In Memoriam

Happy Birthday! Lew Ayres (1908) Lou Jacobi (1913) At Rest: William Demarest (1983) Clayton Moore (1999) Jerry Orbach (2004)

Happy Birthday! Elisha Cook, Jr. (1903) Richard Widmark (1914) Steve Allen (1921) At Rest: Jack Benny (1974) Elsa Lanchester (1986)

Happy Birthday! Barbara Billingsley (1915) Ruth Roman (1922)

At Rest: Johnny Lee (1967) Tallulah Bankhead (1968) Anne Baxter (1985) Peter Boyle (2006) Van Johnson (2008)

Happy Birthday! Tim Moore (1887) Margaret Hamilton (1902) Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (1909) Broderick Crawford (1911) Frances Reid (1914) Redd Foxx (1922) At Rest: Louella Parsons (1972) Vincent Gardenia (1992) Gene Barry (2009)

Happy Birthday! Walt Disney (1901) Otto Preminger (1905) Alvy Moore (1921) At Rest: Beverly Garland (2008)

Happy Birthday! Len Lesser (1922) At Rest: Roxie Roker (1995) Madeline Kahn (1999) Richard Todd (2009)

March 2, 1917 - December 2, 1986 25 years after his passing... In Memoriam Remembers: Desi Arnaz

November 30, 1926 - January 17, 2003 Happy 85th Birthday! In Memoriam Remembers: Richard Crenna

Happy Birthday to two fine performers both born on this day in 1913.  He left us on July 8, 1990 and she on July 17, 2005... Happy Birthday (& Happy Thanksgiving) In Memoriam Remembers: Geraldine Fitzgerald and Howard Duff

Happy Birthday! Boris Karloff (1887) Harpo Marx (1888) Michael Gough (1916) George O'Hanlon (1917) Steve Landesberg (1945) At Rest: Shemp Howard (1955) Marie Wilson (1972)

November 22, 1875 - January 31, 1966 Happy Birthday to "I Love Lucy's" Mrs. Mathilda Trumbull In Memoriam Remembers: Elizabeth Patterson

Happy Birthday! Rodney Dangerfield (1921) At Rest: Mae West (1980) Michael Conrad (1983) Scatman Crothers (1986) Sterling Holloway (1992) Parley Baer (2002)

Happy Birthday!!! Evelyn Keyes (1916) Danny Dayton (1923) Franklin Cover (1928)

November 16, 1907 - September 9, 1997 On what would've been his 104th Birthday.... In Memoriam Remembers: Burgess Meredith

Happy Birthday! Jim Jordan (1896) Daws Butler (1916) At Rest: Clark Gable (1960) William Holden (1981) Ralph Edwards (2005)

I am so proud to say that this is In Memoriam's 500th post....I started this blog in June 2008 and now three years later...! First things first...we lost Penny Singleton on this day in 2003. In honor of this special occasion I decided to remember ten extra special people that have shared their gifts with us. 1). Lucille Ball (1911-1989) 2). Jackie Gleason (1916-1987) 3). Gracie Allen (1895-1964) 4). Eve Arden (1908-1990) **left us on this day in 1990** 5). Henry Fonda (1905-1982) 6). George Reeves (1914-1959) 7). Ida Lupino (1918-1995) 8). Jane Wyman (1917-2007) 9). Carroll O'Connor (1924-2001) 10). Bob Hope (1903-2003) In Memoriam Remembers: All of them *here's to the next 500*

April 10, 1921 - November 10, 1992 February 18, 1919 - November 10, 2006 They both left us on November 10th.  All these years later... In Memoriam Remembers: Chuck Connors & Jack Palance

November 4, 1918 - November 9, 2003 8 years after his passing... In Memoriam Remembers: Art Carney

April 13, 1919 - November 7, 2004 7 years after his passing... In Memoriam Remembers: Howard Keel

January 14, 1919 - November 4, 2011 A great talent who educated and entertained us for over 60 years...1,097 essays for "60 Minutes" just to name one of the great contributions he made.  He will be missed! In Memoriam Remembers: Andy Rooney

Happy Birthday! Natalie Schafer (1900) Herb Edelman (1933) At Rest: Ward Bond (1960) Stafford Repp (1974) Fred MacMurray (1991) Jill Clayburgh (2010)

Happy Birthday! Walter Cronkite (1916) Art Carney (1918) Martin Balsam (1919) At Rest: Sheree North (2005)

October 31, 1922 - August 8, 2005 In Memoriam Remembers: Barbara Bel Geddes

July 29, 1924 - October 29, 2005 6 years later... In Memoriam Remembers: Lloyd Bochner

Happy Birthday! Gummo Marx (1893) Hayden Rorke (1910) Frank Sutton (1923) Johnny Carson (1925) At Rest: Lou Jacobi (2009)

Happy Birthday! Irene Ryan (1902) Rita Hayworth (1918) Montgomery Clift (1920) Tom Poston (1921) Beverly Garland (1926) At Rest: Tennessee Ernie Ford (1991) Joan Hickson (1998) Joey Bishop (2007)

