Glenn Frey, founding member of The Eagles, has died at age 67.
Obit of the Day: Boba Fett (well, his voice)
Boba Fett has four lines of dialogue in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and all four of those lines were originally spoken by character actor Jason Wingreen. Mr. Wingreen was never credited for the performance, and received no residuals, but for generations of fans it is his growling voice asking Darth Vader “What if he dies?” before Han Solo is entombed in carbonite.
Mr. Wingreen had a Hollywood career that spanned parts of five decades beginning in 1955. Often doing guest spots he did have longer runs on shows including The Untouchables, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and the series All in the Family and Archie Bunker’s Place where he played the role of Harry Snowden over 117 episodes. His most famous big screen appearance was as Dr. Brody, of the Mayo Clinic, in the 1980 comedy Airplane!
Unfortunately after 2004, Mr. Wingreen can no longer be heard in Episode V, as his voice was dubbed over by Temeura Morrison, who played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. But fans of the original still reached out to Mr. Wingreen asking for autographs which he felt was still important to him: “It gives me something to do with my life. Otherwise I wouldn’t do very much, except existing.”
Jason Wingreen died on December 25, 2015 at the age of 95.
Sources: NY Times, Screenrant.com, classictvhistory.com (interview with Mr. Wingreen), and imdb.com
(Video of Bob Wingreen voicing Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back is copyright of Disney and Lucasfilm and courtesy of Justin White on YouTube.com.)
Other Star Wars posts:
Bob Anderson - Fencing master who was actually the man who cut off Luke Skywalker’s hand.
Stuart Freeborn - Designed Yoda
Irvin Kershner - Director of The Empire Strikes Back
Grant McCune - Visual effects designer who created Boba Fett’s helmet, the TIE fighter, and the Millenium Falcon
Maurice Murphy - The trumpet that dominates the opening theme for the Star Wars sextology
Richard Parmentier - Portrayed General Motti in A New Hope
At the funeral of New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu, who died on November 18, 2015 at age 40, former teammates performed one last haka, the traditional Maori dance that became a trademark of the “All Blacks.”
Mr. Lomu’s funeral was held on December 1.
Video courtesy of NZTV on YouTube via RugbyRampage.com
But she wasn't just a screaming cheerleading foil to Sly & Freddie's gospel vocals. She was a KICK ASS trumpet player.
Questlove writing about Cynthia Robinson, co-founder of Sly & the Family Stone and one of the only black female trumpeters in rock and roll history.
Ms. Robinson died on November 23, 2010 at the age of 71.
Obit of the Day: “Marvelous Mal”
Mal Whitfield knew he wanted to run in the Olympic Games after sneaking into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to watch the historic 100m race between Eddie Tolan and Ralph Metcalfe in 1932. Eventually, Mr. Whitfield would earn five Olympic medals, including three golds, and become one of the greatest ambassadors for sports the world has known.
After serving in World War II as a member of the Tuskegee Airman, Mr. Whitfield enrolled at The Ohio State University. While in Columbus, he honed his skills and began to dominate as a middle-distance runner, competing in events that ranged in distance from 200 to 1000m.
In 1948, Mr. Whitfield traveled to London as part of the U.S. Olympic team, his first-ever international competition. He made his mark, winning a gold medal in the 800m and setting an Olympic record. He also earned gold as the anchor on the 4x400 relay team. For good measure, he took home bronze in the 400m, as well.
Returning to the U.S., Mr. Whitfield found himself back in military service, fighting in Korea. He was part of 28 bombing missions during the conflict, serving as a tail gunner. When not in the air he was maintaining his rigorous training schedule, running up and down military runways while carrying his sidearm. It was “the most miserable time of my life,” according to Mr. Whitfield.
He returned to the Olympics in 1952, defending his title in the 800m and earning his second gold in the event. In the 4x400m relay, he and his team finished second. He became the first-ever active U.S. serviceman to win gold.
Mr. Whitfield’s dominance in the 800m, during this time, was legendary. Between 1948 and 1949 he won 66 of 69 competitions at that distance. His efforts were recognized nationally, earning him the Sullivan Award, given to the top amateur athlete in the United States. He was the first black athlete to win the award.
After retiring from running in 1956, Mr. Whitfield would spend the rest of his life as a the world’s greatest ambassador of track and field. He was hired to coach in both Liberia and Nigeria. Eventually he’s work for the U.S. in the Foreign Service as a youth and sports affairs officer. Over 30 years he would spend time teaching and coaching in 130 different countries, including time in every African nation.
