Susan Buckner, the actress and dancer best known for her turn as the bubbly and often-teased Rydell High cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 blockbuster musical Grease, has died. She was 72.
She died Thursday in Miami, family spokesperson Melissa Berthier announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Buckner portrayed Hollywood bad girl Jean Harlow alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the 1977 CBS telefilm The Amazing Howard Hughes and was one of the dancers/synchronized swimmers known as the Kroffettes on The Brady Bunch Hour (the 1976-77 ABC variety show was created by Sid and Marty Krofft). She also starred opposite Sharon Stone in Wes Craven’s Deadly Blessing (1981).
In Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser at Paramount, Buckner’s Patty convinces Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy Olsson, a new student, to try out for the cheerleading squad. She often is the butt of jokes from the Pink Ladies and T-Birds and called the “bad...
She died Thursday in Miami, family spokesperson Melissa Berthier announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Buckner portrayed Hollywood bad girl Jean Harlow alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the 1977 CBS telefilm The Amazing Howard Hughes and was one of the dancers/synchronized swimmers known as the Kroffettes on The Brady Bunch Hour (the 1976-77 ABC variety show was created by Sid and Marty Krofft). She also starred opposite Sharon Stone in Wes Craven’s Deadly Blessing (1981).
In Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser at Paramount, Buckner’s Patty convinces Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy Olsson, a new student, to try out for the cheerleading squad. She often is the butt of jokes from the Pink Ladies and T-Birds and called the “bad...
- 5/7/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Susan Buckner, an American actor best known for her role as Patty Simcox in the 1978 musical “Grease,” died May 2. She was 72. Her death was confirmed by her publicist.
At the age of 25, Buckner was cast in the role of the Rydell High cheerleader, joining a cast that included John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. As Simcox, Buckner played a solider of school spirit, with an iconic cheer cemented into fans’ minds: “Do the splits, give a yell! Show a little spirit for old Rydell! Way to go, red and white! Go Rydell, fight, fight, fight!”
Buckner continued working as an actor with guest credits across several television shows, including “The Love Boat,” “B.J and the Bear” and “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.” She co-starred in the ABC series “When the Whistle Blows.” Among other notable feature credits, Buckner appeared in Wes Craven’s 1981 horror film “Deadly Blessing” opposite Sharon Stone, as...
At the age of 25, Buckner was cast in the role of the Rydell High cheerleader, joining a cast that included John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. As Simcox, Buckner played a solider of school spirit, with an iconic cheer cemented into fans’ minds: “Do the splits, give a yell! Show a little spirit for old Rydell! Way to go, red and white! Go Rydell, fight, fight, fight!”
Buckner continued working as an actor with guest credits across several television shows, including “The Love Boat,” “B.J and the Bear” and “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.” She co-starred in the ABC series “When the Whistle Blows.” Among other notable feature credits, Buckner appeared in Wes Craven’s 1981 horror film “Deadly Blessing” opposite Sharon Stone, as...
- 5/7/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
Susan Buckner, best known to moviegoers as Grease‘s bubbly cheerleader Patty Simcox, died peacefully surrounded by loved ones in Miami on May 2.
Her death was announced by family.
Buckner’s Grease character was the Rydell High cheerleading pal of Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy. The 1978 film also starred John Travolta and Stockard Channing.
Born on January 28, 1952, in Seattle, Washington, Buckner was crowned Miss Washington in 1971 and represented the state in the Miss America pageant the following year. Soon after, she became one of The Dean Martin Show’s Golddiggers dancers, and that led her to become part of the all-girl group Fantasy and the musical duo Buckner and Pratt.
She also appeared on such variety shows as The Mac Davis Show, Sonny and Cher and, as a dancer and synchronized swimmer, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
In 1977, she landed her signature role of perky Patty Simcox, Grease‘s embodiment of pep and school spirit.
Her death was announced by family.
Buckner’s Grease character was the Rydell High cheerleading pal of Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy. The 1978 film also starred John Travolta and Stockard Channing.
Born on January 28, 1952, in Seattle, Washington, Buckner was crowned Miss Washington in 1971 and represented the state in the Miss America pageant the following year. Soon after, she became one of The Dean Martin Show’s Golddiggers dancers, and that led her to become part of the all-girl group Fantasy and the musical duo Buckner and Pratt.
She also appeared on such variety shows as The Mac Davis Show, Sonny and Cher and, as a dancer and synchronized swimmer, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
In 1977, she landed her signature role of perky Patty Simcox, Grease‘s embodiment of pep and school spirit.
