TV treasures who are still with us (and some now sadly saying goodbye since this thread began)

[Mass Haas]

Happy 90th Brithday to Hogans' Heroes Corporal LeBeau, Robert Clary.

 

5'1" tall, concentration camp survivor.

 

http://www.robertclary.com/

 

***

 

Also on March 1st, TV legend Robert Conrad (Wild Wild West, Baa Baa Black Sheep, also infamous for "Battle of the Network Stars"), is 81.

 

For most of you, too young to remember, Battle of the Network Stars was as corny and amazing as described at that link, and more.

[Mass Haas]

Actor James Noble played hapless Governor Eugene Gatling on the 1980s sitcom Benson.

 

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/25300000/James-Noble-benson-the-tv-series-25325006-600-458.jpg

 

Still with us, he turns 94 today!

[Mass Haas]

"Would you believe" Get Smart's Agent 99, Barbara Feldon, is 83 years young today

 

[1992casey]

Robert Horton, who played Flint McCullough on [cite]Wagon Train[/cite] died Wednesday at 91.

 

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Robert-Horton-91-Wagon-Train-actor-6894461.php

[Mass Haas]

Ken Howard, ‘White Shadow’ Star, SAG-AFTRA President, Dies at 71

 

“The White Shadow,” created by Bruce Paltrow, was a progressive drama ahead of its time in exploring the sometimes awkward, sometimes tense and sometimes funny aspects of race relations in the context of a high school basketball team with mostly African American players and a white coach, a former NBA player named Ken Reeves, played by Howard. The series, which ran from 1978-81 on CBS, represented television’s first ensemble drama with a predominantly African American cast (though admittedly Howard, the star of the show, was white). While no saint, Howard’s Reeves was always sticking his nose into situations where the high school vice principal (played by African American actress Joan Pringle), didn’t think it belonged, but almost always because he was trying to do the right thing. While Reeves did his best for his players both on the court and in their private lives, the team ribbed Reeves in a manner not terribly unlike the dynamic on “Welcome Back, Kotter.”

 

[hawing]

Man. I haven't heard that theme in AGES.

[hawing]

Does anyone else feel like the pace of this thread is accelerating lately?

 

Anyway, the most recent "TV treasure" loss is Earl Hamner, Jr., who created The Waltons and Falcon Crest. He narrated the beginning and end of every Waltons episode, and the John-Boy main character was based on his life.

[FVBrewerFan]

Man. I haven't heard that theme in AGES.

 

I loved that show! Looking back, it was pretty ground-breaking for it's time. It wasn't even on in prime time, and dealt with a lot various social issues. I will dig around Netflix and Hulu to see if I can catch a couple episodes this weekend for old times sake.

[hawing]

Actor James Noble played hapless Governor Eugene Gatling on the 1980s sitcom Benson.

 

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/25300000/James-Noble-benson-the-tv-series-25325006-600-458.jpg

 

Still with us, he turns 94 today!

 

James Noble died Monday.

 

And now Patty Duke, today. Link

 

[1992casey]

Patty Duke’s death is somewhat of a surprise. MeTV had recently been showing her in a promo for reruns of [cite]The Patty Duke Show[/cite]. The promo was obviously recorded somewhat recently. Apparently, she fell ill about a week before she died.

 

The theme hawing posted is definitely one of the greats in TV history. It was parodied on [cite]Roseanne[/cite] when that show recast one of its characters. Lyrics in the parody included lines like “one pair of matching actors, but only one part to play” and “they walk alike, they talk alike, abruptly leave the show alike.” William Schallert, who played Patty’s dad in [cite]The Patty Duke Show[/cite], has a cameo in the parody. Schallert is still with us at age 93. This video has a version of the original theme along with the [cite]Roseanne[/cite] version, which starts just after the one minute mark.

 

 

Besides [cite]The Patty Duke Show[/cite], she’ll be remembered for her iconic role as Helen Keller in [cite]The Miracle Worker[/cite]. The play was originally performed on live TV, with Anne Bancroft playing her teacher, Anne Sullivan. After that, the play was adapted for Broadway, with Duke playing opposite Bancroft and later Suzanne Pleshette. Ultimately, the story became an Academy Award winning film starring Bancroft and Duke. In the late 1970s, Duke took on the role of Sullivan with Melissa Gilbert playing Keller. Here’s a scene from the film with Bancroft and Duke; Anne is trying to teach Helen to use a spoon and eat off of her own plate.

