Directors Series - Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola

Birth Date: April 7, 1939

Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan

Features: 22

Features I've Seen: 12 (55%)

Along with Martin Scorsese and Brian DePalma, Francis Ford Coppola helped to garner a new way of making movies in the late 1960's and early 1970's.  They were gritty, hard-hitting, violent, filled with more swearing than you'd hear on a Navy boat, and made the way they wanted to make them.  Coppola got his first break when he worked with Roger Corman in the early 1960's.  While working as an assistant to Corman in Ireland during the filming of The Young Racers (1963), Corman told Coppola to go off for a few days to make an ultra low budget horror film.  He did just that, named it Dementia 13 which was released in 1963, and a career as a director had begun.  He made You're A Big Boy Now in 1966 for his UCLA thesis project, which was picked up by Warner Bros. and distributed into theatres.  Next was a musical (!!!?) called Finian's Rainbow with Petula Clark and Fred Astaire.  It did not do well.  He wrote and directed his next film, The Rain People, which was produced through his new studio American Zoetrope.  He created this studio so he could make movies without the interference of the major Hollywood studios.  Turned out to be a great idea!  After receiving an Oscar for his screenplay for 1970's Patton, Coppola was free to do pretty much whatever he wanted.  He chose to co-write, produce and direct what some call the greatest movie of all-time, 1972's The Godather.  Coppola re-invented the gangster drama, something Hollywood had been pumping out since the 1930's, and received just about every award and accolade around at the time.  Two sequels followed, one great, one not so much, but Coppola had become a legend and continued to write, produce and direct movies that interested him.  All in all, the movies he has made have garnered 80 Academy Award nominations, winning 23 of them, and 56 Golden Globe nominations, winning 17.  His personal award tallies are as follows; 14 Oscar noms (won 5), 17 Golden Globe noms (won 6), and two of three Palme d'Or Awards as best film at the Cannes Film Festival.  What follows is a list of Francis Ford Coppola's movies I've seen, listed in three different categories, chronologically.  (imdb.com score in brackets):

MUST SEE

The Godfather - 1972 (9.2): Love every second!  I have seen this film dozens of times.  Can't be missed!

The Conversation - 1974 (7.8): Easily Gene Hackman's best performance.  Fabulous sound editing.

The Godfather, Part II - 1974 (9.0): Just as good, sometimes better, than the first.  

Apocalypse Now - 1979 (8.4): A little long, but extremely interesting throughout.  Incredible how great it turned out after being plagued with so many problems.

Peggy Sue Got Married - 1986 (6.4):  Dated now, but a brilliant performance by Kathleen Turner is a must see.

NICE TO SEE

The Outsiders - 1983 (7.1): Kind of melodramatic, but the young stars are certainly worth a look.

Gardens Of Stone - 1987 (6.4): Fairly predictable war story, but really well acted.

Bram Stoker's Dracula - 1992 (7.4):  Actually laughable at times, but Gary Oldman needs to be seen.

The Rainmaker - 1997 (7.2): A good "lawyer" film with a good performance from Matt Damon.

NO NEED TO SEE

Rumble Fish - 1983 (7.2): Not sure if I ever made it through this film without falling asleep.  Mickey Rourke is better than Ambient!

The Cotton Club - 1984 (6.6): Some great dance sequences...but thats it.  Richard Gere is awful!

The Godfather, Part III - 1990 (7.6): Not as bad as some will have you believe, but can't hold a candle to the first two.  And Sofia Coppola!!!!!  Yikes!

HAVE NOT SEEN...YET

Dementia 13 - 1963 (5.7): No idea where to find this.

You're A Big Boy Now - 1966 (6.1): Looks like a sex-romp with Rip Torn.

Finian's Rainbow - 1968 (6.2): I feel no need to watch this musical.

The Rain People - 1969 (6.9): Early James Caan and Robert Duvall who'd appear in his next film, too.

One From The Heart - 1981 (6.5): More musical drama???  No thanks.

Tucker: The Man And His Dream - 1988 (6.9): No idea why I haven't seen this.  Looks good.

Jack - 1996 (5.8): Robin Williams as a old-looking boy.  Got horrible reviews.

Youth Without Youth - 2007 (6.2): WWII mystery with Tim Roth.

Tetro - 2009 (6.8): A drama with Vincent Gallo, who I like.  Should watch this one soon.

Twixt - 2011 (4.8): A Horror/Comedy with Val Kilmer and Bruce Dern.  Bad reviews.

Well, thats Francis.  Next will be....um....not sure yet.  Maybe Christopher Nolan??  I guess we'll see soon.

Great Movie Last Shots

 So I watched a favourite movie of mine the other day, The Taking Of Pelham 1,2,3, the original from 1974, not the one with John Travolta and Denzel Washington, although that wasn't the worst remake I've ever seen.  It made me think of great ending shots.  If you've seen the movie, Walter Matthau is involved in one of the best final shots I've seen in the world of movies.  So I thought I'd try to think up some other great ending shots, or scenes, that can make or break a movie's success.  Not that the final shot of Pelham makes the movie because it's a great movie the whole way through and you must watch it when you get a chance!  Anyway, here are some of my favourite endings, in no particular order.  And if you are astute at reading between the lines, there will be spoilers!!

    THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1,2,3 (1974)

So the story is about 4 guys that plan on hijacking a New York City subway train in order to get the city to pay one million dollars for the hostages inside the car.  The bad guys are played by Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo and Earl Hindman (the dude who played Wilson on "Home Improvement").  The negotiations go through Walter Matthau, the head of the transit police, along with side cracks from Jerry Stiller and Dick O'Neill.  So the ransom payoff seemingly goes off without a hitch, until it doesn't.  Now the short investigation starts.  Who used to work for the New York transit system that may have a grudge against them?  Well, of the nine candidates (I think it was nine), Martin Balsam is one.  Matthau and Stiller go to his apartment, ask some questions, get no answers, and as they leave, Balsam lets out a huge sneeze.  So what, right?  Well, many of the hostages on the train described a man with an awful cold and loud sneeze.  When Matthau hears it, the closed door slowly opens and we see the perfect Matthau mug - he knows he's got his man!  It's a fantastic final shot as the credits role seconds later.  By the way, this movie is where Quetin Tarantino got the idea to name the characters of Reservoir Dogs after colours.

CASABLANCA (1942)

Rick Blane, Mr. Humphrey Bogart, has been lucky or crafty enough to escape the Nazis who are invading every town in Europe during the early days of World War II.  He has made his way to Casablanca, a veritable safe spot in Morocco, where he runs the most popular nightclub in town.  All is going seemingly well until a former love, a love like no other, comes strolling through Rick's Cafe.  The beautiful Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman, has arrived with her husband Victor Laszlo, a leader of the underground movement to conquer the Nazis.  They need to escape Casablanca, undetected, in order to build their following, and Rick is their only hope.  After a "will he or won't he" moment at the airport, Rick makes sure Ilsa goes with her husband as he remains in Casablanca.  "We'll always have Paris"....killer!  But the finale, where Rick and the Chief Of Police Captain Renault, played perfectly by the remarkable Claude Rains, collude to allow Laszlo and Lund leave is one of the best endings in film history.  "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" as the two walk into the fog of the night, not knowing what the next days, months or years may bring.  Fantastic!

CARRIE (1976)

When I first saw Carrie, I may have been a pre-teen, or thirty, hard to say, I just about died from the final shot.  I'm not being funny; I believe I had a small heart attack.  It's funny, to see it now doesn't create nearly the same reaction, but I absolutely remember the feeling.  After the unpopular Carrie White gets dumped on with pig's blood at the prom, she and her telekinetic powers begin to wreak havoc among the kids and teachers that screwed with her.  Scary enough.  But when its all over she goes home, covered in blood, and has it out with her mom, played ridiculously well by Piper Laurie.  "They're all gonna laugh at you!!"...eerie.  Carrie's "friend", Sue, played by Amy Irving, wants to pay respects to Carrie after an apparent devastating end to her and her mother.  She slowly walks towards the gravesite, marked with a cross, dressed all in white, carrying flowers.  She goes to lay the flowers down....and a fucking hand jumps out of the ground and grabs her arm!!!!  Every atom in my body exploded when I first saw this, and that feeling has never left me!

THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1984)

Hey, hey, hey, hey, ooooooooooo.  Ok, maybe not as iconic as Casablanca, but as a teenager in the '80's this last shot lived with me for a very long time.  As five misfits spend a Saturday in detention, they learn about themselves, each other, and the way the world works as one gets older.  Ups, downs, all-arounds; the kids gain confidence in themselves over their eight hour sentence.  And as the voice over runs, about a brain, an athlete, a princess, a basket case and a criminal, we see Judd Nelson defiantly raise his fist to the masses.  Freeze frame.  Volume up on the song; "(Don't You) Forget About Me" by Simple Minds.  It gives me chills every time I see it, and I've seen it many, many times!