- 5/7/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
One cannot understate the strange cultural dominance Hugh Wilson's 1984 comedy "Police Academy" held over the pop zeitgeist throughout the 1980s. Clearly a child of "Animal House," "Police Academy" was a traditional snobs-vs.-slobs comedy that pitted winking wiseacres against their stern commanding officers at a police school in an unnamed city. I've long had a theory that the "Police Academy" movies take place in Metropolis, the city where Superman lives. With Superman taking care of major crimes, the local police force would likely become complacent, unused to enforcing the law.
None of the "Police Academy" movies were well-reviewed, recognized by critics as crass, dumb, and low-brow. This is a series that banks on misogyny, offensive stereotypes, and a lot of crotch/sex humor. There is no wit to the "Police Academy" movies. Roger Ebert famously gave the first film zero stars, citing merely how dreadfully unfunny and uninspired it is.
None of the "Police Academy" movies were well-reviewed, recognized by critics as crass, dumb, and low-brow. This is a series that banks on misogyny, offensive stereotypes, and a lot of crotch/sex humor. There is no wit to the "Police Academy" movies. Roger Ebert famously gave the first film zero stars, citing merely how dreadfully unfunny and uninspired it is.
- 2/10/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The late 20th century was a wild time to be a kid immersed in the world of pop culture. It was the period that produced Jessica Rabbit, a cartoon character you felt embarrassed to watch with your parents, and a time when stores regularly stocked movie tie-in toys linked to “kid-friendly” fare like Aliens and Terminator 2.
It seemed like nothing was off the table and that was certainly the case in the world of cartoons. Eager to cash in on the appeal of cinematic properties in a way that would give even the MCU pause for thought, a glut of animated shows inspired by movies featuring torture, nudity, beheadings, and buckets of toxic waste found their way onto the small screen. In most cases, the cartoons spawned rarely stuck around for long, but today they stand as examples of a weird and wonderful chapter in the history of small screen entertainment.
It seemed like nothing was off the table and that was certainly the case in the world of cartoons. Eager to cash in on the appeal of cinematic properties in a way that would give even the MCU pause for thought, a glut of animated shows inspired by movies featuring torture, nudity, beheadings, and buckets of toxic waste found their way onto the small screen. In most cases, the cartoons spawned rarely stuck around for long, but today they stand as examples of a weird and wonderful chapter in the history of small screen entertainment.
- 11/30/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
George R. Robertson, the Canadian actor who portrayed the police chief and later police commissioner Henry Hurst in the first six Police Academy films, has died. He was 89.
Robertson died Sunday at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, his family announced.
Robertson also showed up in small roles in three films that were nominated for the best picture Oscar — Airport (1970), Norma Rae (1979) and JFK (1991) — and portrayed vice president Dick Cheney in the 2006 ABC miniseries The Path to 9/11.
Robertson appeared as Hurst in 1994 in the first Police Academy movie, directed by Hugh Wilson, and stuck around through Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989). His character grows more tolerant of the wacky recruits led by Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) as the franchise moves along.
The actor did not make the trip to Moscow for the 1994 installment but was on one episode of the 1997-98 Police Academy series at CTV.
George Ross Robertson...
Robertson died Sunday at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, his family announced.
Robertson also showed up in small roles in three films that were nominated for the best picture Oscar — Airport (1970), Norma Rae (1979) and JFK (1991) — and portrayed vice president Dick Cheney in the 2006 ABC miniseries The Path to 9/11.
Robertson appeared as Hurst in 1994 in the first Police Academy movie, directed by Hugh Wilson, and stuck around through Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989). His character grows more tolerant of the wacky recruits led by Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) as the franchise moves along.
The actor did not make the trip to Moscow for the 1994 installment but was on one episode of the 1997-98 Police Academy series at CTV.
George Ross Robertson...
- 2/3/2023
- by Mike Barnes and Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marion Ramsey, an actress best known for her portrayal of Officer Laverne Hooks in the Police Academy franchise, has died. She was 73.
Ramsey died early Thursday morning in her Los Angeles home, her management team at Roger Paul Inc. confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death was not provided.
Born in Philadelphia on May 10, 1947, Ramsey appeared on The Jeffersons in 1976 and later was a regular on Bill Cosby’s sketch show, Cos. She played Hooks in the Police Academy franchise through Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989). Her other screen work includes a role on SyFy’s ...
Ramsey died early Thursday morning in her Los Angeles home, her management team at Roger Paul Inc. confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death was not provided.
