Every year we lose some remarkable people and their talents from the world. One of the sad rituals for me used to be watching the lists of people who had died in the last twelve months. I remember sitting there one year as Donald O'Connor flicked over the screen feeling absolutely heartbroken.
2010 feels like it's been a rollercoaster of obituaries and several have kicked me right in the stomach. For me, some of these announcements remind me how little our modern 'celebrities' offer. Unless they do it quickly some of the modern tripe won't be remembered when they die. So I just wanted to put together a brief list of people I'll particularly miss who have passed on this year.
Lena Horne
What do I think of when I think of Lena? Well, words that stem from her singing - feisty, sultry, sexy - and maybe have nothing to do with her as a person. But the public persona she held was unbelievably powerful. It came across in her famous renditions of Stormy Weather and Love Me Or Leave Me but also her lesser tracks. She had a great knack for telling a story through a song, she had an exceptional close and conversational style. My personal favourite song of hers is Poppa Don't Preach To Me, about a woman who finds a postcard from a girl to her father and (naturally) reads it. It's a wonderful number and it makes me smile every time I hear it.
Leslie Nielsen
I'll admit, I wasn't a fan of all his type of humour but he certainly had a way on camera that was incomparable. Personally, I remember him in one of his more sentimental roles, Chance of a Lifetime playing opposite Betty White. Oh, he still got the chance to flex his comedic muscles but it was the kind of movie I could watch with my grandmother and us both enjoy it equally.
Blake Edwards
I'm not familiar with much of Edwards' work. However, as he directed one of my favourite films, Victor/Victoria, it would be remiss not to mention him. That movie alone was beyond compare as a piece of cinematic pleasure. Add Breakfast at Tiffany's to a resume and that's a legacy without question.
Rue McClanahan
I adored Rue. Along with the other Golden Girls she was a foundation of my childhood. Again, I watched her with my grandmother. In the days when Living had a double bill on a Saturday morning I would listen for the theme music and pray it woke me up. I have memories of galloping down the stairs just in time to see four women sat around their table talking. Rue's character, Blanche, wasn't my favourite at the time but I don't think I was old enough to quite get her. After writing an essay on her and Dorothy I began to realise how fantastic a character she was, and Rue played her with such warmth. There were moments of genuine pain in The Golden Girls and they all pulled them off marvellously.
I realise that all my choices are from the world of entertainment but those are the deaths that have touched me this year. Of course, I've experienced jolts when other names have popped up in the obituaries but these four represent a loss to me.
So... RIP.
Showing posts with label rue mcclanahan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rue mcclanahan. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Friday, 11 June 2010
Enduring Comedy
I adore gentle, old-time comedies.
While looking for something to watch last night I stumbled across Victoria at the Albert, a repeat of Victoria Wood’s sell-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall back in 2002. Instead of trying to do anything productive like work on my thoughts for the upcoming 3rd draft of one of my novels I gladly sat down and laughed my proverbial off for two hours. But the thing is, I’ve more than just seen this before – I used to own it on audio cassette, I’ve listened to it thirty times at least. And yet it felt as fresh to me as ever, even though I knew precisely what was coming.
So how does comedy have that effect?
Drama, for me, is rooted in suspenseful writing. I remember sitting down to watch the opening episode of series three of Bad Girls and being absolutely hooked because I had no idea what was going to happen next. Those were the days before intense online speculation and spoilers so the events were a huge surprise to me. But on repeated viewings I know Jim doesn’t die and that Shell is in a lot of trouble and that Helen tries to break up with Nikki. It’s still good to watch but the tension has all disappeared. By my reckoning, comedy should be a similar toy. After all, if you know what joke’s coming then you know everything, don’t you?
Yes but no. The shows I grew up loving – and still love – all have a few things in common. Apart from anything related to Victoria Wood I adore The Golden Girls, Keeping Up Appearances, Open All Hours, Porridge, Goodnight Sweetheart and Only Fools and Horses amongst others. They’re all quite old, most of them are British but their most striking similarity is the wealth of talent in them. Comic geniuses such as Ronnie Barker, David Jason, Patricia Routledge, Bea Arthur and Nicholas Lyndhurst just have a way of delivering comedy without it ever seeming stale. I can watch a simple scene in a kitchen in Miami with four women sat around a table eating cheesecake and the lines just crack me up every time. I’m smiling while I sit here thinking about Rose Nylund’s herring tale about a herring being shot out of a cannon… ‘after that no herring would do it’. Hilarious stories told by amazing people.
So it is just the delivery that makes them great?
