text:
A Horse with No Name
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the 2010 film, see A Horse with No Name (film).
"A Horse with No Name"
Single by America
from the album America
B-side
"Everyone I Meet Is from California"
"Sandman"
Released
November 12, 1971
Format
7-inch single
Recorded
1971
Studio
Morgan Studios, London
Genre
Folk rock[1]
Length
4:08
Label
Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Dewey Bunnell
Producer(s)
Ian Samwell
America singles chronology
"A Horse with No Name"
(1971) "I Need You"
(1972)
Audio sample
file
help
"A Horse with No Name" is a song written by Dewey Bunnell, and originally recorded by the folk rock band America. It was the band's first and most successful single, released in late-1971 in Europe and early-1972 in the US, and topped the charts in several countries.[2] It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[3]
Contents
[hide]
1 Development
2 Composition
3 Reception
4 Personnel
5 In popular culture
5.1 Soundtrack appearances
5.2 Musical references
5.3 Other references to the song
6 Charts
7 References
8 External links
Development[edit]
America's self-titled debut album was released initially in Europe, without "A Horse with No Name," and achieved only moderate success. Originally called "Desert Song", "Horse" was written while the band was staying at the home studio of musician Arthur Brown, near Puddletown, Dorset.[4] The first two demos were recorded there, by Jeff Dexter and Dennis Elliott, and were intended to capture the feel of the hot, dry desert that had been depicted at the studio from a Salvador Dalí painting, and the strange horse that had ridden out of an M.C. Escher picture. Writer Dewey Bunnell also says he remembered his childhood travels through the Arizona and New Mexico desert when his family lived at Vandenberg Air Force Base.[5]
Trying to find a song that would be popular in both the United States and Europe, Warner Brothers was reluctant to release Beckley's "I Need You" ballad as the first single from America. The label asked the band if it had any other material, then arranged for America to record four more songs at Morgan Studios, Willesden in London.[6] "A Horse with No Name" was released as the featured song on a three-track single in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy and the Netherlands in late 1971. On the release "A Horse with No Name" shared the A-side with "Everyone I Meet Is from California"; "Sandman" featured on the B-side. However, its early-1972 two-track US release did not include "Sandman", with "Everyone I Meet Is from California" appearing on the B-side.
Composition[edit]
"A Horse with No Name" was recorded in the key of E Dorian with acoustic guitars, bass guitar, drum kit, and bongo drums. The only other chord is a D, fretted on the low E and G strings, second fret. A 12-string guitar plays an added F♯ (second fret, high E string) on the back beat of the Em. A noted feature of the song is the driving bass line with a hammer-hook in each chorus. A "waterfall"-type solo completes the arrangement. [7] Produced by Ian Samwell on the day of final recording at Morgan Studios, when at first the group thought it was too corny and took some convincing to actually play it. Gerry Beckley has explained in Acoustic Guitar magazine (March 2007) that the correct tuning for the guitar is D E D G B D, low to high. The chord pattern that repeats throughout the entire song is: 202002 (Em), then 020202 and 000202. [8] The tuning is unique to this song; they did not use it on any other America song.
Reception[edit]
Despite the song being banned by some U.S. radio stations because of supposed drug references to heroin use,[9] the song ascended to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and the album quickly reached platinum status. The song charted earlier in the Netherlands (reaching number 11) and the UK (reaching number 3, the band's only Top 40 hit in the country[10]) than it did in the United States. The interpretation of the song as a drug reference comes from the fact that the word "horse" is a common slang term for heroin.
