This post is always as sad one to write as I remember favorite actors and actresses from Classic Movies and Television who have passed away. Sometimes it's a shock all over again as, being so alive on the screen, I've forgotten they're gone.
Jan. 5 - First Rose-Marie at the end of December and then Jerry Van Dyke. Not a good time for Dick Van Dyke (thankfully still with us - looking forward to seeing him in Mary Poppins Returns).
Jan. 19 - I'm still upset the Academy left Dorothy Malone out of their Remember video at the Oscars. It's incredible sad that an Oscar winner can be forgotten so easily...!
Jan. 22 - Connie Sawyer (age 105)
Feb. 9 - Losing John Gavin was a sad one from me. I've had a crush on him ever since seeing Tammy Tell Me True. He gets a lot of flak for his "wooden acting" but I've always enjoyed him in whatever movie he shows up in. He is probably best known as Janet Leigh's boyfriend in Psycho (1960).
Feb. 22 - Nanette Fabray
March 10 - I didn't even know that Hubert de Givenchy had still been alive! He is known by all classic movie fans for the many incredibly chic costumes he designed for Audrey Hepburn. And after the British Royal Wedding in May the designer house that bears his name is finding a new audience.
April 27 - Kristen Nelson (wife of Ricky Nelson)
May 20 - Patricia Morrison
May 21 - Clint Walker
June 1 - William Phipps (voice of Prince Charming in Cinderella) - article
July 8 - Tab Hunter
Aug. 1 - Mary Carlisle
Aug. 26 - Neil Simon (writer)
Sept. 4 - Bill Daily (I Dream of Jeannie)
Sept. 6 - Oh man, Burt Reynolds was a tough one. I absolutely love Smokey and the Bandit and even got to see it on the big screen last year! It was so much fun to watch with an audience and I'm glad he was still alive when I did see it.
As is usually the case at the end of the year, one's thoughts tend to look back at those who will not be joining us in the New Year. We lost some major Television and Movie Stars this year as well as the beloved Robert Osborne, everyone's favorite Film Historian and adopted uncle. Please join me in this small tribute to them all.
Jan. 26 - The very next day Classic Television was dealt another blow with the passing of Barbara Hale, the ever faithful Della Street from Perry Mason.
March 6 - The death of Robert Osborne, beloved TCM Host and friend to all Classic Movie lovers, was an especially painful event that I had hoped wouldn't happen for many years to come. He's truly irreplaceable and I'm getting choked up just writing this.
March 23 - Lola Albright found more success as a guest star on television than she did in movies. Her most notable film performance was opposite Kirk Douglas in Champion (1949). She appears as one of Frank Sinatra's many girlfriends in The Tender Trap (1955) and as Edie Hart, a nightclub singer, in Peter Gunn (1958-61). She was 92 when she died.
April 6 - Another memorable personality we lost this past year was Don Rickles, who wasn't afraid to poke fun at anything or anybody. Prolific in both film and television, he's made people laugh for years and years.
May 22 - The sophisticated Dina Merrill, who brought class to such films as Desk Set (1957), Operation Petticoat (1959), and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), was 93 when she died. She was the second wife of Cliff Robertson and was one of the founders of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation as well as a director of Project Orbis, a flying ophthalmological hospital that teaches advanced eye care and performs surgical techniques around the world.
May 23 - Sir Roger Moore, best known as the second James Bond (which he played successfully seven times), also had several famous television characters, most notably as the title character in The Saint (1962-69) and as Beau Maverick in Maverick.
June 9 - Everyone's favorite Batman (or at least mine) was another big loss when Adam West passed away at the age of 88. A few days later, the Bat-Signal was beamed onto City Hall in LA as a tribute.
July 15 - Martin Landau, famous for his role in Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest (1959), was 89 when he died. He guest starred in many television shows and played Rollin Hand in Mission: Impossible (1966-69).
July 16 - June Foray was best known for her voice work as both Rocky and Natasha Fatale in "Rocky & Bullwinkle," Granny in the Warner Bros. Cartoons, and Little Cindy Lou Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She was 99.
July 31 - Jeanne Moreau, the face of the French New Wave and an icon, died at the age of 89 in Paris. She is most famous for Jules and Jim (1962).
Aug. 20 - Jerry Lewis, nicknamed "The King of Comedy" and the other half of the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis duo, was known for his crazy facial expressions and slapstick roles, most famously The Nutty Professor (1963). Other famous films are At War with the Army (1950) and, my personal favorite, The Bellboy (1960). He was 91 and was still working.
Aug. 31 - Richard Anderson, best remembered for his role of Oscar Goldman in The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman television series, both which ran in the early to late 1970s. He also appeared in such films as Escape From Fort Bravo (1953), Forbidden Planet (1956) and The Long, Hot Summer (1958).
