad, Family Affair, My Three Sons, which earned her an Emmy Award in 1969, and Charlie’s Angels. She also appeared regularly as Aunt Meg in the Honey West television series with Anne Francis from 1965 until 1966. She made occasional film appearances over the next two decades, including How to Commit Marriage (1969), Cactus Flower (1969), Play Misty for Me (1971) with Clint Eastwood, and the 1981 television mini-series Goliath Awaits. Hervey was married to singer Allan Jones from 1936 until their divorce in 1957. They had one child, singer and entertainer Jack Jones. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 23, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 26, 1998, A21; Washington Post, Dec. 24, 1998, B6.

Hewgill, Roland Canadian actor Roland Hewgill died of cancer in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on November 9, 1998. He was 69. Hewgill was born in Montreal, Canada, on February 11, 1929. He appeared in the tele-films John and the Missus (1987), Day One (1989) and Beautiful Dreamer (1991). His other television credits include the soap opera Guiding Light and episode of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.

1998 • Obituaries

Hickson, Joan British character actress Joan Hickson, best known for her performance as Agatha Christie’s amateur sleuth Miss Marple on PBS, died in a Colchester, England , hospital on October 17, 1998. She was 92. Hickson was born in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, England , on August 5, 1906. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her stage debut in the late 1920s. She was featured in many theatrical productions and made her film debut several years later. She was featured in such British films as Widow’s Might (1934), Trouble in Store (1934), Love from a Stranger (1937), The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937), Second Thoughts (1938), The Lilac Domino (1940), Don’t Take It to Heart (1944), Notorious Gentleman (1945), The Trojan Brothers (1946), The Adventuress (1946), Just William’s Luck (1948), It’s Hard to Be Good (1948), The Guinea Pig (1948), Marry Me (1949), Celia (1949), The Magnet (1950), Seven Days to Noon (1950), The Magic Box (1951), Hell Is Sold Out (1951), The Promoter (1952), Hindle Wakes (1952), Shoot First (1953), The Frightened Bride (1953), Curtain Up (1953), Mad About Men (1954), Doctor in the House (1954), Value for Money (1955), Lost (1955), Jumping for Joy (1955), Doctor at Sea (1955), As Long As They’re Happy (1955), Port of Escape (1956), The Extra Day (1956), Child in the House (1956), The Man Who Never Was (1956), Happy Is the Bride (1957), Carry On Admiral (1957), Barnacle Bill (1957), Law and Disorder (1958), Carry On Nurse (1958), Behind the Mask (1958), Upstairs and Downstairs (1959), Please Turn Over (1959), The Thirty-Nine Steps (1959), Carry On Constable (1960), Beware of Children (1960), The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960), Doctor in Love (1960), Raising the Wind (1961), Murder, She Said (1961) with Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, In the Doghouse (1961), His and Hers (1961), Carry On Regardless (1961), Nurse on Wheels (1963), Heavens Above! (1963), The Secret of My Success (1965), Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter (1968) with the British rock group Herman’s Hermits, Carry On Loving (1970), Friends (1971), A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972), Carry On Girls (1973), Theatre of Blood (1973) with Vincent Price and Diana Rigg, Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974), One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1976), Yanks (1979) and The Wicked Lady (1983). She began her decade-

Obituaries • 1998

104

Joan Hickson (as Miss Marple).

long portrayal as Miss Marple on British television in 1984, appearing as the character in numerous mini-series. She also appeared in the films Clockwise (1986), King of the Wind (1989) and Century (1993). Her other television credits include episodes of The Invisible Man, Secret Agent, Mystery and Imagination and Boon. Hickson also continued to appear on stage and was the recipient of a Tony Award for her performance in Bedroom Farce in 1978. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 20, 1998, A24; New York Times, Oct. 20, 1998, B9; People, Nov. 2, 1998, 109; Time, Nov. 2, 1998, 35; Times (of London), Oct. 19, 23a; Variety, Oct. 26, 1998, 138.

coming recurring character Nils Swenson from 1961 until 1963. He also starred as Jake Shakespeare in the 1963 drama series Arrest and Trial and was a regular on the 1970 variety series Johnny

Higgins, Joe Character actor Joe Higgins died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on June 15, 1998. He was 72. Higgins was born in Logansport, Indiana, on July 12, 1925. He began acting on radio while a student at the University of Dayton in Ohio. He began acting on television in the late 1950s, appearing in episodes of The Rifleman before be-

Joe Higgins

105 Cash Presents The Everly Brothers Show. The gravel-voiced character actor also appeared in episodes of The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Big Valley, I Dream of Jeannie, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, Gunsmoke, The Legend of Jesse James, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and The Dukes of Hazzard. Higgins also appeared in several films including Geronimo (1962), Kid Galahad (1962) with Elvis Presley, Flipper (1963), Flipper’s New Adventure (1964), Namu, the Killer Whale (1966), The Perils of Pauline (1967), Six-Pack Annie (1975), The Man from Clover Grove (1975), Record City (1977) and MiloMilo (1979), and the 1969 tele-film The Ballad of Andy Crocker.

Hobson, Valerie British actress Valerie Hobson died suddenly of a heart attack in a London hospital on November 13, 1998. She was 81. Hobson was born in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on April 14, 1917. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she studied dancing. She abandoned her dancing career for the stage after

Valerie Hobson

1998 • Obituaries

suffering a bout of scarlet fever. She made her film debut in the early 1930s, appearing in such features as Eyes of Fate (1933), Two Hearts in Waltz Time (1934), Path of Glory (1934), Badger’s Green (1934), The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934), Strange Wives (1935), Oh, What a Night (1935), Life Returns (1935), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935), Rendezvous at Midnight (1935) and The Great Impersonation (1935). She starred in the title role in Universal’s 1935 horror classic Bride of Frankenstein, portraying Elizabeth Frankenstein, spouse of Colin Clive’s Dr. Frankenstein, who is called upon to create a mate for Boris Karloff ’s monster. She also starred opposite Henry Hull in another 1935 horror classic, Werewolf of London. Her other film credits include Tugboat Princess (1936), Secret of Stamboul (1936), No Escape (1936), August Weekend (1936), When Thief Meets Thief (1937), The Drum (1938), This Man Is News (1939), This Man in Paris (1939), The Silent Battle (1939), Q Planes (1939), The Spy in Black (1939), Contraband (1940), Atlantic Ferry (1941), Unpublished Story (1942), Sabotage Agent (1943), The Years Between (1946), David Lean’s Great Expectations (1946) as Estella, Blanche Fury (1947), The Small Voice (1948), Train of Events (1949), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) with Alec Guiness, The Interrupted Journey (1949), The Rocking Horse Winner (1950), Tonight at 8:30 (1952), The Promoter (1952), The Passionate Sentry (1952), Murder Will Out (1952), Background (1953) and Monsieur Ripois (1954). Hobson was married to English producer Anthony Havelock-Allan from 1939 until their divorce in 1952. Two years later she abandoned her film career to marry a rising Conservative politician, John Profumo. Profumo was the center of a scandal in 1963 when it was learned he was having an affair with call girl Christine Keeler, who was also involved with the Soviet military attaché. Profumo, who was British minister of war at the time, was forced to resign his position and the government was brought down. The scandal was the subject of the 1989 film Scandal starring John Hurt, Joanne WhalleyKilmer and Ian McKellen as Profumo. Hobson stood by Profumo and worked with him over the next several decades in an attempt to restore his reputation through various volunteer charity works. New York Times, Nov. 16, 1998, B11; Times (of London), Nov. 16, 1998, 25a; Variety, Dec. 14, 1998, 146.

Obituaries • 1998

106 Acres, Wild Wild West, Rango, Bewitched, The Big Valley, The Brady Bunch, Kung Fu and Highway to Heaven. Hole also continued to appear in films in the 1960s and 1970s, including Beloved Infidel (1960), Moon Pilot (1962), Four for Texas (1963), I’d Rather Be Rich (1964), Looking for Love (1964), Eight on the Lam (1967), Easy Come, Easy Go (1967), The Graduate (1967), The Impossible Years (1968), The Split (1968), Some Kind of Nut (1969), the 1969 tele-film The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1970) and $1,000,000 Duck (1971).

Holliman, John Jonathan Hole

Hole, Jonathan Veteran character actor Jonathan Hole died in North Hollywood, California, on February 12, 1998. He was 93. Hole was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1904. He began his career on stage in the early 1920s before moving to radio in the 1940s. He was featured in such popular radio series as Dragnet, Ma Perkins and Lux Radio Theater. Hole also appeared in a handful of films in the 1950s including My Pal Gus (1952), The Kid from Left Field (1953), A Blueprint for Murder (1953), The Glory Brigade (1953), Woman’s World (1954), A Man Called Peter (1955), The Opposite Sex (1956), Julie (1956), Three Brave Men (1957), Kiss Them for Me (1957), The Decks Ran Red (1958), Cry Terror (1958), -30- (1959) and The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959). Hole was also a familiar face on television appearing in hundreds of episodes of such series as Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Topper, Science Fiction Theater, Maverick, Perry Mason, Zane Grey Theater, The Jack Benny Show, The Joey Bishop Show, Jim Bowie, Wyatt Earp, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, The Wide Country, Temple Houston, The Rogues, Cheyenne, Bat Masterson, My Favorite Martian, My Living Doll, Fury, Trackdown, The Outer Limits, Rawhide, I Dream of Jeannie, General Hospital, Amos Burke, Secret Agent, Petticoat Junction, Laredo, The Red Skelton Show, Batman, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Green

CNN correspondent John Holliman was killed in a car crash near his home in Snellville, Georgia, on September 10, 1998, when he ran head-on into a pickup truck while passing another car. He was 49. Holliman was born in Thomaston, Georgia, on October 23, 1948. He joined CNN as part of the original broadcast

John Holliman

107 team in 1980. He became well known for his Gulf War coverage with Peter Arnett and Bernard Shaw, broadcasting live from Iraq’s capital during the bombing. Holliman appeared as himself in the 1997 science fiction film Contact with Jodie Foster. New York Times, Sept. 13, 1998, 63; People, Sept. 28, 1998, 80; Time, Sept. 21, 1998, 29.

Holub, Miroslav Czech poet Miroslav Holub died in Prague on July 14, 1998. He was 74. Holub was born in Pilsen, Western Bohemia, on September 23, 1923. He earned a medical degree and worked as an immunologist with the Czechoslovak Academy of Science. He wrote his first book of poems, Day Duty, in 1958. Known for his surrealist style, Holub became popular in the West after the publication of his Selected Poems in 1967. Holub also was featured in several Czech films including The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958), Baron Munchhausen (1961), Blaznova kronika (1964), The Ear (1970), On the Comet (1970) and Wishing Machine (1971). Though his poetry continued to be published overseas, Holub’s poems were banned in Czechoslovakia following the Soviet invasion in 1968. His work remained unpublished in his home country until after the fall of Communism in the 1980s. His better known works include Although, Notes from a Clay Pigeon, and a book of essays, Shedding Life: Disease, Politics, and Other Human Conditions. New York Times, July 22, 1998, A17; Times (of London), July 16, 1998, 23a; Washington Post, July 24, 1998, D6.

1998 • Obituaries

Hope, Fredric Paddock Production designer Fredric Paddock Hope died of emphysema in Torrance, California, on February 1, 1998. He was 68. Hope was project designer and art director at Walt Disney Co. from 1961 through 1973, where he designed much of Disney World. He also was involved in the expansion of Disneyland and the design of Tomorrowland. Hope also worked as an art director and production designer for films and television. His credits include the tele-films The Last Survivors (1975) and Blood & Orchids (1986), and the series Wonder Woman, Falcon Crest, Mike Hammer and Scarecrow & Mrs. King. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 11, 1998, A18.

John R. Hopkins

Hopkins, John R. Miroslav Holub

British playwright and screenwriter John R. Hopkins died at his home in Woodland Hills, California, on July 23, 1998, following a head

Obituaries • 1998

108

injury suffered in a fall. He was 67. Hopkins was born in London on January 27, 1931. He began his writing career adapting his then father-in-law Nigel Balchin’s novel, A Small Back Room, for television in the 1950s. Hopkins was best known for scripting over fifty episodes of the British television series Z Cars in the early 1960s. Hopkins co-scripted the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball and scripted the films The Virgin Soldiers (1969), The Offence (1973), the 1979 Sherlock Holmes film Murder by Decree (1979), Torment (1986) which he also directed , and Runaway Dreams (1989). He adapted John Le Carré’s novel Smiley’s People for BBC television in 1980. He also adapted Codename: Kyril in 1988 and scripted the 1995 Showtime drama Hiroshima. Hopkins’ survivors include his wife, actress Shirley Knight. New York Times, Aug. 3, 1998, B8; Variety, Aug. 10, 1998, 52.

Huber, Lotti German actress and singer Lotti Huber died in Berlin of heart failure on May 31, 1998. She was 85. Huber was born Lotti Goldmann in Kiel on October 16, 1912. She was imprisoned in a concentration camp because of her Jewish heritage in the late 1930s, but was allowed to emigrate to Palestine in 1938. She worked as a dancer and entertainer. In 1979 she had a small part in the film Just a Gigolo with David Bowie and Marlene Dietrich. She appeared in several other German films including Unsere Leichen leben noch (1981), Kuken fur Kairo (1985), Anita (1987), Er — Sie — Es (1988) and Schweinegeld (1989) She starred as herself in the 1990 film Affengeil (Life Is Like a Cucumber). She became a popular star in Germany, also appearing in the 1995 film Neurosia and the 1996 tele-film Helden haben’s schwer. She also authored her autobiography Diese Zitrone hat noch viel Saft (aka This Lemon Still Has Lots of Juice). She was host of a television talk show shortly before her death.

Lotti Huber

Hughes, Kay Catherine Mary Rhoads, who appeared in films and serials in the 1930s and 1940s under the name Kay Hughes, died in Palm Springs, Cali-

Kay Hughes

109 fornia, on April 4, 1998. She was 84. Hughes was born in Los Angeles on January 16, 1914. She began her film career in 1934 in the film Men in Black. She was featured in over twenty films and serials, many of them Westerns, including Slightly Static (1935), His Old Flame (1935), The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936), Snowed Under (1936), The Singing Kid (1936), The Robin Hood of El Dorado (1936), Ride, Ranger, Ride (1936) with Gene Autry, Every Saturday Night (1936), Brides Are Like That (1936), The Big Show (1936), The Three Mesquiteers (1936), Radio Patrol (1937), Dick Tracy (1937) with Ralph Byrd, Trouble at Midnight (1938), Riders of the Badlands (1941), Honolulu Lu (1942), Enemy of the Law (1945) and Fighting Bill Carson (1945) with Buster Crabbe. She subsequently retired from films.

Hutchinson, Josephine Josephine Hutchinson, a leading lady in films of the 1930s and 1940s, died in a Manhattan nursing home on June 4, 1998. She was 94. Hutchinson was born in Seattle, Washington, on October 12, 1904. She began her career as a child actress, appearing in Mary Pickford’s silent film

1998 • Obituaries

The Little Princess. She performed on stage in stock companies and on Broadway and joined Eva Le Gallienne’s Civic Repertory Theater in the mid–1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1934 under contract to Warner and made her adult screen debut in Mervyn LeRoy’s Happiness Ahead. She continued to appear in such films as The Right to Live (1935), Oil for the Lamps of China (1935), The Melody Lingers On (1935), The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), I Married a Doctor (1936), Women Men Marry (1937), Mountain Justice (1937), The Crime of Dr. Hallett (1938), Son of Frankenstein (1939) as Elsa von Frankenstein, Tom Brown’s School Days (1940), My Son My Son (1940) and Her First Beau (1941). She subsequently retired from the screen for several years. She resumed her career in Joseph Mankiewicz’s Somewhere in the Night in 1946. She continued to perform in small roles and character parts in such films as The Tender Years (1947), Cass Timberlane (1947), Adventure in Baltimore (1949), Ruby Gentry (1952), Love Is Better Than Ever (1952), Many Rivers to Cross (1955), Gun for a Coward (1956), Miracle in the Rain (1956), Step Down to Terror (1958), Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960), Walk Like a Dragon (1960), Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), Nevada Smith (1966), The Youngest Rebel (1968) and Rabbit Run (1970). Hutchinson appeared as Mamie Baldwin in 1971 pilot film for The Waltons, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. Her other television credits include episodes of Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, The Rifleman, The Deputy, Tales of Wells Fargo, Rawhide, The Twilight Zone, The Rounders, The F.B.I., Bonanza, Longstreet, The Sixth Sense and Little House on the Prairie. New York Times, June 10, 1998, B10; Variety, June 15, 1998, 109.

Hywel, Suzanne

Josephine Hutchinson

Dancer and choreographer Suzanne Hywel died of pancreatic cancer in England on December 2, 1998. She was 54. Hywel was born in Tunbridge Wells, England, on February 15, 1944. She attended the Royal Ballet School and joined the Western Theatre Ballet upon graduation in 1962. She was featured in productions of Peter Darrell’s Mods and Rockers and Reconciliations and appeared in an experimental television production

Obituaries • 1998

110

Inaba, Yoshio Japanese actor Yoshio Inaba died of heart failure in a Tokyo hospital on April 20, 1998. He was 77. Inaba was best known for his first film role as Gorobei Katayama in Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic film The Seven Samurai with Toshiro Mifune. Inaba remained a popular Japanese actor, appearing in the 1962 film Harakiri and starring in the long-running television series The Guardman from 1965.

Innes, Hammond

Suzanne Hywel (with Simon Mottram).

British novelist Hammond Innes died in Kersey, England, on June 10, 1998. He was 83. Innes was born in Horsham, England, on July 15, 1915. He was best known as the author of The Wreck of the Mary Deare, which was filmed with Charlton Heston and Gary Cooper in 1959. He also authored The Lonely Skier, which was filmed as Snowbound in 1948. Several of his other novels were also adapted into films including Hell

of Houseparty for the BBC. During the 1960s she also performed in Darrell’s vampire ballet Francesca, Cranko’s Beauty and the Beast and Fokine’s Carnaval. She began choreographing in 1968 with Suite for Five Dancers. She subsequently joined the newly formed Northern Dance Theatre, where she performed Death and the Maiden, The Clear Light and her ballet adaptation of Carlos Castaneda’s The Teaching of Don Juan. She went to London in 1973 and continued to dance and choreograph for various British dance and opera companies. Her final production was The Queen of Spades for the Scottish Opera earlier in 1998. Times (of London), Dec. 17, 1998, 21a.

Iglesias, Roberto Spanish actor and producer Roberto Iglesias died of cancer in Glendale, California, on February 7, 1998. He was 76. Iglesias was featured in episodes of such television series as I Spy, Burke’s Law and It Takes a Thief during the 1960s. He was also a pioneer in Spanish language television, producing the weekly series Varedades in the 1960s.

Hammond Innes

111 Below Zero (1954) and Campbell’s Kingdom (1957). His other novels include The Land God Gave to Cain (1958), The Black Tide (1982) and Delta Connection (1996). New York Times, June 13, 1998, A10; Times (of London), June 12, 1998, 27a.

Ishinomori, Shotaro Japanese cartoonist Shotaro Ishinomori died of complications from lymphoma at a Tokyo hospital on January 29, 1998. He was 60. Ishinomori was born Shotaro Onodera in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, in 1937. He began his career as a cartoonist in the mid–1960s, creating the popular Cyborg 009 science fiction comic. Ishinomori also created the Kamen Rider series, which has appeared on television in Japan since 1971.

1998 • Obituaries

Slapp fangarne loss, det ar var! (1975), Chez nous (1978), Flygniva 450 (1980), Skanska mord — Veberodsmannen (1986), Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (1987), Bryllupsfesten (1989), The Secret Friend (1990), Europa (1991), The Slingshot (1993), Taxi to Portuga (1994), Cheek to Cheek (1997) and Tranceformer — A Portrait of Lars von Trier (1997). Jaregard also appeared on U.S. television in an episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Jenkins, Megs British character actress Megs Jenkins died on October 5, 1998. She was 81. Jenkins was born Muguette Mary Jenkins in Birkinhead, England, on April 21, 1917. She began her career on stage in 1933 in a production of The Lift That Failed. She made her film debut a few years later, appearing in such features as The Silent Battle (1939), Millions Like Us (1943), It’s in the Bag (1943), Painted Boats (1945), 29 Acacia Avenue (1945), Green for Danger (1946), The Brothers (1948), Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948), The History of Mr. Polly (1949), Facts of Love (1949), A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (1949), White Corriders (1951), The Secret People (1951), No Place for Jennifer (1951),

Shotaro Ishinomori

Jaregard, Ernst-Hugo Swedish actor Ernst-Hugo Jaregard died of cancer in Stockholm on September 6, 1998. He was 69. Jaregard was born in Ystad, Sweden, on December 12, 1928. He was best known for his work on stage and television, where he gained international attention for his role as Stig Helmer in the 1994 mini-series Riget (The Kingdom) and its sequel three years later. He also appeared in a handful of Swedish films including Swedish Punks (1962), Adam och Eva (1963), Svenska bilder (1964), On (1966), Tvarbalk (1967), Het sno (1968), A Handful of Love (1973), Fimpen (1974),

Megs Jenkins

Obituaries • 1998

112

Ivanhoe (1952), Trouble in Store (1953), Shoot First (1953), Personal Affair (1953), The Cruel Sea (1953), Out of the Clouds (1954), The Gay Dog (1954), The Man in the Sky (1956), The Story of Esther Costello (1957), A Novel Affair (1957), Indiscreet (1958), Friends and Neighbours (1959), Tiger Bay (1959), Conspiracy of Hearts (1960), The Innocents (1961) an adaptations of Henry James’ classic ghost story The Turn of the Screw, The Green Helmet (1961), The Wild and the Willing (1962), Life for Ruth (1962), Macbeth (1963), The Barber of Stamford Hill (1963), Murder Most Foul (1964), Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), Cop-Out (1967), the musical Oliver! (1968) and the 1972 horror film Asylum. She was featured as Clara Peggotty in a 1970 television adaptation of Dickens’ David Copperfield and played Mum in the 1974 British television series Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt. She reprised her role as Mrs. Grose in a 1974 television adaptation of Turn of the Screw and was Mrs. Braithwaite in the British children’s series Worzel Gummidge in 1979. She also starred in the 1980 television series Young at Heart with John Mills and the 1983 mini-series A Woman of Substance. Her other television credits include episodes of Mystery and Imagination, Great Mysteries and Playhouse: The Mind Beyond. New York Times, Oct. 22, 1998, C22; Times (of London), Oct. 13, 1998, 23a.

Jewell, Austen Silent screen child actor Austen Jewell died of cancer in Vista, California, on September 24, 1998. He was 83. Jewell began his career in film in Eric Von Stroheim’s 1924 classic Greed as August Sieppe. He was also featured in King of Kings (1927), Blood Will Tell (1927), City Lights (1931) with Charlie Chaplin and several Tom Mix Westerns. Jewell served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he remained in the film industry as a secretary at Columbia Pictures. He also worked briefly at Disney before becoming a production manager. Jewell retired in 1993.

John, Rosamund British actress Rosamund John died in London on October 27, 1998. John was born Nora Rosamund John in London on October 19, 1913. She made her film debut in the 1934 British feature The Secret of the Loch. She became one of England’s most popular leading ladies in the 1940s, starring in such films as The First of the Few (1942) with Leslie Howard, The Lamp Still Burns

Jensen, David Actor David Jensen died of an apparent suicide in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 1, 1998. Jensen appeared in numerous films from the late 1980s including Promised Land (1988), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Tripwire (1990), A Midnight Clear (1991), Kaf ka (1991), Teenage Bonnie and Klepto Clyde (1993), Moses (1993), A Home of Our Own (1993), King of the Hill (1993), Underneath (1995), Species (1995), Schizopolis (1996), Codename: Silencer (1996), Invasion of Privacy (1996) and The Newton Boys (1998). Jensen was also featured in the tele-films Love Kills (1991), 3 Chains o’ Gold (1994), Stephen King’s 1994 mini-series The Stand, The Avenging Angel (1995), In the Shadow of Evil (1995), Face of Evil (1996), Unforgivable (1996), Money Plays (1997) and Virtual Obsession (1998). His other television credits include several episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger.

Rosamund John

113 (1943), The Gentle Sex (1943), The Tawny Pipit (1944), Soldier, Sailor (1944), The Way to the Stars (1945), Green for Danger (1946), Fame Is the Spur (1946), When the Bough Breaks (1947), The Upturned Glass (1947), No Place for Jennifer (1951), Street Corner (1953) and Operation Murder (1957). She largely retired from the screen in the early 1950s following her marriage to John Silkin. She assisted him in his political career as a Labor member of Parliament until his death in 1987. Times (of London), Nov. 3, 1998, 23a.

Jones, Grandpa Country music star Grandpa Jones died after a series of strokes at a Hermitage, Tennessee, nursing home on February 19, 1998. He was 84. He was born Louis Marshall Jones in Niagra, Kentucky, on October 20, 1913. He began playing the character of Grandpa at the age of 22 in the mid–1930s. He was a longtime regular at the Grand Ole Opry from 1946, where he played the banjo and did a comedy routine. He was a regular on the Hee Haw country music show on television from 1969 to 1993. He was best known for his routine when other cast members would ask, “Hey Grandpa, what’s for supper?” and he would reply with a litany of country food items. He also appeared in several country music specials on television including Country Music Caravan (1974), Johnny Cash: The First 25 Years (1980), Hats Off to Minnie Pearl (1992) and Grand Ole Opry Live Christmas (1994). Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1978. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 21, 1998, A20; New

Grandpa Jones

1998 • Obituaries

York Times, Feb. 21, 1998, B20; People, Mar. 9, 1998, 77; TV Guide, Apr. 18, 1998, 7; Variety, Mar. 2, 1998, 102.

Joyner, Florence Griffith Olympic gold medal runner Florence Griffith Joyner died suddenly of an apparent heart seizure in Mission Viego, California, on September 21, 1998. She was 38. She was born Delores Florence Griffith in South Central Los Angeles on December 21, 1959. Joyner won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympics and still held at her death the world records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Joyner appeared on the Santa Barbara soap opera as Terry Holloway in 1992. She was a panelist on Whoopie Goldberg’s new version of The Hollywood Squares, and previously taped segments of the show aired the week of her death. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 1998, A1; New York Times, Sept. 22, 1998, C23; People, Oct. 5, 1998, 111; Time, Oct. 5, 1998, 27; Times (of Lon-

Florence Griffith Joyner

Obituaries • 1998

114

don), Sept. 22, 1998, 25a; TV Guide, Nov. 14, 1998, 5; Variety, Sept. 28, 1998, 193; Washington Post, Sept. 22, 1998, A1.

Julien, Pauline Canadian singer Pauline Julien committed suicide in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on September 30, 1998. She was 70. Julien recorded over 20 albums during her 35-year career. One of her most popular ballads, which became her theme song, was “Tonight I Feel Tender.” She also appeared in several French-language Canadian films including La Terre a boire (1964) and La Mort d’un Bucheron (1973). Julien was also a leading figure in the Quebec separatist movement. New York Times, Oct. 3, 1998, A15.

The Junkyard Dog

Pauline Julien

Junkyard Dog, The Sylvester Ritter, who wrestled in most major promotions as the Junkyard Dog, was killed on

June 2, 1998, in an automobile accident near Forest, Mississippi, on route from Louisiana to North Carolina. He was 45. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native was born on December 13, 1952. He began wrestling as Big Daddy Ritter in 1978 and was a title holder in the Calgary, Canada, Stampede promotion. He became a leading figure with Vince McMahon’s WWF promotion in New York in the 1980s as the Junkyard Dog or JYD. He often came to the ring in red tights, white boots and a dog collar with a large chain attached to it. He was known in the ring for his head butts and a power slam finishing maneuver called “The Thump.” He was also featured as an animated figure in the Saturday morning cartoon series Hulk Hogan’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling! in the mid–1980s. Junkyard Dog also wrestled with the WCW and the USWA through the early 1990s. People, June 29, 1998, 97.

115

1998 • Obituaries

Kadison, Ellis A. Television and film writer Ellis A. Kadison died in Los Angeles on February 28, 1998. He was 70. Kadison helped to create the popular Hanna-Barbera children series The Banana Splits in the late 1960s. Kadison also scripted the 1967 films Theatre of Death and The Gnome-Mobile and directed 1966’s The Cat. Kadison also wrote comics, musicals and industrial films during his career. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 3, 1998, B8.

Kaiser, Roland German actor Roland Kaiser died in Berlin on January 4, 1998. Kaiser was a popular actor in German films in the 1950s, appearing in Emil and the Detective (1954), The Affairs of Julie (1957), Eine Verruckte Familie (1957), Vater, unser bestes Stuck (1957), The Legend of Robinson Crusoe (1957), Liebe, Jazz und Ubermut (1957), Casino de Paris (1957) and Rosen fur den Staatsanwalt (1959). Kaiser also produced the 1993 German television series RTL Samstag Nacht.

Kaiser, Sharon Lee Sharon Lee Kaiser died of cancer in Long Beach, California, on January 6, 1998. She was 56. She was known as Sharon Lee Paiva when she appeared in Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club from 1955 through 1959.

Kaitz, Barton Filmmaker Barton Kaitz died of complications from multiple sclerosis in New York on June 24, 1998. He was 53. Kaitz worked with Candid Camera creator Allen Funt as a film editor from the late 1960s through 1988. He served as editor on Funt’s 1970 feature film What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?

Irene Kampen

Kampen, Irene Humorist Irene Kampen died of breast cancer in Oceanside, California, on February 1, 1998. She was 75. Kampen was born in Brooklyn in 1922. She authored the humorous autobiography Life Without George in the 1950s. Her book inspired Lucille Ball’s 1962 series The Lucy Show, following her divorce from Desi Arnaz. Kampen also wrote the books The Ziegfeld’s Girl (1964), Europe Without George (1965), Due to Lack of Interest Tomorrow Has Been Cancelled (1969) and Nobody Calls at This Hour Just to Say Hello (1975). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 1998, A19; New York Times, Feb. 8, 1998, I43; Variety, Mar. 30, 1998, 175.

Kane, Bob Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, died in a Los Angeles hospital on October 3, 1998. He was 83. Kane was born in New York City on Octo-

Obituaries • 1998

116 Minute Mouse in 1957 and the Cool McCool series which aired on NBC in 1967. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 6, 1998, B1; New York Times, Nov. 7, 1998, A13; Time, Nov. 16, 1998, 35; Times (of London), Nov. 7, 1998, 24a; Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43; Washington Post, Nov. 7, 1998, B6.

Kasica, MaryAnne

Bob Kane

ber 24, 1915. He began working in comics in the mid–1930s for Will Eisner and Jerry Iger’s Wow What a Magazine! He drew the strips Hiram Hick and Peter Pupp, receiving $5 a page for his work. Kane worked briefly for Fleishcher Studios before going to National (DC) Comics in 1938. Influenced by the flying machine designs of Leonardo DaVinci, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.’s The Mark of Zorro and the 1931 film The Bat Whispers, Kane created the Batman character for National, who was searching for another super hero following the success of Superman. Batman made his debut in Detective Comics #27, cover dated May 1939, with Kane’s art and script by Bill Finger, who died in 1974. The cape and cowled secret identity of millionaire Bruce Wayne was an immediate success and received his own comic the following year. Kane also created Batman’s young sidekick Robin, the Boy Wonder, and such colorful villains as the Joker, the Penguin, the Catwoman and Two-Face to battle his crime-fighting hero. Kane continued to perform art chores on the book until 1967. Batman’s popularity spawned serials in the 1940s, a television series in the 1960s and an ongoing film series which started in 1989, becoming one of the best known fictional characters in history. Kane served as a consultant on the most recent film series. He also created the cartoon series Courageous Cat and

Television writer MaryAnne Kasica-Scheff died of a brain tumor in Los Angeles on September 5, 1998. She was 58. Kasica-Scheff began her career as an actress on stage. She also appeared in the 1977 tele-film The Amazing Spider-Man and an episode of television’s Marcus Welby, M.D. She soon began writing plays. She co-scripted the 1979 television pilot Topper with her husband, Michael Scheff. The duo also scripted the telefilm Tall, Dark and Deadly. She also wrote episodes of such series as Hart to Hart, Magnum, P.I., The Wizard, Shadow Chasers, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Moonlighting and Murder, She Wrote. Variety, Sept. 14, 1998, 92.

Kaye, Davy Diminutive British comic actor Davy Kaye died on Paradise Island, Bahamas, on February

Davy Kaye (performing at the Embassy Club in London, 1964).

117 3, 1998. He was 81. Kaye was born in London on April 25, 1916. He was featured in a handful of British films during the 1960s including The Millionairess (1960), The Pot Carriers (1962), Crooks in Cloisters (1962), The Wrong Arm of the Law (1962), The World Ten Times Over (1963), Satan’s Harvest (1965), Carry On Cowboy (1965), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1966), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Carry On at Your Convenience (1971), The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972). Kaye also appeared in an episode of the television series It Takes a Thief in 1968. He was the resident comedian at the Embassy Club in London from 1954 through 1968.

Kazin, Alfred Author and literary critic Alfred Kazin died of prostate cancer at his home in Manhattan on June 4, 1998. He was 83. Kazin was born in Brownsville, New York, on June 5, 1915. He began writing book reviews for The New Republic in 1934. The publication of his study on modern American literature, On Native Ground, in 1942 confirmed his reputation as one of the leading literary critics of his time. He spent much of World War II in London researching the British labor movement. After the war he began work on his memoirs, A Walker in the City, published in

1998 • Obituaries

1951. Other volumes followed including Starting Out in the 1930s (1965), New York Jew (1978), A Writer’s America (1988), Our New York (1990) and God and the American Writer (1997). Kazin’s literary criticisms also continued with The Inmost Leaf (1955), Contemporaries (1960) and An American Profession (1984). He continued to review books, despite failing health, until his death. Los Angeles Times, June 6, 1998, A20; New York Times, June 6, 1998, B9; People, June 22, 1998, 181; Time, June 15, 1998, 27; Times (of London), June 23, 1998, 25a; Washington Post, June 6, 1998, B6.

Keaton, Eleanor Norris Eleanor Norris Keaton, the widow of comedian Buster Keaton, died of emphysema and lung cancer at the Motion Picture Relief Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on October 20, 1998. She was 80. Keaton was a dancer when she first met Keaton in 1938. The couple was married on July 28, 1940. They performed together in stage variety shows and she accompanied him to various film festivals honoring the comedian. They remained together until his death in 1966. Variety, Oct. 26, 1998, 138.

Kelly, Timothy Rock guitarist Timothy Kelly was killed in a car crash on February 5, 1998, when his car struck a tractor-trailor in Bagdad, Arizona. He was 34. Kelly was the guitarist for the rock band Slaughter. The group, which included vocalist Mark Slaughter, bassist Dana Strum and drummer Blas Elias, was formed in 1988. They have released five albums since 1990 including Stick It to Ya (1990), The Wild Life (1992), Fear No Evil (1995) and Revolution (1997). He had recently completed a tour with the band in the fall of 1997. His final recordings are heard on the band’s 1998 album Eternal Live.

Alfred Kazin

Obituaries • 1998

118

Kendall, Royce Country singer Royce Kendall died in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on May 22, 1998. He had collapsed on stage during a concert in Iowa shortly before his death. He was 63. Kendall was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 25, 1934. He began performing with his brother, Floyce, as the Austin Brothers in the late 1950s. They became known as The Kendalls in the 1960s, recording such songs as “Heaven’s Just a Sin Away,” “Sweet Desire” and “Thank God for Radio.”

Kendrick, Walter Literary critic Walter Kendrick died of pancreatic cancer at a Manhattan hospital on October 25, 1998. He was 51. Kendrick was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1947. He was best known for his 1991 work on horror literature and films The Thrill of Fear: 250 Years of Scary Entertainment. Kendrick was also the author of The Secret Museum: Pornography in Modern Culture (1987). New York Times, Oct. 26, 1998, A19.

Kenton, Godfrey British actor Godfrey Kenton died on April 27, 1998. He was 96. Kenton was born in London on April 13, 1902. He was best known for his performances on stage during his seventy year career as an actor. He appeared in productions of Time and the Conways, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, King Lear and Julius Caesar as Brutus. He was also active on television and radio, where he performed in productions of Waiting for Godot and Paradise Lost. His final stage appearances in London were in 1989’s The Astronomer’s Garden and 1995’s A Matter of Life and Death. Times (of London), Apr. 29, 1998, 21a.

Khambatta, Persis Indian actress Persis Khambatta died of a massive heart attack in a Bombay, India, hospital on August 18, 1998. She was 49. Khambatta was born in Bombay on October 2, 1948. She was

Godfrey Kenton

a former Miss India in 1965. She began her career as a model at the age of 13 and made her Western film debut in the 1975 feature The Wilby Conspiracy with Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine. She starred in the 1977 tele-film The Man with the Power. Khambatta was best known for her performance as the bald, beautiful alien navigator, Lieutenant Ilia, in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the first feature film based on the popular science fiction television series. She appeared in the 1981 thriller Nighthawks with Sylvester Stallone. She continued to appear in action films throughout the 1980s, starring in Megaforce (1982), Warrior of the Lost World (1984), First Strike (1985), Phoenix the Warrior (1987) and Deadly Intent (1988). She also appeared on television in episodes of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Hunter and MacGyver. One of her last on screen appearances was in the pilot episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1993.

119

1998 • Obituaries

New York Times, Aug. 20, 1998, D20 People, Sept. 7, 1998, 89; Times (of London), Aug. 22, 1998, 21a; Variety, Aug. 24, 1998, 37

Kim, Earl Composer Earl Kim died of cancer at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on November 19, 1998. Kim was born in Dinuba, California, on January 6, 1920. He studied composition at the University of California at Los Angeles and Berkeley. Kim was a professor at Princeton from 1952 until 1967. He subsequently taught at Harvard until his retirement in 1990. Kim was best known for his compositions for violinist Itzhak Perlman in the late 1970s. He also created vocal compositions, using text from such authors as Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Anne Sexton and Samuel Beckett. New York Times, Nov. 26, 1998, C17.

Persis Khambatta

Kimbrough, Junior Blues musician David “Junior” Kimbrough died of a heart attack in Holly Springs, Missis-

Earl Kim

Junior Kimbrough

Obituaries • 1998

120

sippi, on January 17, 1998. He was 67. Kimbrough was born in Hudsonville, Mississippi, on July 28, 1930. He began performing for local audiences at an early age, though he recorded his first album in 1968. Kimbrough became a leading example of the North Mississippi sound and achieved national recognition after he was featured in the 1991 blues documentary Deep Blues. Three popular albums followed —All Night Long (1992), Sad Days, Lonely Nights (1993) and Most Things Haven’t Worked Out (1997). Kimbrough was also the owner of his own juke joint near Holly Springs since the early 1990s. Memphis Commercial Appeal, Jan. 20, 1998, A1; New York Times, Jan. 21, 1998, D24.

King, David British actor David King died of peritonitis in England on March 4, 1998. He was 67. King was born in Rochester, England, on August 23, 1930. He began his career on stage, where he distinguished himself in London productions of John Osborne’s A Patriot for Me, The Apple Cart and Lulu. King was also a popular film and television performer in England. He appeared in the films Strange Bedfellows (1964), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Lamentations: A Monument

David King

for the Dead World (1985), A Chorus of Disapproval (1988), The Seventh Sign (1988), Tale of a Vampire (1992), Married to It (1993), Shine (1996) and The MatchMaker (1997). He was also featured in the British television mini-series The Andromeda Breakthrough (1962), The Changes (1975), Lillie (1978), To Serve Them All My Days (1980), Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1980) and Oliver Twist (1985), and the tele-films Hands of a Murderer (1990) and Hostile Waters (1997). Times (of London), Mar. 26, 1998, 25a.

King, Marjorie Actress Marjorie King died of heart failure in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 3, 1998. She was 86. King was Bob Steele’s leading lady in the 1928 western Man in the Rough.

Kinoshita, Keisuke Japanese film director Keisuke Kinoshita died of a stroke at his home in Tokyo on December 29, 1998. He was 86. Kinoshita was born in Hamamtasu, Japan, on December 5, 1912. He began his career in film with Shochiku Co. in 1933. Kinoshita made his directorial debut in 1943 with Hanasaku Minato (The Port Where Flowers Bloom). He was best known for his 1954 film Nijushi No Hitomi (Twenty-Four Eyes), about a three-decades long relationship between a teacher and her twelve students. His other films include Rikugun (1944), Shozo (1948), Onna (Woman) (1948), Yotsuya Kaidan (The Yotsuya Ghost Story) (1949), Karumen Kokyo Ni Kaeru (Carmen Comes Home) (1951), Nogiku No Gotoki Kimi Nariki (She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum) (1955), Narayama-Bushi Ko (The Ballad of Narayama) (1958), Fuefukigawa (The River Fuefuki) (1960), Eien No Hito (Immortal Love) (1961), Natsukashiki Fu Ya Taiko (Eyes, the Sea and a Ball ) (1967), Shodo Satsujin, Musukoyo (Impulse Murder, My Son) (1976), Kono Ko Wo Nokoshite (1984) and Shin Yorokobimo Kanashimimo Ikutoshitsuki (1986). Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 1998; New York Times, Jan. 2, 1999, C6; Washington Post, Dec. 31, 1998, D7.

