RIP John Caper Jr.

November 15, 2016, 4:41 pm

Evans Funeral Chapel & Crematory Inc.

John Charles Caper, Jr., 83, a longtime resident of Anacortes, Washington, passed away in his home on September 8, 2016, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on February 6, 1933 to parents: John Charles and Antoinette Marie (Tozzoli) Caper in Stamford, Connecticut.

He honorably served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, receiving the National Defense Service Medal, Army Occupation Medal (for his deployment in Germany) and Good Conduct Medal. In 1955 upon completing his tour of service he was transferred to the US Army Reserve to complete his obligatory eight-year service, which he finalized in 1959.

John came from a musical family. He met Pamela at MGM in 1961. In 1966 they married. He was a Music Supervisor/Editor in the film industry for 50 years. He and Pamela incorporated in 1975 providing music packaging, music coordination, music supervision and music editing services. They were married for fifty years.

John received two Emmy awards in 1990 and 1991 for music editing: the 1990 award was for a TV Special: “Challenger” about the 1986 space shuttle flight which exploded soon after take-off; and in 1991 the award was another TV Special: the “Son of the Morning Star” a story about George Custer from the perspectives of two women. Prior to that, he was nominated for Emmy Awards for his outstanding music supervision/music editing in the pilot episode of the WiseGuy Series in 1987; Hunter Series in 1988 for the Castro connection episode. (His other credits (204 of them) can be accessed at The IMDb by clicking the IMDb link.) His total interest and passion was music; he lived, breathed and loved music. Mariners and Seahawks came in second.

The Capers moved to Lopez in 1990 and Anacortes in 1996. John retired in 2000. Until his death, he consulted on the production of various CDs including the six Trish Hatley CDs.

John is survived by his wife Pamela; son: John (Iris) Caper III; daughter: Cathi (Rick Wolf); both children reside in Valencia, CA; stepdaughter: Anqelique Lionheart of Portland, OR; grandchildren: Courtney Omahen, Scott & Terry Wolf, Catherine & Christine Caper of Valencia, CA; and Joaquin Taylor of Calaveras County, CA.

A memorial service will be scheduled in early January 2017. Please bookmark this page and check back for updates on the memorial service.

Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel & Crematory Inc., of Anacortes, WA & the San Juan Islands. To share a memory of John, please visit www.evanschapel.com and sign the online guest register.

CAPER Jr., John (John Charles Caper Jr.)

Born: 2/6/1933, Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A.

Died: 9/8/2016, Anacortes, Washington, U.S.A.

John Caper Jr.’s westerns – music editor, music supervisor, photographer:

Branded (TV) – 1965-1966 [music supervisor]

Ride Beyond Vengeance -1966 [music editor]

Hang ‘Em High – 1968 [music editor, music supervisor]

The Guns of Will Sonnett (TV) – 1967 [music editor]

Rango (TV) - 1967 [music editor]

The Savage Wild – 1970 [music editor]

Cry for Me Billy – 1972 [music editor]

The Honkers – 1972 [musical editor]

Trap on Cougar Mountain – 1972 [musical editor]

Virgin Cowboy – 1972 [photographer]

The Hanged Man (TV) – 1974 [music editor]

Young and Free – 1979 [music supervisor]

Whitewater Sam – 1982 [music supervisor]

The Giant of Thunder Mountain – 1991 [music supervisor]

Morning Star (TV) – 1991 [supervising musical editor]

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RIP Marvin Walowitz

November 15, 2016, 5:10 pm

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Los Angeles Times

November 11, 2016

February 10, 1937 - September 4, 2016 Died on Sept. 4 at age 79 after a long series of debilitating infections and advanced cancer. He is survived by his brother Howard (Larry). Marvin grew up in Brooklyn, graduated Stuyvesant HS and, at age 16, enrolled at the USC film school and never left Los Angeles. Inspired by "Singing in the Rain," Marvin hoped to become a cinematographer. However, he quickly fell into editing picture & sound. Starting off as picture editor on the immortal "Hell Squad" for Roger Corman, other pictures followed until he joined the Desilu staff of sound editors for their TV shows. While Marvin focused on sound editing, he was picture editor on the Oscar-winning short documentary "Czechoslovakia 1918-1968." Marvin retired in 2004 with an impressive 103 movie credits. Marvin's other interest was original modern art prints. He and his friend Joan Miller opened "India Ink Gallery" on 4th St. in Santa Monica in the early 1970's, showcasing local artists and producing several prints. The gallery was a going concern into the mid-1980s. For the past 29 years he lived in the Arts District of LA where he was "mayor" of his building on E 3rd street. His loft included a screening space consisting of eight speakers and a seven foot display. He had no facility for TV, focusing on DVDs and Laser Disks. The loft was partitioned by cabinets housing 11,000 DVDs. Contributions in his memory can be sent to the American Film Institute (https://support.afi.com/sslpage.aspx?pid=298) or the Los Angeles Arts District Community Council (http://www.artsdistrictla.org/arts-district-los-angeles/)

WALOWITZ, Marvin

Born: 2/10/1937, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 9/4/2016, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Marvin Walowitz’s westerns – sound supervisor, sound editor, sound effects editor:

The Devil’s Bedroom – 1964 [sound effects editor]

The Long Riders – 1980 [supervisor sound editor]

The Legend of the Lone Ranger – 1981 [sound editor]

Cherry 2000 – 1987 sound effects editor]

Bad Girls – 1994 [sound editor]

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RIP Iván Tabau

November 15, 2016, 5:44 pm

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Death of cultural journalist Ivan Tubau

In his long career he performed activities as diverse as the direction of the magazine 'Play Boy' or the presentation and management of several television spots

La Vanguardia

11/14/2016

Ivan Tubau cultural journalist died Sunday at age 79. Tubau, born in Barcelona in 1937, always assured that he was born "in a sad time, in a sad country" as illustrated by the loss of his father, a convinced anarchist, in the Argelès refugee camp when he was only four years-old.

In his travels in Europe and America during his youth, Tubau built a multifaceted personality that allowed him to become a benchmark of cultural journalism. In his long career he served as diverse as the direction of the magazine Play Boy or presentation and direction of several television spots in the 80's activities.