The song's resemblance to some of Neil Young's work aroused some controversy. "I know that virtually everyone, on first hearing, assumed it was Neil", Bunnell says. "I never fully shied away from the fact that I was inspired by him. I think it's in the structure of the song as much as in the tone of his voice. It did hurt a little, because we got some pretty bad backlash. I've always attributed it more to people protecting their own heroes more than attacking me." By coincidence, it was "A Horse with No Name" that replaced Young's "Heart of Gold" at the number 1 spot on the U.S. pop chart.[11]
The song has received criticism for its banal, oddly phrased lyrics, including "The heat was hot"; "There were plants, and birds, and rocks, and things"; and "'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain."[12] Penn Jillette asked the band about their lyrics, "there were plants, and birds, and rocks, and things" after a show in Atlantic City, where America opened for Penn & Teller. According to Jillette, their explanation for the lyrics was that they were intoxicated with cannabis while writing it.[13] In a 2012 interview, Beckley disputed Jillette's story, saying, "I don't think Dew was stoned."[14]
Personnel[edit]
(Per back cover of 1972 vinyl issue of America.)
America
Dewey Bunnell – lead vocal, acoustic guitar
Gerry Beckley – 12-string acoustic guitar, backing vocal
Dan Peek – bass, backing vocal
Session musicians
Ray Cooper – percussion
Kim Haworth – drums
In popular culture[edit]
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
This section indiscriminately collects miscellaneous information. Please compress this material to remove any irrelevant or unimportant information. (May 2017)
Soundtrack appearances[edit]
The song was featured in Hideous Kinky, a British–French 1998 film, during a trip on the Moroccan desert. In 2008, it was used in a Kohls[15] TV commercial for Vera Wang.
It can also be heard in Season 2 of Millennium, in the episode "Owls". It can be heard on an episode of The Simpsons, "The Haw-Hawed Couple". In another episode, "A Star Is Born Again". Ned Flanders can be heard singing it, with alternative lyrics. The song is heard in the background of season 3 episode 16 of "Parks and Recreation". It was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the fictional classic rock radio station K-DST.
The song bookends the second episode of the third season of Breaking Bad, "Caballo sin Nombre" (Spanish for "Horse without Name"), where the song plays on a car radio as Walter White drives through the desert in the beginning,[16] before being pulled over for driving with a cracked windshield. At the end of the episode the song is sung by Walter in the shower. The song was also featured in the show Friends in Season 5, Episode 22, "The One With Joey's Big Break".[17]
The song is also featured in the movies The Devil's Daughter, The Trip, and Air America. The song is also featured on the soundtrack of the 2013 motion picture American Hustle directed by David O. Russell and 2016 movie The Nice Guys.
In 2014, the song was featured in an advertisement for the Toyota Auris Hybrid.
In the season 4 episode of BoJack Horseman "The Old Sugarman Place", the title character drives through the desert to Patrick Carney and Michelle Branch's interpretation of the song. This version also appears on the soundtrack album of the series.
Musical references[edit]
The song was one of many popular songs quoted and parodied on the album The Third Reich 'n Roll by The Residents.
The song "Face" by American rock band Aerosmith released in 2001 bears a strong resemblance towards "A Horse With No Name".
Michael Jackson's song "A Place with No Name" was released posthumously by TMZ as a 25-second snippet on July 16, 2009. The snippet closely resembles "A Horse with No Name". Jim Morey, both Jackson's and America's former band manager, has stated that "America was honored that Michael chose to do their song and they hope it becomes available for all Michael's fans to hear."[18] The song was remastered and released in its entirety along with the original Michael Jackson recording on Jackson's 2014 album, Xscape.
The manner in which American band Drive-by Truckers' song "The Fourth Night of My Drinking" begins, nods to "A Horse with No Name".
Other references to the song[edit]
The song was covered by a band in the bar Robin Williams' character hangs out at in the 1987 movie Good Morning Vietnam.
Also appeared in Air America from 1990.
Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things was the title of the 1993 debut album by The Loud Family, and was quoted by songwriter Scott Miller in the first track, "He Do the Police in Different Voices" ("Maybe plants and birds and rocks and things can justify my day").
It also appeared sung by members of a hippie group, "The People", in Series 3 of HBO's Six Feet Under, in the episode: "Tears, Bones and Desire" as the women make mops.
In the episode "Bill's Autobiography" on NewsRadio, Dave Foley's character was found singing the song on an audiotape on which he records his thoughts.
