Junto Boys

2003 OBITS

Looking over the celebrity deaths of the year I had forgotten that Hume Cronyn died, thought Art Carney was already dead and never even heard the news of Buddy Hackett's passing. Reading further I see that Hackett died when I was without the benefit of American newspapers.

Gordon Jump from WKRP in Cincinnati died too. He was 71. He replaced the aging Jesse White as the Maytag repairman in the late 1980s. White, was in the movie HARVEY with James Stewart, didn't die until 1997. White had a great voice and can be heard on Stan Freberg's United States of America. I always thought the switch to Gordon Jump was the youth movement, but they should have thought even younger. The next Maytag repairman should be Drew Carey.

Buddy Ebsen was a sad loss. Davey Crockett was my favorite Disney film growing up. And I also watch the Beverly Hillbillies quite a bit back then.

Hepburn, Peck and Hope all went. I can't remember three stars of that magnitude going in the same year before. Three people that hadn't worked in years that were still fondly remembered. Also, Johnny Cash, Elia Kazan and John Ritter rounded out a pretty talented bunch.