The Dead Thread

Vic Mizzy - TV and Film music composer.

Green Acres songwriter Vic Mizzy is flanked by stars Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor.

Well known compositions include theme from The Addams Family, Green Acres, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-vic-mizzy20-2009oct20,0,1713293.story

latimes.com
OBITUARY
Vic Mizzy dies at 93; film and TV composer wrote 'Addams Family' theme song
He also composed the theme music for the 1965-71 rural comedy 'Green Acres.'
By Dennis McLellan

October 20, 2009

Vic Mizzy, a film and television composer best known for writing the memorable theme songs for the 1960s sit-coms "Green Acres" and "The Addams Family," has died. He was 93.

Mizzy died of heart failureSaturday at his home in Bel-Air, said Scott Harper, a friend and fellow composer.

A veteran writer of popular songs such as "There's a Faraway Look in Your Eye" and "Pretty Kitty Blue Eyes," Mizzy launched his TV career in 1960 when he was asked to compose music for the dramatic anthology series "Moment of Fear."

He quickly moved on to score episodes of "Shirley Temple's Storybook" and "The Richard Boone Show" and to write the themes for "Klondike" and the Dennis Weaver series "Kentucky Jones."

Then came an offbeat assignment: “The Addams Family,” the 1964-66 TV series based on Charles Addams' macabre magazine cartoons and starring John Astin as Gomez Addams and Carolyn Jones as his wife, Morticia.

For his theme song, Mizzy played a harpsichord, which gives the theme its unique flavor. And because the production company, Filmways, refused to pay for singers, Mizzy sang it himself and overdubbed it three times. The song, memorably punctuated by finger-snapping, begins with: "They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky: the Addams family."

In the 1996 book "TV's Biggest Hits: The Story of Television Themes From 'Dragnet' to 'Friends,' " author Jon Burlingame writes that Mizzy's "musical conception was so specific that he became deeply involved with the filming of the main-title sequence, which involved all seven actors snapping their fingers in carefully timed rhythm to Mizzy's music."

For Mizzy, who owned the publishing rights to "The Addams Family" theme, it was an easy payday.

"I sat down; I went 'buh-buh-buh-bump [snap-snap], buh-buh-buh-bump," he recalled in a 2008 interview on CBS' "Sunday Morning" show. "That's why I'm living in Bel-Air: Two finger snaps and you live in Bel-Air."

The season after "The Addams Family" made its debut, Mizzy composed the title song for “Green Acres,” the 1965-71 rural comedy starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor.

For "Green Acres," Burlingame observed in his book, Mizzy "again conceived the title song as intertwined with the visuals" of the show's title sequence and telling the story of wealthy Oliver and Lisa Douglas moving from New York to a farm in the country.

Burlingame on Monday described the themes for "The Addams Family" and "Green Acres" as "two of the best-remembered sitcom themes of all time."

"Vic was an old-school songwriter who believed in melody and hummability," Burlingame said. "He thought that people ought to be able to easily remember a theme.

"Vic was one of the wittiest composers I ever met, and he had an uncanny ability to incorporate his own personal sense of humor into his music."

Mizzy's use of bass harmonica and fuzz guitar in the music of "Green Acres," for example, "was somehow perfect for that show's setting, and it only added to the humor of the situations," Burlingame said.

In the case of "The Addams Family," he said, "you've got the harpsichord, which lends this antique, sort of macabre quality to the theme. But then you add the lyrics, which make it funny. So you have the perfect combination of macabre and amusing. It was just right for that show's sensibility."

Mizzy's many TV credits include writing the themes for Phyllis Diller's 1966-67 sitcom "The Pruitts of Southampton" and "The Don Rickles Show" (1968-69), for which Mizzy also conducted the orchestra.

Among his movie credits as a composer are the Don Knotts comedies "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken," "The Reluctant Astronaut," "The Shakiest Gun in the West," "The Love God?" and "How to Frame a Figg."

Born in Brooklyn on Jan. 9, 1916, Mizzy learned to play the piano as a child. While he was a student at New York University, he and his friend Irving Taylor began writing songs and sketches for variety shows.

They appeared on radio's "Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour" and won an amateur contest on the Fred Allen show. The team's first published song was "Your Heart Rhymes with Mine."

Mizzy, who served four years in the Navy during World War II, had a number of hits with Taylor, including "Three Little Sisters" and "Take It Easy." Under a later partnership with Mann Curtis, Mizzy had hits such as "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time," "The Whole World Is Singing My Song" and "The Jones Boy."

