Godspeed Chick Corea

Jazz legend Chick Corea died February 9 2021 at the age of 79. The cause was cancer.

Chick Corea was born Armando Corea in Chelsea, Massachusetts on June 12 1941. His father was a jazz trumpeter and the bandleader of a Dixieland band in Boston in the Thirties and Forties. It was his father who started him on the piano when Chick Corea was only four years old. He was eight he took up the drums. At age eight, Chick Corea studied piano under concert pianist Salvatore Sullo. From when he was very young he was influenced by such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

Chick Corea began playing gigs when he was only in high school. Mr. Corea studied musical education for only a month at Columbia University in New York City and six months at the Juilliard School. Even though he stopped attending both Columbia University and Julliard, Chick Corea stayed in New York City to pursue his music career.

He began his career in the early Sixties and played with such artists as Mongo Santamaria, Stan Getz, Hubert Laws, Miles Davis, and others. He released his first solo album, Tones for Joan's Bones, in 1966. It would be followed by over 75 more solo albums. In 1970 he formed Chick Corea formed the band Circle with bassist Dave Holland. Throughout the Seventies he continued to play as a sideman with other artists, such as Miles Davis and Stanley Clarke. In 1992 he founded his own label, Stretch Records.

Chick Corea numbers among the most talented jazz keyboardists. He had a skill with the keys that few others possessed. He was among the pioneers of jazz fusion, and with Circle he explored free jazz. Among his many talents was a gift for improvisation.

Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Before anything else, I want to apologize for not making a real blog post this evening. Currently I have a cold that makes it difficult to do much of anything. And please don't worry about me. It's not COVID-19. I particularly feel guilty about not making a post today as for the past few weeks A Shroud of Thoughts has been dominated by eulogies of celebrities who have died. I don't know what it is about the month of January, but I swear more celebrities die that month than any other. And, sadly, as in the case of this year, those deaths sometimes continue into February. Indeed, tomorrow I will try to get a eulogy for jazz legend Chick Corea out.

Anyway, next week I hope to put out my annual Black History Month posts. I want to write a post on Milestone Comics character Static (Nineties kids might remember the animated series Static Shock) and the film St. Louis Blues (1958), among other things.

Anyway, I will leave you with a photo of my dearest Vanessa Marquez. This is a headshot from when she was only 21. At the time her only screen credits were Stand and Deliver (1988), Night Children (1989) and the WonderWorks television movie Sweet 15 (1990). 

The Late Great Mary Wilson of The Supremes

Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes and the only member to remain with The Supremes for the entirety of their history, died yesterday at the age of 76. The Supremes were the best charting female group in American history and in the Sixties their success at times rivalled The Beatles.

Mary Wilson was born on March 6 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi. Her parents moved to St. Louis and later Chicago. For a time she lived with her aunt and uncle in Detroit. Her mother eventually joined her in Detroit. Mary Wilson befriend fellow future Supreme Florence Ballard when they were both in elementary school. It was in 1958 that Miss Ballard met Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks of a singing group called The Supremes. The Primes' manager, Milton Jenkins, decided to form a sister group to The Primes to be called The Primettes. The first two members of The Primettes were BettyMcGlowan and Florence Ballard.  Florence Ballard brought Mary Wilson into The Primettes, who then brought in a classmate, Diana Ross.

The Primettes developed a local following. It was after the group won a local talent contest that Diana Ross asked an old neighbour, Smokey Robinson (who was then a member of The Miracles, one of Motown's biggest groups) to get them an audition with Motown. Motown executive Barry Gordy thought they were too young and inexperienced and asked them to return following their high school graduation. Later in the year The Primettes recorded a single for Lu Pine Records in Detroit, "Tears of Sorrow." The single failed to chart and it was not long after that Betty McGlown left The Primettes to get engaged. She was replaced by Barbara Martin.

n an effort to get signed to Motown, The Primettes began visiting Hitsville U.S.A. (the headquarters of Motown at the time) regularly after school. After some time Barry Gordy let them contribute backing vocals and hand claps to the songs of such artists as Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye. It was in January 1961 that Mr. Gordy finally decided to sign the group, but on the condition that the group's name would be changed. He gave the group various names to choose from, and they settled on The Supremes.

