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michele bolster
11 years ago

Our family has wonderful memories of you, you inspired me in so many was words can not say. After being tossed away after a suicide of my husband from his family. My children heal with your words of encouragement.

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Ashley Furth
12 years ago

My great Uncle George Furth. I never really got to know you because of stupid family squabbles. I have a few vague memories of getting to run around your house as a child. I wish I could have gotten to known you better, I could really use a mentor and you would have been the perfect one. I will always regret not getting to know you. If anyone wants to get in contact with me with some stories about the uncle I never knew, I would love to hear it.

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Donald A Muir
15 years ago

I was a young,happy sailor on the USS Ticonderoga when George Furth came aboard my universe and changed my world forever. From the very first day I met him, he was noticeably different from the rest of our rather naive, mostly rural and, in retrospect, rather innocent shipmates from around the states that made up our crew back then in the early 1950's. We didn't know the name for "it" then, but George brought to our ship a "Star Quality" that would have us sitting around and listening to this young man's ramblings about entering the world of acting and "Hollywood"! He was a sailor who was never lost for words when there was an audience to be entertained. He would talk about rubbing shoulders with actors whose names were familiar to us, at the "Actors Studio" in New York City and then back it all up by receiving mail from Marilyn Monroe onboard the ship. Yet, he was far from a shipboard braggart or boaster. George had a limitless interest in other people and would endlessly listen to other guys talk about their lives and the various locations that they came from, making each sailor feel that he was important and had something to contribute to George's general knowledge. When I recently read his obituary in the newspaper, I got out all my saved letters from George, that I had received over the years and reread them. The earliest letters were about missing we sailors who had been discharged from the navy as George remained on the ship and as his circle of old buddies thinned out he felt bored and alone. Letters that would follow in the early sixties would cover his developing theatrical career and the stage actors perpetual cycle of auditions, rejections and enthusiastic reports of projects he was working on. George settled in New York City and with my own career in Banking bringing me to New York as well, we talked the standard conversations of young men: touching on lost or found relationships, to marry or not to marry, what would the future hold for us? George's future would move him West to Hollywood, leaving me in New York while continuing to receive his letters. How very poignant it is today, to reread his first mention of roles in various films that would be quoted in his obituary. "Did a thing with Paul Newman, called 'Butch Cassidy'" a letter from 1969 quickly mentions; how interesting that people would remember the loyal railroad employee, Woodcock. "Wrote some Broadway material for Hal Prince"another letter breezily states, "Stephen Sondheim is doing the lyrics and music." Can I ever forget "Company" or my phone conversation with George on his successful opening on Broadway."Well I hope you like It" he responded to my compliments over the phone, "it's all about you, after all!" But perhaps it is the closing line of a letter in 1966, that brought a tear to my eye. "The Navy, which was so very long ago," he wrote, "seems like the briefest moment now. It's interesting how life is only seen when it's summed up!" Summing up the time and years that we have known each other, I can only say "Thank you George" for making it a more entertaining and fasinating world for myself and many others.

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Jerry Galich
15 years ago

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Jerry Galich
15 years ago

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bjf
15 years ago

It was an honor meeting you, although it was very late in your life. You were very kind and generous. Rest in peace. BJF

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Ron Celona
15 years ago

I was sorry to hear today that George Furth passed away. He was a supportive friend. I had the honor of working with him on updating his play, “The Supporting Cast” which was produced at the Joslyn Center Theatre in Palm Desert, CA a few years ago with the Joslyn Players. We worked on it for a couple of months and then he was kind enough to come down to the desert and see our production. He met with the cast and could not have been more complementary of their work. It was George, who encouraged me to create a professional theatre company here in the desert which is just getting off the ground. Coachella Valley Repertory (CV REP). I will be sure to dedicate our first production to you my friend. I will miss your kindness and support. With sadness, Ron -

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Nancy Williams Watt
15 years ago

George Furth was my neighbor on West 4th Street many years ago. As a young 'soap' writer I was thrilled to share the block with such exalted company (Christopher Durang was his tenant). Somehow I got to know him and he was incredibly kind to me. We used to take lovely evening walks to St. Luke's church. When he moved to L.A. my (then) boyfriend (now husband) and I visited him in his temporary digs in Malibu, spent two great days with him and his beloved bassett, Rosebud. But my single most fun memory was back on West 4th Street. Although George mocked me for being 'star struck' he also encouraged it as much as he could. One night I was awakened around 3 a.m. by a voice shouting from the street below. It was George yelling, Nancy, look out the window. There's someone I want you to meet! I finally did, to George's great pleasure and he introduced me to a grinning Eddie Fisher. What fun. I'm so glad I had the little time I did with him - it was a great honor and privilege.

