Angus Lennie, 1930-2014, R.I.P.

Long-time readers of this blog – meaning those who've been with me since last Thursday or so – may recall my claiming to have a rather unique “kiss of death” power when it comes to various celebrities.
Here's how it works:

 Every so often, I'll think about some celebrity – actor, singer, politician – who hasn't crossed my mind in years. And I'll wonder whatever happened to him or her. Well, with the handy-dandy nature of the internet, it's easy enough to do a quick search and find out whatever did happen to him or her.

Unfortunately, in the great majority of those instances, I'll learn that the celebrity in question has died. Recently.

Or, in a similar vein, I'll be watching a DVD of some old movie or tv show and wonder whatever happened to an actor or actress. Then I do an internet search on him or her, and again, discover that the person in question has passed away. Recently.

It's almost as if my sudden interest in a person either causes their death, or perhaps is in response to their death. I'm kidding, of course, kinda/sorta, but sometimes I wonder!

Anyway, the other night I was watching my DVD of 1963's The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and an impressive ensemble cast.

The first time I ever saw that movie, it was in the late 1960s, a few years after its 1963 release. It was broadcast in two parts, on consecutive evenings, on the NBC network. Part One ended dramatically with the attempted escape and machine-gunning to death of a character named Archibald Ives, nicknamed "the Mole."

Ives was played by Angus Lennie.

Ives the Mole was probably Lennie's best-known role during his long career, although he also appeared in the cast of the British soap opera Crossroads from 1974 to 1981... so my British readers may also know him from there.

Wouldn't you know it, but just a few nights ago, as I watched the movie, I wondered whatever became of Mr. Lennie. After all, the movie was made 51 years ago, and those who played most of the principal characters -- McQueen, Garner, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, even director John Sturges -- are no longer with us.

So on a whim, I did a Google search for Angus Lennie, only to find -- you guessed it -- that he had passed away on September 14. Recently.

Anyway I decided to write a rather long-winded post about the death of "Ives," whose cinematic demise made such an impression upon my young self... and to spin the tale once again about my tendency to "off" celebrities!

Thanks for your time.

Fifty Questions, Part Five

Here we go, folks! The last installment of Fifty Questions!

41. Last time you were insulted?

Wow, it's been years since I've really been insulted, unless you count instances where someone insulted my intelligence by their actions or words.

Occasionally, I've been misjudged, certainly, and there was one rather immature idiot who began referring to me as "Davey" because she knew I didn't like it, and thought it would anger me.

(She failed miserably, by the way. Heh.)

 

42. Favorite flavor of sweet?

Not really much for sweets in general, which is good because I'm diabetic. I used to like Hershey's Cookies'n'Creme candy bar, though, not to mention several different brands that existed when I was a child. No, wait. If I'm going to mention candies I liked as a kid, I'd probably say Zero! (See photo at top.)

43. What instruments do you play?

I've been the lead singer in a handful of rock'n'roll bands. So I guess my instrument would be what, throat? Sounds rather suggestive...
 
44. Favorite piece of jewelry?

I rarely if ever wear jewelry. I'd have to say a pocket watch that belonged to my great-grandfather (IIRC). I never carry it, it's packed away safely.

45. Last sport you played?

Probably baseball. And it would have been many years ago. I don't particularly like sports.
 

Not bad. This picture sleeve features a barely-recognizable

photo of Paul, and it mis-labels "If I Fell" as "If I Feel!"

46. Last song you sang?

That's a tough one. My favorite radio station plays a huge variety of songs from the 1950s through the 1970s. (Unfortunately, it's hard to get good reception if you're outside of their parking lot.) I sing along with some of the stuff they play, so I'm going to say it was "I Should Have Known Better" by the Beatles!

47. Favorite chat up line?

("Chat-up?" Did this survey originate in Great Britain?)  In the USA, that's a "pick-up line," and I don't like them, don't believe in them, and never use them.

48. Have you ever used it?

As a great man once said, "I don't like them, don't believe in them, and never use them. "
 

49.  Last time you hung out with anyone?

That would be my best friend, John.

50. Who should answer these questions next?

Ah, there's a loaded question. I don't want to turn this into any more of a chain-letter thing than it is already, so how about if I do not pass the baton any further?

Thanks for your time.