Happy Birthday! Jane Darwell (1879) Robert Rockwell (1920) At Rest: John Hamilton (1958) Cole Porter (1964) Edie Adams (2008)

Born: April 5, 1908 A legendary actress left us on this day in 1989 at the age of 81.  She suffered with poor health during most of the 1980's but always remained up beat and even managed to appear in a few more projects. Just to name a few she appeared in such films as Jezebel , Dark Victory , The Corn is Green , All About Eve and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?.   She left us 22 years ago today... In Memoriam Remembers: Bette Davis

Happy Birthday! Larry Fine (1902) -One of "The Three Stooges" Harriet E. MacGibbon (1905) -Played Mrs. Margaret Drysdale on "The Beverly Hillbillies" Allen Ludden (1917) -Game show host, most notabaly "Password" & was also Betty White's third and final husband for 18 years.

Happy Birthday! Ed Sullivan (1901) Arnold Stang (1918) At Rest: Harpo Marx (1964) Mabel Albertson (1982) Whitney Blake (2002)

Happy Birthday! William Conrad (1920) Roger C. Carmel (1932) Greg Morris (1933) At Rest: Robert Montgomery (1981) Lloyd Nolan (1985) Donald O'Connor (2003)

Happy Birthday! Don Porter (1912) -Character actor best known for his work on "Gidget", "Private Secretary" and "The Ann Sothern Show."  He appeared in the film Mame in 1974 and also guest starred on "Dallas" in 1980.  Audra Lindley (1918) -Character actress best known as Mrs. Helen Roper on "Three's Company" and "The Ropers" Louis Edmonds (1923) -Character actor best known as Langley Wallingford on the daytime soap "All My Children."  His character started as somewhat of a "villain" who was out to con Phoebe Tyler (the late Ruth Warrick) out of her fortune but instead fell in love with her and remained married to her for several years.    At Rest: Neil Hamilton (1984) -Long time character actor best remembered as Police Commissioner Gordon on the 1960's version of "Batman."  Dr. Seuss (1991) -Who doesn't know Dr. Seuss? Tommy Bond (2005) -Child actor who played Butch...

Born: September 19, 1904 -This actress made television history with the iconic words you see above.  As a character actress she began on radio's "The Pepsodent Show" starring Bob Hope on September 27, 1938.  She worked on many radio programs including "The Abbott and Costello Show", "The Burns and Allen Show", "My Favorite Husband" and many others... On television she appeared in many guest roles on such shows as "I Married Joan", "The Abbott and Costello Show", "Our Miss Brooks", "Duffy's Tavern", "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show", "I Love Lucy", "The Gale Storm Show", "December Bride", "The Bob Cummings Show", "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour", "The Andy Griffith Show", "Petticoat Junction", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Lucy Show", "Quincy M.E....

Born: September 9, 1923 He did sometime on television as well as the big screen.  Some of his films include We've Never Been Licked, Gidget, The Big Show, Underworld USA, My Six Loves, Love Has Many Faces, 633 Squadron, The Best Man, J.W. Coop, Midway, Star 80 and Renaissance Man.  In 1963, he was personally selected by then-President John F. Kennedy to portray the Commander in Chief in the film PT 109.  The story featured the experience that JFK had in the service during WWII. On television his appeared on such programs as "Playhouse 90", "The Linkletter Show", "I've Got a Secret", "The Match Game", "The Hollywood Squares", "The Mike Douglas Show", "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In", "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", "The David Frost Show", "Dinah!", "The Merv Griffin Show", "Hallmark Hall of Fame", "Robert Montgomery Presents", ...

Born: May 23, 1928 She appeared on such programs as "Hallmark Hall of Fame", "G.E. True Theater", "Robert Montgomery Presents", "Sunday Showcase", "The United States Steel Hour", "The Edge of Night", "The Untouchables", "The DuPont Show of the Week", "The Defenders", "Bonanza" and "The F.B.I." In 1970 she began playing the role of Ruth Martin on the daytime soap opera "All My Children."  She remained with the program until she semi-retired in 1996.  The role was filled by Lee Meriwether.  The actress returned to the role briefly in 2000 before retiring completely.  Meriwether retrurned to the role until the show's end in September 2011.  She died on September 8, 2011 In Memoriam Remembers: Mary Fickett

Hard to believe that it has been four years since this wonderful lady left us.  Born on January 5, 1917 she appeared in more than 80 films and made her mark on television as Angela Channing on "Falcon Crest" from 1981 to 1990.  She was one of the greatest actresses to ever grace the silver screen!  4 years later... In Memoriam Remembers: Jane Wyman

Happy Birthday! Neil Hamilton (1899) Jane Greer (1924) At Rest: Burgess Meredith (1997) Ruth Roman (1999) Larry Hovis (2003)

The first person to give the Man of Steel a voice passed away on this day in 1969.  Born: June 18, 1908 He provided the voice of Superman/Clark Kent on the radio program from 1940 to 1950.  Between 1941 and 1943 he also voiced the character in 16 animated shorts produced by the Fleischer studios. On television his main claim to fame was as the host of the game shows: "Break the $250,000 Bank (1948-1953) "Beat the Clock" (1950-1961)   "To Tell the Truth" (1956-1968) He also made guest appearances on "I've Got a Secret" and "What's My Line?"  In 1954, he appeared as himself on "The Jackie Gleason Show" in an episode that featured Ralph (Jackie Gleason) and Alice (Audrey Meadows) and later Ed Norton (Art Carney) appearing on "Beat the Clock." In 1966, he returned to voice Superman/Clark Kent in a new animated series.  He continued to voice the character on various versions of the show until 1968.  He pas...

