Godspeed Johnny Crawford

Johnny Crawford, the actor and singer best known  for playing Mark McCain on the classic Western television series The Rifleman, died yesterday, April 29 2021, at the age of 75. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2019. More recently, he had contracted COVID-19 and still later pneumonia.

Johnny Crawford was born on March 26 1946 in Los Angeles, California. His father was television editor Robert Crawford Sr. His older brother, Bobby Crawford, would also go into acting. Johnny Crawford appeared on television while still very young. He made his television debut in 1950 on The Pinky Lee Show. In 1951 he sang on The Steve Allen Show. It was in 1955 that he became one of the first 24 Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club. Johnny Crawford would only last on The Mickey Mouse Club for its first season. At the end of that season it was decided to reduce the number of Mosueketeers on the show to 12 and so he was released from his contract.

While he was no longer on The Mickey Mouse Club, Johnny Crawford was not without work. He guest starred on such shows as Chevron Hall of Stars, Lux Video Theatre, The Lone Ranger, Cavalcade of America, The Count of Monte Cristo, Climax!, The O. Henry Playhouse, The Sheriff of Cochise, Telephone, Crossroads, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Millionaire, The Loretta Young Show, Mr. Adams and Eve, Have Gun--Will Travel, Make Room for Daddy, Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Whirlybirds, Zane Grey Theatre, Wagon Train, Playhouse 90, Trackdown, Matinee Theatre, The Restless Gun, and Tales of Wells Fargo. He appeared in the movies Courage of Black Beauty (1957) and The Space Children (1958).

It was in 1959 that he began playing Mark McCain on The Rifleman. Mark McCain was the son of the title character, Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors), and the two of them lived on a homestead outside North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was historic as it was the first American television series ever to feature a single parent raising a child. It also differed from previous Westerns on American television up to that time as it was as much a family drama as it was a Western. The Rifleman was well received critically and did very well in the ratings. In 1959 Johnny Crawford was nominated for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series for his role as Mark McCain.

In the Sixties Johnny Crawford guest starred on the shows The Donna Reed Show, and The Dick Powell Show. In 1965 he guest starred on the TV show Branded, which starred his former Rifleman co-star Chuck Connors. During the decade he also guest starred on the shows Mr. Novak, Mister Ed, Rawhide, Lancer, Hawaii Five-O, and The Big Valley. In the mid-Sixties he served in the United States Army. He appeared in the movies Indian Point (1965), Village of the Giants (1965), The Restless Ones (1965), and El Dorado (1966). He played the title role in the movie short "The Resurrection of Bronco Billy."

Early in the Sixties, Johnny Crawford also had a successful recording career. His first single, "Daydreams," was released in 1961 and went to no. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100. From 1961 to 1968 he released 16 singles, four of which entered the top forty. His single "Cindy's Birthday" went to no. 8. He released the albums The Captivating Johnny Crawford, Young Man's Fancy, and Rumors, in addition to two greatest hits collections.

In the Seventies Johnny Crawford guest starred on the shows Cade's County and Little House on the Prairie. He appeared in the movies The Naked Ape (1973), The Inbreaker (1974), and The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1976). In the Eighties Johnny Crawford played the recurring role of Prince Ignatius on the TV show Crossbow. He guest starred on Movie Macabre; Murder, She Wrote; and Paradise. He also began a career as a crooner. Late in the Eighties, Johnny Crawford was the lead vocalist for Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks. In 1990 he formed Crawford Music Services, which provided music for live events.

It was in 1992 that he formed the Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra, a vintage dance orchestra that played at special events. The Orchestra released a live album in 2008, Sweepin' the Clouds Away. In the Nineties he reprised his role as Mark McCain in the TV movie The Gambler Returns: Luck of the Draw. He also appeared in the TV movie Rupert Patterson Wants to Be a Super Hero.He appeared in the movie The Thirteenth Floor (1999). His final appearance on film was in the movie Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws (2019), playing silent screen Western star William S. Hart.

