Emmys Snub Jack Klugman and Larry Hagman for Cory Monteith
The Emmys will honor Cory Monteith but not Jack Klugman or Larry Hagman. Where in that sentence you said "Who?" will tell us how old you are.
The Emmys will honor Cory Monteith but not Jack Klugman or Larry Hagman. Where in that sentence you said “Who?” will tell us how old you are.
AP (“Actor deserves individual Emmy tribute, son says“):
The exclusion of Jack Klugman from an Emmy Awards tribute that includes Cory Monteith is an insult to the memory of the late TV veteran and three-time Emmy winner who starred in “The Odd Couple” and “Quincy M.E.,” Klugman’s son says.
“I think it’s criminal,” said Adam Klugman in an interview with The Associated Press. “My dad was at the inception of television and helped build it in the early days.”
Ceremony producers announced this week that five individual salutes would be included on Sunday night’s Emmy show in addition to the traditional “in memoriam” segment that groups together industry members who died in the past year.
Besides Monteith, the “Glee” star who died in July of a heroin and drug overdose, those to be honored include “The Sopranos” star James Gandolfini; Jean Stapleton of “All in the Family”; comedian and actor Jonathan Winters; and “Family Ties” producer Gary David Goldberg.
Monteith, who was 31 when he died, is by far the youngest of the group. All the others are Emmy winners, while he had yet to be nominated in his abbreviated career.
Emmy nominees who died last year and won’t be accorded separate tributes include Larry Hagman of “Dallas” and Charles Durning of “Evening Shade.”
Hagman, Durning and Klugman will be included in the group remembrance, an academy spokesman said Friday. The ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles airs at 8 p.m. EDT Sunday on CBS.
“It’s an insult and it really seems typical of this youth-centric culture that has an extremely short attention span and panders to only a very narrow demographic” of young adults, Adam Klugman said.
It seems obvious that both Klugman and Hagman, both of whom starred in two iconic television series in two different genres, are deserving of being honored individually. (Durning, too, was great but he’s less well known, was primarily a character rather than lead actor, and was mostly known for his work on the stage and big screen, not television.) Arguably, they’re more important figures than even Stepelton and Goldberg.
There’s really no “Emmy” case for including Monteith, of whom I had never heard before his sad, self-inflicted demise. I never saw and, if I live my life right, will never see an episode of “Glee.” But there’s a pretty strong “Emmys” case for including a guy who died, even if by his own volition, at the peak of his career and who appeals to a younger demographic than two guys who died at a ripe old age decades after their prime.
I’d personally pick Klugman and Hagman before Cory Monteith, but I’d hardly call it an outrage.
Not surprisingly, if you look on Wikipedia Adam Klugman’s career is as a campaign strategist.
To reflect his own thought, this is typical of the “any time I don’t get my way it’s an insult” political culture that has a hair-trigger temper and caters to a very narrow demographic of the perpetually outraged.
Born in ’58. Who cares?
@OzarkHillbilly: And yeah, for the record, I know who Klugman and Hagman are. So what? Will humanity be here in 10,000 years? I have my doubts.
Thank you Jonathan Winters. RIP
Look, if Archie Griffin can win 2 Heisman Trophys, and “Dances With Wolves” can win a Best Picture Oscar, why can’t the Emmys honor Cory Monteith for, essentially, nothing much except for dying young?
I don’t think it is right to honor someone who died of a drug overdose at an academy awards program when Larry Hagman and Charles Durning and Jack Klugman were all great actors of our time and didn’t do drugs. It is a shame that these three great actors are not going to be honored at the awards.
I have no real opinion about Monteith.
However, for an awards show dedicated to what is supposed to be the best about television to ignore two of the most iconic actors of that medium —- The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.E. for Klugman and Dallas and I Dream of Jeannie for Hagman — is simply idiotic and somewhat disrespectful.
@Doug Mataconis:
They aren’t ignoring them; they’re in the traditional “In Memoriam” segment. They’re just not being singled out.
@Stormy Dragon:
And some nobody who could not control his drug habit is being singled out.
Disgusting.
@Doug Mataconis: I’m just gonna guess you’re drunk commenting, because that’s a pretty harsh frigging statement. Here’s the deal: The people who grew up on I Dream of Jeannie and The Odd Couple are not watching the Emmys (they’re watching O’Reilly and bitching about how some gay guy’s hosting a show and destroying America). As a supposed libertarian, I would expect you to understand the basics of a company providing its customers with what they want.
@nitpicker:
Klugman and Hagman had talent and contributed that to some of the best that television had to offer. Cory Monteith was a nobody.
