Category: RIP

RIP: Jansen Panettiere

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Jansen Panettiere died yesterday at the age of 28.  No cause of death was announced.

Jansen Panettiere followed his older sister into an acting career.  In addition to television and feature film roles, Mr. Panettiere also did voice work.

Some of Jansen Panettiere’s television appearances include: Third Watch; Blue’s Clues (voice – 4 episodes); Tiger Cruise; The X’s (voice – 15 episodes); Everybody Hates Chris; Major Crimes and The Walking Dead.

Some of Jansen Panettiere’s feature film appearances include: Racing Stripes (voice); Robots (voice); Ice Age: The Meltdown (voice); The Babysitters and The Forger.

The majority of Jansen Panettiere’s resume includes projects not geared to my demographic.  I did hear his voice work in Blue’s Clues (watched with my grandson) and his acting in The Walking Dead.

It’s sad whenever someone dies at such a young age.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jansen Panettiere’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Richard Belzer

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Richard Belzer, the comedian, actor and author, died today.  He was 78.  No cause of death was given.

Richard Belzer began his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian.  He appeared in the low-budget film The Groove Tube in 1974.  He was also a featured comedian on the National Lampoon Radio Hour along with John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Harold Ramis.  Richard Belzer would go on to be the audience warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live.  Mr. Belzer would go on to make three guest appearances on the show.  In addition to stand-up, Richard Belzer appeared in television and movies throughout his career.

Some Richard Belzer appearances in feature films include: The Groove Tube; Fame; Author! Author!; Night Shift; Scarface; Fletch Lives; The Bonfire of the Vanities; A Very Brady Sequel; Species II and The Comedian.

Some of Richard Belzer’s television appearances include: Sesame Street (2 episodes); Saturday Night Live (3 episodes); Moonlighting; Miami Vice; The Flash (10 episodes); Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart; Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (4 episodes); The Invaders (2 episodes); The X-Files; Mad About You; Homicide: Life on the Street (122 episodes); Homicide: The Movie; Law & Order (4 episodes); South Park; 3rd Rock from the Sun; Law & Order: Trial by Jury; The Wire; 30 Rock (2 episodes); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (326 episodes) and American Dad.

Richard Belzer also wrote four books on conspiracy theories.

I first saw Richard Belzer in The Groove Tube.  Who could have imagined that the young comedian would go on to have a distinguished acting career, and author several books!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Richard Belzer’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Gerald Fried

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Gerald Fried, the composer, conductor and musician died yesterday from pneumonia.  He was 95.

Mr. Fried attended attended The Juilliard School of Music.  He became friends with Stanley Kubrick and scored short, Day of the Fight.  He also Kubrick’s Fear and Desire; Killer’s Kiss; The Killing and Paths of Glory.  Mr. Fried would spend his career alternating between feature films and television.

Some of Gerald Fried’s films include: Day of the Fight; Fear and Desire; Killer’s Kiss; The Killing; Paths of Glory; Machine-Gun Kelly; I Bury the Living; Terror in a Texas Town; Birds Do It, Bees Do It and Star Trek: The Final Darkness.

Some television series that feature music by Gerald Fried include: M Squad (3 episodes); Wagon Train; Riverboat (15 episodes); Shotgun Slade (23 episodes); Ben Casey (3 episodes); Rawhide; Gunsmoke: T.H.E. Cat (3 episodes); My Three Sons (2 episodes); It’s About Time (26 episodes); Gilligan’s Island (51 episodes); Mr. Terrific (17 episodes); The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (45 episodes); Star Trek (4 episodes); Lost in Space (2 episodes); Family Affair (2 episodes);  Mission Impossible (6 episodes); Mannix; Police Story; Roots (4 episodes); Police Woman (4 episodes); Rescue from Gilligan’s Island;  Roots: The Next Generations (7 episodes); The Castaways of Gilligan’s Island; Emergency (2 episodes); Flamingo Road (9 episodes); The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island; The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: 15 Years Later; Roots: The Gift and Star Trek: Phase II; 

Gerald Fried was nominated for 5 Prime Time Emmy Awards; winning one – Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for “Roots” (Part I) (1977) (shared with Quincy Jones)

Mr. Fried was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score for Birds Do It, Bees Do It.

Mr. Fried worked on many of my favorite shows of my youth and with Kubrick on some of my favorite crime films. What a career he had!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Wood’s family, fans and friends.