While chances are good that Johnny Crawford will always be remembered as Mark McCain on The Rifleman, he was a man of multiple talents. He gave solid performances not only on The Rifleman and Crossbow, but in multiple guest appearances on TV shows and movies as well. He was a pastor's son who becomes involved with a disturbed young girl in The Restless Ones. In the Big Valley episode "The Other Side of Justice," on which Stockton's former sheriff went on a killing spree, he played a young deputy. Of course, Johnny Crawford wasn't just an actor, but a talented singer as well. While many young actors developed singing careers in the early sixties, Johnny Crawford was actually good at it. He was impressive as the leader of the Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra. Johnny Crawford may always be remembered as Mark McCain, but he did so much more.

The Late Great Michael Collins

Apollo 11, the NASA mission that landed men on the moon, was one of the greatest achievements in the history of humanity. Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin. Of the three astronauts who formed the crew of Apollo 11, one would never set foot on the moon. Michael Collins was the pilot of the command module Columbia. Major General Collins achievement in taking Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon and then bring them back to Earth was impressive. He circled the moon alone and went through a list of 117 contingencies should anything go wrong. For docking with the lunar module Eagle Michael Collins had a notebook with 18 different scenarios. Michael Collins executed the docking procedure perfectly. After his work with NASA, Michael Collins would continue to be an advocate for space exploration. Sadly, Michael Collins died yesterday, April 28 2021, at the age of 90. The cause was cancer.

Michael Collins was born on October 31 1930 in Rome. His father was Major General James Lawton Collins, who was then a U.S. military attaché in Rome. As his father was in the United States Army, Michael Collins spent his childhood in a variety of places. It was following the start of World War II that his family moved to Washington, D.C. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated with Bachelor of Science degree. Due to his interest in aeronautics and wanting to avoid any accusations of nepotism if he joined the United States Army, following his graduation he enlisted in the United States Air Force.

Michael Collins trained as a fighter pilot and aircraft maintenance officer before becoming a test pilot. He was inspired by NASA's Mercury Atlas 6 mission, in which John Glenn circled the Earth three times, on February 20 1962 to become an astronaut. He applied for the second group of astronauts, but he was not accepted. When NASA later called for a third group of astronauts, Michael Collins applied to become an astronaut and was accepted. He served as the back up pilot for Gemini 7 and the pilot on Gemini 10, the latter of which was his first space flight. He was assigned to the backup crew for Apollo 2, but the mission was ultimately cancelled.

In 1968 Michael Collins had to have surgery for a slipped disc. He served on Apollo 8 as a capsule commander, an astronaut at Mission Control who communicates directly with the crew. By the time of Apollo 11, Michael Collins had completely recovered from his surgery. He not only served as the pilot of the Command Module Columbia, but also designed the mission patch for Apollo 11.

Michael Collins elected not to venture into space following Apollo 11, even though NASA's rotation of crew would have made him commander of both Apollo 14 and Apollo 17. He did not wish to go undergo three more years of rigorous training and he wanted to spend more time with his family. He served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from January 6 1970 to April 11 1971. Afterwards he served as Director of National Air and Space Museum. He later became a vice president of LTV Aerospace and then founded his own consulting firm, Michael Collins Associates.

Throughout it all Michael Collins remained a tireless advocate for space exploration. In 1974 his autobiography Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys was published. He also wrote the books Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places (1976) and Mission to Mars (1990).

Michael Collins never thought of himself as a hero. He once said, "Heroes abound, and should be revered as such, but don’t count astronauts among them. We work very hard; we did our jobs to near perfection, but that was what we had hired on to do. . . . Celebrities? What nonsense." I have to think many Americans would disagree with him. Major General Collins did things that not only took highly specialized skills, but an extraordinary amount of courage. He did things only a very few of us could do. What is more, he made history. He took astronauts to the Moon and brought them home and he did it for the very first time. Any number of things could have gone wrong, any number of mistakes could have been made, but Michael Collins did it without error. After his career as an astronaut, Michael Collins continued to support space exploration and was instrumental in the establishment of the National Air and Space Museum. Thee can be no doubt that many of today's astronauts owe their careers to him, and many young people who have gone into careers in science probably do as well.

