People I owe my childhood to..
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Bob McGrath was born on 13 June 1932 in Ottawa, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Follow That Bird (1985), Sesame Street (1969) and Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie (1988). He was married to Ann Logan Sperry. He died on 4 December 2022 in New Jersey, USA.Bob was the man who as a child made me question,"Who were the people in my neighbourhood?" Which was quite important in later life as they're mainly sub-human scum..Sesame street taught me how to rhyme the alphabet,how to spell ,how to Count (HA HA HAAA!),and how to stuff twenty cookies into my mouth and shout COOKIESSS!
Bob to me was the all american guy,the original Uncle Sam,the working mans Neil Sedaka.The guy who with his Afro-american and Latin friends set me on my path to learning.I owe a great deal to all the cast and crew of Sesame Street..Except Big Bird,the frickin freak gave me nightmares!- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Geoffrey Hayes was born on 13 March 1942 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Rainbow (1972), The Great Pony Raid (1968) and Spy Trap (1972). He was married to Sarah Williams. He died on 30 September 2018 in England, UK.What a guy..Geoffrey,bit freaky..But what a guy..The only human straddled between a camp 6 foot bear,a pink gay hippo,and a half breed of a koala bear and an alien from Cadburys Smash..Geoff, If I may call him Geoff, was the leader of Bungle,George and that annoying Big gobbed Zippy..Same again I owe a lot of learning to Geoff the Alpha male in a house of camp puppets,and Rod Jane and Freddy (Ménage à trois)..- Actor
- Soundtrack
Wayne Laryea was born on 11 April 1952 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Look and Read (1967), Crown Court (1972) and Das Ding (1978).I only know this guy as Johnnie..I cant remember him actually turning up.One minute I was watching Inigo Pipkin,next thing..I just remember Johnnie..whether he turned up on a YTS or something,i dunno..saying that it was the early 70's so it would have been on a YOP scheme..I digress..Anyway.Johnnie was the Alpha male in the house of Pig(a pig) ,Octavia an out of work drama ostrich,a tortoise and the ravaging teeth of a speed freak hare, named Hartley..these programs were for kids..not like the programs now that seemed to be aimed at 8 year olds on PCP..I cant imagine gettin nostalgic over the Toxic Crusaders..- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Paul Lynde was born in 1926 in Mount Vernon, Ohio (one of six children and the middle of four boys). His father was a local police officer and the sheriff of the Mount Vernon Jail for two years. Lynde got his inspiration to become an actor at the age of four or five after his mother took him to see the original silent film Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925). After graduating from Northwestern University, Lynde relocated to New York City where his first break came from being a stand-up comedian at the Number One Fifth Avenue nightclub. Then came an appearance on a Broadway show, "New Faces of 1952".
Lynde also had a two-year run on TV with Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (1948) and the Broadway and film versions of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Throught his life, Lynde appeared in the Broadway plays "The Impossible Years", "Don't Drink the Water", and "Plaza Suite". His many film credits include New Faces (1954), Send Me No Flowers (1964), and Rabbit Test (1978). One of his most memorable roles was a recurring role on Bewitched (1964) playing the sneering, sarcastic Uncle Arthur. He appeared on TV's The Dean Martin Show (1965), The Kraft Music Hall (1967), Donny and Marie (1975), and both the prime-time and daytime versions of the game show The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965) where he occupied the famous center square. He had two TV series of his own, The Paul Lynde Show (1972) and The New Temperatures Rising Show (1972). Paul Lynde's witty, wisecracking one-liners and his novel line delivery made him one of Hollywood's funniest and best loved entertainers. Paul Lynde died under mysterious circumstances when he was found dead in his bed after possibly suffering a heart attack in January 1982 at age 55. He had been in ill-health for over a year with cancer or some other illness that was never fully revealed to the public before or after his death.Paul the voice Lynde..
that wasnt his name, i just made that bit in the middle up ,and if he tries to use it I'll sue for copyright..
Anyway this guy was the voice..Great nasal styled baddie..
Its ok he wont use it ,I've just looked him up..RIP- Writer
- Producer
- Actress
Pat Keysell was born on 7 June 1926 in Tooting, London, England, UK. She was a writer and producer, known for Under the Same Sun (1978), Vision On (1965) and Star Turn (1976). She died on 31 October 2009 in Italy.Same again didnt know her name..just knew her as the woman who waved her arms about when she talked..It was only in later life that i found out this was sign language and she wasnt the illigitamate daughter of Magnus Pike..(if you dont know I'm not explaining),Anyway another great show for kids that taught you art and looking at things differently..GEM.- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Rick Jones was born on 7 February 1937 in London, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), The Avengers (1961) and Romeo and Juliet (1962). He was married to Valerie Neale and Min (Marina) Ayles. He died on 7 October 2021 in San Francisco, California, USA.Rik fingerbobs Jones..Now if I'd have had a nickname like that at school...well..I wouldnt have needed GCSEs..This guy was so laid back with his beautiful hippy tunes,surely a pot-head ,he was as relaxed as Steven Hawkins' sphincter..- Actor
- Writer
Brian Cant was born on 12 July 1933 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Doctor Who (1963), Dixon of Dock Green (1955) and ITV Play of the Week (1955). He was married to Cherry Britton and Sylvia Mary Gibson. He died on 19 June 2017 in Denville Hall, Northwood, Hillingdon, London, England, UK.The daddy of them all.
Play Away,Play School. I once got mistaken for him in a London bar,when the guy turned to me and said "Wot You Lookin at Cant?"
I tried to explain that I wasnt Brian,but the guy lurched for me.
5 people had to pull him off....that is the popularity of Brian Cant..- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Derek Griffiths appeared in numerous children's television programmes in the 1960s and 70s and is fondly remembered by a whole generation of (now grown up) children for his whimsical comic genius and endearing persona. A very underrated comedian also in adult features who does not grace our screens nearly enough.Another great..always fast funny and a lovely voice..like zebedee on speed..- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Jon Pertwee is best known for his portrayal of the Third Doctor on the BBC's science-fiction television series Doctor Who (1963) from 1970 to 1974. He was also the first to play the role following the transition of BBC One from black and white to colour. His 60-year entertainment career included work in radio, films and cabaret. This was despite the inauspicious beginning of having been thrown out of drama school as a young man and told he had no future as an actor.
Jon Pertwee was born John (after the apostle and disciple) Devon (after the county) Roland (after his father) Pertwee (an Anglicised version of the true family name, Perthuis de Laillevault) on 7 July 1919 in the Chelsea area of London. He was the second son of famous playwright, painter and actor Roland Pertwee, and his actress wife Avice - his writer brother Michael Pertwee being three years his senior. The Pertwee family had a long connection with show business and the performing arts, and it was at Wellington House preparatory school in Westgate-On-Sea in Kent that Jon, as a small and rebellious child, was encouraged in that direction. Later, at Frensham Heights co-educational school, Jon had his first taste of "real" theatre with real women in the school stage productions of "Twelfth Night" and "Lady Princess Stream". In 1936 he auditioned for, and was accepted by, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). He was later kicked out for refusing to play the part of the wind in a play.
Jon Pertwee died on 20 May 1996 of a heart attack. The BBC announced his death. He was survived by his wife Ingeborg Rhoesa, his son Sean Pertwee, a popular and talented actor, and his daughter Dariel Pertwee, an accomplished stage actress.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Sally James was born on 10 May 1950. She is an actress, known for To Sir, with Love (1967), Journey to the Unknown (1968) and Cousin Bette (1971). She is married to Mike Smith. They have three children.A fit bird in a leather mini on kids TV ...I rest my case..- Actor
- Soundtrack
Roy Castle was born on 31 August 1932 in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Carry on Up the Khyber (1968), Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965). He was married to Fiona Dickson. He died on 2 September 1994 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.What couldnt this guy do ?
Smoke?
Anyway he was a tap dancing,trumpet playin,singin,swingin,actin,charity workin,record breaker.YEAHHHH..
He was like Jimmy Saville with legs....a true all round genius..- Music Department
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael Staniforth was born on 15 December 1942 in Selly Oak, Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for No Strings (1974), Rentaghost (1976) and Great Big Groovy Horse (1975). He died on 31 July 1987 in Westminster, London, England, UK.Mr Claypole of Rentaghost...Unfortunately another gem,who is sadly no longer with us..This dithering jester made the show what it is...a class show...
Just looked him up a found that he was gay..who on earth in the 70s would give a gay man the role with the title of "Claypole"?- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Johnny Morris was born on 20 June 1916 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Aladdin and the Forty Thieves (1984), The Secret Cave (1953) and The Full Monty (1993). He was married to Eileen Monro. He died on 6 May 1999 in Wiltshire, England, UK.Johnny Morriis was like your grandad..fantastic theme tune taken from Midnight Cowboy..this was a man who could talk to the animals unlike Jon Voight who just blew blokes off in cinemas..Florida Fantasy.- Art Department
- Writer
- Actor
Tony Hart was born on 15 October 1925 in Maidstone, Kent, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for The George Mitchell Choir: Around the World in Song (1962), Saturday Special (1951) and The Lenny the Lion Show (1957). He was married to Jean Hart. He died on 18 January 2009 in Shamley Green, Surrey, England, UK.- Writer
- Actor
John Craven was born on 16 August 1940 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for The Damned United (2009), Newsround (1972) and Search (1971).- Peter Glaze was born on 17 September 1924 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), Whack-O! (1956) and Together Again (1957). He was married to April Ellen Jermy Young. He died on 20 February 1983 in Dartford, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
A show-stopping comic for decades, the inimitable Arnold Stang, with the trademark Runyonesque voice and thick, black glasses, started out famously on radio before branching out to include Broadway, films and especially TV. Born on September 28, 1918, in New York City (for decades he himself perpetuated the myth of being born in 1925 in Chelsea, Massachusetts), he was the son of a lawyer. Following the 1929 stock market crash, his father was forced to look elsewhere for work and managed a living as a salesman. The scrawny kid from Manhattan grew up in Brooklyn and attended New Utrecht High School.
During his teen years (early 1930s) he auditioned for and won roles on radio's "Horn and Hardart's Children's Hour," a variety show, and the kiddie program "Let's Pretend," which set off a two-decade stint as one of radio's most popular vocal personalities. His squawky, unmistakable voice was heard as Jughead in the "Archie Andrews" series and as neighbor Seymour Fingerhood on the beloved, Bronx-styled Gertrude Berg classic "The Goldbergs," among others. He even appeared in radio soap operas and mysteries on occasion, often providing comedy relief. A reliable and feisty second banana, he traded quips with the best of them: Eddie Cantor; Jack Benny; Fred Allen; Fanny Brice; Milton Berle, you name it.
In between radio work Stang could sometimes be seen on the stage, his first legitimate play being on Broadway with the short-lived "All In Favour" (1942). This was followed by "You'll See Stars" at the end of that same year. He subsequently moved from radio to TV with the help of Milton Berle in the late 1940s and eventually found a very comfortable niche in comedy as a foil to the big stars. On the satirical Henry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt (1951), he was a regular member of Henry Morgan's stock company as a nerdy teen named Gerard. Plain, plucky but rather sad-sack, his puny-looking nerd types (5'3" and not much over 100 pounds) seemed to beg to have sand kicked in their faces. Yet, as much as they could be pushed around, they often displayed stubborn, delinquent-like streaks and could be mighty pesky in nature and irritating to the nth degree.
Stang also lent his vocal talents quite successfully to cartoon voiceovers beginning with Popeye the Sailor's pal Shorty. He later moved into a lengthy hitch as "Hoiman" the mouse in Paramount's popular "Herman and Katnip" series, but his best known animal character, of course, came later with the title role in Joseph Barbera - William Hanna 1961 classic cartoon series Top Cat (1961). His playing of "T.C", the slick, smart-alecky, Brooklynesque mastermind behind a gang of alley cats, was very reminiscent of Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko character from The Phil Silvers Show (1955).
Film work for Stang would be very sporadic over the years providing secondary but stalwart support in such escapism as Seven Days' Leave (1942), My Sister Eileen (1942), Let's Go Steady (1945), Two Gals and a Guy (1951) and the all-star epic It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). Stang's best featured part was a rare dramatic role opposite Frank Sinatra in the then-daring topical movie about drug addiction entitled The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Here he played Frank Sinatra's seedy but loyal pal Sparrow, a role that easily could have influenced Dustin Hoffman when he created his Ratso Rizzo character a decade and a half later in Midnight Cowboy (1969).
From the 1950s, the bespectacled comedian would be a steadfast TV commercial spokesman pitching such products as Delco, Chunky candy ("Chunky...what a chunk o' chocolate!") and Orkin ("Stop squawkin', call Orkin!") using his own, unique style. As for the stage, a few of his later stints included the 1969 Broadway remake of "The Front Page," the role of Hysterium in a production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," and a part in Woody Allen's "Play It Again, Sam". The owlish comedian continued acting into the 90s with small roles in such movies as Ghost Dad (1990) and Dennis the Menace (1993).
Long married (since 1949) to wife JoAnn Taggart, a writer, Stang died of pneumonia at age 91 in Newton, Massachusetts, just before Christmas in 2009. He was also survived by his two children, David Donald and Deborah Jane.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Gerry Anderson was born on 14 April 1929 in West Hampstead, London, England, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for Joe 90 (1968), Invasion: UFO (1974) and UFO (1970). He was married to Mary Robins, Sylvia Anderson and Betty Wrightman. He died on 26 December 2012 in Henley-on-Thames, England, UK.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
William Hanna was an animator, film director, and television producer. He was the co-founder of the company Hanna-Barbera, with his longtime partner Joseph Barbera.
Hanna was born in an Irish-American family, son of William John Hanna (1873-1949) and his wife Avice Joyce Denby. He was born in Melrose, New Mexico Territory, though the family never set root there. His father worked as a construction superintendent for railroads, water systems, and sewer systems. He was often re-assigned, requiring his family to move with him to new locations.
Hanna attended Compton High School in Compton California from 1925 to 1928. During his high school years, Hanna played the saxophone in a dance band. He developed a passion for music that would lead to him personally working on several theme songs for his animated work.
Hanna briefly attended Compton City College, studying both journalism and structural engineering. The Great Depression affected his family's financial situation, forcing him to drop out of college and seek work. He worked first as a construction engineer, then as a car wash employee. A family friend convinced him to seek a job for Leon Schlesinger's company "Pacific Title & Art Studio", which designed title cards for films. Though he lacked formal training, he displayed a talent for drawing. This helped him get hired at an upstart animation studio connected to Schlesinger, the Harman and Ising animation studio, which was producing the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" series. Hanna was promoted to head of their ink and paint department.
In 1933, the studio's heads (Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising) dissolved their business relationship with Schlesinger. Schesinger retained the rights to the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies", while Harman and Ising kept the rights to their popular character Bosko. Hanna followed them into their subsequent projects. By 1936, he was promoted to film director and directed a few short films in their "Happy Harmonies" film series.
In 1937, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stopped distributing animated films by Harman and Ising, and created their own animation subsidiary: the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio (1937-1957). They hired away most of the staff of the Harman and Ising studio, including Hanna. In 1938, Hanna became a senior director for the "Captain and the Kids" film series, an adaptation of the popular comic strip "The Katzenjammer Kids". The series failed to find an audience, and was terminated in 1939. Hanna was demoted from director to story-man.
During this period, Hanna started co-working with fellow animator Joseph Barbera on the idea of a film series featuring a cat-and-mouse duo. The two were allowed to co-direct the film "Puss Gets the Boot" (1940), introducing the characters of Tom and Jerry. The film was popular with critics and the audience, but studio head Fred Quimby was not initially interested in a full series with the characters. However, the commercial failure of other products of the studio convinced Quimby to try reusing Tom and Jerry. Hanna and Barbera were assigned their own production unit to work on the new series.
From 1940 to 1957, Hanna and Barbera co-directed 114 short films starring Tom and Jerry. The series was a critical and popular success, winning 7 Academy Awards and being nominated for other 7. In 1955, Fred Quimby retired, and Hanna and Barbera replaced him as studio heads. But by this time production costs for the films were high, while they were less profitable than before. MGM shut down the studio in 1957.
Hanna briefly partnered with animator Jay Ward in creating their own animation studio, called "Shield Productions". They parted ways before producing anything notable. Hanna next partnered with Barbera again, creating the company Hanna-Barbera Productions. Since the market for theatrical animated shorts was in decline, the duo intended to produce animation for television. They received partial funding from Screen Gems, in return for a distribution deal.
The studio's first television series was the moderately popular "The Ruff & Reddy Show". It was followed by the more successful "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "The Yogi Bear Show", which introduced popular characters and managed to attract an adult audience. Realising that there was a market for adult-oriented cartoons, Hanna and Barbera next developed the animated sitcom "The Flintstones", a parody of "The Honeymooners" with a Stone Age setting. It found success with both adult and juvenile audiences, helping the studio become the leader in television animation for most of the 1960s.
In 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions was sold to Taft Broadcasting for 12 million dollars. Hanna and Barbera continued serving as studio heads until 1991. In 1991, the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System, with Hanna and Barbera reduced to an advisory position. In 1996, the studio was sold to Time Warner, with Hanna remaining an advisor until his death in 2001.
In March 2001, Hanna died of esophageal cancer at his home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, He was 90-years-old. He was buried at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California. His legacy includes more than 100 animated series, multiple films and television specials, and a large number of enduring characters.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Joseph Roland Barbera was an American animator, film director, and television producer. He was the co-founder of the company Hanna-Barbera, with his longtime partner William Hanna.
