The Rest In Peace & Remembrance Thread #2
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Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Cabela's co-founder Richard Cabela dies at 77
1 of the co-founders of outdoor outfitter Cabela's, Richard Cabela, dies at age 77
Associated Press
By Josh Funk, AP Business Writer
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Richard Cabela, a co-founder of outdoor outfitter Cabela's, died Monday. He was 77.
Cabela, who went by Dick, died at his home in Sidney, where the company is based, said spokesman Joe Arterburn.
The company that sells outdoor gear and sporting goods got its start humbly in 1961 when Cabela bought $45 of fishing flies in Chicago. When the flies didn't sell quickly at the family's furniture store in Chappell, Neb., Cabela started selling them through the mail with his wife, Mary, and brother, Jim.
Dick Cabela's first successful ad in Sports Afield magazine offered five free fishing flies as long as the buyer paid 25 cents shipping and handling. That led to the development of the Cabela's catalog. Today, the company has 50 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada. Last year, it had $3.6 billion in revenue.
Current Cabela's CEO Tommy Millner said Dick and Jim Cabela made it possible for people to find quality outdoor gear no matter where they lived.
"The outdoor industry has lost an innovative thinker and a tireless supporter of wildlife and habitat conservation," Millner said. "The business world has lost a true original, who built a business model that will be studied and emulated for years; a man who, through perseverance and hard work, achieved the American Dream."
Dick continued to serve as Cabela's chairman until June 2013, when he moved into a chairman emeritus role and Jim Cabela became chairman.
Dick Cabela was honored for his business accomplishments and his commitment to conservation. He was named to the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame in 2006 and Nebraska Business Hall of Fame in 1994.
Safari Club International recognized Dick Cabela in 2001 for his efforts to preserve the tradition and heritage of hunting. Cabela's retail stores all feature displays of mounted animals and birds in different outdoor settings.
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"Green Acres"' actress Mary Grace Canfield dies
Associated Press
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Mary Grace Canfield, a veteran character actress who played handywoman Ralph Monroe on the television show "Green Acres," has died. She was 89.
Her daughter, Phoebe Alexiades, says Canfield died of lung cancer on Saturday at a hospice in the California coastal town of Santa Barbara.
Canfield had appearances on a number of TV shows during a four-decade career, including "General Hospital" and "The Hathaways." She was Harriet Kravitz on four episodes of the 1960s series "Bewitched."
But she was best known for her role of Ralph Monroe in some 40 episodes of "Green Acres," which ran from 1965 to 1971.
Monroe greeted folks in the town of Hootersville with a cheery "howdy doody," wore painters' overalls and was forever working on the Douglas family's bedroom with her brother, Alf.
1 of the co-founders of outdoor outfitter Cabela's, Richard Cabela, dies at age 77
Associated Press
By Josh Funk, AP Business Writer
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Richard Cabela, a co-founder of outdoor outfitter Cabela's, died Monday. He was 77.
Cabela, who went by Dick, died at his home in Sidney, where the company is based, said spokesman Joe Arterburn.
The company that sells outdoor gear and sporting goods got its start humbly in 1961 when Cabela bought $45 of fishing flies in Chicago. When the flies didn't sell quickly at the family's furniture store in Chappell, Neb., Cabela started selling them through the mail with his wife, Mary, and brother, Jim.
Dick Cabela's first successful ad in Sports Afield magazine offered five free fishing flies as long as the buyer paid 25 cents shipping and handling. That led to the development of the Cabela's catalog. Today, the company has 50 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada. Last year, it had $3.6 billion in revenue.
Current Cabela's CEO Tommy Millner said Dick and Jim Cabela made it possible for people to find quality outdoor gear no matter where they lived.
"The outdoor industry has lost an innovative thinker and a tireless supporter of wildlife and habitat conservation," Millner said. "The business world has lost a true original, who built a business model that will be studied and emulated for years; a man who, through perseverance and hard work, achieved the American Dream."
Dick continued to serve as Cabela's chairman until June 2013, when he moved into a chairman emeritus role and Jim Cabela became chairman.
Dick Cabela was honored for his business accomplishments and his commitment to conservation. He was named to the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame in 2006 and Nebraska Business Hall of Fame in 1994.
Safari Club International recognized Dick Cabela in 2001 for his efforts to preserve the tradition and heritage of hunting. Cabela's retail stores all feature displays of mounted animals and birds in different outdoor settings.
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"Green Acres"' actress Mary Grace Canfield dies
Associated Press
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Mary Grace Canfield, a veteran character actress who played handywoman Ralph Monroe on the television show "Green Acres," has died. She was 89.
Her daughter, Phoebe Alexiades, says Canfield died of lung cancer on Saturday at a hospice in the California coastal town of Santa Barbara.
Canfield had appearances on a number of TV shows during a four-decade career, including "General Hospital" and "The Hathaways." She was Harriet Kravitz on four episodes of the 1960s series "Bewitched."
But she was best known for her role of Ralph Monroe in some 40 episodes of "Green Acres," which ran from 1965 to 1971.
Monroe greeted folks in the town of Hootersville with a cheery "howdy doody," wore painters' overalls and was forever working on the Douglas family's bedroom with her brother, Alf.
