Final Score

Final Score

(Following is a list of people who inspired and/or entertained me before they died. Family members are not included. The list will be updated from time to time. JAM 8/4/2009)

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was a beautiful woman with a wonderful smile. She was the most popular female movie star of her day. I was in high school when she died and I was shocked. In those days, the personal problems of movie stars were not common knowledge and a nerdy teenager like me just knew her from her movies and a few magazine articles.

Martin Luther King (1929-1968) was the intelligent, articulate, honorable leader of the civil rights movement. Living in California, I had friends of all races and could not understand why southern leaders were so threatened by a particular group of people who just wanted to be treated equally. I never believed the lone gunman theory. See my book review for Legacy of Secrecy.

John Lennon (1940-1980) was one of the creative forces behind The Beatles, the greatest rock band of all time. With Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), he produced a volume of classical rock music during the 1960s. This period can now be known as "The Golden Age of Rock & Roll." Lennon's cleverness and sense of humor are evident in two small books of short stories and poems published in 1964 and 1965 (In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works).

Ernie Kovacs (1919-1962) was a comedy genius. He was also an actor, a writer and an artist. I met him for the first time in 1957 in the pages of Mad magazine (#37). Kovacs was a contributor to the first Mad magazine (#24) and ten other issues from 1955 to 1958. His main contribution to Mad was the parody, "Strangely Believe It!" with drawings by Wally Wood. Kovacs also had the craziest shows on television (The Ernie Kovacs Show and Take a Good Look). He died in a tragic automobile accident in 1962. After his death, his wife (Edie Adams) donated 35 boxes of his writings and show notes to the UCLA library. Following are some of the "Strangelys" from Mad.

"Peter J. Eversham, owner of a fish market in Brooklyn, New York, lost his spectacles overboard during an ocean voyage in 1951. Four years later, while cutting open a fish, Peter felt his knife strike something hard. It was his thumb."

"A tomato in the shape of a tomato was grown by Mrs. Regina Buttles of Mount Palomar, California. Mrs. Buttles herself is shaped like a pear."

"Gottfried Gunther, famous Bavarian linguist, spoke 212 languages. None of them could be identified."

"The crawling horned greebus, a fish native Asia, can crawl 100 yards out of the water! Unfortunately, it gets winded easily, and can never crawl back."

"Arturo La France, a Polish pipe-fitter, inscribed a complete copy of 'The Ruba'ya't of Omar Khayy'am' on the head of a common pin! Strangely enough, not one single word was legible."

Gilda Radner (1946-1989) was the incredibly-talented comedienne and original cast member of "The Not Ready for Primetime Players" of Saturday Night Live. See also It's Always Something in Book Reviews (http://www.mindsnackbooks.com/bookreviews/its_always_something.html).

Robert Kennedy (1925-1968) - After the death of his brother John, I turned to Bobby as the hope for liberalism in U.S. politics. He was a dynamo and a great family man with an aura of integrity and strict, ethical behavior. Of all the Kennedys and all of the politicians of the 1960s, Bobby was the one who most reflected my ideals and hopes for the future. I read his speeches and I had a framed portrait of him in my room. I was 21 and a senior in college when Kennedy was a candidate in the California Democratic primary. I voted for the first time in 1968. I voted for Bobby, watched his speech after he won and went to bed since I had final exams the next day. I did not know that he had been shot until the next morning when my mother woke me. In my life, no event has shocked me more than this one.

Natalie Wood (1938-1981) was beautiful, feisty and smart. I loved her performance in The Great Race with Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk and Tony Curtis. During one summer, my friend and I watched this movie every day for a week.

George Reeves (1914-1959) was Superman. He was the gentle, big-brother figure with a winning smile. I watched the serial over and over on our black-and-white Zenith television. I had no knowledge of his personal life but I was a huge fan of Superman and the comics.

John Kennedy (1917-1963) was the most popular president in my memory. He was strong, confident and very, very smart. During the Cold War, I felt quite safe with him as our leader. I was a junior in high school when he was shot. I remember that I saw two girls talking and crying in the locker room between the first and second periods on that day. The teacher for my second class told us what happened on that day. I could not watch the news reports. I could not read the newspapers. I could not watch the Zapruder film when it was first released in 1975. This was the day that I realized that evil existed in this country. I believe that those who were responsible have been identified in The Legacy of Secrecy.

