The news story rivaling the economy and the presidential race this weekend is the death of beloved Hollywood acting legend, Paul Newman. But Newman was exemplary in other roles in his life as well. As a husband his 50 year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward was proof positive that indeed a happy marriage could exist in Hollywood. As a father he shielded his 3 daughters from the spotlight choosing to raise his family in quiet Westport, Connecticut. As a philanthropist he established the Hole in the Wall camps for terminally ill children and of course the famous Newman's Own food products to fund the camps and various other charitable causes.
Newman has been described as an "actor's actor" and indeed he was. He trained at the Yale School of Drama and at the legendary Actor's Studio under Lee Strassberg along with such actors as Marlon Brando and Montgomery Cliff. We are lucky to have some of his early performances on film such as Sweet Bird of Youth and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which serve as a snapshot to the state of the art of acting at a critical turning point in the craft as we know it. Newman went on to star in Butch Cassidyand theSundance Kid, The Sting and The Color of Money, for which he won an Oscar, among dozens of other films. He died of lung cancer at his home in Connecticut. He was 83.
Well, this one caught me by surprise. Beloved comedian George Carlin died this week. I'm late in reporting it because of the whirlwind past few days I've had plus a big event at work. But more on all that later. George Carlin was a groundbreaking comedian among the counter culture voices of the '60 and has been influencing young comedians ever since. His ability to question convention and mores of the day while making it side-splittingly funny indeed helped spread the causes of his generation through the voice of humor. This is the mark of a true satyirst, on a par with Oscar Wilde or Will Rogers.
I was first introduced to George Carlin by Mr. Heumer, my 7th grade social studies teacher. More on him later, too. Mr. Heumer's curriculum included all parts of social history including music, art and even humor. He brought in a recording of George Carlin's famous Baseball/Football comparison. As was quoted in his New York Times obituary:
"Baseball is a 19th-century pastoral game,” he said. “Football is a 20th-centurytechnological struggle. Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park. The baseballpark! Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium sometimes called SoldierField or War Memorial Stadium.”
Way back in 7th grade George Carlin spoke to me. Anyone who would dare poke fun of two of America's most beloved and most macho institutions and make them seem completely ridiculous was my kind of guy. George Carlin was 71
Today the Hollywood firmament lost one of the last great stars from the Golden Age of movie musicals, Cyd Charisse. She studied under Najinkska in the '30s and danced with the Ballet Rousse till the outbreak of the War. From there she came to the attention of MGM studios where she was given specialty ballet numbers until it became apparent that Charisse's star quality deserved more than an occasional number here and there. Soon she became the partner of choice of both of Hollywood's greatest dancing men, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. She is best known for her work in The Band Wagon, Singing in the Rain, Silk Stockings, It's Always Fair Weather, Brigadoon and others.
I first became aware of Cyd Charisse when I developed an unnatural affinity for Fred Astaire movies as a child. Even late in her career Charisse graced Broadway with an appearance in Grand Hotel in the '90s to the delight of her die-hard fans. The show quite famously capitalized on her popularity with one of those man-on-the-street commercials where an elderly lady hilariously proclaimed in a thick New York accent "I LOVE huh! I LOVE huh!" And so did I. Cyd Charisse was 86.
Just in case you need a reminder of her brilliance as a dancer, check out the clip from the Broadway Melody sequence from Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly.
Well, I'm back. Which is kind of a play on words because the source of most of my misery this week has been my back. My achin' back to be more precise. Is there anything worse? And don't say childbirth. Tooth pain is pretty bad, too. Dry sockets following four wisdom tooth extractions--not pretty. Been there. Thank you all to those who left such lovely get-well wishes. Anywho...because there's so much to catch up on I guess I this is going to be one of those random thoughts posts. Let's see, where to begin?
Friday brought another crane collapse here in Manhattan. Perhaps this will mean a much needed slowdown to the building boom that is seemingly out of control in this city. It has me and many other New Yorkers walking alternate routes just to avoid construction sites these days. On top of that the grave atmosphere has put a damper on things at work since I work in the construction industry. You didn't know that, did you? Yup, it's true. Pretty butch, right? Impressed? Well--don't be. It's not actual construction work. Just to dash any butch images you might have of me, I was among the first of my friends to see the Sex and the City movie! I just popped some pain killers and propped myself up at the Chelsea Clearview Cinemas to enjoy the show. Yes--if you can, you must see it in the gayest movie theatre in town. I enjoyed it and was never a regular viewer of the show.
Random non sequitur: Do you remember the name of the construction worker in the Village People? I do. David Hodo. He was my favorite. (Pictured left)
I would be remiss not to mention the passing of two show business greats: Harvey Korman and Sydney Pollack. Korman is best known for his brilliant comedic work on the Carol Burnett Show. Not only did he create hilarious characters like Max to Burnett's Nora Desmond, Ed, opposite Burnett's iconic Eunice in the Family skits and perhaps my favorite, Mother Marcus, a drag character based on Korman's real-life Yiddish grandmother.