121

Leonid Kinskey

Kinskey, Leonid Character actor Leonid Kinskey, one of the last survivors of the cast of Casablanca, died of complications from a stroke in Fountain Hills, Arizona, on September 8, 1998. He was 95. Kinskey was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 18, 1903. He began his career on stage in Europe and South America before coming to the United States in the early 1930s. Kinskey soon began appearing in films, often playing comic foreign characters. He was featured in such films as Trouble in Paradise (1932), Three-Cornered Moon (1933), Duck Soup (1933), Change of Heart (1934), The Cat and the Fiddle (1934), The Merry Widow (1934), We Live Again (1934), The Gilded Lily (1935), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), Peter Ibbetson (1935), Les Miserables (1935), Goin’ to Town (1935), The Road to Glory (1936), Next Time We Love (1936), The Three Godfathers (1936), The General Died at Dawn (1936), Rhythm on the Range (1936), The Garden of Allah (1936), Love on the Run (1936), We’re on the Jury (1937), The Girl from Scotland Yard (1937), The Sheik Steps Out (1937), One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937), My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937), Meet the Boy Friend (1937), Make a Wish (1937), Espionage (1937), Cafe Metropole (1937), Maytime (1937), A Trip to Paris (1938), Three Blind Mice (1938), Outside of Paradise (1938), The Great Waltz

1998 • Obituaries

(1938), Algiers (1938), The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938), Professor Beware (1938), The Spellbinder (1939), On Your Toes (1939), Exile Express (1939), Everything Happens at Night (1939), Day-Time Wife (1939), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), Throwing a Party (1940), Down Argentine Way (1940), Weekend in Havana (1941), Lady for a Night (1941), Broadway Limited (1941), Ball of Fire (1941), So Ends Our Night (1941), That Night in Rio (1941), Somewhere I’ll Find You (1942), I Married an Angel (1942) and The Talk of the Town (1942). Kinskey was suggested by Humphrey Bogart to play the supporting role of Sascha the bartender in the 1942 classic Casablanca. He continued his film career in such films as Presenting Lily Mars (1943), Laugh Your Blues Away (1943), Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943), Cinderella Swings It (1943), The Fighting Seabees (1944), Can’t Help Singing (1944), Monsieur Beaucaire (1946), Alimony (1949), Honeychile (1951), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and Glory (1956). Kinskey was an early television performer, appearing in the situation comedy, The Spot Lite Club on KTLA in Los Angeles in 1948. He also appeared in the comedy series The People’s Choice as Pierre from 1955 until 1956. His other television appearances include episodes of Perry Mason, The Rogues, Peter Gunn, The Alaskans, Have Gun —Will Travel, The Detectives, 77 Sunset Strip, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the Hogan’s Heroes pilot, Daktari, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Batman and Mayberry R.F.D., where he had the recurring role of Professor Wolfgang Radetsky, Aunt Alice’s harp teacher. Kinskey was married to lovely Viennese actress Iphigenie Castigloni until her death in 1963. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 11, 1998, B8; New York Times, Sept. 12, 1998, A17; People, Sept. 28, 1998, 105; Variety, Sept. 28, 1998, 193.

Kirkland, Kenny Jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland was found dead at his home in Queens, New York, of an apparent drug overdose on November 13, 1998. He was 43. Kirkland was born in Brooklyn on September 28, 1955. He was best known for performing with Branford Marsalis and his band on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show for several years. Kirkland played with Wynton Marsalis’ jazz quartet from 1981 until 1985. He also played with the rock

Obituaries • 1998

122

Kenny Kirkland

singer Sting and the pop group Crosby, Stills and Nash. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 17, 1998, A20; New York Times, Nov. 15, 1998; Times (of London), Dec. 10, 1998, 25a.

Knight, Felix

Felix Knight (as Tom-Tom from Babes in Toyland).

Singer and actor Felix Knight died in New York City on June 18, 1998. He was 89. Knight was born in Macon, Georgia, on November 1, 1908. Knight appeared in several films during the 1930s including Down to Their Last Yacht (1934), Caravan (1934), Laurel & Hardy’s Babes in Toyland (1934) as Tom-Tom, Springtime in Holland (1935), Carnival Day (1936), The Bohemian Girl (1936) and Pick a Star (1937).

Knight, William Gardner Actor William Gardner Knight was killed when his light plane crashed near Edgewater, Maryland, on November 21, 1998. He was 56. Knight was featured in several films during his career including Wall Street (1987), Action U.S.A. (1989), Skin Deep (1989), Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Navy SEALS (1990). He also appeared in the tele-film Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife and episodes of The John Larroquette Show and The Practice.

William Gardner Knight

Kochi, Momoko Japanese actress Momoko Kochi died in a Tokyo hospital of intestinal cancer on Novem-

123

1998 • Obituaries

Momoko Kochi (left, with Kenji Sahara from The Mysterians).

ber 5, 1998. She was 66. Kochi, whose real name was Momoko Hisamatsu, was born in Tokyo on March 7, 1932. She began her career in 1953, when she was signed to a contract by Toho film company after winning a talent contest. She made her film debut in 1953’s A Woman’s Heart Released. She was best known for her second film, starring as the female lead in the classic monster movie Godzilla, King of the Monsters in 1954. She appeared in two other Toho sci-fi films —Half Human (1955) and The Mysterians (1957)— before abandoning films for the stage. She was a leading performer on television and the stage for the next several decades, receiving the Kinokuniya Drama Award in 1980. Kochi returned to films in 1995 to reprise her role as Emiko Yamane in Godzilla vs. Destroyer, reportedly the final film in Toho’s Godzilla series.

Dada Kondke (with actress Swapna).

Korvin, Charles Character actor Charles Korvin died at a Manhattan hospital on June 18, 1998. He was 90.

Kondke, Dada Indian actor Dada Kondke died of a heart attack on March 14, 1998. He was 69. Kondke was born in Bombay in August of 1928. He began his career on the stage in Bombay before making his film debut in Bhalji Pendharkar’s Tambdi Mati (Red Soil) in 1969. He became a popular star of Marathi language films, often portraying a country bumpkin. He began producing films with his 1971 hit Songadya (The Clown). Times (of London), Apr. 16, 1998, 23a.

Charles Korvin (Columbia).

Obituaries • 1998

124

Korvin was born Geza Korvin Karpathi in Piestany, Hungary, on November 21, 1907. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he began his film career as a photographer. Korvin directed the documentary Heart of Spain in 1937. He came to the United States three years later and made his debut on Broadway in Dark Eyes in 1943. He changed his name to Charles Korvin for his film debut as the charming French thief in 1945’s Enter Arsene Lupin. He continued to appear in films, often portraying villains or cads. He was featured in such films as This Love of Ours (1945), Temptation (1946), Berlin Express (1948), The Killer That Stalked New York (1950), Tarzan’s Savage Fury (1952), Lydia Bailey (1952), Sangaree (1953), Tormentia (1955), Thunderstorm (1956) and The Blackwell Story (1957). Korvin’s career in Hollywood was interrupted in the 1950s when he was blacklisted for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the McCarthy era. He starred as Inspector Duval in the 1959 television series Interpol Calling. He also portrayed the Eagle in Disney’s Zorro television series with Guy Williams in the late 1950s. His other television credits include episodes of The U.S. Steel Hour, The Honeymooners, Playhouse 90, The Alcoa Hour, I Spy and The F.B.I. Korvin made occasional film appearances in the 1960s and 1970s in Ship of Fools (1965), The Man Who Had Power Over Women (1970) and Inside Out (1975). He was also featured in the 1978 television mini-series Holocaust as Doctor Kohn. Korvin continued to perform through the 1990s, appearing in the 1993 German tele-film Dann eben mit Gewalt (Violence: The Last Resort). New York Times, June 27, 1998, B8; Variety, Aug. 24, 1998, 37.

Kren, Kurt Austrian experimental filmmaker Kurt Kren died in Vienna of pneumonia on June 23, 1998. He was 69. Kren began making short films in the late 1950s with Experiment with Synthetic Sound (Test) (1957). He made over 50 shorts during his career including Trees in Autumn (1960), 48 Heads from the Szondi-Test (1960), People Looking Out of the Window, Trash, etc. (1962), O Christmas Tree (1964), Mama and Papa (1964), Self-Mutilation (1965), Cartoon: Balzac and the Eye of God

(1971), Asylum (1975), To W+B (1976), Breakfast in Grauen (1981), Trailer (1988) and Thousand Years of Cinema (1995), which was screened at the New York Film Festival. Variety, Sept. 21, 1998, 119.

Kroner, Jozef Slovak actor Jozef Kroner died in Bratislava on March 12, 1998. He was 73. Kroner was born in Staskov, Slovakia, on March 20, 1924. He began his career on stage and made his film debut in the 1949 feature Katka (Cathy). Kroner also appeared in the Slovakian films Virgin Earth (1954), The Wooden Village (1955), The Devil Never Sleeps (1956), Quadrille (1957), The Last Witch (1957), The Brave Thief (1958), the Oscarwinning The Shop on Main Street (1965), Adrift (1969), Vegul (1974), Behind the Brick Wall (1979), Time Stands Still (1981), Mowing of Hawk Meadow (1981), Jager (1982), Another Way (1982), The Bee Millenium (1983) and Dedictvi Aneb Kurvahosigutntag (1993). Kroner was also the author of several books on fishing.

Jozef Kroner

Kurosawa, Akira Famed Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa died of a stroke at his home in Tokyo on August 6, 1998. He was 88. Kurosawa was born in Tokyo on March 23, 1910. He began his career as an apprentice to director Kajiro Yamamoto at Tokyo’s PCL Studios (later Toho Film Production Co.), in the late 1930s. Kurosawa made his

125

1998 • Obituaries

Labby, Sherman

Akira Kurosawa (Warner).

directoral debut in 1943 with Sanshiro Sugata. It was a popular success and he continued to direct such features as The Most Beautiful (1944), Those Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1945), Sanshiro Sugata — Part Two (1945), No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), Those Who Make Tomorrow (1946), One Wonderful Sunday (1947), Drunken Angel (1948), The Quiet Duel (1949), Stray Dog (1949) and Scandal (1950). He gained an international reputation and introduced Western audiences to post-war Japanese cinema with the success of his 1950 film Rashomon. He continued to direct such acclaimed features as The Idiot (1951), Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954) which was remade in the U.S. as The Magnificent Seven, I Live in Fear (1955), The Lower Depths (1957) and Throne of Blood (1957). Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress strongly influenced director George Lucas’ hit film Star Wars. He also directed The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963) and Red Beard (1965). The latter film was a commercial failure and Kurosawa subsequently had difficulty getting funding for future projects. He was hired by 20th Century–Fox to film Japanese sequences for the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! but was replaced shortly after shooting began. He directed the 1970 film Dodes’ka’den and 1975’s Dersu Uzala, which received the Academy Award for best foreign-language film. His later films include Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980), Ran (1985) and Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990). Los Angeles Times, Sept. 7, 1998, A1; New York Times, Sept. 7, 1998, A15; People, Sept. 21, 1998, 131; Times (of London), Sept. 7, 198, 23a; Variety, Sept. 14, 1998, 92; Washington Post, Sept. 7, 1998, D6.

Artist Sherman Labby died in Los Angeles on May 31, 1998. He was 68. Labby was an illustrator and storyboard artist for the animated films Journey Back to Oz (1971) and Heavy Metal (1981). He served as production illustrator or storyboard artist for such films as Prophecy (1979), Blade Runner (1982), The River (1984), Out of Bounds (1986), The Money Pit (1986), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Black Rain (1989), Sea of Love (1989), Downtown (1990), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), Body of Evidence (1993) Made in America (1993) and North (1994). Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Lang, Charles Cinematographer Charles Lang died of pneumonia at a Santa Monica, California, hospital on April 3, 1998. He was 96. Lang was nominated for the Academy Award for cinematography eighteen times during his career, though he received his only Oscar for A Farewell to Arms in 1933. Lang was born in Bluff, Utah, on March 27, 1902, and moved to Los Angeles with his family two years later. He began his career as a cinematographer in the late 1920s, working primarily for Paramount. He worked with such legendary directors as Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, George Cukor and Ernst Lubitsch, and served as director of photography on hundreds of films. His numerous credits include The Shopworn Angel (1928), Innocents of Paris (1929), Anybody’s Woman (1930), Behind the Makeup (1930), For the Defense (1930), The Light of Western Stars (1930), Sarah and Son (1930), Seven Days Leave (1930), Shadow of the Law (1930), Tom Sawyer (1930), Street of Chance (1930), Caught (1931), Magnificent Lie (1931), Once a Lady (1931), Newly Rich (1931), The Right to Love (1931) which earned him his first Oscar nomination, Unfaithful (1931), The Vice Squad (1931), Devil and the Deep (1932), No One Man (1932), Thunder Below (1932), Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1932), A Bedtime Story (1933), Cradle Song (1933), Gambling Ship (1933), She Done Him Wrong (1933), The Way to Love (1933), Death Takes a Holiday (1934), Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934), She Loves Me Not (1934), We’re Not Dressing (1934), Lives of a Bengal Lancer

Obituaries • 1998

126

(1935), Mississippi (1935), Peter Ibbetson (1935), Desire (1936), Angel (1937), Tovarich (1937), Souls at Sea (1937), Spawn of the North (1938), You and Me (1938), Dr. Rhythm (1938), The Cat and the Canary (1939), Zaza (1939), Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), Midnight (1939), Dancing on a Dime (1940), Arise, My Love (1940), Buck Benny Rides Again (1940), The Ghost Breakers (1940), One Crowded Night (1940), Wildcat Bus (1940), Women Without Names (1940), The Shepherd of the Hills (1941), Nothing But the Truth (1941), Skylark (1941), Sundown (1941), Are Husbands Necessary? (1942), Bombay Clipper (1942), The Forest Rangers (1942), Secret Enemies (1942), True to Live (1943), So Proudly We Hail (1943), No Time for Love (1943), Here Come the Waves (1944), I Love a Soldier (1944), Practically Yours (1944), Standing Room Only (1944), Tampico (1944), The Uninvited (1944), Miss Susie Slagle’s (1945), The Stork Club (1945), Blue Skies (1946), Cross My Heart (1946), Desert Fury (1947), Where There’s Life (1947), A Foreign Affair (1948), Miss Tatlock’s Millions (1948), My Own True Love (1948), The Great Lover (1949), Rope of Sand (1949), Copper Canyon (1950), Fancy Pants (1950), September Affair (1950), Call of the Klondike (1950), Branded (1951), The Mating Season (1951), Peking Express (1951), Red Mountain (1951), The Big Carnival (1951), Sudden Fear (1952), Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), The Atomic City (1952), The Big Heat (1953), Salome (1953), It Should Happen to You (1954), Phffft! (1954), Sabrina (1954), Queen Bee (1955), Female on the Beach (1955), The Man from Laramie (1955), The Rainmaker (1956), Autumn Leaves (1956), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), Loving You (1957), Wild Is the Wind (1957), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Matchmaker (1958), Separate Tables (1958), Some Like It Hot (1959), Last Train from Gun Hill (1959), The Facts of Life (1960), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Strangers When We Meet (1960), Blue Hawaii (1961), One-Eyed Jacks (1961), Summer and Smoke (1961), A Girl Named Tamiko (1962), How the West Was Won (1962), Charade (1963), Critic’s Choice (1963), The Wheeler Dealers (1963), Father Goose (1964), Paris When It Sizzles (1964), Sex and the Single Girl (1964), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), How to Steal a Million (1966), Not with My Wife, You Don’t! (1966), The FlimFlam Man (1967), Hotel (1967), Wait Until Dark (1967), A Flea in Her Ear (1968), Cactus Flower (1969), How to Commit Marriage (1969), The

Stalking Moon (1969), Doctors’ Wives (1971) and The Love Machine (1971). He received his final Oscar nomination for 1972’s Butterflies Are Free and retired after photographing Forty Carats in 1973. Lang was awarded the American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991 and appeared in the 1992 documentary Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 21, 1998, B8; New York Times, May 4, 1998, A17; Variety, Apr. 27, 1998, 74.

Lardner, Rex Television writer Rex Lardner died of a heart attack during a tennis game in Great Neck, New York, on July 27, 1998. He was 80. Lardner began working as a reporter for The New Yorker magazine after serving in World War II. In the early 1950s he began writing for The Ernie Kovacs Show. He soon became head writer for the show, garnering an Emmy nomination. He continued to work with Kovacs throughout the 1950s, becoming head writer for his 1959 television series Take a Good Look. Lardner also wrote numerous books including the golf parody Out of the Bunker and Into the Trees and a biography of Muhammad Ali. Variety, Oct. 26, 1998, 138.

Lawrence, Syd British bandleader Syd Lawrence died on May 5, 1998. He was 74. Lawrence was born in Shotton, Flintshire, England, on June 26, 1923. He began his professional career after World War II, playing with various bands throughout England. He performed with the BBC’s Northern Dance Orchestra’s brass section before forming his 19-piece orchestra in 1969. He led his band on the Granada television series Glenn Miller Style and was the house band for Les Dawson’s series Sez Les. He continued to lead the band until his retirement in 1994. Times (of London), May 7, 1998, 25a; Variety, May 18, 1998, 87.

127

1998 • Obituaries

javik, Iceland, on February 8, 1998. He was 95. He was born Halldor Gudjonsson on April 23, 1902. He became one of the leading literary figures in his country and was the recipient of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature. His 1936 novel Salka Valka was adapted into a film by Arne Mattsson in 1954. The 1984 Finnish film Atomstodin (The Atom Station) was based on Laxness’ 1961 novel. New York Times, Feb. 10, 1998, D22; Time, Feb. 23, 198, 29; Times (of London), Feb. 10, 1998, 21a.

Leandro Brazilian country and western singer Leandro died in a Sao Paulo, Brazil, hospital on June 23,

Syd Lawrence

Laxness, Halldor Icelandic novelist and playwright Halldor Kiljan Laxness died in a nursing home near Reyk-

Halldor Laxness

Leandro

Obituaries • 1998

128

1998, after a two year battle with a rare tumor in his thorax. He was 36. Leandro was born Jose Luis Costa in Goiania, Brazil, in 1962. He and his brother, Leonardo, formed a popular singing duo, becoming the leading figures in the music genre known as sartanejo. The duo sold over ten million records in their decade long career. New York Times, June 24, 1998, A23; Variety, Sept. 28, 1998, 193.

Lee, Hyapatia Adult film actress Hyapatia Lee died of complications from diabetes on December 30, 1998. She was 36. Lee was born Vicky Lynch on November 11, 1962. The dark-haired Native American performer began her career in the early 1980s. She appeared in over 40 adult features during her career including The Young Like It Hot (1983), Ribald Tales of Canterbury (1985), What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (1988), Uniform Behavior (1989), Bratgirl (1989), I Do… (1989), Lust in the Woods (1990), Snakedance (1993), Deep Cover (1993), Swingers: A Sexy Comedy (1994), Killing Obsession (1994) and Forever Young (1994).

Phil Leeds

Leeds, Phil

Hyapatia Lee

Comic actor Phil Leeds died at a Los Angeles hospital on August 16, 1998. He was 82. Leeds was born in New York City on August 6, 1916. He began his career on stage, entertaining troops in the Pacific during World War II. After the war he appeared in several Broadway productions including Can-Can, Romanoff and Juliet and Make a Wish. Leeds appeared in numerous films from the 1960s including Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Don’t Drink the Water (1969), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), Mastermind (1976), Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I (1981), The Haunting of Harrington House (1981), Frankenstein’s Great Aunt Tillie (1984), Beaches (1988), Enemies: A Love Story (1989), Cat Chaser (1989), Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1989), Ghost (1990), He Said, She Said (1991), Soapdish (1991), All I Want for Christmas (1991), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Clean Slate (1994), Two Much (1996) and 1998’s Krippendorf ’s Tribe with Richard Dreyfuss. He was also a familiar face on television, appearing regularly in the 1949 series

129 Front Row Center. He starred in several shortlived sit-coms including Ivan the Terrible in 1976 as Vladimir, Singer & Sons in 1990 as Lou Gold, and Double Rush in 1995 as The Kid. His other television credits include the 1979 tele-film Murder By Natural Causes, and episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Car 54, Where Are You?, The Monkees, The Second Hundred Years, A Year at the Top, Barney Miller, Maude, All in the Family, Hereafter, Three’s Company, Night Court, The Famous Teddy Z, ALF, Doctor Doctor, Empty Nest, The Golden Girls, Dream On, Mad About You, Boy Meets World, The Powers That Be, The Jackie Thomas Show, Rosanne, Friends, The Larry Sanders Show, Local Heroes, Wings, Caroline in the City, Ally McBeal, Fired Up, Suddenly Susan, Murphy Brown, Everybody Loves Raymond and Ellen. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 1998, A18; New York Times, Aug. 21, 1998, D17; People, Sept. 7, 1998, 89; TV Guide, Oct. 10, 1998, 5; Variety, Aug. 24, 1998, 37.

Leopold, Ethelreda Ethelreda Leopold died of natural causes in Los Angeles, California, on January 26, 1998. She was 80. Leopold began her career as a teenage model before being signed by Warner to be in Busby Berkeley’s chorus line for the 1934 film

1998 • Obituaries

Dames. She appeared in small parts in several films and shorts in the 1930s and 1940s including A Lost Lady (1934), A Pain in the Pullman (1936), Great Guy (1936), Top of the Town (1937), Back to the Woods (1937), From Bad to Worse (1937), You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939), City for Conquest (1940), Angels Over Broadway (1940), In the Sweet Pie and Pie (1941), Balls of Fire (1941), Voodoo Man (1944), G.I. Wanna Go Home (1946), Lured (1947) and The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947). In recent years Leopold appeared in various television commercials. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12, 1998, A24; New York Times, Feb. 23, 1998, A16.

Levy, Edmond Academy Award–winning documentary filmmaker Edmond A. Levy died of cancer in Manhattan on October 10, 1998. He was 69. Levy was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1929. He produced and directed over 120 documentaries during his career. Levy received an Oscar for his 1966 documentary about the Vista volunteer program, A Year Toward Tomorrow. He was also nominated for Academy Awards for the short films While We Run This Race (1967) and Beyond Silence. Levy also directed the 1980 telefilm Mom, the Wolfman and Me starring Patty Duke. New York Times, Oct. 21, 1998, C27.

Lewis, Bobo

Ethelreda Leopold

Comic actress Bobo Lewis died of cancer in a New York hospital on October 30, 1998. She was 72. Lewis was born in Miami, Florida, in 1926. She began her film career in the early 1960s, appearing in The Interns (1962), It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Hootenanny Hoot (1963), Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), Way … Way Out (1966), Which Way to the Front? (1970), The Wild Party (1975), The Savage (1975), Can’t Stop the Music (1980), Arthur (1981), Running on Empty (1988), Her Alibi (1989), Miami Blues (1990), The Paper (1994) and 1998’s One True Thing. Lewis also appeared as Midge Smoot on the children’s television series Shining Time Station in the early 1990s. Her other television credits include several epi-

Obituaries • 1998

130

Janet Lewis

Bobo Lewis

sodes of Bewitched, The Monkees, That Girl and Bonanza. New York Times, Nov. 13, 1998, B14.

Lewis, George Draper Television writer and producer George Draper Lewis died of natural causes in Palm Desert, California, on January 4, 1998. He was 89. Lewis began his career as a staff writer for CBS Radio in the late 1930s, where he wrote such programs as The Camel Caravan. Lewis moved to television in 1950, where he worked on The Arthur Godfrey Show. He also wrote for Coke Time with Eddie Fisher and the Bell Telephone Hour. He joined David Wolper Productions in the early 1960s where he produced and wrote segments for the series Biography, Hollywood and Men in Crisis. He worked with Chuck Baris Productions, writing The Dating Game, in 1965. Lewis also wrote and produced the series That’s Hollywood, Those Amazing Animals and That’s Incredible!.

Lewis, Janet Novelist and poet Janet Lewis died in Los Altos, California, on December 1, 1998. She was 99. Lewis was born in Chicago on August 17,

1899. She began writing poetry attending the University of Chicago, She married poet and critic Yvor Winters in 1926. Lewis was best known for her 1941 historical novel The Wife of Martin Guerre. The book was adapted several times into plays and films, notably the 1982 French film The Return of Martin Guerre and the 1993 U.S. production Sommersby starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster. After her husband’s death in 1968 she edited his work in Collected Poems. She also compiled her own work in Poems Old and New, 1918-1979. Her final publication was 1994’s Dear Past. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 1998; Times (of London), Dec. 24, 1998, 19.

Lewis, Shari Puppeteer and children’s entertainer Shari Lewis died of uterine cancer at a Los Angeles hospital on August 2, 1998. She was 65. She was born Shari Hurwitz in New York City on January 17, 1934. The petite ventriloquist made her debut on television with her sock puppet, Lamb Chop, on The Captain Kangaroo Show in the mid–1950s. She soon had her own Saturday morning children’s show, The Shari Lewis Show, on NBC, where she was accompanied by the puppets Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse. The series aired from 1957 until 1963, when her show was replaced by cartoons. Lewis continued to perform on stage in Las Vegas. She also made numerous television appearances in such series as The Steve Allen Show, Arthur Murray Party, Patti Page Olds Show, Your Hit Parade, Pat Boone Chevy

131

1998 • Obituaries

Lisz, Gary Costume designer Gary Lisz died of a heart attack at a Manhattan hospital on August 11, 1998. He was 44. Lisz was born in Washington, D.C., in 1954. He began designing in the mid–1970s, and was soon creating costumes for ballets, operas and Broadway productions. His work was seen in the Broadway musicals Piaf and Sophisticated Ladies and the Off-Broadway production of A Couple of White Chicks Sittin’ Around Talkin’. He designed the costumes for the 1982 film I’m Dancing as Fast As I Can and the ABC television production of The Elephant Man in 1982. He also worked on the 1997 independent film Central Park for Ethan Silverman. New York Times, Aug. 15, 1998, D16.

Little Bear, Steven Shari Lewis

Showroom, The Garry Moore Show, The Andy Williams Show, Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall, The Ford Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jack Paar Show, U.S. Steel Hour, Car 54, Where Are You?, The Jack Benny Program, The Match Game, The Danny Kaye Show, To Tell the Truth, The Dean Martin Show, Hollywood Palace and Love, American Style. Lewis also appeared in a dramatic role on television’s spy spoof Man from U.N.C.L.E. and scripted an episode of Star Trek, “The Lights of Zetar.” She was the voice of Princess Nidor on the cartoon series The Banana Splits Adventure Hour in 1968. In recent years Lewis hosted the PBS children’s series Lamb Chop’s Play-Along and 1998’s The Charlie Horse Music Pizza. Lewis received twelve Emmy Awards during her career. She had been diagnosed with cancer several months earlier and developed pneumonia while undergoing chemotherapy. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 4, 1998, B1; New York Times, Aug. 4, 1998, B7; People, Aug. 17, 1998, 82; Time, Aug. 17, 1998, 23; Times (of London), Aug. 8, 1998, 21a; TV Guide, Aug. 29, 1998, 36; Variety, Aug. 10, 1998, 52; Washington Post, Aug. 4, 1998, B4.

Canadian wrestler Steven Little Bear died on September 29, 1998. Little Bear, whose real name was Steve Kovacs, held the Canadian Tag Team wrestling titles several time in the early 1970s. He remained a popular wrestler throughout the 1970s, appearing in Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and Louisiana.

Henry Livings

Livings, Henry British dramatist Henry Livings died in England on February 20, 1998. Living was born in Northern England on September 20, 1929. He began his career as a stage actor in the mid–1950s. He wrote his first play, Jack’s Horrible Luck, in

Obituaries • 1998

132

1956, which was eventually produced for the BBC. His subsequent plays include Stop It, Whoever You Are, Big Soft Nellie and Nil Carborundum. His 1964 surreal comedy Eh? was filmed with David Warner as Work Is a 4-Letter Word in 1967. Times (of London), Mar. 7, 1998, 25a.

appeared in the 1989 British tele-film Young Charlie Chaplin. Times (of London), May 4, 1998, 23a.

Lloyd, Kevin British actor Kevin Lloyd died in Rolleston, Staffordshire, England on May 2, 1998. He was 49. Lloyd was born in Derby, England, on March 28, 1949. He starred in the British television series Misfits in 1981. He starred as Detective Constable Alfred “Tosh” Lines in the ITV police series The Bill from 1983 until he was fired a week before his death for reportedly showing up on the set in a drunken condition. Lloyd’s other television credits include episodes of Coronation Street, Z Cars, The Sweeney, Minder and Auf Wiedersehen Pet. He was also featured in the 1982 film Britannia Hospital and Link in 1986. Lloyd also

Sam Locke

Locke, Sam Film, radio and television scriptwriter Sam Locke died in San Diego, California, on September 18, 1998. He was 81. Locke was born in Peabody, Massachusetts, in 1917. He began his career in radio, scripting segments for such series as Grand Central Station and Inner Sanctum. He subsequently wrote for television, scripting episodes of McHale’s Navy, The Flying Nun, The Brady Bunch, The Lucy Show and All in the Family. Locke also scripted several Paramount beach movies in the mid–1960s including Beach Ball (1965) and Girls on the Beach (1965). New York Times, Sept. 29, 1998, B9.

Loo, Bessie Kevin Lloyd

Chinese-American actress Bessie Loo died in Los Angeles on October 28, 1998. She was 96.

133 Loo was born in Hanford, California, on December 30, 1902. She appeared in several films in the 1930s including The Good Earth (1937) and Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939).

Jack Lord

Lord, Jack Jack Lord, the star of television’s Hawaii Five-O, died of congestive heart failure at his home in Honolulu on January 21, 1998. He was 77. Lord was born John Joseph Patrick Ryan in Brooklyn, New York, on December 30, 1920. He began his career on live television in the early 1950s. Lord also appeared in several Broadway plays including Elia Kazan’s production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Lord also made his film debut in the early 1950s, appearing in such features as The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (1956), The Vagabond King (1956), Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957), The True Story of Lynn Stuart (1958), Man of the West (1958), God’s Little Acre (1958), The Hangman (1959) and Walk Like a Dragon (1960). Lord appeared as CIA agent Felix Leiter in the first James Bond film Dr. No (1962) with Sean Connery. He played rodeo rider Stoney Burke in the short-lived television series of the same name in 1962 and 1963. He was also featured on television in episodes of Man Against Crime, Philco Television Playhouse, Omnibus, Climax!, Suspense, Studio One, Have Gun —Will Travel, Gunsmoke, The Millionaire, The Loretta Young Show, The Lineup, One Step Beyond, Rawhide, Bonanza, The Untouchables, Naked City, Checkmate, Route 66, The Reporter, Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre, The Out-

1998 • Obituaries

laws, Stagecoach West, Wagon Train, Twelve O’Clock High, The Invaders, Combat, Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Fugitive, The Loner, Laredo, The F.B.I., The Virginian, Ironside and High Chaparral. He began his twelve year run playing Detective Steve McGarrett in Hawaii Five-O in 1968, popularizing the catch-phrase “Book him, Danno.” Lord also directed several episodes of the series. He also appeared in the films The Ride to Hangman’s Tree (1967), The Name of the Game Is Kill (1968) and Counterfeit Killer (1968), and the tele-films The Doomsday Flight (1966) and M Station: Hawaii (1980), which he also directed. He subsequently retired from acting, remaining in Hawaii, where he had moved during the filming of Hawaii Five-O. Lord’s health had deteriorated in recent years and he and his wife lived in virtual seclusion. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 23, 1998, A3; New York Times, Jan. 23, 1998, D20; People, Feb. 9, 1998, 59; Time, Feb. 2, 1998, 17; Times (of London), Jan. 23, 1998, 25a; TV Guide, Feb. 21, 1998, 9; Variety, Jan. 26, 1998, 81.

Loren, Trinity Adult film actress Trinity Loren died of an overdose of prescription painkillers at her Burbank, California, home on October 26, 1998. She was 35. Loren was born Roxanne McPherson on August 21, 1963. She worked as a magazine model and dancer before entering the adult film industry. Loren was a leading performer in adult films

Trinity Loren

Obituaries • 1998

134

from the mid–1980s through the early 1990s, known for her large breasts, reportedly weighing over eight pounds each. She appeared in nearly 100 features including Taste of Genie (1986), Blonde on the Run (1986), Attack of the Monster Mammaries (1987), Filet-o-Breast (1988), Bright Lights Big Titties (1988), Dance Fire (1989), Bare Essence (1989), Double the Pleasure (1990), Cyrano (1991), The Coach’s Daughter (1992) and The Adventures of Breastman (1992).

Louther, William Dancer and choreographer William Louther died of cancer in a London hospital on May 7, 1998. He was 56. Louther was born in New York City on January 22, 1942. He joined Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre in the early 1960s and, after several years, joined Martha Graham’s company in 1965. Louther also performed on Broadway before moving to London in the late 1960s. He soon became principal dancer with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre in 1969. As a dancer and choreographer Louther was a leading figure in contemporary dance in Britain over the next three decades. New York Times, May 17, 1998, I37; Times (of London), May 19, 1998, 27a.

William Louther

Lovejoy, Joan Banks Character actress Joan Banks Lovejoy died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on January 18, 1998. She began her career on radio in the late 1930s, appearing on the Lux Radio Theater. She married character actor Frank Lovejoy in 1940. The couple remained wed until his death in 1962. Lovejoy appeared on television during the 1950s in episodes of Private Secretary, Perry Mason, I Love Lucy, G.E. Theater and the daytime soap opera Love of Life.

Low, Sky Low Midget wrestler Sky Low Low died in Montreal, Canada, on November 6, 1998. He was 70. He was born Marcel Gauthier in 1928. He became midget world wrestling champion following a tournament in 1949. Sky Low Low remained a popular attraction in wrestling through the 1970s against such other midget stars as Little Brutus, Frenchy LaMont and Little Beaver. He claimed the midget title for thirty years until his retirement.

Sky Low Low

135

1998 • Obituaries

Lowndes, Robert A.W. Author and editor Robert A.W. Lowndes died of renal cancer at a Newport, Rhode Island, nursing home on July 14, 1998. He was 81. Lowndes was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on September 4, 1916. He was an early fan of science fiction and began editing and writing for science fiction pulp magazines in the early 1940s. He edited Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction Quarterly and several other pulps for Columbia magazines through the 1960s. During the 1960s he edited such titles as Magazine of Horror, World-Wide Adventure and Weird Terror Tales. He was also editor of the Avalon science fiction book line from 1956 through 1968. Lowndes authored numerous stories for the pulps, often under pseudonyms. He also wrote several novels including The Duplicated Man (1953) with James Blish, Believers’ World (1961) and The Puzzle Planet (1961). Science Fiction Chronicle, Aug. 1998, 20.

Lyden, Pierce Veteran Western badman Pierce Lyden died of cancer at his home in Orange, California, on October 10, 1998. He was 90. Lyden was born on his father’s ranch in western Nebraska on January 8, 1908. He went to Hollywood in 1932, where he began playing bit parts at MGM. In the late 1930s Lyden began a career in Westerns, becoming one of filmdoms most prolific screen badmen. He went up against the likes of such Western heroes as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Wild Bill Elliott and Sunset Carson. A 1944 movie fan poll awarded Lyden with the title “Villain of the Year.” Lyden’s numerous film and serial credits include Fugitive from Sonora (1937), King of Dodge City (1941), Undercover Man (1942), Black Hills Express (1943), The Blocked Trail (1943), Border Patrol (1943), California Joe (1943), Canyon City (1943), the 1943 serial Daredevils of the West, Dead Man’s Gulch (1943), Death Valley Manhunt (1943), False Colors (1943), Riders of the Deadline (1943), Firebrands of Arizona (1944), Lumberjack (1944), Mystery Man (1944), Outlaws of Santa Fe (1944), San Fernando Valley (1944), Texas Masquerade (1944), Trigger Law (1944), West of the Rio Grande (1944), Bad Men of the Border (1945), The Cherokee Flash (1945), Code of the

Pierce Lyden

Lawless (1945), Flame of the West (1945), Trail to Vengeance (1945), Alias Billy the Kid (1946), Gentleman from Texas (1946), Rainbow Over Texas (1946), Roll on, Texas Moon (1946), Shadows on the Range (1946), Trigger Fingers (1946), Wild Beauty (1946), Adventures of Don Coyote (1947), The Fabulous Texan (1947), Raiders of the South (1947), Rustlers of Devil’s Canyon (1947), Six Gun Serenade (1947), the 1946 serial Son of Zorro, Song of the Wasteland (1947), Valley of Fear (1947), Back Trail (1948), Blazing Across the Pecos (1948), Crossed Trails (1948), Dead Man’s Gold (1948), Overland Trails (1948), The Rangers Ride (1948), Silver Trails (1948), Six-Gun Law (1948), The Big Sombrero (1949), Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949), Shadows of the West (1949), Sons of New Mexico (1949), the 1950 serial Cody of the Pony Express, Covered Wagon Raid (1950), the 1950 serial Roar of the Iron Horse, Twilight in the Sierras (1950), Man from Sonora (1951), Nevada Badmen (1951), Stage to Blue River (1951), Texas Lawmen (1951), Whistling Hills (1951), Canyon Ambush (1952), Carson City (1952), Kansas Territory (1952), Montana Belle (1952), Texas City (1952), Waco (1952), Wagon Team (1952), the 1954 serials Gunfighters of the Northwest and Riding with Buffalo Bill, the 1956 serials Blazing the Overland Trail and Perils of the Wilderness, The First Traveling Saleslady (1956), and Frontier Gambler

Obituaries • 1998

136

(1956). He continued to menace heroes on television in such series as The Cisco Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, The Roy Rogers Show, Space Patrol, The Gene Autry Show, Judge Roy Bean, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, Science Fiction Theatre, 26 Men, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. He also appeared in adventure films and serials other than Westerns including The Green Hornet Strikes Again (1940), Baby Face Morgan (1942), One Thrilling Night (1942), They Raid By Night (1942), Undercover Man (1942), Chatterbox (1943), Good Morning, Judge (1943), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), The Sea Hound (1947), The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948), The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949), Fury of the Congo (1950), Pygmy Island (1950), Mark of the Gorilla (1950), Blackhawk (1952), The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1955), Calypso Heat Wave (1957) and The Women of Pitcairn Island (1957). He retired from the screen after appearing in Columbia’s 1962 Western The Wild Westerners. He subsequently worked as a stagehand for theaters in Los Angeles, and was a spotlight operator at Disneyland and property master for Shipstad & Johnson’s Ice Follies before his retirement in 1973. Lyden became a popular guest at Western film festivals throughout the country, where fans were able to put a name to the famous face in so many films. He was also the author of several scrapbook style books about his career and the Westerns including The Movie Bad Men I Rode With and Those Saturday Serials. He was the recipient of the Golden Boot Award for his contributions to Westerns and was given the Buffalo Bill Award by Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson in 1997 for “outstanding contributions to quality family entertainment in the Cody tradition.”

McAllister, Bob Children’s television host Bob McAllister died of lung cancer at his Manhattan home on July 21, 1998. He was 63. McAllister, a magician and ventriloquist, hosted the children’s television series Wonderama from 1967 until 1977. He was accompanied by the dummy Chauncy and the dog Ralph. McAllister subsequently hosted the children’s series Kids Are People, Too, which received an Emmy Award. New York Times, July 22, 1998, A17.

Bob McAllister

McBay, Bobby Bobby McBay, bass player with Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys, died of complications from a stroke in Texarkana, Texas, on August 9, 1998. He was 60. McBay played the bass and drums with various bands before joining the Texas Playboys in 1963.

McCarthy, Helena British actress Helena McCarthy died in England of a heart attack on May 11, 1998. She was 89. McCarthy was born Helena Short in St. Anne’s, Lancashire, on October 18, 1908. She made her professional stage debut in the late 1920s and often performed in Croydon over the next several decades. From the early 1960s McCarthy became a familiar face on British television, appearing in episodes of The Avengers, The Bill, Inspector Morse, Casualty, Seekers, The Harry Enfield Show, Lovejoy, Heartbeat, Trial and Retribution, Jonathan Creek, Absolutely Fabulous, Game On!, Press Gang and Hot Metal. She was featured in a television production of The Old Curiosity Shop. She starred as Maeve Brett in the 1987 British series The Bretts and was Sister Aelred in the 1994 mini-series Body and Soul. She was also a regular performer in the British series The Missing Postman in 1996 and An Unsuitable Job for a Woman in 1998. She also appeared in the tele-films First and Last (1989), Crossing the Floor (1996), Lord of Misrule (1996) and Mr. White Goes

137

1998 • Obituaries

Linda McCartney (with husband Paul).

hits including the song “Mull of Kintyre.” She also appeared with Paul in the rock documentary films Rock Show (Wings Over the World ) (1979) and Get Back (1991), and the 1984 musical comedy Give My Regards to Broad Street. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 21, 1998, B8; New York Times, Apr. 20, 1998, B10; Newsweek, May 4, 1998, 64; People, May 4, 1998, 98; Time, May 4, 1998, 27; Times (of London), Apr, 21, 1998, 23a; Variety, Ar. 27, 1998, 74; Washington Post, Apr. 20, 1998, B4. Helena McCarthy

to Westminster (1997). She was also featured in several films including The Wicked Lady (1983) with Faye Dunaway and Staggered (1994). McCarthy was scheduled to film an episode of the television series Hettie Washington Investigates shortly before her death.

McDade, Butch David H. “Butch” McDade, drummer and founding member of the Amazing Rhythm Aces

McCartney, Linda Linda McCartney, the wife of Beatle Paul McCartney, died of breast cancer on April 19, 1998. She was 56. She was born Linda Louise Eastman in New York on September 24, 1941. She was a successful photographer for such magazines as Rolling Stone and Town and Country when she met Paul McCartney in 1967. They were married in March of 1969. McCartney formed a new band, Wings, following the breakup of the Beatles and Linda taught herself to play the piano and joined the group. The group had several major

Butch McDade (right, with The Amazing Rhythm Aces).

Obituaries • 1998

138

band, died of cancer in Maryville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1998. He was 52. McDade was a co-founder of the band in 1974 and wrote such hits as “Pretty Words,” “The Beautiful Lie” and “Last Letter Home.” He remained with the band until it broke up in 1980. McDade also played drums for Leon Russell, Tanya Tucker and Roy Clark.

