Daniel Melnick, April 22, 1932 – Oct. 13, 2009, MGM and Columbia studio exec as well as an innovator in TV and film, has died at his home in Los Angeles after undergoing lung cancer according to his son, composer Peter Melnick. He was 77.

If we could fathom the mind out of which emerged such outlandishly funny shows as “Get Smart,” the 1960’s American TV comedy that satirized the secret agent genre, then perhaps we would better know Daniel Melnick.

“Get Smart” was actually created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry but the latter explains that its creation came from a request by Daniel Melnick when he was with his production company, Talent Associates, to “capitalize on the two biggest things in the entertainment world today – James Bond and Inspector Clouseau.” Mel Brooks commented, “It’s the insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy.” The series won seven Emmy Awards, was nominated for another fourteen Emmys and won two Golden Globes.

Regardless, that series along with a vast body of other works that he either produced, envisioned and/or otherwise had a hand in earned Melnick a solid reputation as an innovator in both television and in film.

Al Martino, Oct. 7, 1927 – Oct. 13, 2009, Sinatra-esque pop singer and actor, has died in his home in Springfield, Delaware County after apparently suffering cardiac arrest while cooking according to his son, Alfred Cini. Emergency medical technicians were called but couldn’t revive him. He was 82 years old.

He was an Italian-American crooner who rose to fame in the 40s, scoring the number one record in the UK with “Here In My Heart.” The song topped the charts for nine weeks. But it was his role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” in 1972 that the singer is most remembered. His controversial character of Johnny Fontane is said to closely mimic Frank Sinatra’s real life and, interestingly, it also mimics Martino’s own life as well.

Anthony Bruno wrote in “Fact and Fiction in ‘The Godfather’”:

“In "The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions," Mario Puzo describes a couple of unpleasant encounters he had with singer Frank Sinatra, who was allegedly furious with Puzo for creating the character Johnny Fontane.  Like Sinatra, Fontane is a crooner adored by the bobbysoxers of the 1940s.  Fontane seeks his Godfather's help in landing a role in an upcoming movie, an opportunity that Fontane feels will salvage his career.  Most viewers assume that Puzo was referring to Sinatra's efforts to land the part of Maggio in "From Here to Eternity" at a time when his career was in the doldrums.  Puzo remained coy when it came to the topic of Sinatra and never actually came right out and said that Johnny Fontane wasn't based on Old Blue Eyes, but it's a connection that's hard to deny, given the similarities between the real singer and fictional one."

Fictional indeed! According to Martino, he received the part in “The Godfather” despite Coppola’s rejection by using his own “connections.”

"Didn't the Don send Tom Hagen to convince Jack Woltz that Johnny Fontane must be in the movie? Isn't it similar to what I did? Woltz didn't want Johnny, and Coppola didn't want me.” Martino said. “There was no horse's head, but I had ammunition... I had to step on some toes to get people to realize that I was in the effing movie. I went to my godfather, [Mafia boss] Russ Bufalino."

Martino went on to appear as Johnny Fontane in “The Godfather Parts II and III.”

In addition to his son, Al Martino is survived by his wife, Judith; daughters Alison Martino and Alana Cini; two grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a brother; and two sisters.

Mikheil Kalatozishvili, May 19, 1959 – Oct. 12, 2009, grandson of the Russian movie director Mikhail Kalatazov and notable filmmaker in his own right, passed away in Moscow due to a heart attack according to family members. He was 50.

From a prolific moviemaking family, Kalatozishvili’s grandfather’s film, the 1957 "The Cranes Are Flying" starred Tatyana Samoylova and Aleksey Batalov and is thought to be one of the great classic Soviet war films of all time. His father was Giorgi Kalatozishvili who directed several movies during the 60s, 70s and 80s and was a cinematographer on during the 1950s.

Mikheil Kalatozishvili followed in the family footsteps, making his first film in 1981 after graduating from Moscow’s famous state film school, VGIK. In 2008, his arthouse film “Wild Field” won a Golden Eagle at the Russian National Cinema Awards and was voted best film of 2008 by Russian critics. The movie was shot on a single set built about 40 km from the nearest village in Kazakhstan and is noted for being gloriously shot – a talent from his cinematographer father, perhaps?

“Wild Field” also received the "White Elephant," a special prize of the Guild of Russian Film Scholars and Critics for the best script and best music at the 19th Open Russian Festival Kinotavr.

