[Deathwatch] Allan Melvin, 'Brady Bunch' actor, 84

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

'Brady Bunch' actor dies at 84
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/19/obit.melvin.ap/index.html

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Allan Melvin, a character actor best
known for playing Sam the Butcher on "The Brady Bunch," has died. He
was 84.

 Melvin died of cancer Thursday at his home in the Brentwood section of
Los Angeles, said Amalia Melvin, his wife of 64 years.

The jowly, jovial Melvin spent decades playing a series of sidekicks,
second bananas and lovable lugs, including Archie Bunker's friend
Barney Hefner on "All in the Family," and Sgt. Bilko's right-hand man
Cpl. Henshaw on the "Phil Silvers Show."

But his place in pop culture will be fixed as butcher and bowler Sam
Franklin, the love interest of Brady family maid Alice Nelson, who was
played by Ann B. Davis. Melvin played the role from 1970 to 1973.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1923, Melvin grew up in New York and
attended Columbia University.

He was appearing on Broadway in "Stalag 17" when he began his
decades-long television career with "The Phil Silvers Show," playing a
role his wife said was always his favorite.

"He was proudest of that show," Amalia Melvin said. "I think the
camaraderie of all those guys made it such a pleasant way to work. They
were so relaxed."

He saw steady employment as a voice actor from the early 1960s to the
early 1990s, most famously providing the voice of "Magilla Gorilla" for
the Hanna Barbera cartoon of the same name.

His other credits include several guest appearances on "The Andy
Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle: USMC," and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

In addition to Amalia, Melvin is survived by daughter Jennifer Hanson
and grandson Jon Hanson Jr. A daughter, Mya, died in 1970.

Many thanks to TheLenGuy for posting this obituary