Sydney Pollack was of course a much accomplished actor and an Academy Award winning director. Gay audiences will always remember him as Will Truman's philandering, but understanding, totally-cool-with-his-son's-homosexuality father on Will and Grace--the super PC Dad so many gay men probably wished they had.
I was saddened to read today of the death of Tony Award winning costume designer, Alvin Colt. Alvin was the original designer for such iconic Broadway hits as Guys & Dolls, On the Town, Li'l Abner and many others. At the time of his 90th birthday, Alvin figured that he had probably costumed about 90 productions including regional and off-Broadway credits. He served as mentor to costume designer Bob Mackie who said of his work "Alvin could do a costume that would walk on stage and get a laugh before the actor even opened his mouth." I can personally attest to that fact as I had the pleasure of working with Alvin some 9 or 10 years ago. When you wear a costume designed by Alvin half your work is done for you. He was a quiet, gentle-giant of a man (nearly 7 feet tall), unassuming with a devilish sense of humor and a genius imagination. Alvin worked on perennial Off-Broadway hit, Forbidden Broadway right up to his death. He was 91.
Suzanne Pleshette, one TV land's most beloved actresses, died this week. Probably best known for her role as Emily Hartley on the Bob Newhart show, her pairing opposite Newhart was the stuff of TV legend. She was the consumate "straight man" to Newhart's signature dry wit and her character, Emily, was a model for contemporary women of the 1970s: smart, independant, professional and able to match her husband wit for wit. She would reprise this role in the now famous final episode of Newhart when the entire series was revealed to be the dream of Bob Hartley, the character Newhart originated opposite Pleshette in the '70s.
She began her career on Broadway in the late 50s and made television appearances on some of the best series of the day including Playhouse 90 and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She was later cast again by Hitchcock in his classic The Birds in which she played school teacher Annie Hayworth. A television mainstay through the 80s and 90s, Pleshette's final role was as Karen Walker's mother on Will and Grace.
Coincidentally, Scott and I have been DVRing TheBob Newhart Show reruns lately on American Life TV and rediscovering the brilliance of the series. Suzanne Pleshette died of respiratory failure following a bout with lung cancer. She was 70.
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New York and Hollywood were shocked by the news that actor Heath Ledger was found dead today in a SoHo apartment. Originally from Perth, Australia, Ledger came to Hollywood and was poised to become heart-throb material after appearing in such teen-flicks as "10 Things I Hate About You". But rather than become a pretty-boy studio product, Ledger was particular about the roles he chose and went on to appear in such notable films as The Patriot and Monsters Ball among others.
It was his breakout role as Ennis Del Mar in 2005's Brokeback Mountain that garnered him an Oscar nomination and made him one of the promising young actors to watch. This role also endeared him to the gay community because of his honest portrayal of a man emotionally paralyzed by his feelings until he meets and falls in love with Jack Twist, the man with whom he would have an ongoing affair for years. Instead of fearing the career fallout often associated with playing gay roles, Ledger jumped at the chance. In an interview at the time he described the role as "the most...complex and internal character I've been offered...it just hadn't been put to screen before....I'd be crazy to turn it down."
Ledger's final role is as The Joker in the latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight, to be released later this year. The facts surrounding his death are still under investigation although alleged drugs and a possible accidental overdose have been mentioned. Heath Ledger was 28.
With all the holiday activity I’m a little late in reporting this, but legendary Broadway and Hollywood choreographer Michael Kidd died this week. (Pictured above, left, on set with Gene Kelly) A native of Brooklyn, Kidd got his start at the American School of Ballet and went on to become a principle ballet dancer. He eventually crossed over to Broadway where he became one of the best choreographers in the business winning five Tony Awards. His credits read like a chapter out of Musical Theatre history with Guys & Dolls, Finian’s Rainbow, Can Can, Li’l Abner and Wildcat among them.
Kidd was equally in demand in Hollywood at MGM studios during its golden age of musicals in the 1950s. There he choreographed for the likes of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charise among others. He credited his signature athletic style to movements that came from real life and fit the characters for whom he was choreographing. Perhaps the best example of this is the Barn Raising sequence in the 1954 classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers--one of the best dance sequences ever to be put on film. With the task of choreographing a ballet for lumberjacks, Kidd included such actions as ax wielding and log rolling into the number forever dispelling the myth that dancing is for sissies.
Michael Kidd died of cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 92. Click below to watch the Barn Raising sequence from Seven Brides.