Happy Birthday! Kitty Carlisle (1910) Alan Ladd (1913) Helen Wagner (1918)

Fredric March (1897) Arthur Godfrey (1903) G.D. Spradlin (1920) Buddy Hackett (1924) James Coburn (1928) Noble Willingham (1931)

This is post number 475......there will be an extra special post when we hit 500! Happy Birthday: Raymond Massey (1896) Shirley Booth (1898) Joan Blondell (1906) Fred MacMurray (1908) At Rest: William Talman (1968) Glenn Ford (2006)

Born: August 26, 1909 He was best known for his roles in several westerns over the course of his career.  It was only fitting that his final part on television would be as the patriarch of a Texas oil family... From 1958 to 1960 he starred in the program "Resuce 8" and in 1974 he was the star of "The Cowboys."  His guest appearance credits include "Lassie", "The Donna Reed Show", "Wagon Train", "Perry Mason", "Bonanza", "The Lucy Show", "The Bold Ones: The New Doctors", "The F.B.I." and "Gunsmoke" (11 times) and "Cannon."  In 1978 he took on the role of John Ross "Jock" Ewing, Sr. on the prime time soap opera "Dallas."  As the head of rough tough Ewing clan he had his beloved wife Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) by his side as he dealt with the antics of his eldest son J.R. (Larry Hagman) and his two younger sons Gary (David Ackroyd then Ted ...

Happy Birthday! Gene Kelly (1912) At Rest: Francis X. Bushman (1966) Hank Patterson (1975) Sebastian Cabot (1977) Kathleen Freeman (2001) Brock Peters (2005)

Born: December 17, 1927 This wonderful gentleman was a fine actor who left us much too soon.  His career spanned four decades and he appeared on some of the most popular programs of the day. His first film appearance was in 1946's Tomorrow is Forever with Claudette Colbert.  He also played Tom Kettle, a son of Ma and Pa Kettle in four of the nine films made featuring those characters.  The Egg and I was the first film in which he portrayed Tom...his time with the series went from 1947 to 1951.  Other famous co-stars were Marjorie Main, Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Barbara Stanwyck.  He appeared with Stanwyck in 1953's All I Desire.  Twelve years later he would play her character's eldest son on the television series "The Big Valley." On television he appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show", "Stump the Stars", "The Merv Griffin Show", "The Hollywood Squares", "Password All-Stars", "Lux Video Theatre"...

Mr. Fred Flintstone himself, Alan Reed was born on this day in 1907. Yaba Daba Do....!

Born July 26, 1909, the great Vivian Vance left us on this day in 1979.  Let's take a moment to remember "Viv" 

At Rest: Amanda Blake (1989) Phil Leeds (1998) Jeff Corey (2002)

August 13th -Alfred Hitchcock (1899) August 15th Ethel Barrymore (1879) Julia Child (1912)

Happy Birthday! Marion Lorne (1883) Joe Besser (1907) Jane Wyatt (1910) Marjorie Reynolds (1916) At Rest: Henry Fonda (1982) Loretta Young (2000) Merv Griffin (2007)

Happy Birthday! Jack Haley (1898) Noah Beery, Jr. (1913) ***Jeff Corey (1914) ***=Just a note about how good an actor Jeff Corey was.  He played the lead villain in the 1951 motion picture Superman and the Mole Men and it was because of that role that I actually hated him whenever I would see him in any other performance.  Now there's a damn fine actor when the performance is so good that you actually believe the character is real! 

Happy 90th Birthday! Rosetta LeNoire (1911) At Rest: Richard Deacon (1984) Louise Brooks (1985) Alan Napier (1988) Edna Skinner (2003) Fay Wray (2004) Barbara Bel Geddes (2005) Patricia Neal (2010)

Born: August 6, 1911 Died:  April 26, 1989 Very few words are needed... 100 years ago a genius was born...

One of the old school's most dedicated... Born: January 16, 1903 He began in films in 1932 appearing in such productions as Roar of the Dragon, Alias Mr. Twilight, The Return of Monte Cristo, Miss Grant Takes Richmond and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. On television made his face known on just about every show spanning five decades.  On the "Adventures of Superman" he appeared three times, each time playing a disturbed villain.  In the episode "The Secret of Superman" he uses mind control drugs on Perry White (John Hamilton), Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson), Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) and Clark Kent (George Reeves) in order to discover Superman's secret identity.  Shortly before his demise he does succeed in figuring out the Man of Steel's secret.  He later appeared as an ex-con, ex-circus performer in the episode "The Clown that Cried" in 1954 and as the Spectre in "The Phantom Ring" in 1955. He appeared in two episodes of ...

