The news that Sally Kellerman, who will forever be remembered for her Oscar-nominated role as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H, died Thursday brought back memories of a lunch I shared with her back in 1995. She was about to star as Mame Dennis in the musical Mame at the then-called Jupiter Theatre, long before Milton Maltz came on the scene. Her … [Read more...]
Appreciation: Elaine Stritch (1925-2014)
Outspoken and ascerbic, with a singing voice that was commanding yet gravelly, Elaine Stritch, 89, had a show business career that spanned seven decades. Alcoholic and diabetic, a lethal combination, she came close to death on several occasions, but died on Thursday out of the spotlight in her home state of Michigan, where she went for a retirement that few who knew her … [Read more...]
Appreciation: Don McArt, comic actor
Big of heart and big of ears, Don McArt ― “Bunny” to all who knew him ― passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90. A self-described “second-banana comic relief sidekick,” McArt forged a career in the movies (The Absent-Minded Professor, Too Much), on television (The Addams Family), on stage tours (Kiss and Tell, Pajama Tops, Say Goodnight, Gracie) and, of course, in productions … [Read more...]
Appreciation: Remembering the volatile Arthur Laurents
When two-time Tony Award-winning writer-director Arthur Laurents died on Thursday, the theater and film world lost one of its great creative talents. And one of its most difficult. He died at his home in New York at 93, after a short illness. There will undoubtedly be an outpouring of praise for Laurents, particularly for his two most acclaimed musicals, West Side Story and … [Read more...]
Appreciation: Dennis Hopper, counterculture icon
I was in college when I first came under the influence of Dennis Hopper, going with my roommate and fellow counterculture rebel wannabe to see a movie called Easy Rider, which Hopper wrote, directed and appeared in. It was a call to all of us closet revolutionaries to leave our humdrum lives behind and hit the open road, preferably on a souped-up motorcycle. It was an … [Read more...]