It is with sadness that I report the death of one of my favorite actresses: Deborah Kerr. An actress trained in the classic English tradition, Kerr's technique adapted well to her many co-stars from Cary Grant to Yul Brynner and was always exciting to watch. Deborah Kerr is one of the few actresses whose considerable range we are fortunate enough to have captured on film forever. She easily and convincingly went from roles as nuns and school marms to that of seductresses and adulteresses. She was nominated for an Oscar 6 times, most notably for her roles in From Here to Eternity, The King and I and Tea and Sympathy, a role she originated on Broadway for which she won a Tony nomination.
It was in The King and I at the age of 10 that I first learned who Deborah Kerr was. I was cast in my very first real-live community theatre production of that show. I was quickly bitten by the theatre bug and pursued recordings and anything I could having to do with the show. To this day the "Shall We Dance" polka scene in The King and I remains one of my all time favorite screen moments ever. Another one of my favorite screen moments is the beach scene in From Here to Eternity which I've embedded below. Watch and enjoy.
Deborah Kerr died from complications of Parkinson's Disease. She was 86.
One of television's best-loved character actresses, Alice Ghostely, died this past weekend after a long battle with cancer. Perhaps most famous for her role as the lovably befuddled housekeeper, Esmeralda, on Bewitched, Ghostley got her start on the Broadway stage in New Faces of 1952where she became a star along side other such "new faces" as Eartha Kitt and Paul Lynde singing her signature "Boston Beguine" for the first time. Though a master of comic timing, she went on to win a Tony Award in 1965 for a dramatic role in The Sign in Sydney Brustein's Window. Over the years Ghostley popped up all over TV-land in supporting roles and guest spots that would re-energize even the most stale sit-com for her brief appearance. In the late '80s Ghostley was introduced to a whole new generation of TV viewers as Bernice Clifton, the eccentric dotty neighbor of the Sugarbaker sisters on Designing Women which earned her an Emmy nomination in 1992. Her 31 film credits include such classics as The Graduateand To Kill a Mockingbird. One of my personal favorite Alice Ghostley roles was as one of the stepsisters in Rodgers & Hammerstein's 1957 television version of Cinderella opposite Kaye Ballard (inspired casting!) and starring Julie Andrews. Ballard remained a friend to the end releasing news of Ghostely's death to the press saying among other things "She was an exceptional actress...(Alice) was gentle and she was sincere and she was kind and she never said a cruel thing about anyone -- ever...But she was superior in everything she did. She was a special, special person." Alice Ghostley died at her home in Studio City, California. She was 81.
This week the opera world lost the closest thing it has to a rock star: Luciano Pavarotti. Considered by many the greatest tenor since Caruso, Pavarotti's god-given voice, ability to sail through cadenzas with ease and seemingly tireless ability to hit high Cs became the wonder and envy of other tenors. Known for his gift with the Italian language, Luciano became the quintessential Italian tenor with roles by Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini as his specialties. His rise to stardom had as much to do with his vocal ability as it did his affable personality. He is one of the few opera stars who achieved success as a cross over artist appealing to a much wider audience through his Three Tenors series of concerts with Placido Domingo and Jose Careras and charitable concerts with the likes of Sting and Elton John.
As a young voice student stumbling my way through the requisite "24 Italian Songs and Arias" my voice teacher advised "Only listen to Luciano--no one else." He was an inspiration to me then and remains so. He was quoted as having said "I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to." Pavarotti died of the devestating disease of pancreatic cancer near his home in Modena, Italy. He was 71.
This week New York mourns the loss of one of its native sons and most iconic figures. The former New York Yankees' shortstop Phil Rizzuto died of pneumonia Wednesday. His voice and trade mark "Holy Cow!" had become synonymous with the Yankees during his long career as the team announcer. He played for the Yankees during the glory days of 1941 to 1956. I remember him mostly for this Money Store commercials in the 1970s. When Yankees owner George Steinbrenner learned of Rizzuto's death, he said "Heaven must have needed a shortstop." Phil Rizzuto was 89.
Today marked the death of New York socialite and philanthropist, Brook Astor. Many of New York's venerable institutions such as the The New York Public Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and even the Bronx Zoo owe a debt of gratitude to the generosity of Mrs. Astor. Her contributions came at a time when many had given up on New York as crime soared and the city's coffers were near bankruptcy. She also made sizable donations to The Fresh Air Fund, charities for the blind and maternity care for inner-city women. Her husband, Vincent Astor, once joked that his wife would have a ball giving away his money after his death, and indeed all told Mrs. Astor gave away close to $200 million. She was quoted as saying "Money is like manure--it should be spread around."
Coincidentally, I met a friend of my sister's down in Asbury Park a couple weeks ago who served as Mrs. Astor's butler for a time while she was in her 90's. He had nothing but praise and kind words for her and said she treated every one of the staff with the utmost empathy and respect. Mrs. Astor was 105.
