Born Ezra Chaim Feinstone, December 2, 1917; died in an automobile accident,March 3, 1994, in Woodbridge, NJ. Actor, director, writer, consultant, and educator. Stone was best remembered for his signature line "Coming, Mother!" ina long-running radio show of the 1940s. The Philadelphia native began performing in vaudeville as a child and earned a degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1935. Appearances in stage productions led to a starring role as Henry Aldrich in the 1938 Broadway comedy What a Life. The fictional teenager inadvertently caused chaos and misadventure wherever he went, and theplay evolved into a weekly radio series called The Aldrich Family. AlthoughStone played the role of young Henry on the radio until 1951, he was involvedin other projects over the years as well. At the age of twenty, the actor made his directorial debut with See My Lawyer, a Broadway play that featured Milton Berle. Stone was also involved as a producer, director, and performer inThis Is the Army, a musical by Irving Berlin that made appearances in frontof American troops during World War II. In the early 1950s, Stone joined thefledgling medium of television as director of program development at CBS. Hewent on to direct episodes for a number of series over the years, including Lassie, Lost in Space, and Love American Style. He also wrote for several shows, including Petticoat Junction and The Flying Nun. Later Stone enjoyed an adjunct career as an informational film consultant and worked with IBM and other companies. In 1979 he became director of the David Library of the AmericanRevolution, a foundation set up by his father. Stone taught courses at several universities, was affiliated with committees of the John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and acted in local stage productions near his Bucks County, Pennsylvania, home.
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