Happy Birthday! Keenan Wynn (1916) At Rest: Bob Hope (2003)

Happy Birthday!!!  On this day in history two of the incredibly funny women were born. As one half of the team "Burns and Allen" she always made us laugh with her light-hearted and airheaded jokes.  She was the star of the team for more than thirty years and her partner was always the first to agree.  Miss Grace Allen (1895-1964) Television's first second banana was always there to make us laugh....in addition to her marvelous career on the Broadway stage she also brought a new light to television when it was still an infant.  She appeared with Lucille Ball in more than 300 television shows... Miss Vivian Vance (1909-1979) We remember them on their birthdays----!

Happy Birthday! Walter Brennan (1894) Jack Gilford (1908) Harold Peary (1908) Estelle Getty (1923) Jerry Paris (1925)

Born: July 25, 1923 It is hard to believe that three years ago today she lost her decade long battle with Lewy-Body Dementia.  This wonder lady entertained the world as the fiesty Sophia Petrillo for ten years spanning five television shows: "The Golden Girls", "Empty Nest", "Nurses", "The Golden Palace" and "Blossom."  July 22, 2008 - three years later... In Memoriam Remembers: Estelle Getty

Happy Birthday! Don Knotts (1924) Paul Burke (1926) At Rest: Basil Rathbone (1967) Herb Edelman (1996) Robert Young (1998)

Happy Birthday! Max Fleischer (1883) -Pioneer in Animation -Creator of Koko the Clown, Betty Boop and Popeye Pat Hingle (1924) At Rest: Jack Warden (2006)

Happy Birthday! Harriet Hilliard (1909) Hume Cronyn (1911) Red Skelton (1913)

Happy Birthday! Erle Stanley Gardner (1889) James Cagney (1899) Art Linkletter (1912) At Rest: Geraldine Fitzgerald (2005) Walter Cronkite (2009)

Happy Birthday! Barbara Stanwyck (1907) Ginger Rogers (1911) Barnard Hughes (1915) Three of the finest performers ever! 

Born on April 8, 1918, she certainly left a legacy with the American people that will never be forgotten.  She was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 with her husband Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006) serving as President.  She was one of the most out spoken and free thinking first ladies of the 20th century... She died on July 8, 2011... In Memoriam Remembers: Mrs. Betty Ford 

Happy Birthday! Merv Griffin (1925) Janet Leigh (1927) At Rest: Buddy Ebsen (2003) "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Barnaby Jones" Kasey Rogers (2006) "Bewitched"

Happy Birthday: Johnny Lee (1898) Gloria Stuart (1910) At Rest: Eva Gabor (1995) June Haver (2005) Evelyn Keyes (2008) Happy Independence Day to you all!

Born: September 16, 1927 This passing truly marks a sad day for anyone who is a lover of classic television and the good old fashioned television "whodunnit." In addition to playing the down and out looking but brilliant Lt. Columbo he also appeared on some of the greatest television shows of the 20th century. "Stump the Stars" "The Jerry Lewis Show" "I've Got a Secret" "The Hollywood Squares" "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" "The Joey Bishop Show" "The Dick Cavett Show" "The Dean Martin Comedy Hour" "Dinah's Place" "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" "The Larry Sanders Show" "Robert Montgomery Presents" "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" "The Barbara Stanwyck Show" "The Untouchables" "The Twilight Zone" "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" "The Dick Powell Theatre" "Dr...

Happy Birthday: Ruth Warrick (1916) At Rest: Bob Crane (1978) Lana Turner (1995) William Hickey (1997) Rosemary Clooney (2002) Katharine Hepburn (2003)

Born: August 2, 1924 It has been 10 years since a marvelous actor was taken from us.  During the earliest days of television he appeared on such shows as "The United States Steel Hour", "The Dick Powell Theatre", "The Fugitive", "The Defenders", "Ben Casey", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "I Spy", "That Girl", "The Wild Wild West" and "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre."  In 1968 he was handed the role that make him a household name...the groundbreaking series "All in the Family", created by producer Norman Lear began on January 12, 1971 and would help to define television for the next decade.  As Archie Bunker, he brought words to television that had never been there before.  Along side veteran character actress Jean Stapleton as his ditzy wife Edith, he helped television move in a new direction.  Because of the acceptance their performances received, television chang...