Fifty Questions, Part Four

Howdy, fellow babies! Here I am with the penultimate offering in my "Fifty Questions" series!

31. Last book you read?

When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection -- Norman R. Yetman (Editor)

An exceptionally poignant quote from the book, here... Delicia Patterson, a former slave, was 92 years old when interviewed in 1937. She was quoted as saying "I think the time will soon be when people won't be looked on as regards to whether you are black or white, but all on the same equality. I may not live to see it but it is on the way. Many don't believe it, but I know it." Well, things have improved, but we're still waiting.

 
32. Book you are currently reading?

Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood -- Mark A. Vieira

33. Last show you watched?

Person of Interest.

34. Last person you talked to?

As of this writing? (Things will have changed by the time this sees publication!) The librarian who gave me extra time on the library computer.

35. The relationship between you and the person you just texted?

Jenni. I call her my "daughter." In reality, she's like a daughter to me. I was engaged to her mom for several years while she was growing up, and helped to raise her.

36. Favorite food?

Four-way tie: Fried oysters, boneless Chinese spareribs (very well done), McDonald's Filet-o-Fish, boneless buffalo wings.

 
37. Place you want to visit?

Ireland.

38. Last place you were?

The library in Webster, Massachusetts.

39.  Do you have a crush?

Not nowadays. When I was younger, I had celebrity crushes now and then. My very first celebrity crush was an actress named Noelle Adam, and my first "real-world" crush was with an older girl -- she must have been nine or ten years old, when I was around six -- named Crystal.

40. Last time you kissed someone?

Damn, that's been weeks, anyway...  What a depressing note on which to end.

One chapter left, fellow babies. Hope you haven't been too bored.

Thanks for your time.

Fifty Questions, Part Three

 

Hello, fellow babies! Here we are with Part Three of Fifty Questions. Hope you're enjoying this. There are two more posts remaining after today's!

21.  How long does it take you to shower?

About three or four minutes... if I'm alone.

22.  How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Baby, I was born ready! Oh, you mean ready to go out and start my day? Twenty to thirty minutes.

23. Ever been in a physical fight?

Several. The outcomes varied.

24. Turn on?

Asian women, very slight overbites (think Gene Tierney, pictured above), green-eyed women. If I ever find a green-eyed Asian woman -- good luck -- with a very slight overbite... I'll marry her.

25. Turn-off?

People who call their loved ones "Boo" or "Boo-Boo." If your name isn't Arthur "Boo" Radley, I don't wanna hear it. And Yogi Bear's sidekick, Boo-Boo, is an annoying little twerp.

26. The reason you started blogging?

I wanted to share my brilliance with the world. *ahem*


 27. Fears?

Members of the Green Lantern Corps are not allowed to fear. (I didn't make that up... but someone else did...)

28. Last thing that made you cry?

Allergies, smartass.

29. Last time you said you loved someone?

To quote Rick in Casablanca, "That's so long ago, I don't remember."

30. Meaning behind the name of your blog (The Lair of the Silver Fox)?

One of my former readers gave me the "Silver Fox" nickname when I was writing my David'Z RantZ blog. When I started a new blog -- which was originally designed to showcase my "serious" writing -- I thought The Lair of the Silver Fox sounded clever.

That's it for now! Part Four in a couple of days!

Thanks for your time

Fifty Questions, Part Two

Well, here we are with Part Two of Fifty Questions... as it says above. Duh.

11. Something you miss?

The 1960s (and early 1970s). Not to relive the hippie era. I was a little too young for that. I'm referring to a very happy childhood which I wouldn't mind reliving. (Pictured above is one of the coolest toys I ever owned, the Horrorscope. When they show up, they sell for well over $1,000!)

12. Favorite Song?

Probably Stand By Me, but as much as I love all the versions I've heard, my favorite is by Spyder Turner.

13. How old are you?

57, but not for very much longer...


And you can cut me in half and count the rings, if you don't believe me!

14. Zodiac sign?

Scorpio!

15. Quality to look for in a partner.

The ability to meet deadlines!!!

Oh, I thought you meant a writing partner! For a romantic partner... She has to understand my sense of humor, and that to me, few things are sacred.

(Notice how I amazingly answered that question without bringing up anything sexual?)

