The Late Great Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson, better known simply as Prince, died today at the age of 57. Earlier in the month he had postponed performances due to influenza. On April 15, while flying back to Minneapolis from a show in Atlanta, Georgia, his private plane made an emergency landing at Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois in order for him to receive medical treatment. The cause of his death will not be known until results from an autopsy are announced. 

Prince was born on June 7 1958 in Minneapolis. His father was John L. Nelson, a jazz pianist in the Minneapolis area. He used the stage name "Prince Rogers" and performed as part of the Prince Rogers Trio. His mother was Mattie (née Shaw), a local jazz singer who performed with Mr. Nelson. They divorced in 1966 when Prince was eight years old. Coming from a family of musicians, Prince took to music while very young. He was only seven years old when he wrote his first song, "Funk Machine", on his father's piano. He had already decided to pursue a career in music by the time he was a teenager.

Constantly shifting between the homes of his father and his mother, Prince eventually moved into the home of his neighbours the Anderson family. He became friends with their son, Andre Anderson (who eventually took the name Andre Cymone). Prince and Andre Anderson would eventually join the band Grand Central, for whom Prince's cousin Charles Smith was the drummer. Charles Smith would later be replaced by Morris Day, who would later become famous as part of The Time. Grand Central would eventually rename themselves "Champagne" to avoid confusion with the group Grand Central Station.

It was in 1975 that Pepe Willie, the husband of one of Prince's cousins, formed the band 94 East. Both Prince and Andre Cymone would serve as session musicians for the band. It was in 1976 that Champagne started recording at Moonsound Studio, a small studio owned by Chris Moon. Chris Moon noticed Prince's talent and offered him a deal: if Prince collaborated with him on songs then Prince could have as much free recording time as he desired. In 1976 Prince created a demo tape of  four songs he had created at Moonsound.

It was later in 1976 that Chris Moon introduced Prince to Owen Husney, an owner of a small advertising agency in Minneapolis who also managed musicians. Owen Husney signed Prince to a management contract. In December 1976 Mr. Husney booked Prince in Sound 80 studios in Minneapolis to record a new demo tape. Owen Husney then created a press kit to send with the demo tape to the various recording companies. Ultimately A&M, ABC/Dunhill, CBS, RSO, Warner Bros., and yet other companies expressed interest in Prince.

It was on June 25 1977 that Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. The contact stipulated that Prince was to record three albums over which he would have complete creative control. Prince's debut album, For You, was released  April 7 1978. Not only did Prince produce the record, but he also arranged and composed every song on the album except for "Soft and Wet", which was co-written with Chris Moon. He also played every single instrument on the album. His first single, "Soft and Wet", peaked at no. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 12 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

It was on October 19 1979 that Prince's second album, Prince, was released. The album would produce Prince's first hit single. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" hit number one on the Billboard R&B chart and peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was followed by the single "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?". It peaked at no. 13 on the Billboard R&B singles chart. The album itself peaked at no. 22 on the Billboard albums chart.

Prince's third album, Dirty Mind, would not do as well on the Billboard album chart as Prince. Released on October 8 1980, it only peaked at no. 45. That having been said, it arguably set the stage for the rest of Prince's career. The album was stylistically diverse, with songs that could be considered funk ("Dirty Mind"), ballads ("Gotta Broken Heart Again"), dance ("Uptown"), and new wave (When You Were Mine"). Dirty Mind also ventured further into sexuality than most funk or R&B artists ever had before. Indeed, the song "Head" and especially the song "Sister" dealt with subjects that were very nearly taboo when the album was released on October 8 1980. While Dirty Mind was well known for it salaciousness, songs on the album did explore other subjects. "Uptown" dealt with prejudice and societal expectations. "Partyup"had anti-war overtones.

Prince followed Dirty Mind with the album Controversy, released on October 14 1981. Along with Dirty Mind, Controversy would define much of the course of Prince's career. While Dirty Mind was known for its sheer lasciviousness, Controversy took a more intellectual approach. The title track addressed everything from questions surrounding Prince's sexuality to questions surrounding his religious beliefs. "Ronnie, Talk to Russia" was a plea to the newly elected Ronald Reagan to make peace with the U.S.S.R. The song "Annie Christian" addressed violence, guns, and religion all in one song. Of course, Controversy also contained sex songs, such as "Jack U Off". Like Dirty Mind before it, Controversy continued Prince's stylistic diversification. "Controversy" was pure funk. "Do Me, Baby" was a lengthy ballad. "Private Joy" was bubblegum. "Jack U Off" drew upon rockabilly for inspiration. Controversy sold very well. It peaked at no. 21 on the Billboard  albums chart.

