Gene Wilder Died Today. He Was 83. #GeneWilder

Gene Wilder

Gene Wilder, one of my favorite all-time comedians, died today from complications of Alzheimer's Disease.  He was 83 years old.

For several decades of my life, Gene Wilder was a name that would bring a smile to my face.  He was fantastic in "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein," as well as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."  The first two films mentioned were a source of great belly laughs to me and my family.  He was truly a very funny guy.

Gene was once married to Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner, until she died of ovarian cancer in 1989.

I'll miss him.

RIP B.B. King

The great blues musician died yesterday at age 89.  He will be missed.  I always loved to listen to and play bass to his hit, "The Thrill Is Gone."

Heaven is jammin' tonight.  RIP, B.B. King.

Margaret Thatcher, 1925 - 2013

A Great Lady:  Rest In Peace

Lawrence Auster Died Today

One of the Last Photographs of Lawrence Auster, March 2013

Lawrence Auster, author of the blog "View From the Right," has succumbed to pancreatic cancer.  He died early this morning in a hospice in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

His blog, View From the Right, will remain online but no author will succeed Larry.  His friend, Laura Wood,  wrote a post there today telling of Larry's death.  She writes:

Only extreme incapacitation could have brought that career to a close. For many of us, it was a marvel, a form of essential daily food. No man gave more to his readers. No writer responded more energetically to the people who took in his words and either approved or rejected them. No thinker, except perhaps Plato, jousted more ably with his students or left such an elegant and finished record of philosophical conflict and resolution. He was philosopher, journalist, guru and cultural psychoanalyst in one. And no writer on culture and politics had sounder judgment about the world around us, or more brilliant observations.

The relationship between Mr. Auster and the hundreds of often-anonymous correspondents who wrote to him over the years was like that between a boxing coach and his fighters. He trained his followers in the art of intellectual combat — and the price was a staggering workload as he edited the debates that have appeared here over the years. He paid tireless tribute to the fight for truth. But, as he insisted, he wasn’t a hero. He was just doing what came naturally. He was doing what he had to do.

Sadly, as of today, View from the Right, except for an entry about his funeral and possibly more on his death, will become inactive. He wanted it that way. VFR could not continue beyond Mr. Auster’s death because it is the creation of an utterly unique personality and mind.

Indeed, Larry was often my mentor, correcting my grammatical errors, giving advice on how to approach a subject.  I came to love him as a big brother, and what he taught me was to be ruthlessly independent in thought, to never subordinate my judgment to others...not even to him.  We agreed on much and occasionally fought like hell over certain subjects.  I changed his mind about the innocence of Amanda Knox, and he changed mine on many other subjects.

My last email to Larry was on February 18, 2013.  He posted it on his blog, along with many other reader comments.  I wrote:

A Young Lawrence Auster In 1973

Larry,

I have enjoyed your plain, outspoken truths and have learned much from you. The best thing, though, was your insistence on writing the truth as you see it, unhindered by popular opinion (which is often wrong).  You have often gone against the grain, without consideration for the social ostracism it often brings, even from other conservatives who wish to adopt and preserve liberal fallacies about race, feminism and other pop ideologies.

Now when I fear writing something that I know will annoy other conservatives, I always think of you. What would Larry do? Then I do it. Austerism is the antidote for group-think, the latter being the most effective obstruction in any search for truth.

Because of your massive moral backbone, by own backbone has been strengthened. Your example has not been overlooked and will never be forgotten. What have you taught me? It is the real meaning of an old maxim: Be True to Yourself.

I love you, Larry.

Stogie

A funeral mass for Lawrence Auster is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at Church of St. Michael the Archangel, located at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 140 E. Mount Airy Avenue, Philadelphia PA.  Check View From the Right for any changes.

My good friend Rick Darby at Reflecting Light has also written an excellent memorial post for Larry:  Lawrence Auster Dies...and Lives.