Gil Hodges (1924-1972) was the quiet leader and tower of strength for the Brooklyn Dodgers who came to Los Angeles in 1958. After a seventh place finish in 1958, Gil led the veterans to one last hurrah in 1959 as the Dodgers brought the first World Championship to LA. After his playing career, he became manager of the New York Mets leading them to a World Championship in 1969. He was still the manager of the Mets when he suffered a heart attack while playing golf during a spring training break. Gil Hodges belongs in Baseball's Hall of Fame.

Graham Chapman (1989) was a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus and writing partner of John Cleese. Although he was riddled with personal problems during his life, Chapman leaves an impressive portfolio of inspired comedy especially during his 20 years with the Python group. He studied medicine at Cambridge but did not practice it.

Jim Gilliam (1978)

Laura Nyro (1947-1997) was the greatest female singer-songwriter of her time. She was a poet and a self-taught pianist who demanded and received complete control of her performances and recordings. Nyro was among the first to over-dub her own background vocals on her songs. Her first album (More Than a New Discovery) is currently being sold as The First Songs. My favorite is the simple "Good by joe" [sic]. Nyro's songs were covered by Barbra Streisand ("Stoney End"), The Fifth Dimension ("Wedding Bell Blues") and Three Dog Night ("Eli's Comin") but nobody sang them better than Laura. Some good examples of her later works are Season of Lights, The Loom's Desire and Angel in the Dark. Laura Nyro died at 49 of ovarian cancer, at the same age and of the same disease that killed her mother. An excellent biography of Laura Nyro is Soul Picnic by Michele Kort. [JAM 2/26/2009]

Steve McQueen (1980)

Roy Orbison (1988)

Frank Zappa (1993)

Spike Jones (1965)

Gene Siskel (1999)

Wallace Wood (1981)

B. Kliban (1990)

Don Drysdale (1993)

Ian Fleming (1964)

Edward R. Murrow (1965)

George Harrison (2001)

Dick Hanchette (1949-2010) was a radio personality on WJER in Ohio. He was also a prominent collector of Mad Magazine and related publications. When I started the "MAD Collector's Registry" and the "Mind Snack MADlog" in 1997, Dick was one of the first to join. He posted all of my newsletters and fanzines on his wonderful website, www.collectmad.com. [JAM 7/27/2010]

Walt Kelly (1973)

Jerry Paris (1986)

Roger Barkley (1997)

Molly Ivins (2007)

Don "Kokomo" Johnson (2003)

Elizabeth Montgomery (1995)

Carl Sagan (1996)

Earl Anthony (2001)

Wilt Chamberlain (1999)

Audrey Hepburn (1993)

Mickey Mantle (1995)

Donna Reed (1986)

Walt Disney (1966)

Dan Rowan (1987)

Ray Goulding (1990)

Harvey Kurtzman (1993)

Don Martin (2000)

Al Lohman (2002)

Eddie Mathews (2001)

Ozzie Nelson (1975)

Max Shulman (1988)

Jay Ward (1989)

William F. Gaines (1992)

Stanley Kubrick (1999)

John D. MacDonald (1986)

Roddy McDowall (1998)

Gene Roddenberry (1991)

Orson Welles (1985)

Peter Boyle (2006)

Roy Campanella (1993)

George Carlin (1937 - 2008) - was a stand-up comedian. See also review of Last Words in Book Reviews (http://www.mindsnackbooks.com/bookreviews/last_words.html).

Johnny Cash (2003)

Jim Garrison (1992)

George Gobel (1991)

George C. Scott (1999)

George Allen (1990)

Walter Alston (1984)

Roger Price (1990)

Willie Shoemaker (2003)

Peter Bergman (1939-2012) was the main writer and creative force behind Firesign Theatre. The complex, documentary-style comedy albums such as Waiting for the Electricians or Someone Like Him were the humor equivalent of rock music classics in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He also performed with group member Phillip Proctor as Proctor and Bergman. The last of 29 Firesign Theatre albums was released in 2010. Collect them all!