When he retired from service in 1989, he was invited to the Oval Office by President George H.W. Bush to honor his athletic and diplomatic achievements. That same year Mr. Whitfield founded the Whitfield Foundation which “is dedicated to the promotion of sports, academics, and culture around the globe.”
Mal Whitfield, who was elected to both the Track and Field Hall of Fame (1974) and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame (1988), died on November 19, 2015 at the age of 91.
Sources: NY Times, Washington Post, The Whitfield Foundation
Image of Mal Whitfield on his way to victory in the 800m race at the 1948 London Olympics is courtesy of the Washington Post and copyright of the Associated Press.
Other 1948 Olympians featured on Obit of the Day:
Alice Coachman - The first black woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics
Ann Curtis - U.S. swimmer who won two gold medals at the games
Moose Thompson - Gold medal-winning shot putter
Walter Walsh - Member of the U.S. pistol team, also the oldest living Marine and FBI agent
Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Emma Lazarus, “New Colossus,” 1883
Emma Lazarus, whose famous poem is on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, died on November 19, 1887 at the age of 38.
Ms. Lazarus was the daughter of Portugese Jews to emigrated to the United States before the American Revolution. She became interested in writing at a young age and wrote not only poetry but also verse and dramas.
She became an advocate for Jewish refugees after reading George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda and receiving news of pogroms against Jews in Russia. She also became an early Zionist, advocating for a Jewish nation-state.
“New Colossus” was written in 1883 placed on the Statue in 1903. It has become relevant once again as the Syrian refugee crisis dominates the news and politics.
The Eastern world it is explodin’,
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’,
You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’,
You don’t believe in war, what’s that gun you’re totin’,
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin’.
The opening lines to “Eve of Destruction” written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri and sung by Barry McGuire. The protest song would hit number one on the U.S. charts.
Mr. Sloan, who wrote several hits in the 1960s before dsiappearing from the music scence to deal with drug addiction and mental illness, died on November 15, 2015 at the age of 70. Read his full NY Times obituary here.
Obit of the Day: Designer of the Ghostbusters Logo
Michael C. Gross is responsible for two iconic images of the 20th century. Most famously, he designed the Ghostbusters logo, based on a concept by Dan Ackroyd. But in 1973 he also shocked the world with his National Lampoon cover featuring an apparently frightened dog with a gun to its head.
The cover, which was originally supposed to a subscription ad, was voted as one of the 40 best magazine covers of all time by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
A graduate of the Pratt Institute, Mr. Gross did design work for several magazines including Esquire, he also created posters for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and worked for a time as John Lennon’s personal designer.
In the early 80s, his interests turned to Hollywood and he became a producer. His first movie was the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal, which combined music and adult-themed animation. His next film was Ghostbusters (1984) which brought about the classic logo which the Pratt Institute voted the most admired icon created by its alumni or faculty - beating out the Chrysler Building.
Mr. Gross produced fourteen films and television shows most famously Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990), The Real Ghostbusters* (1986-1991), Beethoven (1992), and Dave (1993). He also received an Emmy nomination for Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas (1992). But not everything he touched turned to gold since he was also partially responsible for the Sylvester Stallone/Estelle Getty flop Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! (1992).
Mr. Gross, a cancer survivor, suffered a recurrence in 2014 but this time the diagnosis was terminal. Deciding against any life-prolonging treatments, instead his therapy included the creation of an art exhibition titled “Flip Cancer” which featured dozens of images of the middle finger as designed by him and his colleagues.
Michael Gross died on November 16, 2015 at the age of 70.
Sources: CBSNews.com, www.michaelcgross.com, and IMDB.com
Images are copyright of Columbia Pictures and National Lampoon, respectively, and courtest of Wikipedia.org
Other designers featured on Obit of the Day:
John Berg - Grammy Award-winning album cover designer
Joseph Selame - Designed logos for CVS, Goodwill, and Stop & Shop with his wife Elinor
Massimo Vignelli - Designer of the New York City subway map
and co-star of Ghostbusters Harold Ramis
Obit of the Day (Historical): Jack Sheppard (1724)
It took just two years for Jack Sheppard to transform from carpenter’s apprentice to noted thief, jailbreaker, and folk hero. One year shy of completing his apprenticeship, a 20-year-old Sheppard turned to a life of crime, and though he was not a very successful burglar, he was a master of escape.
Mr. Sheppard escaped from prison four times during his short criminal career, each more dramatic than the last:
- In the early spring of 1723, he was arrested for pick-pocketing, Mr. Sheppard was in jail for all of three hours before he broke through a timber ceiling and lowered himself to the ground using his bedclothes, all while wearing handirons.