Robert Bork Has Died

Chronicles magazine reports:

Today brings the sad news that Robert Bork has passed away. The sadder news for America, though, came in 1987, when the Senate unjustly rejected his nomination to the Supreme Court. There is no doubt that, had Bork been confirmed, Roe v Wade would have been overturned in 1992 when the Supreme Court decided Planned Parenthood v Casey. Unlike Anthony Kennedy, whom the Senate ultimately confirmed and who voted to reaffirm Roe in Casey, Bork possessed the fortitude to stand up to the pressures that exist in the Beltway to move to the left.

Read it all here. 

Judge Bork was demonized to an extreme during his senate confirmation hearings for appointment to the Supreme Court.  Led by the execrable and unlamented Ted Kenney, Bork was slandered to such a degree that a new verb was invented for the personal destruction of an individual, "to bork."  Naturally, his appointment was voted down by the Democrat controlled Senate. Judge Bork is but one of many principled men of accomplishment whose potentially great service to the nation was blocked by the neo-Bolsheviks of the Democrat Party.

Some Notable Deaths This Week

Susan Luckey

Susan Luckey, who played Zaneeta, the mayor's daughter in the 1962 musical "The Music Man," has died at age 74. I remember her role as the ditzy teenager who kept saying "Ye gods," which seemed somewhat profane to me. I love that musical, especially Shirley Jones singing "Good Night My Someone."

Also dead is Alex Karras, former football player who played Mongo in "Blazing Saddles." He was 77.

Alex Karras as "Mongo"

This past week I had a blood test and a blood pressure test. Blood was normal in every respect and the nurse described my blood pressure as "excellent." My wife is not so lucky: she has a long list of ailments and I'll probably survive her, but I'd rather not. The world would be a terribly empty place without her.

So Long Andy Williams...See You on the Other Side

One of the many problems with aging is that you see "your world" slipping away.  The heroes you admired are dying off, and the world that was "yours," that was normal and known and comfortable, is dissolving like that airport in Stephen King's novel "The Langoliers."

When someone like Andy Williams dies...a part of you dies with him.  The memories flash, of dancing to his music, cheek to cheek with girls at a high school dance; of Edsel cars and drive-in burger joints with chocolate malts and french fries.  My 50th high school reunion is next month.  Ah, yes, the the Class of 1962.  How many of us are still on this side of the grass?

My high school was torn down after the Class of 1980 graduated, because rising home prices in Silicon Valley made it unaffordable to families with school age children.  Dropping enrollments caused many schools to close and mine was one of them.  Only a small section of the classrooms survives, along with the dilapidated gymnasium, now used as a community center.  A shopping center sits where the school once stood, and a deluxe condo development  has replaced the football stadium.  As time goes on, I get the feeling that the world I once inhabited is being erased.

Andy Williams was a great singer of ballads and love songs, with his warm, smooth voice.  When I think of him, I think of 1958.  I was only in the 8th grade then; most people hadn't yet read "Atlas Shrugged" (or even heard of Ayn Rand).  Eisenhower was president and Nikita Kruschev was pounding his shoe on the desk at the United Nations.  Beatniks were swarming over North Beach in San Francisco, writing and reciting bad poetry in funky little coffee houses, sporting beards and berets.

Today the neat cars on the streets back then are called "classic cars" and their modern replacements ugly and alien to me.  Elvis is dead.  Rock and Roll and Rhythm and Blues have been replaced with hip hop and rap, and modern pop is garbage, the anthem of the underclass, of drugs and drive-by shootings, gangs and kids born out of wedlock in increasing numbers.  Marriage has become obsolete, along with traditional families.  Hell, I am obsolete, and I do not fear my departure from this world.

Andy Williams sang many famous ballads during his career, like "Moon River" and "Born Free," but the song I loved best was "Are You Sincere?"  For me that song (released in 1958) captures the innocence of my youth, as well as the essence of Andy Williams.  Here it is, in the video embedded below.

