Child actor best known for his inimitable portrayal of Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford on the classic American sitcom "Leave It to Beaver" -- via tvseriesfinale.com.
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.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Jesus “Jess” Franco aka Jesus Franco Manera aka David Khune aka Frank Hollman aka Clifford Brown ad infinitum
Film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and actor -- via the Huffington Post. For complete look at his career, see my post in Bijou Street -- "Jesus Franco: The Sorrows of Perversion."
Maria Tallchief aka Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief
Prima ballerina -- via the Washington Post. As muse and wife of choreographer George Balanchine, she danced in pivotal works such as his "Firebird," "Orpheus," and "Symphony in C." Incidentally, the first Native American prima ballerina, and the first American to dance at the Bolshoi.
Jonathan Winters
Comedian, actor, artist, writer; the supreme improvisational genius of his time -- via TMZ. His non-stop ability to move in and out of a multitude of characters, create a narrative off the top of his head, and inhabit all so convincingly that you felt like you were being taken on a magic carpet ride every time you saw or heard him was amazing! One of the top comics of all time.
First and foremost, he was ALWAYS funny -- he couldn't veer away from that. Unlike other spastic, shape-shifting funnymen of the period -- Danny Kaye, Zero Mostel, Sid Caesar, Peter Sellers, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton -- Winters was always ready and needed no script.
Despite his battle with manic depression, his wartime trauma, and his lapses into and out of popularity, his outlook, though sometimes edgy and rueful, was essentially positive, and was reflected in his thoughtful words on and off stage. He was alive in a way that none of us could be.
He was part of the zeitgeist that also brought together the improvisational Compass Players in Chicago, a year after he moved to New York to make the big time. Both suddenly freed comic performance up in revolutionary ways. His standup was completely unique -- he didn't just stand there and tell jokes. He became the stories he told. His rambling fantasies inspired a much looser delivery, influencing the work of acts as varied as Lenny Bruce, Robert Klein, Lily Tomlin, and Robin Williams.
His movie work, not as hailed as the rest, contains three characterizations back in back-to-back films that are still hilarious. His Lennie Pike in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World":
in "The Loved One" as the evil Henry, and Wilbur, Glenworthy:
and Norman in "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming":
All gems.
His amazing example really ignited my ambition to do comedy, giving me a lot of joy at the fun of thinking fast in front of a bunch of laughing strangers. I loved him on record, TV, in the theater, hey, I've even got his book. After spending time with Jonathan Winters, 1. you felt like you weren't the only one who was crazy. and 2. the possibilities of the human mind seemed endless, and the ability to communicate it seemed easy. What great gifts to give us. Thanks, Jonathan!
First and foremost, he was ALWAYS funny -- he couldn't veer away from that. Unlike other spastic, shape-shifting funnymen of the period -- Danny Kaye, Zero Mostel, Sid Caesar, Peter Sellers, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton -- Winters was always ready and needed no script.
Despite his battle with manic depression, his wartime trauma, and his lapses into and out of popularity, his outlook, though sometimes edgy and rueful, was essentially positive, and was reflected in his thoughtful words on and off stage. He was alive in a way that none of us could be.
He was part of the zeitgeist that also brought together the improvisational Compass Players in Chicago, a year after he moved to New York to make the big time. Both suddenly freed comic performance up in revolutionary ways. His standup was completely unique -- he didn't just stand there and tell jokes. He became the stories he told. His rambling fantasies inspired a much looser delivery, influencing the work of acts as varied as Lenny Bruce, Robert Klein, Lily Tomlin, and Robin Williams.
His movie work, not as hailed as the rest, contains three characterizations back in back-to-back films that are still hilarious. His Lennie Pike in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World":
in "The Loved One" as the evil Henry, and Wilbur, Glenworthy:
and Norman in "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming":
All gems.
His amazing example really ignited my ambition to do comedy, giving me a lot of joy at the fun of thinking fast in front of a bunch of laughing strangers. I loved him on record, TV, in the theater, hey, I've even got his book. After spending time with Jonathan Winters, 1. you felt like you weren't the only one who was crazy. and 2. the possibilities of the human mind seemed endless, and the ability to communicate it seemed easy. What great gifts to give us. Thanks, Jonathan!
Robert Wilensky
Computer science professor; expert on digital information and artificial intelligence -- via The Daily Californian.
Hardrock Gunter aka Sidney Louie Gunter Jr.
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist; one of the forgotten fathers of rock 'n' roll! -- via . His "Birmingham Bounce" is a rock precursor, released a year before "Rocket 88," generally considered the first rock 'n' roll recording. Other regional hits such as "Gonna Dance All Night" and "Sixty Minute Man" also pushed the genre forward.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Edward Bland
Filmmaker, composer, musician, and orchestrator -- via the New York Times. His 1959 film "The Cry of Jazz" is seen as a precursor of the Black Power and separatism movement.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Raphael D. Silver
Film producer -- via cleveland.com. Best known for the trilogy of films made with his wife, director Joan Micklin Silver -- "Hester Street," "Between the Lines," and "Crossing Delancey."
Campbell Armstrong aka Campbell Black aka Thomas Altman
Novelist, playwright, and memoirist -- via campbellarmstrong.com.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
Annette Funicello
Actress, singer, Mickey Mouse Club member -- via the New York Times. An icon of the squeaky-clean late '50s and early '60s, she will be best remembered for her "beach films" with male heartthrobs of the day. Later, she developed multiple sclerosis, and became a spokesperson and activist on behalf of those with the disease.
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