Thursday, January 28, 2010
J.D. Salinger, 91
When I was around six so Santa brought me a record player and a bunch of Disney LP’s to play for Christmas. Of course my parents weren’t as generous as Santa and those were the only two records I owned for a long time. I started pulling stuff from my Dad’s old collection like Alan Sherman, Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass Band and (now) one of my all time favorites The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band' and on it, the last song on the second side, “A Day In the Life” is one of my all time favorites. I remember listening to that very last cord fade out into nothing… so awesome.
I was in third grade when Lennon got shot. I brought the Sgt Pepper album in and Lori G. colored John Lennon’s face in with red crayon. I was sooooo mad. Years later that album, with Lori’s artwork, disappeared out of the family stereo record rack my Mother had No idea where it went to . Years later, right before vinyl became extinct, I bought another copy. I went looking for it before I went away to college and that to was gone (along with my Led Zeppelin ‘Houses of the Holy’ but not my two Poison LP’s) again my Mother had No clue where it went to.
OK rant over… The point of all of this is that I really liked The Beatles so in seventh or eighth grade after hearing all about Mark David Chapman I went out and bought Catcher In The Rye just so I could find out for myself why this asshole would want to shoot Lennon… I didn’t get it… not sure if I even do now.
One of J.D. Salinger was a published author before he was drafted in the army in 1942 some of his works appeared in magazines such as The New Yorker and The Saturday Evening Post. He wrote his most famous and controversial novel Catcher in Rye in 1951. He received a lot of unwanted attention after Catcher was released and in 1953 fled Manhatten to New Hampshire and became somewhat of a recluse and was seen rarely in public but often riding his Jeep on his Cornish, NH compound. He married his second wife in 1955 and they had two children a son and daughter. At this time he continued to write for a few hours a day but not specifically for publication but just because he loved to. One of the few novels he published after (which was actually a bunch of previous released short stories) Catcher was ‘Franney and Zooey’ (funny I lent that novel out and it to disappeared… seems to be a reoccurring theme).
He was approached by Hollywood numberous times to make Catcher into a movie but rejected them all (one of the letters can be read here).
Salinger passed away of natural causes at his home in Cornish.
January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010
R.I.P.
Sources
I was in third grade when Lennon got shot. I brought the Sgt Pepper album in and Lori G. colored John Lennon’s face in with red crayon. I was sooooo mad. Years later that album, with Lori’s artwork, disappeared out of the family stereo record rack my Mother had No idea where it went to . Years later, right before vinyl became extinct, I bought another copy. I went looking for it before I went away to college and that to was gone (along with my Led Zeppelin ‘Houses of the Holy’ but not my two Poison LP’s) again my Mother had No clue where it went to.
OK rant over… The point of all of this is that I really liked The Beatles so in seventh or eighth grade after hearing all about Mark David Chapman I went out and bought Catcher In The Rye just so I could find out for myself why this asshole would want to shoot Lennon… I didn’t get it… not sure if I even do now.
One of J.D. Salinger was a published author before he was drafted in the army in 1942 some of his works appeared in magazines such as The New Yorker and The Saturday Evening Post. He wrote his most famous and controversial novel Catcher in Rye in 1951. He received a lot of unwanted attention after Catcher was released and in 1953 fled Manhatten to New Hampshire and became somewhat of a recluse and was seen rarely in public but often riding his Jeep on his Cornish, NH compound. He married his second wife in 1955 and they had two children a son and daughter. At this time he continued to write for a few hours a day but not specifically for publication but just because he loved to. One of the few novels he published after (which was actually a bunch of previous released short stories) Catcher was ‘Franney and Zooey’ (funny I lent that novel out and it to disappeared… seems to be a reoccurring theme).
He was approached by Hollywood numberous times to make Catcher into a movie but rejected them all (one of the letters can be read here).
Salinger passed away of natural causes at his home in Cornish.
January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010
R.I.P.