The 93rd Academy Awards

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, last night's Academy Awards ceremony was a bit different. Opinion seems to be divided with regards to the scaled down, streamlined ceremony, with some people hating it and others loving it. As for myself, I am a bit divided on it myself. On the one hand, it was nice not having to sit through insufferable dance numbers and unfunny comedy sketches for a change. On the other hand, I really miss having an Oscars host and I don't see where it would have hurt for them to have a few movie clips. I have missed the presence of a host for the last few years and I missed the film clips this year.

One thing I did not like is that this year's Oscars were presented out of order. Traditionally, Best Picture is always the last award presented of the night, with Best Director being the penultimate award given. For whatever reason, last night the Best Director award was given early in the evening, while the Lead Actor and Actress awards were given after Best Picture. Aside from the fact that his breaks with tradition, to me it made the whole end of the ceremony anti-climactic. Best Picture has always been acknowledged as the biggest award of the night. For me, at least, my interest in the awards were not as strong as it is prior to Best Picture being presented. I suspect that is true of many people.

Of course, I thought the presentation of Best Actor was handled very badly. Joaquin Phoenix couldn't have made his disappointment at Anthony Hopkins's winning the award for The Father over Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom more obvious. Worse yet, Mr. Phoenix simply accepted the award on Anthony Hopkins's behalf when, according to The Guardian, Mr. Hopkins's co-star Olivia Colman was in the audience and prepared to accept the award on his behalf should he win. Regardless of who he wanted to win, Joaquin Phoenix's behaviour was unacceptable in an Oscar presenter. Of course, here I have to note that Mr. Phoenix was not the only one who was disappointed that Chadwick Boseman did not win. As for myself, I have seen neither The Father nor Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, so I don't have an opinion. I do have friends who think Mr. Hopkins entirely deserved to win the Oscar for Best Actor.

While Joaquin Phoenix's behaviour and the abrupt ending to the ceremony were definitely among the Academy Awards' low points last night, the night did have some very fine moments. Like many, I was touched by director Thomas Vinterberg's acceptance speech for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film for Another Round. For those who don't know, Mr. Vinterberg's daughter, Ida, died in an automobile when Another Round was only a few days in production. Of her death and the film, he said, "Before her death it was an ambition to make a life-affirming film; that became a necessity. I wanted to celebrate the life that we lose so easily." Mr. Vinterberg's acceptance speech was then not merely an acceptance speech, but a beautiful tribute to his daughter Ida.

This year the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was given to both the Motion Picture & Television Fund and Tyler Perry. Both awards were well deserved, and both presentations were inspiring. The Motion Picture & Television Fund is the first organization to win the award. For those unfamiliar with The Motion Picture & Television Fund, they are a charity that cares for those in the movie and television industries who have no families or limited income. Of course, Tyler Perry is well known for his humanitarianism. His acceptance speech last night called on people to "refuse hate."

Another highlight for me last night night was Korean actress Yuh-jung Youn winning Best Supporting Actress for her role as Soon-ja in the movie Minari.  From the very beginning she was both charming and funny. Despite being a film and television legend in Korea, Yuh-jung Youn behaved as many of us would upon meeting actor Brad Pitt, a bit starstruck. If a Korean icon being starstruck at meeting Brad Pitt was not enough, Yuh-jung Youn was genuinely happy at winning Best Supporting Actress, while exhibiting a high degree of humility. She mentioned every single one of her fellow nominees. Her speech was easily the funniest and most charming acceptance speech of the night. Here it must be pointed out that Yuh-jung Youn's win was historic. She is the first Korean actress to win an acting award and only the second Asian to win the Best Supporting Actress Award.

Yet another highlight for me was Rita Moreno presenting the Best Picture award. Miss Moreno was beautiful, charming, and funny, as always. Of course, as a matter of full disclosure I have to admit that I have had a crush on Miss Moreno since I was eight years old, so that for me she is always beautiful, charming, and funny.

