Med Flory dies at 87; alto saxophonist and actor founded Grammy-winning jazz group Supersax
He was not on the list.
Med Flory, an alto saxophonist and founder of the Grammy-winning jazz group Supersax in addition to being an actor who appeared on numerous TV series, has died. He was 87.
His son, Rex, who cared for his father during several years of heart maladies, reported that Flory died Wednesday at his home in North Hollywood.
Flory had not been professionally active over the last few years, a shift from the busy demands of a career stretching over six decades. One of Hollywood’s most unusual hyphenates, he was successful in two creatively demanding arenas.
He was born Meredith Irwin Flory on Aug. 27, 1926, in Logansport, Ind., to Florence and Wilmer Flory. He began clarinet lessons when he was 9 and joined his high school concert band when he was 12. It was his mother who provided the model that led him into music as a possible career.
“My mom was a real musician,” Flory said in an interview for the Web blog JazzWax. “She could sight-read three manual organ parts with pedals and everything. She had played for the silent movies when she was in high school. She never studied music but could memorize everything. She also could improvise. She was twice the musician I’d ever be.”
After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II, Flory graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in philosophy and went to New York, where he worked with his own small groups as well as the big bands of Woody Herman and Claude Thornhill. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, becoming involved with the arrival of cool jazz on the West Coast. Meeting and performing with players such as Art Pepper, Buddy Clark and Joe Maini, he planted the seeds for the eventual creation of Supersax.
In 1972, Flory and bassist Clark formed the nine-piece band that paid tribute to the music of bebop saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker. It played classic Parker solos in arrangements by Flory. Supersax performed in several different formats — sometimes as a self-contained ensemble, other times as an element in Flory’s big band, Jazz Wave. The group won a Grammy in 1974 for its album “Supersax Plays Bird.”
In a Los Angeles Times review of a 1992 performance by Supersax, Zan Stewart wrote: “You wanted hair-raising thrills, heart-stopping chills? Forget Magic Mountain’s Ninja, Colossus and Psyclone roller coasters. Just listen to Supersax’s version of Parker’s famed ‘alto break’ that precedes his solo in Dizzy Gillespie’s ‘A Night in Tunisia.’”
Flory’s career as a character actor began to blossom in the 1960s, when he appeared in series such as “Wagon Train,” “The Rifleman,” “Maverick” and “Route 66.” He amassed nearly 100 credits, mostly in television, although he also appeared in a few films, including the Jerry Lewis comedy “The Nutty Professor.”
Describing Flory’s own feelings about his cross-genre career, Associated Press writer Jay Sharbutt wrote that “Med, who speaks in an easy Indiana drawl, doesn’t mind this split-ticket existence: ‘It makes a nice balance in life,’ he says. ‘The acting lets me spend a lot of time on music and keep the band working.’”
Before he began to have heart problems, Flory spent several years caring for his wife, Joan Barbara Fry, after she contracted Alzheimer’s disease. Said Flory’s son, Rex: “As great an alto saxophonist as my dad was, he was an even greater father and husband.”
In addition to his son, Flory is survived by his daughter, Ava, and two granddaughters. Fry died in 2000.
Filmography
Actor
The New Adam-12 (1989)
The New Adam-12
Charlie Korowski
TV Series
1990
Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer in Hunter (1984)
Hunter
Sgt. Dale Loomis
TV Series
1989
Robert Conrad in High Mountain Rangers (1987)
High Mountain Rangers
Sheriff Mike McBride
TV Series
1987–1988
Werewolf (1987)
Werewolf
Sheriff
TV Series
1987
Thom Bray, Perry King, and Joe Penny in Riptide (1984)
Riptide
Larry
TV Series
1985
Jon-Erik Hexum and Jennifer O'Neill in Cover Up (1984)
Cover Up
Charlie
TV Series
1984
Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker in Simon & Simon (1981)
Simon & Simon
Gavin Shelley
TV Series
1984
Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)
Magnum, P.I.