Two of those three deserve recognition outside of a “these people died this year” montage. One does not. How you answer that question says as much about a person’s recognition of quality as it does about the Emmy Award’s attempt to whore for ratings.
@Doug Mataconis:
We could just as easily argue Klugman and Hagan would still be here if they controlled their smoking habits. So I guess they deserve to die too.
@Doug Mataconis
I’m sorry. The Odd Couple and Dallas were “the best television had to offer”? Let’s get some perspective here. One has famous for a decent, but hardly ground breaking, sitcom and the other was famous for something that was pretty much the polar opposite of “the best television had to offer”. Other than your personal taste, I’m not sure why either is superior to Glee.
And in terms of special recognition, the person who died unexpectedly at the beginning of a promising career, and thus will never be available to be singled out again in the future, deserves it more than two people who died at the end of a long life, having already been singled out repeatedly for their work.
@ Doug
That’s a remarkably mean spirited comment. “Not being able to to control it” is the hallmark of addiction. Addicts suffer terribly, and they deserve some compassion – it’s a disease, not a character failure. As for Monteith, he was the star of a pretty good TV show, which made him something less of a “nobody” than Doug Mataconis. Doing song and dance well is actually pretty difficult.
I grew up watching Klugman & Hagman, and I enjoyed their work. That being said, it’s understandable that the Emmy broadcast, a commercial endeavor, would want to have some attractions for a younger demographic.
And, if you are seriously arguing that I dream of Jeannie and Dallas were better examples of quality television than Glee, it casts serious doubt on your taste in, well, anything.
I believe all three of these talented actors drank alcohol and smoked tobacco. Those are both powerful drugs that can do significant to fatal damage to the people that use them.
@Doug Mataconis:
Hagman was a notorious boozehound who had a transplant to replace a cirrhotic liver; he also loved MJ and LSD. Klugman lost a vocal cord because of heavy smoking. Durning might have been pure as the driven snow, but with a schnoz like his, I’d bet he saw the bottom of a bottle or two.
@Doug Mataconis: Of course they’re whoring for ratings—duh! In television, you can’t maximize your potential without whoring for ratings.
Now, post your next ‘get off my lawn” outrage whine and get it over with.
A little research shows that Klugman was a heavy smoker who continued to smoke in spite of a cancer diagnosis and subsequent cancer treatment that was initially successful. (in other words, he could not control his drug habit) Hagman was a heavy drinker right up to the time he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.
So, Klugman, Hagman, and Monteith all died as the result of drug use. Doug, a supposed libertarian, is having a hissy fit because Monteith died from using a drug the government tells him is bad, while Klugman and Hagman used drugs that Uncle Sam says are ok and collects taxes on. What a tool.
I’ve been clean and sober for 24 years. I am one of the lucky ones, unbroken, long term sobriety is not all that common, even among people that participate in twelve step programs. I’ve attended a lot of funerals for friends who lost their battle with addiction to drugs legal and not. I watched my dad, a successful attorney, die as a result of years of smoking.
I’ve learned from experience that every addict that is still suffering deserves compassion.
So you are telling the world that Monteith was a no-talent nobody, and that Glee sucks, based on having never seen the show. Jesus Doug, you are making Jenos and bithead look good tonight.
Enough of this, it’s bringing me down after catching a great show by Boz Scaggs in Oakland tonight.
I see that I was casting scorn at Doug for this, when it is actually James that said it. How does that definition of ignorance go? I thinks it’s “contempt prior to investigation.”
@anjin-san: Teen oriented musical comedy is not my cup of tea. But my post argues for that Klugman and Hagman deserve to be honored, not that Monteith doesn’t. Indeed, I try to explain why the people responsible for the Emmys would make the choice they did.
Jack Klugman and Larry Hagman were tv icons. Klugman was around forever. Hagman as “J.R” in “Dallas” dominated the coffee breaks and many a conversation through the ’80’s and into the ’90’s.
Few shows have impacted this country’s culture and media like that one, and without Hagman’s role, I doubt it would have happened. Both of these men were really good people.
@Doug Mataconis:
That “nobody” was far more accomplished than you.
Jack Klugman used his celebrity to influence congress to pass the Orphan drug act. He indirectly saved many lives.
I hired Klugman a couple of times, and despite his not-so-strong voice, he was a real pro and a pleasure to be around. I remember him coming up to me on the set one day and saying “This set is the nicest I’ve ever been on.* Everyone is so happy.” He took a perfect pause and said “If it were my show, that would change fast!” Then walked away chuckling.