It was also in 1981 that Prince formed the funk band The Time as a side project. The Time was largely built upon a Minneapolis band called Flyte Time, to which Prince added lead singer Morris Day, guitarist Jesse Johnson, and musician and comedian Jerome Benton. Prince wrote many of The Time's early songs and even played every single instrument on The Time's first album. He also produced their first three albums.

Prince's fifth album would also turn out to be his breakthrough with regards to mainstream music. 1999 was a double album released on October 27 1982. It proved to be Prince's highest charting album yet, going all the way to no. 9 on the Billboard albums chart (which also made it his first top ten album). It produced three hit singles. The title track peaked at no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Little Red Corvette" peaked at no. 6 and "Delirious" at no. 8. The album also saw Prince expand his subject matter beyond sex. "1999" itself touched upon the subject of Armageddon, while "Free" dealt with patriotism and  "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" touched up on computers. Stylistically the album ranged from funk to New Wave.

By the mid-Eighties Prince had already seen a good deal of success as a recording artist. It was in 1984 that he would see success in film as well. Purple Rain was made on a budget of  $7.2 million and shot mostly in Minneapolis. The movie did fairly well at the box office, making $68 million. Its soundtrack album proved to be Prince's most successful record up to that point. Released on June 25 1984, about a month ahead of the film, it went all the way to the no. 1 spot on the Billboard albums chart. It also produced several hit singles, including the no. 1 singles "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy", a well as the title track (which peaked at no. 2), "I Would Die 4 U" (which peaked at no. 8), and "Take Me with U" (which went to no. 25). Arguably, Purple Rain marked the height of Prince's success. Unfortunately, while Prince would see continued success as a music artist, Purple Rain would be his only success in film despite further attempts.

Prince followed the success of Purple Rain with the album Around the World in a Day. The album was released with minimal publicity and its first single ("Raspberry Beret") was not released until a month after the album's release. Despite this Around the World in a Day went to no. 1 on the Billboard albums chart. It also produced the hit singles "Raspberry Beret" (which peaked at no. 2) and"Pop Life" (which peaked at no. 8). Around the World in a Day marked further development in Prince's style. The album was widely considered "psychedelic" and often compared to The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. While Prince dismissed comparisons to The Beatles, he did acknowledged that he thought the album could be considered psychedelic.
  
Around the World in a Day was followed by the album Parade, an album which also served as the soundtrack album to his film Under the Cherry Moon (more on it later). It was released on March 31 1986. While both Purple Rain and Around the World in a Day went to no. 1 on the Billboard albums chart, Parade peaked at no. 3. Parade did produce several hit singles, including number one "Kiss" as well as "Mountains" (which went to no. 23).

It was with Sign o' the Times that Prince's career went into a very slight decline. Sign o' the Times peaked at no. 6, although it did produce three hit singles. Lovesexy peaked at no. 11 and produced only one hit single. Batman, the soundtrack to the 1989 film of the same name, performed much better. It hit no. 1 on the Billboard album chart and produced the hits "Batdance" and "Partyman". Prince would end the Eighties with Graffiti Bridge, the soundtrack to the film of the same name. While the film would not do well (more on that later), the album peaked at no. 6 and produced the hit "Thieves in the Temple".

Prince began the Nineties with the album Diamonds and Pearls, which peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album provided Prince with another no. 1 single, "Cream". The success of Diamonds and Pearls was followed by an album that bore only an unpronounceable symbol as a name, but generally called The Love Symbol Album. The Love Symbol Album also proved successful, peaking at no. 5 on the Billboard album chart.  The Love Symbol Album was followed by Come, which peaked at no. 15 on the album chart.

By the early Nineties Prince found himself at odds with Warner Bros. In an act of rebellion against the label Prince insisted that he be referred to only by an unpronounceable symbol (more or less the same as the one that appeared on The Love Symbol Album). Prince became known as "the Artist Formerly Known as Prince". Prince also began releasing albums much more frequently in order to sooner fulfil his contractual obligations to Warner Bros.

Unfortunately the albums Prince released while he was using the Love Symbol would perform increasingly more and more poorly on the charts. The Black Album, the first album on which he used the symbol, only peaked at no. 47. Chaos and Disorder and Emancipation (which featured Prince's covers of songs originated by other artists) would perform somewhat better, with the latter actually making it to no. 11 on the Billboard album chart.  Prince's last release on Warner Bros. would be The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale.

In 1999 Prince signed with Arista Record. It was on that label that his album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic was released on November 9 1999. It was in 2000, not long after  his publishing contract with Warner/Chappell ended, that Prince returned to using his name "Prince". Starting in 2000 much of Prince's music was released through his website NPG Music Club. NPG Music Club continued until 2006.

