calliopes_pen

Larry Storch passed away in his sleep at the age of 99. May he rest in peace.

I remember that I loved F-Troop back when Nick At Nite aired it in the very early 90’s. Over in the Columbo subreddit, someone linked to the time Storch was in an episode as a driving instructor who was terrified of Columbo’s driving skills, or lack thereof.

I had forgotten the trivia that he was in 1975’s The Ghost Busters, so kudos to Ghostbusters News for that reminder. I never watched that series, but knew of the headache it caused for Ghostbusters (1984). I did watch an episode of Filmation’s cartoon of it (rented by mistake in the 80’s; movie store gave that rather than The Real Ghostbusters, since that was next to it on the shelf).

Oh, and Storch was also in an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker as Swede; the episode was The Vampire.

Lenny Von Dohlen passed away on July 5th, at the age of 63, following a long illness. May he rest in peace.

Evidently, he was mostly known to people thanks to Twin Peaks. I never watched that, and almost thought I had never heard of him before. However, after checking his filmography, I see that he was in Dracula’s Widow (1989) as Raymond, which I watched earlier in the year. He’s the guy bitten and controlled by Vanessa.

Looking through his other work, I may need to track down Jennifer 8 (1992). I believe that Electric Dreams (1984) is on Tubi.

(In honor of Storch appearing on the show, have a Columbo icon)

I’m going in the order in which these five died or were announced. I ran out of space in the post title, or I would have included all of them up there, too.

Rest in peace, Dr. Elizabeth Miller. She passed away peacefully on January 2nd, at the age of 82. She will be missed. If you haven’t heard of her, she was into the academic side of everything that involved Dracula, as well as Bram Stoker. I hunted down and devoured her published works back in the late 90’s and very early 2000s, and was thrilled by the fact she wrote the foreword for Lord of the Vampires, by Jeanne Kalogridis, back in 1996.

She won two Lord Ruthven awards for her work, and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Dracula Society in 2012.

Via Vampires.com, which was quoting her obituary: “Between 1997 and 2012 she wrote or edited and published seven books on Dracula, the latter, entitled The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker, on which her co-editor was Dacre Stoker, grand-nephew of Bram Stoker. She was also the impetus behind 20-plus articles on aspects of Stoker and Dracula; she delivered lectures at universities, learned studies, conferences, ballet productions and private functions, as well as becoming involved in several television documentaries and scores of newspaper and magazine articles on the two.”

Sidney Poitier passed away on January 6th, at the age of 94. May he rest in peace. Unfortunately, I am not acquainted with any of his works, so I’ll need to rectify that shortly. Tubi has They Call Me Mr. Tibbs, as well as Lilies of the Field, so I’ll start there with his filmography.

Peter Bogdanovich passed away on January 6th, at the age of 82, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease May he rest in peace. I was previously only familiar with his work thanks to him directing Targets (1968), which was one of Boris Karloff’s final films. However, last night I watched The Cat’s Meow (2001) on Tubi.

Dwayne Hickman passed away yesterday, at the age of 87, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. I used to watch so much of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, when the series was rerun on Nick At Nite back in the 1980’s. Thanks to the presence of Vincent Price, I had actually already seen him in Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965). Until I consulted his filmography, though, I wasn’t aware that he had directed three episodes of Designing Women, too.

Bob Saget has passed away at the age of 65. May he rest in peace. I loved America’s Funniest Home Videos back when it was first starting out, probably when I was around the age of 8 or 9. I drifted away from it, though I did also watch Full House for a very brief period of time.

Looking through his filmography, I had forgotten that he was in an episode of The Greatest American Hero, back in 1983; I watched that particular episode a few weeks back on Heroes And Icons. He was also the voice of the future Ted in How I Met Your Mother, throughout the duration of the series.

Roy Horn has passed away, at the age of 75, due to covid related complications. I had heard about him being infected at some point late in April, and hoped he could make it through. May he rest in peace. My thoughts are with Siegfried, and everyone who loved him.

Am I the only one that remembers the short-lived (four episodes) Fox cartoon from the 90’s, called Siegfried And Roy: Masters of the Impossible? Here’s a promo, and here’s an ending for an episode (where the live action ones appear in a montage).

Arte Johnson has passed away at the age of 90, “of heart failure following a three-year battle with bladder and prostate cancer.” May he rest in peace.

