/ Stars that died in 2023

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Martin Rushent, English record producer (Buzzcocks, Human League, The Stranglers) died he was , 63

Martin Rushent  was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks died he was , 63.


(11 July 1948 – 4 June 2011)

Early life



Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman. Rushent attended Minchenden Grammar School in Southgate, Middlesex.[1]

Career

Early career

Rushent's first experience in a recording studio was at EMI House in London's Manchester Square, when his school band (of which he was the lead singer) had the opportunity to record a demo.[5] After leaving school, Rushent, who had already experimented with his father's 4-track recorder, worked at a chemical factory before working for his father while applying for studio jobs. After numerous rejections, Rushent was employed by Advision Studios as a 35mm film projectionist. After approximately 3 months, Rushent began working in the audio department as a tape operator alongside Tony Visconti. He worked on sessions for Fleetwood Mac,[6] T-Rex, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Petula Clark, Jerry Lee Lewis and Osibisa.[7] Rushent stated that while at Advision, Jerry Lee Lewis threw a tantrum as Yes had been booked into the studio when he was not ready to leave, and chased the studio staff around the complex until they locked themselves in a different studio.[8]
Rushent progressed to senior assistant engineer, staff engineer, and eventually head engineer. He then began working freelance, where he built his reputation and was employed by United Artists (UA).[5] While with UA, Rushent recorded sessions alongside Martin Davies, recording artists such as Shirley Bassey and The Buzzcocks, as well as convincing the company to sign The Stranglers provided that he produced the band's material. Rushent produced the group's Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes and Black and White albums and recorded demos for Joy Division, before tiring of his commute to London and leaving UA at the end of the 1970s.[1][5]

Synthpop

Rushent expressed a desire to move away from guitar bands, and bought a LinnDrum,[8] Roland MC-4 Microcomposer and Jupiter-8 synthesiser to learn sequencing and synthesis techniques.[5] Rushent set up his own studio, Genetic, with Synclavier and Fairlight CMI synthesisers[5] and an MCI console.[7] He spent £35,000 on air conditioning alone, and had a Mitsubishi Electric digital recorder costing £75,000.[5] Rushent used his Roland equipment to record Pete Shelley's first solo album, Homosapien. Originally aimed to be a collection of demos, the recordings were signed to Island Records. They were heard by Simon Draper of Virgin Records, who asked Rushent to produce The Human League. Rushent's work on the group's 1981 album Dare earned him a BRIT Award in 1982 for Best British producer.[9] Rushent's production on Dare frustrated the group's guitarist Jo Callis, as the only guitar on the album was used to trigger a gate on the synthesiser. Singer Susanne Sulley was also frustrated by the lengthy process of Rushent's synth programming. Rushent walked out of his own studio and never worked with the band again after Sulley made an off-the-cuff comment toward him.[5] After the Human League, Rushent worked with XTC, Generation X, Altered Images and The Go-Go's.[10]
Rushent decided to take a break from production in 1984,[11] and sold his assets – including Genetic Studios. He briefly took up a consultancy position with Virgin, but retired from the industry to raise his children.[5]

Later career

Rushent returned to the music industry in the mid 1990s when he established Gush, a dance club on Greenham Common. The club's opening night was headlined by The Prodigy.[5] Rushent soon began redeveloping his interest in recording, and decided to catch up on the technological advances he had missed.[5]
Rushent built a home studio around a Mackie console, Alesis ADAT HD24 recorder and Cubase 5,[7] with which he produced music by The Pipettes,[9] Does It Offend You, Yeah?[8] and Killa Kela.[12] In 2005, he produced Hazel O'Connor's album Hidden Heart.[5] The following year, he was involved with the BBC Electric Proms when he recorded Enid Blitz at a 15th-century manor house in Brentford, using a BBC truck as the control room.[7]
In 2007, Rushent produced the recording Cherry Vanilla by The (Fabulous) Cult of John Harley. The recording was used by the American singer and actress Cherry Vanilla in the launch of her autobiography Lick Me: How I Became Cherry Vanilla.[13]
At the time of his death, Rushent was working on a 30th anniversary version of Dare, remixed like Love and Dancing but using musical instruments instead of synthesisers.[5][7]

