Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 70

JANUARY 4-10, FEATURE STORY 2004 SHOWBIZ A a splash in 'West Wing' Gone but not forgotten: TV talents n't it "a beautiful day in the neighborhood" while this PBS staple was around to impart his gentle wisdom? Thankfully, repeats will keep Mister Rogers a touchstone from whom many youngsters will likely learn without realizing he's gone. DAVID BRINKLEY: TV journalism saw one of its earliest, most significant changes when NBC partnered Brinkley with Chet Huntley permanently after their work on a political convention. He would continue with NBC following Huntley's retirement, then move over to ABC, where he founded Sunday morning's ongoing "This Week." DAVID BLOOM: Though it wasn't a direct result of combat, the untimely death of the NBC News correspondent who bravely rode atop his "Bloom-mobile" was one of the earliest tragedies to bring the war in Iraq home for many viewers. KATHARINE HEPBURN: After a long arid singular career in feature films, four-time Oscar winner Hepburn often graced television in later years, earning wide acclaim for the 1970s offerings "The Glass Menagerie," "Love Among the Ruins" and "The Corn Is Green." GREGORY PECK: Whenever this towering film star made a TV appearance, you knew it in projects such as the minis-eries "The Blue and the Gray" (as Abraham Lincoln), and in a remake of "Moby Dick," in which he had also starred on the big screen. HUME CRONYN: One of the most esteemed stars of the American theater also showed his skills on television, frequently in tandem with wife Jessica Tandy.

They were teamed in such classy, high-rated dramas as "Foxfire" and "To Dance With the White Dog." CHARLES BRONSON: The late-'50s ABC show "Man With a Camera" helped tough guy Bron-son make the leap from villain to hero. In the wake of "Death Wish," he maintained that image in TV-movie cop stories, but he also revealed his softer side in "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa PREVIEW 31 we lost last year Claus." HOPE LANGE: The actress who co-starred as Branson's wife in the original "Death Wish" movie could play saltier characters with equal skill, but she was best-known for her calming, steadying presence on the series "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" (which earned her two consecutive Emmy Awards) and "The New Dick Van Dyke Show." DONALD O'CONNOR: The song-and-dance man, closely associated with the classic musical "Singin' in the Rain," was among the first stars to cross over from movies to television as an alternating host of "Texaco Star Theater" in the mid-1950s. GREGORY HINES: The stage was his career's birthplace, but dance great Hines brought TV audiences his unique style and energy in his own late-'90s sitcom. He remained a welcome presence as a recurring regular on "Will Grace" and in cable films including his pet project, "Bojangles." NELL CARTER: With "Gimme a Break" as both the title of her comedy series and the mantra of the boisterous character she played, there was no ignoring or mistaking Carter's zest.

JOHNNY CASH: When country still was largely segregated from the rest of the music industry, the Man in Black drew new fans to the genre by starring in an ABC variety series. He also acted in Western TV movies and shows like "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." May all of these gifted people rest in peace and may we all appreciate their work for many years to come. loTTTTTLJ A ImI I I 1 1 lElL A I NlElBIE El fA A rf jr, Am I LlFlAlMlII' I Solution Shelley Fabares tuneral Homes Macon Blue Mound 429-4421 OIlWlElAlTlHlE 1H arCjda VE TJe fill ro jdinIa "ile P. E.

if SlA STIR -T 1 Ft- I S.K. A IClPlLl I IOTA 'CSI: Miami' star made By TAYLOR MICHAELS Zap2it Wasn't Emily Procter of "CSI: Miami" on "The West Wing-previously? Is she related to Elizabeth Mitchell of The Lyon's I notice what appear to be many similarities between them. Edna Sacramento, Calif. Yes, Detore landing her Miami role as Calleigh Duquesne, Procter who is not related to Mitchell made a big splash on The West Wing" as feisty Republican lawyer Ainsley Hayes, a recurring role she played from 2000 to 2002. That Southern accent is the real deal, by the way.

Procter hails from Raleigh, N.C. At the end of a recent episode of "Still Standing," there was a tribute "in loving memory of Jacintha Van Dal." Who was she? K. Myers via e-mail. A CBS publicist for the show says that Van Dal was the longtime executive assistant of "Standing" co-executive producer Regina Stewart. Van Dal died last summer.

I recognized Pat Carroll in the lovely movie The Song Catcher." What TV shows did she play in? Mary Fridge, Hurst, Texas. Now 76, veteran character actress Pat Carroll has an illustrious list of credits dating back to the live TV golden age of the 1950s, but she is perhaps best known to many of us graying baby boomers as Bunny Halper, the cheerful wife of nightclub owner Charley Halper (Sid Melton) she played on The Danny Thomas Show" (CBS, 1961-64). She also was a series regular on The Charley Weaver Show," "Getting Together," "Busting Loose," Too Close for Comfort" and "She's the Sheriff." Of course, small fry know her booming contralto voice from her work as evil Ursula the Sea Witch in Disney's animated musical The Little Mermaid" and its various spinoffs. In the holiday special "A Garfield Christmas," that was Carroll doing the voice of Jon's melancholy Grandma as well. She also has a long list of sitcom guest appearances, and was a popular panelist on vintage game shows as well.