McDowall, Roddy Actor Roddy McDowall, who began his career as a child actor in England in the late 1930s and continued as a leading character star through the 1990s, died of cancer at his Los Angeles home on October 3, 1998. He was 70. McDowall was born Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall in Herne Hill, London, England, on September 17, 1928. He made his film debut at the age of eight in the 1936 British film Murder in the Family. He appeared in a handful of films in England including Scruff y (1938), Hey! Hey! USA (1938), Poison Pen (1939), The Outsider (1939), Dead Man’s Shoes (1939), Just William (1939), Saloon Bar (1940) and This England (1941). He was

Roddy McDowall

sent to the United States during the London Blitz in 1940. McDowall received acclaim for his performance as Huw in William Wyler’s How Green Was My Valley in 1941. He remained a popular performer in such films as Man Hunt (1941), Confirm or Deny (1941), Son of Fury (1942), The Pied Piper (1942), On the Sunny Side (1942), My Friend Flicka (1943), Lassie Come Home (1943) where he co-starred with his long-time friend Elizabeth Taylor, The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Thunderhead — Son of Flicka (1945), Molly and Me (1945), Holiday in Mexico (1946), Rocky (1948), Macbeth (1948), Kidnapped (1948), Tuna Clipper (1949), Black Midnight (1949), Killer Sharp (1950) and The Steel Fist (1952). During the 1950s McDowall largely performed on stage and television, where he appeared in episodes of such series as Family Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Celanese Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Kraft Television Theatre, Broadway Television Theatre, Medallion Theatre, Campbell Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Presents, Goodyear Television Playhouse, General Electric Theatre, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Matinee Theater, The Alcoa Hour, Suspicion, Playhouse 90, The U.S. Steel Hour, Oldsmobile Music Theatre and The DuPont Show of the Month. He returned to the screen as an adult in 1960, appearing in the films The Subterraneans (1960), Midnight Lace (1960), The Longest Day (1962), Cleopatra (1963) as Octavian, Shock Treatment (1964), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Loved One (1965), That Darn Cat (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1966), Lord Love a Duck (1966), The Defector (1966), The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967), The Cool Ones (1967) and the 1967 British horror film It! He also continued to appear on television and was featured memorably in such series as The Twilight Zone, Naked City, Arrest and Trial, The Eleventh Hour, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Combat!, Batman as the villainous Bookworm, The Invaders, It Takes a Thief, Night Gallery, McCloud, Mission: Impossible, Journey to the Unknown, The Delphi Bureau, McMillan and Wife and Harry O. McDowall, under heavy makeup, starred in the 1968 science fiction classic Planet of the Apes as Cornelius. Though he skipped the 1970 sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, he reprised the role opposite Kim Hunter’s Dr. Zira in 1971’s Escape from the Planet of the

139 Apes, and played the ape heir Caesar in the two final films of the series Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). McDowall also starred as Galen in the 1974 Planet of the Apes television series inspired by the films. He also starred in such diverse films as the 1968 Western Five Card Stud with Dean Martin, Hello Down There (1969), Midas Run (1969), Angel Angel Down We Go (Cult of the Damned ) (1969), Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971), the 1971 Disney fantasy Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Legend of Hell House (1973), Arnold (1973), Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974), Funny Lady (1975) with Barbra Streisand, Mean Johnny Barrows (1976), Embryo (1976), Sixth and Main (1977), Laserblast (1978), Disney’s The Cat from Outer Space (1978), Circle of Iron (1979), Scavenger Hunt (1979), The Black Hole (1979), Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981), Agatha Christie’s Evil Under the Sun (1982), Class of 1984 (1982), Fright Night (1985) and its 1989 sequel Fright Night, Part II as horror host Peter Vincent, Dead of Winter (1987), Overboard (1987), Doin’ Time on Planet Earth (1988), The Big Picture (1989), Cutting Class (1989), Shakma (1990), Going Under (1991), The Naked Target (1991), Double Trouble (1991), Angel 4: Undercover (1993), Mirror Mirror 2: Raven Dance (1994), The Color of Evening (1994), Star Hunter (1995), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995), It’s My Party (1995), The Grass Harp (1995), Fatally Yours (1995), Something to Believe In (1997) and The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo (1997). McDowall also directed the 1971 film The Devil’s Widow (Tam Lin) starring Ava Gardner. He remained active on television, starring as the villainous Jonathan Willoway in the 1977 sci-fi series Fantastic Journey, and as Bon Chance Louie in the 1982 adventure series Tales of the Gold Monkey. He also appeared in the tele-films Terror in the Sky (1971), A Taste of Evil (1971), What’s a Nice Girl Like You….? (1971), Miracle on 34th Street (1974), The Elevator (1974), Flood! (1976), The Rhinemann Exchange (1977), The Thief of Baghdad (1978), The Immigrants (1978), J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Return of the King (1980) as the voice of Samwise, The Memory of Eva Ryker (1980), Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles (1980), The Million Dollar Face (1981), Mae West (1982), Robin Hood (1983), This Girl for Hire (1983), Alice in Wonderland (1985) as the

1998 • Obituaries

March Hare, Hollywood Wives (1985), The Wind in the Willows (1987), Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days (1989), An Inconvenient Woman (1991), Earth Angel (1991), Deadly Game (1991), Sidney Sheldon’s The Sands of Time (1992), Heads (1993), Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is (1994), Unknown Origin (The Alien Within) (1995), Unlikely Angel (1996) and Dead Man’s Island (1996). His other television credits include episodes of Wonder Woman, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Supertrain, Fantasy Island, A Man Called Sloane, Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, The Wizard, Mork and Mindy, Small and Frye, the Remo Williams pilot, Nightmare Classics 1989 production of Carmilla, Quantum Leap, Dream On and Remember WENN. He was also a voice actor in the animated series Pinky and the Brain, Gargoyles, GoBots and Batman as the Mad Hatter. McDowall was also the voice of Mr. Soil in the 1998 animated film A Bug’s Life. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 1998, A3; New York Times, Oct. 4, 1998, 51; People, Oct. 19, 1998, 161; Time, Oct. 12, 1998, 29; Times (of London), Oct. 3, 1998, 25a; Variety, Oct. 12, 1998, 55; Washington Post, Oct. 4, 1998, B6.

McEnroe, Robert Playwright Robert E. McEnroe died at a West Hartford, Connecticut, nursing home on February 6, 1998. He was 82. McEnroe was born on July 1, 1916. He was best known for writing the play The Silver Whistle, which premiered on Broadway in the late 1940s. The play was picked up by Hollywood, where it was adapted into a vehicle for Clifton Webb’s Mr. Belvedere character. It was released as Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell in 1951. McEnroe also wrote the 1961 Broadway musical, Donnybrook!, based on the story The Quiet Man. New York Times, Feb. 15, 1998, I44.

Mackenzie, Jackie British television performer Jackie Mackenzie died in England on October 10, 1998. She was 71. Mackenzie was born in India of British parents on November 6, 1926. She began performing on stage in the late 1940s. Mackenzie joined

Obituaries • 1998

140 Discovering America documentaries in the late 1950s. Mackenzie’s career suffered following a highly publicized divorce from author Peter Forster in 1962 and the subsequent revelation that she was a lesbian. She became a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front in 1972 and was a frequent guest on television programs discussing lesbianism and feminism. Times (of London), Oct. 28, 1998, 23a.

McKinney, Gregory

Robert McEnroe

the BBC as a travel reporter in the 1950s, appearing on such programs as Tonight and Harding Finds Out. She covered Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Rainier for British television in 1956 and appeared in the mini-series Hotfoot and Highlight. Mackenzie also appeared in small parts in several films including You’re Only Young Once (1952), The Dambusters (1955) and Lilacs in the Spring (1955). She also starred in the television sit-com Trouble for Two in 1958 and hosted three

Jackie Mackenzie

Actor Gregory McKinney died in Los Angeles on April 12, 1998. He was 41. McKinney was born in Los Angeles on February 7, 1957. He served in the United States Air Force and as a police officer before beginning a career in films in the late 1980s. He was featured in such films as Suspect (1987), Vietnam War Story: The Last Days (1989), Navy SEALS (1990), Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight (1991), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Mortal Kombat (1995), Money Train (1995) and Eraser (1996). McKinney was Lt. Ozzie Bird in the short-lived television drama series Dangerous Curves in 1992 and starred as Duncan Laurant in the mini-series Trade Winds in 1993. His other television appearances include episodes of Hardball, Babylon Five and JAG.

Gregory McKinney

141

Mackintosh, Robert Costume designer Robert Mackintosh died of emphysema at his Manhattan apartment on February 13, 1998. He was 72. Mackintosh began his career as a costume designer on Broadway in 1952 with the musical Wish You Were Here. He designed Angela Lansbury’s costumes for the 1966 production of Mame. His other stage credits include the 1975 revival of Gypsy and the 1992 touring production of Bye Bye Birdie. Mackintosh also designed for television and nightclubs for such performers as Bette Davis, Susan Hayward and Ginger Rogers. He was also the author of two novels, Silk and A Heritage of Lies. New York Times, Feb. 14, 1998, A11.

MacLean, Bryan Rock musician Bryan MacLean died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles restaurant on December 25, 1998. He was 52. MacLean was born in Los Angeles on September 25, 1946. He and Arthur Lee were co-founders for the 1960s musical group Love. The band recorded three albums including 1967’s Forever Changes. MacLean also wrote Love’s best known song, “Alone Again Or.” After leaving Love he later led the Bryan

Bryan MacLean (far right, with Love)

1998 • Obituaries

MacLean Band and Lone Justice in the 1970s and early 1980s. He also wrote the country song “Don’t Toss Us Away,” which was a hit for Patty Loveless in 1988. Fellow Love band member Ken Forssi died of cancer the previous January. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 29, 1998; Times (of London), Jan. 1, 1999, 19a.

McLean, Lenny British actor Lenny McLean died of cancer in England on July 28, 1998. He was 49. McLean was born in London on April 9, 1949. He became a professional boxer after serving over a year in prison for petty crimes. He also worked as a bouncer, and was again imprisoned in 1992 when someone he ejected from a club died of his injuries. He was released from prison two years later and began acting in the television series The Knock. He also had roles in the films The Fifth Element (1997) with Bruce Willis and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998). McLean published his autobiography, The Guv’nor, shortly before his death. Times (of London), Aug. 1, 1998, 21a.

Lenny McLean

Obituaries • 1998

142

McQueen, Terry Leslie Terry Leslie McQueen, the daughter of late film star Steve McQueen, died of respiratory failure in a Los Angeles hospital on March 18, 1998. She was 38. Ms. McQueen had suffered from numerous health problems and was recovering from a liver transplant operation from the previous November. She was the head of Red Line, a Malibu film production company, at the time of her death. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 21, 1998, A20.

Maddox, Rose Country singer Rose Maddox died of kidney failure at an Ashland, Oregon, rest home on April 15, 1998. She was 72. Maddox was born on August 15, 1925. She accompanied her family from their home in Big Wills Valley, Alabama, to travel to California in 1933. She and her brothers, Cal, Henry, Dan, Fred and Cliff formed The Maddox Brothers and Rose band when Maddox was 12. They became popular performers during the 1940s, becoming known as “the Most Colorful Hillbilly Band in America.” Rose began a solo career after the group split up in 1956. She was named the Top Female Country Vocalist of 1963 by Cashbox magazine. Maddox continued to perform through 1997, despite failing health. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 17, 198, A28; New York Times, Apr. 18, 1998, D16.

Rose Maddox (center, with brothers Cal, Henry, Dan and Fred)

Joseph Maher (United Artists).

Maher, Joseph Character actor Joseph Maher died of a brain tumor in Los Angeles on July 17, 1998. He was 64. Maher was born in Westport, County Galway, Ireland , on December 29, 1934. He began his career on stage in a production of The Taming of the Shrew in Toronto, Canada. He was a leading performer on Broadway appearing in Eh?, The Hostage, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, What the Butler Saw, 84 Charing Cross Road and American Buffalo. He received Tony nominations for his work in Spokesong, Night and Day and Loot. Maher also appeared in numerous films from the late 1970s including Heaven Can Wait (1978) as Warren Beatty’s butler Sisk, Time After Time (1979), Those Lips, Those Eyes (1980), Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), Under the Rainbow (1981), Diary of the Dead (1981), Going Ape! (1981), I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982), the 1984 short Frankenweenie, The Evil That Men Do (1984), My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), Funny Farm (1988), Sister Act (1992) with Whoopie Goldberg, Killer (1994), I.Q. (1994), The Shadow (1994), Surviving Picasso (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996) and In &

143 Out (1997). He was also a popular performer on television starring in the daytime soap opera Another World as Leonard Brooks in 1975 and appearing as Whitney Foxton on The Guiding Light in 1978. He was St. Peter in the 1987 comedy series Second Chance and was Brian Allquist in Anything but Love from 1989 until 1990. He starred as Chancellor Willoughby in the 1996 series Goode Behavior and was Mr. John in Style and Substance in 1998. He also appeared in the telefilms My Father’s House (1975), My Old Man (1979), Will There Really Be a Morning? (1982), Bigfoot (1987), Partners (1994) and Baby Brokers (1994). He was also featured in episodes of Wonder Woman, St. Elsewhere, Faerie Tale Theatre, ALF, Gimme a Break!, thirtysomething, Tales from the Crypt and Seinfeld. Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1998, A14; New York Times, July 21, 1998, D21; TV Guide, Oct. 17, 1998, 7; Variety, July 27, 1998, 65.

1998 • Obituaries

early 1950s he began singing in films, including the popular Arzoo (Desire). Mahmood also performed in several films in the 1950s including Waris (Successor) (1954) and Sone Ki Chidiya (The Golden Bird ). Mahmood’s singing style lost favor in the early 1960s and his career largely languished.

Mambety, Djibril Diop Senegalese film director Djibril Diop Mambety died of cancer in Paris on July 23, 1998. He was 53. Mambety was born in Dakar, Senegal, in January of 1945. He began his career in films with the short, Badou Boy, in 1966. His first feature, Contrast City, was made two years later. He was best known for the critically acclaimed Touki Bouki in 1973. Mambety also directed Hyenes (1991) and Le Franc (1994).

Mahmood, Talat Indian singer and actor Talat Mahmood died on May 9, 1998. He was 74. Mahmood was born in Lucknow, India, on February 24, 1924. He began singing on the radio in his teens, which led to acting roles on stage in Calcutta. In the

Djibril Diop Mambety

Mankowitz, Wolf

Talat Mahmood

British screenwriter and novelist Wolf Mankowitz died of cancer in County Cork, Ireland, on May 20, 1998. He was 73. Mankowitz was

Obituaries • 1998

144

David Manners Wolf Mankowitz

born in the East End of London on November 7, 1924. He began his career writing poetry and literary criticism in the late 1940s. His first novel, Make Me an Offer, was adapted for the screen in 1955. He also scripted the 1955 film A Kid for Two Farthings and adapted his play, The Bespoke Overcoat, for the screen in 1956. Mankowitz also scripted the films The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960), The Millionairess (1960), The Long and the Short and the Tall (1960), Expresso Bongo (1960), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Waltz of the Toreadors (1962), Where the Spies Are (1965), The 25th Hour (1967), the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale, Black Beauty (1971), The Hero (1972), Treasure Island (1973), The Hireling (1973) and Almonds and Raisins (1984). He also wrote the 1976 British mini-series Dickens of London. Mankowitz was also the author of several other novels including The Devil in Texas (1984), Gioconda (1987), The Magic Cabinet of Professor Smucker (1988), Exquisite Cadaver (1990) and, his last, A Night with Casanova (1991). New York Times, May 28, 1998, B9; Times (of London), May 22, 1998, 25a; Variety, June 1, 1998, 57.

Manners, David Actor David Manners died in a Santa Barbara, California, nursing home on December 23, 1998. He was 97. Manners was best known for his role as leading man Jonathan Harker in the 1930

horror classic Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. Manners also starred with Boris Karloff in 1932’s The Mummy, and with both horror legends, Karloff and Lugosi, in 1934’s The Black Cat. Manners was born Rauff Acklom in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on April 30, 1901. He began his career on the stage in New York after attending the University of Toronto. He went to Hollywood in the early 1930s, where his film credits include The Truth About Youth (1930), Journey’s End (1930), He Knew Women (1930), Sweet Mama (1930), Kismet (1930), Mother’s Cry (1930), The Right to Love (1930), The Ruling Voice (1931), The Miracle Woman (1931), The Millionaire (1931), The Last Flight (1931), Beauty and the Boss (1931), Stranger in Town (1932), Man Wanted (1932), Lady with a Past (1932), The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932), Crooner (1932), A Bill of Divorcement (1932) with Katharine Hepburn in her screen debut, They Call It Sin (1932), The Warrior’s Husband (1933), The Torch Singer (1933), Roman Scandals (1933), The Girl in 419 (1933), The Devil’s in Love (1933), The Death Kiss (1933), From Hell to Heaven (1933), The Luck of a Sailor (1934), The Great Flirtation (1934), The Moonstone (1934), The Perfect Clue (1935), Jalna (1935), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935), Hearts in Bondage (1936) and A Woman Rebels (1936). He subsequently retired from the screen. He returned to acting in 1946 to appear on Broadway in the plays Truckline Cafe and Hidden Horizon. In his later years Manners also wrote several philosophical works including Awakening from the Dream of Me and The Soundless Voice, and the novels Convenient Season and Under Running Laughter. He spent his final years in a nursing home.

145 Los Angeles Times, Jan. 4, 1999; New York Times, Jan. 3, 1998, A21.

Manners, Dorothy Hollywood columnist Dorothy Manners Haskell died at her home in Palm Springs on August 25, 1998. She was 95. The Texas-born Manners came to Hollywood as a teenager and worked in several films directed by Cecil B. DeMille. She also co-starred with Buck Jones in the 1923 film Snowdrift. She subsequently began writing for the Hollywood Citizen and The Los Angeles Times. She went to work for syndicated columnist Louella Parsons as an assistant in 1935. Manners took over the column when Parsons retired in 1965. She continued to write the column until 1977. New York Times, Aug. 29, 1998, A11; People, Sept. 14, 1998, 203; Variety, Sept. 7, 1998, 84.

Manuguerra, Matteo French operatic baritone Matteo Manuguerra died of congestive heart failure and complications from a stroke in Montpellier, France, on July 23, 1998. He was 73. Manuguerra was born in Tunis to Italian parents in October of 1924. He made his operatic debut in a 1963 pro-

Matteo Manuguerra

1998 • Obituaries

duction of Gounod’s Faust. Manuguerra joined the Paris Opera three years later, where he performed in productions of Rigoletto, La Traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor. He made his United States debut with the San Francisco Opera in 1968 and performed in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Metropolitan Opera in 1971. He became a popular performer at the Met, appearing in productions of Rigoletto, Cavalleria Rusticana and Aida. New York Times, July 29, 1998, A17.

Marais, Jean Leading French film actor Jean Marais died after a long illness at a hospital in Cannes, France, on November 8, 1998. He was 84. Marais was born in Cherbourg, France, on December 11, 1913. He was best known for his performance as the Beast in Jean Cocteau’s 1946 fantasy classic Beauty and the Beast. Marais was an apprentice photographer before meeting Cocteau, who became his mentor and lover from the late 1930s until the poet’s death in 1963. Marais’ numerous film credits include Carmen (1942), The Eternal Return (1943), Ruy Blas (1947), Les Chouans (1947), The Eagle Has Two Heads (1947), Souvenir (1948), Mayerling (1948), The Storm Within (1948), Orpheus (1949), Miracles n’ont lieu qu’une fois (1950), L’Amante di una note (1950), Le Chateau de verre (1950), Nez de cuir (1951), La Conciencia acusa (1952), L’Amour Madame (1952), Julietta (1953), Girls’ Dormitory (1953), The Count of Monte Cristo (1953), Les Amants de minuit (1953), L’Appel du destin (1953), Affairs in Versailles (1954) as King Louis XV, Le Guerisseur (1954), Toute la ville accuse (1955), Si Paris nous etait conte (1955), Goubbiah, mon amour (1955), Joy of Living (1955), Napoleon (1955), Elena and Her Men (1956), White Nights (1957), La Tour, prends garde! (1957), Chaque jour a son secret (1957), Nude in His Pocket (1957), Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1957), S.O.S. Noronha (1957), La Vie a deux (1958), Le Bossu (1959), Princesse de Cleves (1960), Captain Blood (1960), Capitan Fracassa (1960), The Testament of Orpheus (1960), The Battle of Austerlitz (1960), The Rape of the Sabine Women (1961), Napoleon II, l’aiglon (1961), Le Miracles des loups (1961), Pontius Pilate (1962), The Mysteries of Paris (1962), The Iron Mask (1962), The Reluctant Spy (1963), Thomas the Im-

Obituaries • 1998

146

Marasco, Robert Novelist and playwright Robert Marasco died of lung cancer at a Manhasset, New York, hospital on December 6, 1998. He was 62. Marasco was born in the Bronx in 1936. He was best known for writing an eerie play about evil at a Roman Catholic boys’ school. Child’s Play opened on Broadway to critical and popular success in 1970. It was adapted by director Sidney Lumet into a film starring James Mason, Beau Bridges and Robert Preston in 1972. The following year Marasco wrote his first novel, Burnt Offerings. The tale of a haunted house that possesses its inhabitants was filmed with Bette Davis, Oliver Reed and Karen Black in 1976. Marasco also wrote the novel Parlor Games and had recently completed a new play, Our Sally, at the time of his death. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 11, 1998, B15; Washington Post, Dec. 14, 1998, E7. Jean Marais (from Beauty and the Beast).

poster (1964), Man from Cocody (1964) Pleins feux sur Stanislas (1965), Train d’enfer (1966) and Sept hommes et une garce (1966). During the 1960s Marais played the duals roles of French super criminal Fantomas and his antagonist, the reporter Fandor, in three films —Fantomas (1964), Fantomas Strikes Back (1965) and Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (1967). He continued to appear in such films as The Saint Lies in Wait (1966) as Simon Templar, The Provocation (1969), Peau d’ane (aka Donkey Skin) (1970), Jaque mate (1970), Parking (1985) as the Devil, Shipwrecked Children (1992) and Les Miserables (1995). His final film performance was in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1996 production of Stolen Beauty. Marais was also a leading stage performer and the author of several books. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 1998, A22; New York Times, Nov. 2, 1998, B11; People, Nov. 30, 1998, 160; Time, Nov. 23, 1998, 41; Times (of London), Nov. 10, 1998, 21a; Variety, Nov. 16, 1998, 47; Washington Post, Nov. 11, 1998, B8.

Robert Marasco

147

1998 • Obituaries

Marshall, E.G.

Betty Marsden

Marsden, Betty British actress Betty Marsden died of a heart attack in an actor’s convalescent home in Ruislip, West London, England, on July 18, 1998. She was 79. Marsden was born in Liverpool on February 24, 1919. She began performing at an early age and made her London stage debut in 1931. She was a popular stage actress, known for her comic skills, throughout World War II. She was best known for starring with Kenneth Horne and Kenneth Williams in the radio comedy series Beyond Our Ken and Round the House from 1958 through the late 1960s. Marsden created such memorable characters as Fanny Haddock, Dame Celia Volestrangler and Lady Beatrice Counterblast. During her career Marsden also appeared in several films including The Sky Raiders (1938), Ships with Wings (1941), Chance Meeting (1954), The Big Day (1960), Carry on Regardless (1961), The Boys (1961), The Wild Affair (1963), The Leather Boys (1963), Carry on Camping (1969), The Best House in London (1969), Sudden Terror (1970), Lindsay Anderson’s Britannia Hospital (1982), The Dresser (1983) and 1988’s Little Dorrit. She also appeared on television in episodes of The Bill, Inspector Morse, The Darling Buds of May, Casualty, The Cabbage Patch, Blake’s 7 and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. She continued to perform until shortly before her death. Times (of London), July 21, 1998, 21a.

Veteran character actor E.G. Marshall died at his home in Bedford, New York, on August 24, 1998. He was 84. Marshall was born in Owatonna, Minnesota, on June 18, 1914 (some sources say 1910). Marshall began his career on stage, eventually appearing on Broadway in such productions as The Skin of Our Teeth (1942) and Jacobowsky and the Colonel (1944). He made his film debut in 1945’s The House on 92nd Street. His other film credits include 13 Rue Madeleine (1946), Untamed Fury (1947), Call Northside 777 (1948), The Caine Mutiny (1954), Broken Lance (1954), Pushover (1954), The Silver Chalice (1954), The Bamboo Prison (1955), The Left Hand of God (1955), The Mountain (1956), The Scarlet Hour (1956), Twelve Angry Men (1957), Man on Fire (1957), The Bachelor Party (1957), The Buccaneer (1958), The Journey (1959), Compulsion (1959), Cash McCall (1960), Town Without Pity (1961), Is Paris Burning? (1966), The Chase (1966), The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966) and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). Marshall became a familiar face on television, starring as Lawrence Preston on the legal drama series The Defenders from 1961 until 1965, earning him two Emmy Awards as best actor. He also starred as Dr. David Craig in The New Doctors medical drama segment of The Bold Ones from 1969 until 1973. He was also the narrator for the 1981 series The Gangster Chronicles and was Dr. Frazier in the short lived sci-fi series The Phoenix in 1981. Marshall played Joseph Kennedy in the 1983 mini-series Kennedy, was President Grant in the 1988 mini-series Emma: Queen of the South Seas, and was Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1989 mini-series War and Remembrance. He also starred as Dr. Arthur Thurmond during the first season of the medical drama Chicago Hope from 1994 until 1995. Marshall appeared on television from the early 1950s in episodes of such series as Television Theatre, Actors Studio, Philco Playhouse, Studio One, Danger, Kraft Theatre, Lights Out, Police Story, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Goodyear Playhouse, The Web, Suspense, Omnibus, Elgin Hour, Producers Showcase, You Are There, Inner Sanctum, G.E. Theatre, Pond’s Theatre, 20th Century–Fox Hour, Playwrights ’56, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Alcoa Hour, Playhouse 90, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Shirley Temple’s Story Book, Pursuit, Sunday Showcase, Play of the Week, Moment of Fear, Route 66, Islanders, Rawhide, Dupont

Obituaries • 1998

148 General John Mitchell and Absolute Power (1997) with Clint Eastwood. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 26, 1998, A14; New York Times, Aug. 26, 1998, D18; Newsweek, Sept. 7, 1998, 73; People, Sept. 7, 1998, 83; Time, Sept. 7, 1998, 29; TV Guide, Oct. 10, 1998, 25; Variety, Aug. 31, 1998, 107; Washington Post, Aug. 26, 1998, B6.

Martin, Rosemary

E.G. Marshall

Show of the Month, Paris 7000, The Brady Bunch, Men from Shiloh, Night Gallery, Ellery Queen, Ironside, The Virginian, the 1985 Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Equalizer and The Cosby Show. He also appeared in the tele-films The Littlest Angel (1969), A Clear and Present Danger (1970), The City (1971), Vanished (1971), Pursuit (1972), Money to Burn (1973), Collision Course (1975), The Abduction of Saint Anne (1975), The Lazarus Syndrome (1978), Flesh & Blood (1979), Disaster on the Coastliner (1979), Vampire (1979), The Phoenix (1981), Eleanor, First Lady of the World (1982), Saigon: Year of the Cat (1983), The Winter of Our Discontent (1983), Under Siege (1986), At Mother’s Request (1987), The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro (1989), Ironclads (1991), Stephen King’s The Tommyknockers (1993), The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) and Miss Evers’ Boys (1997). He also reprised his role as Lawrence Preston in the reunion tele-films The Defenders: Payback (1997) and The Defenders: Choice of Evils (1998). He also remained active in films, appearing in The Pursuit of Happiness (1971), Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977), The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), Interiors (1978), Superman II (1981) as the President, Creepshow (1982), My Chauffeur (1986), Power (1986), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Consenting Adults (1992), Nixon (1995) as Attorney

British actress Rosemary Martin died in England on August 14, 1998. She was 61. Martin was born in England on December 17, 1936. She took an interest in acting at an early age and began a successful career on stage with her performance in Noel Coward’s Private Lives in 1963. She achieved notice as the model in the 1974 production of David Storey’s Life Class and also appeared on stage in Early Days (1980) and Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man (1980). Martin was also a familiar face on British television, starring as Vera Johnson in the 1981 television series Tenko. She also appeared in the series Last of the Summer Wine (1973), Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt

Rosemary Martin

149 (1974), Pie in the Sky (1993) and Outside Edge (1994). Her other credits include the tele-films Plantiffs and Defendants (1975), Two Sundays (1975), Silas Mariner: The Weaver of Raveloe (1985), Blore M.P. (1989), Crossing the Floor (1995), Lord of Misrule (1996), Sex and Chocolate (1997) and The Scold’s Bridle (1998). Martin appeared in a handful of films during her career including It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet (1979), Tess (1979), Britannia Hospital (1982), Laughterhouse (1984), The Raggedy Rawney (1988), The Dressmaker (1988), A Dry White Season (1989) and The Object of Beauty (1991).

Marvin, Tony Radio and television announcer Tony Marvin died in Boynton Beach, Florida, on October 10, 1998. He was 86. Marvin began his career as a radio announcer in New York in 1937 and was the official voice of the New York World’s Fair. He was a newsman for CBS from 1939. In 1945 Marvin began a 14-year stint as announcer for

1998 • Obituaries

Arthur Godfrey’s radio show. He was also the original voice for Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger. New York Times, Oct. 16, 1998, B11.

Massey, Daniel British actor Daniel Massey died of Hodgkin’s disease in London on March 25, 1998. He was 64. Massey was born in London on October 10, 1933, the son of actors Raymond Massey and Adrianne Allen. He began his career on stage in the 1950s and made his Broadway debut in 1957. He was a popular performer in such musicals as Make Me an Offer, Gigi and She Loves Me. Massey also appeared in a number of films during his career including Girls at Sea (1958), Upstairs and Downstairs (1959), Operation Bullshine (1959), The Entertainer (1960), The Queen’s Guards (1961), Go to Blazes (1962), The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965), The Jokers (1966), Star! (1968) which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Fragment of Fear (1970), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), The Vault of Horror (1973), East Side, West Side (1973), The Incredible Sarah (1976), The Devil’s Advocate (1977), Warlords of Atlantis (1977), The Cat and

Tony Marvin Daniel Massey (with Carol Rossen) (CBS ).

Obituaries • 1998

150

the Canary (1978), Illusions (1979), Bad Timing (1980), Victory (1981), Dakota (1988), Scandal (1989) and In the Name of the Father (1993). Massey also appeared often on British and American television. He was featured in an episode of Bonanza in 1970 and appeared in such tele-films and mini-series as The Golden Bowl (1972), On the Anvil (1975), Able’s Will (1977), The Crucible (1980), Intimate Contact (1987), Love with the Perfect Stranger (1988), Nobody Here but Us Chickens (1989), The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (1990), Bye Bye Columbus (1991), GBH (1991), Stalin (1992) as Leon Trotsky, The Man Who Cried (1993), The Vacillations of Poppy Carew (1995) and Samson and Delilah (1996). His final appearance on stage was in a production of Taking Sides in 1995. Massey was married to actress Adrienne Corri from 1961 until 1967 and to actress Penelope Wilton from 1975 until 1984. He is survived by his third wife, Lindy Wilton, the younger sister of his former wife Penelope. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 27, 1998, A24; New York Times, Mar. 29, 1998, I42; Times (of London), Mar. 27, 1998, 27a; Variety, Mar. 30, 1998, 175.

Point, Michigan, in the early 1950s. He served as Marilyn Monroe’s personal makeup artist for the last three years of her life. Masters became noted for his makeover of President Lyndon Johnson’s daughter, Lynda Bird , when she attended the Academy Awards with actor George Hamilton in 1966. His other celebrity clients included Lauren Bacall, Arlene Dahl, Marlene Dietrich, Sophia Loren and Bo Derek. He did makeup for AnnMargret on several of her films including The Train Robbers (1973) with John Wayne and the tele-films Nobody’s Children and Our Sons. He also worked on the 1962 film Tender Is the Night with Jennifer Jones and helped transform Dustin Hoffman into a woman for his 1982 film Tootsie. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 21, 1998, B8; New York Times, Apr. 26, 1998, I39; People, May 11, 1998, 213; Variety, May 11, 1998, 181.

Mattingly, Hedley British character actor Hedley Mattingly died of cancer in Encino, California, on March 3, 1998. He was 83. Mattingly was born in London on May 7, 1915. He began his career on the British stage before moving to Canada in the 1950s. He appeared on Canadian television and made his film debut in 1962’s Five Weeks in a Balloon. He was also featured in the films The Thrill of It All

George Masters

Masters, George Hair stylist and makeup artist George Masters died in Los Angeles on March 6, 1998. He was 62. He was born in Detroit on April 1, 1936, and began his career as a hair stylist in Grosse

Hedley Mattingly

151 (1963), Signpost to Murder (1964), King Rat (1965), Strange Bedfellows (1965), Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain (1966), the 1973 musical remake of Lost Horizon, Cleopatra Jones (1973), The Bermuda Triangle (1978) and All of Me (1984). He was best known for his work on television, starring as Henry T. Coe in the Western series The Travels of Jamie McPheeters in 1963 and as District Officer Hedley, the game warden, in the jungle adventure series Daktari from 1966 through 1969. His other television credits include the tele-films The Gift of Love (1978), Casino (1980) and Goliath Awaits (1981), and episodes of Hudson’s Bay, The Unforeseen, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Death Valley Days, The Rogues, Man from U.N.C.L.E., My Favorite Martian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Route 66, Get Smart, Ironside, Night Gallery, Mannix, Columbo, Lucan and The Feather and Father Gang. His survivors include his wife, Barbara, a costume designer. Variety, Apr. 27, 1998, 74.

Maude, Joan British actress Joan Maude died in Lewes, East Sussex, England, on September 28, 1998.

1998 • Obituaries

She was 90. Maude was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England on January 16, 1908. She was the daughter of actress Nancy Maude and made her stage debut in 1921 at the age of 13. She was a popular star of the British stage over the next decade and also appeared in such films as One Family (1930), Hobson’s Choice (1931), In a Monastery Garden (1932), The Wandering Jew (1933), It’s a King (1933), Menace (1934), The Lash (1934), The King of Paris (1934), Jew Suess (1934) and Turn of the Tide (1935). She interrupted her acting career in the mid–1930s following her marriage to newspaperman Frank Waters. She returned to the screen after World War II, appearing in such features as The Lamp Still Burns (1943), They Knew Mr. Knight (1945), Strawberry Roan (1945), Notorious Gentleman (1945), Night Boat to Dublin (1945), Great Day (1945), Stairway to Heaven (A Matter of Life and Death) (1946), Corridor of Mirrors (1948), The Temptress (1949) and Life in Her Hands (1951). She subsequently retired from the screen. Maude was widowed in 1954 when Waters died suddenly. She married journalist Oliver Woods two years later and they remained together until his death in 1972. Times (of London), Oct. 10, 1998, 24c.

Mayne, Ferdinand German actor Ferdinand “Ferdy” Mayne died of complications from Parkinson’s disease in London on January 30, 1998. He was 81. He was born Ferdinand Mayer-Horckel in Mayence, Germany, on March 11, 1916. He was the son of

Joan Maude

Ferdinand Mayne

Obituaries • 1998

152

a Jewish judge and was sent by his family to England when the Nazis came to power in 1932. He studied drama there and made his acting debut on stage in a performance of Alice Through the Looking Glass in West Croydon. He made his film debut in 1943 in Old Mother Riley Overseas. Often appearing as diabolical villains, Mayne remained a popular character actor over the next five decades. His numerous film credits include Warn That Man (1943), Meet Sexton Blake (1944), The Echo Murders (1945), Waltz Time (1945), Broken Journey (1947), The Temptress (1949), Celia (1949), Vote for Huggett (1949), The Huggetts Abroad (1949), Prelude to Fame (1950), Night and the City (1950), Cairo Road (1950), Hotel Sahara (1951), Encore (1951), Made in Heaven (1952), Venetian Bird (1952), The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (1952), The Blue Parrot (1953), Marilyn (1953), Desperate Moment (1953), The Captain’s Paradise (1953), The Broken Horseshoe (1953), Three Steps to the Gallows (1953), All Hallowe’en (1953), The Case of the Second Shot (1953), You Know What Sailors Are (1953), The Divided Heart (1954), Beautiful Stranger (1954), Malaga (1954), Betrayed (1954), Storm Over the Nile (1955), Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), Third Party Risk (1955), Dust and Gold (1955), The Glass Cage (1955), Value for Money (1955), Crossroads (1955), The Narrowing Circle (1956), Find the Lady (1956), The Baby and the Battleship (1957), The Magic Carpet (1956), Seven Waves Away (1957), You Pay Your Money (1957), The End of the Line (1957), The Big Chance (1958), Three Sundays to Live (1958), Blue Murder at St. Trinian’s (1958), The Safecracker (1958), The Big Money (1958), A Woman of Mystery (1958), Next to No Time (1958), Ben-Hur (1959) as the captain who rescued Charlton Heston from a shipwreck, Third Man on the Mountain (1959), Deadly Record (1959), Tommy the Toreador (1959), Our Man in Havana (1959), The Spider’s Web (1960), Crossroads to Crime (1960), The Green Helmet (1961), Highway to Battle (1961), Frederic Chopin (1961), Freud (1962), Three Spare Wives (1962), The Password Is Courage (1962), The Story of Private Pooley (1962), the 1962 British science fiction serial Masters of Venus, Shadow of Treason (1963), Allez France! (1964), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), Operation Crossbow (1965), Promise Her Anything (1966), The Bobo (1967), Les Grande Vacances (1967), Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers (aka Dance of the Vampires) as the vam-

pire Count Kroloc, The Limbo Line (1968), Where Eagles Dare (1968), Gates to Paradise (1968), The Best House in London (1969), the 1969 film adaptation of Harold Robbins’ The Adventurers, The Magic Christian (1969), The Walking Stick (1970), The Vampire Lovers (1970), The Vampire Happening (1970), Eagle in a Cage (1970), When Eight Bells Toll (1971), Von Richthofen and Brown (1971), Jo (1971), The Blonde in the Blue Movie (1972), Au Pair Girls (1972), Innocent Bystanders (1972), The Viking Who Came from the South (1972), Il terna di Marco (1972), Idoo Mark Belehnung (1973), Die Ameisen kommen (1974), Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975), Floris (1975), Die Schweigen im Walde (1975), Red (1976), The Music Machine (1977), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Fedora (1978), A Man Called Intrepid (1979), The Formula (1980), Hawk the Slayer (1980), The Horror Star (Frightmare) (1982), The Black Stallion Returns (1982), Yellowbeard (1983), The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud (1983), Conan the Destroyer (1984), Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985), Night Train to Terror (1985), Hot Chili (1985), The Choice (1988), Magdalene (1989), River of Diamonds (1990), My Lovely Monster (1990), The Tigress (1992), Knight Moves (1992), Warlock: The Armageddon (1993), Benefit of the Doubt (1993) and The Killers Within (1995). Mayne was also a popular performer on television in the United States and throughout Europe. He appeared in the tele-films Call of Gold (1975), Harold Robbins’ The Pirate (1978), Evita Peron (1981), Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story (1981), the 1983 mini-series The Winds of War, Sadat (1983), the 1986 Czech mini-series Frankenstein’s Aunt as Count Dracula, A Friendship in Vienna (1988) and The Hit Man (1991). His other television credits include episodes of The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, Danger Man, One Step Beyond, The Saint, Secret Agent, The Persuaders, The Avengers, Spyder’s Web, Arthur of the Britons, Hart to Hart, The New Avengers, The Greatest American Hero, Cagney and Lacy, Dynasty, Are You Being Served? and Monsters. Mayne’s survivors include his daughter, actress Belinda Mayne. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 7, 1998, A18; Variety, Marc. 30, 1998, 175.

153

1998 • Obituaries

Coming I’d’ve Baked a Cake and Mambo Italiano. He was lyricist for the popular Broadway musical Funny Girl, which became Barbra Streisand’s first film in 1968. Merrill and Jule Styne received an Oscar nomination for the title song. The musical also featured such popular tunes as “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “People.” Merrill also worked on the musicals Carnival, Sugar and Henry, Sweet Henry. Merrill also scripted several films including Mahogany (1975) with Diana Ross, W.C. Fields and Me (1976) with Rod Steiger and Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) with Carol Burnett. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 19, 1998, B10; New York Times, Feb. 19, 1998, D24; People, Mar. 9, 1998, 77; Time, Mar. 2, 1998, 25; Times (of London), Feb. 21, 1998, 25a.

Richard Merrell

Merrell, Richard Actor and writer Richard Merrell died in Southbury, Connecticut, on September 13, 1998. He was 73. Merrell was born on July 6, 1925. He and his wife, actress Jan Miner, appeared in numerous plays together including The Gin Game, Night Must Fall, High Spirits and Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night. Merrell starred as Herron, the butler, in the One Life to Live television soap opera for twelve years. He also scripted episodes of early television soap operas and Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the 1950s. New York Times, Sept. 16, 1998, B11; Variety, Oct. 5, 1998, 83.

Merrill, Bob Songwriter Bob Merrill died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his car in Culver City, California, on February 17, 1998. Merrill had been suffering from depression after a series of illnesses. He was 74. He was born H. Robert Merrill Levan in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on May 17, 1923. He began his career in show business as a dialogue director at Columbia in the 1940s. He was a leading lyricist from the 1950s, penning such songs as How Much Is that Doggie in the Window?, Love Makes the World Go Round, If I Knew You Were

Bob Merrill

Merritt, Theresa Black character actress Theresa Merritt died in the Bronx, New York, after a long battle with skin cancer on June 12, 1998. She was 75. Merritt was born in Emporia, Virginia, on September 24, 1922. She began her career on stage in the original production of Carmen Jones. She was best known for her role as Mama Eloise Curtis in the

Obituaries • 1998

154 ary 23, 1998. He was 83. Metzler was born on December 26, 1914. He began his career writing for MGM in 1939 after winning a national screenwriting contest. He subsequently worked at Republic and Warner, scripting several films in the early 1940s including The Riders of the Purple Sage (1941), Sundown Jim (1942), Dr. Renault’s Secret (1942) and Circumstantial Evidence (1945). Metzler also wrote scripts for the radio series Count of Monte Cristo and Philip Marlowe. He worked for Walt Disney during the 1950s and 1960s, producing many of the studios True Life Adventure films. Metzler subsequently worked for NBC where he produced such series as Columbo, Supertrain and Bestsellers. Metzler also served as the Academy Awards’ business manager from 1955 until his death.

Millar, Mary

Theresa Merritt (from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) (Bert Andrews).

television sit-com That’s My Mama in 1974 and 1975. She was also featured in numerous films including They Might Be Giants (1971), Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Wiz (1978) as Aunt Em, The Great Santini (1979), All That Jazz (1979), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), Silence Like Glass (1989), Voodoo Dawn (1990) and Billy Madison (1995). She also appeared in the tele-films Concealed Enemies (1984) and Miracle at Beekman’s Place (1988). Her other television credits include episodes of Another World, Police Story, The Love Boat, Cosby, Law & Order and NYPD Blue. Merritt was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in 1985. New York Times, June 21, 1998, I35; People, July 6, 1998, 79; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Metzler, Robert F. Screenwriter Robert F. Metzler died in a Los Angeles hospital after a brief illness on Febru-

British stage and television star Mary Millar died in her suburban London home after a long fight with cancer on November 10, 1998. She was 62. Millar was best known for her role as Rose in the BBC comedy series Keeping Up Appearances in the 1990s. She appeared on stage in productions of Pack of Lies and The Phantom of the Opera. Illness had forced her to give up her role as Mrs. Potts, the teapot, in productions of Beauty and the Beast several months earlier.