Personal life

In 1972, Rushent married Linda Trodd, with whom he had three children – sons James and Tim and daughter Joanne.[1] They separated in the 1980s, and Rushent later married Ceri Davis, with whom he had a daughter named Amy.[1] Rushent lived with Ceri and Amy in the Berkshire village of Upper Basildon.[1][14] Rushent's son James is the lead singer for the dance punk band Does It Offend You, Yeah?.[3] Rushent died on 4 June 2011.[3]

Discography

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year
Artist
Record
Type
Role
Reference
1970
Studio album
Engineer
1971
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer, producer
Teenage Licks
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
1972
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
Ontinuous Performance
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
1973
Studio album
Producer
Chaos
Down At The Club/You Could Be My Girl
Studio single
Composer & Producer

All to Bring You Morning
Studio album
Engineer, remixing
One Live Badger
Live album
Engineer

1974
Original Man
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
The World Became the World
Studio album
Engineer
1975
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Engineer
Studio album
Engineer
Panic
Studio album
Engineer
1976
New Nation
Studio album
Engineer
Too Young to Feel This Old
Studio album
Engineer
1977
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Téléphone
Studio album
Producer
1978
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Gomm with the Wind
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Summer Holiday
Studio album
Producer
1979
Live album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
1980
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
1981
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Engineer, producer
Before Your Very Eyes
Studio album
Engineer, producer
Studio album
Mixing
1982
Remix album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
1983
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Producer
1984
Studio album
Programming
Smile
Studio album
Producer
Studio album
Engineer, producer
1985
Studio album
Producer
1988
Studio album
Producer
Heart of Glass
Single
Producer
1997
Come On
Single
Producer
1990
Single
Producer

2005
Hidden Heart
Studio album
Producer
Under the Influence
Studio album
Producer
2009
Amplified
Studio Album
Producer
2010
Studio album
Producer
2011
Studio album
Producer

 

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Felix Zandman, American entrepreneur died he was , 83.

Dr. Felix Zandman, Ph.D. was the founder and chief technology officer of Vishay Intertechnology – one of the world's largest providers of electronic components  died he was , 83. From 1946 to 1949 he studied in France at the University of Nancy physics and engineering. In parallel, he was enrolled in a Grande École of engineering. He received a Ph.D. at the Sorbonne as a physicist on a subject of photoelasticity. He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal in 1962.


(1927- June 4, 2011)

As A Child

Felix Zandman was born in Grodno, Belarus, then in eastern Poland.[2] In October 1941, at the age of 14 he arrived at the Grodno Ghetto (liquidated at the end of 1942) with parents, sisters, grandparents and many other relatives. He survived the Holocaust thanks to a family of Polish Righteous Jan and Anna Puchalski who hid him and his uncle for 17 months. Their main hiding place was a dugout 170 cm long, 150 cm wide and, only 120 cm tall.
Felix Zandman shared this hideaway with three other Jewish refugees. One of them, his uncle Sender Freydowicz, taught him trigonometry, and advanced mathematics in the long hours of darkness.[3] The advanced Soviet Army liberated them in July 1944. With other survivors, he remained for a short time in Poland. In the summer of 1946, Zandman was able to emigrate legally to France.

Professional life as an employee

Zandman worked initially for two years as a lecturer at the Ecole de l'Air, the French Academy of Aeronautics.[4] He then worked as an engineer in his specialty field of voltage measurement for a publicly owned company, which manufactured aircraft engines.
In 1956, Zandman presented his methods and self-developed instruments for the first time in the U.S.. He was able to establish important contacts with leading professors and well-known users of its specific field. He was eventually employed by the company Tatnall Measuring Systems in Philadelphia as director of basic research. Initially, he concentrated on measuring the development of his case, voltages of optical coatings. Then he developed a temperature-resistant electrical resistance. His employer, however, had no interest in the marketing of this invention.

Professional life as an entrepreneur

Felix Zandman put the potential of his invention to work. To this end he founded, in 1962, the company Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. His relative, Alfred P. Slaner, provided financial support for the initial funding. The company has developed into a Fortune 1000 company with many subsidiaries and over 22,000 employees worldwide. Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE: VSH[5]) is a publicly traded company with a market capitalization of over a billion dollars.[2]

 

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Lee J. Ames, American artist and illustrator, died from heart failure he was , 90.

