Two familiar faces that many of us we grew up with left us recently. Phyllis Diller and William Windom died this week, both so young at 95 and 88, respectively.
Ms. Diller I have some of my earliest memories of. That trademark laugh, the hair explosion on her head, and that contagious smile. She was a wonderful presence on our TV’s who always made us smile and laugh. I’m smiling right now just thinking about her talking about Fang, her “husband”. Some of her humor I didn’t get when I was real little, but that didn’t matter. When I think of her I remember the variety shows we watched in the 50's, 60’s, and 70's -- terrific shows such as The Dean Martin Show (later The Dean Martin Comedy Hour), The Carol Burnett Show, and The Red Skelton Hour. She was a staple of what’s now called classic TV – we just called it TV. No classic.
William Windom I best remember for the brilliant series in the late 60’s, My World and Welcome to It. Mr. Windom starred as a cartoonist who “drew” cartoons that came to life for him. The cartoons were actually the cartoons of humorist James Thurber. Mr. Windom also portrayed a starship captain on one of my favorite episodes of “classic” Star Trek titled "The Doomsday Machine". He always brought a warmth and sincerity to his roles.
If they want to call the shows we watched back then “classic”, that’s fine. All I know is that is was quality TV. And two of our “classic” entertainers are gone.
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