Remembering Robert Stack, Ten Years Later - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

The Dutchman · 05-13-2013, 06:42 PM

Tomorrow, May 14, marks ten years since the passing of Robert Stack at age 84. To remember him, I wanted to pass along my thoughts of him and hopefully others will add their own thoughts and memories.

I only found out about Robert Stack when I started watching Unsolved Mysteries, being much too young for his "Untouchable" days. When I heard of his passing, it was as if a friend I grew up with had passed away. I say that because I was in third grade when I saw the original airing of the Queen Mary/Ghosts segment on NBC, and I was a few days away from graduating from college when I saw the original airing of the 9/11 missing persons segment. I think this span of 13 years of Mr. Stack on UM speaks of his loyalty, but his work on films such as "Airplane" and "Beavis and Butthead Do America" shows his lack of pretense and sense of humor.

With all due respect to every other host/correspondent on UM, Robert Stack simply was Unsolved Mysteries. It was a signature role for him and the fact that this message board is as alive as ever 11 years since the last new UM segment says a lot about his work on the show and his legacy.

I think NBC and Cosgrove/Meurer said it best after Robert Stack passed:

"A joyous life, a treasured friend..."
"From The Untouchables to Unsolved Mysteries, he was a television legend. And a class act all the way."

RIP, Robert Stack.

1990 UM fan · 05-13-2013, 07:48 PM

Can't believe it's almost 10 years already since we lost him. I was in shock when my dad turned on the news and they said Robert Stack had died. I had no idea he was sick, or that he was 84 because he looked younger than that.

I feel that Cosgrove/Meurer has caused his memory an injustice the past couple of years, especially with the lackluster revamp of Unsolved Mysteries and tearing down everything Unsolved Mysteries-related that had Stack in it.

UnsolvedMFanatic · 05-13-2013, 11:45 PM

Oh I will never forget that day! I was getting ready for work and my then husband (now ex-husband-puke),came in and told me. I was so crushed,so upset,I had to take the day off from work. I was the manager so when I called my assistant manager that I wasn't coming in,I didn't bother lying about why. I just told her there's no way I could get through the work day. I'm pretty sure she thought I was a ******. Oh well.

The very first time I watched UM was when it was on primetime on NBC. I was 8 years old,and from the moment I saw him,I loved him. I begged my parents to let me watch UM and they just asked why in the heck I wanted to watch that show. I really don't know why myself,I saw a commercial for it,and at 8 years old,for some reason,I just had to see it. Watching him,hearing his voice...gosh,I was in love. But not in that sexual/dorky kind of way that most teens are with stars. No,it was just just a deep obsession.

Then came his other work,The Untouchables,To be or Not To Be,The Caretakers,etc. Then movies like Airplane,and the tv shows he guest appearances on.I had to watch them all. I've just always been obsessed with him. The only 8 year old girl on the block in love with a man 60 years her senior.

But Unsolved Mysteries remained my favorite of his (of course),and my biggest obsession to this very day. When I went to Hollywood on 2 different occasions to be on a show,all I really wanted to go for,was to see his star on the Hollywood walk of fame. I placed my cheek on it. I didn't care about all the shoe dirt and spit and gunk that had probably walked across it. I just knew that he was once there when it was put in,and that was good enough for me. I did kiss it too,but nobody really knew that until now.
I have one autographed picture of him in my livingroom on my wall,and the other is right above my bed. I say goodnight to him each and every night.

You know,his full name was actually Charles Langford Modini Stack. His father changed it for unknown reasons. (So naturally I named my son Charles,after Roberts rightful birth name of course,because Charles was Roberts grandfathers name). And,English was his 3rd language,not his first!
So dapper and handsome,and with the best voice ever created. I think about him each and every day.
The dear Lord really decided to bless this good earth when he gave us Robert Stack.

ILikeTurtles · 05-14-2013, 04:19 AM

They don't make them like Stack anymore.

Straight boss. Miss him.

catlover79 · 05-14-2013, 01:08 PM

I can't believe it's been 10 years already. God bless him.

diesteldorf · 05-14-2013, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeTurtles

They don't make them like Stack anymore.

Straight boss. Miss him.

Few celebritiestruly touch me when the pass away, but Stack was the exception.
After UM introduced me to him, I wached some of his other work.

If you have a chance, watch one of these:

1. Written on the Wind (1957) He got an Oscar nod for this one
2. First Love (1939) Gave Deanna Durbin her first on screen kiss
3. To Be or Not to Be--Mel Brooks remade it but the original with Carole Lombard and Jack Benny (1942) is much better. I love how they manage to poke fun of the Nazis while the war was still going on

4. Airplain (1980)

Also picked up his autobiography STRAIGHT SHOOTING (1980) for cheap on Half.com

He passed away within a day of June Carter Cash. I wasn't as moved by her but can remeber I was at work and talking to someone on the phone when I heard the news that both of them had passed.

catlover79 · 05-14-2013, 01:22 PM

There were a LOT of celeb passings in 2003. It seemed like every other day you heard about someone else.

amandab1234 · 05-14-2013, 02:14 PM

I remember hearing about his death during my senior yr in high school. I used to love UM as a kid and I was kinda freaked out by Robert Stack. Lol.. But after seeing him in Airplane, he seems like a great guy. I especially love what they say about him in the UM DVDs.

TheCars1986 · 05-14-2013, 06:26 PM

I just think it was amazing that he was doing UM right up until his death. You could tell he truely cared about the cases and wasn't doing it strictly for a paycheck. RIP Stack, you're still missed.

Kane · 05-14-2013, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeTurtles

They don't make them like Stack anymore.

