2featherbear
>1 JulieLill: Thank you! Hope this becomes a short thread!
3featherbear
Glynis Johns, 1923-2024
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 01/04/2024: Glynis Johns, impish British actress of stage and screen, dies at 100. A supporting actress in Disney's Mary Poppins, she's probably best known for introducing "Send in the Clowns" in Sondheim's musical A Little Night Music. Sondheim later told his biographer Meryle Secrest "he had tailored the song to what Secrest called Ms. Johns’s “small, silvery voice” and that “nobody can sing it as well as she.” Its word choice — from the well-known first line, “Isn’t it rich?” — made the most of her limits by forcing a breath after the “ch” sound."
"Ms. Johns’s effervescence and crackling husky voice — which she attributed to “slightly twisted” vocal cords that permitted the air to hit “the soprano and the contralto at the same time” — made her a distinctive presence in nearly 60 films, dozens of TV appearances and scores of theatrical productions." She played a mermaid in her breakthrough 1948 film Miranda. Nominated for a supporting role Oscar in The Sundowners (1960)
Guardian, 01/04/2024: Glynis Johns – a life in pictures.
Tim Pulleine. Guardian, 01/05/2024: Glynis Johns obituary. "Glynis Margaret Payne Johns, actor, born 5 October 1923; died 4 January 2024."
Anita Gates. 01/04/2024, updated 01/05/2024: Glynis Johns, Tony Winner for ‘A Little Night Music,’ Dies at 100.
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 01/04/2024: Glynis Johns, impish British actress of stage and screen, dies at 100. A supporting actress in Disney's Mary Poppins, she's probably best known for introducing "Send in the Clowns" in Sondheim's musical A Little Night Music. Sondheim later told his biographer Meryle Secrest "he had tailored the song to what Secrest called Ms. Johns’s “small, silvery voice” and that “nobody can sing it as well as she.” Its word choice — from the well-known first line, “Isn’t it rich?” — made the most of her limits by forcing a breath after the “ch” sound."
"Ms. Johns’s effervescence and crackling husky voice — which she attributed to “slightly twisted” vocal cords that permitted the air to hit “the soprano and the contralto at the same time” — made her a distinctive presence in nearly 60 films, dozens of TV appearances and scores of theatrical productions." She played a mermaid in her breakthrough 1948 film Miranda. Nominated for a supporting role Oscar in The Sundowners (1960)
Guardian, 01/04/2024: Glynis Johns – a life in pictures.
Tim Pulleine. Guardian, 01/05/2024: Glynis Johns obituary. "Glynis Margaret Payne Johns, actor, born 5 October 1923; died 4 January 2024."
Anita Gates. 01/04/2024, updated 01/05/2024: Glynis Johns, Tony Winner for ‘A Little Night Music,’ Dies at 100.
4featherbear
David Soul, 1943-2024
Adrian Horton. Guardian, 01/05/2024: Starsky & Hutch actor David Soul dies aged 80.
Alex Williams. NYT, 01/05/2024: David Soul, a Star of the Hit Cop Show ‘Starsky & Hutch,’ Dies at 80. "he won his career-defining role of Detective Ken Hutchinson, known as Hutch, also on ABC. The part would make him a regular presence in American living rooms, as well as a recognized heartthrob, from 1975 to 1979.
"As Hutch, Mr. Soul played the coolheaded Midwestern sidekick to Detective Dave Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser), a savvy Brooklynite given to wearing chunky cardigan sweaters. The two tooled around the fictional Southern California burgh of Bay City in a red Ford Gran Torino emblazoned with a giant Nike-esque swoosh running down each side as they cracked open cases with the help of their streetwise informant, Huggy Bear (Antonio Fargas).
"Mr. Soul, who often said that music was his priority over acting, released five albums in his career and notched four Top 10 hits in Britain in the 1970s ...
"Although he missed out on a financial windfall by selling his stake in “Starsky & Hutch” years ago for $100,000, according to a 2019 interview with The Sunday Times of London, he expressed few regrets.
“I’ve had it all,” he said. “I’ve been a No 1 star in the world for a while — not now. I’ve had No 1 records around the world — not now. I have six wonderful children. I’m married to a wonderful woman. I’m happy. I’ve explored, I’ve seen, I’ve done.”
Apparently beloved in Great Britain, where he lived after the series, with a number of additional tributes in The Guardian:
Zoe Williams. Guardian, 01/05/2024: David Soul: the British-American star who made crime-fighting cool.
Guardian. 01/05/2024: David Soul – a life in pictures.
Anthony Hayward. Guardian, 01/05/2024: David Soul obituary.
Adrian Horton. Guardian, 01/05/2024: Starsky & Hutch actor David Soul dies aged 80.
Alex Williams. NYT, 01/05/2024: David Soul, a Star of the Hit Cop Show ‘Starsky & Hutch,’ Dies at 80. "he won his career-defining role of Detective Ken Hutchinson, known as Hutch, also on ABC. The part would make him a regular presence in American living rooms, as well as a recognized heartthrob, from 1975 to 1979.
"As Hutch, Mr. Soul played the coolheaded Midwestern sidekick to Detective Dave Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser), a savvy Brooklynite given to wearing chunky cardigan sweaters. The two tooled around the fictional Southern California burgh of Bay City in a red Ford Gran Torino emblazoned with a giant Nike-esque swoosh running down each side as they cracked open cases with the help of their streetwise informant, Huggy Bear (Antonio Fargas).
"Mr. Soul, who often said that music was his priority over acting, released five albums in his career and notched four Top 10 hits in Britain in the 1970s ...
"Although he missed out on a financial windfall by selling his stake in “Starsky & Hutch” years ago for $100,000, according to a 2019 interview with The Sunday Times of London, he expressed few regrets.
“I’ve had it all,” he said. “I’ve been a No 1 star in the world for a while — not now. I’ve had No 1 records around the world — not now. I have six wonderful children. I’m married to a wonderful woman. I’m happy. I’ve explored, I’ve seen, I’ve done.”
Apparently beloved in Great Britain, where he lived after the series, with a number of additional tributes in The Guardian:
Zoe Williams. Guardian, 01/05/2024: David Soul: the British-American star who made crime-fighting cool.
Guardian. 01/05/2024: David Soul – a life in pictures.
Anthony Hayward. Guardian, 01/05/2024: David Soul obituary.
5JulieLill
>4 featherbear: I had a crush on him - sorry to see him gone!
6featherbear
Norma Barzman, 1920-2024
Clay Risen. NYT, 01/10/2024: Norma Barzman, Blacklisted Screenwriter, Dies at 103.
One of those blacklisted Hollywood unknowns who doesn't appear to have contributed to any notable items in movie history, but an interesting bio nonetheless. Her first marriage was to Claude Shannon, one of the founders of information theory. "She met Ben Barzman, another aspiring screenwriter, at a party at the home of Robert Rossen, yet another screenwriter. Mr. Barzman insisted that modern movies were too complex for women to write. She pushed a lemon meringue pie in his face. They married in 1943." She published a memoir, The Red and the Blacklist: The Intimate Memoir of a Hollywood Expatriate in 2003. She never forgave director Elia Kazan for being a "rat" for the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Clay Risen. NYT, 01/10/2024: Norma Barzman, Blacklisted Screenwriter, Dies at 103.
One of those blacklisted Hollywood unknowns who doesn't appear to have contributed to any notable items in movie history, but an interesting bio nonetheless. Her first marriage was to Claude Shannon, one of the founders of information theory. "She met Ben Barzman, another aspiring screenwriter, at a party at the home of Robert Rossen, yet another screenwriter. Mr. Barzman insisted that modern movies were too complex for women to write. She pushed a lemon meringue pie in his face. They married in 1943." She published a memoir, The Red and the Blacklist: The Intimate Memoir of a Hollywood Expatriate in 2003. She never forgave director Elia Kazan for being a "rat" for the House Un-American Activities Committee.
7featherbear
fyi, I added Marissa Pavan to the previous thread since she died in 2023, though the NYT obit came out in 2024
8featherbear
Bill Hayes, 1923-2024
Noor Nanji. BBC Culture, 01/13/2024: Bill Hayes: Days of Our Lives star dies.
"The US actor Bill Hayes, who starred in the soap opera Days of Our Lives for more than five decades, has died at the age of 98.
"Last June, he celebrated his 98th birthday on the set of the American daytime soap surrounded by co-stars."
Interesting fun fact: "Hayes began his career as a musician and had a hit with The Ballad of Davy Crockett."
Noor Nanji. BBC Culture, 01/13/2024: Bill Hayes: Days of Our Lives star dies.
"The US actor Bill Hayes, who starred in the soap opera Days of Our Lives for more than five decades, has died at the age of 98.
"Last June, he celebrated his 98th birthday on the set of the American daytime soap surrounded by co-stars."
Interesting fun fact: "Hayes began his career as a musician and had a hit with The Ballad of Davy Crockett."
9KeithChaffee
>8 featherbear: And still getting major plotlines on the show, which is unusual for older soap opera actors, who mostly sit on the sidelines, occasionally popping up to dispense The Wisdom of the Elderly. Why, just a couple of years ago, his character was possessed by the devil!
10featherbear
Joyce Randolph, 1924-2024
Robert McFadden. NYT, 01/14/2024: Joyce Randolph, Last of the ‘Honeymooners,’ Is Dead at 99.
"Ms. Randolph, who played Trixie Norton in the classic sitcom, was the last survivor of a cast of four that dominated Saturday night TV.
"She was the last survivor of a cast of four that dominated the Saturday night viewing habits of millions in the golden age of live television, and for decades afterward on rerun broadcasts and home video. Jackie Gleason (Ralph Kramden) died in 1987; Audrey Meadows (Ralph’s wife, Alice) in 1996; and Art Carney (Ed Norton) in 2003."
"At the peak of the show’s popularity, Ms. Randolph was its lowest-salaried star at $500 a week. Mr. Gleason had contracts that paid millions, but he covered all the production costs and took $65,000 to $70,000 an episode. Mr. Carney was paid $3,500 and Ms. Meadows $2,000 weekly."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 01/14/2024: Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie Norton on ‘Honeymooners,’ dies at 99.
Some fun notes from the WaPo obit:
"She came to Gleason’s attention as a replacement for Elaine Stritch, who had originated the role of Trixie. Ms. Randolph brought a more wholesome interpretation to a character initially played as a former burlesque dancer."
And Trixie's classic quote regarding husband Ed Norton:
"“You can take the man out of the sewer,” she says of her husband, “but you can’t take the sewer out of the man.”
Robert McFadden. NYT, 01/14/2024: Joyce Randolph, Last of the ‘Honeymooners,’ Is Dead at 99.
"Ms. Randolph, who played Trixie Norton in the classic sitcom, was the last survivor of a cast of four that dominated Saturday night TV.
"She was the last survivor of a cast of four that dominated the Saturday night viewing habits of millions in the golden age of live television, and for decades afterward on rerun broadcasts and home video. Jackie Gleason (Ralph Kramden) died in 1987; Audrey Meadows (Ralph’s wife, Alice) in 1996; and Art Carney (Ed Norton) in 2003."
"At the peak of the show’s popularity, Ms. Randolph was its lowest-salaried star at $500 a week. Mr. Gleason had contracts that paid millions, but he covered all the production costs and took $65,000 to $70,000 an episode. Mr. Carney was paid $3,500 and Ms. Meadows $2,000 weekly."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 01/14/2024: Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie Norton on ‘Honeymooners,’ dies at 99.
Some fun notes from the WaPo obit:
"She came to Gleason’s attention as a replacement for Elaine Stritch, who had originated the role of Trixie. Ms. Randolph brought a more wholesome interpretation to a character initially played as a former burlesque dancer."
And Trixie's classic quote regarding husband Ed Norton:
"“You can take the man out of the sewer,” she says of her husband, “but you can’t take the sewer out of the man.”
11JulieLill
>10 featherbear: She lived a long life! Loved the show!
12featherbear
Tom Shales, 1944-2024
Adam Bernstein & Brian Murphy. WaPo, 01/13/2024: Tom Shales, Pulitzer-winning TV critic of fine-tuned wit, dies at 79. "He spent nearly 40 years writing for The Washington Post and was known for his incisive and barbed commentary. ... Mr. Shales provided exhaustive coverage of all forms of the medium, from nature documentaries to late-night talk shows, network sitcoms to cable dramas, “Saturday Night Live” to pomp-filled State of the Union speeches, perky morning programs to “reality” shows he called “Humiliation Television.”
Alex Williams, NYT, 01/16/2024, upd. 01/17: Tom Shales, TV Critic Both Respected and Feared, Dies at 79.
Adam Bernstein & Brian Murphy. WaPo, 01/13/2024: Tom Shales, Pulitzer-winning TV critic of fine-tuned wit, dies at 79. "He spent nearly 40 years writing for The Washington Post and was known for his incisive and barbed commentary. ... Mr. Shales provided exhaustive coverage of all forms of the medium, from nature documentaries to late-night talk shows, network sitcoms to cable dramas, “Saturday Night Live” to pomp-filled State of the Union speeches, perky morning programs to “reality” shows he called “Humiliation Television.”
Alex Williams, NYT, 01/16/2024, upd. 01/17: Tom Shales, TV Critic Both Respected and Feared, Dies at 79.
13featherbear
Norman Jewison, 1926-2024
Dennis Lim. NYT, 01/22/2024: Norman Jewison, Filmmaker Who Spanned Genres, Is Dead at 97.
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 01/22/2024: Norman Jewison, filmmaker with lens on social issues, dies at 97
Directed, among others: In the Heat of the Night -- Moonstruck -- Fiddler on the Roof -- he took over the Steve McQueen film The Cincinnati Kid after the original director, Sam Peckinpah, was fired -- The Thomas Crown Affair -- The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming -- Jesus Christ Superstar -- A Soldier's Story -- the Ruben Carter biopic The Hurricane -- In Country -- Agnes of God -- Rollerball.
WaPo: "Mr. Jewison never won a competitive Academy Award but received the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999 and the Directors Guild of America’s lifetime achievement award in 2010.
"He had previously encountered prejudice as a boy in Toronto, where he was bullied by classmates who, on the basis of his surname, assumed that he was Jewish. In fact, his family was Methodist and Anglican, although United Artists executives were under the same mistaken impression, in his telling, when they offered him “Fiddler on the Roof.
"In 1978 Mr. Jewison settled on a farm near Toronto, where he harvested maple syrup and raised Hereford cattle when he wasn’t working on movies. He also founded what is now the Canadian Film Centre to promote the country’s film industry and, in 1992, was made a companion of the Order of Canada."
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 01/22/2024: Norman Jewison: a staggering array of work from Hollywood’s master craftsman.
Elena Goodinson, compiler. Guardian, 01/22/2024: Director Norman Jewison: a life in pictures.
Ira Wells. Atlantic, 01/25/2024: The Director Who Was Never as Famous as His Movies.
Dennis Lim. NYT, 01/22/2024: Norman Jewison, Filmmaker Who Spanned Genres, Is Dead at 97.
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 01/22/2024: Norman Jewison, filmmaker with lens on social issues, dies at 97
Directed, among others: In the Heat of the Night -- Moonstruck -- Fiddler on the Roof -- he took over the Steve McQueen film The Cincinnati Kid after the original director, Sam Peckinpah, was fired -- The Thomas Crown Affair -- The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming -- Jesus Christ Superstar -- A Soldier's Story -- the Ruben Carter biopic The Hurricane -- In Country -- Agnes of God -- Rollerball.
WaPo: "Mr. Jewison never won a competitive Academy Award but received the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999 and the Directors Guild of America’s lifetime achievement award in 2010.
"He had previously encountered prejudice as a boy in Toronto, where he was bullied by classmates who, on the basis of his surname, assumed that he was Jewish. In fact, his family was Methodist and Anglican, although United Artists executives were under the same mistaken impression, in his telling, when they offered him “Fiddler on the Roof.
"In 1978 Mr. Jewison settled on a farm near Toronto, where he harvested maple syrup and raised Hereford cattle when he wasn’t working on movies. He also founded what is now the Canadian Film Centre to promote the country’s film industry and, in 1992, was made a companion of the Order of Canada."
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 01/22/2024: Norman Jewison: a staggering array of work from Hollywood’s master craftsman.
Elena Goodinson, compiler. Guardian, 01/22/2024: Director Norman Jewison: a life in pictures.
Ira Wells. Atlantic, 01/25/2024: The Director Who Was Never as Famous as His Movies.
14JulieLill
Mary Weiss
Lead Singer of The Shangri-Las, Dies at 75
1948-2024
The 1960s girl group out of Queens recorded No. 1 single "Leader of the Pack."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/mary-weiss-lead-singer-of-the-shangri-las-d...
Lead Singer of The Shangri-Las, Dies at 75
1948-2024
The 1960s girl group out of Queens recorded No. 1 single "Leader of the Pack."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/mary-weiss-lead-singer-of-the-shangri-las-d...
15featherbear
Charles Osgood, 1933-2024
Bart Barnes. WaPo, 01/23/2024: Charles Osgood, wry stalwart of CBS’s ‘Sunday Morning,’ dies at 91. "As host for 22 years, Mr. Osgood said he wanted ‘Sunday Morning’ to be the television equivalent of the Sunday newspaper, part of a leisurely weekend routine, unhurried and free from the frenzied weekday news cycle."
"... Mr. Osgood faced a daunting challenge when he took over “Sunday Morning” in 1994 from the retiring Charles Kuralt, one of the network’s most beloved newsmen. Kuralt had started the 90-minute Sunday program in 1979 and molded the show in his own idiosyncratic style.
"On Mr. Osgood’s watch, “Sunday Morning” continued in the Kuraltian tradition of down-home folklore blended with culture, sports and nature. There were stories about elephants painting on canvas, tractor ballets, centenarian bricklayers — interesting yarns that would never lead the evening news. He also interviewed towering figures in the arts, such as painter Andrew Wyeth, playwright Edward Albee and opera singer Plácido Domingo."
