In Memoriam

He was one of the greatest comedians of all time. His career spanned 60 years and became beloved by everyone. Born on February 14, 1894 he passed away on this day eighty years later… In 1911 he began his career in vaudeville and then moved to radio in 1932. It was while on radio that he developed the recurring gags that he became famous for including his insistence that he was only 39 years old, his cheapness, his fictional feud with fellow comedian Fred Allen, his violin and the classic routine “your money or your life.” In 1950 the program moved to television but he continued to do the radio show as well. While the radio program ended in 1955 the television version hung on for another ten years… He was a true class act and he made appearances on such television programs as “The Jackie Gleason Show”, “General Electric Theater”, “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show”, “Make Room for Daddy”, “The Lucy Show”, “Here’s Lucy”, “The George Burns Show”, “The Smothers Brothers Comedy...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another classic TV star leaves us right before the holiday... Her career might have been brief but she appeared on one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time...! From 1961 to 1966 she co-starred opposite Alan Young in the highly popular show "Mister Ed" which featured the beloved talking horse... Other television credits include "Pantomime Quiz", "The Hollywood Squares", "The Millionaire", "The Untouchables", "Perry Mason", "Bonanza", "Love, American Style", "The Mod Squad" and "Sea Hunt." She appeared in the 1960 movie Thunder in Carolina... In Memoriam Remembers: Connie Hines

Sadly a great lady leaves us during the holiday season... She appeared in such films as Death Becomes Her and Cruel Intentions... On television she was involved with such shows as "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman", "Blossom", "A Different World", "Friends", "NYPD Blue", "Caroline in the City", "Ally McBeal", "Any Day Now" and "ER." In the 1970's and 1980's she was a regular player on the children's show "Sesame Street." For me she will always be Rose Lee Holloway, the sassy landlady on "227" which ran from 1985 to 1990... In Memoriam Remembers: Alaina Reed Hall

Hello all! I am writing to you with some very exciting news. Between January 4, 2009 and the present In Memoriam has posted tribute to 222 great performers. I am so very proud of that accomplishment and I couldn’t be happier. For those of you who follow In Memoriam daily or even weekly will be disappointed for a little while. The December 8th posting will be the last for the next few weeks. Unless there is an unfortunate passing in the meantime I will not return to you until December 26th. After that there will be no postings until after the first of the year. In 2010, I will no longer be posting random tributes on a regular basis. The focus is going to be more on remembering people on their birthdays and death anniversaries. There will be some random tributes and of course tributes as the passing happen. So until the 26th I hope you all have the most delightful holiday season. For you Jewish folks enjoy your holiday this coming weekend and for anyone celebrating Baby Jesus’ birthday o...

Born on July 14, 1893 he became a prominent writer, producer and actor eventually becoming most beloved for his portrayal as Andy Brown on the television version of "Amos 'N' Andy" from 1951 to 1953... In recognition of the 40th anniversary of his passing... In Memoriam Remembers: Spencer Williams, Jr.

He appeared in such films as Invaders from Mars and Soldier of Fortune... On Broadway he graced the stage in Kismet, Destry Rides Again and La Cage aux Folles... On television he appeared on "The Name of the Game", "Our Miss Brooks", "Bat Masterson" and "Burke's Law" In 2001 he had a small role in the made for television movie "These Old Broads" with Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, Debbie Reynolds and Shirley MacLaine... In Memoriam Remembers: Gene Barry

During the early years he spent ten years performing in summer stock. He made his first film appearance in 1959 and went on to appear in more than two dozen productions including The Strawberry Statement, Fuzz, Baby Blue Marine, Eye of the Tiger, Only the Lonely and Maverick just to name a few... On television he appeared on such programs as "Suspense", "The United States Steel Hour", "Maverick", "Tales of Wells Fargo", "Letter to Loretta", "Perry Mason", "Peter Gunn", "Rawhide", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Leave it to Beaver", "77 Sunset Strip", "The Lloyd Bridges Show", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "The Dick Powell Show", "The Fugitive", "Hazel", "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "Peyton Place", "The F.B.I.", "Ironsi...