The Supremes' first single for Motown was "I Want a Guy." It failed to chart, as did their next single. The third single, "Your Heart Belongs to Me" peaked at 95 on the Billboard Hot 100, while their fourth single peaked at no. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at no. 25 on the Billboard R&B chart. The Supremes would have their first minor hit with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes," which hit no. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was in 1964 that The Supremes had their first major hit. "Where Did Our Love Go" hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B chart. It went to no. 3 on the British singles chart.

"Where Did Our Love Go" was the first of four consecutive no. 1 records in the United States for The Supremes. Ultimately, The Supremes would have twelve singles hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. They would proved to be the best charting female group in American history. Through the years, changes would come to The Supremes. It was in 1967 that Barry Gordy decided to change the name of the group to "The Supremes with Diana Ross" and later to "Diana Ross & The Supremes."

It was also in 1967 that Florence Ballard was suffering from depression and failing to show for recording dates and arriving at shows late. Barry Gordy eventually asked Cindy Birdsong of Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles to Florence Ballard in The Supremes. It was in 1970 that Diana Ross left The Supremes to pursue a solo career. Jean Terrell replaced her as the group's lead singer. It was after Diana Ross's final concert with The Supremes on January 14 1970 that Barry Gordy wanted to replaced Jean Terrell with Syreeta Wright. Mary Wilson refused to go along with this change and as a result Jean Terrell remained the lead vocalist of The Supremes.

While The Supremes would not see the success that they had in the Sixties, they did well on the charts in the early Seventies. The Supremes would undergo more changes as the decade wore on, with Cindy Birdsong leaving to be replaced by Lynda Laurence and Jean Terrill leaving to be replaced by Scherrie Payne. While The Supremes remained a popular live act, their fortunes on the charts declined as the Seventies continued. They performed their last concert at the Drury Lane Theatre in London on June 12 1977. Mary Wilson was the only original Supreme remaining.

In the Sixties The Supremes appeared frequently on variety and music shows, including Top of the Pops, Shivaree, Shindig, Ready Steady Go!, Hullabaloo, and The Hollywood Palace. They also guest starred on an episode of Tarzan, playing a trio of nuns. Mary Wilson appeared with the other Supremes on the game show To Tell the Truth as well as on her own. The Supremes also appeared on the game show What's My Line. In the Seventies the appeared on The Merv Griffin Show, Soul Train, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, and The Mike Douglas Show.

After The Supremes disbanded, Mary Wilson launched a solo career. She released a self-titled solo album in 1979 and another solo album, Walk the Line, in 1992. A live album, Up Close: Live from San Francisco, was released in 2007. She continued to be popular as a live performer, performing in Las Vegas and elsewhere. She appeared in the TV movies Tiger Town and Jackie's Back!, as well as the feature film Golden Shoes (2015). Mary Wilson also continued to appear regularly on television, even competing on Dancing with the Stars in 2019. It was only two days before her death that she announced she planing to release new material with Universal Music Group.

In addition to her music career, Mary Wilson also worked with the NAACP, the Susan G. Komen foundation, and St. Jude's Hospital.

The Supremes formed a large part of my childhood. While I am too young to remember much of the group's success in the Sixties, their songs were still frequently played on radio stations in the Seventies beyond. Mary Wilson was always my favourite of The Supremes. I always thought she was the best vocalist out of all of them. Her solo career proved that she was a talented performer all on her own. Not only was Mary Wilson an incredibly talented artist who, with The Supremes, changed the course of musical history, but she was also pivotal in preserving the history of Motown. On her YouTube channel she had uploaded 51 videos, everything from  old Supremes footage to performances from Las Vegas to her own thoughts on various Motown legends. Mary Wilson was much more than one of The Supremes. She was very much a star in her own right.

Super Bowl Commercials 2021

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on many things, among them Super Bowl commercials. In fact, such big name advertisers as Budweiser, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi did not buy ads during this year's big game. There were also some first time advertisers during this Super Bowl, such as Uber Eats and Door Dash. There were even commercials for things one does not usually see advertised during the Super Bowl, such as diapers.

Perhaps because of the pandemic and the fact that many traditional advertisers bowed out this year, 2021's crop of Super Bowl commercials were an unimpressive lot. Many tried for humour and missed the mark. Others simply weren't that interesting. Regardless, I managed to find a few that do seem worthy of airing during the Super Bowl.

Cheetos: "It Wasn't Me"

I thought this commercial with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Shaggy was funny. And Shaggy's parody of his own song "It Wasn't Me" was great.