Lee Judah Ames is an American artist noted for his Draw 50... learn-to-draw books.

(January 8, 1921 – June 3, 2011)

He was born in Manhattan, New York. His first job at age eighteen was at Walt Disney Studios. He has since led a career as an advertising artist, fine artist, cartoonist, designer, animation in-betweener, illustrator, and as an artist-in residence at Doubleday. His series of 26 Draw 50... books take a friendly and minimalist approach to teaching drawing while the books often contain no instructional text.
He enlisted in the military and served as a second lieutenant during World War II.
He and his wife Jocelyn resided in Mission Viejo, California.

Written by Ames

  • City Street Games. By Jocelyn and Lee Ames. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963.
  • The Dot, Line, and Shape Connection, or, How to Be Driven to Abstraction. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982.
  • Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircraft, & Spacecraft. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
  • Draw 50 Aliens, UFO's Galaxy Ghouls, Milky Way Marauders, and Other Extraterrestrial Creatures By Lee J. Ames with Ric Estrada. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1998.
  • Draw 50 Animal Toons. By Lee J. Ames and Bob Singer. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 2000.
  • Draw 50 Animals. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974.
  • Draw 50 Athletes. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1985.
  • Draw 50 Beasties and Yugglies and Turnover Uglies and Things That Go Bump in the Night. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1988.
  • Draw 50 Birds. By Lee J. Ames with Tony D'Adamo. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
  • Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks & Trains. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1987, c1976.
  • Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.
  • Draw 50 Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986.
  • Draw 50 Cats. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986.
  • Draw 50 Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
  • Draw 50 Dogs. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981.
  • Draw 50 Endangered Animals. By Lee J. Ames with Warren Budd. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
  • Draw 50 Famous Caricatures. By Lee J. Ames and Mort Drucker. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
  • Draw 50 Famous Cartoons. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979.
  • Draw 50 Famous Faces. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1978.
  • Draw 50 Famous Stars, As Selected by Rona Barrett's Hollywood Magazine. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doublday, 1982.
  • Draw 50 Flowers, Trees, and Other Plants. By Lee J. Ames, with P. Lee Ames. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1994.
  • Draw 50 Holiday Decorations. By Lee J. Ames with Ray Burns. 1st ed, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
  • Draw 50 Horses. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984.
  • Draw 50 Monsters, Creeps, Superheroes, Demons, Dragons, Nerds, Dirts, Ghouls, Giants, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Curiosa. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983.
  • Draw 50 People. By Lee J. Ames with Creig Flessel. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1993.
  • Draw 50 People of the Bible. By Lee J. Ames and Andre Le Blanc. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1995.
  • Draw 50 Sharks, Whales, and Other Sea Creatures. By Lee J. Ames with Warren Budd. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1989.
  • Draw 50 Vehicles: Selections form Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks, and Trains, and Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircraft, and Spacecraft. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977.
  • Draw, Draw, Draw. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962.
  • Drawing with Lee Ames: From the Bestselling, Award-Winning Creator of the Draw 50 Series, A Proven Step-by-Step Guide to the Fundamentals of Drawing for All Ages. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
  • How to Draw Star Wars Heroes, Creatures, Space-Ships, and Other Fantastic Things. New York: Random House, 1984.
  • Make 25 Crayon Drawings of the Circus. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.
  • Make 25 Felt-Tip Drawings Out West. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.

