Ad Man Gene Case Passes

Advertising executive Gene Case, who worked on campaigns from Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 campaign for president to ones for Skin Bracer and Tums, passed September 9, 2010 at the age of 72. The cause was a heart attack.

Gene Case was born on December 6, 1937 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He attended Cornell University where he majored in architecture. In 1961 he joined the field of advertising when he became a copywriter with the J. Walter Thompson agency. By 1964 he was working for Doyle Dane Bernbach. It was there that he was part of the team that conceived the notorious "Daisy ad" for the Johnson presidential campaign, which capitalised on fears regarding Barry Goldwater without even mentioning his name. Mr. Case wrote the copy for another notable commercial for the Johnson campaign, in which a young Republican discussed his fears of Barry Goldwater being over eager to use nuclear weapons. In 1966 Mr. Case was largely responsible for the ads for the campaign to re-elect Nelson Rockefeller as governor of New York. It theme was simply "Governor Rockefeller for Governor." After he and others founded the agency Jordan McGrath Case & Partners, he worked on ads for Robert F. Wagner's New York mayoral campaign.

Of course, not all of Gene Case's work in advertising was in political campaigns. It was at Jordan McGrath Case & Partners that he conceived the famous campaign for Skin Bracer in which various men in commercials would either slap themselves or be slapped across the face only to respond, "Thanks, I needed that (among the men was a young John Goodman)." He also conceived the famous campaign for Tums which used a musical tag of "tum-ta-tum-Tums" to the tune of the "Dragnet Main Title."  It was in 2002 that he re-entered politics by founding the agency Avenging Angels, which specialised in campaigns for liberal causes.

Regardless of what one thinks of Gene Case's politics (this blog is not the place for such discussions), one must admit that he was a great ad man. Although not one of the major figures to work on the infamous "Daisy ad," he was one of the team who worked upon it. And the ads we know he wrote for Lyndon B. Johnson and Nelson Rockefeller were pure genius. Although best known for his work on political ads, it will perhaps be his work in the commercial sphere that will be best remembered. The "thanks, I needed that" campaign for Skin Brace and the "Dragnet Main Title" campaign for Tums were two of the best known campaigns of the past twenty five years. Many ad men are lucky to work on even one campaign that is memorable. Gene Case worked on several.

Cellist Mike Edwards & Actor Glenn Shadix Pass On

Mike Edwards

Mike Edwards, who was a cellist with the Electric Light Orchestra from 1972 to 1975, passed on 3 September 2010. He was killed in an automobile accident when the van he was driving collided with a large hay bale that had rolled into the road.

Mike Edwards was born Ealing in London on 31 May 1948. While very young he sung in the school choir. At age 12 he took up the cello. In 1968 he attended the Royal Academy of Music. Surprisingly for a musician who would become famous as a member of a rock group, at the time Mr. Edwards owned very few popular music albums. He was working as a session musician for the rock group Barclay James Harvest when he heard that the Electric Light Orchestra was looking for a cellist for their tours.

Mike Edwards first performed with ELO in in Croydon in April 1972. While he performed live with the band, much it was Hugh McDowell who play much of the cello parts in the studio. Regardless, it was Mr. Edwards who insured that the cellos were properly miked and amplified for the band's concerts. It was also Mr. Edwards who contributed to ELO's string section's status as entertainers. Mike Edwards was known for his outlandish costumes and fingering his cello's strings with an orange or a grapefruit. At the end of many of his cello solos (such as Bach's Air), his cello would often literally explode. Mike Edwards would contribute to the Electric Light Orchestra albums ELO II, On the Third Day, The Night the Light Went On (In Long Beach), and Eldorado.

Mike Edwards left after the first part of the United States tour to support Eldorado. Over the years he lived in different communes. He would travel throughout the United States, Germany, and India. Eventually he converted to Buddhism and changed his name to Deva Pramada. In 1990 he moved to Devon where he taught cello, bass viol, tremble viol, and other stringed instruments. He founded the classical ensemble Baroque. He also played with the medieval music and dancing troupe Daughters of Elvin. He was also a member of the baroque trio L'Ardito.


Glenn Shadix

Character actor Glenn Shadix passed on September 7, 2010 at the age of 58. He was bound to a wheelchair because of mobility of problems and had apparently fallen in his kitchen and struck his head.