Sources
Wikipedia
New York Times
Labels: 1919 births, 2010 deaths, military, natural causes, writer
Friday, November 10, 2006
Jack Palance, 87
Doesn't seem to be a good year for the stars of 'City Slickers'. First Bruno Kirby and now Jack Palance. Hopefully Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern & Helen Slater are all still taking their vitamins. When I was a kid I didn't know that Jack Palance was a film star. I just thought he was that creepy guy from 'Ripleys Believe it Or Not'. I used to love watching that show on Sunday nights wasn't too fond of his daughter, Holly, co-hosting but it definitely jumped the shark when she was replaced by Marie Osmond.
He had an incredible striking face, which I just found out, was partially due to his boxing career and from bailing out of a burning B-24 during a training excersize. Even with plastic surgery he was left with distinct features.
His acting career started in 1947 with a stint on Broadway and he moved up to film roles by 1950. In 1991 he played Curly Washburn in the movie City Slickers for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. That year the host of the Awards show was Billy Crystal, his co-star in City Slickers. He started out his acceptance speech with "Billy Crystal...I crap bigger then him". He followed it up by doing some one arm pushups.
Mr Palance died at his home in California of natural causes.
February 18, 1919 - November 10, 2006
RIP
Labels: 1919 births, 2006 November deaths, actor, natural causes
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Jane Wyatt, 96
For years the television was my babysitter. Except at my babysitters house, there I just read books by Judy Blume & Daniel Pinkwater. I was occasionally allowed to watch TV when my babysitters daughter wasnÃ’t glued in front of it but even then I was to watch only MTV during their dinner time and let the daughter & mom know when a Journey video came on so they could swoon over Steve Perry.Oops, I'm off the subject again...stay the course.
Anyway television jaded my perception of reality. All messed up situations could be solved within a half an hour (actually 23 minutes if you deduct commercial time) and there would either be a group hug at the end or if it was one of those 'very special’ episodes everyone would be bummed out until next week. I often worked situations in my life like this but nothing ever works out the way TV says it should.
The television series 'Father Knows Best' played into my distorted sense of reality. During the series' 6 year run Robert Young (aka Father) was able to clear up any overblown tragedy like it was nothing. Jane Wyatt played the 'Mother' and would sometimes lend a helping hand...you know when she wasn't busy cleaning or baking cookies.
Ms. Wyatt was raised in New York City and she attended some pretty prestigious private schools. Two years into her college career at Barnard College, Jane left to start her acting training; she made her Broadway debut only after six months of apprenticeship. She went on to star in her first film role in 1934. Star Trek geeks may remember her apperance in a 1967 episode where she portrayed Spocks mom - a role she reprised in the 1986 movie Star Trek: The Voyage Home. But more then anything she'll be remembered for her role as Margaret Anderson for which she won 3 consecutive Emmy's.
Ms. Wyatt passed away from natural causes in her BelAire, California home.
August 12, 1910 - October 20, 2006
RIP
Labels: 1910 births, 2006 October deaths, actor, natural causes
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Pat Morita, 73
A little known wired fact about Happy Days is that the character played by Al Molinaro 'Alfred 'Al' Delvecchio' was named after Red Wing great Alex Delvecchio. I can't remember where I heard that from, it just seems to be one of those useless knowledge items that I can't seem to drop out of my head. I always thought that Arnolds was named after Al, it wasn't until I looked it up on imdb that I saw Matsuo 'Arnold' Takahashi character came first. I guess that's why I would bomb the '70's sitcom' portion of Jeopardy.
Mr. Morita's had a pretty crappy start in life. He was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis that left him in body casts and immobile until he was 11, at which time he had to learn how to walk all over again. Shortly after he got back on his feet World War 2 started and he was shipped off to a Japanese interment camp for the duration of the war.
He started his acting career by becoming a stand up comedian and working with the LA Group the Groundlings.
I'm not a huge Miyagi fan - I liked Mr. Morita more as Captian Sam Pak, but I guess that just a personal thing.
Mr. Morita passed away on Thanksgiving Day from natural causes, surrounded by his wife, ex-wife and his children.
