Engineer and inventor -- via the New York Times. Creator of the exercise treadmill.
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, July 30, 2012
Tony Martin aka Alvin Morris
Singer and actor -- via the San Francisco Chronicle. He worked in radio (he was Burns and Allen's singer for a while), film ("The Big Store," "Til the Clouds Roll By," "Hit the Deck"), concerts and more.
Chris Marker aka Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve
A great filmmaker, in a category by himself -- via the Guardian. In my opinion, one of the great directors of the 20th century.
He fought in the Resistance during World War II; he became a journalist and photographer. He fell in with the Left Bank Film Movement. He was the assistant director on Resnais' "Night and Fog."
Then he began making his own films. They are classified as documentaries, but defy definition, being meditations on themes, profound essays that open out to resonances that reverberate long after the movie is over. My two favorites are "La Jetee," which inspired Gilliam's "12 Monkeys," and "Sans Soleil."
A radical assembly of techniques -- filmed photographs, eruptions of fantasy, narrated commentary, quotation -- illustrate a seemingly random sequence of thoughts that ends up making constellations of connections out of widely disparate objects and events.
Notably, Marker worked with no budget whatsoever. For instance, for "Sans Soleil" he shot silent footage and laid in a soundtrack via an old audio cassette recorder. Making a virtue of poverty, he worked with what was at hand and turned out a remarkable series of absolutely unique and beautiful creations.
He fought in the Resistance during World War II; he became a journalist and photographer. He fell in with the Left Bank Film Movement. He was the assistant director on Resnais' "Night and Fog."
Then he began making his own films. They are classified as documentaries, but defy definition, being meditations on themes, profound essays that open out to resonances that reverberate long after the movie is over. My two favorites are "La Jetee," which inspired Gilliam's "12 Monkeys," and "Sans Soleil."
A radical assembly of techniques -- filmed photographs, eruptions of fantasy, narrated commentary, quotation -- illustrate a seemingly random sequence of thoughts that ends up making constellations of connections out of widely disparate objects and events.
Notably, Marker worked with no budget whatsoever. For instance, for "Sans Soleil" he shot silent footage and laid in a soundtrack via an old audio cassette recorder. Making a virtue of poverty, he worked with what was at hand and turned out a remarkable series of absolutely unique and beautiful creations.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
R.G. Armstrong aka Robert Golden Armstrong
Actor and playwright -- via We Are Movie Geeks. One of the busiest, most recognizable, and consistently professional character actors, particularly in the Western genre. What was he NOT in? He racked up 181 credits, including "Have Gun Will Travel," "The Rifleman," "Ride the High Country," "Wagon Train," "Rawhide," "Major Dundee," "Gunsmoke," and "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid." His greatest scene may be the one in the last film, in which he plays a vengeful lawman, Bob Ollinger, from whom Billy escapes. Billy kills him with a shotgun loaded with dimes, declaring drily, "Keep the change, Bob."
Geoffrey Hughes
Character actor -- via the Guardian. Best remembered as Eddie Yeats in British TV's "Coronation Street" and Onslow in "Keeping Up Appearances."
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Carmela Sbarro
Pizza-making matriarch -- via The Gothamist.
Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro, and assistants at the original Sbarro's Salumeria at 65th Street and 17th Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. |
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Herbert Vogel
Chad Everett aka Raymon Lee Cramton
Actor -- via the L.A. Times. Best remembered as Dr. Joe Gannon on TV's "Medical Center," and for this amazing and disturbing scene in "Mulholland Dr."
Angharad Rees
Actress -- via the BBC. Best remembered for her role as Demelza in "Poldark." She also featured prominently in the Hammer horror film "Hands of the Ripper."
Sherman Hemsley
Actor -- via Yahoo News. A comedic icon, he will be best remembered for playing obnoxious curmudgeons -- George Jefferson on "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," and the deacon in "Amen." A show that lasted 11 seasons, good and bad, the phrase "'Sup, Weezy?" is an indelible part of my vocabulary.
A talented pro -- and hey, did you know he was really into Gentle Giant? That's pretty cool.
Now he's in that dee-luxe apartment in the sky. Thanks, Sherman.
A talented pro -- and hey, did you know he was really into Gentle Giant? That's pretty cool.
Now he's in that dee-luxe apartment in the sky. Thanks, Sherman.
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