M&M's: "Sorry"

This commercial features various people apoligizing for various things, some of which are timely. I love the punchline with M&M's spokescandies.



Uber Eats: "Wayne's World" and "Shameless Manipulation"

These are two interrelated commercials that feature the return of Mike Meyers and Dana Carveey as Wayne and Garth. That alone makes them worth watching for this Gen Xer. Fortunately, they are both funny as well. The first commercial aired prior to the game, while the second one aired during the game.





With any luck by the time of the next Super Bowl the pandemic will be over and the 2022 crop of Super Bowl commercials will be better.

The Late Great Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer, who starred in such movies as The Sound of Music (1965), Triple Cross (1966), and The Man Who Would Be King (1975), died on February 5 2021 at the age of 91.

Christopher Plummer was born on December 13 1929 in Toronto, Ontario. His family divorced not long after he was born and he was raised by his mother in Senneville, Quebec. When he was young he wanted to be a concert pianist, but developed an interest in acting. He apprenticed at the Montreal Repertory Theatre.

Christopher Plummer made his television debut in 1953 in a Canadian production of Othello that aired on the TV series General Motors Presents. In the Fifties he guest starred on Studio One, Suspense, Broadway Television Theatre, The Web, Kraft Television Theatre, Producer's Showcase, General Electric Theatre, Appointment with Adventure, The Alcoa Hour, Eye on New York, Omnibus, Sunday Showcase, and Our American Heritage. He appeared in television productions of Little Moon of Alban, Johnny Belinda, A Doll's House, and The Philadelphia Story.

In the Sixties, Mr. Plummer appeared in the television movies Time Remembered, Cyrano De Bergerac, Hamlet at Elsinore, and The Secret of Michaelangelo. He appeared on the shows The Dupont Show of the Month. In the Seventies he appeared in the mini-series Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers and Jesus of Nazareth. He appeared on the TV shows BBC Play of the Month, Witness to Yesterday, and The Sunday Drama. He appeared in the TV movies After the Fall, Riel, The Shadow Box, and Desperate Voyage

In the Eighties he appeared in the mini-series Little Gloria... Happy at Last, The Thorn Birds, Crossings, and Spearfield's Daughter. He guest starred on the show The Cosby Show. He appeared in the TV movies When the Circus Came to Town, Dial M for Murder, The Scarlet and the Black, Prototype, The Tin Soldier, A Hazard of Hearts, and Nabokov on Kafka.

In the Nineties Christopher Plummer was a regular on the TV series Counterstrike. He appeared in the TV movies Young Catherine, A Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, The First Circle, and Secrets, A Stranger in the Mirror, Skeletons, Winchell, The Dinosaur Hunter, Possessed, and American Tragedy . He appeared in the mini-series Nuremberg.

In the Naughts he appeared in the TV movies On Golden Pond, Night Flight, Agent of Influence, Odd Job Jack, Our Fathers, and Four Minutes. He appeared in the mini-series The Summit. In the Teens, he appeared on the TV show Great Performances. He was a regular on the TV show Departure.

Christopher Plummer made his film debut in Stage Struck in 1958. In the late Fifties he also appeared in the film Wild Across the Everglades (1958). In the Sixties he appeared in the movies The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), Triple Cross (1966), The Night of the Generals (1967), Oedipus the King (1968), Nobody Runs Forever (1968), Lock Up Your Daughters! (1969), Battle of Britain (1969), The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969), and Waterloo (1970).

In the Seventies he appeared in the movies The Pyx (1973), The Spiral Staircase (1975), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Conduct Unbecoming (1975), Atentat u Sarajevu (1975), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Aces High (1976), Uppdraget (1977), The Disappearance (1978), International Velvet (1978), The Silent Partner (1978), Starcrash (1978), Murder By Decree (1979), Hanover Street (1979), and Somewhere in Time (1980).

In the Eighties Christopher Plummer appeared in the films Eyewitness (1981), The Amateur (1981), Highpoint (1982), Ordeal by Innocence (1984), Dreamscape (1984), Lily in Love (1984), The Boy in Blue (1986), I Love N.Y. (1987), Dragnet (1987), Nosferatu a Venezia (1988), Shadow Dancing (1988), Souvenir (1989), Mindfield (1989), Where the Heart Is (1990), and Red Blooded American Girl (1990).

In the Nineties, Mr. Plummer appeared in the movies Firehead (1991), Money  (1991), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Liar's Edge (1992), Impolite (1992), Malcolm X (1992), Wolf (1994), Crackerjack (1994), Dolores Claiborne (1995), Twelve Monkeys (1995), The Clown at Midnight (1998), Blackheart (1998), Hidden Agenda (1999), The Insider (1999), and Dracula 2000 (2000).

In the Naughts he appeared in the movies Lucky Break (1991), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Ararat (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Blizzard (2003), Cold Creak Manor (2003), National Treature (2004), Alexander (2004), Must Love Dogs (2005), Syriana (2005), The New World (2005), Inside Man (2006), The Lake House (2006), Man in the Chair (2007), Closing the Ring (2007), Emotional Arithmetic (2007), Already Dead (2008), Caesar and Cleopatra (2009), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), The Last Station (2009), Beginners (2010), and The Tempest (2010). He was the voice of Charles Muntz in Up (2009).

In the Teens Christopher Plummer appeared in the films Priest (2011), Barrymore (2011), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013), Elsa & Fred (2014), Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014), The Forger (2014), Danny Collins (2015), Remember (2015), The Exception (2016), The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), All the Money in the World (2017), Boundaries (2018), Cliffs of Freedom (2019), Knives Out (2019), and The Last Full Measure (2019).

Christopher Plummer appeared frequently on stage. He made his debut on Broadway in The Starcross Story in 1954. In the Fifties he also appeared on Broadway in Home is the Hero, The Dark is Light Enough, The Lark, Night of the Auk, and  J.B.. In the Sixties he appeared in Arturo Ui and The Royal Hunt of the Sun. In the Seventies he appeared in Cyrano De Bergerac and The Good Doctor. In the Eighties he appeared in Othello and Macbeth. In the Nineties Mr. Plummer appeared on Broadway in No Man's Land and Barrymore. In the Naughts he appeared in King Lear and Inherit the Wind.

Christopher Plummer was an incredible actor. He won two Tony Awards, two Emmys, and one Academy Award, and he was nominated multiple times for each of those awards. He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Beginners, making him the oldest actor to ever win an Academy Award. It should be little wonder that Mr. Plummer should have been nominated many times for various awards, as he was extremely versatile. Throughout his career he played a wide range of historical figures, including Rommel in The Night of the Generals, Duke Wellington in Waterloo, Kipling in The Man Who Would Be King, and John Barrymore in Barrymore. Among the fictional characters played by Mr. Plummer was Sherlock Holmes in Murder By Decree. He was convincing in all of these roles.

Christopher Plummer's versatility extended to the sorts of movies he made. Over the years he appeared in dramas, period pieces, comedies, science fiction movies, and yet other sorts of films. He was as at home in the espionage thriller Triple Cross as he was the sci-fi movie Twelve Monkeys. What is more, he played many remarkable roles in various types of movies. In Inside Daisy Clover he played producer Charles Swann, a man who was equal parts manipulative and intimidating. He was an outright psychopath in The Silent Partner. In Beginners he played a role far removed from either of those he played in Inside Daisy Clover or The Silent Partner, playing an older man with cancer who is also coming to terms with the fact that he is gay. Even in movies that were not particularly good (Red Blooded American Girl, for example) Christopher Plummer could still deliver solid performances. Few actors ever had the sheer amount of talent that Christopher Plummer did.

Diana Millay Passes On

Diana Millay, who played Laura Collins on the classic soap opera Dark Shadows, died on January 8 2021 at the age of 85.

Diana Millay was born on June 7 1935 in Rye, New York. She was a child model for the Montgomery Ward catalogue. She was later a model for John Robert Powers's modelling agency. During summer vacations in high school, she appeared in summer stock productions.

Diana Millay made her television debut on Star Tonight in 1955. In the Fifties she guest starred on the shows The Investigator, Omnibus, Father Knows Best, The Westerner, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Lock Up, The Aquanauts, Stagecoach West, Dobie Gillis, Maverick, Michael Shayne, Thriller, The Rifleman, and The Tab Hunter Show. She appeared in the movie Street of Sinners (1957). She made her debut on Broadway in the play Fair Game in 1957. She also appeared in the production Drink to Me Only.