A graduate of Journalism and Dramatic Arts in Madrid, he was a professor of cultural journalism at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona since the 90s, an activity that combined with his facet of writer and poet, which led him to publish several works, both literary and academic.

Among the awards garnered by Ivan Tubau they highlight that he was awarded for his poetry in Catalan Enric Ferran (1991), Jocs Florals (2001) and Ausiàs March (2003).

In 2005 he was driving with fourteen other intellectual manifesto "By creating a new political party in Catalonia", the embryo of what would become the Citizens Party.

The family of Tubau has informed today that the farewell ceremony will take place this Tuesday in Tanatorio de Les Corts de Barcelona.

TUBAU, Iván

Born: 8/17/1937, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Died: 11/13/2016, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Iván Tabau’s westerns – actor:

Gunfighters of Casa Grande – 1964 (Pecos)

Finger on the Trigger – 1965

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RIP Juan Amorós

November 18, 2016, 7:17 am

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The director of photography, Juan Amorós has died

Academia de las Artes y las Cinematograficas de Espana

11/16/2016

The director of photography, Juan Amorós has died

El juego del ahorcado (The Hangman) was the last film in which he worked this representative of the School of Barcelona operator and member of the Academy of Cinema

Cinematographer Juan Amoros, with celluloid in his veins and above all always feeling like a cameraman, died last Tuesday in Madrid, at 80 years old. El juego del ahorcado by Manuel Gomez Pereira, with whom he collaborated on numerous occasions, was the last film in which this technician worked, who at 11 years of age was already walking through the corridors of the NO-DO and, two years later, was walking around his neighborhood on Sundays with a camera to practice.

Which during the second half of the sixties was the most representative of the School of Barcelona, a group of the creative foundations of cinema in Catalonia operator, lived the early stages of implementation of TVE and participated in more than 80 films (Ditirambo, Morbo, Fanny Pelopaja, Padre nuestro, Sé infiel y no mires con quién, Tiempo de silencio, El año de las luces, Esquilache -que le valió la nominación al Goya–, Cuernos de mujer, Cha cha cha, Desde que amanece apetece….).

Born in Barcelona in 1936, Amorós, who was a member of the Association of Cinematographic Photography Authors (AEC) and the Academy of Cinema, was a lover of the camera and, like Godard, thought that movement and framing were an issue Moral, as recorded in the 'Dictionary of Spanish Cinema' of the Academy.

AMOROS, Juan (Juan Amorós Andreu)

Born: 6/10/1936, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Died: 11/16/2016, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Juan Amorós’ western – cinematographer:

The Sons of Trinity – 1995

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RIP Aiace Parolin

November 22, 2016, 6:50 am

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City Rumors.it

November 21, 2016

The condolences from the Teramo Nostra Saturday for the passing of Aiace Parolin

On November 19, Aiace Parolin died in Rome at the age of 96 years, the director of cinematography and the recipient at the latest edition of the Di Venanzo Award, organized by the Teramo Nostra, where he received the Light Meter Golden Career award last October 15th by his daughter Anna Maria Parolin, received the prestigious award given to the great master of light by the jury chaired by Stefano Masi.

"Thanks to this recognition," said Piero Chiarini, president of Teramo Nostra, "we have also filled a gap by giving the prize to a great filmmaker, who has always maintained a anti-divesture profile and that, as he put it, had known the film 'on the side of the director'. To the family, his daughter Anna Maria who we met in Teramo, go the association's condolences.

The most famous film photographed by Parolin, "Seduced and Abandoned" (1964) by Pietro Germi, was screened last August 8th in Teramo within "Cineramnia Under the Stars".

For twenty years he was at the side of Germi in nine films, also earning several nominations for the Silver Ribbon and the David di Donatello.

After the death of Pietro Germi, Parolin worked on spaghetti western films with much success, among them surely Keoma (1976) directed by Enzo Castellari, Quentin Tarantino's favorite, and then also for television with the very successful series as molto fortunate come La famiglia Benvenuti (1968-1969). Among his last works the blockbuster "Io sto con gli ippopotami " (1979) directed by Italo Zingarelli and starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill.

PAROLIN, Aiace

Born: 3/28/1920, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy

Died: 11/19/2016, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Aiace Parolin’s westerns – cinematographer:

The Sheriff Won’t Shoot – 1965

A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die – 1968

Carambola – 1974

Carambola’s Philosophy: In the Right Pocket – 1975

Keoma - 1976

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RIP Peter Sumner

November 23, 2016, 6:53 am

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Peter Sumner, Australia's link to the original Star Wars, dies at 74

The Sydney Morning Herald

By Garry Maddox

November 23, 2016

The veteran Australian actor Peter Sumner joked last year that he had a fair idea what would be written on his gravestone.

"TK-421 do you copy?"

Sumner, who has died aged 74 after a long illness, was best known as the only Australian to work on Star Wars. And that was one of his few lines playing Lieutenant Pol Treidum, an officer on the Death Star, in George Lucas' 1977 classic sci-fi film.

It was just two days work - earning £60 a day - but it resonated throughout Sumner's life, taking him to sci-fi conventions and attracting thousands of fan letters over four decades.

But he also worked like so many well-known Australian actors on Play School and acted in the Mick Jagger version of Ned Kelly, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, the television series Spyforce and played Bill Hayden in The Dismissal.

"He was best known for Star Wars and Play School but he did so much more," said his wife, Lynda Stoner. "He did many Shakespearean plays on stage. He toured a lot with David Williamson plays. He did so many shows on the ABC with Jacki Weaver and Cornelia Frances and other people. He did a lot of comedies. He did a lot of dramas. In the seventies, he was barely off the ABC doing one show or another."

Sumner, who was also a writer, director and documentary maker, was in England after travelling with his family when Star Wars was being cast.

"I had an agent in London and she rang and said, 'There's this strange little American sci-fi movie and there are couple of days work in it.' As we were broke, the first first thing I said was, 'How much?'

"She said, '£60 a day.' I said, 'I'll take it.'"

Sumner went to Elstree Studios for the shoot.

"I was absolutely amazed at the sets that had been built," he says. "On the first day, when the second or third assistant took me up to the control room set that I was working in, I was standing on the back wall when this man suddenly appeared at my side.

