Don Grady R.I.P.

Don Grady, most famous for playing eldest son Robbie Douglas on My Three Sons, died yesterday at the age of 68. The cause was cancer.

Don Grady was born in San Diego, California on 8 June 1944. His mother was a talent agent. He made his television debut as one of the original Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club in 1955. He also appeared in one of the serials on the show, "The Adventures of Spin and Marty." In the late Fifties he guest starred on various television shows, including The Ann Southern Show, Buckskin, The Restless Gun, Wichita Town, Zane Grey Theatre, Laws of the Plainsman, The Rifelman, Wagon Train, and Have Gun--Will Travel. He appeared in the films Cash McCall (1960), Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960), and The Crowded Sky (1960). It was in 1960 that he was cast as Robbie Douglas on the long running sitcom My Three Sons. He remained with the show until it went off the air in 1971.

In the Sixties he guest starred on the shows The Eleventh Hour, The Lucy Show, Mr. Novak, To Rome With Love (as Robbie Douglas from My Three Sons), and The F.B.I. In the Seventies he guest starred on Love American Style, and appeared in the film The Wild McCulloughs (1975). In the Eighties he guest starred on Simon and Simon.

Following his acting career, Mr. Grady worked as a composer in television and motion pictures. He served as  a composer on the films Switch (1991), Passings (2000), and Good Neighbour (2001). He composed the theme song for The Phil Donahue Show and music for the mini-series The Revolutionary War. He adapted music for Blake Edwards' movie Skin Deep (1989).

While I cannot say I thought Don Grady was a great actor, he was very good at what he did. I do not think they could have cast anyone better in the role of Robbie Douglas on My Three Sons, and he did very well in the various guest appearances he made on television shows. He seemed to have a gift for playing in Westerns, appearing on several Western television shows early in his career.

Although best known as Robbie Douglas on My Three Sons, arguably his biggest legacy will be as a composer. He was very good when it came to writing music. Indeed, while may afternoon talk shows have outright forgettable themes, The Phil Donahue Show theme is quite memorable. While I suspect that there are many who wish his acting career had been longer, Don Grady arguably made a bigger contribution to movies and television through his music. Regardless, he was a multi-talented man, both a good actor and a great composer.

The Late, Great Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron, the screenwriter responsible for such films as When Harry Met Sally (1989) and You've Got Mail (1998), passed today at the age of 71. The cause was pneumonia which resulted from acute myeloid leukaemia.

Nora Ephron was born 19 May 1941 in New York City. Her parents were Phoebe and Henry Ephron, screenwriters who wrote such films as Three Is a Family (1944) and Carousel (1956). Miss Ephron was only four years old when her family moved to Beverly Hills, California. She attended Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In college she wrote for the school newspaper. In the summer of 1961 she served as an intern in the John F. Kennedy White House (in an essay for The New York Times in 2003 Miss Ephron joked that she was probably the only intern at whom President Kennedy never made a pass). Following her graduation from college in 1962 she moved to New York City where she went to work in the mail room at Newsweek. After she and some of her friends published a parody of The New York Post, she was offered a job at the actual Post by then publisher Dorothy Schiff.  She worked at the Post for five years.

Following her stint at The New York Post, Nora Ephron began writing for magazines. Among the publications  for which she wrote were New York, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine. In the Seventies she would become a regular columnist for Esquire. Her essays were often humorous and sometimes even controversial. In 1968 she wrote a parody of Women's Wear Daily  published in Cosmopolitan that was so scathing that the publishers of Women's Wear Daily threatened a lawsuit. Her essays would be published in several collections, the first being  Crazy Salad in 1972.

Miss Ephron's first encounter with screenwriting would come about due to her marriage to Carl Bernstein, who with Bob Woodward broke the Watergate scandal. Messrs. Woodward and Bernstein were unhappy with the screenplay adaptation William Goldman had made of their book on the Watergate scandal, All the President's Men. Miss Ephron and Mr. Bernstein then rewrote the script. In the end their version would not be used for the film, but it would prove to be Miss Ephron's introduction to screenwriting. It was in 1973 that she wrote an episode of the short lived sitcom Adam's Rib (based on the classic film of the same name).

