After losing Robert Hegyes (Juan Epstein) on January 26 at the age of 60, Ron Palillo (Arnold Horshack) of Welcome Back, Kotter is now gone too. He was 63.

What you might not have known is that Ron had recently returned to school himself, and was an acting teacher at the famed charter school in West Palm Beach, the G Star High School. He moved to Florida from New York three years ago. His classes were to resume there next week.

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We've all got our favorite parts, lines and memories of the classic film. A couple memories of mine
are that I'd read the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a kid in the late sixites. It was one
of my Book-of-the-month Club selections. So the movie really meant something when it came out. The
other is that Denise Nickerson (Violet) went to Rhodes School in Manhattan with my brother and I in
1971. Russell dated her.

But what probably connects most for me is that I've also been lucky enough to live, work and play in a world of pure imagination; a rare and blessed gift.

Thanks Mel, for translating Roald Dahl's wondrous story into a film that shows innocence, honesty and
a pure heart do matter.

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He composed and arranged the music of our lives. Here's an ABC News retrospect on the man and his music.

Thank you, Marvin Hamlisch, for helping define the way we were.

Frank Pierson, who won the Academy Award in 1976 for his screenplay of Dog Day Afternoon, died yesterday at 87.

Whether we ever meet, I'll always feel a connection with Al Pacino. Same high school, same early training and drama teachers. Of course the similarity ends there. He's beyond famous and I'm decidedly not.

But of all his roles and films, Dog Day Afternoon has always been my favorite. So natural. So raw. So 70's. And yes, that is my bag, baby. One of our other teachers at P.A., Sandra Kazan, also appeared in it, as one of the hostages.

Frank Pierson wrote his brilliant screenplay based on an article in Life Magazine, "The Boys In The Bank" by P.F. Kluge, which told the story of a robbery at a Chase Manhattan Bank in Brooklyn on August 22, 1972. It was nominated for six Academy Awards and seven Golden Globe awards, with Frank Pierson winning the only one.

Frank Pierson served as the president of the Writers Guild of America, taught at the Sundance Institute, was an adjunct professor at USC's film school, and was the artistic director of the American Film Institute.

Rest in peace, Frank Pierson.

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I've always waxed nostalgic. And though I'm not a history buff there are historical events that profoundly sadden my heart. The accidental burning of the library at Alexandria. The closing of Steeplechase Park. The day the music died and manufactured teen idols came to represent talent.

So for me, this is a significantly worthy post.

One of the world's largest, most culturally important film archives is working toward digitizing over 100,000 film clips for free online viewing on YouTube.

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William Asher wrote and directed some of the most groundbreaking TV sitcoms, such as I Love Lucy, Bewitched, Gidget and Our Miss Brooks. He was also married to Elizabeth Montgomery and won the Best Director emmy for Bewitched in 1966.

Read the comments to discover many interesting things about Mr. Asher, including how he came up with the idea for Bewitched.

Rest in Peace, William

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Richard Zanuck died today at his home in Los Angeles of a heart attack.

He was the Producer of a vast string of hugely successful films, including: The French Connection, Patton, The Sound of Music, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Driving Miss Daisy, Jaws, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice In Wonderland, the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, and most recently Dark Shadows.

His work is to be admired, respected and studied, along with his passion, commitment and involvement as a producer. To wit:

"I think there's been a devaluation of the concept," he told Variety. "Maybe too many people have used the term 'producer' when they weren't qualified. That's what the Producers Guild has been fighting for years. I was the chairman of the producers' branch of the Academy for about 10 years, and we were constantly trying to find ways to prevent this proliferation of credits. A producer should contribute from the very beginning until the very end, in all aspects. I'm there at the set every day, on every shot. Not that the director, particularly Tim (Burton), needs me, but just in case. There are producers who don't even watch the dailies, who have some contact with the project and get their name slapped on there. That's what we've been trying to get rid of."

Rest in Peace Richard.

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Though well known for his legal drama, Matlock, Andy Griffith will always be endearingly connected with the show that touched a generation with pure, simple family values.

Through 8 seasons and 249 episodes, The Andy Griffith Show serves as a great cinematic reference. It shows how powerfully you can connect with an audience in black and white, using just one camera.

Sheriff Taylor joins most of the cast who've now passed. Surviving cast members of The Andy Griffith Show are:

Ron Howard (Opie Taylor), Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou), Elinor Donahue (Ellie Walker), Ken Berry (Sam Jones) and Jack Burns (Warren Ferguson, Barney's replacement).

Here's an interview Matt Lauer had with Don Knotts & Andy Griffith on The Today Show, March 4, 1996.