RIP: Al Lewis

[musicradio77]

'Grandpa Munster' Al Lewis Dies at 95

By LARRY McSHANE,
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Al Lewis, the cigar-chomping patriarch of "The Munsters"
whose work as a basketball scout, restaurateur and political
candidate never eclipsed his role as Grandpa from the television
sitcom, died after years of failing health. He was 95.

Lewis, with his wife at his bedside, passed away Friday night, said
Bernard White, program director at WBAI-FM, where the actor hosted a
weekly radio program. White made the announcement on the air during
the Saturday slot where Lewis usually appeared.

"To say that we will miss his generous, cantankerous, engaging
spirit is a profound understatement," White said.

Lewis, sporting a somewhat cheesy Dracula outfit, became a pop
culture icon playing the irascible father-in-law to Fred Gwynne's
ever-bumbling Herman Munster on the 1964-66 television show. He was
also one of the stars of another classic TV comedy, playing Officer
Leo Schnauzer on "Car 54, Where Are You?"

But Lewis' life off the small screen ranged far beyond his acting
antics. A former ballplayer at Thomas Jefferson High School, he
achieved notoriety as a basketball talent scout familiar to coaching
greats like Jerry Tarkanian and Red Auerbach.

He operated a successful Greenwich Village restaurant, Grandpa's,
where he was a regular presence — chatting with customers, posing
for pictures, signing autographs.

Just two years short of his 90th birthday, a ponytailed Lewis ran as
the Green Party candidate against incumbent Gov. George Pataki.
Lewis campaigned against draconian drug laws and the death penalty,
while going to court in a losing battle to have his name appear on
the ballot as "Grandpa Al Lewis."

He didn't defeat Pataki, but managed to collect more 52,000 votes.

Lewis was born Alexander Meister in upstate New York before his
family moved to Brooklyn, where the 6-foot-1 teen began a lifelong
love affair with basketball. He later became a vaudeville and circus
performer, but his career didn't take off until television did the
same.

Lewis, as Officer Schnauzer, played opposite Gwynne's Officer
Francis Muldoon in "Car 54, Where Are You?" — a comedy about a Bronx
police precinct that aired from 1961-63. One year later, the duo
appeared together in "The Munsters," taking up residence at the
fictional 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

The series, about a family of clueless creatures plunked down in
middle America, was a success and ran through 1966. It forever
locked Lewis in as the memorably twisted character; decades later,
strangers would greet him on the street with shouts of "Grandpa!"

Unlike some television stars, Lewis never complained about getting
typecast and made appearances in character for decades.

"Why would I mind?" he asked in a 1997 interview. "It pays my
mortgage."

Lewis rarely slowed down, opening his restaurant and hosting his
WBAI radio program. At one point during the '90s, he was a frequent
guest on the Howard Stern radio show, once sending the shock jock
diving for the delay button by leading an undeniably obscene chant
against the Federal Communications Commission.

He also popped up in a number of movies, including the
acclaimed "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and "Married to the Mob."
Lewis reprised his role of Schnauzer in the movie remake of "Car
54," and appeared as a guest star on television shows such
as "Taxi," "Green Acres" and "Lost in Space."

But in 2003, Lewis was hospitalized for an angioplasty.
Complications during surgery led to an emergency bypass and the
amputation of his right leg below the knee and all the toes on his
left foot. Lewis spent the next month in a coma.

A year later, he was back offering his recollections of a seminal
punk band on the DVD "Ramones Raw."

He is survived by his wife, Karen Ingenthron-Lewis, three sons and
four grandchildren.

[Robin Hood]

Ah, that really sucks. I was a big fan of his. R.I.P.

[pleasurebay]

He will live forever as Grandpa



http://www.imdb.com/gallery/mptv/1063/M ... Al%20(III)

[lord-of-sith]

Yeah, I saw that headline when I was watching Fox News at the gym, and it's a real shame. He was always great. And he will be greatly missed.

R.I.P. Al Lewis

[dvdjunkie]

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting this 'gentle'man about 20 years ago. He was very kind, and had a sense of humor second to none. I have never heard anything bad about this character actor. He will be missed.

R.I.P.: Al (Grandpa Munster) Lewis

[JiminyCrick91]

R.I.P Grampa.

[MickeyMousePal]

R.I.P.: Al (Grandpa Munster) Lewis