Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe FOSTER BROOKS DIES He didn't arrive on the Hollywood or Las Vegas scene until he was nearly 60, but within a year everyone in America knew the name Foster Brooks. He was able to play what some have called "the best drunk ever to hit the American stage." Advertisement Brooks had been in failing health for many years when he died this week at age 89. For many of us, Brooks -- now seen often in those late-night TV ads for the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts -- is one of our more vivid memories of a time when television was kindlier and gentler and a heck of a lot more fun. Ironically, the man who so well captured the burping, slurred-speech rhythms of an inebriate did not even drink. Brooks began his career doing TV news in Louisville, Ky., and Buffalo, N.Y. Finally, taking a chance, he moved west. It was during a golf tournament in Los Angeles that someone asked Brooks to entertain the crowd. Grasping for material, he remembered how his dad had entertained him as a child with his own drunk act. The rest is history. He became what the Los Angeles Times called "an overnight success." Advertisement Along the way, Brooks did guest shots in numerous TV sitcoms and action shows, often playing it straight. It was, though, his many appearances as the lovable drunk on TV variety shows that made him one of the most lovable characters in the history of television. (Thanks to UPI Feature Reporter Dennis Daily) 'THE PRESIDENT'S MAN: A LINE IN THE SAND' Chuck Norris ("Walker, Texas Ranger") reprises his role as Joshua McCord in the made-for-TV movie "The President's Man: A Line In The Sand." The action-adventure film airs as the "CBS Sunday Movie" on Jan. 20 (9-11 p.m. ET/PT) on CBS-TV. The drama stars Norris as the United States president's highly classified secret agent who is called into action to stop terrorists from detonating a nuclear bomb and destroying a major U.S. city. Robert Urich ("Emeril") Judson Mills ("Walker, Texas Ranger") and Jennifer Tung ("Star Trek IX," "Armageddon") also star. Norris, who is best known for his performance as Cordell Walker in the CBS-TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger," originated the role of Joshua McCord in the CBS movie "The President's Man." (Web site: cbs.com) 'MY SISTER'S KEEPER' Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Perkins and Lynn Redgrave star in "My Sister's Keeper," a new "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation that'll air Jan. 27 (9-11 p.m. ET/PT) on CBS-TV. Advertisement The film, based on a true story, revolves around what happens when a woman (Perkins) is forced to care for her older, mentally ill sister (Bates) after their mother (Redgrave) dies.