INCEPTION (2010)

You know, I'm still not sure if I understood everything from Inception, and I'm not ashamed to say it.  I can say this though; it is one of the most inventive films I've seen in the last 20 years.  Leo DiCaprio and his crew need to "plant a seed" in the mind of their target, going deeper and deeper into his subconscious and screwing more and more with my brain.  During the film, there is a question of Leo's own sanity and grasp of reality.  We watch him go down elevators of his mind, literal elevators.  We see cliffs crumble, families appear and disappear.  What is going on with this dude???  Well, there is one way to find out.  He has this little top that he spins, a totem.  If the top loses it's rotation and falls, he knows he is still in the real world.  But, at the end, when none of us really know what is up or down, he spins the top...and it keeps spinning.  Cut to black.  AHHHH!!!!!!  Will it continue to spin???  Will it eventually fall????  We have no idea, but my God there are a million interpretations of the ending written by amateur film aficionados on the internet.

North By Northwest (1959)

Alfred Hitchcock was not only the Master Of Suspense, but he filled his movies with great humour, especially when it was least called for.  He was a strange, strange human being.  After a brilliant story of another "everyman" being mistaken as a major player in illegal undertakings, our hero played by Cary Grant traipses over the heads of four dead presidents on Mount Rushmore.  He's trying to save his own life and, more importantly, the life of Eva Marie Saint, the double agent he's fallen in love with.  That whole scene was amazing, and the film could have easily ended there.  But noooooo.  Mr. Hitchcock felt the need to make a quick edit as Eva Marie Saint is pulled to safety, spliced with her being lifted up into the birth of a train's private room.  Witty banter, train whistle blows, and Hitchcock ends the film with a train plowing through a tunnel....role credits.  It's an obvious sexual innuendo that will either have you snicker, sneer or chuckle.

The Godfather (1972)

It is said that The Godfather is one of the best American-made movies ever, and who am I to argue??  I think I've seen the film 100 times and I never grow tired of it.  As you know, I certainly hope, the Corleone crime family has been through some hard times.  The Don, Vito Corleone, had been shot a number of times, his son Sonny has been gunned down by rival gangs, his other son Fredo is a bit of a mess, and his third son Michael has no interest in the family business.  But someone has to take over when the Don finally passes, and by the end of the film, Michael, who is waaaaaaaay smarter than Fredo, has assumed the role after a brilliant tactic to take down the heads of the rival families.  As this happens, Michael's wife Kay turns a blind eye, pretends none of what's going on is her sweet husband's doing.  But, as she witnesses "friends" arrive at their house, kissing Michael's knuckles, and then having the door close in her face, she realizes she has just lost the love of her life to "the business".  It's a heartbreaking moment played so perfectly by Diane Keaton.  An awesome way to end an awesome film.

Heat (1995)

Michael Mann created one of the best crime movies ever in Heat.  The movie was played up for the fact that Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro would finally be in a movie together where they actually played off each other.  (Of course, they were in The Godfather Part II together but never had scenes together because of the back and forth in time).  Turns out the movie was so much more than that beautiful encounter of our two leads in that diner.  Val Kilmer was probably better than ever.  Jon Voight was awesome.  I even loved watching Tom Sizemore, who often gets on my nerves.  It is a great movie with fabulous action sequences and equally great quiet moments.  And what made it even better was the final battle between the criminal DeNiro and the cop Pacino.  After catching up to DeNiro and shooting him in the chest, Pacino could have finished him off in a second.  But the mutual respect the two had for each other comes out wonderfully, as Pacino holds DeNiro's hand as the movie ends.  Does DeNiro die?  Does he go back to prison, where he said he'd never return?  Does it matter?  

Thelma and Louise (1991)

I liked Thelma And Louise, I did not love it like most people.  The story involves a couple of women who are up for anything, leaving their abusive partners, looking for a fun time.  When one of them is assaulted, the other shoots the bastard, and the race to stay one step ahead of the law begins.  I always thought a good lawyer would be able to fix the situation, but thats just me.  Anyway, after some more interesting encounters, the two women feel like all hope is lost.  They know the law is right on their heels, and they have no intention on going back to their old lives.  So, they grab hands, put pedal to metal, and drive their convertible over a cliff in one of the most famous suicide scenes in movie history. I've never been sure why they chose death over, well, anything else, but the scene was certainly powerful and became an iconic image in the history of film.

Field Of Dreams (1989)

Field Of Dreams, and the book it was based on, Shoeless Joe, seemed like a movie that was made for me.  I'm a lover of baseball, and I have father issues. 😐  Anyway, the story is about Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, who hears voices in the Iowa night.  He turns his cornfield into a baseball diamond, kidnaps a famous writer (played by James Earl Jones), and gives a dead ballplayer a ride to a game, all in the hopes of giving another dead, more famous, ballplayer a chance to play again, Shoeless Joe Jackson.  Except, it's not really about Shoeless Joe, is it?  No, Ray does all this crazy stuff in order to make amends with his own dead father.  He bankrupts the farm, but finds peace of mind.  His little girl, the sage of the family, realizes that their money woes will soon turn, because people will come from miles around and pay to see the miracles of the Iowan field of dreams.  And as Ray has a catch with his dead dad, the camera tracks out and up, showing an enormous line of cars coming to see their little baseball diamond.  And all will be ok.  And I'm usually a blubbering mess by this time, too.

Big Night (1996)

I'm not sure how many people know about this movie, but if you haven't see Big Night, I HIGHLY recommend finding it somewhere.  It is an absolute gem of a film!  The story centres around two brothers who own a restaurant that is suffering financially.  One is a phenomenal chef, the other a savvy businessman, but their clientele is waning. They have an idea to serve up the best food they can find and make to a select few who can help them revive the restaurant.  They pull out all the stops; the best beef, the greatest pork, the most expensive wines, a multiple course meal that will have their guests moaning with pure delight.  Of course, there are side stories and trials and tribulations throughout the special evening.  But through it all are the two brothers.  And by the end of the hectic evening, now into the dawn of the next day, in a quiet kitchen when everyone else has gone, the two brothers wordlessly create a simple breakfast to reflect upon the events of the night.  It's an absolutely beautiful salute to each other that is perfectly played by the two leads, Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub.

The Graduate (1967)

There are few movies I've seen more often or love more than The Graduate.  The first time I saw it, I related so much to Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman.  He had graduated school, was expected to do great things, but found himself alone and unsure of everything.  What did he want to do with his life??  Well, one idea, unfortunately, was to have an affair with the wife of his father's best friend.  Oops.  Then he had the great idea to fall in love with the daughter of the woman he was having the affair with.  Oh my.  Now feelings are hurt, relationships are strained (to say the least), and Elaine Robinson, played by Katherine Ross, is off to marry someone else.  But Ben is still in love with her and has, for once in his life, made a decision.  He's going to find her and break up the wedding.  And everything goes to plan!!  The two lovebirds run away, hop on a bus, run to the back and plop down on the seats, laughing hysterically.  But seconds later, reality sets in.  What have they done??  What will they do???  Is there any future at all for them???  The sheer uncertainty of the moment is one of my favourite shots in any film I've seen.

Invasions Of The Body Snatchers (1978)

This remake of a 1956 horror movie revolves around the idea of aliens taking over the bodies of people we know and love.  Donald Sutherland, a Health Department official, and his lab associate, Brooke Adams, have been front and centre witnessing the strange things that are going on in their town.  They have no explanation for it, but they slowly begin to believe the folks that put their trust in them.  The only way to save themselves, it seems, is to run.  Get the hell out of town.  And as the friends of Sutherland and Adams begin to flee, they see ol' Donald down the street.  As they approach, they realize something is amiss, and Sutherland turns, points, and lets out this horrific scream.  He has been "invaded" and is no longer the loving man he once was.  Although the movie itself is not great (some good jump scares, but thats about it), the frightening realization of the main character being "gone", and the sound that accompanies it, remains one of the best final scenes in any horror film.