James Barron. NYT, 01/23/2024: Charles Osgood, Lyrical Newscaster on Radio and TV, Dies at 91. "A familiar face on television as the host of “CBS Sunday Morning” from 1994 to 2016, he was also known for his “Osgood File” segments on CBS Radio, often delivered with humor and a rhyme."
Bart Barnes. WaPo, 01/23/2024: Charles Osgood, wry stalwart of CBS’s ‘Sunday Morning,’ dies at 91. "As host for 22 years, Mr. Osgood said he wanted ‘Sunday Morning’ to be the television equivalent of the Sunday newspaper, part of a leisurely weekend routine, unhurried and free from the frenzied weekday news cycle."
"... Mr. Osgood faced a daunting challenge when he took over “Sunday Morning” in 1994 from the retiring Charles Kuralt, one of the network’s most beloved newsmen. Kuralt had started the 90-minute Sunday program in 1979 and molded the show in his own idiosyncratic style.
"On Mr. Osgood’s watch, “Sunday Morning” continued in the Kuraltian tradition of down-home folklore blended with culture, sports and nature. There were stories about elephants painting on canvas, tractor ballets, centenarian bricklayers — interesting yarns that would never lead the evening news. He also interviewed towering figures in the arts, such as painter Andrew Wyeth, playwright Edward Albee and opera singer Plácido Domingo."
James Barron. NYT, 01/23/2024: Charles Osgood, Lyrical Newscaster on Radio and TV, Dies at 91. "A familiar face on television as the host of “CBS Sunday Morning” from 1994 to 2016, he was also known for his “Osgood File” segments on CBS Radio, often delivered with humor and a rhyme."
16featherbear
Melanie, 1947-2024
Peter Keepnews. NYT, 01/24/2024, upd 01/25: Melanie, Singer Who Made a Solo Splash at Woodstock, Dies at 76. "Just 22 when she charmed the festival crowd, she went on to enjoy success with songs like “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” and “Brand New Key.”"
"Melanie’s biggest hit, “Brand New Key,” charmed listeners with its simplicity but generated controversy — and was said to have been banned by some radio stations — because some people heard sexual innuendo in lyrics like “I’ve got a brand-new pair of roller skates/You’ve got a brand-new key.” She acknowledged that the words could be interpreted that way, but insisted that this was not her intention.
"Among her other compositions was “What Have They Done to My Song, Ma,” which, as “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma,” was a Top 20 hit for the New Seekers in 1970."
Peter Keepnews. NYT, 01/24/2024, upd 01/25: Melanie, Singer Who Made a Solo Splash at Woodstock, Dies at 76. "Just 22 when she charmed the festival crowd, she went on to enjoy success with songs like “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” and “Brand New Key.”"
"Melanie’s biggest hit, “Brand New Key,” charmed listeners with its simplicity but generated controversy — and was said to have been banned by some radio stations — because some people heard sexual innuendo in lyrics like “I’ve got a brand-new pair of roller skates/You’ve got a brand-new key.” She acknowledged that the words could be interpreted that way, but insisted that this was not her intention.
"Among her other compositions was “What Have They Done to My Song, Ma,” which, as “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma,” was a Top 20 hit for the New Seekers in 1970."
17featherbear
Chita Rivera, 1933-2024
Adam Bernstein. 01/30/2024: Chita Rivera, quintessential Broadway musical star, dies at 91.
Known mostly for her Broadway roles -- she originated the America number in "West Side Story," she did appear in the movies Chicago & Sweet Charity according to IMDB. She had other significant Broadway roles in "Bye Bye Birdie," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," and "Chicago." She won 2 Tony awards.
Neil Armstrong. BBC Culture, 01/31/2024: West Side Story's Anita: The character that set Chita Rivera's career – and US theatre – alight.
Adam Bernstein. 01/30/2024: Chita Rivera, quintessential Broadway musical star, dies at 91.
Known mostly for her Broadway roles -- she originated the America number in "West Side Story," she did appear in the movies Chicago & Sweet Charity according to IMDB. She had other significant Broadway roles in "Bye Bye Birdie," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," and "Chicago." She won 2 Tony awards.
Neil Armstrong. BBC Culture, 01/31/2024: West Side Story's Anita: The character that set Chita Rivera's career – and US theatre – alight.
18featherbear
Re-posting from my book thread since her biographies included a number of personalities in the movie biz; I regret not picking up a copy of her Vivien Leigh bio when browsing through a used bookstore. The NYT obit does a poor job bibliographically, I should add. I'm sure many of the books listed are still available in libraries.
Anne Edwards, 1927-2024
Sam Roberts. 01/31/2024: Anne Edwards, Best-Selling ‘Queen of Biography,’ Dies at 96.
Books include: Vivien Leigh: A Biography (1977, 19 weeks on the NYT bestseller list) -- Katharine Hepburn: A Remarkable Woman -- Judy Garland: A Biography -- Sonya: The Life of Countess Tolstoy -- Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography -- Streisand: A Biography -- Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell -- Early Reagan: The Rise to Power -- The Reagans: Portrait of a Marriage -- Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led -- Shirley Temple: American Princess -- Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret -- Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor -- Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.
Anne Edwards, 1927-2024
Sam Roberts. 01/31/2024: Anne Edwards, Best-Selling ‘Queen of Biography,’ Dies at 96.
Books include: Vivien Leigh: A Biography (1977, 19 weeks on the NYT bestseller list) -- Katharine Hepburn: A Remarkable Woman -- Judy Garland: A Biography -- Sonya: The Life of Countess Tolstoy -- Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography -- Streisand: A Biography -- Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell -- Early Reagan: The Rise to Power -- The Reagans: Portrait of a Marriage -- Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led -- Shirley Temple: American Princess -- Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret -- Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor -- Throne of Gold: The Lives of the Aga Khans.
19featherbear
Carl Weathers, 1948-2024
Alex Williams. NYT, 02/02/2024, updated 02/03/2024: Carl Weathers, Who Played Apollo Creed in the ‘Rocky’ Movies, Dies at 76. I haven't followed the Rocky films, where he played Apollo Creed, but I enjoyed his performances in Predator & Action Jackson.
Mark Kennedy. AP in WaPo, 02/02/2024: Carl Weathers, linebacker-turned-actor who starred in 'Rocky' movies and 'The Mandalorian,' dies. Also to be updated, I imagine.
Chris Klimek. WaPo, 02/04/2024: Carl Weathers was so much more than a sidekick.
Alex Williams. NYT, 02/02/2024, updated 02/03/2024: Carl Weathers, Who Played Apollo Creed in the ‘Rocky’ Movies, Dies at 76. I haven't followed the Rocky films, where he played Apollo Creed, but I enjoyed his performances in Predator & Action Jackson.
Mark Kennedy. AP in WaPo, 02/02/2024: Carl Weathers, linebacker-turned-actor who starred in 'Rocky' movies and 'The Mandalorian,' dies. Also to be updated, I imagine.
Chris Klimek. WaPo, 02/04/2024: Carl Weathers was so much more than a sidekick.
20featherbear
Don Murray, 1929-2024
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 02/02/2024: Don Murray, versatile Hollywood leading man, dies at 94.
"Don Murray, an actor who earned an Oscar nomination for his movie debut as a naive cowboy infatuated with Marilyn Monroe’s third-rate nightclub singer in “Bus Stop” and then rebelled against studio efforts to typecast him in similar roles, most emphatically by playing a U.S. senator being blackmailed for a same-sex affair in “Advise & Consent,” died Feb. 2 at 94. ...
"A conscientious objector during the Korean War, he joined the Church of the Brethren and helped the pacifist Christian denomination resettle Soviet bloc refugees in the 1950s."
"Bus Stop, William Inge’s hit Broadway play, was purchased by Twentieth Century-Fox studios mainly to please Monroe, who had tired of playing voluptuous airheads. ...
"Mr. Murray, who had acted on Broadway with Helen Hayes, Mary Martin and Maureen Stapleton, was imported from New York because director Joshua Logan admired his intensity and felt he would not be intimidated by a glamorous movie star.
Mostly, Mr. Murray remembered trying to be gallant after Monroe, in pursuit of realism, wanted to do a bed scene in the nude, as he tried frantically to keep her from accidentally exposing herself. “She kept rolling around in bed,” he told columnist Earl Wilson years later. “I was holding the sheet over her bosom.”
Other noteworthy films: Bus Stop (1956) w/Marilyn Monroe -- A Hatful of Rain (1957) -- From Hell to Texas (1958) -- Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) -- The Hoodlum Priest (1961) -- Advise & Consent (1962)
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 02/02/2024: Don Murray, versatile Hollywood leading man, dies at 94.
"Don Murray, an actor who earned an Oscar nomination for his movie debut as a naive cowboy infatuated with Marilyn Monroe’s third-rate nightclub singer in “Bus Stop” and then rebelled against studio efforts to typecast him in similar roles, most emphatically by playing a U.S. senator being blackmailed for a same-sex affair in “Advise & Consent,” died Feb. 2 at 94. ...
"A conscientious objector during the Korean War, he joined the Church of the Brethren and helped the pacifist Christian denomination resettle Soviet bloc refugees in the 1950s."
"Bus Stop, William Inge’s hit Broadway play, was purchased by Twentieth Century-Fox studios mainly to please Monroe, who had tired of playing voluptuous airheads. ...
"Mr. Murray, who had acted on Broadway with Helen Hayes, Mary Martin and Maureen Stapleton, was imported from New York because director Joshua Logan admired his intensity and felt he would not be intimidated by a glamorous movie star.
Mostly, Mr. Murray remembered trying to be gallant after Monroe, in pursuit of realism, wanted to do a bed scene in the nude, as he tried frantically to keep her from accidentally exposing herself. “She kept rolling around in bed,” he told columnist Earl Wilson years later. “I was holding the sheet over her bosom.”
Other noteworthy films: Bus Stop (1956) w/Marilyn Monroe -- A Hatful of Rain (1957) -- From Hell to Texas (1958) -- Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) -- The Hoodlum Priest (1961) -- Advise & Consent (1962)
21featherbear
Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, 1949-2024
Alex Williams. NYT, 02/14/2024: Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, the Diva of ‘Diva,’ Dies at 75.
"A soprano who rose from South Philadelphia to the opera houses of Europe, she was memorably seen and heard in a 1981 film considered a paragon of cinematic style.
"It was in a 1980 performance as Musetta in “La Bohème” alongside Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa that she caught the attention of the French director Jean-Jacques Beineix, who was looking for a figure radiant enough to serve as the diva at the heart of his forthcoming film.
“Diva” was considered a high-water mark in the movement known as the cinéma du look, a high-sheen school of French film often centered on stylish, disaffected youth in the France of the 1980s and ’90s. A film with all the saturated color and gloss of a 1980s music video, it was an art-house hit that became a cult favorite for the initiated."
Alex Williams. NYT, 02/14/2024: Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, the Diva of ‘Diva,’ Dies at 75.
"A soprano who rose from South Philadelphia to the opera houses of Europe, she was memorably seen and heard in a 1981 film considered a paragon of cinematic style.
"It was in a 1980 performance as Musetta in “La Bohème” alongside Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa that she caught the attention of the French director Jean-Jacques Beineix, who was looking for a figure radiant enough to serve as the diva at the heart of his forthcoming film.
“Diva” was considered a high-water mark in the movement known as the cinéma du look, a high-sheen school of French film often centered on stylish, disaffected youth in the France of the 1980s and ’90s. A film with all the saturated color and gloss of a 1980s music video, it was an art-house hit that became a cult favorite for the initiated."
22featherbear
Richard Lewis, 1947-2024
Guardian, 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis, comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm star, dies aged 76. "Comedian, who was known for exploring his neuroses, said last year he had Parkinson’s disease and was retiring from standup."
Guardian. 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis: a life in pictures.
Harrison Smith & Brian Murphy. WaPo, 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis, who mined life and neuroses for dark comedy, dies at 76.
Clay Risen. NYT, 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis, Acerbic Comedian and Character Actor, Dies at 76.
In addition to his stand-up career & work on the long running Curb Your Enthusiasm series (playing himself), he was the author of: Reflections From Hell: Richard Lewis’ Guide on How Not to Live & the memoir The Other Great Depression: How I’m Overcoming, on a Daily Basis, at Least a Million Addictions and Dysfunctions and Finding a Spiritual (Sometimes) Life.
Guardian, 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis, comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm star, dies aged 76. "Comedian, who was known for exploring his neuroses, said last year he had Parkinson’s disease and was retiring from standup."
Guardian. 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis: a life in pictures.
Harrison Smith & Brian Murphy. WaPo, 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis, who mined life and neuroses for dark comedy, dies at 76.
Clay Risen. NYT, 02/28/2024: Richard Lewis, Acerbic Comedian and Character Actor, Dies at 76.
In addition to his stand-up career & work on the long running Curb Your Enthusiasm series (playing himself), he was the author of: Reflections From Hell: Richard Lewis’ Guide on How Not to Live & the memoir The Other Great Depression: How I’m Overcoming, on a Daily Basis, at Least a Million Addictions and Dysfunctions and Finding a Spiritual (Sometimes) Life.
23JulieLill
>22 featherbear: So sad - I liked his humor!
24featherbear
Steve Lawrence, 1935-2024
Robert D. McFadden. NYT, 03/07/2024: Steve Lawrence, Who Sang His Listeners Down Memory Lane, Dies at 88.
"Steve Lawrence, the mellow baritone nightclub, television and recording star who with his wife and partner, the soprano Eydie Gorme, kept pop standards in vogue long past their prime and took America on musical walks down memory lane for a half-century, died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.
"Mr. Lawrence and Ms. Gorme were married in 1957. They had two sons, Michael and David. Michael died in 1986 of an undiagnosed heart condition. Ms. Gorme retired in 2009 and died in 2013. Mr. Lawrence is survived by his son David, a granddaughter and his brother, Bernie. He had lived in Los Angeles for many years.
"In their twilight years, the couple scaled back the tours that had dominated their schedules. But they continued to appear at the Stardust in Las Vegas, the Foxwoods in Connecticut and smaller venues.
"In 2004, at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island, where they had played many times, they performed at a theater in the round, dressed to the nines, he in a tuxedo and she in a sequined white caftan. Family photos were projected on big screens — Eydie as a baby, Steve in his Army uniform, their wedding pictures — and the crowd oohed and aahed like proud grandparents."
Robert D. McFadden. NYT, 03/07/2024: Steve Lawrence, Who Sang His Listeners Down Memory Lane, Dies at 88.
"Steve Lawrence, the mellow baritone nightclub, television and recording star who with his wife and partner, the soprano Eydie Gorme, kept pop standards in vogue long past their prime and took America on musical walks down memory lane for a half-century, died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.
"Mr. Lawrence and Ms. Gorme were married in 1957. They had two sons, Michael and David. Michael died in 1986 of an undiagnosed heart condition. Ms. Gorme retired in 2009 and died in 2013. Mr. Lawrence is survived by his son David, a granddaughter and his brother, Bernie. He had lived in Los Angeles for many years.
"In their twilight years, the couple scaled back the tours that had dominated their schedules. But they continued to appear at the Stardust in Las Vegas, the Foxwoods in Connecticut and smaller venues.
"In 2004, at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island, where they had played many times, they performed at a theater in the round, dressed to the nines, he in a tuxedo and she in a sequined white caftan. Family photos were projected on big screens — Eydie as a baby, Steve in his Army uniform, their wedding pictures — and the crowd oohed and aahed like proud grandparents."
25cindydavid4
Oh I remember watching them with my parents, thought at that time how glamrous they looked.
26featherbear
Paolo Taviani, 1931-2024
Clay Risen. NYT, 03/10/2024: Paolo Taviani, Half of a Famed Italian Filmmaking Duo, Dies at 92.
Night of the Shooting Stars (aka La Notte di San Lorenzo) is in my DVD library (I should check) -- I've seen it several times in theaters or VHS rentals, but I've never seen Padre Padrone. His brother Vittorio died in 2018.
Clay Risen. NYT, 03/10/2024: Paolo Taviani, Half of a Famed Italian Filmmaking Duo, Dies at 92.
Night of the Shooting Stars (aka La Notte di San Lorenzo) is in my DVD library (I should check) -- I've seen it several times in theaters or VHS rentals, but I've never seen Padre Padrone. His brother Vittorio died in 2018.
27featherbear
M. Emmet Walsh, 1935-2024
Travis M. Andrews. WaPo, 03/20/2024: M. Emmet Walsh, actor who shined in seedy, menacing roles, dies at 88. I remember him from Blood Simple, but he had supporting roles in a number of significant films.
Matt Twomey. NYT, 03/20/2024: M. Emmet Walsh, Character Actor Who Always Stood Out, Dies at 88. "His roles in films like “Knives Out” and “Blade Runner” were sometimes big, sometimes small. But he invariably made a strong impression."
Travis M. Andrews. WaPo, 03/20/2024: M. Emmet Walsh, actor who shined in seedy, menacing roles, dies at 88. I remember him from Blood Simple, but he had supporting roles in a number of significant films.
Matt Twomey. NYT, 03/20/2024: M. Emmet Walsh, Character Actor Who Always Stood Out, Dies at 88. "His roles in films like “Knives Out” and “Blade Runner” were sometimes big, sometimes small. But he invariably made a strong impression."
28featherbear
Maurizio Pollini, 1942-2024
“We are in disbelief and mourning as we learn the terribly sad news about Maurizio Pollini’s passing. One of the truly great and groundbreaking musicians of our time has left us. His achievements in the field of modernist and contemporary music as well as in the classical and romantic repertoire are towering. Maestro Pollini’s collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon has spanned half a century from his first studio album, while his debut release on the Yellow Label goes back even further to 1960, when he won the Chopin Competition. Those who were so fortunate to work with Maurizio Pollini cherish his uncompromising, relentless work in studio sessions which led to countless iconic albums, as well as the inspiration and sensitivity of a warm and vulnerable soul that was palpable in personal conversations. It is very touching that in recent years Maurizio Pollini went back to the last five Beethoven Sonatas that once laid the groundwork for an incredible recording oeuvre and revisited Schubert together with his son Daniele. We feel committed to carry on Maurizio Pollini’s legacy well into the future, as we deeply miss his musical voice and true humanity.” - Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon"
David Allen NYT, 03/23/2024: Maurizio Pollini, Celebrated Pianist Who Defined Modernism, Dies at 82. "Mr. Pollini, who performed for more than half a century, was that rare pianist who compelled listeners to think deeply. He was an artist of rigor and reserve whose staunch assurance, uncompromising directness and steadfast dedication to his ideals were evidence of what his colleague Daniel Barenboim called “a very high ethical regard of music.”"