Lady Bird Johnson died this week. A feminist who spoke out in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment and an environmentalist, Lady Bird was ahead of her time. She began the first piece of legislation introduced by a First Lady that was signed into law: The Highway Beautification Act.
I had the privilege of performing for Ms. Johnson and her daughter Linda Bird back in 1995 while I was working on a cruise ship. She still had the grace and poise befitting a First Lady and I feel honored to have met her. She died of natural causes at the age of 94.
This morning when I woke up and turned on the TV I was saddened to learn that Charles Nelson Reilly had died over the weekend due to complications from pneumonia. To the television generation Reilly was mostly known as a fixture on game shows like Match Game, Tattletales and Hollywood Squares. I remember him from re-runs of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir with the beautiful Hope Lange in which he played the fussy, put-upon Claymore Gregg, the only living relative of the ghost, Captain Daniel Gregg, played by Edward Mulhare. He also starred in a couple of Saturday morning television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft of H.R. Pufnstuff fame endearing him to a generation of children.
But Reilly was much more than a game show punchline. He got his start on Broadway having created such roles as Bud Frump in How to Suceed in Business... for which he won a Tony award and the love-sick Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly! for which he was nominated. He was an acting student of legendary teacher Uta Hagenand went on to become a renowned acting teacher at the famous H.B. Studiosin New York. He also directed operas and plays and earned a Tony nomination for best director for a production of The Gin Game with his dear friend Julie Harris.
Late in his career Reilly starred in an autobiographical one-man show called Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly. In it he told a story from early in his career in which he recounts a meeting with an NBC executive who told him "they don't put queers on TV." Reilly of course went on to become one of the most recognizable television faces of the 1970s. He carved out work for himself where he could, often playing the sissified fop, a movie staple left over from the '30s and '40s in the tradition of Edward Everett Horton. These roles were never openly gay, but certainly paved the way for audiences to accept the likes of Will and Grace's Jack McFarland into their living rooms decades later.
Reilly never hid his sexuality but never felt the need to come out publicly either, although he acknowledged his sexuality in his one-man show. I'm grateful he lived long enough so that his death will not be sensationalized with scandal in the tabloids like those of Liberace and Paul Lynde. Instead, his obituaries proudly read: "Charles Nelson Reilly was survived by his partner of 27 years, Patrick Hughs III." He was 76.
Kitty Carlisle Hart, (1910-2007) actress, singer, game show regular and tireless advocate for the arts, died yesterday at the age of 96. Ms. Hart, widow of legendary playwright Moss Hart, appeared on Broadway, television and cabaret venues all over the country, her last appearance as recent as last fall. Known for her impeccable sense of style, Kitty Carlisle to my mind has always been the embodiment of the classic, New York sophisticate. To Tell the Truth, Kitty, we'll miss you.
The irony could not be missed this week as all the top Republicans in Washington commented on the life and legacy of Gerald Ford. They praised him for being a man of decency, discretion and for his ability to unite a troubled nation. In a radio addresssomeone else wrote for him, President George Bush said:
Providence gave us Gerald Ford's steady hand and calm leadership during a time of great division and turmoil. He guided America through a crisis of confidence, and helped our nation mend its wounds by restoring faith in our system of government.
Mr. Ford commented on Bush and his own former chiefs of staff, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld in an interviewwith Bob Woodward to be released after his death. Of the troublesome trio Ford said:
Rumsfeld and Cheney and the president made a big mistake in justifying going into the war in Iraq. They put the emphasis on weapons of mass destruction. And now, I've never publicly said I thought they made a mistake, but I felt very strongly it was an error in how they should justify what they were going to do.
Take that, boys. And furthermore...
I just don't think we should go hellfire damnation around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own national security.
Hmmm, Bush must have missed that day in "Leading the Free World 101"--if he ever took the course at all.
Of Dick Cheney who was made an honorary pall bearer for President Ford, he said
I think Cheney has become much more pugnacious.
I'll drink to that.
So we face 2007 after deadliest month in Iraq to date where the death toll stands at 2997 and now we have lost Gerald Ford, the last decent Republican. Who will heal us now? Dare we have the audacity of hope?
The news story rivaling the economy and the presidential race this weekend is the death of beloved Hollywood acting legend, Paul Newman. But Newman was exemplary in other roles in his life as well. As a husband his 50 year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward was proof positive that indeed a happy marriage could exist in Hollywood. As a father he shielded his 3 daughters from the spotlight choosing to raise his family in quiet Westport, Connecticut. As a philanthropist he established the Hole in the Wall camps for terminally ill children and of course the famous Newman's Own food products to fund the camps and various other charitable causes.
Well, this one caught me by surprise. Beloved comedian George Carlin died this week. I'm late in reporting it because of the 
