General Good-byes And RIPs

1303133353648

Comments

  • More about Mr McCallum here
    Ashley-Pitt in The Great Escape, Ilya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Dr 'Ducky' Mallard from NCIS, not to mention Sapphire and Steel - pretty good.
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    NicoleMR wrote: »
    David McCallum, from The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and NCIS.

    Oh, no. :cry:
    He was my first crush, I think, and I loved him as Ducky on NCIS. As a matter of fact, a really old NCIS was on tv tonight and it was so nice to see him!

    May he rest in peace and rise in Glory.
  • I recall that his character was one of the few that actually escaped in The Great Escapr.
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    jedijudy wrote: »
    NicoleMR wrote: »
    David McCallum, from The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and NCIS.

    Oh, no. :cry:
    He was my first crush

    You and me both - much sexier than the Robert Vaughan character.

  • Not my first crush, but definitely one of them. RIP.
  • I also remember him from Sapphire and Steel, which I was a big fan of as a child.
  • Oh yes - loved S&S. He was great in that.

    (The low budget made that one of the most atmospheric and creepy series I've seen. The railway station and the faceless man are still unnerving decades later.)
  • HeavenlyannieHeavenlyannie Shipmate
    edited September 2023
    Yes, it was striking and strangely memorable; I still remember an episode with a little girl repeating a nursery rhyme.
  • Yes, the first one of the series. Such a shame there were so few episodes.
  • Wesley JWesley J Circus Host
    edited September 2023
    Fabulously longish blond hair, like out of a hair shampoo commerical. :smile:
  • I admit to having a bit of a thing for Illya Kuryakin back in the '60s, and whatever other rôle he played afterwards David McCallum was always Illya Kuryakin to me!
    I remember getting very excited the first time I saw him on NCIS, and delighted to realise he was a regular character in it. No matter that he had aged somewhat - so had I!
  • NicoleMR wrote: »
    David McCallum, from The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and NCIS.

    A cult figure in our household growing up. He was also in "A Night to Remember" as the junior non-incompetent radio operator on the Titanic.
  • Telford wrote: »
    I recall that his character was one of the few that actually escaped in The Great Escapr.
    Out of the camp yes, but then shot on the railway tracks after being rumbled. The real person he was based on was not in fact one of the escapees.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I too had a big crush on Illya Kuryakin, which is odd because I usually went for the dark brooding, Heathcliff types.
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    Firenze wrote: »
    You and me both - much sexier than the Robert Vaughan character.
    @Firenze , you are so right!!

    I remember in one of the earlier episodes of NCIS, someone asked Gibbs what Ducky looked like when he was young. After a beat he said, "Illya Kuryakin". I got a huge kick out of that! :D

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I remember when Sapphire and Steel was first broadcast, and my mum taking one look at Steel and saying, "Ooh, Illya!".
  • Rather more obscurely, one of my favourite roles that David McCallum played was Alan Breck Stewart in Kidnapped, looking very dapper in a pale blue frock coat, jaunty hat and tartan! And he got to sword fight, which is always a plus for me!
  • Dumbledore (Sir Michael Gambon) has died https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66949848
  • Probably the best Maigret
  • I just read a 1932 Maigret novel earlier this week.
  • California Senator Dianne Feinstein has died.
  • Just before my first trip to England my parents to
    Dumbledore (Sir Michael Gambon) has died https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66949848

    I made my first visit to England in 1974. My parents visited that spring and told me to be sure to see The Norman Conquests when I was in London. I did and it's something I've never forgotten. I can still visualize Gambon as the somewhat dim veterinarian next door.
    That production was a treasure-house. Gambon, Tom Courtney, Felicity Kendall. All cherished memories.
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    edited October 2023
    Suzanne Somers has died one day short of turning 77. She had been fighting breast cancer for more than 20 years.

  • Nick Tamen wrote: »
    Suzanne Somers has died one day short of turning 77. She had been fighting breast cancer for more than 20 years.

    It's not often remembered that she played two versions of Chrissy Snow on Three's Company. The first season or so, she was what you might call a ditzy blonde, whereas in later years she was just an absolute airhead, albeit in a cute and sexy way.

    Neither version was my favorite of the female roommates: that honour would go to Janet, with Terri the best of the blondes, though she didn't really conform much to the dumb-blonde stereotypes.
  • stetson wrote: »
    It's not often remembered that she played two versions of Chrissy Snow on Three's Company. The first season or so, she was what you might call a ditzy blonde, whereas in later years she was just an absolute airhead, albeit in a cute and sexy way.

    I've never heard a distinction made between "ditzy blonde" and "airhead." Probably something lacking in my education :smiley: Seriously, though, could you explain the difference?
  • Airheads come in all colours the term is not gender specific.