Millar, Ronald Screenwriter and playwright Ronald Millar died in London on April 16, 1998. He was 78. Millar was born in Reading, England, on November 12, 1919. He began writing screenplays for Ealing Studios in the mid–1940s and spent several years in Hollywood at MGM in the early 1950s. He scripted such films as Frieda (1947), So Evil My Love (1948), The Miniver Story (1950), The Unknown Man (1951), Train of Events (1952), Scaramouche (1952), Never Let Me Go (1953), Betrayed (1954) and Rose Marie (1954). He subsequently returned to England to write plays, including the long-running musical Robert and Elizabeth (1964) and Abelard and Heloise (1970). He also adapted several works by author C.P. Snow. Millar was a speech writer for Conserva-

155

1998 • Obituaries

Minetti, Bernhard German actor Bernhard Minetti died in a Berlin hospital on October 12, 1998. He was 93. Minetti was born in Kiel, Germany, on January 26, 1905. He began his career with the Prussian State Theater in 1930, becoming a leading star of the German stage. Minetti also appeared in a handful of films during his career including The Brothers Karamazov (1931), Berlin — Alexanderplatz (1931), Henker, Frauen und Soldaten (1935), The Emperor of California (1936), Die Frau ohne Vergangenheit (1939), Das Unsterbliche Herz (1939), Robert Koch (1939), Der Ewige Quell (1940) and Tiefland (1954). He was featured in the German television mini-series Goya in 1969 and the tele-films Auf den Spuren der Anarchisten (1972) and Der Auf haltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui (1996). New York Times, Oct. 27, 1998, A21.

Ronald Millar

tive British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major in the 1980s and 1990s. Times (of London), Apr. 17, 1998, 23a.

Miller, Sigmund Author and playwright Sigmund Miller died in a Manhattan hospital of complications from pneumonia on August 5, 1998. He was 87. Miller began writing for radio in the 1940s, scripting episodes of Inner Sanctum. He also wrote the Broadway plays One Bright Day and Masquerade in the 1950s and scripted the films Portrait in Smoke (1956) and Jet Storm (1959). Miller moved to London in the 1950s when he was blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. Miller subsequently wrote several books including The Snow Leopard and That’s the Way the Money Goes. New York Times, Aug. 17, 1998, A13; Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43.

Bernhard Minetti

Misraki, Paul Film composer Paul Misraki died in Paris on October 29, 1998. He was 90. Misraki was born

Obituaries • 1998

156

Paul Misrachi in Constantinople, Turkey, in 1908, though he spent most of his life in France. He was a child prodigy, playing the piano at age 4 and composing three years later. He popularized swing music in France in the 1930s. Misraki relocated to Argentina during the Nazi occupation in World War II. During his career he is credited with composing music for over 100 films, working with such directors as Orson Welles, Luis Bunuel and Jean-Luc Godard. His numerous film credits include American Love (1932), La Maison d’en face (1936), Heartbeat (1946), Whirlwind of Paris (1946), Nous Irons a Paris (1949), Knock (1950), Manon (1950), The Prize (1952), Utopia (1952), Monte Carlo Baby (1953), The Proud Ones (1953), Ali Baba (1954), The French Touch (1954), …And God Created Woman (1956), Thunderstorm (1956), Fernandel the Dressmaker (1957), Please! Mr. Balzac (1957), A Dog, a Mouse, and a Sputnik (1958), The Cousins (1959), Crazy for Love (1960), Gina (1961), Love and the Frenchwoman (1961), Modigliani of Montparnasse (1961), Web of Passion (1961), Mr. Arkadin (1962), Your Turn, Darling (1963), Doulos — The Fingerman (1964), Alphaville (1965), Attack of the Robots (1966), The Day the Hotline Got Hot (1968) and Death in the Garden (1977). Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 1998, A21; New York Times, Nov. 2, 1998, B11.

Mongiardino, Renzo Stage and screen designer Renzo Mongiardino died in Milan, Italy, on January 16, 1998. He was 81. He served as production designer for several of Franco Zeffirelli’s films including The Taming of the Shrew (1966), Romeo and Juliet (1967) and Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1971). Mongiardino also designed the 1964 Covent Garden production of Tosca. He was also considered one of the world’s foremost interior designers. New York Times, Feb. 2, 1998, A21.

Monica, Corbett Comedian Corbett Monica died of cancer at his home in North Miami, Florida, on July 22, 1998. He was 68. Monica was born in New York in 1930. He began working in clubs in St. Louis while in his teens. He moved to New York in the mid–1950s after serving in the army. He became a popular comic on television, performing on The Ed Sullivan Show nearly twenty times. He was also a frequent guest host for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. Monica was often the opening act for Frank Sinatra’s concerts. He also opened for such performers as Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Paul Anka and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. He starred as Larry

Mitchell, William Ormond Author William Ormond Mitchell died of cancer in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on February 25, 1998. He was 83. Ormond was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada, on March 13, 1914. He was best known for his 1947 novel Who Has Seen the Wind, which was adapted for television in 1965 and as a film in 1977. His series of radio dramas for Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Jake and the Kid, was also adapted for television in 1996. He also wrote the popular radio play The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon, and the novels The Kite (1962), The Vanishing Point (1973), How I Spent My Summer Holidays (1981), Since Daisy Creek (1984), Ladybug Ladybug (1988), Roses Are Difficult Here (1990) and For Art’s Sake: A Novel (1992). Corbett Monica

157 Corbett in the television comedy series The Joey Bishop Show from 1963 until 1965. He was featured in the 1970 film The Grasshopper and played himself in Woody Allen’s 1984 film Broadway Danny Rose. Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1998, B10; New York Times, July 23, 1998, D20; TV Guide, Sept. 5, 1998, 5.

Montana, Montie Cowboy actor and roping star Montie Montana died of complications from a series of strokes at a Santa Clarita Valley, California, hospital on May 20, 1998. He was 87. Montana was born Owen Harlan Mickel on June 21, 1910, and raised in Wolf Point, Montana. He began his career as a rodeo performer at the age of 15. He went to Hollywood in the early 1920s, where he coached actors in roping and riding. Montana also began appearing in films with such Western stars as John Wayne, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Buck Jones and William Boyd. His film credits include Circle of Death (1935), Riders of the Deadline (1943), Man from Frisco (1944), Down Dakota Way (1949), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Hud (1963) and Arizona Bushwhackers

1998 • Obituaries

(1968). He was also seen on television in episodes of 26 Men, Frontier Doctor, The Rifleman and Gunsmoke. Montana was often a participant in the Pasadena Rose parades, where he would ride one of his pinto horses named Rex. He caused a stir at the 1953 presidential inaugural parade in Washington, D.C., when he lassoed President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Despite having the president’s approval for the stunt, the secret service agents protecting him were not amused. Montana was also the author of an autobiography, Montie Montana, Not Without My Horse. Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1998, B1; People, June 8, 1998, 85; Time, June 1, 1998, 29.

Ray Montgomery

Montgomery, Ray

Montie Montana

Actor Ray Montgomery died of Parkinson’s disease in Santa Barbara, California, on June 4, 1998. He was 76. Montgomery began his film career in the early 1940s, appearing in Murder in the Big House (1942), The Male Animal (1942), Captains of the Clouds (1942), Larceny, Inc. (1942),

Obituaries • 1998

158

Action in the North Atlantic (1943), Air Force (1943), The Unsuspected (1947), The Unfaithful (1947), One Sunday Afternoon (1948), Johnny Belinda (1948), June Bride (1948), White Heat (1949) with Jimmy Cagney, Task Force (1949), John Loves Mary (1949), The House Across the Street (1949), Starlift (1951), Love Nest (1951), Tomahawk (1951), People Will Talk (1951), Monkey Business (1952), Bugles in the Afternoon (1952), The Las Vegas Story (1952), Sabre Jet (1953), Pickup on South Street (1953), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), Bandits of the West (1953), Peyton Place (1957), Bombers B-52 (1957), A Private’s Affair (1959), Critic’s Choice (1963), The Silencers (1965), A Guide for the Married Man (1967), Madigan (1968) and The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970). Montgomery was best known for his portrayal of Professor Howard Ogden, Jon Hall’s associate, in the Ramar of the Jungle television series in the early 1950s. He also appeared as Jack in the television comedy series Meet Millie in 1955. Montgomery’s other television credits include episodes of The Lone Ranger, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Superman, Wyatt Earp, The Veil, Tales of Tomorrow, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Men into Space, Perry Mason, Fury, Rawhide, Shotgun Slade, Wide Country, The Virginian, The Munsters, Batman, Daniel Boone and Hunter. He was married to actress Jean Trent for over 50 years.

Moore, Archie Boxer Archie Moore died at a San Diego, California, hospice after an illness of several months on December 9, 1998. He was 84. Moore was born Archibald Lee Wright in Benoit, Mississippi, on December 13, 1913. Moore began boxing professionally in 1935. He won the light heavyweight championship in a decision over Joey Maxim in 1952. Moore held the title for a decade. He fought unsuccessful bouts against Rocky Marciano and Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight championship in the 1950s. His last professional bout was in 1965. Moore also appeared in several films, starring as Jim in the 1960 version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He also appeared in Harold Robbins’ The Carpetbaggers, The Fortune Cookie with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, The Outfit (1974) and Breakheart Pass (1976). He was also featured in the 1970

Archie Moore

tele-film My Sweet Charlie and in episodes of Batman, Wagon Train, Perry Mason, Family Affair and The Fall Guy. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 10, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 10, 1998, B16; Newsweek, Dec. 21, 1998, 31; Times (of London), Dec. 11, 1998, 27a.

Moore, Johnny Singer Johnny Moore died in London on December 30, 1998. He was 64. He was born John Darrel Moore in Selma, Alabama, in 1934. He joined the popular singing group The Drifters in 1954, a year after it was formed. He remained with the group for four years until their manager fired the entire band and reformed it with other singers. Moore rejoined The Drifters in 1961, performing with lead singer Rudy Lewis on such songs as “Up on the Roof ” and “On Broadway.” Moore became the group’s lead singer after Lewis’ death in 1964 and sang the hit song “Under the Boardwalk.” Moore and The Drifters moved to England in the early 1970s, where they remained popular with such songs as “Kissing in the Back Row of the Movies” and “You’re More Than a Number in My Little Red Book.” Moore left the group in 1980. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2, 1999; New York Times, Jan. 7, 1999, B11; People, Jan. 18, 1999, 71.

159

1998 • Obituaries

Johnny Moore

Moore, Sean A. Writer Sean A. Moore died in an automobile accident in Boulder, Colorado, on February 23, 1998. He was 33. Moore was the author of the novelization for the 1997 fantasy film Kull the Conqueror. He had previously written three novels based on Robert E. Howard’s famed Conan the Barbarian character —Conan the Hunter (1993), Conan and the Shaman’s Curse (1996) and Conan and the Great Grey Ghost (1996).

Morgan, Dermot Irish actor Dermot Morgan died after collapsing in his home in London during a dinner party on March 1, 1998. He was 45. Morgan was born on March 3, 1952. He was best known for his performance as Father Ted Crilly in the popular British television series Father Ted from 1995. Morgan began his career on television in 1978, appearing in the comedy show The Live Mike for four years. He also appeared in the 1988 film Taffin. Times (of London), Mar. 2, 198, 23a.

Dermot Morgan

Morris, Edmund Screenwriter Edmund Morris died in a Seattle, Washington, hospital on January 6, 1998. He was 85. Morris wrote the play The Wooden Dish, which opened in New York in 1955. He also scripted the films Project X (1957) and Savage Guns (1962) and adapted Nelson Algren’s novel Walk on the Wild Side for the screen in 1962. New York Times, Jan. 18, 1998, I34.

Morris, Lana British actress Lana Morris died in a Slough, Great Britain, hospital after a brief illness on May 27, 1998. She was 68. Morris was born Avril Maureen Anita Morris in Ruislip, England, on March 11, 1930. She began her career on stage in the mid–1940s, and made her screen debut, under the name Pamela Matthews, in Peter Ustinov’s 1946 film School for Secrets. She was a popular star throughout the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in such films as The Weaker Sex (1947), Spring in

Obituaries • 1998

160

Morris, Wright Novelist Wright Morris died in Mill Valley, California, on April 25, 1998. He was 88. Morris was born in Central City, Nebraska, on January 6, 1910. His first novel, My Uncle Dudley, was published in 1942. He was the recipient of the National Book Award for his 1957 book The Field of Vision and received the American Book Award for the novel Plains Song in 1981. His most recent work, Collected Stories: 1948-1986, was published in 1986. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 30, 1998, A26; New York Times, Apr. 29, 1998, D23; Time, May 11, 1998, 23.

Lana Morris

Park Lane (1948), It’s Hard to Be Good (1948), Trottie True (1949), The Chiltern Hundreds (1949), Morning Departure (1950), Guilt Is My Shadow (1950), Trio (1950), The Reluctant Widow (1950), The Woman in Question (1950), Operation Disaster (1950), A Tale of Five Cities (1951), The Good Beginning (1953), Black 13 (1953), Trouble in Store (1953), The Red Beret (1953) with Alan Ladd , Thought to Kill (1953), The Straw Man (1954), Radio Cab Murder (1954), Home and Away (1955), Man of the Moment (1955), Moment of Indiscretion (1958), Passport to Shame (1959), No Trees in the Street (1959), Jet Storm (1959), October Moth (1960) and I Start Counting (1969). Morris was also a leading performer on British television, appearing in the hit series The Royalty with Margaret Lockwood in 1957 and starring as Helen Forsyte in the British television series The Forsyte Saga from 1967. Her other television credits include episodes of The Invisible Man, Tales of Mystery, The Saint, Howard’s Way and Inspector Morse. She was appearing on stage in a production of Dangerous to Know when she was taken ill. Times (of London), June 2, 1998, 23a.

Wright Morris

Moss, Jeffrey Jeffrey Moss, the co-creator of television’s Sesame Street, died of cancer in New York on September 26, 1998. He was 56. Moss was born on June 19, 1942. He was head writer and composerlyricist for the show he helped create with Jim

161

1998 • Obituaries

Frank Muir Jeffrey Moss (with Cookie Monster).

Henson and Joe Raposo in 1969. He was instrumental in the creation of such popular characters as Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. The Manhattan native began his career working as a production assistant and writer for the Captain Kangaroo show in the 1960s. Moss was the recipient of 14 Emmy Awards and four Grammys for his work on Sesame Street. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his lyrics for The Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984. New York Times, Sept. 26, 1998, A13; People, Oct. 12, 1998, 125; Time, Oct. 5, 1998, 27.

Muir, Frank British comedy writer Frank Muir died in London on January 2, 1998. He was 77. Muir was born in Ramsgate, Kent, England, on February 20, 1920. He began his career writing for radio, scripting such series as Take It from Here and Bedtime with Braden. He headed the sitcom division of the BBC during the 1960s, where he produced

such popular programs as Steptoe and Son and ’Til Death Do Us Part. Muir was also a member of the panel of the British quiz show, Call My Bluff. Muir subsequently worked with London Weekend Television, where he headed the entertainment department. New York Times, Jan. 11, 1998, I28; Times (of London), Jan. 3, 1998, 25a; Washington Post, Jan. 10, 1998, B1.

Muller, Robert British novelist and television writer Robert Muller died in England of complications of a stroke and heart disease on May 27, 1998. He was 72. Muller was born in Hamburg, Germany, on September 1, 1925. His mother’s Jewish faith led to the young Muller being subjected to harsh treatment in the early years of Hitler’s Nazi regime and he was sent by his family to England in 1938. He worked as a journalist, becoming drama critic for the Daily Mail. He began writing teleplays for Sydney Newman’s Armchair Theatre for the BBC. Muller scripted such shows as

Obituaries • 1998

162

Murcell, George

Robert Muller

Afternoon of the Nymph and Night Conspirators. He also wrote the novels The World That Summer, set during the 1936 Munich Olympics, and The Lost Diaries of Albert Smith. During the 1970s Muller dramatized for television literary works by Emile Zola, Heinrich Mann, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. He also created the 1977 horror series Supernatural, consisting of eight related plays. Muller was married to actress Billie Whitelaw from the mid–1960s until his death.

British actor George Murcell died on December 3, 1998. He was 73. Murcell was born in Naples, Italy, on October 30, 1925. He began his career on the British stage in Sir Donald Wolfit’s touring company and also performed with Tyrone Guthrie’s Old Vic Company in the mid 1960s. During his career Murcell also appeared in a number of films including The Battle of the River Plate (1956), Campbell’s Kingdom (1957), Hell Drivers (1957), Desert Patrol (1958), Blood of the Vampire (1958), Don’t Panic Chaps! (1959), The Pursuers (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), Kaleidoscope (1966), The Fixer (1968), A Walk with Love and Death (1969) and The Assassination Bureau (1969). Murcell was the voice of Professor Popkiss and Masterspy on the 1961 British children’s marionette adventure series, Supercar. He also starred as

Munroe, Gregory British actor Gregory Munroe died in England of a heart condition on April 21, 1998. He was 44. Munroe was born on September 22, 1953. He began his career on stage while in his teens and soon appeared on British television in Siege of Golden Hill in the early 1970s. He was subsequently featured in roles on Play for Today, Crown Court, Empire Road and Alternative Three in 1974. He starred with his mother, Carmen Munroe, in the comedy series Mixed Blessings in 1978. Munroe’s career virtually ended for a decade before being cast in the 1989 British tele-film A Caribbean Mystery with Donald Pleasence.

George Murcell

163 Greaves in the 1977 science fiction series 1990 and was Silas Kemble in the 1981 adventure series Smuggler. Murcell’s other television credits include the 1986 mini-series Peter the Great and episodes of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Avengers, Ghost Squad, Danger Man, The Saint, The Champions, My Partner, the Ghost, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Jason King and The Persuaders. In recent years Murcell was featured in the films Pascali’s Island (1988), Year of the Gun (1991) and Cutthroat Island (1995) with Geena Davis. Times (of London), Dec. 12, 1998, 24a.

Murphy, Leonard Leonard Murphy, who was the casting director for The Wizard of Oz, died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on March 4, 1998. He was 87. The London-born Murphy worked at MGM for over forty years. He was responsible for casting the numerous little people to play Munchkins in the classic fantasy film The Wizard of Oz in 1939. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 13, 1998, B6.

1998 • Obituaries

Nardino, Gary Television executive Gary Nardino died in a Los Angeles hospital of complications from a stroke on January 31, 1998. He was 62. Nardino was born in Paterson, New Jersey, on August 26, 1935. He began working in television in the 1970s and served as president of Paramount Television from 1977 through 1983. He was a leading force behind the production of such television sit-coms as Happy Days, Cheers and Taxi, and the miniseries Shogun and The Winds of War. Nardino was an independent producer after leaving Paramount, producing the films Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Fire with Fire (1986), and the 1987 television series Marblehead Manor. He became president of Orion Television Entertainment in 1988. He joined Warner Brothers Television in 1991, where he remained until 1994. He subsequently became co-president of North Hall Productions, which produced Time Trax and the USA Network series Pacific Blue. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 3, 1998, B8; New York Times, Feb. 5, 1998, A21.

Navarrette, David G. Narcejac, Thomas Novelist Thomas Narcejac died in Paris, France on June 9, 1998. He was 89. Narcejac was born in Rochefort-sur-Mer, France, on July 3, 1908. He and co-author Pierre Boileau authored over forty thrillers, becoming two of France’s most popular detective writers. Narcejac’s first book, The Midnight Assassin was published in 1946. He and Boileau’s best known book, 1954’s The One Who Passed Away, was adapted by HenriGeorges Clouzot into the classic film Diaboliques in 1954. The film was remade with Sharon Stone in 1996. Their novel D’Entre les Morts was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film Vertigo. Other works adapted to film include Les Louves (Demoniaque) (1957), Les Yeux Sans Visage (The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus) (1959), Murder at 45 R.P.M. (1960), Faces in the Dark (1960), Reflections of Murder (1974), Circle of the Damned (1991), Body Parts (1991) and the 1993 tele-film House of Secrets. New York Times, July 5, 1998, I21.

Television cameraman David G. Navarrette died of throat cancer in Los Angeles on June 6, 1998. He was 56. Navarrette began his career as a cameraman at the local Los Angeles station KCOP, where he filmed the gameshow Press Your Luck. He subsequently filmed the CBS daytime soap operas The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless, winning five Emmy Awards from 1987 through 1994.

Neuman, E. Jack Television writer and producer Ernest “Jack” Neuman died of heart failure at his Los Angeles home on January 15, 1998. He was 76. Neuman was born on February 27, 1921. He began his career writing for radio in the 1940s. He was creator of such television series as Mr. Novak and Sam Benedict in the 1960s. He also developed the 1974 series Petrocelli and Police Story in the late 1980s. Neuman scripted several films including The Venetian Affair (1967) and Company of Killers

Obituaries • 1998

164

(1970). He also wrote the tele-films Berlin Affair (1970), Incident on a Dark Street (1972), The Blue Knight (1973), Night Games (1974), Inside the Third Reich (1982), A Death in California (1985), Courage (1986) and Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase (1990). Neuman’s other writing credits include episodes of The Twilight Zone, Bonanza and Dr. Kildare.

ate Death of a Polish Priest (1986), Harry’s Kingdom (1987) and the 1989 mini-series War and Remembrance. Newark’s other television credits include episodes of such British series as Front Page Story, Out of This World, Barlow, Doctor Who, The Avengers, The Baron, Callan, The Saint, The Champions, Department S, The Persuaders, The Return of the Saint and Rising Damp.

Newark, Derek

Newey, Murray

British actor Derek Newark died in England on August 11, 1998. He was 65. Newark was born on June 8, 1933. He served in the British army before attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the early 1960s. He was soon appearing on stage, television and films. Newark was a supporting actor in such films as The Black Torment (1964), War-Gods of the Deep (1965), The Little Ones (1965), The Blue Max (1966), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Fragment of Fear (1971), The Legend of Spider Forest (1971), The Offence (1973), The Black Windmill (1974), The Littlest Horse Thieves (1977) and Bellman and True (1987). He was also featured in the tele-films Hitler’s S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985), The Deliber-

New Zealand film producer Murray George Newey committed suicide at his Auckland home on April 8, 1998. He was 45. Newey began his career as an assistant director on such New Zealand and Australian films as Beyond Reasonable Doubt (1979) and The Man from Snowy River (1981). He subsequently began producing films with the 1985 horror Death Warmed Up. Newey also produced My Grandfather Is a Vampire (1991), Jack Be Nimble (1993), Bonjour Timothy (1995) and The Whole of the Moon (1996). He was working as a production executive and location scout for Lucasfilm’s Star Wars prequels at the time of his death. Variety, July 27, 1998, 65.

Nicolella, John Film and television director John Nicolella died in Los Angeles on February 21, 1998. He was 42. Nicolella was born on May 28, 1945. He directed the 1997 sword and sorcery film Kull the Conqueror starring television’s Hercules Kevin Sorbo. He previously directed the tele-films Finish Line (1989), Rock Hudson (1990), Runaway Father (1991) and Vanishing Son (1994). He also directed episodes of Miami Vice, Mike Hammer, Super Force and M.A.N.T.I.S. for television and the 1991 film Sunset Heat. Nicolella was a producer for the films Times Square (1980), The Fan (1981) and Easy Money (1983), and the tele-film The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck (1984). He also produced the series Miami Vice in 1984 and Nash Bridges from 1996.

Derek Newark

165

1998 • Obituaries

Nolan, Jeanette Veteran character actress Jeanette Nolan died of a stroke in Los Angeles on June 5, 1998. She was 86. Nolan was born in Los Angeles on December 30, 1911. She made her film debut in a memorable performance as Lady Macbeth in Orson Welles’ version of Macbeth in 1948. She appeared in many other films, including numerous westerns, throughout her career. Her credits include Words and Music (1948), Abandoned (1949), No Sad Songs for Me (1950), Saddle Tramp (1950), The Secret of Convict Lake (1951), The Happy Time (1952), Hangman’s Knot (1952), The Big Heat (1953), A Lawless Street (1955), Tribute to a Bad Man (1956), The Seventh Cavalry (1956), Everything but the Truth (1956), April Love (1957), Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957), The Halliday Brand (1957), Wild Heritage (1958), The Deep Six (1958), The Rabbit Trap (1959), The Great Imposter (1960), Two Rode Together (1961), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Twilight of Honor (1963), My Blood Runs Cold (1965), Chamber of Horrors (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), Sullivan’s Empire (1967), Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (1968), The Winds of Autumn (1974), The Manitou (1977),

Ray Nitschke (Vernon Blever).

Nitschke, Ray Football player Ray Nitschke died of a heart attack in Venice, Florida, on March 8, 1998. He was 61. Nitschke was born in Elmwood Park, Illinois, on December 29, 1936. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1958 and played with the team until his retirement in 1972. Nitschke appeared in the 1968 film Head with the Monkees and was featured with Burt Reynolds in the 1974 comedy The Longest Yard. Nitschke was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 9, 1998, C1; New York Times, Mar. 9, 1998, B9; Time, Mar. 23, 1998, 39.

Jeanette Nolan (from The Virginian).

Obituaries • 1998

166

Avalanche (1978), True Confessions (1981), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Cloak & Dagger (1984) and Street Justice (1989). Nolan was also well known for her work in television. She starred as Annette Devereaux in the 1959 Western series Hotel de Paree and was a regular performer on The Richard Boone Show anthology series in 1963. She also starred as Holly Grainger in The Virginian in 1967 and 1968, co-starring with her husband, actor John McIntire. She also starred as Sally Fergus in the short-lived Western series Dirty Sally, a 1974 Gunsmoke spin-off. Her other television credits include episodes of Big Town, The Millionaire, Gunsmoke, Have Gun, Will Travel, You Are There, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, Twilight Zone, Tales of Wells Fargo, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Decision, Perry Mason, The Restless Gun, Lawman, Rough Riders, Black Saddle, The Rebel, Klondike, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Bat Masterson, The Outlaws, Wagon Train, Frontier Circus, Laramie, I Spy, Laredo, The Fugitive, F Troop, A Man Called Shenandoah, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Amos Burke, Secret Agent, Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre, Here Come the Brides, The Invaders, Night Gallery, Emergency!, Harry O, Hec Ramsey, Ghost Story, The Sixth Sense, The Waltons, Columbo, Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Charlie’s Angels, St. Elsewhere, Hunter, MacGyver and The Golden Girls. She was also seen in such tele-films as Alias Smith and Jones (1971), Longstreet (1971), Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972), Hijack (1973), The Desperate Miles (1975), Babe (1975), Law and Order (1976), The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976), The Awakening Land (1978), Lassie: A New Beginning (1978), Better Late Than Never (1979), The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980), Goliath Awaits (1981) and The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch (1982). She most recently appeared as Robert Redford’s mother in the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer. Nolan was married to actor John McIntire until his death in 1991. They had a son, actor Tim McIntire, who died in 1986. Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1998, A20; New York Times, June 14, 1998, I42; Time, June 22, 1998, 23; Times (of London), June 19, 1998, 27a; TV Guide, Aug. 29, 1998, 7; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Norden, Joseph Actor Joseph Norden died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on March 30, 1998. He was 84. Norden was born in New York City in 1913. He went to Hollywood in 1938, where he was signed by Universal Studios. Norden appeared in the 1945 film Dillinger. He was featured in small roles in the 1957 television series Mr. Adams and Eve with Howard Duff and Ida Lupino and again appeared with Duff on the series The Felony Squad in 1966. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 4, 1998, A22; Variety, May 25, 1998, 74.

Noris, Assia Italian actress Assia Noris died in a San Remo, Italy, hospital after a brief illness on January 27, 1998. She was 85. She was born Anastasija Noris von Gerzfeld in St. Petersburg, Russia, on February 26, 1912. She left Russia with her family during the Russian Revolution and settled in Italy in 1929. She made her film debut several years later in Tre uomini in frace with Edoardo and Peppino De Filipo. Her many film credits in Italy include Giallo (1933), Mario Camerini’s Daro un milione (1935), Quei due (1935), L’Uomo che sorride (1936), Ma non e una cosa seria (1936), Nina non far la stupida (1937), Between Two Worlds (1937), Il Signor Max (1937), Allegri masnadieri (1937), Voglio vivere con Letizia (1938), La Casa del peccato (1938), I Grandi magazzini (1939), Dora Nelson (1939), Ventomila dollari (1939), Batticuore (1939) with John Lodge, Una Romantica avventura (1940), Margherita fra i tre (1941), Luna di milie (1941), Con le donne non si scherza (1941), Un Colpo dipistola (1941), Una Stria d’amore (1942), Le Capitaine Fracasse (1942), Il Viaggiatore di ognissanti (1943) and Le Peccatrice bianca (1949). She returned to the screen in 1964’s La Celestina P.R. and subsequently retired to San Remo. Variety, Feb. 2, 1998, 49.

167

1998 • Obituaries

York Times, May 12, 1998, B8; People, May 25, 1998, 83.

Norton, Tom Tom Norton died in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on February 7, 1998. Norton was a leading art appraiser and the author of the 1985 book 100 Years of Collecting in America. He portrayed the auctioneer in the 1982 suspense thriller Still of the Night.

O’Brien, Darcy Maidie Norman

Norman, Maidie Black character actress Maidie Norman died of lung cancer in San Jose, California, on May 2, 1998. She was 85. She was best known for her role as the maid in the 1962 psycho-thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Norman was born in Georgia in 1913. She began her career in the late 1940s appearing in such films as The Burning Cross (1948), The Well (1951), Bright Road (1953), Torch Song (1953), Forever Female (1953), Money from Home (1953), About Mrs. Leslie (1954), Susan Slept Here (1954), Executive Suite (1954), Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle (1955), Written on the Wind (1956), The Final Comedown (1972), Maurie (1972), The Exorcist (1973), A Star Is Born (1976), Airport ’76 (1977), Movie Movie (1978), Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) and Hostile Witness (1988). She was also featured in the tele-films Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972), A Dream for Christmas (1973), This Was the West That Was (1974), Roots: The Next Generations (1979), Bare Essence (1982), Secrets of a Mother and Daughter (1983) and His Mistress (1984). Her other television credits include episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wide Country, Death Valley Days, Dragnet, Ben Casey, Ironside, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Police Woman, Cannon, Kung Fu, The Jeffersons and Hotel. Los Angeles Times, May 8, 1998, A48; New

Crime writer Darcy O’Brien died of a heart attack at his Tulsa, Oklahoma, home on March 2, 1998. He was 59. O’Brien was born in Los Angeles in 1939, the son of veteran cowboy actor George O’Brien and film star Marguerite Churchill. His first novel, A Way of Life, Like Any Other in 1978, fictionalized his childhood during Hollywood’s golden age. He also wrote the 1991

Darcy O’Brien

Obituaries • 1998

168

novel Margaret in Hollywood, about a fading silent screen star. He wrote the popular 1985 true-crime book Two of a Kind: The Hillside Stranglers, which was adapted into the television mini-series The Case of the Hillside Stranglers with Richard Crenna in 1989. O’Brien also wrote the true-crime thrillers Murder in Little Egypt (1989), A Dark and Bloody Ground (1993) and Power to Hurt (1997), about Judge David Lanier’s conviction of rape and sexual blackmail in a small Tennessee town. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 5, 1998, A20; New York Times, Mar. 4, 1998, B10; Variety, May 4, 1998, 97.

O’Driscoll, Martha Martha O’Driscoll, a leading lady of the 1940s, died at her home in Indian Creek Village, Florida, near Miami Beach, on November 3, 1998. She was 76. O’Driscoll was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 4, 1922. She was a dancer and model as a child and came to Hollywood as a dancer for MGM in the early 1930s. She made her film debut in the 1936 film Collegiate. The blonde actress appeared in the films She’s Dangerous (1937), Girl’s School (1938), Mad About

Music (1938), Judge Hardy and Son (1939), The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939), Forty Little Mothers (1940), Laddie (1940) and Wagon Train (1940) with Tim Holt. She played Daisy Mae in the 1940 film version of the popular comic strip Li’l Abner with Buster Keaton. Her other film credits include Henry Aldrich for President (1941), Her First Beau (1941), The Lady Eve (1941), Midnight Angel (1941), Pacific Blackout (1942), My Heart Belongs to Daddy (1942), Reap the Wild Wind (1942) with John Wayne, The Remarkable Andrew (1942), Allergic to Love (1943), Crazy House (1943), The Fallen Sparrow (1943), We’ve Never Been Licked (1943), Young and Willing (1943), Youth on Parade (1943), Follow the Boys (1944), Ghost Catchers (1944), Hi Beautiful (1944), Weekend Pass (1944), The Daltons Ride Again (1945), Her Lucky Night (1945), Here Come the Co-Eds (1945), House of Dracula (1945) opposite John Carradine’s Dracula, Lon Chaney’s Wolfman and Glenn Strange’s Frankenstein Monster, Shady Lady (1945), Under Western Skies (1945), Blonde Alibi (1946), Criminal Court (1946), Down Missouri Way (1948) and Carnegie Hall (1947). She abandoned her film career following her marriage to wealthy businessman Arthur Appleton in 1947. She settled into her role as a wealthy civic leader and patron of the arts, while raising four children. She and her husband retired to Florida in the early 1970s. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 6, 1998, A26.

O’Day, Molly

Martha O’Driscoll

Child actress Molly O’Day died at her home in Arroyo Grande, California, on October 15, 1998. She was 88. O’Day was born Suzanne Noonan in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1910. She began her career in the silents, appearing in 1927’s The Shepherd of the Hills. She was featured in Hal Roach’s Our Gang short The Patent Leather Kid (1927), and appeared with Laurel and Hardy. Her film credits include Hard-Boiled Haggerty (1927), The Lovelorn (1927), The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1928), Sisters (1930), Sob Sister (1931), Sea Devils (1931), Gigolettes of Paris (1933), Get That Venus (1933), The Life of Vergie Winters (1934), Hired Wife (1934), Skull and Crown (1935), Lawless Border (1935), Law of the .45s (1935), Chloe (1935) and Bars of Hate (1936). She largely retired from the screen following her mar-

169 riage to comedian Jack Durant in 1934. She was the sister of actress Sally O’Neill, who died in 1968. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 21, 1998, A22.

Oizumi, Akira Japanese actor Akira Oizumi died of lung cancer in Tokyo on April 23, 1998. He was 73. Oizumi began his film career as a child actor in post-war Japan. He often played comic characters in films and television shows. His film credits include Diary of Oharu (1952), To Sleep So as to Dream (1986) and Bound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoast (1986).

Oliver, Edith Drama critic Edith Oliver died at her Manhattan home on February 23, 1998. She was 84. Oliver was born in New York in 1913. She began her career as an actress on radio programs, performing in Gangbusters, Philip Morris Playhouse

1998 • Obituaries

and Crime Doctor. She was a writer for the radio quiz show True or False? from 1937 through 1941 and wrote and produced Take It or Leave It: The $64 Question during the 1940s. She began writing for The New Yorker magazine in 1947 and became the publication’s film and theater critic in 1961. She remained with The New Yorker until her retirement in 1992. New York Times, Feb. 25, 1998, B9; Variety, Mar. 9, 1998, 58.

Olvis, William Edward Opera singer William Edward Olvis died of throat cancer at his home near Redlands, California, on November 27, 1998. He was 70. Olvis was born in Hollywood in 1928. He began his professional career in Los Angeles in 1953. The following year he replaced Mario Lanza in the film Deep in My Heart. He subsequently appeared on Broadway in a production of Song of Norway. Olvis was a tenor with the Metropolitan Opera from the late 1950s through the early 1960s, appearing in productions of Carmen, Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Aida and The Flying Dutchman. He later performed with the Dusseldorf Opera Company in Germany. Variety, Dec. 21, 1998, 90.

O’Neil, Thomas F. Film executive Thomas F. O’Neil died of pneumonia at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, on March 14, 1998. He was 82. O’Neil was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1915, the son of William O’Neil, the founder of General Tire and Rubber, Co. The younger O’Neil formed General Teleradio in 1948, acquiring numerous television stations. He was a pioneer in bringing films to television with his Million-Dollar Movie. O’Neil purchased RKO Pictures from Howard Hughes in 1954. He made an early attempt at pay-television in 1961, though he abandoned the project. O’Neil retired in 1985. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 18, 1998, B8; New York Times, Mar. 17, 1998, B11; Variety, Mar. 23, 1998, 101. Edith Oliver (Anne Hall ).

Obituaries • 1998

170

Thomas F. O’Neil

O’Neill, Dick Character actor Dick O’Neill died of heart failure in Santa Monica, California, on November 17, 1998. He was 70. O’Neill was born in The Bronx on August 29, 1928. A familiar face in film

Dick O’Neill

and on television, O’Neil was perhaps best known for his recurring role as Charlie Cagney, father of Sharon Gless’ Detective Chris Cagney, on the Cagney & Lacey television series. He was a regular performer in several other television series, appearing as Judge Hardcastle in Rosetti and Ryan in 1977 and as Malloy in the 1978 drama Kaz. He was Arthur Broderick in the comedy series Empire in 1984 and Harry Clooney in Better Days in 1986. He was also featured in Falcon Crest during the 1987 season as Fred Wilkinson, was Pat Bell in the 1989 comedy series Top of the Hill, and co-starred as Moon Willis in the late night action drama Dark Justice in 1991. O’Neill began his film career in the late 1950s. His numerous credits include The Mugger (1958), Capture That Capsule! (1961), the 1965 U.S. release of the Japanese monster movie Gamera the Invincible, To the Shores of Hell (1966), Pretty Poison (1968), Some of My Best Friends Are… (1971), Hail to the Chief! (1973), The Taking of Pelham, One-Two-Three (1974), The Front Page (1974), Posse (1975), St. Ives (1976), MacArthur (1977), The Buddy Holly Story (1978), House Calls (1978), The Jerk (1979) with Steve Martin, American Raspberry (1980), the 1981 horror film Wolfen, Prizzi’s Honor (1985) with Jack Nicholson, Turk 182! (1985), The Mosquito Coast (1986), She’s Out of Control (1989), Loose Cannons (1990) and It Runs in the Family (1994). He was also featured in numerous telefilms including The UFO Incident (1975), Hustling (1975), The Entertainer (1976), Woman of the Year (1976), It Happened One Christmas (1977), Perfect Gentlemen (1978), the 1979 miniseries A Man Called Intrepid as Bill Donovan, The Ghosts of Buxley Hall (1980), A Touch of Scandal (1984), Lots of Luck (1985), Chiller (1985), There Must Be a Pony (1986), Passion Flower (1986), The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick (1988), The Diamond Trap (1988), Highway Heartbreaker (1992), Arthur Miller’s The American Clock (1993), The Unspoken Truth (1995) and Ellen Foster (1997). His other television credits include episodes of The Chevy Show, Way Out, Look Up and Live, Good Times, The Law, Rhoda, Kojak, Barney Miller, M*A*S*H, Wonder Woman, One Day at a Time, Three’s Company, CHiPs, The Incredible Hulk, Young Maverick, Trapper John, M.D., The Fall Guy, Magnum P.I., St. Elsewhere, The Master, Cheers, Night Court, Simon & Simon, Murder, She Wrote, Growing Pains, Father Dowling Mysteries, Mad About You, Home Improvement,

171 Diagnosis Murder, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, Cybill as Maryann’s father, The Sentinel and Dharma & Greg. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 25, 1998, A20; New York Times, Nov. 28, 1998, C16; Variety, Nov. 30, 1998, 76.

Ordonez, Antonio Spanish bullfighter Antonio Ordonez died after a long illness at a Seville, Spain, hospital on December 19, 1998. He was 66. Ordonez, the son of bullfighter Cayetano Ordonez, was born in Ronda, Spain, in 1932. The younger Ordonez, who began his career in 1951, became one of the leading bullfighters in the world, fighting over 2,000 bulls during his career. He was a close friend of writer Ernest Hemingway. Ordonez’s rivalry with his brother-in-law and fellow matador Luis Miguel Dominguin inspired Hemingway’s late 1950s novel The Dangerous Summer. Ordonez raised and bred bulls following his retirement from the ring in 1971. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 22, 1998; New York

Antonio Ordonez

1998 • Obituaries

Times, Dec. 21, 1998, A29; Washington Post, Dec. 23, 1998, B8.

O’Sullivan, Maureen Leading lady Maureen O’Sullivan died at the Scottsdale Memorial Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 22, 1998. She was 87. O’Sullivan was born in Boye, County Roscommon, Ireland, on May 17, 1911. She was educated in London and Paris, and was discovered by director Frank Borzage at the Dublin International Horse Show in 1930. She was signed to a contract with Fox and went to Hollywood. She was featured in such films as Song o’ My Heart (1930), So This Is London (1930), The Princess and the Plumber (1930), Just Imagine (1930), A Connecticut Yankee (1931), The Big Shot (1931), Skyline (1931), The Silver Lining (1932), Skyscraper Souls (1932), Information Kid (1932), Okay America (1932), Payment Deferred (1932), Okay America (1932) and Fast Companions (1932). She was best known for her performance as Jane to Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan in six films in the MGM series beginning with Tarzan the Ape Man in 1932. The duo also appeared in Tarzan and His Mate (1934), Tarzan Escapes (1936), Tarzan Finds a Son (1939), Tarzan’s

Maureen O’Sullivan

Obituaries • 1998

172

Secret Treasure (1941) and Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942). She also continued to appear in other films including Robbers’ Roost (1933), The Cohens and the Kellys in Trouble (1933), Stage Mother (1933), Tugboat Annie (1933), The Thin Man (1934), The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), Hide-Out (1934), David Copperfield (1935), Cardinal Richelieu (1935), West Point of the Air (1935), The Flame Within (1935), Woman Wanted (1935), The Bishop Misbehaves (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), The Voice of Bugle Ann (1936), The Devil Doll (1936), A Day at the Races (1937), The Emperor’s Candlesticks (1937), My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937), Between Two Women (1937), A Yank at Oxford (1938), Hold That Kiss (1938), Port of Seven Seas (1938), Spring Madness (1938), The Crowd Roars (1938), Let Us Live (1939), Sporting Blood (1940), Pride and Prejudice (1940), Maisie Was a Lady (1941). O’Sullivan had married director-writer John Farrow in 1936 and retired from the screen in 1942 to raise her family. They had seven children, including actresses Mia Farrow and Tisa Farrow. She returned to the screen in her husband’s 1948 film The Big Clock and appeared in a handful of films over the next four decades including Where Danger Lives (1950), Bonzo Goes to College (1952), All I Desire (1953), Mission Over Korea (1953), Duffy of San Quentin (1954), The Steel Cage (1954), The Tall T (1957), Wild Heritage (1958), Never Too Late (1965), The Phynx (1970), Too Scared to Scream (1982), Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Stranded (1987) and Good Ole Boy: A Delta Boyhood (1988). She was also the host of the 1950s syndicated series Irish Heritage and briefly a member of the Today show team in 1963. During the 1950s and 1960s she was also featured in episodes of Hollywood Opening Night, Ford Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Ford Theatre, Video Theatre, Four Star Playhouse, Fireside Theatre, Climax, Casablanca, The Whistler, Dupont Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Crossroads, Playhouse 90, Alcoa Premier and Ben Casey. She also appeared in several tele-films including The Crooked Hearts (1972), The Great Houdini (1976), With Murder in Mind (1992), The Habitation of Dragons (1992) and Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is (1994). Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1998, A20; New York Times, June 24, 1998, A23; Time, July 6, 1998, 33; Variety, June 29, 1998, 44; Washington Post, June 24, 1998, B6.