Another Singer-Super Star Self Destructs: Whitney Houston Dies

I hate it when a once great artist self destructs with alcohol and drugs.  Whitney Houston has joined that dubious fraternity (sorority?) with so many others:  Hank Williams, Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and scores of lesser known singers and musicians.  Following several years of drug-addled decline, Houston is now dead at the ripe old age of 48.

In her prime, Whitney Houston was both gorgeous and extremely talented.  Then she got involved with Bobby Brown, a soul singer who was often in trouble with the law for drug and alcohol related offenses.  She went downhill after marrying Brown and divorcing him 11 years later, appearing anorexic in public appearances where she often seemed to have lost her once great voice.

Update:  Whitney Houston was found dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

I can't help but wonder why so many famous and talented entertainers self-destruct.  Someone ought to do a study on the phenomenon; I'd really like to know.

Special Academy Award Issued to North Korean Mourners for Great Acting

"Oh Boo Hoo Hoo Hoo!"  How was that?

Maggie over at Maggie's Notebook noticed something that I also noticed:  the wailing, gesticulating mourners at Kim Jong Il's funeral were decidedly dry-eyed.  With all that moaning, bawling and crying, there were no tears. The mourners, knowing what was good for them, put on quite an act for Dear Leader's funeral.

Just Out of Camera Range

We suspect that Hollywood will issue a special Oscar for these amazing put-ons.  Acting!

Meanwhile, singing was heard throughout the land:  "The Witch is dead, the Witch is dead, the wicked Witch is dead!"  The Lollipop Guild is expected to make a public announcement shortly.

As Kim Jung Mentally Il Is Laid To Rest...the Haunting Sound of "Taps," Played on a Kazoo

Kim Jung Mentally Il has been laid to rest.  The North Koreans are so poor that Il's casket was wheeled to the cemetery on a used skateboard...propelled along by the deft footwork of the New Dear Leader, Kim Jung Ungh!.

People were pointing out that the hearst was a 1976 Lincoln Continental, but that's not true.  It was a blown up picture of a 1976 Lincoln Continental, taped on to the camera-view side of the skateboard.  The photo was ordered from Office Max and flown in by carrier pigeon, which was promptly shot down by anti-aircraft fire and eaten.

However, it's true that North Korea has achieved much.  They have arrived at that position in the world so fervently hoped for by our own Dear Leader, Kim Jung Barack Obama.  No other country in the world feels inferior to North Korea, nor do they envy it's super-power status; and no one can claim that Evil Capitalists are exploiting the other 99% with products, services, technology, jobs or any kind of standard-of-living.  As for #OccupyNorthKorea, the people there who are living in tents, squalor, filth and poverty are called "the upper class."

Kim Jung Mentally Il's funeral was ended with the plaintive sound of taps.  Since the North Koreans can't afford a bugle, a lady with a kazoo was used instead.

Kim Jung Mentally Il's corpse was then taken to the processing plant where it was turned into Soylent Green.

Meanwhile, the North Korean military (which is everyone in the country, apparently) turned out to fake great expressions of grief, with loud wailing and bawling, but...no tears.  I wonder how many were secretly thinking:  Thank God the bastard's dead.

See for yourself:

Andy Rooney Dead at 92

Andy Rooney, 1919 - 2011

Andy Rooney died last night in a hospital, following minor surgery.  He was 92 years of age.

Rooney was a commentator for CBS's "60 Minutes" show, and worked for CBS for 60 years.  He had just stepped down from his regular appearance on "60 Minutes" last month.

Read more about his life and career at this link.

Steve Jobs, On Living Life to the Fullest

Steve Jobs Dies

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. He had been fighting pancreatic cancer for quite some time and was emaciated from the disease. Jobs was a very productive human being, creating technology that has greatly benefited mankind. His contributions to society are on a par with those of Edison. Thank you, Steve, for all you did and all you gave us.

