Jack Klugman's quiet legacy--lifesaving crusader

[WI_DEM]

Most obituaries of Jack Klugman remember him for his roles on The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.E., but the actor had another legacy that few people remember, reports the Washington Post. Klugman was a fierce advocate of the Orphan Drug Act of 1982, a bill that aimed to provide incentives to drug companies that were reluctant to develop treatments for rare diseases like Tourrette's syndrome, muscular dystrophy, and ALS, because they weren't common enough to be lucrative. Klugman's brother, Maurice, suffered from a rare cancer, and together they used Jack's star power to persuade congress to act.

Maurice Klugman wrote an episode of Quincy that focused on the Orphan Drug Act, which propelled the political battle from obscurity to front-page news. Jack Klugman testified before congress back before it was trendy for celebs to champion political causes. His support helped launch the bill through the House, but it stalled in the Senate by Orrin Hatch, who effectively "neutered" the bill by removing a tax incentive. Worried that the bill might be doomed, the Klugmans wrote another Quincy episode about the bill—this one featured a villainous senator and 500 extras who really suffered from rare diseases. It worked. Hatch gave in, and the act became law. "All in all," writes Joshua Green in the Post, "an impressive addendum to Klugman’s acting career. May he rest in peace."


http://www.newser.com/story/159888/jack-klugmans-quiet-legacy-lifesaving-crusader.html

[lunamagica]

1. Great man, great job. K&R!

[flygal]

28. FYI there are a few seasons of Quincy available on HULU

I have been watching while on my treadmill - they make 45 mins go fast.

[Freddie]

2. Jack Klugman was a good friend's cousin

Always spoke very highly of him, although Cousin Jack did not see his relatives (Philly area) that often he always kept in touch. Unlike so many in Hollywood he was a genuinely good, "real" person and will be greatly missed.

[Walk away]

3. Now there's a life!

He'll live forever in the lives of the people he has saved. Imagine an actor doing battle with republican greed and ignorance and winning! Someone should make that movie.

[progressoid]

4. Way to go Jack.

villainous senator...Orin Hatch.

Yeah, that seems about right.

[unblock]

5. i saw the benefits of this first-hand, in an employee of mine.

he had all the technical skills but a terrible stammer. it was a challenge for him to communicate verbally, a very slow process, but he was great in writing and otherwise quite capable and that was really all i needed from him.

in the course of chatting at some point my migraines had come up and i mentioned that i coped with them untreated for years thinking there wasn't anything that worked for me, but then i heard about triptan drugs (imitrex at the time) that works wonders.

that got him to see a neurologist and it turns out that his stammer, profound though it was, was actually a mild form of tourrette's. "mild" because he didn't blurt out the kind of words that most people think of when they hear "tourrette's".

in any event, thanks in part to the orphan drug act, there are now pills available to treat tourette's. he had some challenges getting to the right levels, but his speech was greatly improved. for him it was a real life-changer.

for me as an employer, i didn't care -- he could do the job, fluid speech was not a requirement. i mean, i was happy for him, of course, but i never thought of his stammer as a handicap to getting his work done. but for him, his speech had been a real liability.


i was a big quincy m.e. fan back in the day. i wanted to be a pathologist. i even saw an autopsy for high school career day (none of this hanging out with dad stuff for me!) i remember the episode with the tourette's kid. quite a legacy, indeed.

[TZ]

6. He has had a direct benefit to me

I have what is termed an orphan disease and thanks to him my disease has had funding. Don't know if I'd be treated with the meds that are successfully helping me without this act. RIP Mr. Klugman, you are a hero to me.

[justabob]

7. Dr Quincy advocated a lot of different things IIRC

The one I remember best was an episode about rape. The good doctor was pushing for the use of rape kits for rape evidence collection which were a brand new concept at the time, and only used in a few places. I don't know how much mentions like that in Quincy helped, but it can't have hurt.

[4Q2u2]

9. Do not forget

He was a WWII Veteran.



Because only Rebubs are patriots that serve in the military for their country.

