Charlie Hill obit

Groundbreaking Oneida comedian Charlie Hill dies at 62

 He was not on the list.

Comedian Charlie Hill, who grew up in Oneida and became a groundbreaking influence for Native American comedians and other Native Americans in the entertainment industry, died Monday. He was 62.

Hill attended the University of Wisconsin before moving to California to pursue show business. He made his debut on "The Richard Pryor Show" in October 1977 (seen in the video above) and went on to become the first Native American comedian to be on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson."

He was a regular at the famed Comedy Store in Los Angeles and forged friendships that led to appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and "Late Show with David Letterman" throughout his career. He also wrote for the TV sitcom "Roseanne."

Hill had been battling lymphoma, according to Indian Country Today. News of his death sparked condolences and tributes on Twitter:

» From Roseanne Barr: "Charlie Hill revolutionary stand up comic /wordsmith vagenius has vac8d ths realm."

» From comedian Louie Anderson: "RIP Charlie Hill "Hi, How are ya! Hi, How are ya" Hi, How are ya! love you Charlie, I'm better for knowing you!"

» From Canadian electronic group A Tribe Called Red: "A hero has passed. Charlie Hill will forever be an inspiration to us. He was hilarious."

Hill received the Screen Actors Guild's Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Award in 2009 for work and activism that fosters diversity within the entertainment and news media industries. That award also has been given to Cheryl Burke, Debbie Allen, Kal Penn and Edward James Olmos.

In 2010, the organization Native America on the Web honored Hill for his "lifetime of promoting positive images of Native Peoples and bridging cultural differences through the healing power of humor."

Hill's stand-up material was a part of the documentary "Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian," which was adapted for PBS. He was also an executive producer and host of the Showtime special "Goin' Native: The Indian Comedy Slam." In 2001, Wisconsin Public Television premiered his biography, "On & Off the Res' with Charlie Hill."

He performed throughout Northeastern Wisconsin during his career, including the annual Family Carnival in Oneida and at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Hill talked with Press-Gazette Media in February 2011 about being back home and spending Christmas in Oneida for the first time in 37 years and how little things like the smell of cow manure is "like nostalgia."

"What I found walking around in the snow or just being outside - I think your whole body's a sense memory," he said. "It will remind me of things I used to do, or certain smells. I love that part. It evokes a lot of memories and thoughts and maybe not even about being in the snow, just about certain times in my life. ... It's kind of full circle for me. I remember being here as a kid having my dreams, and it's time to just go back there again and plug into that.

Funeral arrangements for Hill are pending with Ryan Funeral Home & Crematory in De Pere.

 

Selected film and television credits

2010: A Good Day to Die (Hill is interviewed about Dennis Banks)

2009: Reel Injun (documentary; comedy routine by Hill)

2009: Goin' Native: The Indian Comedy Slam – No Reservations Needed (television film

2004–2006: Late Show with David Letterman

2005: CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival (television series)

2004: City Confidential (television documentary)

1999: On and Off the Res with Charlie Hill (documentary)

1996: White Shamans and Plastic Medicine Men (documentary short)

1996: Moesha (television series)

1995: Roseanne

1993: North of 60 (television series)

1992: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

1986: Impure Thoughts

1985: MacGruder and Loud (television series)

1985: Late Night with David Letterman

1984: Earthlings (television film)

1984: Harold of Orange (short film)

1980: The Big Show (television series)

1978: The Bionic Woman (television series)

1977: The Richard Pryor Show

Connie Dierking obit

Former UC, NBA player Connie Dierking dies in Ohio

 

He was not on the list.

Former University of Cincinnati basketball star and longtime NBA player Conrad W. "Connie" Dierking has died at 77.

His death was announced Monday by WKRC-TV, where daughter Cammy Dierking is a news anchor. It was confirmed by the University of Cincinnati. No other details were released immediately.

The Brooklyn-born Dierking starred for the Bearcats in the late 1950s. The 6-foot-10 center was a UC teammate of Oscar Robertson, and they were reunited with the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association in the late 1960s.

Dierking had been a 1958 first round pick of the Syracuse Nationals, and also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and San Francisco Warriors over more than a decade in the NBA.