David Niven (1983)

Phil Silvers (1985)

Mel Torme (1999)

George Woodbridge (2004)

James Coburn (2002)

Danny Kaye (1987)

Fred Rogers (2003)

Allan Roth (1992)

Dick Weber (2005)

Jim Backus (1989)

Johnny Hart (2007)

Joseph Heller (1999)

Jack Lemmon (2001)

George Plimpton (2003)

Henry Fonda (1982)

Kenneth Hahn (1997)

Edward (Ted) Moore Kennedy (1932-2009) - was the senator from Massachusetts for the last 47 years of his life. Kennedy was a representative of all the people of the country, not just the privileged and wealthy. He championed important "liberal" causes such as universal healthcare, workers rights, voting rights, immigration reform, education reform, and increases to the minimum wage.

John McKay (2001)

Antonio Prohias (1998)

Charles Schulz (2000)

Steve Allen (1921-2000) was a Renaissance man in the 20th century. I grew up with Steve Allen on television. I enjoyed his sense of humor and unbounded optimism. Steve Allen was much more than a humorist. He was an accomplished pianist, an astute political activist, competent actor (45 credits on Imdb including the lead in The Benny Goodman Story), prolific songwriter and author. He wrote and edited 54 books including fiction, self-help, biography, history, religion and humor titles. [JAM 3/2/2009]

Books by Steve Allen: Bop Fables (1955) Fourteen for Tonight (1955) Wry on the Rocks (1956) Funny Men (1956) Girls on the Tenth Floor (1958) The Question Man (1959) Mark It and Strike It (1960) Not All Your Laughter, Not All Your Tears (1962) Dialogue in Americanism (1964) Letter to a Conservative (1965) The Ground Is Our Table (1966) Bigger Than a Breadbox (1967) A Flash of Swallows (1969) The Wake (1972) Curses! (1973) Princess Snip-Snip and the Puppykittens (1973) What to Say When It Rains (1974) Schmock!-Schmock! (1975) A Meeting of Minds (1978) Chopped-Up Chinese (1978) Meeting of Minds, Second Series (1979) Ripoff: The Corruption that Plagues America (1979) Explaining China (1980)Funny People (1981) More Funny People (1982) The Talk Show Murders (1982) Beloved Son: A Story of the Jesus Cults (1982) How to Make a Speech (1986) How to Be Funny (1987) The Passionate Non-Smoker's Bill of Rights (1989) Meeting of Minds Vol. III (1989) Meeting of Minds Vol. IV (1989) Murder on the Glitter Box (1989) Dumbth, and 81 Ways to Make Americans Smarter (1989) The Public Hating (1990) Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion & Morality (1990) Murder in Manhattan (1990) Murder in Vegas (1991) Hi-Ho Steverino! (1992) Make 'Em Laugh (1993) More Steve Allen on the Bible Religion & Morality (1993) The Murder Game (1993) Reflections (1994) Murder on the Atlantic (1995) The Bug and the Slug in the Rug (1995) The Man Who Turned Back the Clock and Other Short Stories (1995) But Seriously ... (1996) Wake Up to Murder (1996) Die Laughing (1997) Dumbth, the Lost Art of Thinking and 101 Ways to Reason & Improve Your Mind (1998) Murder in Hawaii (1999) Steve Allen's Songs (1999) Steve Allen's Private Joke File (2000) Vulgarians at the Gate (2001)

Dean Martin (1995)

Garry Moore (1993)

Jim Murray (1998)

Jean Shepherd (1999)

Johnny Carson (2005)

John Fowles (2005)

DeForest Kelly (1999)

Walter Matthau (2000)

Robert Mitchum (1997)

Henry Morgan (1992)

Hoyt Wilhelm (2002)

Jack Benny (1894-1974) - "He was my favorite comedian to study. I watched all of his old shows. He was the most complete comedian. By that I mean you couldn't separate him from his character. He had terrific timing. While he had writers for his material, he certainly was the best at delivering lines - and he was the best character for writers to take inspiration from." - Rita Rudner in Laughlin, Nevada entertainer - November 10-16, 2010

Tom Bradley (1998)

Jerry Doggett (1997)

Burt Lancaster (1994)

Edie Adams (2008)

Robert Altman (2006)

Dave Berg (2002)

Mel Blanc (1989)

Larry Gelbart (1928-2009) - Mr. Gelbart was a highly-respected, prolific comedy writer for Danny Thomas, Sid Caesar, Bob Hope, Red Buttons, Jack Paar, Marty Feldman and others. He also wrote for "Duffy's Tavern" (radio), "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (Broadway play), "M*A*S*H (television), "Tootsie" (movie) and many more over a 65-year, professional writing career.

