Posted on 02/04/2006 11:43:23 AM PST by lunarbicep
NEW YORK -- Al Lewis, the cigar-chomping patriarch of "The Munsters" whose work as a basketball scout, restaurateur and political candidate never eclipsed his role as Grandpa from the television sitcom, died after years of failing health. He was 95.
Lewis, with his wife at his bedside, passed away Friday night, said Bernard White, program director at WBAI-FM, where the actor hosted a weekly radio program. White made the announcement on the air during the Saturday slot where Lewis usually appeared.
"To say that we will miss his generous, cantankerous, engaging spirit is a profound understatement," White said.
Lewis, sporting a somewhat cheesy Dracula outfit, became a pop culture icon playing the irascible father-in-law to Fred Gwynne's ever-bumbling Herman Munster on the 1964-66 television show. He was also one of the stars of another classic TV comedy, playing Officer Leo Schnauzer on "Car 54, Where Are You?"
But Lewis' life off the small screen ranged far beyond his acting antics. A former ballplayer at Thomas Jefferson High School, he achieved notoriety as a basketball talent scout familiar to coaching greats like Jerry Tarkanian and Red Auerbach.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Brooklyn's broken out in fights
There's a traffic jam in Harlem that's backed up to Jackson Heights
There's a scout troop short a child
Khrushchev's due at Idlewild
Car 54,where are you?
RIP Al Lewis "GrandPa"
"earning a Ph.D. in child psychology from Columbia University. "
Ah! University of Karl Marx.........splains alot!
Man, those were the days.
May he rest in peace. He gave a lot of laughs to a lot of people.
"Car 54,where are you?"
Thanks.
RIP Grandpa. I never had a "real" grandpa, since my parents were immigrants to this country, and left their families behind, so this guy in a way, was a granpa to me as I am sure he was to many others.
RIP Grandpa
It's my belief that Elvis hit that. (and by "that", I mean Pat Priest, not Al Lewis. I think Elvis and Lewis probably just made out once or twice, that's all.)
Owl_Eagle
"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"-Hillary Clinton
(Yes, she really said that
Peggy Noonan
The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)
A couple of years ago I was at LAX waiting to board a flight, he was there with his daughter. Great guy, talked to everyone, chatted up with the ticket agents and such. He really enjoyed being remembered and was just great to everyone around him.
Uncle Fester was Jackie Coogan. He had been a child actor and starred in "The Kid" with Charlie Chaplin, after which he was able to command one of the higher salaries in Hollywood. I have heard that in later years he joked about how far he had declined from being considered one of the cutest kids in the world to playing Uncle Fester.
Addams Family was far,far better except for the Munsters episode(s) with the dragcar made from a coffin. Munsters car was WAY better, but Morticia was hotter than Lilly. nerd/off/
Butch, Marilyn & Grandpa circa 2001
Not even posted yet at deadoraliveinfo.com.
His wife... Sylvia... was a real looney too. Sunday nights if I remember correctly?
One of our most favorite movies of all time.
They were on different networks at the same time, right?
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