While he is likely best known for his role in Laugh-In, I will always actually remember him best as Renfield from Love At First Bite (1979). He perfectly replicated Dwight Frye’s particular laugh for the role. He was also The Dormouse in Alice In Wonderland (1985). And until I read his IMDB filmography, I didn’t realize that he was the voice of Weerd in The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo (granted, at the time I was watching for Vincent Price).

In a little while, I’ll rewatch Love At First Bite, since I spotted that someone had uploaded it in its entirety to Youtube.

(While I don’t have an icon of Johnson as Renfield, it feels appropriate that I use one that includes Frye’s incarnation, given the homage.)

Carol Channing has passed away at the age of 97, due to natural causes; she would have turned 98 on January 31st. May she rest in peace.

I remember her best as the woman who gave me nightmares as a child when she (in the role of The White Queen) turned into a sheep in Alice In Wonderland (1985). Syfy Wire also remembers this scene quite well.

While I recall hearing that she came to Paducah numerous times over the years, I don’t know what the plays in question were that she performed in while here. Meanwhile, I also learned that she was the voice of Grandmama Addams in the early 90's Addams Family cartoon.

Earle Hyman has passed away at the age of 91. May he rest in peace. Most seem to have known him as Russell on The Cosby Show, which I never watched. However, I will always remember him best as the voice of Panthro from Thundercats.

Roy Dotrice has passed away at the age of 94. May he rest in peace.

I wasn’t sure who he was at first, since I’m not interested in Game of Thrones. That is, I didn’t realize who he was until I checked IMDB and saw that he had played Roger Wyndam-Pryce in one episode (Lineage) of Angel. Now I remember him. Looking through the rest of his filmography, I have also seen him in Nightmare Classics: Carmilla (1989), Tales From The Crypt (1972), and two episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre. He was also Zeus in three episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

I might need to track down his episode of Tales From The Darkside, wherein he plays "Vampire Count Jeffrey Draco."

June Foray has passed away at the age of 99, just two months before what would have been her 100th birthday. May she rest in peace. She is likely best known as the voice of Rocky The Flying Squirrel and Natasha on The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show. I think Nickelodeon played that quite a bit back in the 80’s.

After I looked through her IMDB filmography, I saw that she basically did voice work on a lot of the shows of my childhood. She was the voice of various characters in Denver The Last Dinosaur, The Smurfs, The Incredible Hulk (the 1982 cartoon, narrated by Stan Lee), and The Real Ghostbusters. She was the voice of Aunt May in Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends. Mrs. Featherby in both the Ducktales series, as well as Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990).

She was the voice of the Talky Tina doll in an episode of The Twilight Zone.

She was in Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1975) as the voices of Nagaina the Cobra, Wife of Nag; Teddy's Mother; and Darzee's Wife. I think that, and The Cricket In Times Square (1973) were on Nickelodeon a lot, too. She was the voice of the Hag in Faeries (1981), which I watched when I was likely only a year old--2 at the most...however old I was, a moment where a shadow is stabbed and starts bleeding left an impression, for I searched for it for decades before finding the title.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/1014975.html

Howard Witt passed away on June 21st, at the age of 85. May he rest in peace.

He will always be most famous to me as the title character of Mr. Boogedy (aka William Hanover, prior to becoming a ghost in the film) from Mr. Boogedy (1986) and its sequel Bride of Boogedy (1987).

That first film caused me weeks of nightmares at the age of 4, but I was over that by the time of the sequel...which I had my grandmother record on her VCR, along with a family friend, and the one at this house at the time. So in case one failed, the other could get it. (While I watched it as it aired in a hotel, in Nashville, on the way back from a shopping trip in case everyone else messed up; power went out on the first two VCR's, but the family friend got it from what I recall.)

Those two movies could be part of why I fell in love with the horror genre.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/1010862.html

From The Nostalgia Critic: The Weirdest Jack And The Beanstalk. It’s just a bit over 15 minutes, without all the usual skits that he's done lately with his reviews.

I watched that movie when I was 2 or 3 in the 1980’s; I'm just surprised someone else knows about it, since very few people I have encountered ever have. Right around that same time, I discovered both Unico movies. And around that same time was The Little Mermaid (also anime; this one, not another from the same time frame) and The Last Unicorn (which wasn’t as surreal as the others). Is it any wonder I am the way I am, and go for the darker (and possibly on the weirder side) fairy tale stuff?

(It explains a lot. Granted, back then I sort of liked the evil Hecuba from that version of Jack And The Beanstalk, and found Jack to be the weird one.)

