Posts filed under 'Deaths'
June 23rd, 2009
Ed McMahon, the man who made “Heeeeeeere’s Johnny!” a classic catchphrase and served more than 30 years as Johnny Carson’s TONIGHT SHOW announcer, died early today at the age of 86.
I’m sure you know McMahon was the announcer for THE TONIGHT SHOW, and I’m pretty sure you know he was the host of the popular syndicated talent show, STAR SEARCH. But did you know, long ago in 1957, he provided the bizarre narration for an almost forgotten horror movie called DAUGHTER OF HORROR?
It’s true. And you can hear a bit of Ed’s work in this strange little clip…
June 4th, 2009
David Carradine, star of the TV series KUNG FU, the Quentin Tarantino movie KILL BILL (he played Bill), yellow pages commercials and a ton of other stuff, has been found dead in Bangkok. There aren’t many details yet, but here’s the Associated Press story as it stands…
Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s TV series KUNG FU who also had a wide-ranging career in the movies, has been found dead in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Michael Turner, confirmed the death of the 72-year-old actor. He says Carradine died either late Wednesday or early Thursday, but he could not provide further details out of consideration for his family.
The Web site of the newspaper The Nation cited unidentified police sources as saying Carradine was found Thursday hanged in his luxury hotel room and is believed to have committed suicide.
David Carradine belonged to a genuine acting dynasty: His dad, John Carradine, had roles in hundreds of movies from THE GRAPES OF WRATH to DRACULA VERSUS FRANKENSTEIN, his brother Keith played Will Rogers for years on Broadway, and his brother Robert starred in the REVENGE OF THE NERD movies.
May 28th, 2009
Glenn Kenny, over at his Some Came Running blog, has a nice appreciation of actress Jane Randolph, who died May 4 in Switzerland but whose death was only announced here in the states today.
Randolph, who was born in 1915 in Youngstown, Ohio (coincidentally, pretty close to where I was born) only acted for about a decade, but her filmography has some very intriguing entries, including an uncredited ice skating model for Disney’s BAMBI, the horror comedy classic ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, the great film noir T-MEN and two of my all-time favorite films, CAT PEOPLE and CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE.
Here’s one of Randolph’s most famous scenes, where she’s stalked by — well, something — in CAT PEOPLE.
May 5th, 2009
Actor Dom DeLuise died Monday in Los Angeles at the age of 75. He appeared in some great comedies (BLAZING SADDLES), some OK comedies (SILENT MOVIE) and at least one terrible comedy (LOOSE CANNONS — but we won’t hold that against him).
He’s probably best remembered, though, for playing Burt Reynold’s friendly but delusional sidekick in CANNONBALL RUN and its sequel. I can’t think of a better way to honor the memory of this funny guy than with this bit of silliness, the outtakes that showed during the credits of CANNONBALL RUN.
April 23rd, 2009
Kathleen Byron as a crazy nun in BLACK NARCISSUS
You might not have heard of him, but cinematographer Jack Cardiff revolutionized the use of color in film, creating unforgettable images that seemed as much like paintings as film frames. In his collaborations with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in such classics as THE RED SHOES, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH and BLACK NARCISSUS, he created color palettes that reflected the characters’ emotional states, lifting the movies themselves to the level of expressionistic art.
He also worked on THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, THE VIKINGS and, believe it or not, RAMBO: PART II (which, for its many flaws, is a great-looking movie).
Here’s his obit from the Los Angeles Times. If you’re curious for more, rent BLACK NARCISSUS or one of his other films. They’re all worth a look. As a bonus, the Criterion DVD of BLACK NARCISSUS has “Painting with Light,” an excellent feature on Cardiff and his work.
March 23rd, 2009
Via the Huffington Post, here’s a quietly powerful photo of Liam Neeson and Vanessa Redgrave from Natasha Richardson’s funeral Sunday in Milbrook, New York.
March 19th, 2009
After being critically injured in a skiing accident Monday, actress Natasha Richardson has died.
