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In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths


Message added by Mr. Sparkle,

Reminder:

This thread is for deaths of celebrities in the entertainment business only. No notices about politicians, please. 

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I'm not going to argue Christopher Plummer was not beautiful in The Sound of Music, because I'm not blind. And he also had a lovely speaking voice in everything. But I can never figure out who Georg is, other than not a fan of the Nazis. The man at the house is impossible for me to imagine tolerating Max and courting Elsa. Some of that is the writing, some of it is the acting.

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4 hours ago, letusprocrastinate said:

Another TSOM story:  When they were filming in Austria, the real Maria was there (she's actually in the movie; as Julie Andrews is leaving the convent she can be seen walking in the courtyard in the background, from left to right, with one of her grandchildren).  When she met Christopher Plummer, she shocked him by kissing him on the lips and telling him he was better-looking than her husband.

Well that's the real Maria for you.  😀

 

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I need to rewatch this movie.  Thank you Mr. Plummer for your wonderful role in the movie.

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5 hours ago, letusprocrastinate said:

Another TSOM story:  When they were filming in Austria, the real Maria was there (she's actually in the movie; as Julie Andrews is leaving the convent she can be seen walking in the courtyard in the background, from left to right, with one of her grandchildren).  When she met Christopher Plummer, she shocked him by kissing him on the lips and telling him he was better-looking than her husband.

The story is after watching " The Sound of Music " a reporter ask what she thought of it.  She replied " It`s a lovely story   but it`s not my story.  " If you get a chance to read the book that does tell her story please do. 

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2 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

The story is after watching " The Sound of Music " a reporter ask what she thought of it.  She replied " It`s a lovely story   but it`s not my story.  " If you get a chance to read the book that does tell her story please do. 

Not arguing with you on that.  What got put on screen is a lot different than what really happened. 

1 hour ago, ABay said:

I'm not going to argue Christopher Plummer was not beautiful in The Sound of Music, because I'm not blind. And he also had a lovely speaking voice in everything. But I can never figure out who Georg is, other than not a fan of the Nazis. The man at the house is impossible for me to imagine tolerating Max and courting Elsa. Some of that is the writing, some of it is the acting.

I think part of it is that the stage musical had a lot more political context added into it and they intentionally didn't include it in the film.

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14 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

The story is after watching " The Sound of Music " a reporter ask what she thought of it.  She replied " It`s a lovely story   but it`s not my story.  " If you get a chance to read the book that does tell her story please do. 

That's because Frau Von Trapp had signed off the rights to her book being depicted for a tiny sum  (for two obscure West German movies )and those who bought it were able to sell said rights to Rogers&Hammerstein for Broadway then 20th Century Fox for the Hollywood depictions. Of course, one must keep in mind that Frau Von Trapp had been  by no means above sanitizing if not bowdlerizing her actual written bio ( and not for nothing that autobiographies are sometimes called alibi-ographies). Regardless, it did provide the kernel which would inspire the fictionalized depiction which would make the now-deceased Mr. Plummer into an instant, international star!

Edited by Blergh
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Here's a lovely interview with Julie and Christopher on the 50th Anniversary of "The Sound of Music."

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/02/sound-of-music-julie-andrews-christopher-plummer-50-anniversary

"As cynical as I always was about The Sound of Music,” Plummer said, “I do respect that it is a bit of relief from all the gunfire and car chases you see these days. It’s sort of wonderfully, old-fashionedly universal. It’s got the bad guys and the Alps; it’s got Julie and sentiment in bucketloads. Our director, dear old Bob Wise, did keep it from falling over the edge into a sea of treacle. Nice man. God, what a gent. There are very few of those around anymore in our business.”

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6 minutes ago, Blergh said:

That's because Frau Von Trapp had signed off the rights to her book being depicted for a tiny sum  (for two obscure West German movies )and those who bought it were able to sell said rights to Rogers&Hammerstein for Broadway then 20th Century Fox for the Hollywood depictions. Of course, one must keep in mind that Frau Von Trapp had been  by no means above sanitizing if not bowdlerizing her actual written bio ( and not for nothing that autobiographies are sometimes called alibi-ographies). Regardless, it did provide the kernel which would inspire the fictionalized depiction which would make the now-deceased Mr. Plummer into an instant, international star!

You can find the West German movies on YouTube. 