Happy Birthday! Jeanette MacDonald - 1903 Keye Luke - 1904 Kay Kyser - 1905 Bud Collyer - 1908 Nedra Volz - 1908 E.G. Marshall - 1914 At Rest: Ethel Barrymore - 1959 Nancy Marchand - 2000

On June 16, 1959 the world learned that television's first Man of Steel was dead... Over the course of the past 52 years many people have gone back and forth with the truth - did he end his own life or was he murdered?  Whatever the truth is, one thing is fact, he was dead and the spirit of many children across America took an incredible blow. Born January 5, 1914, in appeared in several Hollywood films including Gone With The Wind, From Here to Eternity, So Proudly We Hail, and The Blue Gardenia before stepping into the red and blue costume that would make him a legend.  Every chance they got, his "Superman" co-stars Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen), Phyllis Coates (Lois Lane #1), Noel Neill (Lois Lane #2) and Robert Shayne (Inspector Henderson) always talked about what a good friend he was and how seriously he took role as Superman/Clark Kent.  Shayne passed away in 1992 but Larson, Coates and Neill continue to this day to remind us of how special the man was....

Born: June 8, 1921 A wonderful actress would've celebrated a milestone today.  With her genuine good looks and and deep sultry voice she captured the movie screen in the 1940's.  Some of her film credits include The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Horn Blows at Midnight, The Woman in White, Whiplash and The Sleeping Tiger.  As television entered the picture she appeared on some its earliest productions including "The Star of the Story", "Stage 7", "Robert Montgomery Presents", "Lux Video Theatre" and "The United States Steel Hour."  Her other television credits include "The Defenders", "Marcus Welby, M.D.", The Love Boat", "Hothouse" and "Cheers."  In 1984 she appeared on the red hot night time soap opera "Dallas" as the sister of oil baron Clayton Farlow (Howard Keel).  Her character, Lady Jessica, was a serial killer who caused havoc at Southfork for seven episodes at on...

Happy Birthday to "In Memoriam" - the work on this blog began on this day in 2008.  With 442 posts there have been tributes posted to almost 1,000 people if not more.  It has been my absolute delight and pleasure to work on this blog, I put my very best into every post.  I do hope you'll continue to come back. In Memoriam will continue to always remember them all!

Born: May 26, 1923 A true television legend, he played Matt Dillion on "Gunsmoke" for 20 seasons which came to more than 600 episodes.  Before his television career he appeared in several films in the 1940's and 50's one of them being 1951's The Thing from Another World in which he played "The Thing."  He made his first television appearance in 1950 on "The Lone Ranger."  After "Gunsmoke" ended in 1975 he went on to work on such projects as "How the West Was Won" and "McClain's Law."  Between 1987 and 1994 he appeared in five "Gunsmoke" reunion movies. He left us on June 3, 2011 - leaving behind an incredible legacy.  In Memoriam Remembers: James Arness    

Happy Birthday! Clara Blandick - 1880 Rosalind Russell - 1907 Dennis Weaver - 1924 At Rest: Jack Gilford - 1990

Born on February 21, 1934 she passed away one year ago but thanks to her marvelous talent her spirit will always be with us.  The contributions she made to film and television as well as the Broadway stage will never be forgotten.  Whether she was Vivian on "Maude", Aunt Fran on "Mama's Family", Blanche Devereaux on "The Golden Girls" or Peggy Ingram on "Sordid Lives: The Series"  - Rue was always there.  You may have seen her in the feature film Out to Sea in 1997 or in one of her many television  guest appearances which include "Fantasy Island", "The Love Boat", "Burke's Law" (both versions), "Murphy Brown", "Newhart", "Lou Grant" and "Law & Order."  Her final acting role was on the television series "Meet the Browns" in 2009.       One year after her passing: In Memoriam Remembers: Rue McClanahan

Happy Birthday! Walter Tetley - 1915 At Rest: Jim Hutton - 1979 Imogene Coca - 2001 Mel Ferrer - 2008

Happy Birthday! Bob Hope - 1903 President John F. Kennedy - 1917 At Rest: Harvey Korman - 2008

Scatman Crothers - 1910 Artie Shaw - 1910 Betty Garrett - 1919 Edna Skinner - 1921 Rosemary Clooney - 1928

Born today in 1899 he was a pioneer during the earliest days of the radio sitcom. Along with his partner Charles J. Correll they created the popular sitcom "Amos N' Andy" in the late 1920's.  At first it was a daily fifteen minute radio drama though, until 1944 when it became a weekly thirty minute comedy.  The actor provided the voice of Amos Jones and also George "Kingfish" Stevens.  On occasion he could also be heard as Lightnin' the slow moving janitor, lodge member "Brother" John Crawford, another lodge brother named Flukey and newspaper columnist Fred Gwendel.  Correll could be heard as Andy Brown and society snob Henry Van Porter.  Before actresses Ernestine Wade, Amanda Randolph and Lillian Randolph were brought on board, he also provided the voice of all female characters on the program.  His radio career spanned from 1926 to 1960.  In 1961 he began working on the cartoon "Calvin and the Colonel" as the voice of Colonel M...

Born: September 15, 1922 He was on screen by the age of 7.  As a member of the "Our Gang" he was known as Jackie...and as he grew up he appeared in many films during the 1930's and 1940's.  Television was quickly right behind, in 1959 he headed up the cast of the sitcom "Hennesey" in which he played a Navy doctor.  The show went off the air in 1962.  As a character actor he appeared on such programs as "Your Show of Shows", "The Buick-Berle Show", "The Colgate Comedy Hour", "What's My Line?", "I've Got a Secret", "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show", "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show", "The Dick Powell Theatre", "The Danny Kaye Show", "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", "Suspense", "Lux Video Theatre", "The United States Steel Hour", "The Twilight Zone", "Hawaii Five-O", "McCloud", "Irons...

