Very sad news indeed. When I lived in Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1980s as a writer, I used to be able to watch Saturday Night at the Movies if I had the TV antenna about six feet away from the set and taped up against the ceiling -- provided there was enough of a cloud cover over lake Erie that apparently allowed the signal from Canada to bounce into our part of the U. S. There were nights when I'd have to watch two movies and his wonderful intermission interview segments the whole time holding the antenna in one hand and moving it from here to there in the hopes of picking up the faint signal. When my arms got tired, my girlfriend would take over for a while while the other could watch the set.

On the nights of best reception, and there were many, we got to watch so many amazing movies and see so many incredible guests that I will never forget it, and I've saved some letters from Mr. Yost all these years that I wrote to him to thank him for what he was doing. Because of his show, I eventually got to see film music producer Tony Thomas and composer Hans Salter, as Mr. Yost had them on during two of his interview segments, and he was kind enough to put me in touch with them. From there I got to meet (by mail) Deanna Durbin and some other guests of his show, and I'd have to say it's quite doubful I ever would have gotten into the business of film music were were it not for Mr. Yost and the exposure to so many great films and memorable individuals that he provided. He brought a joy to the world of the cinema like nobody else I ever encountered. I feel bad for anyone who never got to share a Saturday Night at the Movies with him. My guess is he was one-of-a-kind.