Theatre - My Favorite Martian - "Uncle Martin"

The first time I saw Ray Walston was in a picture of Burt and Florence French on stage at the Cleveland Playhouse (a famous professional theatre in the 1940's). Ray was pictured on the set. I asked my mother why his picture was on the set. She said, "Oh Ray was a character in the play. He was playing my protective brother." So, you knew "My Favorite Martian way back in the 40's?" "Yes", she smiled, he spelled it REIGH, not Ray. His real name was Herman, but it he eventually settled on Ray.

"There is Nothing Like a Dame" -

My father, Burt joined in, "We were all jealous of him because he could set type. Whenever he was out of work, he could get a job as a typesetter. Everybody else was just unemployed when they were out of work. Ray was loved by everyone. When he got that big role in "South Pacific", we were all happy for him. He was in the New York stage performance and then got the role in the Movie. He was most visible in "Bloody Mary" and "There is Nothing Like a Dame". And of course, he was most well known and became famous as "My Favorite Martian".

Joel Grey as a 12 Year Old -

Joel Grey was a 12 year old and acting in the Cleveland Playhouse. He would become famous for his role with Liza Minelli in "Cabaret", and sang that unforgettable song about "money making the world go 'round". Joel also starred in "George M". Along with Ray and Burt and Flo French, were Ed Binns, who starred in TV roles and played in "Patton" with George C. Scott. John Anderson, who got his first role because Burt hired him when he was directing, also played in a thousand "Rilfeman's" with Chuck Connors, and Alan Miller who had a long TV career, and even though he is in his 80's, is still acting today on TV. Burt went on to star in "Love of Life", one of the first Soap Operas. Before he did that he starred in the world premier of "Command Decision" in Cleveland. The play moved to New York, and James Whitmore got the role Burt played and starred with Gregory Peck in the Movie of the same name. Whitmore went on to a long movie and TV career. Whitmore and Burt looked alike actually, curly red hair, spindly Celtic legs and a hoarse quallity in their voices. Witmore's next role after "Command Decision" was in the movie about the Battle of the Bulge, "Battle Cry" with Van Johnson.

An Employable Typesetter, Nonstop Working Actor and a True Star -

"Ray Walston", as my Father always said, "had this incredible ability to stay "working". Every decade he was busy." Actors admire other actors for this quality. Its one of the most important things you can say about actors, regular "non super star" actors. My father would watch TV, or go to the movies and say: "So and so got work!" Ray was truly a notable star, and a working actor.

Florence would declare, "Ray was loved by everyone. He was one of the nicest guys you would ever meet. Flo loved him as Judge Henry Bone on "Picket Fences". David E. Kelley, the Writer and Producer of L.A.Law fell in love with him then, and that is how the Picket Fences role developed. He kept acting and acting into old age and died in 2001.

Before Flo died, in 2006, she reminisced: "He was always that peripatetic, fast talking, high energy gentleman. Ray acted over a period covered by over 50 years. My parents always talked about him with the greatest affection. "Uncle Martin", as Bill Bixby called him on the show, was one of the most unique characters on TV. With his strange antennae coming out of his head and the noise that accompanied that, all the families would smile as his magical powers were about to be displayed. Ray Walston will not be forgotten.

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