Meanwhile, checking on the poll in the previous locked (only on Dreamwidth) post: So far, it’s at a tie between people just wanting to vote, and people in favor of a Gothic Horror/Romance community; second place is do both. I forgot to mention that the poll will continue through Saturday evening.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/1003623.html

Chris Wiggins has passed away at the age of 87, following a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. May he rest in peace. He played Jack Marshak on Friday The 13th: The Series. I never caught very many episodes in reruns on Syfy, although I did like his character from what I saw; I recently purchased season 1 from a library book sale. I’ll finally watch the first few episodes of that this afternoon.

A quick check of IMDB tells me he played Dr. Hardy in Murder By Decree (1979), and apparently was the Great Wishing Star in Care Bears II: A New Generation (1986)...in addition to a large amount of other voicework. I’ll eventually get around to a rewatch of Murder By Decree.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/995565.html

Sir John Hurt has passed away, at the age of 77, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. May he rest in peace; he died five days after his birthday. I mostly recognized him from his role as The War Doctor on Doctor Who, but apparently he was also the voice of the dragon on Merlin (which I watched for a couple seasons, and then jumped ship).

He is perhaps most famous for his role as Gilbert Kane in Alien (1979). His death scene is one that I unfortunately watched first at the age of 5, when it was suddenly shown in the middle of Terror In The Aisles (suspense films, stuff from the 40’s in black and white, sudden unexpected--well, to me--chestburster scene followed as the show talked about bloodier horror; I think that is how that went, and then gory then on out). I didn’t know that was him when I watched Spaceballs many years later.

He was The Horned King in The Black Cauldron (1985), and Aragorn in Lord of the Rings (the Ralph Bakshi version from 1978).

And when it comes to horror films, I remember him from Frankenstein Unbound (1990), and The Skeleton Key (2005). I haven’t seen The Ghoul (1975), so I need to watch that at some point, along with Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (it also stars the late Alan Rickman) and Whistle And I’ll Come To You (2010).

(I don't have an icon of The War Doctor, so here's one of the Brigadier.)

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/992583.html

Carrie Fisher has passed away this morning, at the age of 60, following going into full cardiac arrest on a plane on Friday. May she rest in peace; best wishes go out to her family. While I’m not a fan of the Star Wars films, I did love her in Soapdish (1991). For the nostalgia, she was Thumbelina in Faerie Tale Theatre. And, apparently, she had a quick cameo as “woman kissing on bridge” in Hook, according to IMDB.

That was on BBC America just yesterday.

Until I checked her IMDB page, I was not aware that she was in Frankenstein (1984) as Elizabeth. David Warner played The Creature, so I really must track it down.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/985827.html

Bernard Fox has passed away at the age of 89, as a result of heart failure. May he rest in peace.

I remember him best as Dr. Bombay from Bewitched. He was one of my favorite characters, when I watched it in reruns on Nick At Nite as a child. He appeared as the same character in the spin-off Tabitha, and decades later (in a cameo) in the soap opera Passions. I loved his small role in The Mummy (1999). Me-TV recently aired one of his two episodes of Columbo.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/983976.html

Gene Wilder has passed away at the age of 83, as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. May he rest in peace. He is most famous for his roles in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory and Young Frankenstein. I avoided the former (well, except for the “there’s no earthly way of knowing” scene) but the latter is good. For Sherlock Holmes fans, he was Sigerson Holmes in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother.

When I was 6, I loved Haunted Honeymoon, even if I now realize it wasn’t that great.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/978152.html

James Horner passed away yesterday, at the age of 61, after his plane crashed in a field. May he rest in peace. He was an Oscar winning composer who worked on many movies over the decades, including these: The Rocketeer, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, Krull, Willow, Jumanji, Hocus Pocus, and Aliens. For MST3K fans, he also worked on theme music for Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell.

Dick Van Patten passed away at the age of 86, due to complications from diabetes. May he rest in peace. I never watched Eight Is Enough, so I believe I mostly recall him from Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Spaceballs, and The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988).

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/965219.html

Lois Lilienstein has passed away at the age of 78, after a battle with cancer. May she rest in peace. She may be most known for Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show, which I watched and loved when it aired on Nickelodeon in the very early 80’s.