From the Associated Press story:
Richardson fell during a private lesson Monday at a ski resort in Quebec. She was not wearing a helmet. The 45-year-old actress was seemingly fine afterward, but about an hour later, she complained that she didn’t feel well. She was hospitalized Tuesday in Montreal and later flown to a hospital in New York.
Alan Nierob, the Los Angeles-based publicist for Richardson’s husband, Liam Neeson, confirmed her death Wednesday without giving details on the cause.
Actress Lindsay Lohan, who co-starred with Richardson in Disney’s remake of THE PARENT TRAP during Lohan’s less tabloid-centric days, had this to say: “She was a wonderful woman and actress and treated me like I was her own. My heart goes out to her family. This is a tragic loss.”
March 16th, 2009
Actor Ron Silver died Sunday at the age of 62 after battling cancer for years. He had a long, distinguished career, with a Tony Award for his work in David Mamet’s SPEED THE PLOW and Emmy nods for his TV work, including a run on WEST WING.
But when I think of Ron Silver, I think of a truly great TV pilot that, stupidly, never became a series. In it, Silver played himself — as a diabolical villain. The show also starred two guys who would go on to be major movie stars, Jack Black and Owen Wilson, and was created by another major movie star, Ben Stiller. Ladies and gentlemen, in tribute to the late Ron Silver, I give you a taste of the genius that was… HEAT VISION AND JACK.
Rest in peace, Ron.
February 18th, 2009
Heath Ledger is widely expected to win the Oscar posthumously for his portrayal of the Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT. But if he does, who actually gets to keep that coveted gold man?
Here’s what The Associated Press says:
If Heath Ledger is named best supporting actor at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, his daughter, 3-year-old Matilda Rose Ledger, will become the owner of the Oscar statuette. But it won’t really be hers until her 18th birthday on Oct. 28, 2023 — and even then, only if she signs a contract.
Matilda, daughter of the late Ledger and actress Michelle Williams, has been designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the eventual owner of her father’s Oscar… But Ledger’s nomination, and his daughter’s young age, led to one of the trickiest situations the academy has dealt with in its eight decades of awarding posthumous Oscars.
Academy tradition calls for a posthumous statuette to go to the spouse, or, if there is no living spouse, to the oldest child. Ledger wasn’t married, and Matilda is his only child. Yet because she is only 3, Matilda is legally unable to sign the winner’s agreement — a contract required of all nominees that says the recipient will not resell his or her Oscar without first offering it back to the academy for $1.
In other words, the Oscar statuette can spend the next 15 years with Matilda, but her mother, who has signed the academy’s agreement, will be the legal custodian. When Matilda is old enough, she can claim ownership by signing the agreement. If she does so, she’ll become the official owner and will be legally bound not to sell her Oscar; if she opts not to sign, the statuette will revert to the academy without any payment.
So who will actually accept the award on Oscar night?
According to the same AP story, producers know, but they’re not telling.
February 12th, 2009
Kim’s Video owner Yongman Kim in a photo by New York Times photographer Chester Higgins Jr.
Here’s a story from the New York Times about how the entire collection of Kim’s Video — one of the greatest video stores in the history the medium and a true mecca for movie lovers — is being relocated to, of all places, a town in Sicily. And why, you ask? The rise of Netflix and other Internet services hit Kim’s, like it hit all video stores. But why Italy?
“Last September, in a move that swept through the Internet at viral speed, he issued a public challenge. In a notice pasted on a wall inside the front door, he wrote, “We hope to find a sponsor who can make this collection available to those who have loved Kim’s over the past two decades.” He promised to donate all the films without charge to anyone who would meet three conditions: Keep the collection intact, continue to update it and make it accessible to Kim’s members and others.
Offers poured in. Every one failed on one count or another. Every offer, that is, except one.”
I always tried to visit Kim’s during my infrequent trips to New York, and last stopped by the store in the fall of 2006. It was still thriving back then, packed with thousands of DVDs (and some tapes), many of them cult films, foreign fare or other stuff you just can’t get at the local Blockbuster. Sure, you can get all that stuff (and more) online, but it’s a shame Kim’s won’t be there to browse through, to encounter a movie (or movie book –they had a heck of a collection) you wouldn’t otherwise know existed.
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