June 22: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on June 22 (all just births and deaths today). Discuss or comment as you please……

1932: Actress Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers) is born (as Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth) in Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England.

1941: Journalist Ed Bradley (60 Minutes) is born in Philadelphia.

1947: Actor David Lander (Laverne and Shirley) is born in Brooklyn, New York. His post-acting career has included working as a baseball scout for the Anaheim Angels and the Seattle Mariners, and also being the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (Lander was diagnosed with the disease in 1984, and went public about it in 1999.)

1949: Actress Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman) is born (as Lindsay Jean Ball) in Los Angeles.

1954: Actor and comedian Freddie Prinze (Chico and the Man) is born (as Frederick Karl Pruetzel) in New York City.

1964: Actress Amy Brenneman (NYPD Blue, Judging Amy) is born in New London, Connecticut.

1973: TV personality Carson Daly (Last Call with Carson Daly) is born in Santa Monica, California.

1982: Former Today Show host Dave Garroway is found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

2006: Canine “actor” Moose (“Eddie Crane” on Frasier) dies in West Los Angeles, aged 15. It is claimed that during the height of the show's popularity, Moose received more fan mail than any of his human co-stars.

(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits…..don’t expect it every single day. It’s an entirely random selection based on a quick Net search, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, don’t post nasty messages about “you forgot THIS” or “how could you not mention THAT?” Do so, and I’ll just take my keyboard and go home…..)

 

[RicoGregg]

Interesting coincidence that two people who died of suicides (Dave Garroway, Freddie Prinze) are listed on this day.

These people were successful household names, seemingly had more money than most, and you would think that they would be living happy and comfortable personal lives.

It makes me wonder, what in the world did they have to be depressed about to take their own lives? ???

 

[azumanga]

It makes me wonder, what in the world did they have to be depressed about to take their own lives? ???

Apparently, issues other than money. Prinze had an obsession with guns and drugs -- in fact, Prinze's death was INITIALLY ruled a suicide, but was later reworded by his mother as "accidental shooting due to the influence of Quaaludes", which Prinze was addicted to in the last years of his life.

As for Garroway, his addiction to codeine and his depression (mixed with the 1961 suicide of his first wife), led to his dismissal from the Today show. After that, he took interest in astronomy and mental health, though it was his own mental health that led to his 1982 death.

 

[RicoGregg]

Prinze had an obsession with guns and drugs -- in fact, Prinze's death was INITIALLY ruled a suicide, but was later reworded by his mother as "accidental shooting due to the influence of Quaaludes", which Prinze was addicted to in the last years of his life.

Seems to me that the 'ludes, and not the gun, was the weapon of suicide.

I just never could understand how people so blessed materially (money, fame, etc.) could get so miserable and wind up throwing it all away.

 

[Stanislav]

Prinze had an obsession with guns and drugs -- in fact, Prinze's death was INITIALLY ruled a suicide, but was later reworded by his mother as "accidental shooting due to the influence of Quaaludes", which Prinze was addicted to in the last years of his life.

Seems to me that the 'ludes, and not the gun, was the weapon of suicide.

I just never could understand how people so blessed materially (money, fame, etc.) could get so miserable and wind up throwing it all away.

Hate to use an old cliche, but money can't buy happiness. If you're emotionally and/or mentally f**ked up when poor, you're going to be just as bad off with millions as you were when you made 8 bucks an hour. If you're miserable to begin with, more money just enables you to continue to be miserable, but at a higher standard of living. And in some respects it can ever exacerbate the misery -- many of these people find that having lots of money and big toys doesn't cure depression or anything else, and that very growing realization can actually dig an even deeper hole for you.

 

[RicoGregg]

Hate to use an old cliche, but money can't buy happiness. If you're emotionally and/or mentally f**ked up when poor, you're going to be just as bad off with millions as you were when you made 8 bucks an hour. If you're miserable to begin with, more money just enables you to continue to be miserable, but at a higher standard of living. And in some respects it can ever exacerbate the misery -- many of these people find that having lots of money and big toys doesn't cure depression or anything else, and that very growing realization can actually dig an even deeper hole for you.

Good points, Stanislav. Well taken on my part.

When the occasion calls for it, I like to make reference to one of my favorite quotes from the comic strip "Dilbert", as said by the character Dogbert:

"Money doesn't buy happiness, but it can buy lots of things that make other people envious, and that's just as good."

Work$ for me.