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Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Versatile TV newsman Garrick Utley dies at 74
Feb 21, 9:48 AM (ET)
NEW YORK (AP) - NBC News says veteran reporter Garrick Utley (UHT'-lee) has died of cancer. He was 74.
Utley began at NBC News in 1963, where for three decades he handled a wide variety of assignments. Early on, he reported from Vietnam on the escalating conflict. In later years, he moderated "Meet the Press."
He once speculated that he may have been the only person at NBC News who handled every type of programming as host or anchor.
In 1993, he left NBC to be a foreign correspondent for ABC News. He reported for CNN from 1997 to 2002.
Standing a lanky 6-foot-6, Utley was known for his courtly and knowledgeable on-the-air manner.
An opera buff, he was also a host of PBS'"Live From the Met."
Feb 21, 9:48 AM (ET)
NEW YORK (AP) - NBC News says veteran reporter Garrick Utley (UHT'-lee) has died of cancer. He was 74.
Utley began at NBC News in 1963, where for three decades he handled a wide variety of assignments. Early on, he reported from Vietnam on the escalating conflict. In later years, he moderated "Meet the Press."
He once speculated that he may have been the only person at NBC News who handled every type of programming as host or anchor.
In 1993, he left NBC to be a foreign correspondent for ABC News. He reported for CNN from 1997 to 2002.
Standing a lanky 6-foot-6, Utley was known for his courtly and knowledgeable on-the-air manner.
An opera buff, he was also a host of PBS'"Live From the Met."
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Maria von Trapp, 99, Dies in Vermont
Associated Press
STOWE, Vermont (AP) — Maria von Trapp, the last surviving member and second-eldest daughter of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for "The Sound of Music," has died. She was 99.
Von Trapp died at her home in Vermont on Tuesday, according to her brother Johannes von Trapp.
"She was a lovely woman who was one of the few truly good people," he said. "There wasn't a mean or miserable bone in her body. I think everyone who knew her would agree with that."
Maria von Trapp was the last surviving member of the seven original Trapp Family Singers made famous in "The Sound of Music." Their story was turned into a Broadway musical in 1959 and a 1965 film, which won the Oscar for best picture. Trapp was portrayed as Louisa in the film and musical.
She was the third child and second-oldest daughter of Austrian Naval Capt. Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. Their seven children were the basis for the singing family in the musical and film.
"The Sound of Music" was based loosely on a 1949 book by von Trapp's second wife, also Maria von Trapp, who died in 1987. It tells the story of an Austrian woman who married a widower with seven children and teaches them music.
In 1938, the family escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria and performed concert tours throughout Europe and then a three-month tour in America. The family eventually settled in Vermont and opened a ski lodge in Stowe.
Von Trapp played accordion and taught Austrian dance with sister Rosmarie at the lodge.
She wrote in a biography posted on the Trapp Family's website that she was born in the Austrian Alps after her family fled fighting from World War I and that she was surrounded by music growing up.
"Father played the violin, accordion and mandolin. Mother played piano and violin," she wrote. "I have fond memories of our grandmother playing the piano for us after meals."
Her biography on the website also said that she worked as a lay missionary in Papua, New Guinea.
Rosmarie von Trapp, Johannes von Trapp and Eleonore Von Trapp Campbell were born to Georg von Trapp and Maria von Trapp.
Associated Press
STOWE, Vermont (AP) — Maria von Trapp, the last surviving member and second-eldest daughter of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for "The Sound of Music," has died. She was 99.
Von Trapp died at her home in Vermont on Tuesday, according to her brother Johannes von Trapp.
"She was a lovely woman who was one of the few truly good people," he said. "There wasn't a mean or miserable bone in her body. I think everyone who knew her would agree with that."
Maria von Trapp was the last surviving member of the seven original Trapp Family Singers made famous in "The Sound of Music." Their story was turned into a Broadway musical in 1959 and a 1965 film, which won the Oscar for best picture. Trapp was portrayed as Louisa in the film and musical.
She was the third child and second-oldest daughter of Austrian Naval Capt. Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. Their seven children were the basis for the singing family in the musical and film.
"The Sound of Music" was based loosely on a 1949 book by von Trapp's second wife, also Maria von Trapp, who died in 1987. It tells the story of an Austrian woman who married a widower with seven children and teaches them music.
In 1938, the family escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria and performed concert tours throughout Europe and then a three-month tour in America. The family eventually settled in Vermont and opened a ski lodge in Stowe.
Von Trapp played accordion and taught Austrian dance with sister Rosmarie at the lodge.
She wrote in a biography posted on the Trapp Family's website that she was born in the Austrian Alps after her family fled fighting from World War I and that she was surrounded by music growing up.
"Father played the violin, accordion and mandolin. Mother played piano and violin," she wrote. "I have fond memories of our grandmother playing the piano for us after meals."
Her biography on the website also said that she worked as a lay missionary in Papua, New Guinea.
Rosmarie von Trapp, Johannes von Trapp and Eleonore Von Trapp Campbell were born to Georg von Trapp and Maria von Trapp.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Oldest-known Holocaust survivor dies at 110
Associated Press
By SYLVIA HUI and ROBERT BARR 3 hours ago
LONDON (AP) — Alice Herz-Sommer, believed to be the oldest Holocaust survivor, died at age 110 on Sunday, a family member said. The accomplished pianist's death came just a week before her extraordinary story of surviving two years in a Nazi prison camp through devotion to music and her son is up for an Oscar.
