Film and television star Peter Graves died Sunday of a heart attack outside his home in Pacific Palisades, California. He was 83.
The dashing actor (one of the few who could actually carry the term dashing) had just returned from brunch with his wife and children. One of his daughters administered CPR, but Heaven apparently needed one more dashing actor.
Peter Graves had an impressive career that spanned 60 years. He was best known for his Golden Globe-winning portrayal of James Phelps on the piece of Americana and pop culture we know as ‘Mission: Impossible.’ This outstanding spy drama ran for seven seasons on CBS and later would launch hugely successful (and equally outstanding) films starring Tom Cruise.
Peter Graves also graced other television series such as ‘Fury,’ ‘Whiplash,’ ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents,’ ‘The Dean Martin Show,’ ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘7th Heaven.’
In the mid-’90s, Peter Graves became the wonderful (and, yes, dashing) host of A&E’s ‘Biography,’ and received an Emmy for the 1997 special ‘Judy Garland: Beyond the Rainbow.’
The talented actor also appeared in a number of well-known and successful movies, including Billy Wilder’s ‘Stalag 17,’ opposite Oscar winner William Holden, ‘Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell’ and the 1955 thriller ‘Night of the Hunter.’
Of all of his films, however, it was the 1980 comedy ‘Airplane!’ that earned Graves the most fame in theaters. He turned in a hilarious performance as Captain Clarence Oveur in the film as well as its 1982 sequel.
Thankfully, just last October, Peter Graves received a much-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to honor his career.
According to the Times, Graves is survived by his older brother, actor James Arness (Gunsmoke), his wife, Joan Graves, whom he married in 1950, and his three daughters. He died just four days shy of his 84th birthday.
How Much Do You Know About Peter Graves?
Peter Graves was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 18, 1926
He was left-handed
Peter excelled in sports and music
He played the saxophone
Served two years in the Air Force
Studied drama at the University of Minnesota
When he first received the script for Airplane, he hated it! He called it “the worst piece of junk” he’d ever seen. However, he changed his mind when he met the writers.
Elvis fans, you’re going to love this interview with Music photo archivist Michael Ochs. Ochs headed the publicity departments of Columbia, Shelter and ABC Records in the ’60s and ‘70.
In the words of Spinner.com, Ochs possesses one of the largest stores of Elvis pictures this side of Graceland. Click through the link above to read the fascinating interview with Ochs – it’s great stuff no self-respecting fan of the King will want to miss out on.
NBC News announced this morning that Ed McMahon, 86, has died after a battle with cancer. Some of my earliest memories of television are of Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson. These lovable, funny men were in our living room 5 nights a week and they seemed like family somehow. They were right up there with Bozo and Huckleberry Hound! I can remember looking forward to “Heeeeeeere’s Johnny!” each night. I’d make sure I was back from the kitchen (with my snack of choice) and perched in my favorite chair in plenty of time for this infamous introduction.
Ed McMahon, who was born in Detroit, spent a great deal of his childhood moivng around. He once said, “I changed towns more often than a pickpocket. I went to some 15 schools before high school. Nobody ever knew my name, and I was painfully shy.”
He served in the Marines from 1941-1946 but dreamed of a career in radio broadcasting. In 1949, Ed McMahon worked at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. Nine years later, after a second tour with the Marines in Korea, he hosted his own local show. It was during this time that he was invited to New York to meet Johnny Carson, then starring on ABC’s Who Do You Trust?
The rest, as they say, is history.
The video at the top is one of the funniest moments ever between Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon – Johnny’s reactions are absolutely priceless.
If you, like me, grew up watching One Life to Live, you fondly remember the Buchanans: Asa and his sons Clint and Bo. The wonderful, wonderful actors who portrayed Asa (Phil Carey) and Clint (Clint Ritchie) each passed away within the past few weeks. Clint Ritchie died from a heart attack the last of January and Phil Carey passed away this past weekend.
Clint Richie
Clint Richie played Clint Buchanan (love interest to the shows heroine, Vicki) on One Life to Live for over 20 years. He was a real cowboy as well as one on the show, with a strong love for horses.
Clint had suffered a heart attack in late January and had to have surgery. A pacemaker was implanted but, unfortunately, a blood clot formed and he died in his sleep on January 31. He had never married and didn’t have any children.
In addition to OLTL, Clint Richie appeared on television’s Wild, Wild West, The Centennial, Dallas, and Batman (he played one of The Joker’s henchmen, Boff!)
Clint Richie was 70.
Phil Carey
Phil Carey created, in Asa Buchanan, one of the most popular and beloved characters on all of daytime…ever. Asa was somewhat of an evil man, but Phil Carey’s portrayal was so brilliant that you often found yourself cheering him on!
Before finding fame on OLTL, Phil Carey appeared on Gunsmoke, Ironside, Little House on the Prairie, Police Woman, and Bionic Woman – among others. He was also a powerful stage actor.
Phil Carey had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006 and underwent chemotherapy.
One of my favorite daytime actors ever, Timothy D. Stickney (RJ Gannon, OLTL) had the following to say about Phil Carey: “He was a very kind and considerate man. Always aware of the others feelings. NOT like Asa at all in that respect. I grew to like him as much as I respected him. A good man from a time when not all were as open and respectful toward others.”
Phil Carey is survived by a wife and five children. He was 83.
Rest in peace, cowboys. Daytime television hasn’t been the same without ya’ll.
My dad and I used to watch Fantasy Island every week. We absolutely loved that show. It may sound cliche, but they honestly don’t make purely entertaining television dramas anymore. The kind you can sit back and enjoy with every member of the family.
Ricardo Montalban had such an amazing charisma and screen presence. I’m pretty sure if he were to read the phone book, I would have tuned in to watch – from A to Z.
Sadly, Mr. Montalban passed away Wednesday, January 14, 2009. He was 88 years old. His wife of 68 years, Georgianna, had passed away only last year. “He was in peace,” said his son-in-law Gilbert Smith. “He will be missed.” He is survived by four children and six grandchildren.
Ricardo Montalban was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1920.
He worked passionately for the advancement of Spanish actors and actresses in Hollywood. He injured his back while filming Across the Wide Missouri in 1951.
In 1993, he was in surgery for over 9 hours as doctors tried to repair damage to his spine. He was said to have been in constant pain.
A Few DID YOU KNOWS about Ricardo Montalban:
His wife Georgianna’s sister was Loretta Young.
Agreed to reprise his role of “Khan” in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) for only $100,000 because he loved the role so much!
Is the only “Star Trek” movie villain who previously appeared on “Star Trek” (1966). He played Khan Noonien Singh in the “Star Trek” (1966) episode “Space Seed” and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
In 1970, he founded the non-profit organization “Nosotros” whose goal is “to help fulfill the goals of persons of Spanish-speaking origin in the motion picture and television industry.” (www.nosotros.org).
Best remembered by the public for his starring role as “Mr. Roarke” on “Fantasy Island” (1978).
After winning his Emmy for “How the West Was Won” in 1978, Ricardo Montalban said, “I don’t know about Mr. Roarke, but this certainly fulfills my fantasy. Thank you very much.”
Wow. Talk about making a lasting impression. I never realized it until I loooked into it this morning, but Eartha Kitt was actually in only 3 Batman episodes:
Catwoman’s Dressed to Kill (1967)
The Funny Feline Felonies (1967)
The Joke’s on Catwoman (1968)
It seems like her beautiful face and remarkable voice were around for a lot more. That’s the beauty of syndication.. multiplication.
Sadly, Eartha Kitt passed away yesterday – on Christmas Day.
The 5′ 4″ beauty was born in South Carolina. Her birth was the result of a white plantation owner raping a sharecropper mother of African-American and Cherokee Native American descent. I wasn’t going to include that bit of ugliness in this article, but the fact that Eartha came from such unremarkable beginnings, yet ended her life known the world over strikes me as spectacular!
I also wanted to be clear about why her mother would even think about giving her baby girl away – which she did. By the age of 9, Eartha was living in Harlem. She dropped out of school by the age of 15. Eartha was too busy just trying to survive – school didn’t rank up there with finding a place to sleep and something to eat. During this time, she slept at friends houses and on the subway.
While Eartha Kitt was born with a lot of burdens to bear, she was also born with a lot of talent. She literally sang and danced her way to a better life. Eartha performed with the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe on a European tour, and she performed as a solist at a Paris night club, where she became a very big deal. Get this, the infamous Orson Welles called her “the most exciting girl in the world.”
Eartha Kitt never shied away from speaking her mind. I guess when you’ve already seen life’s ugliest, you throw caution aside – sort of like, “What do I need with you?!” She was all but booted from the country after making anti-war statements during a White House luncheon with Lady Bird Johnson in 1968. It wasn’t until 1977, under Jimmy Carter’s administration, that she was welcomed back to the White House.
Eartha Kitt Quotes:
“I have a great need for affection from an audience. I don’t know whether this is because I had such a tough life when I was a child.”
At the White House, 1968: “I am a mother and I know the feeling of having a baby come out of my gut. I have a baby and then you send him off to war. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot.”
“I don’t carry myself as a black person, but as a woman that belongs to everybody”
“Jamie and I were like brother and sister. He told me in fact he thought of me as a sister. Our relationship was strictly platonic and spiritual.” (About her friendship with James Dean.)
Eartha Kitt was 81 when she passed away, but (again) thanks to syndication, she’ll forever live on just as we remembered her.
Bettie Page passed away on December 11, from a heart attack. She was 85 years young.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1923, Bettie was known for her sexy poses and her short bangs. In fact, in the 1950’s, she was considered quite scandalous!