Gunman
TV Series
1982
Edward Asner in Lou Grant (1977)
Lou Grant
Doug TraynorRon Brickell
TV Series
1980–1982
The Boogens (1981)
The Boogens
Dan Ostroff
1981
The Killing of Randy Webster (1981)
The Killing of Randy Webster
Cort
TV Movie
1981
Melissa Sue Anderson, Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Richard Bull, Sidney Greenbush, Jonathan Gilbert, Rachel Lindsay Greenbush, and Katherine MacGregor in Little House on the Prairie (1974)
Little House on the Prairie
Pete Rawlins
TV Series
1980
The Hearse (1980)
The Hearse
Sheriff Denton
1980
Michael J. Fox, Bill Duke, and Beeson Carroll in Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980)
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
TV Series
1980
Young Maverick (1979)
Young Maverick
TV Series
1979
Catherine Bach, Ben Jones, Denver Pyle, John Schneider, and Tom Wopat in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)
The Dukes of Hazzard
Shoulders
TV Series
1979
Victoria Principal, Barbara Bel Geddes, Patrick Duffy, Larry Hagman, Charlene Tilton, Jim Davis, Linda Gray, and Steve Kanaly in Dallas (1978)
Dallas
Cal McBride
TV Series
1979
Polly Holliday, Beth Howland, and Linda Lavin in Alice (1976)
Alice
Brad
TV Series
1979
Salvage 1 (1979)
Salvage 1
Buster Wakefield
TV Series
1979
Vincent Price in Time Express (1979)
Time Express
George
TV Series
1979
Bruce Boxleitner and James Arness in How the West Was Won (1976)
How the West Was Won
Sheriff MilletSheriff Rose
TV Series
1977–1979
Uncle Joe Shannon (1978)
Uncle Joe Shannon
HumphreysShannon's Musicians - Keyboard
1978
The Return of Captain Nemo (1978)
The Return of Captain Nemo
Tor
TV Movie
1978
Wild and Wooly (1978)
Wild and Wooly
Burgie
TV Movie
1978
Victor French and Kene Holiday in Carter Country (1977)
Carter Country
Lester
TV Series
1977
It Happened One Christmas (1977)
It Happened One Christmas
Nick
TV Movie
1977
Deadly Game (1977)
Deadly Game
Sergeant Redman
TV Movie
1977
Joey Green in Little Vic (1977)
Little Vic
George Gordon (1977)George Gordon
TV Mini Series
1977
Raul Julia, Norman Burton, Susan Flannery, Harvey Jason, Steven Keats, Joanne Nail, Tricia O'Neil, Nicholas Pryor, Lázaro Pérez, Michael Sarrazin, Walter R. Smith, Wally Taylor, and Linda Vaughn in The Gumball Rally (1976)
The Gumball Rally
Officer Williams
1976
Hustle (1975)
Hustle
Albino-Beating Cop
1975
Eddie Albert, Robert Wagner, and Sharon Gless in Switch (1975)
Switch
Curtis Malinchak
TV Series
1975
ABC Afterschool Specials (1972)
ABC Afterschool Specials
John McPhail
TV Series
1975
Alex Rocco in Three for the Road (1975)
Three for the Road
Mechanic
TV Series
1975
Let's Do It Again (1975)
Let's Do It Again
Rufus
1975
Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul in Starsky and Hutch (1975)
Starsky and Hutch
Zack Tyler
TV Series
1975
Susan Howard, Barry Newman, and Albert Salmi in Petrocelli (1974)
Petrocelli
Robert Miller
TV Series
1975
Things in Their Season (1974)
Things in Their Season
John Tillman
TV Movie
1974
Angie Dickinson in Police Woman (1974)
Police Woman
Tour Driver
TV Series
1974
Gunsmoke (1955)
Gunsmoke
Corp. SteckeySheriff Van Werkle
TV Series
1970–1974
The Teacher (1974)
The Teacher
Joe Roberts
1974
Monte Markham in The New Perry Mason (1973)
The New Perry Mason
Private Investigator
TV Series
1973
Home for the Holidays (1972)
Home for the Holidays
Sheriff Nolan
TV Movie
1972
Circle of Fear (1972)
Circle of Fear
Ed Talbot
TV Series
1972
Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris in Mission: Impossible (1966)
Mission: Impossible
Toledo
TV Series
1972
Nichols (1971)
Nichols
Cyrus
TV Series
1971
Bruce Lee and James Franciscus in Longstreet (1971)
Longstreet
Charlie
TV Series
1971
Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, and Pernell Roberts in Bonanza (1959)
Bonanza
Clint RushMonk HartleyOtis Klink
TV Series
1961–1971
Alias Smith and Jones (1971)
Alias Smith and Jones
Marshal
TV Series
1971
Jon Provost, Tommy Rettig, Lassie the Dog, and Lassie in Lassie (1954)
Lassie
FatherLongshoremanDan - Gate Guard ...
TV Series
1964–1971
Raymond Burr in Ironside (1967)
Ironside
Deputy WebsterThief being booked
TV Series
1969–1970
Lassie: Well of Love (1970)
Lassie: Well of Love
Little Girl's Father
TV Movie
1970
The Bill Cosby Show (1969)
The Bill Cosby Show
Doctor #1
TV Series
1970
Jerry Lewis in Which Way to the Front? (1970)
Which Way to the Front?
G.I. Sentry (uncredited)
1970
Ernest Borgnine, Tony Curtis, Brian Keith, Ivan Dixon, Tom Ewell, and Suzanne Pleshette in Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970)
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came
Military Policeman (uncredited)
1970
Fess Parker in Daniel Boone (1964)
Daniel Boone
BingenDobbsJoker ...