Whenever I hear his name I immediately just think of the words "The Man" On Broadway he brought his style and class to Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls and The Fantasticks just to name a few... In 1955 he made his first film appearance and would go onto to appear in more than two dozen films including Guys and Dolls, Mad Dog Call, Brewster's Millions, F/X, I Love N.Y., Dirty Dancing, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Out for Justice, Toy Soldiers, Beauty and the Beast and Universal Soldier... On television he found another home however. From 1980 to 1981 he was a recurring player on the daytime soap opera "One Life to Live." In 1985, he made a guest appearance on the CBS mystery series "Murder, She Wrote" starring Anglea Lansbury. His character, PI Harry McGraw quickly became a favorite with audiences and in 1987 "The Law and Harry McGraw" debuted on CBS. Sadly the series only lasted one season but the Harry McGraw character continued to make o...

He had it in his blood...he was the son of Ed Wynn who was a damn fine performer in his own right... This career began on Broadway in the 1930's. Hollywood came calling soon enough and in 1942 he appeared (uncredited) in his first film - Somewhere I'll Find You. His other film credits include Song of the Thin Man, The Three Musketeers, Neptune's Daughter, Annie Get Your Gun, Angels in the Outfield, Kiss Me Kate, The Long, Long Trailer, The Glass Slipper, Touch of Evil, The AbsentMinded Professor and Loving. He was a very successful character actor on film and on television as well... His television credits include (but are not limited to) "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show", "To Tell the Truth", "Zane Grey Theater", "What's My Line?", "The Steve Allen Show", "The New Steve Allen Show", "Family Feud", "The United States Steel Hour", "Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre", ...

On Broadway he originated the role of Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple with Art Carney playing Felix Unger in 1965. Ten years prior to that he appeared as Nathan in the revival of Guys and Dolls... He was present during the early days of television appearing on such shows as "Lux Video Theatre", "Mister Peepers", "Suspense", "Campbell Playhouse", "Studio One", "The Philco Television Playhouse", "Robert Montgomery Presents", "The United States Steel Hour", "Climax!", "Route 66", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "General Electric Theater" and "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre." His final acting role on television was in 1977 for an episode of "Insight." As himself he appeared on "Saturday Night Live", "The Barbara Walters Special", "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", "Intimate Portrait", "Priv...

I want to start off by saying that he was an incredible performer. This tribute is going to be much to small to truly do him any justice but I'm going to give it a shot... He was on Broadway and in 1949 he made his first film appearance. Some of his films include The Great Race, How to Murder Your Wife, The Odd Couple, It Happened to Jane, The China Syndrome, JFK, Grumpy Old Men, The Glass Harp, Grumpier Old Men, My Fellow Americans, Hamlet, Out to Sea, The Odd Couple II and The Legend of Bagger Vance... Between his first silver screen appearance in 1949 and his final in 2000 he appeared in more than sixty films, ten of them were with his good friend Walter Matthau... He made appearances in several made for television movies as well, some of the more notable being "12 Angry Men" and "Inherit the Wind." On television he spent the 1949-1950 season as the lead in the series "That Wonderful Guy." Other television appearances include "The Franc...

Unfortunately this tribute will not cover her entire body of work. She began in more than 25 films between 1948 and 2007. Her sultry voice and stunning style brought the screen to life and also made a dent on the Broadway stage. Her television credits include "The Red Buttons Show", "The Colgate Comedy Hour", "The Nat King Cole Show", "Person to Person", "What's My Line?", "Toast of the Town", "Pantomime Quiz", "That Regis Philbin Show", "The Hollywood Squares", "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", "Your Show of Shows", "Playhouse 90", "Burke's Law", "Ben Casey", "I Spy", "Mission: Impossible", "The Protectors", "Police Woman", "Miami Vice", "The Magic School Bus", "New York Undercover" and "Living Single." ...