In high school, lovely Bettie was a straight A student and took part in several school plays. Her Hollywood career never quite measured up to her pin up career, but her pictures will live on forever. And beautifully, at that.
In honor of Paul Newman, who we all lost on September 26th, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is honoring the actor with today’s programming.
Sunday, October 12 Program for TCM
6:00 AM The Rack
8:00 AM Until They Sail
10:00 AM Torn Curtain
12:15 PM Exodus
3:45 PM Sweet Bird of Youth
6:00 PM Hud
8:00 PM Somebody Up There Likes Me
10:00 PM Cool Hand Luke
12:15 AM Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
2:15 AM Rachel, Rachel
4:00 AM The Outrage
Get your popcorn, get your coke, and by all means – get comfortable!
Paul Newman died in his home in Westport, Connecticut yesterday (Friday, September 27) from cancer. Paul Newman was one of the few people in this world who’s class and personal character defined him. Who he was was larger than what he did for a living. Whenever I think of the word Paul Newman, I think of an individual who devoted the majority of their life to helping children who needed, desperately, for someone to care.
I also think of a devoted and loving husband. He was married to Joanne Woodward in 1958 and neither ever saw fit to untie the union. When asked about his faithfulness to his wife, Paul Newman once said, “Why would I go out for a hamburger when (I) have steak at home?”
Paul Newman, one of the greatest “method actors” ever, starred in classics such as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Exodus,” “The Hustler,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting” and “The Verdict.” In 1986, on his eighth try, he won an oscar for “The Color of Money.”
Paul Newman always did the unexpected. Playing a race car driver in the 1969 movie “Winning” led to him actually competing in races. In fact, he loved it! When he was 70 years young, he participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona and he was still racing at age 80.
Paul Newman was known for his liberal political views and was even on Richard Nixon’s enemies list – a distinction he called “..the highest single honor I’ve ever received.”
In 1982, Paul Newman and a friend (A.E. Hotchner) founded the now infamous Newman’s Own, which produces foods such as pasta sauces, salad dressings, chocolate chip cookies, etc. Remarkably and beautifully, this company donates all profits to charities. Newman once said, “The embarrassing thing is that the salad dressing is outgrossing my films.” So much so, that last checked – Newman’s Own has given away more than $200 million.
One of the charities aided by this money is one Newman, himself, founded: Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang. This camp was founded to help gravely ill children.
On a totally shallow note, I personally think Mr. Newman was one of the 3 most handsome actors ever (as a matter of fact, I’m having trouble at the moment thinking of who the other 2 would be). He was a looker! Before and after his hair went gray. Actually, when it turned white, it brought even more attention to his beautiful eyes!
A few Did You Know’s about this remarkable man:
Paul Newman was born in 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio (near Cleveland).
He served three years in the Navy during WW II.
He studied acting at Yale and at New York’s Actors’ Studio.
Paul Newman’s first Hollywood film, “The Silver Chalice,” bombed royally. He would make jokes about this movie for rest of his life. He actually even took out a newspaper ad to apologize for his performance. Again, pretty unexpected.
His performance as boxer Rocky Graziano in “Somebody Up There Likes Me” in 1956 ended his newspaper apologies. This is probably the movie that made him a star.
The movie “The Long, Hot Summer” (1958) would be even more important to him, however, since it’s when he met his soon-to-be beloved wife of a lifetime, Joanne Woodward.
Paul Newman’s loss of son Scott to a drug overdose in 1978, understandably, hit him incredibly hard.
Paul Newman is survived by his wife, Joanne Woodward, and five children. And his millions of fans - and children he has touched.
And the other 2 are…. Um… Nothing. Crickets in the silence.
Fred Crane passed away Thursday at the age of 90. Unless you’re a die-hard Gone With the Wind fan, you probably don’t recognize the name.
Fred portrayed one of the Tarleton twins and one of Scarlett’s beaux - Stuart Tarleton to be exact. The other twin was played by none other than George Reeves (the twin Scarlett is throwing eyes at) who went on to stardom playing Superman in the television series.
Apparently, Fred Crane was the last living male actor with a credited role in Gone With the Wind.
Fred (the twin on the right) actually had the distinction of saying the first line in GWTW.
Stuart: “What do we care if we were expelled from college, Scarlett? The war is going to start any day now, so we’d have left college anyhow.”
Scarlett: “Fiddle-dee-dee. War, war, war. This war talk’s spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream.”
If you, like me, grew up watching One Life to Live, you fondly remember the Buchanans: Asa and his sons Clint and Bo. The wonderful, wonderful actors who portrayed Asa (Phil Carey) and Clint (Clint Ritchie) each passed away within the past few weeks. Clint Ritchie died from a heart attack the last of January and Phil Carey passed away this past weekend.
Fred Crane passed away Thursday at the age of 90. Unless you’re a die-hard Gone With the Wind fan, you probably don’t recognize the name. 