It would only be a few years later that Nora Ephron would receive her first screenwriting credit, co-writing the movie Silkwood (1983) with Alice Arlen. The film received several Oscar nominations, including one for Best Original Screenplay. She later adapted her novel Heartburn for the 1986 film of the same name and wrote the screenplay for the 1989 film Cookie. It was also in 1989 that what may be Nora Ephron's biggest cinematic claim to fame was released. When Harry Met Sally earned Miss Ephron another Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It also proved enormously popular upon its release, something which has continued to this day. When Harry Met Sally ranked at #6 on the American Film Institute's 2008 Top Ten Romantic Comedies and ranked at #15 on website Rotten Tomatoes' 25 Best Romantic Comedies.

From the Nineties into the Naughts, Nora Ephron would write the films My Blue Heaven (1990), This is My Life (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Mixed Nuts (1994), Michael (1996), You've Got Mail (1998), Hanging Up (2000), Bewitched (2005), and Julie & Julia (2009). With This is My Life Nora Ephron began directing as well. She directed the films  This is My Life, Sleepless in Seattle, Mixed Nuts, Michael, You've Got Mail, Lucky Numbers (2000), Bewitched, and Julie & Julia.

As an essayist there can be no doubt that Nora Ephron was one of the best of the 20th Century. Her essays were deeply honest, sometimes a bit irreverent, and sometimes even daring. Miss Ephron could often be self effacing and it could well be that the biggest target of her humour was herself. In the end Nora Ephron could be counted as one of the great American humourists, along with Mark Twain and Dorothy Parker.

Of course, as great as Miss Ephron's essays were, it was her screenplays that were her claim to fame. In my humble opinion Nora Ephron was one of the last great, American screenwriters. In many ways her romantic comedies seem more like they could have been made in the 1930's and 1940's than the 1990's and 2000's. In an age when most romantic comedies are shallow fantasies made for women in which the male protagonists are generally little more than cardboard cutouts, Nora Ephron wrote romantic comedies that were intelligent, witty, and character driven. Her characters were so four dimensional that they often reminded the average person of people he or she might know in real life.  Nora Ephron actually wrote about men and their feelings better than many male screenwriters!

Indeed, Nora Ephron wrote one of my favourite romantic comedies of all time, When Harry Met Sally. I also loved two of her other romantic comedies, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. All three of these films remind me of the romantic comedies of the 1930's and 1940's (here I must point out that You've Got Mail was based on the same source material as the classic The Shop Around the Corner and In the Good Old Summertime) more than they do more recent crop of so called romantic comedies. It is for that reason that Nora Ephron has many followers among classic film buffs who might never watch Rumour Has It or 27 Dresses. For that matter, Nora Ephron may well have wrote the last romantic comedies that could be enjoyed by both men and women. I know many men who love When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail, men who would never willingly watch most modern day romantic films.

In the end Nora Ephron was an exceptionally talented, extremely funny woman. She was a great essayist, a great screenwriter, and, perhaps above all else, a great humourist. I rather suspect her collections of essays and her films will remain in distribution for centuries to come.

Caroline John Passes On

Caroline John, best known as Liz Shaw on Doctor Who, passed on 5 June 2012 at the age of 72. The cause was cancer.

Caroline John was born on 19 September 1940 in York.  She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She would later work with both the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the National Theatre. She made her film debut in 1955 in Raising a Riot. In the Sixties she appeared in the film The King's Breakfast (1963). She guest starred on the TV shows Teletale and The Power Game. It was in 1969 that Caroline John joined the cast of Doctor Who as The Doctor's companion Liz Shaw. She remained with the show until 1970. Later Miss John returned as Dr. Shaw in the 1983 Doctor Who episode "The Five Doctors."

In the Seventies Caroline John appeared on such shows as Z Cars, Love Story, and Crown Court. She appeared in the film Assassin (1973). In the Eighties she appeared in such shows as The Bill, A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery, A Perfect Spy, Dramarama, Casualty, and Chancer. She was a regular on the shows Wish Me Luck and Harry Enfield's Television Programme. She appeared in the films The Razor's Edge (1983), Santa Claus (1985), and Link (1985). From the Nineties into the Naughts, Caroline John appeared on such shows as The House of Elliot, EastEnders, Silent Witness, Midsomer Murders, and Vital Signs. She appeared in the film Love Actually (2003).

