Former MLB player -- via Occidental College Athletics.
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.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
John Gustafson
Bass player and singer -- via Ultimate Classic Rock. AKA Johhny Gus! He started off with the Merseybeats (their biggest his during his time with them, the original "Wishin' and Hopin'"); he was on the original recording of "Jesus Christ Superstar," as Simon Zealotes; and he played on the first four Roxy Music albums.
Shirley Yamaguchi
Actress and singer -- via The international News. AKA Yoshiko Otaka, Li Xianglan, Ri Koran. Born in Manchuria to Japanese parents, she began her career performing in Japanese propaganda films during World War II, posing as a native Chinese. Eventually, she entered the pantheon as one of the "seven great singing stars" of China in the 1940s. For her propaganda work, she was arrested and tried after the war as a collaborator, until she revealed her nationality. She escaped execution, but her work was subsequently banned in China. She went on to make films for such directors as Kurosawa ("Scandal," 1949 -- my analysis from Senses of Cinema here) and Fuller's "House of Bamboo" in 1955.
Theodore J. Flicker
Writer and director for TV and film -- via the Hollywood Reporter. He started off as an improv comedian, ran his own theater. His 1967 feature film, "The President's Analyst," was a great satire and one of my favorite comedies. Unfortunately, it was not one of J. Edgar Hover's, and Flicker was blacklisted for a time as a result. After the success of "Barney Miller," which he co-created with Danny Arnold, he move to Santa Fe, wrote novels, and became a sculptor.
Darrell Zwerling
Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com. Best remembered as the ill-fated Hollis Mulwray in "Chinatown."
Friday, September 12, 2014
Bob Crewe
Songwriter, dancer, singer, record producer, and manager -- via Rolling Stone. A huge hitmaker for the Four Seasons, Crewe started off with the Rays and wrote or co-wrote such songs as "Silhouettes," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Can't Take My Eyes off of You," "My Eyes Adored You," and even "Lady Marmalade."
Denny Miller
Actor -- via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A prolific actor, he appeared in more than 200 television episodes. For more, though, he will always be either surfer Duke Williams or "Tongo the Ape Man" from "Gilligan's Island." (That he appeared as two different characters in two different episodes of the show disturbed us no end as children; we indulged in many quasi-theological debates as to how that could happen without destroying the internal logic of the show.)
Stefan Gierasch
Gierasch down right in this photo, as De Gue in "Jeremiah Johnson." |
John Bardon
Actor -- Best known as Jim Branning in the British TV series "EastEnders," although I loved him as Fred Timson in the "Rumpole"s.
From Modern Loss: The saga of The Obituarist
Stephen Miller of Bloomberg News has found a calling in writing about those who have died. Here's his story! (Please note, he is a long-standing electronic friend of mine; however, I think his skills are extraordinary.)
From Quartz: 9/11 and digital memory
Gabrielle Birkner of Modern Loss writes about differences in mourning, on 9/11 and now. And she quotes . . . me? Yes. Hope this doesn't reduce the credibility of the story for you.
Donald Sinden
Actor -- via the Guardian. At once one of the most versatile and underrated of 20th century British actors. He could do Shakespeare and farce, sitcoms and adventure films. He could write, and performed in radio as well. I particularly like him in the 1963 RSC "Wars of the Roses" as York. His Malvolio was hilarious; and he was the last white actor to "black up" as Othello.
Cosimo Matassa
Music producer and engineer; key architect of the New Orleans sound and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame member -- via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. An insane number of great songs and artist recorded at his J&M Recording, in back of his appliance store at 840 N. Rampart St., including: Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight," Fat Domino's "The Fat Man," Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is," Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise," Al Johnson's "Carnival Time," Ernie K-Doe's "Mother-in-Law," Irma Thomas's "It's Raining," Professor Longhair's "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" . . . Ray Charles recorded here, as did Allen Toussaint, Snoks Eaglin, The Spiders, Big Joe Turner . . . Cosimo helped cement the New Orleans sound, typified as heavy on the drums, guitar, bass, and piano, with strong lead vocals.
http://www.prx.org/pieces/76269-the-story-of-new-orleans-j-m-recording-studios
http://www.prx.org/pieces/76269-the-story-of-new-orleans-j-m-recording-studios
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Antoine Duhamel
Film composer and conductor -- via Liberation. I'm not going to kid you; I love this guy. He was in on a bunch of great French New Wave films and more. Here's a partial list: Goddard's "Pierre le fou" and "Weekend"; Truffaut's "Baisers voles," "Mississippi Mermaid," and "Bed & Board"; Tavernier's "Daddy Nostalgia" and "Safe Conduct"; and foreign hits such as "Ridicule" and "Belle Epoque."
Richard Kiel
Actor; best known for playing henchman "Jaws" in two James Bond films -- via Variety. Born with acromegaly, the 7-foot,-1.5 inch-tall Kiel was typecast as aliens, monsters, and villains throughout his career. Despite this, he was a good actor who could pull off comedy as adeptly as he could menace.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Jane Baker
TV writer -- via Digital Spy. Best known for writing with husband Pip Baker for "Doctor Who" and "Space: 1999"; also Robery Ryan's last film, "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City."
Rafael 'El Pato' Carret
Comedian, composer, conductor, and actor -- via the Buenos Aires Herald. He was the last of "Los Cinco Grandes del Buen Humor."
Austin William "Goose" Gonsoulin
Football player; an original Denver Bronco and member of the Ring of Fame -- via the New York Times.
http://www.denverbroncos.com/multimedia/videos/Remembering-Austin-Goose-Gonsoulin/7580d118-50c9-47c5-a7e5-27ef5efbdd4e
http://www.denverbroncos.com/multimedia/videos/Remembering-Austin-Goose-Gonsoulin/7580d118-50c9-47c5-a7e5-27ef5efbdd4e
Magda Olivero
Soprano -- via the New York Times. The last of the verismas -- female singers versed in the late-19th century tradition of hyper-realistic, melodramatic "verismo" operas,
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Gerald Wilson
Trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator -- via the L.A. Times. He worked with everyone; his first big gig was replacing Sy Oliver in the Jimmie Lunceford band in 1939!
Monday, September 8, 2014
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