Page, Gene Film composer Gene Page died in Los Angeles on August 24, 1998. He was 58. Page composed the scores for Robert Altman’s quirky 1970 film Brewster McCloud and the 1972 Blaxploitation horror film Blacula. He also worked on the 1977 Jane Fonda film Fun with Dick and Jane and was orchestrator for Things Are Tough All Over (1982) and 1996’s Grace of My Heart. Page’s music arrangements also included the Righteous Brothers’ hit “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.” Variety, Oct. 5, 1998, 83.

Pakula, Alan J. Film director Alan J. Pakula was killed in an auto accident on the Long Island Expressway in New York on November 19, 1998. He was 70. Pakula suffered a fatal injury when a seven-footlong pipe was bounced up from the roadway and crashed through the windshield of his car, striking him in the head. Pakula was born in The Bronx on April 7, 1928. He majored in drama at Yale University and began working in films at the cartoon department at Warner. Pakula produced his first film, Fear Strikes Out, in 1957, starring

Alan J. Pakula

173 Anthony Perkins as baseball star Jimmy Piersall. He also produced the Academy Award nominated film To Kill a Mockingbird in 1963, which earned an Oscar for actor Gregory Peck. He continued to produce such films as Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1966), Up the Down Staircase (1967) and The Stalking Moon (1968). He made his directoral debut with 1969’s The Sterile Cuckoo, with Liza Minnelli winning an Oscar for the starring role. Jane Fonda received an Academy Award for Pakula’s 1971 film Klute. He also directed and produced Love, Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973), The Parallax View (1973) with Warren Beatty, and the Watergate thriller, All the President’s Men, which earned him an Oscar nomination. His other film credits include Comes a Horseman (1978), Starting Over (1980), Rollover (1981), Sophie’s Choice (1982) which gained him an Academy Award nomination for his script, Dream Lover (1985), Orphans (1987), See You in the Morning (1989), Presumed Innocent (1990), Consenting Adults (1992) and John Grisham’s The Pelican Brief. His final film was the 1997 thriller The Devil’s Own starring Harrison Ford. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20, 1998, A32; New York Times, Nov. 20, 1998, B11; Time, Nov. 30, 1998, 35; Times (of London), Nov. 21, 1998, 24a; Variety, Nov. 23, 1998, 58; Washington Post, Nov. 20, 1998, F1.

1998 • Obituaries

trotters, Go, Man, Go!. The film, which starred Sidney Poitier, was released under a pseudonym because Palca was a victim of the McCarthy Era blacklist. Go, Man, Go! was his only film credit and his name was restored to the film at the 50th anniversary ceremony honoring blacklisted Hollywood writers in 1997. New York Times, June 22, 1998, A17; Variety, June 29, 1998, 44.

Palmieri, Dominic, Jr. Cinematographer Dominic Richard Palmieri, Jr., died of cancer at his central Florida home on February 2, 1998. He was 58. Palmieri worked as a film loader and camera operator before serving as director of photography for the television series M*A*S*H for eight years in the 1970s. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 11, 1998, A18; Variety, Mar. 30, 1998, 175.

Pandit, Korla Indian organist Korla Pandit died of complications from a stroke at the San Mateo, Cali-

Palance, Cody Cody Palance, the son of actor Jack Palance, died of cancer in Tiajuana, Mexico, on July 15, 1998. He was 42. Palance appeared with his father in the 1976 European western God’s Gun. He was also featured in 1988’s Young Guns.

Palca, Alfred Film producer and writer Alfred Palca died of cancer in New York on June 18, 1998. He was 78. Palca was born in Manhattan in 1920. He began writing for NBC radio while still in college in the late 1930s. After serving in the army during World War II Palca worked as a publicity agent for 20th Century Fox. He wrote and produced the 1954 film about the Harlem Globe-

Korla Pandit

Obituaries • 1998

174

fornia, County Hospital on October 1, 1998. He was 76. Pandit claimed to have born in New Delhi in 1922, though biographical data is sketchy. Pandit began performing in Southern California in the early 1950s, where his exotic stage appearance in a jewel-covered turban made him a familiar figure on early television. He hosted his own series on Los Angeles television in the 1950s, Adventures in Music. Pandit would simply stare into the camera without speaking and began to play his Hammond organ. He recorded over a dozen albums during his career. He had cameo roles in several films including Which Way Is Up? (1977) and Tim Burton’s Ed Wood (1994).

Parla, Alicia Cuban-born dancer Alicia Parla, known as the “Queen of the Rumba,” died in Miami on October 6, 1998. She was 84. Parla was born in Havana in 1914. She moved with her family to Miami in the 1920s. She began dancing professionally in 1930, appearing with the Havana

Alicia Parla

Casino Orchestra in a New York tour. She performed throughout the United States and Europe until she was forced to give up her career in 1933 when her father demanded she return to Havana and marry a wealthy Cuban rancher. The couple soon divorced and Parla attempted to resurrect her dancing career. She was also featured in the Cuban films The Angry God and The Black Privateer. She again settled in Miami after Fidel Castro took over the Cuban government in 1959. She worked as a hospital administrator until her retirement in 1980. New York Times, Oct. 11, 1998, 45; Times (of London), Oct. 29, 1998, 27a.

Paul, Richard Actor Richard Paul died of cancer in Los Angeles on December 25, 1998. He was 58. Paul was born in Los Angeles on June 6, 1940. He was best known for his roles on television, starring as Mayor Teddy Burnside in the comedy series Carter Country from 1977 until 1979, and appearing often with Angela Lansbury as Mayor Sam Booth on Murder, She Wrote in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The pudgy actor also appeared as Barton Stone in the short-lived 1980 sit-com One in a Million and was Bo Phillips in 1982’s

Richard Paul

175 Herbie, The Love Bug. He also appeared as Rev. Billy Joe Bickerstff in 1985’s Hail to the Chief, was Wilton Parmenter in 1986’s The New Gidget and was Mr. Strowbridge in Full House from 1988 until 1995. Paul was a practicing psychologist before he began acting in the 1970s. He appeared in a handful of films including Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Eating Raoul (1982), The Man Who Wasn’t There (1983), Not for Publication (1984), Uphill All the Way (1985), The Princess Academy (1987), Pass the Ammo (1988), Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight (1991), Beanstalk (1994), Mind Games (1996) and The Glass Cage (1996). Paul appeared as the Rev. Jerry Falwell in the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt, a role he had previously played in the 1990 tele-film Fall from Grace. He completed his final film role in the 1999 release The Independent several months before his death. Paul’s other television credits include The Match Game, Password, M*A*S*H, Emergency!, Maude, Happy Days as Uncle Richard Cunningham, Quincy, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Eight Is Enough, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard, Madame’s Place, Tattletales, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Amazing Stories, 227, Out of This World, Roseanne, Robocop, CHiPs, WKRP in Cincinati, Married … with Children, Beverly Hills, 90210, Who’s the Boss?, Herman’s Head and The Drew Carey Show. Paul was also a voice actor in such films as Coonskin (1974) and Project X (1987), and appeared on comedy albums with Firesign Theater. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 38, 1998; People, Jan. 18, 199, 71; Washington Post, Dec. 28, 1998, B4.

1998 • Obituaries

Lalita Pawar

fered partial facial paralysis while shooting a film in 1942. She remained active in the Indian cinema as a character performer, appearing in Ramshastri in 1944. She went on to play character roles, often scheming mothers-in-law, in such films as Daag (1952), Bahut Din Huye (1954), Untouchable Girl (1959), Memdidi (1961), Bharosa (1963), Samgam (1964), Kohra (1964) and Jawala (1971). Times (of London), Mar. 25, 1998, 21a.

Paz, Octavio Pawar, Lalita Indian actress Lalita Pawar died in Pune, India, on February 24, 1998. She was 79. Pawar was born in Indore, Central India, on April 18, 1918. During her career she appeared in over 600 Hindi and Marathi films. She began her career as a child actress in silent films in India. She starred in the 1928 film Arya Mahila (aka Aryan Woman). She subsequently starred as a costumed adventuress in the 1931 film Diler Jagar (aka Gallant Heart). It was directed by Genpatrao Pawar, who she married soon after. She made her debut in talkies in The Bravery of Man. She remained a leading star throughout the 1930s until she suf-

Leading Mexican writer and poet Octavio Paz died in Mexico City after a long illness on April 19, 1998. He was 84. Paz was born on the outskirts of Mexico City on March 31, 1914. Best known for his poetry, he was the recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature. His novel, Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz, was the basis for the 1990 Mexican film Yo, la peor de todas (aka I, the Worst of All ). His best known works include the booklength essay The Labyrinth of Solitude (1950) and the poem Sun Stone. New York Times, Apr. 21, 1998, A1; People. May 4, 1998, 97; Time, May 4, 1998, 27; Times (of London), Apr. 21, 1998, 23a; Washington Post, Apr. 21, 1998, B6.

Obituaries • 1998

176

Stephen Pearlman

Octavio Paz

Pearlman, Stephen

Penn, Leo Television director Leo Penn died of lung cancer at a Santa Monica, California, hospital on

Film and television actor Stephen Pearlman died of cancer at his Manhattan home on September 30, 1998. He was 63. Pearlman was born in Brooklyn in 1935. He made his stage debut in New York in 1959 and starred in such Broadway productions as Barefoot in the Park, Children of a Lesser God and Six Degrees of Separation. Pearlman’s film credits include The Iceman Cometh (1973), Audrey Rose (1977), Rollercoaster (1977), American Hot Wax (1978), Xanadu (1980), Green Card (1990), My New Gun (1992), The Cemetery Club (1993), Quiz Show (1994), Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), The First Wives Club (1996) and Pi (1998). He starred as Murray Zuckerman in the short lived 1978 television sit-com Husbands, Wives & Lovers and appeared in the miniseries Celebrity (1984) and A Woman Named Jackie (1991). He was also featured in the tele-films Perfect Gentlemen (1978), Trapped in Silence (1986), A Deadly Business (1986), Criminal Justice (1990) and Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995). His other television credits include episodes of Barney Miller, several episodes of Law & Order, Mad About You, L.A. Law and Seinfeld. New York Times, Oct. 10, 1998, A13. Leo Penn

177 September 5, 1998. He was 77. Penn, the father of actor Sean Penn, began his career as an actor on stage, appearing in such productions as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Of Mice and Men and The Iceman Cometh. Penn also appeared in the 1959 film The Story on Page One and was Jerry Green in the television comedy series The Gertrude Berg Show in 1961. He also appeared in episodes of The Untouchables and Ben Casey. He became one of television’s most prolific directors in the 1960s. Penn directed episodes of such series as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Ben Casey, The Fugitive, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, I Spy, Star Trek, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Judd, for the Defense, Marcus Welby, M.D., Cannon, Cade’s County, Ghost Story, Columbo, The Girl with Something Extra, Kojak, Little House on the Prairie, Doctor’s Hospital, Switch, Starsky and Hutch, The Bionic Woman, Tales of the Unexpected, Hart to Hart, Magnum P.I., Mr. Merlin, Fame, Remington Steele, Matlock, Trapper John, M.D., St. Elsewhere and Diagnosis Murder. Penn was awarded an Emmy in 1973 for his direction of the Columbo episode “Any Port in a Storm.” He also directed the films A Man Called Adam (1966) and Judgment in Berlin (1988), and several segments of the 1977 television mini-series Testimony of Two Men. His other credits include the tele-films Quarantined (1970), The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978), Murder in Music City (1989), Hellinger’s Law (1981) and Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (1989). Penn also appeared on screen in the films Sixth and Main (1977) and The Wild Life (1984), and the telefilms North Beach and Rawhide (1985) and The Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (1986). He and his wife, actress Eileen Ryan, appeared in small parts in the 1995 film The Crossing Guard, written and directed by his son, Sean Penn. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 10, 1998, A24; New York Times, Sept. 10, 1998, B12; Time, Sept. 21, 1998, 29; Variety, Sept. 14, 1998, 92.

Perkins, Carl Rock and roll pioneer Carl Perkins died of complications from several strokes in a Jackson, Tennessee, hospital on January 19, 1998. He was 65. Perkins was born in Ridgely, Tennessee, on April 9, 1932. He began performing with the Perkins Brothers Band in the early 1950s. He was

1998 • Obituaries

Carl Perkins (center, with friends).

an early innovator of rock and roll and had his first major hit with his song “Blue Suede Shoes.” Perkins’ career suffered a major setback when he was badly injured in an automobile accident in March of 1956 while on route to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. His friend and fellow Sun Records artist, Elvis Presley, went on to become a major star and also recorded Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes” with great success. Perkins continued his career, recording such songs as “Put Your Cat Clothes On,” “Matchbox” and “Dixie Fried.” He appeared in the 1957 film Jamboree. Perkins overcame a battle with alcoholism in the 1960s and continued to perform through the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared as a bouncer in John Landis’ 1985 film Into the Night. He recorded with such fellow artists as Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, Roy Orbison and Stevie Wonder. Perkins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. His most recent album, Go, Cat, Go, was released in 1996. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 20, 1998, A14; New York Times, Jan. 20, 1998, B12; Newsweek, Feb. 2, 1998, 70; People, Feb. 2, 1998, 73; Time, Feb. 2, 1998, 17; Times (of London), Jan. 21, 1998, 21a; Variety, Jan. 26, 1998, 81.

Obituaries • 1998

178

Jack Perkins

Perkins, Jack Actor and stuntman Jack Perkins died in Van Nuys, California, on March 7, 1998. He was 76. Perkins began his acting career in the early 1960s. He was featured in such films as Fuzz (1972), What’s Up Doc? (1972), Nightmare Honeymoon (1973), Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), Nickelodeon (1976), Grand Theft Auto (1977), Ruby (1977), The North Avenue Irregulars (1979), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979), Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) and Night Shift (1982). Perkins was also a familiar face on television, appearing in the tele-film Killer Bees (1974) and in episodes of Mr. Lucky, Twilight Zone, Rawhide, Laredo, The Munsters, T.H.E. Cat, Wild Wild West, Star Trek, Cimarron Strip, Here Come the Brides, Gunsmoke, CHiPs and Little House on the Prairie.

Perrin, Nat Comedy writer and producer Nat Perrin died in Los Angeles on May 9, 1998. He was 93. Perrin began his career as a gag writer for Groucho Marx in the 1930s. He worked as a writer on such films as Roman Scandals (1933), Duck Soup (1933), Kid Millions (1934), Stowaway (1936),

Rose of the Rancho (1936), Dimples (1956), Pigskin Parade (1936), On Again Off Again (1937), Don’t Tell the Wife (1937), New Faces of 1937 (1937), The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), Hullabaloo (1940), Alias the Deacon (1940), Keep ’Em Flying (1941), Hellzapoppin’ (1941), The Big Store (1941), Whistling in Dixie (1942), Pardon My Sarong (1942), Whistling in Brooklyn (1943), Swing Fever (1944), Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945), Song of the Thin Man (1947) which he also produced, Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), The Petty Girl (1950) and Emergency Wedding (1950). He began working in television in the 1950s, where he helped produce such series as The Red Skelton Show and Death Valley Days. He served as producer and head writer for the comedy series The Addams Family from 1964 until 1966. His later film credits as writer include I’ll Take Sweden (1965) with Bob Hope, Frankie and Johnnie (1966) with Elvis Presley, and The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968). Perrin acted as temporary conservator for the estate of his long-time friend Groucho when the comedian was near death in 1977. He was also featured in the 1991 television special Here He Is … The One, The Only … Groucho. Los Angeles Times, May 14, 1998, B10.

Perrin, Sam Comedy writer Sam Perrin died on January 8, 1998. He was 96. Perrin was born on August 15, 1901. He was a long-time writer for Jack Benny’s radio show. He also co-scripted several films including The Goldwyn Follies (1938) and Navy Blues (1941).

Petersen, Don Screenwriter and playwright Don Petersen died of lung and liver disease in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on April 25, 1998. He was 70. Petersen was born in Davenport, Iowa, in 1927. He wrote the 1969 Broadway play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? which featured Al Pacino in his Broadway debut. He also wrote the play The Enemy Is Dead, which was produced on Broadway in 1973. Petersen also scripted several films including Deadly Hero (1976), An Almost Perfect Affair (1979) and Target (1985). New York Times, May 3, 1998, I52.

179

1998 • Obituaries

Louis Peterson

Don Petersen

Peterson, Louis Playwright and screenwriter Louis S. Peterson died of lung cancer at his Manhattan home on April 27, 1998. He was 76. Peterson was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1921. He was a pioneering black playwright whose 1953 play Take a Giant Step was listed as one of the year’s best. He also co-scripted the 1959 film version of his play with Julius J. Epstein. Peterson also scripted television productions of Joey and The CourtMartial of Billy Mitchell. Peterson’s other plays include Entertain a Ghost (1962) and Crazy Horse (1979). Los Angeles Times, May 3, 1998, B5; New York Times, May 1, 1998, D19; Variety, May 25, 1998, 74.

Pettit, Suzanne Film editor Suzanne Pettit died of breast cancer at her Los Angeles home on May 28, 1998.

She was 50. Pettit was born in Texas on January 2, 1948. She began working in documentary films before moving to Los Angeles in the mid–1970s. Pettit edited such features as Girlfriend (1978), Tell Me a Riddle (1980), Testament (1983), Sylvester (1985), In Her Time (1985), ’Night Mother (1986), And God Created Woman (1987), Love Potion No. 9 (1991) and Persons Unknown (1986). She also worked in television on the tele-films Framed (1990) and On the Line (1990), and the series Amazing Stories, The Marshal and Dangerous Minds.

Phango, Peggy Singer and actress Peggy Phango died in London after a long illness on August 7, 1998. She was 69. Phango was born in Orlando, Transvaal, South Africa, on December 28, 1928. She came to England in 1961 as the star of the jazz musical King Kong. She remained in England, appearing in stage productions of You Can’t Take It with You, Moses and Aaron and Showboat. She also appeared on British television in episodes of Within These Walls, EastEnders, Crown Court, The Bill, Brookside and Blue Pastures. Phango’s tele-

Obituaries • 1998

180 for such performers as John Barrymore in Romeo and Juliet, Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty and the Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera. Phillips also worked on the 1968 science fiction classic Planet of the Apes and was involved with such television series as Lou Grant with Ed Asner. Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1998, A24; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Pilatus, Rob Robert Pilatus, a member of the disgraced German pop duo Milli Vanilli, died of a heart attack attributed to drug abuse in a Frankfurt, Germany, hotel room on April 2, 1998. He was 32. Pilatus was born in New York City in 1966. He traveled throughout Europe and the United States, often working as a dancer and model. He teamed with French gymnast Fabrice Morvan, and the duo moved to Munich in the late 1980s. They met producer Frankie Farian, who liked the look and dancing style of the pair, but was unimpressed by their singing abilities. Farian recorded

Peggy Phango

vision appearances also include The Finding (1990), Born Kicking (1992) and Brothers and Sisters (1996). Times (of London), Aug. 18, 1998, 21a.

Phillips, Webster Makeup artist Webster Phillips died of cancer in Los Angeles on May 13, 1998. He was 83. He was the son of silent film makeup artist Festus Phillips. Webster Phillips worked on numerous films during his career. He supplied makeup

Rob Pilatus

181 a pop album under their name, with Pilatus and Morvan lip-synching to studio musicians. Their first album was a huge success, generating three top singles including the title track, Girl You Know It’s True. They received a Grammy for best new artist of the year. Milli Vanilli was forced to return the Grammy soon after when it was revealed they were not the true singers. The duo’s career and personal lives crumbled as a result. Pilatus, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, attempted suicide by slashing his wrists and jumping from a ninth-story hotel room in Los Angeles. A comeback attempt in 1993 as Rob and Fab was unsuccessful and Morvan began a solo career. Pilatus was placed in a drug rehabilitation program in 1996 after facing several charges of assault. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 6, 1998, B6; New York Times, Apr. 7, 1998, A25; People, Apr. 20, 1998, 134; Time, Apr. 20, 1998, 24; Variety, Apr. 13, 1998, 41.

Pitchford, Lonnie Blues musician Lonnie Pitchford died of complications from pneumonia at his home in

Lonnie Pitchford

1998 • Obituaries

Lexington, Mississippi, on November 8, 1998. Pitchford was born near Lexington, Mississippi, on October 8, 1955. He began playing a didley bow as a child and performed at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Folk Festival in 1974. Pitchford made his first recording, Living Country Blues USA, in 1980. He was soon touring throughout Europe and appeared in several blues documentaries including Alan Lomax’s The Land Where the Blues Began and Robert Palmer’s Deep Blues (1991). He recorded his first full album, All Around Man, in 1994 and was working on a new album at the time of his death. New York Times, Nov. 23, 1998, B8.

Platt, Ken British actor and comedian Ken Platt died in England on October 2, 1998. He was 77. Platt was born in Leigh, Lancashire, England, on February 17, 1921. He began performing his comedy act locally as a teenager, but began his career in earnest in the late 1940s. Platt became a popular radio comedian in such British shows as Variety Fanfare, Workers’ Playtime, Hit the Road, Henry Hall’s, Guest Night, Follow the Stars, Midday Music Hall, Educating Archie and We’re Not Stopping.

Ken Platt

Obituaries • 1998

182

Platt performed on stage and television during the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on such television shows as Big Night Out, Spot the Tune, The Liver Birds and The Good Old Days. He continued to entertain audiences until a severe stroke forced his retirement in 1990. Times (of London), Oct. 5, 1998, 25a.

Pond-Smith, Stephanie Former child actress Stephanie Pond-Smith died of a brain aneurysm in Reno, Nevada, on March 18, 1998. She was 45. Pond-Smith began her career in films at the age of four, appearing as the youngest princess in the 1956 film version of The King and I with Yul Brynner. She also appeared in the films Rebel Without a Cause (1955), The Left Handed Gun (1958) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Pond-Smith resumed her film career after attending UCLA, joining Paramount Pictures as a production assistant and film publicist. She subsequently went to work at Carolco Pictures in 1988, where she directed publicity campaigns for the films Angel Heart, The Doors, Terminator 2 and Basic Instinct. She left Carolco in 1995 to work as a unit publicist on such recent films as Conspiracy Theory, Payback and Krippendorf ’s Tribe. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 25, 1998, A18.

Potter, Margaret British romance novelist Margaret Potter died in Oxford on August 26, 1998. She was 72. She was born Margaret Newman in Harrow, England, on June 21, 1926, the daughter of author Bernard Newman. She worked as a magazine editor before the publication of her first novel, Murder to Music, in 1959. She wrote numerous romance novels over the next decade, often writing under such pseudonyms as Anne Melville, Anne Betteridge and Margaret Newman. She also authored nine children’s stories and, in the mid– 1970s, she began her six-volume saga of the Lorimer family with The Lorimer Line. Her recent novels include A Clean Break, Standing Alone and the forthcoming Debutante Daughters. Times (of London), Sept. 11, 1998, 25a.

Margaret Potter

Powell, Cozy British rock musician Cozy Powell was killed in a car crash near Bristol, England, on April 5, 1998. He was 50. Powell was born on December 29, 1947. He began playing professionally with the Sorcerers in 1965. He became

Cozy Powell

183 one of England’s leading rock drummers, performing with Jeff Beck in the late 1960s and forming his own group, Cozy Powell’s Hammer. The group disbanded in 1975 and he subsequently joined Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. He performed on four albums with them before leaving the group in 1980. He briefly played with Whitesnake in 1982 and replaced Carl Palmer with Emerson, Lake and Palmer in 1985. He also recorded with Black Sabbath in the late 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 1998, B6; New York Times, Apr. 15, 1998, D23; Times (of London), Apr. 9, 1998, 27a.

Powell, Eugene Blues guitarist Eugene Powell died in a Greenville, Mississippi, nursing home on November 4, 1998. He was 89. Powell was born in Utica, Mississippi, on December 23, 1908. He began to play the guitar at the age of 7, and began

1998 • Obituaries

playing locally soon afterwards. Powell began touring in his teens, playing with such artists as the Catmon Family, Richard “Hacksaw” Harney and Ernest “44” Johnson. He settled in Greenville, Mississippi, in 1940 and didn’t reemerge until the blues revival of the 1960s. Powell subsequently began touring and recording again, appearing in Alan Lomax’s documentary video The Land Where the Blues Began.

Powell, Mel Composer Mel Powell died of liver cancer in Los Angeles on April 24, 1998. He was 75. Powell was born Melvin Epstein in New York City on February 12, 1923. He began playing in jazz clubs in New York while in his teens. He performed with such leading musical figures as Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie early in his career. He went to Hollywood and joined MGM’s music department after World War II, where he composed music for cartoons and films. He appeared in a brief part in Danny Kaye’s 1948 film A Song Is Born. He soon began composing classical music, becoming professor of composition at Yale and serving as dean of the California Institute of Arts music department from 1969 until 1978. Powell was awarded the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for music for his composition Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 25, 1998, A22; New York Times, Apr. 27, 1997, B7; Times (of London), Apr, 27, 1998, 25a.

Preston, William

Eugene Powell (Val Wilmer)

William Preston, who was best known for his recurring role as aged Carl “Oldy” Olsen on the late-night Conan O’Brien Show from 1993, died in New York after a brief illness on July 10, 1998. He was 77. Preston was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, on August 26, 1921. He began his career on stage in the early 1970s at the age of 50 after working as a bookkeeper for a Philadelphia trucking firm. Preston appeared on Broadway in productions of Arsenic and Old Lace, Our Town and Ivanov. He appeared in character roles in such films as Goodbye, New York (1985), Family Busi-

Obituaries • 1998

184

William Preston

ness (1989), The Exorcist III (1990), The Fisher King (1991) with Robin Williams, Me and Veronica (1992), Far and Away (1992), It Runs in the Family (1994), Reckless (1995), Blue in the Face (1995), Waterworld (1995) with Kevin Costner, Joe’s Apartment (1996), The Crucible (1996), I’m Not Rappaport (1996) and Destination Anywhere (1997). Variety, July 20, 1998, 57.

Prey, Hermann German operatic baritone Hermann Prey died of a heart attack in Munich on July 22, 1998. He was 69. Prey was born in Berlin on July 11, 1929. He began performing during the Allied occupation of Germany in the post–World War II period and made his professional debut in Wiesbaden in a production of Fidelio in 1952. He continued to perform throughout the 1950s, primarily with the Hamburg State Opera. Prey made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Wagner’s Tannhauser in 1960. His subsequent Met performances include The Barber of Saville, Die Fledermaus and Die Zauberflote. Prey was also the host of a music-oriented television program in Munich for many years. He continued to perform on stage until shortly before his death. New York Times, July 24, 1998, B12; Time, Aug. 3, 1998, 31; Times (of London), July 24, 1998, 23a.

Hermann Prey

cember 28, 1998. He was 77. Price began producing plays in 1959 with off-Broadway productions of The Mime and Me and The Tiger Rag. He made his Broadway debut in 1967 with The Natural Look. The following year he had a major success with George M!, a musical about George M. Cohan. His other credits include Show Me Where the Good Times Are (19780) and Seesaw (1973). Los Angeles Times, Jan. 3, 1999.

Price, Lorin E.

Prohias, Antonio

Theatrical producer Lorin E. Price died of Parkinson’s disease in Tampa, Florida, on De-

Cartoonist Antonio Prohias died of lung cancer in a Miami, Florida, hospital on Febru-

185

1998 • Obituaries

Antonio Prohias (Hector Gabino).

ary 25, 1998. He was 77. The Cuban-born cartoonist was best known for his work in Mad magazine, where he drew the popular Spy vs. Spy strip from January of 1961 until his retirement in 1990. New York Times, Mar. 2, 1998, A14; People, Mar. 16, 1998, 93; Time, Mar. 9, 1998, 52.

Questel, Mae Voice actress Mae Questel died at her Manhattan home after a long illness on January 4, 1998. She was 89. Questel was born on September 13, 1908. She was best known as the voice of Betty Boop in over 150 animated shorts during the 1930s. She also did the voice of Popeye’s girlfriend, Olive Oyl, in cartoons from 1933 through 1967, and was often heard as the voice of Casper, the Friendly Ghost. Questel also portrayed cartoon characters Little Audrey and Little Lulu. She appeared in several films during her long career including A Majority of One (1961), It’s Only Money (1962), Funny Girl (1968), Move (1970), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) and Woody Allen’s Oedipus Wrecks segment of New York Stories (1989), where she played the comedian’s overbearing mother. She also appeared on Broadway in productions of Dr. Social (1948), A Majority of One (1959) and Enter Laughing (1963), and played the character “Aunt Bluebell” in paper towel commercials on television in the 1960s and 1970s. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 9, 1998, A22; New York Times, Jan. 13, 1998, D21; People, Jan. 26, 1998, 97.

Mae Questel

Rabb, Ellis Actor Ellis Rabb died of heart failure in a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital on January 11, 1998. He was 67. Rabb was born in Memphis in 1930. He began performing and directing for the stage in the early 1950s. He made his New York debut in 1955. Rabb became a leader of the Association of Producing Artists on Broadway in the early 1960s, where he produced and directed such productions as The School for Scandal and George M. Cohan’s The Tavern. He completed his last season with the A.P.A. in 1969. He continued to direct and perform in New York, directing the 1973 productions of A Steetcar Named Desire and starring in A Life in the Theater in 1977. Rabb also appeared in the 1978 television mini-series The Dain Curse with James Coburn. He returned to Memphis in the 1980s, but continued to remain active in theater. His final work was a production of The Glass Menagerie at the State University of New York in 1994. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 17, 1998, A16; New York Times, Jan. 13, 1998, D21.

Obituaries • 1998

186 and recorded the hit country tunes “Drivin’ My Life Away,” “Every Which Way but Loose,” “Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight” and “Step by Step.” Los Angeles Times, May 9, 1998, A20; New York Times, May 9, 1998, A12; Time, May 18, 1998, 37; Variety, May 18, 1998, 87.

Raikes, Raymond British radio producer Raymond Raikes died in England on October 2, 1998. He was 88. Raikes was born on September 13, 1910. He began his career acting on stage in the 1930s. Raikes joined the BBC as an announcer during World War II. He joined the drama department in 1946. During the 1950s and early 1960s Raikes was producer of the popular detective series Dick Barton, the radio adaptation of Peter Gurney’s play The Foundling and The National Theatre of the Air. He retired from the BBC in the mid–1970s.

Ellis Rabb (Bill Pierce).

Rabbitt, Eddie Singer-songwriter Eddie Rabbitt died of lung cancer in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital on April 7, 1998. He was 56. Rabbitt was born in Brooklyn on November 27, 1941, and raised in East Orange, New Jersey. He went to Nashville in 1968 and, two years later, wrote Elvis Presley’s hit song “I Love a Rainy Night.” He also wrote

Raymond Raikes

Ramsey, Buck Eddie Rabbitt

Singer and writer Buck Ramsey died in Amarillo, Texas, on January 3, 1998. He was 59. Ramsey was a singing cowboy and the recipient

187

1998 • Obituaries

Buck Ramsey

of the Golden Spur Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. He had been paralyzed from the waist down due to a severe back injury suffered in 1961. He also received numerous other awards for his poetry and music. Ramsey performed on Herb Jeffries’ 1995 album Bronze Buckaroo (Rides Again).

Robin Ray

tinued to perform on stage, often in musicals, through the 1990s. Times (of London), Nov. 30, 1998, 25a.

Raymond, Gene Ray, Robin British actor and television personality Robin Ray died in England after a short illness on November 29, 1998. He was 63. Ray was born in North London in 1935, the son of comedian Ted Ray. The younger Ray began his career on stage and made his first television appearance in The Guv’nor on ITV. He appeared in small roles in a few films including I’m All Right Jack (1959) with Peter Sellers, Carry on Constable (1960) and The Beatles movie debut A Hard Day’s Night (1964). Ray became best known as the host of the BBC television quiz show Call My Bluff in the early 1960s. Ray continued to host such television shows as The Movie Quiz, Cabbages and Kings and Face The Music during the 1960s and 1970s. Ray was a classical music enthusiast who also hosted various radio programs. He also con-

Leading man Gene Raymond died of pneumonia at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Hollywood on May 3, 1998. He was 89. Raymond was born Raymond Guion in New York City on August 13, 1908. He began his acting career as a child on stage and made his debut on Broadway in 1920. Raymond went to Hollywood with the advent of the talkies and made his screen debut in Personal Maid in 1931. He worked at various studios over the next several years, starring in such films as Ladies of the Big House (1931), Forgotten Commandments (1932), The Night of June 13th (1932), Red Dust (1932), If I Had a Million (1932), Zoo in Budapest (1933), Flying Down to Rio (1933), Ex-Lady (1933), Brief Moment (1933), The House on 56th Street (1933), Ann Carver’s Profession (1933), I Am Suzanne (1934), Coming Out Party (1934), Transatlantic MerryGo-Round (1934) and Sadie McKee (1934). Ray-

Obituaries • 1998

188 Reader’s Digest. He was also featured in episodes of Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Tales of Tomorrow, Lux Video Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Kraft Television Theatre, The Loretta Young Show, Ford Theatre, Playhouse 90, Matinee Theatre, Johnny Ringo, Climax!, The Red Skelton Show, U.S. Steel Hour, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Sam Benedict, Route 66, The Dick Powell Show, The Defenders, Channing, The Outer Limits, My Living Doll, Burke’s Law, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Laredo, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Judd for the Defense, Hondo, Ironside, The Bold Ones, The Name of the Game, Mannix, The Interns, The F.B.I., Apple’s Way, The Invisible Man and The D.A. He starred in the first tele-film, The Hanged Man, in 1964 and was Robert Stevens in the short-lived adventure series, Paris 7000, in 1970. Los Angeles Times, May 6, 1998, A24; New York Times, May 6, 1998, D23; Times (of London), May 9, 1998, 25a.

Gene Raymond

mond was under contract to RKO from 1935 where he appeared in the films Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935), Behold My Wife (1935), Hooray for Love (1935), Transient Lady (1935), The Woman in Red (1935), Love on a Bet (1936), Walking on Air (1936), The Bride Walks Out (1936), The Smartest Girl in Town (1936), That Girl from Paris (1937), She’s Got Everything (1937), The Life of the Party (1937), There Goes My Girl (1937), Stolen Heaven (1938), Hollywood Personalities (1938), Cross Country Romance (1940), Smilin’ Through (1941) and Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941). Raymond served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He resumed his career after the war, but he only appeared in a handful of films over the next two decades. He wrote, directed and starred in the 1949 film Million Dollar Weekend and was featured in The Locket (1946), Assigned to Danger (1948), Sofia (1948), Hit the Deck (1955), Plunder Road (1957), The Best Man (1964), I’d Rather Be Rich (1964) and his final film, 1969’s Five Blood Graves as the voice of Death. Raymond was married to actress Jeanette MacDonald, his leading lady in 1941’s Smilin’ Through, from 1937 until her death in 1965. He was active on television in the 1950s, hosting several series including Fireside Theatre, Hollywood Summer Theatre and TV

Reder, Gigi Italian character actor Gigi Reder died in a Rome hospital following a long illness on October 8, 1998. He was 70. Reder was born Luigi Schroeder in Naples, Italy, in 1928. He began his career on the stage in 1950 and soon made his film debut in Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia’s 47 morto che parla. He appeared in over 70 films during his career including Bellezze in bicicletta (1950), Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953), Bread, Love and Dreams (1953), Frisky (1954), Innamorati, Gli (1955), La Bella di Roma (1955), Il Vedovo (1959), Mina … fuori la guardia (1961), Fra’Manisco cerca guai (1961), Giacomo Casanova: Childhood and Adolescence (1969), Satiricosiossimo (1970), Ma che musica maestro (1971) and Federico Fellini’s The Clowns (1971). He was best known for the over 30 comedy films teaming him with Paolo Villaggio. He co-starred as Filini, Villaggio’s bossy associate, in the Fantozzi series which included the films Fantozzi (1974), Il Secondo tragico Fanozzi (1976), Fantozzi subisce ancora (1983), Fantozzi va in pensione (1988), Fantozzi alla riscossa (1990), Fantozzi in paradiso (1993) and Fantozzi: The Return (1996). His later film credits also include They Call Him Bulldozer (1978), Riavanti … Marsh! (1979), Cafe Express (1980), L’Onorevole con l’amante sotto il letto

189 (1981), Fracchia la belva umana (1981), Fracchia contro Dracula (1985), Department Store (1986), The Great Pumpkin (1993) and God Willing (1995). Reder was also a popular performer on Italian television and radio. Variety, Oct. 26, 1998, 138.

Reed, Bruce Character actor Bruce Reed died of heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital on February 20, 1998. He was 54. Reed was featured in the 1974 film Lords of Flatbush with Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler. His other film credits include 1980’s Fade to Black and the 1985 tele-film Crime of Innocence. Reed was also featured in the television soap opera Search for Tomorrow and an episode of Cagney and Lacey.

1998 • Obituaries

Line with Tyrone Power and Maureen O’Hara. Another novel, The Mackenzie Raiders, was adapted into a television series with Richard Carlson in 1958. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 28, 1998, A20; New York Times, Mar. 1, 1998, I35; Washington Post, Feb. 27, 1998, B7.

Regen, Stuart Film producer Stuart Regen died of cancer in Los Angeles on August 18, 1998. He was 39. Regen was born in New York City in 1959. He was a leading Hollywood art dealer when he acquired the film rights to John O’Brien’s novel Leaving Las Vegas, about a suicidal alcoholic. Regen co-produced the independent film in 1995 and Nicholas Cage won an Academy Award for his performance as the central character. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20, 1998, A24; New York Times, Aug. 20, 1998, D20; Variety, Aug. 24, 1998, 37.

Bruce Reed

Reeder, Russell Military author Russell “Red” Reeder, Jr., died of congestive heart failure at a Fort Belvoir, Virginia, retirement home on February 22, 1998. He was 95. Reeder graduated from West Point in 1926 and retired from the army as a colonel in 1947. He wrote several books about the U.S. Military Academy and his novel, Bring Up the Brass, was adapted into the 1955 film The Long Gray

Stuart Regen

Obituaries • 1998

190

Jack Reitzen Hugh Reilly

Reilly, Hugh Actor Hugh Reilly died of emphysema in Burbank, California, on July 17, 1998. He was 82. Reilly was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1916. He was best known for starring as Paul Martin, father of Timmie and husband of June Lockhart’s Ruth, on the CBS television series Lassie from 1958 until 1964. Reilly also starred as David Naughton in the television drama series Claudia, The Story of a Marriage and was host of the 1955 drama series TV Reader’s Digest. His other television appearances include an episode of Goodyear Television Playhouse and the daytime soap opera The Edge of Night. He was also a popular star on Broadway, appearing in productions of Dear Charles with Tallulah Bankhead, Fair Game, Tea House of the August Moon and The Philadelphia Story. Reilly also appeared in a handful of films including Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949), The Sleeping City (1950), Bright Victory (1951), Lassie’s Great Adventure (1963) and Chuka (1967). Los Angeles Times, July 21, 1998, A15; New York Times, July 22, 1998, A17; People, Aug. 3, 1998, 79.

Reitzen, Jack Character actor Jack Reitzen died in Santa Barbara, California, on June 13, 1998. He was 74. Reitzen appeared in a handful of films in the late 1940s and early 1950s including Slave Girl (1947), The Argyle Secrets (1948), Appointment with Murder (1948), One Too Many (1950), Danger Zone (1951), Untamed Mistress (1953), The Black Panther (1953) and Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954). He starred as Chopstick Joe in the 1952 television adventure series Terry and the Pirates, and was featured in episodes of Tombstone Territory, Gunsmoke, Bat Masterson, Tales of Wells Fargo and Cheyenne.

Rizo, Marco Cuban-born pianist Marco Rizo died of a heart attack in New York on September 8, 1998. He was 78. Rizo was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1920. He was a leading concert pianist in Cuba while still in his teens. He came to the United States to attend Julliard in 1940. He toured with Desi Arnaz’s orchestra before becoming pianist

191

1998 • Obituaries

Miss Liberty (1949), The King and I (1951), The Pajama Game (1954), Peter Pan (1954) with Mary Martin and Bells Are Ringing (1956). His greatest fame came in 1957 when he created the hit Broadway play West Side Story. He also directed and choreographed the 1961 film version of the musical, which earned him two Academy Awards. Robbins also choreographed and directed the 1959 production of Gypsy and was production supervisor for Funny Girl in 1964. He received an Emmy Award for his work on the 1960 television production of Peter Pan. He also directed and choreographed the musical hit Fiddler on the Roof in 1964. Robbins returned to the New York City Ballet as ballet master in 1969 and succeeded Balanchine as artistic director after his death in 1983. He remained with the company until 1990. He continued to choreograph for the Paris Opera Ballet, the School of American Ballet and the City Ballet until his death. Los Angeles Times, July 30, 1998, A1; New York Times, July 30, 1998, A1; People, Aug. 17, 1998, 106; Times (of London), July 31, 1998, 25a; Variety, Aug. 3, 1998, 47; Washington Post, July 31, 1998, B1. Marco Rizo (Darleen Rubin).

and composer for the I Love Lucy television series in 1951. He remained with the comedy until 1959. The following year he became staff orchestrator for CBS.

Robbins, Jerome Choreographer Jerome Robbins died of a stroke in New York City on July 29, 1998. He was 79. Robbins was born Jerome Rabinowitz in New York on October 11, 1918. He made his professional debut in a production at the Yiddish Art Theater in 1937. He was soon working on Broadway, choreographing and directing numerous productions. He also joined the newly formed Ballet Theatre in 1940, where his 1944 production of Fancy Free brought him acclaim. He also worked on such Broadway musicals as Billion Dollar Baby (1945), High Button Shoes (1947) and Look Ma, I’m Dancing (1948). He became associate ballet master with George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet in 1949. Robbins continued to work on Broadway, choreographing such hits as

Jerome Robbins

Robertson, Peggy Script supervisor Peggy Robertson died after a long illness at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on February 6, 1998. She was 81. Robertson was born on September 13, 1916. She was the longtime personal assistant to director Alfred Hitchcock. She began her career as a script supervisor at England’s Denham Studios. She began working with Hitchcock on the 1949 film Under Capricorn. She

Obituaries • 1998

192

soon became his chief assistant for story selection, casting and filming, as well as script supervisor on such films as Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964), Torn Curtain (1966), Topaz (1966), Frenzy (1972) and Family Plot (1976). Robertson also assisted on Hitchcock’s television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the 1950s and 1960s. Following Hitchcock’s death in 1980, she remained involved in films as an associate producer to Peter Bogdanovich. She was involved in the production of his films Mask (1985) and Illegally Yours (1988). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 12, 1998, A24.