Herz-Sommer died in a hospital after being admitted Friday with health problems, daughter-in-law Genevieve Sommer said.
"We all came to believe that she would just never die," said Frederic Bohbot, a producer of the documentary "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life." ''There was no question in my mind, 'would she ever see the Oscars.'"
The film, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Malcolm Clarke, has been nominated for best short documentary at the Academy Awards next Sunday.
Another producer on the film, Nick Reed, said telling her story was a "life-changing experience."
"Even as her energy slowly diminished, her bright spirit never faltered," she said. "Her life force was so strong we could never imagine her not being around."
Herz-Sommer, her husband and her son were sent from Prague in 1943 to a concentration camp in the Czech city of Terezin — Theresienstadt in German — where inmates were allowed to stage concerts in which she frequently starred.
Full story at AP News.
Associated Press
By SYLVIA HUI and ROBERT BARR 3 hours ago
LONDON (AP) — Alice Herz-Sommer, believed to be the oldest Holocaust survivor, died at age 110 on Sunday, a family member said. The accomplished pianist's death came just a week before her extraordinary story of surviving two years in a Nazi prison camp through devotion to music and her son is up for an Oscar.
Herz-Sommer died in a hospital after being admitted Friday with health problems, daughter-in-law Genevieve Sommer said.
"We all came to believe that she would just never die," said Frederic Bohbot, a producer of the documentary "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life." ''There was no question in my mind, 'would she ever see the Oscars.'"
The film, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Malcolm Clarke, has been nominated for best short documentary at the Academy Awards next Sunday.
Another producer on the film, Nick Reed, said telling her story was a "life-changing experience."
"Even as her energy slowly diminished, her bright spirit never faltered," she said. "Her life force was so strong we could never imagine her not being around."
Herz-Sommer, her husband and her son were sent from Prague in 1943 to a concentration camp in the Czech city of Terezin — Theresienstadt in German — where inmates were allowed to stage concerts in which she frequently starred.
Full story at AP News.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
‘Ghostbusters’ Star Harold Ramis Dies at 69
Variety - Film News
Harold Ramis, best known as an actor in “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes” and a writer/director for “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog Day” died Monday died today from complications related to auto-immune inflammatory vasculitis, a disease he battled for four years. He was 69.
Born in Chicago, Il, Ramis got his start at the famed Second City improvisational group and made his big Hollywood breakthrough in 1978 when he co-wrote “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” starring John Belushi.
He went on to co-write and star opposite Bill Murray in “Stripes” (1981), “Ghostbusters” (1984) and “Ghostbusters II” (1989). He later co-wrote and made his directorial debut with Caddyshack (1980), followed by “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983).
Ramis most recently directed the 2009 comedy “Year One” starring Jack Black and Michael Cera and was also seen opposite Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s box office hit “Knocked Up.”
A trailblazer in the comedy world, Ramis was the recipient of the American Comedy Award.
Variety - Film News
Harold Ramis, best known as an actor in “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes” and a writer/director for “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog Day” died Monday died today from complications related to auto-immune inflammatory vasculitis, a disease he battled for four years. He was 69.
Born in Chicago, Il, Ramis got his start at the famed Second City improvisational group and made his big Hollywood breakthrough in 1978 when he co-wrote “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” starring John Belushi.
He went on to co-write and star opposite Bill Murray in “Stripes” (1981), “Ghostbusters” (1984) and “Ghostbusters II” (1989). He later co-wrote and made his directorial debut with Caddyshack (1980), followed by “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983).
Ramis most recently directed the 2009 comedy “Year One” starring Jack Black and Michael Cera and was also seen opposite Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s box office hit “Knocked Up.”
A trailblazer in the comedy world, Ramis was the recipient of the American Comedy Award.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Jim Lange, 'The Dating Game' host, dies
Feb 27, 2:19 AM (ET)
By CHANNING JOSEPH
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Jim Lange, the first host of the popular game show "The Dating Game," has died at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81.
He died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday.
Though Lange had a successful career in radio, he is best known for his television role on ABC's "The Dating Game," which debuted in 1965 and on which he appeared for more than a decade, charming audiences with his mellifluous voice and wide, easygoing grin.
He also played host to many celebrity guests. Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, appeared as contestants.
Even a pre-"Charlie's Angels" Farrah Fawcett appeared on the program, introduced as "an accomplished artist and sculptress" with a dream to open her own gallery.
The show's format: a young man or woman questions three members of the opposite sex, hidden from view, to determine which one would be the best date.
The questions were designed by the show's writers to elicit sexy answers.
"I've never been out on a date before. What do two kids like us do on a date?" a teenage Michael Jackson asked one of his potential dates on a 1972 episode of the show.
"Well, we'd have fun," the girl answered. "We'd go out to dinner, and then I'd go over to your house."
Lange was born on Aug. 15, 1932, in St. Paul, Minn., where at 15 he discovered a passion for local radio after winning an audition at a local station.
"They wanted a boy and a girl," he said in a 1992 interview with the Bay Area Radio Digest. "They wanted the boy to do sports and the girl to do the dances and stuff that was going on in the Twin Cities - very sexist - and play music once a week."
He hosted that show for two years before attending the University of Minnesota and doing a three-year stint in the Marines, according to the Bay Area Radio Museum.