Barbera was born in an Italian-American family. His parents were barbershop-owner Vincent Barbera (1889-1965) and Francesca Calvacca (1875-1969), both Italian immigrants from Sicily. Vincent was from the farming town of Castelvetrano, while Francesca was from the spa town of Sciacca (founded as the ancient Greek colony of Thermae).
Barbera was born in Little Italy, at the Lower East Side section of Manhattan. Months following his birth, Barbera's family moved to Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was mostly raised in Flatbush. Vincent Barbera grew prosperous for a while, but a gambling addiction led him to squander the family fortune. In 1926, Vincent abandoned his family, and Joseph was taken under the wing of his maternal uncle Jim Calvacca.
Barbera attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. During his high school years, he worked as a tailor's delivery boy. Meanwhile, he excelled in boxing and won a number of titles, but decided against becoming a professional boxer. He graduated high school in 1928, and started working odd jobs.
In 1929, Barbera first became interested in animation, after viewing Walt Disney's "The Skeleton Dance" (1929). Shortly after, he started working as a freelance cartoonist. Some of his print cartoons were published in Redbook, the Saturday Evening Post, and Collier's. Meanwhile Barbera took art classes at the Art Students League of New York and the Pratt Institute, hoping to improve his drawing skills.
Barbera was eventually hired as an inker and colorist by Fleischer Studios. In 1932, he was hired by the Van Beuren Studios as an animator and storyboard artist. At Van Beuren he worked on such film series as "Cubby Bear" and "Rainbow Parades". The studio's most prominent cartoon starts were a human duo known as "Tom and Jerry". Barbera worked on the Tom and Jerry series, and apparently liked the sound of the duo's name.
In 1936, Barbera left the financially struggling Van Beuren studio to work for Paul Terry's Terrytoons studio. In 1937, he left Terrytoons to work for the then-recently established Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio (1937-1957). MGM offered its animators higher salaries than what Terrytoons could offer. His first few years at the studio were not particularly notable. In 1939, he and co-worker William Hanna started working on the idea of a cat-and-mouse duo of characters. They were allowed to co-direct "Puss Gets the Boot" (1940), introducing the new duo of Tom and Jerry. It was critically and commercially successful, but studio head Fred Quimby was initially uninterested in producing a full series of Tom and Jerry films. The lack of success of other products of the studio convinced Quimby, and Barbera and Hanna became the head of their own production unit to work on the new series.
From 1940 to 1957, Hanna and Barbera co-directed 114 Tom and Jerry animated shorts. The Tom and Jerry series was very popular with critics and audience. But by the 1950s, production costs were high while the profitability of the shorts was lower than before. MGM decided to shut down its animation subsidiary. Barbera was unemployed for the first time in decades.
Barbera briefly partnered with Robert D. Buchanan (1931-) in production of an animated television series, the science fiction series "Colonel Bleep" (1957-1960). It was the first animated series specifically produced for color television. Barbera eventually left this partnership and teamed up with William Hanna again. They founded Hanna-Barbera Productions, their own animation studio. With theatrical animation in decline, they focused on the new market of television animation.
The studio's first television series was the moderately successful "The Ruff & Reddy Show". It was succeeded by the much more popular "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "The Yogi Bear Show". Survey's revealed that the two shows had attracted an adult audience, convincing Hanna and Barbera that they could market animation to adults. Their next series was the animated sitcom "The Flintstones" (1960-1966), popular with both children and adults. Its success helped establish Hanna-Barbera Productions as the leader in television animation.
In 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million dollars.Barbera and Hanna remained studio heads until 1991, when the studio was sold to the Turner Broadcasting System for an estimated 320 million million dollars. Barbera and Hanna were reduced to advisory positions, which would they keep for the rest of their lives. Barbera periodically worked on new Hanna-Barbera shows, and even provided input for the original live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo in 2002.
In 2001, Hanna-Barbera Productions was absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation. Barbera received executive producer credits for Warner Bros. sequels and adaptations of his old series (such as "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" and "Tom and Jerry Tales"). In 2005, Barbera co-directed a new Tom and Jerry short film: "The Karate Guard". Barbera then started work on a Tom and Jerry feature film, " Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale" (2007). He died before production was completed.
Barbera died in December 2006, at the age of 95. He had never fully retired and was still working at the time of his death. His legacy includes more than a 100 television series, and a large number of enduring characters.