Mizzy is survived by his daughter Lynn Mizzy Jonas; his brother Sol; and two grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. today at Eden Memorial Park, 11500 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills.

Dennis McLellan

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

Soupy Sales has taken his last pie in the face!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/arts/television/23sales.html?_r=1&hp

That really sucks.

Man, I loved Soupy when I was a kid. White Fang, Black Tooth and Pookie! I saw him live in a tiny club in Florida about twenty years ago and he was still funny as can be.

Bummer! Soupy was a hero of mine as a child too...many hours spent watching him on the tube back in the mid-sixties. Here's a pie at ya' Soup!

Soupy Sales, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Mad Magazine and Rocky & Bullwinkle transformed a shy, introverted child into the Beautiful Mutant that stands here before you today. Hats off to Soupy. You did good.

Thanks Soupy for all the laughs.

Legendary punk rock drummer Chuck Biscuits is still alive and well.

UPDATE: This could possibly be a hoax. Will update as needed - JW

UPDATE #2 Evidently some sort of stupid hoax. Nothing to see here, carry on.

[ Edited by: Jason Wickedly 2009-10-29 23:15 ]

[ Edited by: Jason Wickedly 2009-10-30 15:47 ]

Damn, I had no idea he was battling cancer. This sucks.

Sheldon Dorf,
who founded the world famous Comic-Con International comic book convention, died on Tuesday 11/3/2009. He was 76.

San Diego Union Tribune: Sheldon Dorf

Harmonica legend Norton Buffalo
9/28/1951 - 10/30/2009

San Jose Mercury News: Norton Buffalo

Official Norton Buffalo

Ken Emerson Myspace on Norton Buffalo

Comic magician Carl Ballantine dies at 92
Carl Ballantine played Lester Gruber, on the McHale's Navy television series... which was set on a Polynesian island, during WWII, so... sort of "tiki".

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-11-11 16:26 ]

Edward Woodward dies, aged 79

Woodward had been suffering from various illnesses, including pneumonia, and died in hospital, said his agent, Janet Glass.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6918528.ece

Longtime MTV "Remote Control" host Ken Ober has passed away at the age of 52, the comedian's representative confirmed to MTV News. The cause of his death was not available at press time.

This stinks Ken Ober was a good guy.

-Actor Dennis Cole
July 19, 1940 – November 15, 2009
Press Telegram: Dennis Cole
Cole's second wife was actress Jaclyn Smith.
His son (from his first marriage), Joe Cole, was shot dead in a 1991 robbery attempt right in front of a house he shared with Henry Rollins.

-Director Paul Wendkos, whose career spanned 50 years and covered some 100 films and television shows, including the 1959 surf movie "Gidget,"
Sept. 20, 1925 - Nov. 12, 2009
Hollywood Reporter: Paul Wendkos

Del-Fi Records founder Bob Keane, who discovered Ritchie Valens
January 5, 1922- November 28, 2009
CBC News: Bob Keane

Del-Fi would go on to release lots of surf and exotica music..
Del-Fi Records
Home of rock, surf, hot rod, exotica, jazz and blues classics

Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney, died on Dec. 16, at age 79, after a struggle with cancer.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-12-16 11:52 ]

Dr. Jared F. Purton b.03/08/1976 d.12/13/09
All around good guy.
I am happy to have met you. You will be missed by many.

Cheers, Mate!! :drink: :drink:

Nobody posted that "Gene Barry" died earlier in the week, War of the Worlds, Name of the Game and many other roles.

On 2009-12-17 22:54, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Nobody posted that "Gene Barry" died earlier in the week, War of the Worlds, Name of the Game and many other roles.

Sorry to hear about his passing. When I was a kid, my mom introduced me to Gene Barry back when he was doing Burke's Law. He still kept the cane after his days of doing Bat Masterson. I met him while he was taking part in a holiday special with a bunch of other stars I met at the same time: Robert Goulet, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gormé, and others. Gene was the coolest one there.

Brittany Murphy-Actress and she was only 32.

Sad.

Jennifer Jones, "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing", among others, age 90.

Character actor and cartoon voice Arnold Stang
9/28/1918-12/20/2009

New York Times: Arnold Stang

The voice of Top Cat

Other film credits include Otto Preminger’s 1968 gangster comedy “Skidoo,” with Jackie Gleason; “Hercules in New York” (1970), a comedy with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and “Dennis the Menace” (1993), with Walter Matthau.

