Milestone Moments: All The Celebrity Vitals

[MissAlmond]

8 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

 Darryl was unforgettable in the chilling swimming scene from Leave Her to Heaven.

The minute the doctor suggested it was a good idea to live with Ellen, Danny's fate was sealed.

Until reading various obituaries, I never realize it was Darryl Hickman who told Tootie she had to throw flour in Mr. Braukoff's face in Meet Me in St. Louis.

R.I.P.

 

Edited May 25 by MissAlmond

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, MissAlmond said:

The minute the doctor suggested it was a good idea to live with Ellen, Danny's fate was sealed.

Until reading various obituaries, I never realize it was Darryl Hickman who told Tootie she had to throw flour in Mr. Braukoff's face in Meet Me in St. Louis.

R.I.P.

 

As per IMDB, while the-then teenaged Mr. Hickman obviously  survived the scene in which his character drowned,  he nearly didn't due to  the water he swam in having been  so cold, that Mr. Hickman  got pneumonia.

Also, he was the last survivor (by over a dozen years) of the cast of Grapes of Wrath (1940) in which he'd played the protagonist's Tom Joad's baby brother Winfield!

His life hadn't been easy  but he seemed to have made peace with his performing career at least. RIP, Mr. Hickman!

[BetterButter]

Richard M. Sherman, ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘It’s a Small World’ Songwriter, Dies at 95

[Spartan Girl]

10 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

Richard M. Sherman, ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘It’s a Small World’ Songwriter, Dies at 95

Oof. The Shermans are responsible for so many songs of my childhood. And not just the Disney classic earworms like “It’s A Small World”, “Let’s Get Together”, “Feed the Birds,” and “Spoonful of Sugar.” They also did songs for Charlotte’s Web and Snoopy Come Home, one of which is the one song that still rips my heart of my chest every time I hear it, because it’s so damn true:

Rest well, sir.

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

The Shermans are responsible for so many songs of my childhood.

The first movie I can clearly remember watching was Mary Poppins and those songs have stayed with me ever since.

[MissAlmond]

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/remembering-disney-legend-richard-m-sherman/

 

Edited May 26 by MissAlmond

[voiceover]

When I was a little girl, Disney movie soundtracks were on record albums (the animated films had the songs knit together by narration — Sebastian Cabot, who voiced Bagheera, did it for The Jungle Book).  In those days, there were no videos to rewatch a thousand times.  Instead, I listened to Mary Poppins, — and later, Jungle Book — so often that I knew every song by heart.

He had a wonderful long life, but still, my heart broke a little to learn of Richard M Sherman’s passing.  Another string to my past, severed.  I think of my favorites, like “Bare Necessities” (“When you find out you can live without it/And go along, not thinkin' about it/I’ll tell ya something true: the bare necessities of life will come to you!”) and “I Love to Laugh”.  The opening lyrics of “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” (“With tuppence for paper and string…”) make me well up every time I hear them.  And when Glynis Johns (Mrs Banks) passed, I wasn’t the only one here quoting “Sister Suffragette”.

See, Richard? I still remember every word.  Enjoy your reunion with Bob.  Thanks again for making my childhood so magical.

[shapeshifter]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13462311/General-Hospital-star-Johnny-Wactor-37-shot-killed-Los-Angeles-robbery.html

https://apnews.com/article/johnny-wactor-killed-los-angeles-949c92bd7a91cc3e88b68d277bf78d81

[MissAlmond]

NBA Hall of Fame basketball star and Emmy Award winning ESPN sports commentator Bill Walton has died, age 71.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40229031/nba-champion-hall-famer-bill-walton-dies-71

https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/news/new-york-knicks-nba-legend-bill-walton-passes-away

https://deadline.com/2024/05/bill-walton-dead-nba-hall-of-famer-sports-broadcaster-1235941843/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/bill-walton-dead-nba-hall-of-fame-broadcaster-1235909656/

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/27/us/bill-walton-death/index.html

 

Edited May 28 by MissAlmond

[MissAlmond]

Producer Al Ruddy who won an Academy Award for The Godfather (1972) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) as well as co-creator for such TV series as Hogan's Heroes and Walker, Texas Ranger as died, age 94.

https://deadline.com/2024/05/al-ruddy-dead-godfather-million-dollar-baby-1235942541/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/al-ruddy-dead-godfather-million-dollar-baby-producer-1235909956/

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/al-ruddy-dead-godfather-1236017473/

https://www.thewrap.com/al-ruddy-oscar-winning-producer-godfather-dead-dies-obit/