The Searchers (1956)

When I was in college, all those years ago, I took a couple of film studies courses.  In one of them, we talked about the movie The Searchers starring John Wayne.  I had never seen it before then, but I will always remember it, if only for the last shot of the movie.  After coming home from the Civil War, Wayne must soon embark on a search for his niece, kidnapped by Comanche Indians.  Wayne has a deep hatred for the Comanche after the war, and vows murderous revenge.  It takes him 5 long years to track down his niece, who has changed in many ways.  But, eventually, she is returned to Wayne's brother.  As the family reunites at the doorway of their home, they turn to walk inside, and, although Wayne is invited to join, he can't bring himself to step through the door.  The shot is perfectly framed as Wayne slowly turns and begins to walk away.  There is no way, after all he's seen and done, that he can enter into a "normal" family existence.  He is alone in the world, and as that framed doorway begins to show as he continues to walk away, that world is growing bigger and bigger with every step.  You hate Wayne's character, but at the same time, feel unbelievably sorry for him.  It's a very emotional scene, surprisingly so, and is a perfect way to leave that character.

So those are some of my favourite final scenes or shots from movies I've seen.  Do you have any I should know about?  Let me know in the comments section and I'll try to find them!

Director Series - John Landis

 So, it's been a while since I wrote about any directors on this blog.  Now that I have stopped perusing all social media sites, I find that I have some time on my hands.  Hence, the resurrection of my "Director Series".  In past posts, I have written about Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, The Coen Brothers and Alfred Hitchcock.  Below are links to those posts in case you're at all interested in reading them:

Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, Alfred Hitchcock

Those five, or six depending on how you look at it, directors are most likely the ones for which I've seen a vast majority of the films they made.  As the series goes on, the list of movies I've actually seen from each director will most likely shrink.  So I ask of you, dear reader, to tell me your thoughts on some of the movies I have yet to see...should I, shouldn't I?  I hope you enjoy these posts and, as always, if you would like to be notified when I've completed another, just subscribe.  And now on to...

John Landis

Birth Name: John David Landis

Birth Date: August 3, 1950

Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois

Features Directed: 19

Features I've Seen: 14 (74%)

Although born in Chicago, Landis' family moved to California when he was just 4 months old.  As a young boy he marvelled at movies and wondered how they were made and who made them.  When he was around eight years old, he watched the film The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad and knew he had to be involved in movie-making.  He began his career in the mailroom at 20th Century Fox in the late 1960's.  Soon he would be working on sets of movies at different studios, getting his break when the assistant director of Kelly's Heroes fell ill.  Landis jumped at the chance to film the scenes needed and an assistant director's job was soon his on many American films being filmed in Europe.  He helmed his first movie, Schlock, at the age of 21.  Landis would become known for his slapstick style comedies, along with his own cameos and getting director and musician friends to appear in his films.  (That list includes David Cronenberg, Roger Vadim, Paul Mazursky, Don Siegel, Amy Heckerling, Frank Oz, Terry Gilliam, Joel Coen, Sam Raimi, B.B. King, Carl Perkins, David Bowie, just to name a few!)  His big break came in 1978 when he was chosen to direct the John Belushi vehicle National Lampoon's Animal House.  The great success of that film allowed Landis to write and direct just about anything he wanted to, with his next film being the wildly successful The Blues Brothers, starring Belushi and Landis' frequent collaborator Dan Aykroyd.  Animal House and The Blues Brothers are indeed two of my very favourite movies, having watched them dozens of times each.  Needless to say, John Landis became a favourite director of mine.  He also directed what was at the time the most expensive, and possibly still most famous, music video of all time; Michael Jackson's Thriller.  As an 11-year old addicted to Much Music in Canada, that was a pretty big deal!  Landis has become known for using the phrase "See You Next Wednesday" in his movies.  Its a reference to a script he wrote when he was 15-years old.  It became a lot of fun for me to figure out where the phrase would be in all of his films (billboards, posters, name of films within films, etc.).  What follows is a list of John Landis' movies I've seen, listed in three different categories, chronologically.  (imdb.com score in brackets):

MUST SEE

National Lampoon's Animal House - 1978 (7.5): A definite comic classic that may not be for everyone.

The Blues Brothers - 1980 (7.9): Great comedy, great music, just a great time!!  I know every word. 

An American Werewolf In London - 1981 (7.5): A wonderfully crafted horror movie laced with dark comedy.  And the special effects were revolutionary!

Into The Night - 1985 (6.5): One of my faves from Landis.  Action packed, darkly comic, tons of cameos.

Innocent Blood - 1992 (6.2): A great vampire tale!  Robert Loggia steals the show.  Very underrated.

NICE TO SEE

Schlock - 1973 (5.7): First feature film shows signs of slapstick humour Landis would perfect later.

Kentucky Fried Movie - 1977 (6.5): More slapstick fun from the guys that brought us Airplane!

Trading Places - 1983 (7.5): Very early Eddie Murphy comedy that is silly but hilarious at times.

Spies Like Us - 1985 (6.4): Aykroyd and Chevy Chase play very well off of each other.  

Three Amigos - 1986 (6.5): Incredibly silly, but has some good laughs.  Chase, Short, Martin...gold!

Amazon Women On The Moon - 1987 (6.2): Segmented slapstick that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

Coming To America - 1988 (7.1): Many laughs, a sweet story.  Easy and fun viewing.

NO NEED TO SEE

Beverly Hills Cop III - 1994 (5.6): Absolutely awful!!  Never should have been made.
Blues Brothers 2000 - 1998 (4.9): So, so bad!  Why this was ever thought up I'll never know.

HAVE NOT SEEN...YET

Oscar - 1991 (6.5): Sylvester Stallone.  I think I've seen it, but I don't remember it.
The Stupids - 1996 (4.3): Tom Arnold.  I don't think I can do it.
Susan's Plan - 1998 (5.2): Nastassja Kinski.  Again, I may have seen this one.
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project - 2007 (7.7): Documentary.  Would love to see!
Burke & Hare - 2010 (6.2): An English comedy that looks interesting.

That's John Landis.  Next will be Francis Ford Coppola, the director I was supposed to write about after Alfred Hitchcock...oops.

Remembering 2020

So, it has been a very odd year, to say the least. This little virus from another country has invaded every corner of the Earth, taking lives and infecting millions of souls around the World.  COVID-19 has made everyone change their routine and take up new, protective ways to deal with others.  Some have hunkered down in their homes, never leaving for fear they could be infected.  Others think the virus is a hoax and flaunt their inane thoughts for everyone to hear.  Somewhere in between, you'll find us "normal" folks who are just trying to get by; washing our hands 30 times a day, wearing masks in buildings and stores, trying to stay a couple of meters away from others.  It's weird, and difficult, and annoying, but it is necessary.  Around all the craziness in our current lives is the fact that people will die, either from this virus or from another disease.  Friends, family, and celebrities are not immune.  

NEIL PEART

BORN: September 12, 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

DIED: January 7, 2020 (aged 67) in Santa Monica, California

CAUSE: Brain Cancer

Arguably the best Rock drummer in the world, Peart joined a little Canadian group called RUSH back in 1974 after their first drummer, John Rutsey, left because of health problems.  For the next 45 years, Peart, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee made Canada proud.  His death shocked a nation, and millions of fans around the world, as none of us knew how sick he had become.  The brain cancer Peart contracted was called glioblastoma, a very fast acting form of the disease.  He was not only a great drummer, he wrote most of the lyrics to RUSH songs since the mid-'70's.  He wrote many books about his travels by motorcycle, riding over 88,000 kilometres through North and Central America.  A huge, and again, shocking loss to start this crazy year.

BUCK HENRY

BORN: December 9, 1930 in New York City, New York

DIED: January 8, 2020 (aged 89) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: Heart Attack

He was born Henry Zuckerman, but everyone in Hollywood, and I mean EVERYONE, knew him as 'Buck'.  He got his start way back in 1945 as an actor.  Just 15 years old, he acted in a Broadway production of Life With Father.  And although he would appear in some movies throughout his career, he was better known for his writing talents.  He was co-creator and writer for the very successful spy comedy "Get Smart" which ran from 1965 to 1970.  During that period, Buck had time to co-write the screenplay to one of my favourite movies, The Graduate, for which he earned an Academy Award.  He wrote, directed, and starred in many more money-making films of the 1970's and '80's; Catch-22, The Owl And The Pussycat, Heaven Can Wait.  He also hosted the show "Saturday Night Live" eleven times in their first five years of existence.

TERRY JONES

BORN: February 1, 1942 in Denbighshire, Wales

DIED: January 21, 2020 (aged 77) in London, England

CAUSE: Complications from Dementia

One of the founding members of the Monty Python Flying Circus, Jones began working in the comedy field with his friend and fellow Oxford graduate Michael Palin in the mid-1960's.  When they got together with John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam history was made.  Jones was credited as director of the three motion pictures created by the Monty Python gang; The Holy Grail (co-directed with Gilliam), Life Of Brian and Meaning Of Life.  Along with being a prolific comedy writer, Jones also wrote many Children's books, as well as being involved in a bunch of historical programs, having a huge knowledge of Medieval history.  Sadly, Jones suffered through years of aphasia, a specific form of brain damage that left him unable to speak.  He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 by BAFTA, the British Academy Awards.

