Obituaries - June 22, 1999

Francine Everett; Singer and Actress

Francine Everett, 79, singer, model and actress known for her roles in the all-black films of the 1930s and 1940s. Although Everett said she was born in 1920, she was appearing in nightclub variety shows by 1933 and the Federal Theater in Harlem soon after. In 1936, she married actor Rex Ingram and moved to Hollywood. But she refused to accept stereotypical roles and returned to Harlem in 1939 after her marriage ended in divorce. Everett starred in several independent low-budget black films such as “Keep Punching” in 1939, “Big Timers” with Moms Mabley and Stepin Fetchit in 1945 and “Dirty Gerty From Harlem U.S.A.” in 1946. Her Hollywood film credits included bit parts in such films as “Lost Boundaries” in 1949 and her final motion picture, Sidney Poitier’s “No Way Out” in 1950. On May 27 in New York City.

Robert Guthrie; Helped Develop Radar

Robert C. Guthrie, 93, who helped develop pulse radar. Guthrie had a 35-year career at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington from 1929 until his retirement in 1964. He received a certificate of merit from President Harry S. Truman in 1946 for his work on pulse radar used in World War II. Guthrie served as the first superintendent of the naval laboratory’s radar division. On Monday in Laurel, Mont.

Douglas Seale; British Producer, Actor

Douglas Seale, 85, British producer, actor and director who specialized in Shakespeare but also acted in such comedy films as “Ghostbusters II.” Trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Seale made his debut in 1934 in “The Drums Begin” in London. Over the next 60 years, he acted in scores of stage productions in Britain, the United States, Canada and Ireland, and directed or produced numerous plays, particularly those of William Shakespeare. On Broadway, Seale was best known for his role as a drunk actor in the 1983 production of “Noises Off,” for which he earned a Tony nomination. In Hollywood, he portrayed Count Arco in the 1984 film “Amadeus,” Santa Claus in 1988’s “Ernest Saves Christmas,” the Plaza Hotel man in 1989’s “Ghostbusters II,” Boswell in 1990’s “Mr. Destiny” and an old man in the 1995 movie “Palookaville.” He had voice roles as the sultan in the animated film “Aladdin” and in “The Rescuers Down Under.” On June 13 in New York City.

Mario Soldati; Film Director, Writer

Mario Soldati, 92, Italian film director and prolific writer of books, poems and screenplays. Soldati directed about 50 films between 1931 and 1960, including “Piccolo Mondo Antico” and “La Provinciale.” But he was better remembered for writing, which he called “my passion.” He wrote three dozen novels, which although rarely commercially successful, earned several Italian literary prizes. He also adapted easily to television and wrote scripts and directed in the medium’s early days in Italy. Soldati traveled widely and taught from 1929 to 1931 at New York’s Columbia University. On Saturday in Rome.