Week of January 8: Some Leftover Tributes From 2009

Here's wishing Paul Kangas the best of good-byes (and buys).



Kangas stepped down after 30 years at PBS' Nightly Business Report. Kangas, whose status as a broadcaster of business news preceded that show's creation, was a steady presence on a program that avoids the hype of the cable business channels. He was also known for his rapid-fire reports on stock movements.



As Kangas wrapped up his last broadcast last week, he received a round of applause from those at Miami's NBR studios who are usually behind the camera. He certainly deserves it.



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Sad news in the obituaries of 2009, included two who really got lost in the hype.



One was Lou Jacobi, who died in October at the age of 95. Jacobi established a career on the stage, screen and in recordings.


His television career included the brief 1976 CBS comedy "Ivan the Terrible," in which Jacobi played the patriarch of a family of nine (including a Cuban exchange student) living in a very small apartment in Soviet Moscow. Though critics and audiences seemed to like it, international politics may have played a role in its quick cancellation.

The series is best remembered today for its trivia aspects. It was produced by comedian Alan King; its cast included Maria Karnilova (the original Goldie in Broadway's "Fiddler On the Roof"), Phil Leeds, who would later be on "Archie Bunker's Place," and Christopher Hewitt, who would later star in "Mr. Belvedere." Harvey Korman of "The Carol Burnett Show" also appeared.

"Ivan the Terrible" may fall into the "Brilliant, But Cancelled" category.

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Another television star who died last year was Mollie Sugden, best known as Mrs. Slocombe in the great British comedy "Are You Being Served?"

Here's a link to Mrs. Slocombe in all her glory - multicolored hair, pussy and all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19AQgpsIMVY

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See you next week. Happy New Year - and Happy Viewing!