Thursday, January 26, 2017

Catching Up with the Celebrity Tributes

Well, finally I found time to do this post!

We're almost done with January, and it's been relatively free of celebrity deaths that meant much to me personally. However, this month has seen a handful that I'd like to mention here and now. Due to time limitations (my own), I'll keep my comments to a minimum.

1. Mary Tyler Moore, 1936-2017, R.I.P.


Well, this was a shock. Actress Mary Tyler Moore was a sitcom icon, after having appeared in not just one but two of what were arguably some of the best sitcoms of all time, The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. If this multiple Emmy winner had done nothing more than those two shows -- but she did quite a bit more -- she'd be memorable.







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2. Miguel Ferrer, 1955-2017, R.I.P.


I'd been aware of Miguel Ferrer, son of Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney (and cousin of George Clooney), since I saw him in RoboCop... but of all his roles -- usually of the "tough guy" types -- I most enjoyed seeing him as the sarcastic and abrasive FBI agent, Albert Rosenfield in TV's Twin Peaks. Ferrer died of throat cancer at the age of 61. He reprised his role on Showtime's Twin Peaks revival, which will be aired in 2017.



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3. Dick Gautier, 1931-2017, R.I.P.


I was a fan of Dick Gautier's from the mid-sixties and on, from appearances on shows such as Get Smart and Mister Terrific. Later on I enjoyed him in Mel Brooks' TV sitcom, When Things Were Rotten, where Gautier played Robin Hood.

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4. Tommy Allsup, 1931-2017, R.I.P.


Allsup was touring with Buddy Holly in early 1959, and famously "lost" a coin toss with Ritchie Valens that kept Allsup off the plane that crashed, killing Holly, Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson.

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5. William Peter Blatty, 1928-2017, R.I.P.


Blatty was the author of 1971's The Exorcist, and its Academy Award-winning screenplay. This is a story that scared the living crap out of people, both in print and in the theaters. I've read the book and seen the movie, and enjoyed both.

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Thanks for your time.

16 comments:

  1. Great tributes and love the pictures and the short tributes. I was sad to hear about Dick Gautier because he was such a staple in the 60's and 70's. I am also very sad about Mary Tyler Moore because she is actually the youngest cast member from both shows...excluding the one who played her son in the Dick Van Dyke show.

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    1. Glad you liked the brief tributes. This could have been a lonnnng post!

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  2. Knew who most were at my sea. Miguel Ferrer I remember in Robocop and he was on NCIS LA

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    1. I was aware of his being on NCIS but never watched the show.

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  3. If morning shows the day then the rest of 2017 is going to be as bad as 2016. Tough January on all counts everywhere.

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  4. Im so sad by Mary Tyler Moore ! I love her, pretty, funny, lovely and read about her life times ago. Wasnt easy.
    A lovely woman .

    And Im sorry by Miguel Ferrer, so young still, I saw many movies and series with him, and amazing actor!!
    Thanks by sharing !!

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  5. Looks like you're going to have a busy January of tributes, if this week is any representative. Mike Connors ("Mannix") died this week, as well as William Hurt. Sigh.

    These were great tributes, though! I don't know anyone who didn't love Mary Tyler Moore.

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    1. There's some confusion in what's been reported by the media. John Hurt died. William Hurt, thankfully, is still alive. I found an obituary with a headline of "Actor William Hurt Dead at 77" which shows a photo of John Hurt and all the relevant details for him and his career.

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    2. Oh, my goodness. You just busted me for being dumb. I knew it was John Hurt and am not entirely sure what made me type "William."

      On an only semi-related side note, once, in a college English composition course, I did an essay on a William Blake poem. Halfway through the essay, somehow I started referring to him as Henry Blake and never noticed it. I blame college life and writing the essay the night before it was due. At any rate, my teacher gave me an A despite noting "Henry Blake is on M*A*S*H, FYI."

      I need to bring my whole brain to these blog-reading moments.

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    3. Henry Blake? That's pretty funny.

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  6. oh no! i didn't hear about miguel ferrer! sigh. the memoriam for the oscars this year will be sad. and now it looks like that this year is starting out the same. double sigh.

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  7. Ferrer died of throat cancer at the age of 61? Oh man... that can't be right.

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