In 1999, the literary magazine Lamia Ink published a short play by American playwright Meron Langsner entitled The Name of the Horse, in which the problem of the horse's name is explored. The play is also included in a collection of parodies entitled The Sacred Cow Slaughterhouse published by Indie Theatre Now.
In The Simpsons episode "The Haw-Hawed Couple", Homer and Marge trick Bart and Lisa into thinking they're busy arguing so they can have their time alone. They accidentally throw a piece of clothing at the tape recorder and "A Horse With No Name" plays.
In computer game NetHack, when the player character dismounts an unnamed horse, the game issues the message "You've been through the dungeon on a horse with no name", or, when hallucinating, "It felt good to get out of the rain."[19]
In the October 7, 2015 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert, wearing a big and furry hat, proclaims that the titular horse's name is "Gary the horse".
In the Reno 911 season five episode "Junior Runs for Office", after consuming an entire pan of hashish brownies, Junior panics upon learning that "A Horse With No Name" is not available in the jukebox of the bar that they are in.
Charts[edit]
Chart (1972)
Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 2
Canada (RPM) 1
Finland (Finnish Singles Chart)[20] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 3
US Billboard Easy Listening 3
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 1
US Cash Box Singles Chart 1
US Record World Singles Chart 1
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "VH1’s 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
Jump up ^ "A Horse with No Name" USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
Jump up ^ RIAA. "RIAA Gold & Platinum Database". Retrieved September 25, 2008.
Jump up ^ http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2015/06/decadence-and-depravity-with-added-cheese/
Jump up ^ "Highway Highlight (from the box set booklet)". Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
Jump up ^ Rosen, Craig (September 30, 1996). The Billboard book of number one albums: the inside story behind pop music's blockbuster records. Billboard Books.
Jump up ^ Guitar Noise [1]
Jump up ^ Guitar Coach Mag [2]
Jump up ^ "Liner notes, Highway Highlight". Archived from the original on 15 June 2006. Retrieved June 11, 2006.
Jump up ^ "America singles charts history". Official Charts. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
Jump up ^ America biography at Billboard
Jump up ^ John Mendelsohn (1972). "Rolling Stone Review". Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2006.
Jump up ^ Jillette, Penn. (2012). Gilbert Gottfried Again! (Episode 14, 2012/05/21). Penn's Sunday School. Ace Broadcasting Network.
Jump up ^ "Q&A With America Singer Gerry Beckley". Patch.com. Dec 19, 2012.
Jump up ^ splendAd - Kohl's - Simply Vera Spring 2008 commercial
Jump up ^ AMCTV (2010). "Walt Gets Arrested". Archived from the original on 1 April 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
Jump up ^ IMDB (1999). "The One with Joey's Big Break". Retrieved November 10, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Place with No Name sounds like Horse with No Name". news.com.au. July 17, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ NetHack source code
Jump up ^ Billboard: 53. October 7, 1972. CS1 maint: Untitled periodical (link)
Jump up ^ Search for Irish peaks
Jump up ^ "America – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for America.
External links[edit]
Official America Homepage
Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Preceded by
"Heart Of Gold" by Neil Young Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
March 25, 1972 (three weeks) Succeeded by
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack
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Jonathan Harris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other people with the same name, see Jonathan Harris (disambiguation).
Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris, c. 1967
Born
Jonathan Daniel Charasuchin
(1914-11-06)November 6, 1914
The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
Died
November 3, 2002(2002-11-03) (aged 87)
Encino, California, U.S.