"His glasses were crooked and he had an old white shirt and grey pants on. I thought he was an accountant of some sort.

"We got talking - being Australian always interests people - and just as I was about to say, 'And who are you?', the first came over and said, 'Mr Lucas, we're ready.' That was my meeting with George Lucas."

Sumner also remembers meeting Harrison Ford, who later became famous as Han Solo, on set.

"Lovely man," he says. "Bit distracted.

"But the one thing that did trigger me into thinking maybe this is more than it seems was, passing through one of the sets, I happened to notice this figure in a cowl reading.

"I realised it was Alec Guinness. He's a hero as far as I'm concerned - a brilliant actor - so I thought, 'Wow, what would Alec Guinness be doing in this movie?

"Either he's desperately in need of money or there's more to this than meets the eye."

It was not till Sumner returned to Australia that Star Wars became a blockbuster hit.

"People have often said to me I must have made a fortune in residuals and I just laugh," he says. "I made £120 and that was it.

"I've spent 10 times that answering letters from fans around the world and sending them photographs."

Sumner is survived by Stoner and three children - son Luke and daughters Kate and Joanna with first wife Christina Sumner.

SUMNER, Peter (Peter Sumner-Potts)

Born: 1/29/1942, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Died:11/22/2016, Australia

Peter Sumner’s western – actor:

Ned Kelly – 1970 (Tom Lloyd)

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RIP Jerry Tucker

November 23, 2016, 7:54 pm

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Jerry Schatz, child actor in ‘Our Gang’ comedies, dies at 91

Newsday

By Daniel Bubbeo

November 23, 2016

Copiague resident Jerry Schatz, a former child actor who appeared in several “Our Gang” comedies, often as a spoiled rich kid, and co-starred opposite such screen luminaries as Shirley Temple, Ginger Rogers and Laurel and Hardy, died Wednesday morning of natural causes at the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook at age 91, his daughter Renee Schatz Wolf confirmed.

“He was a child actor, a disabled World War II veteran, a Mason, a Shriner, an Odd Fellow, but most of all he was our dad,” Wolf said.

RIP Paul Sylbert

November 24, 2016, 6:28 am

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Paul Sylbert, Oscar-winning production designer for 'Heaven Can Wait,' dies at 88

Los Angeles Times

By Steve Marble

November 23, 2016

Paul Sylbert, an Academy Award winning production designer who created the lighter-than-air atmosphere of God’s waiting room in “Heaven Can Wait” and the white-on-white sterility of “One Flew Over the Cockoo’s Nest”, has died at the age of 88 at his home outside Philadelphia.

Sylbert and his twin brother, Richard, were go-to players in the 70s and 80s when directors like Warren Beatty, Roman Polanski, Robert Benton and John Frankenheimer went looking for someone to capture the visual core of a movie. While Sylbert worked on finding the visual metaphors for “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Gorky Park”, his brother was helping shape the look of “Chinatown” and “Reds.”

When he was working on “Rush,” the story of two desperate cops hopelessly chasing after an elusive drug dealer, Sylbert spent weeks searching for a a neighborhood — preferably on the outskirts of Houston — that would capture the dark edges of the moody 1991 film. He settled on a badly rutted road with ditch water rolling over the curbs and rusted barbed wire in front of the homes. A petroleum plant blotted out the skyline, belching out steam and smoke.

“There’s nothing that looks more like the mouth of hell than a crackling plant when the gas flames are shooting into the air,” he explained to Smithsonian Magazine in a 2008 interview.

Sylbert, who died Saturday , won an Oscar for his work on “Heaven Can Wait” and was nominated for another for his production work with Barbara Streisand on “Prince of Tides.” His other credits include “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Kramer vs. Kramer, “The Drowning Pool”, “Baby Doll” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Wrong Man.” His career spanned nearly half a century.

Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Sylbert and his brother were nearly inseparable. They served in the same Army infantry unit in Korea and attended the school of art at Temple University. When Sylbert landed a job at CBS in New York, his brother found work over at NBC.

He arrived in Hollywood at a time when he felt the visual fine-tuning of set production work was reasserting itself. If the 30s and 40s had taken advantage of the elegance of L.A.’s Art Deco backdrop and the moody side streets that lent themselves to film noir, many of the films of the next two decades had retreated to sound stages or indulgent location shoots, Sylbert believed.

“Hollywood fell asleep, the vessel was empty,” Sylbert told the Times in 1990. “They were doing things by rote.”

Which would explain why he went to the trouble to track down furniture covered with cigarette burns for the apartment of the chain-smoking police inspector in “Gorky Park” or why his brother purchased 300 books — handpicked Hemingway novels, Harvard classics, feminist Georgian poets — for a single shot of the bookshelves in a home library in “Without a Trace.”

“Putting a film together is like composing music or painting on a white canvas,” Sylbert told the Times. “Every addition affects the whole.”

Sylbert also designed opera sets for the New York City Opera Company and the summertime Festival of Two Worlds in Spoletto, Italy. He also wrote and directed a feature film, ‘The Steagle”, the story of a college professor during the Cuban missile crisis trying to live out all of his dreams.

“He was as smart and well-read as anyone I have ever come in contact with, and all who knew him respected him,” said Hawk Koch, a film producer who worked with Sylbert on “Heaven Can Wait” and “Gorky Park.”

At the time of his death, he was writing a book on the craft of production design, his wife, Jeanette, said. She said he also was teaching film courses at Temple and the University of Pennsylvania.

“He was a wonderful man who believed in fair play, civility and courage, and was unafraid to say it like it was,” his wife said.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two children, Olivia and Christian. He was preceded in death by another child, Christopher. His brother died in 2002.

SYLBERT, Paul

Born: 4/16/1928, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 11/19/2016, Jenkinstown, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Paul Sylbert’s westerns – production designer:

Bad Company - 1972

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RIP Fritz Weaver

November 27, 2016, 5:39 pm

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Fritz Weaver, Tony-Winning Character Actor, Dies at 90

The New York Times

By Robert Berkvist

November 27, 2016

Fritz Weaver, a Tony Award-winning character actor who played a German Jewish doctor slain by the Nazis in the 1978 mini-series “Holocaust” and an Air Force colonel who becomes increasingly unstable as the nation faces a nuclear crisis in the 1964 movie “Fail Safe” died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by his son-in-law, Bruce Ostler.

