Big Small Screen Presence

 

Tim O'Connor (1927-2018) was an American character actor known for his steady work in television until the 1990s. By far, O'Connor's 416 appearances as Elliot Carson on Peyton Place were his most appearances on a single show. Another well-known role was playing Dr. Elias Huer in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Other recurring roles were on Barnaby Jones, Dynasty, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon and six episodes of The F.B.I. O'Connor's voice and physical presence allowed him to specialize in playing various officials, physicians, military men, and police officers. Like one of his peers, David Janssen, O'Connor made a bigger impact on the small screen than in films. O'Connor's film appearances were sparse. A few include The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972), Across 110th Street (1972), Sssssss (1973), and The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991). His last performance was in the film, Dreams Awake (2011) where he reunited with Erin Gray from their Buck Rogers series.

A Noted Television Composer

 

Patrick Williams (1939-2018) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor who worked in many genres of music for film and television. The Missouri-born Williams grew up in Connecticut and received a degree in history from Duke University. However, music being his first passion, he went on to Columbia University to study music composition and conducting, making a career of just that. His music accompanied episodes of Columbo, every season of Lou Grant, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and Monk among many others. He wrote a great theme with trumpet lead for the Bill Bixby's series, The Magician, and the funk-soul theme to Quinn Martin's The Streets of San Francisco with an unheard of twenty seconds of intro music before the melody and title voice-over begins. With all the extra commercials today, a full theme can be all of twenty seconds long.

An American King

Wright King (Thomas Wright Thornburg King 1923-2018) was an American stage, film and television actor with a career spanning nearly thirty years. His lengthy career placed him in stage productions on both sides of the Atlantic as well as a prolific supporting actor on numerous television series. After serving in the Navy in WW2, he continued his studies in New York at the Actors Studio and the American Theatre Wing. He garnered critical acclaim in the original Broadway production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1947-49). He was quite visible in his one-season role on “Wanted Dead or Alive” (above) and co-starred in two classic “The Twilight Zone” episodes, "Shadow Play" (1961) and “Of Late I Think of Cliffordville” (1963). He was “unseen” in the original “Planet of the Apes” as the chimpanzee veterinarian, Dr. Galen. 

Small Town of The Seas

 

As of 2018, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ship, the Symphony of the Seas, is the world’s largest cruise ship. Not only is it the biggest, but with 18 decks, it provides unparalleled amenities for accomodating up to 6,680 guests. The facilities include a water park with a full-sized water slide known as Ultimate Abyss and a 43-foot tall rock climbing wall and an onboard auditorium that can host 1,400 guests. The ship is 1,184 feet long and at 228,081 gross tonnages, it is roughly four times that of the Titanic and longer than any ship barring oil tankers. The homeport is Miami and she cruises the Caribbean. Equipped with the latest azipod main engines, the ship consumes 25% less fuel than other comparable size vessels, outside the US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.