 

 

Patty’s biggest contribution was probably that of a mental health advocate after making her successful treatment for bipolar disorder public. In this 1970 video, she’s almost certainly experiencing a bipolar episode during her bizarre acceptance speech for an Emmy award.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcUYBKDADLE

 

At the ceremony, she’s seated with Desi Arnaz Jr. Their relationship was all over the tabloids at the time as he was 17 and she was 23 and divorced. For years, Desi was thought to be the biological father of Patty’s son Sean Astin, who was adopted by her third husband John Astin. Sean says he has four fathers: John Astin, Desi, Michael Tell (Patty’s second husband and Sean's biological father according to DNA testing; they were married for 13 days before the marriage was annulled), and his stepdad, Michael Pearce (who was married to Patty from 1986 until her death).

[Mass Haas]

Thanks for sharing that, I had recently discovered the Patty Duke Show on MeTV, and had seen neither the Roseanne clip nor the Emmy speech.

[hawing]

It's not the best year for Patty Duke Show cast members. William Schallert, who had about a zillion TV and film credits (with one of the longer lasting ones being Patty Duke's dad on the aforementioned show), has died at 93.

Linkage

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RxMwJdGHuA8/UZ5fHDW3ifI/AAAAAAAABGc/xs-nIXdaJOo/s1600/Travel.jpg

[reillymcshane]

Alan Young, who starred as Wilbur Post in the talking horse sitcom "Mr. Ed" died on May 19 at age 96.

 

http://www.trbimg.com/img-573fab87/turbine/la-1463790591-snap-photo/700/700x394

[1992casey]

Mr. Ed was the only horse to hit an inside the park home run against Sandy Koufax.

 

[1992casey]

We missed the death of Doris Roberts, 90, on April 18th.

 

Doris Roberts, Mother on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ Dies at 90

 

Roberts was nominated for seven Emmys for her role as "Marie Barone" on [cite]Everybody Loves Raymond[/cite], winning four times. She also won an Emmy for her portrayal of a homeless woman on a 1983 episode of [cite]St. Elsewhere[/cite].

 

In the 1980s, she played "Mildred Krebs" on [cite]Remington Steele[/cite]. In the 1970s, she was faith healer "Dorelda Doremus" on [cite]Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman[/cite]. She was originally intended to play "Vivian" on [cite]Maude[/cite]. However, the powers that be decided that her on-screen personality was too much like that of Bea Arthur, and Rue McClanahan was cast to play the role instead.

[bjkrautk]

Alan Young, who starred as Wilbur Post in the talking horse sitcom "Mr. Ed" died on May 19 at age 96.

 

To another generation, he'll always be the voice of Scrooge McDuck from "Duck Tales."

[BrewersSuperCollector]

Beth Howland who played Vera on Alice passed away Dec 31st 2015, but per her wishes it was just announced.

 

http://metv.com/stories/rip-beth-howland-from-alice

[Mass Haas]

Happy 85th to Marla Gibbs, who played the maid Florence on the Jeffersons. Yes, still with us...

 

http://d236bkdxj385sg.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/227mary.jpg

[Mass Haas]

"Millie" and "Grandma Yetta" was also a resident of Del Boca Vista on Seinfeld --

 

TV actress Ann Morgan Guilbert dead at 87

 

Fran Drescher tweets hereand here.

 

***

 

Dick Van Dyke tweeted out this skit

 

(go to the 06:00 minute mark)

 

 

***

 

 

***

 

Go to the 04:20 minute mark here:

 

 

***

 

FYI - Rose Marie of the Van Dyke show is still with us, 92 years young!

[WV Brew]

Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in the TV show Superman. Not the first Lois Lane as the story indicates though. Phyllis Coates played her the first year of this series.

 

link

[Mass Haas]

From last month --

 

Ronnie Claire Edwards, Corabeth on TV’s The Waltons,’ dead at 83

 

[JimH5]

My daughter was watching "Best Friends Whenever" on Disney Channel tonight and the special guest star was 87-year old Marion Ross of Happy Days fame. Not sure when this episode was produced, but she looked spry and delivered her lines pretty well.

[Mass Haas]

'Professor' Irwin Corey, renowned comic, is turning 100 and is zany as ever

 

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1881516.1406431675!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/corey27n-3-web.jpg

 

 

 

***

 

Two years later, and he's still with us!

 

Happy 102nd birthday, Professor!

[Mass Haas]

Monday birthdays 8/15 today:

 

the Dick Van Dyke Show's Rose Marie, now 93 years young.

 

Mike Connors (Mannix), now 91.

[1992casey]

Rose Marie "officially has the longest active career in entertainment — from 3 to 93."

 

Happy Birthday to Star of Stage & Screen - Rose Marie!