My Bologna Has a First Name - It's O-S-C-A-R

first, take a look at this classic commercial from 1973



my wife, lara, loves to watch the academy awards. i usually enjoy watching them, too, but for some reason, i wasn't very enthused about watching them this year. apparently, i wasn't alone. according to the latest nielsen ratings, sunday night's 80th Annual Academy Awards averaged only 29.16 million viewers...the lowest number for the awards since the modern ratings system was launched more than 30 years ago. (by comparison, last year's Oscar ceremonies averaged 40.17 million viewers.)

perhaps more and more folks share my conviction...they love movies but they have a growing disdain for hollywood.

anyway...we did watch this year's show. one of our favorite parts of the Oscar's is always the "in memoriam" segment, where they pay tribute to the actors and other prominent industry professionals who passed away in the last year. while this year's list included 98 movie industry people, bloggers have pointed out that Oscar left out several other noted actors in his list of the departed, including: Roy Scheider, Brad Renfro, Robert Goulet, Merv Griffin, Marcel Marceau, Tom Poston and Charles Nelson Reilly (source: imdb.com). a spokeswoman for the awards said that some actors died "too recently to be included". She added, "unfortunately we cannot include everyone."

let's see...Brad Renfro passed away too soon to be included? He died on january 15, yet Oscar found time to include Heath Ledger, who passed away on january 22. know what i say to that? BOLOGNA! nothing against Heath Ledger, mind you. i just think it's hypocritical to say that one celebrity died "too soon" to be included, then turn around and include another celebrity who died AFTER that celebrity.

but Oscar left at least one other person off his list.

he was veteran character actor, Charles Lane, who died at the age of 102 at his home in July. since Oscar omitted mr. lane from his list, i thought i'd include him on mine. don't remember him? according to the new york times, NO ONE appeared in more movies and mr. lane himself was said to be unsure of the exact total. In 1933 alone, he made 23 films, and from then through 1947 he appeared in at least 200 more. “When I get in the car, turn the switch and start home, I forget all about them,” he told the New York Times in 1947. during his heyday (and Hollywood’s), he would work from 9 to 5 at whatever studio he was booked for (he worked for many, if not all of them), then he would drive home to Pasadena, to his wife and two children.

Charles Gerstle Levison was born Jan. 26, 1905, in San Francisco and and was actually one of the last survivors of that city's famous 1906 earthquake. he changed his name to Lane at his agent's suggestion. he was one of the very first members of the screen actor's guild.

mr. lane’s wife, Ruth, whom he married in 1932, died in 2002. They were married for 70 years! That alone is worthy of a special tribute! You simply don't hear of that very often, ESPECIALLY in hollywood where most marriages are lucky to last 70 days! (Although, granted...not many people live to be 102).

starting in the 1950s, mr. lane also became a familiar presence on television. over the years, he made guest appearances on series like “Perry Mason,” “The Twilight Zone” and “The Munsters.” He had recurring roles on "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Bewitched", "Maverick" and as the penny-pinching railroad executive, Homer Bedloe, on “Petticoat Junction”. he was a frequent guest on “I Love Lucy” and appeared in one of that series’ most-watched episodes, the birth of Little Ricky, in 1953.

still can't picture him? maybe these will help.

Charles Lane around 1947

At age 100

some directors sought him out. he appeared in no fewer than nine films directed by Frank Capra, including "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", “You Can’t Take It With You” (which Mr. Lane said was his favorite role. Incidentally, "You Can't Take It With You" won the Oscar for best motion picture in 1938), and "It's a Wonderful Life" (one of my all-time favorites). It was his character who told Mr. Potter, "one of these days this bright young man is going to be asking George Bailey for a job."

despite his numerous roles, mr. lane never received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. instead of Oscars, golf trophies lined the shelves of his home.

on the occasion of mr. lane's 100th birthday, reporters noticed a framed letter from frank capra, who died in 1991. "I am sure that everyone in the theatrical world has someone that he can lean on and use as a crutch whenever stories and scenes threaten to fall apart," Capra wrote. "Well, Charlie, you've been my number one crutch."

i wrote a letter to mr. lane last year, but i'm sure he didn't frame it. i asked for his autograph on a christmas card from "it's a wonderful life". he was gracious enough to fill my request. here it is.

he also signed another card for our three girls. those momentos are now cherished possessions.

Just before his death he was working on a documentary on his long career entitled "You Know the Face".

appeared in more movies than anyone else? no star on the walk of fame? married to the same woman for 70 years? not one academy award nomination for one of the longest careers in the history of cinema? c'mon, Oscar...you simply "cannot include everyone?"

bologna!