Tim Page. WaPo, 03/23/2024: Maurizio Pollini, pianist who reveled in demanding music, dies at 82. "During a flourishing international career spanning more than six decades, Mr. Pollini was steadily ranked among those rare musicians to whom other musicians paid close attention. Pianists regularly brought along printed scores of music by Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin to Mr. Pollini’s concerts and then listened to what he had found in works they had hitherto thought familiar."
“We are in disbelief and mourning as we learn the terribly sad news about Maurizio Pollini’s passing. One of the truly great and groundbreaking musicians of our time has left us. His achievements in the field of modernist and contemporary music as well as in the classical and romantic repertoire are towering. Maestro Pollini’s collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon has spanned half a century from his first studio album, while his debut release on the Yellow Label goes back even further to 1960, when he won the Chopin Competition. Those who were so fortunate to work with Maurizio Pollini cherish his uncompromising, relentless work in studio sessions which led to countless iconic albums, as well as the inspiration and sensitivity of a warm and vulnerable soul that was palpable in personal conversations. It is very touching that in recent years Maurizio Pollini went back to the last five Beethoven Sonatas that once laid the groundwork for an incredible recording oeuvre and revisited Schubert together with his son Daniele. We feel committed to carry on Maurizio Pollini’s legacy well into the future, as we deeply miss his musical voice and true humanity.” - Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon"
David Allen NYT, 03/23/2024: Maurizio Pollini, Celebrated Pianist Who Defined Modernism, Dies at 82. "Mr. Pollini, who performed for more than half a century, was that rare pianist who compelled listeners to think deeply. He was an artist of rigor and reserve whose staunch assurance, uncompromising directness and steadfast dedication to his ideals were evidence of what his colleague Daniel Barenboim called “a very high ethical regard of music.”"
Tim Page. WaPo, 03/23/2024: Maurizio Pollini, pianist who reveled in demanding music, dies at 82. "During a flourishing international career spanning more than six decades, Mr. Pollini was steadily ranked among those rare musicians to whom other musicians paid close attention. Pianists regularly brought along printed scores of music by Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin to Mr. Pollini’s concerts and then listened to what he had found in works they had hitherto thought familiar."
29featherbear
Richard Serra, 1938-2024
Roberta Smith. NYT, 03/26/2024: Richard Serra, Who Recast Sculpture on a Massive Scale, Dies at 85.
Tim Jonze. Guardian, 03/26/2024: Richard Serra, uncompromising American abstract sculptor, dies aged 85.
Guardian. 03/26/2024: Richard Serra – a life in pictures.
Sebastian Smee. 03/26/2024: Richard Serra made us giddy and afraid.
Roberta Smith. NYT, 03/26/2024: Richard Serra, Who Recast Sculpture on a Massive Scale, Dies at 85.
Tim Jonze. Guardian, 03/26/2024: Richard Serra, uncompromising American abstract sculptor, dies aged 85.
Guardian. 03/26/2024: Richard Serra – a life in pictures.
Sebastian Smee. 03/26/2024: Richard Serra made us giddy and afraid.
30featherbear
Louis Gossett Jr., 1936-2024
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr., commanding actor of TV and film, dies at 87. "He won an Oscar playing a Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman” and an Emmy as a wise old enslaved person in the groundbreaking miniseries “Roots.”
Jason Bailey. NYT, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr.’s Greatest Roles: A Streaming Guide.
Anita Gates. NYT, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr., 87, Dies; ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Roots’ Actor. "His portrayal of a drill instructor earned him the Oscar for best supporting actor. He was the first Black performer to win in that category."
Andrew Lawrence. Guardian, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr: king of Hollywood’s strong, silent types, from Roots to The Color Purple.
Guardian. 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr – a life in pictures.
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr., commanding actor of TV and film, dies at 87. "He won an Oscar playing a Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman” and an Emmy as a wise old enslaved person in the groundbreaking miniseries “Roots.”
Jason Bailey. NYT, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr.’s Greatest Roles: A Streaming Guide.
Anita Gates. NYT, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr., 87, Dies; ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Roots’ Actor. "His portrayal of a drill instructor earned him the Oscar for best supporting actor. He was the first Black performer to win in that category."
Andrew Lawrence. Guardian, 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr: king of Hollywood’s strong, silent types, from Roots to The Color Purple.
Guardian. 03/29/2024: Louis Gossett Jr – a life in pictures.
31featherbear
Barbara Rush, 1927-2024
Anita Gates. NYT, 04/01/2024: Barbara Rush, Award-Winning TV and Film Actress, Dies at 97. "If Ms. Rush’s portrayals had one thing in common, it was a gentle, ladylike quality, which she put to use in films of many genres. She was Jane Wyman’s concerned stepdaughter in the 1954 romantic drama “Magnificent Obsession” and Dean Martin’s loyal wartime girlfriend in “The Young Lions” (1958), set during World War II. In 1950s science fiction pictures like “It Came From Outer Space” and “When Worlds Collide,” she was the small-town heroine, the scientist’s daughter, the Earthling most likely to succeed."
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 04/01/2024: Barbara Rush, prolific actress known for ’50s melodramas, dies at 97.
Anita Gates. NYT, 04/01/2024: Barbara Rush, Award-Winning TV and Film Actress, Dies at 97. "If Ms. Rush’s portrayals had one thing in common, it was a gentle, ladylike quality, which she put to use in films of many genres. She was Jane Wyman’s concerned stepdaughter in the 1954 romantic drama “Magnificent Obsession” and Dean Martin’s loyal wartime girlfriend in “The Young Lions” (1958), set during World War II. In 1950s science fiction pictures like “It Came From Outer Space” and “When Worlds Collide,” she was the small-town heroine, the scientist’s daughter, the Earthling most likely to succeed."
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 04/01/2024: Barbara Rush, prolific actress known for ’50s melodramas, dies at 97.
32JulieLill
>31 featherbear: I just saw that in the newspaper today. I am going to have to watch some of her movies. I know I have seen her in other films but can't remember which ones they were!
33featherbear
Since two of her books inspired notable films, I've copied this from my April bibliographic thread:
Lynne Reid Banks, 1929-2024
Helen Bushby and Victoria Lindrea. BBC Culture, 04/05/2024: Lynne Reid Banks: The Indian in the Cupboard author dies aged 94.
Author of, among others, The L-Shaped Room (1961) and The Indian in the Cupboard. The former "was Reid Banks' first novel - a contemporary page-turner and a forerunner of today's popular YA (Young Adult) genre. ... Such was its popularity that within two years of publication it had been turned into a big-budget film starring Leslie Caron and directed by Whistle Down the Wind's Bryan Forbes - a film Reid Banks said it took her 20 years to forgive for its cavalier treatment of her characters."
She was one of the UK's first female television journalists on ITN, "But it was in children's literature that she made her mark, most notably with the 1980 bestseller The Indian in the Cupboard - inspired by her son Omri and a shabby bathroom cabinet."
"She went on to write more than 40 published works in all genres, including a biography of the Bronte family - The Dark Quartet - but children's works dominated and led to her travelling all over the world visiting schools."
Lynne Reid Banks LT page: https://www.librarything.com/author/bankslynnereid
Lynne Reid Banks, 1929-2024
Helen Bushby and Victoria Lindrea. BBC Culture, 04/05/2024: Lynne Reid Banks: The Indian in the Cupboard author dies aged 94.
Author of, among others, The L-Shaped Room (1961) and The Indian in the Cupboard. The former "was Reid Banks' first novel - a contemporary page-turner and a forerunner of today's popular YA (Young Adult) genre. ... Such was its popularity that within two years of publication it had been turned into a big-budget film starring Leslie Caron and directed by Whistle Down the Wind's Bryan Forbes - a film Reid Banks said it took her 20 years to forgive for its cavalier treatment of her characters."
She was one of the UK's first female television journalists on ITN, "But it was in children's literature that she made her mark, most notably with the 1980 bestseller The Indian in the Cupboard - inspired by her son Omri and a shabby bathroom cabinet."
"She went on to write more than 40 published works in all genres, including a biography of the Bronte family - The Dark Quartet - but children's works dominated and led to her travelling all over the world visiting schools."
Lynne Reid Banks LT page: https://www.librarything.com/author/bankslynnereid
34featherbear
O.J. (Orenthal James) Simpson, 1947-2024
Was wondering why Twitter crashed.
Robert D. McFadden. NYT, 04/11/2024: O.J. Simpson, Athlete Whose Trial Riveted the Nation, Dies at 76.
Richard Luscombe. Guardian, 04/11/2024: OJ Simpson, ex-NFL star who was acquitted of murder, dies aged 76. "Former American football player who was acquitted of murder in 1995 died of cancer, according to a statement by his family."
Rick Maese, Glenn Frankel, & Matt Schudel. WaPo, 04/11/2024: O.J. Simpson, football great whose trial for murder became a phenomenon, dies at 76.
Julius Constantine Motal, compiler. Guardian, 04/11/2024: OJ Simpson’s life from NFL stardom to legal jeopardy – in pictures.
Julia Jacobs. NYT, 04/11/2024: Before He Was Infamous, O.J. Simpson’s Acting Helped Make Him Famous. "Simpson began acting while still a football star, appearing in titles as varied as “Roots,” “The Towering Inferno” and the “Naked Gun” films."
Was wondering why Twitter crashed.
Robert D. McFadden. NYT, 04/11/2024: O.J. Simpson, Athlete Whose Trial Riveted the Nation, Dies at 76.
Richard Luscombe. Guardian, 04/11/2024: OJ Simpson, ex-NFL star who was acquitted of murder, dies aged 76. "Former American football player who was acquitted of murder in 1995 died of cancer, according to a statement by his family."
Rick Maese, Glenn Frankel, & Matt Schudel. WaPo, 04/11/2024: O.J. Simpson, football great whose trial for murder became a phenomenon, dies at 76.
Julius Constantine Motal, compiler. Guardian, 04/11/2024: OJ Simpson’s life from NFL stardom to legal jeopardy – in pictures.
Julia Jacobs. NYT, 04/11/2024: Before He Was Infamous, O.J. Simpson’s Acting Helped Make Him Famous. "Simpson began acting while still a football star, appearing in titles as varied as “Roots,” “The Towering Inferno” and the “Naked Gun” films."
35featherbear
Robert MacNeil, 1931-2024
Elizabeth Jensen. NYT, 04/12/2024: Robert MacNeil, Earnest News Anchor for PBS, Dies at 93. "With his longtime co-host Jim Lehrer, he delivered thoughtful reports that stood in stark contrast to the commercial networks’ ever more sensational newscasts."
"A pairing with Jim Lehrer in 1973 to cover the Senate Watergate hearings for PBS was unpopular with the operators of many local public stations, who thought the prime-time broadcasts weren’t appropriate evening fare. But the two men’s serious demeanor was a hit with viewers, and the broadcasts won an Emmy Award and eventually launched an enduring collaboration.
"In October 1975, some major public stations began carrying the “The Robert MacNeil Report,” a half-hour of Mr. MacNeil’s design that examined a single issue each night and shunned showy production values. Within a year the program was renamed “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report.” It was expanded again in 1983 to become “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour,” a multitopic program that was the nation’s first full hour of evening news.
"With Mr. Lehrer, his close friend, he remained a partner in MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, which produced their newscast until 2014, when WETA, the Washington, D.C., public media station where the “NewsHour” is based, assumed ownership. Mr. Lehrer died in 2020 at 85."
MacNeil was Canadian, by the way, b. in Montreal & raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
A final quote from him:
"“Television has changed journalism, utterly, not just for television, but for print and everybody else,” he said. “It’s changed the whole culture and ethos of journalism. And to have been able hold the line — perhaps Canute-like — against a tide that’s going to engulf us all in the end, for a few years, has been a source of gratification to me.”
Harrison Smith.WaPo, 04/12/2024: Robert MacNeil, urbane anchor who founded ‘PBS NewsHour,’ dies at 93.
Elizabeth Jensen. NYT, 04/12/2024: Robert MacNeil, Earnest News Anchor for PBS, Dies at 93. "With his longtime co-host Jim Lehrer, he delivered thoughtful reports that stood in stark contrast to the commercial networks’ ever more sensational newscasts."
"A pairing with Jim Lehrer in 1973 to cover the Senate Watergate hearings for PBS was unpopular with the operators of many local public stations, who thought the prime-time broadcasts weren’t appropriate evening fare. But the two men’s serious demeanor was a hit with viewers, and the broadcasts won an Emmy Award and eventually launched an enduring collaboration.
"In October 1975, some major public stations began carrying the “The Robert MacNeil Report,” a half-hour of Mr. MacNeil’s design that examined a single issue each night and shunned showy production values. Within a year the program was renamed “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report.” It was expanded again in 1983 to become “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour,” a multitopic program that was the nation’s first full hour of evening news.
"With Mr. Lehrer, his close friend, he remained a partner in MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, which produced their newscast until 2014, when WETA, the Washington, D.C., public media station where the “NewsHour” is based, assumed ownership. Mr. Lehrer died in 2020 at 85."
MacNeil was Canadian, by the way, b. in Montreal & raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
A final quote from him:
"“Television has changed journalism, utterly, not just for television, but for print and everybody else,” he said. “It’s changed the whole culture and ethos of journalism. And to have been able hold the line — perhaps Canute-like — against a tide that’s going to engulf us all in the end, for a few years, has been a source of gratification to me.”
Harrison Smith.WaPo, 04/12/2024: Robert MacNeil, urbane anchor who founded ‘PBS NewsHour,’ dies at 93.
36cindydavid4
I watched the newshour for years, what a great pairing of journalism. May his name be for a blessing
37JulieLill
Mandisa
American Idol Singer dead at 47
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/mandisa-american-idol-star-and-grammy-...
I used to be a follower of the show but not recently but I was so shocked to hear of her death. So sad!
American Idol Singer dead at 47
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/mandisa-american-idol-star-and-grammy-...
I used to be a follower of the show but not recently but I was so shocked to hear of her death. So sad!
38featherbear
Michael Cuscuna, 1948-2024
Brian Murphy. 04/23/2024: Michael Cuscuna, jazz producer who sought forgotten gems, dies at 75.
"Since the 1970s, Mr. Cuscuna helped reissue recordings or find never-released music for hundreds of albums at Blue Note and Mosaic Records, a label he created in 1982 with a former Blue Note marketing executive, Charlie Lourie. Mr. Cuscuna’s work was often cited for significantly deepening the knowledge of jazz and how the genre influenced American culture."
Bit off topic for the movie RIP thread; in college in New York I often caught his knowledgeable NJ college radio program; he went on to make a genuine contribution to the history of American music.
Brian Murphy. 04/23/2024: Michael Cuscuna, jazz producer who sought forgotten gems, dies at 75.
"Since the 1970s, Mr. Cuscuna helped reissue recordings or find never-released music for hundreds of albums at Blue Note and Mosaic Records, a label he created in 1982 with a former Blue Note marketing executive, Charlie Lourie. Mr. Cuscuna’s work was often cited for significantly deepening the knowledge of jazz and how the genre influenced American culture."
Bit off topic for the movie RIP thread; in college in New York I often caught his knowledgeable NJ college radio program; he went on to make a genuine contribution to the history of American music.
39featherbear
Bernard Hill, 1944-2024
Alex Traub. NYT, 05/05/2024: Bernard Hill, Actor in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ Dies at 79.
"In “Titanic,” he was Capt. Edward J. Smith. Early in the movie, he grasps the ship’s railing, looks out to sea and instructs one of his crew to increase the ship’s speed: “Let’s stretch her legs,” he declares. The movie ultimately suggests that the undue speed of the ship is a factor in its fatal collision with an iceberg.
"After hearing the bad news, Mr. Hill walks in a daze on the ship’s deck, eyes lost in the middle distance, the official regalia of his captain’s outfit rendered absurd. He walks alone to the helm and stands there erect as water bursts through the windows, ensuring that he will go down with his ship."
Alex Traub. NYT, 05/05/2024: Bernard Hill, Actor in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ Dies at 79.
"In “Titanic,” he was Capt. Edward J. Smith. Early in the movie, he grasps the ship’s railing, looks out to sea and instructs one of his crew to increase the ship’s speed: “Let’s stretch her legs,” he declares. The movie ultimately suggests that the undue speed of the ship is a factor in its fatal collision with an iceberg.
"After hearing the bad news, Mr. Hill walks in a daze on the ship’s deck, eyes lost in the middle distance, the official regalia of his captain’s outfit rendered absurd. He walks alone to the helm and stands there erect as water bursts through the windows, ensuring that he will go down with his ship."
40featherbear
Roger Corman, 1926-2024
Richard Natale & Tim Gray. Variety, 05/11/2024: Roger Corman, Pioneering Independent Producer and King of B Movies, Dies at 98.
"Over almost half a century, he took over the B-movie market, which had largely disappeared in the wake of television, and kept it alive almost single-handedly (along with Sam Arkoff of American Intl. Pictures, who financed most of Corman’s early directing/producing efforts). Well into his nineties, he was producing Bs for $5 million and under and rolling them out for video and television release."
This is rather late breaking, so I'll try to add other obits as they get posted tomorrow or later.
Bob Thomas & Amy Maxin. AP via WaPo, 05/11/2024: Roger Corman, Hollywood mentor and 'King of the Bs,' dies at 98.