He is survived by wife Robyn and their five children. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Dierking left the NBA to play in the American Basketball League for the Philadelphia Tapers and the Cleveland Pipers before returning to the NBA for the 1963–64 season with the Philadelphia 76ers, for whom he averaged 6.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

During the 1964–65 season, on January 15, 1965, he was part of an historic trade. He was one of three players (along with Paul Neumann and Lee Shaffer) traded by the 76ers to the San Francisco Warriors for basketball hall-of-famer Wilt Chamberlain. For the season, he averaged 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

On October 20, 1965 he was traded by the Warriors along with Art Heyman to the Cincinnati Royals for Bud Olsen and cash. With the Royals, Dierking was reunited with his college teammate, Oscar Robertson.

Dierking had his most productive seasons during his five full seasons with the Royals as their starting center. His best season were the three from 1967–68 through 1969–70. In 1967–68, he played in 81 games and averaged 16.4 points and 9.5 rebounds, with career-high numbers of a .765 free throw shooting percentage and a field goal percentage of .467. In 1968–69, he played in all 82 games and averaged 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds, and in 1969–70, he averaged a career-high 16.7 points along with 8.2 rebounds.[8]

During the 1970–71 season, he played one game for the Royals and was traded along with Fred Foster to the 76ers for Darrall Imhoff and a future draft pick. He played 53 games for the 76ers in what would be his final season.

In his NBA career, Dierking averaged 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Andy Granatelli obit

Andy Granatelli Dies at 90; Revved Businesses and Cars

 

He was not on the list.

He was most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events.

Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brothers Vince and Joe, he first worked as an auto mechanic and "speed-shop" entrepreneur, modifying engines such as the flathead Ford into racing-quality equipment. During World War II, he became a promoter of automobile racing events, such as the "Hurricane Racing Association", which combined racing opportunities for up-and-coming drivers with crowd-pleasing theatrics. Hurricane events, according to Granatelli in his autobiography They Call Me Mister 500, included drivers who were experts at executing—and surviving—roll-over and end-over-end crashes, and also an ambulance that not only got caught up into the race but also ejected a stretcher (with a dummy on it) into the way of the racers.

In 1946, the three brothers entered the first of several Indianapolis 500 races, as the Grancor racing team. They did their own mechanical work, and brought innovations like fully independent suspension, yet never made it to "Victory Lane". In 1948, Andy decided to try to qualify as a driver, and nearly did so, but a horrendous crash during his qualifying run ended that part of his career.

Granatelli eventually became visible in the racing world in the 1960s as the spokesman for STP oil and gasoline treatment products, appearing on its television and radio advertisements as well as sponsoring race cars. He clad his pit crews in white coveralls with the oval STP logo scattered all over them, and once wore a suit jacket with the same STP-laden design. He made a cameo appearance in the 1968 Disney movie The Love Bug.

STP-Paxton Turbocar from the 1967 Indianapolis 500.

Granatelli's cars became a significant presence at the Indianapolis 500. While he first gained notoriety by re-introducing the Novi engine, his best known entries were his turbine-powered cars in 1967 and 1968. In both years, he saw probable race-winners fail near the end; Joe Leonard's breakdown in the Lotus 56 with 10 laps remaining in 1968 had been topped the previous year when Parnelli Jones, leading comfortably with just three laps to go, suffered the failure of a six dollar transmission bearing in the STP-Paxton Turbocar and retired, handing a sure victory to A. J. Foyt.

He was awarded as an Indianapolis 500 winner in 1969. After his innovative Lotus four-wheel drive car was destroyed in practice upon establishing itself as one of the most dominants cars to date, his driver Mario Andretti, nursing the burns from the Lotus crash, won at the wheel of a year-old backup car. Before Andretti could be traditionally kissed in "Victory Lane" by the Queen of the "500 Festival", Granatelli got there first, and his joyful kiss on Andretti's cheek is one of the 500's most memorable images. However rumor is that the kiss began the infamous Indianapolis 500 curse that is named for Mario Andretti's family.

In 1973, Granatelli retired his USAC team, and STP became a sponsor of Patrick Racing. Gordon Johncock won the 1973 and 1982 Indianapolis 500 for the brand.

It was believed that Granatelli attended every Indianapolis 500, whether as a participant or as a spectator, from 1946–2012. He did not attend the race in 2013, and died later that year.

Benjamin Curtis obit

BENJAMIN CURTIS OF SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS PASSES AWAY AT 35

 

He was not on the list.

Oklahoma native Benjamin Curtis, one-half of the Brooklyn-based band School of Seven Bells, passed away from the effects of T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma last night at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was 35.

