Kelly – Page 91 – Kelly's Blog

July 21, 2005

James Doohan 1920-2005

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original “Star Trek” TV series and motion pictures who responded to the apocryphal command “Beam me up, Scotty,” died early Wednesday. He was 85.

Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) at his Redmond, Washington, home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease, he said.

The Canadian-born Doohan fought in World War II and was wounded during the D-Day invasion, according to the StarTrek.com Web site. He was enjoying a busy career as a character actor when he auditioned for a role as an engineer in a new space adventure on NBC in 1966. A master of dialects from his early years in radio, he tried seven different accents.
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January 23, 2005June 9, 2016

Johnny Carson 1925-2005

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — Johnny Carson, the “Tonight Show” TV host who served America a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, has died. He was 79.

“Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning,” his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press. “He was surrounded by his family, whose loss will be immeasurable. There will be no memorial service.”

Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death or the location.

The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star who managed never to distance himself from his audience.

His wealth, the adoration of his guests — particularly the many young comics whose careers he launched — the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson’s air of modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.

“Heeeeere’s Johnny!” was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon that ushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, the guests, the broadly played skits such as “Carnac the Magnificent.”
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December 28, 2004

Carl called

Last night, Carl called. Since I moved from home nearly six years ago, I talk with him on the phone only about once per year. From the sound of his voice, he doesn’t seem to have aged a day, even though his 78th birthday was last October. Carl’s the guy that had a key to my place and, while I was at work (doing “911” from 7pm until 7am), would go on in, make a pot of coffee, and watch the races on my satellite tv. I didn’t mind at all, I thought it was great. I remember during my nights off, hearing his truck pull into my driveway, usually around midnight. He’d walk up to the deck, rap on the door with that “shave and a haircut” knock and then come on in. If I was asleep on the couch, he’d let me sleep while making himself a fresh pot of coffee. When it would be finished brewing, he’d pour himself a cup and then wake me up, saying it’s too early to be sleeping and there’s fresh coffee in the pot. We’d sit there, watching tv, and he’d catch me up on the daily goings-on with the old-timers and Lake natives.

If you were to ask Carl how long he’s been retired, and I’ve asked him many times because I like his answer, he’d tell you, “Shit, I retired when I was 22. Left the Navy after World War II, became a plumber [which by the way, he’s one of the best in Missouri, it’s how he was given the nick-name “shitty-fingers” sometime back in the 50’s or 60’s] and went out on my own. I’m not working for anybody that doesn’t know their ass from a hole in a ground. Don’t need ’em.”

At around 3am, Carl would get, put his cup on the counter and say it’s time to go home. He’d say the usual goodbyes while walking out the door. Sometimes, an hour later, he’d call me up on the phone and tell me to change the channel to something that might make me laugh. Usually related to toilet-humor, firefighting, or dispatching.

Catching me up on the happenings in the ol’ hometown, he says I wouldn’t recognize the place now. So terribly busy, traffic-wise, major businesses have sprung up everywhere and the towns have sprawled in to nearly twice the size they were when I left. His truck was wrecked a year or so ago and a tree fell over onto his old trailer. He’s now living in a retirement community, apparently very comfortable. Arthritis has set into his hips now, so he doesn’t so much walk as shuffle.

Carl said that Elmer has a new girlfriend. Elmer’s nearly 80 and is wife Lorraine died of lung cancer a few years ago. I knew them both very well. Well, Elmer now has lung and liver cancer as well, apparently in a bad way. Carl says Elmer’s nasal cannula and O2 tank set aside, he always has a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. That’s Elmer, wild, mischievous, ornory, and raunchy. Anyway, he met this new girlfriend a few months after Lorraine died. He had hired her to work in the shop and they ended up in bed that same night. She stays with Elmer five nights a week and then goes home to her husband two nights a week. Her husband works out of town for the five nights she’s shacking up with the ol’ man. Convenient.

I’ll need to call Carl more often to keep caught up on what’s going on in the ol’ hometown.

July 22, 2004

Jerry Goldsmith

07.22.2004
Jerry Goldsmith, one of Hollywood’s most prominent composers who left an indelible mark on Star Trek, died Wednesday night after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.

Goldsmith’s compositions have virtually defined the musical personality of Star Trek since the debut of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” in 1979. That score went on to be the theme song for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Goldsmith also wrote the title music for Star Trek: Voyager, along with several other Trek movies including “Star Trek: First Contact,” which many fans believe to be one of the most inspired scores ever written for a genre film (or any film for that matter).

He’s even left his mark on the Star Trek: The Experience attraction in Las Vegas, with original music for “Borg Invasion 4D.” He also scored “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” “Star Trek: Insurrection,” and two years ago, “Star Trek Nemesis.”

His soundtrack for “ST:TMP” earned him one of his 17 Academy Award nominations (his one Oscar win was in 1977 for “The Omen”), as well as nominations for Golden Globe and Saturn awards. His Voyager theme song earned one of his five Emmy trophies. “First Contact” won him a BMI Film Music Award, and his audio commentary on the “Director’s Edition” DVD of “TMP” earned a Video Premiere Award nomination in 2001.

July 7, 2004

James Doohan; aka Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott

James Doohan, the actor who played the engineer Scotty on the original 1960s “Star Trek” TV series, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, his agent says. Doohan, 84, is in the beginning stages of the progressive neurological disorder, said the agent, Steven Stevens. Doohan, who lives in the Seattle suburb of Redmond, also has suffered for some time with Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and fibrosis, the latter due to chemical exposure during World War II, when he was a soldier in the Canadian military, Stevens said. One of Doohan’s sons, Chris Doohan, 45, said, “His longterm memory seems to be intact. If you ask him how he got his role on ‘Star Trek’ or about D-Day, he can talk for an hour about that. But if you ask him what he had for breakfast ? .” Doohan’s career spans more than 50 years, but he’s best known for his role as the USS Enterprise’s affable chief engineer.

July 2, 2004

Marlon Brando

(CNN) — Marlon Brando, the stage and screen actor whose performances in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “On the Waterfront” and “The Godfather” earned him plaudits as one of the greatest actors of all time, has died, his attorney said. He was 80.

Brando’s agent, Jay Cantor, said the actor was admitted to UCLA Medical Center on Wednesday evening and that the cause of death was pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that involves scarring of the lungs.

Brando had suffered from congestive heart failure and was overweight.

The actor was perhaps the most influential of his generation, noted Bob Thomas of The Associated Press.

Marlon Brando was born April 3, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother was active in the local theater and encouraged two local actors, Henry Fonda and Dorothy McGuire, onto the stage.

The young Marlon, known as Bud to the family, moved a handful of times with his family — first to Evanston, Illinois, later to Santa Ana, California, and finally back to Illinois. Known as a rambunctious child, he was sent to military school as a teenager to curb his behavior. He was expelled.

Prevented from enlisting in World War II due to his 4-F status, he moved to New York at 19 to live with his sister Frances. Another sister, Jocelyn, was studying acting with legendary coach Stella Adler; Brando soon joined her. Adler was quickly impressed.

“Within a year, Marlon Brando will be the best young actor in the American theater,” she said, according to the AP