Bill Dailey, a beloved supporting actor from two shows from the 1960's and 1970's, passed away a few days ago. He was 91. I remember him in his roles as both Major Healy from the show "I Dream of Jeannie" and as airline navigator Howard Borden in "The Bob Newhart Show."
When a public figure passes, we hear of it, and think back to the things in our own minds or lives that trigger any sort of memory, feeling, recognition, etc. I find that I feel sad when I hear of one of these public figures passing. They came into my home nearly every day of my childhood. They made me laugh, perhaps even inspired me to retell their silliness to friends or at the dinner table.
What eventually happens is that as I follow my daydreams back to those childhood moments, I'm back in our play room in our house in Portola Valley. I'm feeling the rough loops of the budget indoor-outdoor carpet that I'm sure my father chose for that room because it was intended to hold up to a childhood of his daughters and their friends playing on it. I'm hearing the bursts of laughter from Alice, my childhood best friend who was often on the couch next to me after school, watching "I Dream of Jeannie." Alice, with her skinned knees (from crawling around on the carpet pretending she was a horse).
And, I see my entire family--Mummy, Daddy, Joanna, and myself-- curled up on the giant pouf that my parents found and bought in the late 1960s, watching "The Bob Newhart Show," laughter tumbling from each of us. I love these memories. Even in his passing, Bill Dailey and his contribution to our generational culture has made me smile; albeit a nostalgic, slightly sad smile.
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| I notice in this photo he appears to be wearing the US Army Corps of Engineers castle emblem pins on his lapels. Unlikely for an astronaut, but perhaps it's what the costumers could find. I know it pleases me. |
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