 

Edited May 28 by MissAlmond

[MissAlmond]

Producer and former Casting Director Fred Roos who won an Academy Award for The Godfather Part II (1974) and was a longtime collaborator and executive producer for Francis Ford Coppola and Sophia Coppola has died, age 89

https://aframe.oscars.org/news/post/fred-roos-dead-at-89

https://deadline.com/2024/05/fred-roos-dead-francis-ford-coppola-godfather-producer-1235925291/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/fred-roos-dead-godfather-part-ii-1235905056/

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/fred-roos-dead-godfather-2-megalopolis-1236009965/

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/24/movies/fred-roos-dead.html

 

Edited May 28 by MissAlmond

[BetterButter]

‘When Calls the Heart’ Actor Mamie Laverock on Life Support After Falling Five Stories From Balcony

[MissAlmond]

Actor Elizabeth MacRae best known for playing Gomer's girlfriend Lou-Ann Poovie in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Meg Baldwin in the daytime drama General Hospital has died, age 88.

https://deadline.com/2024/05/elizabeth-macrae-dead-general-hospital-gomer-pyle-usmc-actor-1235943121/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/elizabeth-macrae-dead-gomer-pyle-the-conversation-1235910543/

https://people.com/general-hospital-star-elizabeth-macrae-dead-at-88-8655018

[EtheltoTillie]

So both of those Godfather people died within days of each other.  Since I'm a Godfather super fan, I enjoyed the fictionalized version of the Al Ruddy story of producing the Godfather, which you can watch on Paramount. The Offer. 

[Miss Anne Thrope]

12 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Actor Elizabeth MacRae best known for playing Gomer's girlfriend Lou-Ann Poovie in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Meg Baldwin in the daytime drama General Hospital has died, age 88.

https://deadline.com/2024/05/elizabeth-macrae-dead-general-hospital-gomer-pyle-usmc-actor-1235943121/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/elizabeth-macrae-dead-gomer-pyle-the-conversation-1235910543/

https://people.com/general-hospital-star-elizabeth-macrae-dead-at-88-8655018

She was also memorable in The Conversation.  I remember I was a little flipped when I saw her in it because I'd only known her to that point as Lou-Ann and the voice of Ladyfish in The Incredible Mr. Limpet.   Thank you and RIP, Ms MacCrae. 

Edited May 30 by Miss Anne Thrope

[ProudMary]

6 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

So both of those Godfather people died within days of each other.

 

32 minutes ago, Miss Anne Thrope said:

She was also memorable in The Conversation.

So, three people associated with Francis Ford Coppola films in the '70s all died within days of each other? Weird coincidence. 

[Miss Anne Thrope]

58 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

 

So, three people associated with Francis Ford Coppola films in the '70s all died within days of each other? Weird coincidence. 

True, but to be fair, they were 94, 89, and 85.

[Blergh]

14 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Actor Elizabeth MacRae best known for playing Gomer's girlfriend Lou-Ann Poovie in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Meg Baldwin in the daytime drama General Hospital has died, age 88.

https://deadline.com/2024/05/elizabeth-macrae-dead-general-hospital-gomer-pyle-usmc-actor-1235943121/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/elizabeth-macrae-dead-gomer-pyle-the-conversation-1235910543/

https://people.com/general-hospital-star-elizabeth-macrae-dead-at-88-8655018

As per the linked Hollywood Reporter article, she'd been married to her 3rd husband (a banker named Charles Halsey,Jr) since 1969 and after at least 53 years of marriage, Mr. Halsey died on March 29th. I wouldn't be surprised if her longtime spouse's death slightly less than two months before contributed to Miss MacRae's time drawing nearer. At least she got to spend her twilight years back in her hometown so she wasn't in an unfamiliar locale among strangers. RIP, Miss MacRae!

[ProudMary]

From The Los Angeles Times:

Matthew Perry’s fatal ketamine use under criminal investigation by LAPD, DEA

Trace amounts of ketamine — which is sometimes used to treat depression — were found in Perry’s stomach, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. But the level found in his blood was about the same quantity as would be used during general anesthesia, his autopsy showed.

How Perry came to have so much ketamine is now the subject of a probe by the Los Angeles Police Department with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Service, Robbery-Homicide Division Capt. Scot Williams told The Times on Tuesday. 

According to the medical examiner, Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy every other day for a period of time but had reduced that intake, and his last known infusion was a week and a half before his death.

The medical examiner said the ketamine found in Perry’s system at the time of his death could not have been from that earlier infusion as it typically disappears in detectable amounts in three to four hours after intake.