Kim Peek, the man who inspired Dustin Hoffmans character in the movie Rain Man, dies at age 58.

R.I.P. Miss Moneypenny - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7020553.stm

George Michael - Dead

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4770549

Last Kon-Tiki crew member dies at age 92
Knut Magne Haugland

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1398984.html

James Gurley - Big Brother & the Holding Company guitarist and founding member

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34588071/ns/entertainment-music/

Former Birthday Party guitarist Rowland S. Howard
10/24/1959 - 12/30/2009

Spinner:Rowland S. Howard

Myspace: Rowland S. Howard

Art Clokey, 88, creator of Gumby.

"Art Clokey, the creator of the whimsical clay figure Gumby, died in his sleep Friday at his home in Los Osos, Calif., after battling repeated bladder infections, his son Joseph said. He was 88.

Clokey and his wife, Ruth, invented Gumby in the early 1950s at their Covina home shortly after Art had finished film school at USC. After a successful debut on "The Howdy Doody Show," Gumby soon became the star of its own hit television show, "The Adventures of Gumby," the first to use clay animation on television.

Clokey's 1953 experimental film, "Gumbasia," used stop-motion clay animation set to a lively jazz tempo. It became the inspiration for the subsequent Gumby TV show when Sam Engel, the president of 20th Century Fox and father of one of Clokey's students, saw the film and asked Clokey to produce a children's television show based on the idea.

In the 1960s, Clokey created and produced the Christian TV series "Davey and Goliath" and the credits for several feature films, including "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.""

[ Edited by: 4WDtiki 2010-01-09 06:37 ]

"Turn off the lights......Rub me down with hot oils baby"
classic lyrics

Teddy Pendergrass 1950-2010

On 2010-01-14 05:02, Mr. NoNaMe wrote:
"Turn off the lights......Rub me down with hot oils baby"
classic lyrics

Teddy Pendergrass 1950-2010

Ah! Yes! "Turn off the lights"

Before his car accident in the 80s when he was paralyzed from the waist down, he was the pop icon whose live performances generated by far the most panties tossed up on stage. Some people attribute their having been conceived and born to the magic that Teddy Pendergrass had on their parents.

For all those who want to groove on this masterpiece, here are the lyrics:

*Turn off the lights and light a candle
Tonight I'm in a romantic mood, yeah

Let's take a shower, shower together, yeah
I'll wash your body and you'll wash mine, yeah
Rub me down in some hot oils, baby, yeah
And I'll do the same thing to you

Just turn off the lights, come to me
Girl, I wanna give you a special treat, you're so sweet
Turn off the lights and let's get cozy
See, you're the only one in the world that I need

I wanna love you, love you all over, yeah
Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again
Whisper sweet words of love in your ear
Show you I much I missed you, missed you, my dear

Turn 'em off and come to me
Tonight, I'm in a sexy mood, baby
And light a candle
Girl, there's something that I-I wanna do to you, I wanna do, I wanna do to you, baby

Would you mind if I asked you to
Would you rub me down
Would you rub me down in some, in some burnin' hot oils, baby, yeah
I swear I can do the same thing, the same thing to you, baby

Turn 'em off and let's get cozy
I wanna give you a special treat, you've been so sweet
Turn 'em off and come closer
You're the only one in this whole wide world that I'd ever need

Turn 'em off and light a candle
You see, there's somethin' I, somethin' I, somethin' I, somethin' I
Somethin' I wanna do to you, baby

I'm lyin' here waitin', my dear
You can get what you want any time you want it
I'm lyin' here waitin', my dear
Come get what you need, give me what I need

Tell me what you wanna do (There's somethin' I)
Tell me what you wanna do, babe
(There's somethin' I, somethin' I wanna do to you, baby)
Tell me what you wanna do (Yeah)
Tell me what you wanna do, babe (Yes)

Tell me what you wanna do (I've got somethin' in my mind)
Tell me what you wanna do, babe
(Somethin' that I've been wantin' to do all the time, yeah, yes
Tell me what you wanna do (I wanna give you a special treat)
Tell me what you wanna do, babe ('Cause you've been so sweet, yeah, yes)

(Anything that you want, anything that you need, I got it, I got it)
Tell me what you wanna do (I can do it)
Tell me what you wanna do, babe (I'm willin')
Tell me what you wanna do
Tell me what you wanna do, babe (I'm willin' to try)*

Before the accident...