Benjamin announced his diagnosis in February 2013, immediately receiving support from his friends in the music community. Members of Polyphonic Spree, Silversun Pickups, Blonde Redhead, Active Child, M83, Afghan Whigs and Cocteau Twins sent messages of support to Benjamin through Filter Magazine. In August 2013, members of Interpol and The Strokes, along with Danny Masterson, Alexa Chung, Fabrizio Moretti & Devendra Banhart performed at a benefit concert for Benjamin in New York.

As a member of School of Seven Bells, Benjamin sang and played guitar. The group released three albums and an EP since their formation in 2007.

Benjamin, who lived in Lawton, Frederick and Norman, was the guitarist and backing vocalist for the rock band The Secret Machines from 2000 to 2007, leaving the band to launch School of Seven Bells. Also in Secret Machines was Benjamin’s brother Brandon and cousin, fellow Oklahoma native and drummer Josh Garza. David Bowie claimed to be a fan on Secret Machines.

“To see David Bowie’s face smiling down on you while you’re playing is definitely…beyond surreal, really. But it’s one of those things that happens, where you’re on tour, people start saying that Bowie’s into you, and after a while you realize that people are paying attention to this, like ‘Oh, Secret Machines are that band that David Bowie likes.’ And next thing you know, he’s hanging out, shooting the breeze at a gig. And I guess that’s how these things happen — kind of gradually.” - Benjamin Curtis

Before the Secret Machines, Benjamin was the drummer for the Dallas-based band Tripping Daisy, from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he was the drummer for UFOFU from 1993 to 1997, also with his brother Brandon Curtis.

Red Balaban obit

Leonard Balaban Has Died

 

He was not on the list.

BALABAN, LEONARD J. “RED” Leonard J. (“Red”) Balaban, former owner of the New York jazz club Eddie Condon’s and musician who played a key role in revitalizing America’s interest in Dixieland jazz, died at age 84 on December 29th at Milford Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Chicago on December 22, 1929, Balaban was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. He attended Ethical Culture School in New York City and Milford Academy in Connecticut, and later graduated from Brown University, where he met Maxine “Micki” Israel, his wife of 62 years, who survives him.

As a teenager, enamored of Dixieland music and its great instrumentalists, Balaban tried to hang out at Eddie Condon’s club in Greenwich Village, but was bounced for being under age. When Condon himself met Balaban near the stage door, he invited him in, and by the time Balaban moved south after college, he had made friends with many of the musicians he had long admired. Living in Florida, Balaban raised black angus cattle and also began to play music, starting on his son’s toy ukelele. By 1967, the farm was sold and the family moved to West Haven, so Balaban could play full-time.

During this period, he became determined to revive the early 20th century music still being played by his older, illustrious friends. After Condon died, his wife Phyllis allowed Balaban to name his new club after Eddie, for what would be a 10-year run. Even after the club closed in 1985, Balaban continued to spread his favorite musical style throughout the Northeast as leader of Balaban and Cats, and playing with other groups. Besides the club, Balaban was proudest of the CDs he later produced with names such as “Home Cooking” and “Son of Home Cooking” on which he recorded himself singing and playing all of the instruments.

In recent years, Balaban also began writing a blog called “Fare and Fowl.” A lifetime Democrat and political satirist, he wrote for a steadily widening circle of family, friends, and others who sometimes shared and sometimes debated his commentary. In addition to his wife, Micki, and his sister, Judith, Balaban he is survived by his son Michael, of New York; son Steven and wife Kyle, of San Diego, and their children Max and Bret; and by daughter Rachel and her husband, John Burnham, of Middletown, R.I., and their children, Isabel, Olivia and Sophia.

He also leaves behind his beloved ginger Maine Coon cat, Rosie. A service for family and close friends will be held at 2:30 pm, January 5th, at Shure Funeral Home in New Haven. It will be followed by a larger, musical, memorial celebration of his life later this winter. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Neighborhood Music School, 100 Audubon Street, New Haven, CT 06510.

Balaban resided as an adult in the Florida panhandle, where he worked as a farmer and played in regional ensembles from the 1950s. He held a regular gig from 1966 at the Dixieland jazz club Your Father's Mustache in New York City. He is the son of Barney Balaban, former president of Paramount Pictures. His sister is actress and author Judy Balaban and his brother is film producer and director Burt Balaban. He is of Jewish descent.

