They Made it to 2017

Happy 2017!

As we meet the new year, it’s time for me to revisit my annual “They Made it to ____” post. This post is meant to recognize the careers of three entertainers who are still with us but, because of advanced age or the passage of time, are kind of forgotten. As I’ve said in the past, I think of it as a chance to think “I didn’t know s/he was still alive” before I read their obituary.

A lot of the names I’ve written about in previous years are still around.  Folks like Carol Channing (95), Hal Holbrook (91), Little Richard (84), and former “Lollipop Guild” member and oldest living “Munchkin” Jerry Maren (96) deserve some mention here.

There are also quite a few noteworthy stars who are making it to their 80s and 90s and also still maintaining some presence through media, social media, or even their continuing work.  Betty White (who turns 95 later this month) probably tops the list . Carl Reiner (94), Dick Van Dyke (91), Jerry Lewis (91),  Max Von Sydow (87), and Bob Newhart (87) come to mind. When screen legend Kirk Douglas passed the century mark last month it was also well represented in the news.

So, let me spotlight three Hollywood stars (or “former” stars) who you might be surprised to know are still with us.

Olivia de Havilland (100)
I’ve written about Olivia de Havilland in previous years but I feel she still too big and too applicable to my goal here not to include yet again. Simply put, she just might be the oldest bonafide “star.” de Havilland is one of the stars of the legendary film Gone With the Wind (1939). She won two Oscars for Best Actress–for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949)–and starred in such classics as Captain Blood (1935) (with Errol Flynn, whom she starred with eight times), Santa Fe Trail (1940), and the campy disaster classic Airport ’77 (1977). She was even best friends with Betty Davis! When she turned 100 last summer there wasn’t much mention of her, I suspect because her stardom is such a distant memory to the present generation. Heres to hoping she makes it to 101.

Henry Silva (88)
Noted character actor Henry Silva is still with us. One of Danny Ocean’s original eleven in the Sinatra-led classic Ocean’s 11 (1960), Silva actually began his Hollywood career as an unbilled player in the Viva Zapata! (1952) before gaining admission into the legendary Actor’s Studio. He was in classics like The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Cinderfella (1960) before leaving the U.S. to start in a slew of “international” films. In addition to television, he also played a tough guy in a lot of movies in the 80s and 90s, including Dick Tracy (1990) and Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai (1999). Silva will turn 89 in September.

Doris Day (92)
Singer, actress, and and animal activist Doris Day is 92. [There is some dispute about her birth year. While Day “officially” lists her year of birth to be 1924, a birth record for her has been found listing her year of birth as 1922. The reclusive Day has done nothing to clarify the situation. Of course, it would have been common for stars in her time to lie about her age for the purposes of advertising. Her studio might have committed to a later birth at some early point to make her younger than she was.] Doris Day was a multifaceted talent who was also one of the biggest box-office draws in cinematic history. She acted alongside legends like Carey Grant and Rock Hudson and graced the screen in films like Pillow Talk (1959), Send Me No Flowers (1964), The Thrill of it All (1963), and Teacher’s Pet (1958). Her last film was in 1968. Though I’m not sure she ever “officially” retired, she did in fact do so, at least from Hollywood. She started her animal activism in the early 70s and has been a notable figure in that movement since.  Because of her reclusiveness, I’m not sure many folks know she’s still around. Day will turn 93 (or 95) later this spring.

Here’s to a healthy 2017 for us all!