Friday, October 22, 2010

Barbara Billingsley, Tom Bosley, R.I.P.

This past week, we saw the passing of two classic TV stars.

Last Saturday, actress Barbara Billingsley passed away at the age of 94. Billingsley was best known for playing June Cleaver in Leave It To Beaver, which premiered on CBS on October 4, 1957 and moved to ABC in 1958, where it ran for five more seasons. Billingsley also reprised the role for in the revival effort Still The Beaver, which ran on the Disney Channel in 1985. With a move to TBS in 1986, it became The New Leave It To Beaver, where it ran until 1989. Her other TV credits include The Loretta Young Show, Make Room For Daddy, Mork & Mindy, Silver Spoons, and Monsters.

On Wednesday, Chicago-born actor Tom Bosley passed away due to heart failure at the age of 83. Bosley of course, is best known for playing Howard Cunningham on ABC's Happy Days from 1974-84, and along with Henry Winkler, appeared in all 255 episodes.

Bosley also appeared in ABC's Father Dowling Mysteries from 1989-91 and voiced Harry Boyle in the Hanna-Barbera-animated Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home, which ran in first-run syndication from 1972-74 (and aired locally over WMAQ-TV during the 1972-73 season.)

Other TV credits include Naked City, The Mod Squad, Dr. Kildare, The Bill Cosby Show, Maude, The Love Boat, Out of This World, and countless other programs. Most recently, he appeared in a series of infomercials for Specialty Merchandise Products.

This weekend, Me-TV is paying tribute to both stars with a Beaver marathon Saturday and a Happy Days marathon Sunday. For more information, click here.

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