Throughout the Naughts and the Teens Prince released several successful albums, including Musicology (which went to no. 3),  3121 (which went to number one), Planet Earth (which went to no. 3), and Lotusflow3r / MPLSound (which went to no. 2). Both   Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age reached the top ten of the Billboard albums chart. Hit n Run Phase Two, the final album released while Prince was alive, came out in December of last year.

Over the years Prince produced other artists and even served a a mentor to some. Over the years Prince produced records by André Cymone, Sheila E, Madhouse, Jill Jones, Chaka Khan, Sheena Easton, Patti LaBelle, and yet others. Prince's songs were recorded by artists as diverse as Alicia Keys ("“How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore"), The Bangles ("Manic Monday"), Cyndi Lauper ("When You Were Mine"),  Sinead O’Connor (“Nothing Compares 2 U“), and Stevie Nicks ("Stand Back").

In addition to his musical career Prince also had a bit of a film career, although he saw little success in movies beyond Purple Rain. Under the Cherry Moon, released in 1986, did poorly at the box office and received bad notices from critics. The film marked Prince's directorial debut. In 1990 Graffiti Bridge, a semi-sequel to Purple Rain was released. Graffiti Bridge also did poorly at the box office and faired badly with critics. It was also directed by Prince.

Over the years Prince would perform on several different shows, from The Tonight Show to Saturday Night Live. He guest starred on Muppets Tonight in 1997 and New Girl in 2014.

I was only a teenager when I first discovered Prince. It was with his album Dirty Mind, a bit before he would break into the mainstream. At the time much of the appeal of Prince for me was the fact that he would sing about things only a few other artists ever had before (namely, graphic sex). Of course, by the time Controversy was released Prince had expanded well beyond singing about sex and love. As the years passed the subject matter of Prince's songs would expand and his music would grow more sophisticated. And as I grew older I was able to appreciate the evolution of Prince's music. As I grew older I was even able to realise that there was much more to his early work than sheer salaciousness.

Quite simply, Prince could well have been the most sophisticated artist to emerge from the Eighties. With regards to genres he seemed difficult to pin down. Certainly much of his early work, as well as much of his music throughout his career, could be considered funk. That having been said, it was very early in his career that he began recording songs that could be considered New Wave, rock, pop, and R&B. Ultimately Prince would venture into genres as diverse as power pop and jazz. Indeed, at times Prince would blend disparate styles into one song.  Not surprisingly, the influences on Prince were diverse: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Miles Davis, James Brown, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Sly Stone, George Clinton, David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield, and many others.

Of course, it was not enough that Prince seemingly transcended genres. He was both a great songwriter and a great musician capable of playing multiple instruments. On his debut album alone he played 27 different instruments. He also a very good vocalist with an impressive range. Over the years Prince was quick to adapt to new technology, adopting drum machines and synthesisers very early in his career.

Ultimately Prince would have a lasting impact on multiple genres of music. Artists as diverse as Alicia Keys, Beck, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae, and even Muse owe a debt to him.  He is one of the very few artists to emerge after the Sixties to have an influence on rock, R&B,rap, and yet other genres.  It should come as no surprise, then, that Prince leaves behind a whole catalogue of songs that are still frequently played on the radio. "1999", "Little Red Corvette", 'Purple Rain", "Raspberry Beret", and yet other songs are still heard frequently. What is more, Prince's songs are still frequently covered by various artists. Ultimately, it seems possible that Prince might be the most influential music artist to emerge from the Eighties. While other artists from the decade might eventually be forgotten, I doubt he ever will.

Doris Roberts R.I.P.

Doris Roberts, who appeared on the TV shows Remington Steele and Everybody Loves Raymond, died April 17 2016 at the age of 90.

Doris Roberts was born Doris Green on November 4 1925 in St. Louis. Her father deserted her family and she grew up in The Bronx, New York. Her mother married Chester H. Roberts, with whom she operated the Z.L. Rosenfield Agency, a stenographic service. She adopted her stepfather's surname.

Doris Roberts made her television debut in an episode of Starlight Theatre in 1951. In the Fifties she guest starred on the shows Studio One, Suspense, and Look Up and Live. She made her Broadway debut in 1955 in a revival of The Time of Your Life. Later in the Fifties she appeared on Broadway in The Desk Set.

