Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries

by Paul Donnelley

  CAUSE: In April 1960 he had an operation in Boston for cancer and later had part of his bowel removed. On December 27, 1960, Rocky Cooper was told her husband had inoperable lung cancer. Twelve days later, on January 8, 1961, the Friars Club of Hollywood gave a testimonial dinner for Cooper. On February 27 he was told the truth about his illness by his wife. HH Pope John XXIII sent a message of goodwill to the dying actor. On April 17, 1961, Cooper was too ill to personally receive his special Oscar “for his many memorable screen performances and for the international recognition he, as an individual, has gained for the film industry.” It was accepted on his behalf by a tearful Jimmy Stewart. Cooper watched the telecast from his home 200 North Baroda Drive in the Holmby Hills. He died there 27 days later at 12.47pm. He was buried in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum, 5835 West Slauson Avenue, Culver City, California 90230. In May 1974 his remains were moved to the Sacred Cross Cemetery in Southampton, Long Island.

  FURTHER READING: The Gary Cooper Story – George Carpozi (London: Star Books, 1975); The Last Hero: A Biography Of Gary Cooper – Larry Swindell (London: Robson Books, 1987); Cooper’s Women – Jane Ellen Wayne (London: Robert Hale, 1989).

  Harry H. Corbett, OBE

  Born February 28, 1925

  Died March 21, 1982

  Comedy totter. Born in Rangoon, Burma, the son of an Army officer, Harry Corbett was raised in Manchester by an aunt after his mother died in 1928. After Second World War service in the Royal Marines he began his acting career in repertory in Chorlton and then spent ten years with the Theatre Workshop company. He went on to appear in numerous stage productions but it is as Harold Steptoe that he will be remembered. Scriptwriting geniuses Ray Galton and Alan Simpson created the tale of the two totters during time they had allocated to Tony Hancock but he decided to dispense with their services. Thus Steptoe And Son was born. Originally part of Comedy Playhouse, it soon had a life of its own and ran from June 14, 1962 until December 26, 1974. There were also a couple of film versions, Steptoe And Son (1972) and Steptoe And Son Ride Again (1974). Corbett’s other films included The Passing Stranger (1954), Nowhere To Go (1958), In The Wake Of A Stranger (1959), Shake Hands With The Devil (1959), Shakedown (1960), Cover Girl Killer (1960), The Big Day (1960), The Unstoppable Man (1960), Marriage Of Convenience (1960), Time To Remember (1962), Sparrows Can’t Sing (1963), Ladies Who Do (1963), What A Crazy World (1963), Rattle Of A Simple Man (1964), Joey Boy (1965), Carry On Screaming (1966) as Detective Inspector Bung (a snatch of the Steptoe theme tune is played in one scene in homage to his television character), The Sandwich Man (1966), The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971), Percy’s Progress (1974), Hardcore (1976) and Adventures Of A Private Eye (1977). He also starred in the television sitcoms Mr Aitch (January 6–April 21, 1967) as Harry Aitch, The Best Things In Life (August 12, 1969–July 13, 1970) as Alfred Wilcox and Grundy (July 14–August 18, 1980) but it was for the ever-aspiring, ever-failing ’Arold that he is justly famous. He was married twice. Firstly to the actress Sheila Steafel and then in September 1969 to RADA-trained actress Maureen Blott (b. 1944 as Maureen Crombie, d. November 1999 of cancer) with whom he had two children Jonathan (b. 1966) and Susannah (b. March 1968), now a successful actress herself. Maureen, 5́, was already married to a Catholic who would not give her a divorce when she met Corbett. She changed her name by deed poll to Corbett when she moved in with him. They had their children before they were able to marry. The “H ” in his name stood for “Hanything” – it was just a device to differentiate himself from the puppeteer who created Sooty.

  CAUSE: Corbett suffered a heart attack in 1979 while filming Grundy. He cut down on his smoking, changing from 60 unfiltered fags a day to 20 filtered. Three years later, he died from a second attack aged 57.

  Ellen Corby

  (ELLEN HANSEN)

  Born June 3, 1911

  Died April 14, 1999

  Grandma Walton. Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Ellen Corby spent a dozen years working behind the scenes before deciding her future lay in acting. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Aunt Trina in I Remember Mama (1948) and her other movies included Little Women (1949), Madame Bovary (1949), Shane (1953), Vertigo (1958), Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1965), The Night Of The Grizzly (1966) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971). To viewers of the small screen she was best known as Esther Walton in the long-running CBS series The Waltons, a role that won her three Emmys (1973, 1975 and 1976). She also played Mother Lurch in The Addams Family. She married cameraman Francis Corby.

  CAUSE: She suffered a stroke in 1976 that necessitated her leaving Walton mountain for 18 months to recuperate. She died of natural causes aged 87.

  Jeff Corey

  Born August 10, 1914

  Died August 16, 2002

  Blacklistee. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Corey had political leanings in high school. Unfortunately for him, they happened to be leanings towards the Left. Corey attended several meetings of the Communist Party but never joined. In the Thirties he worked as a salesman selling sewing machines before landing a small part as a spear carrier in a Broadway production of Hamlet starring Leslie Howard. Howard was so impressed that Corey was given the role of Rosencrantz on tour. In 1939 he made his film début in One Third Of A Nation as an extra at the scene of a fire. He then went on to appear in Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) as Johann, Bitter Sweet (1940), You’ll Find Out (1940) as Mr Corey, Small Town Deb (1941) as Hector, The Devil And Daniel Webster (1941) as Tom Sharp, Petticoat Politics (1941) as Henry Trotter, a reporter in The Lady From Cheyenne (1941), the cook in Mutiny In The Arctic (1941), The Reluctant Dragon (1941), North To The Klondike (1942) as Lafe Jordon, an orderly in Roxie Hart (1942), the medical examiner in Who Is Hope Schuyler? (1942), The Man Who Wouldn’t Die (1942) as Coroner Larson, The Postman Didn’t Ring (1942) as Harwood Green, Girl Trouble (1942) as Mr Mooney, My Friend Flicka (1943) as Tim Murphy, the crypt keeper in Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943) and The Moon Is Down (1943) as Albert before joining USS Yorktown in 1943 as a combat photographer. In October 1945 his photography of a kamikaze attack was recorded in dispatches. Demobbed, he returned to Hollywood and minor and non-speaking parts. He appeared in It Shouldn’t Happen To A Dog (1946) as Sam Black, California (1946) as Clem, a bank clerk in Somewhere In The Night (1946), The Killers (1946) as Blinky Franklin, a reporter in Miracle On 34th Street (1947), Ramrod (1947) as Bice, Brute Force (1947) as Freshman, Hoppy’s Holiday (1947) as Jed, Canon City (1948) as Carl Schwartzmiller, Alias A Gentleman (1948) as Zu, an immigration officer in I, Jane Doe (1948), Joan Of Arc (1948) as her prison guard, Kidnapped (1948) as Shuan, The Wreck Of The Hesperus (1948) as Joshua Hill, Wake Of The Red Witch (1948) as Mr Loring, a doctor in Home Of The Brave (1949), City Across The River (1949) as Lieutenant Macon, Hideout (1949) as Beecham, Roughshod (1949) as Jed Graham, Follow Me Quietly (1949) as Police Sergeant Art Collins, Bagdad (1949) as Mohammed Jao, The Outriders (1950) as Keeley, The Next Voice You Hear… (1950) as Freddie Dibson, The Nevadan (1950) as Bart, Singing Guns (1950) as Richards, Rock Island Trail (1950) as Abe Lincoln, Bright Leaf (1950) as John Barton, Red Mountain (1951) as Sergeant Skee, The Prince Who Was A Thief (1951) as Emir Mokar, New Mexico (1951) as Coyote, Never Trust A Gambler (1951) as Lou Brecker, Fourteen Hours (1951) as Sergeant Farley, Rawhide (1951) as Luke Davis, Only The Valiant (1951) as Joe Harmony and Superman And The Mole Men (1951) as Luke Benson. Corey may have become a star and then again he may not. His world came crashing down in September 1951 when he was interrogated before the House Un-American Activities Committee and pleading the 5th Amendment refused to name names. With a wife, Hope, and three daughters, Jane, Eve and Emily, to support Corey began working as a labourer earning $14-a-day. Using the same government grant to help ex-servicemen that Rod Steiger used, Corey took a degree in speech therapy at the University of California at Los Angeles. He then converted his garage into an acting studio and began to teach. He quickly became the most in-demand teacher in Hol
lywood and his students numbered Robert Blake, Richard Chamberlain, James Coburn, James Dean, Jane Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Leonard Nimoy, Anthony Perkins, Barbra Streisand and Robin Williams. It would be 12 years, however, before Corey stepped in front of the cameras again. He appeared in The Yellow Canary (1963) as Joe, Lady In A Cage (1964) as George L. Brady, Jr, Once A Thief (1965) as Lieutenant Kebner, Mickey One (1965) as Fryer, The Cincinnati Kid (1965) as Hoban, Seconds (1966) as Mr Ruby, In Cold Blood (1967) as Mr Hickock, The Boston Strangler (1968) as John Asgeirsson, True Grit (1969) as Tom Chaney/Tom Chambers/Therin Chilnsford, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) as Sheriff Steve Bledsoe, Impasse (1970) as Wombat, Cover Me Babe (1970) as Paul, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970) as Caspay, Getting Straight (1970) as Dr Willhunt, They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) as Captain Hank Marden, Little Big Man (1970) as Wild Bill Hickok, Catlow (1971) as Merridew, Paper Tiger as Mr King, The Premonition as Detective Lieutenant Mark Denver, a doctor in The Last Tycoon (1976), Moonshine County Express (1977) as Hagen, Oh, God! (1977) as Rabbi Silverstone, Jennifer (1978) as Luke Baylor, The Wild Geese (1978) as Mr Martin, Up River (1979) as Bagshaw, Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) as Zed, The Sword And The Sorcerer (1982) as Craccus, Rooster: Spurs Of Death! (1983) as Kink, Conan The Destroyer (1984) as Grand Vizier, Creator (1985) as Dean Harrington, Messenger Of Death (1988) as Willis Beecham, Bird On A Wire (1990) as Lou Baird, Ruby Cairo (1993) as Joe Dick, Surviving The Game (1994) as Hank, Color Of Night (1994) as Ashland and a professor in Ted (1998). He also became a regular on the small screen appearing both in front and behind the cameras. He directed episodes of Night Gallery, Alias Smith & Jones, The Bob Newhart Show, and Anna And The King among others.

  CAUSE: He died in Santa Monica, California, of complications from a fall. He was 88.

  Dolores Costello

  Born September 17, 1905

  Died March 1, 1979

  Blonde beauty. The 5́ 4˝ daughter of actor Maurice Costello (b. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1877, d. Hollywood, California, October 28, 1950, from a heart ailment) and sister of five-times married 5́ 2˝ actress Helene Costello (b. New York, June 21, 1903, d. Los Angeles, California, January 26, 1957, from pneumonia, tuberculosis and drugs), she was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She appeared regularly as a child with her sister in their father’s films. Her first major adult role was in The Little Irish Girl (1926), a film written by Darryl F. Zanuck, with whom she began a brief affair. It ended when her father told Zanuck’s wife and she threatened to leave him. On November 24, 1928, in Beverly Hills, Costello became the third wife of John Barrymore, by whom she had two children, Dolores Ethel Blyth Barrymore (b. August 8, 1930) and actor and father of Drew, John Blyth Barrymore (b. Beverly Hills, California, June 4, 1932). They were divorced on October 9, 1935. On November 29, 1939, she married Dr John Vruwink in Prescott, Arizona. They divorced on July 12, 1951, at which time she claimed: “He seldom talked to me, and when he did, he only criticised.” She also had an affair with Conrad Nagel. Her films included: Glorious Betsy (1928), Noah’s Ark (1929), Expensive Women (1931), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), King Of The Turf (1939), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) as Isabel Amberson Minafer and many more. She retired in 1943.

  CAUSE: She died in Fallbrook, California, aged 73 from emphysema.

  Joseph Cotten

  Born May 15, 1905

  Died February 6, 1994

  Mr Nearly. Sturdy leading man who never quite achieved stardom. Born in Petersburg, Virginia, Joseph Cheshire Cotten’s voice was perfect for radio and he appeared in many of Orson Welles’ wireless plays before making his screen début in Too Much Johnson (1938) as Augustus Billings and appearing in Lydia (1941) as Michael Fitzpatrick before making his mentor’s Citizen Kane (1941) and following that with the Welles films The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) as Eugene Morgan, Journey Into Fear (1942) as Howard Graham, Othello (1952), Touch Of Evil (1958) and F For Fake (1974). In the Fifties he worked in many foreign films, horror stories and TV movies. When he was about eight years old a black family servant named Thelma took him into a tent in his backyard and sexually molested the young Cotten. It didn’t seem to bother him too much. Frequently thereafter, Cotten has said, he’d ask Thelma when they were going to go to the tent again. Cotten played cuckolded husband George Loomis in Niagara (1953), the film that made Marilyn Monroe a star. His other films included Gaslight (1944) as Brian Cameron, The Third Man (1949) as Holly Martins, The Oscar (1966) as Kenneth Regan, Tora! Tora! Tora! as Secretary Of War Henry L. Stimson, The Abominable Dr Phibes as Dr Vesalius, Airport ’77 (1977) as Nicholas St Downs III and Heaven’s Gate (1980) as Reverend Doctor. He was married twice. His first wife was magazine editor Lenore La Mont, whom he married in October 1931. She died of cancer aged 55 in Rome on January 7, 1960. Nine months later, on October 20, 1960, he married Patricia Medina, ex-wife of Richard Greene.