Walker works to get Hollywood star for Brian Keith

By Jennifer Larsen

News editor

The Society To Advance recognition (S.T.A.R.) for Brian Keith applied to the Hollywood

Walk of Fame to be considered as one of the 2006 honorees.

Adams County resident Lynn Walker is one of the four committee members determined

to see Keith's name in the Walk of Fame.

The other three members live in Hollywood, Chicago and Norman, Okla. They have

never met face to-face, but they all share Walker's goal.

One day, the founding chairperson was looking for Keith's star on the Walk of Fame and

was surprised there wasn't one. The omission was posted at an online site devoted to one

of Keith's nine television series, "Hardcastle and McCormick."

"Immediately three of us jumped up and said it was not right," Walker said.

And the committee was formed.

Committee members spoke with each other offline to coordinate efforts, and Walker

contacted Keith's widow, Victoria, via e-mail.

"She's so touched that somebody cares enough to do this," Walker said.

Work began to gather the information required for the nomination application.

The Walk of Fame Committee requires written proof of agreement, full biography,

photograph of the nominee, qualications, contributions to the community and/ or

civic activities and a list of major accomplishments.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Los Angeles City

Board of Public Works, with final consent from the Los Angeles City Council, must approve

the Committee's selection.

Criteria for a Star on the Walk of Fame include professional achievement, longevity of

five years in the field of entertainment and contributions to the community.

A recipient must agree to attend the dedication ceremony, or in the case of a

posthumous selection, the family must attend.

S.T.A.R. for Brian Keith submitted an application on May 31, the last day to apply

for Walk of Fame consideration.

The group received word that Keith wasn't selected, but that the application is automatically submitted for next year's process.

The honoree or family of the honoree selects a suggested month, week and day

to place the Star. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will try to accommodate the request.

Once a nomination is accepted, the Hollywood Walk of Fame requires a sponsorship

fee of $15,000 for creation and installation of the star, the ceremony and maintenance costs.

S.T.A.R. for Brian Keith is accepting contributions through its website at www.starforbrian.com

and by check or money order payable in U.S. funds at S.T.A.R. for Brian Keith,

7095 Hollywood Blvd. #462, Hollywood, CA, 90028.

The website offers various ways of contributing to the project. Direct contributions

are accepted through PayPal, and anything purchased at Amazon.com through the

website will kick back a five percent rebate to the Society.

A webpage designing service, Homestead, will donate commissions to the Society

through its website. And the founding chairperson is donating part of a memorabilia

collection for sale through eBay, with all proceeds to benefit the Society.

Caps, mouse pads and t-shirts featuring the S.T.A.R. logo and Keith's photograph are

available at the click of a button, with all proceeds donated to the Society.

When S.T.A.R. for Brian Keith has acquired the sponsorship fee, the group will stop accepting donations. Any overages will be donated to a charitable organization in Keith's honor.

The site will continue as a meeting place for Keith's fans, a place to browse biographies

and filmographies, read comments from other fans and see photographs from the dedication ceremony.

"We're not in this to make a profit," Walker said. "(Keith) is the focus, not us. We're not important."

Washington state woman demands Hollywood justice for Brian Keith

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

RITZVILLE, Wash. -- Nothing ticks off Lynn Walker like Wink Martindale's new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She doesn't have anything against the game show host, but can't abide that celebrities of Martindale's stature have a star and actor Brian Keith does not.

Walker is a founder of S.T.A.R. for Brian, a group of fans trying to get a star for the late star of "Family Affair," "The Parent Trap," and many other film and television productions.

"Everybody knows Uncle Bill!" an animated Walker said, referring to Keith's most famous role, in the TV show "Family Affair."

Walker is not some obsessed fan out of a Stephen King novel. She's not consumed by Brian Keith. But, like many of her contemporaries, she fell for him during his performance as the father in "The Parent Trap" with Hayley Mills.

"I was 11 in 1961," she said by way of explanation.

The group was launched in May, after a fan went looking for Keith's star and was stunned to learn he did not have one. The fan posted the news on an Internet discussion group. Walker, along with Amy Morgan, of Norman, Okla.; L.M. Lewis of Chicago and Cheri deFonteny of Los Angeles, were moved to action.

"We all at the same time said, 'This is wrong!'" said Walker, who lives in this small town 60 miles west of Spokane. "Let's fix this."

S.T.A.R. - which stands for Society to Advance Recognition for Brian Keith - made a late effort to get Keith a star this year. But the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which operates the walk, declined to vote Keith a star. The nomination will be considered again in 2007.

Getting a star is not exactly like winning the Nobel Prize. A person can be nominated by colleagues in the entertainment industry, family or fans. Keith's widow, actress Victoria Young Keith, is honorary chair of S.T.A.R. for Brian.

The Walk of Fame committee reviews more than 200 applications a year. The criteria for selection include longevity of career, community service and professional achievements.

Walker said there is no question that Keith qualifies on all three.

He began acting as a child in silent movies, served in the Marines in the Pacific in World War II and did quality work until his death in 1997, she said.

Each year, a committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce votes on the nominees, admitting a couple dozen or so. The star itself costs $15,000, which must be paid by the star or supporters. Walker said fans can go on her Web site to donate money for Keith's star.

Ana Martinez-Holler, a spokeswoman for the Hollywood Chamber, said there is no conspiracy against Brian Keith. Lots of performers don't have stars, including huge celebrities like Clint Eastwood.

It's not uncommon for fans to launch campaigns for their favorite stars, she said.

"They are doing it for Weird Al Yankovic," Martinez-Holler noted.

But don't even think about deluging the chamber with letters or phone calls for your favorite celebrity, she said. Such efforts are ignored. Instead, the committee considers only the formal documents required for each application, she said.

Keith was born in 1921 in Bayonne, N.J, the son of vaudevillians Robert Keith and Helena Shipman, a native of Aberdeen, Wash. He appeared at age 3 in a silent film called "Pied Piper Malone."

He spent two years in combat as a tail gunner in the Pacific. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and settled in New York as a stage actor.

Keith appeared in many Broadway productions, and in numerous shows in the early years of television. He was a regular in nine television series.

He also had a lengthy movie career. His most memorable movie roles included Teddy Roosevelt in "The Wind and the Lion" and Mitch Evers in "The Parent Trap." He continued working as a guest star on television shows up until his death.

Despondent over health problems and personal and financial losses, Keith committed suicide in 1997.

For "Family Affair," which ran from 1966-71, he was nominated for three Emmys for his role as a bachelor engineer suddenly forced to raise his brother's three orphaned children, Cissy, Buffy and Jody. Sebastian Cabot also starred as Mr. French, his valet.

"Family Affair" has not been shown much in recent years, but a DVD of the first season was released on June 27, with the second season due in November.

Kathy Garver, who played Cissy, and Johnny Whitaker, who played Jody, are the only surviving members of the cast, and both support a star for Keith.

"Brian Keith is a perfect candidate to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame," Garver said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "He was truly an actor's actor and beloved by millions. He was certainly respected and loved by me!"

So how does this guy not have a star, when 2,314 other performers do?

"That's the reaction of everybody!" Walker said.

Chuck Connors has a star. So does Kermit the Frog, Farrah Fawcett and David Hasselhoff, Walker said.

"People today are not stars, they are celebrities," Walker complained. "This guy was a movie and TV star. He was good at what he did."

She realizes people may think her campaign for Keith is somewhat frivolous.

"In the great scheme of things, a piece of pavement with a colored star is a small deal," Walker said. "But it is a grievous oversight and something I can accomplish.

"I will not be the person who finds a cure for AIDS, but this is something I can do," she said.