Godspeed Leslie Jordan

Leslie Jordan, who starred on such shows as Reasonable Doubts, Hearts Afire, and Will & Grace, died on October 24 2022 at the age of 67. The cause was an automobile accident believed to been caused by a medical episode experienced by Mr. Jordan at the time.

Leslie Jordan was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 29 1955. His father was a major in the United States Air Force. He died when Leslie Jordan was eleven in a plane crash at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He attended the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. He moved to Los Angeles in the early Eighties to pursue acting.

Leslie Jordan made his television debut in an episode of The Fall Guy in 1986. In the late Eighties he had a regular role on the short-lived show The People Next Door. He guest starred on the shows The Wizard, CBS Summer Playhouse, Nigh Court, Annie McGuire, Murphy Brown, Newhart, Midnight Caller, Sugar and Spice, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and American Dreamer. He made his film debut in Moving in 1988. He appeared in the movies Frankenstein General Hospital (1988) and Ski Patrol (1990).

In the Nineties Leslie Jordan had regular roles on the shows Top of the Heap, Reasonable Doubts, Bodies of Evidence, and Hearts Afire. He guest starred on the shows Babes, Perfect Strangers, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, Getting By, Nurses, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Charlie Grace, Courthouse, Coach, Star Trek: Voyager, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Weird Science, Wings, The Pretender, Arli$$, Ellen, Dharma & Greg, Pacific Blue, Caroline in the City, Maximum Bob, Buddy Faro, Martial Law, The Strip, Any Day Now, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, FreakyLinks, and Nash Bridges. He appeared in the movies Mssing Pieces (1991), Hero (1992), Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Black Velvet Pantsuit (1995), Eat Your Heart Out (1997), Goodbye Lover (1998), Sordid Lives (2000), Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel (2000), and John John in the Sky (2000).

In the Naughts Leslie Jordan had semi-regular or regular roles on Boston Public, Will & Grace, Boston Legal, Hidden Palms, Sordid Lives: The Series, and 12 Miles of Bad Road. He guest starred on the shows Ally McBeal, Son of the Beach, Judging Amy, Monk, Reba, George Lopez, Ugly Betty, Privileged, and Glen Martin DDS, He appeared in movies The Gristle (2001), Moving Alan (2003), Madhouse (2004), Undead or Alive: A Zombedy (2007), Eating Out: All You Can Eat (2009), and Love Ranch. He provided a voice for the animated movie Home on the Range (2004).

In the Teens Leslie Jordan had a recurring role on the revival of Will & Grace and had regular or semi-regular roles on DTLA, Con Man, Living the Dream, The Cool Kids, and American Horror Story. He guest starred on the shows Shake It Up, Desperate Housewives, The Game, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Neighbors, Raising Hope, The Exes, Supernatural, Baby Daddy, Partners, Benidorm, K.C. Undercover, Life in Pieces, Still the King, and Doggone It!, He appeared in the movies Magnus! (2011), The Help (2011), Southern Baptist Sissies (2013), Whoa! (2013), Lucky Dog (2015), Fear, Inc. (2016), and A Very Sordid Wedding (2017).

In the Twenties Leslie Jordan had a regular role on Call Me Kat. He guest starred on The Great North, Special, Fantasy Island, and The Book of Queer. He appeared in the movies The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) and Until We Meet Again (2022).

Leslie Jordan was a very talented actor with a true gift for comedy. He was hilarious as the eccentric Lonnie Garr on Hearts Afire. He was also impressive as socialite and Karen's frenemy Beverly Leslie on Will & Grace. He was a frequent guest star on many other shows, where his talent was also on display. On the Murphy Brown episode "Kyle," he played the title character, a wrongly imprisoned inmate

Knowing people who knew Leslie Jordan, I can also say that he was a very kind man. He just wanted to see people happy and bring a smile to their faces. He truly cared about his fellow human beings. During the pandemic he made humorous Instagram posts to keep people's spirits up. He later expanded to TikTok. Leslie Jordan wasn't just a talented actor, but he was also an entirely lovely human being.

Godspeed Ron Masak

Ron Masak, who played Sheriff Mort Metzger on Murder, She Wrote and guest starred on shows from The Monkees to Remington Steele, died on October 20 2022 at the age of 86.

Ron Masak was born on July 1 1936 in Chicago. He was 16 years old when he was scouted by baseball manager Rogers Hornsby, and the Chicago White Sox even offered him a contract for $8,500. He refused it. Ron Masak graduated from Kelly High School in Chicago. He attended Chicago Community College where he became interested in acting. Ron Masak served in the U.S. Army as a military policeman. While in the Army he also had a chance to display his talent as a performer.

Following his service, Ron Masak moved to Los Angeles and began appearing on television. He made his television debut in 1947 on an episode of The Spade Cooley Show. In the late Fifties he guest starred on the shows Police Station and The Twilight Zone.