In the Sixties Doris Roberts guest starred on the TV shows Way Out, Ben Casey, Naked City, The Defenders, and The Doctors and the Nurses. She made her film debut in Something Wild in 1961. She appeared in the films Barefoot in the Park (1967), Divorce American Style (1967), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968), A Lovely Way to Die (1968), and The Honeymoon Killers (1969). She appeared on Broadway in Marathon '33, Malcolm, Under the Weather, and The Natural Look.

In the Seventies Doris Roberts played the role of Theresa Falco, the title character's mother on the short lived sitcom Angie. She had short, recurring roles on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Soap. She guest starred on such shows as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Medical Centre, Baretta, All in the Family, The Streets of San Francisco, Family, Rhoda, Barney Miller, and Fantasy Island. She appeared in the films Little Murders (1971),  A New Leaf (1971), Such Good Friends (1971), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Blood Bath (1976), Rabbit Test (1978), Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979), and The Rose (1979). On Broadway she appeared in The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild, Bad Habits, and Cheaters.

In the Eighties Doris Roberts starred as the title character's best friend and hairdresser on the short lived sitcom Maggie. She saw much more success as receptionist Mildred Krebs on the hit detective series Remington Steele. She also guest starred on such shows as Alice, St. Elsewhere, The Love Boat, Cagney & Lacey, Perfect Strangers, and Full House. She appeared in the films Ordinary Heroes (1986), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Simple Justice (1989), and Ladies on Sweet Street (1990).

In the Nineties Doris Roberts was a regular on multiple shows. She was a regular on  the sitcoms The Boys and Dream On. From 1996 to 2005 she played Marie Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. She guest starred on such shows as Empty Nest; The Family Man; Murder, She Wrote; Walker, Texas Ranger; Burke's Law; and The King of Queens (as Marie Barone). She appeared in the films Used People (1992), The Night We Never Met (1993), Taffy (1994), The Grass Harp (1995), Walking to Waldheim (1997), My Giant (1998), and A Fish in the Bathtub (1999).

In the Naughts she continued to appear on Everybody Loves Raymond. She guest starred on Touched by an Angel, Lizzie McGuire, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She appeared in the films Full Circle (2001), All Over the Guy (2001), Grandma's Boy (2006), I-See-You.Com (2006), Keeping Up with the Steins (2006), The Truth and Nothing But the Truth (2006), Play the Game (2009), Aliens in the Attic (2009), and Another Harvest Moon (2010).

In the Teens she guest starred on such shows as The Middle, Hot in Cleveland, Desperate Housewives, Major Crimes, and Melissa and Joey. She appeared in the films Margarine Wars (2012), Just Another Man's Story (2013), Zizi and Honeyboy (2015), The Manager (2015), No Deposit (2015), The Secret of Joy (2015), and JOB's Daughter (2016).

Doris Roberts was an immensely talented and very prolific actress who did much more than Everybody Loves Raymond. I remember her best from Remington Steele, where as Mildred Krebs she was as effective a detective as she was a receptionist (if not more so). She appeared in several films, many of which she gave impressive performances, even when her roles may not have been that big. She was quite good in such films as A New Leaf, The Hearbreak Kid, and Used People. She was a regular on several shows, probably due to her combination of talent and professionalism. While Doris Roberts may be best remembered for Remington Steele and Everybody Loves Raymond, she did much more.

Anne Jackson Passes On

Anne Jackson, who often collaborated with husband Eli Wallach, died on April 12 2016 at the age of 90.

Anne Jackson was born on September 3 1926 in Millvale, Pennsylvania. She was seven years old when her family moved to Brooklyn. Anne Jackson trained at the Neighbourhood Playhouse and The Actor's Studio. She made her Broadway debut in 1944 in The New Moon. In the late Forties she appeared in such productions on Broadway as The Cherry Orchard, King Henry VIII, What Every Woman Knows, John Gabriel Borkman, The Last Dance, Summer and Smoke, and The Lady from the Sea. She met Eli Wallach when the two of them were appearing in Tennessee Williams’s This Property Is Condemned. They married in 1948.  Anne Jackson made her television debut in an episode of The Actor's Studio in 1949. In the late Forties she also appeared in an episode of Academy Theatre. She made her film debut in 1950 in So Young So Bad.

In the Fifties Anne Jackson guest starred on such shows as Danger, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Kraft Theatre, The Web, Suspense, The Doctor, Robert Montgomery Presents, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, and Studio One. She appeared in the films The Journey (1959) and Tall Story (1960). She appeared on Broadway in Arms and the Man, Never Say Never, Oh, Men! Oh, Women!, Middle of the Night, and Major Barbara.

