Friday, May 10, 2013

Al Fritz

Inventor of the Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle -- via Bicycle Retailer. And hey, the Varsity and Continental models as well -- the latter two were among the first lightweight derailleur types to be mass-produced for American riders.

Until today, I didn't realize that Al Fritz was one of my major influences. Why? He made MY BIKE!

The 1979 Sting-Ray, yellow and lime. Mine was an earlier model, but looked substantially like this.
Christmas of 1967, I got this bike in a box. After many days of my dad tinkering, filling the ashtrays with cigarettes, swearing, and opening another beer, it all came together. 

This magnificent object was my best friend (hey, we didn't have a dog). I had freedom, mobility, autonomy, and stylish grace all in one. I was rocking a sweet ride that had ape hanger handlebars, bright yellow banana seat, 20-inch tires (no shifter -- one speed only, backpedal to brake!) -- an indestructible and faithful companion. It was my horse, my World War I biplane, my racecar. We did stunts in the vacant lots nearby, building ramps and obstacle courses, or trekked west to the Table Mesas. It ignited my love affair with bicycling (though, not cycling -- I don't own any aerodynamic underpants, air-cooled helmets, or those funny shoes that snap into place). I am on bike #3 now, but bike #1, above, never nicknamed, was my favorite. When I was not asleep or in school, I was on it. 

In this world where toys break easily and promises go unfilled, a well-made and reliable thing such as this really made a difference for me, and I'm sure for millions of other kids. Thanks, Mr. Fritz!




Robert Sickinger

The father of indigenous Chicago theater -- via the Chicago Tribune.


John Cain

Broadcaster -- via the Guardian.

Steve Martland

Composer -- via the Telegraph.





Francesco Sorianello

Opera singer and actor -- via the Press-Enterprise.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Taylor Mead

Writer, actor, and performer; as early Warhol associate, became "the first underground film star" -- via The Gothamist.





Jeanne Cooper

Actress -- via the New York Times. A fixture as protagonist Katherine Chancellor on the long-running American TV soap opera series "The Young and the Restless."



Greg Quill

Musician and journalist -- via the Toronto Star.





Sue Draheim

Violinist AND fiddler -- via legacy.com.

David Lister

Origami maven -- via the Guardian.


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Bryan Forbes aka John Theobald Clarke

Film director, screenwriter, actor, and author -- via the New York Times. He may be forever typed as the director of the first "Stepford Wives," but his achievements in all the categories he essayed reveal a very talented and innovative person.

As an actor, he was memorable in "The Guns of Navarone," "Qatermass 2," "The Colditz Story," and "The Small Back Room." He wrote the screenplays such as "Seance on a Wet Afternoon," "Hopscotch," and "Chaplin"; he directed innovative films like "Stepford" -- the hilarious "The Wrong Box" and the intriguing "Seance" among them.









Frederic Franklin

Beloved ballet dancer, choreographer, and living archive of dance -- via the New York Times.



Mario Machado

TV news anchor, and actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Ted Beyer aka Edward Yarnell

Comedian and actor -- via the Sheffield Telegraph.

Braxton Schuffert

Musician; one of the original members of the Drifting Cowboys, Hank Williams' band -- via the Montgomery Advertiser.



Milan Peroutka

Drummer -- via Radio Prague.

Merrill Brockway

Producer and director of arts programming for TV -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Herbert Blau

Pioneering theater director, scholar, and theorist -- via the New York Times.






Rashid Karapiet

Actor, singer, playwright, broadcaster, and teacher -- via the Guardian.

Martin Kevan

Voice actor and writer -- via polygon.com.

Antonia "Toni" Larroux

Her kids wrote a fun and loving obit for her -- via the Huffington Post.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Ray Harryhausen

Special effects artist; visual effects pioneer; master of stop-motion animation -- via comingsoon.net. Another great shaper of my imagination, along with Ray Bradbury, who was Harryhausen's boyhood pal!

Passed the torch by his mentor and inspiration, Willis O'Brien ("King Kong"), Harryhausen pushed the art form to its limit over the course of 30-plus years in the movie business. It may seem quaint now, but his monsters, gods, and mythical creatures enthralled us when we were kids. Whether the film itself was good or no was usually about a 50/50 proposition, but we would go specifically to see Harryhausen's creations.

He was our master of a fantasy and sci-fi bestiary -- from "Mighty Joe Young" in 1949 to "Clash of the Titans" in 1981, and between -- "It Came from Beneath the Sea," "20 Million Miles to Earth," three Sinbad films, "Jason and the Argonauts," "One Million Years B.C.," "The Valley of Gwangi" . . . and more. Thanks Ray!





Joe Astroth

Former MLB catcher -- via legacy.com.

Charles Banks Wilson

Artist -- via the Tulsa World.

Dvora Omer

Children's author -- via the Jerusalem Post.

Sid Selvidge

Musician -- via the Memphis Flyer.



Gordon Sherwood

Composer -- via artsjournal.com.




Monday, May 6, 2013

Cedric Brooks

Saxophonist and reggae musician -- via Vibe.



Barbara Delahunty

One who loved obituaries; hers is enchanting! -- via the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

Paul Shurey

Music promoter -- via the London Evening Standard.

Mike Gray

Writer and filmmaker; best known for writing "The China Syndrome" -- via the New York Times.


Emil Frei III

Oncologist -- via the New York Times.

Jacqueline Brookes

Actress and teacher -- via Broadway World. Worked a lot in Shakespeare, and New York soaps. She was the first New York Halie in Shepard's "Buried Child," and I saw her in it at the Theatre de Lys. More importantly, she was our acting teacher. She was tough and funny and earnest; she called us all guttersnipes and taught us to be proud of it. She told me, "When you know what it is you want to do, you will be great." She was right! It all worked out. Thanks so much, Jackie!

Virginia Gibson

Singer, dancer, and actress -- via the Hollywood Reporter. She appeared in "seven Brides for Seven Brothers"; she was best known to me as one of the hosts of ABC's "discovery" documentary series for kids.





Joe Cahill

Lighting designer -- via the Boulder Daily Camera.

Fran James

Master weaver -- via the Seattle Times.

Samuel Cywiak

Rabbi and author -- via the St. Augustine Record.

George Horse Capture

Anthropologist, writer, activist, and welder -- via the Great Falls Tribune.


John Williamson

Sexual revolutionary -- via the New York Times.