Born in Philadelphia on May 10, 1947, Ramsey appeared on The Jeffersons in 1976 and later was a regular on Bill Cosby’s sketch show, Cos. She played Hooks in the Police Academy franchise through Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989). Her other screen work includes a role on SyFy’s ...
Marion Ramsey, an actress best known for her portrayal of Officer Laverne Hooks in the Police Academy franchise, has died. She was 73.
Ramsey died early Thursday morning in her Los Angeles home, her management team at Roger Paul Inc. confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death was not provided.
Born in Philadelphia on May 10, 1947, Ramsey appeared on The Jeffersons in 1976 and later was a regular on Bill Cosby’s sketch show, Cos. She played Hooks in the Police Academy franchise through Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989). Her other screen work includes a role on SyFy’s ...
Ramsey died early Thursday morning in her Los Angeles home, her management team at Roger Paul Inc. confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death was not provided.
Born in Philadelphia on May 10, 1947, Ramsey appeared on The Jeffersons in 1976 and later was a regular on Bill Cosby’s sketch show, Cos. She played Hooks in the Police Academy franchise through Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989). Her other screen work includes a role on SyFy’s ...
Netflix giveth and Netflix taketh away. Everyone who uses streaming services will know that as rights deals expire, movies come and go from various platforms. However, May looks to be an especially tough month for Netflix, with a lot of amazing films departing. This includes classics like Goodfellas, The Dirty Dozen, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Blade Runner: The Final Cut.
But surely the most missed will be Frank Darabont’s beloved The Shawshank Redemption. The pic is comfortably at the top of the IMDb Top 250 and its story of being confined and dreaming of escape has to appeal to viewers stuck inside due to Coronavirus lockdown.
Here’s the full list of what’s leaving:
A Cinderella Story (2004)
A Little Princess (1995)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
American Experience: The Circus (2018)
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)
Boys Over Flowers (TV Series)
Crash (2004)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Driving Miss Daisy...
But surely the most missed will be Frank Darabont’s beloved The Shawshank Redemption. The pic is comfortably at the top of the IMDb Top 250 and its story of being confined and dreaming of escape has to appeal to viewers stuck inside due to Coronavirus lockdown.
Here’s the full list of what’s leaving:
A Cinderella Story (2004)
A Little Princess (1995)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
American Experience: The Circus (2018)
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)
Boys Over Flowers (TV Series)
Crash (2004)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Driving Miss Daisy...
- 4/13/2020
- by David James
- We Got This Covered
One of the most successful comedy franchises of the 1980s-90s — Police Academy — is, according to actor Steve Guttenberg, ready to make a comeback. Launched in 1984, the original was an admittedly dopey series of films that spanned 10 years and seven adventures. The premise was a simple one: a newly-elected mayor passes a law that the police department must accept all willing recruits. The result? The motliest group of cops you've ever seen, one more dysfunctional than the next. The only true voice of sanity there was Steve's Cary Mahoney, who, over the course of the series, found himself promoted from cadet to officer and, finally, sergeant. Well, according to a recent Twitter posting, we've got a new entry coming. When fan Adam Hirschovitz wrote to him, "Please tell me you're making a new Police Academy film," Steve tweeted back, "Adam, the next Police Academy is coming, no details yet, but...
- 9/4/2018
- by Ed Gross
- Closer Weekly
Another print icon bites the dust.
Leonard Maltin’s 2015 Movie Guide will be the final edition of this film lovers’ guide, which started in 1969 under the title TV Movies. But in recent years, the annual guide, which now numbers 1,611 pages and features nearly 16,000 capsule movie reviews, has become a victim of the changing times and the way information is consumed by a new generation. The new edition, which comes out Sept. 2, is the last, bad news for many industry-ites and film lovers who used it religiously.
“An entire generation has been raised to acquire all their information online from their mobile devices or computers,” Maltin told me this morning. “These are not the likely customers for a physical paperback reference book. Our sales have sharply declined in recent years.”
The virtual death of bookstores likely didn’t help the cause either. “We still have a loyal readership,” Maltin said. “It...
Leonard Maltin’s 2015 Movie Guide will be the final edition of this film lovers’ guide, which started in 1969 under the title TV Movies. But in recent years, the annual guide, which now numbers 1,611 pages and features nearly 16,000 capsule movie reviews, has become a victim of the changing times and the way information is consumed by a new generation. The new edition, which comes out Sept. 2, is the last, bad news for many industry-ites and film lovers who used it religiously.
