Monday, October 1, 2012

Barry Commoner

Pioneering environmentalist; biologist, professor and politician -- via the New York Times. His name was a bugbear to conservatives for decades. He was a visionary thinker: not merely a reflexive defender of ecological systems, he tied these concerns in with the concepts of sustainability and social justice. He is still hundreds of years ahead of us. Thank you, Barry!

He drafted the famous Four Laws of Ecology -- 


1. Everything is Connected to Everything Else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms and what affects one, affects all.
2. Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no "waste" in nature and there is no “away” to which things can be thrown.
3. Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is, says Commoner, “likely to be detrimental to that system.”
4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. Exploitation of nature will inevitably involve the conversion of resources from useful to useless forms.

Michael Rye aka John Michael Riorden Billsbury aka Rye Billsbury

Voice actor -- via Variety. A remarkable, hard-working, and long-lived performer, he began in radio and ended up working in video games to boot. He played Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy; he was the announcer on "The Cisco Kid"; and guested on dozens of other shows. He played the prototype for Matt Dillon on the audition show of "Gunsmoke." He later worked in TV cartoons, TV and radio commercials, videos, and training films. He was the first person to record a full-length audiobook ("The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin").






Derek Jameson

Broadcaster -- via the BBC.

Bertil Norstrom

Actor -- via dn.se.

Rollin "Oscar" Sullivan

Musician and comic -- via the Tennessean. PArt of the Grand Ole Opry duo Lonzo and Oscar; he was the first to perform the comedy hit "I'm My Own Grandpa."

Leigh Hamilton

Actress -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Arthur O. "Punch" Sulzberger

Former publisher of the New York Times -- via the New York Times. He printed the Pentagon Papers, and fought the case for freedom of press in front of the Supreme Court -- and won. 

I love the kicker on Clyde Haberman's comprehensive review of Punch's life:

"'I think that paper and ink are here to stay for the kind of newspapers we print,' he said in a post-retirement interview. 'There's no shortage of news in this world. If you want news, you can go to cyberspace and grab out all this junk. But I don't think most people are competent to become editors, or have the time or the interest.'

'You're not buying news when  you buy the New York Times,' Mr. Sulzberger said. 'You're buying judgment.'"

Friday, September 28, 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Ernesto de la Pena

Writer, translator, and linguist -- via the Latin American Herald Tribune.


Stanley Long

Sexploitation and horror filmmaker -- via the BBC.



Johnny Perez

Drummer, songwriter, and recording studio head -- via L.A. Observed. Originally the drummer for the Sir Douglas Quintet ("She's About a Mover," "Mendocino"), he later owned Topanga Skyline Studio.



Tomas Evjen

Editor, media personality, and film producer -- via saltenposten.no.

Homer Joy

Singer and songwriter -- via kget.com. He wrote "The Streets of Bakersfield."

Radoslav Brzobohaty

Actor -- via Prague Radio.




Lehri aka Safirullah Siddiqui

Comedian and actor -- via the Express Tribune.

Ira Marvin

Production manager and producer -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Lillian Lopez Collazo Jackson

Singer -- via vintagevinylnews.com. A founding member of Odyssey, who sang with her sisters Louise and Carmen.

Mike Martineau

TV writer -- via gofobo.com.

Herbert Lom aka Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich ze Schluderpacheru

Actor -- via the New York Times. He is being remembered most clearly for his role as Inspector Dreyfus in Blake Edwards' Pink Panther comic movies. However, the 95-year-old performer had a wide range and made a remarkable number of great appearances, including:

The psychiatrist to tortured musician Ann Todd in "The Seventh Veil" --



London gangster Kristo in "Night and the City" --


Louis in the original "The Ladykillers" --



He played the least favored Phantom of the Opera --


And Dr. Weizak in "The Dead Zone" --



And of course, Clouseau's unfortunate superior . . .

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Andy Williams

Singer -- via the L.A. Times. Best known for his rendition of "Moon River," his super-smooth, lugubrious style exemplified the sound of "easy listening" music. Williams, with his crisp good looks, endless supply of comfy sweaters, Christmas specials, and unearthly wholesomeness, was the whitest man who ever lived. And of course, he was from Iowa.