Happy Birthday: Beulah Bondi (1889) Walter Slezak (1902) Bing Crosby (1903) Mary Astor (1906) At Rest: Robert Alda (1986)

Hedda Hopper (1885) Roscoe Lee Browne (1925) Lorenzo Music (1937)

Happy Birthday: Kate Smith (1907) Louis Nye (1913) Glenn Ford (1916) Jack Paar (1918) Dan O'Herlihy (1919) At Rest: Helen Wagner (2010)

Born Today: Eve Arden (1908) Al Lewis (1923) Jill Clayburgh (1944) At Rest: Agnes Moorehead (1974) Tom Poston (2007)

It began on television fifty years ago and now the complete first season is available on DVD. In honor of the release I thought it would be a good idea to sit down and remember the wonderful cast of "Dennis the Menace" which ran from 1959 until 1963. In addition to a incredibly gift leading cast they also had some of the best guest stars of all time. Oh and I highly suggest you pick up season one on DVD, I haven't purchased mine yet but it is my understand that the collection includes new interviews with Gloria Henry ("Alice") and also the episode of "The Donna Reed Show" in which Jay North ("Dennis") and Joseph Kearns ("Mr. Wilson") made a crossover appearance. Jay North (1951- ) is still with us as of this posting, he played Dennis Mitchell...the prankster with the overalls and the ever ready slingshot. Herbert Anderson (1917-1994) played Dennis' devoted father Henry Mitchell Gloria Henry (1923- ), still with us at 88, pl...

April 26, 1989----5:04am, the world's greatest female clown is called to her final resting place. After 77 years on Earth the comedy queen of the TV screen was gone. Born on August 6th, 2011 marks her 100th birthday and the 60th anniversary of her very first television show, "I Love Lucy." She made more than 65 motion pictures before turning to radio and eventually television. By the time her number was up she made more than 1,000 television appearances and was the star of five different television shows. With her husband and co-star Desi Arnaz she helped create an empire and became the first female studio owner in Hollywood. With comedy partners such as Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon and Mary Jane Croft she made people laugh until it hurt. Her work was priceless, it was timeless, it was genius. 22 years after her passing the laughter continues..."I Love Lucy" available on DVD, "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" on DVD as far as their fourt...

Born: March 15, 1921 The other half of one of the most successful writing duos has passed away. She began writing for "The Steve Allen Show" on radio and eventually found herself working on a domestic sitcom called "My Favorite Husband." The program starred Lucille Ball with Richard Denning. Jess Oppenheimer and Bob Carroll, Jr. were the writers that helped put the scripts together. Eventually they molded the television show "I Love Lucy" and would go onto write for Ball on her other series "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show", "The Lucy Show", "Here's Lucy" and "Life with Lucy." In 1967 she and Bob Carroll Jr. went to work for Ball's ex-husband Desi Arnaz on the sitcom "The Mothers-In-Law" starring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard. The show ran for two seasons and produced 56 episodes. The writing duo also wrote scripts for "The Tom Ewell Show", "Love, American Style", "The Paul...

Happy Birthday Janet Blair (1921) At Rest: Otto Preminger (1986) Albert Salmi (1990) William Dozier (1991)

Happy Birthday! Charlie Chaplin (1889), Barry Nelson (1917), Peter Ustinov (1921) and Edie Adams (1927)

Happy Birthday: Marian Jordan (1898), Hans Conried (1917) and Elizabeth Montgomery (1933)...At Rest: Clara Blandick (1962), Richard Conte (1975), Raymond Bailey (1980), Ernestine Wade (1983) and Greta Garbo (1990)

Two of television's finest actors were born today: Howard Keel (1919) Don Adams (1923)

Born: September 9, 1899 A very serious actor, he began his film career in 1918 and between then and 1970 he appeared in 268 films. He appeared with some of the greatest stars of that time... Eventually, like many actors of his time he found his way to television. He literally appeared on some of television's earliest productions...including "Hollywood Screen Test", "NBC Presents", "The Wonderful Guy", "Starlight Theatre", "Armstrong Circle Theatre", "The Don Ameche-Frances Langford Show", "Broadway Television Theatre" and "The Best of Broadway." He also appeared on well known programs such as "The United States Steel Hour", "Kraft Theatre", "The Gale Storm Show", "Tales of Wells Fargo", "Maverick", "Zorro", "Bachelor Father", "77 Sunset Strip", "General Hospital", "The Real McCoys", "Perry Mason...

