Obituaries - May 26, 1999

* James Blades; BBC’s ‘Victory’ Percussionist

James Blades, 97, symphonic percussionist who drummed the “V-for-Victory” theme on BBC broadcasts during World War II. Blades was proud of his recording of the Morse code for “V,” which was played up to 150 times a day at the start of British Broadcasting Corp. broadcasts to occupied Europe. “That was the greatest noise I ever made,” Blades once said. “I recorded it by beating an African tom-tom that I bought in a junk shop for a fiver.” Blades began his drumming career with a circus, then worked in cinemas. During the war, he began playing with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and later played with the English Opera Group, the Aldeburgh Festival and the English Chamber Orchestra. In 1982, he joined the London Film Society Orchestra. Another memorable recording by Blades was the sound of the gong featured in the opening credits of films by the J. Arthur Rank studios. The musician wrote two volumes of an autobiography and the 1970 book “Percussion Instruments and Their History.” On Wednesday in Cheam, England.

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Candy Candido; Did Voices in Disney Films

Candy Candido, 85, the man of “a thousand voices” who spoke for Disney animated characters in such classics as “Sleeping Beauty” and “Peter Pan.” A native of New Orleans, Candido began his career singing with big bands. His vocal talents and bass stylings quickly attracted Hollywood casting agents. Candido appeared on “The Jimmy Durante Show” in the early days of television in the 1950s. Over the years, he performed in clubs and at variety shows at state fairs and other events across the country, often serving as master of ceremonies as well as singing and telling jokes. Candido was a veteran voice for Disney and other animators, providing the vocal acting for characters in “Robin Hood” and 1973’s “Heavy Traffic.” In 1986, Candido earned special praise as the voice of the peg-legged bat Fidget in “The Great Mouse Detective.” On Wednesday in North Hollywood.

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Robert Carr Doyle; TV News Producer

Robert Carr Doyle, 78, Emmy-winning television producer who helped launch “The Huntley-Brinkley Report.” Doyle worked for NBC from 1946 to 1953 and earned an Emmy for his work on the evening news show that paired anchors David Brinkley in Washington and Chet Huntley in New York. During his tenure at NBC, Doyle also was involved with the first broadcasts of national political conventions. He coached four presidents--Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon--on using television. Doyle worked for the National Geographic Society from 1962 to 1972, helping to create its TV specials about nature. He worked with such scientists as Louis Leakey, Jane Goodall and Jacques Cousteau. Doyle later became a consultant. On Friday in Washington, D.C., of pneumonia.

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Sir Robert Rhodes James; Historical Biographer

Sir Robert Rhodes James, 66, prolific historian whose books included biographies of the Churchills. The author also was a senior aide to United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim and served in Britain’s House of Commons from 1976 until 1992. A graduate of Oxford University and a fellow of the elite All Souls College, Rhodes James published his first book in 1959, a biography of Lord Randolph Churchill, the father of Winston Churchill. The historian won wide acclaim with his second book, a biography of Lord Rosebery, who became prime minister in 1894. In his 1965 book “Gallipoli,” Rhodes James became the first historian to use unpublished papers from the official inquiry into the disastrous Dardanelles campaign of 1915. In 1970, Rhodes James published a book about the early problems of Winston Churchill, titled “Churchill, a Study in Failure: 1900-1939.” On Thursday in Great Gransden, Bedfordshire, England.

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Earl Underwood; Leimert Park Activist

Earl Underwood, 47, co-founder of Leimert Park Fine Art Gallery and Business Center. A native New Yorker, Underwood spent his early adulthood in printing and then distributing African American products. Hoping to encourage cultural and economic development by other African Americans, he began concentrating his activities in Leimert Park. With his wife, Lisa, Underwood established the gallery at 43rd Street and Degnan Boulevard in 1995. The couple has provided free art classes for children and a market for sculpture, paintings, jewelry and crafts by local and national African American artists. The Underwoods also offered lecture series, start-up space and other assistance to those interested in developing new businesses. Art created by children in the free education program has been sold at fund-raisers benefiting the community. On May 6 in Los Angeles of undisclosed causes.