KOBE BRYANT

BORN: August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

DIED: January 26, 2020 (aged 46) in Calabasas, California

CAUSE: Helicopter Crash

This one was a big shocker!  I remember when Roy Halladay died in a freak piloting accident, and now one of the greatest basketball players to ever play.  Bryant was a High School star from the time he stepped through the doors.  He played for the Varsity Team as a Freshman, when his school went a horrid 4-20.  By the time Bryant became a Senior, he led his High School to its first championship in 53 years, becoming the number one scorer in Southern Pennsylvania with 2,883 points over four years.  He did fairly well in the NBA, too.  Five NBA Championships, 18 All-Star games (winning All-Star MVP 4 times), Most Valuable Player in 2008 and a two-time Scoring Champion.  He was also part of the US Olympic Team and helped to pull down 2 Gold Medals.  He is 4th on the All-Time Scoring list for the NBA.  A huge loss for the world of sports!

ORSON BEAN

BORN: July 22, 1928 in Burlington, Vermont

DIED: February 7, 2020 (aged 91) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: Hit by a car

If you grew up in the 1970's and '80's as I did, there is no doubt that you have seen Orson Bean on your television.  He was everywhere!!  "The Love Boat", "One Life To Live", "The Fall Guy", "The Facts Of Life", "Murder She Wrote" and on and on.  He was a favourite guest of Johnny Carson's on the "Tonight Show", appearing over 200 times!  TV, theatre, films, Bean worked right up to the day he died, appearing in a recent episode of "Grace And Frankie".  Its a shame he died the way he did, being hit by two cars while walking in the Venice section of Los Angeles.

TONY FERNANDEZ

BORN: June 30, 1962 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic

DIED: February 15, 2020 (aged 57) in Weston, Florida

CAUSE: Complications from Stroke and Pneumonia

I have lived in Toronto most of my life.  I grew up loving the Toronto Blue Jays.  One of the players I admired most was Tony Fernandez.  Not only a great hitter and outstanding fielder, Tony did a lot for the city he called a "second home".  Nearly always smiling, it may have been impossible for anyone to NOT love him!  He played in the Majors for 17 seasons, 12 of those in Toronto.  Named to 5 All-Star squads, winner of 4 Gold Gloves, and honoured in Toronto on the Level Of Excellence at the Roger's Centre where the Jays play.  Tony holds the Blue Jays' record for playing in the most games as a Jay (1,450) and collecting the most hits (1,583).  It was a sad day in my hometown when we heard of his passing.

JAMES LIPTON

BORN: September 19, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan

DIED: March 2, 2020 (aged 93) in Manhattan, New York

CAUSE: Bladder Cancer

We all knew him as the most prepared interviewer of celebrities when he hosted "Inside The Actors' Studio" from 1994 to 2018, a wonderful near 25 year run.  Before that, he was an a part-time actor and full-time writer, mainly of soap operas such as "Another World", "The Edge Of Night" and "Guiding Light".  He acted on Broadway, wrote many books, even helped write a musical.  His show, "Inside The Actors' Studio", was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards, winning one in 2013.  He was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmy Awards for his work.  So much more than an interviewer of celebrities.

HENRI RICHARD

BORN: February 29, 1936 in Montreal, Quebec

DIED: March 6, 2020 (aged 84) in Laval, Quebec

CAUSE: Complications from Alzheimer's Disease

He played in the shadow of one of the best hockey players ever, his brother, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard.  But there was enough of a distance in age, 15 years, that Henri was able to make his own magic.  They played alongside each other for the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL for about four years, when Henri was dubbed the "Pocket Rocket".  Where Maurice was a great goal scorer, Henri was a great playmaker.  He played on 11 Stanley Cup winning teams in his career, still a record for most times winning as a player.  When he retired in 1975, he had accumulated 1,046 points in 1,256 games, all with the Canadiens.  He became an ambassador for the time after retirement and was beloved by all.  

MAX VON SYDOW

BORN: April 10, 1929 in Lund, Sweden

DIED: March 8, 2020 (aged 90) in Provence, France

CAUSE: Natural Causes

The first time I saw a movie with Max Von Sydow in it wasn't The Exorcist, wasn't The Seventh Seal, wasn't even his Academy Award nominated role in Pelle The Conqueror.  I am proud to say my introduction to this legend of film was in Bob and Doug McKenzie's Strange Brew from 1983.  He would star in over 150 films and television shows in a career that started way back in 1949.  Seventy years in the biz, starring in a bunch of Ingmar Bergman movies, and playing Brewmeister Smith in Strange Brew made this man a legend!  OH!  And Flash Gordon!  He was Ming The Merciless for crying out loud!!!

LYLE WAGGONER

BORN: April 13, 1935 in Kansas City, Kansas

DIED: March 17, 2020 (aged 84) in Westlake Village, California

CAUSE: Cancer

I probably would have lived my whole life not knowing who Lyle Waggoner was if it wasn't for Carol Burnett.  He played the hunk on her show from 1967 to 1974.  After leaving the U.S. Army in the mid-1950's, he sold encyclopedias door to door until he could make enough money to try and make it as an actor in California.  He was almost Batman, coming in as the second choice behind Adam West.  From there, bit parts in movies and films, including "Gunsmoke", until he became a household name because of Carol Burnett.  He was also the first male semi-nude centrefold in Playgirl Magazine in 1973.

KENNY ROGERS

BORN: August 21, 1938 in Houston, Texas

DIED: March 20, 2020 (aged 81) in Sandy Springs, Georgia

CAUSE: Natural Causes

The very first concert I remember going to was to see Kenny Rogers with my mom at the CNE Grandstand here in Toronto.  I knew who he was, and I liked the songs he sang.  I think I was about nine years old.  Now I know what a huge superstar Rogers was in the world of music.  He did it all; teenage rock to psychedelic rock to country-pop.  Rogers began his career way back in the 1950's and worked steadily for the next 60 years.  He recorded 39 studio albums, was included on 43 compilation albums, and had an incredible 24 singles reach number one in the U.S..  If he had just recorded "The Gambler", he would have been a big deal.  But he did so much more, and became a bona fide legend!

CURLY NEAL

BORN: May 19, 1942 in Greensboro, North Carolina

DIED: March 26, 2020 (aged 77) in Houston, Texas

CAUSE: Natural Causes

The Harlem Globetrotters were huge in the 1970's, and more times than not, people came out to see the skills of their bald point guard, Fred "Curly" Neal.  From 1963 to 1985, Neal played over 6,000 games with the club in over 90 countries around the world.  As a kid of the '70's, I loved the Globetrotters!!  My two favourite players were Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal.  The team was so popular that Hanna-Barbera created a cartoon of Globetrotters, and they showed up on "The Love Boat".  But my favourite had to be when Neal and the rest of the gang showed up on a made-for-tv film; The Harlem Globetrotters On Gilligan's Island.  Brilliant! 

BILL WITHERS

BORN: July 4, 1938 in Slab Fork, West Virginia

DIED: March 30, 2020 (aged 81) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE:  Heart Complications

Some of the best Soul songs of the 1970's were written and performed by Bill Withers, songs that we still hear on the radio; "Ain't No Sunshine", "Lovely Day", "Lean On Me", "Use Me", "Just The Two Of Us", and many more.  He recorded just 8 studio albums from 1970 to 1985, when he left the business because of a strained relationship with the record business.  But he certainly made his mark.  Withers was nominated for 9 Grammy Awards, winning 3 of them, and became a member of The Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2015.  Every time Bill Withers comes up on my iPod, I sing along, and smile.

HONOR BLACKMAN

BORN: August 22, 1925 in Essex, England

DIED: April 5, 2020 (aged 94) in Sussex, England

CAUSE: Natural Causes

She appeared in more than 110 movies and TV shows and catapulted to fame when she appeared as Cathy Gale in the British show "The Avengers" between 1962 and 1964.  It was her role in that popular show that caught the attention of one Albert R. Broccoli, producer of a series of films that centred around a British spy named James Bond.  He recruited Blackman for the third Bond film, Goldfinger, in the role of Pussy Galore.  She played opposite Sean Connery as Bond, even though she was older than him.  In fact, she is one of the oldest Bond-Girls, playing the role when she was 38.  In her native England, Blackman would go on to play many popular roles, including the show "The Upper Hand" from 1990 to 1997.