He was born William Glenn Shaddix in Bessemer, Alabama on April 15, 1952. He attended Birmingham Southern College for two years. While young he performed in local theatre productions. Mr. Shaddix moved to Hollywood  in the late Seventies. He made his movie debut in bit part in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981) . His big break would be in the film Beetlejuice (1988), in which he played Otho, the interior designer. He would go onto appear in such films as Sunset (1988, playing Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle), Heathers (1989), Meet the Applegates (1990), Demolition Man (1993), Dark Side of Genius (1994), Love Affair (1994), Chairman of the Board (1998), Red Dirt (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), Confessions of a Florist (2003), and Tom Cool (2010). He also guest starred on such shows as The Golden Girls, Roseanne, Seinfeld, Empty Nest, Night Court, Cheers, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Carnivale.

Mr. Shaddix also did extensive voice work. He provided the voice of the mayor in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). He would go onto provide voices for such television series as Dinosaurs, Life with Louie, The Mask, Jackie Chan Adventures, The Batman, and Teen Titans.

Director Claude Chabrol Passes On

Claude Chabrol, one of the earliest directors of the French New Wave, passed on 12 September 2010 at the age of 80.

Claude Chabrol was born in Paris on 24 June 1930. Much of his time when he was growing up was spent in the village of Sardent. During World War II he spent much of his time running a film club. After the war he returned to Paris to study law, but later switched to pharmacology and finally to literature, in which he earned a degree. He became a publicist for 20th Century Fox and went onto write both interviews and articles for such publications as Art and Les Cahiers du Cinéma. In 1955 he and Éric Rohmer co-wrote their study of Alfred Hitchcock films.

Mr. Chabrol made his feature film debut in 1958 with Le beau Serge. The film is often regarded as the first movie in La Nouvelle Vague. The following year Mr. Chabrol would follow it with Les Cousins, one of the earliest New Wave films to see success at the box office. Like many of his films, Mr. Chabrol's next three films would be odes to Hitchcock: À double tour (1959), Les bonnes femmes (1960), and Les godelureaux (1961).  Claude Chabrol would go onto make such films as Landru (1963), Code Name: Tiger (1964), Les Biches (1968), The Beast Must Die (1969), Le boucher (1970), Les noces rouges (1973), Violette Nozière (1978), Les fantômes du chapelier (1982), Masques (1987), Une affaire de femmes (1988), Madame Bovary (1991), La cérémonie (1995), Au coeur du mensonge (1999), Rien ne va plus (1997), Merci pour le chocolat (2000), La fleur du mal (2003), La demoiselle d'honneur (2004),  L'ivresse du pouvoir (2006), La fille coupée en deux (2007), and Bellamy (2009). He was extremely prolific, directing at least one film a year from 1958 to 1980.

Claude Chabrol also worked in television, directing episodes of Nouvelles de Henry James, Histoires insolites, Il était un musicien, Fantômas, and Au siècle de Maupassant: Contes et nouvelles du XIXème siècle. Mr. Chabrol also made cameos in films and took small roles as an actor, appearing in many of his own films as well as Saint Tropez Blues (1961), Paris nous appartient (1961), Les ennemis (1962), Brigette et Brigette (1966), La femme écarlate (1969), and Gainsbourg (2010). He also wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for most of his films.

Although not as well known as Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, or Éric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol deserves credit for being one of the men to start the French New Wave. Indeed, he was among the first directors of the New Wave, making his first feature film before Mr. Truffaut had even made his. Indeed, with the other New Wave directors Mr. Chabrol was heavily influenced by Hitchcock. This is shown in his most famous films, such as Le boucher (in which a series of Jack the Ripper style killings grip a French town) . At the same time Mr. Chabrol's films often attacked the attitudes of the middle class and the elite, with the theme of class distinctions recurring again and again in his movies. Although best known for his Hitchcockian thrillers, Mr. Chabrol also worked in other genres, from costume dramas (Madame Bovary) to even joining in the Sixties spy craze with a Euro-spy film (Code Name: Tiger, not one of the high points of his career). He was a prolific director who directed polished films and worked in several different genres. In this respect, although not as well known as some of his colleagues from La Nouvelle Vague, Claude Chabrol was every bit one of the best directors to emerge from the New Wave.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Voice Bllie Mae Richards Passes On

Canadian voice artist Billie Mae Richards, best known as the voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the famous Rankin/Bass special of the same name, passed at the age of 88 on September 10, 2010.

Billie Mae Richards was born in Toronto on 21 November 1921. Her father was a silverware salesman who wanted to be an actor. During World War II she joined the Canadian Navy. She performed for troops in both Canada and Europe. Following the war she studied at the the Lorne Greene School of Broadcasting in Toronto and afterwards worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. For a quarter of a century she acted on various Canadian radio shows.