Oct. 17 - Another icon of French cinema, Danielle Darrieux, also passed away last year. She had just turned 100 and had one of the longest film careers in history spanning eight decades. She is best known for The Earrings of Madame De... (1953) and The Rage of Paris (1938).
Dec. 24 - Last year, Charmian Carr was the first of the on-screen Von Trapp family to pass away. This year Heather Menzies, who played the second daughter Louisa in The Sound of Music (1965), died at the age of 68 of brain cancer.
Dec. 28 - The final blow of the year was the sudden death of Rose Marie, best known for her role as Sally on The Dick Van Dyke Show. A fun and diverting presence on Facebook and Twitter, her last tweet was a mere 40 minutes before her passing. This year was a big one for her as a documentary of her 94 year life, Wait For Your Laugh, was recently released to huge successes. It's still making it's way around the country and will soon be released on DVD with Special Features including one of the hour long Q&A sessions Rose Marie attended after one of the screenings. The biggest condolence is knowing that she is now in heaven with her beloved husband, whom she lost during The Dick Van Dyke Show years.
Dec. 29 - I spoke to soon. Peggy Cummins became the final loss of 2017 when she died at the age of 92 in London. With only 28 credits to her name, she is best remembered for her femme fatale role in Gun Crazy (1950). I have only seen her in The Late George Apley (1947).
While there were many deaths in the year 2016, as of the beginning of December there were no major classic movie stars on the list (I define classic as pre-1970) - however, there were a great many television stars. But as is usually the case, December brought with it the death of not one but two beloved stars: Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, and one day later, her mother Debbie Reynolds.
Below are the other stars we lost this year from both film and television:
Jan. 13 - Brian Bedford: Known mostly as the voice of Disney's Robin Hood (1973). Also appeared in Grand Prix (1966).
Feb. 28 - George Kennedy: Started out with lots of guest rolls on television programs as the "bad guy." Notable films include Charade (1963), Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), In Harm's Way (1965), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Cahill U.S. Marshall (1973).
Mar. 6 - Nancy Reagan (Nancy Davis): Starred in Hellcats of the Navy (1957) alongside Ronald Reagan - and married him.
Mar. 10 - Ken Adam: Production designer who worked on films Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Dr. Strangelove (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and several James Bond films.
Mar. 24 - Earl Hamner Jr: Writer for The Twilight Zone (1959-64).
Mar. 29 - Patty Duke: Famous for playing twin cousins on The Patty Duke Show (1963-66) and won an Oscar for her portrayal of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962). Mother of Sean Astin (The Goonies, Rudy, Lord of the Rings).
Apr. 23 - Madeleine Sherwood: Best remembered for playing Jack Carson's wife in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). Also played Mother Superior on The Flying Nun (1967-70).
May 1 - Madeleine LeBeau: French actress and last surviving cast member of Casablanca (1942) - Yvonne.
May 19 - Alan Young: Remembered most as Wilbur from Mr. Ed (1961-66) and the voice of Disney's Scrooge McDuck. Also appeared alongside Rod Taylor in The Time Machine (1960).
June 12 - Janet Waldo: Voice of Judy Jetson. Also had a role in Waterloo Bridge (1940) and appeared in several episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1953-66).
June 14 - Ann Morgan Guilbert: Boloved as Millie Helper from The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-66).
July 24 - Marni Nixon: Vocals dubber for Deborah Kerr in The King and I (1956) and An Affair to Remember (1957), for Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961), and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964). Also had a small part as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music (1965).
July 30 - Gloria DeHaven: Known for The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) and Summer Holiday (1948). Also, FALSELY listed as a young Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee from The Andy Griffith Show) all over the internet with this photo.
Aug. - Jack Riley: Regular on The Bob Newhart Show (1972-78).
Aug. 28 - Gene Wilder: Beloved character in many Mel Brooks films and as Willie Wonka (1971).
Sept. 5 - Hugh O'Brian: Known for The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955-61). Also appeared in Come Fly with Me (1963), Ten Little Indians (1965) and The Shootist (1976).
Sept. 17 - Charmian Carr: Beloved as Liesl in The Sound of Music (1965). Look for my review of her book, Forever Liesl: A Memoir of "The Sound of Music" in the upcoming month.
Oct. 11 - Patricia Barry: Guest star on many television programs. Appeared in Send Me No Flowers (1964).
Nov. 11 - Robert Vaughn: Best remembered as the suave Napoleon Solo in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964-68) and his roles in The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Bullitt (1968).
Nov. 16 - Joan Carroll: Child actress best remembered as Judy Garland's sister Agnes in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and as Patsy in The Bells of St. Marys (1945).
Dec. 18 - Zsa Zsa Gabor: Sister of Eva Gabor (Green Acres) Appeared in Moulin Rouge (1952) and had many television appearances.
Dec. 27 - Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia from the Star Wars films.