[dflprincess]

10. I remember a "Quincy" episode about drunk driving

and this was when most of us - including the police and courts - didn't take DWI very seriously.

The show started out with even Quincy not being real worried about driving after drinking but as the hour unfolded and the cost of DWI to the victims and their families became clear he, of course reformed.

I'm ashamed to admit now that I was among those who didn't worry so much about how much I had and still drove...Until I saw that episode. I never drove drunk again.

[bullwinkle428]

27. I watched an AWESOME episode of "Quincy" about a year ago

on gun control!

It featured a case of a handgun that was stolen from its rightful/original owner. The gun passed through several hands along the way, resulting in a number of needless deaths. The episode concluded with the gun finally ending up in the hands of the police, who returned it to the original owner - a typical suburban dad with two young kids. The final scene showed the two kids playing hide and seek, with one of the kids going into a closet. The other one follows. You hear one of the kids asking "What's that?", then you hear the sound of a gunshot. Powerful stuff!! This was 30 years ago. Not holding my breath waiting for profound socio-political commentary from Snooki.

[Chorophyll]

8. Wow! K&R!

[ms liberty]

11. K&R - I remember those episodes...

As a kid, I never missed Quincy - I loved that show and Jack Klugman.

[sdfernando]

12. RIP Jack

You are one of the good guys and will be missed.

[Skittles]

13. a class act

love you Jack

[WillyT]

14. HUGE K & R !!!

[DonCoquixote]

15. I was a big fan of Quincy M.E

The show was never as famous as the Odd Couple, but it was his best role. He played a Medical Examiner who was very rough in demeanor,ala House, but who had a strong sense of morals, and a passionate, clear, blunt and to the point way of making the moral issue clear, of explaining why weasel words and corporate bull-oney can kill as much as a gun can.

I am pleased to note that here, he was NOT acting...which only confirms he was a great person off and on the screen.

Godspeed Jack.

[Overseas]

16. K&R. Glad to hear it.

[ananda]

17. That's my Quincy!

..

[Uncle Joe]

18. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, WI DEM.

[Cooley Hurd]

19. Every account of this man's life is amazing...

...probably why he's been my favorite actor for as long as I can remember.

[napkinz]

20. kick

nt

[B Stieg]

21. More evidence that Orrin Hatch...

should not be a United States senator.

[Snarkoleptic]

22. His son Adam is an up and coming liberal radio host.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Klugman
I've heard him fill in several times for Norman Goldman on WCPT.

WCPT is one of the few independently owned progressive talk stations in the country.
Listen live here- www.chicagosprogressivetalk.com

[Snarkoleptic]

23. Found more Adam Klugman access here...

http://www.madashellinamerica.com/

[BlueNoteSpecial]

24. K&R

[DirkGently]

25. I did not know that about him. Amazing.

[Omaha Steve]

26. In Praise of Jack (Four appearances on The Twilight Zone)

http://thenightgallery.wordpress.com/tag/twilight-zone/

The stars in the fifth dimension dimmed a bit tonight with the sad news that Jack Klugman had died.

Klugman was such a gifted and versatile actor, in fact, that his four appearances on The Twilight Zone are not even his most famous roles. He’ll forever be known for two other TV characters: sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison on The Odd Couple, and as a sleuthing coroner on Quincy, M.E.

But there isn’t a Twilight Zone fan out there who heard the news about Klugman’s passing and didn’t think of “A Passage for Trumpet”, “A Game of Pool”, “Death Ship” and “In Praise of Pip”.



He wasn’t classically handsome and had none of the usual “leading man” characteristics. He didn’t need them. His richly appealing “everyman” persona never failed to draw viewers in. You immediately liked and trusted him. What better qualifications could one need to take a plunge into the far corners of the fifth dimension? Read the rest of this entry →

[dembotoz]

29. do not think honey boo boo will have the same legacy

rip jack

[Freshout]

30. I just loved the guy.

R.I.P Mr. Klugman.

[underpants]

31. WOW I never knew that

I will have to share this at work. We work with Orphan Drugs and the diseases they are created to treat.