Howard Zieff, a film and television commercial director whose works included Private Benjamin and My Girl, has died. He was 81.
Zieff died Sunday of Parkinson’s disease in Los Angeles, said his wife Ronda Gomez-Quinones.
Zieff was a legendary commercial director before he successfully dovetailed into features. He is credited with helping to change the face of American advertising in the 1960s with such classic, humorous slice-of-life vignette TV spots as Alka-Seltzer’s “Spicy Meatball” and Volkswagen’s “Funeral.” In fact Time magazine described Zieff as being “master of the mini-ha-ha” based on his comedy commercials. But his work was more than comedy. It was thoughtful wit as reflected in the VW and Alka-Seltzer fare which contributed to the 1960s being dubbed by many as the golden age of advertising.
Prior to his spotmaking exploits, Zieff was known for his magazine ads, including a memorable series for Levi’s Real Jewish Rye Bread that featured an American Indian, an African-American lad and a Chinese man enjoying a piece of rye bread. Each ad featured the tagline, “You don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy’s.”
Goldie Hawn, who received an Oscar nomination for best actress for her role in Private Benjamin in 1980, said Zieff “had a special talent for directing comedies, always a rare gift.”
“What I remember and cherish most was his humor and love of laughter,” Hawn said in a statement.
Born in Chicago in 1927, Zieff grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles and was a photographer for the Navy after World War II.
He moved to New York in the 1950s and worked his way up from a job as a photo assistant to become an influential commercial photographer on Madison Avenue.
He is survived by his wife and his sister.
Actor Steve Guttenberg Returns To L.A. Neighborhood Now Charred By Devastating Wildfire
Steve Guttenberg awoke Thursday morning to a grim reality: The treacherous wildfire that tore through the Pacific Palisades had left his once-lush neighborhood charred and unrecognizable.
With homes smoldered, streets emptied and friends scattered by evacuation orders, Guttenberg counted himself among the fortunate. His property was miraculously spared. But the actor-producer still struggled to reconcile his relief with the haunting sight of his ravaged, once lavish community.
"Just this morning, I woke up and I was really conscious of my mental state and my mental health, because the last three days, I've seen so much tragedy," said Guttenberg, pacing through the ruins of his neighborhood. He said his home has electricity but no running water.
Guttenberg thanked God that his block was safe, but he said about 20 homes were burned "pretty bad" in his 80-home community after wind-whipped fires tore across Los Angeles, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday. He said the fires are the worst he's ever seen in his 66-years.
The wildfires have burned the homes of several celebrities including Billy Crystal, Carey Elwes and Paris Hilton.
Guttenberg said he never expected all of this to happen.
"It's like when someone dies suddenly," he said. "It's like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That's how shocking it was."
During Guttenberg's stroll, it was an eerie scene with scorched palm trees, homes reduced to ash and rubble, and the daytime skies casted an ominous twilight over the devastation.
"I've seen people scared, people in wheelchairs, mothers and fathers trying to find their kids, people having anxiety and panic... Read More