Cause of death
Cardiovascular disease
Resting place
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1938–2002
Spouse(s)
Gertrude Bregman (m. 1938; his death 2002)
Children
Richard (born 1942)
Jonathan Harris (born Jonathan Daniel Charasuchin; November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002) was an American character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the television version of The Third Man and the fussy villain Dr. Zachary Smith of the 1960s science fiction series Lost in Space. Near the end of his career, he provided voices for the animated features A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2.[1]
Contents
[hide]
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Stage
2.2 Early television career
2.3 Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space
2.4 Later career
2.4.1 Typecasting as a villain
2.4.2 Voice roles
2.5 Lost in Space reunion appearances
3 Death and posthumous tributes
4 Personal life
5 Filmography
5.1 Film
5.2 Television
5.3 Video games
6 Quotes
7 References
8 External links
Early life[edit]
The second of three children, Harris was born to a poor family on November 6, 1914, in the Bronx, New York City. His parents were Sam and Jennie Charasuchin, Russian Jewish immigrants who eked out a living in Manhattan's garment district.[2] His family resided in a six-tenant apartment complex. To raise money, his mother took in boarders, some of whom were given Jonathan's bed, relegating Jonathan to sleep on dining room chairs. From the age of 12, he worked as a pharmacy clerk.
While there was little money for luxuries, Jonathan's father took efforts to expand his son's cultural horizons. This included trips to the Yiddish Theatre, where he was encouraged by his father to listen to opera. Young Jonathan was enthralled. He discarded his Bronx accent and began to cultivate more sophisticated English tones. Although he could seldom afford tickets to them, Broadway plays were also an early interest. As a teenager, he also developed interests in archaeology, Latin, romantic poetry and Shakespeare.
In 1931, at age 16, he graduated from James Monroe High School, where his classmates included Estelle Reiner. He had difficulty fitting in with peers, with the exception of his girlfriend and future wife, Gertrude Bregman.
He legally changed his name from "Charasuchin" to "Harris" while still a teenager in 1932,[3] without informing his parents of the change.[citation needed] That same year, Harris's work at the pharmacy led him to attend nearby Fordham University. He graduated from Fordham in 1936 with a degree in pharmacology,[3] and, for a time, worked in various drugstores. He married in 1938.
Career[edit]
Stage[edit]
Acting was Harris's first love. At age 24, he prepared a fake résumé and tried out for a repertory company at the Millpond Playhouse in Long Island, New York and appeared in several of this troupe's plays,[3] prior to landing a spot in the company. In 1942, Harris won the leading role of a Polish officer in the Broadway play The Heart of a City. Adopting a Polish accent, he advised the producers that his parents were originally from Poland. In 1946, he starred in A Flag Is Born, opposite Quentin Reynolds and Marlon Brando.
Early television career[edit]
Harris was a popular character actor for 30 years on television, making his first guest appearance on an episode of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in 1949. The role led to other roles in such series as: The Web, Lights Out, Goodyear Television Playhouse, two episodes of Hallmark Hall of Fame, Armstrong Circle Theatre, 3 episodes of Studio One, Telephone Time, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Climax!, The Outlaws, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Rogues, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, and Zorro, among many others.
Harris returned to television, where he landed a co-starring role opposite Michael Rennie in The Third Man, from 1959-65. He played Bradford Webster, an eccentric, cowardly assistant. Half the episodes were shot in London, England; the rest were filmed in Hollywood. Harris's teenaged son would visit the set at this time, and Harris did whatever he could to bridge the gap between father and son and tried to make up for lost time.
Harris appeared in two 1961 episodes of The Twilight Zone, including a heroic role in "The Silence", in which he ended up defending a young man challenged to be silent for a whole year at a prestigious gentleman's club. Harris also portrayed Charles Dickens in a 1963 episode of Bonanza.
From 1963-65, Harris co-starred in the sitcom The Bill Dana Show. He played Mr. Phillips, the pompous manager of a posh hotel who is constantly at odds with his bumbling Bolivian bellhop, the Bill Dana character José Jiménez. A similar formula was later used in John Cleese's British hotel comedy Fawlty Towers.) Don Adams rounded out the cast as an inept house detective, a character whose distinctive mannerisms and catchphrases would soon carry over into his Maxwell Smart role on Get Smart. In similar fashion, several of Harris's tropes from the series, such as "Oh, the pain!", along with the character's mannerisms and delivery, became part of the Dr. Zachary Smith character on Lost in Space.