RIP: Oliver Wood

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It was announced today that Oliver Wood, cinematographer on many Hollywood hits died on February 13, 2023.  The cause of death was cancer.  He was 80.

Mr. Wood’s career began in 1969 on the low budget feature Popdown.  In 1970, he served as Director of Photography on The Honeymoon Killers.  Oliver Wood caught Hollywood’s attention after he served as director of photography for 53 episodes of Miami Vice.  For the rest of his career Mr. Wood worked on major Hollywood films.

Some films featuring Oliver Wood include: Die Hard 2; The Adventures of Ford Fairlane; Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey; Rudy; Mr. Holland’s Opus; 2 Days in the Valley; Face/Off; Mighty Joe Young; The Bourne Identity; The Bourne Supremacy; Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby; The Bourne Ultimatum; Step Brothers; Safe House; Two Guns; Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues; Child 44; Jack Reacher: Never Go Back; The Equalizer 2 and Morbius.

Oliver Wood had an amazing career.  His ability to work in features of all genres is impressive.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Wood’s family, fans and friends.

RIP: George T. Miller

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George Miller, best known as the director of The Man from Snowy River, died today the result of a heart attack.  He was 79.

Mr. Miller was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but spent most of his career as an Australian film director.  He worked in both television and feature films.  His career began in 1970 director episodes of different Australian television series.  George T. Miller helmed The Man from Snowy River and the success of that film brought him to Hollywood.  There he directed The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter,  In the Nick of Time and Zeus and Roxanne.

George T. Miller often joked that he and George Miller, another Australian film director best known for the Mad Max franchise were often confused.

My favorite George T. Miller film is The Man from Snowy River.  I’ll even admit that at first I thought that he was also the director of Mad Max and The Road Warrior.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Miller’s family, fans and friends.

RIP: Stella Stevens

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Stella Stevens, the model, actress, singer and business woman died today, the result of a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Ms. Stevens was 84.

Stella Stevens’ birth name was Estelle Eggleston.  When she was 16, Estelle married Noble Stephens. They had one child and divorced three years later.  While at Memphis State University, Ms. Stephens became interested in modeling and acting.  She appeared in local productions getting good reviews.

Estelle Stephens took the name Stella Stevens for her professional name.  In 1959, Ms. Stevens made her film debut in Say One for Me.  In 1960, Ms. Stevens was a member of The Skip-Jacks, a singing group best known for television theme songs.  That same year, Stella Stevens won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.  In January 1960, Stella Stevens was the Playboy Playmate of the Month.  (She would appear two more times in feature photo shoots for Playboy.)  Stella Stevens career took off.  She would alternate between feature films and television roles for the rest of her career.

Some of the television shows featuring Stella Stevens include: Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Hawaiian Eye; Bonanza; The Courtship of Eddie’s Father; Ben Casey (4 episodes); Hec Ramsey; Banacek; Police Story; Wonder Woman; Hart to Hart; Flamingo Road (38 episodes); Matt Houston; The Love Boat (3 episodes); Newhart (2 episodes); Fantasy Island (2 episodes); Hotel; Highway to Heaven; Night Court; Murder She Wrote; Magnum PI; Santa Barbara (66 episodes); In the Heat of the Night; The Commish; Highlander; Nash Bridges and General Hospital (7 episodes).

Some of the movies featuring Stella Stevens include: Say One for Me; Lil’ Abner; Girls! Girls! Girls!; The Nutty Professor; The Silencers; The Ballad of Cable Hogue; The Poseidon Adventure and Chained Heat.

I’m not sure where I first saw Stella Stevens.  It may have been one of her many television guest appearances back in the 1960s.  Then again, it may have been with Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! or Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor.  My favorite Stella Stevens performance was in The Poseidon Adventure.  In it she played a feisty ex-prostitute married to Ernest Borgnine’s police officer character.  She more than held her own in a cast consisting of Borgnine, Gene Hackman, Shelly Winters, Red Buttons and Roddy McDowell.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stella Steven’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Raquel Welch

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Raquel Welch, the model, actress, singer, business woman and international sex symbol died today after a brief illness.  Ms. Welch was 82.