Illustrated by Ames

  • Asimov, Isaac. Great Ideas of Science. Illustrated by Lee Ames. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969.
  • Blocksma, Mary. Amazing Mouths and Menus. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.
  • Fenner, Phyllis R., comp. Circus Parade; Stories of the Big Top. Illustrated by Lee Ames. 1st ed. New York: Knopf, 1954.
  • Freeman, Mae Blacker. You Will Go to the Moon. By Mae and Ira Freeman. Illustrated by Lee Ames. Rev. ed. New York: Beginner Books, 1971.
  • Garst, Shannon. Big Foot Wallace of the Texas Rangers. Illustrated by Lee Ames. New Yor: Messner, 1951.
  • Garst, Shannon. Three Conquistadors: Cortes, Coronado, Pizarro. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. New York: J. Messner, 1947.
  • Holl, Adelaide. Hide-and-Seek ABC. Pictures by Lee Ames. New York: Platt & Munk, 1971.
  • Klimowicz, Barbara. The Great Green Apple War. Drawings by Lee J. Ames. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1973.
  • Klimowicz, Barbara. My Sister the Horse. Drawings by Lee Ames. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971.
  • Knight, David C. The Battle of the Dinosaurs. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
  • Dinosaurs That Swam and Flew. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1989; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985.
  • Lauber, Patricia. All About the Planet Earth. Illustrated with Drawings by Lee J. Ames and with photos. New York: Random House, 1962.
  • Leavitt, Jerome Edward. By Land, By Sea, By Air; The Story of Transportation. Illustrated by Lee Ames. New York: Putnam, 1969.
  • MacClain, George. Graff-a-Doodle Doo. Conceived by Lee J. Ames; Written and illustrated by George MacClain. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1981.
  • Manus, Willard. Sea Treasure. Illustrated by Lee J. Ames. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961.
  • McNeel, John P. The Brain of Man. Illustrated by Lee Ames. New York: Putnam, 1968.
  • Ross, Frank Xavier. Stories of the States; A Reference Guide to the Fifty States and the U.S. Territories. New York: Crowell, 1969.
  • Rowley, Anthony. Tool Chest. Syracuse, NY: L. W. Singer, 1967.
  • Selsam, Millicent Ellis. Exploring the Animal Kingdom. Garden City, NY: Garden City Books, 1957.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. Carl Linnaeus; The Man Who Put the World of Life in Order. By Alvin and Virginia Silverstein. New York: John Day, 1969.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. Excretory System; How Living Creatures Get Rid of Wastes. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. Harold Urey; The Man Who Explored from Earth to Moon. By Alvin and Virginia Silverstein. New York: John Day, 1970.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. Life in the Universe. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1967.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. Muscular System; How Living Creatures Move. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. The Origin of Life. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1968.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. The Reproductive System; How Living Creatures Multiply. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. The Skin: Coverings and Linings of Living Things. By Alvin and Virginia B. Silverstein. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
  • Thurber, Walter. Exploring Earth Science. By Walter A. Thurber, Robert E. Kilburn, Peter S. Howell; illustrated by Lee Ames ... [et al.] Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1976.
  • Zim, Herbert Spencer. Commercial Fishing. By Herbert S. Zim and Lucretia Krantz. New York: Morrow, 1973.
  • Zim, Herbert Spencer. Pipes and Plumbing Systems. By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. Illustrated with drawings by Lee J. Ames and Mel Erikson. New York: Morrow, 1974.
  • Zim, Herbert Spencer. Telephone Systems. By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. New York: W. Morrow, 1971.
  • Zim, Herbert Spencer. Tractors. By Herbert S. Zim and James R. Skelly. New York: Morrow, 1972.

 

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James Arness, American actor (Gunsmoke), died from natural causes he was , 88.


James King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years died from natural causes he was , 88.. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-TV Gunsmoke movies in the 1990s. In Europe Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the western series How the West Was Won. His younger brother was actor Peter Graves.

(May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011)

Early life

Arness was born James Aurness in Minneapolis;[4] he would drop the "u" later. His parents were Rolf Cirkler Aurness (July 22, 1894 – July 1982), a businessman, and Ruth (née Duesler) Aurness (died September 1986), a journalist. His father's ancestry was Norwegian, his mother's German.[5] The family name had been Aursnes, but when Rolf's father Peter Aursnes emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Aurness.[6] Arness and his family were Methodists.[7] Arness' younger brother was actor Peter Graves (1926-2010). Peter used the stage name "Graves", a maternal family name.[6]
Arness attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School and West High School in Minneapolis. During this time, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler, loading and unloading railway boxcars at the James J. Hill's Burlington freight-yards in Minneapolis, and logging in Pierce, Idaho.[6] Despite "being a poor student and skipping many classes", he graduated from high school in June 1942. He then enlisted in the United States Army to serve in World War II.[6]