- On May 25, 1723, the again-imprisoned Sheppard filed through his manacles, pried an iron and wooden bar out of his cell window and again lowered himself to the ground with a rope made of sheets. This time he was joined with his known associate and prostitue, Elizabeth Lyon, or “Edgworth Bess,” who was sharing a cell with him.
- More than a year later, on August 30, 1724, Mr. Sheppard was once again incarcerated. In preparation for escape, he filed a spike that blocked the entrance to the cell to the point where it could break off easily. His good friend Bess and her colleague, Moll Maggot, came to the prison and distracted the guard, while Sheppard pried off the spike and shoved his slight five-foot frame through the opening. He then dressed in women’s clothing brought by his accomplices and escaped.
- Free for less than two weeks, Mr. Sheppard was brought in again on September 9. But he would not be kept. This time he boldy managed to pick his way out of his cell with a bent nail, broke through several more doors and made it to the prison roof. Realizing he couldn’t climb or jump down on his own he returned to his cell and retrieved a blanket. He then made his way back to the roof and climbed onto a neighboring home, broke in, escaped through the house without waking the occupants, and made his way to the streets - while wearing legirons
After this final escape Mr. Sheppard was famous. Daniel Defoe penned The History of the Remarkable Life of John Sheppard, which added even more drama to the already dramatic prison breaks.
Law enforcement was not amused.
Mr. Sheppard was arrested a final time on November 1, 1724, after he was discovered drunk and wearing stolen jewelry. Finally understanding that changes needed to be made to keep the wily Sheppard in prison, guards placed him in the Middle Stone Room in Newgate prison which was visible from all sides. Not above making a little money themselves, the guards charged visitors four shillings a person to meet and talk with the infamous Sheppard.
Although pleas were made to King George I to commute the young thief’s death sentence, they were ignored and he was to be hung on November 16. Thousands attended the hanging, where they could pick up a new copy of Mr. Sheppard’s autobiography, probably ghostwritten by Mr. Defoe. But Mr. Defoe was not present just to ensure book sales, he and his publisher had a plan to rescue Mr. Sheppard from the gallows. They hopes to wait the required fifteen minutes after the platform dropped, take Mr. Sheppard down, and attempt to revive him - the greatest of escapes. Unfortunately the crowd was not informed of the plan and in an act of sympathy, after Mr. Sheppard’s body was dropped through the floor, people grabbed his legs and pulled to ensure a quick death.
Jack Sheppard was 22 years old when he was executed.
Sources: Historic UK and Wikipedia
(Image of James Sheppard awaiting his execution is an engraving by George White created in 1728, and based on a painting by James Thomhill, King George’s court painter, in 1724. The painting is lost.)
Obit of the Day: The Strangest Twin Story Ever
Oskar and Jack were born on January 16, 1933, in Trinidad. Just six months later the identical twins were separated. Oskar was taken to Germany, with an older sister and his German Catholic mother. Jack would stay in Trinidad with his Romanian Jewish father.
Jack would watch World War II unfold from afar through newsreels at the local movie theater. Oskar was in the heart of the Third Reich and became a true believer, joining the Hitler Youth all while keeping his father’s heritage a secret.
Later Jack would move to Israel at the recommendation of an aunt, the lone survivor of the Holocaust on his father’s side of the family. Moving there at age sixteen, he joined the Israeli Defense Forces within a few years.
The former Nazi and the Israeli military man met for the first time when they were 21. They never hit it off. Not only for their stark differences (Oskar told jack to hid his Israeli luggage tags to avoid conflict with anti-Semitic relatives) but also their striking similarities. Both men were balding and sported similar mustaches and wore similar wire-rimmed glasses and identical sports coats. They interrogated each other over their choice of clothing with Jack asking, “Oskar you are wearing the same shirt and same glasses. Why?”
Never warming up to each other, the twins would not meet again for twenty-five years when Oskar contacted Jack about participating in a study of twins at the University of Minnesota. The psychologists leading the study were simply amazed; never before had they met twins with such dramatic differences in upbringing. And yet the two men had quite a lot in common including reading books back-to-front, wearing rubber bands on their wrists, and frightening people in elevators with loud sneezing.
Through all that, the two remained disconnected. Jack was asked whether he loved Oskar and answered, “Love each other? We don’t even know if we liked each other.”
Oskar Stohr died in 1997 from lung cancer. Jack did not attend his funeral.
Jack Yufe, who ran a clothing store outside of San Diego for decades, died on November 9, 2015 at the age of 82.