Raquel Welch’s birth name was Jo Raquel Tejada.  A year after she graduated high school Jo Raquel married her high school sweetheart, James Welch. Mrs. Welch attended San Diego State College on a theater arts scholarship.  She began getting roles in local plays.  Then Raquel Welch got a job presenting weather at a local San Diego television station. Due to work and family obligations she dropped out of college.  Ms. Welch had two children with James Welch before they separated.  She would keep his name throughout her career.

In 1964, Raquel Welch began acting in film and television. She would work in both throughout her career.  Her role in One Million Years B.C. (1966) and the publicity photo of her in a fur bikini launched her to international stardom.  Raquel Welch became THE sex symbol of a generation (or three).  She posed for Playboy in 1979, but refused a total nude photo spread. (She also never appeared nude in any of her films.)

Ms. Welch appeared on Broadway in Woman of the Year (1981) and in Victor/Victoria (1997).  She had a one woman musical show in Las Vegas for several years.  In 1984, Raquel Welch released The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program as a book and video.  Later she would develop a wig, skincare and jewelry line of products.

Some of the television shows featuring Raquel Welch include: The Virginian; McHale’s Navy; Bewitched; Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In; Mork & Mindy; The Legend of Walks Far Woman; Evening Shade; Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman; Seinfeld; Spin City and CSI: Miami.

Some of the movies featuring Raquel Welch include: A House Is Not a Home; Fantastic Voyage; One Million Years B.C.; Fathom; Bedazzled; Bandolero; Lady in Cement; 100 Rifles; Myra Breckinridge; Hannie Caulder; 100 Rifles; Fuzz; Kansas City Bomber; The Three Musketeers; The Four Musketeers; Mother, Jugs & Speed; Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult and Legally Blonde.

Few people make an impact like that of Raquel Welch.  She was without a doubt the sex symbol of the 1960s, 70s and beyond.  It’s impressive that she acted on television, feature films, Broadway. and had her own Vegas nightclub act.  Then she branched out into skincare products.  Whew!

My favorite Raquel Welch film is 100 Rifles.  She more than held her own with Burt Reynold and Jim Brown!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Raquel Welch’s family, friends and fans.

“Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Carol Carpenter was a talented musician and first class singer.  She died way too young.

She was the first in a long line of celebrities to suffer from an eating disorder during an era when the vastly misunderstood phenomenon brought shame and public humiliation.

For the first time, we hear Karen Carpenter’s personal struggle in her own voice through never-before-released recordings—and through the legendary voices of those who knew her and were inspired by her music.

As the #1 American musical act of the 1970s, the Carpenters were on “Top of the World,” producing a string of pop masterpieces, including “Close to You,” “We’ve Only Just Begun,” and “Rainy Days and Mondays.” But behind closed doors, Karen’s quest for perfection resulted in low self-esteem, a disheartening love life, and a public battle with anorexia nervosa, which resulted in her untimely death at the age of only 32.

Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection is a captivating, revealing, and unvarnished documentary providing astounding new insight into the singer’s tragically short life and enduring musical legacy.

Starring
CAROL BURNETT
BELINDA CARLISLE
KRISTIN CHENOWETH
CYNTHIA GIBB
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
CUBBY O’BRIEN
SUZANNE SOMERS
CARNIE WILSON

RIP: Burt Bacharach

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Burt Bacharach died yesterday from natural causes.  Mr. Bacharach was 94.

Burt Bacharach earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Montreal’s McGill University.  He also studied music at the Mannes School of Music, and at the Music Academy of the West in Montecito, California.  Mr. Bacharach was drafted and served two years in the US Army.  This is where he met singer Vic Damone, who was also a soldier.  After they were discharged, Mr. Bacharach worked as a pianist and conductor for Mr. Damone and later other singers such as Steve Lawrence, The Ames Brothers, Joel Gray and Marlene Dietrich.

In 1957, Burt Bacharach met Hal David.  Mr. David was a lyricist and they began writing songs together.  The had back to back hits with The Story of My Life (performed by Marty Robbins) and Magic Moments (performed by Perry Como).  Although Burt Bacharach wrote hits with other lyricists, he is best known for his collaborations with Hal David.

In 1961, Burt Bacharach was impressed with the talents of a session singer.  Her name was Dionne Warwick.  They teamed and over the next twenty years produced 22 Top 40 hits including  “Walk On By”, “Alfie”, “I Say a Little Prayer”, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”, and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”. 