In 1966 Diana Millay was cast as Laura Collins on the soap opera Dark Shadows. She would be the first supernatural character on the show, pre-dating even the vampire Barnabas Collins. Laura Collins was actually an immortal entity known as the Phoenix that burns to death every 100 years only to be reborn. After the "Laura Collins the Phoenix" storyline ended, Diana Millay continued to appear on the show, playing different Laura Collinses through the ages. She guest starred on the shows The Tab Hunter Show, The Americans, Dante, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Whispering Smith, Hawaiian Eye, Route 66, The New Breed, King of Diamonds, Target: The Corruptors,  Laramie, The Dick Powell Show, Wagon Train, Tales of Wells Fargo,  My Three Sons, The United States Steel Hour, Rawhide, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Redigo, Temple Houston, 77 Sunset Strip, The Eleventh Hour, Arrest and Trial, The Virginian, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. She appeared in the film Tarzan and the Great River (1967). She appeared on Broadway in Boeing-Boeing.

In the early Seventies she continued to appear on Dark Shadows. She had a recurring role on the soap opera Secret Storm in 1971. She also appeared in the movie Night of Dark Shadows (1971).

Diana Millay also wrote the books I'd Rather Eat Than Act, The Power of Halloween, and How to Create Good Luck.

Diana Millay appeared frequently on television in the Fifties and Sixties, precisely because she was capable of playing a wide variety of characters. It can be little wonder why she was cast as Laura Collins, a role that by its very nature was demanding. Prior to the "Laura Collins the Phoenix" storyline Dark Shadows was a Gothic soap opera. With the "Laura Collins the Phoenix" story arc it became a supernatural soap opera. Had Diana Millay not excelled in the role of Laura Collins, it's very possible that Dark Shadows might not have continued its path to becoming a supernatural soap opera. That means we might never have been introduced to Barnabas Collins, but it might never have been the success that it was.

Mike Henry Passes On

Mike Henry, the former NFL player who starred as Tarzan in three movies, died on January 8 2021 at the age of 84. He had been diagnosed in 1988 with Parkinson's disease and for years had dealt with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Mike Henry was born on August 15 1936 in Los Angeles. He played football in high school and played for the University of Southern California. Following his graduation from college. Mike Henry played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958 to 1961. He requested a transfer to the Los Angeles Rams as he was interested in becoming an actor.

Mike Henry made his film debut in a small role in Curfew Breakers in 1958. In the early Sixties he was the choice of Ed Graham Productions to play Batman in a prospective television series, that would have been more serious than the classic 1966 TV series Batman produced by William Dozier. Mike Henry never got a chance to play Batman, as Ed Graham lost the rights to the character. Mike Henry appeared in small roles in Spencer's Mountain (1963) and Palm Springs Weekend (1963) before playing Tarzan in three films: Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966), Tarzan and the Great River (1967), and Tarazan and the Jungle Boy (1968). Mike Henry was offered the lead role in the TV series Tarzan, but declined the role. It then went to Ron Ely. In the Sixties he also appeared in the movies The Green Berets (1968), More Dead Than Alive (1969), Number One (1969), and Rio Lobo (1970). He guest starred on the shows General Hospital, 77 Sunset Strip, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Daniel Boone, and Dan August.

In the Seventies Mike Henry guest starred in the M*A*S*H  "The M*A*S*H Olympics" as Major Margaret Houlihan's fiancé  Lt. Colonel Donald Penobscott. He also guest starred on the shows The Smith Family, The Wonderful World of Disney, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Temperatures Rising, The Bob Newhart Show, The Six Million Dollar Man, Rhoda, and Lou Grant. He played Junior, the none too bright son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), in the movies Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and Smokey and the Bandit II (1980). He appeared in the movies Skyjacked (1972), Soylent Green (1973), The Longest Yard (1974), Mean Johnny Barrows (1975), and Adiós Amigo (1975).

In the Eighties Mike Henry guest starred on Fantasy Island and appeared in the movies Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983) and Outrageous Fortune (1987).

Athletes turned actors are generally not noted for their talent, but Mike Henry actually displayed talent in his acting career. Indeed, he played both Tarzan in three movies and Junior Justice in the "Smokey and the Bandits" movies, two roles that could not be more different. He was even convincing playing the corrupt Sheriff "Blue Tom" Hendricks in Rio Lobo. He gave solid performances in guest appearances on many television shows. While some athletes turned actors aren't known for their acting talent, Mike Henry should be.