Caroline John whose experience on stage allowed her to make the role of Dr. Liz Shaw on Doctor Who very convincing, even in the show's most out of the world episodes. Miss John played Liz as intelligent, independent, and a very skilled scientist (she had degrees in physics and medicine). Miss John also gave performances in very nearly every role in which she was ever cast. Even had she not been cast as one of The Doctor's companions, she would be an actress who would be remembered.

Bob Welch Passes On

Bob Welch, one time guitarist with Fleetwood Mac and a successful solo artist, passed on 7 June at the age of 65  or 66. The cause was a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Bob Welch was born in Los Angeles, California on 31 August, 1945 or 31 July 1946 (the date varied from source to source). His father was film and TV producer Robert L. Welch. Bob Welch learned clarinet as a child and as a young teen switched to playing guitar. After his graduation from high school he went to Paris with the intention of attending the University of Paris, although he spent little time on his studies. He later returned to Los Angeles where he studied French at the University of California-Los Angeles.

He dropped out of UCLA and joined the vocal group The Seven Souls as their guitarist in 1964. The Seven Souls would see little success, although their song "I Still Love You (B-side of the single "I'm No Stranger")" would become a Northern Soul standard. The Seven Souls broke up in 1969. Afterwards he moved to Paris where he founded the trio Head West. Head West would not prove to be a success.

It was in 1971 that Bob Welch was invited to join Fleetwood Mac, who had just lost founding members Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, both guitarists. Future Games, released in 1971, was the first Fleetwood Mac album on which Bob Welch played guitar. He wrote the album's title track and another song on the album, as well as co-wrote one other with the rest of the band. Bob Welch would remain with Fleetwood Mac for the albums Bare Trees and Mystery to Me, and Heroes Are Hard to Find. In 1974 Bob Welch left Fleetwood Mac.

Bob Welch returned to Paris and formed the band Paris with Glenn Cornick (formerly of Jethro Tull) and Thom Mooney (formerly of Nazz). Paris released two albums, Paris in 1976 and, after Hunt Sales replaced Thom Mooney, Big Town, 2061 later in 1976. Neither of Paris' albums were successful. Paris broke up before a planned third album could be recorded.

It was in 1977 that Bob Welch released his first solo album, French Kiss. The album would produce two hit songs, "Ebony Eyes" and "Sentimental Lady."   French Kiss itself went to #12 on the United States album chart. In 1979 he followed French Kiss up with Three Hearts, which produced the hit song "Precious Love."  Three Hearts peaked at #20 on the U.S. album charts. Unfortunately, Mr. Welch's following solo albums would decline in sales. The Other One (1979), Man Overboard (1980), Bob Welch (1981), and Eye Contact (1983) did not even reach the top 100 of the U.S. albums chart.

Unfortunately, as his career went into decline Bob Welch developed a heroin addiction. Once he had recovered from his addiction, Mr. Welch stopped performing and concentrated on his songwriting instead. It was in 1999 that he returned to recording, with the album Bob Welch Looks at Bop.  He would follow this with two albums that combined the songs he wrote for Fleetwood Mac with new material, His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond in 2003 and His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond 2 in 2006.

Bob Welch was a remarkable guitarist and songwriter who had a large part in changing the direction of Fleetwood Mac from blues to a more pop oriented song. It was largely because of Bob Welch and Christine McVie that Fleetwood Mac would evolve the sound for which it is best known. Although he left the band in 1974, it is likely that had he not joined Fleetwood Mac, they might never have recorded an album like Rumours. Although his solo success would be short lived, during his solo career he produced a good number of remarkable songs. While Bob Welch may have never achieved the phenomenal success that his former band Fleetwood Mac did, arguably he was responsible in part for that success and he contributed a number of great songs in his solo career.

The Late Great Victor Spinetti

British comic actor and film star Victor Spinetti passed on 18 June 2012 at the age of 82. The cause was prostate cancer. He may be best known for his appearances in The Beatles' films A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), as well as their 1967 television special Magical Mystery Tour.