Sources: LA Times, AP, Washington Post
(Image of Jack Yufe, left, and Oskar Stohr, undated but circa 1980s, is copyright Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times and courtesy of the Times)
Other twins on Obit of the Day:
William Baron - He and his brother Wilbur were tap dancing stars
The Reister Brothers - Identical twin monks who died on the exact same day
Chang and Eng Bunker - The original “Siamese twins”
Obit of the Day: Between Best and Starr
On September 11, 1962, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison walked into the London recording studio with their brand-new drummer, Ringo Starr, in tow. Having fired Pete Best, the soon-to-be Fab Four seemed ready to record their first hits.
But George Martin, their famed producer, was not as impressed. Having heard Ringo play, he called in Andy White, a session drummer. Mr. Starr was relegated to the tambourine for the recording of “Love Me Do” and the maracas for “P.S. I Love You.” The songs would be released as the A and B sides of the record, respectively.
And here’s where things become complicated. Mr. Starr did record a version of “Love Me Do” on September 4, 1962. That version was released in the first pressing of the single, but when additional pressings were ordered it was replaced with Mr. White’s version. (You can tell the two apart by the addition of tambourine on the latter recording.) In addition, Mr. White’s recordings of both songs are included on Please Please Me (1963).
“Love Me Do” was the Beatles first U.K. single release and peaked at 17 on the British charts (and #1 in the U.S. when it was released there in 1964). Please Please Me was the first album released by the Beatles in the U.K. as well.
For this work Mr. Martin earned £5 for his session work, plus ten shillings for bringing his drums. Mr. Starr would earn the royalties for all future uses of both songs.
Andy White, who also spent eleven years in Marlene Dietrich’s band and played on the soundtrack of What’s New, Pussycat?, died on November 9, 2015 at the age of 85.
Sources: The Telegraph and Wikipedia
Audio of “Love Me Do” is copyright of Apple Records and courtesy of maclomasoleil1966 on YouTube.com
Obit of the Day (Historical): Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (1921)
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers (also called The Tomb of the Unknowns) was dedicated on November 11, 1921 with a funeral and internment of the body of an unidentifiable serviceman killed on the battlefields of France during World War II.
Following the lead of England and France, the United States Congress passed a bill on March 4, 1921 establishing a tomb for an “unknown soldier.” On Memorial Day of that year four bodies were exhumed from four different WWI battlefields. After all precautions were taken to ensure that the soldiers were American and completely unidentifiable, U.S. Army Sgt. Edward F. Younger, a WWI veteran was given the honor of selecting the body that would be entombed.
On October 24, Sgt. Younger made the selection in an elaborate ceremony with representatives of France and the U.S. in attendance. The four caskets were placed in a room and Sgt. Younger approached them, circled the display twice and placed a small bouqet of roses on the casket third from the left. He then saluted. The first unknown soldier was selected.
The soldier’s remains were transported by ship and arrived in the United States on November 9, 1921. Two days later, the body, now in Washington, D.C., was honored with a procession through the city, carried on a horse-led caisson, draped in the U.S. flag and escorted by veterans of WWI. President Harding, Vice-President Coolidge, and countless other dignitaries walked behind the casket as it traveled up Pennsylvania Avenue.
President Harding spoke at the official funeral ceremony and the soldier was honored with the U.S. Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross. Delegations representing U.S. allies in the war also presented the soldier with the highest military honors they could bestow: Belgian Croix de Guerre, English Victoria Cross, French Medaille Militaire & Croix de Guerre, Italian Gold Medal for Bravery, Romanian Virtutes Militara, Czechoslavak War Cross, and Polish Virtuti Militari.
The Unknown Soldier of World War I would remain alone for 36 years until he was joined by the unknown soldiers of World War II and Korea on May 30, 1958 in a ceremony led by President Dwight Eisenhower. Another quarter-century later on Memorial Day 1984 President Ronald Reagan spoke at the burial of an unknown soldier from the Vietnam War. (Using DNA, the Vietnam soldier was identified in 1998 as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie. He was disinterred and reburied by his family. The Vietnam section of the tomb remains empty. DNA has also made it unlikely any other soldiers will be buried in the tomb.)
The tomb is under constant surveillance by the Tomb Guards, members of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, who are stationed in Fort Meyers, Virginia. The position is highly sought after and has such a stringent selection process that it has become the second most difficult qualification badge to earn in the military - after astronaut.
Note: The guards where no rank insignia so they will not outrank the soldiers buried in the tomb.
The President of the United States honors those entombed annually with a ceremony and wreath-laying every Memorial and Veterans Day.