Mr. Weaver won a Tony in 1970 for his role in Robert Marasco’s drama “Child’s Play” about the malevolent environment at an exclusive Roman Catholic school for boys.

Mr. Weaver and Ken Howard played teachers of wildly different temperaments who inevitably became adversaries. Mr. Weaver was the fierce disciplinarian. Mr. Howard, as his easygoing rival, also won a Tony.

But winning the Tony did not catapult Mr. Weaver into stardom. “What I remember is a vast silence from the phone,” he said, “because people said, ‘We won’t offer it, now, because we can’t offer him enough money.’”

From the 1950s on, Mr. Weaver was a familiar presence on television shows like “Studio One,” “Playhouse 90,” “Mission: Impossible” and “Murder, She Wrote.”

He appeared in two episodes of “The Twilight Zone” — “The Obsolete Man” and “Third From the Sun,” in which he played a scientist who plots to take his family aboard a rocket to escape earth before a nuclear war.

He was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the NBC mini-series “Holocaust,” playing Dr. Josef Weiss, the patriarch of a Jewish family who is denied his livelihood, is sent to the Warsaw ghetto and then to Auschwitz to die.

Mr. Weaver made his Broadway debut in 1955 in “The Chalk Garden,” Enid Bagnold’s play about the woes of an aristocratic British family. Mr. Weaver won laughs and a Tony nomination with his portrait of the fussy household butler.

A review in The Boston Globe said: “Mr. Weaver boasts sound basic equipment; a natural ease on the stage, aristocratic good looks and a resonant baritone, which he attributes to a family line that boasts a number of opera singers.”

Mr. Weaver went on to appear in a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “The Great God Brown” (1959) and the Phoenix Theatre’s 1960 staging of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” in which he starred as the world-weary British monarch.

His other Shakespearean roles included Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth. For the latter role, The New York Times said in 1973, Mr. Weaver was almost unrecognizable, having transformed from “thin, fine-drawn, long-fingered” into a “robust, burly Macbeth.’’

Mr. Weaver’s theater credits also included the 1979 revival of Arthur Miller’s “The Price”; Lanford Wilson’s “A Tale Told” (1981), part three of a trilogy about a feuding Missouri family, in which he played the clan patriarch with what Frank Rich in The Times called “an often startling mixture of pathetic senility and foxy viciousness”; and Mr. Wilson’s “Angels Fall” (1982).

In later years Mr. Weaver turned increasingly to voice-over work, serving as narrator of, among other specials, “The Rape of Nanking” (1999) and “Unsung Heroes of Pearl Harbor” (2001), as well as many shows on the History Channel.

One of his last roles was in the 2015 Adam Sandler film “The Cobbler.” He also appeared in the 2016 film “The Congressman,” starring Treat Williams.

Fritz William Weaver was born on Jan. 19, 1926, in Pittsburgh, the son of John Carson Weaver and the former Elsa Stringaro.

After graduating from the University of Chicago, where he majored in physics, he came to New York and enrolled in acting classes at the Herbert Berghof Studio. In 1954 he made his Off Broadway debut in “The Way of the World” at the Cherry Lane Theater.

Mr. Weaver’s first marriage, to Sylvia Short, ended in divorce. He married the actress Rochelle Oliver in 1997. She survives him, as do his daughter, Lydia Weaver; his son, Anthony; and a grandson.

He was often cast as an aristocratic villain. In “The Day of the Dolphin” (1973), directed by Mike Nichols, Mr. Weaver played the head of a shadowy company supporting researchers (George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere) who are studying dolphin intelligence. His sinister goal was to use trained dolphins to attach explosives to the presidential yacht.

Mr. Weaver’s screen credits also included “Marathon Man” (1976), “Demon Seed” (1977), “Creepshow” (1982) and “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1999).

In a 1988 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Mr. Weaver spoke about the challenges actors face.

“When you play the great roles, you get spoiled and think you’ll have a whole career playing nothing but great roles, and of course you can’t,’’ he said. “You play a lot of junk most of the time. Television is junk, most of it.”

But he reveled in performing Shakespearean roles.

“The old boy — he’s the one who makes the maximum challenge to the actor,’’ he said. “That high charge on all the lines that he writes — you’ve got to measure up. You can’t just saunter into that stuff; you’ve got to bring your whole life into it.”

WEAVER, Fritz (Fritz William Weaver)

Born: 1/19/1926, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Died:11/26/2016, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A.

Fritz Weaver’s westerns – actor:

Rawhide (TV) – 1964 (Jonathan Damon)

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1967 (Marshal Burl Masters)

The Big Valley (TV) – 1967, 1969 (Burke Jordan, Hebron Grant)

The Outcasts (TV) – 1968 (Sam Craft)

Kung Fu (TV) – 1974 (Hillquist)

Dream West (TV) – 1986 (Senator Thomas Hart Benton)

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RIP Joe Esposito

November 27, 2016, 5:47 pm

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Los Angeles Times

November 27, 2016

January 22, 1938 - November 23, 2016 Joe (Joseph Carmine) Esposito passed away peacefully in Calabasas, California, at 78. Joe was born of Italian immigrants in Chicago, Illinois. He was a happy, jovial man who made friends with everyone he met. Often his children were told "Your father is the nicest man I've ever known!" An Italian through and through, he loved to cook and entertain, nurturing family and friends, thriving in the laughter and enjoyment around the table. His playful nature endeared him to many, and he was gifted in reaching out and staying in touch. And, of course, music was a great love¿ Best known as Elvis Presley's road manager and best friend, Joe and Elvis met in the army in 1958, while stationed in Germany. They worked together until Elvis' death in 1977. He also worked with Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, Karen Carpenter and John Denver. He has written multiple books about his life with Elvis, and was a great source of stories and antidotes for Elvis fans until the day he passed, constantly appearing at Elvis conventions and celebrations. Joe was preceded in death by his wife, Martha (Gallub), and survived by his three children, Debbie and Cindy - from his first marriage to Joan (Kardashian), and Anthony - from his second marriage to Martha, and his three grandchildren, Cody, Rebecca and Dylan. Private memorial only. Please contact family at his email address. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation (jdfaf.org).

