We hate to end the year on a downer, but if you're like me, and you grew up with Schoolhouse Rock, for example, in the 70's, this is going to hurt.
Actor-comedian-jazz musician-singer Jack Sheldon passed away on Friday at 88, leaving behind a body of work, mostly in music, as he was touring as recently as a couple of years ago, based on videos available on YouTube.
In the 50's & 60's, Sheldon began appearing on television as a stand-up comic and musician, playing the trumpet. In 1966, Leonard Stern cast him in the lead of the CBS sitcom, Run, Buddy, Run, which failed to finish the season. Sheldon had the title role of an average dude in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now a target of a mob boss (Bruce Gordon, ex-The Untouchables). The show is just as notable for the fact that the announcer at the start of the show was future Emmy winner Ted Knight.
After Buddy ended, Sheldon joined Jack Webb's repertory company, appearing in several episodes of Dragnet, including this 4th season offering, in which Sheldon's character is a neighbor of Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan):
Sheldon was also making frequent appearances on Merv Griffin's talk shows. One source claimed he served as musical director at one point. In 1973, the producers of Schoolhouse Rock signed Sheldon as one of their lineup of singers, heard on classic pieces such as "I'm Just a Bill" and "Conjunction Junction".
Rest in peace, Jack.
2 comments:
Jack Sheldon was a guest voice on a season #1 episode of Cartoon Network's Johnny Bravo titled "The Sensitive Male", in which an animated Mr. Sheldon tries to show the egotistical Johnny how to attract girls by being more sensitive. It goes about as well as you would expect. This short plays heavily on Jack Sheldon's involvement with Schoolhouse Rock, right down to the similar visuals and musical numbers.
A true talent. R.I.P. Jack Sheldon.
I think that one's still up over at Saturday Morning Archives.
Jack also parodied his Schoolhouse Rock hits on The Simpsons.
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