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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
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January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 2, 2010
/ 18 Nissan 5770
Birth and Death
By
Greg Crosby
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The rejuvenating effects of springtime are all around us. New growth on the bushes and trees can be seen all over, the blossoms on my wife's newly planted rose bushes are starting to open now and we're very excited about that. The grass is sparkling bright green, the air crispy and clean. As they say, spring is a time for rebirth. Spring is a youthful season, an awakening period for nature. But as the young enter, the old depart. That's how it works. Such is life.
With this coming of spring three early television stars have passed away. As a child of 50's and 60's TV I remember them well. Fess Parker, Peter Graves, and Robert Culp all played television heroes during the heyday of television heroes.
Robert Culp had been a television favorite for 50 years starting with the western series "Trackdown" in 1957. He was best known for "I Spy" (1965-68) in which he played secret agent Kelly Robinson opposite Bill Cosby. Culp and Cosby remained friends after the show went off the air and were reunited in 1994 in "I Spy Returns." Culp also played the hardboiled crime-busting federal agent Bill Maxwell on "The Greatest American Hero" from 1981-83.
Culp co-stared in Paul Mazursky's wife-swapping 1969 feature film "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" with Elliot Gould, Natalie Wood, and Dyan Cannon. He also worked as a television director from time to time. In later years he had a recurring role on "Everybody Loves Raymond" as Ray Barone's father-in-law. Robert Culp was 79.
Peter Graves worked as a musician and radio actor before entering films with 1950's "Rogue River." He starred in a string of low budget sci-fi pictures in the early fifties but then made Billy Wilder's "Stalag 17" (1953), in which Graves was first-rate as a supposedly all-American POW who turned out to be a vicious Nazi spy. Then he played Shelley Winters' doomed husband in "Night of the Hunter" (1955).
I first came to know him, however, on television's "Fury," a series about "a horse and the boy who loved him," as they said. The show ran five years beginning in 1955 and then went into reruns for years after that. What I didn't know at the time was that Peter Graves was the younger brother of Marshall Matt Dillon, well, James Arness of "Gunsmoke."
In 1966, Peter Graves replaced Steven Hill as head of the force on the weekly TV adventure series "Mission: Impossible." The show went on until 1973. In 1980 Graves co-starred in the feature comedy hit "Airplane" playing an airline pilot. Although the film was a spoof on airplane disaster movies, Graves played his part dead straight and was wonderful in it.
Peter Graves effortlessly maintained his reliable, authoritative movie persona into the '90s and 2000s, and hosted the Biography series on A&E, for which he won an Emmy; he also guest-starred on programs including Cold Case, House and American Dad. He died at the age of 83.
I don't think any TV hero of the 1950's made as much of an impression on me as did Fess Parker's "Davy Crockett." I adored him. I had Davy's coonskin cap, Davy's rifle (Old Betsy), and any other Crockett merchandise I could cajole my parents into buying me. I was the perfect age when The Davy Crockett phenomenon hit.
Originally from Texas, Fess Parker began acting professionally in 1951 as a stage performer in the national company of Mister Roberts with Henry Fonda. Shortly afterward, he made his film debut in Untamed Frontier, with Joseph Cotton and Shelly Winters. Then in 1954, Walt Disney signed Parker to play the title role in Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
As Crockett, he toured 13 foreign countries and 42 cities. Fess Parker continued to star in numerous Disney box office hits such as, "Old Yeller," "The Great Locomotive Chase" and "Westward Ho the Wagons!" He also rode beside Walt Disney as the main attraction during the opening of Disneyland in 1955. Later under contract with Paramount Pictures, Parker made three films before filling in for Howard Keel as Curly in the musical tour of Oklahoma.
In 1964 Parker began filming his network television series, Daniel Boone. During six years as one of the highest rated shows of its time, Parker not only starred in the series but co-produced it and directed five of its most popular episodes. In 1968, the U.S. Post Office Department issued a six-cent Daniel Boone commemorative stamp.
In his later years Fess Parker became active in real estate development, opening a couple of hotels and a winery. I had the good fortune to meet him at his Red Lion Resort Hotel at a Disney studio retreat I was a part of some years ago. I even presented him with a large color sketch I made of Mickey Mouse dressed as Davy Crockett which we all signed as a "thank you" to him. He was a warm gracious man, just the guy you would expect him to be. Very much like his Crockett persona.
How many of us get the chance to actually meet one of our heroes in person? Well, I did and I'll never forget it. Fess Parker will always be King of the Wild Frontier to me.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.
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© 2008, Greg Crosby
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