Military service in World War II

Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, but he felt his poor eyesight would bar him. His height of 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) ended his hopes, since 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) was the limit for aviators. Instead, he was called for the Army and reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota in March 1943.[6] Arness served as a rifleman with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, and was severely wounded during Operation Shingle, at Anzio, Italy.[8]
According to James Arness – An Autobiography, he landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944 as a rifleman with 2nd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. Due to his height, he was the first ordered off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up to his waist.[6]
On January 29, 1945, having undergone surgery several times, Arness was honorably discharged. His wounds continued to bother him, and in later years Arness suffered from chronic leg pain,[2] which sometimes hurt when mounting a horse. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart,[2] the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.[9]

Acting career

After his discharge, James Arness entered Beloit College in Wisconsin. He began his performing career as a radio announcer in Minnesota in 1945.[10]
Arness first came to Hollywood by hitchhiking[11] and soon began acting and appearing in films. He began with RKO, which immediately changed his name from "Aurness". His film debut was as Loretta Young's (Katie Holstrom) brother, Peter Holstrom, in The Farmer's Daughter (1947).[2]
Though identified with westerns, Arness also appeared in two science fiction films, The Thing from Another World (in which he portrayed the title character) and Them!. He was a close friend of John Wayne and co-starred with him in Big Jim McLain, Hondo, Island in the Sky, and The Sea Chase.
An urban legend has it that John Wayne was offered the leading role of Matt Dillon in the longtime favorite television show Gunsmoke, but he turned it down, recommending instead James Arness for the role. The only part of this story that is true is that Wayne did indeed recommend Arness for the part. Wayne introduced Arness in a prologue to the first episode of Gunsmoke, in 1955.[12] The Norwegian-German Arness had to dye his naturally blond hair darker for the role.[13] Gunsmoke made Arness world-famous and would run for two decades, becoming the longest running drama series in U.S. television history by the end of its run in 1975. The series' season record was tied only in 2010 with the final season of Law & Order. Unlike the latter show, Gunsmoke featured its lead character in each of its twenty seasons; Gunsmoke also aired 179 more episodes, and was in the top 10 in the ratings for eleven more seasons, for a total of thirteen, including four consecutive seasons at number one.
After Gunsmoke ended, Arness performed in western-themed movies and television series, including How the West Was Won, and in five made-for-television Gunsmoke movies between 1987 and 1994. An exception was as a big city police officer in a short-lived 1981 series, McClain's Law. His role as Zeb Macahan in How the West Was Won made him into a cult figure in many European countries, where it became even more popular than in the United States, as the series has been re-broadcast many times across Europe.
James Arness: An Autobiography was released in September 2001, with a foreword by Burt Reynolds. Arness noted that he realized, "[I]f I was going to write a book about my life, I better do it now ... 'cause I'm not getting any younger."[14]

Filmography

Films

Television

Personal life

Arness was married twice, first to Virginia Chapman from 1948 until their divorce in 1960.[21] He adopted her son.[4] She died of a drug overdose[4] in 1976. Arness was married to Janet Surtees from 1978 until his death.[2] He had two sons, Rolf (born February 18, 1952) and Craig (died December 14, 2004).[22] His daughter Jenny Lee Aurness (May 23, 1950 – May 12, 1975) committed suicide[23]by overdose.[4] Rolf Aurness became World Surfing Champion in 1970.[21] Craig Aurness founded the stock photography agency Westlight and also was a photographer for National Geographic.[24] Arness is survived by Rolf and by his adopted son.[4]
Despite his stoic character, according to Ben Bates, his Gunsmoke stunt double, Arness laughed "from his toes to the top of his head". Shooting on the Gunsmoke set was suspended because Arness got a case of the uncontrollable giggles.[25] James Arness disdained publicity and banned reporters from the Gunsmoke set. He was said to be a shy and sensitive man who enjoyed poetry, sailboat racing, and surfing. TV Guide dubbed him "The Greta Garbo of Dodge City".[26] Buck Taylor (Newly on Gunsmoke) thought so highly of Arness that he named his second son, Matthew, after Arness' character.[27]
Arness died of natural causes at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on June 3, 2011.[28]

Awards

For his contributions to the television industry, Arness has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street. In 1981, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Arness was inducted into the Santa Clarita Walk of Western Stars in 2006, and gave a related TV interview.[2]
On the 50th anniversary of television in 1989 in the United States, People magazine chose the top 25 television stars of all time. Arness was number 6.[29]
Arness was nominated for the following Emmy Awards:[22]
  • 1957: Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series
  • 1958: Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series
  • 1959: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series

 

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Wally Boag, American performer (Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue) died he was , 90.

