TVSquad

This is always the most depressing end-of-year list -- the TV people (in front of and behind the camera) who died during the past year. This is a big list, but if we forgot anyone, let us know in the comments (and check out the obituary category for more).

• Tim Russert
• Majel Barrett Roddenberry
• Bernie Mac
• George Carlin
• Estelle Getty
• Jack Narz
• Tony Snow
• Nina Foch
• Beverly Garland
• Bill Melendez
• Jeff MacKay
• Julius Carry
• George Furth
• Bernie Brillstein

Here's an interesting little film short that I saw on Turner Classic Movies earlier this week. It features Dan Rowan and the recently departed Dick Martin, stars of the 60s psychedelic sketch comedy Laugh-In, promoting the sale of the new U.S. Savings Bonds called Freedom Shares, which were introduced back around 1967. If you were an avid fan of the NBC comedy you would recognize the back-and-forth between these two -- Rowan was the straight man to funny man Martin -- as they discussed the benefits of these bonds to the movie-going public.

The video is after the jump.

Dick Martin was the "Martin" in the comedy duo Rowan & Martin, who hosted the incredibly popular 1960s/early '70s comedy sketch show on NBC, Laugh-In. Dan Rowan, who died in 1987, was the straight man (that's Rowan on the left in the pic).

Martin also appeared in several other TV shows over the years, including Third Rock From The Sun, The Lucy Show, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Coach, Blossom, Dave's World, Baywatch, The Nanny, Diagnosis: Murder, George & Leo, The John Larroquette Show, and Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place. He was also in the movies The Maltese Bibby, Carbon Copy, and The Glass Bottom Boat.

Besides acting, Martin was a director as well, helming such shows as The Bob Newhart Show, Family Ties, Archie Bunker's Place, Mama's Family, In The Heat of the Night, Newhart, and Sledge Hammer.

Martin died of respiratory complications in Santa Monica last night. He was 86.