His big break on network TV came in 1962 when he was made an announcer and sidekick on "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show."
Later, after "The Dating Game" brought him national recognition, he also hosted the game shows "Hollywood Connection,""$100,000 Name That Tune" and "The New Newlywed Game."
Lang also worked as a disc jockey for decades in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and upon his retirement from broadcasting in 2005, he was the morning DJ for KABL-FM, which specializes in playing classics from the Big Band era to the 1970s.
"As much as he's known for his television work, his real love was radio," his wife said. "He loved doing local radio, especially before it was computerized."
Lange himself once told the Bay Area Radio Digest that his favorite aspect of the medium was that "you don't have to worry about lighting directors and cameramen or script writers and all that."
"Good radio is still the most fun," he said, "It always will be. Plus, you don't have to wear makeup and you don't have to shave."
Lange is survived by a sister, five children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
Feb 27, 2:19 AM (ET)
By CHANNING JOSEPH
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Jim Lange, the first host of the popular game show "The Dating Game," has died at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81.
He died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday.
Though Lange had a successful career in radio, he is best known for his television role on ABC's "The Dating Game," which debuted in 1965 and on which he appeared for more than a decade, charming audiences with his mellifluous voice and wide, easygoing grin.
He also played host to many celebrity guests. Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, appeared as contestants.
Even a pre-"Charlie's Angels" Farrah Fawcett appeared on the program, introduced as "an accomplished artist and sculptress" with a dream to open her own gallery.
The show's format: a young man or woman questions three members of the opposite sex, hidden from view, to determine which one would be the best date.
The questions were designed by the show's writers to elicit sexy answers.
"I've never been out on a date before. What do two kids like us do on a date?" a teenage Michael Jackson asked one of his potential dates on a 1972 episode of the show.
"Well, we'd have fun," the girl answered. "We'd go out to dinner, and then I'd go over to your house."
Lange was born on Aug. 15, 1932, in St. Paul, Minn., where at 15 he discovered a passion for local radio after winning an audition at a local station.
"They wanted a boy and a girl," he said in a 1992 interview with the Bay Area Radio Digest. "They wanted the boy to do sports and the girl to do the dances and stuff that was going on in the Twin Cities - very sexist - and play music once a week."
He hosted that show for two years before attending the University of Minnesota and doing a three-year stint in the Marines, according to the Bay Area Radio Museum.
His big break on network TV came in 1962 when he was made an announcer and sidekick on "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show."
Later, after "The Dating Game" brought him national recognition, he also hosted the game shows "Hollywood Connection,""$100,000 Name That Tune" and "The New Newlywed Game."
Lang also worked as a disc jockey for decades in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and upon his retirement from broadcasting in 2005, he was the morning DJ for KABL-FM, which specializes in playing classics from the Big Band era to the 1970s.
"As much as he's known for his television work, his real love was radio," his wife said. "He loved doing local radio, especially before it was computerized."
Lange himself once told the Bay Area Radio Digest that his favorite aspect of the medium was that "you don't have to worry about lighting directors and cameramen or script writers and all that."
"Good radio is still the most fun," he said, "It always will be. Plus, you don't have to wear makeup and you don't have to shave."
Lange is survived by a sister, five children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Franny Beecher, 92, lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS February 25, 2014 5:56PM
Updated: February 26, 2014 2:23AM
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Franny Beecher, lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets, which helped kick off the rock and roll era with the hit “Rock Around the Clock” in 1955, has died. He was 92.
Mr. Beecher died in his sleep Monday night at a nursing home near Philadelphia, daughter Pauline Grinstead said Tuesday.
The Comets, whose hits also included “See You Later, Alligator,” are credited by some music historians with having recorded the first rock and roll song in 1953 with “Crazy Man, Crazy,” the group’s biography on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website says.
Mr. Beecher, born Francis Beecher in 1921 in Norristown, started playing guitar before crowds when he was 17 and continued until he was 90; before the Comets, he performed with Buddy Greco and Benny Goodman, Grinstead said.
“My dad didn’t play music for money. He was no businessman,” she said. “He played music for music.”
Although Philadelphia session musician Danny Cedrone played on the original recording of “Rock Around the Clock” before his death in 1954, Mr. Beecher played the signature song for the first time on national television in 1955 and also played with the group in films.
“Rock Around the Clock” became a hit again nearly 20 years after its release when it was included on the soundtrack of “American Graffiti.”
The Comets broke up in 1962, but in the 1980s, Mr. Beecher and some of the original members reunited and played tour dates around the United States and internationally for years.
Grinstead said her father also is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS February 25, 2014 5:56PM
Updated: February 26, 2014 2:23AM
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Franny Beecher, lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets, which helped kick off the rock and roll era with the hit “Rock Around the Clock” in 1955, has died. He was 92.
Mr. Beecher died in his sleep Monday night at a nursing home near Philadelphia, daughter Pauline Grinstead said Tuesday.
The Comets, whose hits also included “See You Later, Alligator,” are credited by some music historians with having recorded the first rock and roll song in 1953 with “Crazy Man, Crazy,” the group’s biography on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website says.
Mr. Beecher, born Francis Beecher in 1921 in Norristown, started playing guitar before crowds when he was 17 and continued until he was 90; before the Comets, he performed with Buddy Greco and Benny Goodman, Grinstead said.