This lady was very funny and she had a remarkable career on film, television and stage. She made her first film appearance in 1948 and before 1952 she had twenty five film appearances under her belt. By the time of her passing in 2001 she had appeared in 118 films including Singing in the Rain, The Nutty Professor, The Blues Brothers, Dragnet and The Naked Gun 33 1/3 The Final Insult… Her television credits are extremely impressive. She appeared on just about every popular program of its time. The appearances began in the 1950’s and continued into the 2000’s. Her final television role was on the animated series “As Told by Ginger.” Her character, Mrs. Gordon, was to retire but then change her mind at the last minute. When the actress passed away the script was rewritten to have Mrs. Gordon pass away as well. The episode originally aired on November 24, 2002. She began appearing on Broadway in 2000 in The Full Monty. Her illness forced her to exit the show and she made her fi...

On Broadway he was the original Felix Unger in “The Odd Couple”, on radio he impersonated presidents of the United States but on television he became a legend… His radio career included “The Henry Morgan Show”, “Man Behind the Gun”, “Land of the Lost” and “Joe and Ethel Turp Show.” In 1948 he began on television and never left. From 1948 until 1950 he was a regular player on “The Morey Amsterdam Show.” After that commitment ended he joined the struggling series “Cavalcade of Stars” on the DuMont network. The series had just taken on a new host, Jackie Gleason, who created several of his trademark characters during his first year as host. It was on the “Cavalcade of Stars” that the character of Ed Norton first appeared. When Gleason moved to CBS in 1952 and began hosting “The Jackie Gleason Show” he brought his “Cavalcade” ensemble players with him. In 1955, “The Honeymooners” was turned into a weekly half-hour sitcom that would last only one season. In the fall of 1956 Gleason...

This man had the incredible ability to play a wide variety of characters…he was everything from a drunk to a doctor to a police inspector to a super villain… He began on Broadway in the 1930’s and eventually spent some time on radio. He appeared in more than two dozen films including Stella, Adam’s Rib, My Blue Heaven, How to Marry a Millionaire and The Last Angry Man. He appeared in four different films with Marilyn Monroe, more than any other actor. He made his final appearance on the Broadway stage in 1968… On television he co-starred as Inspector Richard Queen on the detective series “Ellery Queen” from 1975 to 1976 and Dr. Amos Weatherby on “House Calls” from 1979 to 1982. In 1966 he became the first and to date the only actor to play Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter in any incarnation of Batman. Any other portrayals of the Mad Hatter have been done on animated programs. He made four appearances on the 1960’s television series. In 1978 he originated the role of Willard “Dig...

Even though she appeared in several films and television shows during her long career it was her ten year stint as Aunt Bee Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" and then "Mayberry R.F.D." that made her beloved by all... She became the living embodiment of that loving matriarch we all want...always ready with sage advice, kind words and delicious food, her character truly was golden... Whether it was getting a pilot's license, making her own pickles and marmalade or being the lone hold out on a jury her heart always went out to others... Illness slowed her down during the last years of her life and she finally lost that battle on December 6, 1989 just eight days before what would've been her 87th birthday... 20 years after her passing... In Memoriam Remembers: Frances Bavier

A special thanks to http://www.dannythestreet.com/franknelson/ for helping me with the research for this man’s radio career…. His first film appearance was to have been in 1936’s Fugitive in the Sky but his scenes were deleted from the final cut. His major contribution to the entertainment world was on radio. He lent his voice to MANY programs, all of them the best. It has been noted that he made more than 10,000 guest appearances on various programs during his career. “Lux Radio Theater” (announcer for two years) “My Favorite Husband” “Our Miss Brooks” “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” “The George Burns & Gracie Allen Show” “Amos ‘N’ Andy” “The Walter Winchell Show” “The Eddie Cantor Show” “Lum ‘N Abner” “The Hedda Hopper Show” “Fibber McGee & Molly” “Kay Kyser’s Kollege” “The Great Gildersleeve” “The Red Skelton Show” “The Life of Riley” “The Dinah Shore Show” “The Joan Davis Show” “The Danny Kaye Show” “The Billie Burke Show” “The Eddie Bracken Show” “The Jack Carson Sho...

