http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/ Articles relating to those that have passed away. en Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:17:58 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/images/misc/rss.png http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/ http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16701-cammie-king-conlon.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:29:08 GMT FORT BRAGG, Calif. (AP) - Cammie King Conlon, the actress who portrayed the doomed daughter of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind," has died at 76.
Her friend, Bruce Lewis, says Conlon died of lung cancer Wednesday morning at her home on California's north coast. Her son, Matthew Ned Conlon, was by her side.
Conlon was picked to play the small, but pivotal role of Bonnie Blue Butler in the 1939 film at age 4. Her character's death in a fall from a pony irrevocably damages Rhett and Scarlett's tumultuous marriage.
Conlon also voiced the young doe Faline in Walt Disney's "Bambi" three years later. It would be her final film role.
Lewis says she never stopped gamely reprising her Bonnie Blue days for "Gone With the Wind" enthusiasts.ter of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind," has died at 76.
Her friend, Bruce Lewis, says Conlon died of lung cancer Wednesday morning at her home on California's north coast. Her son, Matthew Ned Conlon, was by her side.
Conlon was picked to play the small, but pivotal role of Bonnie Blue Butler in the 1939 film at age 4. Her character's death in a fall from a pony irrevocably damages Rhett and Scarlett's tumultuous marriage.
Conlon also voiced the young doe Faline in Walt Disney's "Bambi" three years later. It would be her final film role.
Lewis says she never stopped gamely reprising her Bonnie Blue days for "Gone With the Wind" enthusiasts. ]]> Obituaries Diana http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16701-cammie-king-conlon.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16696-ranald-graham-1941-2010-a.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:30:10 GMT *Ranald Graham (1941-2010) *It is with deep regret that I have to announce that writer Ranald Graham has passed away. Born in Scotland, his... Ranald Graham (1941-2010)

It is with deep regret that I have to announce that writer Ranald Graham has passed away.

Born in Scotland, his career dates back to the early 1970's when he wrote the film Shanks, followed by Strange New World, on which he also served as the executive producer, before submitting storylines for The Sweeney and The Professionals. He often acted as an uncredited script consultant on both shows, which just highlighted the respect his talent had earned by both the Euston and Mark I team. Other credits include Hammer House of Horror and Special Squad.

LWT were suitable impressed by his work that he was approached to create, and produce, a new series; Dempsey & Makepeace was the result and graced our screens from 1985.

Ranald was an avid cricket fan, and a keen jogger but, in December last year, fell foul to 'Motor Neuron Disease' (ALS) and on 29th August, aged 69, lost his brave fight to combat the illness. ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16696-ranald-graham-1941-2010-a.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16695-mick-lally-dead-64-a.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:25:47 GMT Image: http://www.iftn.ie/archive//storimag/micklally-f.jpg One of Ireland’s most well-known actors, Mick Lally, has passed away. The actor, known... One of Ireland’s most well-known actors, Mick Lally, has passed away. The actor, known best to Irish television audiences for his long-running role as Miley Byrne in ‘Glenroe’, died this morning, aged 64, after a short illness.

Mick Lally’s other film projects included voice work on the Oscar nominated feature animation, ‘The Secret of Kells’ as Brother Aidan along with roles in ‘Circle of Friends’ and ‘Alexander’.

Born in Tourmakeady, Co Mayo, Lally began his career as a teacher before securing theatrical roles and, along with Garry Hynes and Marie Mullen., becoming a founder member of the Druid Theatre Company. In 1979, he won a Jacob's Award for his performance as Miley in ‘Bracken’ a role which he then continued in the long-running Irish series, ‘Glenroe’.

He also starred in the BBC television series, ‘Ballykissangel’, and in the award-winning film ‘Ballroom of Romance’. He was furthermore a fluent Irish speaker and an advocate of the language, appearing in the Irish language series ‘Ros na Rún’. He recently finished a stint in the Tivoli theatre in a production of ‘The Matchmaker’ where he starred alongside his on-screen ‘Glenroe’ wife, Mary McEvoy.

