The passing parade ...

[Jim Latendorf]

Ann Miller, yesterday 01.21.04 ... Held the the tap dancing record at 500 taps per minute.

[Richard Haines]

And now Bob Keeshan known as "Captain Kangaroo" and the earlier "Clarabell the Clown".

Sad but I never liked that particular show. The best kiddie show host was Sandy Becker of "Wonderama" who did weird characters and comedy in the
sixties. Second best would be Soupy Sales and then Chuck McCann who could do Laurel and Hardy impressions (both of them via split screen).

[Ray Faiola]

And today Bernard Punsly. The good doctor was once one of the Dead End Kids. The last surviving member of the Broadway and Film cast.

[Ken Layton]

Oh my gosh! All these wonderful people are gone now. :(

[Jim Latendorf]

I know this might be a morbid thought. But, let's keep this thread going through out the year so we can look back and see all the great people we lost and reflect on the great things they gave to you and me. If becomes like last year, it's not going to be a pretty sight.

Jim L.

[Joe Caruso]

Ray Raynor of CHICAGO TV also left the scene - The ranks thin swiftly - That handful becomes smaller - I heard that Miller was a bit of a chore to work with, and there's no way she was 81 because she just doesn't look 15 when doing ROOM SERVICE in '38 - Inclined to think 88 - Now, Jerry Lewis isn't far long either - Off the cuff, there is a group left that might well be the last section of that generation; Harry Morgan, Phyllis Diller, Richard Widmark, Glenn Ford, Jack Paar, Joey Bishop, Karl Malden, John Forsythe, Teresa Wright, Olivia DeHavilland, Luise Rainer, Charles Lane, Eddie Albert, Jack Warden, Jerry Lewis, Dick Martin, Jonathan Winters, Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, Don Knotts - The "Over-75 Club", more or less - Shorty

[Dave Harris]

Jack Paar, former King of Late Night TV died today at age 85... "I kid you not..."

[Joe Caruso]

And he was in the above list of my "Over 75 Club"; Jack Paar, One-Of-A-Kind - God Bless him - Now, the only TONIGHT SHOW helmsman is Carson, and he ain't in the pink, either - Shorty

[Frank Angel]

One night just a few summers ago, when I was running WEST SIDE STORY in Prospect Park, Brooklyn for 1200 people (who sat throughout in a misty, drizzling rain), I heard this hunkerd-down determined audience oooing and aaahing and clapping when the leads first came on screen, especially for Natalie Wood, and heard them sing along to "America," it was an epiphany for me. I realized that there was nowhere else on the planet that I would rather be....was meant to be at this moment.


I looked at this strip of this celluloid stuff; all of a sudden I realized that on it is a record of all these hundreds of incredibly talented people and all their creativity energy and their work and effort, all that force that happened decades ago, it's all distilled onto this unlikely piece of simple looking film. The Jerome Robins and Robert Wise's vision....the past captured here. Simply quite amazing when you think about it.

But even more astounding to me, was that here they all were, young, beautiful, in their vibrant prime, doing what they did in that moment in time before the 70mm cameras -- singing, dancing, sweating; our beloved Leonard Bernstein conduction his NY Philharmonic. And this magic thing we do....threading the captured moment into a piece of ungainly machinery, and by our craft and skill, all their creative energy passes through the decades and hangs in the moment between PICTURE START and frame one. All those talent people dependent on how we ply our craft in that projection booth to make their efforts real again and their performances flawless to a new audience. All relies on our dedication and expertise -- an incredible responsibility. It's like some sort of metaphysical magic, this crew and cast waiting to become alive and perform it all again.

And the people watching that flickering image for those three hours, they can believe what they see on the screen....for them it is happening as if it were filmed yesterday....the cast is again young and beautiful and talented and alive. So for a few hours, for all those in that film who have passed on, we help them cheat the Reaper.

Any wonder why I love my job?

Frank

[Jim Latendorf]

You knew her as Madge the Manicurist, who promoted Palmolive dishwashing soap with that trademark line she uttered to disbelieving women who were having their nails done: "You're soaking in it!" Jan Miner, the actress who played Madge in Palmolive TV commercials from 1966 to 1992, died in Bethel, Conn., on Sunday at the age of 86, reports The Associated Press.

Not really a movie star per-say. But, a pop culture icon never the less.

Jim L.

[John Whittle]

Jan might not have been a major star, but prior to her commercial career she did do a lot of work:

Actress - filmography
(1990s) (1980s) (1970s) (1960s) (1950s)

Gertrude Stein and a Companion! (1991) (TV) .... Gertrude Stein
Mermaids (1990) .... Mother Superior
Stood Up (1990) (TV) .... Mrs. Abbott


Used Innocence (1989) .... Laurie Bembenek
Heartbreak House (1986) (TV) .... Nurse Guinness
Endless Love (1981) .... Mrs. Switzer
Willie and Phil (1980) .... Maria Kaufman
F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) (TV) .... Daisy


Out of Our Father's House (1978) (TV)
Lenny (1974) .... Sally Marr


Swimmer, The (1968) .... Lillian Hunsacker


"Crime Photographer" (1951) TV Series .... Ann Williams





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filmography as: Actress, Notable TV Guest Appearances
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Notable TV Guest Appearances

