Hi All,
This week I wanted to write about the tragedies that had happened to the film industry this week.
First off is the tragic passing of beloved comedian and actor Robin Williams. I had always loved his work but thought he was type casted a lot in his career, especially after Patch Adams. I really appreciated when he branched out from this with films like One Hour Photo, Insomnia, Good Will Hunting and Death to Smoochy. If you havnt seen Smoochy, I highly recommend it just due the twisted nature of the film and it is really dark humor but unforgettable none the less.
My first exposure to Williams, probably very similar to everyone else's is Mork and Mindy. This was actually a spinoff from Happy Days, where the character was introduced and had such an overwhelming response that the show was created. I followed the show when I was younger but thought it jumped the shark when they introduced Jonathan Winters to the show as Merth, the baby of the couple and lost interest from there. During that time, Popeye had come out which I really enjoyed and even enjoy it more now than when I was a kid. I think the film did not get an overwhelming response at the time because I think it was ahead of its time. The movie now seems more like a musical and at the time of the early 80's this was not as widely accepted as it is now. Good Morning Vietnam was the turning point for Williams where he could balance comedy and drama beautifully and I think there is not a better example of that than this film. I also remember sneaking around a cassette copy of Williams Live at the Met when I was younger as well because my parents did not approve of me listening to stand up comedy, probably cause I was young but I still remember that to this day. I find it very sad that someone so talented and so gifted for bringing joy to people with comedy and laugter was taken from us at a young age in my opinion. Let this be a warning sign to all of us that we really should look at one another as human being and see the signs of depression or the loss of will to live and help them. It doesnt matter if it is just listening to someone or needing to get them help. I think we have a responsibility to help one another. I applaud Blue Starlight drive in for having a memorial showing and asking our opinon for what we would like to see. I have made my choices as Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poets Society but will be happy with whatever they decide. My prayers go out to his surviving family and I hope we can rejoice in what he left behind rather than mourn the loss.
The second loss this week was Marilyn Burns. Ms. Burns was undeniably one of the first scream queens. She is most famous for playing Sally in the drive in classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. She was 65 years old and lived in Houston but cause of death is still not being released at this time. Burns was also in Helter Skelter as one of the Manson family followers. She had worked with Tobe Hooper a couple of times after Chainsaw including Eaten Alive and Future Kill. She even appeared in the Chainsaw 3D reboot a while back, which really is not a bad horror film and it was cool to see it linked back to the 1974 classic. Ms. Burns was directing and financing stage plays in the Houston area before her passing. She was supposed to make an appearance at the Housecore Horror and Film festival this October here in Austin with the 40th Anniversary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and a reunion of the surviving cast. I would have liked to have met her being a fan of her work from the time I was a teenager. I still remember the first time I saw Chainsaw and wondered what the big deal was but over the years have grown to love the film and admire it for the endurance of the film with very little budget, much in the way Halloween made me a fan of slasher films.
Finally a classic leading lady passed this week as well Lauren Bacall. Bacall had a lengthy career from movies to tv back to movies again. She was very captivating with her performances and her raspy voice and stature she was very hard to forget in the films that she stared in. Some of her great work was with Humprey Bogart, which she was married to at one time as well. Key Largo and the Big Sleep was among some of the classic roles she had played over the years. She passed at the age of 89 leaving influences to most of the working actresses in Hollywood today. She received the lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 2009.
I think with the people that passed this week we should remember what they have left behind to us. Either the movies that is part of our favorites or what they meant to us or what they remind us in our own lives that is special or important to us. If you havnt seen any of these films and need to discover for the first time, please do so and if you have then watch them again to give us that great feeling to remind us of the good times in our lives and keep these films alive.
Thanks for reading as always and fading back into the darkness again.
Peace, Love and Movies.
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