    Ditzy blondes are ofyen actresses and good ones at that; so are not infrequently playing to the gallery for secondary gain. It helps to be able to think.
  • EigonEigon Shipmate
    The funeral of Edward Wakeling is today - he lived locally and was a renowned scholar of Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland. He had an immense collection of Alice books. When I worked at the Children's Bookshop he regularly brought visitors in from all over the world, and my boss always made sure she had a good selection for him.
  • stetsonstetson Shipmate
    edited October 2023
    stetson wrote: »
    It's not often remembered that she played two versions of Chrissy Snow on Three's Company. The first season or so, she was what you might call a ditzy blonde, whereas in later years she was just an absolute airhead, albeit in a cute and sexy way.

    I've never heard a distinction made between "ditzy blonde" and "airhead." Probably something lacking in my education :smiley: Seriously, though, could you explain the difference?

    Well, would you know the differene between a "ditzy blonde" and an "absolute idiot"? That's basically the distinction between the two versions of Chrissy, but I didn't wanna use "idiot", because the writers clearly intended the character to be interpreted in a positive way.

    When Somers switched to the second iteration of Chrissy, in addition to the plunge in brain power, her hairdo, wardrobe, mannerisms, and speaking-style all changed.

    (And, yes, I'm referencing alot of sexist stereotypes here, but that was the whole basis of the show. It was essentially a Silent Generation sex-farce, re-tooled for a 1970s post-hippie milieu.)
  • I've never seen more than a few seconds of Man About The House, the British ur-text of Three's Company. I'd be curious to know if it was the same as its American emulator, in terms of naughty plot-lines, double-entendres, and sexist stereotypes. I know it followed the same premise of a man living platonically with two women.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I don't think I've ever seen Three's Company, but I certainly remember Man About the House. The relationship was platonic, but IIRC the Man (played by Richard O'Sullivan) was usually trying to get off with one or other of the ladies - Sally Thomsett (blonde and rather ditzy) and Paula Wilcox - (brunette and pretty but not quite so ditzy).
  • Piglet wrote: »
    I don't think I've ever seen Three's Company, but I certainly remember Man About the House. The relationship was platonic, but IIRC the Man (played by Richard O'Sullivan) was usually trying to get off with one or other of the ladies - Sally Thomsett (blonde and rather ditzy) and Paula Wilcox - (brunette and pretty but not quite so ditzy).

    Sounds exactly like its American avatar. Jack was never actually trying to bed or even date the women, but there was a lot of suggestive flirting, references to their physique, and never-seen girlfriends with names like Greedy Gretchen.

    My parents both enjoyed the landlords Mr. and Mrs. Roper0, and the constant jokes about their lacklustre love life, which sorta confirmed my view that the show was at least partly aimed at older viewers. Later, Don Knotts replaced them as landlord, which I'm pretty sure was intended to draw in more teenagers, Knotts by that point being mostly a kids' entertainer.
  • Over here Mr & Mrs Roper got their own spin-off series (George & Mildred), and the man of the flat sharing trio (Robin, who was a trainee(?) chef in "our" version, moved on to run his own restaurant Robin's Nest, in a spin off series of that name. IIRC
    I believe one if our freeview channels has just started a re-run of Man About The House. I must see if I can find it.
  • Over here Mr & Mrs Roper got their own spin-off series (George & Mildred), and the man of the flat sharing trio (Robin, who was a trainee(?) chef in "our" version, moved on to run his own restaurant Robin's Nest, in a spin off series of that name. IIRC

    That's very close to the American knock-off. Jack was a cooking student, who in the later seasons opened his own restaurant. And the Ropers(known as Helen and Stanley) got their own series(called The Ropers), but it didn't last long.

    On Three's Company, Jack was pretending to be gay in order to mollify Mr. Roper's puritannical objections to a man living with two women. This provided the opportunity for alot of humour that maybe wasn't exactly homophobic, but still sorta treated the topic as an automatic punch-line. That running-gag continued with Mr. Furley as well.

    CANADIAN TIE-IN:

    At the time of her death, Somers had been married for over 45 years to Alan Hamel, who in the 1970s hosted an afternoon TV show on CTV. I always found it kinda funny that they got together, but I guess Hamel was hosting game-shows in the US as well, and she was one of the prize girls(or some such).
  • I’m pretty sure I never watched an episode of “Three’s Company” all the way through. I found it very cringeworthy.

  • stetson wrote: »
    stetson wrote: »
    It's not often remembered that she played two versions of Chrissy Snow on Three's Company. The first season or so, she was what you might call a ditzy blonde, whereas in later years she was just an absolute airhead, albeit in a cute and sexy way.