Here’s what one film critic, Vita Ramm, had to say:

"...Mikhail Kalatozishvili made a quiet movie without any declarations about spirituality. His main character honestly carries out his professional duty on a daily basis. And that’s all. The director places the emphasis on the act of saving lives and on humour (something we have big problems with in our cinema), instead of being voluptuously intoxicated by the poverty and other horrors of this remote area. Pyotr Dukhovskoy’s camera and Alexi Aigi’s music perfectly communicate the inner world and worries of the lead character. Actor Oleg Dolin plays his positive hero in such a way that you believe his every move and act, bringing all of the doctors from both the real world and literature to mind. The screening of Wild Field ended up with shouts of "Bravo!" and ovations that lasted until the end of the final credits. During this Kinotavr it happened only once."

Barry Letts, 1925 – October 10, 2009, succeeded Derrick Sherwin as producer of the series “Dr. Who” in 1969, has passed away at the age of 84.

Barry Letts became involved in the “Dr. Who” series in 1967 as the director of the Patrick Troughton adventure “The Enemy of the World” before accepting the job of producer during production of Jon Pertwee's first season as the doctor in 1969. He held the position for the following five seasons and before he was done, Letts would leave a legacy of on-going substance within the series that is still in force today.

First, Letts is credited with the creation of the Sarah Jane Smith character. He cast actress Elizabeth Sladen in the role playing the investigative journalist and former Who companion, paving the way for a current series spin-off called “The Sarah Jane Adventures.” The Sarah Jane character is frequently voted as the most popular Who companion both by fans and the general public. In 2008, the series won a British Academy Children’s Award.

Then Letts, taking a chance, cast relatively unknown actor Tom Baker (“The Golden Voyage of Sinbad”) as the 4^th Dr. Who, taking over the part from the popular Jon Pertwee. The move proved successful and Baker played the role for seven consecutive seasons making him the longest running actor to play in the role. Baker is now widely considered as one of the most popular title characters in the history of the series.

Barry Letts remained close to the show in later years. In the eighties, he acted as an executive producer and would often direct some of the more classic serials. He enjoyed spending time speaking at various conventions and he lent his voice for Commentaries on the TwoEntertain DVD collection.

Jeff Rothberg, writer and producer of television shows and film, has died of cancer in Los Angeles. He was 52.

In a career that spanned almost three decades, his most recent film work was “The Whole Shebang,” a comedy romance he wrote about a man in and out of love while he tries to save the family business. Rothberg also wrote and produced “Hiding Out,” “Bogus” and “A Simple Wish.” For television, as recent as 2006, he created and produced “Starface” and wrote two pilots for Sony TV.

Jeff Rothberg leaves behind his wife, Meg, two sons along with his mother and father.

Bob Westmoreland, film and TV make-up artist throughout the 1970s and 80s, has died in Kauai, Hawaii due to a cardiac arrest. He was 74.

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “The Long Goodbye,” and “Hill Street Blues” are just a few in what adds up to more than 19 film and 7 television shows credited to make-up artist Bob Westmoreland.

He also cameoed in a few of those films that he did the make-up for. In "The Island" he played a charter boat captain. He was a security guard in the 1980 “Inside Moves,” a movie he also held the title of make-up supervisor. For “Stay Hungry” he had a small part as a banker.

Bob Westmoreland leaves behind his wife Susy, his daughter Cori Glazer and a son.

Pamela Blake, August 6, 1915 – October 6, 2009, B-movie and western series actress, died of natural causes at a Las Vegas care facility according to her family. She was 94.

She was a beauty queen at the age of 17

And isn’t that the stuff that makes for leading ladies of western movies? Pamela Blake was all of that and more. She signed with MGM in 1942 and, between 1934 and 1954, she appeared in about 50 films many of them westerns right alongside some of the biggest stars in western movie genre.

She co-starred with John Wayne in “Wyoming Outlaw” in 1939 and played opposite Tex Ritter in “The Utah Trail” in 1938. In the 40’s, she had roles in "Chick Carter, Detective" and "Ghost of Zorro." She played Annie in “This Gun For Hire” which starred Alan Ladd and Veroncia Lake. In “Maisie Gets Her Man” she appeared with Ann Sothern and Red Skelton. By the early 1950s, Pamela Blake was regularly appearing in TV westerns such as "The Cisco Kid" and "The Range Rider."