“My dad didn’t play music for money. He was no businessman,” she said. “He played music for music.”
Although Philadelphia session musician Danny Cedrone played on the original recording of “Rock Around the Clock” before his death in 1954, Mr. Beecher played the signature song for the first time on national television in 1955 and also played with the group in films.
“Rock Around the Clock” became a hit again nearly 20 years after its release when it was included on the soundtrack of “American Graffiti.”
The Comets broke up in 1962, but in the 1980s, Mr. Beecher and some of the original members reunited and played tour dates around the United States and internationally for years.
Grinstead said her father also is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Game Show Host Geoff Edwards Dies at 83
LOS ANGELES March 6, 2014 (AP)
By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer
Geoff Edwards, the hip-looking 1970s and '80s host of TV game shows including "Jackpot!" and two incarnations of "Treasure Hunt," died Wednesday, his agent said. He was 83.
Edwards died of complications of pneumonia at St. John's hospital in Santa Monica, agent Fred Westbrook said.
Edwards also worked as a radio DJ and actor, appearing on TV shows including "Petticoat Junction," ''I Dream of Jeannie" and "Diff'rent Strokes."
"Geoff was one of the cleverest, funniest radio and television personalities I've worked with," said fellow game show host Wink Martindale. The two were DJs at pop radio station KMPC in Los Angeles.
Edwards, a native of Westfield, N.J., hosted "The New Treasure Hunt," a revival of a 1950s quiz show, from 1973 to 1977 and hosted "Treasure Hunt" in 1981-82. He also emceed the 1980s game show "Jackpot!" and appeared on other shows including "Starcade."
Westbrook said his longtime client made a splash on TV by shedding the conservative look worn by his peers.
His hair was longer, he never wore a tie, and he favored jeans over suits, Westbrook said. "He was part of the new breed."
Edwards had been in good health, his agent said. In recent years, he wrote about travel on his website and did radio and TV programs on the subject.
He is survived by his wife, Michael, and stepsons Justin and Jason Feffer, Westbrook said. His survivors also include his ex-wife, Suzanne, and their children Todd, Shawn and Chess, as well as nine grandchildren.
Funeral plans were pending, Westbrook said.
LOS ANGELES March 6, 2014 (AP)
By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer
Geoff Edwards, the hip-looking 1970s and '80s host of TV game shows including "Jackpot!" and two incarnations of "Treasure Hunt," died Wednesday, his agent said. He was 83.
Edwards died of complications of pneumonia at St. John's hospital in Santa Monica, agent Fred Westbrook said.
Edwards also worked as a radio DJ and actor, appearing on TV shows including "Petticoat Junction," ''I Dream of Jeannie" and "Diff'rent Strokes."
"Geoff was one of the cleverest, funniest radio and television personalities I've worked with," said fellow game show host Wink Martindale. The two were DJs at pop radio station KMPC in Los Angeles.
Edwards, a native of Westfield, N.J., hosted "The New Treasure Hunt," a revival of a 1950s quiz show, from 1973 to 1977 and hosted "Treasure Hunt" in 1981-82. He also emceed the 1980s game show "Jackpot!" and appeared on other shows including "Starcade."
Westbrook said his longtime client made a splash on TV by shedding the conservative look worn by his peers.
His hair was longer, he never wore a tie, and he favored jeans over suits, Westbrook said. "He was part of the new breed."
Edwards had been in good health, his agent said. In recent years, he wrote about travel on his website and did radio and TV programs on the subject.
He is survived by his wife, Michael, and stepsons Justin and Jason Feffer, Westbrook said. His survivors also include his ex-wife, Suzanne, and their children Todd, Shawn and Chess, as well as nine grandchildren.
Funeral plans were pending, Westbrook said.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Sheila MacRae -- who played Alice Kramden on "The Honeymooners," has died.
MacRae did not appear in the original episodes in 1955. She appeared on the wildly popular "Jackie Gleason Show" from 1966 - 1970. The show recreated "The Honeymooners" in featured segments.
The original Alice was played by Audrey Meadows. She died in 1996.
As for MacRae ... she reportedly died in an actor's nursing home in New Jersey. Sheila was 93 years old.
Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz2vNHO3uH0
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Wendy Hughes died
StarTrek.com is saddened to report the passing of acclaimed Australian actress and Star Trek: The Next Generation guest star Wendy Hughes. She played Captain Picard's love interest, Lt. Commander Nella Daren, in the sixth-season hour "Lessons," which aired in 1993. Her TNG episode was just one credit in a long and successful career that spanned from the stage to television to features, and included My Brilliant Career, Careful, He Might Hear You and State Coroner, as well as The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and, in 2012, a Sydney Theater Company production of Pygmalion that cast her as Mrs. Higgins.
Hughes succumbed to cancer on Saturday afternoon in Sydney, with actor Bryan Brown breaking the news to the audience at a Sydney Theatre Company Travelling North show and leading the audience to honor her with a standing ovation. The actress was 61 years old and leaves behind a daughter, Charlotte, and a son, Jay. StarTrek.com offers our condolences to Hughes' family, friends, colleagues and fans.
MacRae did not appear in the original episodes in 1955. She appeared on the wildly popular "Jackie Gleason Show" from 1966 - 1970. The show recreated "The Honeymooners" in featured segments.