June 28, 1932 - November 24, 2005
RIP
Labels: 1932 births, 2005 November deaths, actor, natural causes
Monday, October 24, 2005
Rosa Parks, 92
In the summer of 1985, while away at summer camp, I had my one and only big sister. Her name was Laurie and she had to be the sweetest person I’d ever met in my whole life with an incredibly angelic voice. I wrote my mom and dad about her and they wrote back that they couldn’t wait to meet her. You can’t imagine how excited I was when Parents Day rolled around and I pointed her out when she sang the National Anthem at the Swim Show, I didn’t realize my parents’ jaws could drop that low. To me Laurie was the best-est person in the whole world; to my parents she was black.
The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 just 8 years before I was born. I know attitudes don’t change over night but every once in awhile my parents or grandparents will say or do something that blows my mind and that at one time in America it was all perfectly normal. It’s just the color of skin we’re not that different underneath it all.
Right down the road we’ve got The Henry Ford Museum that proudly displays the Rosa Parks Bus and patrons can walk through and see that a little place like that made a huge difference in the lives of so many people.
As a side note, I was in Atlanta on Monday for business. A co-worker, from Michigan, and her date, a local resident, were giving me the nickel tour showing me the sites. One thing that kept on coming up was that the city was still really segregated, and even some of her date’s comments were archaic. Pretty mind blowing.
Mrs. Parks made her home in Detroit in 1959 and worked for Congressman John Conyers. She passed away Monday, October 24th
February 13, 1913 - October 24, 2005
RIP
Labels: 1913 births, 2005 October deaths, activist, historical, natural causes, political
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Matthew McGrory, 32
My world is rather small. I live in a small house, in a small town, occassionally I'm small minded, my income is small as well as my self-esteem. The only access to the big world is television and radio...mostly radio because I have it on all day at work.
Matthew McGrory was bigger then life. He was 7'6" with a Guiness Book of Records shoe size of 29.5. Basically he stood out in a crowd. He appeared on The Howard Stern show many times, as well as a Marilyn Manson video, the movies "Bubble Boy" and "Big Fish" (one of my personal favorities).
He passed away from natural causes.
May 17, 1973 - August 9, 2005
Rest in Peace big guy.
Labels: 1973 births, 2005 August deaths, actor, natural causes
Friday, June 24, 2005
Paul Winchell, 82
Ventriloquists always kind of spooked me out...maybe it was because of that creepy Anthony Hopkins flick "Magic" that I saw as a kid. But if I was into them this guy would be my all time favorite. The name may not be familiar but his voice was. Back in the early 80's kids would either be mesmorized by the Transformers or the Smurfs...it was like some sort of evil religion that took over the youth of America. I was a Smurf-aholic. I had the stickers, the backpack, the lunch box, millions of 1-1/2" high figurines!!! I was crazy about the smurfs - they were smurf-tacular. Back then I was secretly jealous of Smurfette, she didn't belong, she came in late in the game, she was created by Gargamel as a way to infiltrate the Smurf village. THEN she got all pretty because she became 'good' (bleech) and all the boys wanted her. There's more I could rant about but that would delve deep into my neurosis and be horribly off the subject.
We didn't know Paul Winchell but we did know his voice. On the Smurfs he was the voice of Gargamel & Baby Smurf (he needed a voice?), as well as other characters such as Dick Dastardly, Winnie the Pooh's own Tigger, and countless others.
Thanks for keeping me entertained on Saturdays.
For more about Paul Winchell check out this web site
RIP
December 21, 1922 - June 24, 2005
Labels: 1922 births, 2005 June deaths, natural causes, television
Monday, April 18, 2005
Debralee Scott, 52
Debralee Scott
I LOVED Hotsy Totsy - she was ballsy and funny...not easy things to accomplish for the all male cast of Welcome Back Kotter. Ironically she retired to Florida in April 2004 to take care of her ailing sister however she fell into an unexplainable coma a few days before her 52nd birthday, she recovered and was released only to pass away in her sleep.
Rest in Peace
Picture courtesy of Feathered Back Hair Site
April 2, 1953 - April 5, 2005
RIP
Labels: 1953 births, 2005 April deaths, actor, natural causes
