In Memoriam

With his smile and flashing eyes he became a popular B-movie actor... On the big screen he appeared in such films as The Voice of the Turtle, Brother Rat, Bedtime for Bonzo, and Hellcats of the Navy... On the small screen he hosted "General Electric Theater" from 1954 to 1962 and guest starred on shows such as "The Milton Berle Show", "Lux Video Theatre", "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars", "The Ford Television Theatre", "The DuPont Show with June Allyson", "The Dick Powell Show", "Wagon Train", "Kraft Suspense Theatre" and "Death Valley Days..." Five years after his passing... In Memoriam Remembers: Ronald Reagan **Even though Mr. Reagan was the 40th president of the United States this blog only focuses on his contributions to the entertainment industry.

Today the great actor Lloyd Bochner would have turned 85. He was perfect as a politician or a suave villain. He played a snobbish doctor on "Murder, She Wrote", a double crossing actor on "The Golden Girls" and also appeared on shows such as "Hotel", "The Doris Day Show" and "Bewitched." His 1962 appearance in "The Twilight Zone" episode "To Serve Man" earned him a permanent place in television history. He lent his voice to "Batman: The Animated Series" as the daffy Mayor Hamilton Hill. In Memoriam Remembers: Lloyd Bochner

Her career spanned seven decades... She appeared in such films as The Indiscretions of Eve, The Seventh Cross, The Birds, Driving Miss Daisy, Fried Green Tomatoes, Camilla and Nobody's Fool. On television she appeared on "Toast of the Town", "Light's Out", "The United States Steel Hour", "General Electric Theater", "Studio One", "Suspicion" and "The F.B.I." Her Broadway credits include A Streetcar Named Desire in 1947 among many other roles. In Memoriam Remembers: Jessica Tandy

In a career that spanned from the 1940's to the 2000's he appeared in such films as Shadow of a Doubt, Lifeboat, Camilla, Cleopatra and Hamlet. On television he appeared on such programs as "Toast of the Town", "To Tell the Truth", "Letter to Loretta", "General Electric Theater", "Suspense", "Hawaii Five-O", "The Barbara Stanwyck Show", "Climax!" and "The United States Steel Hour." He also had a lenghy run on the Broadway stage. In Memoriam Remembers: Hume Cronyn

Burt Mustin invented the role of character actor. His vast body of work makes up one of the most remarkable careers ever. He began hosting a weekly radio variety show in 1921. During the earliest part of his life he was a salesman and did not appear in his first film until the age of 67. Between in 1951 and 1976 he would appear in more than fifty films. He also appeared in several made for television movies in the 1960's and 1970's. Mustin's biggest contribution though was to television. His resume includes: "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" "The Adventures of Kit Carson" "The Abbott and Costello Show" "Letter to Loretta" "Cavalcade of America" "The Public Defender" "Dragnet" "Father Knows Best" "The Great Gildersleeve" "The Long Ranger" "Fireside Theatre" "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" "

The great Vivian Vance would have turned 100 years old today if she were still with us. There is a lengthy tribute to her elsewhere on this blog but I wanted to take a moment to recognize this special occasion. From 1951 to 1960 she was Ethel Mertz and from 1962 until 1965 she was Vivian Bagley...even though she had an impressive resume on the big screen, stage and television she will always be loved the most as Lucille Ball's comedic partner. In Memoriam Remembers: Vivian Vance

One of the world's most celebrated clowns.... His career began on radio in 1937 and went on into television long after the 1980's rolled around His television variety show ran for an impressive twenty years... There were several films between 1938 and 1960.... Some of his greatest creations included Freddie the Freeloader, Mean Widdle Boy, Cauliflower McPugg, Clem Kadiddlehopper, San Fernando Red and Sheriff Deadeye... He closed every show by saying "Good Night and May God Bless..." In Memoriam Remembers: Red Skelton

He was called the Master of Suspense... Under his direction we were given a long list of beloved films: The 39 Steps, Rebecca, Suspicion, Spellbound, Saboteur, Stage Fright, Vertigo, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Psycho, North by Northwest, Rear Window, The Wrong Man and The Man Who Knew Too Much...and I could go on and on and on... On television he brought us "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour"... In Memoriam Remembers: Alfred Hitchcock

This gravely voiced character actor was one of the mediums most gifted entertainers. He made a great mark on both film and television in a career that spanned 55 years and hundreds of guest appearances. His film career began in the late 1930's and would go on to include more than 90 films up through 1995. Some of his more notable film appearances were in 1939 in Of Mice and Men, The Rocky film and the sequels that would follow it, Batman in 1966, and Grumpy Old Men in 1993. On television his appearances include but are not limited to "The Perry Como Show", "What's My Line?", "The Bell Telephone Hour", "The Ford Theatre Hour", "The Silver Theatre", "Your Show of Shows", "Robert Montgomery Presents", "Studio One", "The Billy Rose Show", "The Philco Television Playhouse", "Lights Out","Lux Video Theatre", "The United States Steel Hour", "Genera

Bud Collyer was the first person to give a voice to the Man of Steel. On February 12, 1940 "The Adventures of Superman" began on Mutual radio and featured Collyer in the lead as Superman and his mild mannered alter ego Clark Kent. Collyer voiced the visitor from Krypton in more than 2,000 shows before vacating the role in 1950. In order to seperate the voice of Superman and Clark Kent Collyer would drop his voice one octive when speaking as Superman. He also provided the voice of Superman/Clark Kent in 17 animated shorts between 1941 and 1943. The shorts were produced by the Fleischer Studios who were well known for their Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons. Collyer's other radio credits include "Life Can Be Beautiful" in which he played the lead role of Logan Smith, "Terry and the Pirates", "Renfrew of the Mounted" and "Abie's Irish Rose." He also served as an announcer on "The Guiding Light" and "The Goldberg

For more than sixty years he was a voice of reason and hope.... Americans turned to him during the 1960's to get the report on the loss of a president... He continued in the public eye long after retirement contributing his experience... In Memoriam Remembers: Walter Cronkite

Ruth McDevitt was another in the long line dependable character actors who could always be counted on to play a mother, grandmother, nosy neighbor, best friend or wealthy society matron. In the earliest days of television she appeared in one of the mediums very first day time soap operas "A Woman to Remember" which began in 1949. Also that year she appeared as Aunt Martha Brewster in "The Ford Theatre Hour" production of "Arsenic and Old Lace." The episode originally aired on April 11, 1949. Her other television credits include but are not limited to "Toast of the Town", "Suspense", "The Billy Rose Show", "Kraft Television Theatre", "Robert Montgomery Presents", "Studio One", "The United States Steel Hour", "Dr. Kildare", "Route 66", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Ghost & Mrs. Muir", "The Debbie Rey

The great actor lived to be 97, earned many accolades and appeared in many projects. In Memoriam Remembers: Karl Malden