In an apparent homage to his earlier role, Harris played a similarly pompous diplomat on Get Smart in 1970. His female assistant was named Zachary. Harris also guest-starred on The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.
Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space[edit]
Harris as Doctor Smith, 1967
Harris was cast over two other actors for the role of Dr. Zachary Smith, the evil and conniving double agent on Lost in Space. The character did not appear in the original 1965 pilot episode for CBS, nor did The Robot. The series was already in production when Harris joined the cast, and starring/co-starring billing had already been contractually assigned. Harris successfully negotiated to receive "Special Guest Star" billing on every episode.
Bill Mumy said about Harris' role in his first episode, "It was actually implied that this villainous character that sabotaged the mission and ended up with us was going to be killed off after a while." Mumy added, "Jonathan played him as written, which was this really dark, straight-ahead villain."
Harris as "Zeno" in the Lost in Space episode "West of Mars," 1966
The series was successful upon its debut, and midway through the first season, Harris began to rewrite his own dialogue. Due to Harris's popularity on the show, Irwin Allen approved his changes and gave him carte blanche as a writer. According to Bill Mumy, Harris quickly moved to develop the character: "And we'd start working on a scene together, and he'd have a line, and then in the script I'd have my reply, and he'd say, 'No, no, no, dear boy. No, no, no. Before you say that, The Robot will say this, this, this, this, this, this, and this, and then, you'll deliver your line.'" Mumy also said of Harris' portrayal, "He truly, truly singlehandedly created the character of Dr. Zachary Smith that we know — this man we love to hate, coward who would cower behind the little boy, 'Oh, the pain! Save me, William!' That's all him!"
Harris subsequently stole the show, mainly via a seemingly never-ended series of alliterative insults directed toward The Robot, which soon worked their way into popular culture. Dr. Smith's best-known tropes included spitefully calling The Robot epithets such as "bubble-headed booby" and "clamoring clod".
One of Harris' co-stars, Mark Goddard, said of the series' eventual shift toward Harris' character, "I guess it was because they felt that the people wanted to see more of The Robot and Jonathan." Goddard believed that the series' creator, Irwin Allen, distanced the show from its original "more science fiction"-based concept: "Irwin can really do those things so beautifully. So he really took those away from himself when he wanted to deal with The Robot and Jonathan playing games, cooking soufflés, or whatever else."[4]
A strong bond developed between Harris, Mumy, and some of the rest of the cast during the series' three-year tenure. However, according to Mark Goddard:
There was a lot of tension on the set for the three years it was filmed. There was always a lot of tension, because the shows started going more toward The Robot and Smith. There were hard feelings from especially Guy and June, and also myself, but not as heavy as them, because they were originally sold as being the stars of the show when it began. It ended up that Harris became the star of the show ... I think there was a period for a couple of months when I was angry at Jonathan Harris, for the same reasons, feeling that he was getting too many shows thrown his way. But we talk today. I see him, and there's no animosity between us.[4]
When the series was renewed for its third and final season, it remained focused on Harris' character, Dr. Smith. While the series was still solidly placed in the middle of the ratings pack, the writers appeared to run out of fresh ideas, and the show was unexpectedly cancelled in 1968 after 83 episodes, despite protests from its fans.
Harris was succeeded in the role of Dr. Smith by Gary Oldman in the 1998 film version, who played the role as a more genuinely menacing and less likeable character than Harris's on television. For the 2018 reboot of Lost in Space as a Netflix original series, Parker Posey was cast as Dr. Zachary Smith, a female sociopath using a stolen identity to assume the role of the ship's psychologist.[5]
Later career[edit]
In the mid-1970s, Harris starred in live-action roles in two Saturday morning children's series, Space Academy and Uncle Croc's Block, and was a well-known TV spokesman for the International House of Pancakes. He made several cameo and guest appearances during this period, including two episodes of Bewitched, and Sanford and Son.