Aljean Harmetz. NYT, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman, 98, Dies; Prolific Master of Low-Budget Cinema. "He had hundreds of horror, science fiction and crime films to his credit. He also helped start the careers of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and many others."
"Mr. Corman produced more than 300 films and directed roughly 50 of them, including cult classics like “A Bucket of Blood” (1959), “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964), “The Wild Angels” (1966) and the original “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960), which he shot for $35,000 in two days on a set left over from somebody else’s movie.
"When he got tired of directing, he opened the door to Hollywood for talented young protégés like Francis Ford Coppola (“Dementia 13”), Martin Scorsese (“Boxcar Bertha”), Jonathan Demme (“Caged Heat”), Peter Bogdanovich (“Targets”) and Ron Howard (“Grand Theft Auto”)."
"He earned his first taste of respectability and the favor of European critics with a series of horror films based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, most of them starring Vincent Price. The series began with “House of Usher” in 1960, with a script by the science-fiction writer Richard Matheson, and culminated in 1964 with “The Masque of the Red Death,” photographed by Nicolas Roeg, and “The Tomb of Ligeia.”
Actors who got their start via Corman include: Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Peter Fonda, & Robert DeNiro. Robert Towne wrote his first screenplay for Corman. His production/distribution company, New World Pictures, est 1970, distributed Bergman, Kurosawa, Fellini, & Truffaut.
He was the author, with Jim Jerome, of How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime (1990).
Gwilym Mumford. Guardian, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman, Hollywood mentor and king of the B-movie, dies aged 98.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman: cinema's pulp genius whose talent to shock was rocket fuel.
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman: a career in pictures. Many great movie posters in this one!
James Hohmann. WaPo, 05/11/2024: Roger Corman, low-budget filmmaker who launched many careers, dies at 98. (With many comments from fans attached, if you have a subscription)
Richard Natale & Tim Gray. Variety, 05/11/2024: Roger Corman, Pioneering Independent Producer and King of B Movies, Dies at 98.
"Over almost half a century, he took over the B-movie market, which had largely disappeared in the wake of television, and kept it alive almost single-handedly (along with Sam Arkoff of American Intl. Pictures, who financed most of Corman’s early directing/producing efforts). Well into his nineties, he was producing Bs for $5 million and under and rolling them out for video and television release."
This is rather late breaking, so I'll try to add other obits as they get posted tomorrow or later.
Bob Thomas & Amy Maxin. AP via WaPo, 05/11/2024: Roger Corman, Hollywood mentor and 'King of the Bs,' dies at 98.
Aljean Harmetz. NYT, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman, 98, Dies; Prolific Master of Low-Budget Cinema. "He had hundreds of horror, science fiction and crime films to his credit. He also helped start the careers of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and many others."
"Mr. Corman produced more than 300 films and directed roughly 50 of them, including cult classics like “A Bucket of Blood” (1959), “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964), “The Wild Angels” (1966) and the original “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960), which he shot for $35,000 in two days on a set left over from somebody else’s movie.
"When he got tired of directing, he opened the door to Hollywood for talented young protégés like Francis Ford Coppola (“Dementia 13”), Martin Scorsese (“Boxcar Bertha”), Jonathan Demme (“Caged Heat”), Peter Bogdanovich (“Targets”) and Ron Howard (“Grand Theft Auto”)."
"He earned his first taste of respectability and the favor of European critics with a series of horror films based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, most of them starring Vincent Price. The series began with “House of Usher” in 1960, with a script by the science-fiction writer Richard Matheson, and culminated in 1964 with “The Masque of the Red Death,” photographed by Nicolas Roeg, and “The Tomb of Ligeia.”
Actors who got their start via Corman include: Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Peter Fonda, & Robert DeNiro. Robert Towne wrote his first screenplay for Corman. His production/distribution company, New World Pictures, est 1970, distributed Bergman, Kurosawa, Fellini, & Truffaut.
He was the author, with Jim Jerome, of How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime (1990).
Gwilym Mumford. Guardian, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman, Hollywood mentor and king of the B-movie, dies aged 98.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman: cinema's pulp genius whose talent to shock was rocket fuel.
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 05/12/2024: Roger Corman: a career in pictures. Many great movie posters in this one!
James Hohmann. WaPo, 05/11/2024: Roger Corman, low-budget filmmaker who launched many careers, dies at 98. (With many comments from fans attached, if you have a subscription)
41featherbear
Jeannie Epper, 1941-2024
Penelope Green. NYT, 05/11/2024: Jeannie Epper, Stunt Double to the Stars, Is Dead at 83.
"Jeannie Epper had at least 100 screen roles, maybe even 150 — no one is quite sure. But because she was a stunt double, galloping on horseback, crashing cars and kicking down doors for the stars of films and television shows, hers was not a household name.
"In her heyday, however, Ms. Epper was ubiquitous. She hurtled through the air most weeks as Lynda Carter’s stunt double on the hit television series “Wonder Woman” and mimed Ms. Carter’s leggy lope. She tumbled through a scrum of mud and rocks as Kathleen Turner’s double in the 1984 comedy-adventure film “Romancing the Stone,” which also starred Michael Douglas. She threw punches for Linda Evans in one of her many ballyhooed cat fights with Joan Collins on the frothy long-running 1980s nighttime soap opera “Dynasty.” ... she was a regular on the western series “The Big Valley,” which ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969, often doubling for Barbara Stanwyck."
I'm a fan of Zoe Bell, who has a great role in Tarantino's 2007 Death Proof, & loved her memories of how Epper mentored her when she tried out for Uma Thurman's stunt double in Kill Bill Volume 1.
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 05/11/2024: Jeannie Epper, veteran stuntwoman from Westerns to ‘Wonder Woman,’ dies at 83.
"Jeannie’s first time on camera came when she was 9, galloping a horse bareback down a steep slope for a television Western. She had entered what amounted to a near family monopoly on professional stunt work.
"The hand with the knife slashing Janet Leigh in the shower in 1960’s “Psycho” was Ms. Epper’s sister Margo. The people clinging for their lives or falling to their doom in “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) and “The Towering Inferno” (1974) included Ms. Epper and most of her family."
On a related note, Susan Backlinie, the skinny dipper killed (devoured?) by the shark in the opening of Jaws, died age 77.
Penelope Green. NYT, 05/11/2024: Jeannie Epper, Stunt Double to the Stars, Is Dead at 83.
"Jeannie Epper had at least 100 screen roles, maybe even 150 — no one is quite sure. But because she was a stunt double, galloping on horseback, crashing cars and kicking down doors for the stars of films and television shows, hers was not a household name.
"In her heyday, however, Ms. Epper was ubiquitous. She hurtled through the air most weeks as Lynda Carter’s stunt double on the hit television series “Wonder Woman” and mimed Ms. Carter’s leggy lope. She tumbled through a scrum of mud and rocks as Kathleen Turner’s double in the 1984 comedy-adventure film “Romancing the Stone,” which also starred Michael Douglas. She threw punches for Linda Evans in one of her many ballyhooed cat fights with Joan Collins on the frothy long-running 1980s nighttime soap opera “Dynasty.” ... she was a regular on the western series “The Big Valley,” which ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969, often doubling for Barbara Stanwyck."
I'm a fan of Zoe Bell, who has a great role in Tarantino's 2007 Death Proof, & loved her memories of how Epper mentored her when she tried out for Uma Thurman's stunt double in Kill Bill Volume 1.
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 05/11/2024: Jeannie Epper, veteran stuntwoman from Westerns to ‘Wonder Woman,’ dies at 83.
"Jeannie’s first time on camera came when she was 9, galloping a horse bareback down a steep slope for a television Western. She had entered what amounted to a near family monopoly on professional stunt work.
"The hand with the knife slashing Janet Leigh in the shower in 1960’s “Psycho” was Ms. Epper’s sister Margo. The people clinging for their lives or falling to their doom in “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) and “The Towering Inferno” (1974) included Ms. Epper and most of her family."
On a related note, Susan Backlinie, the skinny dipper killed (devoured?) by the shark in the opening of Jaws, died age 77.
42featherbear
Samm-Art Williams, 1946-2024
Alex Williams. NYT, 05/16/2024: Samm-Art Williams, Playwright, Producer and Actor, Dies at 78. "He challenged racial barriers in Hollywood, was a producer of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and earned a Tony nomination for “Home,” a paean to his Southern roots."
"An imposing 6-foot-8 (a lefty, he once served as a sparring partner to Muhammad Ali), Mr. Williams appeared in films including Brian De Palma’s Hitchcock homage, “Dressed to Kill” (1980), and the Coen brothers’ neo-noir, “Blood Simple” (1984). He had a memorable turn as Jim in the 1986 adaptation of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” part of PBS’s “American Playhouse” series.
"Committed to expanding the Black presence in Hollywood, he was both a writer and an executive producer on “Fresh Prince,” the hit 1990s NBC comedy starring Will Smith as a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who moves in with his aunt and uncle in the moneyed hills of Los Angeles."
Alex Williams. NYT, 05/16/2024: Samm-Art Williams, Playwright, Producer and Actor, Dies at 78. "He challenged racial barriers in Hollywood, was a producer of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and earned a Tony nomination for “Home,” a paean to his Southern roots."
"An imposing 6-foot-8 (a lefty, he once served as a sparring partner to Muhammad Ali), Mr. Williams appeared in films including Brian De Palma’s Hitchcock homage, “Dressed to Kill” (1980), and the Coen brothers’ neo-noir, “Blood Simple” (1984). He had a memorable turn as Jim in the 1986 adaptation of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” part of PBS’s “American Playhouse” series.
"Committed to expanding the Black presence in Hollywood, he was both a writer and an executive producer on “Fresh Prince,” the hit 1990s NBC comedy starring Will Smith as a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who moves in with his aunt and uncle in the moneyed hills of Los Angeles."
43featherbear
Dabney Coleman, 1932-2024
Mike Flaherty. NYT, 05/17/2024: Dabney Coleman, Actor Audiences Loved to Hate, Is Dead at 92. "In movies like “9 to 5” and “Tootsie” and on TV shows like “Buffalo Bill,” he turned the portrayal of egomaniacal louts into a fine art."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 05/17/2024: Dabney Coleman, actor who portrayed comic scoundrels, dies at 92.
Mike Flaherty. NYT, 05/17/2024: Dabney Coleman, Actor Audiences Loved to Hate, Is Dead at 92. "In movies like “9 to 5” and “Tootsie” and on TV shows like “Buffalo Bill,” he turned the portrayal of egomaniacal louts into a fine art."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 05/17/2024: Dabney Coleman, actor who portrayed comic scoundrels, dies at 92.
44JulieLill
>43 featherbear: I enjoyed Coleman's work!
45featherbear
Morgan Spurlock, 1970-2024
Clay Risen and Remy Tumin. NYT, 05/24/2024: Morgan Spurlock, Documentarian Known for ‘Super Size Me,’ Dies at 53.
"The film’s approach was straightforward: Mr. Spurlock would eat nothing but McDonald’s food for a month, and if a server at the restaurant offered to “supersize” the meal — that is, to give him the largest portion available for each item — he would accept.
"The movie then follows Mr. Spurlock and his ever-patient girlfriend through his 30-day odyssey, splicing in interviews with health experts and visits to his increasingly disturbed physician. At the end of the month, he was 25 pounds heavier, depressed, puffy-faced and experiencing liver dysfunction.
"By making himself a part of the story, Mr. Spurlock could be considered a forerunner of TikTok influencers and citizen-journalist YouTubers.
"And in 2017, he admitted that he had not been sober for more than a week at a time in 30 years — meaning that, in addition to his “McDonald’s only” diet, he was drinking, a fact that he concealed from his doctors and the audience, and that most likely skewed his results.
"The admission came in a statement in which he also revealed multiple incidents of sexual misconduct, including an encounter in college that he described as rape, as well as repeated infidelity and the sexual harassment of an assistant at his production company, Warrior Poets."
"today, McDonald’s has 42,000 locations worldwide, its stock is near an all-time high, and 36 percent of Americans eat fast food on any given day."
Clay Risen and Remy Tumin. NYT, 05/24/2024: Morgan Spurlock, Documentarian Known for ‘Super Size Me,’ Dies at 53.
"The film’s approach was straightforward: Mr. Spurlock would eat nothing but McDonald’s food for a month, and if a server at the restaurant offered to “supersize” the meal — that is, to give him the largest portion available for each item — he would accept.
"The movie then follows Mr. Spurlock and his ever-patient girlfriend through his 30-day odyssey, splicing in interviews with health experts and visits to his increasingly disturbed physician. At the end of the month, he was 25 pounds heavier, depressed, puffy-faced and experiencing liver dysfunction.
"By making himself a part of the story, Mr. Spurlock could be considered a forerunner of TikTok influencers and citizen-journalist YouTubers.
"And in 2017, he admitted that he had not been sober for more than a week at a time in 30 years — meaning that, in addition to his “McDonald’s only” diet, he was drinking, a fact that he concealed from his doctors and the audience, and that most likely skewed his results.
"The admission came in a statement in which he also revealed multiple incidents of sexual misconduct, including an encounter in college that he described as rape, as well as repeated infidelity and the sexual harassment of an assistant at his production company, Warrior Poets."
"today, McDonald’s has 42,000 locations worldwide, its stock is near an all-time high, and 36 percent of Americans eat fast food on any given day."
46featherbear
Bill Walton, 1952-2024
Richard Sandomir. NYT, 05/27/2024: Bill Walton, N.B.A. Hall of Famer and Broadcasting Star, Dies at 71.
Kind of left field for this thread, but sentimental reasons. My 3 late aunts were big fans, & I remember visiting them watching one of the UCLA games on TV back in the 70s (did they make the trip for my New Haven graduation & it was on a motel TV or is the location a false memory? could have been Honolulu). Only really caught up with him again when he was doing surreal color commentary for the Maui Invitational Games years later; wonderful on-air personality -- talk about playing/talking through pain!
Richard Sandomir. NYT, 05/27/2024: Bill Walton, N.B.A. Hall of Famer and Broadcasting Star, Dies at 71.
Kind of left field for this thread, but sentimental reasons. My 3 late aunts were big fans, & I remember visiting them watching one of the UCLA games on TV back in the 70s (did they make the trip for my New Haven graduation & it was on a motel TV or is the location a false memory? could have been Honolulu). Only really caught up with him again when he was doing surreal color commentary for the Maui Invitational Games years later; wonderful on-air personality -- talk about playing/talking through pain!
47featherbear
Janis Paige, 1922-2024
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 06/03/2024: Janis Paige, comedic singing star of stage and screen, dies at 101.
Anita Gates. NYT, 06/03/2024: Janis Paige, Star of Broadway’s ‘The Pajama Game,’ Is Dead at 101.
She had innumerable minor roles in movies, but when I looked her up on IMDB, I was struck by her later career on TV, which truly sums up a bygone era on the tube -- just listing the ones that rang a bell with me: The Ann Sothern Show (1960) -- Wagon Train (1961) -- Burke's Law (1964) -- The Fugitive (1964) -- The Red Skelton Hour (1959-65) -- Columbo (1972) -- Banacek (1972) -- Mannix (1973) -- The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1976) -- The Love Boat (1978) -- Hawaii Five-0 (1978) -- Charlies Angels (1978) -- The Rockford Files (1978) -- All in the Family (1976-78, in 3 epis where she came between Edith's rival) -- Eight is Enough (1977-80) -- Happy Days (1981) -- St Elsewhere (1983) -- Fantasy Island (1978-83) -- Night Court (1984) -- Mission Impossible (1989) -- General Hospital (1989-90: 40 episodes!) ... et al.
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 06/03/2024: Janis Paige, comedic singing star of stage and screen, dies at 101.
Anita Gates. NYT, 06/03/2024: Janis Paige, Star of Broadway’s ‘The Pajama Game,’ Is Dead at 101.
She had innumerable minor roles in movies, but when I looked her up on IMDB, I was struck by her later career on TV, which truly sums up a bygone era on the tube -- just listing the ones that rang a bell with me: The Ann Sothern Show (1960) -- Wagon Train (1961) -- Burke's Law (1964) -- The Fugitive (1964) -- The Red Skelton Hour (1959-65) -- Columbo (1972) -- Banacek (1972) -- Mannix (1973) -- The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1976) -- The Love Boat (1978) -- Hawaii Five-0 (1978) -- Charlies Angels (1978) -- The Rockford Files (1978) -- All in the Family (1976-78, in 3 epis where she came between Edith's rival) -- Eight is Enough (1977-80) -- Happy Days (1981) -- St Elsewhere (1983) -- Fantasy Island (1978-83) -- Night Court (1984) -- Mission Impossible (1989) -- General Hospital (1989-90: 40 episodes!) ... et al.
48featherbear
Tony Lo Bianco, 1936-2024
Anita Gates. NYT, 06/12/2024: Tony Lo Bianco, ‘French Connection’ Actor, Is Dead at 87. "Once labeled a “natural-born heavy,” he shined onscreen and especially onstage, securing a Tony nomination and winning an Obie Award. ... His other films included the “The Honeymoon Killers” (1970), which has come to be regarded as a cult classic."
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 06/12/2024: Tony Lo Bianco, actor who played tough guys and a famed mayor, dies at 87. "His roles included a mobster in “The French Connection” and, in one-man shows, New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia."
Anita Gates. NYT, 06/12/2024: Tony Lo Bianco, ‘French Connection’ Actor, Is Dead at 87. "Once labeled a “natural-born heavy,” he shined onscreen and especially onstage, securing a Tony nomination and winning an Obie Award. ... His other films included the “The Honeymoon Killers” (1970), which has come to be regarded as a cult classic."
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 06/12/2024: Tony Lo Bianco, actor who played tough guys and a famed mayor, dies at 87. "His roles included a mobster in “The French Connection” and, in one-man shows, New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia."
49featherbear
Anouk Aimée, 1932-2024
Anita Gates. NYT, 06/18/2024: Anouk Aimée, Enigmatic Star of ‘A Man and a Woman,’ Is Dead at 92.