In the Sixties Ron Masak guest starred on The Monkees, The Second Hundred Years, The Flying Nun, Premiere, Get Smart, The Good Guys, I Dream of Jeannie, Mayberry R.F.D., Nanny and the Professor, Arnie,. Bewitched, and Nancy. He made his movie debut in Ice Station Zebra in 1968. In the late Sixties he also appeared in the movies Second Effort (1968), Daddy Gone A-Hunting (1969), A Time for Dying (1969), and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).

In the Seventies Ron Masak starred on the short-lived TV series Love Thy Neighbor.  He also starred on the short-lived show The Law. He guest starred on the shows The Young Lawyers; Ironside; Marcus Welby, M.D.; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Funny Face; McMillan & Wife; Insight; Mission: Impossible; Mannix; Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law; Longstreet; The Delphi Bureau; The Bob Newhart Show; Medical Center; Love, American Style; Good Times; Emergency!; Land of the Lost; Police Woman; Barney Miller; Good Heavens; Barnaby Jones; The Feather and Father Gang; The Rockford Files; Alice; Police Story; Wonder Woman; Supertrain; and Eischied. He appeared in the mini-series McNaughton's Daughter and Once an Eagle. He appeared in the movies Evel Knievel (1971), The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971), The Man from Clover Grove (1974), Laserblast (1978), and Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978).

In the Eighties Ron Masak began playing Sheriff Mort Metzger. He first appeared in the show's fifth season and remained with it for the rest of its run. He guest starred on the shows Quincy, M.E.; Magnum, P.I.; Jessica Novack; Private Benjamin; Meatballs and Spaghetti; Goodnight, Beantown; The Yellow Rose; Masquerade; Jennifer Slept Here; E/R; The Fisher Family; Diff'rent Strokes; Falcon Crest; Remington Steele; New Love, American Style; Starman; The Law and Harry McGraw; Bustin' Loose; She's the Sheriff; and Webster. He was a guest voice on the animated shows The Real Ghost Busters and Superman. He appeared in the movies Heart Like a Wheel (1983) and Listen to Me (198\9).

In the Nineties he continued to appear on Murder, She Wrote. He guest starred on Columbo. He appeared in the movies Cops n Roberts (1995), No Code of Conduct (1998), and The Thundering 8th (2000). In the Naughts he guest starred on Cold Case. He appeared in the movies The Stoneman (2002) and The Benchwarmers (2006). In the Teens he guest starred on The Bold and Beautiful. He appeared in the movie My Trip Back to the Dark Side (2014), Angels on Tap (2018), and The Last Page of Summer (2020).

Ron Masak was a very prolific actor whose career lasted over 60 years. The reason was that he was simply very talented. I suspect he will always be best remembered as Sheriff Mort Metzger on Murder, She Wrote, but he played many others in his career. In the Monkees episode "Monstrous Monkees Mash" he played the Count, a vampire who wants to turn Davy into one as well. In the Get Smart episode "The Worst Best Man," he played "Tiger" Schlermer, a CONTROL agent whose cover is that of a professional boxer. While Ron Masak may have been best known for his comedic or humorous roles, he also appeared in dramas, including Mission: Impossible; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law; Ironside; and others. He was certainly versatile, and he always gave good performances.

The Late Great Jules Bass

Director, producer, lyricist, and author Jules Bass died on October 25 2022 at the age of 87. He is best known for his work with Rankin/Bass Productions, the company he operated with Arthur Rankin, Jr., which produced such classic television specials as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and The Year Without a Santa Claus.

Jules Bass was born on September 16 1935 in Philadelphia. He attended New York University. After graduating from college, he worked in the advertising industry. Arthur Rankin, Jr. was operating his own graphic design firm, which did a good deal of work for the advertising agency at which Jules Bass worked. Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. soon became friends and set about founding a company that would utilize Arthur Rankin, Jr.'s knowledge of television and Jules Bass's knowledge of advertising. Together they founded Videocraft International on September 14 1960. It would renamed Rankin/Bass Productions in 1967.

The first work to emerge from Videocraft International was the TV show The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1960. It was produced using the stop motion technique called Animagic that would become forever associated with Rankin/Bass Productions. Videocraft International followed The Adventures of Pinochio with the TV series Tales of the Wizard of Oz, which utilized cel animation. It would be the year 1964 that would prove to be a breakthrough year for Videocraft International. First, they produced the TV special Return to Oz for NBC's anthology series General Electric Fantasy Hour. It used cel animation. Second, Videocraft International produced what would become the longest running Christmas special of all time, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which was produced using the Anamagic stop motion technique. Like Return to Oz, it originally aired as part of General Electric Fantasy Hour.

