Gone With or Without fanfare

[Western Guy]

Very sad news. Matheson was one of my favorite writers and an inspiration to my own genre work. Now with him joining FJA, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch and Ray Harryhausen, it is time to say goodbye to a magical childhood where these talented men all played an important part.

[RedRiver]

I know his reputation more than his actual work. It's that reputation that finds his name spoken along with the greats of the genre. That tells me something. I recently read THE SHRINKING MAN and found it enthralling. And of course, I know his film work. This talent will be missed by his many fans.

[Rita Hayworth]

Very sad news. Matheson was one of my favorite writers and an inspiration to my own genre work. Now with him joining FJA, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch and Ray Harryhausen, it is time to say goodbye to a magical childhood where these talented men all played an important part.

You got that right ... one of my favorite television shows was the Night Stalker ... Starring Darren McGavin ... he such a talented writer and makes everything extra special ... his first novel ... I am Legend is a Classic.

I know his reputation more than his actual work. It's that reputation that finds his name spoken along with the greats of the genre. That tells me something. I recently read THE SHRINKING MAN and found it enthralling. And of course, I know his film work. This talent will be missed by his many fans.

The Shrinking Man is a masterpiece ... I just dig that novel Red River.

[Western Guy]

And Erik, Matheson could really deliver the chills. I maintain his story "Bobby" which was featured in the TV-movie DEAD OF NIGHT is one of the scariest things ever broadcast. Saw it on a late night showing and don't think I didn't go to bed unnerved. Now if someone would only adapt his short story "Long Distance Call" with the original ending - not the one tracked onto "The Twlight Zone" adaptation.

[Rita Hayworth]

And Erik, Matheson could really deliver the chills. I maintain his story "Bobby" which was featured in the TV-movie DEAD OF NIGHT is one of the scariest things ever broadcast. Saw it on a late night showing and don't think I didn't go to bed unnerved. Now if someone would only adapt his short story "Long Distance Call" with the original ending - not the one tracked onto "The Twlight Zone" adaptation.

You are so right ... I seen DEAD OF NIGHT ... and I know exactly what you mean here!

[moira finnie]

Richard Matheson, a thoughtful and brilliant storyteller long associated with the creative brew that percolated from The Twilight Zone, has died at the age of 87.

I hope that this event leads more people to explore his written works, such as "What Dreams May Come," "Somewhere in Time," and "I Am Legend," as well as his work for television and the movies. Come to think of it, in death Mr. Matheson might know the answers to more of the questions he asked all his life in literature about time, love, and our place in the universe. Below are links to a fine tribute by his friend Albert Parisi, and an interview with The Archive of American Television:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinion ... l?page=all

http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews ... d-matheson

[Lzcutter]

Joe Conley, an actor best known as the small town storekeeper on the TV series "The Waltons," has died at age 85.

From the HuffPost:

The Los Angeles Times reports Tuesday that according to wife Louise Conley, Jon Conley died at a care facility in Southern California on Sunday. She says he had suffered from dementia.

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Conley had bit parts on 1960s series like "Green Acres" and "The Beverly Hillbillies" before he landed the role on CBS's "The Waltons" in 1972 that would last nearly a decade.

Conley played Ike Godsey, postmaster and owner of the Jefferson County general store frequented by the Walton family in Depression-era Virginia. He would appear in 172 episodes over nine seasons and in TV movie reunions that lasted into the 1990s.

[Rita Hayworth]

Joe Conley is a favorite of mine on the Waltons ... matter of fact a sentimental favorite and he made it special to watch.

[clore]

Just a quick note to mention that actor Vic Lundin passed away on June 29 at age 83. He played Friday in the wonderful 1964 film Robinson Crusoe on Mars and was also the first credited Klingon to appear on a Star Trek episode according to his IMDb bio page.

[Western Guy]

Very sad news:

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebri ... nsara-dead

Always felt sorry that he and Barbara Eden divorced. They seemed like such a perfect couple.

[Nick]

Both Michael Ansara (1921-2013) and Margaret Pellegrini (1923-2013) have passed away during the summer.

[Rita Hayworth]

Very sad news:

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebri ... nsara-dead

Always felt sorry that he and Barbara Eden divorced. They seemed like such a perfect couple.

I agree with you Western Guy!

[Lzcutter]

Legendary writer Elmore Leonard, the creator of Hombre, Get Shorty and Raylen Givens of Justified has died due to complications from a stroke the master writer suffered earlier this summer. Leonard was 87.

From the Hollywood Reporter:



The prolific author passed away at his home in Detroit suburb Bloomfield Township on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family, his researcher Gregg Sutter told The Associated Press.

Leonard was hospitalized following a stroke, then-believed to be non-life-threatening, last month.

A week after the stroke, Sutter said the author's family was "optimistic" about his condition, which had been improving a little bit each day.

Leonard's work has long been a Hollywood favorite. His books have inspired FX's Justified and the films Hombre, Get Shorty, Out of Sight and Jackie Brown. He was working on his latest book--his 46th novel--at the time of his stroke, according to the Detroit News. It's unclear whether he finished that work before his passing.

The film adaptation of Leonard's The Switch, starring Jennifer Aniston, Mos Def, Tim Robbins and Isla Fisher will premiere at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival.

Leonard's more than 40 novels were populated by pathetic schemers, clever conmen and casual killers. Each was characterized by moral ambivalence about crime, black humor and wickedly acute depictions of human nature: the greedy dreams of Armand Degas in Killshot, the wisecracking cool of Chili Palmer in Get Shorty, Jack Belmont's lust for notoriety in The Hot Kid.

When something sounds like writing, I rewrite it," Leonard often said; and critics adored the flawlessly unadorned, colloquial style. As author Ann Arensberg put it in a New York Times book review, "I didn't know it was possible to be as good as Elmore Leonard."

One remarkable thing about Leonard's talent is how long it took the world to notice. He didn't have a best-seller until his 60th year, and few critics took him seriously before the 1990s.

He had some minor successes in the 1950s and '60s in writing Western stories and novels, a couple of which were made into movies. But when interest in the Western dried up, he turned to writing scripts for educational and industrial films while trying his hand at another genre: crime novels.

The first, The Big Bounce, was rejected 84 times before it was published as a paperback in 1969. Hollywood came calling again, paying $50,000 for the rights and turning it into a movie starring Ryan O'Neal, that even Leonard called "terrible."

For more details: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/e ... -87-609580

[Rita Hayworth]

Elmore Leonard is a gifted writer and he will be missed ... so talented.