"Ms. Aimée had already made a considerable impression in international film, particularly in Federico Fellini’s movies “La Dolce Vita” (1960), in which she played a sex-hungry Italian socialite, and “8 1/2” (1963), in which she portrayed the lead character’s jealous but patient wife.
"But it was with “A Man and a Woman,” a 28-year-old director’s low-budget project that went on to win the Oscar for best foreign film, that she created the image that endured throughout her career. As an emotionally reluctant young widow and movie-industry script girl, she falls in love with a racecar driver and widower played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. Their long, long-awaited kiss, enhanced by a circling camera and Francis Lai’s hit theme, became one of the era’s most revered and recognizable movie images. Ms. Aimée was nominated for a best actress Oscar for the role. It also brought her the BAFTA film award for best foreign actress and the Golden Globe for best motion picture actress."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 06/18/2024: Anouk Aimée, enigmatic star of ‘A Man and a Woman,’ dies at 92. "She excelled at portrayals of allure and caprice, notably in Federico’s Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita,” and became a leading figure of international cinema in the 1960s."
Anita Gates. NYT, 06/18/2024: Anouk Aimée, Enigmatic Star of ‘A Man and a Woman,’ Is Dead at 92.
"Ms. Aimée had already made a considerable impression in international film, particularly in Federico Fellini’s movies “La Dolce Vita” (1960), in which she played a sex-hungry Italian socialite, and “8 1/2” (1963), in which she portrayed the lead character’s jealous but patient wife.
"But it was with “A Man and a Woman,” a 28-year-old director’s low-budget project that went on to win the Oscar for best foreign film, that she created the image that endured throughout her career. As an emotionally reluctant young widow and movie-industry script girl, she falls in love with a racecar driver and widower played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. Their long, long-awaited kiss, enhanced by a circling camera and Francis Lai’s hit theme, became one of the era’s most revered and recognizable movie images. Ms. Aimée was nominated for a best actress Oscar for the role. It also brought her the BAFTA film award for best foreign actress and the Golden Globe for best motion picture actress."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 06/18/2024: Anouk Aimée, enigmatic star of ‘A Man and a Woman,’ dies at 92. "She excelled at portrayals of allure and caprice, notably in Federico’s Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita,” and became a leading figure of international cinema in the 1960s."
50featherbear
Donald Sutherland, 1935-2024
Andrew Pulver. Guardian, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland, Don’t Look Now and Hunger Games actor, dies aged 88.
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland: a life in pictures.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland was an irreplaceable aristocrat of cinema.
Clyde Haberman. NYT, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland, Shape-Shifting Movie Star, Dies at 88.
Alissa Wilkinson. NYT, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland Didn’t Disappear Into Roles, and That Was a Good Thing. "The actor understood the range of human feeling, but he came of age when movies distrusted institutions, and that suspicion was part of his arsenal."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland, ‘shape-shifty’ movie stalwart, dies at 88. "After his breakthrough in “M.A.S.H.,” he went on to a versatile career in films such as "Klute,” “Animal House,” “Ordinary People” and “The Hunger Games.”"
Ty Burr. WaPo, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland was that rare star who never outshined the role.
Rachel Looker. BBC Culture, 06/20/2024: Actor Donald Sutherland dies aged 88.
Andrew Pulver. Guardian, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland, Don’t Look Now and Hunger Games actor, dies aged 88.
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland: a life in pictures.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland was an irreplaceable aristocrat of cinema.
Clyde Haberman. NYT, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland, Shape-Shifting Movie Star, Dies at 88.
Alissa Wilkinson. NYT, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland Didn’t Disappear Into Roles, and That Was a Good Thing. "The actor understood the range of human feeling, but he came of age when movies distrusted institutions, and that suspicion was part of his arsenal."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland, ‘shape-shifty’ movie stalwart, dies at 88. "After his breakthrough in “M.A.S.H.,” he went on to a versatile career in films such as "Klute,” “Animal House,” “Ordinary People” and “The Hunger Games.”"
Ty Burr. WaPo, 06/20/2024: Donald Sutherland was that rare star who never outshined the role.
Rachel Looker. BBC Culture, 06/20/2024: Actor Donald Sutherland dies aged 88.
51featherbear
Bill Cobbs, 1934-2024
Associated Press. WaPo, 06/26/20224: Bill Cobbs, actor who built career on poignant older roles, dies at 90.
"A Cleveland native, Mr. Cobbs acted in such films as “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994), “The Bodyguard” (1992) and “Night at the Museum” (2006). He made his first big-screen appearance in a fleeting role in 1974’s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and went on to amass some 200 film and TV credits.
"The lion share of those came between his 50s and 70s, as filmmakers and TV producers turned to him again and again to imbue small but pivotal parts with a wizened and worn soulfulness.
"Mr. Cobbs rarely got the kinds of major parts that stand out and win awards. Instead, he was a familiar and memorable everyman who left an impression on audiences, regardless of screen time."
Alexandra E. Petri. NYT, 06/27/2024: Bill Cobbs, ‘Bodyguard’ and ‘Night at the Museum’ Actor, Dies at 90.
Associated Press. WaPo, 06/26/20224: Bill Cobbs, actor who built career on poignant older roles, dies at 90.
"A Cleveland native, Mr. Cobbs acted in such films as “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994), “The Bodyguard” (1992) and “Night at the Museum” (2006). He made his first big-screen appearance in a fleeting role in 1974’s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and went on to amass some 200 film and TV credits.
"The lion share of those came between his 50s and 70s, as filmmakers and TV producers turned to him again and again to imbue small but pivotal parts with a wizened and worn soulfulness.
"Mr. Cobbs rarely got the kinds of major parts that stand out and win awards. Instead, he was a familiar and memorable everyman who left an impression on audiences, regardless of screen time."
Alexandra E. Petri. NYT, 06/27/2024: Bill Cobbs, ‘Bodyguard’ and ‘Night at the Museum’ Actor, Dies at 90.
52featherbear
Martin Mull, 1943-2024
Orlando Mayorquin. NYT, 06/28/2024, upd 6/29: Martin Mull, Comic Actor Who Rose to Fame on ‘Mary Hartman,’ Dies at 80.
Andrew Jeong. WaPo, 06/28/2024: Martin Mull, ‘Clue’ and ‘Arrested Development’ actor, dies at 80. Post w/a slightly more up to date CV in the head.
Orlando Mayorquin. NYT, 06/28/2024, upd 6/29: Martin Mull, Comic Actor Who Rose to Fame on ‘Mary Hartman,’ Dies at 80.
Andrew Jeong. WaPo, 06/28/2024: Martin Mull, ‘Clue’ and ‘Arrested Development’ actor, dies at 80. Post w/a slightly more up to date CV in the head.
53featherbear
Robert Towne, 1934-2024
Bill Morris. NYT, 07/02/2024: Robert Towne, Screenwriter of ‘Chinatown’ and More, Dies at 89. "Celebrated for his mastery of dialogue, he also contributed (though without credit) to the scripts of “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Godfather.”"
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 07/03/2024: Robert Towne, Oscar-winning screenwriter of ‘Chinatown,’ dies at 89.
Ty Burr. WaPo, 07/03/2024: No one could rescue a troubled movie like Robert Towne.
"The irony is that “Chinatown,” the movie that cemented Towne’s status among his peers and in pop-culture history, had its ending rewritten by director Roman Polanski over the screenwriter’s vocal protests. ... Towne wove a historical civic crime — the theft of the city’s water in the 1930s — into his detective story, and he compounded the sin by making John Huston’s villainous businessman, Noah Cross, an incestuous monster who had fathered a child by his own daughter Evelyn (Faye Dunaway). In Towne’s version, Evelyn shoots her father dead. In Polanski’s film, Evelyn dies, evil triumphs, and the rich get away with it. “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”
Bill Morris. NYT, 07/02/2024: Robert Towne, Screenwriter of ‘Chinatown’ and More, Dies at 89. "Celebrated for his mastery of dialogue, he also contributed (though without credit) to the scripts of “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Godfather.”"
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 07/03/2024: Robert Towne, Oscar-winning screenwriter of ‘Chinatown,’ dies at 89.
Ty Burr. WaPo, 07/03/2024: No one could rescue a troubled movie like Robert Towne.
"The irony is that “Chinatown,” the movie that cemented Towne’s status among his peers and in pop-culture history, had its ending rewritten by director Roman Polanski over the screenwriter’s vocal protests. ... Towne wove a historical civic crime — the theft of the city’s water in the 1930s — into his detective story, and he compounded the sin by making John Huston’s villainous businessman, Noah Cross, an incestuous monster who had fathered a child by his own daughter Evelyn (Faye Dunaway). In Towne’s version, Evelyn shoots her father dead. In Polanski’s film, Evelyn dies, evil triumphs, and the rich get away with it. “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”
54featherbear
Jon Landau, 1960-2024
Yan Zhuang. NYT, 07/07/2024: Jon Landau, Producer of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar,’ Dies at 63.
Yan Zhuang. NYT, 07/07/2024: Jon Landau, Producer of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar,’ Dies at 63.
55featherbear
Shelley Duvall, 1949-2024
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall, a versatile face of 1970s film, dies at 75. "Shelley Duvall, the waifish, wide-eyed actress who became a face of 1970s film, demonstrating her range in acclaimed movies such as “Nashville” and “3 Women” before delivering an unforgettable performance — chased by an ax-wielding Jack Nicholson — in the horror touchstone “The Shining,” died July 11 at her home in Blanco, Tex. She was 75."
Clay Risen. NYT, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall, Star of ‘The Shining’ and ‘Nashville,’ Dies at 75.
Ian Youngs. BBC Culture, 07/11/2024: The Shining actress Shelley Duvall dies at 75.
Catherine Shoard. Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall, star of The Shining and Annie Hall, dies aged 75.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall was a sublime and subversive screen presence.
Anne Billson. Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall: her 20 greatest films. "Published hours before news broke of the actor’s death at the age of 75, we celebrate the filmography of the seven-time muse of Robert Altman, from her standout role in The Shining to her zonked-out cameo in Annie Hall."
Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall – a life in pictures.
Beatrice Loayza. 07/15/2024: The Remarkable Charisma of Shelley Duvall.
This one is probably paywalled (part of my New York subscription), but for the record (from 2019, republished on the occasion of her passing):
Bilge Ebiri. Vulture, 11/08/2019: The Discomforting Legacy of Wendy Torrance.
We all have our favorite roles -- many seem to gravitate to Olive Oyl in Popeye, but I watched Thieves Like Us again & again when it came out -- but also her underrated role in The Shining (though unfortunately never seen the latter on the big screen)
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall, a versatile face of 1970s film, dies at 75. "Shelley Duvall, the waifish, wide-eyed actress who became a face of 1970s film, demonstrating her range in acclaimed movies such as “Nashville” and “3 Women” before delivering an unforgettable performance — chased by an ax-wielding Jack Nicholson — in the horror touchstone “The Shining,” died July 11 at her home in Blanco, Tex. She was 75."
Clay Risen. NYT, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall, Star of ‘The Shining’ and ‘Nashville,’ Dies at 75.
Ian Youngs. BBC Culture, 07/11/2024: The Shining actress Shelley Duvall dies at 75.
Catherine Shoard. Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall, star of The Shining and Annie Hall, dies aged 75.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall was a sublime and subversive screen presence.
Anne Billson. Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall: her 20 greatest films. "Published hours before news broke of the actor’s death at the age of 75, we celebrate the filmography of the seven-time muse of Robert Altman, from her standout role in The Shining to her zonked-out cameo in Annie Hall."
Guardian, 07/11/2024: Shelley Duvall – a life in pictures.
Beatrice Loayza. 07/15/2024: The Remarkable Charisma of Shelley Duvall.
This one is probably paywalled (part of my New York subscription), but for the record (from 2019, republished on the occasion of her passing):
Bilge Ebiri. Vulture, 11/08/2019: The Discomforting Legacy of Wendy Torrance.
We all have our favorite roles -- many seem to gravitate to Olive Oyl in Popeye, but I watched Thieves Like Us again & again when it came out -- but also her underrated role in The Shining (though unfortunately never seen the latter on the big screen)
56featherbear
Richard Simmons, 1948-2024
Emmett Lindner and Hank Sanders. NYT, 07/13/2024: Richard Simmons, Exercise and Fitness Personality, Dies at 76.
"At his Beverly Hills exercise studio, Slimmons, and in his videos and DVDs, Mr. Simmons exuded an enthusiastic can-do spirit to inspire people of all ages and fitness levels to get moving.
"Mr. Simmons continued to appear on radio, television and in movies. He maintained a lighthearted persona on social media and even posted a thank-you note to fans on Friday, his 76th birthday, one day before he died."
With Ruth Westheimer, the world has lost 2 cheerful souls in the past two days.
Emmett Lindner and Hank Sanders. NYT, 07/13/2024: Richard Simmons, Exercise and Fitness Personality, Dies at 76.
"At his Beverly Hills exercise studio, Slimmons, and in his videos and DVDs, Mr. Simmons exuded an enthusiastic can-do spirit to inspire people of all ages and fitness levels to get moving.
"Mr. Simmons continued to appear on radio, television and in movies. He maintained a lighthearted persona on social media and even posted a thank-you note to fans on Friday, his 76th birthday, one day before he died."
With Ruth Westheimer, the world has lost 2 cheerful souls in the past two days.
57KeithChaffee
Both people who brought health information to the public in a friendly, accessible, inclusive manner, with no judgment. And neither of them looked or sounded like the typical health professional.
58featherbear
Shannen Doherty, 1971-2024
Benjamin Lee. Guardian, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty, Heathers and Beverly Hills 90210 star, dies at 53.
Guardian, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty – a life in pictures.
Katie Rogers. NYT, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Star, Dies at 53.
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty, a star of ‘90210’ and ‘Charmed,’ dies at 53.
BBC Culture 07/14/2024: Remembering Shannen Doherty, the Beverly Hills 'badass.'
Benjamin Lee. Guardian, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty, Heathers and Beverly Hills 90210 star, dies at 53.
Guardian, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty – a life in pictures.
Katie Rogers. NYT, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Star, Dies at 53.
Harrison Smith. WaPo, 07/14/2024: Shannen Doherty, a star of ‘90210’ and ‘Charmed,’ dies at 53.
BBC Culture 07/14/2024: Remembering Shannen Doherty, the Beverly Hills 'badass.'
59featherbear
Evan Wright, 1964-2024
Due to the HBO series, I copied this from my bib thread as an association obituary:
Sian Cain. Guardian, 07/15/2024: Generation Kill author Evan Wright dies aged 59.
Emily Langer. WaPo, 07/16/2024: Evan Wright, unflinching author of ‘Generation Kill,’ dies at 59.
His LT page is: https://www.librarything.com/author/wrightevan
Due to the HBO series, I copied this from my bib thread as an association obituary:
Sian Cain. Guardian, 07/15/2024: Generation Kill author Evan Wright dies aged 59.
Emily Langer. WaPo, 07/16/2024: Evan Wright, unflinching author of ‘Generation Kill,’ dies at 59.
His LT page is: https://www.librarything.com/author/wrightevan
60featherbear
Bob Newhart, 1929-2024
Neil Genzlinger. NYT, 07/18/2024: Bob Newhart, 94, Dies; Soft-Spoken Everyman Became a Comedy Star. (Temporarily unlocked)
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 07/18/2024: Bob Newhart, who went from standup comedy to sitcom star, dies at 94.
"“See, something’s come up, sir,” the guard hesitantly tells his boss on the telephone, “and it’s not covered in the guards’ manual. I looked in the index, yes, sir. I looked under unauthorized personnel and people without passes and apes and apes’ toes. Apes and apes’ toes, yes, sir … See, this isn’t your standard ape, sir. He’s between 18 and 19 stories high, depending on whether there is a 13th floor or not.”"
His LT page: https://www.librarything.com/author/newhartbob
Neil Genzlinger. NYT, 07/18/2024: Bob Newhart, 94, Dies; Soft-Spoken Everyman Became a Comedy Star. (Temporarily unlocked)
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 07/18/2024: Bob Newhart, who went from standup comedy to sitcom star, dies at 94.
"“See, something’s come up, sir,” the guard hesitantly tells his boss on the telephone, “and it’s not covered in the guards’ manual. I looked in the index, yes, sir. I looked under unauthorized personnel and people without passes and apes and apes’ toes. Apes and apes’ toes, yes, sir … See, this isn’t your standard ape, sir. He’s between 18 and 19 stories high, depending on whether there is a 13th floor or not.”"
His LT page: https://www.librarything.com/author/newhartbob
61featherbear
Lou Dobbs, 1945-2024
Alex Williams & Michael Levenson. NYT, 07/18/2024: Lou Dobbs, Former Fox Business Host and Trump Booster, Dies at 78. "He used his platforms on CNN and Fox Business to share baseless conspiracy theories. His tenure at Fox ended after the network was sued for defamation over claims of voting machine fraud."
Jeremy Barr. WaPo, 07/18/2024: Lou Dobbs, cable-news pioneer and conservative pundit, dies at 78. "Trump said in 2020 that he watched Mr. Dobbs’s Fox show “all the time,” calling it a “very important show” with a “tremendous audience.”"
His LT page: https://www.librarything.com/author/dobbslou
Alex Williams & Michael Levenson. NYT, 07/18/2024: Lou Dobbs, Former Fox Business Host and Trump Booster, Dies at 78. "He used his platforms on CNN and Fox Business to share baseless conspiracy theories. His tenure at Fox ended after the network was sued for defamation over claims of voting machine fraud."
Jeremy Barr. WaPo, 07/18/2024: Lou Dobbs, cable-news pioneer and conservative pundit, dies at 78. "Trump said in 2020 that he watched Mr. Dobbs’s Fox show “all the time,” calling it a “very important show” with a “tremendous audience.”"
His LT page: https://www.librarything.com/author/dobbslou
62featherbear
Cheng Pei Pei, 1946-2024
Lipika Pelham. BBC Culture, 07/19/2024: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Cheng Pei-pei dies at 78.
Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger; memorable role in King Hu's Come Drink With Me (1966) launched a career in wuxia beginning a female martial arts star tradition that includes Michelle Yeoh.
Lipika Pelham. BBC Culture, 07/19/2024: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Cheng Pei-pei dies at 78.
Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger; memorable role in King Hu's Come Drink With Me (1966) launched a career in wuxia beginning a female martial arts star tradition that includes Michelle Yeoh.
63featherbear
John Mayall, 1933-2024
Indulge me on this one even if JM wasn't movie/tv; the album with Clapton was one that got me through high school & shaped my taste in rock (tone & fire rather than virtuosity) in the 60s & 70s. His bands were the Berklee/Julliard of blues guitar schools. Still remember him giving on-stage advice on replacing guitar strings to Mick Taylor during a nightclub performance.
Francesca Gillett. 07/24/2024: Jagger leads tributes to blues pioneer John Mayall.
Larry Rohter. NYT, 07/23/2024: John Mayall, Pioneer of British Blues, Is Dead at 90.
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 07/23/2024: John Mayall, British blues pioneer, dies at 90.
Indulge me on this one even if JM wasn't movie/tv; the album with Clapton was one that got me through high school & shaped my taste in rock (tone & fire rather than virtuosity) in the 60s & 70s. His bands were the Berklee/Julliard of blues guitar schools. Still remember him giving on-stage advice on replacing guitar strings to Mick Taylor during a nightclub performance.
Francesca Gillett. 07/24/2024: Jagger leads tributes to blues pioneer John Mayall.
Larry Rohter. NYT, 07/23/2024: John Mayall, Pioneer of British Blues, Is Dead at 90.
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 07/23/2024: John Mayall, British blues pioneer, dies at 90.
64featherbear
Yvonne Furneaux, 1926-2024
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 07/25/2024: Yvonne Furneaux, globetrotting actress of ‘La Dolce Vita,’ dies at 98.
"Born in France to British parents and multilingual, Ms. Furneaux fit well into the spirit of an age when cultural and social boundaries in Europe were being toppled by a postwar generation impatient for change. She worked with French, German, Spanish, American and British directors — as well as Italian filmmakers in her breakout roles — in more than 30 films from dark comedies to horror." She played the older sister to Catherine Deneuve in Polanski's Repulsion. I really need to catch La Dolce Vita before I shuffle off.
Better late than never:
Alex Williams. NYT, 08/02/2024: Yvonne Furneaux, Cosmopolitan Actress in ‘La Dolce Vita,’ Dies at 98.
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 07/25/2024: Yvonne Furneaux, globetrotting actress of ‘La Dolce Vita,’ dies at 98.
"Born in France to British parents and multilingual, Ms. Furneaux fit well into the spirit of an age when cultural and social boundaries in Europe were being toppled by a postwar generation impatient for change. She worked with French, German, Spanish, American and British directors — as well as Italian filmmakers in her breakout roles — in more than 30 films from dark comedies to horror." She played the older sister to Catherine Deneuve in Polanski's Repulsion. I really need to catch La Dolce Vita before I shuffle off.
Better late than never:
Alex Williams. NYT, 08/02/2024: Yvonne Furneaux, Cosmopolitan Actress in ‘La Dolce Vita,’ Dies at 98.
65featherbear
Manfred Kirchheimer, 1931-2024
Alex Traub. NYT, 08/02/2024: Manfred Kirchheimer, ‘Indispensable’ New York Filmmaker, Dies at 93. "For decades, he meticulously crafted short films and documentaries in relative obscurity. Then, in his 80s, he enjoyed a burst of productivity and acclaim." (Paywall temporarily unlocked)
Alex Traub. NYT, 08/02/2024: Manfred Kirchheimer, ‘Indispensable’ New York Filmmaker, Dies at 93. "For decades, he meticulously crafted short films and documentaries in relative obscurity. Then, in his 80s, he enjoyed a burst of productivity and acclaim." (Paywall temporarily unlocked)
66carptrash
>27 featherbear: I spotted him yesterday while watching "Escape from the Planet of the Apes", but did not then know he had passed away. A great character actor.
67carptrash
>52 featherbear: Who spoke (sang?) one of my favorite line, "Remember the folk music scare of the 1960s? That s**t almost caught on."
68carptrash
Robert Joseph Banas (September 22, 1933 – July 29, 2024) was an American dancer and actor who worked in films such as West Side Story (1961), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) and Always (1989)
Natalie Wood was his dancing partner in the Michael Panaieff Children’s’ Ballet Company, to which he received a scholarship and in which Jill St. John and Stefanie Powers were members. Banas also attended the Hollywood Professional School.
(from wikipedia)
Natalie Wood was his dancing partner in the Michael Panaieff Children’s’ Ballet Company, to which he received a scholarship and in which Jill St. John and Stefanie Powers were members. Banas also attended the Hollywood Professional School.
(from wikipedia)
69carptrash
I don't know how to do this properly, but since we are including some musicians I would like to add Jerry Miller.
"Jerry Miller (July 10, 1943 – July 20, 2024) was an American songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He performed as a solo artist and as a member of the Jerry Miller Band. He was also a founding member of the 1960s San Francisco band Moby Grape, which continues to perform occasionally. Rolling Stone included Miller at number 68 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time and Moby Grape's album Moby Grape at number 124 from listed 500 greatest albums of all time." (wikipedia). Pretty good numbers for someone most folks have never heard of.
"Jerry Miller (July 10, 1943 – July 20, 2024) was an American songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He performed as a solo artist and as a member of the Jerry Miller Band. He was also a founding member of the 1960s San Francisco band Moby Grape, which continues to perform occasionally. Rolling Stone included Miller at number 68 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time and Moby Grape's album Moby Grape at number 124 from listed 500 greatest albums of all time." (wikipedia). Pretty good numbers for someone most folks have never heard of.
70featherbear
>69 carptrash: Miller was a terrific blues guitar player. I think he played lead on the high speed blues fills of Can't be so bad on Wow -- Spotify has redacted most of the first album as well as Wow so I wasn't able to double check. Glad someone else in the LT universe remembers & appreciates him -- & he did get an NYT obit after all.
71carptrash
In ( I think) 1969 I was visiting a girl friend in Florida and while I was there Moby Grape played at a nearby high school. In the gym. When we got there the band announced that unfortunately Bob Mosley was ill and not there. They pulled a bass player out of the audience and proceeded to play a pretty jammy set. It was okay but I was very disappointed because I'd been a huge fan since the first album and they really did not do any of theur more complicated stuff. Oh well, the first album would still be one of the ten I'd take to a desert island.
72featherbear
Gena Rowlands, 1930-2024
Anita Gates. NYT, 08/14/2024: Gena Rowlands, Actress Who Brought Raw Drama to Her Roles, Dies at 94.
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 08/14/2024: Gena Rowlands, actress of lacerating intensity, dies at 94.
"Over seven decades, she worked sparingly in mainstream fare but managed to attract a cascade of superlatives and an honorary Academy Award for career achievement in 2015. Cate Blanchett noted at the time that Ms. Rowlands was “the actress who has had the most profound influence on my work.”"
Married to director John Cassavetes, whose "low-budget, semi-improvisational films — little appreciated in their day but later a staple of art houses and film retrospectives — sought to illuminate dysfunctional relationships and seething middle-class discontent. Ms. Rowlands, with her meticulously detailed performances, helped elevate those dramas into daring, even sublime art."
"Perhaps her finest role was as a mentally fragile Los Angeles housewife loved and tormented by her construction-worker husband (Peter Falk) in “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974). ... The drama earned Ms. Rowlands an Oscar nomination for best actress, as did her performance as a cynical gun moll who cares for a child targeted by mob killers in Cassavetes’s “Gloria” (1980)."
Guardian. 08/15/2024: Gena Rowlands – a life in pictures.
Amy Nicholson. WaPo, 08/15/2024: Gena Rowlands was a legend long before ‘The Notebook’ proclaimed her lovable.
Richard Brody. New Yorker, 08/19/2024: How Gena Rowlands Redefined the Art of Movie Acting. "The actress, who died last week, at the age of ninety-four, changed the history of cinema in her collaborations with the actor and director John Cassavetes."
Anita Gates. NYT, 08/14/2024: Gena Rowlands, Actress Who Brought Raw Drama to Her Roles, Dies at 94.
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 08/14/2024: Gena Rowlands, actress of lacerating intensity, dies at 94.
"Over seven decades, she worked sparingly in mainstream fare but managed to attract a cascade of superlatives and an honorary Academy Award for career achievement in 2015. Cate Blanchett noted at the time that Ms. Rowlands was “the actress who has had the most profound influence on my work.”"
Married to director John Cassavetes, whose "low-budget, semi-improvisational films — little appreciated in their day but later a staple of art houses and film retrospectives — sought to illuminate dysfunctional relationships and seething middle-class discontent. Ms. Rowlands, with her meticulously detailed performances, helped elevate those dramas into daring, even sublime art."
"Perhaps her finest role was as a mentally fragile Los Angeles housewife loved and tormented by her construction-worker husband (Peter Falk) in “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974). ... The drama earned Ms. Rowlands an Oscar nomination for best actress, as did her performance as a cynical gun moll who cares for a child targeted by mob killers in Cassavetes’s “Gloria” (1980)."
Guardian. 08/15/2024: Gena Rowlands – a life in pictures.
Amy Nicholson. WaPo, 08/15/2024: Gena Rowlands was a legend long before ‘The Notebook’ proclaimed her lovable.
Richard Brody. New Yorker, 08/19/2024: How Gena Rowlands Redefined the Art of Movie Acting. "The actress, who died last week, at the age of ninety-four, changed the history of cinema in her collaborations with the actor and director John Cassavetes."
73featherbear
Peter Marshall, 1926-2024
Daniel E. Slotnick. NYT, 08/15/2024: Peter Marshall, Longtime Host of ‘The Hollywood Squares,’ Dies at 98.
"“The Hollywood Squares” was wildly popular throughout the late 1960s and ’70s, with episodes syndicated in prime time for virtually all of the ’70s.
"He recalled that the show’s producers, Bob Quigley and Merrill Heatter, had said that they prized one quality in particular when they sought a host: “‘We’re looking for a complete nonentity,’ they told me. ‘Well, look no further,’ I said, and they offered me an audition.”
"He was born Ralph Pierre LaCock on March 30, 1926, in Clarksburg, W.Va...." His sons retained the family name, among them Pete, who played major league baseball; wondering if his original name ever came up as a celebrity question.
"Mr. Marshall’s career did not end with “The Hollywood Squares.” He returned to the stage in the 1980s as Georges in “La Cage aux Folles,” first in the national company and then on Broadway, and starred in a televised version of “H.M.S. Pinafore” with the London Symphony Orchestra.
"He also appeared in the 1982 film version of “Annie” and on television shows like “The Love Boat,” “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.”
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 08/15/2024: Peter Marshall, game-show host of ‘Hollywood Squares,’ dies at 98. "In addition to hosting the long-running game show, he was a singer, comedian and Broadway actor."
Daniel E. Slotnick. NYT, 08/15/2024: Peter Marshall, Longtime Host of ‘The Hollywood Squares,’ Dies at 98.
"“The Hollywood Squares” was wildly popular throughout the late 1960s and ’70s, with episodes syndicated in prime time for virtually all of the ’70s.
"He recalled that the show’s producers, Bob Quigley and Merrill Heatter, had said that they prized one quality in particular when they sought a host: “‘We’re looking for a complete nonentity,’ they told me. ‘Well, look no further,’ I said, and they offered me an audition.”
"He was born Ralph Pierre LaCock on March 30, 1926, in Clarksburg, W.Va...." His sons retained the family name, among them Pete, who played major league baseball; wondering if his original name ever came up as a celebrity question.
"Mr. Marshall’s career did not end with “The Hollywood Squares.” He returned to the stage in the 1980s as Georges in “La Cage aux Folles,” first in the national company and then on Broadway, and starred in a televised version of “H.M.S. Pinafore” with the London Symphony Orchestra.
"He also appeared in the 1982 film version of “Annie” and on television shows like “The Love Boat,” “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.”
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 08/15/2024: Peter Marshall, game-show host of ‘Hollywood Squares,’ dies at 98. "In addition to hosting the long-running game show, he was a singer, comedian and Broadway actor."
74JulieLill
>73 featherbear: I didn't realize Peter Marshall was still alive till I saw his obit yesterday. I remember watching that show and I did enjoy it. RIP Peter!
75featherbear
Alain Delon, 1935-2024
Anita Gates. NYT, 08/18/2024: Alain Delon, Smoldering French Film Star, Dies at 88. (Temporarily unlocked)
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 08/18/2024: Alain Delon: a life in pictures.
Andrew Pulver & Kim Willsher. Guardian, 08/18/2024: French film star Alain Delon dies aged 88.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 08/18/2024: Mesmeric and beautiful, Alain Delon was one of cinema’s most mysterious stars. "Whether playing the lover opposite Marianne Faithfull or the assassin in Le Samouraï, the prolific French actor, who has died aged 88, was a symbol of the lost beauty of the 60s."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 08/18/2024: Alain Delon, angel-faced tough guy of international cinema, dies at 88. "His best roles, including the murderous Tom Ripley in “Purple Noon,” pitted his luminous beauty against his characters’ often dark souls."
James Gregory & Noor Nanji. BBC Culture, 08/18/2024: French film giant Alain Delon dies aged 88.
Anita Gates. NYT, 08/18/2024: Alain Delon, Smoldering French Film Star, Dies at 88. (Temporarily unlocked)
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 08/18/2024: Alain Delon: a life in pictures.
Andrew Pulver & Kim Willsher. Guardian, 08/18/2024: French film star Alain Delon dies aged 88.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 08/18/2024: Mesmeric and beautiful, Alain Delon was one of cinema’s most mysterious stars. "Whether playing the lover opposite Marianne Faithfull or the assassin in Le Samouraï, the prolific French actor, who has died aged 88, was a symbol of the lost beauty of the 60s."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 08/18/2024: Alain Delon, angel-faced tough guy of international cinema, dies at 88. "His best roles, including the murderous Tom Ripley in “Purple Noon,” pitted his luminous beauty against his characters’ often dark souls."
James Gregory & Noor Nanji. BBC Culture, 08/18/2024: French film giant Alain Delon dies aged 88.
76featherbear
Phil Donahue, 1935-2024
Clyde Haberman. NYT, 08/19/2024: Phil Donahue, Talk Host Who Made Audiences Part of the Show, Dies at 88. "Stalking the aisles, microphone in hand, he turned “The Phil Donahue Show” into a participation event, soliciting questions and comments on topics from human rights to orgies."
Fred A. Bernstein. WaPo, 08/19/2024: Phil Donahue, long-reigning king of daytime television, dies at 88. "His award-winning show tackled tough social and political issues but also pioneered a breezy format that opened the door to successors like Oprah Winfrey."
Clyde Haberman. NYT, 08/19/2024: Phil Donahue, Talk Host Who Made Audiences Part of the Show, Dies at 88. "Stalking the aisles, microphone in hand, he turned “The Phil Donahue Show” into a participation event, soliciting questions and comments on topics from human rights to orgies."
Fred A. Bernstein. WaPo, 08/19/2024: Phil Donahue, long-reigning king of daytime television, dies at 88. "His award-winning show tackled tough social and political issues but also pioneered a breezy format that opened the door to successors like Oprah Winfrey."
77Carol420
>76 featherbear: My mother thought he was the best things since "sliced bread". She didn't watch much T.V. but she never missed Phil Donahue.
78JulieLill
>77 Carol420: I saw his show now and then. Was he still married to Marlo Thomas? I actually looked it up and she and he were still married!
79Carol420
>78 JulieLill: Yes, they were one of the entertainment world's successes. They were married for 44 years.
80featherbear
Given the interest, I unlocked the Phil Donahue obit for NYT at >76 featherbear:
I'm not sure how the NYT article sharing works, but I'm guessing it ends at the end of the month, so click before Sept.
I'm not sure how the NYT article sharing works, but I'm guessing it ends at the end of the month, so click before Sept.
81featherbear
James Darren, 1936-2024
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 09/03/2024: James Darren, actor and singer of ‘Gidget’ teen idol fame, dies at 88.
"Over more than five decades, Mr. Darren built an eclectic career that included hit songs with his silky baritone and films such as “The Guns of Navarone” (1961), in which he played a Greek anti-Nazi fighter alongside a star-filled cast that included Anthony Quinn and Gregory Peck. On television, he had recurring roles on shows such as the police drama “T.J. Hooker” as a veteran cop and the sci-fi series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” playing a holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine.
"Yet for many fans, he was forever the dark-haired surfer of “Gidget” who struggled over whether to leave for college or follow the king of the beach, the Big Kahuna (played by Cliff Robertson), to chase waves around the world. In the end, Moondoggie falls for the bright-eyed and pint-size Gidget, a portmanteau nickname of “girl” and “midget."
"Once at a television dance show in San Francisco in the early 1960s, a group of young women in the audience pushed through a door and yanked Mr. Darren onto the sidewalk.
"“They started pulling hairs out of my head for souvenirs,” he recalled. “I was enjoying it — not the pain, but the adulation. The police rescued me and brought me up on the roof. And I’d look down from the roof and they would scream. That was fun.”"
“Addio Mondo Crudele"
Will Donohue. NYT, 09/03/2024: James Darren, Actor, Singer and ‘Gidget’ Heartthrob, Dies at 88. "he never had a bigger hit than his early single “Goodbye Cruel World,” which hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1961."
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 09/03/2024: James Darren, actor and singer of ‘Gidget’ teen idol fame, dies at 88.
"Over more than five decades, Mr. Darren built an eclectic career that included hit songs with his silky baritone and films such as “The Guns of Navarone” (1961), in which he played a Greek anti-Nazi fighter alongside a star-filled cast that included Anthony Quinn and Gregory Peck. On television, he had recurring roles on shows such as the police drama “T.J. Hooker” as a veteran cop and the sci-fi series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” playing a holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine.