Tributes have poured in for Mick from across the country. An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, said of his work: "I was shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Mick Lally. He was one of the most loved actors of his generation and will be dearly missed by the public and his colleagues in theatre and television.

"Versatile in both the Irish and English languages, his genius at capturing and portraying the essence of the characters he played brought him wide popular and critical acclaim. Our sympathies are with his wife Peige, three children Saileog, Maghnus and Darach and his parents. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal."

Mary Hanafin TD Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport also extended her heartfelt sympathy on the death of Mick Lally, to his wife Peggy and their children saying: “Mick Lally’s contribution to the theatrical world has been immense. Whether he was voicing Keane, Synge or indeed Burrows, his was a distinctive, inimitable contribution to our stage and screen craft. His wonderful ability to communicate with his audiences whether in the intimate setting in the early days of Druid, on stage in the National Theatre or in the sitting rooms of homes every Sunday for over 10 years playing the character of Miley in 'Glenroe', Mick Lally was an integral part of the world of acting and, by extension, our society.

"His rich distinctive tones were at home too in the Irish language and theatre goers from the Abbey to the Taibhdhearc will have wonderful memories of the man from Tourmakeady. A testimony to his prowess as an actor was that he could resonate across the generations – with the theatre community, the television and film world and, with very notable success, with the young generation of 'The Secret of Kells', this year’s Oscar nominee. Mick was a versatile actor and although associated forever with Miley, was never one to be typecast.

"I know that the theatrical world is in deep mourning today, and that his loss is enormous not just for his wife Peggy, their children Saileog, Darach and Maghnus and extended family but also for the community of artists who tread the boards and for whom Mick Lally was an iconic role model."

She conlcuded her statement with the words: "Bhí gaeilge den scoth aige agus grá doimhin aige do gach rud gaelach. Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann for he is truly a one off. Ar Dheis láimh Dé go raibh a anam."

Glen Killane, Managing Director of RTÉ Television, also reacted to the news issuing the following statement: “It was with great sadness that we learnt of Mick Lally’s death this morning. He was, of course, renowned as a talented actor on stage and screen, particularly for his work as a founding member of Druid Theatre Company; in seminal features like ‘Ballroom of Romance’ and indeed in Hollywood blockbusters, including ‘Alexander’.

"It was however in the Wesley Burrowes-penned drama series 'Bracken' and 'Glenroe' that we worked with him most closely here in RTÉ Television. His role as Miley Byrne truly endeared him to the nation and brought him into people’s homes every Sunday evening over an 18-year period. His great skill as an actor was apparent in the pure, naturalistic believability of the loveable character which he inhabited and made his own.

"On behalf of RTÉ I’d like to pay tribute to Mick and how he enriched our lives through his contribution to Irish radio, television and Irish life. Our sincere sympathy to Mick’s wife Peige, his three children and his parents on his passing."

Finally NUI Galway President, Dr James J. Browne, paid tribute to the graduate of the University, saying: “The University offers its sincere condolences to Mick’s family, many friends, and colleagues. Mick Lally was an outstanding actor of his generation, perhaps of any generation. We truly valued him as a graduate. His national and international reputation earned him the status as an icon of Irish theatre. An Irish speaker who served his native Mayo and country with complete commitment, it is our pleasure to have him associated with this University, Mick will be remembered fondly”.