Here I have to say this year's Academy Awards were much more inclusive than past years have been. Many more people of colour were nominated in categories and even won. Chloé Zhao was both nominated for and won the Best Director award for Nomadland. Chadwick Boseman, Riz Ahmed, and Steven Yeun were nominated for Best Actor. Viola Davis and Andra Day were nominated for Best Actress. Daniel Kaluuya and Yuh-jung Youn won Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively. While there is still room for progress, the Academy Awards were much better this year in acknowledging the contributions of people in colour.

While the 93rd Academy Awards had some high points last night, the In Memoriam segment was one of its low points. I have to admit that last night the Academy included many more beloved stars than they have in In Memoriam segments the past several years. In the past several years they have excluded such big names as Andy Griffith, Polly Bergen,Robert Vaughn, and Tim Conway, among many others. In 2019 they even excluded my dearest friend Vanessa Marquez, despite an online petition that exceeded 12,000 signatures.

Fortunately, this year's In Memoriam included actors that I suspect they would have excluded in prior years, including Cicely Tyson, Cloris Leachman, Yapht Kotto, Paula Kelly, Wilford Brimley, Marge Champion, and Dame Diana Rigg. That having been said, they did exclude three people who should have absolutely been included in the In Memoriam segment. While Honor Blackman may be best remembered as Mrs. Cathy Gale on The Avengers, she also made several movies, including a turn as Hera in Jason and the Argonauts (1964). Like Honor Blackman, Jessica Walter may have been best known for her work in television, but she appeared in several movies, including Grand Prix (1966), Play Misty for Me (1971), and The Flamingo Kid (1984). They also excluded composer Adam Schesinger. While many of will best remember him for his work with power pop band Fountains of Wayne, he worked a good deal in motion pictures. He even wrote an Oscar nominated song, "That Thing You Do!," for the movie of the same name. Adam Schlesinger's omission is particularly galling given Angela Bassett in her introduction to the In Memoriam mentioned the many COVID-19 deaths last year. Mr. Schlesinger died from COVID-19 on April 1 2020.

While last night's In Memoriam included more beloved actors than most, it also proved to be one of the worst In Memoriam segments the Academy Awards ever produced. It seemed to move forward at warp speed, with each person shown for only microseconds. Given we lost such big names as Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman, Sean Connery, and yet others this past year, the speed at which the Academy rushed through the In Memoriam segment seemed downright disrespectful. Their choice of song to accompany the In Memoriam segment only made matters worse. Don't get me wrong. I love "As" by Stevie Wonder. I also love "Got to Get You into My Life" by The Beatles, but I wouldn't want it played during an In Memoriam segment! The problem with "As" is that it much too upbeat for something as solemn as an In Memoriam segment.

Anyway, I think the Academy has to face some facts with regards to the In Memoriam segment. First, it is one of the highlights of the night for the viewing audience at home. It is a chance for them to acknowledge the stars they love. For that reason, it should not be rushed and it should be accompanied by a suitable song. Second, beloved stars should be included in the In Memoriam segment, regardless of how much time that adds to the segment. When the audience wants to see Andy Griffith, Vanessa Marquez, or Honor Blackman during the In Memoriam segment, you had damn well better include them. In the end the In Memoriam segment should not be made for the Academy, it should be made for the audience at home.

Over all I cannot say I was as unhappy with the 93rd Academy Awards as I have been some others. I did like the scaled-down ceremony in that it was free of the dance numbers and unfunny comedy routines that have bogged down some ceremonies the past few years. On the other hand, I really did not like that the awards were presented out of their traditional order. Best Picture had been the final award since 1927 for a reason. I also wish that for once the Academy would do the In Memoriam justice. They really need to take care that the stars audiences love, like Jessica Walter and Honor Blackman, are included, even if it makes the In Memoriam longer. And the In Memoriam should not be rushed through. If it last four minutes and a half (the average length of a TCM Remembers segment), then so be it. The Academy Awards are a chance for the movie industry to show off. It is a chance to thank movie fans for their continued patronage of movies in the past year. Sadly, the past many years, the Academy has missed their mark in both showing off and making sure that they are grateful for movie audiences.

