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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Loretta Swit, ‘Hot Lips' Houlihan on ‘MASH,' Dies at 87
Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on seminal TV comedy 'MASH,' died Friday at her home in New York City. She was 87. Her rep Harlan Boll said the New York police reported her time of death at 12:01 p.m. on May 30, of suspected natural causes. More from Variety Ron Howard, Helen Mirren, Edgar Wright and More Remember Donald Sutherland: 'Incredible Range, Creative Courage' Burt Metcalfe, Producer Known for Long Run on 'MASH,' Dies at 87 Sally Kellerman, Oscar-Nominated as 'Hot Lips' Houlihan in 'MASH,' Dies at 84 For her work on 'MASH' Swit was Emmy nominated for outstanding performance by a supporting actress in a comedy every year from 1974-83, winning the Emmy in 1980 and 1982. As 'MASH' evolved over its 11-year run from a broadly farcical satire into a more contemplative series that embraced drama as much as comedy, the character of Margaret Houlihan and the way Swit performed it changed markedly as well. She was, at first, a crudely drawn villain allied with the weasel Frank Burns who existed to be object of derision and of practical jokes by Hawkeye and Trapper John. The first step in her evolution came with the season four episode 'Mail Call Again,' in which Margaret realizes what Frank is, at least up to a point, after Frank's wife finds out about Margaret and he lies about it. With the season five episode 'Bug Out,' in which most of the personnel evacuate, leaving only Hawkeye, Margaret and Radar to take care of a patient that can't be moved, viewers began to respect her professionally and a human side came through. The best moment in Swit's long tenure as Houlihan, however, came a few episodes later with the one called 'The Nurses.' In this episode the nurses under Major Houlihan keep a secret from her — they contrive to allow one nurse and her new husband to spend the night together — but in the end Margaret finds out, culminating in a speech in which she emotionally declares how she's always felt ostracized by them — how they've never so much as offered her 'a lousy cup of coffee.' In the words of one 'MASH' fan site, 'She lets them know why she's always so mean to them, in a speech that's both riveting and heartbreaking.' Another key moment came in season six when Margaret and Hawkeye were trapped in a hut amid rain and shelling by the enemy; amid the trauma, they sleep together — ultimately, in Swit's own opinion, ending the long-lasting enmity between the two characters. Reviewing her character's position and evolution on 'MASH,' Swit once said, 'I mean, certain things had to remain the same. She had to remain one of the antagonists because that was the structure of the show. In the second season, we saw for the first time that she was unhappy with Frank and wanted more from her life. Then around the third or fourth year, in an episode called 'The Nurses,' Hot Lips gave the nurses a speech telling them how lonely she was because she was in charge and that's the way it was, so she couldn't really have any friends. Her marriage and her divorce changed her. Her affair with Hawkeye in 'Comrades in Arms' changed both characters, so that they were never really rivals again.' Swit appeared as Major Houlihan (and Larry Linville appeared as Frank Burns) on the 1975 variety special 'Rickles,' starring insult comedian Don Rickles. After the end of the show, the actress starred in the popular, Emmy-nominated 1983 telepic 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' in which she played a teacher who puts the worst students in the school's holiday pageant. She went to star in a long series of TV movies, including 1985's 'The Execution,' and guested on shows ranging from 'The Love Boat' to 'Murder, She Wrote,' making her final television appearance in a 1998 episode of 'Diagnosis Murder.' In 1985 she starred with Rip Torn in the feature comedy 'Beer,' with Swit first-billed; three years she played President Barbara Adams in 'Whoops Apocalypse,' a feature adaptation of a dark political comedy on British TV. The actress also had roles in the 1996 Chuck Norris film 'Forest Warrior' and last appeared in the 1998 comedy 'Beach Movie.' Swit was born Loretta Jane Szwed in Passaic, New Jersey, to Polish immigrant parents who were far from encouraging about a career in show business, but she could not be deterred, performing onstage for the first time at the age of 7. She trained as a singer at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and studied acting with Gene Frankel in Manhattan. The actress made her smallscreen debut in 1969 with the first of several appearances on 'Hawaii Five-O' followed by guest appearances in 1970 on 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Mannix' and 