Nostalgia Digest/Funny Valentine Press

Necrology of 2009

It was not a very good year for show business. We lost many more of our favorite entertainers and personalities during 2009.

They’re gone, but not forgotten.

FRANK ALETTER, 83, veteran character actor who starred in the 1960s situation comedies Bringing Up Buddy and It's About Time. He appeared in guest roles on a variety of television shows, including Ben Casey, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, and M*A*S*H. May 13.

JOAN ALEXANDER, 94. leading radio actress who played Lois Lane on The Adventures of Superman, Della Street on Perry Mason, and Ellen Deering on Philo Vance. She was also heard on the radio shows This is Nora Drake, Light of the World, This is Your FBI, and Dimension X. On television, she was a regular panelist on The Name’s the Same. May 21.

BOB ARBOGAST, 81, actor and comedian who got his start at WMAQ/Chicago as the star of the Arbogast show, before relocating to California to become a radio and cartoon voice. March 21.

FRANK COGHLAN JR., 93, who portrayed James Cagney as a boy in the 1931 film The Public Enemy and Billy Batson in the celebrated 1941 serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. September 7.

CHRIS CONNOR, 81, singer who performed in nightclubs and on recording with the orchestras of Claude Thornhill, Jerry Wald, and Stan Kenton, before embarking on a five-decade career as a jazz singer. August 29.

WALTER CRONKITE, 92, renowned journalist, once called “The most trusted man in America,” who spent 19 years as anchor on CBS Evening News, where he routinely signed off with the phrase “And that’s the way it is.” July 17.

BLOSSOM DEARIE, 82, celebrated jazz singer and songwriter whose sweet soprano voice, harmonically innovative piano stylings and sophisticated performances made her a popular attraction in jazz and cabaret for nearly half a century. February 7.

VIVIAN DELLA CHIESA, 94, celebrated lyric soprano who performed onstage with the Chicago Opera Company and on radio as part of The American Melody Hour and The American Album of Familiar Music, The Railroad Hour and The Voice of Firestone. January 6.

DOM DeLUISE, 75, actor and chef who appeared on the television series The Entertainers and The Dean Martin Show and in such films as Blazing Saddles, The End, andCannonball Run. May 4.

FARRAH FAWCETT, 62, actress and model who created the role of Kris Monroe for the 1970s TV series Charlie’s Angels. She also appeared in television movies about the lives of Barbara Hutton and Margaret Bourke-White. June 25.

SUSANNA FOSTER, 84, singer and actress who appeared as Christine Dubois in the 1943 movie version of The Phantom of the Opera. Other films include Star-Spangled Rhythm and The Climax. January 17.

DANNY GANS, 52, comedian whose skills at impersonations made him a staple of Las Vegas nightclubs. He appeared as Dean Martin in the 1992 television miniseries Sinatra!May 1.

LARRY GELBART, 81, award-winning writer for radio, television, stage and screen, who got his start as a teenager writing material for Danny Thomas. During his six-decade career, he wrote on radio for Bob Hope, Jack Carson, and Duffy’s Tavern. On television, he wrote for Sid Caesar’s Caesar’s Hour and The Danny Kaye Show and helped to create the TV version of M*A*S*H. He also co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. September 11.

HENRY GIBSON, 73, actor and comedian who rose to fame as the flower-carrying poet on TV’s Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. More recently, he appeared as Judge Clark Brown on the series Boston Legal. Film credits include Nashville, The Blues Brothers, and Magnolia. September 14.

ELLIE GREENWICH, 68, songwriter and musician who was responsible for a string of hit records in the early 1960s. Her songwriting credits include “Be My Baby,” “Chapel of Love,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “Then He Kissed Me.” August 26.

JOHN HART, 91, who played The Lone Ranger on television in 1952 and ’53 and had the title role in the 1947 serial Jack Armstrong: The All-American Boy. September 23.

PAUL HARVEY, 90, Radio Hall of Fame broadcaster called “The Most Listened-To Man on the Air” during a radio career that spanned more than 60 years. His series The Rest of The Story was heard for more than 30 years and heard in Chicago on station WGN. February 28.

BURLEIGH HINES, 77, Chicago-based reporter who worked at WBBM radio and television for more than 20 years, most notably as a human interest reporter. November 8.