“An entire generation has been raised to acquire all their information online from their mobile devices or computers,” Maltin told me this morning. “These are not the likely customers for a physical paperback reference book. Our sales have sharply declined in recent years.”
The virtual death of bookstores likely didn’t help the cause either. “We still have a loyal readership,” Maltin said. “It...
- 8/19/2014
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline
Silly but enjoyable, this sixth instalment of the franchise surprisingly still has fuel in the tank
The number 6 is not a reassuring sight, whether it's Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, three 6s on the infant Damien's scalp, or the 1990s New Labour adviser Perri 6. But despite being the sixth movie in the petrol-head franchise starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, this film's got a fair bit in the tank; it's silly but enjoyable. Brian O'Conner (Walker) has become a dad, and his buddy Dominic Toretto (Diesel) solemnly tells him his life will change. Absolute nonsense of course. Soon he's revving and racing and fighting just as in his bachelor days, with his wife's dewy-eyed blessing. Toretto's crew has been recruited by special agent Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson, the veins on whose massive biceps are as thick as tree branches.
Much of the film is set in London (some Skyfall legacy?...
The number 6 is not a reassuring sight, whether it's Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, three 6s on the infant Damien's scalp, or the 1990s New Labour adviser Perri 6. But despite being the sixth movie in the petrol-head franchise starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, this film's got a fair bit in the tank; it's silly but enjoyable. Brian O'Conner (Walker) has become a dad, and his buddy Dominic Toretto (Diesel) solemnly tells him his life will change. Absolute nonsense of course. Soon he's revving and racing and fighting just as in his bachelor days, with his wife's dewy-eyed blessing. Toretto's crew has been recruited by special agent Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson, the veins on whose massive biceps are as thick as tree branches.
Much of the film is set in London (some Skyfall legacy?...
- 5/16/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Vince Neil is many things. Screeching glam rock vocalist, party enthusiast, actor (what, you didn't see Police Academy 6: City Under Siege?). But sadly none of those things ready a man for a minute and a half with a pair of skates and a slab of ice: Which makes it somehow perfect that the tubby Mötley Crüe-man is waging a war with frozen water and gravity—and losing. Of course, lack of grace and skill hasn't hindered Bristol Palin. "Skating is a lot harder than I remembered," the man says. Uh, yeah, Vince. Maybe you should see if they'll just let you drive the...
- 11/23/2010
- E! Online
Time for our weekly look at the new podcasts available at our new “partners in podcast crime” the GeekCast Radio Network. Each week we bring you the highlights from Gcrn, with descriptions and links to each and every episode.
Police Academy Week Part 3:
Mwire Episode 56 – Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
Steve and Mike review this unfortunately short episode based on Police Academy 6. Listen Now.
Mwire Episode 57 – Police Academy 7: Mission To Moscow
The guys finish the Police Academy spotlight with #7 titled: Mission to Moscow. Steve also talks on the short lived Cartoon, TV Show and the talks of possible 8th film and or reboot. Listen Now.
ToonCast Episode 66 – Dennis the Menace
Oh No! it’s the 66th episode of ToonCast and this time around Kevin and Mike talk about that bratty kid that always gives Mr. Wilson a headache. Dennis the Menace! Listen Now.
ToyCast Episode 66 – Warring Jazzercise...
Police Academy Week Part 3:
Mwire Episode 56 – Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
Steve and Mike review this unfortunately short episode based on Police Academy 6. Listen Now.
Mwire Episode 57 – Police Academy 7: Mission To Moscow
The guys finish the Police Academy spotlight with #7 titled: Mission to Moscow. Steve also talks on the short lived Cartoon, TV Show and the talks of possible 8th film and or reboot. Listen Now.
ToonCast Episode 66 – Dennis the Menace
Oh No! it’s the 66th episode of ToonCast and this time around Kevin and Mike talk about that bratty kid that always gives Mr. Wilson a headache. Dennis the Menace! Listen Now.
ToyCast Episode 66 – Warring Jazzercise...
- 8/16/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009 153 minutes Rated PG by Scott Mendelson Without question, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the best out-and-out sixth chapter of any franchise since Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Granted, the competition isn't very stiff (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, etc), but it's still remarkable how well this long-running series has held up. So when I say that this sixth film is perhaps my least favorite film of the franchise, it is only tepid criticism at best. When a film this good can be considered the weakest of six, that says something about the consistency of quality running through the Harry Potter series. A token amount of plot - Harry Potter is still recovering from the shocking death of Sirius Black during...
- 7/14/2009
- by Scott Mendelson
- Huffington Post
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