'Gunsmoke' and then 'Bonanza,' 'Ironside' and 'Love, American Style' in the next few years. Swit made her feature debut in the 1972 battle-of-the-sexes comedy 'Stand Up and Be Counted,' starring Jacqueline Bisset. Even after being cast in 'MASH,' Swit continued with other work both in film and TV, appearing in Richard Rush's 1974 action comedy 'Freebie and the Bean,' in which she was third-billed after Alan Arkin and James Caan, and in the 1975 Peter Fonda car chase movie 'Race With the Devil.' On TV she made use of her musical talents in an adaptation of the campy Man of Steel musical 'It's a Bird… It's a Plane… It's Superman!' in 1975. In the late '70s she appeared in a series of TV movies, and she had a supporting role in Blake Edwards' 1981 comedy 'S.O.B.' Also in 1981 she appeared in the pilot for CBS cop drama 'Cagney & Lacey' as Christine Lacey, but Fox would not let her out of her 'MASH' contract and she was replaced by Sharon Gless when the show was picked up to series. Swit also did theater, touring with the national company of 'Any Wednesday,' starring Gardner McKay, in 1967, and played one of the Pigeon sisters in a Los Angeles run of 'The Odd Couple' starring Don Rickles and Ernest Borgnine. The actress made her Broadway debut in 1975 as a replacement in 'Same Time, Next Year,' starring opposite Ted Bessell. She returned to the Rialto as a replacement in 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' in the mid-'80s. She also played Agnes Gooch in a Las Vegas production of 'Mame' that starred Susan Hayward and then Celeste Holm, later playing the title character in a North Carolina Theatre production in 2003. The actress also toured with 'The Vagina Monologues.' Swit was married to actor Dennis Holahan from 1983 until their divorce in 1995. Swit was heavily involved with animal rights organizations, and founded the SwitHeart Animal Alliance to raise money for animals. She was honored by with the Betty White Award from Actors and Others for Animals and by numerous other animal organizations. Donations may be made to Actors & Others For Animals or the SwitHeart Animal Alliance. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Loretta Swit, ‘Hot Lips' Houlihan on ‘MASH,' Dies at 87
Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on seminal TV comedy 'MASH,' died Friday at her home in New York City. She was 87. Her rep Harlan Boll said the New York police reported her time of death at 12:01 p.m. on May 30, of suspected natural causes. More from Variety Ron Howard, Helen Mirren, Edgar Wright and More Remember Donald Sutherland: 'Incredible Range, Creative Courage' Burt Metcalfe, Producer Known for Long Run on 'MASH,' Dies at 87 Sally Kellerman, Oscar-Nominated as 'Hot Lips' Houlihan in 'MASH,' Dies at 84 For her work on 'MASH' Swit was Emmy nominated for outstanding performance by a supporting actress in a comedy every year from 1974-83, winning the Emmy in 1980 and 1982. As 'MASH' evolved over its 11-year run from a broadly farcical satire into a more contemplative series that embraced drama as much as comedy, the character of Margaret Houlihan and the way Swit performed it changed markedly as well. She was, at first, a crudely drawn villain allied with the weasel Frank Burns who existed to be object of derision and of practical jokes by Hawkeye and Trapper John. The first step in her evolution came with the season four episode 'Mail Call Again,' in which Margaret realizes what Frank is, at least up to a point, after Frank's wife finds out about Margaret and he lies about it. With the season five episode 'Bug Out,' in which most of the personnel evacuate, leaving only Hawkeye, Margaret and Radar to take care of a patient that can't be moved, viewers began to respect her professionally and a human side came through. The best moment in Swit's long tenure as Houlihan, however, came a few episodes later with the one called 'The Nurses.' In this episode the nurses under Major Houlihan keep a secret from her — they contrive to allow one nurse and her new husband to spend the night together — but in the end Margaret finds out, culminating in a speech in which she emotionally declares how she's always felt ostracized by them — how they've never so much as offered her 'a lousy cup of coffee.' In the words of one 'MASH' fan site, 'She lets them know why she's always so mean to them, in a speech that's both riveting and heartbreaking.' Another key moment came in season six when Margaret and Hawkeye were trapped in a hut amid rain and shelling by the enemy; amid the trauma, they sleep together — ultimately, in Swit's own opinion, ending the long-lasting enmity between the two characters. Reviewing her character's position and evolution on 'MASH,' Swit once said, 'I mean, certain things had to remain the same. She had to remain one of the