    I've never heard a distinction made between "ditzy blonde" and "airhead." Probably something lacking in my education :smiley: Seriously, though, could you explain the difference?

    Well, would you know the differene between a "ditzy blonde" and an "absolute idiot"? That's basically the distinction between the two versions of Chrissy, but I didn't wanna use "idiot", because the writers clearly intended the character to be interpreted in a positive way.

    When Somers switched to the second iteration of Chrissy, in addition to the plunge in brain power, her hairdo, wardrobe, mannerisms, and speaking-style all changed.

    (And, yes, I'm referencing alot of sexist stereotypes here, but that was the whole basis of the show. It was essentially a Silent Generation sex-farce, re-tooled for a 1970s post-hippie milieu.)

    Thank you @stetson!
  • Nick Tamen wrote: »
    I’m pretty sure I never watched an episode of “Three’s Company” all the way through. I found it very cringeworthy.

    That's what I thought at first. Partly, though, I think that's because the show seemed somewhat "girlish" to me, one of those ABC fluffies my sister and her friends liked, along with Love Boat and Fantasy Island. But when I actually made myself watch it, it drew me in somehow.

    I'm sure the eye-candy aided my appreciation somewhat, though there were other shows with that aspect that I didn't bother with(eg. Charlie's Angels). Mostly, I think it's that the plots were fairly rapid-paced, and John Ritter was quite talented at physical comedy and mugging.
  • Off-screen, of course, Suzanne Somers asked the producers of the show for a big raise, apparently on the assumption that she was the main draw. They said no, and she quit.

    The show survived another three years without her, while her career went straight into oblivion.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Actress Haydn Gwynne has died, aged just 66.

    She first came to prominence in Drop the Dead Donkey, IMHO one of the best sitcoms ever made.

    RIP.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
  • Only booked twice in his career.
  • Piglet wrote: »
    Actress Haydn Gwynne has died, aged just 66.

    She first came to prominence in Drop the Dead Donkey, IMHO one of the best sitcoms ever made.
    IMHO as well.
    RIP.
    Indeed
    Only booked twice in his career.
    Back in the day there was a very high threshhold for getting a booking and getting sent off was very rare.

    I can just about remember Bobby before the Munich Crash. A very great player for England and he got his 100 caps in an era when a lot fewer games were played.
  • TelfordTelford Shipmate
    edited October 2023
    Bill Kenwright aged 78. Theatre Mogul and Chairman of Everton football club. He loved his club and put his money into it.
  • The name rings a bell - wasn't he once an actor, in Coronation Street ?
  • The name rings a bell - wasn't he once an actor, in Coronation Street ?
    More than once

  • Yes - AIUI he was in Corrie *on and off* for quite a few years.
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    edited October 2023
    Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on “Friends,” has died. He was 54.

    This one is hitting our house a bit hard.

  • I was an on-again-mostly-off-again follower of Friends, and knew who his character was and what role he played in the constellation of personalities. I remember one set-up in which Bing soft-bragged about how much money he and the other affluent people had(*). I'm not sure if it says anything about the overall ethos of the show that instead of this being followed by a contradiction at the expense of CB(eg. turns out his credit card was maxed out and the greaser-actor guy has to pay for the coffees), one of the poorer characters was made the butt of the joke(I believe the greaser-actor guy is, in fact, short on cash).

    But he was a fun character to watch, in any case. Overall, though, I liked Perry best in Three To Tango, a now slightly dated "gay-positive" but still hetero-centic rom-com. I think that has alot to do with my liking the overall film(which is set in a friends-ish milieu but with an overlay of big-band), but I do recall enjoying his performance.

    And he was almost certainly the best thing about the Whatever Yards series. I hate the hit-man genre, but his suburban husband henpecked by the French Canadian wife was well executed.

    (*) I think it was the one where Chandler and a couple of others could go to a Hootie And The Blowfish concert, but the others couldn't.
  • MaryLouiseMaryLouise Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on “Friends,” has died. He was 54.

    This one is hitting our house a bit hard.

    Very sad to read this, I read some excerpts from Matthew Perry's memoir last year and he had survived horrendous opioid addiction along with all the roller-coaster expectations of celebrity. "I think you actually have to have all your dreams come true to realise they are the wrong dreams."
  • 11 years yesterday of fhe death of my dear friend and colleague Anna who died of MND after 4 horrible years at the age of 61. A born-again atheist she used describe me as a “25 star Catholic”😂🙀. She was the daughter of 2 Holocaust survivor secular Jews who emigrated to Oz when she was 6. It is a rare day when I don’t think of her.
  • Horrible news about Perry, a casualty of fame.
Sign In or Register to comment.