According to IMDB, the show started in 1984, so I would have been 3. I mostly remember Bram’s beard (perhaps it scared me, I don't know. I was 3)--the strange elephant, and a bit of the Skinnamarink song.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/963831.html

Rest in peace, Robin Williams. He died yesterday at the age of 63 of an apparent suicide. When I was around the ages of 9-13, I loved him so much. Hook and Jumanji were a tie for my favorite of his movies at one point, and I watched so much Mork and Mindy on Nick At Nite when I was younger than that. I enjoyed him as the Genie from Aladdin, and may be one of the few to remember him as a frog in Faerie Tale Theater. He will be deeply missed by everyone he brought even a modicum of laughter to.

People keep bringing up Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam as better movies of his—I’ll have to watch them sometime. He was great in The Birdcage. I also remember this little cameo that he and Billy Crystal had in an episode of Friends.

You can read reactions from the White House (they issued a fantastic statement), Pam Dawber, and several others over here and (if you’re interested in one from Sarah Michelle Gellar in this next link) here and here.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/951896.html

Meshach Taylor has passed away, at the age of 67, after a battle with cancer. May he rest in peace. I will always remember and love his role as Anthony Bouvier on Designing Women…and, to a lesser degree, Hollywood Montrose in the Mannequin movies. Until I checked IMDB, I wasn’t aware that he appeared in The Howling and Damien: Omen II.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/950838.html

Kirsten Bishop has passed away, at the age of 50, following a battle with lung cancer. May she rest in peace. I primarily know her from the 1975 English dubbed anime version of The Little Mermaid. I watched that version numerous times in the early 80’s, around the age of 2. (I always preferred that original, unhappy ending over the Disney version.)

I don’t believe that I have ever watched anything else she voiced or appeared in.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/950076.html

Arthur Rankin, Jr. has passed away at the age of 89. May he rest in peace. He was consulting and executive producer on the 80’s version of Thundercats, producer and director for The Last Unicorn, as well as half of Rankin and Bass. Lord of the Rings fans may remember that he produced The Hobbit and The Return of the King in the 70’s.

Maximilian Schell has passed away at the age of 83, as a result of “a sudden and serious illness.” May he rest in peace. I mostly remember him from The Black Hole (1979), and his role of Hamlet--since the latter aired on MST3K.

John Cacavas has passed away at the age of 83. May he rest in peace. He was a film and tv composer. Among his work was the theme for Kojak, which I’ve been watching every Sunday evening lately, courtesy of Me-TV. I haven’t seen the movies he did that MST3K showed. The only films he did composition for which I have seen appear to be The Satanic Rites of Dracula, and Horror Express.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/945243.html

Russell Johnson passed away yesterday, at the age of 89, as a result of kidney failure. May he rest in peace. He will be best remembered by most as the Professor on Gilligan’s Island. MST3K fans will also remember him from This Island Earth, which featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie.

Hal Sutherland has passed away. As of the post I link to, there’s no word as to his age, when he died, or how. He was the director of almost every episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and was the co-founder of Filmation Studios. May he rest in peace.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/944883.html

Peter O’Toole has passed away at the age of 81, after suffering a long illness. May he rest in peace. I loved watching him whenever he popped up. A short list of what I loved him in: Stardust (2007), High Spirits (1988), Casanova (2005), Supergirl (1984), and Svengali (1983). High Spirits was one of my favorite movies when I was little, and I watched Stardust for the first time this year, before sign-ups closed for Yuletide. He will be greatly missed.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/941052.html

Danny Wells passed away on November 28th, at the age of 72. May he rest in peace. I only ever knew him as Luigi on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show--the only episode I really remember (which Kotaku links to) is where Luigi was possessed, and Ernie Hudson is dragged in to help.

Also, a quick note about the weather headed here: I'll be riding out the ice and snow storm (which begins sooner than expected, around 3 PM, and ends tomorrow night) combination at the other house, which has limited dial-up. When I get back over here, I'll update everyone on anything that transpired. Paducah appears to be in the area listed as having a chance for "isolated power outages." Rather than the notch we hit (according to a chart the local weatherman has) in 2009, of "complete and total collapse of basic infrastructure." So, there's that.

Despite rumors to the contrary, which apparently panicked a reporter, Jim Cantore is not currently in the area. (Which means I must link--again--to this little song a local radio station played in the aftermath of the ice storm back then.)

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/939618.html

Eileen Brennan has passed away, at the age of 80, following a long battle with bladder cancer. May she rest in peace. I loved her in Clue and Murder By Death. I’ve never seen The Cheap Detective, so I’ll have to track that one down someday.

Reading through her IMDB page, I see that she was also in the 1995 remake of Freaky Friday, as well as The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking.