General "RIP" announcements that might be of interest

[The Ringo Kid]

Originally posted by Robbie@Jul 13 2006, 04:21 PM
I'm sorry to hear of Red Buttons passing, I've only seen him in two movies and I liked him in both.

Incidetally Ringo, Red Buttons also co starred with John Wayne in Hatari.

[snapback]32973[/snapback]

Hi Robbie, yeah--he sure was great in Hatari as well. I had forgotten about him being in it along with Hardy Kruger - another favorite of mine.

[Kevin]

Man, I thought he passed away awhile back. Another sad day indeed!

RIP ... Buttons

[Colorado Bob]

I remember watching him in those old Dean Martin Roast TV specials. I always loved watching him. He was great, and will be truely missed.
Colorado Bob

[nathan_brittles]

Kevin,

Isn't that what everyone used to say to Duke's character - Jacob McCandles?


Red Buttons was also great in "Sayonara" , as Sgt. Joe Kelly. RIP sir...


-ncb

[JOHNWAYNEABE]

A sad day indeed RIP

This is what he died from:Buttons died of vascular disease on July 13, 2006 at his home in the Century City area of Los Angeles. His spokesman says Buttons had been ill for some time and was with family members when he died

[Robhightower474]

Goodbye Red

[SXViper]

My condolences to his family on his passing. He was a great character actor.

Anybody remember him in the TV show E.R. ?



Rest in Peace Red :(

[arthurarnell]

Hi

Just read his obituary on IMDB another pair gone Rip June Allison & Red Buttons.

Regards

Arthur

[dukefan1]

I echo all the other sentiments expressed here. He also did a great job in the old "Poseidon Adventure" and got Carol Lynley in the end :D

Rest in peace, Red

Mark

[Tbone]

The wheat is being separated from the chaff. Unfortunately all we seem to be left with today is chaff. :(

Red was one of my favorite actors. God bless you Red, rest in peace.

Tbone

[The Ringo Kid]

Originally posted by Tbone@Jul 14 2006, 08:13 AM
The wheat is being separated from the chaff. Unfortunately all we seem to be left with today is chaff.* :(

Red was one of my favorite actors. God bless you Red, rest in peace.

Tbone

[snapback]32992[/snapback]

I agree with all of you here and especially what Tbone just said.

[Emmanuel]

R.I.P Red and June.

Emmanuel

[Kevin]

Originally posted by nathan_brittles@Jul 13 2006, 05:28 PM
Kevin,

Isn't that what everyone used to say to Duke's character - Jacob McCandles?
Red Buttons was also great in "Sayonara" , as Sgt. Joe Kelly.* RIP sir...
-ncb

[snapback]32978[/snapback]

Your right. And Dukes reply.... "Not Hardly" Although I'm not 100% sure of this


Anyways, here the article about Buttons passing from USAToday-


Sad sayonara to Red Buttons



As unusual career trajectories go, Red Buttons went from Catskills stand-up comic to Oscar winner for a movie in which he played opposite Marlon Brando, then very much in his prime.
And this doesn't even address Buttons busting Jeep shock absorbers chasing giraffes and rhinos on location with John Wayne in Tanganyika for Hatari!

You want more? A CBS variety series in TV's early days swept the country, around the time he recorded a Billboard No. 15 novelty record that spun off a personal catchphrase the country briefly took to heart. With The Ho Ho Song on the flip side, the hit song was Strange Things Are Happening— which pretty well explains how you later end up on the first Poseidon at 53, paired on screen with onetime teen cover girl Carol Lynley.

After a long illness, Buttons died Thursday at 87 of vascular disease in the Century Hills section of Los Angeles. He had a remarkably sustained career, including countless TV appearances after major movie roles dried up. But he will always be identified with the Friars Club brand of "Ho Ho" because at heart, he was always a stand-up comic.

Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on New York's Lower East Side, and had the hair color to legitimize his nickname.

A former singing bellhop, he ended up in the Catskills, where he honed his skills.

A Marine Corps stint landed him, with other future stars, in Moss Hart's service-produced play Winged Victory. Buttons also appeared in the George Cukor movie version.

Nightclub and stage appearances followed, but it was 1952's The Red Buttons Show that made him an overnight success. It also made him a king-sized pain, an observation he didn't deny later.

Billy Crystal's abrasive character in 1992's Mr. Saturday Night was widely thought to have been patterned on Buttons, whose career then so quickly nosedived that 1957's Sayonara was regarded as a comeback vehicle.

The movie with Brando was one of the year's biggest hits. It rather intriguingly cast the former Borscht-belter as Airman Joe Kelly — who defies orders and tradition in occupied postwar Japan to marry a native. Miyoshi Umecki played his bride, and she and Buttons won supporting Oscars.

Buttons' career was renewed — though as with many who hit it surprisingly big and fast in movies, success sometimes led to follow-up piffle such as A Ticklish Affair and Five Weeks in a Balloon.

But there were some gems. Delightful Hatari! (1962) put him in Africa with Wayne as comic relief "Pockets." The same year, he had a memorable cameo in The Longest Day as the D-Day paratrooper whose parachute gets entangled. His most underrated performance was as one of Jane Fonda's dance-marathon partners in 1969's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? His achievement was overshadowed by his co-stars' accolades, but his portrayal of a participant too old for the stress was on the button.

Buttons gave Liz Taylor's Cleopatra its most apt early review ("a challenge to the kidneys") and had a one-man Broadway show in 1995. Projecting mock offense, his hysterical "Never Got a Dinner" sketch was for years a staple at roasts (he got his own at the Friars Club in 1982). He was married three times.

By less than two weeks, Buttons' death follows that of comic Jan Murray, who worked the same grand tradition. A dying breed, alas, is indeed really dying.

By Mike Clark, USA TODAY

[kilo 6]

Hello all
I hear the pain of the passing voiced in comments like the chaff is all thats left. I beg to differ not for the sake of discussion but from personal conviction. There are a great many good people on this rock. Stop and consider, look around your own own back 40s. Do you see the ones who will never step up on a stage and never see a high profile most times by choice. The neighbor you walk past who always has a smile or wave of greeting. The retail clerk who has bagged ten thousand groceries and still finds the patience to interact reasonably. These positive individuals are also stars for they shine without fame or fortune. I liked Red Buttons and I like my mailman and I like waking up in the morning and I like this message board. Go have a wonderful day. Or else!

[Stumpy]

I thought Red's performance in "Sayonara" was outstanding, so much so that I left the theater bawling. :

I was stationed in San Diego when "Sayonara" was first released. My best buddy and I went to see the movie, about six sheets to the wind. We were sitting in the balcony boo-hooing when the theater manager came and asked us to leave. So we left, went to the nearest water-hole and drowned our tears. :