At Rest: Jean Vander Pyl (1999) and Roscoe Lee Browne (2007)

At Rest: Natalie Schafer (1990) Arnold Johnson (2000) Larry Linville (2000) Dixie Carter (2010)

Happy Birthday! Spencer Tracy (1900) Bette Davis (1908) Gregory Peck (1916) Christopher Hewett (1922) Gale Storm (1922) Frank Gorshin (1933) At Rest: Charlton Heston (2008)

Born: April 4, 1906 A wonderful lady would've turn 105 years old today. In this blogger's opinion she was one of the most talented voice actors that was ever born and she continued to share that when she began her work on television. After almost 30 years of supporting roles, some of them uncredited on screen, she finally received star billing as the star of one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1960's. Her career began on radio in 1936 when she received a job with Orson Welles on his program "Campbell Playhouse." Welles produced many productions on his program including many Shakesperean adaptations, his version of A Christmas Carol and of course "War of the Worlds" in 1938. Eventually she was able to lend her voice to such popular radio shows as "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet", "Fibber McGee and Molly", "The Great Gildersleeve" and "Amos 'N' Andy." She had a recurring role as Gertrude Gearshift, ...

In the past few weeks we've lost some absolutely magnificent entertainers... Len Lesser (1922) Jane Russell (1921) Michael Gough (1916) Elizabeth Taylor (1932) Farley Granger (1925) As always In Memoriam Remembers all the marvelous talent!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Happy Birthday -Shemp Howard (1895) At Rest: Helen Hayes (1993) Rosetta LeNoire (2002) Sylvester "Pat" Weaver (2002)

One of the world's most successful Shakesperean actors... Born: June 3, 1901 In addition to the time he spent appearing in Hamlet on Broadway he also appeared in more Shakespeare based productions of the "Hallmark Hall of Fame." His films include Planet of the Apes, Rosemary's Baby, Checkmate and Gilbert and Sullivan. On television he guest starred on "General Electric Theater", "The Steve Allen Plymouth Show", "The United States Steel Hour", "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre", "I Spy", "Batman", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "Tarzan", "The F.B.I.", "The Big Valley", "The Red Skelton Hour", "The Mod Squad", "Columbo", "Fantasy Island" and "The Love Boat." He had a recurring role as Maurice, Samantha's (Elizabeth Montgomery) warlock father on "Bewitched" from 1964 to 1971... His final acting role wa...

At Rest: Ray Milland (1986) Lloyd Bridges (1998) In Memoriam Always Remembers!

The great Desi Arnaz born on this day in 1917. With his wife and business partner Lucille Ball they invented the television sitcom in 1951. As Ricky Ricardo he has entertained the world for 60 years now and he will never be forgotten...he passed away on December 2, 1986, two days after what would've he and Lucille's 46th wedding anniversary... On his birthday, In Memoriam Remembers: Desi Arnaz

Born: April 28, 1874 This gentleman was a wonderful film actor from 1929 to 1947...he is best remembered for his role as the great detective Charlie Chan in more than 20 motion pictures between 1938 and 1947. Some of the films include Charlie Chan in Honolulu in 1938, Charlie Chan in Reno, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, and Charlie Chan in City in Darkness all in 1939. In 1946 the actor became ill but still managed to complete the films Dark Alibi, Dangerous Money and The Trap. The Trap, released in 1947, was the final Charlie Chan motion picture to feature the actor he was suffering from cancer during filming and then passed away on February 12, 1947. In Memoriam Remembers: Sidney Toler

At Rest: Jonathan Hale (1966) Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (1977) Zara Cully (1978) Paul Harvey (2009) In Memoriam Remembers...

The fall of 2011 will mark the 60th anniversary of the creation of Ralph Kramden. He will forever be known as a pioneer among other television characters and also one of the greatest television characters of all time. The man who brought him to life on television on both a regular and recurring basis from 1951 until 1978 would've turned 95 years old today and so at this moment let us look back at the magical legacy he left behind. From his days as a carnival barker and vaudeville performer to his days in Hollywood films The Great One always knew what he was doing and how it should be done. In 1949 he played the lead role of Chester A. Riley on the television version of "The Life of Riley." He also played the character on a single radio broadcast. By 1950 he landed a job as host of the "Cavalcade of Stars" and the rest as they say, was history. It was while working on the variety show that he first met performers Art Carney and Pert Kelton and it was also where...

Happy Birthday! William Frawley (1887) Robert Alda (1914) Mason Adams (1919) Tony Randall (1920) Betty Hutton (1921)

Born on this day in 1934...a true golden girl left us a little less than a year ago. Today she would've celebrated her 77th birthday. She appeared on Broadway and in films and later found fame on television as Vivian Cavendar Harmon on "Maude" from 1972 to 1978. From 1983 to 1984 she played Aunt Fran on "Mama's Family." It was in 1985 that she began playing the role for which she will forever be remembered - she became Blanche Devereaux on "The Golden Girls." Blanche was the sex starved Southern belle who was never without a man. The actress also brought the character of Blanche to spin-off shows such as "Empty Nest" and "Nurses" and then the follow up show "The Golden Palace." She last played Blanche in 1993. She also made guest appearances on such shows as "The Love Boat", "Fantasy Island", "Murder, She Wrote", "Alice", "Lou Grant" and "Newhart." S...