ESPOSITO, Joe (Joseph Carmine Esposito)

Born: 1/22/1938, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 11/23/2016, Calabasas, California, U.S.A.

Joe Esposito’s western – actor:

Stay Away, Joe – 1968 (man who take’s Joe car)

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RIP Don Calfa

December 2, 2016, 6:51 am

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Rest In Peace Don Calfa (1939 – 2016)

Fangoria

By Ken W. Hanley

December 2, 2016

Just a few days short of his 77th birthday, FANGORIA is sad to report that cult film and horror icon Don Calfa has passed away, as per various reports from his former co-stars. A fine performer and convention stalwart, Calfa’s standing in the genre film community was never questioned, and while he was long overdue for a career renaissance akin to his more prolific counterparts, Calfa’s work certainly speaks for itself, and will remain to do so for years to come.

Having started his career as a frequent collaborator of Robert Downey Sr., with a prominent supporting role in Downey’s benchmark cult film GREASER’S PALACE, Calfa quickly became a steady working character actor. Calfa found himself working with filmmakers such as Peter Bogdanovich, William Castle (in the killer mime film SHANKS), Martin Scorsese, Blake Edwards, Mark Rydell, and Steven Spielberg, whilst landing a memorable turn in the 1978 comedy hit FOUL PLAY. But Calfa wouldn’t cement his place in horror history until taking on the role of mortician Ernie Kaltenbrunner in Dan O’Bannon’s RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, where his pitch-perfect comedic timing and chemistry among the ensemble cast helped him steal scenes from greats such as Clu Gulager and James Karen.

While Calfa would find more success throughout the ’80s and ’90s, with memorable roles in projects such as WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S, BUGSY, and STAY TUNED, the actor would keep his toes in the world of horror throughout the years, with small but memorable roles in Brian Yuzna’s NECRONOMICON and PROGENY, the Peter Hyams-helmed episode of AMAZING STORIES, Troma’s CHOPPER CHICKS IN ZOMBIETOWN, and even a blink-if-you-miss-it role in TWIN PEAKS. However, Calfa’s film work would slow down in recent years, with the actor instead spending time at horror conventions whilst enjoying his semi-retirement. His final genre film effort would be an uncredited turn in 2004’s CORPSES ARE FOREVER, helmed by genre filmmaker Jose Prendes.

Don Calfa passed away earlier this week at the age of 76, and he will be missed. Rest in Peace.

CALFA, Don (Donald George Calfa)

Born: 12/3/1939, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 12/1/2016, Palm Springs, California, U.S.A.

Don Calfa’s western – actor:

Greaser’s Palace – 1972 (Morris)

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RIP Billy Chapin

December 3, 2016, 4:02 pm

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Billy Chapin, Child Actor in ‘Night of the Hunter,’ Dies at 72

Variety

By Seth Kelley

December 3, 2016

Billy Chapin, a child actor known for his roles in “The Kid from Left Field” and “The Night of the Hunter” has died. He was 72.

Chapin’s sister and fellow former child actor, Lauren, announced the news on Facebook Saturday. She wrote that Billy had died Friday night “after a long illness.”

“Billy was a wonderful brother to both Michael and me,” Lauren wrote. “And he made us proud of all the great films he was in… He will be greatly missed.”

Billy, Lauren and their brother, Michael, were all successful child actors during the 1940s and ’50s. Billy, born “William McClellan Chapin” is the middle of the three siblings who were all born in Los Angeles.

Apart from several stage appearances as a newborn, Billy got his start in 1951 in the Broadway production of “Three Wishes for Jamie.” His first big on-screen role was as the “Diaper Manager” Christie Cooper in the 1953 baseball film “The Kid from Left Field.” The family film also starred Dan Dailey, Anne Bancroft and Lloyd Bridges.

Billy’s most recognizable role came in 1955 in the film noir film “Night of the Hunter” directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish. Although it was considered a critical and commercial failure at the time, in 1992, the United States Library of Congress selected the picture for preservation in the National Film Registry, forever preserving its legacy.

After “Night of the Hunter,” his film career declined, then his television roles wrapped as well until his career in Hollywood ended in 1959.

CHAPIN, Billy (William McClellan Chapin)

Born: 12/281943, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 12/2/2016 U.S.A.

Billy Chapin’s westerns – actor:

Night of the Hunter – 1955 (John Harper)

My Friend Flick (TV) – 1955 (Billy Rawlins)

Cheyenne (TV) – 1955 (Tommy Scott)

Tension at Table Rock – 1956 (Jody Burrows)

Fury (TV) – 1956, 1959 (Louis Baxter Jr., Vic Rockwell)

Zane Grey Theater (TV) – 1957 (Billy Morrison)

The Californians (TV) – 1958 (Joey)

Frontier Justice (TV) – 1959 (Billy Morrison)

↧

RIP Van Williams

December 5, 2016, 12:42 pm

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‘Green Hornet’ Star Van Williams Dies at 82

Variety

By Wil Thorne, Maane Khatchatourain

December 5, 2016

Van Williams, star of the 1966 TV show “The Green Hornet,” died last Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz., of renal failure. He was 82.

“He had a wonderful, caring, and kind heart,” his wife of 57 years, Vicki Williams, told Variety. “He was a wonderful husband; he was a fabulous father, and a devoted grandfather.”

Williams was a diving instructor in Hawaii when he was discovered in 1957 by producer Mike Todd, who was married to Elizabeth Taylor at the time. Williams was persuaded to come to Hollywood and try his hand at acting, and earned his big break on the ABC private detective show “Bourbon Street Beat.” He played Ken Madison, a character he later recycled for another detective show, “Surfside 6.”

In 1966, Williams signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to star in “The Green Hornet” as both the titular masked crusader and his newspaper editor alter ego, Britt Reid. He was ably supported by his martial arts master sidekick Kato, played by Bruce Lee, and by his weaponized car, Black Beauty. Williams played the role straight, signaling a departure from the lampoon comedy of Fox’s earlier “Batman” series.

