“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Passing Parade: Leonard Stern…
June 9th, 2011Manny P. here…
Another Hollywood veteran has died. Leonard Stern was the prolific writer-producer-director of television comedy and the silver screen. Later, he owned a large publishing company. Stern was busy writing television segments during the 1950’s for The Honeymooners, The Phil Silvers Show, and The Tonight Show with Steve Allen. And, Stern developed scripts for several motion pictures including the 1952 remake of The Jazz Singer; a number of movies featuring Ma and Pa Kettle; and films starring Abbott and Costello including Lost In Alaska. LEONARD STERN
Stern is best known for his five season collaboration with Mel Brooks and Buck Henry in the Get Smart series. He also produced and directed episodes of MacMillan and Wife, which featured Rock Hudson. Late in his cinematic career, he wrote and directed Just You and Me, Kid with George Burns.
During his time in Hollywood, Leonard Stern has won three Emmys, two Golden Globes, and a Peabody award.
As the senior vice president of Price-Stern-Sloan, he created the wacky Mad-Libs, and published a number of children’s books as Doodle-Art and Little Miss Serendipity.
Leonard Stern was 87.
Until next time> “never forget”
Marni Nixon has appeared in some of the most iconic cinema during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her five octave range was used to replace the singing voices of Margaret O’Brien in The Secret Garden; Marilyn Monroe in Gentleman Prefer Blondes; Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember and The King and I; Natalie Wood in West Side Story; and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Nixon also had a small role in The Sound of Music, and her voice was prominently used in Joan of Arc in 1948, and Disney’s Mulan.
Boag was a noted character actor who appeared in Without Love, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Heburn; and The Thrill of the Romance with Esther Willams. He had roles in Disney’s The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, and The Love Bug. Walt Disney kept the versatile entertainer busy by using his voice in the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion. In 1963, Julie Andrews stepped on the Golden Horseshoe Revue stage and shared a number with Boag, a publicity stunt designed to promote Mary Poppins. They sang By the Light of the Silvery Moon.
Betty Taylor used the celebrity of her fortuitous job by taking a show to Richard Nixon’s White House, and a USO tour in Greenland. She also made a special appearance at Walt Disney’s Wild West, a 1995 retrospective at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles.
For a chance to hear a re-broadcast of this charming conversation with Miss Debbie Reynolds on June 11th at 3pm (pst) on the Forgotten Hollywood radio program, please click on the web stream-link below:
It was known as the home of the Rat Pack. After 59 years of business, the Sahara Casino has closed its doors. Among the many stars that have performed over the years… Judy Garland, Don Rickles, Louis Prima, and Sonny and Cher. Plus, don’t forget Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Joey Bishop played it cool while mugging to sold out crowds in the 1960’s.
The HISTORY CHANNEL will spend the next week honoring the soldiers and political leaders who participated in the Civil War, which began 150 years ago. Documentary specials and reality shows will commemorate the War between the States, including Pawn Stars and American Pickers.
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