Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Don Keefer
Great character actor -- via the New York Times. Instantly recognizable to my generation, Keefer racked almost 200 film and television credits between 1947 and 1997. First on stage, he played Roderigo in a revival of the Robeson/Hagen/Ferrer "Othello," and was the firstBernard in "Death of a Salesman." On film, he was in everything. He played a dcotor in "Sleeper," and in "Candy Stripe Nurses." His most indelible appearance was on the "It's a Good Life" episode of "The Twilight Zone," in which Billy Mumy turns him into a horrifying jack in the box before killing him.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/440799
http://www.hulu.com/watch/440799
Peggy Drake
The psychological implications of this publicity photograph are stunning. |
Her big hit came as the leading lady in the wartime "Rocky" Lane serial, "King of the Mounties," in which our hero fights one evil Japanese admiral, a German marshal, and an Italian count, and Douglas Dumbrille. (Take note, character-actor lovers: in this serial you get Duncan Renaldo, Francis Ford, Jay Novello, and the fabulous "King Kong," Kashey, the Syrian wrestling phenom turned thespian.
Somebody had to make these programmers, full of "mirth and melody" or mindless action. Peggy Drake was one of them, and she did it well.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Assheton Gorton
Film production designer -- via the Hollywood Reporter. A pretty amazing talent, to judge by his range -- he started off as art director on "The Knack" and "Blow-Up" -- not too shabby. The ensuing list is impressive: Richard Lester's end-of-the-world farce "The Bed Sitting Room," "The Magic Christian," George Englund's bizarre hippie Western "Zachariah," "Get Carter," "The French Lieutenant's Woman," "Legend," the ill-fated "Revolution," "For the Boys," "Rob Roy," "Shadow of the Vampire." Not all good -- but each was wildly different from the rest, and each had excellent production design. An underappreciated artist.
Debo Mitford
Duchess and estate entrepreneur; writer, farmer -- via the New York Times. AKA Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford, AKA Deborah Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. One of the extraordinary, strange, and sometimes brilliant Mitford clan of England.
Skip E. Lowe
Talk-show host and former child actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter. AKA Sammy Labella. An indefatigable character of Hollywood. Here's an excellent portrait of him by Mark Evanier.
Christopher Hogwood
Conductor; founder of the Academy of Ancient Music; harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist -- via the BBC. Really one of my favorite conductors of the past century. An absolute whiz at Baroque music, he played a huge role in the surge of appreciation of it over the past 40 years. Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Purcell, Mozart, and much more. And the Haydn symphonies! Just perfect. Fine musicianship combined with a breadth of context and depth of understanding.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
James Kupferschmidt
Founder of the Milwaukee Beer Museum and local historian -- via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Hilda Oates
Actress -- via the Cuban News Agency. Sweet lord, she was in "Patakin! quiere decir 'fabula,'" the 1985 Cuban film that is indeed the only Spanish-language Socialist musical comedy ever made. That I know of.
Weekly reader: 'Too Young to Die, Too Old to Care'
Leonard Cohen's going to take up smoking again, now that he's 80. From this premise, an excellent meditation on the end of life and how one might look at it and at death. A lovely piece in the New York Times by Jason Karlawish.
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