When I tell people I'm mourning the loss of the great Don LaFontaine or that I'm excited because today is Eileen Brennan's birthday, the majority look at me blankly as crickets chirp in the distance and a tumbleweed blows across our path. But. If I tell them that the guy who does the "IN A WORLD..." voiceovers for movie trailers died on Monday and that today is the birthday of the woman who played the Captain on "Private Benjamin" and Mrs. Peacock in "Clue", then I still get bewildered stares as they wonder why the hell I give a shit about either, but at least they know who they're wondering about.
Character actors make the world go 'round. Let the Academy award all the Washingtons and Sarandons they can stomach, but save me a helping of Slim Pickens, a lovin' spoonful of Zelda Rubinstein, and a steaming side of Geoffrey Lewis. These folks and their kind are the building blocks of greatness. Screw the simpering leads in a love story, and bring their hilarious best friends to my dinner table, Waiter.
Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for "Silence of the Lambs", and arguably deserved it. But come on now. Who do you quote from that movie when you reeeeeally want to creep out your friends? That's right. It's Ted Levine's ultimately disturbing and memorable Buffalo Bill skin suit speech that keeps the crowds whimpering in the aisles.
And it wasn't Christian Bale's throat lozenge deprived Batman that packed the $500 million seats. It was Ledger's outlandish Joker portrayal slung to the masses with abandon that drew the crowds. Yes, Heath Ledger was a famous leading man in his own right prior to "The Dark Knight", but not in this movie. Oh no. Had he been the lead, his psychotic walking Id would have been considered over the top and too much for one sitting, but because he was a lunatic in the stands, the hero still shined, and the supporting character was an irresistibly wicked indulgence easily enjoyed.
It is with great admiration that I say thank you, Rose Marie, for your hilarious Sally Rogers. May the blessings of the Lord be upon you, Mr. Peter Graves, for your righteous and good Captain Oveur. And finally, to the king of the characters, it is with an abiding fondness and deep sadness that I say sleep well, Don Knotts. You are missed.
IN A WORLD without Don LaFontaine, Jerry Reed, Bernie Mac, Fran Ryan, Jack Soo, Larry Linville, Estelle Getty, and Charles Nelson Reilly, the sun sets a little differently, the moon shines a little dimmer, and our entertainment lacks a bit of the old one, two punch for which we loved them so much.
2 comments:
Although I either hate or am indifferent to most of those people you mentioned, I understand where it's coming from.
After all, my favorite two actors are Terence Stamp and Miles O'Keeffe.
Maybe should throw in Ida Lupino for good measure.
You are the biggest movie fan I know. That is a compliment.
I showed your Liberace page to my Web Publishing students as an example of a well-designed site - they all thought you were cool for having found it.
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