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13 hours ago, ABay said:

I'm not going to argue Christopher Plummer was not beautiful in The Sound of Music, because I'm not blind. And he also had a lovely speaking voice in everything. But I can never figure out who Georg is, other than not a fan of the Nazis. The man at the house is impossible for me to imagine tolerating Max and courting Elsa. Some of that is the writing, some of it is the acting.

Well the Baroness and Max don't remind him of his dead wife!

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8 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

Well the Baroness and Max don't remind him of his dead wife!

 I think  it likely that the Baroness was already having an intimate relationship with the Captain before their engagement got announced so that's why he put up with so many of her foibles. Regardless of how they may have gotten along (or not) offscreen,  late Mr. Plummer and Miss Parker definitely were able to convey the chemistry of a couple who did more than just chastely kiss.

Still, one of the movie's unexplored storylines is not only how Max met the Captain and was able to ingratiate himself with the Baroness's evident help to the Captain but how Max seemed to stay in the Captain's good graces even after his breakup with the Baroness as well as after his union with Maria (who seemed to  accept Max in the family's life).

 

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I always assumed Max and Georg had been friends for a long time -- since before the first Mrs. Von Trapp died.  Maybe they were Navy buddies.  The children knew Max already.  They wouldn't have immediately begun calling him "Uncle Max" upon first meeting him.  I also got the impression that perhaps Max introduced Georg to the Baroness.  Set them up, if you will.

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5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I always assumed Max and Georg had been friends for a long time -- since before the first Mrs. Von Trapp died.  Maybe they were Navy buddies.  The children knew Max already.  They wouldn't have immediately begun calling him "Uncle Max" upon first meeting him.  I also got the impression that perhaps Max introduced Georg to the Baroness.  Set them up, if you will.

They made up the character of Uncle Max to replace Father Wasner, the family priest who became the manager when the family started singing publicly and also went with them when they left Austria.  They started singing to make money after Georg invested a whole lot of it in order to shore up an Austrian bank which ended up failing and left the family pretty much broke.  They even took in boarders to help pay the bills.  So whatever backstory you want to make up for Max, go for it.

Elsa is a variation on someone named Princess Yvonne, whom he was was courting but he ended it mainly over the fact that she wanted to put the kids in boarding school and have them spend their time on the Vienna social scene.  After the relationship ended, she spread gossip that he was having an affair with Maria, who had been living in the house for a year at that point, first as a teacher and then as the housekeeper.  They weren't, but the damage was done.  He was fond of her, and although she was reluctant they got married.

Edited by letusprocrastinate
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4 minutes ago, Terrafamilia said:

Mike Henry, former LA Ram, Tarzan, and son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, aka Junior, died back on January 8th.

Awww!

TV viewers will also remember him as Margaret's husband, Lt. Col. Donald Penobscot on MASH.  

I had forgotten that he played Junior in the Smokey & The Bandit films!  

 

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I meant to post this a lot earlier & forgot: For those who haven’t seen it & wish to, here’s the last interview Cicely Tyson did, on Kelly Ripa & Ryan Seacrest’s talk show. It was taped on Wednesday that week (with Ms. Tyson, obviously a virus risk group member due to age, appearing remotely, apparently from home, & the hosts referring to her as “Ms. Tyson”), she passed by early Thursday, & the interview aired in their Friday show that week. It runs about 11 or 12 minutes, I think, & may or may not include commercials. I used a link posted to Facebook. If it doesn’t work, let me know & I’ll try to find a better 1.

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On 2/5/2021 at 1:40 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

Re: Christopher Plummer

A talented, charismatic actor, the oldest Best Actor Oscar winner

With respect, Christopher Plummer actually won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (in 2012, for Beginners), though he is still the oldest male Oscar winner in either the Best Actor in a Leading Role or the Best Supporting Actor category. He won at the age of 82 years, 75 days.

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Robert C. Jones Oscar winning screenwriter for Coming Home) and film editor for such movies as It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad WorldGuess Who's Coming to Dinner, Love Story, and one of my favorites The Trouble With Angels, has died, age 84.

https://deadline.com/2021/02/robert-c-jones-dies-oscar-winning-coming-home-scribe-was-84-1234689053/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robert-c-jones-love-story-film-editor-and-oscar-winning-coming-home-screenwriter-dies-at-84

https://variety.com/2021/film/people-news/robert-jones-dead-oscar-winning-coming-home-screenwriter-1234902487/

Edited by MissAlmond
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Quote

With respect, Christopher Plummer actually won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (in 2012, for Beginners), though he is still the oldest male Oscar winner in either the Best Actor in a Leading Role or the Best Supporting Actor category. He won at the age of 82 years, 75 days.

