Gone With or Without fanfare

[Rita Hayworth]

Klondike and I knows about him
Seattle Institution and Beloved Clown
J.P. Patches

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... it23m.html

Most people didn't even know his real name, but he was a bona fide piece of Seattle history, one that predated the Space Needle, the Mariners, the Seahawks and Microsoft. Chris Wedes, better known as TV clown J.P. Patches, died Sunday morning after a long battle with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. He was 84.On television from 1958 to 1981, and in countless personal appearances since, Mr. Wedes delighted generations of Puget Sound-area children and adults with his zany antics and a style that was irreverent yet gentle.

J.P. Patches


I met him on several occasions in Downtown Seattle and one of them was a memorable field trip visiting Franz Bread Factory and J.P. Patches was on hand guiding us through the factory and helped pass out free loaf of bread to take home ... My Mom and I each took home a loaf of bread and it was treat itself. I was in 4th grade when I went on that tour of Franz making all kinds of bread. It was fun!

[Rita Hayworth]

Sherman Hemsley Passed Away at 74



http://watching-tv.ew.com/2012/07/24/sh ... jefferson/

From People Magazine:

Sherman Hemsley, the hot-tempered, upwardly mobile, janitor-turned-dry-cleaner-owner George Jefferson in TV's iconic The Jeffersons, has died at 74.

Hemsley died at his home in El Paso, Texas, police say. A cause of death was not immediately known.

Introduced each week with the gospel Movin' On Up theme song, Norman Lear's show gave Hemsley a larger-than-life character who delivered a brand of comedy all his own.

Zingers like "If I paid you to think, you could cash your check at the penny arcade!" paired with over-the-top gestures left audiences across the country in stitches. The show has lived on for years in reruns on cable.

The actor, who first played the role in All in the Family – going head to bigoted head with Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker – went on to embody a softer character, Deacon Ernest Frye on TV's Amen.

Born in South Philadelphia, Hemsley dropped out of high school to join the Air Force. He returned to Philadelphia and worked for the U.S. Postal Service, while taking acting classes at night.

After performing with local groups in Philadelphia, Hemsley moved to New York to make his Broadway debut as Gitlow in Purlie.

While touring with the production, television writer and producer Lear contacted Hemsley to play the role of Jefferson on his new sitcom, All in the Family. Hemsley hesitated to accept but Lear held the role open for him and two years later, Hemsley joined the cast.

Less than two years after Hemsley made his television debut, he and All in the Family costar Isabel Sanford were given their own spin-off in The Jeffersons. The series earned Hemsley Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in 1984 and 1985 respectively.

Sanford died in 2004 at age 86.

[knitwit45]

geez louise...Chad Everett has passed away.

Medical Center' star Chad Everett dies at 75
Associated PressBy DERRIK J. LANG | Associated Press – 3 mins 37 secs ago
Related Content



LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chad Everett, the blue-eyed star of the 1970s TV series "Medical Center" who went on to appear in such films and TV shows as "Mulholland Drive" and "Melrose Place," has died. He was 75.

Everett's daughter, Katherine Thorp, said he died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles after a year-and-a-half-long battle with lung cancer.

Everett played sensitive doctor Joe Gannon for seven years on "Medical Center." The role earned him two Golden Globes and an Emmy nomination.

With a career spanning more than 40 years, Everett guest starred on such TV series as "The Love Boat," ''Murder, She Wrote" and "Without a Trace." Everett most recently appeared in the TV series "Castle." His films credits included "The Jigsaw Murders," ''The Firechasers" and director Gus Van Sant's "Psycho."

Everett was born in South Bend, Ind., and graduated from Wayne State University before moving to Los Angeles and becoming a contract player with MGM.

In perhaps his most memorable recent film role, Everett played a lothario who engages in a steamy audition with a young ingénue portrayed by Naomi Watts in director David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive".

Everett is survived by his two daughters, Katherine and Shannon, and six grandchildren. He was married to actress Shelby Grant for 45 years until her death last year

[Professional Tourist]

Oh, darn. Chad Everett too.
I'll have to watch The Singing Nun tomorrow night.
<Sigh>

[CineMaven]

I just saw Everett in TCM's recent showing of "CLAUDELLE INGLISH" where he looked impossibly young. Very sad news. Also found out his wife of 45 years died just last year, actress Shelby Grant.



CHAD EVERETT & SHELBY GRANT


Last I saw of him was in "MULHOLLAND DRIVE" in that famous audition scene with Naomi Watts:

[youtube][/youtube]

[RedRiver]

I knew people who swore by MEDICAL CENTER. They loved it!

[Western Guy]

My God, TV Icons from what it seems was not so long ago. Sherman and Chad. Depressing. One from our generation cannot help but to start to feel old.

BTW: Chad was as decent a person in real life as he came across onscreen.

[moira finnie]

Ditto on the "how to feel old" bit, Stone. I must say that Mr. Everett was one of those guys who was MUCH better looking when he got older.

Does anyone else remember that when he was on Medical Center, he seemed to be single-handedly responsible for popularizing clogs as work wear for medical personnel as well as the rest of the population?

[CineMaven]

I don't remember clogs...but us girls at the cafeteria table ( high school ) did talk about his leather jacket...and his "walk" down those long medical hallways with that white-haired old guy ( Tim's & Tyne's father. )

P.S. Killing me softly w/Ella.

[movieman1957]

I remember the first year theme for "Medical Center." The second year they turned out a rock style theme. It was a good show though I never warmed up to James Daly.

[MissGoddess]

I grew up watching "The Jeffersons".

I like Chad Everett in the 'Poor Butterfly' segment of Journey to Midnight, one of my favorite spookers from the 60s. I've never seen him in anything else.

[Western Guy]

Definitely I remember "Medical Center", Moira. If my aging memory is not mistaken the pilot was titled "UCLA Medical Center" and featured Edward G. Robinson as a heart patient. Actually the4 subsequent series was where I first became familiar with Chad Everett (who seemed like the nicest guy, God rest his soul), other than his appearance in "The Impossible Years". Again, if I remember correctly, that was a film that, for its time, was considered somewhat risque. And . . . what was that forbidden word? Hmmmm.

[JackFavell]

I only remember his sideburns.

[moira finnie]

You guys remember much more about this show than I do! All I remember are the clogs!

[ChiO]

As I remember it, Dr. Joe Gannon, as portrayed by Chad Everett, was pretty stiff and serious. Kinda an earlier version of Lt. Horatio Caine (without the sunglasses).