Monday, March 28, 2011

Farley Granger

Actor in film, on stage and television -- via the Hollywood Reporter. His best and best-remembered films include "Strangers on a Train," "Rope," "They Live by Night," "Side Street" and "Senso."

Johnny Pearson

Pianist, orchestra leader and composer -- via the Independent. He was best at creating "library" music, thematic passages that are sold to stage, film and TV productions. Among these are "Sleepy Shores," the theme for "All Creatures Great and Small," and the ubiquitous NFL Monday Night Football music --

David Nevin

Historical novelist -- via the New York Times.

James Pritchett

Actor -- via the New York Times.

Norman "Normie" B. Roy III

Pitcher for the Boston Braves -- via the Nashua Telegraph.

Robert "Bob" Rush

All-Star pitcher, primarily for the Cubs -- via Baseball Fever.

Charlie Metro aka Charles Moreskonich

MLB outfielder and manager -- via nantyglo.com.

Mark Chamberlin

Actor -- via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Joe Wizan

Movie producer -- via the L.A. Times. He worked on such films as "Prime Cut," "Junior Bonner," "Jeremiah Johnson," " . . . and Justice for All," and the Alex Cross films with Morgan Freeman.

Helen Stenborg

Actress on stage, screen and television -- via the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Joe Ambrosio

Tenor sax player -- via Mark Diamond's FB page.

Rodney J. Smith

Managing director of the Bexar County Performing Arts Center Foundation -- via the San Antonio Business Journal. Best known to many in my circle as the former general manger of the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

DJ Megatron aka Corey McGriff

Radio and TV personality -- via MSNBC.

Harry Coover

The man who invented Super Glue -- via the New York Times.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Lanford Wilson

Playwright -- via Broadway World. A personal idol and one of the best American playwrights of his time. A founder of Off-Off Broadway.  He was a key part of the scene in New York in the early 60's, with his "The Madness of Lady Bright" providing the first big success for Off-Off Broadway landmark Caffe Cino. Having done "Balm in Gilead" and "The Rimers of Eldritch," part of my oh-so-edgy theatrical training, I was confounded by his transition to naturalistic clarity in "Hot l Baltimore," "The Fifth of July," "Talley's Folly" and "Burn This." But it works and it is spell-binding stuff.

Richard Leacock

Documentary director, producer, editor; cinematographer; pioneer of Direct Cinema and cinema verite -- via indieWIRE. A seminal figure in film history -- here's a great quote from a Mubi profile of him: "I hope to be able to create sequences, that when run together will present aspects of my perception of what took place in the presence of my camera. To capture spontaneity it must exist and everything you do is liable to destroy it... beware!'"

Huffington Post: "Finding Glory in Life in the Obit Page"

Via the Huffington Post, a salute to obits -- thanks to Pamela Tom for writing this!

Musa Juma Mumbo

Rhumba and Benga musician -- via allafrica.com.

Fred Sanford

MLB pitcher -- via voy.com.

Tom "Mac" McAvoy

Member of Softball Hall of Fame -- via the Albany Times-Union. He pitched in one major league game for the Washington Senators.

Glenn "Gos" Gostick

Baseball statistician -- via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Raymond Cohen

Violinist -- via the Guardian.

Peter Lennon

Journalist and documentary filmmaker -- via the Guardian. His only film, "Rocky Road to Dublin," was a Cannes selection . . .

Hafina Clwyd

Journalist -- via the Independent.

John Hoke

Inventor -- via the Washington Post.

Toshiko Takaezu

Ceramic artist -- via the New York Times.

Wolfgang Spier

Actor and director -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Reuven Shefer

Theater and film actor -- via forums.somethingawful.com.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor

Actress -- via ABC News. One of the great actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age, she grew up on camera in such films as "Lassie Come Home" and "National Velvet"; she went on to stellar performances in such films as "A Place in the Sun," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Her great beauty and complicated personal life overshadowed but did not obscure her talent.

Here's the first of many coming updates -- the New York Times obit.

Roger Ebert remembers her here.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Dorothy Lockwood Ballast Jarrett

"Mrs. Cheeseburger" -- via the Denver Post. Her husband, Louis Ballast, invented the cheeseburger in 1935. They and their five children sold them and many other delights at their restaurant, the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In at 2776 Speer Blvd. in Denver for decades.

Jon Lipsky

Playwright, director and educator -- via boston.com.

Ralph Mooney

Master of the steel guitar -- via the Los Angeles Times. An originator of the Bakersfield sound that invigorated country music in the 1960's; he co-wrote the classic "Crazy Arms."

Alfred Genovese

Oboist -- via boston.com.

Dorothy Young

The last living link to Houdini -- via the Telegraph. She was the great magician's last stage assistant; later, she was an actress, a dancer, and a writer.

Loleatta Holloway

Singer -- via the Los Angeles Times.

Tsutomu Katoh

Maker of electronic tools for musicians (Korg) -- via Synthtopia.com.

Ruth Adams

Accordionist and member of the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band -- via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Bob Christo

Bollywood villain -- via The Hindu.

Enzo Cannavale

Actor -- via tg.com.

Navin Nischol

Actor in film and television -- via The Hindu.

Argentino Luna

Folk musician -- via the Buenos Aires Herald.

Obituary billboards discouraged: Ghana

Via the Ghanian News Agency, "The Banmuhen of Gomoa Akyempim, Okofo Meresi Okai Annan, has appealed to local government assemblies to ban the erection of billboards with the portraits of departed individuals along streets and roads." More details -- via ghanamma.com.

Pinetop Perkins aka Joseph William Perkins

Bluesman and member of the Blues Hall of Fame -- via the New York Times.