CONNIE HINES, 79, who spent five years playing Alan Young’s wife on the television series Mr. Ed and appeared on a number of other television series, including The Untouchables, Perry Mason, and Sea Hunt. December 19.

PAT HINGLE, 84, veteran character actor perhaps best known for playing police Commissioner Gordon in the Batman films. He also appeared in the movies Norma Rae and The Grifters and on countless television series, including M*A*S*H, Gunsmoke, The Phil Silvers Show, and In the Heat of the Night. January 3.

JOHN HUGHES, 59, writer and director whose films included Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Planes Trains and Automobiles. August 6.

MICHAEL JACKSON, 50, the self-proclaimed “King of Pop” who achieved success on stage and on records with his brothers and on his own. His 1983 album Thriller became the biggest-selling album of all time upon its release. Other hits (with and without his brothers) include “A-B-C,” “I’ll Be There,” “Ben,” and “Off The Wall.” June 25.

LOU JACOBI, 95, veteran character actor who appeared in countless movies and television shows, including Arthur, My Favorite Year, and Woody Allen’s Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex. Also recorded the albums You Don’t Have To Be Jewish and When You’re in Love, the Whole World is Jewish. October 23.

JENNIFER JONES, 90, actress who won an Academy Award for her performance as the saintly nun in The Song of Bernadette. Other films included Portrait of Jenny, Madame Bovary, Duel in the Sun, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, and Tender is the Night. December 17.

JOHNNY “RED” KERR, 76, who served as the first head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1966-68 and spent more than 30 years as the team’s play-by-play announcer on radio and television. February 26.

MARIE KNIGHT, 89, gospel legend who toured and recorded with Sister Rosetta Tharpe and countless other performers during a 60-year career. Her records included “Precious Memories,” “Didn’t It Rain,” and “Up Above My Head.” August 30.

DAVID KOGAN, 92, writer, director and producer during the Golden Age of Radio, whose credits included The Mysterious Traveler, The Sealed Book, Murder By Experts, and The Shadow. August 6.

MORT LACHMAN, 90, who spent 28 years writing for Bob Hope on radio and television. Other writing credits include The Red Skelton Show, All in the Family, and Sanford and Son. March 18.

IRVING R. LEVINE, 86, television journalist who pioneered network television coverage of economic issues during his more than 40-year career as a correspondent for NBC News. March 27.

ALAN LIVINGSTON, 91, long-time president of Capitol Records who created the character of Bozo the Clown and wrote and produced a number of children’s records for the label, including Mel Blanc’s hit “I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat.” March 13.

KARL MALDEN, 97, Chicago-born actor who won an Oscar for his performance as Mitch in the 1952 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire. Other films include Patton, I Confess, On the Waterfront, The Cincinnati Kid, and How The West Was Won. On television, he spent five seasons as Detective Mike Stone on The Streets of San Francisco. July 1.

AL MARTINO, 82, singer who played Johnny Fontaine in the 1972 film The Godfather. Hit records included “Volare,” “Here in My Heart,” and “Spanish Eyes.” October 14.

DALE McCARREN, 74, who spent more than 30 years as a newscaster at Chicago radio station WBBM, co-anchoring Morning People with Dan Price and offering annual reports for the station from the Mackinac Boat Race. March 16.

PATRICK McGOOHAN, 80, Emmy Award-winning actor who starred as a British spy in the 1960s TV series Secret Agent and gained cult status later in the decade as the star of the enigmatic series The Prisoner. January 13.

ED McMAHON, 86, television and radio announcer who spent 30 years as the announcer and sidekick on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; his opening line “Heeeere’s Johnny!” became a nightly fixture. He was also the host of the television show Star Search. June 23.

BOB MITCHELL, 96, silent film and radio organist who spent four years as the organist for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the 1930s he founded the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir, who appeared on stage and movies over a two-decade period. July 4.

VIC MIZZY, 93, composer who wrote music for movies and television but is perhaps best-remembered for writing the themes for Green Acres and The Addams Family. October 19.

RICARDO MONTALBAN, 88, film and television actor who starred as the suave Mr. Rourke on the long-running television series Fantasy Island and the villainous Kahn in theStarTrek television and film series. January 14.

