Remembering George McGovern
George McGovern, who died Sunday at 90, was a decent guy, an anti-war candidate with a crackling, plain-spoken voice – the perfect guy for a recent high school graduate to…
Andy Williams, Huckleberry Friend
It’s difficult to imagine how influential Andy Williams was in American cultural life, and not just because kids like me had to growup wearing matching red sweaters with his brother…
Remembering Hal David, 1921-2012
Sad to hear the death Saturday of Hal David, the great lyricists whose simple, profound words were indelibly paired with Burt Bacharach’s often complex melodies to create a sophisticated soundtrack…
Remembering Phyllis Diller, 1917-2012
With her shock of hair and cackling laugh, Phyllis Diller, who died Monday in Los Angeles at 95, was a gale force in comedy for nearly half a century. And…
Remembering My Friend Kevin O’Hare
One of the highlights of seeing a lot of terrible concerts over a 12-year period at the Hartford Courant was running into my colleague Kevin O’Hare. Even if we spoke…
Remembering Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine, who had one of the longest careers of any Oscar winners, died Sunday at 95. The big man whose film credits include “Marty,” for which he won his…
Remembering Andy Griffith
Every star of a hit comedy in the 50s and 60s was iconic, at least to those who grew up watching them and sorted out what life was supposed to…
Richard Dawson Has Died
I was just thinking of Richard Dawson the other day. The British actor, who came to fame in the U.S. through a role on “Hogan’s Heroes,” but went on to…
Mrs. Landingham Dies Again
It’s great that some older actors can still get parts. But invariably it’s in a role in which they’re dying or about to. It happened twice to Kathryn Joosten in…
Billboard Awards a Testament to Dead, Living
The past, present and future collided in the Billboard Music Awards Sunday, the out of season music awards show from Las Vegas. With a number of artists to be celebrated…