AL KALINE

BORN: December 19, 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland

DIED: April 6, 2020 (aged 85) in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

CAUSE: not reported

One of the best, most consistent baseball players for 22 years, Kaline was simply known as "Mr. Tiger" to fans.  He began his Major League Baseball career in 1953, at the tender age of 18, with the Detroit Tigers, and stayed with that team until his retirement in 1974.  Throughout his career he appeared in 18 All-Star Games, won a Gold Glove in the outfield 10 times, won a batting championship in 1955 with a .340 average, and won a World Series for Detroit in 1968.  Kaline ended his career with 3007 hits and was nominated into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1980.  After his retirement, Kaline stayed with the Tigers organization, first as a colour commentator for Tigers' broadcasts from 1975 to 2002, then as a special assistant to president of the club.  All in all, Kaline spent 67 years as part of the Tigers' organization, one of the longest tenures for one team in MLB history.

BRIAN DENNEHY

BORN: July 9, 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut

DIED: April 15, 2020 (aged 81) in New Haven, Connecticut

CAUSE: Cardiac Arrest

Starting in 1965, and continuing until his death in 2020, Brian Dennehy acted in no less than 180 movies and TV shows.  It is almost a guarantee that you have seen him in some kind of entertainment vehicle over the last 55 years.  I knew him best for his work in the 1980's; First Blood, Cocoon, Silverado, F/X.  Through the years he made appearances on a whole slew of popular TV shows; "Kojak", "MASH", "Dallas", "Knots Landing", "Dynasty" and literally dozens more.  He was a revered actor of the stage as well, winning 2 Tony Awards for best actor in a play.  Always an actor who was ok to stand back and let others become first-rate stars, but he was the reason most of the movies he was in worked.

DAMASO GARCIA

BORN: February 7, 1957 in Moca, Dominican Republic

DIED: April 15, 2020 (aged 63) in San Pedro de Macoris, D.R.

Cause: not reported

Another sports figure, another ex-Toronto Blue Jay.  He may not be a household name these days, but if you grew up in Toronto in the 1980's, you know exactly who he is.  He came up through the Yankees' system, playing a total of 29 games for them spread out between two seasons.  He was traded to the Blue Jays during the 1979 off-season, and soon became a fan favourite due to his remarkable fielding skills at second base.  In his seven years with the Toronto club, Garcia represented the town at the All-Star Game in 1984 and 1985, hit over .300 twice, and was an important part of the Jays' first playoff birth in 1985.  In just 2 months, Toronto fans lost two of their best franchise fielders up the middle; Tony Fernandez at shortstop and Garcia.

LITTLE RICHARD

BORN: December 5, 1932 in Macon, Georgia

DIED: May 9, 2020 (aged 87) in Tullahoma, Tennessee

CAUSE: Bone Cancer

When it comes to Rock N' Roll Gods the list is really not all that long; Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and the incomparable Richard Wayne Penniman, known throughout the world as Little Richard.  He was one of the most influential figures in music, and his contributions have lasted a good 70 years!  Richard started to show his talents as a 14 year old and soon became a featured star in Atlanta.  His first single, "Taxi Blues", was released in 1951 and was a hit in Atlanta.  It didn't take long before the whole country knew his name; "Tutti Frutti" (1955), "Long Tall Sally" (1956), "Rip It Up" (1956), "Lucille" (1957), "Good Golly Miss Molly" (1958) and so many more.  Not only were the songs great, but Little Richard's flamboyance on stage helped to draw massive crowds wherever he played.  He will always be remembered as "The Innovator, The Originator, And The Architect Of Rock And Roll".

JERRY STILLER

BORN: June 8, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York

DIED: May 11, 2020 (aged 92) in Manhattan, New York

CAUSE: Natural Causes

Many of us know Jerry Stiller because of "Seinfeld" and his role as George Costanza' s dad, Frank.  But many people in the entertainment business knew about Stiller waaaay before that role.  He was half of a very successful comedy duo, with his wife Anne Meara, throughout the 1960's.  They appeared on many talk shows and variety programs together, including a bunch of appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show".  Along with this success in comedy, he managed to appear in more than 110 movies and tv shows beginning in the late 1950's.  My favourite of his movie rolls I've seen was in the very underrated The Taking Of Pelham One, Two, Three from 1974.  He was in his late 60's when Jerry Seinfeld and company came calling.  He appeared in 26 episodes of "Seinfeld", but almost always got some great lines.  From there, he appeared in 195 episodes of the show "The King Of Queens".  Ben Stiller, his son, has to be grateful for having such funny parents.

FRED WILLARD

BORN: September 18, 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio

DIED: May 15, 2020 (aged 86) in Los Angeles, California 

CAUSE: Heart Attack

Easily one of my favourite comic actors, Fred Willard was an improv genius!  His roles in Christopher Guest "mockumentaries" blow me away every time I watch them.  He brought his talents to the big screen dozens of times, but he was probably best known for his multitude of guest appearance on shows.  He was nominated for five Emmy Awards for those appearances including ones made on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Modern Family".  He was in the entertainment biz for more than 60 years and was always a good watch on any talk show, from Johnny Carson to David Letterman to Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel.  He was also on "Hollywood Squares" about 40 times.  And he just seemed like a really nice guy.  A really funny, nice guy.

IAN HOLM

BORN: September 12, 1931 in Essex, England

DIED: June 19, 2020 (aged 88) in London, England

Cause: Parkinson's Disease

Ian Holm began his illustrious career way back in the early 1950's after graduating from The Royal Academy Of Dramatic Arts in London.  He began on stage, but quickly moved to movies and television, having more than 130 credits on his resume.  But Holm would be more recognized for his roles in his latter years, especially as Bilbo in two of the Lord Of The Rings movies and two of the Hobbit films.  Back in 1981, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Chariots Of Fire.  Through the years he was showered with dozens of nominations and wins from festival awards.  

JOEL SCHUMACHER

BORN: August 29, 1939 in New York, New York

DIED: June 22, 2020 (aged 80) in New York, New York

CAUSE: Cancer

I have been a semi-fan of Schumacher's pretty much from the beginning of his career in cinema.  He started out as a writer back in the 1970's when he wrote the scripts for Car Wash and The Wiz.  Admittedly, not great movies, but fun and easy.  He moved into the director's seat with a couple of made for television films.  Then, in 1985, he directed St. Elmo's Fire and in 1987, The Lost Boys; two films I saw as a teenager and loved upon first viewing.  From there he directed some good movies (Falling Down in 1993) and some not-so-great movies (he helmed two of the worst Batman films; Batman Forever and Batman And Robin).  All in all, Schumacher directed more than 25 movies for the big screen and TV.

CARL REINER

BORN: March 20, 1922 in The Bronx, New York

DIED: June 29, 2020 (aged 98) in Beverly Hills, California

CAUSE: From A Fall

It is impossible to measure how much Carl Reiner meant to the world of comedy.  In the 1950's, he was a writer and appeared on "Your Show Of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour" with Sid Caesar.  In the 1960's he was a writer, creator, producer, and acted on "The Dick Van Dyke Show".  It was during this period that Reiner teamed up with fellow comedy writer Mel Brooks to perform as one of the best comedy duos ever!  In the late 1970's he directed the Steve Martin vehicle The Jerk.  From there he kept on writing, directing and appearing in scores of the films and TV shows.  And every single time he was in front of the camera, he was hilarious.  Nominated for 18 Primetime Emmy Awards, he was a winner of eleven.  Quite simply, Carl Reiner was responsible for most of the laughs this old kid had.

HUGH DOWNS

BORN: February 14, 1921 in Akron, Ohio

DIED: July 1, 2020 (aged 99) in Scottsdale, Arizona

CAUSE: Heart Failure

For nearly seven decades, Hugh Downs worked in the world of broadcasting.  First in radio in his native Ohio, and moving to Detroit and Chicago along the way.  In the late 1940's, Downs moved to television broadcasting.  From there his career just kept on going up with jobs as announcer of "The Tonight Show" with Jack Paar, game shows like "Concentration", hosting the "Today Show" on NBC, and working on the show that made his name synonymous with news excellence, "20/20" alongside Barbara Walters from 1978 to his retirement in 1999.  If there was news to be given, you could place a bet that Hugh Downs was involved somehow.

