Red Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006)

This spirited soul made a mark in both comedy and drama… He appeared on Broadway and in a series of hit films including The Longest Day and The Poseidon Adventure… On television he appeared on his own self-titled variety show from 1952 until 1955. Some of his other television appearances include “The Milton Berle Show”, “Person to Person”, “The Walter Winchell Show”, “The Perry Como Show”, “Playhouse 90”, “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show”, “I’ve Got a Secret”, “What’s My Line?”, “Password”, “The Andy Williams Show”, “Toast of the Town”, “The Jackie Gleason Show”, “The Kraft Music Hall”, “The Merv Griffin Show”, “The Hollywood Squares”, “The Mike Douglas Show”, “Studio One”, “Suspense”, “Death Valley Days”, “The United States Steel Hour”, “General Electric Theater”, “Ben Casey”, “The Bob Hope Show”, “Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre”, “The Danny Thomas Hour”, “Love, American Style”, “Little House on the Prairie”, “Wonder Woman”, “Vega$”, “The Love Boat”, “Fantasy Island”, “227”, “The Cosby Show”, “Family Law” and “Presidio Med.” My favorite performance was the one he gave as Al Baker in four episodes of “Knots Landing” in 1987. He was introduced as a homeless delivery man who worked for Mack MacKenzie’s (Kevin Dobson) law office. At some point he runs into Valene Ewing Gibson’s (Joan Van Ark) mother Lilimae Clements (Julie Harris) and falls in love. At the time Julie Harris was being released from her contract and the Al character was introduced as the method of giving her an exit. After a brief romance Al asks Lilimae to marry him…she turns him down but says she will live with him. In an episode appropriately entitled “Flight of the Sunbirds” Lilimae and Al pile into his RV and leave the cul-de-sac forever. .. He was a staple on “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts” where his favorite line was “I never got a dinner…” His final acting role was in an episode of “ER” in 2005. He had previously appeared on the program in the mid-1990’s… In Memoriam Remembers: Red Buttons