In the Sixties Anne Jackson appeared on Broadway in Rhinoceros, Luv, The Exercise, and Inquest. On television she guest starred on such shows as General Electric Theatre, The Untouchables, The Defenders, and CBS Playhouse. She appeared in the films The Tiger Makes Out (1967), How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968), The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968), Zig Zag (1970), The Angel Levine (1970), Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), and Dirty Dingus Magee (1970).

In the Seventies Miss Jackson appeared on Broadway in Promenade, All! and The Waltz of the Toreadors. On television she guest starred on Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby M.D., Great Mysteries, Play for Today, and Rhoda. She appeared in the films Sticks and Bones (1973), Independence (1976), Nasty Habits (1977), The Bell Jar (1979), and The Shining (1980).

In the Eighties Anne Jackson was a regular on the show Everything's Relative. She guest starred on the shows The Equalizer, The Facts of Life, Out on a Limb, Worlds Beyond, and Highway to Heaven. She appeared in the films Sam's Son (1984), Dear Papa (1986), and Funny About Love (1990). She appeared on Broadway in Twice Around the Park and Cafe Crown.

In the Nineties she appeared in the films Folks! (1992), Man of the Century (1999), and Something Sweet (2000). She guest starred on the TV show Law & Order. She appeared on Broadway in Lost in Yonkers and The Flowering Peach. In the Naughts she guest starred on The Education of Max Bickford and ER. She appeared in the films Vote and Die: Liszt for President (2008) and Lucky Days (2008)

Anne Jackson was a very versatile actress who could play a wide variety of roles. Whether working with her husband Eli Wallach or without him, she had a gift for playing complicated women. She played Abigail Adams in Independence. In The Bell Jar she played Dr. Nolan, the psychiatrist who treats Esther Greenwood. In the Untouchables episode "Cooker in the Sky" she played the wife of a lackey for the mob who starts feeding Eliot Ness information about the mob's brewing operations. Throughout the years, on television, in film, and on stage. Anne Jackson gave a number of great performances. Even when the material was not particularly good, Anne Jackson always was.

William Holden in Network (1976)

Today Network (1976)  remains not only one of the best remembered films of the Seventies, but it is also widely considered a classic. The film permeates pop culture to the point that the phrase, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more," is recognisable even to those who have never seen the film. Network was nominated for no less than ten Oscars, four of which it won. It remains only one of two films to win three out of the four Academy Awards for acting (the other film is A Streetcar Named Desire).  The one acting award it did not win was Best Actor for William Holden, perhaps only because Peter Finch won for his role in Network.

For those who have never seen Network, the film was written by the legendary Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. It centred on the perennially low rated television network UBS. The network decides to fire their long-time evening news anchor Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) after his mental condition deteriorates. After he has an angry outburst on his final night on the air, UBS does not fire Beale and instead capitalises on his  mental condition as a means of increasing ratings. William Holden played news director Max Schumacher, who finds himself consistently disapproving of what the network was doing. Faye Dunaway played the head of UBS's programming department, who keeps pushing the network's programming further towards exploitation. Network is essentially a black comedy that also acted as a satire on network television.

While the role of Max Schumacher would become one of the better known roles of William Holden's later career, he was not the only actor considered for the role. Paddy Chayefsky thought Henry Fonda or Gene Hackman could also play the role. Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando, and Robert Mitchum were also considered. Ultimately William Holden was signed for the role of Max Schumacher. Sidney Lumet had noticed a look of sadness in many of Mr. Holden's more recent roles that would endow Max Schumacher with the sense of dignity that the character should have.

It would be difficult to argue that William Holden was not the best choice for the role of Max Schumacher. Mr. Holden certainly did give Schumacher that sense of dignity that Sidney Lumet and Paddy Chayefsky wanted the character to have. Indeed, while Schumacher doesn't always do the right thing, in some respects he is the moral centre of the film. Howard Beale is utterly insane, something that is not lost on the network even as they exploit him. Faye Duanway's character, Diana Christensen, long ago lost touch with humanity, although it is possible she never was in touch with it. As Max Schumacher says of her, "I'm not sure she's capable of any real feelings."

Of the major characters it is Max Schumacher is the only one who has any sort of human feelings at all. He feels remorse when UBS wants to fire Howard Beale and he wants Beale to have a dignified departure. He begins experiencing a very real sense of his own mortality. He feels guilt about everything he has put his family through. While Max Schumacher might not always do what is right in the film, he seems to be the only major character who knows what is right and what is wrong. Quite simply, he is a holdover from the days of Edward R. Murrow, when truthfulness and honesty mattered in the news, lost in an era when ratings are the only thing that matters in television.