Sources: Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, and Wikipedia
Images from the parade, funeral, and internment of the original unknown soldier on November 11, 1921:
Top - Caisson passing down Pennsylvania Avenue during the funeral procession, 11/11/21, courtesy of the Old Guard Museum on Flickr
Middle - President Harding speaking at the funeral and internment of the unknown soldier, 11/11/21, courtesy of www.arlingtoncemetery.net
Bottom - Final internment of the casket of the unknown soldier, 11/11/21, courtesy of weta.org
Obit of the Day: Veterans Day 2015
It’s OOTD’s 5th Annual Veterans Day post honoring the men and women who served in the Armed Forces and were featured over the past year. Apologies for the shorter list this year but my unintended sabbatical resulted in many fewer posts.
Sonia D’Artois - The last living British spy of World War II
Francis Goldcamp - Winner of five Air Medals in WWII
Robert Hite - One of the last of the Doolittle Raiders
Joseph Langdell - The oldest living survivor of the USS Arizona
Bill Schreck - The man who dropped the last U.S. bomb of WWII
Lowell Steward - Tuskegee Airman
Alex Vraicu - One of the greatest fighter pilots of WWII
Eldridge Williams - Trained Tuskegee Airmen to fly
Also read through OOTD’s previous Veterans Day posts:
Poster images is courtesy of the U.S. Veterans Administration
obitoftheday reblogged
You asked for it. Here it comes. Messaging. Real, threaded, instant messaging. It’s in the latest Android and iOS apps, and on the web.
Yep: Now you can talk to a Tumblr.
This is a big launch, and it’s going to take a few weeks to get it out to everyone (we need to make sure our servers can handle the weight of your discourse). If you don’t have it now, you’ll have it soon.
Q: So, how can I tell if I have messaging?
A: Great question. If you see this smiley balloon hanging out on your screen…
…you’ve got messaging. If you message someone, they’ll get messaging. Eventually, messaging will cover the earth.
Q: What if I have other Q’s? What if I have A’s, even?
A: Well dang, we’d love to hear any feedback or questions you have about this thing. What works well? What kind of doesn’t? What kind of features do you want to see? Those are some of the Q’s that could use your A’s. Our support team is listening (and they’ve already put together an FAQ).
Fascinating.
Obit of the Day (Dead Together): Popes Leo I, Celestive IV, Paul III
November 10 is a remarkable day for popes, with three having died on that day, which is 1.1% of all popes in the history of the office.
Pope Leo I (died November 10, 461)
Leo, the first pope ever called “the great,” reigned from Rome for twenty-one years, taking his seat in CE 440. Considered a “doctor” of the church for his theological writings, he is best known for meeting with Attila the Hun and convincing him to turn back from an invasion of Italy.
Pope Celestine IV (died November 10, 1241)
Celestine IV was a pawn in a conflict over the papacy between Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Roman senator Matteo Rosso Orsini. Using a conclave for the first time, Celestine IV was selected by seven cardinals as a compromise candidate and ascended the papal throne on October 25. He died only fifteen days later.
Pope Paul III (died November 10, 1549)
Another pope of great influence, Paul III convened the Council of Trent which met for eighteen years and clarified Catholic doctrine in many areas, especially the sacraments and the Bible, in response to the Protestant Reformation. Also of note, Nicolaus Copernicus dedicated his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of Celestrial Spheres), the first published book to advocate for a heliocentric solar system, to Pope Paul III.
Sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Brittanica
Images: Leo the Great, courtesy of skepticism.org, Celestine and Pope Paull III (the latter a painting of the pope when still a cardinal done by Raphael), courtesy of wikimedia.org
See other fascinating posts from OOTD’s Dead Together series.
obitoftheday reblogged
Obit of the Day (Historical): SS Edmund Fitzgerald (1975)
On this date in 1975, the cargo ship Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior on her way to Detroit with a load of copper ore. Twenty-nine crew went down with the ship making it the greatest loss of life in the history of the lake. The day prior, November 9, was a perfect day but a heavy storm was predicted. The Fitzgerald was heading from Wisconsin in the company of the SS Arthur M. Anderson as a safety measure. Unfortunately the ship could not withstand 85 mph winds and 30 foot waves. Captain Edward McSorley’s last message to the Anderson was “We’re holding our own.”
The ship was found, broken in two, at the bottom of the lake the following summer. It is assumed that the ship broke apart on the surface and the lake swallowed all aboard.
Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot read about the tragedy while on a plane flight and wrote the song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The song was released in 1976 and hit #1 on the Canadian charts and #2 on the U.S. charts on November 20 of that year.
Additional source: Wikipedia
(Song copyright Gordon Lightfoot; MP3 copyright Anna Coogan, 2011, www.annacoogan.com.)
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This was originally posted on November 10, 2011.
Source: bemidjipioneer.com