TCM Spotlight: Order in the Court in May 2021

Gregory Peck in To Kill a
Mockingbird

Each Wednesday night this May, Turner Classic Movies will be showing films set in the courtroom. On TCM Spotlight: Order in the Court, the channel will show courtroom movies ranging from those focused on murder trials to those that aren't quite so serious.

TCM Spotlight: Order in the Court begins on Wednesday, May 5 with movies centred around murder trials. Wednesday, May 12 features comedies set in the courtroom. Wednesday, May 19 centres on military trials. Finally, on Wednesday, May 26 movies focused on various social issues will air. Below is the schedule for TCM Spotlight: Order in the Court. Among the films airing are 12 Angry Men (1957) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) on May 5, Adam's Rib (1949) and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) on May 12, Judgement at Nuremberg (1961) and Paths of Glory (1958) on May 19, and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and Inherit the Wind (1960) on May 26.

TCM Spotlight: Order  in the Court looks like it will feature a large number of great movies. If I have only one caveat about it, I think I would have tried to fit The Caine Mutiny (1951) on May 19. It possibly my favourite movie touching upon a court martial. Regardless, TCM Spotlight: Order in the Court is something to look forward to in May.

Godspeed Tempest Storm

Tempest Storm, the legendary burlesque performer, died on April 20221 at the age of 93.

Tempest Storm was born Annie Blanche Banks on February 29 1928 in Eastman, Georgia. She left school when she was in seventh grade to work as a waitress. At age 14 she married a Marine in order to emancipate herself and escape parental abuse. The marriage was annulled after only 24 hours. She was 15 when she married a shoe salesman from Columbus. It was six months the she left for Hollywood.

She was 17 years old when she was working as a cocktail waitress in Los Angeles when a customer told her that she would be great as a striptease performer. She auditioned for Follies Theatre talent manager Lillian Hunt who hired her as a chorus girl. It was after a month that she became a stripper. Lillian Hunt told her that she needed a stage name and gave her a choice between "Sunny Day" and "Tempest Storm." Six years later she would legally change her name to "Tempest Storm."

Tempest Storm would go onto become of the most successful burlesque performers of all time. She first performed in Las Vegas in 1951 at the Embassy Club. She was a regular performer at the El Rey theatre in Oakland, California. She moved to Portland, Oregon in 1953, initially performing at the Star Theatre there before moving to the Capital Theatre in Portland. In 1956 Tempest Storm became the highest paid burlesque performer of all time when she signed 10 year contract with the Bryan-Engles burlesque production company. In 1957 she began performing at the Dunes in Las Vegas.

>Tempest Storm appeared in burlesque movies such as Irving Klaw's Teaserama (1955) alongside Bettie Page,  as well as such films as French Peepshow (1950), Paris After Midnight (1951), and Striptease Girl (1952). In 1973 she opened for The James Gang while they were on tour, even playing Carnegie Hall. She headlined on the Las Vegas Strip as late as 1987. Tempest Storm retired in 1995, but performed would still perform occasionally. In 1999 she performed at the O'Farrell Theatre in San Francisco, California in honour of the theatre's 30th anniversary.

Alongside such performers as Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, Lili St. Cyr, and Blaze Starr, Tempest Storm was responsible for bringing burlesque into the mainstream.. Indeed, she was among those who elevated striptease to an artform. In 1969 she gold The Wall Street Journal, "I think taking off all your clothes--and I've never taken off all my clothes--is not only immoral but boring. There has to be something left to the imagination. If you taken everything off, you please a few morons and chase all the nice people away." Tempest Storm's knowledge of the importance of the tease,  and the skilful way in which she teased, gave her a career that lasted nearly 50 years. She was truly the last of the great strippers.

The Late Great Jim Steinman

Jim Steinman, the composer, lyricist, and record producer who worked with Meat Loaf and other artists from Bonnie Tyler to The Sisters of Mercy, died on April 19 2021 at the age of 73. The cause was kidney failure.

Jim Steinman was born on November 1 1947 in Hewlett, New York. He graduated from George W. Hewlett High School in 1965. He earned a bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1969.