"In 1975 following from a successful summer of drama productions, three budding actors from the then UCG Dramasoc Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally founded Druid Theatre Company. Druid went on to become an award-winning theatre company of international renown. Mick Lally was conferred with an Honorary Master of Arts, honoris causa, Degree on 27 October, 1999." ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16695-mick-lally-dead-64-a.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16691-alain-corneau.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:13:13 GMT http://images.telerama.fr/medias/2010/08/media_59477/alain-corneau,M41639.jpg French director Alain Corneau died aged 67 :rip: Police Python... http://images.telerama.fr/medias/201...eau,M41639.jpg

French director Alain Corneau died aged 67 :rip:

Police Python 357, Série Noire, Le Choix des Armes, Fort Saganne, Tous les Matins du Monde ... ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16691-alain-corneau.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16690-ian-mcdougall-producer-dead-65-a.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:12:35 GMT http://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/Cobrands/TheStar/Photos/1679347_20100827094414_000+dp1679347_CompJPG_231323.jpg Canadian production exec... http://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/im...JPG_231323.jpg

Canadian production exec Ian McDougall, former head of production at Alliance-Atlantis, died of heart failure Aug. 24 in Pennsylvania. He was 65.

McDougall began his career in professional theater in England. He went on to become deputy director and head of English language production for the Canadian Film Development Corporation (now Telefilm Canada) from 1980 to 1982, and supervised some 150 feature films and television programs across Canada.

From 1982 to 1996 he was a freelance producer and worked on shows like "Anne Of Green Gables," "Passion & Paradise," "Johnny Mnemonic" and "Clearcut."

McDougall served as Sr. VP of production for Alliance-Atlantis from 1996 to 2003, overseeing production on such shows as "CSI," "Joan Of Arc," "Nuremberg" and "Life With Judy Garland."

He had just completed producing the first season of the new crime drama "Shattered" for Entertainment One and CanWest Global.

He is survived by his wife, Karen Laurence, and two daughters.

Donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders. ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16690-ian-mcdougall-producer-dead-65-a.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16661-george-gibbings-rip.html Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:06:07 GMT From the Guardian http://www.guardian....bbings-obituary (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/24/george-gibbings-obituary) Les Gibbings... From the Guardian

http://www.guardian....bbings-obituary

Les Gibbings
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 August 2010 18.39 BST

My uncle, George Gibbings, who has died aged 90, worked as a cameraman on such well-loved TV programmes as Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars, Doctor Who, The Forsyte Saga, The Good Life and Bergerac. Upon his retirement from the BBC in 1980, his sartorial trademark of a bow tie was described, in the BBC's house magazine Ariel, as being as famous in television circles as Robin Day's.

George was born off Holloway Road in north London. After leaving Archway county school he worked for Newman & Sinclair, the cine-camera makers, as a technician, alongside his brothers, Jim (my father) and Reg.

He served with the RAF during the second world war, married his wartime sweetheart, Rose Self, and then joined the BBC as a film camera mechanic, in 1954. He was in charge of film maintenance workshops at Ealing Studios from 1955 until 1957 and at Alexandra Palace until 1958.

George was highly regarded by his peers and was routinely praised for his hard work and consummate skill behind a camera – often by those who were fortunate enough to appear in front of it, such as Bob Hope. His work for the BBC took him around the world and included a 1968 film about Concorde.

Before George retired, his conscientiousness and enthusiasm were commended by the corporation's then director-general, Ian Trethowan. George was later recruited as a freelancer to help pioneer experiments in the televising of parliament. His generosity of spirit helped subsequent generations of film-makers to achieve greater things.

Rose died in 1982. After several weeks in hospital, George greeted his 90th birthday on 17 July, when we had a small bedside family party for him. He is survived by seven nephews, including myself. ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16661-george-gibbings-rip.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16660-ahna-capri-19-august-2010-r-i-p.html Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:05:21 GMT http://im.in.com/connect/images/profile/sep2009/Ahna_Capri_300.jpg Sad to report that Ahna Capri was killed in a car accident over the weekend... http://im.in.com/connect/images/prof..._Capri_300.jpg