The success of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer not only led to more TV specials produced by Videocraft International, but also feature films, the first of which was Willy McBean and His Magic Machine (1965). Like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was made using Anamagic. Videocraft followed Willy McBean and His Magic Machine with The Daydreamer (1966), which was the first feature film directed by Jules Bass. The Daydreamer featured songs with lyrics by Jules Bass and music by Maury Laws. The Daydreamer was followed by Mad Monster Party? (1967), which was also directed by Jules Bass. Jules Bass and Maury Laws once more wrote the lyrics and music. The Wacky World of Mother Goose, also directed by Jules Bass, was released  same year as Mad Monster Party?.

While Mad Monster Party? would become a cult film, none of the feature films released by Rankin/Bass in the Sixties did well at the box office. Regardless, Rankin/Bass saw considerable success on television. With Toei Animation, Rankin/Bass produced the Saturday morning cartoon King Kong, which ran for three years on ABC. They produced the television specials Cricket on the Hearth , Mouse on the Mayflower, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, each of which was co-directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass. Rankin/Bass also produced the syndicated TV series The Smokey Bear Show. With music by Maury Laws, Jules Bass wrote the lyrics for many of the songs in these specials, including The Cricket on the Heart, The Mouse on the Mayflower, and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.

The Seventies saw Rankin/Bass produce more Saturday morning cartoons, and Jules Bass directed some of the episodes these included Jackson 5ive, The Osmonds, and Kid Power. They also continued to produce holiday specials, including Here Comes Peter Cottontail, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Frosty's Winter Wonderland, and others. Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. directed the specials, and the lyrics for many of the songs in the specials were written by Jules Bass with Maury Laws providing the music. Rankin/Bass also produced television movie adaptations of The Hobbit and Return of the King. Rankin/Bass produced a two part adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea that aired on the anthology series Festival of Family Classics. It was directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass served as a producer on the Japanese live-action film The Last Dinosaur (1977).

In the Eighties Rankin/Bass produced the feature film The Last Unicorn (1982), which was directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. They produced the TV specials The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold and The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus.  Rankin/Bass' last significant production would be the animated series Thundercats in 1985. Jules Bass stopped producing and directing films and television programs in 1987.

Following his work with Rankin/Bass, Jules Bass turned to writing books. He wrote the children's books Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon and Cooking with Herb. He also wrote the novel Headhunters.

There was perhaps no influential producer of American holiday television specials than Rankin/Bass Productions. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the longest running Christmas special of all time. Frosty the Snowman is the only Christmas special to have aired on the same network (CBS) since its debut. A good number of Rankin/Bass Productions' specials would air for years, and many are still seen to this day. For that matter, the feature films Mad Monster Party? and The Last Unicorn have become cult films since their initial release.

Of course, Jules Bass not only directed many of the specials and feature films with Arthur Rankin, Jr., he also wrote the lyrics for many of the songs in the specials, with Maury Laws providing the music. Many of the songs were particularly memorable, and are probably responsible for much of the success of the specials. Indeed, the "Snow Miser & Heat Miser Song" from A Year Without a Santa Claus has even taken on a life of its own. Indeed, music artists have covered it multiple times. As a director, producer, and lyricist Jules Bass leaves behind an impressive legacy.

TCM Musical Matinee

Tomorrow Turner Classic Movies debuts a new series, TCM Musical Matinee. Each week a different musical will air on the program. TCM Musical Matinee is hosted by regular Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger. It airs every Saturday at 11:00 AM Central/12:00 Noon Eastern.

Here is the schedule for TCM Musical Matinee for this month, November 2022. All times are Central.

Saturday, November 5 2022: An American in Paris (1951)
Saturday, November 12 2022: 42nd Street (1933)
Saturday, November 19 2022: Annie (1982)
November 26 2022: I'll See You in My Dreams (1952)

"I Love You Too Much" from The Book of Life (2014)

Today is the last day of Día de Muertos and I would rather observe the holiday than make a full-fledged blog post. For that reason I will leave you with a song from a movie that focuses on the Day of the Dead. The Book of Life is a 2014 computer animated film that begins and ends on Día  de Muertos. It centres on a wager made between La Muerte, the ruler of the Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, as to which of two boys (Manolo and Joaquin) will marry Maria Posada. Among the songs on the soundtrack is the love song "I Love You Too Much,' sang by Diego Luna as Manolo to Maria.  It was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla and Paul Williams. It is easily my favourite song on the soundtrack.

Happy Halloween 2022

Here at A Shroud of Thoughts we realize that many might appreciate some cheesecake with their Halloween candy. Without further ado, here are this year's Halloween pinups.

First up, Barbara Bates is posing with a black cat and a jack o' lantern.

Next up, Eleanor Todd must be planning to take flight on her broom.

Model and popular pinup girl dressed up as a cat.

Silent star Esther Ralston and a very large jack o' lantern.