Her most lasting claim to fame would come when Rankin/Bass looked to Canada to cast their Yuletide special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Deer. Quite capable of imitating the voice of a young boy, Billie Mae Richards was cast as Rudolph. Sadly, she would see little money from her role, as the only member of the cast to get long lasting residuals was Burl Ives. Regardless, she would reprise the voice of Rudolph in Rudolph's Shiny New Year and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July.  Miss Richards would also work for Rankin/Bass in providing the voice of Willy McBean in the feature film Willy McBean and His Magic Machine (1965),  the voice of Billy on the animated series King Kong, and one of the voices on the series The Smokey Bear Show.

Billie Mae Richards would provide incidental voices for the Sixties Spider-Man cartoon and the voices of Chris and  Robbie on The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo. She was very much a part of the Eighties Care Bears franchise, providing the voice of Tender Heart Bear in The Care Bears Movie (1985) and Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (!986), and Brightheart Raccoon on the series The Care Bears Family..

Miss Richards also appeared in live action films and TV shows as as well. She appeared in the movies Jailbait Babysitter (1977), The Big Slice (1991), Shadow Builder (1998) , and Bluehair (2001). She guest starred on the series War of the Worlds, My Secret Identity, and Maniac Mansion.

NBC Newsman Edwin Newman Passes On

Edwin Newman, long time newsman for NBC and self appointed champion of the English language, passed August 13 at the age of 91. The cause was pneumonia. Mr. Newman's family delayed announcement of his death so the they could grieve privately.

Edwin Newman was born in New York City on January 25, 1919 He graduated from Washington High School in Manhattan and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in political science.He attended Louisiana State University for a brief period before he decided to enter journalism. His first position was as a "dictation boy" for the International News Service.

Mr. Newman left the International News Service to join United Press. In 1942 he joined the United States Navy. He served as a signal officer in Trinidad and later at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Following World War II he returned to United Press. Afterwards he worked in the Washington Bureau of the New York City newspaper PM, then went to work for the Tufty News Service. It was in 1947 that he joined CBS News where he assisted Eric Sevareid in preparing his nightly commentary. It was in 1949 that he went to work for NBC News as a freelance journalist. It was in 1952 that Edwin Newman joined NBC News full time.

At NBC News Mr. Newman served as the bureau chief of London, Rome, and then Paris before he was based in New York in 1961. Among the stories he covered during this period were the funeral of King George VI to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II to the Suez Crisis to the Algerian War. From 1961 to 1984 he was one of the correspondents to cover the Democratic and Republican national conventions. He also covered the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. On his programme Speaking Freely he intereviewed everyone from Muhammed Ali to Ingmar Bergman. He also moderated the first Carter-Mondale presidential debate and the second Reagan-Mondale presidential debate. From 1952 to 1984 he regularly appeared on The Today Show. He also appeared regularly on Meet the Press.

Edwin Newman was also a self-appointed champion of the English language. He wrote two books defending the correct usage of the language, Strictly Speaking: Will America Be the Death of English? (1974) and A Civil Tongue (1976). He was well known for his droll wit and his seemingly limitless number of puns.

Mr. Newman retired from NBC News in 1984. Afterwards he appeared frequently as a narrator, interviewer, and moderator on many programmes, particularly on PBS. Over the years he appeared as himself on several television shows and movies. He appeared on such shows as Newhart, Saturday Night Live, The Golden Girls, Wings, and Murphy Brown. He appeared in the films Spies Like Us (1985) and The Pelican Brief (1993).

Edwin Newman was one of the last great television newsman. While he was always genteel and his grammar was always perfect, he always seemed as if he was simply another one of us. As the current anchor of The NBC Evening News, Brian Williams, said of Mr. Newman, "To those of us watching at home, he made us feel like we had a very smart, classy friend in the broadcast news business." Indeed, Mr  Newman never took himself too seriously, even serving once as the anchor on "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live after he had retired. He defence of the correct usage of the English language is also to be admired. Indeed, if I tend to nitpick at time at the ill use of the language, it is largely because of Edwin Newman. More than any teacher I had in school, my desire for correct grammar stems from Mr. Newman. One of the last great television newsman and a champion of the English language, we will not see the like of Edwin Newman again any time soon.

The Late, Great Harold Gould

Actor Harold Gould Ph.D. passed on September 11, 2010 at the age of 86. The cause was prostate cancer.

Harold Gould was born Harold V. Goldstein on December 10, 1923 in Schenectady, New York. He grew up in Albany, New York. After graduation he enrolled at Albany Teachers College to study to be a social studies teacher. During World War II, after two years of college, Dr. Gould enlisted in the United States Army and served in France. Following the war he returned to Albany Teachers College and earned a bachelor of arts degree.