Rockin’ Sidney

as Rockin’ Sidney after taking over his uncle’s blues band. He began recording in the late 1950s and had a minor hit with the song “No Good Woman” in 1962. Sidney began performing zydeco music in the early 1980s. His 1982 album My Zydeco Shoes Got the Zydeco Blues contained the song “(Don’t Mess with) My Toot Toot,” which became a major hit, earning Sidney a Grammy Award. He continued to perform and record through the 1990s. People, Mar. 16, 1998, 93; Times (of London), Mar. 14, 1998, 25a.

Rogers, Roswell B. Peggy Robertson (with Alfred Hitchcock in Topaz).

Rockin’ Sidney Musician Rockin’ Sidney died of lung cancer in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on February 25, 1998. He was 59. He was born Sidney Simien in Lebeau, Louisiana, on April 9, 1938. He began playing various instruments and became known

Television writer Roswell B. Rogers died of complications of Parkinson’s disease at his daughter’s home in Monterey County, California, on August 6, 1998. He was 87. Rogers began his career in Hollywood in the mid–1930s, writing for such radio programs as Texaco Star Theater, The Lum and Abner Show and The Old Gold Show. In the early 1940s he scripted the films Two Weeks to Live (1942) with Lum and Abner and So This Is Washington (1943). He also wrote scripts for the Father Knows Best radio series and became

193

1998 • Obituaries

head writer when the program moved to television in the 1950s. Rogers garnered four Emmy nominations during his work on the series. Rogers retired from television in 1970. He subsequently scripted two films for the Walt Disney Co.—The $1,000,000 Duck (1971) and Charlie and the Angel (1973).

Rogers, Roy Roy Rogers, the “King of the Cowboys,” died of congestive heart failure at his ranch in Apple Valley near Victorville, California, on July 6, 1998. He was 86. Rogers was born Leonard Franklin Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 5, 1911. He headed to California during the Great Depression in 1930, where he worked for a time as a fruit picker. He learned to sing and play guitar performing with hillbilly musical groups. He soon joined with Bob Nolan to form the singing group the Pioneer Trio, which was subsequently renamed the Sons of the Pioneers. The group recorded the popular song, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” and Rogers appeared with the Sons of the Pioneers in several films including Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935) with Gene Autry, Slightly Static (1935), The Old Homestead (1935), Way Up Thar (1935), Gallant Defender (1935), The Mysterious Avenger (1936), The Old Corral (1936), The Big Show (1937), The California Mail (1937), The Old Wyoming Trail (1937), Wild Horse Rodeo (1937) and The Old Barn Dancer (1938). When Republic Studios top singing cowboy, Gene Autry, demanded a large salary increase, Rogers was chosen to replace Autry in the film Under Western Stars (1938). The studio was originally going to change his name to Dick Weston, but decided instead on Roy Rogers. He was an immediate success with the public and continued to appear in such westerns as Billy the Kid Returns (1938), The Arizona Kid (1939), Come on, Rangers (1939), Days of Jesse James (1939), Frontier Pony Express (1939), In Old Caliente (1939), Jeepers Creepers (1939), Rough Riders’ Round-Up (1939), Saga of Death Valley (1939), Southward Ho! (1939), Wall Street Cowboy (1939), The Border Legion (1940), The Carson City Kid (1940), Colorado (1940), The Dark Command (1940), The Ranger and the Lady (1940), Young Bill Hickok (1940), Young Buffalo Bill (1940), Arkansas Judge (1941), Bad Man of Deadwood (1941), In Old Cheyenne

Roy Rogers

(1941), Jesse James at Bay (1941), Nevada City (1941), Red River Valley (1941), Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941), Sheriff of Tombstone (1941), Heart of the Golden West (1942), Man from Cheyenne (1942), Ridin’ Down the Canyon (1942), Romance on the Range (1942), Sons of the Pioneers (1942), South of Santa Fe (1942), Sunset on the Desert (1942), Sunset Serenade (1942), Hands Across the Border (1943), Idaho (1943), King of the Cowboys (1943), Man from Music Mountain (1943), Silver Spurs (1943), Song of Texas (1943), The Lights of Old Santa Fe (1944), Hollywood Canteen (1944) where he introduced Cole Porter’s hit song “Don’t Fence Me In,” San Fernando Valley (1944), Song of Nevada (1944) and The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944). In his showy outfits (usually a white Stetson, gabardine shirt with flowers and fringes and silver and leather belts) and astride his horse Trigger with a guitar on his knee, Rogers was the biggest box-office cowboy star for twelve straight years from 1943 through 1954. He met actress Dale Evans when she was his leading lady in 1944’s Cowboy and the Senorita. She continued to appear with him in several films. Rogers was married to Arlene Wilkins from 1936. She died of an embolism in 1946 following the birth of their third child, Roy “Dusty” Rogers, Jr. Rogers married Dale Evans the following year and the cou-

Obituaries • 1998

194

ple remained devoted to one another for the rest of his life, though never so much as kissed onscreen. Rogers continued to make successful features including Along the Navajo Trail (1945), Bells of Rosarita (1945), Don’t Fence Me In (1945), The Man from Oklahoma (1945), Sunset in El Dorado (1945), Utah (1945), Heldorado (1946), Home in Oklahoma (1946), My Pal Trigger (1946), Out California Way (1946), Rainbow Over Texas (1946), Roll on, Texas Moon (1946), Song of Arizona (1946), Under Nevada Skies (1946), Apache Rose (1947), Bells of San Angelo (1947), On the Old Spanish Trail (1947), Springtime in the Sierras (1947), Eyes of Texas (1948), The Gay Ranchero (1948), Grand Canyon Trail (1948), Melody Time (1948), Night Time in Nevada (1948), Under California Stars (1948), Down Dakota Way (1949), The Far Frontier (1949), The Golden Stallion (1949), Susanna Pass (1949), Bells of Coronado (1950), North of the Great Divide (1950), Sunset in the West (1950), Trail of Robin Hood (1950), Trigger, Jr. (1950), Twilight in the Sierras (1950), Heart of the Rockies (1951), In Old Amarillo (1951), Pals of the Golden West (1951), South of Caliente (1951), Spoilers of the Plains (1951), Son of Paleface (1952) and Alias Jesse James (1959). Rogers and Dale Evans co-starred in the popular television series The Roy Rogers Show during the 1950s. They would often close the show singing his theme, “Happy Trails to You.” He also appeared on television in episodes of Cavalcade of America, Bold Journey, I’ve Got a Secret, The Beverly Hillbillies and various variety shows and specials. He and Dale hosted a short lived variety show on ABC in 1962, The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show. He made occasional screen appearances after the show left the air, starring in the 1975 film Mackintosh & T.J. He also appeared in episodes of The Muppet Show in 1976, Wonder Woman in 1977 and The Fall Guy in 1984. Rogers, a deeply religious non-drinker, had a cameo against type as a drunk in Kenny Rogers’ 1983 tele-film The Gambler, Part II — The Adventure Continues. He would often visit with his fans at the Roy Rogers– Dale Evans Museum, near his ranch, the Double-R Bar, named after the one from the television series. His faithful golden palomino, Trigger, was stuffed, mounted and displayed at the museum following the horse’s death in 1965. Evans initially was against the idea, saying “I told him, ‘OK, when you die I’m going to stuff you and put you on him.” Rogers responded, “I told

her just make sure I’m smiling.” Dale eventually changed her opinion and her horse, Buttermilk, along with Rogers’ dog, Bullet, were also put on display. Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1998, A1; New York Times, July 7, 1998, B10; Newsweek, July 20, 1998, 63; People, July 0, 1998, 94; Time, July 20, 1998, 21; Times (of London), July 8, 1998, 23a; TV Guide, Aug. 1, 1998, 26; Variety, July 13, 1998, 67; Washington Post, July 7, 1998, A1.

Roland, Rita Film editor Rita Roland died of a stroke in Los Angeles on August 17, 1998. She was 83. She was born Viktoria Rosenstein on October 5, 1914. She began her career as an editor in the German cinema in the late 1930s, working on Boefje (1939) and Ergens in Nederland (1940). She worked in Hollywood from the 1950s editing such films as Crowded Paradise (1956), Honeymoon Hotel (1964), A Patch of Blue (1965), Girl Happy (1965), The Singing Nun (1966), Penelope (1966), Spinout (1966), Don’t Make Waves (1967), The Split (1968), Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968), More (1969), Justine (1969), Move (1970), To Find a Man (1972), Jacqueline Susann’s Once Is Not Enough (1975), The Betsy (1978), Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979), Resurrection (1980), Fort Apache, the Bronx (1981), Six Pack (1982) and The New Kids (1985). She also edited the telefilms Incident on a Dark Street (1972), She Lives! (1973), The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976), Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977), A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982) and The Dollmaker (1984). Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43.

Rolle, Esther Black character actress Esther Rolle died at a Los Angeles hospital on November 17, 1998. She had been suffering from diabetes and under dialysis in recent weeks. She was 78. Rolle was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, on November 8, 1920. She was best known for her role as Florida Evans, the maid on the television sit-com Maude from 1972 until 1974, and the star of her own show, Good Times from 1974 until leaving the

195

1998 • Obituaries

The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990), Danielle Steel’s Message from Nam (1993) and To Dance with the White Dog (1993) with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. She appeared as Sadie Gray in the television soap opera One Life to Live in 1971, and was Sarah Patteson in the short-lived 1990 sit-com Singer and Sons. She also appeared in episodes of The Incredible Hulk, Darkroom, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, Touched By an Angel and Poltergeist: The Legacy. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 1998, A26; New York Times, Nov. 19, 1998, B14; People, Dec. 7, 1998, 143; Time, Nov. 30, 1998, 35; Variety, Nov. 23, 1998, 58.

Romoff, Woody

Esther Rolle

show in 1977. She was a strong voice in her opposition to black stereotypes on television and had complained of the buffoonish character of her television son, J.J, played by Jimmie Walker on the show. She briefly returned to the series for one season in 1978. Rolle began her career on stage in the 1950s with the New York Negro Ensemble Company. She continued to perform on stage during her career, receiving good notices for her work as a strong-willed maid in A Raisin in the Sun. She portrayed a similar character in the 1978 tele-film Summer of My German Soldier, which earned her an Emmy Award. Rolle’s film credits include Nothing but a Man (1964), Who Says I Can’t Ride a Rainbow? (1971), Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972), Don’t Play Us Cheap (1973), Cleopatra Jones (1973), P.K. and the Kid (1982), The Mighty Quinn (1989), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) as Idella, Jessica Tandy’s put-upon maid , House of Cards (193), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), My Fellow Americans (1996), Rosewood (1997) and the 1998 release Down in the Delta. She was also featured as Mammy in the 1994 mini-series Scarlett, a sequel to Gone with the Wind. Her other television credits include the tele-films I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979), See China and Die (1980), A Raisin in the Sun (1989), Age-Old Friends (1989),

Actor Woody Romoff died at a Manhattan hospital on January 20, 1998. He was 79. Romoff was born in New York in 1918. He began studying acting after serving in the army during World War II. Romoff began his stage career in Abingdon, Virginia, in 1947, where he made over 2000 performances over the next four years. He made his Broadway debut in Romanoff and Juliet in

Woody Romoff (Carol Rosegg).

Obituaries • 1998

196

1956. He also appeared in Broadway productions of She Loves Me (1963), Barefoot in the Park (1963) and Cafe Crown (1964). Romoff also appeared in numerous Gilbert and Sullivan operettas throughout the country. One of his final Broadway appearances was in Cantorial in 1989. New York Times, Feb. 1, 1998, I30.

Rosen, Neil Television writer Neil Rosen died of cancer at his Muskegon, Michigan, home on September 29, 1998. He was 61. Rosen was born in Detroit in 1937. He began writing for television in the 1970s, working on such series as Welcome Back Kotter, Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Mac Davis Show, Sugar Time and The Rollergirls. Rosen also wrote humorous speeches for Pat Paulsen’s presidential campaign. During the 1980s he scripted the comedy series The Ted Knight Show, Joanie Loves Chachi, Me and Maxx and Under One Roof. Rosen adapted several Broadway musicals for television in the early 1990s including Romance, Romance and Nunsense. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1, 1998, A22.

Ross, Sam Author Sam Ross died in Mercer Island , Washington, on March 30, 1998. He was 86. Ross was born in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 10, 1911. He worked as a sportswriter before writing his first novel, He Ran All the Way, in 1947. His novel was filmed with Shelley Winters and John Garfield in 1951. He also wrote the novels Port Unknown, You Belong to Me, This, Too Is Love, The Tight Corner, The Hustlers, Ready for the Tiger, The Fortune Machine, The Golden Box and Solomon’s Palace. Ross began writing for television in the mid–1950s, scripting episodes of such series as The Naked City, Ben Casey, Rawhide, Adventures in Paradise, Hawaiian Eye, Mannix, The F.B.I., Get Christie Love! and The Fugitive. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 25, 1998, A22; Variety, May 11, 1998, 181.

Rothenberg, Rebecca Mystery writer Rebecca Rothenberg died of a brain tumor at a Burbank, California, hospital on April 14, 1998. She was 50. Rothenberg was born in upstate New York in 1948. She moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s, where she worked as a medical researcher. Rothenberg also became something of an amateur botanist through long hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains. Her interest in wildflowers and mystery stories led her to write her first novel, The Bulrush Murders, in 1991. Her detective, Claire Sharples, was a microbiologist who uses her botanical skills to solve crimes. Sharples returned in Rothenberg’s subsequent novels The Dandelion Murders (1994) and The Shy Tulip Murders (1996). Los Angeles Times, Apr. 17, 1998, A28.

Roux, Michel French operatic baritone Michel Roux died in Paris on February 4, 1998. He was 73. Roux was born in Angouleme, France, in 1924. He made his operatic debut in 1948, singing with the Opera-Comique. He was a popular singer at opera houses throughout Europe and the United States over the next several decades. Roux appeared in several comic films for director Julien Duvivier during the 1950s. His film credits include Holiday for Henrietta (1955), The Female (1960) and The Price of Flesh (1962). New York Times, Feb. 6, 1998, A17.

Roventini, Johnny Johnny Roventini, the 4' tall bellboy who became a familiar face for shouting “Call for Philip Morris” in cigarette advertisements from the 1930s, died in White Plains, New York, on November 30, 1998. He was 88. Roventini was born on August 15, 1910. He was working at the New Yorker Hotel as a bellhop when he was signed by Milton Biow for the cigarette ads in 1933. He received a lifetime contract and was heard on numerous live radio programs. Known as “Little Johnny,” he also made appearances on such television shows as I Love Lucy, Candid Camera, The Red Skelton Show and The Jackie

197

1998 • Obituaries

Los Angeles Times, May 14, 1998, B10; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Rowe, Arthur Screenwriter Arthur Rowe died after a long illness at his home in Beverly Hills on August 8, 1998. He was 74. Rowe scripted the films Zeppelin (1971), The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) and Land of the Minotaur (1976). He also wrote episodes of such television series as The Big Valley, Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Tales of Wells Fargo, Men from Shiloh, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The Virginian, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Variety, Oct. 26, 1998, 138.

Russell, Bob

Johnny Roventini

Entertainer Bob Russell died in Sarasota, Florida, on January 24, 1998. He was 90. Russell was born in Passaic, New Jersey, on January 1, 1908. He began his career on Broadway, singing in musical choruses. He served as the host of the

Gleason Show. He remained Philip Morris’ living trademark until his retirement in 1974. New York Times, Dec. 2, 1998, B11; People, Dec. 21, 1998, 103; Washington Post, Dec. 7, 1998, B6.

Rowan, Roy Television and radio announcer Roy Rowan died in Encino, California, on May 10, 1998. He was 78. Rowan began his career at radio station WMZO in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He eventually settled in Los Angeles, where he worked with CBS Radio and CBS Television. He served as announcer for Lucille Ball for over twenty years on the television series I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy. Rowan was also an announcer for the radio programs Gunsmoke and Art Linkletter’s People Are Funny, and the television series I Married Joan, Rawhide, Simon & Simon, Magnum, P.I. and Dallas, and the mini-series Lonesome Dove.

Bob Russell

Obituaries • 1998

198

Miss America pageant from 1940 until his replacement by Bert Parks in 1954. Russell hosted several television variety shows in the early 1950s including Yours for a Song, Live Like a Millionaire, Versatile Varieties, Your Pet Parade and Time Will Tell. He was co-creator of the popular television game show Name That Tune, and served as host for the pilot episode. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 1998, A19; New York Times, Feb. 2, 1998, A20; Variety, Mar. 16, 1998, 79.

Ryan, Chico Singer and musician David-Allen “Chico” Ryan died at a Beverly, Massachusetts, nursing home on July 26, 1998. He was 50. Ryan was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, on April 9, 1948. He was a member of the rock band the Happenings in the mid–1960s, playing with the group on the hits “See You in September” and a rock version of Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.” He joined the 1950s revival group Sha Na Na in 1973 and appeared with the band on its syndicated television show from 1976 until 1981. He also appeared with the group as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers in the hit 1978 musical Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Ryan remained with Sha Na Na for 25 years, performing with the group at a party celebrating the re-release of Grease earlier in 1998. People, Aug. 17, 1998, 73.

Leonie Rysanek ( J. Heffernan).

Rysanek, Leonie Soprano Leonie Rysanek died of bone cancer in Vienna, Austria, on March 7, 1998. She was 71. Rysanek was born in Vienna on November 14, 1926. She achieved acclaim for her performance in Wagner’s Die Walkure in 1950. She joined the Vienna State Opera in 1954 and performed in The Flying Dutchman for her United States debut in 1956. She became a regular performer with the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1959 after replacing Maria Callas in a production of Macbeth. She performed nearly 300 productions at the Met until stepping down in 1996. Los Angeles Times, Mar. 10, 1998, A20; New York Times, Mar. 9, 1998, B9; Time, Mar. 23, 1998, 39; Times (of London), Mar. 10, 1998, 21a; Variety, Mar. 16, 1998, 79.

Sabbatini, Enrico Chico Ryan

Italian costume designer Enrico Sabbatini was killed in an automobile accident in Ouarza-

199 zate, Morocco, on November 25, 1998. He was 66. Sabbatini began designing costumes for European films in the late 1960s. His credits include Candy (1968), Machine Gun McCain (1968), A Place for Lovers (1968), A Fine Pair (1969), Camille 2000 (1969), Sunflower (1970), the 1971 horror film Four Flies on Grey Velvet as production designer, Sacco and Vanzetti (1971), Cold Eyes of Fear (1971), Lady Liberty (1971), Scenes from a Murder (1972), Get Rita (1975), Illustrious Corpses (1976), A Special Day (1977), The Chosen (1978), The Mission (1986), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1987), Old Gringo (1989), The Palermo Connection (1990), Cutthroat Island (1995) and 1997’s Seven Years in Tibet. Sabbatini also worked on the Biblical tele-films Jacob (1994), Joseph (1995), Moses (1996) and Samson and Delilah (1996), and the television mini-series A.D. (1985) and Mario Puzo’s The Fortunate Pilgrim (1988). Variety, Dec. 7, 1998, 65.

Salem, Murray

1998 • Obituaries

Revenge and the pilot film for the Magnum P.I. television series in 1980.

Sampson, Caleb Composer Caleb Sampson committed suicide in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on June 8, 1998. He was 45. Sampson composed for the band Alloy Orchestra, which performed at numerous international film conventions. He created scores from such silent films as Metropolis, Nosferatu and Steamboat Bill Jr. at the festivals. Sampson also wrote the soundtrack for Errol Morris’ 1997 film Fast, Cheap and Out of Control.

Sanders, Lawrence Mystery novelist Lawrence Sanders died at his Pompano Beach, Florida, home on February 7, 1998. He was 78. The Brooklyn-born Sanders began his career in journalism in the

Actor Murray Salem died on January 6, 1998. He was 47. Salem was born on January 12, 1950. He was featured in several films from the late 1970s including Let’s Get Laid (1977), the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me and Hussy (1980). He also appeared in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust, the 1979 tele-film Institute for

Murray Salem

Lawrence Sanders

Obituaries • 1998

200

1940s. He wrote his first novel, the suspense thriller The Anderson Tapes, in 1970, which earned him the Edgar Award for best first novel from the Mystery Writers of America. The popular novel was adapted into a successful film with Sean Connery the following year. His 1973 thriller The First Deadly Sin introduced his long-running character Detective Edward X. Delaney, and was adapted into a film vehicle for Frank Sinatra in 1980. His other popular novels include The Sixth Commandment (1979), McNally’s Luck (1992) and McNally’s Gamble (1997). Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13, 1998, A28; New York Times, Feb. 12, 1998, B11; Variety, Mar. 2, 1998, 102.

Sanders, Steve Former actor and musician Steve Sanders died in Cape Coral, Florida, of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head on June 10, 1998. He was 45. Sanders was born in Richland, Georgia, on September 17, 1952. He began his career singing gospel music at an early age. He appeared

in the The Yearling on Broadway and made his film debut in the 1967 movie Hurry Sundown as Charles McDowell. He also appeared on television in episodes of Gunsmoke and Matt Helm. Sanders joined the Oak Ridge Boys musical group in the early 1980s, becoming lead vocalist. He was heard on such country hits as “Gonna Take a Lot of River,” “Lucky Moon” and “No Matter How High.” He quit the band in 1995. New York Times, June 12, 1998, A19; Variety, June 15, 1998, 109.

Saperstein, Henry G. Film and television producer and distributor Henry G. Saperstein died in Beverly Hills on June 24, 1998. He was 80. Saperstein was born in Chicago on June 2, 1918. He moved to Hollywood in the mid–1950s, where he became licensing agent for Elvis Presley. He also oversaw merchandising for such characters as Wyatt Earp, the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers and Lassie. Saperstein became the owner of UPA Productions in 1960 which, in partnership with Japan’s Toho Co., distributed the original 1954 film Godzilla, King of the Monsters in the U.S. He also served as executive producer and distributor of other Toho science fiction films including Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965), Monster Zero (1965), War of the Gargantuas (1966) and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). Saperstein also produced the 1962 animated film Gay Purr-ee and the 1966 Woody Allen comedy What’s Up, Tiger Lily? He was executive producer for the 1968 war drama Hell in the Pacific. He also produced and distributed such television series as Dick Tracy, All-Star Golf, Championship Bowling, Ding Dong School and The Gerald McBoing Boing Show. Saperstein served as executive producer for the 1997 Disney comedy Mister Magoo with Leslie Nielsen and was a consultant on the big-budget version of Godzilla in 1998. Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1998, A28; Times (of London), July 3, 1998, 25a; Variety, June 29, 1998, 44.

Sarracino, Ernest Steve Sanders

Character actor Ernest Sarracino died in Los Angeles on May 20, 1998. He was 83. Sarracino

201

1998 • Obituaries

Wieder) (1967), Quartet in Bed (1968), Chapeau claque (1974) and Das Traumhaus (1980). Los Angeles Times, Mar. 13, 1998, B6; Variety, May 4, 1998, 97.

Schnittke, Alfred

Ernest Sarracino

began his film career in the late 1930s, appearing in several Republic serials including Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939), Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940), Adventures of Red Ryder (1940), Drums of Fu Manchu (1940), The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941) and King of the Texas Rangers (1941). Sarracino’s film credits include The Sleeping City (1950), Strangers When We Meet (1960), Castle of Evil (1966) and the 1994 comedy The Hudsucker Proxy. He also appeared in the 1989 tele-film The Case of the Hillside Stranglers. His television credits also include episodes of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, You Are There, Naked City, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Jim Bowie, Rawhide, The Untouchables, Perry Mason, Tales of Wells Fargo, Gunslinger, My Favorite Martian, Lawman, Bronco, A Man Called Shenandoah, Hogan’s Heroes, Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Captain Nice, Gunsmoke, The Invaders, The Big Valley, High Chaparral, Mission: Impossible, The Flying Nun and Charlie’s Angels.

Russian composer Alfred Schnittke died in Hamburg, Germany, of a stroke on August 3, 1998. He was 63. Schnittke was born in Engels, Russia, on November 24, 1934. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1961 and became one of the leading Soviet composers of the century. His works include nine symphonies, four violin concertos and several ballet scores. Schnittke also scored numerous Russian and European films including Adventures of a Dentist (1965), Day Stars (1966), The Commissar (1967), Sport, Sport, Sport (1970), Uncle Vanya (1970), The Seagull (1970), Belorussia Station (1970), You and Me (1971), Choice of Purpose (1974), Autumn (1974), Ascent (1976), Tale About Czar Pyotr Arranging Arap’s Wedding (1972), The Adventures of Travka (1976), Story of the Unknown Actor (1976), Human Account (1977), Rasputin (1971), A Step (1988), Balcony (1988), Master and Margareth (1994) and L’Amore molesto (1995). Los Angeles Times, Aug. 4, 1998, A16; New York Times, Aug. 4, 1998, B6; Time, Aug. 17, 1998, 23; Times (of London), Aug. 4, 1998, 18a; Variety, Aug. 10, 1998, 52.

Schamoni, Ulrich German film director Ulrich Schamoni died of cancer in Berlin on March 9, 1998. He was 58. Schamoni was born on November 9, 1939. He began his career in the mid–1960s, directing and writing the 1965 film It (Es). He also directed the German films Next Year, Same Time (Alle Jahre

Alfred Schnittke

Obituaries • 1998

202

Alex Schomburg

Schomburg, Alex Comic artist Alex Schomburg died in Newburg, Oregon, on April 7, 1998. He was 92. Schomburg was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on May 10, 1905, and settled in New York as a child. He began working as an artist for Hugo Gernsback’s Science and Invention magazine in 1925. Schomburg also did art work for movie ads and pulp magazines. He began drawing for comic books in the 1940s, working on such Timely/ Marvel titles as The Human Torch, The Young Allies and Marvel Mystery Comics. Schomburg left comics to work as an illustrator for science fiction magazines in the 1950s.

Secchiaroli, Tazio Italian celebrity photographer Tazio Secchiaroli died of a heart attack at his home in Rome, Italy, on July 24, 1998. He was 73. Secchiaroli was a street photographer in Rome in the late 1950s, taking photographs of American film stars and other celebrities. His aggressive tactics made him the basis of Federico Fellini’s character Paparazzo in the film 1960 La Dolce Vita. The

Tazio Secchiaroli

203

1998 • Obituaries

character inspired the term “paparazzi” to describe the type of photographers that chase and harass celebrities. Secchiaroli’s fame increased after the release of the film and he became a celebrity in his own right and a trusted photographer to Italy’s film stars. New York Times, July 25, 1998, D16; Time, Aug. 3, 1998, 31; Variety, Aug. 3, 1998, 47.

Seidel, Arthur Producer Arthur Seidel died of cancer at a Los Angeles hospital on February 21, 1998. He was 66. Seidel was a production manager for the films Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986), Predator (1987) and Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992). Seidel also worked on the television series V, Alien Nation and Falcon Crest. He served as a producer for the tele-films Bridesmaids (1989) and They (1993).

Serrano, Eddie Rock musician Eddie Serrano died in a Los Angeles hospital on August 25, 1998. He had suffered serious head injuries when he was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle on August 17. He was 51. Serrano joined Frankie Garcia in the rock group Cannibal and the Head Hunters in the 1970s. He later led a reformed version of the band during the 1980s. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 27, 1998, A24.

Sessa, Alex Argentine film producer and director Alejandro “Alex” Sessa died of heart failure in Buenos Aires on July 10, 1998. He was 70. Sessa was a partner with several other Argentine filmmakers in Aries Cinematografica from the mid–1960s, producing such films as No habra mas penas ni olvido (1983) and Pasajeros de una pesadilla (1984). He joined with producer Roger Corman in the mid–1980s to make the fantasy films Amazons (1986) and Stormquest (1987), both of which Sessa directed. Variety, Aug. 17, 1998, 46.

Eldon Shamblin

Shamblin, Eldon Eldon Shamblin, a guitarist for Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys, died at a Sapulpa, Oklahoma, rest home on August 5, 1998. He was 82. Shamblin was born in Weatherford , Oklahoma, on April 24, 1916. He joined the Texas Playboys in 1936 and was instrumental in the early success of the group. He left the band to serve in the Army during World War II. He rejoined the Texas Playboys in 1946, performing with them until 1959. Shamblin played with Leon McAuliffe’s band, the Original Texas Playboys, for six years after Wills’ death in 1975. New York Times, Aug. 8, 1998, A13.

Shawki, Farid Egyptian actor Farid Shawki died of a heart ailment in Cairo on July 27, 1998. He was 76. Shawki appeared in over 400 films during his career. He was known as Egypt’s “King of the Screen,” appearing in such films as Cairo Station (1958), The Angel of Mercy, They Made Me a Criminal and The Water-Carrier Is Dead (1977).

Obituaries • 1998

204

Sheldon, Willard Assistant director Willard Sheldon died of cardiac arrest at a Santa Monica, California, hospital on December 31, 1998. He was 92. Sheldon began his career at MGM in the mid–1920s. He worked as an assistant director and second unit director on over 200 films during his career, assisting such directors as Cecil B. DeMille, Ford Beebe, King Vidor and Fred Zinneman. His numerous film credits include The Mystic (1925), Show People (1928), Tod Browning’s 1932 horror classic Freaks, Viva Villa (1934), San Francisco (1936) and Look-Out Sister (1947). During the 1950s he served as assistant director on several science fiction films including The Werewolf (1956), The Night the World Exploded (1957) and The 27th Day (1957). He also directed episodes of such television series as Dick Tracy and The Adventures of Kit Carson. Sheldon served as unit production manager for Revue Productions during the 1960s, working on such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Leave It to Beaver and G.E. Theatre. Sheldon was awarded the Frank Capra Achievement Award for the Directors Guild of America in 1993.

Shepard, Alan Astronaut Alan Shepard died of complications from leukemia at a Monterey, California, hospital on July 21, 1998. He was 74. Shepard was born in Derry, New Hampshire, on November 18, 1923. He was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts and was the first American in space in May of 1961. He was also involved in the Apollo program, walking on the moon in January of 1971 as commander of Apollo 14. Shepard was the coauthor of the book Moon Shot, which was filmed for television in 1995. Shepard’s wife, Louise, died of a heart attack five weeks later on August 25, 1998, aboard an airplane on route to her home in Pebble Beach, California. Los Angeles Times, July 23, 1998, A1; New York Times, July 23, 1998, A1; Newsweek, Aug. 3, 1998, 46; People, Aug. 10, 1998, 85; Time, Aug. 3, 1998, 31; Times (of London), July 23, 1998, 25a; TV Guide, Sept. 26, 1998, 6; Washington Post, July 23, 1998, A1.

Alan Shepard

Shipstad, Eddie Eddie Shipstad, the co-founder of the Ice Follies, died in Los Angeles after a long illness on August 20, 1998. He was 91. Shipstad was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he formed an ice skating partnership with Oscar Johnson. The two men, with Shipstad’s brother, Roy, formed the Ice Follies, the world’s first traveling ice show, in 1936. The three men sold their interest in the Fol-

Eddie Shipstad (top, with Oscar Johnson).

205 lies in 1963. Shipstad remained as a producer with the show until his retirement in 1967. Los Angeles Times, Aug. 25, 1998, A14; New York Times, Aug. 28, 1998, A23.

Sikela, Joe Comic artist John J. “Joe” Sikela died in a Lorain, Ohio, hospital on March 23, 1998. He was 91. Sikela was born in Slovakia in 1906. He began working for DC Comics in the late 1940s, drawing the first issue of Superboy in 1949. He illustrated numerous issues of Superboy and Adventure Comics for DC in the 1950s.

Simmons, Ed Television comedy writer Ed Simmons died in Los Angeles on May 18, 1998. He was 89. Simmons began working in television in 1950, writing for The Martin and Lewis Show and Martha Raye. He was instrumental in the development of Dean Martin’s nightclub persona as an amiable drinker after the singer’s split with Jerry Lewis. He later worked with such comics as Red Skelton, George Gobel and Carol Burnett. Simmons produced the television series Mama’s Family and Welcome Back, Kotter. He earned five Emmy Awards during his career and produced such television specials as Rowan and Martin Bite the Hand That Feeds Them, Hotel 90 and The Rodney Dangerfield Show. Los Angeles Times, May 23, 1998, A22; Variety, June 22, 1998, 66.

Sinatra, Frank Leading entertainer Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center emergency room in Los Angeles on May 14, 1998. He had been in poor health since suffering a heart attack in January of 1997. He was 82. Sinatra was born Francis Albert Sinatra, the son of an Italian immigrant, in Hoboken, New Jersey, on December 12, 1915. He began his career singing with the Hoboken Four in the 1930s. He won the Major Bowes Amateur Hour competition on radio, which led to more appearances on radio and at

1998 • Obituaries

small nightclubs. He soon began singing with Tommy Dorsey’s band, appearing as a vocalist in the films Las Vegas Nights (1941), Ship Ahoy (1942) and Reveile with Beverly (1943). Sinatra’s solo career took off in the early 1940s. He became known as “The Voice” and was the idol of bobbysoxers throughout the country. He performed in concert and on radio and was featured in such films as Higher and Higher (1943), Step Lively (1944), Anchors Aweigh (1945), Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), It Happened in Brooklyn (1947), The Miracle of the Bells (1948), The Kissing Bandit (1948), Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), On the Town (1949), Double Dynamite (1951) and Meet Danny Wilson (1952). He also hosted The Frank Sinatra Show on television from 1950 until 1952. His illustrious career as a singer was jeopardized in 1952 when his vocal cords hemorrhaged. He was dropped by his talent agency, MCA, and decided to concentrate on his acting career. He persuaded Columbia pictures to cast him as Maggio in From Here to Eternity in 1953. His performance revitalized his career and earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He continued to impress critics with performances in such films as Suddenly (1954), Guys and Dolls (1955) as Nathan Detroit, Young at Heart (1955), Not as a Stranger (1955), The Tender Trap (1955) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) which earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. Sinatra’s singing career also resumed with a vengeance. He was known as “The Chairman of the Board of Show Business” and associated with some of the leading names in the industry. His group of close friends, which included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, was referred to as “the Rat Pack” and Sinatra was the undisputed leader. He hosted another television variety show in 1957 and appeared in segments of Colgate Comedy Hour, Producers Showcase, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Bob Hope Show and Dinah Shore Chevy Show. He also continued to appear in such films as Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956), High Society (1956), Johnny Concho (1956), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), The Pride and the Passion (1957), Pal Joey (1957), The Joker Is Wild (1957), Kings Go Forth (1958), Some Came Running (1959), A Hole in the Head (1959), Never So Few (1959), CanCan (1960), Ocean’s Eleven (1960), Pepe (1960), The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961), Sergeants 3 (1961), The Road to Hong Kong (1962), the 1962 cult clas-

Obituaries • 1998

206 He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. He continued to perform for most of his life, releasing a popular album of duets with younger performers in 1993. Sinatra was married to Nancy Barbato from 1939 until 1951. The union produced three children including singers Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra, Jr. He was married to actress Ava Gardner from 1951 until 1957 and to Mia Farrow from 1966 until 1968. Sinatra married Zeppo Marx’ widow, Barbara Blakely Marx, in 1976. Los Angeles Times, May 16, 1998, A1; New York Times, May 16, 1998, A1; Newsweek, May 25, 1998, 50; People, June 1, 1998, 48; Times (of London), May 16, 1998, 25a; TV Guide, May 30, 1998, 12; Washington Post, May 16, 1998, A1.

Sitka, Emil Frank Sinatra

sic The Manchurian Candidate (1962) with Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury, The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), 4 for Texas (1963), Come Blow Your Horn (1963), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), None but the Brave (1965) which he also produced and directed, Von Ryan’s Express (1965), Marriage on the Rocks (1965), The Oscar (1966), Assault on a Queen (1966), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), The Naked Runner (1967), Tony Rome (1967), The Detective (1968), Lady in Cement (1968), Dirty Dingus Magee (1970), The First Deadly Sin (1980) and Cannonball Run II (1984). Sinatra also narrated the 1974 documentary That’s Entertainment and appeared in the documentaries Entertaining the Troops (1989) and Listen Up (1990). Sinatra also continued to appear on television, making his television dramatic debut in an episode of Burke’s Law in 1963. He was seen on The Dean Martin Show, The Bing Crosby Show and Hollywood Palace. His 1966 special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music earned him an Emmy Award. He also starred in the specials Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing in 1968 and Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back in 1973. He starred as a New York cop in the 1977 tele-film Contract on Cherry Street, and appeared in episodes of Magnum, P.I. and Who’s the Boss? Sinatra was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1971 Academy Award presentations and received the Kennedy Center honor for life achievement in 1983.

Comic character actor Emil Sitka died of a stroke at a Camarillo, California, hospital, on January 16, 1998. He was 82. Sitka was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1915. He moved to Hollywood in 1936, where he soon began appearing in small roles in films and shorts. Sitka made his first appearance in a Three Stooges short at Columbia in 1947, appearing with the trio in Half-Wits Holiday. He went on to appear with the Stooges in over 70 shorts, often playing scientists, butlers or judges. His credits include such titles as Hold That Lion (1947), All Gummed Up (1947), Feulin’ Around (1949), Hugs and Mugs (1950), Three Hams on Rye (1950), Slaphappy Sleuths (1950), Scrambled Brains (1951), Bubble Trouble (1953), Space Ship Sappy (1957) and Flying Saucer Daffy (1958). Sitka also appeared with the Stooges in the feature films The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962), The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962), The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze (1963) and The Outlaws Is Coming! (1965). He was also featured in numerous other films including Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad (1948), Texas Dynamo (1950), Let’s Go Navy (1951), The Sea Hornet (1951), A Perilous Journey (1953), Private Eyes (1953), Jubilee Trail (1954), Jungle Gents (1954), Jail Busters (1955), Crashing Las Vegas (1956), The 27th Day (1957), Thirteen Frightened Girls (1963), The Mad Room (1969), Pendulum (1969) and Watermelon Man (1970). Sitka was invited to join the team as an official Stooge after Larry Fine suffered a stroke in 1974, but Moe

207

1998 • Obituaries

Skidmore, Jimmy Jazz musician Jimmy Skidmore died on April 22, 1998. He was 82. Skidmore was born in West London, England, on February 8, 1916. He began performing while in his teens. During the 1940s he played the guitar and cornet with Vic Lewis’ band. He subsequently performed with Ralph Sharon and trumpeter Kenny Baker. He became best known as a saxophonist with Humphrey Lyttelton, performing on the recording of “Blues in the Night.” He left Lyttelton in 1961, though he continued to perform through the 1990s. Times (of London), Apr. 30, 1998, 27a.

Emil Sitka

Howard’s death several months later ended the group. Sitka’s later film credits include Crimewave (1985), Intruder (1988), The Nutt House (1992) and Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994). He also appeared on television in episodes of My Favorite Martian and The Rogues. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21, 1998, A14; New York Times, Jan. 25, 1998, I37; People, Feb. 2, 1998, 81; Variety, Feb. 16, 1998, 71.

Jimmy Skidmore

Smith, Buffalo Bob “Buffalo Bob” Smith, the host of the Howdy Doody Show from 1947 until 1960, died of cancer in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on July 30, 1998. He was 80. He was born Robert E. Schmidt in Buffalo, New York, on November 27, 1917. Smith began his career on radio and also performed in vaudeville as pianist and master of ceremonies for singer Kate Smith. He was picked by NBC to host the children’s show, playing op-

Obituaries • 1998

208

Reg Smythe

Buffalo Bob Smith (with Howdy Doody).

posite such puppets as Howdy Doody, Princess Summerfall Winterspring and Mayor Phineas T. Bluster of Doodyville. He was also assisted by Clarabell the clown, played by future Captain Kangaroo Bob Keeshan. The cowboy-suited host was briefly sidelined by a heart attack in 1954, but soon returned to the show. He retired in 1960, and subsequently purchased several radio stations. Smith began appearing on campus lecture tours during the 1970s and briefly hosted a syndicated revival of Howdy Doody in 1976. He suffered from heart problems during most of his later years. Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1998, A36; New York Times, July 31, 1998, D17; People, Aug. 17, 1998, 82; Time, Aug. 10, 1998, 29; TV Guide, Aug. 22, 1998, 34; Variety, Aug. 3, 1998, 47; Washington Post, July 31, 1998, C8.

Smythe, Reg British cartoonist Reg Smythe died of cancer in London on June 13, 1998. He was 81. Smythe was the creator of the popular Andy Capp comic strip. He began the strip for the Daily Mirror in 1957 and it soon became popular in the United States. Andy Capp remained one of the leading syndicated comic strips at the time of his death.

Los Angeles Times, June 14, 1998, B5; New York Times, June 15, 1998, A21; People, June 29, 1998, 97; Time, June 29, 1998, 25; Times (of London), June 15, 1998, 25a.

Snyder, William L. Animated film producer William L. Snyder died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at a Livingston, New York, nursing home on June 3, 1998. He was 80. Snyder was the founder of Rembrandt films in 1949, which imported films from Eastern Europe after World War II. The company distributed Jiri Trnka’s puppet-animation film The Emperor’s Nightingale in the United States with a new narration by Boris Karloff. His company also released such acclaimed films as White Mane and The Red Balloon. Snyder teamed with animator Gene Deitch in 1959 to produce cartoons in Czechoslovakia. They received five Academy Award nominations, and won the 1960 Oscar for animated short subjects for Jules Feiffer’s Munro. Snyder also produced Tom and Jerry cartoons for MGM-UA and Popeye cartoons for King Features, and adapted such children’s books as Ludwig Bemelman’s Madeline series and James Thurber’s Many Moons. New York Times, July 2, 1998, B9.

209

1998 • Obituaries

South, Angel Angel South, the lead guitarist for the early 1970s rock jazz group Chase, died of prostate cancer in Placerville, California, on June 4, 1998. South was born Lucien Gondron in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1943. During the 1960s South played in bands with such artists as Janis Joplin, B.J. Thomas and Edgar Winter. He joined Chase in 1969 and performed with the band for three years. He left the group in 1972, shortly before Chase’s founder, trumpeter Bill Chase, and five other members of the band were killed in a plane crash. South embarked on a solo career, recording such novelty songs as “The Job That Ate My Brain” and “I Gotta Receipt for Playing the Blues.” He recorded the album Swamp Doggy Dog in 1995 and Texas Guitar Swinger earlier in 1998.