The autopsy report noted that Perry had no other drugs in his system and had been 19 months sober at the time of his death. There was no evidence of illicit drugs or paraphernalia at his home.

 

[MissAlmond]

Too late ladies! Rupert Murdoch has married for the fifth time.  

https://people.com/rupert-murdoch-elena-zhukova-are-married-8606612

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/02/media/rupert-murdoch-elena-zhukova-wife/index.html

 

 

 

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Too late ladies! Rupert Murdoch has married for the fifth time.  

https://people.com/rupert-murdoch-elena-zhukova-are-married-8606612

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/02/media/rupert-murdoch-elena-zhukova-wife/index.html

 

 

 

Think he’ll get married one more time after this before he finally keels over?

[MissAlmond]

9 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Think he’ll get married one more time after this before he finally keels over?

Well he did have that blink and you missed her fiancée before Wife #5, so there’s always a chance! 😉

Edited June 3 by MissAlmond

[BetterButter]

Maria De Aragon, Star Wars' Greedo, Dies at 81

[MissAlmond]

Producer Martin Starger who produced/executive produced such films as Nashville, The Muppet Movie, Mask, On Golden Pond, and Sophie's Choice and as the first president of ABC Entertainment shepherded in Roots, Happy Days, and Rich Man, Poor Man has died, age 92.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/martin-starger-dead-nashville-mask-1235913374/

https://deadline.com/2024/06/martin-starger-dead-first-abc-entertainment-president-producer-nashville-on-golden-pond-was-92-obituary-1235957125/

https://variety.com/2024/film/obituaries-people-news/martin-starger-dead-sophies-choice-1236022079/

https://www.thewrap.com/martin-starger-dies-obit-film-producer/

 

Edited June 3 by MissAlmond

[Blergh]

Performer Trina McGee (of Boy Meets World, A Different World,etc.) has announced on her official Instagram page that 'at the tender age of 54', she has found herself pregnant asking for prayers for a safe delivery.

She has three older children by her first husband - the youngest about a quarter century older than her future baby!

[Wiendish Fitch]

Broadway and Hollywood star Janis Paige has died at 101.

Ms. Paige was such an incredible talent and inspiration. She had minor success in Hollywood (she's a hoot in Romance on the High Seas and fearlessly duetted with Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings) before making her mark on Broadway (most notably The Pajama Game). In 2017, at age 95, she bravely shared her own "Me Too" story.

Ms. Paige was one of the last of the Golden Age of Hollywood greats, and I will certainly miss her.

[AgathaC]

11 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Broadway and Hollywood star Janis Paige has died at 101.

Ms. Paige was such an incredible talent and inspiration. She had minor success in Hollywood (she's a hoot in Romance on the High Seas and fearlessly duetted with Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings) before making her mark on Broadway (most notably The Pajama Game). In 2017, at age 95, she bravely shared her own "Me Too" story.

Ms. Paige was one of the last of the Golden Age of Hollywood greats, and I will certainly miss her.

I loved Silk Stockings growing up and was particularly fond of Ms. Paige’s two big numbers. (Stereophonic Sound gets stuck in my head — annnnnd there it is.) I don’t recall seeing her in anything else, but in that movie she was just overflowing with positive, funny energy.

[MissAlmond]

 

[MissAlmond]

Missed this earlier

TCM Remembers Roger Corman

Edited June 7 by MissAlmond

[RealHousewife]

14 hours ago, Blergh said:

Performer Trina McGee (of Boy Meets World, A Different World,etc.) has announced on her official Instagram page that 'at the tender age of 54', she has found herself pregnant asking for prayers for a safe delivery.

She has three older children by her first husband - the youngest about a quarter century older than her future baby!

Wow! I wouldn’t personally want a baby at 54, but I’d love to be able to have kids well into my 40s.

I wish Trina a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Brother Marquis of 2 Live Crew dead at 58

[BetterButter]

Jeanette Charles, Queen Elizabeth Lookalike Actress From The Naked Gun and Austin Powers, Dead at 96

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, BetterButter said:

Jeanette Charles, Queen Elizabeth Lookalike Actress From The Naked Gun and Austin Powers, Dead at 96

Same age as the real Queen Elizabeth. Bit of a coincidence.

[MissAlmond]

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Same age as the real Queen Elizabeth. Bit of a coincidence.

Now that’s commitment to the role.  

R.I.P. Ms. Charles.