Victor Spinetti was born Vittorio Spinetti on 2 September 1929 in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales. His father was descended of an Italian immigrant who found work in the coal mines in Wales. His mother was a native Welshwoman. His parents operated a chip shop in Cwm, Blaenau Gwent, Wales. Mr. Spinetti attended Monmouth School in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales. He studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Victor Spinetti made his debut on the West End of London in Expresso Bongo in 1958, playing four different roles. He made his television debut in 1958 in Behind the Mask.  He made his debut on Broadway in New York City in 1960 in The Hostage. Mr. Spinetti appeared in the films The Gentle Terror (1961), Sparrows Can't Sing (1963), The Wild Affair (1963), and Becket (1964). He appeared on television in episodes of the TV shows Richard the Lionhearted and The Saint.

In 1963 Victor Spinetti was appearing on the West End in the satire Oh What a Lovely War. It was one night that two members of The Beatles (already popular in the United Kingdom, but not yet having conquered the United States), John Lennon and George Harrison, visited him backstage. George Harrison told Victor Spinetti that he had to be in The Beatles' film (what would become A Hard Day's Night), all of The Beatles' films. Curious, Victor Spinetti asked, "Why?" George Harrison simply replied, "Because if you’re not in them, me mum won’t come and see them. She fancies you." As a result Victor Spinetti appeared in A Hard Day's Night as the neurotic television director in charge of the programme on which The Beatles were appearing in the film. Victor Spinetti would also appear in The Beatles' second film Help! There he played the mad scientist Foot, desperate to steal the sacrificial ring stuck on Ringo's finger ("With a ring like that I could - dare I say it? - rule the world!").  With his appearance in The Beatles' 1967 television special Magical Mystery Tour, he became the only person besides The Beatles to appear in A Hard Day's Night, Help!, and Magical Mystery Tour. Victor Spinetti would remain friends with The Beatles well after Magical Mystery Tour had aired.

In the Sixties Victor Spintetti also appeared in the films The Taming of the Shrew (1967), The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968), Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969) . Start the Revolution Without Me (1970), This, That and the Other! (1970), and Defeat of the Mafia (1970). He appeared on television in an episode of Thirty-Minute Theatre. He was a regular on the TV show Two in Clover. He appeared on the West End in Oh What a Lovely War (1963) and appeared in the show when it debuted on Broadway in 1964. He also appeared on Broadway in La Grosse Valise (1965).

In the Seventies Victor Spinetti was a regular on the TV shows Take My Wife and Kelly Moneith. He guest starred on the shows Harriet's Back in Town, Cooper, Bernie, and Time of My Life. He appeared in the films Under Milk Wood (1972), Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973), The Great McGonagall (1974), The Little Prince (1974), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Some Like It Cool (1977), and Fiona (1977).

In the Eighites Mr. Spinetti was a regular on the TV programme Sweet Sixteen and provided the voice of Texas Pete on the animated series SuperTed.  He guest starred on the TV shows BBC Play of the Month, Bad Boyes, and Omnibus. He appeared in the mini-series Mistral's Daughter and Sins. He appeared in the films Under the Cherry Moon (1986) and The Krays (1990).

In the Nineties he was a regular on the TV show An Actor's Life for Me. From the Nineties into the Naughts he guest starred on the shows Paul Merton: The Series, Take Off with T-Bag, Bottom, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, First Degree, New Tricks, and High Hopes. He appeared in the films Julie and the Cadillacs (1999), Wednesday (2006), and Cosa raccomanda lei? (2006).

Victor Spinetti was one of the best comic actors to emerge out of the United Kingdom in the late 20th Century. He had a fantastic wit and he was a master of the English language. At the same time he was very adept at physical comedy. These talents suited him very well, as he easily handled material ranging from The Beatles' films to Shakespeare's comedies to such broad family movies as  Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973). Although Victor Spinetti was perfect for comedy, he could also play dramatic roles as well. He gave excellent performances in both the film Voyage of the Damned and the television movie The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank.

In interviews Victor Spinetti was a great raconteur. By all reports he was also a very warm hearted man. He appeared at many Beatles conventions around the world where he told stories about the making of A Hard Day's Night and Help!, as well as his friendship with The Beatles. Mr. Spinetti was always patient with my fellow Beatles fans and always had kind words for them. Indeed, when he was on Broadway in Oh What A Lovely War he told those Beatles fans who attended to see him that if they behaved he could sit in the front row after the play and he would tell them about The Beatles for 10 minutes. Victor Spinetti did so for the rest of his time with the play. Not many actors would be so kind to take time out to talk to fans of a popular musical group about his experience with them! In the end Victor Spinetti was not just a great comic talent, he was a fine Welsh gentleman.

