In Memoriam 2015

This year marks the first time ever that I was seriously disappointed in Turner Classic Movies' "TCM Remembers" segment. The problem was not simply that they left out some people who died this year--it was that they left out some of the people whose deaths had the most impact on me and several others I know. Patrick Macnee, Martin Milner, and Monica Lewis were notably missing from this year's "TCM Remembers", for reasons I cannot fathom. Patrick Macnee was best known as John Steed on The Avengers (my favourite TV show of all time), but he did appear in his fair share of movies (notably the 1951 adaptation of A Christmas Carol in which he played a young Jacob Marley). Before Martin Milner went onto star on the TV shows Route 66 and Adam-12, he had some significant roles in movies, including Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and Marjorie Morningstar (1958), among many others. Monica Lewis was best known as a singer and the voice of  Chiquita Banana, but she made at least as many movies as some of those included.

Given my disappointment with this year's "TCM Remembers", it occurred to me that I could make my own "In Memoriam" video. I had wanted to use scenes from the various movies and TV shows of those who died, but I figured out that if I did that it would take literally days (maybe weeks) to complete (keep in mind my only editing software is Windows Movie Maker). The format of the video is then that of a slideshow, with photos of those who have died. Since A Shroud of Thoughts is dedicated to pop culture in general, I also included comedians, singers, musicians, and writers as well as actors. My one regret is that I did not include a lot of those people who worked behind the scenes in the movie industry, such as Samuel Goldwyn Jr., but then time really did not permit me to include everyone. The order is chronological for the most part, although I saved my absolute favourites for the very end. There was a practical reason for this, as I did not want to start crying midway through making the video!

As to the song, it is "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie.  Given the song's subject matter, it only seemed fitting.

Here then is my first ever "In Memoriam" video.

In Memoriam 2015 from Terence Towles Canote on Vimeo.