Is there a new Stevie on "Malcolm in the Middle" or have the original actor's looks and voice changed a lot since last season? Gary Calhoun, Ann Arbor, Mich. Chalk it up to puberty. At 14, Craig Lamar Traylor who continues to play Stevie, as he always has is undergoing an unusually striking transformation into young adulthood. Why did BBC America drop My friends and I were addicted to it! Sandra O. via e-mail.

That was a very painful decision for us, because obviously we loved the show a lot, too," a BBC America publicist tells me. "Unfortu- By JAY BOBBIN Zap2it Thanks for the memories. Maybe that sounds trite now, having lost the man who coined that trademark phrase, but fond recollections of him and a number of other entertainers from television and, in many cases, other mediums as well remain following their deaths in 2003. Here are a few who lit up screens in countless homes during their time BOB HOPE: Simply put, a legend has left us. Shortly after reaching the age of 100, the self-effacing joker whose birthday celebrations and USO tours became national TV events, died, prompting numerous tributes.

For one entertainer to mean so much to so many is something most can only aspire to. JOHN HITTER: Arguably no celebrity death in 2003 was more shocking than the passing of the beloved Emmy-winning veteran of "Three's Company," who had taken ill while working on the ABC series "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." Still boyish in his mid-50s, Ritter combined a puppy-dog quality (which he also used well as the voice of "Clifford" on PBS) and -a knack for physical humor into an engaging persona that's virtually irreplaceable ART CARNEY: Jackie Gleason may have been the ideal Ralph Kramden, but could "The Honey-. mooners" have given him a better comedy partner, than the actor who became legendary as Ed Norton? Carney had many opportunities to show his dramatic skills, too notably in his Oscar-winning performance in "Harry Tonto" but making many generations laugh is his larger legacy. BUDDY EBSEN: Viewers will be listening to a story 'bout a man named Jed for ages, thanks to what the would-be Tin Man of "The Wizard of Oz" brought to the classic sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies." Ebsen's quiet and calm authority gave him another long TV run as private eye "Barnaby Jones." RICHARD CRENNA: Another solid presence through several eras, actor-director Crenna ventured into feature Urns. Unffl Dark," "First but television remained his real home, from "Our Miss Brooks" through "The Real McCoys" to "Judging Amy." ROBERT STACK: As funny as he was in the movie spoof "Airplane!" TV images of Stack with a tommy gun Untouchables" and in a trenchcoat are the ones destined to stick.

FRED ROGERS: When was Emily Procter nately, we rely on commercial advertiser support, and 'Eastenders' was a wonderful show that just never found much of an audience over here, no matter how much we promoted it or how many times we tried different places on the schedule." Is Thad Luckinbill, who plays T.J. on "The Young and the Restless," the grandson of Lucille Ball by any chance? Rachel Berry, Peekskill, N.Y. No, Thad an Oklahoma native is no discernible relation to actor Laurence Luckinbill and his wife, Lucie Arnaz, who is, of course, Ball's daughter. Luckinbill and Arnaz have three children together (Simon, Joseph and Katharine), and Luckinbill has two other sons (Nicholas and Benjamin) from his first marriage to soap actress Robin Strasser. What was the name of the sitcom starring Ted Knight as a San Francisco cartoonist? Louise Gordnick, Oakland, N.J.

Knight played professional illustrator Henry Rush in Too Close for Comfort," an ABC sitcom that ran on the network from Nov. 11 1980, to Sept. 15, 1983. Broadway musical star Nancy Dussault played his wife, Muriel, with Deborah Van Valkenburgh and Lydia Cornell as daughters Jackie and Sarah and JM J. Bullock (as the comedian spelled his name in those days) as flaky friend Monroe.

After ABC canceled the show, "Comfort" moved into first-run syndication, eventually changing its title in early 1986 to The Ted Knight Show." The series had been renewed for the 1986-87 TV season, but those plans were scuttled when Knight, who had been battling cancer behind the scenes, died during the summer of 1986. Send questions of general interest to TV Pipeline, Zap2it, 333 Glen Glens Falls, NY 12801, or e-mail to tvpipelinetribune.com. Only questions selected for this column will be answered. Personal replies cannot be sent. Comments or questions about Herald Review "Preview" should be directed to Managing Editor Dave Dawson or by calling 421-7980 DAWSON WnCOFF, DAWSON WKOFF ATTT7IlAITrrVErE i Decatur ML Zion FTTMF.R AT.

HOMFS 1 ater-wikoff It's not your standard funeral home. ifs in funeral homes..