The original Alice was played by Audrey Meadows. She died in 1996.
As for MacRae ... she reportedly died in an actor's nursing home in New Jersey. Sheila was 93 years old.
Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz2vNHO3uH0
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Wendy Hughes died
StarTrek.com is saddened to report the passing of acclaimed Australian actress and Star Trek: The Next Generation guest star Wendy Hughes. She played Captain Picard's love interest, Lt. Commander Nella Daren, in the sixth-season hour "Lessons," which aired in 1993. Her TNG episode was just one credit in a long and successful career that spanned from the stage to television to features, and included My Brilliant Career, Careful, He Might Hear You and State Coroner, as well as The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and, in 2012, a Sydney Theater Company production of Pygmalion that cast her as Mrs. Higgins.
Hughes succumbed to cancer on Saturday afternoon in Sydney, with actor Bryan Brown breaking the news to the audience at a Sydney Theatre Company Travelling North show and leading the audience to honor her with a standing ovation. The actress was 61 years old and leaves behind a daughter, Charlotte, and a son, Jay. StarTrek.com offers our condolences to Hughes' family, friends, colleagues and fans.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
"Band of Brothers" WWII Vet Bill Guarnere Dies
Facebook.com
Friends and family are mourning the death of a national hero. William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, a South Philly native and World War II vet who was portrayed on the television miniseries, “Band of Brothers,” died on Saturday at the age of 90.
Guarnere's son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night.
Born in South Philadelphia on April 28, in 1923, Guarnere was a non-commissioned officer with the legendary Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II.
Facebook.com
Friends and family are mourning the death of a national hero. William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, a South Philly native and World War II vet who was portrayed on the television miniseries, “Band of Brothers,” died on Saturday at the age of 90.
Guarnere's son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night.
Born in South Philadelphia on April 28, in 1923, Guarnere was a non-commissioned officer with the legendary Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Joe McGinniss dies at 71; journalist-author wrote 'Fatal Vision'
By Hillel Italie
March 10, 2014, 9:26 p.m.
Joe McGinniss, the adventurous and news-making author and reporter who skewered the marketing of Richard Nixon in "The Selling of the President 1968" and tracked his personal journey from sympathizer to scourge of convicted killer Jeffrey MacDonald in the blockbuster "Fatal Vision," died Monday at a hospital in Worcester, Mass. He was 71.
McGinniss died from complications of prostate cancer, according to his attorney and longtime friend Dennis Holahan.
Few journalists of his time so intrepidly pursued a story, burned so many bridges or more memorably placed themselves in the narrative, whether insisting on the guilt of MacDonald after seemingly befriending him or moving next door to Sarah Palin's house for a most unauthorized biography of the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate.
The tall, talkative McGinniss had early dreams of becoming a sports reporter and wrote books about soccer, horse racing and travel. But he was best known for two works that became touchstones in their respective genres — campaign books ("The Selling of the President") and true crime ("Fatal Vision"). In both cases, he had become fascinated by the difference between public image and private reality.
McGinniss was born Dec. 9, 1942, in New York and grew up in Rye, N.Y. He graduated from Holy Cross College in 1964 and soon began working as a reporter in Worcester.
Full story at LA Times.
By Hillel Italie
March 10, 2014, 9:26 p.m.
Joe McGinniss, the adventurous and news-making author and reporter who skewered the marketing of Richard Nixon in "The Selling of the President 1968" and tracked his personal journey from sympathizer to scourge of convicted killer Jeffrey MacDonald in the blockbuster "Fatal Vision," died Monday at a hospital in Worcester, Mass. He was 71.
McGinniss died from complications of prostate cancer, according to his attorney and longtime friend Dennis Holahan.
Few journalists of his time so intrepidly pursued a story, burned so many bridges or more memorably placed themselves in the narrative, whether insisting on the guilt of MacDonald after seemingly befriending him or moving next door to Sarah Palin's house for a most unauthorized biography of the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate.
The tall, talkative McGinniss had early dreams of becoming a sports reporter and wrote books about soccer, horse racing and travel. But he was best known for two works that became touchstones in their respective genres — campaign books ("The Selling of the President") and true crime ("Fatal Vision"). In both cases, he had become fascinated by the difference between public image and private reality.
McGinniss was born Dec. 9, 1942, in New York and grew up in Rye, N.Y. He graduated from Holy Cross College in 1964 and soon began working as a reporter in Worcester.
Full story at LA Times.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Hal Douglas, voice of Hollywood movie trailers, dies at 89
Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hal Douglas, a veteran voice-over artist who worked on trailers for films such as "Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump" and "Lethal Weapon," died at the age of 89 last week, his daughter said on Thursday.
He passed away on March 7 at his home in Lovettsville, Virginia, surrounded by family after suffering from pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed in 2010.
"Hal was known not only for his incomparable voice, which could be heard on thousands of movie trailers, television and radio promos, commercials, documentaries, and as the spokesman for numerous broadcast networks, but also for his warmth, humility, humor, and generosity of spirit," Sarah Douglas said on a memorial website for her father.
With his throaty voice, Douglas was one of the top talents in voice-overs for decades.
Director Casimir Nozkowski made a short film in 2013 about Douglas called "A Great Voice," in which he demonstrated and described his voice-over technique.
He also appeared on camera in a trailer for comedian Jerry Seinfeld's 2002 documentary "Comedian."