She leaves behind her son, Michael Stokey II, son of Mike Stokey who created the TV game show "Pantomime Quiz," and who has been a military advisor on such films as "The Thin Red Line" (1998) and "Tropic Thunder" (2008).

Kevin McGee, British television producer and ex-spouse of comedian Matt Lucas, was found dead in his Edinburgh, Scotland apartment of an apparent suicide hanging. He was only 32 years old.

"Police were called to an address in Bruntsfield Gardens around 8 a.m. yesterday morning, where a 32-year-old man was found dead," police said in a statement. "There are no suspicious circumstances."

It seems fairly clear that McGee committed suicide. He had updated his Facebook page only hours before posting, "Kevin McGee thinks death is better than life."

Looking out over his past, it seemed Kevin McGee’s life wasn’t always in so much turmoil. In December 2008, McGee and British comedian and “Little Britain” star Matt Lucas tied the knot in happy marriage. Their ceremony, with its pantomime-themed reception, was lavish with famous guests attending including Sir Elton John.

The BBC reported that, “After the ceremony, the couple looked relaxed and happy as they posed for the cameras arm-in-arm. Later they arrived at Banqueting House in Whitehall, London, dressed as Aladdin and Prince Charming.”

But a mere 18 months later, Lucas went to family court and was granted dissolution of the marriage based on the grounds of unreasonable behavior by McGee. It was described at the time as the first celebrity gay couple to get married after Britain introduced civil partnerships for same-sex couples in 2005 and the first celebrity gay couple to get divorced.

There are rumors of depression and drug addiction. Some reports speak of a 5 gram a day cocaine habit and of Matt Lucas’s attempt to get McGee into rehab. There are even rumors of a large cash settlement from the divorce and a confidentiality agreement.

Regardless, Lucas is widely reported to be devastated by his ex-partner’s death. He immediately pulled out of an emotionally intense role in the play “Prick Up Your Ears” about the life and death of the playwright Joe Orton. Lucas was playing the British actor and writer Kenneth Halliwell, who committed suicide after bludgeoning his lover to death.

Dick Zimbert, retired Paramount Pictures executive, has died in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 80.

His career was about the business side of movie making. From when he joined ABC-TV in 1965 to the VP positions he held at Aaron Spelling Productions, American International Pictures and the nearly 20 years at Paramount Pictures, business affairs and legal issues were Zimbert’s forte. He often was named general counsel as he was for Paramount before his retirement there. As a speaker, he was popular, garnering many invites to speak on legal issues at film conferences and to the USC. DreamWorks Studio consulted with him. Entertainment law firms relied on him.

Dick Zimbert was married to his wife, Suzanne for 53 years. They had four children and seven grandchildren.

Grace Keagy, 1922 – Oct. 4, 2009, stage, TV and soap opera actress, has died in Rochester, NY of ovarian cancer. She was 87.

Grace Keagy is an inspiration to all those women who spend their years doing the important job of raising their children, then watch them go off into the world, sitting back and having to answer the question of, “Now what?”

In a great story of a late career take off, this is a tale of a woman who originally put her acting aspirations on hold. For two decades, she raised five children – yes FIVE - after marrying a career army officer.

But, at the age of 51, and with a move to New York, she landed the Ethel Merman role in the Equity Library Showcase production of “Call Me Madam.” Grace Keagy was on her way. Two years later, at the age of 53, she made her Broadway debut in the production “Goodtime Charley.” By the age of 57, Keagy was receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination for a role in the short-runned “Carmelina.” She went on to replace Delores Wilson in “I Remember Mama” and appeared in “The Grand Tour.” She had roles with Lauren Bacall, Raquel Welch and Debbie Reynolds.

Then in a move that proves neither talent nor success has an age limit, Ms Keagy made her television debut – at age 63 – appearing in soaps "As the World Turns," "One Life to Live, "The Doctors," "Ryan's Hope," and "Search for Tomorrow."

But she wasn’t done. She came out of retirement in 1996 at Jerry Herman's request to play Mrs. Brandenheim in the Christmas television special "Mrs. Santa Claus" starring Angela Lansbury.

I can only imagine that if cancer hadn’t struck, this energetic lady would have found a new horizon to conquer. She leaves behind two sons, a step-son, three daughters, twelve grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren.