Saturday, January 24, 2015

Ernie Banks

Hall of Fame baseball player; a legendary man who loved to play -- via the Chicago Tribune. AKA Mr. Cub, Mr. Sunshine, Number 14, Mr. "Let's Play 2." Insanely gifted in offensive and defensive skills, Banks started playing in the Negro Leagues, for the fabled Kansas City Monarchs, in 1950. He became the Cubs' first black player, and stayed with the team for his entire Major League career, from 1953 through 1971. His upbeat disposition and sheer love of the game did cause him to genuinely call out "Let's play 2" at times. However, he was an intelligent guy. (The fact that he loved the game so much that he played for the Cubs is no small sacrifice.) His personal life was just as complex as any other person's -- but he had a very special gift of putting himself in the moment in a joyful way, and encouraging that in others. His work ethic, attitude, and skills meshed perfectly. He made me feel like I could do that too!









Friday, January 23, 2015

Peggy Charren

Martin Honeysett

Cartoonist and illustrator -- via downthetubes.net.


Sandra Balson Goldman

Actress -- via legacy.com.

Gene Lasko

Producer and director -- via legacy.com.

Leatrice Gilbert Fountain

Actress and writer -- via Eve Golden at the Everett Collection. An excellent source of information about her parents, silent film stars Leatrice Joy and John Gilbert.

Bonnie Christensen

Author and illustrator -- via School Library Journal. What lovely books she made!

Kemal Monteno

Singer and songwriter -- via Balkan Insight.

George Goodwin

Pulitzer-winning journalist, writer, and civic booster -- via the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Waldemar Kmentt

Tenor -- via Gramophone.

Sarah Kemp

Actress -- via TV Tonight.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Pauline Yates

Actress -- via the Mirror. Best known for her role as Elizabeth in "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin."

Molly Malone Cook

Mary is at left with her long-time mate, poet Mary Oliver.
Photographer, gallerist, and literary agent -- via the Independent. A mentor to John Waters as well.

Faith Seidenberg

Lawyer who fought for right -- via the New York Times.

Grazia Livi

Journalist, novelist, and essayist -- via liberoquotiando.it.

Darren Shahlavi

John Bayley

Writer, literary critic, and professor -- via the New York Times. Best known for his writing concerning his life with and without his wife, novelist Iris Murdoch. NOW: I am told by the Wall Street Journal's master obituarist Stephen Miller that the Telegraph's obit is much better. Unfortunately, I am too cheap to buy the 6-pounds-a-month subscription (less my 10 free articles a month), a shame because they do have an excellent stable of writers. Let me know what you think!




Frank Mazzola

Film editor and actor -- via Variety. He started as a child actor in Dieterle's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" in 1939; his biggest role was Crunch in "Rebel without a Cause"; he helped stage several scenes in the film as well. He moved on to editing for film and television.

Muna Obiekwe

Actor -- via Yaba Left Online.

Justin Capra

Inventor -- via Yahoo News.

Cynthia Layne

Vocalist -- via the Indianapolis Star.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Jane Wilson

Artist -- via the New York Times.


Bob Symes

Railroading enthusiast, model railroader, and TV host -- via grahammuz.com. AKA Robert Alexander Baron Schutzmann von Schutzmansdorff. 

Mike Marqusee

Writer, journalist, and activist -- via the Guardian.

Kazumasa Hirai

Miriam Akavia

Writer and translator -- via dziennikpolski24.pl.

Walt Peregoy

Artist and illustrator; Disney Legend -- via Cartoon Brew. He revolutionized background art in animation -- a modernist, he eschewed realistic working and created compelling, more abstract work. Starting at the bottom at Disney (twice), he moved from traffic boy to inbetweener to breakdown artist to cleanup artist to background painter. He worked on "Sleeping Beauty," "101 Dalmatians," "The Jungle Book," "The Sword in the Stone." and "Mary Poppins." Moving on to television, he created the schematics that underlay "The Lone Ranger" animated TV series, and many more.

Famously grumpy and honest, his assessment of Walt Disney goes as follows: "Walt Disney was a shit. We made Walt. Walt didn't make Walt. Walt was an asshole."








Michel Jeury

Novelist and science-fiction writer -- via Amazing Stories. AKA Albert Higon.

Jorgelina Aranda

Actress -- via Clarin.

Robert Gover

Journalist and novelist -- via legacy.com.

Hara Patnaik

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Theodore "Bo" Dollis

Big Chief of the Wild Magnolias; Mardi Gras masker, marcher, singer, reveler, and maker of merry -- via WWL. Head of this funk ceremonial marching society of New Orleans for 51 years. The Magnolias were the first to record the unique "Indian" music created during parades through town during special events, especially during Mardi Gras. Their "Handa Wanda" recording in 1970 was a local hit, and sparked more recordings of the tradition by the Wild Tchoupitoulas and others. An exuberant master of a beautiful microculture.

As to the phenomenon of Mardi Gras Indians, parsing the racial dynamics of African Americans presenting as Native Americans is mind-boggling. The key is that these regular, working-class guys work for nine months building costumes far more exuberant than any found at the most outre drag queen festival. These 100-pound contraptions they dance in through the hot, humid streets of New Orleans, for only a few days each year. Ornate costumes, alter egos, complex "tribal" rules and roles and interactions. It's a life-affirming, booty-shaking strut and stomp, art and music and dance slammed together done for no other reason than it's fun. We should all be so lucky.





Yoko Nagae Ceschina

Harpist, and arts benefactor and mentor -- via the New York Times.

Alejandro "Alex" Omes

Raoul Pantin

Journalist, playwright, and poet -- via the Trinidad Express.


Ted Harrison

Artist -- via the CBC.

Origa

Singer and voice actress -- via Anime News Network. AKA Ol'ga Vital'evna Yakovleva.

Ward Swingle

Vocalist, jazz musician, arranger, and choral director; founder of the Swingle Singers -- via Slipped Disc. His scat-like adaptations of classical compositions for a cappella choir were quite popular in the 1960s. A unique beauty, pointillistic and precise.



George Dickerson

Poet, writer, editor, playwright, and actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

George Probert Jr.

Jazz musician and music editor -- via legacy.com.



Dixie Hall

Govinda Halder

Poet, lyricist, and songwriter -- via Prothom Alo.


Monday, January 19, 2015

Anne Kirkbride

Don Harron

Comedian, actor, director, journalist, writer, playwright, and composer -- via the CBC. Best known as his comic alter ego, Charlie Farquharson.

Rimma Markova

Actress -- via echo.msk.ru. Best known for her role as Koldunya Darya, the witch, in the Russian "Night Watch"/"Day Watch" films.

Nelida Romero

Actress -- via Libre Prensa.

Arnaldo Calveyra

Poet, novelist, and playwright -- via telam.com.ar.