BRAVE LAST DAYS: Actor Robert Urich
LandonEx
Army Archerd: Robert Urich near death
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) -- Life is such a "B" script.
Robert Urich was in the midst of writing "An Extraordinary Life" when life
seemed ready to end for him. Monday began for me with a call saying that the
life-support system would soon be taken from Urich, who had fought so valiantly
to prove, in real life, the strength he portrayed in countless roles on screen.
I had spoken to him many times since he began chemotherapy after the 1996
discovery of very rare sarcoma in his groin. He underwent surgery, battled
back, and returned to work. And on Nov. 13, 2001, five years later, he told
me, "Last summer they found some lumps, but a wonder drug cleared them up."
The road back was not easy. He told me, "I went through some stuff people
wouldn't believe. Like I had chemo at 8 a.m. and at 5 I was doing standup
before a live audience. And I underwent major surgery on a Wednesday and was
at work a few days after, with blood trickling down my leg."
But he launched a golf tourney a week later to benefit the Sarcoma Research at
the University of Michigan. Earlier in the year he and Burt Reynolds (who had
brought Urich to Hollywood) were to costar in the "Late Boomers" series when
Reynolds was fired over differences with the producers.
Urich fought for Reynolds, telling me, "Nobody on this planet could play this
role better than Burt." He explained the blowup between Reynolds and the
producers with, "We actors live with our emotions on our sleeve. I took this
part partly because of Burt. It will be hard for anyone to follow him."
And it will be impossible for anyone to follow the record of Robert Urich. The
book being readied for Regan press is by Urich and David Dalton, but it was
written mostly by Urich himself, Dalton tells me.
"Would you believe that his favorite book was 'Wind in the Willows'? When I
came out to his house (in Calif.) from the east in the middle of the winter, he
said, 'Come out on the porch.' As I sat there and looked at his plants and
flowers, he said to me, 'I thought you'd like to hear the sound of bees again.'
"He had designed his house. I was constantly amazed by his philosophy --
nothing like any of the characters he played. I was astounded by the depth of
his personality. He was such a dreamer. He was lyrical, the most evocative
man I'd met in a long time."
In the book Urich talks warmly about those with whom he worked: Reynolds, of
course, and Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway. And yes, he does
talk abut the disappointment when Ted Turner did not renew "The Lazarus Man."
Urich wanted to do more writing, producer Harry Thomason tells me. "He was so
full of plans; he wanted to do a show (with NBC), 'Fine Living."' Urich
starred for Thomason in NBC's "Emeril" and Thomason said, "He had a clean bill
of health when we did the show. And he was a wonderful person to work with.
He and Emeril loved each other."
It was only last week when friends began to hear of Urich's sudden decline.
His longtime agent Merritt Blake learned that Urich was having trouble
breathing. From that time on, Urich was in/out-of Cedars-Sinai, and this time
he was put on life support; Monday, he was surrounded by his wife Heather,
their children Ryan, Emily and Allison, and good friend and manager John Wall.
Also Monday, the Animal Planet inaugurated its original movie programming with
"The Night of the Wolf," in which Urich stars with Anne Archer. The web boasts
the story as "one of triumph and survival." Urich will always survive as an
American icon -- not only for having made more TV series than any man, but for
having made more friends while making them.
Reuters/Variety
April 16, 2002
=L=
Terrymelin
himself than Mr. Urich. I wish I had a dollar for everytime he uses "I" in the
quoted piece.
Terry Ellsworth
J.D. Baldwin
Once, actually, when not quoting others.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone disagrees with any statement I make, I
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it. -T. Lehrer
***~~~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tregembo
J.D. Baldwin <INVALID...@example.com> wrote in message
news:a9hpk4$1h8$1...@reader1.panix.com...
>
> In the previous article, Terrymelin <terry...@aol.com> wrote:
> > Amazing how the despicable Archerd manages to make the article more
> > about himself than Mr. Urich. I wish I had a dollar for everytime he
> > uses "I" in the quoted piece.
>
> Once, actually, when not quoting others.
Maybe, but Terry's is a point well taken. Whenever I see Archerd, who has
become a self parody, or James Bacon, I immediately switch channels.
Ray Arthur
Terrymelin
Terry Ellsworth
Terrymelin
>become a self parody, or James Bacon, I immediately switch channels.
>
>Ray Arthur
You mean you don't want a hairpiece like that when you grow up?
He is a really mean old guy who has a vendetta against a number of old guys
like Elia Kazan.
His brand of sucking up (literally and figuratively) went out with Harry Cohn.
Terry Ellsworth
J.D. Baldwin
Sure, but why should Archerd be criticized when *Urich* uses the word
"I" to say what's going on with him? In text that was not quoted, the
word "I" appears in that article exactly once.
Here are the first three paragraphs with the quoted material excised:
Robert Urich was in the midst of writing "An Extraordinary
Life" when life seemed ready to end for him. Monday began for
me with a call saying that the life-support system would soon
be taken from Urich, who had fought so valiantly to prove, in
real life, the strength he portrayed in countless roles on
screen.
--> I had spoken to him many times since he began chemotherapy
after the 1996 discovery of very rare sarcoma in his groin.
He underwent surgery, battled back, and returned to work. And
on Nov. 13, 2001, five years later, he told me, "[...]
The road back was not easy. He told me, "[...]"
The one and only such occurrence is highlighted.
JHall
Sucking up has never and will never go out of fashion. Check out your
last 3 pressies. My goodness america is in deep deep trouble - do we go
fascist tomorrow or next week ?
Dilemma after dilemma.
Terrymelin
>"I" to say what's going on with him? In text that was not quoted, the
>word "I" appears in that article exactly once.
I think you're missing the forest for the trees on this one. The point is the
article is about Urich but Archerd never writes like that. He always writes
about how "I" am involved in this story.
It's obnoxious and shitty journalism from a has-been hack.
Terry Ellsworth
Terrymelin
Sorry, but you're wrong. He uses "I" and "me" -- which is the same thing
because he is referring to himself -- five separate times.
Terry Ellsworth
idwim
the early demise and the plans left unfulfilled.
"Terrymelin" <terry...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020416135526...@mb-fy.aol.com...
Matthew Hubbard
>
> Tuesday, April 16, 2002
>
> Army Archerd: Robert Urich near death
>
> HOLLYWOOD (Variety)
Technically, this doesn't count as a Brave Last Days Alert,
since it didn't appear on a supermarket tabloid cover prior to Urich's
demise.
My apologies for doing some petty public bookkeeping during the
period when Urich's family has to make burial arrangements; I can't say
I have any favorite Robert Urich moments on film or TV ( I never got
into "Soap" and don't think as much of "Lonesome Dove" as some others
do), but I have nothing but respect for someone who worked as hard as he
did having been dealt such a bad hand.
MattH