In a 1971 episode of Night Gallery, titled "Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay", Harris played Professor Nicholas Porteus, an expert on witchcraft.[6]
His last series guest-starring role was on an episode of Fantasy Island. He also starred as the character Fagan in the first episode of the science fiction series Ark II.
Harris taught drama and gave voice lessons to Chuck Norris, who acknowledged Harris with a credit in Good Guys Wear Black (1978).[7]
Typecasting as a villain[edit]
Harris as Mr. Piper in the Land of the Giants episode "Pay the Piper," 1970
Although he was considered something of a cult icon for the role of Dr. Smith, Harris became typecast as a fey and sometimes campy villain. For example, Irwin Allen cast Harris as a villainous "Pied Piper" in an episode of Land of the Giants. Approached by Allen a second time, to star in a children's series, Jumbalina and the Teeners, Harris turned it down.
In 1970, Harris played the role of another not-so-likeable villain, the Bulmanian Ambassador in the Get Smart episode "How Green Was My Valet". Harris was also a co-star, alongside Charles Nelson Reilly, in the series Uncle Croc's Block, in which Harris and Reilly portrayed malcontents producing a children's television show. Harris played the director and Reilly the titular host, Uncle Croc. In the cartoon Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, he played lackey and sycophant to the main villain.
Harris also provided the voice of the Cylon character Lucifer, an antagonist on the original 1978 ABC version of Battlestar Galactica.
Voice roles[edit]
Harris spent much of his later career as a voice actor, heard in television commercials as well as cartoons such as Channel Umptee-3, The Banana Splits, My Favorite Martian, Rainbow Brite, Darkwing Duck, Happily Ever After, Problem Child, Spider-Man, A Bug's Life, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Toy Story 2. He also did voiceover work in an episode of the animated Superman series.
In multiple episodes of the 1995–1997 cartoon series Freakazoid!, Harris reprised the cowardly Smith character and dialogue under the name "Professor Jones," uttering Smith's catchphrase "Oh, the pain!" Emphasizing the target of the parody, numerous characters would ask him, "Weren't you on a TV show with a robot?"
In 2001, a year prior to his death, he recorded voice work for the animated theatrical short The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas. The film, Harris's last work, was released posthumously in 2009.[8]
Lost in Space reunion appearances[edit]
In 1990, Harris reunited with the cast of Lost in Space in a filmed celebration of the 25th anniversary of the series' debut, at an event attended by more than 30,000 fans.[9] Harris made a number of other convention appearances with other cast members of Lost in Space, including a 1996 appearance at Disney World.
On June 14, 1995, Harris and other cast members appeared in The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen, a television tribute to Irwin Allen, the creator of Lost in Space, who had died in 1991.
Harris refused to make a cameo appearance in the 1998 motion picture version of Lost in Space, unlike many of his co-stars in the original series. He announced, "I've never played a bit part in my life and I'm not going to start now!" However, he did make promotional appearances for the film:
Harris reprised his role as Dr. Smith in the one-hour television special Lost in Space Forever,[10] and Harris and the rest of the surviving television cast appeared on the inside cover of an issue of TV Guide.
In April 1998, Harris appeared as a guest on the talk show Biography, on which Harris fondly reminisced about his Lost in Space days, admitting he would stay up nights thinking of new alliterative insults for The Robot ("bellicose bumpkin," "bubble-headed booby") because he enjoyed the interaction so much.
For an appearance by Harris, talk show host Conan O'Brien brought one of his characters, Pimp-Bot 5000 (a "robot pimp"), onto the set, and Harris went into character as Dr. Smith and proceeded to insult Pimp-Bot. Shying away from his usual dry, sarcastic, and often self-deprecating style, Conan confessed to Harris that he brought him on the show just to have him insult Pimp-Bot, and that the moment made his day.
In late 2002, Harris and the rest of the surviving cast of the television series were preparing to film an NBC two-hour movie titled Lost in Space: The Journey Home; however, the project was unable to proceed after Harris's death.[11][12]
Death and posthumous tributes[edit]
Two months before the reunion TV movie Lost in Space: The Journey Home was set to film, Harris was taken to the hospital with what he thought was a back problem. On November 3, 2002, Harris died of a blood clot to the heart. He was 87 years old, just three days shy of his 88th birthday.[3]
Harris was interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, in Westwood Village, in Los Angeles. His funeral eulogists included long time friends: director Arthur Hiller; former 20th Century Fox television executive and producer Kevin Burns; and fellow Lost in Space castmate Bill Mumy.
As a tribute to Harris, writer/director John Wardlaw wrote an additional scene for the film The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas, which included Harris's final performance before his death. Wardlaw asked Lost in Space co-stars Bill Mumy, Angela Cartwright, and Marta Kristen to contribute their voices to the film. The three actors reunited in the recording studio on June 14, 2006. "This was the first time they had all been together in something unrelated to Lost in Space and it was a blast. They listened to what Harris had recorded and there were laughs and some tears," Wardlaw stated.[8]
Personal life[edit]
Harris was married to his childhood sweetheart, Gertrude Bregman, from 1938 until his death in 2002. She died of natural causes, at age 93, on August 28, 2007. They had one child, Richard, born 1942.[3]
Throughout his life, Harris had a number of hobbies — gourmet cooking, watching movies, reading, traveling, painting, magic, playing piano (he played a piano teacher in a 1968 episode of Bewitched), listening to opera, spending time with children, gardening and knitting. He also did some dancing in his spare time.
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1952 Botany Bay Tom Oakley
1959 The Big Fisherman Lysias
1959 Catch Me If You Can
1985 Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer Count Blogg Voice role
1985 Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night Grumblebee Voice role
1990 Happily Ever After Sunflower Voice role
1998 A Bug's Life Manny Voice role
1999 Toy Story 2 Geri the Cleaner Voice role
2001 Hubert's Brain The Professor Short film
Voice role
2009 The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas The Bolt/Narrator Short film
Voice role
Posthumous release
Television[edit]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1949 The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre Episode: "His Name Is Jason
1959-1965 The Third Man Bradford Webster 72 episodes
1961 Outlaws Sam Twyfford Episode: "Outrage at Pawnee Band"
1963 The Lloyd Bridges Show Walter W. Pike Episode: "The Tyrees of Capitol Hill"
1963-1965 The Bill Dana Show Mr. Phillips, Mr. Harris, King Edward 40 episodes
1963 Bonanza Charles Dickens Episode: "A Passion for Justice"
1965-1968 Lost in Space Dr. Zachary Smith, Zeno, Daddy Smith 83 episodes
1978-1979 Battlestar Galactica Lucifer Uncredited
Voice role
9 episodes
1985 Challenge of the GoBots Professor Janus Voice role
Episode: "Terror in Atlantis"
1986 Rainbow Brite Count Blogg, Additional Voices Voice roles
3 episodes
1987 Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light Mortredd, Wizasquizar, Dark Bishop Voice roles
13 episodes
1988 BraveStarr Professor Moriarty Voice role
Episodes: "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century: Parts 1 & 2"
1989-1990 Paddington Bear Additional Voice Voice role
Episodes: "Please Look After This Bear" and "Paddington for Prime Minister"
1991 Darkwing Duck Phineas Sharp Voice role
Episode: "In Like Blunt"
1995-1997 Gargoyles Additional Voices Voice role
10 episodes
1996 The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper Omar Voice role
Episode: "Poil Jammed/The Who That I Am/A Picture Says a Thousand Words"
1996 Mighty Ducks Lord Gargan Voice role
Episode: "The Final Face Off"
1996-1997 Freakazoid! Professor Jones Voice role
4 episodes
1996 The Mask Satan / Bud / Bub Voice roles
Episodes: "Convention of Evil" and "Boogie With the Man"
1996 Quack Pack Professor Henry Villanova Voice role
Episode: "Transmission Impossible"
1997 Superman: The Animated Series Julian Frey Voice role
Episode: "Target"
1997 Extreme Ghostbusters The Salesman Voice role
Episode: "Be Careful What You Wish For"
1997 Spider-Man Miles Warren Voice role
Episodes: "The Return of Hydro-Man: Parts 1 & 2"
1997 Channel Umptee-3 Stickley Rickets Episode: "The U.F.O. Show"
1997 The Angry Beavers Julius Caesar Voice role
Episode: "Friends, Romans, Beavers!/Big Sticky Round Fish Thingy"
2000 Pokemon Camp Winston Andrews Episode: "Plants of Terror"
2000 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command Era Voice role
Episodes: "Tag Team" and "A Zoo Out There"
Video games[edit]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1998 A Bug's Life Manny Voice role
Quotes[edit]
On his characteristic Mid-Atlantic accent: "I'm not British, just affected."[13]
On receiving a guest-starring role for every episode of Lost in Space: "That was the first time ever in history that anybody got Special Guest Star. I started that whole nonsense."[14]
On the cancellation of Lost in Space: "When the curtain comes down, you're disappointed. Always, the curtain comes down. I've done so much work, and then the curtain comes down and you go on to something else."[13]
When his father finally arrived at the theatre to see his son: "He came to the dressing room, gave me a hug and a kiss and said, 'You belong here.' I never forgot it."[13]
On trying his hand on being a leading man of the 1940s: "I thought I was Cary Grant. Oh, I looked into the mirror, and said, 'Yes, Yes. It's Cary Grant'. And then, I pulled myself together and said, 'Are you kidding?' You're a character man."[13]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Jonathan Harris on IMDb.
Jump up ^ Aaker, Everett (2006). "Jonathan Harris". Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948–1959. McFarland. p. 252. ISBN 9780786424764 – via Google Books.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Pace, Eric (2002-11-05). "Jonathan Harris, 87, Dr. Smith in 60's TV Series Lost in Space". The New York Times. Jonathan Harris, a versatile character actor perhaps best known for his role as the villainous Dr. Smith in the science-fiction fantasy series Lost in Space on CBS television, died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 87 and lived in the Encino section of Los Angeles. He had been hospitalized for a back injury, but died of a blood clot...
^ Jump up to: a b Goddard, Mark (2008). To Space and Back: A Memoir. New York: Universe, Inc.
Jump up ^ Anderson, John (April 12, 2018). "Lost in Space Review: Re-entering the TV Atmosphere". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-04-17.
Jump up ^ "Night Gallery story "Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay" reviewed here". Written by David Juhl. 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
Jump up ^ "Good Guys Wear Black (Full Cast and Crew)". IMDb.
^ Jump up to: a b Herrera, Margaux (July 1, 2011). "The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas Director Talks Crude Humor and Working with the Late Jonathan Harris". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
Jump up ^ Lost in Space 25th Anniversary Tribute on IMDb.
Jump up ^ Lost in Space Forever on IMDb.
Jump up ^ "Lost in Space: The Journey Home – The TV Movie". Jupiter 2. 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-08-27.
Jump up ^ Kennedy, Paul (2005). "Lost in Space: The Journey Home". Kennedy's TV SF Guide. Archived from the original on 2005-04-08. CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
^ Jump up to: a b c d Harris, Jonathan. "Jonathan Harris Trivia & Quotes". TV.com.
Jump up ^ Harris, Jonathan. "Jonathan Harris Quotes". BrainyQuote.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jonathan Harris.
Jonathan Harris on IMDb
105050 Jonathan Harris at the Internet Broadway Database
Jonathan Harris at the TCM Movie Database
Jonathan Harris at AllMovie
Jonathan Harris at Find a Grave
The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas (official website) – final work by Harris
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
BNE: XX4946155
ISNI: 0000 0001 1602 761X
LCCN: n86140041
SNAC: w6rz14dq
VIAF: 18710385
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jonathan_Harris&oldid=843569920"
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