Sad to report that Ahna Capri was killed in a car accident over the
weekend in LA. She began as a child actress in the 50s and morphed into a
sexy 60s starlet who resembled a cross between Sandra Dee and Joey
Heatherton. Using the name Anna Capri, she appeared in such films as
Kisses for My President and The Girls on the Beach (co-star Gail Gerber
remembers Anna as "such a lovely girl. I remember when first meeting her I
couldn't believe how beautiful she was.") She popped up all over TV in
such series as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, The Invaders,
Run for Your Life, and It Takes a Thief. In the 70s, a la Mariana Hill,
she changed her name also to Ahna Capri (she remarked, "Too many people
pronounce 'Anna' with a flat 'a' and it comes out as ugly 'Aaana.'") and
began to show the world she had more talent than previously being given
credit especially in the underrated Payday (1972) opposite Rip Torn as one
bastard of a country-western singer. She reached cult status with her
appearance in Enter the Dragon (1973) with Bruce Lee and as The Specialist
(1975) a sexy assassin for hire. Ahna Capri retired from acting in 1979.

Tom Lisanti
www.sixtiescinema.com ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16660-ahna-capri-19-august-2010-r-i-p.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16659-freddie-slade-rip.html Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:51:07 GMT From the Guardian Nick http://www.guardian....-slade-obituary (http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/aug/23/freddie-slade-obituary) ... From the Guardian

Nick

http://www.guardian....-slade-obituary

Alan Afriat
The Guardian, Monday 23 August 2010

My former colleague Freddie Slade, who has died aged 91, was the principal film dubbing mixer with Associated-Rediffusion and Thames Television from the beginning of ITV in 1955 until his retirement in 1984.

Today dubbing is computerised, so it takes just moments to do what used to take hours. Back then, each 10-minute reel of film had to be dubbed in one continuous run: if there was one error of judgment, one finger fluff, you had to go back to the beginning. Freddie's concentration never faltered: time and time again, he saved the day.

Freddie worked on programmes including This Week and the 1973 documentary series The World at War. Sir Jeremy Isaacs, executive producer of The World at War, wrote about working on the series: "With music, effects, voice tracks mixed and laid and now final commentary to be added, we are off to the dubbing theatre, where another unsung hero, the dubbing mixer, Freddie Slade, will put the icing on the cake. On his fingers depend the final audio balance of the film, and the articulation of each sound element in its own right. With Freddie Slade we get it."

Freddie began his career in films at an early age. He was born in Harrow, Middlesex, and as a teenager his first job was as a "button boy" at the Odeon cinema. In his smart livery, and with some wit, Freddie would promote the current film of the week. He soon became a projectionist and developed a lasting love of film – and of an ice-cream girl called Phyllis, whom he married in 1941.

He later joined Denham Studios and then Pinewood as a sound recordist before going to Associated-Rediffusion as principal film dubbing mixer, responsible for many fine soundtracks on major programmes and film dramas. In 1980 Freddie was nominated for a Bafta award for his work on Hollywood, Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's documentary series about silent cinema.

Phyllis died eight months before Freddie. He was cared for by his daughter, Glenna, who survives him, along with a granddaughter, Emma, and a grandson, Paul. ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16659-freddie-slade-rip.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16644-jennifer-browne.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:53:43 GMT Jennifer Elspeth Martin(née Browne) on 16th August 2010 former stage and television actress and dearly loved mother, sister and grandmother. We ... Jennifer Elspeth Martin(née Browne) on 16th August 2010 former stage and television actress and dearly loved mother, sister and grandmother. We will all miss Jennie's ready humour and joie de vivre. Funeral at St John The Baptist Church, Clayton, West Sussex, BN6 9TJ, on Friday 27th August at 2pm.
Published in The Times on August 21, 2010