antagonists because that was the structure of the show. In the second season, we saw for the first time that she was unhappy with Frank and wanted more from her life. Then around the third or fourth year, in an episode called 'The Nurses,' Hot Lips gave the nurses a speech telling them how lonely she was because she was in charge and that's the way it was, so she couldn't really have any friends. Her marriage and her divorce changed her. Her affair with Hawkeye in 'Comrades in Arms' changed both characters, so that they were never really rivals again.' Swit appeared as Major Houlihan (and Larry Linville appeared as Frank Burns) on the 1975 variety special 'Rickles,' starring insult comedian Don Rickles. After the end of the show, the actress starred in the popular, Emmy-nominated 1983 telepic 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' in which she played a teacher who puts the worst students in the school's holiday pageant. She went to star in a long series of TV movies, including 1985's 'The Execution,' and guested on shows ranging from 'The Love Boat' to 'Murder, She Wrote,' making her final television appearance in a 1998 episode of 'Diagnosis Murder.' In 1985 she starred with Rip Torn in the feature comedy 'Beer,' with Swit first-billed; three years she played President Barbara Adams in 'Whoops Apocalypse,' a feature adaptation of a dark political comedy on British TV. The actress also had roles in the 1996 Chuck Norris film 'Forest Warrior' and last appeared in the 1998 comedy 'Beach Movie.' Swit was born Loretta Jane Szwed in Passaic, New Jersey, to Polish immigrant parents who were far from encouraging about a career in show business, but she could not be deterred, performing onstage for the first time at the age of 7. She trained as a singer at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and studied acting with Gene Frankel in Manhattan. The actress made her smallscreen debut in 1969 with the first of several appearances on 'Hawaii Five-O' followed by guest appearances in 1970 on 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Mannix' and 'Gunsmoke' and then 'Bonanza,' 'Ironside' and 'Love, American Style' in the next few years. Swit made her feature debut in the 1972 battle-of-the-sexes comedy 'Stand Up and Be Counted,' starring Jacqueline Bisset. Even after being cast in 'MASH,' Swit continued with other work both in film and TV, appearing in Richard Rush's 1974 action comedy 'Freebie and the Bean,' in which she was third-billed after Alan Arkin and James Caan, and in the 1975 Peter Fonda car chase movie 'Race With the Devil.' On TV she made use of her musical talents in an adaptation of the campy Man of Steel musical 'It's a Bird… It's a Plane… It's Superman!' in 1975. In the late '70s she appeared in a series of TV movies, and she had a supporting role in Blake Edwards' 1981 comedy 'S.O.B.' Also in 1981 she appeared in the pilot for CBS cop drama 'Cagney & Lacey' as Christine Lacey, but Fox would not let her out of her 'MASH' contract and she was replaced by Sharon Gless when the show was picked up to series. Swit also did theater, touring with the national company of 'Any Wednesday,' starring Gardner McKay, in 1967, and played one of the Pigeon sisters in a Los Angeles run of 'The Odd Couple' starring Don Rickles and Ernest Borgnine. The actress made her Broadway debut in 1975 as a replacement in 'Same Time, Next Year,' starring opposite Ted Bessell. She returned to the Rialto as a replacement in 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' in the mid-'80s. She also played Agnes Gooch in a Las Vegas production of 'Mame' that starred Susan Hayward and then Celeste Holm, later playing the title character in a North Carolina Theatre production in 2003. The actress also toured with 'The Vagina Monologues.' Swit was married to actor Dennis Holahan from 1983 until their divorce in 1995. Swit was heavily involved with animal rights organizations, and founded the SwitHeart Animal Alliance to raise money for animals. She was honored by with the Betty White Award from Actors and Others for Animals and by numerous other animal organizations. Donations may be made to Actors & Others For Animals or the SwitHeart Animal Alliance. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wink Martindale, Prolific Game Show Host, Dies at 91
