The Silver Screen Oasis

“But you have gone now, all of you that were so beautiful when you were quick with life. Yet not gone, for you are still a living truth inside my mind."
- Richard Llewellyn in "How Green Was My Valley"

R.I.P. Maureen O'Hara

Beautifully appropriate, Moira.

Maureen O'Hara ... The Queen of the Technicolor ... Not Even Rita Hayworth, nor anyone else can claim that Honor!

Betsy Drake has died at 92.Remembered often as one of Cary Grant's more interesting spouses, the pair remained friends after their marriage. Ms. Drake, a bright and adventurous person from all reports, went on to become involved in psychotherapy and lived in London for the remainder of her life.

I thought she was a lovely actress in Room For One More (1952) with Grant, a film about a real life woman who cannot resist fostering children in addition to her own.

More about her life here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/b ... ant-838970

ROOM FOR ONE MORE is an underrated comedy-drama. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

Australian actor Keith Michell passed away a few days ago, at age 88.

He might best be known for his portrayal of the title character in The Six Wives of Henry VIII first in the BBC mini-series then in the motion picture.

He would go on to play the monarch again in later years, for the mini-series The Prince and the Pauper.

A couple of obituaries:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/k ... ves-842573

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/n ... th-michell

On stage he was well-known for his interpretation of another iconic figure, Cervantes/Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, both in London and New York:



Rest in peace, Mr. Michell.

I'll always remember Keith Michell in the musical On The Twentieth Century ( based on the film,Twentieth Century) in which he layer the John Barrymore role. He had a great singing voice, and it is one of my favorite stage musicals.

Thanks Vienna -- I hadn't known that Mr. Michell appeared in the London cast of On the Twentieth Century. I saw the original Broadway production a few times, with John Cullum; first with Madeline Kahn and then with Judy Kaye. That was back in the days when one needed only a twenty dollar bill to see a top show from up front. . . .

I have the London cast album of Man of La Mancha and agree that Mr. Michell had a good singing voice.

David Bowie died yesterday (Sunday 1/10/2016) of cancer, two days after his 69th birthday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/arts/ ... at-69.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/arts/ ... ssage.html

Absolutely crushing news when I heard about David Bowie. Besides his own widely varied and fantastic output, he was the influence behind many of my other favorite bands, and the very definition of cool. One of my heroes, musically. I struggled through this one. I couldn't even listen to any of his music today until a few minutes ago. Fitting somewhat to die just after his birthday and the release of one of his most critically acclaimed albums in years.

Just days ago prior to his death, I was cheered to read that David Bowie's most recent album has been received with critical and popular kudos. He always seemed to be among the few truly creative and original individual artists in music, video and the arts in the last 40 years. RIP to one person who celebrated life's variety.

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It says a lot that I was affected by the death of this artist. I'm not an avid music person. Don't follow rock, and never have. But everything I've heard by this man, I liked a lot. It's like that with the great ones. It doesn't matter what they do when they do it so beautifully.

More sad news from Britain. Alan Rickman has died this morning.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/14/entertain ... n-rickman/

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/obitu ... at-69.html

Like David Bowie, he was also aged 69 and died from cancer.

So long, Severus Snape.

Not a great start to 2016. RIP