7/4 Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 February 4, 2006 'Grandpa Munster' Al Lewis Dies at 95 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 3:00 p.m. ET NEW YORK (AP) -- 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Dryden Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 My only chance to see Al Lewis in person was during the 2003 JJA Jazz Awards show. Both of us were to side of the stage and he was getting antsy about when he was going on. It was worth the wait. After Stanley Crouch bored the audience with a self-indulgent but hardly memorable drum solo, Lewis later reminisced about 52nd Street during the 1940s and mentioned "I remember Big Sid Catlett, now there was a real drummer!" to the groans and snickers of many of us. Rest in peace, Al Lewis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 ...very sad about Al but funny story about Stanley! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 'Grandpa Munster' Al Lewis Dies at 9 Film at 11? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 He had a full life. The Munsters is one of my all time favorites. A true comedy classic. R.I.P., Grandpa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 'Grandpa Munster' Al Lewis Dies at 9 Film at 11? hmm...didn't notice I fucked up until now. should be 95! Sorry about that Gandpa. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 Wouldn't he have preferred "9"? Funny that Fred Gwynne beat him to the punch... RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 CNN says he was 83! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeith Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 at 9? jeez he looked a lot older than that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 I'm proud to say that I was one of the 52,000 who voted for him for Governor of New York. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 CNN says he was 83! Well, lessee, let's look at "83"... 8x3=24 There are 2 factors in that equation, and 2x24=48 Now, 24+48=82, and 8+2=10 That's 4 equations so far, and 10x4=40 24+48+10+82+40=204, and 2+4+4+8+1+0+4+0 = 23 204-23=181 There's 2 different ages in question, and 181/2=90.5 Since 0 has no value, we can discard it and move the 5 over to fill the vacuum. That's nature's way. Therefore, 90.5 becomes 95, which we got from 83. If that's offensive, let's go back to 204-23=181. (20x4)-(-2x3)=86 And 181-86=95. Again, we get 95 from 83. Q.E.D. So yeah, he was 83. And 95. Same thing. Damn media don't explain nuthin' to ya' these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 (edited) I remember him as Leo Schnauzer on Car 54. As I recall, his wife Sylvia was played by Charlotte Ray. That was a very big show its first year. Yet it was cancelled after its second. I never understood why. It's possible that the scripts went downhill quickly. I was too young to pick up on such things. But a popular show usually can last more than a year after its scripts jump the shark. Witness Get Smart. edit for typo Edited February 5, 2006 by GA Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 I'm proud to say that I was one of the 52,000 who voted for him for Governor of New York. Same here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 .. edit for typo What years did that show run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 I remember him as Leo Schnauzer on Car 54. As I recall, his wife Sylvia was played by Charlotte Ray. That was a very big show its first year. Yet it was cancelled after its second. I never understood why. It's possible that the scripts went downhill quickly. I was too young to pick up on such things. But a popular show usually can last more than a year after its scripts jump the shark. Witness Get Smart. edit for typo That show had a very "urban" vibe, very "ethnic" supporting characters (including Nipsey Russell in a role w/o one bit of Tomming or other buffoonery). Maybe the network sensed "discomfort" from the heartland and cut it loose? I don't know, but I could see it happening... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 What years did that show run? http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/car54whereareyou.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 He had a full life. The Munsters is one of my all time favorites. A true comedy classic. R.I.P., Grandpa. Just watched a couple of episodes on the dvd set with the kids last night and hadn't realized he'd passed away -- the one where Herman tries to make some extra money for Eddie's college fund by going into the ring at night as the 'Masked Marvel' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 The AP changed their story: NEW YORK (AP) -- 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 82. The actor was widely reported to have been born in 1910, but his son Ted Lewis said Saturday that his father was born in 1923. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 .. edit for typo What years did that show run? Berrigan, as I recall it was on from Sept. '61 through August '63. Perhaps I have shifted the years back by one, but that's about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 John Szwed told me about running into him at a Jazz Journalists Association event a few years ago - he was a major jazz hipster - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 "I remember Big Sid Catlett, now there was a real drummer!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Twizzle Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 Here's an Al Lewis story from 1963BM (before Munsters) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted February 5, 2006 Report Share Posted February 5, 2006 They're already out there with the autographed pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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