Max Schumacher would be a difficult role for many actors to play, but William Holden succeeded in the role quite well. He endowed Schumacher, in many ways a flawed man among people who are much more flawed than he is, with a sense of self-respect while at the same time making him very vulnerable. It would be difficult thinking that anyone would identify with Howard Beale or Diana Christensen, but one has to suspect that many people could easily identify with Max Schumacher.

William Holden was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role of Max Schumacher. Unfortunately Peter Finch would also be nominated for the role of Howard Beale. This essentially put Network in competition with itself for the Oscar for Best Actor. As great a job as William Holden did in playing Max Schumacher, it was perhaps inevitable that he would lose to Mr. Finch playing the more flamboyant role of Howard Beale.

While Network might have seemed far-fetched to some in the Seventies, the film has proven prescient. Today it is often difficult to tell where entertainment begins and the news ends. One has to suspect the Diana Christensens at the networks and cable channels outnumber the Max Schumachers and have for some years. One can only hope that many starting work at the networks and cable channels might watch Network and chose to pattern themselves after Max Schumacher and not the others in power at UBS in the film.

Godspeed Adrienne Corri

Adrienne Corri, who appeared in such films as Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Vampire Circus (1972) as well as the TV show Sword of Freedom, died on March 13 2016 at the age of 85. The cause was coronary artery disease.

Adrienne Corri was born Adrienne Riccoboni in Glasgow on November 13 1930. Her mother was Olive Smethurst. Her father was Luigi Riccoboni, who ran the Crown Hotel in Callander, Perthshire. She was still a teenager when she attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She made her television debut in an adaptation of Jean Cocteau's The Infernal Machine in 1949. That same year she made her film debut in The Romantic Age (1949). In 1949 she also appeared in the television production Summer Day's Dream.

In the Fifties she played Milady de Winter in a TV mini-series adaptation of The Three Musketeers. She was a regular on the TV shows Opportunity Murder and Sword of Freedom. She guest starred on such shows as Celanese Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Rheingold Theatre, Colonel March of Scotland Yard, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Vise, The Buccaneers, William Tell, The Invisible Man, and Armchair Mystery Theatre. She also appeared in such films as The River (1951), The Kidnappers (1953), Devil Girl from Mars (1954), Meet Mr. Callaghan (1954), The Feminine Touch (1956), Behind the Headlines (1956), Second Fiddle (1957), The Big Chance (1957), Corridors of Blood (1958), The Rough and the Smooth (1959), and The Tell-Tale Heart (1960).

In the Sixties she appeared in such films as The Hellfire Club (1961), Dynamite Jack (1961), Lancelot and Guinevere (1963), Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), A Study in Terror (1965), Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Viking Queen (1967), Africa: Texas Style (1967), and Moon Zero Two (1969). She guest starred on such shows as One Step Beyond, ITV Television Theatre, Paris 1900, Danger Man, Armchair Theatre, Adam Adamant Lives!, Journey into the Unknown, The Champions, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Department S, and UFO.

In the Seventies Adrienne Corri starred on the TV series and mini-series You're Only Young Twice, Eyeless in Gaza, A Family at War, and Love in a Cold Climate. She guest starred on such shows as The Adventurer, Bedtime Stories, and Doctor Who. She appeared in the films A Clockwork Orange (1971), Vampire Circus (1972), Madhouse (1974), Rosebud (1975), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), and The Human Factor (1979).

From the Eighties to the Nineties she guest starred on the shows Dramarama, Shades of Darkness, Sunday Premiere, and Lovejoy.

Adrienne Corri also performed on stage. She was part of the Old Vic Company from 1962 to 1963. In 1963 she appeared on Broadway in The Rehearsal.

Adrienne Corri also wrote the book The Search for Gainsborough in which she sought to prove a portrait of  David Garrick had been painted by a young Thomas Gainsborough.

While Adrienne Corri often played the lead in films and TV shows, she should perhaps best be considered a character actress. Throughout her career she played a wide variety of roles. In fact, it was not unusual for her to look extremely different from role to role. She played noblewomen many times, in everything from the horror movie The Hellfire Club to the action movie Rosebud. Despite this she played the disfigured prostitute Angela in A Study in Scarlett, the cigar smoking brothel operator Mistress Overdone in a 1979 television adaptation of Measure for Measure, a Gypsy woman in Vampire Circus, and disfigured, crazed former horror movie star Faye Carstairs Flay in Madhouse. Adrienne Corri was certainly not afraid to play roles in which she sometimes looked less than attractive. Regardless of whether she was playing a beautiful noblewoman or a disfigured madwoman, Adrienne Corri always gave a good performance. What is more, she gave good performances regardless of the material in which she appeared, whether it was a low budget horror movie, a Shakespeare play, or a big budget blockbuster. Quite simply, she was a character actress of remarkable talent.

