Into The Valley Of Death.

With all my fiddling around with music lately, I have ignored all of the celebrity
death that has been going on around me lately.
I have tried to only write about celebrity deaths when I felt I had something to add to the discussions.
There are bloggers out there who begin references to celebrity deaths with "I didn't know this person,
and don't really have much to say about them, but I will anyway."
Because of the number of recent deaths, several of which fall into that category,
I'm going to join those other bloggers ranks.
But I'm going to try to get it done in one fell swoop.
With maybe one or two pithy sentences about each.

Here goes:

Tony Scott, the director of "Top Gun", who jumped to his death off of a Los
Angeles bridge----There have been conflicting reports about why he did it, and
whether or not he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
When Louis Armstrong was asked by by a mutual friend what was the
matter with someone they both knew who had just died,
Louis was reported to have said "Man, when you daid, everything's
the matter witcha"
This mostly applies here.

Marvin Hamlisch----There has been an almost personal connection between Marvin
and me. We went to the same college. No, not Juilliard. Queens College in New
York City. People have told me that I resembled him. I considered this an insult.
He was a great composer, and represented that last surviving member of the creative
team for "A Chorus Line".
Unless you consider all those dancers who poured their hearts into those tape recorders to for the story for the show,
and never received a nickel in royalties.
Some of them have also died, and most of their careers have died.

Joan Roberts---She also represented the end of an era. She was the last surviving
member of the original cast of "Oklahoma!", just barely beating out Celeste Holm for that distinction.
Joan Roberts played the ingenue, Laurey, and really didn't do a heckuva lot after that.

William Windom---A very good and very successful actor. That's all I've got.

Phyllis Thaxter---One of those actresses who showed up on all sorts of 50's
dramatic series. I don't think I'd recognize her by name if I fell over her.
The most interesting thing I could write about her is that she was married to
perhaps the meanest man in show business, James Aubrey.
He ran CBS with an iron fist, and was known as "The Smiling Cobra."
He seemed to derive pleasure from causing others pain
At a network event celebrating the new season, in I believe 1964, he went up
to Garry Moore, generally regarded as one of the nicest people in show business,
and with a huge smile on his face, announced to Garry that he was cancelling his show.
Garry, momentarily trying to determine why he was invited in the first place,
quickly realized it was to be humiliated by Aubrey.
Garry then turned on a dime, exited the room, and pretty much exited show business.

Phyllis Diller----I'll have a lot more to say about Phyllis Diller next time, but
I've had a chance to ruminate about what other bloggers have written about her,
essenially putting her on the pedestal of being THE pioneer for women doing stand-up
comedy. I don't think she deserves to be up there, and I'll go into my reasons
then. Suffice it to say, I think that there are many more contenders for the
pedestal than she was.


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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel,"Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperback, "Mark Rothman's Essays" is still available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne & Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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