Williams later appeared in iconic shows such as “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” as well as in the young adult-targeted “Westwind,” which centered around the adventures of the Andrews family who sailed around the world on a yacht.

After his acting career dropped off in the late 1970s, Williams became a reserve deputy sheriff and a volunteer fire fighter at the Malibu station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Actress Pat Priest (“The Munsters”), Williams’ longtime friend and neighbor, said Williams was his mentor.

“We had many fun dinners around our dining room table,” Priest told Variety. “We laughed a lot and he was my mentor in helping me with memorabilia shows. He was very special. We saw him last year and we have wonderful memories.”

Producer Kevin Burns, who worked with Williams on a relaunch campaign for “Batman” and “Green Hornet” in 1989, told Variety that Williams had singed his lungs while working as a volunteer fire fighter, and suffered from bronchial problems and back injuries.

“Through it all he remained strong and rarely spoke of what he went through. He was a great guy and a class act all the way,” Burns said in his Facebook post.

Williams is survived by his wife; three children, Nina, Tia, and Britt; and five grandchildren.

WILLIAMS, Van (Van Zandt Jarvis Williams)

Born: 2/27/1934, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 11/28/2016, ScotTsdale, Arizona, U.S.A.

Van Williams’ westerns – actor:

Colt .45 (TV) – 1959 (Tom Rucker)

Lawman (TV) – 1959 (Zachary Morgan)

Cheyenne (TV) – 1962 (Ray Masters)

Temple Houston (TV) – 1964 (Joey Baker)

The Big Valley (TV) – 1968 (Sheriff Dave Barrett)

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1974 (Quincy)

How The West Was Won (TV) – 1976-1978 (Captain MacAllister)

Centennial (TV) – 1979 (George)

↧

RIP Christopher Pearce

December 8, 2016, 3:38 pm

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Christopher Pearce, Former Head of Production at Cannon Films, Dies at 73

Variety

By Mike Barnes

12/8/2016

Christopher Pearce, who in the 1980s served as head of production of Cannon Films, the legendary B-movie house known for churning out a slew of action fare, has died. He was 73.

Pearce died Sunday in Boca Raton, Fla., after a battle with cancer, family friend Polly Chung told The Hollywood Reporter.

Working for Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus at Cannon, Pearce helped take the company's production output from a handful of films per year to an astounding 43 in 1985. Movies made by Cannon that year included Death Wish 3, American Ninja, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning, Runaway Train, Thunder Alley, Hot Resort and Invasion U.S.A.

After Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti and Pathe Communications took over Cannon, Pearce became chairman and CEO of the company in 1991, overseeing contract negotiations, marketing and advertising and the management of more than 5,000 employees.

He left Cannon in 1994 with Globus to launch the short-lived Global Pictures.

Pearce was born in the U.K. and attended Lord Wandsworth College and London University, where he received a law degree.

He collaborated with directors Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas at Zoetrope Studios, where he participated in the making of The Godfather (1972) and American Graffiti (1973), among other notable films.

Pearce retired from filmmaking in 2000 and since then had served as an adviser on numerous projects.

Survivors include his wife of 19 years, Luda, and her son Louis.

PEARCE, Christopher

Born: 1943, U.K.

Died: 12/4/2016, Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A.

Christopher Pearce’s western – production manager:

Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys - 1978

↧

RIP Bill Ryusaki

December 8, 2016, 3:51 pm

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World Film Geek

12/5/2016

If you have seen any good action and/or martial arts films during the 80’s and 90’s, chances are, you know this man! A martial arts legend as well as a respected stunt performer and choreographer, it is with sadness as WFG has learned that Master Bill Ryusaki has passed away at the age of 80.

Born Mutsuto Ryusaki on October 14, 1936 in Kamuela, Hawaii. His father was a trained martial artist and as a result, trained in the arts of Shotokan Karate and Judo and later, Kenpo Karate, which would be his foundation. After his military service, where he would become a hand-to-hand combat instructor, he would continue his Kenpo training with the legendary Ed Parker, the father of American Kenpo.

Bill would start out in the film industry as a stuntman in many films beginning in 1958. He did stunts in films like Taras Bulba, Planet of the Apes, The Wrecking Crew, and many others. He would appear prominently on screen in 80’s films such as Big Trouble in Little China, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, and Point of No Return, the remake of the French action film La Femme Nikita.

Bill has worked with some great talents from Sylvester Stallone to Jean-Claude Van Damme. He even did some stunt choreography, notably in the underrated 1989 comedy Ninja Academy amongst others. Martial arts became his true passion, as he became a well-respected martial arts legend as well as known for his accomplishments in the stunt industry.

World Film Geek sends its condolences to the family of Bill Ryusaki.

Rest in Peace, Master Bill Ryusaki.

RYUSAKI, Bill M. (Mutsuto Ryusaki)

Born: 10/14/1936, Kumela, Hawaii

Died: 12/4/2016, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Bill M. Rysusaki’s westerns – actor, stuntman:

The Wild Wild West (TV) – 1965 [stunts]

Kun Fu (TV) – 1973 (Manchu Karate Master)

North and South (TV) – 1985 [stunts]

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RIP Bing Blenman

December 8, 2016, 6:14 pm

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Westlawn Chapel and Mortuary

January 16, 2016

Bing Blenman of Willcox died January 16, 2016 at the age of 64. At his request no services will be held.

BLENMAN, Bing

Born: 6/16/1951, Arizona, U.S.A.

Died: 1/16/2016, Willcox, Arizona, U.S.A.

