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.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
John Fry
Music producer; founder of Ardent Records; mentor to cult power-pop pioneers Big Star -- via Consequence of Sound. About 20 percent of Stax's output was recorded at Ardent. A key architect of how American music sounded
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Joseph Sargent
Emmy-winning director of TV and film ("The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"); performer -- via Variety. AKA Giusseppe Daneiele Sorgente. An outstanding talent -- here's a partial list of his work: series such as "Gunsmoke," "Lassie," "Star Trek," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", and "The Invaders"; TV movies such as "Tribes," "The Night That Panicked America," "Amber Waves," and "Something the Lord Made"; on film, the original "Pelham" and the unique science-fiction film "Colossus: The Forbin Project." Like the rest of us, he made a few clinkers -- "Terrible Joe Moran" and "Jaws: The Revenge" being the worst. Hey, his batting average is quite high!
Brandon Stoddard
TV producer, head of programming, and executive -- via Variety. He got a ton of good TV made as an ABC executive, including "Roots," "Rich Man, Poor Man," "Masada," "The Winds of War," "QBVII," "The Day After," and "Friendly Fire." Sure, he cranked out some epic trash as "The Thorn Birds." His batting average was pretty good! It was a time when ABC fielded shows such as "Moonlighting," "Twin Peaks," "My So-Called Life," and "Max Headroom."
Monday, December 22, 2014
DEATHCETERA: Weekly roundup of stories worldwide on death, mourning, and more
TOP
STORIES
“A death in
Yangon”
– Catherine Anderson’s heart-breaking account of her lover’s public death
“What We Learned
about Death in 2014”
– from Mike Pearl on Vice
DEATH
What killed us
in 2014?
– from Marc Silver at NPR
Remembering
the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami – from Jim Gomez at ABC News
MOURNING
Public mourning:
a brief history
– by Hilda Maclean in The Conversation
From
the Metropolitan Museum of Art – their online
exhibition guide to “Death Becomes Her: A Century of Mourning Attire”
FUNERALS
Funeral director
transports body in pickup truck – via Andy Wise at WCMA-TV
Alternative
funerals in Alabama
– Lucy Berry at al.com.
END-OF-LIFE
ISSUES
Charges at
nursing home highlights vulnerability of elderly – by Tatiana
Schlossberg and Nina Bernstein at the New York Times
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Billie Whitelaw
Actress; the supreme interpreter of Samuel Beckett -- via the BBC. I can't tell you how much this grieves me. I consider her one of the best performers of the 20th century. She had plenty of success before meeting playwright Samel Beckett; she went on to become his best performer. They collaborated on work such as "Happy Days," "Eh Joe," and "Rockaby."
She combined a harrowing intelligence with physical fluidity, precision of gesture, and a controlled intensity of emotion that made her mesmerizing. Even her small roles enlivened such films as "Flesh and the Fiends," "Charlie Bubbles," "Twisted Nerve," "Frenzy," "The Omen," "The Krays," and "Hot Fuzz." Her work for Beckett was extensively recorded and will remain endlessly inspiring.
She combined a harrowing intelligence with physical fluidity, precision of gesture, and a controlled intensity of emotion that made her mesmerizing. Even her small roles enlivened such films as "Flesh and the Fiends," "Charlie Bubbles," "Twisted Nerve," "Frenzy," "The Omen," "The Krays," and "Hot Fuzz." Her work for Beckett was extensively recorded and will remain endlessly inspiring.
Arthur Gardner
Actor and producer -- via the L.A. Times. AKA Arthur Goldberg. Best known as a producer of films and TV series such as "The Rifleman" and "the Big Valley," Gardner's early Hollywood career as an actor was not stellar, but interesting. He was the last living member of the cast of the 1930 original film adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front" (see him in highlighted area of photo below)
, and as the protagonist of the classic 1937 anti-marijuana cautionary/exploitation film, "Assassin of Youth."
, and as the protagonist of the classic 1937 anti-marijuana cautionary/exploitation film, "Assassin of Youth."
Larry Auerbach
One of the most prolific and respected TV directors; best known for his work on soap operas, especially "Love of Life" for 28 years -- via Yahoo News. It is estimated that he directed more dramatic work on TV than any person in history -- 3,000 hours is one ballpark figure. He started in radio, stage-managed for such iconic early TV shows as "Stud's Place" and "Kukla, Fran, & Ollie"; he directed "Zoo Parade," the show that developed into "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom." He was the first director on "Mr. Wizard," the science education show.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Larry Henley
Songwriter and singer -- via Hollywood.com. He started off as one of the Newbeats, singing the falsetto part in "Bread and Butter." He is best known for writing "Wind Beneath My Wings."
Harold M. Schulweis
Rabbi -- via Yahoo News. He popularized the concept of chavurah -- the Jewish concept of a small group of families who study, celebrate Shabbat, and look out for each other. I'm in one, and it works great! He was one of the first Conservative rabbis to welcome LGBT people to his congregation.
Mary Dawne Arden
Actress and model -- via legacy.com. Best known for her role in Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace."
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Virna Lisi
Actress -- via Variety. AKA Virna Lisa Pieralisi. Originally styled as an Italian variant on blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, Lisi made her way through several 1960's sex comedies, but redefined herself as a serious actress later in her career, winning awards for her ruthless Catherine De Medici in "Queen Margot."
Wendy Rene
Singer and songwriter -- via soul-source.co.uk. AKA Mary Frierson, Mary Cross. Best known for "Bar-B-Q," she just missed being on the fatal flight that killed Otis Redding.
Treadwell Covington
TV producer -- via legacy.com. One of the key players in Total Television, which produced Saturday-morning cartoon shows such as "Tennessee Tuxedo," "King Leonardo," "The Beagles," and "Go Go Gophers." One of the creators of "Underdog."
Millie Kirkham
Back-up singer best known for her work with Elvis -- via the Nashville Scene. AKA Mildred Eakes. She can be heard on classics such as "Blue Christmas," "I'm Sorry," "Pretty Woman," and "She Stopped Loving Him Today."
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