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LOS ANGELES - Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and on the big screen in "Blazing Saddles," died Thursday. He was 81.Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said in a statement released by the hospital.His daughter, Kate Korman, said in the statement that it was a "miracle" that her father had survived the aneurysm at all, and that he had several major operations."Tragically, after such a hard fought battle he passed away," she said.A natural second banana, Korman gained attention on "The Danny Kaye Show," appearing in skits with the star. He joined the show in its second season in 1964 and continued until it was canceled in 1967. That same year he became a cast member in the first season of "The Carol Burnett Show."Burnett and Korman developed into the perfect pair with their burlesques of classic movies such as "Gone With the Wind" and soap operas like "As the World Turns" (their version was called "As the Stomach Turns").Another recurring skit featured them as "Ed and Eunice," a staid married couple who were constantly at odds with the wife's mother (a young Vickie Lawrence in a gray wig). In "Old Folks at Home," they were a combative married couple bedeviled by Lawrence as Burnett's troublesome young sister.Burnett was devastated by the news, said her assistant, Angie Horejsi."She loved Harvey very much," Horejsi said. She said Burnett had not yet made a statement.Korman revealed the secret to the long-running show's success in a 2005 interview."We were an ensemble, and Carol had the most incredible attitude. I've never worked with a star of that magnitude who was willing to give so much away."After 10 successful seasons, he left in 1977 for his own series. Dick Van Dyke took his place, but the chemistry was lacking and the Burnett show was canceled two years later. "The Harvey Korman Show" also failed, as did other series starring the actor."It takes a certain type of person to be a television star," he said in that 2005 interview. "I didn't have whatever that is. I come across as kind of snobbish and maybe a little too bright. ... Give me something bizarre to play or put me in a dress and I'm fine."His most memorable film role was as the outlandish Hedley Lamarr (who was endlessly exasperated when people called him Hedy) in Mel Brooks' 1974 Western satire, "Blazing Saddles."He also appeared in the Brooks comedies "High Anxiety," "The History of the World Part I" and "Dracula: Dead and Loving It," as well as two "Pink Panther" moves, "Trail of the Pink Panther" in 1982 and "Curse of the Pink Panther" in 1983.Korman's other films included "Gypsy," "Huckleberry Finn" (as the King), "Herbie Goes Bananas" and "Bud and Lou" (as legendary straightman Bud Abbott to Buddy Hackett's Lou Costello). He also provided the voice of Dictabird in the 1994 live-action feature "The Flintstones."In television, Korman guest-starred in dozens of series including "The Donna Reed Show," "Dr. Kildare," "Perry Mason," "The Wild Wild West," "The Muppet Show," "The Love Boat," "The Roseanne Show" and "Burke's Law."In their '70s, he and Tim Conway, one of his Burnett show co-stars, toured the country with their show "Tim Conway and Harvey Korman: Together Again." They did 120 shows a year, sometimes as many as six or eight in a weekend.Harvey Herschel Korman was born Feb. 15, 1927, in Chicago. He left college for service in the U.S. Navy, resuming his studies afterward at the Goodman School of Drama at the Chicago Art Institute. After four years, he decided to try New York."For the next 13 years I tried to get on Broadway, on off-Broadway, under or beside Broadway," he told a reporter in 1971.He had no luck and had to support himself as a restaurant cashier. Finally, in desperation, he and a friend formed a nightclub comedy act."We were fired our first night in a club, between the first and second shows," he recalled.After returning to Chicago, Korman decided to try Hollywood, reasoning that "at least I'd feel warm and comfortable while I failed."For three years he sold cars and worked as a doorman at a movie theater. Then he landed the job with Kaye.In 1960 Korman married Donna Elhart and they had two children, Maria and Christopher. They divorced in 1977. Two more children, Katherine and Laura, were born of his 1982 marriage to Deborah Fritz.In addition to his daughter Kate, he is survived by his wife and the three other children.
Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 798 minutes agoJACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A spokeswoman says rock pioneer Bo Diddley has died. He was 79.The spokeswoman says Diddley died of heart failure Monday. He had suffered a heart attack in August 2007, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa.Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.Diddley was known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat.His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.
'Wonderful Life' actor Bob Anderson dies LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Bob Anderson, who played the young George Bailey in the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life," has died. He was 75.Anderson died Friday of cancer at his home in Palm Springs, his wife, Victoria, said Saturday.Robert J. Anderson grew up in a Hollywood family. His father, Gene, was an assistant director and later a production manager. His uncles were directors William Beaudine and James Flood, and his brothers and cousins were editors and production managers.Anderson was introduced to films when relatives arranged for him to appear in a movie scene that called for a baby, his wife said.He was 7 when he appeared in the 1940 Shirley Temple film "Young People" and went on to play roles in such films as 1945's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."But he was best known for his role as the young Bailey in Frank Capra's 1946 "It's a Wonderful Life," the same character portrayed in adulthood by James Stewart. In one scene, the story called for him to spot a potentially fatal error made by a drunken druggist, played by H.B. Warner.Warner took the role seriously and on the day of shooting had been drinking and was "pretty ripe," Victoria Anderson said. The scene called for Warner's character to slap the boy.Anderson told the Los Angeles Times in 1996 that the scene and its rehearsals were painful."He actually bloodied my ear," Anderson told the paper. "My ear was beat up and my face was red, and I was in tears.""At the end when it was all over, he (Warner) was very lovable. He grabbed me and hugged me, and he meant it," Anderson said.Anderson enlisted in the Navy during the Korean War, serving as a photographer on aircraft carriers, his wife said.After the war, he spent four decades in the movie industry. From the 1950s through the 1990s he worked steadily, rising from second assistant director to production manager for movies and TV shows, his wife said.
RIP Stan WinstonVariety confirmed details about the death last night of makeup and FX master Stan Winston at age 62. Winston succumbed to multiple myeloma, which he’d been fighting for seven years, at his home, surrounded by family.Winston began his career in the 1970s, toiling on B-pictures like THE BAT PEOPLE, DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE and MANSION OF THE DOOMED, and more notably on TV productions such as GARGOYLES, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN (both of which won him Emmys) and ROOTS. He got the first of nine Oscar nominations for his robot creations in 1981’s HEARTBEEPS, but it was his work for director James Cameron on THE TERMINATOR that vaulted him into the big leagues, and in rapid succession he amassed major credits including Cameron’s ALIENS (his first Oscar win), John McTiernan’s PREDATOR, Tim Burton’s EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (both of those got him nominations) and Fred Dekker’s cult favorite THE MONSTER SQUAD. He made his directorial debut with 1988’s PUMPKINHEAD.Winston was one of the most prominent FX artists of the 1990s, winning two more Academy Awards for Cameron’s TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY and Steven Spielberg’s JURASSIC PARK and nominations for Burton’s BATMAN FOREVER and Spielberg’s THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK and A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. (He was also the first person to accept a Fango Chainsaw Award for Best Makeup FX, for his T2 illusions.) Winston branched out into producing on such features as WRONG TURN, last year’s THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE and the CREATURE FEATURES series of AIP remakes for cable. And he served as mentor to numerous other makeup and creature creators, most notably Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr., who succeeded him on the later ALIEN features. Last year, his contributions to cinema were celebrated in the massive Titan Books tome THE WINSTON EFFECT: THE ART & HISTORY OF STAN WINSTON STUDIO, and the many facets of his career are also covered at www.stanwinston.com.Winston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001 (pictured)—only the second FX artist to receive that honor. Most recently, he created the physical suits worn by Robert Downey Jr. in the title role of IRON MAN, and was encoring on TERMINATOR SALVATION: THE FUTURE BEGINS. Fango laments the passing of one of the genre’s greats. —Michael Gingold
Might not mean so much to anybody but hardcore genre fans, but take a look at the creatures and FX Stan Winston created and you'll see even the most casual movie fan likely saw his work.
