Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Frances Kuyper

"Cake lady" was innovator and pioneer in the decoration of baked goods -- via the L.A. Times

Alvin Boretz

Prolific writer for TV and radio -- via alt.obits and legacy.com

Tom Mankiewicz

Screenwriter, and expert script doctor -- via the L.A. Times

Monday, August 2, 2010

Mitch Miller

The old maestro -- musician, music producer and TV host -- via the New York Times. He was hopelessly corny, hated rock and roll, tried to get Sinatra to record novelty records. Yet he was immensely successful in music in the period between the Swing Era and rock and roll -- a time of syrupy ballads and overwrought crooning. He created and hosted "Sing Along with Mitch" in the early 1960s -- this hokey concept epitomized the suffocating whiteness we all yearned to escape from as kids. Still, I have the albums at home, and they did teach me the American song literture that predated the American Song Book. Follow the bouncing ball!

William Bowen Rogers

Documentary filmmaker with a unique niche -- he specialized in projects that were shown in museums. Via the Dallas Morning News

Joel Crager

One of the most distinctive announcers of network TV -- via musicradio77.com. Best remembered for his intros to the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" --

Suso Cecchi D’Amico


Brilliant Italian screenwriter who brought us such classics as "Bicycles Thieves," "Big Deal on Madonna Street" and "The Leopard" -- via the BBC

Friday, July 30, 2010

John Aylesworth

Comedy writer and producer, best known as the creator of "Hee Haw" -- via the Palm Springs Desert Sun





Wednesday, July 28, 2010

David Edward Blewitt

Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated film editor -- via the Hollywood Reporter

Heinrich Schmieder

German actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter

Dick Buckley

Great Chicago jazz DJ -- via alt.obituaries and the Chicago Tribune

Kenneth Bursteiin aka Ken Barry

St. Louis restaurateur and balladeer -- via alt.obituaries and stltoday

Ravi Baswani

Actor best known for his comic roles -- via the Times of India

Al Goodman

Soul singer -- via CNN

Cipriano Cermeno aka Redford White

Philippine comedian and actor -- via gmanews

Billy Loes

Former MLB pitcher -- via the New York Times

Jack Tatum

Football player known as "The Assassin" -- via the New York Times. His career was defined by his crippling tackle of Daryl Stingley.

Maury Chaykin

A really wonderful actor who didn't get as much credit as he deserved -- via the L.A. Times

Bennett Keith Schaeufele aka Ben Keith

Quite simply, the most beautiful lap steel guitarist of our time -- via the Guardian. His work graced many of Neil Young's greatest songs, and many others' work as well.

Mark Blytheway

Quizmaster (as in master of trivia, facts and lore. In America, the quizmaster is he or she who asks the questions.) -- via the Guardian

Harry Beckett

Trumpeter and composer -- via the Guardian

Wye Allanbrook

Musicologist was Mozart expert -- via the Boston Globe

Willem Breuker

 Dutch saxophonist and composer and bandleader -- via npr.org

Selmi Andak

Turkish composer and music critic -- via Oiko Times

John Callahan

Cartoonist -- via the New York Times

Vic Ziegel

 Sportswriter -- via the New York Times

Alexander "Hurricane" Higgins

Snooker player -- via the L.A. Times