Albert John Joseph Zuniga

Albert John Joseph Zuniga

Born: 4/9/36 to

Albert A. Zuniga of El Paso TX

Violet (Eberts) Zuniga of Phoenix, AZ

Survived by sister Elena Renee’ (Zuniga) DiGregorio, niece Charlotte DiGregorio, nephews John and Joseph; and great nephews Anthony and Nino. Upon marriage to Renee, Mario DiGregorio provided Albert with 3 step-nieces, Diana, Denise, and Dana.

Most may not know that for his first 18 years he was called Poogie by the family. I think it evolved as he was considered pudgy as a baby, it evolved, and it stuck. At age 18, he insisted we all stop the nickname and call him Al. There was always the occasional slip, but worst embarrassment was when he had a girlfriend over for dinner.

Albert attended local Hollywood schools and a graduate of Hollywood High School. Active in school sports, but primarily baseball where in his senior year he made the All Valley Team. He once ruined a no-hitter against a young Don Drysdale from Van Nuys High School. Several years later Albert met Don at a gathering and brought up the fact that he got a hit off him, and Don remembered ‘so you’re the guy, I had a scout there that day, and thought I had blown my chance!” He didn’t, and the rest is history.

One of his closest friends was David Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet Fame. They gravitated to each other because both were incredibly shy. There was one evening they were cruising Hollywood Blvd in David’s convertible and as soon as the girls recognized David they swarmed the car, scaring them beyond embarrassment and they sped off. Albert used to say that when at the Nelson home, David’s brother Ricky was a real nuance.

With Dad’s life-long involvement in baseball, Albert was everything from ball boy, bat boy until his young teens when he joined as a team player. He’s entertained many of you with his many stories of games with Hollywood Celebrities (for those charity benefit games Dad would put on at Sawtelle Field) and one memorable historical event.

As a child of about 8 years old he was given the job to play the radio and music on the loudspeaker in between innings..when one Sunday in December an announcement came through about the attack on Pearl Harbor…Dad yelled at him to turn up the sound. The crowd was stunned, but no more than the visiting Japanese team “The Nippon’s”. All players on both teams hugged each other and cried and all left to their cars. There was a small break in games during the war, but of course, the Japanese players could not return as they and their families were interned for a number of years. That sticks in a young boy’s mind.

He always managed to stay active and of course playing with Dad in his many reincarnations of his semi-pro teams associated with the Southern California Baseball Association. Al was pretty fast on the scoop and throw as a shortstop but always kidded about his limited speed running bases. One of Dad’s quotes “I didn’t mind you carrying that piano between 2nd and 3rd, but didn’t expect you to stop and play it”. He and Dad were players with the Hollywood Stars Studio Softball League. I remember a young James Caan and many other stars.

Upon graduating from high school, he dutifully reported to the draft board; was proclaimed 4-F because of his seasonal hay fever and dislocated shoulder that occurred while sliding into 3rd base in high school. That shoulder was also responsible for a missed opportunity in major league baseball.

Dad found him work in the Shipping Department at Paramount Studios, alongside uncle Paul Ramirez. He soon moved into the film library and was able to work a little more closely with Dad at his movieola. He always retells the story of sharing a elevator in the producer’s building with Sophia Loren…bedecked in lavender from head to toe. He reached over and hit the top floor button…”You know the floor I want?” she asked. “You’re Mrs Ponti and your husband’s office is on the top floor”, he replied. She smiled. He melted.

Within a few years he was hired by Revue Studios, the precursor to Universal Studios Productions as an assistant film editor and then film editor.

He worked on many television series. The list is lengthy on IMDB

The Virginian (1962-1971)

The Bold One: The New Doctors 1969-1973

Ironside (1967-1975)

Alias Smith and Jones (1971-1972)

Night Gallery (1969-1973)

McMillan & Wife (1971-1977)

Kojak (1973-1978)

McCloud (1970-1977)

Switch (1975-1978)

Quincy M.E (1977)

Banacek (1972-1974)

Emergency! (1972-1979) also as Associate Producer 1978-1979

Magnum P.I. 1980-1988 (series pilot)

Harper Valley P.T.A (1981-1982)

Simon & Simon (1982-1989

The Rousters (1983-1984)

The A-Team 1983-1987)

Stingray 1987

J.J. Starbuck (1987-1988)

And about a dozen other less memorable series.

With Stephen Cannell Productions:

Hunter (1984-1989) also as Associate Producer

Wiseguy (1987-1990)

Broken Badges, Mini Series (1990-1991)

Palace Guard, Mini Series 1991

Hawkeye (1994-1995)

TV movies

Female Artillery 1973

Alpha Caper 1973

Let’s Switch 1975

Pine Canyon Is Burning 1977

The Immigrants 1978

Samurai 1979

The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island 1979

Beggarman, Thief 1979

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island 1981

Stingray 1985

Nashville Beat 1989

I met my husband Mario, who was his assistant editor, while they were working on Emergency!

He retired in 1993 to become more involved in local slow pitch baseball leagues. “Al’s Kidz” had his involvement up until about 3.5 years ago. He got a bit upset when his team started assigning a runner for him and towards the end he spent less time on the pitcher’s mound.

He admitted to me that playing ball was a serious game…he was out to win..and often found himself yelling at his own team players who he thought were not playing their best game. He’d stew even more when his good-hearted teammates suggested he ‘lighten up and have fun’. I think there is rumor he was once thrown out of the game for an ‘incident’.