Born in Connecticut, Douglas was a pilot, wrote fiction and studied acting before turning to announcing and voice-over work for radio, television and films.
He worked in New York studios for most of his career but spent the last 15 years recording in his home studio in Virginia.
He is survived by wife Ruth, daughter Sarah, two sons, Jeremy and John, and three grandchildren.
Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hal Douglas, a veteran voice-over artist who worked on trailers for films such as "Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump" and "Lethal Weapon," died at the age of 89 last week, his daughter said on Thursday.
He passed away on March 7 at his home in Lovettsville, Virginia, surrounded by family after suffering from pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed in 2010.
"Hal was known not only for his incomparable voice, which could be heard on thousands of movie trailers, television and radio promos, commercials, documentaries, and as the spokesman for numerous broadcast networks, but also for his warmth, humility, humor, and generosity of spirit," Sarah Douglas said on a memorial website for her father.
With his throaty voice, Douglas was one of the top talents in voice-overs for decades.
Director Casimir Nozkowski made a short film in 2013 about Douglas called "A Great Voice," in which he demonstrated and described his voice-over technique.
He also appeared on camera in a trailer for comedian Jerry Seinfeld's 2002 documentary "Comedian."
Born in Connecticut, Douglas was a pilot, wrote fiction and studied acting before turning to announcing and voice-over work for radio, television and films.
He worked in New York studios for most of his career but spent the last 15 years recording in his home studio in Virginia.
He is survived by wife Ruth, daughter Sarah, two sons, Jeremy and John, and three grandchildren.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Comedian David Brenner, 'Tonight Show' Favorite, Dies
Associated Press
By LYNN ELBER
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Brenner, the gangly, toothy-grinned "Tonight Show" favorite whose brand of observational comedy became a staple for other standups, including Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reiser, died Saturday. He was 78.
Brenner, who had been fighting cancer, died peacefully at his home in New York City with his family at his side, according to Jeff Abraham, his friend and publicist.
"David Brenner was a huge star when I met him and he took me under his wing. To me, historically, he was the godfather of hip, observational comedy," comedian Richard Lewis said in a statement. "He mentored me from day one. ... His passing leaves a hole in my life that can never be replaced."
The lanky, always sharply dressed Brenner became one of the most frequent visitors to Johnny Carson's "Tonight" in the 1970s and '80s.
His 150-plus appearances as guest and substitute host turned the former documentary filmmaker into a hot comedian, one who was ubiquitous on other talk shows and game shows.
He also briefly hosted his own syndicated talk show in 1987 and starred in four HBO specials.
Full story at Yahoo TV.
Associated Press
By LYNN ELBER
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Brenner, the gangly, toothy-grinned "Tonight Show" favorite whose brand of observational comedy became a staple for other standups, including Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reiser, died Saturday. He was 78.
Brenner, who had been fighting cancer, died peacefully at his home in New York City with his family at his side, according to Jeff Abraham, his friend and publicist.
"David Brenner was a huge star when I met him and he took me under his wing. To me, historically, he was the godfather of hip, observational comedy," comedian Richard Lewis said in a statement. "He mentored me from day one. ... His passing leaves a hole in my life that can never be replaced."
The lanky, always sharply dressed Brenner became one of the most frequent visitors to Johnny Carson's "Tonight" in the 1970s and '80s.
His 150-plus appearances as guest and substitute host turned the former documentary filmmaker into a hot comedian, one who was ubiquitous on other talk shows and game shows.
He also briefly hosted his own syndicated talk show in 1987 and starred in four HBO specials.
Full story at Yahoo TV.
Dynamo1
Head of the Swing Shift
Jack Kinzler, Skylab’s Savior, Dies at 94
By MARGALIT FOXMARCH 14, 2014
Had Jack A. Kinzler not built model planes as a boy, had he not visited the post office as a youth and had he not, as a grown man, purchased four fishing rods at $12.95 apiece, Skylab — the United States’ $2.5 billion space station — would very likely have been forfeit.
Providentially, Mr. Kinzler had done all those things, and Skylab, imperiled by the loss of a thermal shield on its launch in 1973, was saved.
Mr. Kinzler saved it with a parasol.
A constitutional tinkerer, Mr. Kinzler, who died on March 4 at 94, was for decades NASA’s resident Mr. Fix-It, building the impeccable full-scale models of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft used in a welter of preflight tests, and solving a spate of other mechanical problems over the years — all without the benefit of a college degree.
Mr. Kinzler, the longtime chief of the Technical Services Center at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, also put six flags — and six plaques — on the moon and helped make possible the rarefied sport of lunar golf.
Full story at NY Times.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Skylab Astronaut William Pogue Dies at 84
by Robert Z. Pearlman, collectSPACE.com
March 05, 2014 11:41am ET
William "Bill" Pogue, a United States Air Force Thunderbirds pilot and NASA astronaut who served on the nation's first space station, died Monday (March 3). He was 84.
Pogue's death was confirmed by the Association of Space Explorers and Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to which he belonged.