The Late Great Gareth Thomas

Gareth Thomas, who played Roj Blake on the British sci-fi show Blake's 7, died yesterday, April 13 2016, at the age of 71. The cause was heart failure.

Gareth Thomas was born on February 12 1945 in Wales. He attended The King's School, Canterbury. He studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and later became a RADA associate. He made his television debut playing Benvolio in a television production of Romeo and Juliet. He was one of the stars of the crime drama Parkin's Patch from 1969 to 1970. In the late Sixties he also guest starred on The Avengers and The Wednesday Play. He made his film debut in Quatermass and the Pit in 1967.

The Seventies saw Gareth Thomas appearing in recurring roles on several TV series and mini-series. He had a recurring role as a chauffeur on Harriet's Back in Town. He had a recurring role in the first series of the legal drama Sutherland's Law. He played Mr. Murdstone in an adaptation of David Copperfield. He played Rev. Gruffydd in a multi-part adaptation of How Green Was My Valley. He was one of the stars of Star Maidens and the star of the mini-series Children of the Stones. It was in 1978 that Blake's 7 debuted, starring Gareth Thomas as political dissident Roj Blake. He appeared on the show from 1978 to 1981 before Blake was controversially killed off.

In the Seventies Gareth Thomas also guest starred on such shows as Coronation Street, Man at the Top,  Z Cars, Public Eye, Special Branch, Justice, Jackanory, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Victorian Scandals, and Hammer House of Horror. He appeared in the films The Ragman's Daughter (1972), Si può essere più bastardi dell'ispettore Cliff? (1973), Smokey Joe's Revenge (1974), and Juggernaut (1974).

In the Eighties Gareth Thomas starred in the series The Bell, The Citadel, Morgan's Boy, Knights of God, Chelworth, and Emlyn's Moon. He guest starred on Bergerac, Shades of Darkness, Love and Marriage, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Dramarama, Tales of the Unexpected, and Boon.

In the Nineties Gareth Thomas starred on the series The Chestnut Soldier, London's Burning, and Heartbeat. He guest starred on Maigret, Medics, Wales Playhouse, Crown Prosecutor, Animal Ark, The Strangerers, and Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased). He appeared in the films Waterland (1992) and Storia di una capinera (1993).

In the Naughts Gareth Thomas starred in the series Distant Shores. He guest starred on Baddiel's Syndrome, Casualty, Taggart, Torchwood, Midsomer Murders, M.I.High, and Personal Affairs. He appeared in the films Imaginary Summer (2008) and Made in Romania (2010). His last appearance was in 2011 in an episode of Holby City.

Gareth Thomas also acted extensively on the stage and acted in many productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Among these productions were Twelfth Night, Othello, and  Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie.

Gareth Thomas was an immensely talented actor. This is borne out by his work on Blake's 7. Blake's 7 had production values that were sometimes derided when it first aired, with inexpensive sets and poor special effects. The reason it was so popular with viewers was in large part due to the performances of its cast. As lead character Roj Blake, Gareth Thomas was crucial to the show's success. There can be little doubt that much of the show's continued popularity is partly due to the strength of his performance as Blake.

Of course, Gareth Thomas played much more than Roj Blake. Among his better known roles was that of Charles McCallister in Distant Shores, a comedy about as far from Blake's 7 as one could get. He appeared as Idris Llewellyn in the adaptations of Emlyn's Moon and The Chestnut Soldier (the last two books in Jenny Nimmo's "The Magician Trilogy"). Over the years Gareth Thomas played a wide variety of roles and did well in all of them. While he may be best known as Roj Blake, he did so much more.

Happy Birthday, Beverly Cleary

Today children's author Beverly Cleary turns 100. She was born Beverly Bunn on April 12 1916 in McMinnville, Oregon. Short of Dr. Seuss, it seems quite possible that she could be the most successful American children's writer of the 20th Century. Her books have been literally read by generations of children, starting with Henry Huggins in 1950. In her long career Mrs. Cleary has sold 91 million copies copies of her books worldwide.

Beverly Cleary spent her earliest years on a farm. She was six years old when her family moved to Portland, Oregon. Strangely enough for someone who would become a highly successful author, when Mrs. Cleary was in first grade she struggled with reading. It was a school librarian who helped her learn to read. By third grade she was not only caught up with other students, but she was very proficient at reading and spent much of her time in the library. It should then come no surprise that Beverly Cleary aspired to be a librarian. She attended  Chaffey Junior College  and then transferred to the University of California at Berkeley where she received a bachelor of arts in English. In 1939 she received a degree in library science at the University of Washington.

