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Half of eeky, ooky cast has died since 1960s show
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Jounral pop culture writer
Published on Thursday, May 08, 2008
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Q: Whatever happened to the actors who had parts on the TV sitcom ''The Addams Family?'' Particularly the actor who played Lurch.
A: Since more than 40 years have passed since the show's heyday, many of its regulars are dead. Ted Cassidy, who played the butler Lurch, died in 1979 after heart surgery. Carolyn Jones (Morticia) died of cancer in 1983.
Jackie Coogan (Fester) died of a heart attack in 1984. Blossom Rock (Grandmama) died in 1978. Lots of showbiz history in those two. Coogan was a famous child star, and the Coogan Law protecting money made by child actors is named for him. (Coogan's family had spent his movie income.) Rock was the sister of the actress-singer Jeanette MacDonald.
At this writing, John Astin (Gomez) is still with us and still working. Ken Weatherwax (Pugsley) was pretty much done with acting by the late '70s but has worked on the crew for various productions as well as appearing at TV and movie conventions along with Felix Silla (Cousin Itt) and Lisa Loring (Wednesday), whose last screen role was more than 15 years ago.
Q: Do you know when ''Men in Trees'' is coming back on? It hasn't been scheduled for some time. It is a very well done show.
A: ABC has an episode of the Anne Heche comedy-drama scheduled for May 28, but that apparently will be the beginning of the end. Series creator Jenny Bicks recently told TV Guide's Michael Ausiello that the show will not be picked up for another season.
Bicks thought the show's ratings had suffered from schedule changes. ''I wish the show had not been moved six times and put onto two long hiatuses,'' she said. ''No show could survive that.''
Still, the show will have a conclusion instead of just a last episode. ''Bicks and her team prepared for Trees' possible demise by shooting an alternate series-finale ending that will now be
tacked onto the show's last episode, which is slated to air this summer,'' he said.
Q: On the ''Will & Grace'' TV show, I know she was going to have a baby. I missed the part whether she went back to her husband, or did she and Will raise the baby?
A: Grace decided to get back together with Leo, which angered Will, since he had broken up with Vince in order to help Grace raise her baby. Grace and Leo remarried and had a daughter. Will and Vince got back together and adopted a son. Will and Grace eventually became friends again, and their children married each other.
Q: Back in the late '30s or early '40s when I was 8 or 9 years old, our movie theater ran a serial called ''Frank Buck's Bring 'Em Back Alive.'' It was like one movie we have with John Wayne, called ''Hatari,'' where they go out and capture animals for zoos. Do you know anything about it? It could have been a movie, too.
A: For those of you tuning in late, Frank Buck was a famous collector of animals for zoos, circuses and his own projects.
''Bring 'em back alive'' was his motto, as well as the title of a book about his experiences, a 1932 movie and a 1982-83 drama series starring Bruce Boxleitner as Buck. He died in 1950 of a lung ailment; he was 66.
I could not find a copy of the Bring 'Em Back Alive movie on video. But there is a relatively recent collection of his written work called Bring 'Em Back Alive: The Best of Frank Buck, edited by Steven Lehrer.
Q: Could you please tell me why the TV stations put their name and advertising at the bottom of the screen? I hate this. It's very irritating. I know what channel I'm watching; I don't need a message at the bottom to tell me. Please tell them to STOP.
A: It is irritating. It probably won't stop. (Even the growing number of online telecasts are including ads and promos.) When people have more than 100 TV channels to choose from and remote controls to hop around with, it is easy to forget which network or station you're watching. And the telecasters want you to remember, so you'll mention them in ratings surveys or come back for more programs.
Ads and promotional spots during programs are a little different matter. Since people might be channel-hopping during commercial breaks, networks put promos on during the shows themselves, when you're not changing the channel.
Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.
Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in a blog at http://www.ohio.com. You can find more columns, questions and answers at http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/heldenfels.
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
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