Jack De Mave Passes On

Jack De Mave, perhaps best known for playing Forest Ranger Bob Erickson on Lassie, died on January 16 2025 at the age of 91. He had suffered a heart attack on Thanksgiving.

Jack De Mave was born on December 8 1933 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His father was professional boxer who may have been the inspiration for Clifford Odets's play Golden Boy. His mother was a casting director on Broadway. He studied acting with Herbert Berghof, Mary Welch, and Lee Strasberg. He appeared in local productions with Inger Stevens and Charlton Heston. In 1958 he appeared on Broadway with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne's final production, The Visit. He made his television debut in The Kraft Theatre  episode "The King's Bounty."

In the Sixties he guest starred on such shows as Surfside 6, Wagon Train , The F.B.I.. Daniel Boone, F Troop, and The Fugitive. He played Forest Ranger Bob Erickson on Lassie from 1968 to 1970. He appeared in the movie Blindfold (1966). In the Seventies Jack De Mave guest starred on the shows Storefront Lawyers; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Funny Face; The Doris Day Show; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Adam-12; Sierra; The Bob Crane Show; and Ellery Queen. He appeared in the movie 1776 (1972).

In the Eighties Jack De Mave had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera Loving. He guest starred on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. In the Nineties he appeared on the show Days of Our Lives and the movie The Man Without a Face. In the Naughts he appeared in the TV movies Meet the Santas (2005) and Ladies of the House (2008).

In the Seventies he also played The Lone Ranger in a series of commercials for Frito-Lay.

I will probably always remember Jack De Mave best as Ranger Bob  Erickson on Lassie, although he played various other roles in his career. He appeared in two episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as
Armond Lynton. Armond first appeared as a man whom Rhoda had accidentally run over and who, much to Rhoda's chagrin, turns out to be married. In his second appearance on the show Armond is now single and obsessed with Mary. Jack De Mave gave many good performances in his guest appearances, and he will be fondly remembered for some time to come.

The Late Great Sam Moore

Sam Moore, best known as one-half of the legendary music duo Sam & Dave with Dave Prater, died on January 10 2025 at the age of 89. He had been recovering from surgery.

Sam Moore was born Samuel Hicks in Miami on October 12 1935. His parents eventually divorced and he took the surname of his stepfather, "Moore." He grew up singing gospel music and even sang with such gospel groups as The Gales and The Millionaires. When Sam Cooke left The Soul Stirrers he was offered a place in the group, but turned them down. He met Dave Prater in 1961 at The King of Hearts Club in Miami.

Sam & Dave were discovered by local Miami producer Henry Stone, who signed to Roulette Records. While they saw some regional success with their singles released on Roulette, none of their songs became hits on a national level. It was in 1964 that they were singed by Jerry Wexler to Atlantic Records. While they would remain Atlantic Records artists, Sam & Dave were loaned out to Stax Records in 1964.

Sam & Dave and Stax Records proved to be a potent combination. Their first two Stax singles, "A Place Nobody Can Find" and "I Take What I Want," failed to chart but the third single, ""You Don't Know Like I Know," proved to be a hit. It went to no. 7 on the Billboard R&B chart. Their next single on Stax was not only one of Sam & Dave's bigger hits, but became one of their signature songs. "Hold On I'm Comin'" went to no. 21 on the Billboard singles chart and no. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. They would have several more hits, their two biggest being "Soul Man" and "I Thank You." "Soul Man" went to no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 1 on the Billboard R&B. "I Thank You" went to no. 9  on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 4 on the R&B chart. Sam & Dave would have a few more minor hits after "I Thank You." Sam & Dave released three albums on Stax, Hold On I'm Comin' (1966), Double Dynamite (1966), and Soul Men (1967). They released two more albums, I Thank You on Atlantic in 1968 and Back at 'Cha in 1975.

San Moore and Dave Prater did not always get along, and in 1970 they split up. Sam Moore formed an act he called Sam's Soul Together 1970 Review. They released three singles on Atlantic in 1970 and 1971. Sam & Dave would eventually reunite, and toured Turkey in 1972 and England in 1973. They also appeared on American television on shows such as Saturday Night Live. In 1974 and 1975 they recorded new songs. their album Back at 'Cha was released on United Artists in 1975. Sam Morre and Dave Prater split up permanently in 1981. According to Sam Moore, he last spoke to Dave Prater when they walked off stage after their final performance, which was at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco.

Sam Moore spent part of the latter part of his life touring. He performed on the song "You're Not Drinking Enough" on Don Henley's album Building the Perfect Beast. In 1986 he re-recorded "Soul Man" with Lou Reed for the movie of the same name. He recorded songs with Bruce Springsteen for Bruce Springsteen's 1992 album Human Touch. His album , Overnight Sensational was released in 2006.

Later in his career Sam Moore appeared as an actor in such movies as Tapeheads (1988), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), and Night at the Golden Eagle (2001), and an episode of the TV show Tales of the City.

Sam Moore had a strong, yet smooth tenor voice and there can be not doubt that, along with Dave Prater's voice, it was responsible for much of Sam & Dave's success. At Stax they achieved an energetic, beat-driven style that was heavily influenced by gospel; The would prove to be influential and their songs would be performed by many different artists, most notably The Blues Brothers, but also Elvis Costello, Aretha Franklin, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, ZZ Topp, and many others. While Sam & Dave's success was short-lived, their music has lasted.

Leslie Charleson Passes On

Leslie Charleson,who played Monica Quartermaine on the daytime soap opera General Hospital for almost fifty years, died on January 12 2025 at the age of 79.

Leslie Charleson was born on February 22 1945 in Kansas City, Missouri. Her first acting job came when she was a little girl, appearing in a car commercial alongside her mother. Leslie Charleson first appeared on television in 1964 in a recurring role on the soap opera A Flame in the Wind (renamed A Time for Us in 1965). She was a regular on the soap opera As the World Turns and from 1967 to 1970 she was a regular on Love is a Many Splendored Thing. In the Sixties she also guest starred on the TV shows N.Y.P.D., The Wild Wild West, and Mannix. She made her film debut in 1968 in an uncredited role in A Lovely Way to Die.

It was in 1977 that Leslie Charleson began playing Monica Quartermaine on General Hospital, a role she would play until 2023. In the Seventies she guest starred on the shows Adam-12; O'Hara, U.S. Treasury; Marcus Welby, M.D; Search; The Rookies; Emergency!; Cannon; Medical Center; Ironside; F.B.I.; Owen Marshall: Counsellor at Law; The Streets of San Francisco; Kung Fu; Happy Days; Caribe; Medical Story; Barnaby Jones; Bert D'Angelo/Superstar; McMillan & Wife; and The Rockford Files. She appeared in the movies Day of the Dolphin (1973) and Cheering Section (1977).

In the Nineties Leslie Charleson appeared as Monica Quartermaine in a recurring role on the General Hospital spinoff Port Charles. She guest starred on the shows Diagnosis Murder. Dharma & Greg; and Friends. She appeared in one episode of the short-lived primetime spinoff General Hospital: Night Shift.

Not having watched General Hospital regularly, I can't speak to Leslie Charleson's performance was Monica Quartermaine on the show, but I can say that she gave some good performances in her various guest appearances. In The Wild Wild West episode "The Night of Fire and Brimstone," she played Dooley Sloan, the plucky daughter of Dr. Sloan. On Mannix she played a woman who hires Joe Mannix to investigate a case in which her husband was accused of shooting a pharmacy employee. In the Emergency! episode "Women" she played Christy Todd, a reporter assigned to accompany paramedics John and Roy on their rounds. Leslie Charleson always gave a good performance and was always enjoyable to see regardless of the show on which she was appearing.