Buzz Kill

Buzz Podewell, who showed there are more embarrassing early career appearances for aspiring actors than porn and McDonald’s commercials, has died of lung cancer at the age of 69. The child actor was establishing his cred with appearances on Mr. Wizard, when he landed the plum role of Buzz Turner, a shy boy persecuted for his lack of musical knowledge by the magical and androgynous Mr. B Natural, played by Betty Luster.  He would go on to Emerson College, where he was a classmate of Henry Winkler and probably thought that his early video made for the scratch would never see the light of day again. Then in 1991, Joel and the ‘bots made him a star when they dug up the short for Mystery Science Theater 3000.