Dec. 28 - Debbie Reynolds: Got her start at the age of 19 in Singing in the Rain (1952) and never stopped.
Dec. 31 - William Christopher: Beloved as Father Mulcahy from the groundbreaking M*A*S*H (1972-83).
This year saw the deaths of several beloved stars,
both of movies and television.
TCM Remembers
On January 1st Donna Douglas, known as Elly May in The Beverly Hillbillies passed away. You can read my post on her here.
I hardly recognize her without her signature hairstyle!
A few days later, on the 7th, Rod Taylor died. We all know him from The Birds and as the voice of Pongo in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). After his death I sought out more of his films, including the film that started his career, The Time Machine (1960). Other films that I greatly enjoyed were Sunday in New York (1963) with Jane Fonda and 36 Hours (1964) with James Garner and Eva Marie Saint. You can read my post on him here.
Anita Ekberg, who died January 11th, may not be a name that everyone knows. The only film I have seen with her in it was Paris Holiday (1958) starring Bob Hope. It is hilarious and I highly recommend it. She is also in La Dolce Vita (1960).
Lizabeth Scott, an icon of Film Noir, passed away on the 31st of January. I have not yet seen any of her films (note to self: MUST CORRECT SOON!).
Louis Jourdan, known as a romantic leading man, died on Valentine's Day. His films include Gigi (1958), Letter to an Unknown Woman (1948), Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), and Grace Kelly's final film The Swan (1956).
One of my favorite child stars, George 'Foghorn' Winslow died on June 13th. Known for his deadpan delivery and deep voice, you can see him in the 1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (he has some hilarious lines in that one), Monkey Business (1952), and Room For One More (1952).
A star that I just discovered this year, Omar Sharif, died on July 10th. I have only seen two of his films so far, The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964) and Funny Girl (1968) - look for my post on that film in mid-January, but more of his films are definitely on my "to watch" list. He also appears in Lawrence on Arabia (1962) and Dr. Zhivago (1965).
Coleen Gray died August 3rd. The day before I had watched Kansas City Confidential (1952) starring her and John Payne as my last assignment for TCM's Into the Darkness: Investigating Film Noir class. Coleen Gray died at her home in Bel Air at the age of 92. I found it... odd is not the word but I can't think of another, that at the close of TCM's Summer of Darkness which showed film noirs every Friday, one of the final stars of film noir passed away. Coleen Gray starred in numerous film noirs such as Nightmare Alley (1947) and Kansas City Confidential. She is also known for her small role at the beginning of Red River (1948) and plays William Holden's love interest in Father is a Bachelor (1950). Click here to watch Kansas City Confidential.
Some of Coleen Gray's television appearances:
Have Gun, Will Travel S05E10 Ben Jalisco (1961) - Lucy Jalisco
The Adventure's of Ozzie and Harriet S11E21 Decorating Dave's Office (1963) - Mrs. Kelley, the bosses wife
My Three Sons S05E23 Hawaiian Cruise (1965) - Miss Lovett (the gym teacher part near the end is kind of embarressing)
On August 18th we lost Yvonne Craig, known most for her role as Batgirl in the third and final season of Batman (1966-68). She also makes an appearance in Gidget (1959).
Dean Jones, star of so many Disney films, passed away September 1st at the age of 84. The first film with Jones that I saw was That Darn Cat (1965). We watched that many a Saturday morning growing up. He also appears in The Ugly Dachshund (1966) and The Love Bug series.
Just a few days later, on the 7th, Martin Milner, star of television shows Route 66 and Adam 12 died.
Joan Leslie, the girl next door, died Oct. 12th. I have seen several films with her. She was a frequent costar of Dennis Morgan and appeared in the famous Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) with James Cagney. You can read my post on her passing here.
October 24th - the biggest death of the year, and the star that all classic movie fans will miss, was that of Maureen O'Hara, the Queen of Technicolor. With her gorgeous red hair and Irish temper, she was a match for any leading man. Her most famous pairing was with John Wayne, whom she regarded as one of her closest friends. You can read my posts on this legendary woman here and here.
The last death was Betsy Drake, 3rd wife of Cary Grant on October 27th. You can read my post on her here.
With George Winslow and Cary Grant in Room for One More (1952)
UPDATE: And one more death slipped in before the year ended. Wayne Rogers, who played Trapper John on the extremely popular 70s TV show M*A*S*H, died December 31st at the age of 82. I've seen M*A*S*H on TV all my life but it was just recently that I actually sat down and watched the first five seasons (I stopped because I can't stand Frank's replacement). And of course, being a normal girl and Rogers being an extremely attractive guy, he was a favorite on the show. I will be writing a post on him tomorrow.
Also, singer Natalie Cole, daughter of the legendary Nat King Cole, died unexpectedly at the age of 65.
