JAMES ARNESS Although he faced (and was) an alien in Them! and The Thing From Another World, we knew Jim best as Matt Dillon, the Miss-Kitty-loving, law-upholding Marshall on Gunsmoke. The series, and Arness, filled our TV rooms for more decades than any other show until it tied with Law and Order in 2010. So long, Marshall— may you arrest in peace.
CHARLIE CALLAS A favorite cohort of Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, Charlie Callas's stand-up comedy was a frequent feature on the talk shows that made up our youthful late night fare. His remarkable ability to create a spectrum of funny and funky sounds to enhance his schtick made Callas a comedic pioneer.
CHEETAH He held his own on the screen opposite Maureen O'Hara in a sexy leather sarong and hunky Johnny Weismuller wearing practically nothing in the Tarzan series that populated our Saturday mornings in rerun form. Not nearly as big in stature as King Kong, Cheetah was certainly as big a simian star. May he swing happily in that big, vine-filled jungle in the sky.
JOHN HOWARD DAVIES A director and producer of British television sitcoms, including some of the earliest episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Davies also delivered one of film history's most memorable lines as the hungry Dickensian waif in David Lean's 1948 Oliver Twist.
PETER FALK He trod the boards on and off Broadway, made several notable feature films, appeared in a number of shows that exemplified TV's "Golden Age," and became a legendary friend of director John Cassavetes. Memorable achievements, yes. But none of these equalled Falk's absolute perfection as disheveled sleuth Philip Columbo. "Just one more thing", we'll miss you, Lieutenant.
BETTY FORD Her candor as an alcoholic, a breast cancer survivor and as a supporter of women's rights helped raise public awareness regarding these and other social issues. She forever transformed the role of First Lady and earned the respect of conservatives and liberals alike.
ANNE FRANCIS
She kicked ass as TV "private eye-full" Honey West and was one heck of a skinny-dipping alien in Forbidden Planet. No matter what she wore or didn't wear, we loved that beauty mark and her cool sexiness.
JOE FRAZIER The 12th child of a poor, South Carolina farmer, "Smokin'" Joe Frazier slugged his way to Olympic gold and beyond, becoming the Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1970. He cemented his place in boxing history with this 1971 15th round knockdown of Muhammad Ali and continued to train new generations of fighters after he retired.
LUCIAN FREUD Often regarded as the preeminent representational British painter of his generation, Freud's heavily impasto-ed portraits exhibit a uniquely compelling tension between artist and subject. For more on the life and work of Freud, view this excerpt from a documentary on the artist.
DAVID FRYE Not just a run-of-the-mill comic impersonator, David Frye's imitations of the political figures of the 60s were brilliant send-ups of poobahs and pundits. For example? This 1967 sketch of Richard Nixon smoking a joint.
FARLEY GRANGER A popular Hollywood leading man of the 50s, Granger is probably most well known for his turns in Hitchcock's Rope and Strangers on a Train. In 2007 he published his memoir, Include Me Out: My Life From Goldwyn to Broadway, co-written with domestic partner Robert Calhoun.
RICHARD HAMILTON British painter and collage artist, Hamilton's Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? is considered to be one of the earliest examples of what would come to be called Pop Art. For more on the seminal artist visit A Life in Pop: The Art of Richard Hamilton via The Guardian.
FERLIN HUSKY Husky was one of the first Country singers to straddle more than one genre, producing Gospel, Country, Blue Grass and Pop hits that included Wings of a Dove and Gone.
FRANK KAMENY In 1957 Kameny was dismissed from his position as an astronomer for the Army Map Service for being gay. Frank sued the U.S. Civil Service administration for discrimination, taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court. His life-long efforts to end institutionalized and social bias against gays made him an icon in the Gay Rights Movement.
HARMON KILLEBREW When Harmon "The Killer" Killebrew retired from baseball in 1976, he was second only to Babe Ruth in American League home runs. A major power hitter of the 60s, Killebrew was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.
JACK LALANNE Often referred to as the "Godfather of Fitness," Jack LaLanne was an early proponent of eating right and exercising often. First broadcast in 1951, The Jack LaLanne Show became TV's longest-running exercise program. We know that Jack is up there juicing with The Big Guy even as we type...
