Posted Jul 1st 2008 4:32PM by TMZ Staff
Comic book geeks -- you're gonna love this!
TMZ stumbled upon George Barris out in Hollywood last night. Barris is the guy who created the original Batmobile, as well the cars from "The Munsters," "The Green Hornet" and "The Beverly Hillbillies."
It's understandable how a Batman fan could be in awe of Mr. Barris -- though that doesn't explain why our photog told the cheesiest kids joke we've heard: "What does Batman do when he goes to the bathroom?"
Filed under: TV, Movies
Tags: Batmobile, George Barris, GeorgeBarris, The Beverly Hillbililes, The Green Hornet, The Munsters, TheBeverlyHillbililes, TheGreenHornet, TheMunsters
Posted Feb 5th 2006 11:01AM by TMZ Staff
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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.
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.
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Filed under: TV
Tags: Al Lewis, AlLewis, The Munsters, TheMunsters
