Whitney Blake

Whitney Blake, the versatile actress who portrayed comedian Shirley Booth's housewife-employer in the long-running television series "Hazel" and co-created the edgier sitcom "One Day at a Time," has died. She was 76. Blake died Saturday at her home in Edgartown, Mass., after a long illness, attended by her family and the Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, said her husband, writer-producer Allan Manings.

Allan Manings, a television comedy writer and producer who created the situation comedy "One Day at a Time" with his late wife, actress Whitney Blake, has died. He was 86. Manings, who recently underwent surgery for esophageal cancer, died after going into cardiac arrest Wednesday at his oncologist's office in Beverly Hills, said his stepdaughter, actress Meredith Baxter. In a career that began in the 1950s, Manings wrote for TV shows such as "Leave It to Beaver," "McHale's Navy" and "Petticoat Junction."

Allan Manings, a television comedy writer and producer who created the situation comedy "One Day at a Time" with his late wife, actress Whitney Blake, has died. He was 86. Manings, who recently underwent surgery for esophageal cancer, died after going into cardiac arrest Wednesday at his oncologist's office in Beverly Hills, said his stepdaughter, actress Meredith Baxter. In a career that began in the 1950s, Manings wrote for TV shows such as "Leave It to Beaver," "McHale's Navy" and "Petticoat Junction."

Whitney Blake, the versatile actress who portrayed comedian Shirley Booth's housewife-employer in the long-running television series "Hazel" and co-created the edgier sitcom "One Day at a Time," has died. She was 76. Blake died Saturday at her home in Edgartown, Mass., after a long illness, attended by her family and the Hospice of Martha's Vineyard, said her husband, writer-producer Allan Manings.

Some people think of Whitney Blake as Meredith Baxter Birney's mother. Or they remember her as the actress who played Shirley Booth's housewife-boss on the '60s sitcom "Hazel." But the credits on the documentary "Reno's Kids: 87 Days Plus 11" (at the Nuart through Saturday) list her another way, as the film's director-producer. It is the story of a class for difficult students at Jefferson High School in Daly City, Calif., and it is Blake's first time out as the star player behind the scenes.

Documentaries are often only as interesting as their subjects, and Whitney Blake's film, "Reno's Kids; 87 Days Plus 11" (through Saturday at the Nuart) has a beauty: a real-life "Blackboard Jungle" situation, where one dedicated teacher copes with the "worst " elements of a tough high school. There's a twist, however. This teacher is no gutsy newcomer battling pigheaded administrators and knife-wielding hoods.

The stated goal of the new combination book and compact disc "Pictures of Sound: One Thousand Years of Educed Audio: 980-1980" is impressively brash: "It's a collection that seeks to challenge existing assumptions about what historical audio itself is," writes author and scholar Patrick Feaster. Specifically, Feaster gathers from throughout history depictions of sound waves and alternative sound recording methods, some from before Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph in 1877, others simply different means of capturing sounds, and presents them along with illustrations and the stories of their creation.

VICTOR HUGO'S novel "Les Miserables" is best known these days as a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. But the tale of redemption and love set during early 19th century France has been adapted numerous times for celluloid. Fox is releasing a two-disc "Les Miserables" set that features the 1935 and 1952 productions.

Filmforum presents New York experimental film maker Caroline Avery, tonight at 8 at LACE. She will introduce a 70-minute program of her work in its West Coast premiere. Avery's films, as varied as they are, are characterized by capturing random images of everyday life and of natural beauty and reprocessing them in a seemingly infinite number of ways to create visual experiences of tremendous vibrancy and energy.

Some people think of Whitney Blake as Meredith Baxter Birney's mother. Or they remember her as the actress who played Shirley Booth's housewife-boss on the '60s sitcom "Hazel." But the credits on the documentary "Reno's Kids: 87 Days Plus 11" (at the Nuart through Saturday) list her another way, as the film's director-producer. It is the story of a class for difficult students at Jefferson High School in Daly City, Calif., and it is Blake's first time out as the star player behind the scenes.

August is coming in like a lamb in the realm of DVD, with just a handful of films or TV series making their digital debuts. Spring's moderate box office hit "V for Vendetta" arrives in a special edition two-disc set (Warner, $35). Based on the popular graphic novel of the same title, the action-thriller stars Natalie Portman as a young woman who becomes embroiled with a charismatic freedom fighter named V (Hugo Weaving) who wears a Guy Fawkes' mask.

When Jane Fonda revealed in her 1981 "Workout Book" that she had suffered bulimia for 23 years, the public became aware of the compulsive eating disorder. Now bulimia has become the focus of an NBC-TV movie, "Kate's Secret," which airs Monday. "I didn't know if I wanted to be the one throwing up on television," said Meredith Baxter-Birney, who as Elyse Keaton of "Family Ties" is one of television's model mother figures.