"Yet for many fans, he was forever the dark-haired surfer of “Gidget” who struggled over whether to leave for college or follow the king of the beach, the Big Kahuna (played by Cliff Robertson), to chase waves around the world. In the end, Moondoggie falls for the bright-eyed and pint-size Gidget, a portmanteau nickname of “girl” and “midget."
"Once at a television dance show in San Francisco in the early 1960s, a group of young women in the audience pushed through a door and yanked Mr. Darren onto the sidewalk.
"“They started pulling hairs out of my head for souvenirs,” he recalled. “I was enjoying it — not the pain, but the adulation. The police rescued me and brought me up on the roof. And I’d look down from the roof and they would scream. That was fun.”"
“Addio Mondo Crudele"
Will Donohue. NYT, 09/03/2024: James Darren, Actor, Singer and ‘Gidget’ Heartthrob, Dies at 88. "he never had a bigger hit than his early single “Goodbye Cruel World,” which hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1961."
82featherbear
William McDonald. NYT, 09/06/2024: A Trove of Words to Remember From a Master Obituary Writer. "The byline of Robert D. McFadden, who retired on Sunday, has been one of the most distinguished in the history of The Times. Here is a sampler of his artful obituaries." Temporarily unlocked.
83featherbear
James Earl Jones, 1931-2024
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones, commanding actor who voiced Darth Vader, dies at 93. "The Oscar-winning actor also won Tonys for his tours de force in “The Great White Hope” and “Fences.”" (Temporarily unlocked)
Andrew Pulver. Guardian, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones, commanding actor who voiced Darth Vader, dies at 93.
Robert D. McFadden. NYT, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones Dies at 93; His Acting Resonated Onstage and On-screen. "He gave life to characters like Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” and went on to collect Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys and an honorary Oscar." (Temporarily unlocked)
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones: a life in pictures.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones was movie royalty, a magisterial star who inspired both love and respect.
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones, commanding actor who voiced Darth Vader, dies at 93. "The Oscar-winning actor also won Tonys for his tours de force in “The Great White Hope” and “Fences.”" (Temporarily unlocked)
Andrew Pulver. Guardian, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones, commanding actor who voiced Darth Vader, dies at 93.
Robert D. McFadden. NYT, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones Dies at 93; His Acting Resonated Onstage and On-screen. "He gave life to characters like Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” and went on to collect Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys and an honorary Oscar." (Temporarily unlocked)
Greg Whitmore. Guardian, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones: a life in pictures.
Peter Bradshaw. Guardian, 09/09/2024: James Earl Jones was movie royalty, a magisterial star who inspired both love and respect.
84featherbear
Gabrielle Ferrigine. Salon, 09/16/2024: Shelley Duvall and other notable stars missing from Emmys "In Memoriam" segment.
85featherbear
Benny Golson, 1929-2024
Off topic but I've so enjoyed listening to him over the years. Temporarily unlocked.
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 09/22/2024: Benny Golson, jazz saxophonist and composer of surpassing grace, dies at 95. "In a seven-decade career, he composed such jazz standards as “I Remember Clifford,” “Along Came Betty” and “Whisper Not.”"
Didn't realize he stopped playing for 12 years & then went on to the second phase of his career.
Off topic but I've so enjoyed listening to him over the years. Temporarily unlocked.
Matt Schudel. WaPo, 09/22/2024: Benny Golson, jazz saxophonist and composer of surpassing grace, dies at 95. "In a seven-decade career, he composed such jazz standards as “I Remember Clifford,” “Along Came Betty” and “Whisper Not.”"
Didn't realize he stopped playing for 12 years & then went on to the second phase of his career.
86featherbear
Maggie Smith, 1934-2024
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith, ebullient scene-stealer of stage and screen, dies at 89. "The British actress won Oscars for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and “California Suite,” and enchanted audiences as a professorial witch in the Harry Potter movies and the sly dowager countess on the TV series “Downton Abbey.”" (Temporarily unlocked)
Andrew Pulver. Guardian, 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith, Oscar-winning star of stage and screen, dies aged 89. "In a career that began in the 1950s, her roles ranged from Desdemona to Miss Jean Brodie, Virginia Woolf and Minerva McGonagall."
Guardian. 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith – a life in pictures.
Helen Bushby & Ian Youngs. BBC Culture, 09/27/2024: Acting legend Dame Maggie Smith dies at 89.
Anita Gates & Robert Berkvist. NYT, 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith, Grand Dame of Stage and Screen, Dies at 89. "She earned an extraordinary array of awards, from Oscars to Emmys to Tonys, but could still go almost everywhere unrecognized. Then came “Downton Abbey.”" (Temporarily unlocked)
Rebecca Mead. New Yorker, 09/28/2024: The Exhilarating Brilliance of Maggie Smith.
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith, ebullient scene-stealer of stage and screen, dies at 89. "The British actress won Oscars for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and “California Suite,” and enchanted audiences as a professorial witch in the Harry Potter movies and the sly dowager countess on the TV series “Downton Abbey.”" (Temporarily unlocked)
Andrew Pulver. Guardian, 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith, Oscar-winning star of stage and screen, dies aged 89. "In a career that began in the 1950s, her roles ranged from Desdemona to Miss Jean Brodie, Virginia Woolf and Minerva McGonagall."
Guardian. 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith – a life in pictures.
Helen Bushby & Ian Youngs. BBC Culture, 09/27/2024: Acting legend Dame Maggie Smith dies at 89.
Anita Gates & Robert Berkvist. NYT, 09/27/2024: Maggie Smith, Grand Dame of Stage and Screen, Dies at 89. "She earned an extraordinary array of awards, from Oscars to Emmys to Tonys, but could still go almost everywhere unrecognized. Then came “Downton Abbey.”" (Temporarily unlocked)
Rebecca Mead. New Yorker, 09/28/2024: The Exhilarating Brilliance of Maggie Smith.
87cindydavid4
>86 featherbear: from the NYT 'She had long described herself as painfully shy. Much earlier, in a 1979 interview with The Times, she confessed, “I’m always very relieved to be somebody else, because I’m not sure at all who I am or what indeed my personality is.”
88featherbear
Kris Kristofferson, 1936-2024
Bill Friskies-Warren. NYT, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson, Country Singer, Songwriter and Actor, Dies at 88. "He wrote songs for hundreds of other artists, including “Me and Bobby McGee” for Janis Joplin and “Sunday Morning Coming Down” for Johnny Cash, before a second act in film." (Reached my NYT share limit for Sept, unfortunately)
Rich Kienzle. WaPo, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson, rugged star of song and screen, dies at 88. Temporarily unlocked, hopefully.
Ben Beaumont-Thomas. Guardian, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson, US country singer and actor, dies aged 88. " In the mid-70s, he worked with film directors including Martin Scorsese and Sam Peckinpah, and won a Golden Globe for his work opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 remake of A Star is Born."
Spencer Kornhaber. Atlantic, 09/30/2024: Country Music’s Philosopher King.
Guardian, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson – a life in pictures. "The US country singer and actor has died aged 88. The Texas-born Grammy winner wrote songs including Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down and Me and Bobby McGee. He was a member of the supergroup the Highwaymen and starred in 70 films over his career."
Bill Friskies-Warren. NYT, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson, Country Singer, Songwriter and Actor, Dies at 88. "He wrote songs for hundreds of other artists, including “Me and Bobby McGee” for Janis Joplin and “Sunday Morning Coming Down” for Johnny Cash, before a second act in film." (Reached my NYT share limit for Sept, unfortunately)
Rich Kienzle. WaPo, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson, rugged star of song and screen, dies at 88. Temporarily unlocked, hopefully.
Ben Beaumont-Thomas. Guardian, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson, US country singer and actor, dies aged 88. " In the mid-70s, he worked with film directors including Martin Scorsese and Sam Peckinpah, and won a Golden Globe for his work opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 remake of A Star is Born."
Spencer Kornhaber. Atlantic, 09/30/2024: Country Music’s Philosopher King.
Guardian, 09/29/2024: Kris Kristofferson – a life in pictures. "The US country singer and actor has died aged 88. The Texas-born Grammy winner wrote songs including Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down and Me and Bobby McGee. He was a member of the supergroup the Highwaymen and starred in 70 films over his career."
89JulieLill
>88 featherbear: So Sad!
90featherbear
John Amos, 1939-2024
Ash Wu. NYT, 10/01/2024: John Amos, a Star of ‘Good Times’ and ‘Roots,’ Is Dead at 84. "He was the patriarch in one of the first sitcoms with an all-Black cast and an enslaved African in the American South in a blockbuster TV mini-series."
Ash Wu. NYT, 10/01/2024: John Amos, a Star of ‘Good Times’ and ‘Roots,’ Is Dead at 84. "He was the patriarch in one of the first sitcoms with an all-Black cast and an enslaved African in the American South in a blockbuster TV mini-series."
91featherbear
Mitzi Gaynor, 1931-2024
Anita Gates. NYT, 10/17/2024: Mitzi Gaynor, Leading Lady of Movie Musicals, Is Dead at 93.
"The role of Nellie Forbush, a World War II Navy nurse and (in the words of a song lyric) a “cockeyed optimist” in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit 1949 Broadway musical, had been originated and defined by Mary Martin. But when it came time to cast the 1958 movie of “South Pacific,” some considered Ms. Martin too old (she was in her 40s) and perhaps too strong-voiced for any actor who might be cast opposite her. (Ezio Pinza, her Broadway co-star, had died.)
"Doris Day was considered. Mike Todd wanted his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, to play the role. Ms. Gaynor was the only candidate to agree to do a screen test, she recalled decades later, although she was an established actress, with a dozen films, seven of them musicals, to her credit.
"“South Pacific” was a box-office smash, and Ms. Gaynor’s performance, opposite Rossano Brazzi, was well received. (She turned out to be the only one of the film’s stars to do her own singing.) But she made only three more films, all comedies without music; the last of them, “For Love or Money” with Kirk Douglas, was released in 1963. She turned instead to Las Vegas, where she headlined shows at major resorts for more than a decade, and to television.
"Her most notable television experience, however, may also have been her least triumphant. On Feb. 16, 1964, Ms. Gaynor had top billing on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” She sang “It’s Too Darn Hot” and a medley of blues songs, but she was completely overshadowed by another act on the bill that night: the Beatles, in their second American television appearance. At a cast dinner afterward, she recalled, Paul McCartney asked for her autograph."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 10/17/2024: Mitzi Gaynor, song-and-dance queen with razzle-dazzle flair, dies at 93.
"A dancer, singer, actress and comic impersonator since childhood, Ms. Gaynor was much admired for her stamina and versatility over more than seven decades in show business.
"She made her screen debut at 19 and appeared opposite leading men such as Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. But her film career — 17 films from 1950 to 1963 — was, by most accounts, abbreviated in part because studio executives could not figure out how to cast her to her best advantage.
"Hollywood stars Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Susan Hayward did not pass muster with director Joshua Logan, who wanted someone with credible singing and dancing skills and who also embodied chic sex appeal.
"By her own account, Ms. Gaynor showed up at Logan’s home to audition for a supporting role in an entirely different film, but as almost every other major actress was trying out for Forbush, he assumed wrongly that was her intent, as well. When Logan asked her if she could sing for the part, she recalled, “I almost fell through the floor.”
"After rendering “A Cockeyed Optimist,” “Honey Bun,” “I’m in Love With a Wonderful Guy” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” — signature numbers for the character — Logan turned to his wife for approval and got a nod. He also persuaded Rodgers and Hammerstein."
Anita Gates. NYT, 10/17/2024: Mitzi Gaynor, Leading Lady of Movie Musicals, Is Dead at 93.
"The role of Nellie Forbush, a World War II Navy nurse and (in the words of a song lyric) a “cockeyed optimist” in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit 1949 Broadway musical, had been originated and defined by Mary Martin. But when it came time to cast the 1958 movie of “South Pacific,” some considered Ms. Martin too old (she was in her 40s) and perhaps too strong-voiced for any actor who might be cast opposite her. (Ezio Pinza, her Broadway co-star, had died.)
"Doris Day was considered. Mike Todd wanted his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, to play the role. Ms. Gaynor was the only candidate to agree to do a screen test, she recalled decades later, although she was an established actress, with a dozen films, seven of them musicals, to her credit.
"“South Pacific” was a box-office smash, and Ms. Gaynor’s performance, opposite Rossano Brazzi, was well received. (She turned out to be the only one of the film’s stars to do her own singing.) But she made only three more films, all comedies without music; the last of them, “For Love or Money” with Kirk Douglas, was released in 1963. She turned instead to Las Vegas, where she headlined shows at major resorts for more than a decade, and to television.
"Her most notable television experience, however, may also have been her least triumphant. On Feb. 16, 1964, Ms. Gaynor had top billing on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” She sang “It’s Too Darn Hot” and a medley of blues songs, but she was completely overshadowed by another act on the bill that night: the Beatles, in their second American television appearance. At a cast dinner afterward, she recalled, Paul McCartney asked for her autograph."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 10/17/2024: Mitzi Gaynor, song-and-dance queen with razzle-dazzle flair, dies at 93.
"A dancer, singer, actress and comic impersonator since childhood, Ms. Gaynor was much admired for her stamina and versatility over more than seven decades in show business.
"She made her screen debut at 19 and appeared opposite leading men such as Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. But her film career — 17 films from 1950 to 1963 — was, by most accounts, abbreviated in part because studio executives could not figure out how to cast her to her best advantage.
"Hollywood stars Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Susan Hayward did not pass muster with director Joshua Logan, who wanted someone with credible singing and dancing skills and who also embodied chic sex appeal.
"By her own account, Ms. Gaynor showed up at Logan’s home to audition for a supporting role in an entirely different film, but as almost every other major actress was trying out for Forbush, he assumed wrongly that was her intent, as well. When Logan asked her if she could sing for the part, she recalled, “I almost fell through the floor.”
"After rendering “A Cockeyed Optimist,” “Honey Bun,” “I’m in Love With a Wonderful Guy” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” — signature numbers for the character — Logan turned to his wife for approval and got a nod. He also persuaded Rodgers and Hammerstein."
92featherbear
Christine Boisson, 1956-2024
Claire Moses and Sara Ruberg. NYT, 10/22/2024: Christine Boisson, French Actress, Dies at 68.
"Ms. Boisson’s breakout film, “Emmanuelle,” was based on a novel of the same name and is about a young Frenchwoman’s amorous adventures in Bangkok society. Ms. Boisson portrayed Marie-Ange, a young girl who meets the titular character, Emmanuelle, while in Bangkok. The film, released in 1974, became a major blockbuster in France, and multiple remakes have come out since, most recently in 2024.
"Ms. Boisson’s big break into dramatic cinema came with the 1982 Italian-language film “Identification of a Woman,” in which she played an actress named Ida. She later played leading roles in a number of other international films."
Claire Moses and Sara Ruberg. NYT, 10/22/2024: Christine Boisson, French Actress, Dies at 68.
"Ms. Boisson’s breakout film, “Emmanuelle,” was based on a novel of the same name and is about a young Frenchwoman’s amorous adventures in Bangkok society. Ms. Boisson portrayed Marie-Ange, a young girl who meets the titular character, Emmanuelle, while in Bangkok. The film, released in 1974, became a major blockbuster in France, and multiple remakes have come out since, most recently in 2024.
"Ms. Boisson’s big break into dramatic cinema came with the 1982 Italian-language film “Identification of a Woman,” in which she played an actress named Ida. She later played leading roles in a number of other international films."
93featherbear
Ron Ely, 1938-2024
Clay Risen. NYT, 10/23/2024: Ron Ely, Who Played an Updated Tarzan in the 1960s, Dies at 86. "He later built a career as a reliable TV guest star. His life turned tragic in 2019 when his son killed Mr. Ely’s wife and was then shot to death by the police."
Clay Risen. NYT, 10/23/2024: Ron Ely, Who Played an Updated Tarzan in the 1960s, Dies at 86. "He later built a career as a reliable TV guest star. His life turned tragic in 2019 when his son killed Mr. Ely’s wife and was then shot to death by the police."
94featherbear
Teri Garr, 1944-2024
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 10/29/2024: Teri Garr, comic actress in ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ dies at 79. "Long one of Hollywood’s most appealing performers, she saw her career decline after showing symptoms of multiple sclerosis." Temporarily unlocked.
Anita Gates. NYT, 10/29/2024: Teri Garr, Comic Actress in Offbeat Roles, Is Dead at 79.
"Onscreen, Ms. Garr’s outstanding features were her eyes, which could seem simultaneously pained, baffled, sympathetic, vulnerable, intrigued and determined, whether she was registering a grand new discovery or holding back tears. If her best-known roles had a common thread, it was the erratic behavior of the men in her characters’ lives."
Benjamin Lee. Guardian, 10/29/2024: Teri Garr, actor from Tootsie and Friends, dies aged 79. "Oscar-nominated actor was also known for roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Young Frankenstein."
Adam Bernstein. WaPo, 10/29/2024: Teri Garr, comic actress in ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ dies at 79. "Long one of Hollywood’s most appealing performers, she saw her career decline after showing symptoms of multiple sclerosis." Temporarily unlocked.
Anita Gates. NYT, 10/29/2024: Teri Garr, Comic Actress in Offbeat Roles, Is Dead at 79.
"Onscreen, Ms. Garr’s outstanding features were her eyes, which could seem simultaneously pained, baffled, sympathetic, vulnerable, intrigued and determined, whether she was registering a grand new discovery or holding back tears. If her best-known roles had a common thread, it was the erratic behavior of the men in her characters’ lives."
Benjamin Lee. Guardian, 10/29/2024: Teri Garr, actor from Tootsie and Friends, dies aged 79. "Oscar-nominated actor was also known for roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Young Frankenstein."
95cindydavid4
oh I loved her! she was hilarius in YF but well deserved her oscar with Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie Touched a lot of people and made them smile May her name be for a blessing
ETA forgot all about Oh God!