Bing Blenman’s westerns – actor, stuntman:

The High Chaparral (TV) – 1967 [stunts]

Gunsmoke (TV) – 19?? [stunts]

The Hanged Man (TV) – 1974 [stunts]

HAAWMPS – 1976 [stunts]

Last Hard Men – 1976 [stunts]

The Young Pioneers – 1976 [stunts]

The New Maverick (TV) – 1978 [stunts]

Wanda Nevada – 1979 [stunts]

Judge Roy Bean (TV) – 1980 [stunts]

More Wild Wild West (TV) – 1980 (saloon patron)

Dreams West (TV) - 1985 Frontiersman

The Three Amigos – 1986 [stunts]

Billy the Kid (TV) - 1989 (Deputy Sheriff)

The Young Riders (TV) – 1989, 1991

The Gambler (TV) – 199? [stunts]

Posse – 1993 [stunts]

Gunsmoke: One Man’s Justice (TV) – 1994 (hardcase)

Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink 2 – 2016 (Cambridge)

↧

RIP Bob Henry

December 9, 2016, 7:37 am

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≪ Previous: RIP Bing Blenman

McKibbin Funeral Home

May 23, 2016

Robert H. Hensley passed away with his family by his side on Sunday, May 22, 2016 at his home in Arlington. He was born on April 24, 1936 in Port Arthur, Texas and was raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. Robert was the son of John Coleman Hensley, a pharmacist and Opal Lulu Brown, a high school teacher both of whom were dedicated Christians.

Robert attended Louisiana College and Baylor University on athletic scholarship, and received a Bachelors Degree from Dallas Baptist University. At 21, he hitch-hiked to Hollywood and worked as an actor on Westerns such as Gunsmoke and Wagon Train.

By day two in L.A. he landed a recording contract with RKO Unique Records. His first song, Little Neva, made the American Billboard Charts, and of his 18 records Look for a Star reached #1 in London, England. His career then took him to Rome, where he first starred in the spaghetti-western Pronto, Amigo!

Back in the U.S., Bob returned to Beverly Hills Baptist Church, where he had been a member. Deeply impacted by Pastor Barry Wood who he described as “a ‘man’s man’ loving Jesus,” Bob was led to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. This one moment would redefine the rest of his life. After 15 years of “Hollywood living,” he surrendered to the call of ministry that his mom had prayed for. From street-witnessing to Hollywood’s hippy runaways, he followed the call to Grand Prairie, TX, birthing True Vine Ministries where over 3,000 received the Lord Jesus Christ.

In January 1973, Robert reconnected with an old friend, Pamela Beaird, whom he knew from the Hollywood Christian Group. 8 months later, Bob and Pam were married. He would frequently joke “I stole Mary Ellen Rogers from Wally Cleaver,” as Pam was known best for her classic role in Leave it to Beaver. Over the years, God blessed them with five wonderful children: Robert Henry II, John David, Stephen Paul, Daniel Jonathan, Elizabeth Katherine. The family traveled nationwide for 12 years planting churches, teaching the Bible, and singing the Gospel.

Bob and Pam were married 43 years and have six grandchildren: Alexandra, Victoria, Christian, Emory, Isaac and Danielle, with one on the way in August, Joshua. They were members of Restoration Church in Euless with their beloved Pastor Dr. Doug White for 5 years.

Visitation for family and friends is scheduled for 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. on Wednesday, May 27, 2016 at the Boze-Mitchell McKibbin Funeral Home in Waxahachie.

Graveside service and interment is scheduled for 3:00 P.M. on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at the Bluebonnet Hills

Cemetery in Colleyville.

HENRY, Bob (Robert H. Hensley)

Born: 4/24/1936, Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 5/22/2016, Arlington, Texas, U.S.A.

Bob Henry’s westerns – actor:

Cheyenne (TV) – 1961 (Red)

A Colt in the Hand of the Devil – 1967 (Pat Scotty)

↧

RIP Joseph Mascolo

December 9, 2016, 2:04 pm

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Days of Our Lives Star Joseph Mascolo, Who Played Stefano, Dead at 87

TV Line

By Dave Nemetz

December 9, 2016

Joseph Mascolo, who played iconic villain Stefano DiMera on the NBC daytime soap Days of Our Lives, has died. He was 87 years old.

Mascolo passed away Thursday after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, the show said in a statement on Friday. He joined the Days cast in 1982 and made crime lord/business tycoon Stefano DiMera into one of the most hated (and most loved) bad guys in soap-opera history.

Mascolo left and returned to the role of Stefano several times over the years, even joining CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful for an extended stint from 2001 to 2006. But he always came back to Days, most recently for the character’s death earlier this year. He also made appearances on TV shows like All in the Family and Lou Grant, and in films like Jaws 2 and Sharky’s Machine.

“It is with great sorrow that I’m sharing the news of the passing of our dear friend and beloved member of the Days of Our Lives family, Joseph Mascolo,” Days executive producer Ken Corday said in a statement. “The smile on Joe’s face is something we’d all come to find comfort in, and he will be sorely missed. His larger-than-life presence, kind heart and unwavering positivity has impacted us all for decades, and will live on in the memories of his many fans. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time.”

MASCOLO, Joseph

Born: 3/13/1929, West Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.

Died: 12/8/2016, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Joseph Mascolo’s western – actor:

Hot Spur – 1968 (Carlo)

↧

RIP Jean Claude Deret

December 13, 2016, 2:38 pm

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Death of Jean-Claude Deret, writer Thierry La Fronde

By Armelle Heliot

December 13, 2016

Comedian, lyricist and interpreter of insolent and tender songs, the father of Zabou Breitman died at the age of 95 years. We had seen him again at the Poche-Montparnasse. His family and friends will say goodbye Saturday December 17th at the Père-Lachaise.

"We can do everything. All. We must be convinced, "he said to his daughter Isabella. He was a tender, profound, malicious, and highly cultivated man. Jean-Claude Deret passed away in peace, after a long life entirely devoted to enchant the lives of others.

He was an imaginative and poetic spirit, distant from any ambition of noisy success, a very original and endearing being.

After the war, Claude Breitman, born on July 11, 1921, in a family of the secular Russian bourgeoisie of Jewish culture, a scholarly family - one of his grandfathers was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst - chose a stage name: Jean -Claude Deret. He had seen one of his ancestors deported. He was suffering from a certain antisemitic atmosphere. And he was not wrong because years later, Zabou had to wipe away the odious remarks of a producer.

In his family, we make music, we sing. After the war, Jean-Claude Deret wrote his first texts, composed the music and interpreted it in the cabarets of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, notably at the Rose Rouge. He is a singer-songwriter, but also an actor.

The beautiful province

Jean-Claude Deret is the author of the original idea of "Thierry La Fronde", 52 episodes that will make France vibrate, dialogues. Glory? No. He never looked for her

In 1950, he decided to cross the Atlantic for Belle Province. In Quebec, he will become known as a sensitive and profound actor, at ease in very different registers, on television and in theater.

