Passages

[beamish14]

Samm-Art Williams, playwright and actor, just weeks before his play Home is due to have its first appearance on Broadway since 1981

Also a writer on the absolutely amazing 1987 television series Frank’s Place

[hearthesilence]

The Bobby Fuller Four's bassist Randy Fuller, Bobby's brother. Cinema plays a big role in their legacy. Randy got the idea to record "I Fought the Law" (and convinced his brother to do so) after seeing Rebel Without a Cause. Randy originally heard the song on the Crickets' In Style with the Crickets, their first album following Buddy Holly's death, but it's usually associated with the Bobby Fuller Four. (Even the Clash's great version is typically known to be a cover.) They actually needed to record and issue it twice before it made an impact, but in the interim, they recorded their other great hit, "Let Her Dance," which has a bottle-tapping rhythm and bass line that was devised by Randy. Pretty sure everyone here knows it.

[flyonthewall2983]

Dabney Coleman. A screen presence if there ever was one in the 80’s. A low-key favorite of mine is the 1990 comedy Short Time. The plot is he is a cop mistakingly given a grim prognosis, and decides for his family's sake to die on his sword figuratively speaking. It leads to this, maybe the greatest car chase in a movie I have ever seen. For the purposes of the plot it makes sense, has some funny moments, and watching it again I noticed he is doing a good bit of the driving himself.

[beamish14]

Dabney Coleman. A screen presence if there ever was one in the 80’s. A low-key favorite of mine is the 1990 comedy Short Time. The plot is he is a cop mistakingly given a grim prognosis, and decides for his family's sake to die on his sword figuratively speaking. It leads to this, maybe the greatest car chase in a movie I have ever seen. For the purposes of the plot it makes sense, has some funny moments, and watching it again I noticed he is doing a good bit of the driving himself.

One of the greatest American television actors ever. His two television series with Jay Tarses, Buffalo Bill and The “Slap Maxwell” Story, are unbelievable, and his turn on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman as Mayor Merle Jeter is incredible.

I’m also fond of his role as a building developer who cuts his daughters’ financial cord in John Boorman’s underrated Where the Heart Is

[colinr0380]

I like him most for his turn in WarGames, in the rather thankless role of the computer tech guy caught in between the Army Generals and the truly brilliant (but to a casual fault) computer programmer, who has to act as the go between explainer figure for both the characters and audience about just how drastic things are getting!

But probably his most famous moment is the sexist boss in Nine to Five, getting catapulted out of a window by Lily Tomlin dressed as Snow White in a dream sequence.

I was reminded as well on seeing it again a couple of weeks ago that he briefly makes an appearance as a doctor in Stuart Little!. Which wasn't the first time he played a doctor!

[John Cope]

I like him most as the initially distant but finally heroic dad in Cloak & Dagger.

[Gregory]

"Spider" John Koerner, seen for example in the Festival documentary

[GaryC]

British-born Australian singer Frank Ifield, aged 86. "I Remember You" was a number one single in both Australia and the UK and in the latter country he had three more. He played the lead role in one film, Up Jumped a Swagman (1965).

[dwk]

Fred Roos

[Roger Ryan]

Fred Roos

What an influential career and his casting choices demonstrated his good taste.

[MichaelB]

Australian author, critic and prolific Blu-ray commentator Lee Gambin, seemingly completely out of the blue as only yesterday he was enthusing in typical Lee Gambin style about a new project happening this Saturday.

[cdnchris]

I never interacted with him (I don't think) but I would see him pop up consistently in conversations on social media, and I swear the last comment from him I saw was from yesterday (or the day before), so this is unbelievably sudden. His comments were some of the few I'd bother to take time to read. I always rather enjoyed his contributions to Blu-rays through commentaries and essays, especially for more cult-ish stuff that I was rarely all that in to, though built far more of an appreciation of thanks to him and others.

[MichaelB]

A heart attack this morning, I gather.

[Aunt Peg]

Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock, 53: https://www.theguardian.com/film/articl ... es-aged-53

[beamish14]

Kabosu, Shiba Inu meme star

[Never Cursed]

Darryl Hickman, best known as the boy in Leave Her to Heaven

[captveg]

Richard M. Sherman, most well-known for his work alongside his brother for Mary Poppins, at 95.

[MichaelB]

Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, who spent his first creative decade working in Polish documentary films and TV, but then relocated to the US and started working on features by Polish filmmakers in exile there, like Agnieszka Holland (Total Eclipse, Washington Square) and Lech Majewski (The Gospel According to Harry), and then increasingly with American filmmakers, culminating in an Oscar for Finding Neverland in 2004.