No, I think it’s the anticipation I get from waiting for the laughter to start. There are a couple of special moments in every episode – like the herring conversation – that I can’t wait to laugh at. In Porridge one would be the moment where Fletch is forced to get into the boxing ring to prove a point. Or the moment in Keeping Up Appearances where everybody hides under the stage to escape Hyacinth. It’s the little things in life.
This morning I woke up humming one of Victoria Wood’s songs from last night. I’ve been struggling to keep it under wraps because I don’t think the people at work would appreciate the rude words. Comedy is enduring. If I had to pick a series to watch on repeat on a desert island for the rest of my life it’d be a tough choice but my current favourite is The Golden Girls, inspired by the sad loss of Rue McClanahan.
And I don’t think I’d get bored.
While looking for something to watch last night I stumbled across Victoria at the Albert, a repeat of Victoria Wood’s sell-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall back in 2002. Instead of trying to do anything productive like work on my thoughts for the upcoming 3rd draft of one of my novels I gladly sat down and laughed my proverbial off for two hours. But the thing is, I’ve more than just seen this before – I used to own it on audio cassette, I’ve listened to it thirty times at least. And yet it felt as fresh to me as ever, even though I knew precisely what was coming.
So how does comedy have that effect?
Drama, for me, is rooted in suspenseful writing. I remember sitting down to watch the opening episode of series three of Bad Girls and being absolutely hooked because I had no idea what was going to happen next. Those were the days before intense online speculation and spoilers so the events were a huge surprise to me. But on repeated viewings I know Jim doesn’t die and that Shell is in a lot of trouble and that Helen tries to break up with Nikki. It’s still good to watch but the tension has all disappeared. By my reckoning, comedy should be a similar toy. After all, if you know what joke’s coming then you know everything, don’t you?
Yes but no. The shows I grew up loving – and still love – all have a few things in common. Apart from anything related to Victoria Wood I adore The Golden Girls, Keeping Up Appearances, Open All Hours, Porridge, Goodnight Sweetheart and Only Fools and Horses amongst others. They’re all quite old, most of them are British but their most striking similarity is the wealth of talent in them. Comic geniuses such as Ronnie Barker, David Jason, Patricia Routledge, Bea Arthur and Nicholas Lyndhurst just have a way of delivering comedy without it ever seeming stale. I can watch a simple scene in a kitchen in Miami with four women sat around a table eating cheesecake and the lines just crack me up every time. I’m smiling while I sit here thinking about Rose Nylund’s herring tale about a herring being shot out of a cannon… ‘after that no herring would do it’. Hilarious stories told by amazing people.
So it is just the delivery that makes them great?
No, I think it’s the anticipation I get from waiting for the laughter to start. There are a couple of special moments in every episode – like the herring conversation – that I can’t wait to laugh at. In Porridge one would be the moment where Fletch is forced to get into the boxing ring to prove a point. Or the moment in Keeping Up Appearances where everybody hides under the stage to escape Hyacinth. It’s the little things in life.
This morning I woke up humming one of Victoria Wood’s songs from last night. I’ve been struggling to keep it under wraps because I don’t think the people at work would appreciate the rude words. Comedy is enduring. If I had to pick a series to watch on repeat on a desert island for the rest of my life it’d be a tough choice but my current favourite is The Golden Girls, inspired by the sad loss of Rue McClanahan.
And I don’t think I’d get bored.
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Legendary Performances
Two days ago I heard the sad news that one of the two surviving Golden Girls, Rue McClanahan, had died aged 76. The sadness of this announcement was inevitably intertwined with smiles for many people for whom Rue was inexorably linked with the self-absorbed, man-hungry Southern Belle that was Blanche Devereaux in the hit sitcom. All four primary characters in the Golden Girls have had a longevity that feels unending. As I writer I would love to create characters with such personality but good writing skills must be combined with the skill of some exceptional actors.
In honour of Rue – and Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty (not to mention Betty White who we should cling onto like crazy) – I thought I’d count down my favourite characters, sadly missed, who have had the impact on me that our Golden Girls had.
5. Dorothy Shaw (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
I have a thing for dry-witted women! Jane Russell’s portrayal as Marilyn Monroe’s best friend and chaperone in this musical is hilarious, though underrated by viewers who primarily gazed at Marilyn. Jane easily had some of the best lines of the film, my favourite being, ‘Now lets get this straight, Gus. The chaperone's job is to see that nobody else has any fun. Nobody chaperone's the chaperone. That's why I'm so right for this job.’ While trying to seduce an entire Olympic squad she falls for the private detective trying to frame her friend. And the rest – after a particularly sexy courtroom number – is history.