CHARLIE DANIELS

BORN: October 28, 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina

DIED: July 6, 2020 (aged 83) in Nashville, Tennessee

CAUSE: Hemorrhagic Stroke

For almost 70 years, Charlie Daniels on tour with his Country/Bluegrass musical gifts.  The song I remember him most by, and I'm sure others did too, is the magical song "The Devil Went Down To Georgia".  In 1979, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" went to number one on the US and Canadadian Country charts, and made it to number three on the regular US chart.  In his long career, Daniels released  30 studio albums and 8 live albums.  Along with his 54 singles he was one of Country Music's most prolific artists.

ENNIO MORRICONE

BORN: November 10, 1928 in Rome, Italy

DIED: July 6, 2020 (aged 91) in Rome, Italy

CAUSE: Injury From A Fall

Unless you're a kind of film nerd or music nerd, you may not know the name of Ennio Morricone, but I'm almost certain you have heard his contributions to film and music.  One of the most recognizable music themes, The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, was Ennio's creation.  His scores have been nominated for an Academy Award six times, winning on his last nomination for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight in 2016.  He has more than 500 credits on movies and TV shows, most in his native Italy, but enough in North America that his talent will be greatly missed by everyone in the entertainment business.

KELLY PRESTON

BORN: October 13, 1962 in Honolulu, Hawaii

DIED: July 12, 2020 (aged 57) in Clearwater, Florida    

Cause: Breast Cancer

Preston appeared in many movies and TV shows through her career.  But she may be remembered by most folks as the wife of John Travolta.  She met her famous husband while working on the film The Experts in 1987.  The first movie I remember Preston appearing in was the Stephen King horror film Christine.  She would go on to play the pretty sidekick for most of her career.  Unfortunately, Preston to a role in her husband's film Battlefield Earth, for which she "won" a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress.   Travolta and Preston had 3 kids, including son Jett who tragically died as a result of a seizure in 2009.

GRANT IMAHARA

BORN: October 23, 1970 in Los Angeles, California

DIED: July 13, 2020 (aged 49) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: Brain Aneurysm

If you are, or were, a fan of the TV show "Mythbusters", then you know exactly who this is and why it was such a shock.  Imahara became a central star of the show when his friend and former colleague Jamie Hynemen suggested to hire him for the show in the third season.  He won the job because of his excellence in robotics and engineering.  Along with Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, this trio became a great distraction from watching Hyneman and Adam Savage pretend to like each other.  Imahara and his two co-horts left the show in 2014.  He was also a regular on the show "BattleBots" where he was able to show off his great creations.

JOHN LEWIS

BORN: February 21, 1940 in Troy, Alabama

DIED: July 17, 2020 (aged 80) in Atlanta, Georgia

CAUSE: Pancreatic Cancer

When one talks of the Civil Rights movement in the United States during the 1960's, John Lewis needs to be mentioned.  He was part of the "Big Six" (which included Martin Luther King Jr.) that began to organize and hold marches to bring attention to the racism in the country.  He led the March On Washington in 1963 and, more famously, the first of three marches from Selma To Montgomery where activists were beaten back by state troopers, a day that came to be known as Bloody Sunday.  He was a member of the House Of Representatives for Georgia for more than 30 years.  He was very outspoken about Donald Trump's actions, which made me respect the man even more.

REGIS PHILBIN

 

BORN: August 25, 1931 in New York, New York

DIED: July 24, 2020 (aged 88) in Greenwich, Connecticut 

CAUSE: Heart Attack

For some time, I only knew who Regis Philbin was because of the game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and his appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman".  I was to learn many years later that Regis has been in the business for more than 60 years!!  He found his itch for entertaining when he worked as a page for "The Tonight Show" in 1955, when Steve Allen hosted.  Six years later he was hosting his own show on TV; "The Regis Phibin Show" out of San Diego.  He went on to host or co-host dozens of shows through the years.  In fact, the Guinness Book Of World Records says Regis holds the title of person with the most hours on U.S. television!!  Always funny, always sharp, and one of the greatest deliveries ever.

PETER GREEN

BORN: October 29, 1946 in London, England

DIED: July 25, 2020 (aged 73) in Essex, England

CAUSE: Uknown

I'm sure most of the people reading this blog have no idea who Peter Green was.  Well, before the group Fleetwood Mac became superstars with the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, they were a pretty great Blues band.  In fact, Green was one of the founders of Fleetwood Mac (along with Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer) back in 1967.  But even before that band's start, Green was considered one of the best Blues guitarists in England.  He filled in for Eric Clapton for four gigs with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.  If you're good enough to fill in for Clapton, you're one of the best out there!!  After Clapton left The Bluesbreakers, Green became the replacement for a year.  He wrote "Black Magic Woman", made famous by Santana.  If you haven't listened to the early (1967-1970) version of Fleetwood Mac, do yourself a favour and download a few tunes.  In the music industry, Peter Green is, deservedly so, a legend.

JOHN SAXON

BORN: August 5, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York

DIED: July 25, 2020 (aged 83) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

CAUSE: Pneumonia

Here's another actor who appeared in tons of movies and TV shows, and didn't mind taking the passenger seat to much bigger stars of the time.  I knew him first as one of the competitors in the Bruce Lee vehicle Enter The Dragon.  But Saxon started his movie career way back in 1955.  After his success in the Bruce Lee film, he started to appear in 3 or 4 movies every year.  He became a staple of cheesy horror movies like The Bees, Cannibal Apocalypse, and a couple from the Nightmare On Elm Street series.  On television, Saxon appeared in 5 episodes of "Gunsmoke", a few episodes of "Bonanza", and guesting on pretty much every show in the 1970's and '80's.  In fact, in one television season, 1976, he appeared on "The Rockford Files", "The Bionic Woman", Starsky And Hutch" and "Wonder Woman".  I find that very cool!

EDDIE SHACK

BORN: February 11, 1937 in Sudbury, Ontario

DIED: July 25, 2020 (aged 83) in Toronto, Ontario

CAUSE: Throat Cancer

Growing up in Toronto, and loving hockey and anything Maple Leaf related, there is a strong chance you know who Eddie Shack was.  I'm not sure if I ever saw him play the game, I was only 3 during his last year in the NHL, but I certainly remember him as a great ambassador of my home town.  He was known as a tough, rugged forward that would always give it his all.  A famous saying that emerged from his playing days was "Clear The Track, Here Comes Shack!".  Old-timers' games, commercials, showing up on Maple Leaf broadcasts; he always had a big wide smile that went along with his signature handlebar moustache.  He won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring the Cup winning goal in 1963.

OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

BORN: July 1, 1916 in Tokyo City, Japan

DIED: July 26, 2020 (aged 104) in Paris, France

CAUSE: Natural Causes

One of the most popular actresses during the Golden Age of Hollywood, Olivia De Havilland was the epitome of class.  The older sister of Joan Fontaine, De Havilland began her great career in 1935 and became known with the film Captain Blood alongside Errol Flynn.  Soon enough she would be including in such film classics as The Adventures Of Robin Hood, Gone With The Wind, The Heiress, and so many more.  She would appear semi-regularly in TV shows of the '60's and '70's, taking her last role in 1988 after which she retired from the biz.  She was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, winning for her roles in To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949).  Before her death, De Havilland was the oldest surviving Academy Award winner.  Hollywood royalty for certain.

WILFORD BRIMLEY

BORN: September 27, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah

DIED: August 1, 2020 (aged 85) in St. George, Utah

CAUSE: Kidney Failure

Has there been such a recognizable actor than Wilford Brimley??  That moustache, those glasses slipping down his nose, the way his characters are always, or nearly always, the voice of reason on where a plot turns.  I find it truly amazing how many movies I've seen, and liked, with Mr. Brimley in the cast; The China Syndrome, Absence Of Malice, The Thing, Tender Mercies, The Natural and of course Cocoon.  There are many more in a career that really began in the 1970's with a recurring role on the popular TV show "The Waltons".  And of his many great performances, how many Academy Award nominations did Brimley receive?  Zero.  Nada.  Bupkiss!!  We will all miss that moustache and the face it graced for so long.

DALE HAWERCHUK

BORN: April 4, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario

DIED: August 18, 2020 (aged 57) in Barrie, Ontario

CAUSE: Stomach Cancer

Another big sport's player from my youth that passed away in 2020, Dale Hawerchuk was a favourite hockey star of my childhood.  As a 17 year old, Dale became the phenom that all the NHL teams wanted.  He recorded a very impressive 183 points in 72 games for the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  He was selected first overall in the 1981 Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, a draft that included future stars Ron Francis, Grant Fuhr and Chris Chelios.  In his first NHL season, Dale won the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the league, recording 103 points and becoming the youngest NHL player to record a 100-point season (his record was broken by Sidney Crosby in 2006).  He represented Canada in many international games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 2001.  Hawerchuck stayed within the hockey world after retirement as a primary owner and president of the Orangeville Crushers and as a coach for the Barrie Colts.

