More Mourning in Hollywood

It continues to be a rough week in Hollywood as more key entertainers have passed away. Late yesterday afternoon I discovered Joseph Pevney and Alexander Courage passed away earlier this month. Then this morning I came into work and discovered Harvey Korman passed away yesterday! Three more Hollywood greats gone.

Star Trek fans are mourning the loss of two men who were key players behind the scenes of the original TV show. Joseph Pevney, who directed 14 episodes of the original 1960’s series died on May 18th. Pevney, who was 96 years old, directed two of the most famous Star Trek episodes. The City on the Edge of Forever, co-starring Joan Collins. In that episode Captain Kirk and Spock travel back in time to the era of the Great Depression. The City on the Edge of Forever also won the 1968 Hugo award, which is sci-fi’s highest honor, for best dramatic TV presentation.

Pevney also directed what is probably one of the favorite episodes for any Star Trek fan, The Trouble with Tribbles where the Enterprise was introduced to the fuzzball creatures known as tribbles. But, the cute and cuddly fuzzballs caused major chaos when the crew discovered they multiply very quickly! This episode brought with it some of the more memorable lines from the series too. When Bones points out how fast the tribbles are multiplying, Kirk tells him, “Maybe it’s time to open up a maternity ward.”

The second man connected with Star Trek to pass away this month was Alexander “Sandy” Courage. He died on May 15th at the age of 88. Courage was the composer of the original Star Trek theme. In addition to Star Trek, he also composed incidental music for some Star Trek episodes, as well as music for other TV shows including Lost in Space and The Waltons. The Emmy-winner worked on several movies such as Jurassic Park, The Poseidon Adventure and The Mummy. His music credits don’t end there though. Courage orchestrated two classic musicals as well, My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof.

Last, but certainly not least, TV comedy legend Harvey Korman, a four-time Emmy Award winner best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show passed away yesterday, May 29, in Los Angeles at the age of 81. Korman passed away at the UCLA Medical Center from complications after suffering an aneurysm earlier this year.

Korman started his rise to fame in the mid-1960’s on The Danny Kaye Show. But, when he joined The Carol Burnett Show team in 1967, he truly become a comedy star. His memorable moments are many but I have to admit my favorite Harvey Korman character was in the recurring Ed and Eunice skit where he played a husband who constantly bickers with his wife played by Vicky Lawrence. But, even though I loved that character, the highlights of his appearances on the Carol Burnett Show were the sketches where he appeared with Tim Conway where both comics tried to crack one another up on camera. Now that was live TV at it’s best.

Harvey Korman also starred in his own short lived series and guest starred on a number of other shows. His appearances included shows such as The Love Boat, The Muppet Show, The Wild Wild West, Perry Mason and F Troop. He also had a few movie roles, with his most notable as Hedley Lamarr in the 1974 Mel Brooks flick Blazing Saddles. But, no matter what, I’m sure Harvey Korman will be best remembered for his funny antics during his 10 year run on The Carol Burnett Show.

Here’s an idea for TVLand for the next week or so. Instead of showing the usual reality show nightmares, along with Gunsmoke, maybe you could pull out some Carol Burnett and Star Trek shows.

May they all rest in peace.

Enjoy the show!
Dr. Rus