Joseph Cates, 74, TV/Stage Producer
Joseph Cates, who won two Emmys for television specials he produced, died Sat., Oct. 10 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. The cause of death was complications from leukemia. He was 74.
Cates wrote, directed, and produced over 1,000 TV productions during his career. His accomplishments included creation of "The $64,000 Question," and casting Art Carney as Jackie Gleason's sidekick on "The Honeymooners." He also designed the original set for the comedy series.
He produced Broadway shows, including the well-reviewed "Spoon River Anthology," "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg," and "Elmer Gantry."
As an independent producer, he created television specials devoted to comedy and popular music. His Emmys came for a 1970 Anne Bancroft special and for a 1972 tribute to George Gershwin.
Cates produced the annual Tony Awards telecast from 1990-1992.
Cates is survived by his brother, director Gil Cates; a sister; three daughters including actress Phoebe Cates;one son, and two grandchildren.
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Joseph Baum, 78, Restaurateur
Joe Baum, owner of the successful cabaret venue, "The Rainbow Room," and creator of "The Four Seasons," died Mon., Oct. 6 after a long battle with cancer. He was 78.
His innovations are said to have changed the American dining experience. New York Times restaurant critic Mimi Sheraton, said of him, "He had a tremendous sense of theatre. He was the Cecil B. DeMille of restaurateurs‹everything was a big production." He was the first restaurant owner to open a theme restaurant, although his "Forum of the Twelve Caesars" and "La Fonda del Sol" are now closed.
In 1976, Baum opened "Windows on the World," the stylish restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center. His menus were the first to include the food style that has become known as new American cuisine. He is also credited with being the man who first had servers introduce themselves "Hi, my name is "so and so,' and I'll be your waiter for tonight."
His wife, Ruth, two sons, and a daughter survive him.
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Mary Frann, 55, "Newhart" Wife
Mary Frann, best known for playing Bob Newhart's wife, Joanna Loudon on the CBS sitcom "Newhart," died Wed., Sept 23 in her Beverly Hills apartment. She was 55. According to the Los Angeles Times, the apparent cause of death was heart failure.
Frann, born Mary Luecke in St. Louis, found fame on the "Newhart" series, which ran from 1982-1990. She and Newhart played New Yorkers who move to Vermont to run the Stratford Inn and must adjust to living among the colorful locals
In addition to "Newhart," Frann starred in several soap operas, including NBC's "Return to Peyton Place" and "Days of Our Lives." She also appeared in the short-lived ABC series "Kings Crossing" and NBC's Jackie Collins miniseries, "Lucky Chances." Frann is survived by two sisters and a brother.
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Gene Autry, 91, Singing Cowboy
Legendary singing cowboy Gene Autry died Fri., Oct. 2 at his home in Southern California. He was 91.
Autry rose to fame as a radio singer after being discovered by Will Rogers in the early 1920s. He headlined dozens of "B" movies with his comic sidekick, Smiley Burnette, and his faithful steed Champion. In 1941, he was nominated for an Oscar for his hit song, "Be Honest With Me," from the film "Ridin' on a Rainbow."
He moved into television in 1951, hosting his own variety series, "The Gene Autry Show." He retired from performing in 1956 after making 95 films and 635 records, which featured such hits as "Back in the Saddle Again" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
Autry parlayed his fame and fortune into a successful business career, owning the California Angels baseball team (originally the Los Angeles Angels) through four decades, as well as several television stations, radio stations, and hotels. In 1995, Forbes magazine estimated his wealth at $320 million.
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Roddy McDowall, 70, Popular Actor
Roddy McDowall, the English-born actor who as a child starred in "Lassie Come Home" and "How Green Was My Valley,"and as an adult in "Planet of the Apes," died Sat., Oct. at the age of 70. The cause of death was cancer.
In addition to acting, directing, and producing films, McDowall had a passion for photographing celebrities. His works have been exhibited around the world. He published four books of photos.
McDowall started his film career at age 8, appearing in 22 films before landing in Hollywood, where he starred with a young Elizabeth Taylor in 1943 in "Lassie Come Home."
He also won a Tony award for best supporting actor in a play for Jean Anouilh's "The Fighting Cock" in 1960.
McDowall had to fight to re-establish his career as an actor when he became an adult. He did so in 1968 with "Planet of the Apes." "My whole life, I've been trying to prove I'm not just yesterday...Nothing is as good or as bad as it's judged in the moment, and sometime's yesterday's kitsch is today's treasure," McDowell maintained.
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Stephen Pearlman, 63, Veteran Actor
Stephen Pearlman, a theatre, television, and film actor, died Sept. 30 at his Manhattan home at the age of 63. His wife, Stefanie Solow Glennon, said that the cause of death was cancer.
Pearlman appeared on Broadway in the original productions of "Barefoot in the Park," "Children of a Lesser God," and "Six Degrees of Separation."
He made his New York Stage debut in 1959 in "The Threepenny Opera," Off-Broadway in Greenwich Village's Theater de Lys. He went on to appear in other Off-Broadway shows such as "Time of the Key," "A Shayna Maidel," and Arthur Miller's "American Clock." His film credits included "The Horse Whisperer," and "Quiz Show." He was a guest star in episodes of the NBC series "Seinfeld" and "Law and Order."
He is survived by his wife, two stepdaughters, his mother, and two grandchildren.