Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Paul Mazursky aka Irwin Mazursky

Director, screenwriter, producer, actor, comedy writer, and comedian -- via the L.A. Times. Nominated for an Oscar five times, he is one of the key directors of the Silver Age of American cinema. Although he is not remembered as well as the heavy hitters, he is my personal favorite. I loved this man.

He was in Kubrick's first film, "Fear and Desire."
He played a punk in "The Blackboard Jungle."
He sold comedy sketches in the early days of TV, did standup, was in a duo with Herb Hartig called Igor & h that appeared on Steve Allen's show.

He wrote for "The Danny Kaye Show." He co-wrote the pilot of "The Monkees." He wrote "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas,"



which gave him a shot to direct. He made "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," and his career was made.



The films he made were my no means perfect, but somehow they touched me more deeply than many others. I loved "Alex in Wonderland,"



"Blume in Love,"



 "Harry & Tonto,"



 "Next Stop, Greenwich Village,"



"Tempest,"



 "Moon over Parador,"



"Enemies: A Love Story."



Hell, I even loved "The Pickle." (I didn't like "An Unmarried Woman" or "Moscow on the Hudson" or "Down and Out in Beverly Hills." In fact, they made me mad. Which means I really do love him.)



Read his memoir "Show Me the Magic" -- it's hilarious and wise.



I came out of nearly every film of his grinning and punching at the sky in delight. Somehow he just was able to get inside all of his characters. Like the great French directors he admired so much, he knew that everyone has his reasons, and could not fail to give a rounded portrait of even the most unlikable characters -- or the shadow side of even his nicest heroes. Above all, he was FUNNY. I am very very lucky to have grown up with him, and I hope to God I can write as well as him someday. Thank you, Paul.

Elizabeth Lebas

Nigel Calder

Science writer -- via the Guardian.

Christian Fuhrer

Pastor and activist -- via the Telegraph. His weekly "prayers for peace" were the catalyst that brought down the Berlin Wall!



Lois Geary

Actress -- via legacy.com.

Tjovoo aka Thuli Simelane

Actress -- via The Daily Sun.

Allen Grossman

Poet, scholar, critic, and teacher -- via the New York Times. "Poetry is a principle of power invoked against all our vanishing." 

Jory Sherman

Prolific writer -- via KSPR ranked out more than 500 books, primarily Westerns and horror titles.


Michael Brown

Frank M. Robinson

Writer; best known for works that made their way into films such as "The Power" and "The Towering Inferno" -- via the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Also a speechwriter for Harvey Milk, and a columnist for Playboy.

Bobby Castillo

Monday, June 30, 2014

Dermot Healy

Poet and novelist -- via the Guardian.





Yuval Peleg

Archaeologist -- via zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com.

Wolf Koenig

Vic Izay

Actor, writer, director, and Shakespeare scholar -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Steve Viksten

OBIT READER: Our weekly roundup of stories on death, dying, mourning, and more

VA employee Paula DeWenter
TOP STORIES


As Jennifer Schuessler reports in the New York Times, our friends at Morbid Anatomy just opened a museum in Brooklyn

Joy Neighbors just opened an interesting new blog, A Grave Interest, that details many other funeral and death-care museums

DEATH

Via Rabbi Elliott N. Dorff in the Jewish Journal, the importance of preparing advance end-of-death directives and living wills. (Why are many advance directives changed or ignored? " . . . because afrter the patient dies, the patient will not sue the doctor, but any one of the family members might.")

How about a prebituary? Terry Wright of the Hunterdon County Democrat says it might clue our friends and family in about the hidden corners of your life

MOURNING

An interview with Kate Sweeney, author of the new book on the history of U.S. mourning, "American Afterlife," from Greta Johnsen of WCQS

Jeffrey Hatcher's new play, "Three Viewings," is set in a funeral home. The review from Carol Montana of the Middletown Times-Register

MISC


In England, Quaker Social Action fights excessive funeral costs for the impoverished, per Nayler.

Kate Petersen in The Millions writes about her dad, who mails her a lot of newspaper clippings -- of obituaries

Undertaker stole charity donations to balance books, writes Stephanie Linning of the Daily Mail

Nelson Mandela's personal assistant outlines the farcical doings at his funeral -- per Aislinn Laing in the Telegraph

Robert Gardner

Anne G. Sterling aka Anne G. Bergman aka Chana Sterlin aka 'The Polish Ava Gardner'

Actress -- via Dignity Memorial. Starting off in Yiddish theater and film, she went on to play gypsy girls in many Universal horror films of the Golden Age.


John Mast

Jazz pianist and composer -- via the Toledo Blade.

Nancy Garden

Novelist and LGBT activist -- via Publishers Weekly. Her 1982 book, "Annie on My Mind," was a pioneering effort to tell a non-tragic story about a lesbian relationship.


Suzanne Salmane

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Meshach Taylor

Actor -- via the New York Times.

Leonard Simon

Actor --via http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com.


Shogo Kubo

Skateboarder -- via TMZ.






Raul Ramirez

Actor -- via El Universal.


Jacques Bergerac

Actor -- via Quest-France.




Lee McBee

Blues musician and singer -- via Ljworld.com.





Gina Collens aka Geraldine Elaine Silverman

Actress, playwright, and director -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Originated the role of Flora in "The Rose Tattoo"!


John Harney

Tea entrepreneur -- via the New York Times.

Ana Maria Matute

Writer -- via ABC News.

Masood Hasan

Humorist -- via The News. A beautiful tribute from Khusro Mumtaz.

Malgorzata Braunek

Actress and zen master -- via wiadomosci.wp.pl.

MC Sparks aka Sean Jones

Rapper -- via madnewsuk.com.

Michael Coetzee

Anti-apartheid activist -- via IOL News.



Jay H. Harris

Theater producer -- via the Miami Herald.

Akio Yokoyama

Actor -- via tv-tokyo.co. 

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Bobby Womack aka The Preacher

Soul music legend -- via the New York Times. Started off as a gospel singer with his brothers (he was the son of a preacher); he was a a strong guitarist as well. Sang backup for Sam Cooke, played guitar for Aretha. The first big hit he wrote, "Looking for a Love," was an adaptation of the the gospel song "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray". He then wrote the classic "It's All Over Now," a cover of which was the Rolling Stones' first big hit. He wrote "Breezin'" and "Trust Me" and "That's the Way I Feel About Cha"; he worked on "There's a Riot Goin' On," and recorded the iconic "Across 110th Street." In later life, guested on many recordings. His greatest achievement may be the 1981 album "The Poet."

One of the links between gospel and soul, his influence spread across all genres. His contribution to American music is pervasive and incalculable.


























Friday, June 27, 2014

Teddy Rakel

Pianist and entertainer --via cincinnati.com.

http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/videonetwork31618071501971/1878632335001/Teddy-Rakel-at-the-piano

Felix Dennis

Poet, editor, and publisher -- via the New York Times.








Charles Kakuk

Managing director of Next Act Theatre -- via the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Eddie Zondi

Radio host -- via The Independent.

Sara Widen

Soprano -- via findagrave.com.

Salwa Bugaighis

Human rights activist -- via the Guardian.