Technically, the oldest person to win an Oscar in all the acting categories. Also the oldest nominee for acting at 88 for All the Money in the World.

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9 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

With respect, Christopher Plummer actually won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (in 2012, for Beginners), though he is still the oldest male Oscar winner in either the Best Actor in a Leading Role or the Best Supporting Actor category. He won at the age of 82 years, 75 days.

Oops, my fault.

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FWIW, on Friday, February 5, 2021 hours after his colleague's death, William Shatner confirmed via Twitter that his fellow Montreal native :"A gentleman whose name is Christopher Plummer died today. He was what I call a friend. What is the definition of a friend? Someone you know intimately whose every breath and every thought is so much like yours or can a friend be someone whose life is. . . "

 

So even though both the above had their faults,  it's a refreshing to discover they were good friends to each other and able to share their experiences having had come of age in Montreal during the Depression and WWII,etc. instead of letting their egos attempt to annihilate each other and got to have their fun working together in Star Trek VI.

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Giuseppe Rotunno Italian cinematographer known for his collaborations with Federico Fellini and nominated for an Oscar in 1980 for All That Jazz has died, age 98.  In 1966, Rotunno became the first non-American member admitted to the American Society of Cinematographers.

https://deadline.com/2021/02/giuseppe-rotunno-dies-oscar-nominated-italian-cinematographer-1234689595/

https://variety.com/2021/film/global/giuseppe-rotunno-dead-1234903063/

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RIP Joe Allen    (from the NY Times)

I've eaten some fabulous meals at his restaurants, and spent time with some fabulous people there.  All 3 of his places have temporarily shut down during the Plague, but I fervently hope they reopen.  And if they do, and you're in NYC go eat there! 

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I saw Mary Wilson perform at the county fair in 1998, leading The Supremes.  The concert (one of two they had scheduled) was pushed back by fog that delayed their flight from San Francisco.  She reportedly changed in the car on the way from the airport to prevent further delays, but was completely cheerful and engaging upon her arrival and gave a great show.  I remember that she brought some audience members up onstage to dance and sing backup for one song, with the only stipulation that she got to sing "Diane"'s part because she had been backup for 30+ years.  That's how I learned that Diana Ross was still Diane when the group was formed.  The stories she shared about the group during this concert were all positive though.  I really appreciated getting to see a legend.  RIP.

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6 hours ago, magicdog said:

Mary Wilson of The Supremes is gone.

THE Girl Group.   Memories of hairbrush singing days with my sister and cousin singing Stop! In the Name of Love, mimicking the iconic hand gesture.  The sheer glamour of The Supremes for little black girls.  Yes, this hits hard.  R.I.P. and thank you Ms. Wilson.  

More links: 

https://www.npr.org/2021/02/09/965713448/mary-wilson-founding-member-of-the-supremes-dies-at-76

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mary-wilson-supremes-dead-1125532/

https://deadline.com/2021/02/mary-wilson-dies-supremes-1234690177/

 

From Diana Ross on Twitter:

 

Edited by MissAlmond
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Let's not forget that Miss Wilson was the ONE Supreme who stayed with the group from its earliest roots (when they were billed as the Primettes- considered the sister group of the Primes [later Temptations] ) in 1959 past Diana Ross's own departure in 1970 until the group's disbanding in 1977 so one can't deny that she had tenacity and stamina!  And she documented rather interesting insights as to how they and others seem to have fared at Motown (and lived to see the legacies honored in many ways she couldn't have imagined as a teen). 

I'd like to think she has been reunited with Florence Ballard. RIP, Miss Wilson.

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That iconic sound of the Supremes.....oh my.   Ms. Wilson was awesome!  What a treasure she was.  I hold so much gratitude for those artists who contribute so much joy to this planet.  

Edited by SunnyBeBe
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What really hurts is that Ms. Wilson was a local and used to come to the station for interviews,etc. .  She was very active and had plans for releasing an album and celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Supremes.  It would seem (though COD has yet to be released)  she died in her sleep.  It’s as if her heart just gave out.  No one saw this coming.

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3 hours ago, Blergh said:

I'd like to think she has been reunited with Florence Ballard. RIP, Miss Wilson.

A nice thought.  If anyone ever rerecords "Rock & Roll Heaven", that "helluva band" is going to be something unprecedented in any universe! 

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