Another Legend Passes
RIP Hollywood icon Olivia de Havilland, 104. Born in Tokyo to British parents in 1916, she was a five-time Oscar nominee, winning twice: To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949). Her career spanned 1935-’88. In 1962 she appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, doing a scene from A Gift of Time, a Broadway show in which she co-starred with Henry Fonda. From that point most of her appearances were on the small screen. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, which aired in 1986. Also on the NY stage, she played the lead in Romeo and Juliet in 1951, her Great White Way debut, and in 1952 she starred in George Bernard Shaw’s Candida. In 1962 she wrote and published Every Frenchman Has One, about her adjustment to life in Paris after her second marriage. She was a fighter, winning a lawsuit vs. Warner Bros. in the mid-40’s that became known as the “de Havilland decision,” which ruled that all performers were to be limited to a seven-year contract that would include any time on suspension. Unfortunately, she also had the infamous, unresolved break with her sister, Joan Fontaine, who passed away at 93 in 2013. Here’s a quote attributed to her: “Famous people feel that they must perpetually be on the crest of the wave, not realizing that it is against all the rules of life. You can’t be on top all the time; it isn’t natural.” Well done, madam. Thank you.
Here’s a snippet from Kyle Smith’s op-ed piece at nypost.com on the banning of certain words: “Twitter, which is saturated with woke-campus paranoia, this month announced that it was blacklisting the word ‘blacklist.’”
NFL legend Mike Ditka had this to say in a recent interview: “If you can’t respect our national anthem, get the he — out of the country. That’s the way I feel. Of course, I’m old fashioned, so I’m only going to say what I feel.” And: “You don’t protest against the flag and you don’t protest against this country who’s given you the opportunities to make a living playing a sport that you never thought would happen. So, I don’t want to hear all the crap.” Kudos, sir. I would be so disappointed if he walked the statements back.
Here’s a book that’s been available since July 7th:
Last night the Heroes & Icons, channel 9–4 on over the air antennas in NYC, ran Episode 25 of Season One of Combat!, The Quiet Warrior, which debuted in March 1963. It stars TV mainstay J.D. Cannon as a spy and had him speaking both French and German. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII. This was one of the rare episodes in which Vic Morrow did not appear outside of a still photo in the opening credits. Only Rick Jason was featured from the regular cast. There are 93 titles listed under Cannon’s name at IMDb. That tells only part of the story, as he made multiple appearances on many popular shows. Classically trained, playing only small parts on the stage, he found his niche on the small tube. His career began with an appearance on The Phil Silvers Show in 1958 and ended with a guest shot on Law & Order in 1991. Of course, he will be remembered most for the 45 episodes he did as the antagonistic boss of McCloud, opposite Dennis Weaver. He was married from 1947 until his death in 2005 at 83. Babyboomers will recognize the face.
I should have known the floating book shop would have good luck despite the heat when I saw my car, parked under a tree, was blitzed by birds last night. My thanks to the the young man who overcompensated me for The Giver by Lois Lowry, and to the woman who did the same for Striptease by Carl Hiaasen; and to the young man who rounded up four Clive Cussler paperbacks as I was breaking down the display.
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