Don Knotts (2006)

Harvey Korman (2008)

Gene Rayburn (1999)

PeeWee Reese (1999)

Lloyd Thaxton (2008)

Don Adams (2005)

David Brinkley (2003)

Frank Frazetta (1928-2010) was the most talented fantasy illustrator of all time. His distinctive drawings seemed to jump from the pages on which they were drawn. He was most famous for his cover drawings for Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan and other fantasy and syfy publications. His long career also included work on L'il Abner, Mad, National Lampoon (April 1971 - "Adventure Issue") and various rock album covers. His work appeared on Mad magazine three times: Mad #90 (Ringo Starr Blecch Shampoo back cover ad parody), Mad #106 back cover (Tarzan) and the front cover Mad #338 (Judge Dredd).

Warren Spahn (2003)

Baxter Ward (2002)

Mel Allen (1993)

Gene Kelly (1993)

Fred MacMurray (1991)

Paul Newman (2008)

Ted Williams (2002)

Frank Kelly Freas (2005)

Ben Hogan (1997)

Red Skelton (1997)

Edwin Donald (Duke) Snider (1926-2011) was the "Duke of Flatbush" and the center fielder & batting star of the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1950s. Snider hit 40 home runs per season for five straight years (1953-1957) and was an eight-time all-star. He brought his class act to Los Angeles in 1958 and led the Dodgers to their first West Coast World Series championship in 1959. The Duke was a humble athlete who had nothing but kind words for the fans and his competitors. Duke Snider was a positive role model during the golden age of baseball.

Kurt Vonnegut (2007)

Don Carter (1926-2012) was the crooked-arm star of professional bowling before the PBA tour began in 1958. In the 1950s he won four of eight BPAA All-Star (now known as the U.S. Open) tournaments and five of six World Invitational titles and never finished lower than fourth place during the period. He also won the PBA National Championship in 1960, the ABC Masters tournament in 1961, and many other bowling events. When I was competing in the junior leagues, Mr. Carter was known as "Mr. Bowling."

Chick Hearn (2002)

Harriet Nelson (1994)

Tom Poston (2007)

Paul Conrad (1924-2010) was the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times for thirty. His excellent drawings demonstrated his acute awareness of the issues of our times. I read them every day and I cannot think of a single disagreement that I had with his opinions. Mr. Conrad won Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning in 1964, 1971 and 1984. He also had the great distinction of being named on Richard Nixon's enemy list. Nothing I could write here could explain the impact of his drawings. Go to www.proandconrad.com.

Alan Cranston (2000)

Will Elder (2008)

Dick Martin (2008)

Roy Rogers (1998)

Morey Amsterdam (1996)

Jacques Cousteau (1997)

Theodore Seuss Geisel (1991)

Fred Astaire (1987)

Dale Evans (2001)

Eugene McCarthy (2005)

Sam Snead (2002)

Jimmy Stewart (1997)

Edmund G. (Pat) Brown (1996)

Walter Cronkite (1916-2009) was "the most trusted man in the United States." As anchor journalist and managing editor of CBS News, he told us about wars, moon landings, the death of one president (Kennedy) and the resignation of another (Nixon). He was the television father of the boomer generation.

Louis Nye (1913-2005) was "Gordon Hathaway" on Steve Allen's "Man on the Street."

Andy Rooney (1919-2011) always had something interesting to say on Sunday night.

Carl Barks (2000)

John Wooden (1910-2010) was the humble, dedicated coach of the UCLA Bruin basketball team from 1948 to 1975. He was known for his devotion to integrity, hard work and ethical behavior. During that time with UCLA, he won ten national championships including seven in a row (1966-1973). He was also an excellent college basketball player at Purdue where he led the team to a national championship in 1932. He played pro basketball in the years before the NBA was established. In all of the years that I saw Mr. Wooden on television, I never heard him say a negative word about anyone or anything. Also, I never heard anyone say anything negative about him. The word "gentlemen" truly defines him.

100

George Burns (1996)

Bob Hope (2003)