CHARLES LAUFER Laufer's brainchild, Tiger Beat magazine, populated our teenaged dreams with visions of The Beatles, Davy Jones, Bobby Sherman, Donny Osmond et al. The magazine's pull-out posters adorned our bedroom walls and rec room paneling. For a journey through the archives, (and to see how the tradition continues to this day), visit this gallery of Tiger Beat covers.
MILTON LEVINE He brought us three of the most beloved treasures of our childhoods- Uncle Milton's Ant Farm, the potato gun, and the plastic shrunken head. Thanks, Milt!
SIDNEY LUMET Sidney Lumet was simply one of the greatest directors of our time. Need proof? Twelve Angry Men. Fail Safe. The Pawnbroker. In the Heat of the Night. And if you disagree, you'll make us "mad as hell" as detailed in Lumet's incomparable Network.
CLARA LUPER On August 19, 1958 Oklahoma City schoolteacher, Clara Luper, and a small group of students from the local NAACP Youth Council sat down at the segregated lunch counter of Katz's drugstore. Thus began what would become a nationwide tradition of sit-ins for various causes, and Luper, who had been a Civil Rights activist long before entering Katz, would continue her efforts for equality throughout her life.
HARRY MORGANL Yes, many of you may remember him best as the lovable Sherman Potter from M*A*S*H, but Harry Morgan was a bad guy and a good guy long before he joined the 4077th. A moment of remembrance now for Bill Gannon of Dragnet.
DAVID NELSON Never quite the heartthrob that his younger brother, Ricky, became, David Nelson still entertained us admirably through season after season on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
CLIFF ROBERTSON
He may have been presidential in stature as JFK in PT 109, and he went on to win an Oscar for his role as a developmentally-challenged man in Charly, but we'll always remember Cliff as the buff and suntanned "Kahuna" in Gidget.
SUZE ROTOLO A talented visual artist in her own right, Suze Rotolo was best known for being the early muse to Bob Dylan. Rotolo's breakup with Dylan is said to have been the inspiration for Don't Think Twice It's Alright.
JANE RUSSELL In her later years we watched her hawk bras for Playtex, but back in the day, if anyone could fill out a bra, (or inspire the design of one by Howard Hughes), it was Jane Russell. Watch her in action in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
KEN RUSSELL His penchant for excess, on and off the screen, made director Ken Russell and his movies larger than life. From his Oscar-winning Women in Love to the baked bean scene in Tommy, Russell's films were always
unforgettable.
MARIA SCHNEIDER Only 19 when she was cast to play opposite Marlon Brando in Bertolucci's controversial Last Tango in Paris, Schneider went on to make numerous TV and feature films, but oh, that butter scene.
SHERWOOD SCHWARTZ What can you say about the man who brought us Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch? It's a love/hate thing.
GIL SCOTT-HERON Scott-Heron helped to pioneer the spoken word music that morphed into Rap and Hip-Hop. We'll never forget him for the remarkable The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
SARGENT SHRIVER The driving force behind the creation of the Peace Corps., many are unaware that Sargent Shriver also founded Head Start, the Job Corps., and helped plot the course of "The War on Poverty."
DUKE SNIDER Named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, Snider was considered the last of the "Boys of Summer" who dominated baseball in the 1950s. For memories of his career on the diamond, view this clip from Duke Snider: In His Own Words.
ALEX STEINWEISS A graduate of Brooklyn's Parsons School of Design, Steinweiss became one of the single most influential graphic artists of our time. Taschen's Alex Steinweiss: Inventor of the Modern Album Cover provides a gallery of the work that made him a legend.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR A child actor who went on to win Oscars for Butterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe. The press dubbed her "La Liz," but her friends called her Elizabeth. We called her gifted, gorgeous and a true star for the role she played in promoting AIDS awareness.
CY TWOMBLY His "scribble paintings" of the early 60s put him on the map of American artists, his later paintings, sculptures and installations guaranteed that he'd stay there.
DANA WYNTER Perhaps best known as the girlfriend who betrays Kevin McCarthy to the pod people in Invasion of the Body Snatchers Wynter's career on stage, film and television spanned 40 years.
SUSANNAH YORK Described by the London Telegraph as a "blue-eyed English rose with the china-white skin and cupid lips who epitomised the sensuality of the swinging Sixties," York was more than just a pretty face— as she proved with her Oscar-nominated performance in They Shoot Horses Don't They?. Still, we'll always remember her as the delightfully lovely Sophie in Tom Jones.