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Tena
15 years ago

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Anonymous
15 years ago

I just read about George's death in the SF Chronicle. ( Thank you Warren Beatty for your wonderful words about him.) I am stunned. We just had dinner together when he was up here in the Bay Area in July for some rest and inspiration he said. It was a marvelous and fun time. He was so full of laughter and stories galore, with which he regaled both myself and my daughter He is an old family friend from his days in the Navy, back in Norfolk,VA. All the young Christian Science boys were invited to my family's home for Sunday dinner. And George always taught us songs and dances and Broadway ways! At our last meeting he expressed such gratitude for my "beautiful mom and dad, and the joy they gave to him and the other guys." I am eternally and deeply thankful that he came into our lives and blessed us with his infectious exuberance, brilliant mind, and vivid character sketches which he would pull out of his immense imagination. We'll miss you my friend. Loving you always and forever. xoxoxo Stephanie Calkins Peters Thou to His power Our hope we give Free us from human strife Fed by Thy Love Divine we live For Love alone is Life And Life most sweet as heart to heart Speaks kindly when we meet and part ~ Mary Baker Eddy

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Ted Weiant
15 years ago

I loved George Furth. He was smart beyond belief and could share the most outlandish stories that always had an amazing twist on the absurdities of human nature. Whenever I would see him, I would immediately smile and we would engage in some bizarre-bordering on the profound- conversation. If I needed advice, I could count on George to show me the best path. I produced the 50th anniversary production of Brecht's GALILEO. I asked George if he would play the role of Pope. I had asked him to act on several occasions but he always turned down the parts saying that he was done with acting. He did agree to play the Pope and was extraordinary. For whatever reason, he had a wonderful time and began acting again. After that, I worked with George a lot. I directed a workshop of some short sketches by Steve Martin. I asked George to be in it. He was amazing. When we were asked to do the show at the Aspen Comedy Festival, he was unavailable to do the show. I hired another wonderful actor to do the role, however, in Aspen, the actor develped severe altitude sickness and reluctantly, I stepped into do the part. I had been so taken with George's performance, I did the role impersonating George and basically did "George" and what he had done in the workshop. The production won a lot of awards. I can only imagine the success that we would have had if George had done the role. He was wise, honest and energized beyond belief. He was kind, supportive in every way and was a great friend. I will miss him forever and am so grateful to have had him in my life.

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Tom Cassell
15 years ago

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Jeffrey Lyons
15 years ago

We loved George Furth; he was a friend for more than thirty years. We're devastated. George had a running joke with our family that inevitably we'd move to California. That our son, the movie critic Ben Lyons did and found great success there, was of great satisfaction there. "It's only a matter of time," he'd say. He spoke in a rappid stream of consciousness style that suggested he came from New York, but he was a Chicagoan. And he was one of the few figures in Hollywood who maintained his creative ties to Broadway, no matter how many moives or TV shows he'd been in. He will always be with us; he was a great supporter of my work and marvelled at the success of our son Ben and his voice will always be with me; urging me to do good work and be good to others. I'll miss him terribly. Jeffrey Lyons, NBC

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Kelsey
15 years ago

George was an amazing entertainer and a brilliant man with brilliant ideas. Merrily We Roll Along is one of my top 5 musicals. He has left a legacy that will always be remembered. RIP

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Kelsey
15 years ago

Ron Spivak as Robert in the musical play COMPANY, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth. Showboat Dinner Theatre, Woodland Hills, CA. Long ago and far away...

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Kelsey
15 years ago

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Kelsey
15 years ago

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Kelsey
15 years ago

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Kelsey
15 years ago

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Kelsey
15 years ago

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Kelsey
15 years ago

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Kelsey
15 years ago

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