It was at Amherst College that Jim Steinman began his career as a composer. In 1968 he was responsible for music for adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's A Man's a Man. That same year Ge directed a production of The Beard at the college. It was in in the summer of 1968 that he contributed music to the Island Theatre Workshop's adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's Baal that took place at Martha's Vineyard.

It was while he was a senior at Amherst College Jim Steinman wrote the musical The Dream Engine in order to fulfil the requirements for an independent study course. The musical was performed in April 1969 at the Kirby Theatre at Amherst College and later played in Holyoke for a few performances. In 1971 Jim Steinman was responsible for the music in the puppet show Ubu, an adaptation of Alfred Jarry's 1888 play Ubu on the Hill. In 1972 he worked with his friend from college, Barry Keating, on a musical entitled Rhinegold at the Mercer Arts Center. Rhinegold was inspired by Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold.

It was in 1973 that his song "Happy Ending" appeared on Yvonne Ellman's album Fool for Love, making it Jim Steinman's first song to be commercially recorded and released. It was also in 1973 that Jim Steinman wrote the musical More Than You Deserve. Among the actors in the musical was Meat Loaf. The song "More Than You Deserve," from the musical of the same name, was released as a single. It was in 1975 that Jim Steinman provided music and lyrics to Thomas Babe's Kid Champion at the New York Shakespeare Festival.

In 1976 Jim Steinman provided the music for the musical The Confidence Man (based on the novel by Herman Melville), with the book and lyrics by Ray Errol Fox. It was in 1977, while Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf were with The National Lampoon Roadshow, that Jim Steinman began development of what would become Meat Loaf's album Bat Out of Hell. Released in October 1977, Bat Out of Hell went to no. 14 on the Billboard album chart, no, 9 on the UK album chart, and did well elsewhere in the world. It produced the hit singles "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth," "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." In 1979 Mr. Steinman wrote the theme to the sitcom Delta House. He wrote the score for the 1980 feature film A Small Circle of Friends.

Bat Out of Hell was followed by Meat Loaf's album Dead Ringer and Jim Steinman's only solo album, Bad for Good, both in 1981. Jim Steinman produced Bonnie Tyler's 1983 album Faster Than the Speed of Night and wrote two songs for it, including the hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart." That same year he wrote the song "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" for Air Supply. In 1984 he produced Billy Squier's album Signs of Life. That same year he contributed two songs to Meat Loaf's album Bad Attitude. He provided the songs "Nowhere Fast" and "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" for the movie Streets of Fire (1984).

In 1986 Jim Steinman produced Bonnie Tyler's album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire and wrote four songs for the album, including the song "Holding Out for a Hero" (earlier featured in the movie Footloose). In 1987 Jim Steinman produced the song "This Corrosion" for The Sisters of Mercy's album Floodland. In 1989 he provided two songs for the movie Rude Awakenings. That same year the album Original Sin was released. It was by Pandora's Box, a group assembled by Jim Steinman. It was the following year that Jim Steinman co-wrote the song "More" with lead singer Andrew Eldritch for The Sisters of Mercy's album Vision Thing.

It was in 1993 that Jim Steinman reunited with Meat Loaf for the album Bat Out of Hell Two II: Back in Hell. The album produced the hit "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." He would provide two songs for Meat Loaf's follow up, Welcome to the Neighbourhood. That same year he provided two songs for Bonnie Tyler's album Free Spirit. He provided lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1996 musical Whistle Down the Wind. He composed the music for the musical Tanz der Vampire (based on Roman Polanski's movie The Fearless Vampire Killers). Its book was by Michael Kunze. It made its premiere in Vienna in 1997.

The Naughts would see Jim Steinman's song "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste" featured on The Everly Brothers' album On the Wings of a Nightingale: The Mercury Studio Recordings. He composed several songs on Meat Loaf's album 2006 Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose. Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf had begun work on the album in 2001, but Mr. Steinman did not ultimately produce the album. The album had been at the centre of a dispute over the phrase "Bat Out of Hell," which Jim Steinman had trademarked. In the Teens Jim Steinman contributed to Meat Loaf's album Braver Than We Are. He composed the music and wrote the book for Bat Out of Hell: The Musical. It premiered at the Manchester Opera House on February 17 2017.