He worked extensively as a sideman, for musicians such as Wild Bill Davison, Eddie Condon, Gene Krupa, Dick Wellstood, and Kenny Davern. He opened the third incarnation of Eddie Condon's Jazz club on W. 54th Street after arranging permission for using Eddie's name from Condon's widow. He co-led the house band with Ed Polcer from 1975, with whom he later shared ownership of the club. Other noted musicians in this outfit included Vic Dickenson, Warren Vache, and Connie Kay. The club closed in the mid-1980s.

Joseph Ruskin obit

Actor Joseph Ruskin Dies at 89

He was not on the list.

The star also served as a SAG board member from 1976 to 1999.

Joseph Ruskin, a character actor and long-serving SAG board member, died Dec. 28 from natural causes at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica. He was 89.

As an actor, he appeared in 25 films and 124 television shows. His notable film appearances included The Magnificent Seven and Prizzi's Honor. His television credits include appearances on The Twilight Zone, Star Trek and Alias.

Ruskin served on the board of the Screen Actors Guild from 1976 to 1999, with eight of those years as the First National Vice President. In 1979, he became the first Western Regional Vice President of Actors Equity Association (AEA). Ruskin also was honored for his service to SAG with the organization's Ralph Morgan Award in 2011, and by AEA with the Lucy Jordan Award in 2003 and the Patrick Quinn Award in 2013.

The actor studied drama at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie-Mellon University) and began his acting career at the Pittsburg Playhouse and the Rochester Arena Stage. He returned to theater with performances at the Mark Taper Forum, UCLA’s Freud Playhouse and Theater 40. His final appearance was at the Antaeus Theater Company this year.

He was born in Haverhill, Mass., graduated from high school in Cleveland, Ohio, and served in the Navy during World War II.

Ruskin is survived by his wife, Barbara Greene Ruskin; daughter, Alicia Ruskin, and son-in-law, Larry Bucklan; step-daughters Rachel Greene, Martha Greene and Liza Page.

 

Partial filmography

 

    Mission Impossible "The Puppet"

    The Untouchables (1959, Episode: "Mexican Stake-out") – Fred Metcalf (uncredited)

    Hell Bent for Leather (1960) – Shad

    The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) – Matt Moran

    The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Flynn (uncredited)

    The Untouchables (1961, Episode: "The Seventh Vote")

    Diary of a Madman (1963) – The Horla (voice)

    The Dakotas (TV series) (1963, Episode: "Feud at Snake River") - The Rider

    Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) – Twitch

    Get Smart (1965, Episode: "Now You See Him ... Now You Don't") – Ehrlich

    The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1966, Episode: "The Her Master's Voice Affair") – Jason Sutro

    The Wild Wild West (1965–1967, TV Series) – Felice Munez / Viper Black

    Star Trek: The Original Series (1968, Episode: "The Gamesters of Triskelion") – Galt

    Mission Impossible (1969, Episode: "The Brothers") – Colonel Hatafis

    Hogan's Heroes (1970, Episode: The Gestapo Takeover) – Major Strauss

    Bogard (1974) – Scarletti

    The Six Million Dollar Man (1974–1975, TV Series) – Markos / Le Duc

    The Magician (1974, Episode: "The Illusion Of The Cat's Eye") – Hassid

    The Bionic Woman (1977, episode: "Jaime and the King") – Prime Minister Hassan

    The Gypsy Warriors (1978) – Grenault

    The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) – Malcolm

    The Man Who Wasn't There (1983) – Hassan Khaffiri

    Prizzi's Honor (1985) – Marxie Heller

    The Longshot (1986) – Fusco

    Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988) – Kharis

    Indecent Proposal (1993) – Pit Boss

    Deadly Exposure (1993) – Abe

    The Criminal Mind (1993) – Manny Kohen

    Firepower (1993) – Drexal

    CyberTracker (1994) – Rounds

    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (episodes: "The House of Quark" (1994), "Improbable Cause" (1995) and "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places", TV Series) – Tumek / Informant

    Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – Son'a Officer #3

    Star Trek: Voyager (1999, Episode: "Gravity") – Vulcan Master

    Star Trek: Enterprise (2001, Episode: "Broken Bow") – Suliban Doctor

    Wishcraft (2002) – Taxidermist

    The Scorpion King (2002) – Tribal Leader

    The Streetsweeper (2002)

    Diamond Zero (2005) – Quentin Leeds

    Smokin' Aces (2006) – Primo Sparazz