*Not through my own genius as a showrunner, but through the personality of our star, who wanted his set to be his second home. Or first, actually, since his real home held the wife he spent most of his waking hours trying to avoid…
@ James Joyner
There is a bit more to Glee than ” Teen oriented musical comedy” – it is not simply another flavor of High School Musical. It’s widely regarded as “the gayest show on tv”, certainly gay/lesbian themes and characters are far more prevalent than in any other show I have seen, and they are handled extremely well. I could go on, but trust me, it’s a significant show with a lot of talented people in the cast. Does not mean it’s your cup of tea, but it would not hurt to watch it once or twice before dismissing it.
The point is no one will remember in 10 years who Monteith is but will still remember Hagman and Klugman.
45+ folks will always remember Hagman and Klugman. Today’s 13-25 crowd will certainly remember Monteith in a decade. Glee is significant well beyond simply being a popular TV show. I imagine that for the younger LGTB crowd, and for their peers that are sympathetic, it is as iconic as say, Star Trek was when I was a kid.
Statements like the above remind me why I have to work hard to avoid becoming a bitter, aging white person.
if i had a dollar for every awards show i watched in the last 20 yrs i’d have $0.00. that said i have way more respect for jack klugman and his career than some junkie d-bag who od’d without really contributing anything to society. just my $.02.
@ bill
You are overvaluing your opinion.
@anjin-san: Fair enough. I must confess that I don’t distinguish between “Glee” and “HSM” in my mind.
@Karen: “The point is no one will remember in 10 years who Monteith is but will still remember Hagman and Klugman. ”
I suspect there are many teenagers now who will have strong memories of Monteith ten years from now. Those who bonded with his character and now feel the loss. Glee is one of those shows that provoke a strong emotional, personal reaction in the fans who really love it — it touches them in a way that very few shows do. (And I say this as someone who doesn’t watch, doesn’t care for, and has no interest in the series.)
I’m not saying this is a justification for leaving out Klugman and Hagman — The Odd Couple numbers among the greatest sitcoms of all time and Dallas is one of TV’s biggest hits — but it seems foolish to write off this man and his fans simply because you’re not the right age or social group to have been touched by his work.
@ James Joyner
It’s worth checking out, with the caveat that the show was probably already past its prime before Monteith’s death.
@ wr
As this thread progressed, I read a few bios on Klugman, who I knew very little about aside from his work. He had a remarkable life. The Odd Couple really was an excellent show, and for me the occasional appearances of Pamelyn Ferdin, who I had a pre-teen crush on were icing on the cake.
I could care less how Monteith died. He wouldn’t be the first actor who overdosed to receive a tribute of some kind. The fact is his body of work doesn’t show that he deserves any sort of tribute. We all know this is only about pandering to a younger crowd that would end up turning the channel if they had to sit through tributes for tv shows that were done airing new episodes before they were even born. The shows Hagman starred in were nothing special but both of them were iconic at the time they aired(especially Dallas and the who shot JR arc). I would argue that Klugman’s work in the Odd Couple alone deserves a special tribute. It basically became the road map for every single sitcom about mismatched friends that followed. They could have easily given these two actors brief tributes because they deserve it. It’s completely disrespectful of their legacies.
I think it was inappropriate to snub veteran actors Larry Hagman and Jack Klugman. They were accomplished, innovative actors who laid the groundwork for many who came after them. They should be given a special tribute to acknowledge their lifetime achievements and you are underestimating the wisdom of your audience.
Hagman not being included considering many of us wanted to shoot J. R. like every single week is a travesty. He was that unlikeable and excellent in that role. Let’s not even get on the ratings it caused. I love Glee but Larry and Jack deserved it more.
I agree that it is an outrage!
Jack Klugman and Larry Hagman were wonderful actors who each were part of 2 iconic series ( Klugman…The Odd Couple and Quincy, and Hagman….I Dream of Genie and Dallas.) as well as many other TV and movie appearances, and will always be remembered for their contributions to the entertainment industry.
Monteith, as sad as his story is, does not deserve to be honored merely being in one TV series for a short time and for dying of a drug overdose.
ok i like Glee and Cory was nice and all… I think it was appropriate to remember him in the TCA and all that But i mean lets be realistic
it is NOT appropiate to not single out men that actually were a part of the EMMYS to Cory… not nothing against him … they couldve remembered him too but on a secondary section rather than taking the ”big” spot …. i mean even i agree with the son. IT WAS DISRESPECTFUL
This is like if Whitney Houston died and she wouldnt be remembered on the grammys right after her death and instead they would remember some other singer that never really won a grammy or made a huge contribution compared to hers… i mean dont get me wrong :/ i just agree with everyone else.. (without putting cory down)