After graduating from Albany Teachers College, Harold Gould enrolled at Cornell University. There he earned a master of arts degree in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1953. Dr. Gould then taught at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia for three years. It was in 1955 that he made his professional acting debut, as Thomas Jefferson in The Common Glory in Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1956 he took a position at the University of California, Riverside. He stayed there until 1960, when he decided to take up acting full time. He made his television debut in a guest appearance on Cain's Hundred in 1961.

Dr. Gould appeared on television frequently in the Sixties. He guest starred on such shows as Shannon, Follow the Sun, National Velvet, The Donna Reed Show, Empire, The Untouchables, Dennis the Menace, Route 66, The Lieutenant, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Twilight Zone, Mister Ed, The Jack Benny Programme, The Man From U.N.L.C.E., The Virginian, The Farmer's Daughter, That Girl, Get Smart, The Green Hornet, The Invaders, Daniel Boone, The Wild Wild West, The Big Valley, Hogan's Heroes, The High Chaparral. He made his movie debut in a bit part in The Couch (1962). Throughout the Sixties he appeared in such films as Two for the Seesaw (1962), The Yellow Canary (1963), The Satan Bug (1965), Inside Daisy Cover (1965), Harper (1966), An American Dream (1966), Project X (1968), The Arrangement (1969), and The Lawyer (1970).

In the Seventies Harold Gould was a regular on the short lived Bob Crane Show and Rhoda, . He was one of the two leads, along with Stefanie Powers, on The Feather and Father Gang. He guest starred on such shows as The F.B.I., Love American Style, The Partidge Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Streets of San Francisco, Dirty Sally, Gunsmoke, Cannon, Hawaii Five-O, and The Rockford Files. He appeared in such films as Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1971), Where Does It Hurt (1972), The Sting (1973), The Front Page (1974), The Strongest Man in the World (1975), Love and Death (1975), Silent Movie (1976), The Big Bus (1976), Gus (1976), and The One and Only (1978).

In the Eighties Dr. Gould was the lead on the series Foot in the Door and Singer & Sons, and a regular on Spencer. He guest starred on such shows as St. Elsewhere, Trapper John M.D., L. A. Law, Night Court, and Midnight Caller. He appeared in such movies as The Dream Chasers (1982), Playing For Keeps (1986), and Romero (1989). In the Nineties he was a a regular on The Golden Girls. From the Nineties into the Naughts he appeared on such shows as Dinosaurs, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Outer Limits, Felicity, and Nip/Tuck. He appeared in such movies as Flesh Suitcase (1995), Lover's Knot (1996), Killer: Journal of a Killer (1996), My Giant (1998), Patch Adams (1998), Stuart Little (1999), and Nobody's Perfect.

Harold Gould also appeared on Broadway in the plays Fools (1981), Grown Ups (1981-1982), Artist Descending a Staircase (1989), and Mixed Emotions (1993).

Dr. Harold Gould was an extremely versatile actor who could play a wide variety of roles. He often played authority figures, such as the Mayor in The Front Page and Louis B. Mayer in the telefilms The Scarlet O'Hara War and The Silent Lovers. He played a wide variety of father figures, including Rhoda's father on the sitcom Rhoda and Grandpa Little in the movie Stuart Little.Of course, one of his most famous roles was that of con man Kid Twist in The Sting. In many ways he played all of these roles on the TV show from which I remember him best, The Father and Feather Gang, on which he played Harry Danton, who at once an authority figure, a father, and a con man. If Dr. Gould appeared so frequently on film and on television, it was perhaps because his talent allowed to play nearly any role.

The Late, Great Kevin McCarthy

Actor Kevin McCarthy passed yesterday at the age of 96. Although best known for his role in the film version of Death of a Saleman (1951) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), his career spanned over seventy years.

Kevin McCarthy was born on February 15, 1914 in Seattle, Washington. His mother and father died during the flu epidemic of 1918 and Mr. McCarthy, his brothers, and his sister Mary (who became famous in her own right as a novelist) were sent to be raised by relatives. He began acting while at the University of Minnesota, his first role being a bit part in Henry IV, Part 1.

Following graduation Mr. McCarthy moved to New York to pursue a career in acting.His first role on Broadway would be a bit part in Abe Lincoln in Illinois in1938. Over the years he would appear in many Broadway productions, including Winged Victory (1943-1944), Joan of Lorraine (1946-1947), the revival of Anna Christie (1952), Love's Labour Lost (1953), Advise and Consent (1960-1961), a revival of The Three Sisters (1964), Cactus Flower (1967), Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1970-1971), and Alone Together (1984-1985). He appeared off Broadway in The Children (1972-1973).