"The Misfit" .... Hostess (1 episode, 1970)
- On Being British (1970) TV episode .... Hostess
"The Worker" .... Nurse Collins (1 episode, 1970)
- You Have Enjoyed the Sweets, Now You Must Suffer the Sours (1970) TV episode .... Nurse Collins
"Never a Cross Word" .... Fritzi (1 episode, 1969)
- Sir or Madam (1969) TV episode .... Fritzi
"Dad's Army" .... WAAF Sergeant (1 episode, 1969)
- The Day the Balloon Went Up (1969) TV episode .... WAAF Sergeant
"Crane" .... Margot (1 episode, 1963)
- A Death of No Importance (1963) TV episode .... Margot
"Benny Hill" (1 episode, 1963)
- The Vanishing Man (1963) TV episode
"The Benny Hill Show" .... Various Roles (1 episode, 1961)
- Episode #5.2 (1961) TV episode .... Various Roles
"International Detective" .... Consaela Miranda (1 episode, 1961)
- The Orlando Case (1961) TV episode .... Consaela Miranda
"No Hiding Place" .... Clare Miller (1 episode, 1960)
- A Straight White Line (1960) TV episode .... Clare Miller
"Gert and Daisy" .... Lulu (6 episodes, 1959)
- Episode #1.6 (1959) TV episode .... Lulu
- Episode #1.5 (1959) TV episode .... Lulu
- Episode #1.4 (1959) TV episode .... Lulu
- Episode #1.3 (1959) TV episode .... Lulu
- Episode #1.2 (1959) TV episode .... Lulu
(1 more)
"Dixon of Dock Green" .... Muriel Palmer (1 episode, 1959)
- A Case for the Inland Revenue (1959) TV episode .... Muriel Palmer
"The Flying Doctor" .... Pat Bowers (1 episode, 1959)
- The Revelation (1959) TV episode .... Pat Bowers
"BBC Sunday-Night Theatre" .... Jane Seymour / ... (2 episodes, 1956-1958)
- The Frog (1958) TV episode .... Stella Bennett
- The White Falcon (1956) TV episode .... Jane Seymour
The Moonraker (1958) .... Henrietta Dorset
"The Man Who Was Two" (1957) TV series .... Ann
"ITV Television Playhouse" (1 episode, 1956)
- Teddy Gang (1956) TV episode
"St. Ives" (1 episode, 1955)
- Lion Rampant (1955) TV episode
"Patrol Car" .... Waitress (1 episode, 1955)
... aka "Fabian of the Yard" - UK (original title)
- The Lover's Knot (1955) TV episode .... Waitress ]]> Obituaries Britmovie http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16644-jennifer-browne.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16621-jack-may-1922-1997-a.html Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:18:02 GMT Jack May, actor, died yesterday aged 75. He was born on April 23, 1922. With his suave accents and polished come-to-bed manner, the character of ... Jack May, actor, died yesterday aged 75. He was born on April 23, 1922. With his suave accents and polished come-to-bed manner, the character of Nelson Gabriel, as memorably enacted by Jack May, was something of an enigma in the rustic world of that awesomely long-lived radio soap, The Archers. Latterly, of course, he and his Borchester wine bar had seemed less out of place in a serial which, in past years, had been furiously and trendily updating itself to be more in tune with the mores of the late 20th century. Drugs, abortion, live-in gay relationships, depression, suicide, Jennifer Aldridge trying to learn to fly are now staple fare, at a far remove from the original gentle bucolics of a rural Britain still in a state of innocence in such matters.
Yet, when Nelson Gabriel first joined the cast, not so long after The Archers first went on the air in 1951 as a BBC Light Programme "experiment", he did so as a somewhat mysterious figure. What on earth was an "antiques dealer" (as he then was) doing in a programme which billed itself as "a tale of country folk"? And how had the son of the conspicuously loamy-voiced Walter Gabriel acquired a speaking voice which argued some immersion in a public school, even if only one of a minor and possibly spurious nature? His antecedents were always left deliberately vague. His background was apparently RAF, but whether that had been at wingco or warrant officer level was never precisely established. His father would have liked to see him in jail * and nearly did when his son was implicated in the Great Borchester Mail Van Robbery, for which which he was tried and happily acquitted. This was a case of Archers scriptwriters suffering from one of their periodic * and rather charming * rushes of blood to the head.