I believe as soon as he started working, he belonged to some sort of bowling league. Played weekly with taking an occasional summer off. He played up until about 3 yrs ago. From about 1966, I came as an observer every week. Towards the last, his nephew Joseph joined his team.

He played golf and was in many tournaments, but never as seriously committed as he was to baseball. He liked the Angels, but he had a huge collection of Dodgers memorabilia and from what I am led to believe he had the Dodger game on when he passed. They were winning.

Albert never married. Over the years he let a few special people slip away. He’d sigh and often talk about those special people while admiting he was a bit selfish and too independent. He was from a different era. Just as recent as a couple of weeks ago he said he regretted not having a son to carry on the Zuniga name..as that line would end with him. I assured him that the Zuniga blood lived in my children and it was only just a name.

But on his phone and Facebook…the women…so many posed pictures with women.

When I was in my twenties and very single as well, I’d join him at local bars within the limited radius in Toluca Lake. Well before cell phones, if I wanted to join him, it wasn’t too hard to find his car outside any one of his favorite places. Oftentimes, especially if he was on the prowl, he’d make sure to quickly introduce me as his sister…lest I cramp his style. We used to joke that if he drifted into Glendale or the Valley, that he had left the ‘Toluca Triangle’. Money Tree, Don Cuco’s, Jason’s, China Trader, King’s Arms, Red Door, Now Voyager, El Torito’s, Far East Terrace, Mason Gerard’s, Chadney’s, Forman’s, Dimples and so many more. Most aren’t there anymore, but not because he didn’t do his part to support them.

So since his social life was mainly at local bars/restaurants, he befriended bar owners, bartenders, bar maids and bouncers and staff…as well as many other souls looking for a good time among friends. I sometimes believed these friends were his real family. Most were much, much younger than him....he’d agree and say, “she’s so young I have a baseball mite older than her!” With his friend Rick, they tried to open a food service in a place across from Warner Bros. The work was hard and he soon found he preferred being on the receiving end of service. His friend Sal, who preceded him in passing by a few months, opened The Now Voyager in Toluca Lake and then on to Dimples. To say Albert was a regular is an understatement. He had his own stool at the bar that was kept vacate waiting for him on the nights he was expected. A small nameplate was affixed on the bar in front of that stool. When Dimples was closing, the TV news covered it and he was interviewed saying “I’m kinda the ‘Norm’ of Dimples”. He couldn’t understand the changes that were happening around him.

He told of a time he once got pretty angry with Sal. Albert had just been blasted with chemo and lost his hair. He wanted to enter Dimples with his baseball cap on…Sal’s policy was ‘no hats’! Not sure how it was resolved or when but I found a picture of hairless Al surrounded by four lovely ladies. I think Albert won that one.

For many years he held his annual New Year’s Eve parties. The house was packed…with the party starting all over again when the bars closed and those workers could join in.

There were subtle changes we noticed about 5 years ago. You don’t nag an independent guy and expect results. He had a fall at home after a ballgame and chose to head over to the UCLA Toluca Center. Apparently, they ran numerous tests. I say, apparently, because he never revealed anything to me. It wasn’t until about a year later that I discovered the extent of his ailments.

After heart surgery he lived with me for 18 mos. The signs of dementia became more prominent. One time I was in need of immediate surgery, and he cried with worry. I assured him that he was going to be ok and my children would watch over his needs. As I was about to walk out the door, he shuffled after me with a $20 bill saying ‘Can you pick up some beer for me?”..forgetting that we had bought a case the day before.

He’d remember all the old stories in detail but forget a conversation we’d had minutes before. (But I think we all have moments like that) In February, we decided that assisted living was the best and safest place for him. He liked it there, though never really socialized with the ‘old folk’ residents…but it probably doesn’t come as any surprise, he was very friendly with the nursing staff and dining room staff. If they had a bartender he’d have probably been best buds with him or her too. There was staff there that day that wept.

Just a few weeks ago, our nephew visited him and Albert shared stories that his uncle had revealed to him about WWII and being a tail gunner on a B-29. He relayed the stories like he had heard them yesterday. My son visited too and got him on a role talking about the studios and baseball.

My brother was my first playmate. I was a horrible nuance to him when he was a teenager crying to Mom that it wasn’t fair that Albert could take his date to the movies and I couldn’t go along. Several times I got my way. He was not happy. Despite that, he was my counselor and generous when he could. We never were demonstrative in our affections, but we knew, we knew. Mom made us promise to always be there for each other. In the last few years it was a little harder to do and very frustrating, for both of us. He had a real hard time depending on someone else after being so independent all his life.

To realize that there is no Albert in my life stops me in my tracks. Mom and Dad were waiting for him as well as all his friends that preceded him to finally ‘get the party started’ as I’m sure Albert was buying!

Please pray for the family and friends he leaves behind.

Until we meet again, Poogie

Renee’

A memorial service for Albert will be held Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Valley Funeral Home, 2121 W. Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506.

Followed by continued celebration at:

Ernie's Mexican Restaurant

4410 Lankershim Blvd.

North Hollywood CA 91602

@Moorpark, across from St. Charles Borromeo Church

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.valleyfuneralhomeburbank.com for the Zuniga family.