Southern, Hal F. Maurice Speed

Songwriter Hal Southern died of complications from diabetes at his home in Vista, California, on July 15, 1998. He was 79. Southern cowrote the song “I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven” with Eddie Dean in the 1950s. Dean recorded the song and it became a hit for Tex Ritter in 1961. Southern also composed the music for the 1971 film Southern Comforts and appeared in 1972’s Sassy Sue.

Speight, Johnny British comedy writer Johnny Speight died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Chorleywood,

Speed, F. Maurice Film critic and editor F. Maurice Speed died in his sleep at his home in England on August 28, 1998. He was 86. Speed was born in Fulham, West London, on October 18, 1911. Speed began reviewing films at the Harrow Observer in 1935 and, two years later, became the editor and film critic for What’s On In London. He launched a new publication, Film Review, in 1944, which was a huge success. Speed continued to produce What’s On until 1976 and largely relinquished control of Film Review in 1989. Speed was also the editor of such film books as The Western Film Annual, Star Parade and The Moviegoers’ Quiz Book. Times (of London), Sept. 18, 1998, 27a.

Johnny Speight (right, with Warren Mitchell).

Obituaries • 1998

210

near London, on July 5, 1998. He was 78. Speight was born in London’s East End on June 2, 1920. He began writing comedy bits for Spike Milligan, Frankie Howerd and Eric Sykes in the mid– 1950s. Speight created the character Alf Garnett for the British television series Till Death Us Do Part in 1964. Garnett, who was played by actor Warren Mitchell, was the prototype for U.S. television’s Archie Bunker and All in the Family seven years later. Till Death Us Do Part continued to air on BBC until 1974, winning numerous awards from the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. A sequel was created in the 1980s, In Sickness and in Health, which continued the exploits of Alf and family in their later years. Speight’s other comedy series include Curry and Chips (1969), Them and Spooner’s Patch. Times (of London), July 6, 1998, 23a.

Spicolli, Louie Wrestler Louie Spicolli was found dead in his San Diego, California, apartment on February 15, 1998, of an apparent lethal combination of pain medication and alcohol. He was 27. Spicolli was born Louis Mucciolo in Los Angeles, on February 10, 1971. He began wrestling in 1988, appearing on cards with the WWF and in Mexico. He was billed as “Madonna’s Boyfriend” in

the AAA in 1993 and 1994. He subsequently entered the WWF, where he wrestled as Rad Radford with the Bodydonna tagteam. He wrestled with ECW before entering the WCW earlier in 1998.

Spies, Adrian Television writer Adrian Spies died during heart surgery at a Los Angeles hospital on October 2, 1998. He was 78. Spies was born in Newark, New Jersey, on April 17, 1920. He worked for several newspapers before he began to write for radio and television. During the 1950s Spies scripted episodes of such acclaimed programs as Climax and Playhouse 90. He was the recipient of an Edgar Award for the “Edge of Truth” episode he wrote for CBS’s Studio One. During the 1960s Spies scripted episodes of The Defenders, Dr. Kildare, Marcus Welby, M.D., Hawaii Five-O and Ironside. He also scripted the “Miri” episode during the first season of Star Trek. Spies also wrote the tele-films The Scorpio Letters (1967), Hauser’s Memory (1970) and The Failing of Raymond (1971). Los Angeles Times, Oct. 20, 1998, A24; New York Times, Oct. 17, 1998, B18.

Adrian Spies

Squires, Dorothy

Louie Spicolli

British singer Dorothy Squires died of cancer in Llwynpia, Wales, on April 14, 1998. She was 82. Squires was born in Pontyberem in South Wales on March 25, 1915. She began singing at West End cabarets in the mid–1930s. She began performing with Billy Reid and his Accordion

211

1998 • Obituaries

Henrik Stangerup

Stangerup, Henrik Dorothy Squires (with Roger Moore).

Band in 1935, recording “When the Poppies Bloom Again.” Squires appeared with the band in the British film Saturday Night Revue and recorded the hit songs “Coming Home,” “The Gypsy” and “I’ll Close My Eyes.” She and Reid lived together from 1939 until 1951. She met actor Roger Moore the following year and the two were married in 1953. She helped Moore begin his film career and Squires was featured in the 1956 film Stars in Your Eyes. She and Moore separated in 1961 though Squires refused to grant a divorce until 1968. Her career suffered over the next several decades by her increasingly erratic behavior. She became increasingly reclusive after the loss of her fortune due to legal costs incurred by frivolous lawsuits during the 1980s. Squires was hospitalized for the removal of a tumorous bladder in 1996 and never fully recovered. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 15, 1998, A18; Times (of London), Apr. 15, 1998, 21a; Variety, June 8, 1998, 84.

Danish author and film director Henrik Stangerup died in Copenhagen on July 4, 1998. He was 60. Stangerup was born in Denmark on September 1, 1937. He wrote over twenty books, including the acclaimed 1973 novel The Man Who Wanted to Be Guilty. Stangerup also wrote and directed three Danish films —Giv Gud en Chance om Sondagen (1970), Farlige kys (1972) and Jorden er Flad (1977). Times (of London), July 12, 1998, 23a.

Stanley, Harry Vaudeville performer Harry Stanley died at the Actor’s Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on February 15, 1998. He was 100. Stanley was born in Poland on November 7, 1897. He began his career on the New York stage, appearing in George Gershwin’s first play on Broadway, La Lucille, in 1919. He became a leading vaudeville comedian during the 1920s, known for his scholarly sounding gibberish and double-talk. He continued to perform on stage and as an entertainer at corporate gatherings for the next forty years. New York Times, Mar. 6, 1998, B13; Variety, Apr. 20, 1998, 58.

Obituaries • 1998

212 the 1996 series High Incident. Sterling also had recurring roles in NYPD Blue and L.A. Law. He was featured in numerous tele-films including Pueblo (1973), Murder on Flight 502 (1975), Mallory: Circumstantial Evidence (1976), Victory at Entebbe (1976), Rainbow (1978), Dr. Strange (1978), Dr. Scorpion (1978), A Question of Love (1978), This Year’s Blonde (1980), Murder in Texas (1981), Born to Be Sold (1981), Divorce Wars (1982), The Wall (1982), Million Dollar Infield (1982), Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess (1983), Best Kept Secrets (1984), The Execution of Raymond Graham (1985), Vital Signs (1986), Circle of Violence: A Family Drama (1986), Fatal Judgement (1988), Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder (1989), From the Dead of Night (1989), A Girl of the Limberlost (1990) and The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990). His other television credits include episodes of Barney Miller, Family Ties, The A-Team, Night Court, Anything but Love and Caroline in the City. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 1998; New York Times, Jan. 7, 1999, B11; Washington Post, Dec. 9, 1998, B6.

Harry Stanley

Sterling, Philip Veteran film and television actor Philip Sterling died of complications of a bone marrow disease in Los Angeles on November 30, 1998. He was 76. Sterling began appearing on television in the 1950s, often portraying doctors or lawyers on such series as Studio One and Kraft Television Theater. He made his film debut in the late 1960s and was featured in such films as The Detective (1968), Me, Natalie (1969) with Al Pacino, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971), The Gambler (1974), Come Live with Me (1974), Hester Street (1974), Audrey Rose (1977), Meteor (1979), Promises in the Dark (1979), The Competition (1980), Tomboy (1985), Movers and Shakers (1985), Backfire (1987), The Long Walk Home (1990) and 1998’s My Giant with Billy Crystal. Sterling co-starred as attorney Michael Brimm in the short-lived television detective series City of Angels in 1976. He also appeared regularly as Judge Truman Ventnor in the long running 1990s series Sisters and was the landlord in

Philip Sterling

Stevens, Leslie Television producer and screenwriter Leslie Stevens died of complications following emer-

213

1998 • Obituaries

Stickney, Dorothy

Leslie Stevens

gency angioplasty in a Los Angeles hospital on April 24, 1998. He was 74. Stevens was born in Washington on February 3, 1924. He was best known for producing the popular television science fiction series The Outer Limits in mid–1960. He also directed and scripted several episodes of the series. Stevens began his career writing plays before scripting the 1958 western film The LeftHanded Gun. He also wrote the films Private Property (1960), The Marriage-Go-Round (1960), Hero’s Island (1965) and The War Lord (1965). He also produced the television series Search, The Invisible Man, Gemini Man, Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century in the 1970s. Stevens directed and scripted the 1965 horror film Incubus starring William Shatner, the only movie with dialogue in the language of Esperanto. He directed the 1973 tele-film I Love a Mystery and scripted the tele-films The Aquarians (1970), Probe (1972) and Fer-De Lance (1974). His other credits include the films Sheena (1984), Three Kinds of Heat (1987), Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991) and Gordy (1995), and episodes of It Takes a Thief, McCloud and The Name of the Game. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 28, 1998, A19; New York Times, May 1, 1998, D19; Variety, May 4, 1998, 97.

Veteran actress Dorothy Stickney died at her home in Manhattan on June 2, 1998. She was 98. Stickney was born in Dickinson, North Dakota, on June 21, 1900 (some sources say 1897 and 1903). Stickney made her Broadway debut in 1926’s The Squall. She often portrayed eccentric characters on stage, screen and television. She portrayed the mother in the Broadway play Life with Father, which made its debut in 1939 and ran for seven years, becoming the longest running non-musical play in Broadway’s history. She co-starred with her husband, the co-author of the play, Howard Lindsay. He died in 1968. Stickney appeared on stage in productions of The Small Hours, To Be Continued and The Honeys. She appeared in a handful of films during her career including Working Girls (1931), The Little Minister (1934), Murder at the Vanities (1934), I Met My Love Again (1938), What a Life! (1939), The Uninvited (1944), Miss Tatlock’s Millions (1948), The Great Diamond Mystery (1953), The Catered Affair (1956), The Remarkable Mr. Pennybacker (1959) and I Never Sang for My Father (1970). She also appeared as a bootlegger in the 1971 pilot tele-film for The Waltons, “The Homecoming.” Stickney’s other television credits in-

Dorothy Stickney (from I Never Sang for My Father) (Columbia).

Obituaries • 1998

214

clude episodes of Lights Out, Robert Montgomery Presents, Alcoa Hour, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, G.E. Theatre, Telephone Time, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s 1962 production of Arsenic and Old Lace, and ABC Stage 67’s production of Evening Primrose. Stickney returned to Broadway in 1973 to replace the late Irene Ryan in the musical Pippin. Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1998, A32; New York Times, June 3, 1998, D23; Time, June 15, 1998, 27; Variety, June 8, 1998, 84.

Stockman, Boyd Actor and stuntman Boyd Stockman died in Silver City, New Mexico, on March 10, 1998. He was 82. Stockman’s experience as a cowboy led him to Hollywood where he became one of the most dependable stuntmen in Westerns. He worked on numerous films with Gene Autry and Charles Starrett at Columbia. His film credits include Lawless Empire (1946), ’Neath Canadian Skies (1946), Sunset Pass (1946), Code of the Saddle (1947), Prairie Express (1947), Gun Talk (1947), Crossed Trails (1948), Frontier Agent (1948), Gunning for Justice (1948), Outlaw Brand (1948), Overland Trails (1948), Partners of the Sunset (1948), The Rangers Ride (1948), Across the Rio Grande (1949), Brand of Fear (1949), Crashing Thru (1949), Hidden Danger (1949), Riders in the Sky (1949), Rim of the Canyon (1949), Stampede (1949), Trail’s End (1949), West of El Dorado (1949), Beyond the Purple Hills (1950), The Blazing Sun (1950), Indian Territory (1950), Law of the Panhandle (1950), the 1950 serial Radar Secret Service, Stage to Tucson (1950), Gene Autry and the Mounties (1951), Hills of Utah (1951), Silver Canyon (1951), Whirlwind (1951), Night Raiders (1952), Night Stage to Galveston (1952), Gun Belt (1953), The Man from Laramie (1955), Wyoming Renegades (1955), Secret of Treasure Mountain (1956), Apache Warrior (1957), Night Passage (1957), Frontier Gun (1958), Lone Texan (1959), Ride Lonesome (1959), Five Guns to Tombstone (1961), The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961) and Gun Fight (1961). Stockman also worked often in television in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in episodes of The Gene Autry Show, The Adventures of Kit Carson, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Jr., Cimarron City, Gunsmoke, Tales of Wells Fargo, State Trooper,

Boyd Stockman

Gray Ghost, Laramie and The Guns of Will Sonnett.

Stone, Cliffie Country music executive Cliffie Stone died in Santa Clarita, California, on January 19, 1998.

Cliffie Stone

215

1998 • Obituaries

He was 80. Stone was born in Stockton, California, on March 1, 1917. He began his career as a singer and songwriter before becoming the manager of country music great Tennessee Ernie Ford. Stone also served as host of the Hometown Jamboree radio show for nearly 20 years. He was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 1979. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 21, 1998, A14; People, Feb. 9, 1998, 95.

Stone, Martin Radio producer Martin Stone died of a heart attack in Washington on June 7, 1998. He was 83. Stone was born in Brooklyn in 1915. He served as producer of the popular children’s show Howdy Doody at NBC in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He also produced the book-discussion program Author Meets the Critics in the 1960s. Stone was also an entertainment lawyer, representing such celebrities as Merv Griffin, Howard Cosell and Gabby Hayes. New York Times, June 18, 1998, B11; Variety, June 15, 1998, 109.

Martin Stone

Liam Sullivan

Sullivan, Liam Actor Liam Sullivan died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on April 19, 1998. He was 74. Sullivan was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, on May 18, 1923. He began his career on stage, and was soon appearing in Broadway productions of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, The Constant Wife and The Little Foxes. He was also featured in several films including The Magic Sword (1962) as the villainous Sir Branton, One Man’s Way (1964), That Darn Cat (1965), the 1982 tele-film Computercide and What Waits Below (1984). Sullivan was best known for his roles on television, starring as cattle baron Major Mapoy in the 1966 western series, The Monroes. He also played a telepathic alien in the 1968 episode of Star Trek entitled “Plato’s Stepchildren.” His other television credits include episodes of Tales of Tomorrow, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Dragnet, Twilight Zone, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Tombstone Territory, Combat!, Have Gun —Will Travel, Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, Honey West, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Rawhide, Bonanza, Lost in Space, The Legend of Jesse James, The Virginian, Daniel Boone, Maude, Logan’s Run, Battlestar Galactica, The Trials of Rosie O’Neill, Misfits of Science, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, Magnum, P.I., Little House on the Prairie, St. Elsewhere, Highway to Heaven and L.A. Law. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 25, 1998, A22.

Obituaries • 1998

216

J.D. Sumner

Sumner, J.D. Singer J.D. Sumner died of heart failure while on tour in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on November 15, 1998. He was 73. He was born John Daniel Sumner, in Lakeland, Florida, in 1925. He began singing in his local church choir at the age of eight. Sumner performed with the Sunny South Quartet and the Sunshine Boys, a cowboy group that appeared in Westerns with Eddie Dean. He sang with the Blackwood Brothers until 1963 when he became leader of the Stamps Quartet. Sumner wrote over 500 songs for the group. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet often performed with Elvis Presley from 1970 until his death in 1977, and were heard on Presley’s records “Burning Love,” “American Trilogy” and “Way Down.” Sumner was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame earlier in 1998. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 21, 1998, A24.

play the violin at an early age. He studied in Germany under Kurt Klinger in the early 1920s. The famed physicist Albert Einstein was his guardian during his stay in Germany, and the two maintained a life-long friendship, often engaging in lengthy sessions of chamber music together. Suzuki married German concert singer Waltraud Prange in 1928. They returned to Japan, where Suzuki was appointed to the Imperial School of Music in 1935. He subsequently became his country’s first professional violinist, forming a string quartet with three of his brothers. During this period Suzuki developed his teaching technique for the violin that supposed that music, like language, could be taught to children with ease at an early age. He began a music school in Matsumoto at the end of World War II, and he soon gained an international reputation for his teaching techniques. The “Suzuki-method,” with student’s early renditions of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, was a great influence on numerous renowned musicians and countless gifted amateurs. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 27, 1998, B8; New York Times, Jan. 27, 1998, A17; Times (of Lon-

Suzuki, Shinichi Shinichi Suzuki died in Matsumoto, Japan, on January 26, 1998. He was 99. Suzuki was born in Nagoya, Japan, on October 17, 1898. His father was a crafter of Japanese stringed instruments, and the younger Suzuki taught himself to

Shinichi Suzuki (with wife and student).

217

1998 • Obituaries

don), Jan. 28, 1998, 21a; Variety, Mar. 23, 1998, 101.

Sylwester, Roland Puppeteer Roland Sylwester died at his home in Granada Hills, California, on October 31, 1998. He was 73. Sylwester became known for his marionette and puppet shows that told stories from the Bible. He began performing religious puppet dramas in 1966 with Elijah and the Prophets of Baal. Sylwester gave over 1,500 performances at schools and churches over the next several decades. He also worked on the television series Sunrise Ways as a writer and puppeteer, earning him an Emmy nomination. Sylwester retired in 1990. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 6, 1998, A26.

Takada, Kokichi Japanese actor Kokichi Takada died of pneumonia in Kyoto, Japan, on May 19, 1998. He was 86. Takada was born Takeichi Kaijura in 1911. He began his film career with Shochiku Co. in 1926 and became a leading star in 1935. He often starred in historical films including The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939) and The Life of an Actor (1941). Takada performed with a traveling theatrical troupe in post-war Japan before returning to the screen in 1954. He was featured in the films Asayake gumo no ketto (1959) and Charinko kaido (1961).

Tasker, William D., Jr. Film and television composer William D. Tasker, Jr., died of a dissected aorta in Santa Monica, California, on May 13, 1998. He was 54. Tasker composed scores to such films as Doctor Death (1972), John Hus (1977) and Russ Meyer’s Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979). He also rescored D.W. Griffith’s Battle of Elderbush Gulch, and worked on television on such series as BJ and the Bear.

Don Taylor

Taylor, Don Film director and former actor Don Taylor died of heart failure in Los Angeles on December 29, 1998. He was 78. Taylor was born in Freeport, Pennsylvania, on December 13, 1920. He began his career in films as an actor in the early 1940s, appearing in Thousands Cheer (1943), Swing Shift Maisie (1943), The Human Comedy (1943), Girl Crazy (1943), Winged Victory (1944), The Last Bomb (1945), Song of the Thin Man (1947), The Naked City (1948), For the Love of Mary (1948), Battleground (1949), Ambush (1949), Father of the Bride (1950) as Elizabeth Taylor’s fiancé, Target Unknown (1951), Submarine Command (1951), The Blue Veil (1951), Father’s Little Dividend (1951), Flying Leathernecks (1951), Japanese War Bride (1952), Stalag 17 (1955), Destination Gobi (1953), Men of Sherwood Forest (1954), Johnny Dark (1954), I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955), The Bold and the Brave (1956) and Love Slaves of the Amazon (1957). He also appeared on television in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents,

Obituaries • 1998

218

Zane Grey Theater and Telephone Time as Sam Houston. Taylor began directing film and television in the 1960s with Everything’s Ducky, a 1961 fantasy about a talking duck starring Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett. He also directed Ride the Wild Surf (1964), Jack of Diamonds (1967), The Man Hunter (1960), Five Man Army (1969), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Tom Sawyer (1973), Echoes of Summer (1976), Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday (1976), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), Damien: Omen II (1978) and The Final Countdown (1980). Taylor also directed numerous tele-films including Something for a Lonely Man (1968), Wild Women (1970), Heat of Anger (1971), Night Games (1974), Find Me (1974), Honky Tonk (1974), The Manhunter (1976), A Circle of Children (1977), The Gift (1979), The Promise of Love (1980), The Crucible (1980), Broken Promise (1980), Red Flag: The Ultimate Game (1981), Drop-Out Father (1982), September Gun (1983), Listen to Your Heart (1983), Ghost Dancing (1983), Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona (1983), Oedipus the King (1984), Oedipus at Colonus (1984), He’s Not Your Son (1984), Antigone (1984), Secret Weapons (1985), My Wicked, Wicked Ways…The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985), Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story (1985), Classified Love (1986), Ghost of a Chance (1987) and The Diamond Trap (1988). His other television credits include episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Johnny Ringo, Have Gun —Will Travel, Wild Wild West, Night Gallery, winning an Emmy nomination for the episode “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar” in 1971, The Big Valley, The Flying Nun, Cannon and the British series Beasts. Taylor was married to actress Phyllis Avery from 1944 until they were divorced in 1955. He later married British actress Hazel Court, who surives him. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 1998; New York Times, Jan. 2, 1999, A13; People, Jan. 18, 1999, 71.

Taylor, Robert Lewis Robert Lewis Taylor died in Southbury, Connecticut, on September 30, 1998. He was 80. Taylor was born in Carbondale, Illinois, in 1918. He began writing for The New Yorker in 1939, writing articles and profiles for the magazine for the next 22 years. He was the author of the book The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, which was

Robert Lewis Taylor

adapted into a television series in 1963. His novel, A Journey to Matecumbe, was adapted into the 1976 film Treasure of Matecumbe. Taylor also authored the biography W.C. Fields: His Follies and Fortunes, the science fiction novel Adrift in a Boneyard and Center Ring: The People of the Circus. New York Times, Oct. 4, 1998, 49; Washington Post, Oct. 5, 1998, B6.

Tazieff, Haroun French volcano expert and photographer Haroun Tazieff died in a Paris hospital after a long illness on February 3, 1998. He was 83. Tazieff was born in Warsaw, Poland, on May 11, 1914. He was a pioneer in the field of vulcanology and was one of the first people to film a volcanic eruption at close range. His photography was featured in his films Les Rendezvous du Diable (Dates with the Devil) in 1958 and Le Volcan interdit (1966). Tazieff served in the French cabinet as secretary of state for the prevention of natural

219

1998 • Obituaries

St. John Terrell (as George Washington).

Terry, W. Benson

Haroun Tazieff

and technological disasters from 1984 through 1986. New York Times, Feb. 8, 1998, I43; Times (of London), Feb. 16, 1998, 23a.

Terrell, St. John St. John Terrell died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at his home near Trenton, New Jersey, on October 9, 1998. He was 81. Terrell was the founder of the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania, in 1939. He also founded the Lambertville, New Jersey, Music Circus in the 1940s. Terrell was also known for his Christmas Day re-enactments of George Washington crossing the Delaware, a role he played from 1953 until his retirement in 1978. New York Times, Oct. 20, 1998, B9.

Character actor W. Benson Terry died of cancer at a New York hospital on March 24, 1998. He was 76. Terry was best known for his performance as Stanley Loomis, the shrimper who sells his boat to Forrest Gump in the 1994 film. Terry worked as a boxer and union organizer before beginning an acting career on stage. He also appeared in the 1974 film Harry and Tonto and the 1978 tele-film Cindy. Terry was also featured in an episode of television’s Law & Order in 1991. New York Times, Apr. 1, 1998, B12.

Thomas, Michelle Actress Michelle Thomas died of cancer in New York on December 22, 1998. She was 29. Thomas was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 23, 1969. She was best known as Myra Monkhouse, Steve Urkel’s girlfriend on the television sit-com Family Matters from 1994 through 1998. She had previously played Justine, Theo Huxtable’s girlfriend, on The Cosby Show. She had been appearing as Callie on the soap opera The Young and the Restless for the past year. Thomas also appeared in several films including Hangin’ with the Homeboys (1991). Her other television credits include episodes of Roseanne and Sliders. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 1998; New York

Obituaries • 1998

220

Michelle Thomas

Times, Dec. 28, 1998, A25; Washington Post, Dec. 26, 1998, B4. Kay Thompson

Thompson, Kay Singer and writer Kay Thompson died in New York on July 2, 1998. She was 94. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 9, 1913. Thompson was best known for authoring the popular Eloise series of children’s books. She created Eloise in 1955, and also authored three sequels —Eloise in Paris (1957), Eloise at Christmastime (1958) and Eloise in Moscow (1959). Thompson began her career as a radio singer and subsequently worked as a composer and musical arranger for films in Hollywood. She worked on such films as Weekend at the Waldorf (1945), Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), The Kid from Brooklyn (1946), The Harvey Girls (1946) and Ziegfeld Follies (1946). She became close friends with actress Judy Garland and her husband, director Vincente Minnelli, becoming godmother to daughter Liza Minnelli. Thompson appeared as an actress in a

few films, playing fashion editor Maggie Prescott in 1957’s Funny Face with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, and appearing with Liza Minnelli in 1970’s Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon. Los Angeles Times, July 8, 1998, A18; New York Times, July 7, 1998, B11; People, July 20, 1998, 66; Time, July 20, 1998, 21; Times (of London), July 11, 1998, 23a; Variety, July 20, 1998, 57.

Tillman, Harrel Harrel Gordon Tillman died of cancer in Houston, Texas, on June 19, 1998. He was 73. Tillman began his career on stage in New York as a repertory actor. He subsequently appeared in several films in the late 1940s including That Man of Mine (1947) and The Fight Never Ends (1949).

221

1998 • Obituaries

Sir Michael Tippett

Garden (1970), The Ice Break (1977) and New Year (1989). Tippett conducted music for British radio and television during the 1960s and 1970s. His final composition, the song “The Rose Lake,” was created at the age of 90. New York Times, Jan. 10, 1998, A13; Times (of London), Jan. 10, 1998, 25a; Variety, Mar. 2, 1998, 102. Harrel Tillman

He moved to Houston, Texas, in the 1950s after being ordained a Methodist minister. He also earned a law degree and became the first black judge in Texas when he was appointed to the Houston municipal court in 1964. New York Times, June 28, 1998, I28; Variety, Sept. 7, 1998, 84.

Toyonobori Japanese professional wrestler Toyonobori died of cardiac infarction in Japan on July 1, 1998. He was 67. Toyonobori, whose real name was Michiharu Sadano, began wrestling professionally in the mid–1950s. He formed a tag team with Japan’s leading wrestler Rikidozan, which ended when the latter was stabbed to death by gangsters in 1963.

Tippett, Sir Michael British composer Sir Michael Tippett died at his home in London on January 8, 1998. He was 93. Tippett was born in London on January 2, 1905. He graduated from the Royal College of Music in 1928 and soon began conducting a local orchestra in Oxted in Surrey. During the early 1930s Tippett composed his String Quartet No. 1, the Piano Sonata No. 1 and the Concerto for Double String Orchestra. He composed the oratorio A Child of Our Time in 1939. Tippett was best known for his five operas —The Midsummer Marriage (1955), King Priam (1962), The Knot

Trease, Geoffrey British children’s writer Geoffrey Trease died in England on January 27, 1998. He was 88. Trease was born in Nottingham on August 11, 1909, and began writing at an early age. His first book, Bows Against the Barons, was published in 1934. The popular juvenile tale of Robin Hood’s adventures was followed by Comrades for the Charter and Cue for Treason in 1940. Trease also wrote the 1938 play After the Tempest, which was produced for television in the early days of the BBC. He also wrote the play Colony and the chil-

Obituaries • 1998

222

Geoffrey Trease

life, with his last children’s book, A Cloak for a Spy, published in 1997.

Treat, Lawrence

Toyonobori

dren’s books The Hills of Varna (1948) and No Boats on Bannermere (1949). Trease produced over 100 books during his career, many with a leftist slant. His other works include the award-winning children’s non-fiction This Is Your Country in 1965. He continued to write throughout his

Mystery writer Lawrence Treat died in a Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, hospital on January 7, 1998. He was 94. Treat was a lawyer when he decided to try his hand at writing in the late 1920s. During his 70 year career Treat wrote several hundred short stories for such magazines as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. He also wrote 17 novels including A As in Alibi, H As in Homicide which earned him an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1965, V As in Victim, Weep for a Wanton, Venus Unarmed and Run Far Run Fast. Treat received a second Edgar award in 1976 for Mystery Writers’ Handbook. Several of his stories were adapted for television into episodes for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. New York Times, Jan. 16, 1998, B11.

223

1998 • Obituaries

Treyz, Oliver E. Television executive Oliver E. Treyz died at the Actors’ Fund Retirement Home in Englewood, New Jersey, after a long illness, on June 14, 1998. He was 80. Treyz was born in Willewemoe, New York, in 1918. He began his career with ABC Radio in 1948, becoming director of the radio network six years later. He was president of ABC Television from 1957 through 1962, programming such hits as Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Real McCoys, The Flintstones, The Rifleman and The Untouchables. Treyz was forced to resign in 1962 following congressional inquiries into television violence after the airing of an episode of Bus Stop, starring Fabian as a psychotic killer. He subsequently formed a successful advertising consultancy firm. New York Times, June 29, 1998, B9; Variety, Sept. 7, 1998, 84.

Trow, Bob Bob Trow, a long-time regular on the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood children’s television series, died of a heart attack in New Alexandria, Pennsylvania, on November 2, 1998. He was 72. Trow was born on February 6, 1926. He began his career on Pittsburgh radio before joining the popular PBS children’s program in the late 1960s. He performed such characters as Robert Troll and Bob Dog on the show. Trow also appeared in George Romero’s 1972 film Season of the Witch. New York Times, Nov. 7, 1998, A13; People, Nov. 23, 1998, 131; Time, Nov. 16, 1998, 35; Variety, Nov. 9, 1998, 43.

Justin Tubb

Tubb, Justin Justin Tubb died of a stomach aneurysm at a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital on January 14, 1998. He was 62. Tubb was born in San Antonio, Texas, on August 20, 1935, the eldest son of country music legend Ernest Tubb. Tubb wrote the top country hit “Lonesome 7-7203” for Hawkshaw Hawkins in 1963. He also wrote such Top 10 hits as “Take a Letter, Miss Gray,” “Looking Back to See” and “Be Glad.” Tubb often performed on the Grand Ole Opry radio show.

Turich, Rosa

Bob Trow

Character actress Rosa Turich died of complications from a stroke in Santa Ana, California, on November 20, 1998. She was 95. Turich was featured in small parts in numerous films and serials from the 1930s including Zorro Rides Again (1937), Rose of the Rio Grande (1938), Starlight Over Texas (1938), Drifting Westward (1939),

Obituaries • 1998

224 for Warner in the 1940s, often writing tough female roles for such actresses as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Though attributed to Ranald MacDougall, Turney was largely responsible for writing Crawford’s 1945 Oscar-winning performance in Mildred Pierce. Turney’s other film credits include One More Tomorrow (1946), Of Human Bondage (1946), My Reputation (1946), The Man I Love (1946), A Stolen Life (1946), Cry Wolf (1947), Winter Meeting (1948), No Man of Her Own (1949), Japanese War Bride (1952) and Back from the Dead (1957). She also wrote for the stage, radio and television during her career. Los Angeles Times, Sept. 11, 1998, B8; Variety, Sept. 28, 1998, 193.

Tuttle, Dorothy Rosa Turich

Rangers of Fortune (1940), Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga (1941), South of Monterey (1946), Bowery Buckaroos (1947), Riding the California Trail (1947), The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James (1948), The Loves of Carmen (1948), Son of Billy the Kid (1949), Dakota Lil (1950), The Kid from Texas (1950), Tripoli (1950), On the Isle of Samoa (1950), Hondo (1953) with John Wayne, Gun Fury (1953), Jubilee Trail (1954), Passion (1954), The Phantom Stallion (1954), Jivaro (1954), Lonely Are the Brave (1962) with Kirk Douglas, Move Over, Darling (1963), Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966) and El Dorado (1967). She also appeared often on television in episodes of The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, The Cisco Kid, The Restless Gun, I Love Lucy, Perry Mason, Maverick, The Rebel, Lancer, The High Chaparral, Family Affair and The Streets of San Francisco. She and her husband, Felipe Turich, performed to Spanish-language audiences in Los Angeles as the comedy team of Felipin y Rosita. Felipe died in 1992.

Turney, Catherine Screenwriter Catherine Turney died in her sleep at her home in Sierra Madre, California, on September 9, 1998. She was 92. Turney was born on December 26, 1906. She began writing scripts

Dancer Dorothy Tuttle Nitch died of natural causes in Encino, California, on August 12, 1998. She was 80. She was chosen as one of the dancers for the 1937 MGM film Rosalie. She appeared in several other films including Marie Antoinette (1938), Tin Pan Alley (1940) with Betty Grable, Ziegfeld Girl (1941), Born to Sing (1941), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) with Judy Garland, The Harvey Girls (1946), Joan of Arc (1948) and Summer Stock (1950). Her final film appearance was in Gene Kelly’s 1951 musical American in Paris. Variety, Nov. 2, 1998, 66.

Ulanova, Galina Russian ballerina Galina Ulanova died in Moscow on March 21, 1998. She was 88. Ulanova was born in St. Petersburg on January 8, 1910. She debuted with the Leningrad Maryinsky Ballet in 1928 and was the prima ballerina with the Russian Bolschoi ballet from 1944 to 1960. She was considered one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century in such ballets as Romeo and Juliet, Giselle and Sleeping Beauty. Ulanova appeared in several films including Russian Ballerina (1947) where she performed Swan Lake, The Grand Concert (1951) and Stars of the Russian Ballet (1954). New York Times, Mar. 22, 1998, I43; Times (of London), Mar. 23, 1998, 25a.

225

1998 • Obituaries

with such musicians as Freddy Martin, Ray Noble and Benny Goodman during the 1930s. Van Eps began playing the seven-string guitar in the late 1930s, pioneering the use of the instrument. He was seen in the 1955 film Pete Kelly’s Blues with Jack Webb and also performed in the subsequent 1959 television series with Dick Cathcart’s band. He occasionally recorded with Capitol records during the 1960s, though poor health and an accident to his hand curtailed his activities over the next two decades. He returned to the music scene in the 1990s, recording with Howard Alden and guitarist Johnny Smith for Concord Jazz records. New York Times, Dec. 7, 1998, B9; Times (of London), Dec. 28, 1998, 23a.

Vanselow, Bob

Galina Ulanova

Van Eps, George Musician George Van Eps died of pneumonia at a Newport Beach, California, hospital on November 29, 1998. He was 85. Van Eps was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, on August 7, 1913. He came from a musical family and began playing professionally at the age of 11. He performed

Actor Robert A. Vanselow died in Los Angeles of a heart-related illness on March 30, 1998. He was 79. Vanselow was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1918. He was a leading performer on Broadway, appearing in productions of Annie Get Your Gun, Jollyanna and Red, White and Blue. He was best known for his performance as Starky in the original production of Peter Pan with Mary Martin. He reprised the role in a 1960 television production. Vanselow was also featured in several films including Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955) and The Ten Commandments (1956). He also appeared in numerous television episodes of such series as The Virginian, Boris Karloff ’s Thriller, Perry Mason, Bonanza and Death Valley Days. Variety, May 4, 1998, 97.

Veitch, John P.

George Van Eps (Jack Bradley).

Movie executive and former actor John Patrick Veitch died in Los Angeles on December 7, 1998. Veitch began his career as an actor, appearing in such 1950s films as Stalag 17 and From Here to Eternity. He began working behind the camera soon after, serving as location manager, production manager and first assistant director on films in the 1950s. He joined Columbia Pictures in 1961 and became worldwide production president in 1979. Veitch formed a production company under Columbia in the 1980s, producing such features as Fast Forward (1985), Suspect

Obituaries • 1998

226

(1987), the 1990 cable film Rainbow Drive, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) and Fly Away Home. Variety, Dec. 14, 1998, 146; Washington Post, Dec. 14, 1998, E7.

Vernon, Irene Character actress Irene Vernon died on April 21, 1998. Ms. Vernon was best known for her recurring role as Louise Tate, wife of Darrin Steven’s boss Larry Tate, on the supernatural television sit-com Bewitched from 1964 until 1966. Ms. Vernon began her career on stage and played showgirls in the films Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947). She made several other film appearances in the 1950s including Try and Get Me (1951) and Deadline — U.S.A. (1952). James Villiers

Irene Vernon

Villiers, James British supporting actor James Villiers died on January 18, 1998. He was 64. Villiers was born in London on September 2, 1933. He began his career on stage in the early 1950s. He made his film debut in 1954’s Late Night Final. His other film credits include Carry On, Sergeant (1958), The Entertainer (1960), These Are the Damned (1961), Clue of the New Pin (1961), Petticoat Pi-

rates (1961), Eva (1962), Operation Snatch (1962), Bomb in the High Street (1963), Murder at the Gallop (1963), Girl in the Headlines (1963), Father Came Too (1963), King and Country (1964), Nothing but the Best (1964), Daylight Robbery (1964), The Nanny (1965) with Betty Davis, The Alphabet Murders (1965), You Must Be Joking! (1965), Roman Polanski’s Repulsion (1965), The Wrong Box (1966), Half a Sixpence (1967), Otley (1968), Some Girls Do (1968), The Touchables (1968), A Nice Girl Like Me (1969), Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1972), The Ruling Class (1972) with Peter O’Toole, The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972), Asylum (1972), Joseph Andres (1976), Seven Nights in Japan (1976), Saint Jack (1979), the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only with Roger Moore, Mantrap (1983), Under the Volcano (1984), Scandal (1989), Mountains of the Moon (1990), Let Him Have It (1991), King Ralph (1991), Uncovered (1994), E=mc2 (1986) and The Tichborne Claimant (1997). He was also featured in television productions of The Siege of Manchester (1965), A Piece of Resistance (1965), The Fantasist (1967), The First Churchills (1970), The Millionairess (1972), Lady Windermere’s Fan (1972), E. Nesbit (1972), Pygmalion (1973), The Double Kill (1974), Spectre (1977), The Marquise (1980), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Hemingway (1988), House of Cards

227

1998 • Obituaries

(1990) and The Gravy Train Goes East (1991), and the television series The Saint, The Avengers, The Baron, Fortune of War and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Times (of London), Feb. 12, 1998, 23a.

Vukotic, Dusan Croatian film director and animator Dusan Vukotic died of natural causes in Zagreb, Croatia, on July 8, 1998. He was 71. Vukotic was born in Bileca, Yugoslavia, on February 7, 1927. He was a founding member of the Zagreb school of animation in the early 1950s. His films include How Kico Was Born (1951), The Haunted Castle at Dudinic (1951), The Playful Robot (1956), Cowboy Jimmy (1957), Concerto for Sub-Machine Gun (1957), The Great Fear (1958), Piccolo (1959), Play (1962), Ingra (1963), Stain on His Conscience (1968), The Seventh Continent (1968), Opera Cordis (1968), Ars Gratia Artis (1969), Gubecziana (1973), The Grasshopper (1974), Akcija Stadion (1977) and Visitors from the Galaxy (1981). Vukotic was awarded the 1961 Academy Award for the animated short film Substitute (Ersatz).

Wallace, Ian Dr. John W. Pritchard, who authored science fiction stories under the pseudonym Ian Wallace, died in Nevada on July 7, 1998. He was 85. Pritchard was born in Chicago in 1912. He began writing in the 1960s and his first science fiction novel, Croyd, was written in 1967. His other works include Dr. Orpheus (1968), Deathstar Voyage (1969), Pan Sagittarius (1973), The Purloined Prince (1971), A Voyage to Dari (1974), The World Asunder (1976), The Sign of the Mute Medusa (1977), Heller’s Leap (1979), Z-Sting (1979), The Lucifer Comet (1980), The Rape of the Sun (1982) and Megalomania (1989).

Walsh, J.T. Character actor J.T. Walsh died of a heart attack while on vacation in La Mesa, California, on February 27, 1998. He was 54. He was born James Patrick Walsh in San Francisco on Sep-

J.T. Walsh (from Gang in Blue).

tember 28, 1944. He began his career on stage and gained notice for his performance in a production of Glengarry Glen Ross in 1984. He made his film debut in the 1983 film Eddie Macon’s Run and was featured in the 1985 tele-film Right to Kill? His other film credits include The Beniker Gang (1985), Power (1986), Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), House of Games (1987), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) with Robin Williams, Tin Men (1987), Things Change (1988), Tequila Sunrise (1988), Wired (1989), Dad (1989), The Big Picture (1989), The Russia House (1990), Narrow Margin (1990), Stephen King’s Misery (1990), The Grifters (1990), Defenseless (1990), Crazy People (1990), Why Me? (1990), True Identity (1991), Iron Maze (1991), Backdraft (1991), Red Rock West (1992), The Prom (1992), Contact (1992), A Few Good Men (1992) as Jack Nicholson’s suicidal commanding officer, Hoffa (1992), Stephen King’s Needful Things (1993), National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), Sniper (1993), The Low Life (1994), Blue Chips (1994), John Grisham’s The Client (1994), Silent Fall (1994), the 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street, Sacred

Obituaries • 1998

228

Cargo (1995), The Little Death (1995), Black Day Blue Night (1995), The Babysitter (1995), Outbreak (1995), Nixon (1995) as John Ehrlichman, Executive Decision (1996), Sling Blade (1996), Persons Unknown (1996) and Breakdown (1997), and the posthumously released Pleasantville (1998) and The Negotiator (1998). Walsh also appeared in the tele-films In the Shadow of a Killer (1992), Morning Glory (1993), The American Clock (1993), The Last Seduction (1994), Star Struck (1994), Gang in Blue (1996), Crime of the Century (1996) and Hope (1997). He also starred as Frank Bach in the 1996 science fiction series Dark Skies. His other television credits include episodes of L.A. Law, The Equalizer, Birdland, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and The X-Files. New York Times, Mar. 1, 1998, I35; People, Mar. 16, 1998, 93; Time, Mar. 9, 1998, 52; Times (of London), Mar. 21, 1998, 25a; Variety, Apr. 6, 1998, 59.

Ward, Helen Jazz singer Helen Ward died in Arlington, Virginia, on April 21, 1998. She was 81. Ward was born in New York on September 19, 1916. She was

the vocalist for Benny Goodman’s band from 1934 until 1936, performing with the band on the Let’s Dance radio show on NBC. She also had a personal relationship with Goodman during her two years with the band. She continued to perform during the 1930s and 1940s with bands led by Hal MacIntyre and Harry James. She became a producer at a New York radio station in the late 1940s. She returned to singing thirty years later, performing in a stage production of Finian’s Rainbow. Her final album, The Helen Ward Songbook, was recorded in 1981. Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1998, B10; New York Times, Apr. 30, 1998, B10; People, May 18, 1998, 123; Times (of London), May 15, 1998, 27a; Washington Post, May 5, 1998, B6.