CHADWICK BOSEMAN

BORN: November 29, 1976 in Anderson, North Carolina

DIED: August 28, 2020 (aged 43) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: Colon Cancer

This one was a real shocker to everyone, even people close to him in the entertainment business.  Boseman became a star with his great portrayal of Jackie Robinson in the movie 42.  From there he went onto play Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, and then stretched out to a movie based on that character, Black Panther in 2018.  He was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and continued to work, never making his health a topic with anyone.  In late 2019, the cancer progressed to stage IV, and Boseman died surround by family on August 28.  A very bright star snuffed out at such a young age.

TOM SEAVER

BORN: November 17, 1944 in Fresno, California

DIED: August 31, 2020 (aged 75) in Calistoga, California

CAUSE: Complications of dementia and Covid-19

Another baseball hero of mine, Tom Seaver was easily one of the best pitcher to ever hold a baseball.  He broke into the National League in 1967 as a 22 year-old.  By the end of the year, Seaver collected the Rookie Of The Year Award when he went 16-13 with a 2.76 ERA for one of the worst teams in the league, the New York Mets.  In a couple of years, Seaver led the charge for the Miracle Mets 1969 season when they won the World Series.  In his first 7 seasons with the Mets, Seaver went 135-76 with a 2.38 ERA...phenomenal numbers for those that don't know.  He was a 6 time 20 game-winner, a 3 time Cy Young Award winner, played in 12 All-Star games, and was easily selected into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1992.  Tom "Terrific" was a nickname he really lived up to.

LOU BROCK

BORN: June 18, 1939 in El Dorado, Arkansas

DIED: September 6, 2020 (aged 81) in St. Charles, Missouri

CAUSE: Blood Cancer

If there is a heaven, they're getting one hell of a ball team this year!  Another huge star in the baseball world, Lou Brock was possibly the fastest player in the National League during the 1960's and '70's.  He led his league in Stolen Bases 8 times and finished his career with a then Modern Day record of 938 swipes.  But he was so much more than just a fast runner...he could hit with the best of them.  He collected 200 hits or more in 4 different seasons; scored more than 100 runs in 7 seasons, and hit over .300 9 different times.  But Brock saved his best for the postseason; in 3 World Series appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals he hit a combined .391!!  He had no problem getting selected for the Hall Of Fame on his first ballot in 1985.

DIANA RIGG

BORN: July 20, 1938 in Doncaster, England

DIED: September 10, 2020 (aged 82) in London England

CAUSE: Cancer

I never watched "The Avengers" when I was young.  And if I'm being honest, I don't know if Ive seen more than a few episodes.  But I do know it was to watch Diana Ring as Emma Peel.  She played that role for 3 years, 51 episodes to be exact.  But Rigg was so much more than that one role; Countless Made For TV movies, being a "Bond girl" in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, countless stage appearances and nominations for the Best Actress Tony Award, and, most recently, as Olenna Tyrell in "Game Of Thrones" where she was nominated for 4 Primetime Emmy's.  Much more than just a beautiful face.

RUTH BADER GINSBURG

BORN: March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York

DIED: September 18, 2020 (aged 87) in Washington D.C.

CAUSE: Pancreatic Cancer

Ginsburg dedicated her life for the purpose of truth, gender equality and women' rights.  She began her higher education at Cornell University where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in government.  She met her future husband of 56 years at Cornell.  She then transferred to the Harvard Law School in 1956, where she was one of 9 women in a class of over 500 men.  Another transfer to Columbia Law School where should would graduate with her law degree in 1959, top of her class!  Her fight for women's' rights began soon after, seeing that nobody would hire her because of her gender.  She created the Women's Rights Law Reporter, the first law journal to focus on women' rights, in 1970.  Her life and career from there is well documented and far too vast for me to list here.  In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court, where she was right up to the day she died.

HELEN REDDY

BORN: October 25, 1941 in Melbourne, Australia

DIED: September 29, 2020 (aged 78) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: Unknown

"I am woman, hear me roar...".  If you have never heard of this Helen Reddy women's anthem, you've been living on another planet.  It was December in 1972 when her song "I Am Woman" became a number one hit.  Reddy was more than a one-hit wonder, though.  She had five more Top Ten hits, including 2 more chart-toppers; "Delta Dawn" in 1973 and "Angie Baby" in 1974.  She also had 6 straight singles top the Adult Contemporary chart from 1972 to 1975.  She appeared in a few movies and stage works, and did the whole variety show and talk show circuit on TV in the '70's.  She will always been remembered for co-writing and singing such a powerful song.

BOB GIBSON

BORN: November 9, 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska

DIED: October 2, 2020 (aged 84) in Omaha Nebraska

CAUSE: Pancreatic Cancer

Shall we take this time to sum up how crappy 2020 has been to Major League Baseball stars??  Tony Fernandez, Al Kaline, Damaso Garcia, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, and now, one of the best, most feared pitchers to ever throw a pitch, the incomparable Bob Gibson.  It took a few years for Gibson to become the great pitcher he'd eventually be when he took the mound in 1959.  By 1962, nobody wanted to face him.  He was a stern believer in the "that's MY plate" kind of thinking, serving up a lot of chin-music to the batters who dared to crowd the plate.  His extreme intensity on the mound became known around the league.  His 1968 season for the Cardinals is widely heralded as the best season for any pitcher, ever!  He was only the second pitcher in MLB history, at the time, to strikeout 3000 batters.  He holds many records for the St. Louis Cardinals, and still a few for all of Major League Baseball.  Easily one of my favourite players to play the game.

EDDIE VAN HALEN

BORN: January 26, 1955 in Amsterdam, Netherlands

DIED: October 6, 2020 (aged 65) in Santa Monica, California

CAUSE: Throat/Lung Cancer

February 3, 1959 is known as "The Day The Music Died" for the awful plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.  For me, the music died on October 6, 2020.  To say I'm a Van Halen fan is to say we all need oxygen to live; both are a given!  I own all their CD's (even though I haven't played ANY CD in ages), countless concert tees, even two pairs of shoes that don the Van Halen logo.  As a man that has never learned to play guitar, I was in awe watching Eddie play, and so were some of the best guitarists in the world of music.  He was an innovator, a magician, constantly trying new things out to make a sound that nobody has heard before.  And even though he was apparently not an easy guy to work with, he always had that distinctive grin when he played for his fans.  I've seen Van Halen live about 5 times, and it's almost inconceivable that I'll never see Eddie Van Halen play the guitar again.

WHITEY FORD

BORN: October 21, 1928 in New York, New York

DIED: October 8, 2020 (aged 91) in Lake Success, New York

CAUSE: Possible Dementia Related

Well, here we are once again, saying goodbye to another baseball legend.  Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford was a pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1950 to 1967, taking 2 years off to join the military in the Korean War.  Some may think that any pitcher could have put up some of his numbers pitching in the heyday of the Yankees; Mantle, Maris, Billy Martin, Hank Sauer, Elston Howard and on and on.  But I always thought it was Ford that made those teams so great.  Ford posted a win percentage of 69%, 5th best ever.  He was a Cy Young Award winner in 1961 when he went 25-4.  For his career he won 236 games and lost only 106 with a career ERA of 2.75.  He pitched in 11 World Series', winning 6 of them and collecting MVP honours in 1961.  He wasn't an over-powering kind of pitcher, but he certainly got the job done when called upon.

JOE MORGAN

BORN: September 19, 1943 in Bonham, Texas

DIED: October 11, 2020 (aged 77) in Danville, California

CAUSE: Leukemia

This is just being cruel now.  Yet another Baseball Hall Of Famer passes away.  Joe Morgan began his great career with Houston, the 45's and Astros.  He played there for the first nine years of his 22-year career.  He put up some fine numbers in Houston, but in November of 1971, Morgan was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, just in time to be a part of The Big Red Machine that dominated the National League for years to come.  Morgan made things happen with every at bat he had; almost never struck out, 6 seasons with 100 or more walks, base stealing totals were compared to Lou Brock's in St. Louis.  In the field he was a Golden Glove winner at second base five out of eight years with the Reds.  On a team with the likes of Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey and George Foster, Joe Morgan was arguably the best of all of them.  The Dream Team of 2020 just got much better.