This is a special post in rememberance of a great actor who left us yesterday... He was a marvel on both the London and the American stage... His film credits include The Hasty Heart, Stage Fright, The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, The Virgin Queen, Intent to Kill, The Longest Day, Dorian Gray and The Big Sleep... On American television he appeared on "The Danny Thomas Hour", "Boy Dominic" and "Murder, She Wrote." In the UK he appeared on several television shows the final being "Heartbeat" in 2007... In Memoriam Remembers: Richard Todd

He will forever be remembered as Deputy Barney Fife of Mayberry on the 1960’s classic television series “The Andy Griffith Show.” The amazing career that spanned several decades began in the 1950’s on Broadway. He made a few film appearances including No Time for Sergeants, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Pleasantville and as Mayor Turkey Lurkey in Chicken Little… He was a regular cast member on the daytime soap opera “Search for Tomorrow” from 1953 to 1955. He brought his Barney Fife character to other programs: “The Joey Bishop Show”, “Mayberry R.F.D.” and “The New Andy Griffith Show.” In 1979 he took on the role of Ralph Furley on the sitcom “Three’s Company.” He replaced Normal Fell's Stanley Roper, the show’s landlord, and remained until the end of the show in 1984… In 1986 he returned to play Barney Fife in the reunion special “Return to Mayberry.” In 1988 he teamed up with his good friend Andy Griffith once again when he began playing Les Calhoun...

Born September 29, 1942, she left us on this date in 1999... She began on Broadway in 1965...as a comedienne and actress she appeared in the Mel Brooks films Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein as well as Clue, Nixon and A Bug's Life... She starred in the series "Oh Madeline" from 1983 to 1984 and had a co-starring role on the sitcom "Cosby" from 1996 until her passing... In Memoriam Remembers: Madeline Kahn

This man was amazing…he was absolutely amazing. As far as character actors go this man set the standards… He began in films in 1923 in The White Sister and would go on to appear in hundreds of films as the years went by. Some of his more notable film appearances include You Can’t Take it With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Farmer’s Daughter, Miss Grant Takes Richmond, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Strange Invaders and Murphy’s Romance. He had a recurring role as the coroner in the Ellery Queen films of the 1940’s… Television became his second home though and he appeared on just about every major and minor show you can name. Below is a brief list of his television credits it doesn’t even come close to being complete. “Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre” “I Love Lucy” “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” “The Thin Man” “Perry Mason” “The Real McCoys” “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” “Fibber McGee and Molly” “The Twilight Zone” “The Untouchab...

His career began in the late 1940’s and he made his first film appearance in 1950’s The Asphalt Jungle. He would go onto to appear in more than two dozen films including From Here to Eternity, 12 Angry Men, Shampoo, Death on the Nile, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, The Verdict, The Great Muppet Caper, Problem Child, Problem Child 2 and Toys… On television he was a regular on the series “The Bad News Bears” from 1979 to 1980 and also a regular on the series “Crazy Like a Fox” from 1984 to 1986… In 1972, he appeared in an off Broadway production of A Death of a Salesman… He appeared in his fair share of made for television movies playing significant roles…he was Mark Twain in 1984’s “Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues”, Joe Kennedy, Sr. in “Robert Kennedy & His Times” in 1985 and J. Edgar Hoover in “Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War” in 1987. In 1985 he appeared as Owl in the incredible production of “Alice in Wonderland.” He was in very good company the cast inclu...