Warren, Phil Actor Phil Warren died in Laguna Nigel, California, on October 3, 1998. He was 83. Warren was born Warren S. “Phil” Magwood in Oregon in 1915. He began his film career in the late 1930s, and was featured in such films as Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938), Prison Farm (1938), Unmarried (1939), Sudden Money (1939), Keep ’Em Flying (1941), Moonlight in Havana (1942), Madame Spy (1942), Gangbusters (1942), Good Morning, Judge (1943), A Fig Leaf for Eve (1944), Army Wives (1944), The Falcon’s Adventure (1946), Criminal Court (1946), Badman’s Territory (1946), Deadline at Dawn (1946), A Likely Story (1947), The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947), Born to Kill (1947), The Spook Speaks (1947), G-Men Never Forget (1948), the 1948 serial Dangers of the Canadian Mounted and Superman and the Mole Men (1951). Warren subsequently retired from films to work as an advertising manager for the Los Angeles Mirror. He worked in advertising for the Los Angeles Times from 1962 until his retirement in 1980.

Wasserman, Steven M.

Helen Ward

Television producer and writer Steven M. Wasserman was killed in a sailing accident when he fell overboard on route to Santa Catalina Island on July 3, 1998. He was 45. Wasserman was born on December 5, 1952. He and his ex-wife,

229 Jessica Klein, scripted for numerous television series including Northern Exposure and Gabriel’s Fire. He worked on the television series Beverly Hills 90210 for seven years, serving as executive producer from 1995 until leaving the show in 1997.

Waters, Benny Jazz musician Benny Waters died in a Columbia, Maryland, hospital on August 11, 1998. He was 96. Waters was born in Brighton, Maryland, on January 23, 1902. He was a proficient musician by his teens and was soon playing in various bands, including Charlie Johnson’s Paradise Band in Atlantic City in the mid–1920s. He remained with the band until 1933 and subsequently played with such musicians as Fletcher Henderson, Jimmie Lunceford and Hot Lips Page. Waters went to Paris in 1952 and decided to settle there. He played throughout Europe over the next four decades. Waters returned to the United States in 1991 to undergo unsuccessful cataract surgery. Despite blindness, Waters con-

1998 • Obituaries

tinued to perform and record. His last album, Birdland Birthday — Live at 95, was recorded the year before his death. New York Times, Aug. 13, 1998, D19; People, Aug. 31, 1998, 115; Time, Aug. 24, 1998, 34; Times (of London), Aug. 22, 1998, 21a; Washington Post, Aug. 14, 1998, B8.

Wayne, Gus Midget actor Gus Wayne died of heart failure at a Lakeland, Florida, nursing home on January 23, 1998. He was 77. Wayne was born in the Bronx, New York, on October 16, 1920. He was featured as a Munchkin soldier in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. He also portrayed the Philip Morris spokesman “Little Johnny” on radio and personal appearances during the 1940s. Wayne was married to midget actress Olive Brasno, who died several days after him. Variety. Apr. 6, 1998, 59.

Webb, Nick Jazz guitarist Nick Webb died of pancreatic caner in London on February 5, 1998. He was 43.

Benny Waters

Nick Webb

Obituaries • 1998

230

Webb was born in Manchester, England, in 1954. Webb and fellow guitarist Greg Carmichael formed the contemporary jazz group Acoustic Alchemy in 1987. The group produced the successful albums Red Dust and Spanish Lace, Natural Elements and Blue Chip. They were working on a 10th album, Positive Thinking, at the time of Webb’s death. Variety, Mar. 30, 1998, 175.

Oct. 26, 1998, 113; Time, Oct. 19, 1998, 43; Times (of London), Oct. 10, 1998, 24c.

Weidman, Jerome Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jerome Weidman died in New York on October 6, 1998. He was 85. Weidman was born in New York on April 14, 1913. He wrote 22 novels, beginning with his first, Wholesale, in 1937. That one was adapted into a film in 1951, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, starring Susan Hayward. Weidman’s novel House of Strangers was also adapted into a film in 1949 and he scripted several other films including The Damned Don’t Cry (1950) and Slander (1956). Weidman earned a Pulitzer, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award and a Tony for his 1959 Broadway musical Fiorello!, about former New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. New York Times, Oct. 7, 1998, C23; People,

Jerome Weidman

John Wells

Wells, John British actor and writer John Wells died of lymphoma on January 11, 1998. He was 61. Wells was born on November 17, 1936. He began performing in cabaret shows while attending Oxford. He contributed to early issues of the satire magazines Mesopotamia and Private Eye. He cowrote the 1966 play Listen to the Knocking Bird and Mrs. Wilson’s Diary in 1967. He also appeared in numerous films in England including The Bob (1967), Casino Royale (1967), 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968), Rentadick (1972), The Cobblers of Umbridge (1973), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Monty Python’s The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball (1982), Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Revolution (1985), Dutch Girls (1985), Consuming Passions (1988), Genghis Cohn (1993) and Princess Caraboo (1994). Wells became best known for his impressions of Denis Thatcher, husband of Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, during the 1980s. He scripted the 1982 three-act farce Anyone for Denis? based on the Thatchers. He was featured in the 1987 British television series Rude Health, and appeared in the tele-films Love’s Labour’s Lost (1986), Casanova (1987) and Gulliver’s Travels (1996). Time, Jan. 26, 1998, 25; Times (of London), Jan. 12, 1998, 23a.

231

1998 • Obituaries

Wells, Robert

Junior Wells (Linda Vartoogian).

Composer and lyricist Robert Wells died of cancer at his Santa Monica, California, home on September 23, 1998. He was 75. Wells was born on October 15, 1922. He was best known for his collaboration with Mel Torme on “The Christmas Song,” which began with “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire….” He and Torme also wrote “County Fair” for the 1949 film So Dear to My Heart. He was also lyricist for the Henry Mancini song “It’s Easy to Say,” which was featured in Dudley Moore’s 1979 film 10. He also wrote the words to “From Here to Eternity,” a song based on the film and popularized by Frank Sinatra. His other songs include “Born to Be Blue,” “What Every Girl Should Know” and “Three for Tonight.” Wells was the recipient of four Emmy Awards as producer and writer for The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, and received two more Emmys for his work on Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now. New York Times, Oct 6, 1998, B10; Variety, Nov. 2, 1998, 66.

Wells, Junior Junior Wells died of lymphoma in Chicago, Illinois, on January 15, 1998. He was 63. Wells was born Amos Blackmore in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 9, 1934. He began playing the harmonica as a child. Wells moved to Chicago in 1946 where he formed the group the Little Boys, later known as the Three Aces. Wells joined Muddy Waters’ blues band as a harmonica player in 1952. From the late 1950s Wells often performed with guitarist Buddy Guy. The two recorded the popular 1965 hit “Hoodoo Man Blues” and toured with such groups as the Rolling Stones and Canned Heat before splitting in 1978. Wells continued to perform and record, appearing with such artists as Van Morrison and Tracy Chapman. His album Come On in This House was nominated for a Grammy and received a W.C. Handy award in 1997. He appeared in the 1998 film Blues Brothers 2000. New York Times, Jan. 17, 1998, A11; People, Feb. 2, 1998, 81; Time, Jan. 26, 1998, 25; Times (of London), Feb. 2, 1998, 23a.

Wendt, William Actor William Charles Wendt died in Minneapolis of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos on December 11, 1998. He was 64. Wendt was born in Winona, Minnesota, in 1934. He began his career on stage, appearing in the 1961 Broadway musical Milk and Honey. Wendt also appeared in revivals of such musicals as Kiss Me Kate, South Pacific and Lost in the Stars. He also appeared on television in daytime soap operas and played the title role in the 1971 tele-film The Last Days of John Dillinger. Wendt became a drama teacher after a serious back injury limited his acting roles in the 1970s.

West, Paul Radio and television writer Paul Hersey, who usually wrote as Paul West, died of pneumonia in San Anselmo, California, on June 15, 1998. He was 86. West scripted such radio programs as the popular Fibber McGee and Molly series and Cecil B. DeMille’s Lux Theater of the Air.

Obituaries • 1998

232

He also wrote for comedian W.C. Fields and scripted the early radio soap opera Sally of the Star. He moved to television in the 1950s, scripting episodes of such series as Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, The Real McCoys and My Three Sons. West was writer and story editor for The Waltons series prior to his retirement in 1979. Variety, Aug. 17, 1998, 46.

Westcott, Helen Actress Helen Westcott died of cancer in an Edmunds, Washington, hospital on March 17, 1998. She was 70. Westcott was born in Los Angeles in 1927, the daughter of actor Gordon Westcott. She began her career at the age of four, and appeared at the Hollywood Theatre Mart production of The Drunkard for nine years during the 1930s. She was also featured in several films in the 1930s, including Thunder Over Texas (1934) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935). She began her film career in earnest in the late 1940s, appearing in Smart Girls Don’t Talk (1948), Thirteen Lead Soldiers (1948), Adventures of Don Juan (1948), Whirlpool (1949), Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), Flaxy Martin (1949), Homicide (1949), The Girl from Jones Beach (1949), Alaska

Patrol (1949), One Last Fling (1949), Three Came Home (1950), The Gunfighter (1950), Dancing in the Dark (1950), Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), The Secret of Convict Lake (1951), Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), With a Song in My Heart (1952), Loan Shark (1952), The Return of the Texan (1952), Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952), The Charge at Feather River (1953), Cow Country (1953), Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), Gun Belt (1953), I Killed Wild Bill Hickok (1956), Hot Blood (1956), God’s Little Acre (1958), The Last Hurrah (1958), Invisible Avenger (1958), Monster on the Campus (1958), Day of the Outlaw (1959), Studs Lonigan (1960), Piece of Dreams (1970) and I Love My Wife (1970). She also appeared on television in episodes of Jefferson Drum, Perry Mason, Twilight Zone, Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, Philip Marlowe, Rawhide, Bonanza, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Pony Express and Mannix. Westcott returned to the stage after retiring from films in the early 1970s, appearing in productions of God’s Little Acre and The Golden Fleece. Variety, Mar. 30, 1998, 175.

White, Cliff Guitarist Cliff White died in a Los Angeles hospital of complications from diabetes on April 2, 1998. He was 77. White began performing in San Francisco in the 1940s, where he was discovered by Louis Armstrong. With Armstrong’s recommendation, White played with the Mills Brothers while their regular guitarist served in the military during World War II. He remained with the group for several years. During the 1950s White became associated with singer Sam Cooke, assisting in the recording of Cooke’s first hit song, “You Send Me.” White continued to lead Cooke’s band until the singer was shot to death in 1964. White co-authored the 1995 biography You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke. Variety, Apr. 13, 1998, 41.

Whitehead, O.Z. Helen Westcott

Irish character actor O.Z. Whitehead died of cancer in Dublin, Ireland, on July 29, 1998. He was 87. Oothout Zabriskie Whitehead was

233

1998 • Obituaries

Wilcox-Smith, Tamara Improvisational actress Tamara WilcoxSmith died of heart failure in Los Angeles on January 30, 1998. She was 57. Wilcox-Smith began her stage career in the mid–1960s after studying with Del Close. She performed with the improv company, the Committee, and was cast as a nurse in Robert Altman’s 1970 film M*A*S*H. Her other film credits include Rivals (1972), Andy Warhol’s Bad (1977) and Pontiac Moon (1994). Wilcox-Smith was also the founder of the National Improvisation Theatre in New York City in 1984. Variety, Mar. 23, 1998, 101.

Williams, Francis Royster O.Z. Whitehead

born in New York City on March 1, 1911. He began his career on stage and made his film debut in 1935’s The Scoundrel. Whitehead was also featured in the films The Grapes of Wrath (1940), My Brother Talks to Horses (1946), The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947), A Song Is Born (1948), Family Honeymoon (1948), Road House (1948), Ma and Pa Kettle (1949), Dallas (1950), The Scarf (1951), Journey into Light (1951), FBI Girl (1951), Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951), The San Francisco Story (1952), For Men Only (1952), Beware, My Lovely (1952), We’re Not Married! (1952), Feudin’ Fools (1952), Julius Caesar (1953), Rally ’Round the Flag, Boys! (1958), The Last Hurrah (1958), The Horse Soldiers (1959), Chartroose Caboose (1960), Two Rode Together (1961), Panic in Year Zero (1962), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Summer Magic (1963) and The Lion in Winter (1968). Whitehead also appeared on television in episodes of Gunsmoke, The Man from Blackhawk, Hotel De Paree, Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason and Bonanza. One of his last roles was in the 1981 television mini-series The Manions of America. Variety, Sept. 7, 1998, 84.

Cartoonist Francis Royster Williams died in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 19, 1998. She was 98. Williams was the creator of the Cuddles and Tuckie comic strip for the Kansas City Star. The strip ran from 1932 until 1960 and was the basis of several radio shows in the 1940s.

Williams, Mark Actor and makeup effects artist Mark Williams died of respiratory failure at a Panorama City, California, hospital, on May 27, 1998. He was 38. Williams began working as a design coordinator for such rock bands as Alice Cooper and Dangerous Toys. He became involved in films as a makeup effects artist, working on such productions as The Fly (1986), Aliens (1986), It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987), Blue Monkey (1987), The Brain (1988), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2 — Judgment Day (1991), Psycho Cop 2 (1992), Relentless 3 (1993), Blue Flame (1995) and Kraa! The Sea Monster (1998). Williams also appeared in small roles in several films including Terminator 2 (1991), Return to Salem’s Lot (1987), 101 Dalmations (1996) and 1997’s The Borrowers. He had been named head of Full Moon Pictures’ special effects department shortly before his death. Los Angeles Times, June 3, 1998, A26; Variety, June 29, 1998, 44.

Obituaries • 1998

234

Wilson, Carl Carl Wilson, founding member and lead guitarist for The Beach Boys band, died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on February 7, 1998. He was 51. Wilson was born in Hawthorne, California, on December 21, 1946. He, with his brothers Brian and Dennis, who died in 1983, and Mike Love and Alan Jardine, formed The Beach Boys in 1961. They popularized the “surf beat” with such songs as “Good Vibrations,” “I Get Around” and “Help Me Rhonda.” Carl Wilson briefly left the group to attempt a solo career in the early 1980s, but rejoined the group and was inducted with them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Wilson and the band appeared in the 1965 film Girls on the Beach and an episode of television’s Baywatch in 1995. New York Times, Feb. 8, 1998, I42; Time, Feb. 16, 1998, 35; Times (of London), Feb. 10, 1998, 21a; Variety, Feb. 16, 1998, 71.

Wendy O. Williams

Williams, Wendy O. Singer Wendy O. Williams was found dead near her home in Storrs, Connecticut, from a selfinflicted gunshot wound on April 6, 1998. She was 48. Williams was born in Rochester, New York, on May 28, 1949. She was the lead singer for the punk rock band The Plasmatics from the late 1970s. Williams was arrested several times on obscenity charges for the band’s onstage antics during the 1980s. She also appeared in several films including Reform School Girls (1986) and Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog (1990). She and the band performed on Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow show and she was featured in episodes of MacGyver and The New Adventures of Beans Baxter. She largely retired in the late 1980s and moved to Connecticut with her former manager, Rod Swenson, in 1991. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 9, 1998, B6; New York Times, Apr. 9, 1998, B10; People, Apr. 27, 1998, 132; Time, Apr. 20, 1998, 24; Variety, Apr. 13, 1998, 41.

Carl Wilson (right, with Dennis and Brian).

Wilson, Dorothy Actress Dorothy Wilson died in Lompoc, California, on January 7, 1998. She was 88. Wilson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 14, 1909. She was featured in numerous films during the 1930s including Men of America (1932), The Age of Consent (1932), Lucky Devils (1933), Scarlet River (1933), Hollywood on Parade No. 9 (1933), Before Dawn (1933), The White Parade (1934), Eight Girls in a Boat (1934), His Greatest Gamble (1934), Above the Clouds (1934), The Merry Widow (1934), Circus Shadows (1935),

235

1998 • Obituaries

Love, American Style, Here’s Lucy, Saturday Night Live, The Love Boat, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sonny and Cher’s Comedy Hour and 227. He hosted the 1984 quiz show People are Funny and was Charlie Richmond in the short-lived 1985 comedy series Charlie & Company. He had small parts in several films including Cancel My Reservation (1972), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979) and The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979). One of his last appearances was as himself in a 1996 episode of The Drew Carey Show. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 26, 1998, A3; New York Times, Nov. 27, 1998, B19; Variety, Dec. 7, 1998, 65; Washington Post, Nov. 27, 1998, B6.

Dorothy Wilson

Bad Boy (1935), The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), When a Man’s a Man (1935), In Old Kentucky (1935), The Milky Way (1936), Craig’s Wife (1936) and Speed to Spare (1937). Wilson retired from the screen in the late 1930s after marrying director Lewis R. Foster, who died in 1974.

Wilson, Flip Comedian Flip Wilson died of liver cancer in Los Angeles on November 25, 1998. He was 64. Wilson was the first black performer to host a successful prime-time variety show, The Flip Wilson Show, from 1970 until 1974. He was born Clerow Wilson in Jersey City, New Jersey, on December 8, 1933. He began his comedy career entertaining his fellow troops while serving in the Air Force. He made his television debut in 1965 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He became a frequent performer on such shows as The Ed Sullivan Show and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. A successful special in 1968 led to his series, for which he earned Emmy awards for writing and performing in 1971. He was best known for performing the female character Geraldine, who popularized such lines as “The devil made me do it” and “What you see is what you get!.” He also portrayed the Reverend Leroy of “the Church of What’s Happening Now.” Wilson also appeared on television in episodes of

Flip Wilson

Wilson, Gerry Red Comedian Gerry Red Wilson died of meningitis at a Maui, Hawaii, hospital on November 21, 1998. He was 37. Wilson was a stand-up comedian who made several appearances on The Tonight Show, including one earlier in 1998 when he proposed live to his fiancee. Wilson also appeared in the sit-com Spin City and was the star of the short-lived 1998 television sit-com That’s Life for Fox. The comic was filming an episode of Fantasy Island when he suddenly became ill.

Obituaries • 1998

236 Disney’s Greyfriars Bobby (1961), Gorgo (1961), Almost Angels (1962), The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963) and The Horse Without a Head (1963). Winter began working on the other side of the camera while still in his teens. He served as a production assistant or assistant director on such films as Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971), Royal Flash (1975), The Sailor’s Return (1978), Superman (1978), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Color Purple (1985), A Dry White Season (1989), Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V (1989), Restoration (1995) and Cutthroat Island (1995).

Wood, Beatrice

Gerry Red Wilson

Winter, Vincent British child actor Vincent Winter died of a heart attack at a Chertsey, England, hospital near London on November 2, 1998. He was 50. Winter was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on December 29, 1947. He received a special Academy Award for “outstanding juvenile performance” at the age of six for his role in the 1953 film The Little Kidnappers. He remained a popular child performer over the next decade, appearing in such films as The Dark Avenger (1955) with Errol Flynn, Time Lock (1957), The Bridal Path (1959),

Vincent Winter (with Bill Travers, from Gorgo). (MGM).

Artist Beatrice Wood died in Los Angeles on March 12, 1998. She was 105. Wood was born in San Francisco on March 3, 1893. She was a leading designer of pottery and ceramics. She was an early participant in the Dada Movement of art in 1916 and became known as “The Mama of Dada.” James Cameron, the director of 1997’s Titanic, used her as the prototype for the character of the older Rose, played by Gloria Stuart, in the popular film. New York Times, Mar. 14, 1998, A15; Time, Mar. 23, 1998, 39; Times (of London), Mar. 2, 1998, 25a.

Beatrice Wood

237

1998 • Obituaries

Peggy Ann Wood

Wood, Peggy Ann British actress Peggy Ann Wood died in England on May 30, 1998. She was 85. Wood was born in Chiswick, England, on June 14, 1912. She was the daughter of composer Arthur Wood and married theatrical producer Ronald Russell in the 1930s. The two founded the Rapier Players at the Little Theatre in Bristol in the late 1930s. The small theatrical group served as a training ground for numerous future stars before it closed in the early 1960s. Wood also appeared in numerous productions there including A Doll’s House and The Cherry Orchard. She was also well known for her role as Vera Poling in the popular British television series After Henry in 1987. Her other television appearances include the mini-series Children of the Stones (1977), Lillie (1978) and Flickers (1981), and the tele-films No Crying He Makes (1988) and Blore M.P. (1989). Wood also appeared in the 1985 film The Assam Garden.

Woods, Donald Actor Donald Woods died in Palm Springs, California, on March 5, 1998. He was 88. Woods was born Ralph L. Zink in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, on December 2, 1909. He was raised in

Donald Woods

California and began his career in films in the mid–1930s. He usually played “good guy” roles in such films as As the Earth Turns (1934), Fog Over Frisco (1934), She Was a Lady (1934), Charlie Chan’s Courage (1934), Merry Wives of Reno (1934), Sweet Adeline (1935), The Case of the Curious Bride (1935), The Florentine Dagger (1935), Stranded (1935), The Frisco Kid (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), A Tale of Two Cities (1935), The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), Road Gang (1936), The White Angel (1936), Anthony Adverse (1936), A Son Comes Home (1936), Talent Scout (1937), Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937), The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1937), Big Town Girl (1937), Sea Devils (1937), Once a Doctor (1937), The Black Doll (1938), I Am the Law (1938), Danger on the Air (1938), Romance on the Run (1938), Beauty for the Asking (1939), Heritage of the Desert (1939), Mexican Spitfire (1939), The Girl from Mexico (1939), City of Chance (1940), Forgotten Girls (1940), Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940), If I Had My Way (1940), Love, Honor and Oh Baby! (1941), I Was a Prisoner on Devil’s Island (1941), Bachelor Daddy (1941), the 1941 serial Sky Raiders, The Gay Sisters (1942), Thru Different Eyes (1942), Corregidor (1943), Watch on the Rhine (1943), Hi Ya, Sailor! (1943), So’s Your Uncle (1943), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944), Enemy of Women (1944),

Obituaries • 1998

238

The Life of Goebels (1944), Hollywood Canteen (1944), Roughly Speaking (1945), Wonder Man (1945), God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), Night and Day (1946), Never Say Goodbye (1946), Voice of the Whistler (1946), The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946), The Jade Lady (1946), The Return of Rin Tin Tin (1947), Bells of San Fernando (1947), StepChild (1947), Scene of the Crime (1949), Barbary Pirate (1949), Daughter of the West (1949), Free for All (1949), Mr. Music (1950), Johnny One-Eye (1950), The Lost Volcano (1950) and The Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms (1953). He starred in William Castle’s 1960 gimmick horror film 13 Ghosts and continued to perform on screen in the 1960s in such films as I’ll Give My Life (1961), Five Minutes to Live (1961), Kissin’ Cousins (1964) with Elvis Presley, The Satan Bug (1965), Moment to Moment (1966), Dimension Five (1967), Tammy and the Millionaire (1967), A Time to Sing (1968) and the 1968 tele-film Istanbul Express. His final feature film was 1969’s True Grit with John Wayne. Woods was also active on television, starring as the title character in the 1952 mystery series Craig Kennedy, Criminologist. He also hosted The Orchid Award variety series in 1953 and the Damon Runyon Theatre drama anthology in 1955. Woods played John Brent in the 1965 comedy series Tammy. His other television credits include episodes of U.S. Steel Hour, Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, Bat Masterson, Men into Space, Thriller, Bourbon Street Beat, Hawaiian Eye, The Roaring Twenties, 77 Sunset Strip, The Rebel, Wagon Train, The Deputy, Laramie, Stoney Burke, Wild Wild West, Bonanza, Hondo, Alias Smith and Jones, Police Story and 1984’s The Mississippi. Woods also remained active on stage throughout most of his life and was a leading realtor in the Palm Springs area. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 25, 1998, A22.

currence (1974), The Mark of Zorro (1974), Locusts (1974), Smile, Jenny, You’re Dead (1974), Killer Bees (1974), Adventures of the Queen (1975), Good Against Evil (1977) and The Billion Dollar Threat (1979). His other television credits include episodes of Harry-O, The Five of Me and Kung Fu, which earned him an Emmy Award in 1973. New York Times, Jan. 24, 1998, A13.

Worth, Marvin Producer and screenwriter Marvin Worth died of lung cancer in a Los Angeles hospital on April 22, 1998. He was 72. Worth was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 25, 1925. He began his career in show business as a concert promoter for such stars as Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. He was manager for comedian Lenny Bruce in the 1950s and began writing material with Arne Sultan in the mid–1950s. The duo co-wrote for several television shows including The Steve

Woolf, Jack Cinematographer Jack Woolf died in Los Angeles on January 15, 1998. He was 80. Woolf worked in Hollywood for over forty years and was aerial photography director for Stanley Kramer’s film It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. He was also cinematographer for the films Jeremiah of Jacob’s Neck (1975) and Matilda (1978), and the tele-films Daughter of the Mind (1969), Paper Man (1971), The Strange and Deadly Oc-

Marvin Worth

239 Allen Show and also co-scripted the films Boys’ Night Out (1962), Three on a Couch (1966) and Promise Her Anything (1966). Worth produced the story of the late Lenny Bruce on Broadway in 1972 and received an Academy Award nomination for the film version with Dustin Hoffman in 1974. Worth also received an Oscar nomination for a documentary he produced and scripted on Malcolm X in the early 1970s. He also produced th films Fire Sale (1977), Soup for One (1982), Unfaithfully Yours (1984), Rhinestone (1984), Falling in Love (1984), Less Than Zero (1987), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), Flashback (1990) and Diabolique (1996). Worth also produced the tele-films Running Mates (1992) and Gia (1998), and a 1996 cable television series Norma Jean and Marilyn. Los Angeles Times, Apr. 24, 1998, A30; New York Times, May 3, 1998, I52; Variety, Apr. 27, 1998, 74.

Wrede, Casper

1998 • Obituaries

early 1950s. He directed several theatrical productions for the BBC in 1956 including Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya. Wrede directed his first film, Private Potter, in 1963, and directed The Barber of Stamford Hill the following year. He was best known for his directing the 1967 film adaptation of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s powerful story of life in a Russian prison, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. He was a co-founder of the 59 Theatre Company in Manchester, England, in 1968, where he continued to direct numerous theatrical productions. His last film credit was the 1975 feature The Terrorists with Sean Connery. Times (of London), Oct. 8, 1998, 25a.

Wynette, Tammy Country singer Tammy Wynette died from a blood clot at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 7, 1998. She was 55. Wynette, who was known as “the first lady of country music,” had suffered from poor health for a number of years.

Finnish stage and film director Casper Wrede died of cancer in Helsinki on September 28, 1998. He was 69. Wrede was born in Viborg, Karelia, on February 8, 1929. He began performing and directing on stage in England in the

Casper Wrede

Tammy Wynette

Obituaries • 1998

240

She was born Virginia Wynette Pugh in Itawanba County, Mississippi, on May 5, 1942. She began her career in the mid–1960s, and teamed with Dolly Parton early in her career on Porter Wagoner’s show. She was best known for her 1968 song “Stand By Your Man.” Her other hits include “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” “Take Me to Your World,” “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” and “I Don’t Want to Play House.” Los Angeles Times, Apr. 7, 1998, A19; New York Times, Apr. 7, 1998, A24; Newsweek, Apr. 20, 1998, 59; People, Apr. 20, 1998, 54; Time, Apr. 20, 1998, 24; Times (of London), Apr. 8, 1998, 19a; Variety, Apr. 13, 1998, 41; Washington Post, Apr. 7, 1998, A16.

Yamashita, Kosaku Japanese film director Kosaku Yamashita died at a Kyoto, Japan, hospital of multiple organ failure on December 6, 1998. He was 68. Yamashita attended Kyoto University, graduating in 1952. He soon joined Toei film studio, where he worked on Japanese gangster films. He directed several popular films in the 1960s including Otoko no Shobu (Men’s Fighting) (1966) and Hibotan Bakuto (Red Peony Gambler) (1968). Yamashita also directed to Gokudo no Onnatachi (Wives of Mobsters) film series which debuted in 1986.

Frankie Yankovic

Yorty, Sam Samuel W. Yorty, the former mayor of Los Angeles, died of complications from a stroke at his Studio City, California, home on June 5, 1998.

Yankovic, Frankie Composer and musician Frankie Yankovic died in New Port Richey, Florida, on October 14, 1998. He was 83. Yankovic was born in Davis, West Virginia, on July 28, 1915. He was a popular accordion player, known as the Polka King. He had several hit songs including “Just Because” and “Blue Skirt Waltz,” and recorded with such artists as Chet Atkins and Riders in the Sky. He received a Grammy Award for polka music in 1986, and was nominated several other times. He was the composer of the “Pennsylvania Polka,” which was heard in the 1993 comedy film Groundhog Day. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 15, 1998, A24; New York Times, Oct. 15, 1998, B12; People, Nov. 2, 1998, 152; Time, Oct. 26, 1998, 31; Variety, Oct. 19, 1998, 88; Washington Post, Oct. 15, 1998, B8.

Sam Yorty

241 He was 88. He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on October 1, 1909. Yorty, a member of the rightwing of the Democratic party, served as a congressman from California from 1951 until 1955. Elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1961, he encouraged the growth of the city over the next decade, but also presided during the Watts riots in 1965. Yorty was defeated for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972. The following year he changed parties and was defeated for reelection as mayor by Thomas Bradley. Yorty was a narrator of the 1970 documentary No Substitute for Victory and played himself in a 1972 episode of Here’s Lucy. He also appeared as the Mayor in a 1982 CHiPs episode and was featured in the 1996 tele-film Say Goodbye to the President. Los Angeles Times, June 6, 1998, A1; New York Times, June 6, 1998, B8; People, June 22, 1998, 181; Time, jun 15, 1998, 27; Washington Post, June 7, 1998, B8.

Young, Freddie British cinematographer Freddie Young died in London on December 1, 1998. He was 96. Best known for his work with director David Lean, Young won Academy Awards for photographing Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Ryan’s Daughter. Young was born in London on October 9, 1902. He began working in films as an assistant cameraman on the 1922 silent Rob Roy. He was first credited as a cinematographer for 1926’s The Flag Lieutenant. Young photographed numerous films over the next six decades including

Freddie Young

1998 • Obituaries

The Somme (1927), White Cargo (1930), A Warm Corner (1930), On Approval (1930), The W Plan (1931), Up for the Cup (1931), Tilly of Bloomsbury (1931), The Sport of Kings (1931), The Speckled Band (1931), Plunder (1931), A Night Like This (1931), Mischief (1931), Carnival (1931), Yes, Mr. Brown (1932), Thark, Turkey Time (1932), The Mayor’s Nest (1932), Magic Night (1932), The Love Contract (1932), Leap Year (1932), The Blue Danube (1932), Up for the Derby (1933), Trouble (1933), That’s a Good Girl (1933), Summer Lightning (1933), Night of the Garter (1933), The Little Damozel (1933), The King’s Cup (1933), Just My Luck (1933), It’s a King (1933), Bitter Sweet (1933), The Queen’s Affair (1934), Nell Gwynn (1934), Peg of Old Drury (1935), Escape Me Never (1935), Come Out of the Pantry (1935), Two’s Company (1936), Three Maxims (1936), Limelight (1936), The Frog (1936), Fame (1936), When Knights Were Bold (1936), Victoria the Great (1937), Suicide Legion (1937), The Rat (1937), Millions (1937), London Melody (1937), A Royal Divorce (1938), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), Nurse Edith Cavell (1939), Haunted Honeymoon (1939), Contraband (1940), Forty-Ninth Parallel (1941), The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), Caesar and Cleopatra (1946), Bedelia (1946), While I Live (1947), So Well Remembered (1947), Escape (1948), The Winslow Boy (1948), Edward, My Son (1949), Conspirator (1949), Treasure Island (1950) and Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951). Young was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the 1952 film Ivanhoe and received an Emmy Award for the television production of Macbeth in the 1970s. Young was also director of photography for the films Knights of the Round Table (1953), John Ford’s Mogambo (1953), Betrayed (1954), Bedevilled (1955), Lust for Life (1956), Gene Kelly’s Invitation to the Dance (1956), Beyond Mombasa (1956), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957), The Little Hut (1957), Island in the Sun (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), I Accuse! (1958), Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958), Indiscreet (1958), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Hand in Hand (1960), Loss of Innocence (1961), Gorgo (1961), The 7th Dawn (1964), Rotten to the Core (1965), Lord Jim (1965), The Deadly Affair (1967), the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, Sinful Davey (1969), Battle of Britain (1969), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) which earned him another Oscar nomination, Luther (1973), The Asphyx (1973), the 1974 television production of

Obituaries • 1998

242

Great Expectations, The Tamarind Seed (1974), Permission to Kill (1975), the 1976 tele-film The Man in the Iron Mask, The Blue Bird (1976), Stevie (1978), Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline (1979), Rough Cut (1980), Richard’s Things (1981), Sword of the Valiant (1982) and Invitation to the Wedding (1985). Young also directed the 1986 film Arthur’s Hallowed Ground, about an elderly gentleman’s love for a cricket field. Young recently completed his autobiography, Seventy Light Years: A Life in Movies. Los Angeles Times, Dec. 4, 1998; New York Times, Dec. 5, 1998, C16; Time, Dec. 14, 1998, 31; Times (of London), Dec. 3, 1998, 25a; Variety, Dec. 7, 1998, 65; Washington Post, Dec. 5, 1998, B6.

Young, Robert Actor Robert Young died of natural causes at his home in Westlake Village, California, on July 21, 1998. He was 91. Young was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 22, 1907, and raised in California. He began his acting career at the Pasadena Playhouse and made his film debut in small parts in the early 1930s. He signed a contract with MGM in 1931. Young was featured in such films as The Black Camel (1931), The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931), The Guilty Generation (1931), Hell Divers (1932), The Wet Parade (1932), Strange Interlude (1932), The Kid from Spain (1932), Unashamed (1932), New Morals for Old (1932), Men Must Fight (1932), Today We Live (1933), Hell Below (1933), Tugboat Annie (1933), Saturday’s Millions (1933), The Right to Romance (1933), The House of Rothschild (1934), Whom the Gods Destroy (1934), Paris Interlude (1934), Death on the Diamond (1934), The Band Plays On (1934), West Point of the Air (1935), Red Salute (1935), Calm Yourself (1935), Vagabond Lady (1935), Remember Last Night? (1935), The Bride Comes Home (1935), Secret Agent (1936), It’s Love Again (1936), The Three Wise Guys (1936), Sworn Enemy (1936), Stowaway (1936), The Longest Night (1936), The Bride Walks Out (1936), I Met Him in Paris (1937), Married Before Breakfast (1937), The Emperor’s Candlesticks (1937), Dangerous Number (1937), The Bride Wore Red (1937), Navy Blue and Gold (1937), Paradise for Three (1938), Three Comrades (1938), Josette (1938), The Toy Wife (1938), Rich Man Poor Girl

Robert Young (ABC).

(1938), The Shining Hour (1938), Honolulu (1939), Bridal Suite (1939), Maisie (1939), Miracles for Sale (1939), Northwest Passage (1940), Florian (1940), The Mortal Storm (1940), Sporting Blood (1930), Dr. Kildare’s Crisis (1940), Western Union (1941), The Trial of Mary Dugan (1941), H.M. Pulham Esq. (1941), Married Bachelor (1941), Lady Be Good (1941), Cairo (1942), Journey for Margaret (1942), Joe Smith American (1942), Slightly Dangerous (1943), Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1943), Claudia (1943), The Canterville Ghost (1944), The Enchanted Cottage (1945), Those Endearing Young Charms (1945), The Searching Wind (1946), Claudia and David (1946), Lady Luck (1946), They Won’t Believe Me (1947), Crossfire (1947), Relentless (1948), Sitting Pretty (1948), That Forsyte Woman (1951), Adventure in Baltimore (1951), Bride for Sale (1951), Goodbye My Fancy (1951), And Baby Makes Three (1951), The Second Woman (1951), The Half-Breed (1952) and Secret of the Incas (1954). Young was best known for starring as Jim Anderson in the television series Father Knows Best from 1954 until 1960. He co-starred with Jane Wyatt as his wife, Margaret, and Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin as their children. The series had begun on radio in the late 1940s and earned Young Emmy Awards for Best Actor in 1957 and 1958.

243 He subsequently starred as Cameron Garrett Brooks in the short lived comedy series Window on Main Street in 1961 and 1962. He made his first tele-film in 1969, as Marcus Welby, M.D, and subsequently starred in the long-running medical drama from 1969 until 1976. That role earned him another Emmy in 1970. Young also starred as James Laurence in the mini-series Little Women in 1979. Young also appeared in episodes of Ford Theatre, Climax!, Dr. Kildare, Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre, Name of the Game and Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, and was featured in the telefilms Vanished (1971), All My Darling Daughters (1972), My Darling Daughters’ Anniversary (1973) and Conspiracy of Love (1987). He reprised his role as Welby in the 1988 reunion tele-film Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Family Affair. Young suffered from depression and alcohol-related problems during much of his life. He made an unsuccessful suicide attempt in 1991. Los Angeles Times, July 23, 1998, A1; New York Times, July 23, 1998, D20; People, Aug. 10, 1998, 132; Time, Aug. 3, 1998, 31; Times (of London), July 24, 1998, 23a; TV Guide, Aug. 8, 1998, 40; Variety, July 27, 1998, 65; Washington Post, July 23, 1998, D6.

Youngman, Henny Comedian Henny Youngman died of pneumonia in a New York hospital on February 24, 1998. He was 92. The veteran comic was born to Russian immigrant parents in London on January 12, 1906. He moved with his family to the United States at an early age. He began his career as an entertainer as a bandleader with the Syncopaters in Brooklyn and the Catskills. In the early 1930s Youngman began working as a comic, known for his signature line, “Take my wife — Please!” He performed on Kate Smith’s radio show on CBS in 1936. His hopes for a movie career faded, though he continued to perform on the comedy circuit, where he became known as “the king of the one liners.” Youngman began performing on television in the late 1940s. He was co-host of The Henny and Rocky Show in 1955. Youngman also appeared on The Julius LaRosa Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Jack Paar Show, Make Me Laugh, The Ed Sullivan Show, U.S. Steel Hour’s production of The Golden Thirty, in a rare dramatic performance, The Tonight

1998 • Obituaries

Henny Youngman

Show, Hollywood Palace, The Jimmy Dean Show, Kraft Music Hall, The Dean Martin Show, The Merv Griffin Show and Batman. The popularity of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In in the late 1960s revitalized Youngman’s career. He was the first comic to institute a Dial-a-Joke phone line in 1974, and continued to appear on television in such shows as Hee Haw, Hollywood Squares and Joey and Dad. Youngman appeared in a handful of films during his career including A Wave, a Wac and a Marine (1944), You Can’t Run Away from It (1956), Mother Goose a Go-Go (1966), Nashville Rebel (1966), The Gore-Gore Girls (1972), Silent Movie (1976), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), History of the World, Part 1 (1981), National Lampoon Goes to the Movies (1981), Death Wish II (1981), The Comeback Trail (1982), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Funny (1989) and GoodFellas (1990). He also authored several joke books including Don’t Put My Name on This Book (1978), Insults for Everyone (1979) and Henny Youngman’s Giant Book of Jokes (1981), and an autobiography, Take My Wife … Please! My Life and Laughs in 1973. Youngman was married to Sadie Cohen from 1928 until her death in 1987. New York Times, Feb, 25, 1998, B9; People, Mar. 16, 1998, 62; Time, Mar. 9, 1998, 52; Times (of London), Feb. 26, 1998, 23a; TV Guide, May

Obituaries • 1998

244

23, 1998, 8; Variety, Mr. 2, 1998, 102; Washington Post, Feb. 25, 1998, B6.

Yrigoyen, Joe Stuntman and actor Joe Yrigoyen died on January 11, 1998. He was 87. Yrigoyen was featured in numerous serials and films from the mid–1930s including Square Shooter (1935), Winds of the Wasteland (1936), The Old Wyoming Trail (1937), Outlaws of the Prairie (1937), The Painted Stallion (1937), The Lone Ranger (1938), Fighting Devil Dogs (1938), Man from Music Mountain (1938), Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939), Dick Tracy’s G-Men (1939), The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939), Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939), Adventures of Red Ryder (1940), Drums of Fu Manchu (1940), The Dark Command (1940), Melody Ranch (1940), King of the Texas Rangers (1941), The Masked Marvel (1943), Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943), Daredevils of the West (1943), Captain America (1944), The Crimson Ghost (1946), Daughter of Don Q (1946), King of the Forest Rangers (1946), The Phantom Rider

Joe Yrigoyen

(1946), Robin Hood of Texas (1947), Saddle Pals (1947), The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James (1948), Susanna Pass (1949), Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc. (1949), Ghost of Zorro (1949), Montana Belle (1952), Canadian Mounties vs. Atomic Invaders (1953), The Woman They Almost Lynched (1953), Gun Duel in Durango (1957), The Legend of Tom Dooley (1959), Ben-Hur (1959), The Second Time Around (1961), Shenandoah (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) and The Cowboys. Yrigoyen also appeared on television in episodes of Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Adventures of Fu Manchu, The Deputy, The Tall Man, Bonanza and Gunsmoke.

Zaslow, Michael Actor Michael Zaslow died in New York of Lou Gehrig’s disease on December 6, 1998. He was 54. Zaslow was born in Inglewood, California, on November 1, 1944. He was best known for his performance as the villainous Roger Thorpe on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light. Zaslow played Thorpe from 1971 until 1980, then returned to the role in 1989. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for best actor for the role in 1994. Zaslow was fired from the soap opera in 1997 by CBS after his illness began to manifest itself. He subsequently was hired by ABC to portray David Renaldi on One Life to Live, a role he

Michael Zaslow

245 had previously played from 1983 until 1986. Zaslow also appeared in the Love Is a Many Splendored Thing soap opera as Dr. Peter Chernak in 1970 and was Dick Hart in Search for Tomorrow from 1970 until 1971. He starred as Jonathan Hadary in the short-lived television drama series King’s Crossing in 1982. Zaslow was featured in the premiere episode of Star Trek, “The Man Trap,” in 1966. He appeared in a second episode, “I, Mudd,” the following year. His other television credits include episodes of Slattery’s People, Custer, Long, Hot Summer, Barnaby Jones, Spencer: For Hire and Law & Order, and the tele-film Woman on the Ledge. He was featured in several films including You Light Up My Life (1977), Meteor (1979), Seven Minutes in Heaven (1985) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996). Zaslow also appeared on the Broadway stage in productions of Cat on

1998 • Obituaries

a Hot Tine Roof, Onward Victoria and Boccaccio. New York Times, Dec. 9, 1998, B15; People, Dec. 2, 1998, 71; TV Guide, Dec. 19, 1998, 44; Washington Post, Dec. 9, 1998, B6.

Ziegman, Jerald L. Television scriptwriter Jerald L. Ziegman died in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 12, 1998. He was 61. Ziegman began working in films as a dialogue coach for the 1959 film Exodus. He worked on several television programs in the 1960s and 1970s, scripting episodes of Peyton Place, Bracken’s World, Marcus Welby, M.D. and the mini-series Centennial.

This page intentionally left blank