It is there that he meets his wife, actress too. They returned to France where Isabelle was born October 30, 1959. Jean-Claude Deret immersed himself in what will be a moment a comfortable life for the whole family: it creates Thierry La Fronde! Ah! Jean-Claude Drouot on horseback, ah! The credits of Jacques Loussier, the jazzman from Algiers! Jean-Claude Deret is the author of the original idea, the 52 episodes that will make France vibrate, dialogues. Glory? No. He never looked for her.

Isabelle, we already called Zabou in the family, little girl plays in Thierry La Fronde! His parents settled near Blois, and in Saint-Gervais-la-Forêt, Jean-Claude Deret founded an amateur theater company, Le Théâtre du cercle.

He writes books for the youth, notably polars, and continues to chisel his songs, often naughty. Insolent and joyful songs that Zabou had assembled two years ago for a homage in his presence to this very poetic father. He himself had sung. It was in April, two years ago, in Poche-Montparnasse where Philippe Tesson hosted this delightful evening, with Vadim Sher on the piano and a whole bunch of friends to sing with Jean-Claude Deret his songs.

From drawing to cooking

Amusing texts, very well written, insolent, provocative cocooning, pretty melodies, he had talent Jean-Claude Deret. He had been a fiery young man, he had become a charming old man with his hair, his beard, his white mustache, his high forehead, his deep, sparkling gaze, and his very well-timed voice.

Zabou Breitman always remembered with tenderness his youth. In 68, his parents are in the Latin Quarter. She did not forget the Sorbonne and all the dreams and the sharing of then. Her father influenced her a lot and taught her a lot from drawing to music (she often reminded her that she was listening, huddled under the piano, playing Chopin), from cooking to sewing, everything! This does not prevent him from having also learned from his mother!

When, later, Zabou writes her films, she sometimes does it with this beloved father, admired. And Jean-Claude Deret has he participated in the scenario of Beautiful Memories and he plays in some films Zabou.

Jean-Claude Deret continues to write. Often for young audiences. In 2006, Samuel its part in the island is played over a hundred times and named Molières.

Saturday morning, December 17, at 10:00 am, at the Crematorium of Père-Lachaise, his family, his relatives, the large circle of his friends, will bid farewell. There will be music, songs. Everyone will have a tight heart. But there will also be something of that particular joy that Jean-Claude Deret shared in chosen words and aerial music.

DERET, Jean-Claude(Claude Gilbert Breitman)

Born: 7/11/1921, Paris, Île-de-France, France

Died: 12/13/2016, Paris, Île-de-France, France

Jean-Claude Deret's westerns - writer, actor:

My Friend Winnetou (TV) – 1980 ((Napoleon Charbonneau) [also screenwriter]

Winnetou’s Return (TV) – 1998 [story idea]

↧

RIP Bernard Fox

December 14, 2016, 4:11 pm

≫ Next: RIP Osiride Pevarello

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Bernard Fox, Who Played Dr. Bombay on 'Bewitched,' Dies at 89

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

December 14, 2016

The Welchman also was known for his role on 'Hogan's Heroes,' and he appeared in two Titanic films released 39 years apart.

Bernard Fox, the character actor with a European flair who is perhaps best known for playing the womanizing witch doctor Dr. Bombay on the ABC series Bewitched, died Wednesday. He was 89.

The Welchman, who portrayed the bumbling Colonel Crittendon on another popular 1960s sitcom, CBS' Hogan's Heroes, died of heart failure at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, Calif., publicist Harlan Boll announced.

Fox appeared in an uncredited role in A Night to Remember (1958), about the Titanic disaster, and then played Colonel Archibald Gracie IV in James Cameron's 1997 film about the doomed ocean liner. In the first one, his character delivered the line, "Iceberg dead ahead, sir!," from the ship's crow's nest.

Fox voiced the Chairman in the Disney animated features The Rescuers (1977) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and portrayed retired Air Force pilot Winston Havelock in The Mummy (1999).

His film résumé also includes Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977), The Private Eyes (1980) and Yellowbeard (1983). He specialized in playing upper-crust characters.

Fox appeared as Dr. Bombay on 19 episodes of Bewitched, which ran from 1966-72, and then reprised the role on the 1977 sequel Tabitha, in 1999 on the soap opera Passions and on a 1989 episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse.

In a 1998 interview, Fox said he drew inspiration for Dr. Bombay from a man he served with in the Royal Navy during World War II.

"He was the officer in charge of the camp that we were in, and it was an all-male camp, and one evening, I was on duty and we got six Women's Royal Naval Service arrived to be put up," he recalled.

"So I went to this officer and said, 'What shall I do?' And he said, 'Oh, I don't know, give 'em a hot bran mash, some clean straw and bed 'em down for the night.' And I thought, 'What a great way to play [Dr. Bombay.]' And that's the way I played him, and [the Bewitched writers] just kept writing him back in.

"If I'd just gone for an ordinary doctor, you wouldn't have heard any more about it. But because I made him such a colorful character, that's why they wanted him back; he was easy to write for. They came up with the idea of him coming from different parts of the world all the time and in different costumes; that was their idea. The puns, I came up with, and in those days, they let you do that."

Fox also appeared as English valet Malcolm Meriweather on The Andy Griffith Show and guest-starred on other series including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Perry Mason, McHale's Navy, F Troop, Columbo, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Knight Rider, M*A*S*H and Murder, She Wrote.

He was a fan of magic and illusion and a longtime member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Survivors include his wife Jacqueline, daughter Amanda and grandchildren David-Mitchel and Samantha.

FOX, Bernard (Bernard Lawson)

Born: 5/11/1927, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, U.K.

Died: 12/14/2016, Van Nuys, California, U.S.A.

Bernard Fox’s westerns – actor:

F Troop (TV) – 1965 Major Bently Royce

The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (TV) – 1968 [voice]

Daniel Boone (TV) – 1969 (Carruthers)

Here Come the Brides (TV) – 1969 (Father Ned)

The Wild Wild West (TV) – 1969 (Dr. Horatio Occularis)

Big Jake – 1971 (Scottish shepherd)