[Blergh]

As per Yahoo! News, etc. Tom Bower (who played Mary Ellen Walton's 1st husband Dr. Curt Willard on The Waltons and also was in Die Hard 2 among other works) died in his sleep in his home on May 30,2024. He was 86 [!].

In a 2022 interview, he said that the reason why his character on The Waltons on  wound up being sent to Pearl Harbor and initially believed to have been killed was because . ..he asked for a raise. Then, when they decided to revive his character for a one-shot episode, he held out for the same raise but they refused- and cast someone else. As it turned out, the other performer had been friends with him before/after the rather soapy episode that wasn't a fan favorite of the show.Oh well.

In RL, he'd been married to someone named Ursula for 51 years before her death last August and, as per family, they'd never been apart for a day- and they had two children and three grandchildren.

RIP, Mr. Bower.

 

[MissAlmond]

R.I.P. Tom Bower. 
While I never liked Curt (much preferred Mary Ellen with Jonesy), The Waltons did his character wrong with that Curt’s Alive! storyline. 
 

 

[andromeda331]

47 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

R.I.P. Tom Bower. 
While I never liked Curt (much preferred Mary Ellen with Jonesy), The Waltons did his character wrong with that Curt’s Alive! storyline. 
 

 

I didn't like Curt either but yeah they really messed up by having him alive. 

[MissAlmond]

6 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I didn't like Curt either but yeah they really messed up by having him alive. 

I never believed Curt Willard would let his wife and son believe he was dead because he was impotent. The Waltons took a realistic storyline about the human cost of war and turned it into a soap opera cliche. 

Edited June 7 by MissAlmond

[Zella]

Yeah that storyline was awful. He also played Dennis and Dee's grandpa in It's Always Sunny.

[Dimity]

6 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

I never believed Curt Willard would let his wife and son believe he was dead because he was impotent. The Waltons took a realistic storyline about the human cost of war and turned it into a soap opera cliche. 

The Pearl Harbour episodes were so incredibly touching and well done and then a few years later they totally ruined it.  And for no good reason whatsoever.  Not that this was Tom Bower's fault of course!

[andromeda331]

23 minutes ago, Dimity said:

The Pearl Harbour episodes were so incredibly touching and well done and then a few years later they totally ruined it.  And for no good reason whatsoever.  Not that this was Tom Bower's fault of course!

They're among my favorite episode. 

[Dimity]

25 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

They're among my favorite episode. 

Same.  And this probably belongs in unpopular opinions but I really liked the war years episodes of The Waltons even with New John Boy.  

[MissAlmond]

Actor Dick Van Dyke has made history by becoming the oldest Daytime Drama Emmy winner at age 98 for his guest starring role in Days of our Lives.

https://variety.com/2024/tv/awards/dick-van-dyke-daytime-emmys-winner-days-of-our-lives-1236029346/

https://deadline.com/2024/06/dick-van-dyke-daytime-emmy-winner-days-of-our-lives-1235962671/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2024-daytime-emmys-winners-list-1235917674/

https://www.thewrap.com/2024-daytime-emmy-awards-night-one-the-complete-list/

https://people.com/daytime-emmys-2024-dick-van-dyke-becomes-oldest-winner-guest-performer-in-drama-8652791

 

Edited Thursday at 01:52 AM by MissAlmond

[Dimity]

11 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

Actor Dick Van Dyke

Just for a second, well you all know where my mind went!  So happy to find it was good news!

[Salacious Kitty]

5 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Just for a second, well you all know where my mind went!  So happy to find it was good news!

Same! 

[Bastet]

29 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Just for a second, well you all know where my mind went! 

I was reaching for the phone to call my mom, and then what was actually written after those first three words filtered through my brain.

[roamyn]

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders died in a small plane crash.  He was 90.

Mr. Anders took the famous "Earth Rising" photo.

 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, roamyn said:

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders died in a small plane crash.  He was 90.

Mr. Anders took the famous "Earth Rising" photo.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13507845/Apollo-8-astronaut-William-Anders-90-named-pilot-killed-small-plane-slammed-Washington-lake-fireball.html

[ProudMary]

6 hours ago, roamyn said:

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders died in a small plane crash.  He was 90.

Mr. Anders took the famous "Earth Rising" photo.

That's some sad irony right there. 😔 

As a kid, that image of earth, coupled with Borman's corresponding scripture reading on that long ago Christmas Eve made an indelible impression on me.

Rest easy, sir.

 

 

[Crashcourse]

I don't usually watch the daytime Emmys, but I watched last night and was pleasantly surprised to see Dick Van Dyke win.