After the accident...

..with Dick Clark

...with Ashford and Simpson

Tonight when you turn out the lights, light a candle...

Jan C. Gabriel,
Drag-strip radio ad announcer famous for 'Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!'
1940 to January 10, 2010

Official Jan C. Gabreil web page

Chicago Tribune: Jan C. Gabreil

Brian "Damage" Keats,
Former Misfits & Sylvain Sylvain drummer
02/11/1963- 01/12/2010

Spinner: Brian Keats

Myspace Sylvain Sylvain tribute to Brian Keats

Taco Bell Founder Glenn Bell Jr.

Glenn Bell Jr, the founder of Taco Bell restaurants, died over the weekend at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, the company announced Monday. He was 86.

No cause of death was listed for Bell, who is survived by his wife of 54 years, Martha.

"Glenn Bell was a visionary and innovator in the restaurant industry, as well as a dedicated family man," said Greg Creed, president and chief concept officer of Taco Bell in a statement on the company's Web site. "His innovative business acumen grew out of humble beginnings and created one of the nation's largest restaurant chains in Taco Bell."

According to the Irvine-based company, Bell opened a drive-in restaurant in 1948 in San Bernardino, where he had studied the successful McDonald's restaurants.

He decided to differentiate his restaurant by offering Mexican food, and later became involved in other fast food ventures, including the first Der Weinerschnitzel hot dog stand.

Bell opened his first Taco Bell restaurant in 1962 in Downey, and quickly expanded to Long Beach and other areas in the Los Angeles area.

Taco Bell eventually became a franchise operation, and now includes more than 5,600 restaurants serving two billion tacos and one billion burritos annually, according to company officials.

He sold Taco Bell to Pepsi Co. in 1978, and it is now owned by a Pepsi spinoff, Yum.

Bell is also survived by two sons, a daughter, three sisters, and four grandchildren.

Private funeral services are pending.

Jay Reatard, dead at 29. We go to see him at the tiny Hemlock Tavern in SF when he was still playing in the Reatards. The show included him smashing a glass on the stage(I was right in front) and then him taking my wife's purse and putting it around his neck while he played. She almost kicked his ass. We hung out with the band after the show and laughed about it. His talent and volatility will be missed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG65eqfg6bc

Kate McGarrigle, 63, of Kate & Anna McGarrigle, mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr9T8sqYPEw&feature=related

-Sweet Daddy T.
Because crap doesn't buy itself.

blog

[ Edited by: Sweet Daddy Tiki 2010-01-20 18:35 ]

Alrighty then, that Jay Reatard video was disturbing :lol:

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2010-01-20 21:35 ]

Disturbing and yet somehow fun.
"It's got a good beat and you can dance to it."

Jean Simmons

Pernell Roberts

LOS ANGELES – Pernell Roberts, the ruggedly handsome actor who shocked Hollywood by leaving TV's "Bonanza" at the height of its popularity, then found fame again years later on "Trapper John, M.D.," has died. He was 81.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100126/ap_en_ot/us_obit_pernell_roberts

My younger brother Mark's oldest son and my nephew Jacob Ryan Baugh~1990-2010.

http://ads.heraldextra.com/articles/2010/01/22/obituaries/353840.txt

He was an incredibly talented musician and much loved by all 12 of his aunts and uncles, 8 brothers and sisters and hundreds of friends, family and acquaintances.

Rock on little man, we will be together before you know it!

PTD

Zelda Rubinstein, a 4-foot-3-inch character actress best known for playing the indomitable ghost-purging psychic in “Poltergeist,”
May 28,1933 - Jan 27, 2010

New York Times: Zelda Rubinstein

J.D. Salinger

NEW YORK – J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose "The Catcher in the Rye" shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100128/ap_en_ot/us_obit_salinger

Rest In Peace Holden Caulfield dad's...

It's been a really bad week for writers overall...

Howard Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/us/29zinn.html

Robert B. Parker, hard-boiled detective writer of the Spenser novels that inspired the TV series "Spenser: For Hire".

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/01/19/robert-b-parker-an-appreciation/tab/article/

Really Sad about Zinn.....
I've read his "People's History of the United States" 3-4 times and keep it in the bathroom at the studio....A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!

Goodbye Howard! You've woken us all up before you had to go to sleep....