Kathryn Joosten R.I.P.

Actress Kathryn Jootsen, who was a regular on The West Wing and Desperate Housewives, died 2 June 2012 at the age of 72. The cause was lung cancer.

Miss Jootsen was born on 20 December 1939 in Chicago, Illinois. She worked as a psychiatric nurse at a hospital there. She had two sons and raised a family. She divorced her husband in 1980 and did not decide to take up acting until she was 42 years old. 

Kathryn Jootsen made her film debut in Grandview, U.S.A. (1984).  In the Eighties she appeared in the shows Sable and Lady Blue. She appeared in the film The Package (1989). In the Nineties she appeared on such shows as Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, Grace Under Fire, 3rd Rock From the Sun, E.R., Roseanne, Murphy Brown, Frasier, Seinfeld, N.Y.P.D. Blue, The Nanny, and Home Improvement.  She appeared in the films Eating Las Vegas (1997), Phoenix (1998), and Kiss Toledo Goodbye (1999). In the Naughts she was a regular on The West Wing, Joan of Arcadia, and Desperate Housewives. She appeared on such shows as Dharma & Greg, Spin City, The X-Files, The Drew Carey Show, Charmed, The King of Queens, Will & Grace, Everwood, My Name is Earl, Monk, and Scrubs. She appeared in such films as Wasabi Tuna (2003), Red Roses and Petrol (2003), Breaking Dawn (2004), Hostage (2005), Taking Your Life (2005), Wedding Crashers (2005), and Cheaper by the Dozen (2005).

Platters Founder Herb Reed R.I.P.

Herb Reed, one of the founding members of The Platters, passed on 4 June 2012 at the age of 83. The cause was lung disease.

Herb Reed was born on 7 August 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri. Both of his parents died when he was 13. When he was 15 years old he moved to Los Angeles California. There he started singing in church choirs and later participated in amateur talent contests. It was in 1953 that Herb Reed formed The Platters with David Lynch and lead singer Tony Williams. It was Herb Reed who was credited with naming the group, the term "platters" being slang at the time for records.

The Platters released their first two singles through Federal Records. Unfortunately, both singles failed. Eventually songwriter, producer, and arranger Buck Ram took The Platters under his wing. He would also manage The Penguins, who had a hit single with the song "Earth Angel. When Mercury Records wanted to sign The Penguins, Mr. Ram insisted that they take The Platters as well. In the end The Platters would be the more successful of the two groups. In 1955 they had their first hit with the song "Only You," which went to #5 on the Billboard singles chart. It was followed by the hit single "The Great Pretender,' which went to #1 on the Billboard singles chart.

The Platters would continue to have several hit singles in the late Fifties, including "(You've Got) the Magic Touch," "My Prayer," "You'll Never Know," "Isn't It Right," "I'm Sorry," "Twilight Time," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and "Harbour Lights." Unfortunately, as the Fifties became the Sixties, The Platters went into decline. After the song "Harbour Lights," The Platters would not hit the top twenty on the Billboard singles chart until 1967 with "With This Ring." From 1961 to 1968 only four of their songs made even to the top 40. While the line up of The Platters changed over the years, Herb Reed remained a constant with the band, staying with the group well into the Sixties.

Once The Platters' recording career ended Herb Reed would continue performing. In the Seventies he toured with a group called The Platters. Unfortunately, other groups calling themselves "The Platters" would eventually spring up, some with no real ties to the original group. Herb Reed would find himself embroiled in a long legal battle to the rights to the name. Eventually, as the lone survivor of the original Platters, Herb Reed would win the rights to the name.

The Platters were one of the most legendary R&B vocal groups of all time with a string of hits, many of which became standards. The Platters were also one of the first groups to break the colour barrier, as their manager Buck Ram encouraged Mercury Records to market the group to both blacks and whites. Herb Reed was a large part of the group's success. He was gifted with a melodious bass voice that lent strength to the group's many songs. Beyond his singular talent as a singer, Mr. Reed was also the original member who remained with The Platters the longest, from the group's founding into the Sixties. With the passing of  Herb Reed, a part of  R&B history has also passed.