4. Julie LaVerne (Showboat)
Ava Gardner doesn’t get enough acting credit for my liking. Her role as Julie in Showboat, demonstrating the decline of a singer, stood out as one of the performances of the decade. Though she didn’t sing for herself in the film I still have to give her credit for the delivery of an epic character who never fails to enthral me.
3. Carol ‘Toddy’ Todd (Victor/Victoria)
Have I raved enough about this film lately?! I honestly can’t help it: the partnership between Robert Preston and Julie Andrews blows me away every time. This is easily Preston’s best role, blending comedic talent with a great delivery and a genuine rapport with Julie Andrews’ Victoria (but I’ve mentioned that recently!). The final number where Toddy saves Victoria’s relationship by doing a very bad impersonation of a woman is hilarious, touching and pure genius. I can’t watch it enough.
2. Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz)
Predictable for me but what do I care? From the moment she fell into the pigsty I was entranced by Judy Garland’s Dorothy. The story is a fairy-tale, a fantasy, but usually the best stories are. What can’t be denied is the long-lasting effect Garland’s performance has had on popular culture. Clicking your heels three times, accepting you’re not in Kansas anymore; these have become recognisable staples of conversation.
1. Elsie Tanner (Coronation Street)
Perhaps an odd choice for the top of my list but Pat Phoenix was really the first actress who made me go… ‘wow’. I used to watch classic episodes of Corrie on what was then Granada Plus. Compared to contemporary Corrie in the nineties it was positively fantastic. Such legends as Hilda Odgen, Annie Walker and Ena Sharples were amazing to watch but Pat Phoenix shone above the rest. She gave Elsie, the tart with a heart, the biggest personality and the most shattering vulnerabilities I can ever remember seeing on the small screen. Her comic timing was impeccable, her tears real and her exit low-key but memorable. When asked if she’s going for a long trip Elsie replies, ‘Ah, now there’s a question’, before walking away from the street forever.
In honour of Rue – and Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty (not to mention Betty White who we should cling onto like crazy) – I thought I’d count down my favourite characters, sadly missed, who have had the impact on me that our Golden Girls had.
5. Dorothy Shaw (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
I have a thing for dry-witted women! Jane Russell’s portrayal as Marilyn Monroe’s best friend and chaperone in this musical is hilarious, though underrated by viewers who primarily gazed at Marilyn. Jane easily had some of the best lines of the film, my favourite being, ‘Now lets get this straight, Gus. The chaperone's job is to see that nobody else has any fun. Nobody chaperone's the chaperone. That's why I'm so right for this job.’ While trying to seduce an entire Olympic squad she falls for the private detective trying to frame her friend. And the rest – after a particularly sexy courtroom number – is history.
4. Julie LaVerne (Showboat)
Ava Gardner doesn’t get enough acting credit for my liking. Her role as Julie in Showboat, demonstrating the decline of a singer, stood out as one of the performances of the decade. Though she didn’t sing for herself in the film I still have to give her credit for the delivery of an epic character who never fails to enthral me.
3. Carol ‘Toddy’ Todd (Victor/Victoria)
Have I raved enough about this film lately?! I honestly can’t help it: the partnership between Robert Preston and Julie Andrews blows me away every time. This is easily Preston’s best role, blending comedic talent with a great delivery and a genuine rapport with Julie Andrews’ Victoria (but I’ve mentioned that recently!). The final number where Toddy saves Victoria’s relationship by doing a very bad impersonation of a woman is hilarious, touching and pure genius. I can’t watch it enough.
2. Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz)
Predictable for me but what do I care? From the moment she fell into the pigsty I was entranced by Judy Garland’s Dorothy. The story is a fairy-tale, a fantasy, but usually the best stories are. What can’t be denied is the long-lasting effect Garland’s performance has had on popular culture. Clicking your heels three times, accepting you’re not in Kansas anymore; these have become recognisable staples of conversation.
1. Elsie Tanner (Coronation Street)
Perhaps an odd choice for the top of my list but Pat Phoenix was really the first actress who made me go… ‘wow’. I used to watch classic episodes of Corrie on what was then Granada Plus. Compared to contemporary Corrie in the nineties it was positively fantastic. Such legends as Hilda Odgen, Annie Walker and Ena Sharples were amazing to watch but Pat Phoenix shone above the rest. She gave Elsie, the tart with a heart, the biggest personality and the most shattering vulnerabilities I can ever remember seeing on the small screen. Her comic timing was impeccable, her tears real and her exit low-key but memorable. When asked if she’s going for a long trip Elsie replies, ‘Ah, now there’s a question’, before walking away from the street forever.
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