Hail and farewell.

Famed Actor Tony Curtis Dies at 85

Tony Curtis died yesterday at age 85.  Curtis was very popular in my childhood, and I remember seeing him in movies as far back as 1956, when he starred in "Trapeze."  I liked him best in "Spartacus," didn't see him in "Some Like It Hot" where he played a man in drag.  I never felt comfortable with that.  As a young boy, the thought of dressing up like a girl was extremely repugnant to me!

For me, Tony Curtis was representative of the very best era of Hollywood film.  The thought of him fires many a memory cell in my cranium, e.g. our house in Stockton, California, where I first became aware of him.  He seemed to me to be the ultimate in class, utterly handsome and suave.

Tony Curtis's film credits are listed here.

Poor Little Schmuck: Gary Coleman Dies

Gary Coleman died today.  I always felt sorry for the poor little schmuck.  First he had kidney disease, which stunted his growth and required daily dialysis.  Then he was a star of a popular sitcom, "Different Strokes," and had to sue his parents to keep them from spending all of his earnings.

After "Different Strokes" the acting jobs were few and far between, and Gary became a former child star, a category of humanity with its own special psychic torment.  One goes from television renown to cheap marketing gigs in small towns and podunks, for small pay.  One of his post-fame jobs was as a security guard. A former child actor is famous, not for who he is, but for who he used to be.  He or she is a has-been, with his best days behind him.  That's got to be hard to take.

I wish Gary's life could have been more successful and happier than it was.  Unfortunately, the cynical saying "life's a bitch and then you die" seems to sum it up for Gary.

Gary Coleman was 42 years old.  RIP, little buddy.

Annie Le's Body Returned to California for Burial

Annie Le's body has been returned to California for burial.  She was from Placerville, California, just east of Sacramento.  Those who wish to send flowers or condolences to her family can send them here:

Family of Annie Le
c/o Green Valley Mortuary
3004 Alexandrite Road
Rescue, California 95672

Go with God, Annie.

Update:  Annie will be laid to rest in Green Valley Cemetery in Rescue, California on Saturday, September 26.  Her funeral will be a private family ceremony.

You can sign her online guestbook at this link.

A Poem, by Henry Gibson (1935 - 2009)

The Alligator
A Poem, By Henry Gibson.

The Alligator is my pal
He could be your pal, too.
He will if you'll just understand
That he's got feelings too.

The alligator is my friend
He likes to wink and flirt
I'd rather have him as my friend
Than wear him on my shirt

The alligator ate my friend
He can eat your friend too
If only you would understand
That he needs protein too.

He loves to play and swim about
He never sings the blues
You'd like him better as a friend
Than wearing him as shoes.

Alligator! Alligator! Alligator!
He could be your friend
Could be your friend
Could be your friend
Too.

(Too young to remember Henry Gibson?  It's a sixties thing. You wouldn't understand.)

Patrick Swayze, 1952 - 2009

Patrick Swayze has died.  I really respected him as an actor and always enjoyed his performances.  I especially liked him in the TV miniseries, "North and South," where he played a Confederate cavalry officer.

In the movie "Ghost" he played a businessman who was murdered by a corrupt partner.  The end of the film shows his spirit passing over into Heaven.  Looks like he's playing that role for real now.

God bless, Patrick.

Michael Jackson Finally Laid to Rest

Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest tonight, more than two months after his death. He was entombed in the Great Mausoleum in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California. Forest Lawn is a famous cemetery; over 100 years old, it covers 300 acres of rolling hills. Over 250,000 people are buried or entombed there. Many are famous stars, singers, directors or musicians. The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

The Great Mausoleum, where Jackson lies, is an impressive structure; see photo at this link.

Michael Jackson will be in good company in the Great Mausoleum. Many great stars rest there, including Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard and Red Skelton. The interior is a lot of marble -- to see what it looks like, view the private section where Clark Gable is located here.