Nevertheless, in general, in a programme which, in those far-off days, concerned itself much more with the state of Britain's postwar agricultural economy than it does now, Nelson and his activities never seemed totally out of place. A two-minute visit to the antiques shop once or twice a week, provided a soothing counterpoint to the problems of bringing on the spring wheat; lifting the potatoes; or battling to accomplish the lambing against the hostility of the elements.
By the time Nelson's antiques gave way to the wine bar in the 1970s, life had changed in Ambridge, too. Young (and generally female) sophisticates had abandoned the milkpail and the beer pump for the frenzied life of solicitors' offices and snatched lunchbreaks over a glass of spritzer. Father Gabriel might still be quaffing pints of Shires ale at the Bull in the company of Tom Forrest * a vignette of senescent rusticity if there ever was one * but the young folk would almost certainly be patronising Nelson's in-town premises with their background muzak, open sandwiches, Cabernet Sauvignon by the bottle and tinkling, kittenish conversation: "Oh, no, not another one Nigel, I'm supposed to be driving".
Being chained, as he was, to a soap of such formidably enduring character tended to obscure the fact that Jack May was a fine actor with a solid repertory experience behind him. Born at Henley-on-Thames and educated at The Forest School, Essex, after war service in the RAF in India he was offered a place at RADA but turned it down in favour of a place at Merton College, Oxford. This did his acting no harm. He was active in OUDS and was determined to be an actor when he came down.
He had always set his sights on Birmingham Rep, then the starting point outside London for any stage career. Eventually, he was invited by its producer Douglas Seal to audition for a small part in that never easy Shakespearean exercise, the three parts of Henry VI. After a read-through it became apparent that the Birmingham Rep had acquired a star, and May soon found himself cast as the eponymous hero. He carried the play, the production of which was so successful that it was given an airing at the Old Vic. By general consent among the critics, May's rendering of Henry's heartbroken lament:
O God! methinks it were a happy life
To be no better than a homely swain....
which was to foreshadow the great outpouring of Shakespeare's Richard II), was the riveting centre of the production.
In 1951, the year of its launch, Tony Shryane, producer of what was then seen as a farming serial, The Archers, approached May and asked him if he would like a part. It was an inspired choice to fit a character of his kidney into a programme which bade fair at its outset to sound like a radio version of Virgil's Georgics. May (in the person of Nelson) added the touch of louche barfly, slightly dodgy, hovering on the brink of criminality, which counterbalanced the earnest accents of rural economics. Eventually the whizzkid aged a trifle but, whether as antiques dealer or wine bar proprietor, he always had a definable niche.
Nelson's love-life was always something of a mystery. He "never married" * but was he a homosexual? Certainly the demanding Julia Pargetter, widow and mother of the toffee-nosed and tiresome Nigel, did not think so, since she danced assiduous attendance on him, even somewhat obtrusively, helping him with his interior décor on occasions.
May's Archers career was a classic example of how an individual can become indistinguishable from his soap opera role. Yet, for May, there was life outside The Archers. He acted in a number of films, notably The man Who Would Be King, and was familiar on television in drama productions which ranged from Goodbye Mr Chips to The Age of Kings.
He is survived by his wife, the actress Petra Davies, and by a son and a daughter. ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16621-jack-may-1922-1997-a.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16547-martin-drew-dead-66-drummer-oscar-peterson.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:26:29 GMT http://www.jazzreview.com/f/user_images/6-3348-1568-1-7.jpg August 7, 2010 Martin Drew, British Jazz Drummer, Dies at 66 By PETER KEEPNEWS ... http://www.jazzreview.com/f/user_ima...8-1568-1-7.jpg

