In Memoriam

February 26th! This is a very important day...five of television's greatest actors celebrated birthdays today. On this day we remember Fred Mertz, Alan Alda's Father, Ralph Kramden, Charlie Hume and Felix Unger. "I Love Lucy" - Fred Mertz was television's first landlord and a reflection of how surviving the great depression and marrying your vaudeville partner can turn you into a penny pinching old grouch. But he was incredibly funny...and all these years later...loved by all. As a character actor the father of "M*A*S*H" star Alan Alda, appeared on many television shows and several feature films. Some include "Here's Lucy" and "The Facts of Life." "The Honeymooners" - The Brooklyn bus driver with the big mouth and glint of success always in his eye, Ralph Kramden was the original portrayal of the American dream...thriving for success while trying to maintain a low paying job in order to live in a low level apartment. ...

The "Adventures of Superman" has always been a huge part of my life. The actor being remembered in this post made four appearances opposite the Man of Steel each time playing a crime boss or other kind of villain. When I began the research for this post I was shocked to learn that this actor had an amazing career and appeared not just along side Superman but many other big and bright shining stars... Born: August 30, 1904 He began on stage in the late 1920's but Hollywood films were not far away. In 1934 he appeared in his first film The Man With Two Faces. He would go on to appear in over one hundred films after that including The Woman in Red, The Murder of Dr. Harrigan, Charlie Chan at the Olympics, Dr. Kildare's Strange Case, The Black Cat, Saboteur, The Sky Dragon, Angels in the Outfield, The Toughest Man Alive and I Married a Monster from Outer Space. (I bet that last one was interesting!) In 1949 he made his first appearance on television when the medium was...

On this date 45 years ago the world lost one of the pioneers in not only physical comedy but also the comedy duo act. This half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy was born on June 16, 1890.. And now almost half a century after his passing people still salute him as one of the greats...performers like this will never be duplicated... In Memoriam Remembers: Stan Laurel

The subject of today’s post was a fine character actor. He began in films in 1940 appearing in such productions as Road to Morocco, Casablanca, Bombs Over Burma and The Blue Veil… In 1948’s classic film Johnny Belinda (Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres) he played one of the main antagonists... He made his first appearance on television in 1949 on “Your Show Time.” His other appearances include “Lux Video Theatre”, “The Gale Storm Show”, “The Untouchables”, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, “My Favorite Martian”, “The Beverly Hillbillies”, “Perry Mason”, “Get Smart”, “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies”, “Batman”, “I Spy”, “Mayberry R.F.D.” and “Kojak.” He made three memorable appearances on the “Adventures of Superman” during its first season. In the episode “The Stolen Costume”, he plays Ace, a crook who comes to obtain Superman’s costume and later his secret identity. The most memorable part of the show is when Ace and his moll Connie (Veda Ann Borg) try to escape fro...

I'm sorry that this blog's 250th post had to come with this sad news... A legendary actress left us yesterday... Born February 9, 1922 she earned her place in Hollywood history after appearing in such films as Till The Clouds Roll By, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate and The Vagabond King. On television she could be seen on "General Electric Theater", "Playhouse 90", "Lux Playhouse", "Toast of the Town", "The Perry Como Show", "The Dean Martin Show" and "Baretta." Her final acting role was on an episode of "Murder, She Wrote" in 1989... In Memoriam Remembers: Kathryn Grayson

This owl-faced comic actor who made his first film appearance in the RKO production of Too Many Girls would have turned 95 years old today… He passed away on November 14, 2002… Today, in honor of his birthday… In Memoriam Remembers: Eddie Bracken

A wonderful actress left us yesterday... Born: December 9, 1914 She appeared in bit roles in such films as Stage Door and The Wrong Man. On television she could be seen on such programs as "The Philco Television Playhouse", "Kraft Television Theatre", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Perry Mason", "Wagon Train" and "Studio One." She had brief roles on the daytime soaps "As the World Turns" and "The Edge of Night." In November of 1965 she stepped into the role of Alice Grayson Horton on "Days of Our Lives" and became a legend in daytime. She stayed with the role until 2007 when her age caught up with her. In 2004 she received a lifetime achievement award for her work as the beloved Horton family matriarch... In Memoriam Remembers: Frances Reid