Gale Robbins is flirting with a scarecrow.

And last but not least, it wouldn't be Halloween without Ann Miller!

Happy Halloween!

The 80th Anniversary of I Married a Witch (1942)

The 1940s saw a cycle of supernatural comedies that lasted throughout much of the decade. Among the movies that kicked off this cycle was I Married a Witch (1942). The film was a success when it was first released and has remained popular to this day. I Married a Witch was released on October 30 1942, a most fitting date given its subject matter.

I Married a Witch centred on Wallace Wooley (Fredric March), a man running for the office of governor of his state. He is descended from Jonathan Wooley (also Fredric March), a puritan who accused Jennifer (Veronica Lake) and her father Daniel (Cecil Kellway), who were burned at the stake as a result. Jennifer cursed the Wooley men to always marry the wrong women. After their deaths Jennifer and Daniel's spirits were trapped in a tree. When the tree is struck by lightning in the present day, the two are freed. Jennifer and Daniel then conspire to torment Jonathan Wooley's descendent Wallace Wooley, eventually creating a human body for Jennifer for her to do so. Of course, this being a supernatural comedy, everything does not go according to plan and Jennifer falls in love with Wallace.

I Married a Witch was based on The Passionate Witch by Thorne Smith and Norman H. Mason. Thorne Smith may be best known as the author of Topper, and also wrote several other novels as well, including The Night of the Gods and Turnabout. The Passionate Witch was unfinished at the time of Thorne Smith's death, and was completed by Norman H. Matson.

It would be French director  René  Clair who would bring The Passionate Witch to the big screen. He had just made his first American film, The Flame of New Orleans (1941) for Universal. Unfortunately, it did not do well at the box office and Universal did not offer him the chance to make another movie. Fortunately,  René Clair's agent Myron Selznick sent him a copy of The Passionate Witch. Mr. Clair thought the book had possibilities as a movie. He met with his friend Preston Sturges, who was then a success at Paramount. At the time Paramount Pictures was looking for projects for Veronica Lake. Preston Sturges was able to convince the studio that The Passionate Witch would make the perfect movie for her.

The working title of the film was He Married a Witch, which would eventually be changed to its current title, I Married a Witch. Initially Joel McCrea was going to play the male lead, but he backed out of the project because he did not want to work with Veronica Lake again. He apparently did not enjoy working with her on Sullivan's Travels (1941).

Eventually Fredric March was cast in the male lead role of Wallace Wooley. Unfortunately for Fredric March, he would not enjoy working with Veronica Lake very much either. Before he had even met Miss Lake, Fredric March had reportedly said that she was a "a brainless little blonde sexpot, void of any acting ability." This got back to Veronica Lake, who was quite naturally not very happy about it. She in turn called Fredric March, "a pompous poseur." The two did not get along while shooting the film at all, and Miss Lake often did things simply to torment Mr. March. In one instance, when Fredric March had to carry her, she placed a forty pound weight under her dress.

I Married a Witch would run afoul of the Production Code Administration (PCA). It was in January 1942 that the PCA sent Paramount a letter telling them that its screenplay was "flatly in violation of the code." Among these violations of the code were "suggestions of nudity," "sex suggestiveness in Jennifer's attitude in forcing herself upon Wally," and "the overemphasis on liquor and drinking." After Paramount made changes the PCA would send the studio another letter in which they admitted there had been improvements, but continued to demand that the screenwriters remove any "plays on nudity," gambling, and "undue exposure of the female body." The Production Code Administration's complaints would delay shooting until April 17 1942, when they finally gave Paramount their approval.

I Married a Witch was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Bosley Crowther in The New York Times wrote, "The strange and beautiful illusion that Veronica Lake is completely unreal is being quite charmingly nourished in René Clair's new film, I Married a Witch."  The Chicago Tribune's critic wrote of the film, "I Married a Witch is bizarre but beguiling. Under Rene Clair's delicately preposterous direction it unreels a story of modern witchcraft, the like of which has not been seen on any screen" I Married a Witch also did very well at the box office, breaking records in theatres across the United States.

I Married a Witch not only proved popular, but eventually it would also prove to be influential. As mentioned earlier, it was among the movies that sparked a cycle of supernatural comedies that would last for the most of the decade of the Forties. Both I Married a Witch (1942) and Bell, Book and Candle (1958) served as inspiration for the classic television show Bewitched.

If I Married a Witch proved to be popular, it is because it is a true classic. It is a tribute to the acting talent of both Veronica Lake and Fredric March that their characters have such chemistry. While the film ran afoul of the Production Code, it does manages to get across a good deal of sexuality that most movies of the time would not. It is not only filled with a good deal of witty dialogue, but a number of clever sight gags as well. If I Married a Witch remains popular to this day, it is because it is a truly great film, and one very fitting for Halloween season.