August 7, 2010
Martin Drew, British Jazz Drummer, Dies at 66
By PETER KEEPNEWS


Martin Drew, a British jazz drummer who was a member of the pianist
Oscar Peterson's internationally popular group for three decades, died
on July 29 in London. He was 66.


The cause was a heart attack, his wife, Tessa, said.


Mr. Drew first worked with Peterson in 1974 at the celebrated London
nightclub Ronnie Scott's, where Mr. Drew was the house drummer. In that
role he also accompanied Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie and many other
visiting American jazz artists.


He performed all over the world with Peterson from the mid-1970s until a
few years before Peterson's death in 2007. For most of that time the
group also included the Danish bass virtuoso Niels-Henning Orsted
Pedersen, who died in 2005.


Two other prominent former Peterson sidemen have died this year: the
drummer Ed Thigpen in January and the guitarist Herb Ellis in March.


Born in Northampton, England, on Feb. 11, 1944, Mr. Drew made his
professional debut at 13 and worked with various British jazz musicians
before beginning a long association with the saxophonist Ronnie Scott,
as the drummer both in his small groups and at the nightclub he ran.


In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Jason; two daughters,
Danielle and Michelle; and three granddaughters. ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16547-martin-drew-dead-66-drummer-oscar-peterson.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16546-bruno-cremer.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:23:39 GMT French actor *Bruno Cremer* passed away last Saturday :rip: He was the best Jules Maigret of the TV series :thumbsup: ... French actor Bruno Cremer passed away last Saturday :rip:

He was the best Jules Maigret of the TV series :thumbsup:

http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1281343531

http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1281344151

//

http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1281344219

317e Section / Schoendoerffer

http://www.cinemotions.com/data/film...il-1966-23.jpg

Paris Brule t-il ?? (here with Alain Delon) / Clément

http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1281344327

La Bande à Bonnot (here with Jacques Brel) / Fourastié

http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1281344690

Sous le Sable / Ozon ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16546-bruno-cremer.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16545-andreas-voustinas-rip.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:22:41 GMT RIP Andreas Voustinas who played Carmen Ghia in the original version of *The Producers (1968).* http://www.independe...da-2048869.html... RIP Andreas Voustinas who played Carmen Ghia in the original version of The Producers (1968).

http://www.independe...da-2048869.html ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16545-andreas-voustinas-rip.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16544-david-wolper-rip-roots-producer.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:21:05 GMT David L. Wolper died Tuesday at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 82. The cause was congestive heart failure and complications of... David L. Wolper died Tuesday at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 82.


The cause was congestive heart failure and complications of Parkinson’s disease, said Dale Olson, Mr. Wolper’s publicist.

Mr. Wolper produced hundreds of films and television shows, including the hit 1983 mini-series “The Thorn Birds,” a romantic drama set in Australia, with Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward. But the work with which he was most closely associated was “Roots,” shown in eight parts on ABC in 1977.

The saga of an African-American family’s journey from Africa to slavery and emancipation, based on the best-selling book by Alex Haley, “Roots,” with a cast including LeVar Burton, Ben Vereen and many others, was not the first mini-series, but it was the first to have a major influence not just in the ratings but in American culture. One of the highest-rated entertainment programs in television history, it went on to win nine Emmy Awards and ignited a lively national discussion about race.

Another of Mr. Wolper’s productions, “The Hellstrom Chronicle” (1971), a film concerned with mankind’s real and imagined difficulties with insects, won an Academy Award.

Mr. Wolper was also a tireless showman and a flamboyant organizer of major events. He oversaw the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, replete with sky divers, break dancers and 84 pianists playing music by George Gershwin. He again dazzled an international television audience when he choreographed a celebration in New York Harbor on July 4, 1986, to observe the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, in which several thousand rockets were set off amid a backdrop of hundreds of tall ships gracing the harbor around the statue.

Mr. Wolper initially made his mark as a producer of documentaries and later focused on fictionalized accounts of historical events. He drew his share of criticism: it was sometimes suggested that his documentaries were not sufficiently probing, that his so-called docudramas took too many liberties with the facts, that he was more showman than historian. In 1966 Jack Gould, the television critic of The New York Times, noted that some financiers and government officials had been permitted an advance look at Mr. Wolper’s CBS documentary “Wall Street: Where the Money Is.”