Born on this day in 1906. He is one of my favorite people and one of the most talented entertainers that was ever born. On radio his voice could be heard on: "The Great Gildersleeve" "Our Miss Brooks" "Fibber McGee & Molly" "The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show" "My Favorite Husband" "The Burns and Allen Show" On television he could seen on: "I Love Lucy" (guest star) "Our Miss Brooks" "The Brothers" (1956-1957, 1986-1989) "Playhouse 90" (guest star) "The Danny Thomas Show" (guest star) "Pete and Gladys" "The Donna Reed Show" (guest star) "Dennis the Menace" "The Lucy Show" "Here's Lucy" "Life with Lucy" "The New Lassie" (guest star) "Hi Honey, I'm Home" (guest star) He passed away on June 30, 1995...on his birthday In Memoriam Remembers: Gale Gordon

Wonderful people are leaving us much too quickly... February 12th Betty Garrett, stage and film actress, best known on television as Irene Lorenzo on "All in the Family" and Edna Babish-DeFazio on "Laverne and Shirley died at the age of 91... Kenneth Mars, best known for his roles in The Producers and Young Frankenstein, died at the age of 75... February 14th Joanne Siegel, wife of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and the model for the original Lois Lane design, died at the age of 93... February 16th Len Lesser, best known as Uncle Leo on "Seinfeld" died at the age of 88...

Happy Birthday! Cesar Romero (1907) Kevin McCarthy (1914) Mary Jane Croft (1916) Keene Curtis (1923) Harvey Korman (1927) At Rest: Wally Cox (1973) Ethel Merman (1984) McLean Stevenson (1996) Note: Actor Kenneth Mars died on February 12th at the age of 75 and Joanne Siegel, wife of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and the original model for the Lois Lane character, died on February 14th at the age of 93.

Happy Valentine's Day & Happy Birthday! Jack Benny (1894) Thelma Ritter (1905) Lois Maxwell (1927)

2011 will mark the seventy-three years since Superman first appeared in the pages of Action Comics. In 1948, ten years after his comic book debut, the mighty hero from another planet made his first appearance on the big screen...it should also be noted that on this day in 1940 "The Adventures of Superman" began on radio starring Clayton "Bud" Collyer as Superman/Clark Kent. Now more than sixty years after it was first shown it is considered to be the most successful movie serial in cinema history... July 1948, when it all began: Chapter 1 - Superman Comes to Earth Chapter 2 - Depths of the Earth Chapter 3 - The Reducer Ray Chapter 4 - Man of Steel Chapter 5 - A Job for Superman! Chapter 6 - Superman in Danger! Chapter 7 - Into the Electric Furnace! Chapter 8 - Superman to the Rescue Chapter 9 - Irresistible Force! Chapter 10 - Between Two Fires Chapter 11 - Superman's Dilemma Chapter 12 - Blast in the Depths Chapter 13 - Hurled to Destruction Chapter 14 - Supe...

Happy Birthday! Eva Gavor (1919) Kim Stanley (1925) Leslie Nielsen (1926) At Rest: Lee J. Cobb (1976) George O'Hanlon (1989) William Conrad (1994) Sorrell Booke (1994) Don Porter (1997) Caroline McWilliams (2010)

Born: March 31, 1921 It is very sad...another of the great character actors has left us. It always makes me so sad to log onto MSN.com and see these announcements in the news feed. She began on television in the 1950's and remained until the 1990's came to an end. Her credits include "I Love Lucy", "Saints and Sinners", "Have Gun - Will Travel", "Ben Casey", "The Eleventh Hour", "Kraft Suspense Theatre", "Burke's Law", "Hazel", "Dr. Kildare", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "The Patty Duke Show", "Gidget", "Family Affair", "The Wild Wild West", "Here's Lucy", "The Red Skelton Hour", "Gunsmoke", "Ironside", "Marcus Welby, M.D.", "Love, American Style", "The Odd Couple", "Adam-12", "The Doris Day Show", "Mannix", "Ellery Queen...

Happy Birthday! Burt Mustin (1884) Lana Turner (1921) Jack Lemmon (1925) Audrey Meadows (1926) At Rest: Harriet MacGibbon (1987)

Today marks another milestone for a great actress who was taken from us much too early... She was remembered on this blog on January 14 with an audio tribute in honor of the 25th anniversary of her passing. Now I return to post the rememberance of what would've been her 90th birthday. On this milestone, Once again... In Memoriam Remembers: Donna Reed

I can't believe it, this is the 400th post.......it has been such a pleasure to post everyone of them. Happy Birthday! Zara Cully (1892) Charles Lane (1905) William Prince (1913) Vito Scotti (1918) Paul Newman (1925) At Rest: Edward G. Robinson (1973) Jose Ferrer (1992)

Happy Birthday! Ann Sothern (1909) Bill Bixby (1934) At Rest: Telly Savalas (1994) Ann Miller (2004) Jean Simmons (2010) In the world of politics: President Lyndon B. Johnson (1973) Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1995) Rose Mary Woods (2005)