Kevin McCarthy made his movie debut in 1944 in the film version of Winged Victory, recreating the role he played on Broadway. Much of his career in the late Forties and the Fifties would be spent on the small screen rather than the big screen. He made his television debut on a 1949 episode of The Ford Theatre Hour. From the late Forties into the Fifties he appeared on such series as Actor's Studio, The Prudential Family Playhouse, Lights Out, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, Studio One, Danger, Inner Sanctum, The 20th Century Fox Hour, Kraft Theatre, G. E. True Theatre, Climax, Schlitz Playhouse, and The Twilight Zone.

Of course, Mr. McCarthy did make movies in the Fifties. He played Biff Loman in the 1951 adaptation of Death of a Salesman. He also appeared in the films Drive a Crooked Road (1954), The Gambler from Nachez (1954), Stranger on Horseback (1955), and An Annapolis Story (1955). His most famous role would come in 1956 in the film adaptation of Jack Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Kevin McCarthy played Dr. Miles Bennell, the physician who soon realises all is not right in the small town in which he lives and works. He finished out the decade appearing in the film Nightmare (1956).

The Sixties saw Kevin McCarthy appear more frequently in films. He opened the decade playing Raymond Taber in The Misfits. Throughout the decade he appeared in such films as 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), A Gathering of Eagles (1963), The Prize (1963), The Best Man (1964), Mirage (1965), A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966), The Three Sisters (1966), Hotel (1967), and The Hell with Heroes (1968). He continued to appear on television frequently, guest starring on such shows as Way Out, The United States Steel Hour, The Rifleman, The Defenders, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Honey West, The Fugitive, Burke's Law, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Invaders, Felony Squad, The Wild Wild West, The High Chapparal, The F.B.I., and Julia.

The Seventies saw Mr. McCarthy's career shift more towards television. He guest starred on Bearcats, Mission: Impossible, Columbo, Cannon, The Manhunter, and Hawaii Five-O. He appeared in such films as Richard (1972), Kansas City Bomber (1972), Alien Thunder (1974), Order to Assassinate (1975), Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976), Piranha (1978), and Hero at Large  (1980). He recreated the role of Dr. Miles Bennell in the 1978 remake (or possibly sequel) of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

During the Eighties Mr. McCarthy also spent much of his career on television. In fact, it was during the decade that the would play his only regular roles on television series. He appeared as Claude Weldon on the nighttime soap opera Flamingo Road, as Zack on the short lived sitcom Amanda's, as George Hayward in the short lived Bay City Blues, and as Lucas Carter on The Colbys. He also guest starred on such series as Dynasty, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The A-Team, The Golden Girls, Fame, Head of the Class, In the Heat of the Night, and Matlock. He also appeared in such films as The Holwing (1981), My Tutor (1983), Innerspace (1987), Hostage (1987), UHF (1989). Love or Money (1990), and The Sleeping Car (1990).

Kevin McCarthy's career did not slow down in the Nineties. He continued to appear on television in such series as The Father Dowling Mysteries, Murder She Wrote, Human Target, Batman: The Animated Series, Tales From the Crypt, Boston Common, and The District. He appeared in such films as Final Approach (1991), The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), Matinee (1993), Judicial Consent (1994), Greedy (1994), Just Cause (1995), Sreal Big Steal Little (1995), and Mommy (1995).

Mr. McCarthy continued to act into the Naughts. He guest starred on the show Eyes. He appeared in the films Legend of the Razorback (2002), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003--playing a character curiously named Dr. Bennell....), Loving Annabelle (2006), Slipstream (2007--playing himself), Trail of the Screaming Forehead (2007), and  I Do (2009. His last appearance on film was in the movie Drawback, just released this year.

There can be no doubt that Kevin McCarthy had a long and remarkable career. Indeed, there are not many actors who still perform nearly up until their death. There can be no doubt that Mr McCarthy was so prolific and had a career so long because he was such a versatile actor. He could play nearly any role. While best known as the heroic Dr. Bennell from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, he also played roles that were much less than heroic. In A Big Hand for the Little Lady he played Otto Habershaw, a lawyer who dressed finely but possessed somewhat questionable morals. In The Howling he played television station manager Fred Francis, who is willing to do anything to get ratings. In The Sleeping Car he once more played a good guy--eccentric children's book writer and exorcist Vincent Tuttle. Throughout his long career Kevin McCarthy played everything from military officers to doctors to attorneys to lawyers to mad men. He was a versatile actor and a thorough professional. It is no wonder that he had a long career.