It’s no longer a hoax: Abe Vigoda is actually dead.
The Brooklyn-born character actor, famous for both his roles in “The Godfather” and TV’s “Barney Miller” during the ‘70s and for being erroneously proclaimed dead multiple times ever since, passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 94.
I defer to Charles Pierce in trying to express the emotions I have felt today at the passing of Ms. Lee:
"There are a handful of movie scenes that make the room very, very dusty for me. It's predictable. I've seen the movies hundreds of times. I know the scenes are coming. It doesn't make any difference. The blurring occurs like an autonomic reflex. The Marsellaise scene in Casablanca is one. So are the last couple of scenes from Bill Forsyth's Local Hero. ("Ah, bugger it. I meant to say cheeri-o.") Dorothy's farewells, especially to the Scarecrow, is another, as is the moment Harry Bailey says, "To my big brother, George, the richest man in town."
And this one:
"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing."
Harper Lee, who died on Friday at 89, taught so many of us how first to read a book without pictures. (Whenever I am reminded that To Kill A Mockingbird is somehow as equally revered as that unlikable mess, Catcher In The Rye, I despair of American youth.) She taught us what simple humanity was before we were old enough to put a name to it. She taught us–gently, as was the fashion of the times–that there was something very wrong at the heart of the America in which we were being raised. I know it's fashionable now to deride Lee's masterpiece as a tepid depiction of the segregated South in which she was raised. (And let us be charitable and forget the unseemly circus surrounding Go Tell The Watchman.) But, when I consider these arguments, I am reminded always of what Frederick Douglass said in the aftermath of the murder of Abraham Lincoln:
'Viewed from the genuine abolition ground, Mr. Lincoln seemed tardy, cold, dull, and indifferent; but measuring him by the sentiment of his country, a sentiment he was bound as a statesman to consult, he was swift, zealous, radical, and determined.'
It was 1960 when Lee published her book. Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney were still alive. So were Viola Liuzzo and Medgar Evers, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Addie Mae Collins and Denise McNair and Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley were still going happily to Sunday school at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. I like to believe that, even if we didn't know it at the time, even if it were only subconsciously, Lee's book gave millions of schoolchildren something to stash away in ourselves to make sense of what was coming to the country and to determine for ourselves on which side justice was arrayed. I believe, given the sentiment of its times, To Kill A Mockingbird became genuinely subversive over the following decade.
And, anyway, it was beautifully written, which counts, too.
Thank you, Charlie for capturing my mood so completely.
Stand up, indeed. In all my mid-century modern years, I have yet to find a book or a film that has reached me on the emotional level that this one does.
Stand up, Miss Lee's passing.
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Re: Gone With or Without fanfare
Posted: February 20th, 2016, 7:34 am
by moira finnie
Thanks for sharing that here, Lynn. I hope that Harper Lee's relatively simple but eloquent story still makes readers long to be a better person.
Re: Gone With or Without fanfare
Posted: February 20th, 2016, 10:56 am
by knitwit45
Thank you for sharing what so many feel, but are unable to express.
Re: Gone With or Without fanfare
Posted: February 24th, 2016, 11:16 am
by movieman1957
Lynn, you mentioned the scene in the courtroom that gets me every time too. What a gentle but powerful display of respect. We should all be so worthy.
I did finish "Go Set A Watchman." It is an interesting read to see what was the genesis of "Mockingbird." The style and, for me, the way she describes anything is beautifully done. I think it lost some of its cohesion near the end but the argument Scout and her uncle had was quite interesting dialogue.
Re: Gone With or Without fanfare
Posted: February 27th, 2016, 12:01 pm
by Professional Tourist
One year ago today the iconic Leonard Nimoy left us.
Most of us remember him like this:
. . .but he was an actor of greater depth, who liked to work before live audiences on stage; also a director, singer, author, and photographer.
Here he is on stage as Sherlock Holmes, 1974:
“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.”
Re: Gone With or Without fanfare
Posted: February 27th, 2016, 2:56 pm
by Masha
George Kennedy RIP
Posted: February 29th, 2016, 5:50 pm
by Brian McFadden
So sad to learn of George Kennedy's passing. He was a wonderful man and a great actor. I'm sure some were surprised when, later in his career, he proved every bit as adept at comedy as drama. I had the pleasure of interviewing him many years ago. He was friendly, down to earth, and had a great sense of humor. He will be sorely missed.
Brian
Re: Gone With or Without fanfare
Posted: February 29th, 2016, 6:53 pm
by moira finnie
A good actor and, from all reports, a decent guy. RIP, Mr. Kennedy, who was 91 when he died. Here is a full obituary about George Kennedy:
So sad to learn of Harper Lee's passing, but happy to read your wonderful comments, Lynn.
PT, I, too, remember Nimoy's passing, and Moira, George Kennedy's death was a little unexpected for me. I think I liked his performance as Joe Patrone in Airport most of all. Brian, glad you've been stopping by.