Wallace Vincent "Wally" Boag was an American performer known for his starring role in Disney's long running stage show the Golden Horseshoe Revue died he was , 90.

(September 13, 1920 – June 3, 2011)

An early publicity poster of Wally Boag's pre-Disney days.

Biography

Boag was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1920 to Wallace B. and Evelyn G. Boag. He joined a professional dance team at age nine, later established his own dance school, and by the age of 19 had turned to comedy. He toured the world's stages in hotels, theaters and nightclubs. While appearing at the London Hippodrome in Starlight Roof, he brought a young 12-year-old girl on stage to help with his balloon act. The girl, a young Julie Andrews, astonished the audience with her voice and was kept in the show. In 1945, Boag signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in films such as Without Love and Thrill of a Romance, in uncredited roles.[citation needed]
In the early 1950s, while appearing in revues in Australia, he met tenor Donald Novis. It was Novis who got Walt Disney to audition Boag for the Golden Horseshoe Revue, a 45-minute stage show which was written by its first pianist Charles LaVere and lyricist Tom Adair. Novis was the show's first tenor and was replaced by Fulton Burley when he retired in 1962. Both Boag and The Golden Horseshoe Revue were cited in The Guinness Book of World Records for having the greatest number of performances of any theatrical presentation. The show was often incorrectly introduced before a performance as the record holder of the longest running revue in the history of show business. The 10,000th performance of the Golden Horseshoe Revue was featured on NBC's The Wonderful World of Disney.[citation needed]
Boag's Pecos Bill/Traveling Salesman character was a fast-paced comedy routine featuring slapstick humor, squirt guns, a seemingly endless supply of broken teeth which he would spit out throughout the routine, and his signature balloon animals (Boagaloons).
In 1963, Julie Andrews once again performed with Boag on the Golden Horseshoe stage along with the Dapper Dans, at a special press-only event to promote the following year's release of Mary Poppins. Together, Andrews and Boag recreated their act of long ago and sang "By the Light of the Silvery Moon."
While Walt Disney was alive, he did everything he could to further Boag's career. Boag voiced Jose in "Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room" and also wrote much of the script for the attraction, participating also in the development of "Haunted Mansion" in Disneyland.
Disney had small roles written for Boag in The Absent-Minded Professor and Son of Flubber. It was Disney's intention to use Boag as the voice of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh, but Disney died in 1966 and the role ultimately went to Paul Winchell.

In 1971, Boag took his Pecos Bill character to the newly-opened Walt Disney World and re-crafted the saloon show into a faster, funnier Diamond Horseshoe Revue. Three years later he returned to Disneyland and finished his career there, entertaining adoring crowds at the Golden Horseshoe, retiring in 1982. (He had in the meantime performed his act as the human guest on the fifth season of The Muppet Show.) The Golden Horseshoe Revue closed in 1986. In 1995, Boag was inducted into the ranks of the Disney Legends and has his own window on Main Street in Disneyland above the Carnation Company. The inscription reads "Theatrical Agency - Golden Vaudeville Routines - Wally Boag, Prop."
Boag's performances have influenced many later performers and comedians, most notable of whom is Steve Martin, who studied Boag's humor and timing while working at Disneyland as a teenager. Boag's performance appears on Week One of the Mickey Mouse Club DVD collection, and the soundtrack of the Golden Horseshoe Revue has been released on CD.
Boag lived in California with his wife, Ellen Morgan Boag. His autobiography, entitled "Wally Boag, Clown Prince of Disneyland," was published in August 2009 and is available for purchase at wallyboag.com.[3] On June 3, 2011, it was announced by Steve Martin on Twitter "My hero, the first comedian I ever saw live, my influence, a man to whom I aspired, has passed on. Wally Boag."[4][5] The following day, June 4, 2011, Boag's long time partner at the Golden Horseshoe Revue, Betty Taylor, died.[6]

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