Week of Jan. 16: Goodbye To Four

It's been a tough week and a half for lovers of classic television. Four men who played important roles in their respective series have died.

*Last week, we heard about the death of Harry Endo, who played the lab genius Che Fong on "Hawaii Five-O." Contrary to what was reported by the Associated Press, Endo did not originate the role, though the character was a part of the show from almost the very beginning. In fact, Endo, who was a bank executive in real life, would also play one on the Season 2 episode, "Which Way Did They Go?" The very next episode, "Blind Tiger," was the first time he played Che Fong, and he would continue to do so in more than 140 episodes, through the Season 10 episode "Up the Rebels."
Through Season 5, the show (except for the suppressed Season 2 episode "Bored, She Hung Herself) is available on DVD. CBS.com has assorted episodes from Seasons 1 and 2; Endo can be seen on the Season 2 episode "Nightmare Road."


*Patrick McGoohan had a most unusual career, featured in "Secret Agent" and "The Prisoner," two shows not seen much in syndication (although the "Secret Agent" song "Secret Agent Man" became a big hit) and working in a number of character roles. Both shows are available on DVD. Here's the introduction to "The Prisoner":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14eUKogPF7s


*Ricardo Montalban.....There is no question about his television success, as the star of ABC's "Fantasy Island" (Episodes are available at Hulu.com and early seasons are on DVD.) and a number of guest starring roles, including as Kahn on "Star Trek." He was also successful as a pitchman for Chrysler during the 1970s; the world will always think of him and "soft Corinthian leather" in the same vein:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIL3fbGbU2o

Some obituaries mentioned what Montalban did to raise the profile of Hispanic actors and actresses. There was little mention, however, of Montalban the humanitarian, the man who worked until recently to raise money for many charities, including the fight against cancer.


*Don Galloway will forever be known as the handsome Sgt. Ed Brown on "Ironside." The first two seasons are available both on DVD and Hulu.com.
This is from a newspaper in his home state of Kentucky, showing there was more to him than a famous face:

http://www.maysville-online.com/articles/2009/01/12/local_news/553galloway.txt

Thank heavens for video, DVD, Webcasting and any future technologies that preserve their performances for us all.

See you next week.