“Wolper is incredibly naïve if he fails to understand the consequences of allowing participants in a controversial news story to have the right of advance approval,” Mr. Gould wrote. Mr. Wolper admitted that he had let the officials see the film or read his script before it was broadcast, but insisted he had made no deletions and was not asked to make any.

Critics were also cool to many of his big-screen productions, which included “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium” (1969), “I Love My Wife” (1970) and “One Is a Lonely Number” (1972), although he received good reviews for some, notably “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971) and “L.A. Confidential” (1997), which won two Oscars.

“The Bridge at Remagen” (1969), about a World War II battle in Germany, was probably the Wolper movie that attracted the most attention — not for what was on the screen, but because his production company was run out of Czechoslovakia when the Soviet Army invaded.

Mr. Wolper scored an early success in 1963 with the television documentary “The Making of the President 1960,” based on Theodore H. White’s best-selling book about John F. Kennedy’s quest for the White House. It won four Emmys, including program of the year.

Other noteworthy television projects in the 1960s included the series “Biography,” “Hollywood and the Stars” and “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.” In the 1970s he branched out into sitcoms, producing “Chico and the Man” and “Welcome Back, Kotter” with James Komack.

David Wolper (he had no middle name, but used the middle initial L to distinguish himself from an uncle also named David Wolper) was born on the East Side of Manhattan on Jan. 11, 1928, the only child of Irving S. Wolper, a businessman, and the former Anna Fass. As a teenager he spent a lot of time watching movies, and people noticed that he had a knack for selling things.

Upon graduation from Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, he entered Drake University in Des Moines, remained there a year, then transferred to the University of Southern California for two more years. He left the university at the end of his junior year because he thought he could make money by purchasing old movies and selling them to television stations all over the country. He was right.

In 1958, sensing that the footage shot of the Soviet satellite Sputnik would be worth something, he purchased 6,000 feet of it from Artkino, the official Soviet distributor, and used it as the basis for a documentary, “The Race for Space,” which he sold to more than 100 stations in the United States after all three networks turned it down.

Making documentaries for television, he soon learned, was not easy. The networks had large news and public affairs departments staffed by seasoned journalists, and network executives tended to be wary of documentaries produced by outsiders.

Undaunted, Mr. Wolper began Wolper Productions on a shoestring. The company’s early projects included “The Rafer Johnson Story” (1961), “Hollywood: The Golden Years” (1961) and “D-Day” (1962). Reviews were mixed, but viewers were receptive. By the mid-1970s Wolper Productions had grown from two people in a one-room office to more than 200 employees using 40 cutting rooms.

In 1971 Mr. Wolper produced “Appointment With Destiny,” a series that mixed historical footage with dramatic re-enactments. John J. O’Connor, writing in The Times, criticized it as “pure fiction cleverly masquerading as reality.” Mr. Wolper responded in a letter to the editor: “How else can we approach the past? Shall we leave it, defeated and ignorant, because we cannot fully reconstruct it any more than we can relive it?”

Married three times, Mr. Wolper is survived by his wife of 36 years, the former Gloria Hill; two sons, Mark and Michael, and a daughter, Leslie, by his second wife, the former Margaret Dawn Richard; and 10 grandchildren.

Mr. Wolper remained active as a producer of mini-series and documentaries well into the 1990s. Besides “The Thorn Birds,” his noteworthy later productions included “North and South” (1985). In 2002 he revisited his most famous production with the television special “Roots: Celebrating 25 Years.”

Mr. Wolper was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Hall of ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16544-david-wolper-rip-roots-producer.html http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16542-john-louis-mansi.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:11:29 GMT Sad to see that John Louis Mansi (John Patrick Adams) has passed away. Best known as Smallhausen in Allo Allo, but I recall that he had a role in The... Sad to see that John Louis Mansi (John Patrick Adams) has passed away. Best known as Smallhausen in Allo Allo, but I recall that he had a role in The Italian Job - in the Turin traffic control room. ]]> Obituaries Arthur Askey http://www.britmovie.net/britforum/obituaries/16542-john-louis-mansi.html