Posted on 07/13/2006 12:37:48 PM PDT by Borges
Red Buttons, the carrot-topped burlesque comedian who became a top star in early television then went dramatic to win the 1957 Oscar as supporting actor in "Sayonara," died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 87.
Buttons died of vascular disease at his home in the Century City area of Los Angeles, publicist Warren Cowan said. He had been ill for some time, and was with family members when he died, Cowan said.
Well the Best Picture Oscar is still pretty respectable and even back then there were gaffes (The Greatest Show on Earth, Around the World in 80 Days). The acting awards have always been iffy. Even Cher won an Oscar almost 20 years ago.
I never cared for One Eyed Jacks either.
Sixty-three posts and no one's mentioned Five Weeks in a Balloon? He even got the girl in that one (Barbara Eden).
Good one
God, steer his soul unto your Eternity.
When I was a kid in the '60s my parents got me a record album called Songs of Cats and Dogs or something like that. One of the songs was "Daniel, the Cocker Spaniel" sung by Red Buttons.
I didn't know that. When I was a kid in the 1950's, my mom would always turn off the TV when Jan was on because he "worked blue". That made me want to watch him all the more, of course !
Then he died happy. :)
The first Asian actor to win an Academy Award, for Supporting Actress in "Sayonara" .
R.I.P. Red. "Strange things are happening."
Seventy-three posts and no one's mentioned Red was a Democrat?
See? I told ya Jack Smith didn't count. :)
Buttons was pretty good in a little-remembered WWII film "Up From The Beach".
He was a Pfc. helping a Sgt. (Cliff Robertson) trying to take care of
a gaggle of French civilians and some POWs (German soldiers) just after
D-Day.
An interesting "small" war-time film...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059853/
Well, OK - you win. Kinda. I didn't like Jan Murray, so I couldn't post anything nice on his thread, but I felt he *counted.*
So, if I only *got to* post about Jack Smith and June Allyson, I guess Red Buttons does count as #3. However, I had just seen Jack Smith on a Mayberry rerun a couple of days before he died. I had not seen June Allyson in a very long time, but loved many of her movies.
Umm, I also watch old Roseanne reruns in the middle of the night - and you guessed it - Red Buttons was the nursing home sweetheart of Roseanne's mother. He sprained her back doing twisted things with her - and she dressed up kinky in a cat suit with a whip for him before she became a lesbian, lol.
I can't remember if that mother is still alive - I think she is - but Shelley Winters was the grandmother and she just died recently. Oh, Estelle Parsons, that was Bev, Buttons' girl friend. I remembered her from Bonnie and Clyde, but it took me a while to recognize her.
Do you have anybody in a death pool? I could make sure to watch their reruns in the wee hours to help you out,lol!
I have "Hatari" on DVD. I'm going to watch it tonight.
R.I.P., Red, you were one of my favorites.
Where did you get your "Hatari" DVD? My little grand daughter LUVS elephants.
Funny guy. RIP Red. The image of his horror of seeing his buddies massacred by the Germans with those bells ringing right next him was the most identifiable scene in "The Longest Day."
I've been in a dead pool from time to time but seemingly only to ensure that people on my list didn't die. I'm STILL waiting for Howard Metzenbaum...
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