SEAN CONNERY

BORN: August 25, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland

DIED: October 31, 2020 (aged 90) in Nassau, Bahamas

CAUSE: Pneumonia and Heart Failure

What can be said about the career of Sean Connery that hasn't already been said.  He will always be remembered as the original James Bond when Dr. No was released in 1962.  He would play the super-agent in the next 5 films, took a break, and came back after saying he would never play Bond again.  That instalment of the series, comically, was titled Never Say Never Again.  Connery was so much more than Bond.  He starred in many big films through the '70's and '80's including The Anderson Tapes, Murder On The Orient Express, The Man Who Would Be King, A Bridge Too Far, The Hunt For Red October, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade and of course The Untouchables.  It was this 1987 thriller, at the age of 57, that he was finally recognized as a great actor, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.  He retired from acting in 2007, his only acting credit since then was adding the voice to a character for a 2012 animated film he was producing.  It was a sure bet Connery enjoyed his retirement.  How could he not?  He was James freakin' Bond!

HOWIE MEEKER

BORN: November 4, 1923 in Kitchener, Ontario

DIED: November 8, 2020 (aged 97) in Nanaimo, B.C.

CAUSE: Natural Causes 

I would have to give away my Canadian citizenship if I didn't mention Howard William Meeker.  "Howie" was the voice of a generation, helming the ever-popular, purely Canadian, "Hockey Night In Canada".  Saturday night, every Canadian tuned into HNIC, and waited for Meeker's twangy voice saying "Stop it right there" while checking out replays of the game.  Meeker, in his youth, was a pretty good winger playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1946 to 1954.  He won the Calder Trophy in 1946 as the best rookie in the league.  His name is on the Stanley Cup four times thanks to a potent Maple Leafs' lineup.  He is one of few NHL'ers to score five goals in a game, in his rookie season.  But I'll remember him in his light blue blazer, spewing out his hockey knowledge like nobody else.

ALEX TREBEK

BORN: July 22, 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario

DIED: November 8, 2020 (aged 80) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: Pancreatic Cancer

I feel like I've been watching Alex Trebek my whole life.  I'm sure others think the same.  I remember a game in Canada called "Pitfall", where contestants answered questions and then went up and down on these giant elevator-type things.  A quick Google search puts that game in 1981, so I was 9 years old.  So for almost 40 years, Alex Trebek was on my TV screen.  When he was tapped as the host of the revival of "Jeopardy" in 1984, Trebek became a familiar face for all of North America it seemed.  Every night, at 7:30pm, the television was tuned to "Jeopardy", hosted by this proud Canadian with the thick moustache and curly head of hair.  For 36 years, Alex Trebek became a guest in our house, and in millions of others'. We all knew his prognosis was not good, as he taped a few updates on his condition to let us know he was still fighting the cancer that eventually took his life.  I am a mess of emotion as I type this; Alex Trebek was a fantastic ambassador for two of my favourite things - trivia and being Canadian.  He taped his final episodes before he passed away, and those shows will be aired in the first week of January.  It will be hard to watch, but after 40 years of him coming over 5 nights a week, I'll be watching for Alex.

DIEGO MARADONA

BORN: October 30, 1960 in Lanus, Argentina

DIED: November 25, 2020 (aged 60) in Dique Lujan, Argentina

CAUSE: Cardiac Arrest

I can tell you honestly that I am not a fan of soccer.  But because I don't watch or enjoy playing the game, I still know of some of the great players; Pele, David Beckham, Lionel Messi and so on.  Diego Maradona is definitely one player I've heard of.  His name was on every sportscaster's lips during the 1986 World Cup, leading his Argentina team to victory.  As a 25 year old, he captained the national squad and scored one of the most amazing goals in World Cup history.  The "Goal Of The Century" saw Maradona run 60 yards upfield, leaving four players on the English team in his dust, faking out the goaltender, and potting the eventual winning goal of the quarter final match.  Maradona led Argentina to a second place in the next World Cup in 1990.  He played only two games of the 1994 World Cup, having failed a drug test that sent him home early.  In any case, the list of the greatest soccer players of all time would not be complete without Maradona's name.

CHUCK YEAGER

BORN: February 13, 1923 in Myra, West Virginia

DIED: December 7, 2020 (aged 97) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: Natural Causes

I remember flipping through one of those Guinness World Record books as a kid.  There was a section devoted to Chuck Yeager as the first pilot to break the sound barrier.  He did it in 1947, creating a sonic boom.  I always thought that was really cool, but I didn't know much about the man himself.  Turns out he was pretty bad ass his whole life.  He shot down enemy planes in three major wars; World War II, The Korean War and Vietnam.  He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1969 during Vietnam.  He actually flew more than 360 types of planes throughout his days in the US Air Force.  He retired from the Air Force in 1975, but he still flew planes and pushed some cars to their limit.  In his military career, Yeager was given a Purple Heart, a Distinguished Flying Cross, the Presidential Medal Of Freedom and many other awards and commendations.  

JOHN LE CARRE

BORN: October 19, 1931 in Dorset, England

DIED: December 12, 2020 (aged 89) in Cornwall, England

CAUSE: Pneumonia

He was the man who popularized an entire genre in the writing world.  John Le Carre was a master of spy novels starting in the 1960's and ending 50 years later with his 2017 novel "A Legacy Of Spies".  Some other great works include "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", "The Russia House" and "The Constant Gardener" just to name a few.  A winner of many literary awards he was also given Honorary Degrees from five different Universities in England.  Most of his works, including the ones I've mentioned above, were turned into TV shows and motion pictures.

CHARLEY PRIDE

BORN: March 18, 1934 in Sledge, Mississippi

DIED: December 12, 2020 (aged 86) in Dallas, Texas

CAUSE: Complications from COVID-19

I must admit, I only knew Charley Pride by name.  I'm not sure if I've ever heard any of his music, but I do know he was a Country music legend.  His music career spans over 50 years, breaking down barriers along the way.  What I did not know was Pride was a ballplayer in the 1950's.  His dream was to play in the Negro Leagues and he almost made it to Major League Baseball as a pitcher!  Good thing he had his singing career on the back burner.  He recorded 41 albums and had 74 singles, of which 29 of the them went to number one on the Billboard Country charts.  His first number one hit came in 1969 with "All I Have To Offer You (Is Me)".  His last number one, "Night Games", was released in 1983.  He was given Lifetime Achievement Awards by The Country Music Association in 2020 and the Grammys in 2017.  And he was my mother-in-law's favourite singer.

PHIL NIEKRO

BORN: April 1, 1939 in Blaine, Ohio

DIED: December 26, 2020 (aged 81) in Flowery Branch, Georgia

CASUE: Cancer

It's almost hard to believe that Phil Niekro is the seventh Baseball Hall Of Famer to pass away in 2020.  He played a remarkable 24 years in the Majors, winning 318 games and retiring at the age of 48.  His longevity is a direct result of his master pitch, the knuckleball.  Most baseball historians site Niekro as having the best knuckleball ever, and who am I to argue.  He played on 5 All-Star teams, won 5 Gold Gloves, and places 18th all time in games won.  He also places 5th for Games Started, over 700 of them!!  Just about anybody he played with, or for, have great stories about the fun-loving, easy-going nature of Niekro.  

PIERRE CARDIN

BORN: July 2, 1922 in San Biagio De Callalta, Italy

DIED: December 29, 2020 (aged 98) in Neuilly-Our-Seine, France

CAUSE: Natural Causes

An absolute giant in the fashion industry, Pierre Cardin began his journey as a 14 year old apprentice to a clothier in France.  At 17, he left his family and began making suits for women in Vichy.  His name would be connected to the fashion industry for over 80 years!!  Everything from perfumes and cosmetics to cigarettes and pens bore his name.  He will always be remember as one of the most imaginative minds in fashion.

DAWN WELLS

    BORN: October 18, 1938 in Reno, Nevada

DIED: December 30, 2020 (aged 82) in Los Angeles, California

CAUSE: COVID-19

She will always be remembered as Mary-Ann on the '60's show "Gilligan's Island", but Dawn Wells had a very long career before and after the role that made her famous.  Thanks to something called syndication, "Gilligan's Island" has been on our TV's for decades.  I remember coming home from elementary school for lunch and watching the adventures of the shipwrecked crew.  The big thing when I was a kid was choosing between Mary-Ann or Ginger.  I had no clue to why were choosing sides, but I always choose the sweet, down home character played by Dawn Wells.  Before her time on the island, Wells popped up in many Western movies and TV shows.  After the show, her life consisted of showing up somewhere as herself or her character of Mary-Ann.  

Well, I think thats it.  So many losses in one of the weirdest, scariest and downright brutal years that I have lived through.  Lets hope 2021 shows a little compassion for putting all of us through 2020!