Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Roberts Blossom

Actor on stage and in film and TV -- via the New York Times.

Theodore Roszak

Historian, writer and teacher -- via the San Francisco Chronicle. He originated the concpet of a "counter culture."

Bruce Trinz

Art-house cinema manager -- via Roger Ebert.

Pat Jackson

Film and television director -- via the Guardian.

Frank Riordan

"Renaissance man" -- via the ST. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sherwood Schwartz

Writer for radio and television comedy, TV producer, and creator of "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch" -- via the Los Angeles Daily News. For better or worse, his 60's sitcoms hugely influenced everyone, especially me. Schwartz started off writing for Bob Hope's radio show, then for Ozzie and Harriet and "The Alan Young Show." He moved to TV, writing for "I Married Joan" and Red Skelton. He created the hit series "Gilligan's Island," "The Brady Bunch" and a little-known, really bad show I really liked about time-traveling astronauts and cavemen called "It's About Time," with Imogene Coca, Joe E. Ross and Mike Mazurki. Schwatrz even helped write his show's theme songs! Schwartz always intended his shows to impart moral lessons . . . I learned that they never could get off the island.



Rob Grill

Lead singer for the Grass Roots -- via CBS News. With the loss of Grill and drummer Rick Coonce, who died on Feb. 25, this leaves only guitarists Creed Bratton (best known now as a cast member of "The Office") and Warren Entner from the original group.



Pete Duranko aka Diesel

Football player -- via the Johnstown, PA Tribune-Democrat. An early standout for the Denver Broncos, he was quite frightening.

Sam Denoff

TV comedy writer -- via the New York Times. With Bill Persky, he wrote most of the great episodes of "The Dick van Dyke Show," and convinced me that writing comedy would be the best career path ever!

Billy Blanco

Composer and performer -- via AP. Known as "the diamond of Bossa Nova," he wrote more than 300 songs.

Tomas Mac Anna

Playwright and artistic director of the Abbey Theatre -- via the Guardian.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Raymond Jones

Keyboardist, composer, producer -- via eurweb.com. Played with Chic, Sister Sledge, Patti Labelle and the films of Spike Lee.

Dusan Janicijevic

Actor -- via westernsallitaliana.blogspot.com.

Roland Petit

Choreographer -- via the New York Times.

Serban Cantacuzio

Prince and actor -- via the Washington Post.

John Sweet

Actor and teacher -- via powell-pressburger.org. This amateur actor had a leading role in Michael Powell's "A Canterbury Tale" of 1944. He donated his earnings for the film to the NAACP. After some post-war acting, he returned to teaching, and lived a good life.

What if death took a holiday?

The Haymarket Martyrs' Monument by Albert Weinert, in the German Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park. Ironically, the Haymarket affair resulted in advances for unionized labor.
From the Chicago Tribune -- funeral home workers to go on strike. Don't worry, they have replacement workers. Um, would you really like that?

Facundo Cabral

Singer/songwriter -- via the New York Times.

Malcolm Forsyth

Composer -- via the CBC.

Wes Covington

Major league left fielder -- via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. His play helped the Braves beat the Yankees in the 1957 World Series.

Gerhard Unger

Tenor -- via artsjournal.com.

Shinji Wada

Manga artist -- via staticmultimedia.com.

Yuri Kukin

Singer/songwriter -- via en.ura-inform.com.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Kenny Baker

The preeminent bluegrass fiddler -- via the Bluegrass Blog. Interestingly, he began in swing, with influences such as Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and Marion Sumnner. He played with Bill Monroe, father of the genre, longer than another other musician did.His smooth, legato feeling-full style is absolutely the gold standard.

Betty Ford aka Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford

First Lady and anti-addiction activist -- via the New York Times. She had a hard life. She was honest and unpretentious. She spoke her mind, supporting equal rights for women, legalized abortion, and other unpopular subjects. She was a user; she got clean, then she helped others. Good job! Beautiful tribute via CNN.

Manuel Galbran

Guitarist -- via NPR.

Edward Hastings

Stage producer, director and artistic director of the American Conservatory Theatre -- via the San Francisco Chronicle.

Josef Suk

Violinist -- via the New York Times.

Catherine Mulholland

Historian -- via the L.A. Times.

Barry Bremen

"The Great Imposter" -- via the L.A. Times. Businessman just loved bluffing his way into sporting events and award shows.

Zurab Kapianidze

Actor, philologist and politician -- via ghn.ge.

Perry Jordan

Guitarist for Heartsfield -- via the Southtown Star.

Nina Leavitt Watkins

Speech therapist -- via legacy.com. Her brief life and untimely death is covered extensively by Tommy Tomlinson at the Charlotte Observer.

Nathan Clark

Creator of the Desert Boot -- via the Sydney Morning Herald.

Otto von Habsburg aka the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary aka Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius von Habsburg

The last crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and subversive activist -- via the New York Times. He worked for freedom, most notably as an organizer of the Pan-European Picnic, a demonstration that enabled the defection of hundreds of East Germans in 1989, triggering the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Richard Hirschfield "Dick" Williams

Baseball Hall of Famer -- via the New York Times. A combative disciplinarian, he led the Red Sox of the "Impossible Dream" to the AL pennant and the brutal 1967 World Series at the hands of my hero, Bob Gibson. He ignited the A's dynasty with back-to-back World Series victories; he even dragged the Padres to their first Series in 1984. Before managing, he served for 13 years on five teams in a number of positions.

Thierry Martens aka Vyes Varende

Author of science fiction, detective stories and comic-book plots -- via forums.bdfi.net.

Martin Woodhouse

Inventor, novelist and screenwriter -- via the Guardian. He penned several episodes of the TV series "The Avengers."

Francis Henry King

Novelist, poet and short story writer -- via the Guardian.

Fred Smith

Soldier who helped liberate Bergen-Belsen -- via the Independent. Let his story stand for those of the righteous who witnessed one of humanity's lowest points and worked to alleviate suffering.

Trevor Frankland

Artist -- via the Independent.

Charlie Craig

Country songwriter -- via WZTV.

Frank Marion Smith Jr.

Owner of sewing machine museum and musician -- via the Star-Telegram.

Iris Jeanette "Mickey" Weller

Hostess -- via obits.mlive.com.

Bebe Manga aka Elizabeth Bessem Ayamo Manga

Singer -- via crtv.cm.

Raymond Deter

Bar owner -- via the New York Daily News.