Selected by NASA in 1966 with the agency's fifth group of astronauts, Pogue made his first and only spaceflight as a member of the final crew to man the Skylab space station. Serving 84 days as the command module pilot of Skylab 3 (SL-4) from November 1973 to February 1974, Pogue and his two crewmates set numerous records for the distance they traveled and duration they spent in orbit. At the time, it was the longest human spaceflight in history. [Skylab, NASA's 1st Space Station (Photos)]
"I was scheduled to go to the moon on Apollo 19 but [the] missions 18, 19 and 20 were canceled," Pogue wrote his 2011 autobiography, "But for the Grace of God." "Instead, I was very fortunate to fly on the final visit to Skylab and spent 84 days in space studying the Sun, the Earth below, and ourselves."
Skylab in Orbit
"Every third working day," he continued, "one of us served as a test subject for a range of physiological and medical experiments or studies. The work was sometime tiresome and tedious, but the view was spectacular."
While living on Skylab, Pogue performed two spacewalks, including a Thanksgiving day outing and an excursion on Christmas 1973 that set a record at 7 hours and 3 minutes long. In total, he logged more than 13 hours spacewalking outside the orbiting outpost — a converted third stage of a Saturn V rocket — while mounting experiments, retrieving film cassettes and taking photographs.
Inside the space station, Pogue and his crewmates, Jerry Carr and Ed Gibson, staged an on-orbit strike, of sorts, six weeks into their stay. The astronauts took an unscheduled day off, in reaction to an overly-ambitious work plan set by NASA's Mission Control in Houston.
"We didn't find out until about halfway through [our stay] that we had been overscheduled. We were having trouble," Pogue recalled in a 2000 NASA oral history. "We were just hustling the whole day."
The time off, and the compromise they reached with flight controllers, resulted in a smoother workflow.
"I recall the last six weeks of the flight were very pleasant to me," Pogue recounted. "We all had a really much better feeling about the whole flight toward the end."
Splashing down Feb. 8, 1974, Pogue had circled the Earth 1,214 times and traveled 34.5 million miles in the course of 84 days, 1 hour, 15 minutes and 30 seconds.
full story at Space.com.
By MARGALIT FOXMARCH 14, 2014
Had Jack A. Kinzler not built model planes as a boy, had he not visited the post office as a youth and had he not, as a grown man, purchased four fishing rods at $12.95 apiece, Skylab — the United States’ $2.5 billion space station — would very likely have been forfeit.
Providentially, Mr. Kinzler had done all those things, and Skylab, imperiled by the loss of a thermal shield on its launch in 1973, was saved.
Mr. Kinzler saved it with a parasol.
A constitutional tinkerer, Mr. Kinzler, who died on March 4 at 94, was for decades NASA’s resident Mr. Fix-It, building the impeccable full-scale models of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft used in a welter of preflight tests, and solving a spate of other mechanical problems over the years — all without the benefit of a college degree.
Mr. Kinzler, the longtime chief of the Technical Services Center at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, also put six flags — and six plaques — on the moon and helped make possible the rarefied sport of lunar golf.
Full story at NY Times.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Skylab Astronaut William Pogue Dies at 84
by Robert Z. Pearlman, collectSPACE.com
March 05, 2014 11:41am ET
William "Bill" Pogue, a United States Air Force Thunderbirds pilot and NASA astronaut who served on the nation's first space station, died Monday (March 3). He was 84.
Pogue's death was confirmed by the Association of Space Explorers and Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to which he belonged.
Selected by NASA in 1966 with the agency's fifth group of astronauts, Pogue made his first and only spaceflight as a member of the final crew to man the Skylab space station. Serving 84 days as the command module pilot of Skylab 3 (SL-4) from November 1973 to February 1974, Pogue and his two crewmates set numerous records for the distance they traveled and duration they spent in orbit. At the time, it was the longest human spaceflight in history. [Skylab, NASA's 1st Space Station (Photos)]
"I was scheduled to go to the moon on Apollo 19 but [the] missions 18, 19 and 20 were canceled," Pogue wrote his 2011 autobiography, "But for the Grace of God." "Instead, I was very fortunate to fly on the final visit to Skylab and spent 84 days in space studying the Sun, the Earth below, and ourselves."
Skylab in Orbit
"Every third working day," he continued, "one of us served as a test subject for a range of physiological and medical experiments or studies. The work was sometime tiresome and tedious, but the view was spectacular."
While living on Skylab, Pogue performed two spacewalks, including a Thanksgiving day outing and an excursion on Christmas 1973 that set a record at 7 hours and 3 minutes long. In total, he logged more than 13 hours spacewalking outside the orbiting outpost — a converted third stage of a Saturn V rocket — while mounting experiments, retrieving film cassettes and taking photographs.
Inside the space station, Pogue and his crewmates, Jerry Carr and Ed Gibson, staged an on-orbit strike, of sorts, six weeks into their stay. The astronauts took an unscheduled day off, in reaction to an overly-ambitious work plan set by NASA's Mission Control in Houston.
"We didn't find out until about halfway through [our stay] that we had been overscheduled. We were having trouble," Pogue recalled in a 2000 NASA oral history. "We were just hustling the whole day."
The time off, and the compromise they reached with flight controllers, resulted in a smoother workflow.
"I recall the last six weeks of the flight were very pleasant to me," Pogue recounted. "We all had a really much better feeling about the whole flight toward the end."
Splashing down Feb. 8, 1974, Pogue had circled the Earth 1,214 times and traveled 34.5 million miles in the course of 84 days, 1 hour, 15 minutes and 30 seconds.
full story at Space.com.