[beamish14]

Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, who spent his first creative decade working in Polish documentary films and TV, but then relocated to the US and started working on features by Polish filmmakers in exile there, like Agnieszka Holland (Total Eclipse, Washington Square) and Lech Majewski (The Gospel According to Harry), and then increasingly with American filmmakers, culminating in an Oscar for Finding Neverland in 2004.

Oh, no. His score for Total Eclipse is an all-time favorite

[dwk]

Bill Walton

[Lemmy Caution]

One of the shortest careers of an NBA great.
Only played in 86 games his first two seasons combined. Y3 was MVP runner-up to Kareem, leading the league in rebounds and blocks in 65 games. Led Portland to the title. Y4 won MVP despite playing just 56 games. Missed 3 of the next 4 seasons with foot injury. Only played 14 games the other year. Won another title and 6th Man of the Year with BOS dynasty a few years later.

Whole NBA legacy based on those 3 years. Just 2 time all star, never averaged 20 ppg. Just 6200 career points. Yet was stellar enough those two AS years to make the NBA 75 greatest team. Did everything well except stay healthy. Also was a colorful analyst, a diehard Dead fan, and his UCLA college team won B2B titles going 30-0 both years. 88 straight W's still a record. So Walton could be HoF for his college career alone.

[hearthesilence]

That's interesting because sometimes I get the feeling baseball writers are more unforgiving when it comes to weighing longevity, at least when it comes to canonizing the greats. It's so common to hear them knock down someone like Dale Murphy, Nomar Garciaparra and Don Mattingly because they weren't great long enough. They surely had more than three MVP-caliber years apiece, and none of them had the stink of performance-enhancing drugs. I realize the college career is nothing to sneeze at, but that wouldn't have been a factor in how he's been placed in, say, the NBA's 75th anniversary team, etc.

[Lemmy Caution]

Derrick Rose a somewhat analogous case. Rookie of the year. Allstar in Y2.
Y3 became youngest MVP ever at age 22. Led his team to best record, but lost in the conference finals. Y4 another all star year, but blew out his knee midseason after 39 games. Missed the next two seasons. Returned as a less explosive, less efficient journeyman. Has scored over 12K points, decent but 20K is often HoF cutoff, now age 35.

Unlike Walton, never won a title which is important on an NBA resume. Also Walton started off shy, but became gregarious around age 28. And had a big warm hearted personality. Derrick Rose was a quiet reticent player, who has learned to open up a bit more. And I think personality often plays a role in legacy. In hoops terms, Rick Barry and Elvin Hayes both led a team to a title, but also were disliked by many players and reporters. Rick Barry probably single handedly won an NBA title more than any player before or since. Barry averaged over 30 ppg, while his next highest scoring teammate was a rookie dropping just 14. Also the NBA largely discounts or ignores ABA accomplishments, which hurts Barry some (also Dr. J and Moses Malone).

MLB relies more on stats and career totals. NBA more focused on titles, as one player can have a more outsized impact. You don't have to wait your turn in basketball.

Michael Cooper was a polarizing HOF inductee in 2024. A defensive specialist who never averaged 12 ppg. Never made an all star team. But a 5x champion on the Showtime Lakers of the 80's. 8x All Defense; Defensive Player of the Year x1. Personally I think more great defenders should make the Hall. Mark Eaton, Metta World Peace. And more championship role players. Dick Barnett of 70's Knick titles just got in. I'd be open to Rondo. Tayshawn Prince. Gobert. I assume Dray Green is a HoF lock.

I'm not sure there's an MLB equivalent to Walton. Mark Fidrych had a terrific season and a half. But didn't win a title. Dwight Gooden, Koufax, Valenzuela all had 4 or 5 year peaks.

[beamish14]

Al Ruddy, producer of The Godfather, Coonskin, and Million Dollar Baby

[hearthesilence]

I'm not sure there's an MLB equivalent to Walton. Mark Fidrych had a terrific season and a half. But didn't win a title. Dwight Gooden, Koufax, Valenzuela all had 4 or 5 year peaks.

If the Cubs went all in the way in 2003, I would say Kerry Wood. He and Prior carried that team, but even if that happened and Wood's remaining career played out the same way (for a brief time he became an excellent closer), I don't think he would've gotten in the Baseball HOF.