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1-10 of 10
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Comedic actor Howard ("Howie") Jerome Morris, of Jewish heritage, was born in The Bronx, New York, on September 4, 1919. This short, quicksilver comic of TV's "Golden Age" also went on to possess one of the finest vocal instruments for animation. Classically trained on the Shakespearean stage, he forged his own destiny in an entirely different direction after a chance meeting with Carl Reiner in a radio workshop. Following military service in World War II, in which the two entertained troops together (they appeared in Army productions of "Hamlet" and "Macbeth" directed by none other than Maurice Evans, they returned to the professional entertainment fold and appeared together in a 1946 road company of the stage musical "Call Me Mister." Howie also went on to be featured on Broadway as Rosencrantz in "Hamlet" and in the original production of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." He and Reiner would reconnect when asked to come aboard as part of the acting repertory team on Your Show of Shows (1950) and its successor Caesar's Hour (1954), the classic sketch TV show of the 1950s that starred Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. After years of "second banana" TV success, Howie wished for "top banana" stardom and sought work as such with varying degrees of success.
On the New York stage he co-starred as the leprechaun Og in a 1960 revival of "Finian's Rainbow" and, from the early 1960s on, his mastery of dialects and vocal versatility made him an important staple at the Hanna-Barbera animation studio, offering hundreds upon hundreds of voices for The Flintstones (1960), The Jetsons (1962), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1971), and other such classic Saturday morning cartoon shows as well as the popular voices of Adam Ant, Gerald McBoing-Boing, Beetle Bailey and Jughead Jones. He would intersperse this work with some catchy offbeat characterizations in front of the camera, usually comedic but occasionally dramatic, on both the big and small screens. He added zest to a host of standard comedy films including Boys' Night Out (1962) with Kim Novak, The Nutty Professor (1963) and Way... Way Out (1966), both with Jerry Lewis, and Mel Brooks' spoofs High Anxiety (1977) and History of the World: Part I (1981). As for television, Howie directed Danny Thomas and Andy Griffith in their respective sitcoms, and made a wonderfully eccentric impression on-camera as the grizzled, bucolic, rock-tossing Ernest T. Bass on Griffith's 60's show. The role became such a popular character that Howie was invited to play it sporadically for three seasons.
Morris also turned to film directing and helmed such fluff as Who's Minding the Mint? (1967), With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) and Don't Drink the Water (1969), the last-mentioned written by Woody Allen. Seen more than heard during his twilight career, he continued on with directing commercials and popped up here and there well into the 1990s in comic cameos and as a vocal artist. Married five times (twice to one woman) with four children in all, Howie suffered from poor health in later years and died of congestive heart failure at age 84, on May 21, 2005. He was buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles.- A Drama Desk Award-winning actor ("A Whistle in the Dark" [1969] ) and a Tony Award nominee (as "Monsieur Colmier", "Marat/Sade" [1967] ), he began his career as a member of New York's Neighborhood Playhouse from 1940 to 1942, where he studied with noted acting instructor, Sanford Meisner, before joining the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II. Upon his return, he made his Broadway debut in 1945 in "The Tempest". His stepson, David Hirson, told the Los Angeles Times in an interview that his stepfather was always proudest of his stage work.
His mother died soon after his birth, during the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, and he was raised by his father, who was a textile worker, and his stepmother.
Most of his acting successes in films came after he reached the age of fifty, although he was a pioneering actor in the days of early television, notably as the third actor, though he had the longest tenure (1950-55),after Bram Nossen and Hal Conklin to play "Dr. Pauli", nemesis of "Captain Video" on the daily TV series, _"Captain Video and His Video Rangers" (1949-1955) over the DuMont Television Network. His portrayal of "Burt Johnson" in Arthur (1981) earned praise from the New York Times as a "standout performance". - Bill Dearth was born on 16 November 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for 48 Hrs. (1982), The Glass Shield (1994) and Police Woman (1974). He was married to Yavonne Marie Smith. He died on 21 May 2005 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Subodh Mukherji was born on 14 April 1921 in Jhansi, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India. He was a producer and director, known for Junglee (1961), April Fool (1964) and Abhinetri (1970). He died on 21 May 2005 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Olav Neuland was born on 29 April 1947 in Viljandi, Estonia. He was a director and writer, known for Corrida (1982), Reekviem (1984) and Nest of Winds (1979). He died on 21 May 2005 in Anija, Harjumaa, Estonia.- Degan Medina was born on 4 January 2004. He died on 21 May 2005.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Raymond Bernard (not to be confused with the famous director of the same name) was a conductor, arranger and composer. After debuting in Ray Ventura's band, he became a member of the orchestra accompanying the circus shows in the early days of French television ("La piste aux étoiles" (1945)_). He also accompanied Gilbert Bécaud and Serge Reggiani during their song recitals. In parallel Raymond Bernard wrote a few scores for the cinema (A Bullet in the Gun Barrel (1958), Le Sicilien (1958), L'ennemi dans l'ombre (1960)) and or for television (Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1967)).- Additional Crew
Ina Hossner was born on 28 December 1934 in New York, New York, USA. Ina is known for Play of the Week (1959). Ina died on 21 May 2005 in Los Altos, California, USA.- Gwen Caldwell was born on 27 October 1927 in Greenville, Mississippi, USA. She was an actress, known for Damon Runyon Theater (1955), State Trooper (1956) and Invitation Playhouse: Mind Over Murder (1952). She was married to Jay T. Caldwell. She died on 21 May 2005 in the USA.
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Jason Switka was born on 28 December 1971. Jason is known for Sonic Impact (1999), Lured Innocence (2000) and The Pearl (2004). Jason died on 21 May 2005 in Ohio, USA.