No, apparently not. And that's just one of the reasons why Stack's death was a painful loss. Another reason was his legitimate investment in UM and the cases presented on the show. When I first read online that Stack had died, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

It is great to know that he had a lot of friends. And, believe it or not, his many friends included two US Presidents: John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Stack and Reagan had a lot of the same mutual friends, including John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.

wiseguy182 · 05-15-2013, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

There were a LOT of celeb passings in 2003. It seemed like every other day you heard about someone else.

Tell me about it. That was a HUGE year for celeb passings. I remember John Ritter's death being huge news back then. Heck, it's big news now. I had wondered why half the avatars on SO were of John Ritter and asked myself "was he that huge of an actor?" And then I just started rewatching Three's Company and realized what a great actor he was. And then the next day, Johnny Cash died. I heard those 2 deaths in September were the reason that my favorite singer - Robert Palmer - didn't get much news coverage when he died the same month. I remember seeing it online and being shocked. And then you had Rod Roddy, the list goes on and on.

05-13-2013, 06:42 PM	#1
The Dutchman Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 25, 2006 Posts: 125	Remembering Robert Stack, Ten Years Later Tomorrow, May 14, marks ten years since the passing of Robert Stack at age 84. To remember him, I wanted to pass along my thoughts of him and hopefully others will add their own thoughts and memories. I only found out about Robert Stack when I started watching Unsolved Mysteries, being much too young for his "Untouchable" days. When I heard of his passing, it was as if a friend I grew up with had passed away. I say that because I was in third grade when I saw the original airing of the Queen Mary/Ghosts segment on NBC, and I was a few days away from graduating from college when I saw the original airing of the 9/11 missing persons segment. I think this span of 13 years of Mr. Stack on UM speaks of his loyalty, but his work on films such as "Airplane" and "Beavis and Butthead Do America" shows his lack of pretense and sense of humor. With all due respect to every other host/correspondent on UM, Robert Stack simply was Unsolved Mysteries. It was a signature role for him and the fact that this message board is as alive as ever 11 years since the last new UM segment says a lot about his work on the show and his legacy. I think NBC and Cosgrove/Meurer said it best after Robert Stack passed: "A joyous life, a treasured friend..." "From The Untouchables to Unsolved Mysteries, he was a television legend. And a class act all the way." RIP, Robert Stack.

05-13-2013, 07:48 PM	#2
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	Can't believe it's almost 10 years already since we lost him. I was in shock when my dad turned on the news and they said Robert Stack had died. I had no idea he was sick, or that he was 84 because he looked younger than that. I feel that Cosgrove/Meurer has caused his memory an injustice the past couple of years, especially with the lackluster revamp of Unsolved Mysteries and tearing down everything Unsolved Mysteries-related that had Stack in it.
	__________________ Join my Unsolved Mysteries page (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unsolv...899616?sk=wall

05-13-2013, 11:45 PM	#3
UnsolvedMFanatic Robert Stack's secret Wife Occasional Poster Join Date: May 11, 2010 Location: Elmira NY Posts: 54	Oh I will never forget that day! I was getting ready for work and my then husband (now ex-husband-puke),came in and told me. I was so crushed,so upset,I had to take the day off from work. I was the manager so when I called my assistant manager that I wasn't coming in,I didn't bother lying about why. I just told her there's no way I could get through the work day. I'm pretty sure she thought I was a ******. Oh well. The very first time I watched UM was when it was on primetime on NBC. I was 8 years old,and from the moment I saw him,I loved him. I begged my parents to let me watch UM and they just asked why in the heck I wanted to watch that show. I really don't know why myself,I saw a commercial for it,and at 8 years old,for some reason,I just had to see it. Watching him,hearing his voice...gosh,I was in love. But not in that sexual/dorky kind of way that most teens are with stars. No,it was just just a deep obsession. Then came his other work,The Untouchables,To be or Not To Be,The Caretakers,etc. Then movies like Airplane,and the tv shows he guest appearances on.I had to watch them all. I've just always been obsessed with him. The only 8 year old girl on the block in love with a man 60 years her senior. But Unsolved Mysteries remained my favorite of his (of course),and my biggest obsession to this very day. When I went to Hollywood on 2 different occasions to be on a show,all I really wanted to go for,was to see his star on the Hollywood walk of fame. I placed my cheek on it. I didn't care about all the shoe dirt and spit and gunk that had probably walked across it. I just knew that he was once there when it was put in,and that was good enough for me. I did kiss it too,but nobody really knew that until now. I have one autographed picture of him in my livingroom on my wall,and the other is right above my bed. I say goodnight to him each and every night. You know,his full name was actually Charles Langford Modini Stack. His father changed it for unknown reasons. (So naturally I named my son Charles,after Roberts rightful birth name of course,because Charles was Roberts grandfathers name). And,English was his 3rd language,not his first! So dapper and handsome,and with the best voice ever created. I think about him each and every day. The dear Lord really decided to bless this good earth when he gave us Robert Stack. Attached Images
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05-14-2013, 01:08 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	I can't believe it's been 10 years already. God bless him.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

05-14-2013, 04:19 AM	#4
ILikeTurtles Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 17, 2009 Posts: 128	They don't make them like Stack anymore. Straight boss. Miss him.

05-14-2013, 01:22 PM	#7
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	There were a LOT of celeb passings in 2003. It seemed like every other day you heard about someone else.

05-14-2013, 02:14 PM	#8
amandab1234 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 17, 2011 Posts: 573	I remember hearing about his death during my senior yr in high school. I used to love UM as a kid and I was kinda freaked out by Robert Stack. Lol.. But after seeing him in Airplane, he seems like a great guy. I especially love what they say about him in the UM DVDs.

05-14-2013, 06:26 PM	#9
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,606	I just think it was amazing that he was doing UM right up until his death. You could tell he truely cared about the cases and wasn't doing it strictly for a paycheck. RIP Stack, you're still missed.