ETA forgot all about Oh God!
96featherbear
Tony Todd, 1954-2024
Sian Cain. Guardian, 11/08/2024: Tony Todd, star of Candyman, dies aged 69. "Prolific actor with more than 200 film and TV credits, including Final Destination, The Rock, The Crow and Platoon, died at home after a long illness."
Aimee Ortiz. NYT, 11/09/2024: Tony Todd, Prolific Actor Best Known for ‘Candyman,’ Dies at 69.
Candice Frederick. NYT, 10/21/2020: Tony Todd on the Joy of ‘Candyman,’ and the Role of Black Horror.
Sian Cain. Guardian, 11/08/2024: Tony Todd, star of Candyman, dies aged 69. "Prolific actor with more than 200 film and TV credits, including Final Destination, The Rock, The Crow and Platoon, died at home after a long illness."
Aimee Ortiz. NYT, 11/09/2024: Tony Todd, Prolific Actor Best Known for ‘Candyman,’ Dies at 69.
Candice Frederick. NYT, 10/21/2020: Tony Todd on the Joy of ‘Candyman,’ and the Role of Black Horror.
97featherbear
Chuck Woolery 1941-2024
Emmett Lindner. NYT, 11/24/2024: Chuck Woolery, Host of ‘Love Connection,’ Dies at 83. Temporarily unlocked.
"After a career that included stints on “Wheel of Fortune” and other popular game shows, he took a combative turn as a right-wing podcast host."
Emmett Lindner. NYT, 11/24/2024: Chuck Woolery, Host of ‘Love Connection,’ Dies at 83. Temporarily unlocked.
"After a career that included stints on “Wheel of Fortune” and other popular game shows, he took a combative turn as a right-wing podcast host."
98featherbear
Jim Abrahams, 1944-2024
Clay Risen. NYT, 11/27/2024: Jim Abrahams, 80, Dies; a Mastermind of ‘Airplane!’ and ‘Naked Gun.’ "Along with his fellow filmmakers David and Jerry Zucker, he revolutionized film comedy with a straight-faced, fast-paced style of parody." Temporarily unlocked.
Clay Risen. NYT, 11/27/2024: Jim Abrahams, 80, Dies; a Mastermind of ‘Airplane!’ and ‘Naked Gun.’ "Along with his fellow filmmakers David and Jerry Zucker, he revolutionized film comedy with a straight-faced, fast-paced style of parody." Temporarily unlocked.
99featherbear
Marshall Brickman, 1939-2024
Anita Gates. NYT, 12/01/2024: Marshall Brickman, Woody Allen’s Co-Writer on Hit Films, Dies at 85. "The duo won an Oscar for “Annie Hall.” Mr. Brickman went on to write Broadway shows, including “Jersey Boys,” and make movies of his own."
Anita Gates. NYT, 12/01/2024: Marshall Brickman, Woody Allen’s Co-Writer on Hit Films, Dies at 85. "The duo won an Oscar for “Annie Hall.” Mr. Brickman went on to write Broadway shows, including “Jersey Boys,” and make movies of his own."
100featherbear
Earl Holliman, 1928-2024
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 11/30/2024: Earl Holliman, rugged actor of ‘Twilight Zone’ debut, dies at 96. "A prolific screen and TV actor, Mr. Holliman appeared in westerns, the 1956 sci-fi classic “Forbidden Planet” and on the 1970s series “Police Woman.” Temporarily unlocked.
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 11/30/2024: Earl Holliman, rugged actor of ‘Twilight Zone’ debut, dies at 96. "A prolific screen and TV actor, Mr. Holliman appeared in westerns, the 1956 sci-fi classic “Forbidden Planet” and on the 1970s series “Police Woman.” Temporarily unlocked.
101featherbear
Silvia Pinal, 1931?-2024
Alex Williams. NYT, 12/07/2024: Silvia Pinal, Golden Age Star of Mexican Cinema, Is Dead. "She found outsize success in her native land and gained international recognition for her work with the acclaimed Spanish surrealist director Luis Buñuel."
"The Mexican television network Las Estrellas posted on social media that she was her country’s “last diva.” She starred with celebrated leading men like Pedro Infante, the dashing screen idol and celebrated ranchera singer; Germán Valdés, known as Tin-Tan; and the comedy heavyweight Mario Moreno, known as Cantinflas.
"For all her outsize success in her native land, it was her work with Mr. Buñuel that made her a familiar name to cineastes around the world.
"The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, who described “Viridiana” as a “grim and tumorous tale of a beautiful young religious novice who gets into an unholy mess when she gives up her holy calling to try to atone for a wrong she has done,” praised Ms. Pinal’s work. He wrote that she was “lovely and precisely as stiff and forbidding as she should be as the misguided novice.”
"Ms. Pinal furthered her career with Mr. Buñuel in the 1962 film “The Exterminating Angel,” a sinister black comedy about a group of wealthy guests who begin to unravel when they find themselves mysteriously trapped at a dinner party in a Mexico City townhouse. Ms. Pinal played Leticia, known as the Valkyrie, who eventually helps the surviving guests escape.
"She made a foray of sorts into Hollywood with the 1969 English-language action movie “Shark,” a joint Mexican-American production starring Burt Reynolds and directed by Samuel Fuller."
Alex Williams. NYT, 12/07/2024: Silvia Pinal, Golden Age Star of Mexican Cinema, Is Dead. "She found outsize success in her native land and gained international recognition for her work with the acclaimed Spanish surrealist director Luis Buñuel."
"The Mexican television network Las Estrellas posted on social media that she was her country’s “last diva.” She starred with celebrated leading men like Pedro Infante, the dashing screen idol and celebrated ranchera singer; Germán Valdés, known as Tin-Tan; and the comedy heavyweight Mario Moreno, known as Cantinflas.
"For all her outsize success in her native land, it was her work with Mr. Buñuel that made her a familiar name to cineastes around the world.
"The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, who described “Viridiana” as a “grim and tumorous tale of a beautiful young religious novice who gets into an unholy mess when she gives up her holy calling to try to atone for a wrong she has done,” praised Ms. Pinal’s work. He wrote that she was “lovely and precisely as stiff and forbidding as she should be as the misguided novice.”
"Ms. Pinal furthered her career with Mr. Buñuel in the 1962 film “The Exterminating Angel,” a sinister black comedy about a group of wealthy guests who begin to unravel when they find themselves mysteriously trapped at a dinner party in a Mexico City townhouse. Ms. Pinal played Leticia, known as the Valkyrie, who eventually helps the surviving guests escape.
"She made a foray of sorts into Hollywood with the 1969 English-language action movie “Shark,” a joint Mexican-American production starring Burt Reynolds and directed by Samuel Fuller."
102featherbear
The Amazing Kreskin aka George J. Kresge, 1935-2024
Jacy Fortin. NYT, 12/11/2024: The Amazing Kreskin, Mentalist and 1970s Television Star, Dies at 89.
"His star rose in the 1970s and early 1980s when he was a regular guest on the talk show circuit. He made dozens of appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” — 88 according to some sources — and was also seen on “The Mike Douglas Show” and “Late Night with David Letterman,” among other shows. (In the 21st century, he appeared on “The Tonight Show” when Jimmy Fallon was the host.)"
Jacy Fortin. NYT, 12/11/2024: The Amazing Kreskin, Mentalist and 1970s Television Star, Dies at 89.
"His star rose in the 1970s and early 1980s when he was a regular guest on the talk show circuit. He made dozens of appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” — 88 according to some sources — and was also seen on “The Mike Douglas Show” and “Late Night with David Letterman,” among other shows. (In the 21st century, he appeared on “The Tonight Show” when Jimmy Fallon was the host.)"
103featherbear
Michael Cole, 1940-2024
Alexandra E. Petri. NYT, 12/11/2024: Michael Cole, a Star of The Mod Squad, Is Dead at 84.
"The show, about three hippies who become undercover crime fighters, ran from 1968 to 1973. Mr. Cole had been the last of its three stars still living.?
Alexandra E. Petri. NYT, 12/11/2024: Michael Cole, a Star of The Mod Squad, Is Dead at 84.
"The show, about three hippies who become undercover crime fighters, ran from 1968 to 1973. Mr. Cole had been the last of its three stars still living.?
104featherbear
Martial Solal, 1927-2024
I know him primarily as a jazz pianist. His collaboration with Lee Konitz on Satori is a favorite of mine. His work on Breathless would be the movie-tie-in, I guess, but I learned he contributed to other musical scores of films.
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 12/13/2024: Martial Solal, French jazz piano master, dies at 97. "Mr. Solal played on more than 70 albums and composed the music for films including the 1960 New Wave cinema classic “Breathless.”
"Martial Solal, a French Algerian jazz pianist who honed his fleet-fingered style alongside American musicians in postwar Paris and became a master of mood-rich improvisations that included the pulsing score for the 1960 New Wave cinema classic “Breathless,” died Dec. 12 at a hospital in Versailles, France. He was 97.
"Mr. Solal arrived in Paris in 1950 from his native Algiers, then part of French colonial North Africa, and entered a music scene where bebop and other American jazz styles had found a welcoming foothold. Mr. Solal had studied classical piano in Algeria but found himself increasingly drawn to the Harlem-rooted sounds of jazz pianists such Fats Waller and Art Tatum.
"In Paris, he landed gigs as a sideman under the name Jo Jaguar and then established himself as a rising star, working with France’s top jazz names including guitarist Django Reinhardt. Mr. Solal soon was embraced by the American jazzmen who had moved to Paris: saxophonists Lucky Thompson and Don Byas, drummer Kenny Clarke, horn player Sidney Bechet and others. When jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie visited Paris for gigs, Mr. Solal often sat in.
"... he was commissioned by director Jean-Pierre Melville to write an interlude of music for his 1959 thriller, “Deux Hommes dans Manhattan,” or “Two Men in Manhattan.”
"Melville was impressed and passed along Mr. Solal’s number to Jean-Luc Godard, who was working on his first feature film, “À bout de souffle,” or “Breathless,” about a chain-smoking Paris street crook and car thief (played by Jean-Paul Belmondo) who senselessly kills a police officer and is ultimately betrayed his American girlfriend (Jean Seberg). ... Godard had no ideas about the music, so fortunately I was completely free,” Mr. Solal told the Guardian in 2010.
"Reviewer Rubin Safaya, writing in Cinemalogue in 2010 for a rerelease of “Breathless,” noted how Mr. Solal used percussive and jangly bebop to emphasize the hoodlum’s “improvisational, scattershot lifestyle” and, for Seberg’s character, turned to “slowly ambling strings … carefree yet without urgency. ... He worked on music for more than a dozen films including Jean Cocteau’s “Testament of Orpheus” (1960). Mr. Solal’s most recent film score was in 2000 for “Les Acteurs,” directed by Bertrand Blier."
I know him primarily as a jazz pianist. His collaboration with Lee Konitz on Satori is a favorite of mine. His work on Breathless would be the movie-tie-in, I guess, but I learned he contributed to other musical scores of films.
Brian Murphy. WaPo, 12/13/2024: Martial Solal, French jazz piano master, dies at 97. "Mr. Solal played on more than 70 albums and composed the music for films including the 1960 New Wave cinema classic “Breathless.”
"Martial Solal, a French Algerian jazz pianist who honed his fleet-fingered style alongside American musicians in postwar Paris and became a master of mood-rich improvisations that included the pulsing score for the 1960 New Wave cinema classic “Breathless,” died Dec. 12 at a hospital in Versailles, France. He was 97.
"Mr. Solal arrived in Paris in 1950 from his native Algiers, then part of French colonial North Africa, and entered a music scene where bebop and other American jazz styles had found a welcoming foothold. Mr. Solal had studied classical piano in Algeria but found himself increasingly drawn to the Harlem-rooted sounds of jazz pianists such Fats Waller and Art Tatum.
"In Paris, he landed gigs as a sideman under the name Jo Jaguar and then established himself as a rising star, working with France’s top jazz names including guitarist Django Reinhardt. Mr. Solal soon was embraced by the American jazzmen who had moved to Paris: saxophonists Lucky Thompson and Don Byas, drummer Kenny Clarke, horn player Sidney Bechet and others. When jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie visited Paris for gigs, Mr. Solal often sat in.
"... he was commissioned by director Jean-Pierre Melville to write an interlude of music for his 1959 thriller, “Deux Hommes dans Manhattan,” or “Two Men in Manhattan.”
"Melville was impressed and passed along Mr. Solal’s number to Jean-Luc Godard, who was working on his first feature film, “À bout de souffle,” or “Breathless,” about a chain-smoking Paris street crook and car thief (played by Jean-Paul Belmondo) who senselessly kills a police officer and is ultimately betrayed his American girlfriend (Jean Seberg). ... Godard had no ideas about the music, so fortunately I was completely free,” Mr. Solal told the Guardian in 2010.
"Reviewer Rubin Safaya, writing in Cinemalogue in 2010 for a rerelease of “Breathless,” noted how Mr. Solal used percussive and jangly bebop to emphasize the hoodlum’s “improvisational, scattershot lifestyle” and, for Seberg’s character, turned to “slowly ambling strings … carefree yet without urgency. ... He worked on music for more than a dozen films including Jean Cocteau’s “Testament of Orpheus” (1960). Mr. Solal’s most recent film score was in 2000 for “Les Acteurs,” directed by Bertrand Blier."
105featherbear
Marisa Paredes, 1946-2024
Alex Williams. NYT, 12/20, upd 21/2024: Marisa Paredes, Acclaimed in Almodóvar Films, Is Dead at 78. "An esteemed Spanish actress, she was best known for her work in Pedro Almodóvar’s movies like “All About My Mother.” But their relationship was stormy."
"While her early films and her many appearances on Spanish television received little attention outside her native country, Ms. Paredes eventually made waves internationally, appearing in Roberto Benigni’s “Life Is Beautiful,” a 1997 film that won three Academy Awards. She played the mother-in-law of Mr. Benigni’s character, who attempts to survive on humor and imagination after he and his son are sent to a German concentration camp during World War II.
"She also drew praise for her role as Carmen, a stoic leftist teacher with a wooden leg who struggles to survive at a boarding school in the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s “The Devil’s Backbone,” a 2001 horror-tinged film set during the Spanish Civil War.
"But she was best known internationally for her roles in several films by Mr. Almodóvar, widely hailed as Spain’s greatest living filmmaker. ... They included onetime pop star in “High Heels” (1992), a popular romance novelist in “The Flower of My Secret” (1995) and a celebrated actress in “All About My Mother” (1999). ... Later, Ms. Paredes appeared in Mr. Almodóvar’s 2011 thriller “The Skin I Live In,” turning in a “spikily human, funny” performance, Manohla Dargis wrote in The Times, as the fanatically loyal housekeeper of a wealthy, deranged plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas)."
Alex Williams. NYT, 12/20, upd 21/2024: Marisa Paredes, Acclaimed in Almodóvar Films, Is Dead at 78. "An esteemed Spanish actress, she was best known for her work in Pedro Almodóvar’s movies like “All About My Mother.” But their relationship was stormy."
"While her early films and her many appearances on Spanish television received little attention outside her native country, Ms. Paredes eventually made waves internationally, appearing in Roberto Benigni’s “Life Is Beautiful,” a 1997 film that won three Academy Awards. She played the mother-in-law of Mr. Benigni’s character, who attempts to survive on humor and imagination after he and his son are sent to a German concentration camp during World War II.
"She also drew praise for her role as Carmen, a stoic leftist teacher with a wooden leg who struggles to survive at a boarding school in the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s “The Devil’s Backbone,” a 2001 horror-tinged film set during the Spanish Civil War.
"But she was best known internationally for her roles in several films by Mr. Almodóvar, widely hailed as Spain’s greatest living filmmaker. ... They included onetime pop star in “High Heels” (1992), a popular romance novelist in “The Flower of My Secret” (1995) and a celebrated actress in “All About My Mother” (1999). ... Later, Ms. Paredes appeared in Mr. Almodóvar’s 2011 thriller “The Skin I Live In,” turning in a “spikily human, funny” performance, Manohla Dargis wrote in The Times, as the fanatically loyal housekeeper of a wealthy, deranged plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas)."
106featherbear
A link to TCM's tribute on X to "performers, filmmakers, & creatives we lost this year." Hope it works: https://x.com/tcm/status/1870227958926815631
107featherbear
Greg Gumbel, 1946-2024
Hank Sanders. NYT, 12/27/2024: Greg Gumbel, 78, Familiar Voice to Football and Basketball Fans, Dies. "The sportscaster combined play-by-play excitement with a knack for precision in his decades as a sports broadcaster calling N.F.L. and N.C.A.A. games for CBS."
"For decades, Mr. Gumbel served as a play-by-play announcer for CBS’s National Football League coverage. In 2001, he became the first Black sportscaster in that role covering a Super Bowl. He also covered the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament for the network and had spent four years reporting on the American Football Conference for NBC Sports."
Hank Sanders. NYT, 12/27/2024: Greg Gumbel, 78, Familiar Voice to Football and Basketball Fans, Dies. "The sportscaster combined play-by-play excitement with a knack for precision in his decades as a sports broadcaster calling N.F.L. and N.C.A.A. games for CBS."
"For decades, Mr. Gumbel served as a play-by-play announcer for CBS’s National Football League coverage. In 2001, he became the first Black sportscaster in that role covering a Super Bowl. He also covered the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament for the network and had spent four years reporting on the American Football Conference for NBC Sports."
108featherbear
Olivia Hussey, 1951-2024
Guardian staff and agencies. 12/28/2024: Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 Romeo and Juliet film, dies aged 73.
André Rhoden-Paul. BBC Culture, 12/28/2024: Romeo and Juliet actress Olivia Hussey dies aged 73.
Guardian staff and agencies. 12/28/2024: Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 Romeo and Juliet film, dies aged 73.
André Rhoden-Paul. BBC Culture, 12/28/2024: Romeo and Juliet actress Olivia Hussey dies aged 73.
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