"Remember WENN" (1996) playing "Aunt Agatha" in episode: "Scott Sherwood of the F.B.I." (episode # 2.10) 18 January 1997
"Law & Order" (1990) playing "Edna Hodge" in episode: "Golden Years" (episode # 4.11) 5 January 1994
"One Day at a Time" (1975) playing "Rose" in episode: "The New Owner" (episode # 3.17) 6 February 1978
"Nurses, The" (1962) playing "Lee Stevens" in episode: "The Patient Nurse" (episode # 3.16) 12 January 1965
"Defenders, The" (1961) playing "Mrs. Berger" in episode: "Comeback" (episode # 4.9) 26 November 1964
"Nurses, The" (1962) playing "Mrs. Harmon" in episode: "The Unwanted" (episode # 2.10) 28 November 1963
"Nurses, The" (1962) playing "Mrs. Harmon" in episode: "Ordeal" (episode # 2.8) 14 November 1963
"Defenders, The" (1961) playing "Mrs. Thomas" in episode: "The Weeping Baboon" (episode # 3.1) 28 September 1963
"Naked City" (1958) playing "Superintendent" in episode: "Kill Me While I'm Young So I Can Die Happy" (episode # 4.5) 17 October 1962
"Naked City" (1958) playing "Mrs. Wilkins" in episode: "Sweet Prince of Delancey Street" (episode # 2.30) 7 June 1961
"Naked City" (1958) playing "Lia" in episode: "A Death of Princes" (episode # 2.1) 12 October 1960
"Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond" (1959) playing "Grace Harkness" in episode: "The Inheritance" (episode # 2.6) 27 October 1959
"Naked City" (1958) playing "Mrs. Knauf" in episode: "Turn of Events" (episode # 1.32) 12 May 1959
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "The Liar" (episode # 8.18) 7 January 1957
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Mr. Parker's Rhubarb" (episode # 7.50) 3 September 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "The Company Wife" (episode # 7.49) 27 August 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Maybe Tomorrow" (episode # 7.48) 6 August 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Southern Exposure" (episode # 7.47) 30 July 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Catch a Falling Star" (episode # 7.46) 23 July 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Day of Grace" (episode # 7.45) 16 July 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "A Matter of Conscience" (episode # 7.44) 9 July 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Dream No More" (episode # 7.43) 2 July 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Storm Over Swan Lake" (episode # 7.40) 11 June 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) playing "Irene" in episode: "End of Morning" (episode # 7.25) 27 February 1956
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "See the Man" (episode # 7.14) 12 December 1955
"Studio One" (1948) in episode: "Julie" (episode # 8.10) 21 November 1955
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Paper Town" (episode # 7.5) 10 October 1955
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Coming of Age" (episode # 6.23) 21 February 1955
"Man Behind the Badge, The" (1953) in episode: "The Case of the Reluctant Flop Artist" (episode # 1.51) 26 September 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "The People You Meet" (episode # 5.54) 6 September 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Personal Story" (episode # 5.52) 23 August 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) playing "Lesley" in episode: "Invitation to Murder" (episode # 5.51) 16 August 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "About Sara Caine" (episode # 5.50) 9 August 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "Home Town" (episode # 5.49) 2 August 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "The Expert" (episode # 5.45) 5 July 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "In His Hands" (episode # 5.44) 28 June 1954
"Robert Montgomery Presents" (1950) in episode: "The Closed Door" (episode # 4.18) 29 December 1952
"Cameo Theatre" (1950) in episode: "Strange Identity" (episode # 2.8) 6 August 1951
"Lights Out" (1949) in episode: "Long Distance" (episode # 1.3) 2 August 1949

[Richard Haines]

Frank,

I believe that "West Side Story" was Robert Wise's vision, not Jerome
Robbins. Robbins left the production after choreographing four numbers.
I think the clash between the two men was based on the concept that
Wise wanted to make the story more 'filmic' (which indeed he did with
clever editing and cinematography) whereas Robbins just wanted to
photograph the stage version that he had directed earlier. The final
product is very much a movie experience as compared to other musical
adaptations like "My Fairy Lady" which is more stage oriented.

[Jim Latendorf]

Sir Peter Ustinov ....

[Joe Caruso]

Usitinov gone too? - Heard nothing on the NEWS - He authored several plays and wrote abook called MY RUSSIA years ago - Nice work in TOPKAPI - Shorty

[Jim Latendorf]

Alistair Cooke passed away last night in New York.

He was 95 years old.

Jim L.

[Jim Latendorf]

:(

I know Linda posted this info. But I just wanted to add Tony to the Passing Parade thread.

[Jim Latendorf]

:(

And now, Anna Lee ..

[Randy Stolberg]

One of my all time favorites JEANNE CRAIN. My other all time favorite who
is still living is DEANNA DURBIN. A DVD with six of her films titled THE
DEANNA DURBIN SWEETHEART COLLECTION will be released soon. RANDY

[Jim Latendorf]

President Reagan ..

[Linda Haluska]

Marlon Brando just passed away at the age of 80.
God Bless.