Unfortunately for fans, Michael Jackson will be entombed in a private part of the mausoleum accessible only to family members; it requires a special "golden key of remembrance" to get in. This is wise, I think. Imagine what large crowds of fans and souvenir hunters would do to the quietude and solemnity of the place. However, this won't be a problem in a year or two. Time passes, passions subside and Michael Jackson will eventually be just one more famous name on the wall.

Other stars are buried in the grounds nearby -- James Stewart, Errol Flynn and Walt Disney, to name a few. To see a list of more, go here. To see a more complete, alphabetical list, see Findagrave.com, here.

Forest Lawn is not hospitable to star-gazing and refuses to give out information on the location of graves of famous people. The information, however, is readily available online and if you plan to visit, determine locations in advance. The guide at this link supplies a lot of information, not only for Forest Lawn but for various other cemeteries in and around Los Angeles.

Remember, however, that not all famous graves are accessible to the public. Some are located in locked sections or private gardens. Humphrey Bogart is one example.

A little known fact about Forest Lawn is that over 60,000 people have been married there, including Ronald Reagan (to Jane Wyman). There are several chapels on the grounds and they aren't limited to funerals.

My wife's cousin lives in Los Angeles and, until recently, worked at Forest Lawn selling cemetery plots. He found the work too melancholy for his tastes and left.

If you visit, be on your best behavior. A visitor's guide to Forest Lawn can be viewed at this link.

Update: See Findagrave.com for information and pictures of Michael Jackson at this link.

The Good Die Young: Senator Ted Kennedy Dead at 77

The breaking news of the hour: Senator Ted Kennedy has died of brain cancer at the age of 77.

It would be difficult to imagine an American politician who has done more for evil than Senator Ted Kennedy. His irresponsible behavior that killed Mary Jo Kopechne was the least of his evil deeds. Kennedy was a leader in the Democratic effort to cut off funding to our South Vietnamese allies in 1975, allowing the communists to overrun that country. The result was somewhere in the neighnorhood of 3 million murdered by the victorious reds, in Viet Nam and the killing fields of Cambodia. Kennedy goes to God with their blood on his hands.

Kennedy disgraced himself in other ways as well. One can only recall his slanderous speech that savaged Judge Bork in the confirmation hearings on Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court. Kennedy was a ruthless ideologue, a very hateful man.

I can shed no tears for him. He now stands before the judgement seat of God. I for one would not want to be in his shoes.

Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.

Update: This article by British writer Gerald Warner sums up Ted Kennedy pretty well. He writes (hat tip Bob Belvedere):

In Britain, Kennedy will be remembered for his championing of IRA terror, on the same knee-jerk anti-British principles that inspired his father, Ambassador Joseph Kennedy, to support Hitler. Yet Kennedy was awarded an honorary knighthood, just as America gave him its Presidential Medal of Freedom. What for? For being a Kennedy, of course. The Kennedy humbug was incisively deflated by a Republican bumper sticker that memorably claimed: “More people were killed at Chappaquiddick than at Three Mile Island”. Another succinctly said: “No one drowned at Watergate”.

What is it that motivates people in so-called democratic societies to create reverential myths around hollow idols with feet of clay? America is the one country on earth where only the rich are socialists. That East Coast tribe will now indulge in false hero worship and wild hyperbole about a man who, if his surname had been anything other than Kennedy, would have provoked widespread distaste and social ostracism. This time, the liberal elite is burying not just an individual but the political aspirations of a dynasty whose objectives were incompatible with the best interests of America.

Amen, Bro!

Well, as one wag over at Riehl World View said, "At least they won't have to embalm him."

From Theodore's World, a poem:

Here richly, with ridiculous display,
The Politician’s corpse was laid away.
While all of his acquaintance sneered and slanged
I wept : for I had longed to see him hanged.

~~Hillarie Belloc

Via: ABC News

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Riehl World View