Wink Martindale, a rock 'n' roll disc jockey and good friend of Elvis Presley who gained fame as the host of such TV game shows as Tic-Tac-Dough, Gambit and High Rollers, died Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, California, a publicist announced. He was 91. The friendly Martindale, who had a 74-year career, was known for his resonate voice, vivid sport coats and, especially, his curious first name. More from The Hollywood Reporter Andrea Nevins, Oscar-Nominated Documentarian, Dies at 63 Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian Author and Nobel Literature Laureate, Dies at 89 E. Jay Krause, Emmy-Winning Art Director, Dies at 98 'When I was a kid in Jackson, Tennessee, one of my playmates, Jimmy McCord, couldn't say 'Winston,' which is my given name. He had a speech impediment, and it came out sounding like 'Winky,' ' Martindale explained to ABC News in 2014. 'So Winston turned into Winky, and then I got into the business and Wink it was! It served me well.' Martindale recorded for Dot Records — Pat Boone was another artist on that label — and his Deck of Cards, a narrative release from 1959, sold more than 1 million copies. He also sang 'All Love Broke Loose' during the 1958 film Let's Rock. His second wife, Sandy, whom he married in 1975, dated Presley on and off until shortly before the singer wed Priscilla Wagner in 1967, and she appeared as a dancer in Viva Las Vegas (1964) and other Elvis movies. 'Elvis is responsible for me marrying Wink,' she said in a 2015 interview. 'When [Martindale] said he was from Tennessee, I said, 'He must be a nice guy,' because I loved the state, I loved all the guys, I loved everything in the state of Tennessee because Elvis was such a wonderful part of my life.' Winston Conrad Martindale was born on Dec. 4, 1933, in Jackson. His former Sunday school teacher managed WPLI, a 250-watt radio station, and gave him his first job in radio at $25 a week in 1951. He was 17 and a senior in high school. A few years later, he made the big move to WHBQ in Memphis, about 90 miles away from home, where he hosted a radio show in the morning and a popular kids TV show, Wink Martindale of Mars Patrol, in the afternoon. 'All of a sudden I became a radio personality that everyone knew and respected to a television 'star,' and the kids loved me!' he said in a 2010 interview. Martindale happened to be back at WHBQ on one evening in July 1954 when he helped arrange to get Presley to the station for his first-ever radio interview, shortly after the debut of his song 'That's All Right.' Martindale hosted the American Bandstand-like show Top Ten Dance Party in Memphis — Elvis was a big get for him on that show — then asked for and was granted a transfer to Los Angeles' KHJ (radio and television) in 1959. He hosted another local Dance Party program, this one from Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, and later had a 12-year run as the midday personality on the Gene Autry-owned station KMPC beginning in 1971. Martindale said he became interested in hosting a TV game show in 1965 when he learned that Password's Allen Ludden would 'go in two days a week and tape five shows one day and five shows the next and the other five days play golf. I went to my agent and said, 'How about sending me on a game-show hosting interview?'' He eventually landed at NBC's What's That Song? (billed as Win Martindale) and worked for a year on that, the first of the 20 game shows that he hosted (only Bill Cullen did more). He was on Tic-Tac-Dough for a decade, did two shows for producer Chuck Barris (How's Your Mother-in-Law? and Dream Girl of '67) and produced game shows as well. Martindale co-hosted and helped produce a cerebral palsy telethon in his hometown for more than a decade and published an autobiography, Winking at Life, in 2000. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame six years later. In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughters, Lisa, Lyn and Laura; his sister, Geraldine; and his 'honorary son,' Eric. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'Yellowstone' and the Sprawling Dutton Family Tree, Explained The Cast of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' Then and Now A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
PBS Stations Call Federal Funds 'Irreplaceable And Essential' As Trump Administration Prepares To Slash Public Media Coin
The Trump administration plans to present Congress with cuts to most funding for public media late this month, according to news reports, setting the stage for a showdown when lawmakers return from a recess on April 28. This is not a surprise to public media. The threat has been in the air since the November elections. In his first term, Trump proposed eliminating funding but lawmakers restored it, something that's happened time and time again over the years as public broadcasting, which is educational and reaches into the heartland, has enjoyed bipartisan support despite ongoing critiques of NPR in particular of leaning left. More from Deadline Mark Zuckerberg Floated Idea Of Spinning Off Instagram In 2018, According To Documents Shown In Meta Antitrust Trial - Update Oscar-Nominated 'Sugarcane' And 'Black Box Diaries', 'Will & Harper', Frontline Among First Batch Of Peabody Nominees 'Home Alone 2' Director Chris Columbus Says Trump Cameo Is A "Curse" He Wishes He Could Cut The Corporation for Public Broadcasting distributes the federal funds with about 70% going to public media stations around the country — TV and radio. The CPB received $535 million in the current fiscal year. It is forward funded, meaning that its latest budget approved by Congress for 2025 continues appropriations through 2027. It's not immediately clear if, assuming the Trump administration memo is sent, that it will call for cutting off most funds after 2027 or seek to claw back what's already been earmarked. 