Burt Bacharach would go on to work with or have his songs performed by  Stan Getz, Dusty Springfield,  Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, B.J. Thomas, The Carpenters, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones, Stephanie Mills, Carole Bayer Sager (his third wife), Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Luther Vandross, Ronnie Milsap, Elvis Costello, Ronald Isley, Adel to name just a few.

Mr. Bacharach’s music would regularly be featured in films.  He was nominated for 5 Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Song (winning two Oscars – for “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” with Hal David; and “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” with Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, Peter Allen).  He also won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical) for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Other films that featured Burt Bacharach compositions include: The Blob (1958); What’s New Pussycat; Casino Royale (1967); Night Shift; Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice; Arthur 2: On the Rocks; Goodfellas; Madonna: Truth or Dare; Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story; Forrest Gump; Bad Boys; Dead Presidents; Fargo;  Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery; My Best Friend’s Wedding; I Know What You Did Last Summer; Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me; Shaft (2000); Meet the Parents; Austin Powers in Goldmember; Dawn of the Dead (2004) and so many more.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Burt Bacharch’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Melinda Dillon

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Melinda Dillon’s family has announced that Ms. Dillon died on January 9, 2023 at the age of 83.  No cause of death was given.  Melinda Dillion was a two-time Academy Award Best Supporting Actress Award nominee (for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice).

It’s hard to determine what role Melinda Dillon was best known for because she played in many fan favorite films.  Prior to acting on television and in movies, Melinda Dillon was a stage actress.  She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her first major role on Broadway.  The play was Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe.  Ms. Dillon’s television career began in 1963, in an episode of The Defenders.  She went on to act on both television and in feature films for the rest of her career.

Some of Melinda Dillon’s television appearances include: The Defenders; Bonanza; The Jeffersons; The Twilight Zone; The Shadow Box; Fallen Angel; Right of Way and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Some of Melinda Dillon’s feature film appearances include: Bound for Glory; Slap Shot; Close Encounters of the Third Kind; F.I.S.T.; The Muppet Movie; Absence of Malice; A Christmas Story; Harry and the Hendersons and The Prince of Tides.

It’s hard to pick a favorite Melinda Dillon role.  If push came to shove my favorites include her work in F.I.S.T. and A Christmas Story.  I was excited when I learned Ms. Dillon would play Sly Stallone’s love interest in F.I.S.T.. (she was coming off a Academy Award Best Supporting Actress nomination).  Her role in A Christmas Story provides a great counterpoint to Ralphie’s dad (and in doing so make him more loveable). She was excellent in both.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Melinda Dillon’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Lanny Poffo

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Lanny Poffo died today at the age of 68.  No cause of death was given.

Lanny Poffo was the son of Angelo and Judy Poffo,  Angelo was a professional wrestler and promoter.  It was only natural that Lanny follow his father and older brother, Randy aka Randy “The Macho Man” Savage into the sport.

Mr. Poffo began his career in 1974.  He would go on to wrestle professionally for the All-South Wrestling Alliance, National Wrestling Alliance, Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, International Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling, Continental Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation.  It would have been easy to capitalize on his brother’s fame, but Lanny wanted to make it on his own.  In the WWE he was known as Leaping Lanny and then later, The Genius.  It was as The Genius that Lanny Poffo generated the most heat.

I met Lanny Poffo at a small convention in 2009.  Mr. Poffo was very approachable.  I spoke to him about how when my sons were younger we loved to watch he and his brother wrestle.  I went on to say that when I was a kid I saw Lanny’s dad wrestle many times.  Lanny loved that I remembered his dad.  As we talked about wrestling and his career, Lanny would always steer it back to his brother and father.  What a humble man he was.  Lanny also wanted folks to know that his brother, Randy, was an amazing baseball player and all-around athlete.

Lanny Poffo had written a poetry book about the dangers of smoking.  He autographed a copy and gifted it to me.   Most people, when they think of Lanny Poffo, think of The Genius.  Lanny Poffo made a great heel which attests to his acting ability since he was such a generous kindhearted man outside the ring.  That’s who I think of first.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lanny Poffo’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Cindy Williams

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Cindy Williams, best known as Shirley Feeney who first appeared on Happy Days, and then in the popular television series Laverne & Shirley, died on January 25, 2023.  Today her family announced Ms. Williams passing after a short illness.  She was 75.

Cindy Williams wrote and acted in high school.  She attended Los Angles Community College as a theater major.  After graduation Ms. Williams began getting roles in commercials.  In 1970, Cindy Williams won roles in both a feature film and two television series. She would continue to get work in both television and feature films for the rest of her career.

Some of Cindy Williams’ television appearances include: My World and Welcome to It; Nanny and the Professor; Room 222 (3 episodes); Love American Style (2 episodes); Hawaii 5-0; Cannon; Police Story; Laugh-In (2 episodes); Happy Days (5 episodes); Laverne & Shirley (158 episodes); CHiPs (2 episodes); Laverne & Shirley in the Army (13 episodes); Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour; The Magical World of Disney (2 episodes); Just Like Family (5 episodes); Perry Mason: The Case of the Poison Pen; Normal Life (13 episodes); Getting By (31 episodes); Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman; Touched by an Angel; Strip Mall (6 episodes); For Your Love (4 episodes); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Girlfriends (2 episodes) and Drive (3 episodes).

Some of Cindy Williams’ feature film appearances include: Drive, He Said; Beware! The Blob; American Graffiti; The Conversation; The First Nudie Musical and More American Graffiti.

Although Cindy Williams played Shirley Feeney on Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley (and other places), her career encompassed so much more.  She appeared in so many popular television series before and after getting that role.  Jack Nicholson directed her in Drive, He Said.  She had a featured role in the classic American Graffiti.  The same could be said for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. While I wasn’t a Laverne & Shirley fan, Cindy Williams always seemed the anchor of it when I watched.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Cindy Williams’ family, friends and fans.

RIP: Lisa Loring

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Lisa Loring, best known as Wednesday on The Addams Family, died on January 28, 2023.  Ms. Loring suffered a massive stroke four days earlier and had been on life support.

Lisa Loring began her career as a child model at the age of three.  She appeared on an episode of Dr. Kildare in 1964.  This was the same year that The Addams Family premiered.  The series ran for two years.  Following that Lisa Loring occasionally worked on television and in feature films.

Some of Lisa Loring’s television appearances include: Dr. Kildare; The Addams Family (64 episodes); The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.; Halloween with the New Addams Family; Fantasy Island; Barnaby Jones (2 episodes) and As the World Turns (7 episodes).

Some of Lisa Loring’s feature film appearances include: Blood Frenzy; Savage Harbor and Doctor Spine.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lisa Loring’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Lance Kerwin

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Lance Kerwin, one of the most popular children actors of the 1970s, died on January 24, 2023.  He was 62.

Lance Kerwin began his career in 1974 with guest appearances on seven popular television series and two made for tv movies!  Mr. Kerwin stayed busy with roles in feature films throughout his career.  He retired from acting in 1995.  Lance Kerwin is best known for the television series James at 16 and the tv movie Salem’s Lot.

Some of Lance Kerwin’s television appearances include: Emergency!; Shazam; Little House on the Prairie; Police Story; Cannon; Gunsmoke; ABC Afterschool Specials (5 episodes); The Loneliest Runner (tv movie); Wonder Woman; The Bionic Woman; James at 16 (21 episodes); The Boy Who Drank Too Much (tv movie); Hotel; Trapper John; Simon & Simon and Murder She Wrote. 

Some of Lance Kerwin’s feature film appearances include: Enemy Mine and Outbreak.

My favorite Lance Kerwin role was in the made-for-tv adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.  If Mr. Kerwin was only known for that film, his passing would still be noted due to the impact that movie has on horror movie fans.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lance Kerwin’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Jason Pearson

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I was on a road trip to Indiana to attend my father’s funeral when I learned that Jason Pearson had died.  Although he passed on December 19, 2022, his death wasn’t announced until January 16, 2023.  Jason was 52 years old.

Jason Pearson was best known for Body Bags, a comic he created, wrote and drew.  But anything that Jason Pearson drew was worth adding to your collection.  He had a style that was instantly recognizable.  It was dynamic, energetic and brought new life to any character.

I met Jason at Heroescon in 2004.  I was able to get on Jason’s sketch list and asked for his take on Rocky Balboa. Jason was hesitant saying, “I don’t do good likenesses.”  I told him I wasn’t looking for a photo, just his take on the character.  Jason said he’d give it a go.  The result is above with my picture of Jason holding his art. I’m honored to have a Jason Pearson sketch in my collection.  It’s sad that we won’t be getting more Jason Pearson art in the future, but his legacy will live forever.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jason Pearson’s family, friends and fans.