TV Series
1965–1970
Mike Connors in Mannix (1967)
Mannix
Lenz
TV Series
1970
Hunters Are for Killing (1970)
Hunters Are for Killing
Driver Who Accosts L.G. (uncredited)
TV Movie
1970
Elvis Presley in The Trouble with Girls (1969)
The Trouble with Girls
Constable
1969
Don Murray and Otis Young in The Outcasts (1968)
The Outcasts
Bud HawkinsFirst Bully
TV Series
1969
James Drury, Doug McClure, and John McIntire in The Virginian (1962)
The Virginian
1st DrifterFinneyRed Ingram ...
TV Series
1964–1969
Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton in Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)
Gomer Pyle: USMC
MonroeMonroe Efford
TV Series
1967–1968
Off to See the Wizard (1967)
Off to See the Wizard
Jim Malone
TV Series
1968
Stuart Whitman in Cimarron Strip (1967)
Cimarron Strip
Newton
TV Series
1967
Rough Night in Jericho (1967)
Rough Night in Jericho
Weaver (uncredited)
1967
The Big Mouth (1967)
The Big Mouth
Male Nurse (uncredited)
1967
Don Knotts in The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)
The Reluctant Astronaut
White Shirt in Bar (uncredited)
1967
Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967)
Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!
Policeman
1967
Barbara Hershey, Michael Anderson Jr., Tammy Locke, Keith Schultz, and Kevin Schultz in The Monroes (1966)
The Monroes
Beau Tandy
TV Series
1967
Ken Berry, Melody Patterson, Larry Storch, and Forrest Tucker in F Troop (1965)
F Troop
Loco Brother #2
TV Series
1966
The F.B.I. (1965)
The F.B.I.
Forest RangerRanger
TV Series
1966
Run Buddy Run (1966)
Run Buddy Run
Ben Pearson
TV Series
1966
Martha Hyer and Clint Walker in The Night of the Grizzly (1966)
The Night of the Grizzly
Duke Squires
1966
12 O'Clock High (1964)
12 O'Clock High
Captain Blodget
TV Series
1966
Mona McCluskey (1965)
Mona McCluskey
Elbert
TV Series
1965
Jeri Lynn Frazer in Mike and the Mermaid (1964)
Mike and the Mermaid
Dad
1964
Wendy and Me (1964)
Wendy and Me
Tom Rogers
TV Series
1964
Destry (1964)
Destry
Bert Hartley
TV Series
1964
Clint Eastwood, Paul Brinegar, and Sheb Wooley in Rawhide (1959)
Rawhide
Billy BartonPvt. Hawkins
TV Series
1963–1964
Rock Hudson, Charlene Holt, and Paula Prentiss in Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Man's Favorite Sport?
Tucker (uncredited)
1964
Edd Byrnes, Roger Smith, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in 77 Sunset Strip (1958)
77 Sunset Strip
Boone AcademyChief BrockPaul Keddy
TV Series
1962–1963
Doris Day, Polly Bergen, and James Garner in Move Over, Darling (1963)
Move Over, Darling
Seaman (uncredited)
1963
Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens in The Nutty Professor (1963)
The Nutty Professor
Warzewski
1963
Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara, Mimsy Farmer, and James MacArthur in Spencer's Mountain (1963)
Spencer's Mountain
Spencer Brother (uncredited)
1963
Jack Elam, Chad Everett, Michael Greene, and Larry Ward in The Dakotas (1962)
The Dakotas
Captain Driscoll
TV Series
1963
William Windom in The Gallant Men (1962)
The Gallant Men
Pvt. Ayres
TV Series
1963
George Maharis and Martin Milner in Route 66 (1960)
Route 66
Officer #2Terry
TV Series
1962–1963
Ted Bessell, Randy Boone, Michael Burns, Glenn Corbett, Harry Harvey, and Peter Tewksbury in It's a Man's World (1962)
It's a Man's World
Mahoney
TV Series
1962
Ty Hardin in Bronco (1958)
Bronco
Vance Pelham
TV Series
1962
Peter Brown and John Russell in Lawman (1958)
Lawman
CatcherJed PennymanLex Buckman
TV Series
1960–1962
Maverick (1957)
Maverick
Deputy Ben NeversWyatt Earp
TV Series
1960–1962
Ripcord (1961)
Ripcord
AndyBilly Gibson
TV Series
1961
Fred Astaire in Alcoa Premiere (1961)
Alcoa Premiere
Miller
TV Series
1961
Diane McBain and Van Williams in Surfside 6 (1960)
Surfside 6
Boffo
TV Series
1961
Gun Street (1961)
Gun Street
Willie Driscoll
1961
Perry Mason (1957)
Perry Mason
Capt. McVeySgt. McVey
TV Series
1961
The only authorized DVD edition of all episodes in Season One.
The Rifleman
Thess Croxton
TV Series
1961
John McIntire in Wagon Train (1957)
Wagon Train
Sheriff Gile
TV Series
1961
Jean Simmons, Paul Douglas, and Anthony Franciosa in This Could Be the Night (1957)
This Could Be the Night
Band Member (uncredited)
1957
The Ray Anthony Show
TV Series
1956–1957
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