'Rescinding previously appropriated federal funding for public broadcasting defies the will of the American people and would devastate the public safety, educational and local service missions of public media stations – services that the American public values, trusts and relies on every day,' said Kate Riley, President and CEO of America's Public Television Stations, in a statement today. She said the move would disproportionately hurt Americans in rural communities and states 'without the critical services local public television stations provide from proven education resources to essential local connections.' The PBS networks includes 160 locally owned and operated stations. 'Federal funding for public media is irreplaceable and essential to local public media stations and the existence of the public media system as a whole.' 'There's nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress,' said PBS President Paula Kerger. 'We are proud to highlight real issues, individuals, and places that would otherwise be ignored by commercial media. We look forward to demonstrating our value to Congress, as we have over the last 50 years, to maintain our pledge to the American people to keep our organization, and service, strong and vital.' The one Capitol Hill hearing so far — late last month by a House DOGE subcommittee and called Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable — was ugly. Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), said it will be calling for 'the complete and total defund and dismantling of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.' DOGE is the Trump-created and Elon Musk-led cost and job slashing Department of Government Efficiency. Earlier this year, Trump-appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr announced he was opening an investigation into PBS and NPR over program sponsorships and made clear that he opposed federal funding of the outlets. In February, as have many federal and private companies, PBS shuttered its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office following President Trump's executive orders on DEI. Best of Deadline 'And Just Like That ...' Season 3: Everything We Know So Far Everything We Know About 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 5 So Far Everything We Know About Celine Song's 'Materialists' So Far
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brady Corbet's A24 Oscar Winner ‘The Brutalist' Sets Max Premiere Date
A24's post-WWII epic The Brutalist is set to make its streaming debut on Max on Friday, May 16, debuting on HBO linear on at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, May 17. The film hits streaming following a highly successful awards season culminating at the Oscars, where it won multiple awards, including Best Actor for lead Adrien Brody, Best Original Score for Daniel Blumberg and Best Cinematography for Lol Crawley. More from Deadline Brady Corbet Says 'The Brutalist' Made Him 'Zero Dollars' & Fellow Oscar-Nominated Directors 'Can't Pay Their Rent' David Cronenberg Thinks 'The Brutalist's AI Controversy Was A Smear Campaign: 'Just A Part Of Moviemaking' 'Harry Potter' TV Series Officially Casts John Lithgow, Nick Frost, Janet McTeer & Paapa Essiedu Among 6 Co-written and directed by Brady Corbet (Vox Lux), The Brutalist centers on László Toth (Brody), a visionary architect escaping post-war Europe, who arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet (Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce, also Oscar-nominated) recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost. Corbet wrote the script with wife and creative partner Mona Fastvold and produced alongside Trevor Matthews, Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, Andrew Lauren and D.J. Gugenheim. Pic's cast also includes Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé, and Alessandro Nivola. A24 acquired U.S. rights to The Brutalist in a competitive situation following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Corbet won the Silver Lion. The film was released in U.S. theaters last December and has proved to be Corbet's most commercially successful title at a worldwide gross exceeding $49 million. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media
