I am in the throws of a heartfelt crush with Jack Klugman. My what a fine actor. What a great smile. What a lifespan! Jack Klugman is still with us at the ripe age of 89. And he has worked with everyone from Henry Fonda to Frank Sinatra to to Jack Lemmon to his dear old friend Tony Randall. I admire Klugman for many reasons. One of them being the fact that he always stands up for himself. If he didn't like how things were going, he'd always try to change them. He'd even boycott episodes of his own TV show just to protest what he didn't think was right. He isn't just an actor in the regular sense of the word. He is talented in writing, improvising and directing. Klugman got into acting when he got in trouble for some gambling debts. For fear of being severely punished, he left Philadelphia and moved to New York City. He learned the trade and started acting in theater, in movies and on TV. He's best known for his work on the popular 70s TV shows The Odd Couple and Quincy M.E. He was also in films such as Days of Wine and Roses (1962), 12 Angry Men (1957) and The Detective (1968). He became really close friends with Tony Randall and they stayed friends until Randall passed away in 2004. Klugman survived really aggressive throat cancer from years of smoking cigarettes and cigars. He lost most of his vocal chords and learned how to talk using with what little was left of them. Klugman is a great sports enthusiasts and has an affinity for horse racing and baseball.
Why do I heart Jack Klugman so much? Maybe it's his smile. His charm. His scratchy voice. I am always so excited when I get to watch Klugman on screen in a episode or move I have never seen. I'm devoting a week to Klugman. It's all Klugman all the time. What a great week it will be!