It was her career as a children's librarian that led to her career as a children's author. A boy complained to her that he couldn't find any books he related to. Beverly Cleary then decided to write a book that young boys could relate to. The end result was Henry Huggins, a typical boy in elementary school in Portland, Oregon. His best friend was his dog Ribsy. Henry Huggins proved successful enough that it would be followed by five more books centring on the character.

It would be the "Henry Huggins" books that led to the introduction of Beverly Cleary's next successful character. Among Henry's friends was a girl named Beezus Quimby. Since none of the children in the "Henry Huggins" books had siblings, Mrs. Cleary gave Beezus a little sister named Ramona. It was because of Ramona that Beezus got her nickname, the young Ramona being unable to pronounce "Beatrice". Ramona was a few years younger than Henry and Beezus and as a result was regarded as somewhat of a pest by the older children, particularly as she wanted to do what they did. Beezus took centre stage in the book Beezus and Ramona, published in 1955. It was followed by the first book in which Ramona was the star, Ramona the Pest, in 1968. This led to an entire series of Ramona books, eight in all.

Beverly Cleary's third highly successful character differed from Henry, Beezus, and Ramona in that he was not a child--not a human child, anyway. Ralph S. Mouse was a young mouse living in a colony in the Mountain View Inn. Much to the chagrin of the rest of the mouse colony, Ralph wanted to lead a life of adventure. He got his wish when a young boy with a toy motorcycle visited the inn. Ralph learned how to make the motorcycle go and how to ride it. Ralph first appeared in The Mouse and the Motorcycle in 1965. It proved successful enough to be followed by two more books, Runaway Ralph and Ralph S. Mouse.

Mrs. Cleary has as much a gift for writing about animals as she does children. Her 1964 book Ribsy centred on Henry Huggins's dog, with Henry making only a small appearance in the book. Her 1973 book Socks dealt with the cat of the title, who feels neglected when his humans have a new baby.

Socks was only one of many books Beverly Cleary wrote outside of those dealing with Henry Huggins, Beezus and Ramona, and Ralph S. Mouse. Among her other works are Fifteen (about a teenage girl experiencing her first romance), Emily's Runaway Imagination (a book set in the Twenties about a girl with an overactive imagination), Mitch and Amy (about a pair of fraternal twins), and Dear Mr. Henshaw (about a boy who writes his favourite author). Beverly Cleary even wrote three books based on the TV show Leave It to Beaver:  Leave It to Beaver, Here's Beaver!, and Beaver and Wally.

Beverly Cleary also wrote two autobiographies:  A Girl from Yamhill, published in 1988, and My Own Two Feet, published in 1995.

The phenomenal success of Beverly Cleary's books are due to a number of factors, not the least of which is that she apparently never forgot what it was like to be a child. In her books Mrs. Cleary addresses the sort of concerns common to most children. Beezus and Ramona worry about their father's smoking. Henry wants a new bicycle and has to figure out how to get one. Ramona finds herself constantly getting in trouble in kindergarten. Even her Ralph S. Mouse books touch upon the sort of things children worry about. Namely, Ralph wants a life of adventure beyond his mouse colony.

Not only do Beverly Cleary's books deal with children whose concerns reflect those of children in real life, but they are set in, for lack of a better term, the real world. Unlike many children's books at the time, Beverly Cleary's "Henry Huggins" and "Ramona" books were set in Portland, Oregon in the mid-20th Century. It is a world with which children are still somewhat familiar. What is more, unlike many books at the time, Beverly Cleary never sought to teach moral lessons in her books. This reflected her own tastes as a child. On the occasion of her 95th birthday she said, "If I suspected the author was trying to show me how to be a better behaved girl, I shut the book."

One more factor in Beverly Cleary's success is that her books could be enjoyed by children of both sexes. Girls could easily enjoy the "Henry Huggins" books while boys could enjoy the "Ramona" books. Quite simply, most girls probably knew a boy like Henry and most boys probably knew a girl like Ramona. This certainly sets Beverly Cleary's books apart from today's books, most of which seem to be written for only boys or only girls.

On her 100th birthday the extent of Beverly Cleary's impact on young lives is plain to see, with several news articles and opinion pieces discussing her career. On social media sites across the Web individuals have expressed how much they love her books. Indeed, the whole reason I wrote this blog post is to show my own appreciation of Mrs. Clearly. I read many of her books growing up. My favourite has always been the "Ralph S. Mouse" books. She is one of a number of writers who inspired a love of reading in me and one whose books I enjoyed a good deal. I am then very happy she has seen her 100th year and she has been able to see the impact she has had on literally generations of children.