<Archive Obituary> Gig Young (October 19th 1978)
Bill Schenley
By Henrietta Leith, Press Writer
Photo: http://www.bewitched.net/tvbest1.jpg
Gig Young, the handsome veteran actor who won an Academy Award as the
fast-talking promoter of a Depression-era dance marathon, apparently
shot his wife of three weeks to death and then killed himself
Thursday, police said.
Police said a diary in the blood-soaked bedroom where the couple died
was open to Sept. 27, and "We Got Married Today" was written on the
page.
Young's gilt Oscar for best supporting actor in "They Shoot Horses,
Don't They?" was in the den of the Manhattan apartment.
Police said the 60-year-old actor apparently killed his wife,
31-year-old Kim Schmidt, and himself at about 2:30 p.m. The
.38-caliber pistol was in Young's hand, and the case was being treated
as a murder-suicide, police said.
The manager of the building on West 57th Street, who did not wish to
be identified, said he had heard noises that sounded like gunshots
earlier in the day, but did not become suspicious until he noticed
groceries still standing outside the apartment hours after they were
delivered.
Police said the pair appeared to have died at about 2:3 p.m. Their
bodies were discovered about five hours later.
Young appeared in recent years in "Hindenberg" and "The Killer Elite,"
as well as in television dramas, and bad toured in "Harvey" and "On a
Clear Day You Can See Forever."
Before winning the Academy Award as best supporting actor 1969 for
"They Shoot Horses, Don't They," Young had received two nominations,
for his work in "Come Fill the Cup," a somewhat true-to-life role as
an alcoholic and the 1958 "Teacher's Pet."
Young starred with Charles Boyer in the 1950s television series "The
Rogues." Boyer was a suicide earlier this year.
Liam O'Brian, producer of the Young's 1976 TV series "Gibbsville,"
said the actor was a "tremendous, talented and genial human being . .
. He was a delight to work with, a careful worker, a precisionist with
great style and humor."
Young's first marriage ended in divorce after his return from World
War II, which he spent in the Coast Guard ferrying troops across the
Pacific.
His second wife, Warner Brothers drama coach Sophie Rosenstein, died
of cancer in 1952 after only a year of marriage. His marriage to
actress Elizabeth Montgomery ended in divorce in 1963, and his fourth
marriage, to Beverly Hills realtor Elaine Young, also ended in
divorce. He had one child in that marriage, Jennifer, now 14.
Young's real-life beginnings didn't suggest his familiar movie roles
of glamour and sophistication. He was born Byron Barr in St. Cloud,
Minn., in 1917, the son of a reformatory chef.
After graduating from high scholl, he became a used car salesman while
attending acting classes at night. Young came to Hollywood when a pal
offered to give him a ride if he'd pay for half the gas.
In Hollywood, young lived the fabled life of the struggling young
actor, sleeping a $12-a-week hotel and waiting on tables.
He got his big acting break at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he worked
a few stock plays and was spotted by a Warner Brothers' talent scout
who signed him to a long-term contract.
Young earned his first movie role while reading the Charles Boyer part
for an Alexis Smith screen test. Still Byron Barr, he earned rave
reviews in his first film, "The Gay Sisters."
Studio head Jack Warner urged his young employe to take the name of
the character he played in "The Gay Sisters" - Gig Young.
He quickly earned his first Academy Award nomination, for "Come Fill
the Cup," with James Cagney.
Young once said that out of 55 pictures in 30 years, "there are not
more than five that were good or any good for me.
But he called the Academy Award "the greatest moment of my life."
Tired of his bad Hollywood roles, Young came to Broadway in the
mid-1950s and had considerable success in "Oh Men Oh Women," "Under
the Yum Yum Tree," "Teahouse of the August Moon," and "There's a Girl
in My Soup."
His post-Oscar films also included "Lovers and Other Strangers," "Neon
Ceiling," "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Grrcia," and "A Black Ribbon
for Deborah."
Red Buttons, who played with Young in "Horses," once said of his
friend:
"Down under that light-hearted sophitication, Gig's a big baby, and
needs an arm around him. He needs a lot of loving."
---
Photo: http://www.judygarland.net/Untitled-10a%20copy.gif
(w/Elizabeth Montgomery)
deb...@comcast.net
sad story.
S.
<deb...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1129703569....@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Someone actually wrote a biography of Gig Young several years ago. Very
> sad story.
>
Didn't know this ! It appears to be "Final Gig" by George Eells ; there are
2nd hand copies on Amazon.
A much-underrated actor.
S.