BRITTANY MURPHY, 32, actress who appeared in such films as Clueless, 8 Mile, and Girl, Interrupted. On television, she spent 12 years as the voice of Luanne Platter on the animated series King of the Hill. December 20.

ANNE ROBERTS NELSON, 86, pioneering television executive who spent 64 years at CBS. June 20.

LES PAUL, 94, legendary guitarist and electronic pioneer who was instrumental in the development of the electric guitar and the establishment of “multi-track” recording. Recorded and performed with Fred Waring, Bing Crosby, Chet Atkins, The Andrews Sisters, and his wife Mary Ford, with whom he recorded “How High The Moon,” “Vaya Con Dios,” and “The World Is Waiting For the Sunrise.” August 13.

NORM PELLEGRINI, 79, Chicago radio personality who spent 43 years as music director of station WFMT, where he hosted the station’s live Lyric Opera broadcasts and spent four decades co-hosting the station’s Midnight Special program. July 2.

JANE RANDOLPH, 93, movie actress perhaps best known as Alice Moore, the young woman trapped in a swimming pool in the 1943 film Cat People. Other films included Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein and Railroaded! May 4.

NATASHA RICHARDSON, 45, stage actress who appeared in the films Maid in Manhattan and The Parent Trap. On television, she starred in a 1993 film about the life of Zelda Fitzgerald. March 18.

KEN ROBERTS, 99, longtime radio announcer whose credits included The Shadow, Easy Aces, It Pays To Be Ignorant, and Quick as a Flash, which he also hosted. On television, he was heard as the announcer on Love of Life and The Secret Storm. June 19.

SOUPY SALES, 83, slapstick comedian who attained cult-like popularity as star of the 1960s Soupy Sales Show, with a pie-throwing routine that became his signature. October 22.

RON SILVER, 62, Tony Award-winning actor who spent five years playing political consultant Bruno Gianelli on the television series The West Wing. March 15.

JOE SLATTERY, 87, veteran Chicago radio and television announcer who spent three decades as the voice of Jewel groceries. He was also the narrator of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. October 2.

ARNOLD STANG, 91, actor who appeared on radio as Seymour Fingerhood on the radio version of The Goldbergs and in support of comedians Henry Morgan and Milton Berle. On screen, he appeared in The Man With the Golden Arm and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In the 1960s, he provided the voice of the title character in the Hanna-Barbera series Top Cat. December 20.

GALE STORM, 87, actress and singer who appeared on radio and television as the title character of My Little Margie and spent four seasons as the star of The Gale Storm Show. June 27.

MOLLIE SUDGEN, 86, British actress who starred as the officious Mrs. Slocombe on the BBC comedy series Are You Being Served? July 1.

PATRICK SWAYZE, 57, actor and dancer who achieved fame as Johnny Castle in the 1988 film Dirty Dancing. Other movies included Ghost, The Outsiders, and Roadhouse, where he uttered the famous line “It’s my way…or the highway.” September 14.

KOKO TAYLOR, 80, the Grammy Award-winning singer whose powerful voice and regal bearing earned her the nickname “Queen of the Blues” and a Chicago institution for more than 40 years. Her 1965 recording of Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle” sold over a million copies. June 3.

FRED TRAVELENA, 66, celebrated comic and impressionist who was a mainstay of television and nightclubs. June 28.

MARY TRAVERS, 72, one-third of the popular folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, who enjoyed a series of hit records in the 1960s, including “Puff The Magic Dragon,” “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “If I Had a Hammer.” September 16.

JAMES WHITMORE, 87, stage and movie actor who appeared in countless films during his 60-year career, including Battleground, Them!, Kiss Me Kate, and The Shawshank Redemption. He toured for many years in Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!, a one-man show about President Harry S Truman. February 6.

JOSEPH WISEMAN, 91, stage and screen actor perhaps best known for playing the villainous title role in Dr. No, the first James Bond movie. On television, he appeared on The Twilight Zone, L.A. Law, Law and Order and countless other series. October 19.

EDWARD WOODWARD, 79, English-born actor who appeared in the films The Wicker Man and Breaker Morant and starred as Robert McCall from 1985-1989 on the TV seriesThe Equalizer. November 17.