16. Favorite Quote? 

"Someone like you makes it hard to live without somebody else." -- Tim Hardin
 
17. Favorite Actor?

Robert De Niro.

18. Favorite Color?

Black. If you don't consider that a "real" color... green.

19. Loud music or soft?

Since when is that an either/or kinda thing? I have over 2,000 45s, over 1,000 LPs, hundreds of CDs, and there are a lot of songs I love which I don't own. It would be pretty incredible if I were only to like one type.

20. Where do you go when you are sad?

There's a nearby brothel that... Okay, okay, seriously? I usually just stay at home, or go out for a drive, gas tank permitting.

That's it for now. Part Three will be coming at ya in a couple of days!

Thanks for your time. 

Separated at Birth?

A couple of weeks ago, I was binge-watching the entirety of the mid-1970s Ellery Queen TV show, which I own on DVD. (The series is highly recommended and available here.)

Anyway, one episode guest-starred Vincent Price. A different episode guest-starred Eve Arden.

Now, although the title of this post is "Separated at Birth?" I don't intend to suggest that Mr. Price and Ms. Arden look alike... but they sure do act alike! It's uncanny. Watching one after watching the other, you can't help but be struck by the similarities.

It's almost as if ol' Vinnie had dressed up in drag -- and it wouldn't be the first time, ya know? -- to play Eve's role!

Thanks for your time.

Fifty Questions, Part One

I've been issued a challenge! Janie Junebug, of the WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME blog, recently answered 50 -- count 'em, 50 -- nosy questions, which Janie referred to as "The Spanish Inquisition." The questions were sent to Janie by andi filante (who called them "50 freakin' questions") of the delusions of ingenuity blog, and Janie passed them to me.

I'm going to steal an idea from Janie and split these fifty questions and answers into multiple posts -- five, to be exact -- to spare you fellow babies from a really lonnng post! You're welcome.

Oh, and one friendly warning. Some of these questions are very personal, and to paraphrase Tina Turner, I nevah, evah do nothin' very personal -- not on my blog, certainly -- so whenever a really serious, in-depth question arises... I'll probably lie.

Okay, here goes nothing...

1. What are you wearing? 

Black, of course. Okay, truth be told, black jeans, black socks, a black t-shirt and a navy blue button-down shirt, for that unexpected splash of color. *ahem*

2. Ever been in love?

Of course. When I was seventeen, I had a brief fling with a circus acrobat named Talia. She taught me something called The Heimlicker Maneuver (sic) and I fell in love with it... and her, by extension.

3. Ever have a terrible break-up?

Does a restraining order count? (Oh. Sorry. That "answering a question with a question" is an Irish thing.)

4. How tall are you?

5'6"

5. How much do you weigh?

Now, you see? That's precisely the kind of question I don't intend to answer. Heh.

6. Any tattoos?

No... but if I were ever to get one, I know what it would be. The tattoo would be of a scorpion, with a baby dragon sleeping in the curve of the scorpion's tail. The baby dragon would be sleeping with one eye open.

7. Any piercings?

No. I've pierced a few other people, but only during physical altercations.

8. OTP (One true pair, favorite fictional couple?)

It's a tie. Hermie and Dorothy, from Summer of '42 (the book) and Summer of '42 (the movie), and Rick and Ilsa from Casablanca. (I was going to put Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but you didn't mean that kind of couple, did you?)

9. Favorite Show?

Modern? Breaking Bad.

10. Favorite Bands?

Oh, I get more than one? Good. (Let's go totally crazy and include solo artists, too!) These are from my Blogger profile: The Doors, The (early) Beatles, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Herman's Hermits, The Guess Who, (early) Led Zeppelin, Oingo Boingo, U-2, Barbara Lewis, Ray Charles, Wynonie Harris, Lesley Gore, Graham Nash, The Beach Boys, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Billie Holiday, Willie Dixon, Jay and the Americans (but ONLY IF the "Jay" is Jay Black or Jay Traynor), Muddy Waters, Jim Croce, Queen, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Joe South, Bad Company, Hoodoo Gurus, John Denver, Big Daddy, Redd Kross, Shonen Knife, Velvet Mafia, Dan Fogelberg, and Pink Floyd.

That's it for today, fellow babies. I'll have Part Two ready for ya in a few days... after a brief, totally strange post.

Thanks for your time.