Jim Steinman's songs were as close to grand opera as rock music ever came. His work was bigger than life and often over the top, something for which critics sometimes looked down on his music. And while he may not have always been a favourite of the critics, he was a favourite with music consumers. He produced several hits over the years and a good argument can be made that the careers of Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler would not have been the same without him. Certainly is music produced much of the soundtracks of younger Baby Boomers and Gen Xer's lives. To use myself as an example, Bat Out of Hell remains one of my favourite albums of all time. Jim Steinman was certainly one of the best composers of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.

Godspeed Felix Silla

Felix Silla, who played Cousin Itt on the classic sitcom The Addams Family  and the maniacal villain in the film The Black Bird (1975), died on April 16 2021 at the age of 84. The cause was pancreatic cancer.

Felix Silla was born in  Roccacasale, Italy on January 11 1937. He moved to the United States in 1955. He performed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for seven years as a trapeze artist, tumbler, and bareback horseman. In 1962 he moved to Hollywood where he began his career as a stuntman and actor.

Mr. Silla made his television debut in an episode of Grindl in 1963. He made his debut as Cousin Itt on The Addams Family in the episode "Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family" and appeared several more times on the show. The voice of Cousin Itt was provided by Tony Magro. At the same time that he was appearing on The Addams Family, Felix Silla was also the stunt double for actor Butch Patrick on the other "monster" comedy of the Sixties, The Munsters. He appeared as one of the Talosians in the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage." In the Sixties he guest starred on the TV shows Bonanza, Petticoat Junction, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., The Monkees, and Bewitched. He also played Polka Dotted Horse on the Saturday morning TV series H. R. Pufnstuf. He appeared in the movies She Freak (1967), Point Blank (1967), Planet of the Apes (1968), The April Fools (1969), Justine (1969), and Pufnstuf (1970). He performed stunts for the movies A Ticklish Affair (1963) and The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966).

In the Seventies Felix Silla played Lucifer on Battlestar Galactica (the voice was provided by Jonathan Harris) and Twiki on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (the voice was provided by Mel Blanc). He played Colonel Poom on the Saturday morning show Lidsville and had the recurring role of Chuck on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. He reprised his role as Itt on the 1977 television reunion movie Halloween with the New Addams Family. He guest starred on the shows Bewitched and Night Gallery. He appeared in the mini-series Lincoln. He appeared in the movies Little Cigars (1973), Sssssss (1973), The Black Bird (1975), Mastermind (1976), Black Samurai (1976), Demon Seed (1977), The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), The Manitou (1978), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), and The Brood (1979). He performed stunts for the movies Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), Earthquake (1974), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Hindenburg (1975), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), and When Time Ran Out (1980).

In the Eighties Felix Silla continued to appear on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century during the first year of the decade. He guest starred on the TV shows Mork & Mindy, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Married...with Children. He appeared in the movies Under the Rainbow (1981), The Sting II (1983), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Meatballs Part II, Ragewar (1984), House (1985), and Spaceballs (1987). He performed stunts for E.T. the Extra-Terrestial  (1982), Poltergeist (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Howard the Duck (1984), Weekend Warriors (1986), The Golden Child (1986), The Monster Squad (1987), and Phantasm II (1988).

In the Nineties he appeared in the movies Batman Returns (1992) and Galgameth (1996). He performed stunts for Batman Returns (1992). In the Teens he appeared in the movies CHARACTERz (2016) and the 2018 mini-series Meet Slate.

Felix Silla also played in a band, The Harmonica Band, that even performed in Las Vegas.

Felix Silla was extremely versatile. Because of his small size (he was only 3'11"), he was often called upon to be the stunt double for children. He played a variety of roles through the years, from a "leprechaun" on Bonanza to a goblin on Bewitched to one of the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. As Cousin Itt and Twiki he got to play recurring roles. And he played only the body in many of his roles, he was entirely wonderful when he actually got to speak in a part. A perfect example of this is his role as Litvak in The Black Bird. Felix Silla was perfect as the half-crazed villain. For younger Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, Felix Silla generated many fond memories.