 

[firepoint525]

You listed Dave Garroway's death both here, and for June 21st. Which day was it? ???

 

[Stanislav]

You listed Dave Garroway's death both here, and for June 21st. Which day was it? ???

It was the 21st -- having it squirm in to the list for the 22nd was an "editing error." I hope everyone is keeping track of my typos and goofs, cos I have lost track..... :

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

2002: Four days after the death of longtime St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, Cardinal pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in his Chicago hotel room prior to a game at Wrigley Field against the rival Chicago Cubs, which was scheduled to be broadcast regionally as part of the Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week. Ironically, Kile's last MLB game was the same night Jack Buck passed away, June 18, 2002, a 7-2 interleague win over the eventual World Series champs Anaheim Angels in St. Louis.

 

[radioman148]

Prinze had an obsession with guns and drugs -- in fact, Prinze's death was INITIALLY ruled a suicide, but was later reworded by his mother as "accidental shooting due to the influence of Quaaludes", which Prinze was addicted to in the last years of his life.

Seems to me that the 'ludes, and not the gun, was the weapon of suicide.

I just never could understand how people so blessed materially (money, fame, etc.) could get so miserable and wind up throwing it all away.

Hate to use an old cliche, but money can't buy happiness. If you're emotionally and/or mentally f**ked up when poor, you're going to be just as bad off with millions as you were when you made 8 bucks an hour. If you're miserable to begin with, more money just enables you to continue to be miserable, but at a higher standard of living. And in some respects it can ever exacerbate the misery -- many of these people find that having lots of money and big toys doesn't cure depression or anything else, and that very growing realization can actually dig an even deeper hole for you.

So very well said.

 

[mleach]

Prinze had an obsession with guns and drugs -- in fact, Prinze's death was INITIALLY ruled a suicide, but was later reworded by his mother as "accidental shooting due to the influence of Quaaludes", which Prinze was addicted to in the last years of his life.

Seems to me that the 'ludes, and not the gun, was the weapon of suicide.

I just never could understand how people so blessed materially (money, fame, etc.) could get so miserable and wind up throwing it all away.

Hate to use an old cliche, but money can't buy happiness. If you're emotionally and/or mentally f**ked up when poor, you're going to be just as bad off with millions as you were when you made 8 bucks an hour. If you're miserable to begin with, more money just enables you to continue to be miserable, but at a higher standard of living. And in some respects it can ever exacerbate the misery -- many of these people find that having lots of money and big toys doesn't cure depression or anything else, and that very growing realization can actually dig an even deeper hole for you.

Very true but also there are times when money can by the unhappiness/drama/problems. Look at all those lottery winners over the years. Many of them think its "sooooo cool" to face the reporters when they "come forward" only to not being able to "take it" later on. No shortage of troubles and tears when it comes to such people yet it still doesn't stop people from heading to the store once a week to buy that ticket.

I wonder how much exactly true this is but about 20 years ago shortly after the shotgun suicide of one of Bing Crosby's sons, I believe it was Larry King ( or his guest that night ) who said that among those who have the highest rates of suicides...the children of the famous. I still remember some of those stories such as Mary Tyler Moore and her son's suicide and in the case with Crosby's son..he had shot himself to death while he was watching his dad's movie "Holiday Inn" on TV. Of course some of those "suicides" are still debated to this day such as Diane Linkletter's ( Art's daughter ). Suicide? She did jump to her death and seemed to be upset minutes before.. Drugs? She was very much into that and was reported to be high at the time of the jump. Murder? The last man to have seen her alive was also the same man who was the last who had seen Carol Wayne alive before her "mysterous" death 16 years later.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1949: Actress Meryl Streep is born in Summit, NJ.

 

[LKellerIII]

mleach - Two of Bing Crosby's sons committed suicide.

While Bing was alive, there was a lot of debate about his "parenting" techniques - he talked about them quite openly and proudly in TV interviews. But many people thought they amounted to borderline child abuse, at best. He clearly thought that showing any love and affection to his children was a bad thing. All indications are that his second (and last) wife Kathryn was a loving mother, and made up for some of Bing's shortcomings. But his children had problems, especially his earlier sons by his first wife. By the time Kathryn came along, they were adults.

I believe Gary, another of Bing's sons by his first wife, wrote a scathing Mommie Dearest type book about his father.

Whether this treatment had anything to do with his other son's suicide, one can only speculate.