Brumsic Brandon Jr. obit

Brumsic Brandon Jr., Creator of ‘Luther’ Strip, Dies at 87

He was not on the list.

Brumsic Brandon, Jr., 87, of Cocoa Beach, FL passed away Friday, November 28, 2014.  A native of Washington, DC, he was a resident of Long Island, NY since 1959 and lived in the Poconos for several years before moving to Florida over 25 years ago. After serving in the U.S. Army as a sergeant he worked for RCA and Bray Studios as an animator.

He went on to become a pioneer Black cartoonist with his nationally syndicated comic strip "Luther". He was also a local TV personality in NY City as Mr. BB on the children's program "Time for Joya."  Later, he contributed weekly political cartoons and editorial columns to Florida Today. Brandon loved to travel with his wife, Rita, and they enjoyed jazz cruises worldwide.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years; children, Linda Brandon, Brumsic Brandon III and Barbara Brandon-Croft (son-in-law, Monte Croft); siblings, Yvonne Scott, Waliakbar Muhammad and Ivan Brandon; grandchildren, Niles Brandon, Brianna Brandon, and Chase Croft. His sister, Grievance Stephenson predeceased him.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, (12/03) at the Life Event Center at Florida Memorial.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Brumsic Brandon's honor to the National Parkinson Foundation. www.parkinson.org

Mordecai Lawner obit

Mordecai Lawner, Actor Who Appeared in ‘Annie Hall,’ Dies at 86

 

He was not on the list.

Mordecai Lawner, a lifelong actor who appeared in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” died of heart failure at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City on Thanksgiving. He was 86.

In Allen’s 1977 hit “Annie Hall,” Lawner played the father of Allen’s character Alvy Singer. In a flashback to Singer’s childhood living under the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster, Lawner can be seen admonishing his wife for firing the cleaning woman.

“She has no money!” he proclaimed. “She’s got a right to steal from us! After all, who is she gonna steal from if not us?”

His other movie credits include “Ghostbusters II” and “A Fish in the Bathtub.”

Lawner was a regular on and Off Broadway. On Broadway in 1995, he played Stanley in “Death of a Salesman” in George C. Scott’s Circle in the Square production.

Lawner continued to perform in regional productions into his 80s, including “Tuesdays With Morrie” in Saratoga Springs, New York. He also recently traveled to Los Angeles to shoot an Esurance commercial airing now.

He often shared the stage with his wife Eugenia Thornton, who died in 2005. Lawner also taught at the High School of the Performing Arts, Neighborhood Playhouse and at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Lawner graduated from City College of the City University of New York. Except for a tour of duty in Germany in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and years teaching in the theater program at Carnegie Mellon, he lived in Manhattan most of his life.

Lawner was a member of Actors’ Equity, SAG and AFTRA.

He is survived by Carol Hershman, Bruce Birnbaum, Francine Falk Ross, Pamela Falk, Deborah Birnbaum and Sarah and Mitchell Langbert, along with many nephews and nieces.

 

Actor

Here's What I Like: Our Forefathers. And Now I'll Tell You Why

Short

Mr. Downey

2014

 

Aguaviva

Short

Thomas

2012

 

Alan Arkin, Paula Devicq, Manny Perez, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and Joseph Lyle Taylor in 100 Centre Street (2001)

100 Centre Street

7.9

TV Series

2002

1 episode

 

Mark Ruffalo in The Beat (2000)

The Beat

6.3

TV Series

Shop Clerk

2000

1 episode

 

A Fish in the Bathtub (1998)

A Fish in the Bathtub

6.0

Bernie

1998

 

Tony Goldwyn, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Mehcad Brooks, and Odelya Halevi in Law & Order (1990)

Law & Order

7.8

TV Series

Leon Match

1991

1 episode

 

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters II (1989)

Ghostbusters II

6.6

Man with a Ticket

1989

 

Kate & Allie (1984)

Kate & Allie

6.9

TV Series

1989

1 episode

 

Bill Daily, Heidi Helmer, Jason Marin, Connie Stevens, and Nita Talbot in Starting from Scratch (1988)

Starting from Scratch

7.2

TV Series

Frenelli

1988

1 episode

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Raw Deal (1986)

Raw Deal

5.6

Marcellino

1986

 

Billions for Boris (1984)

Billions for Boris

5.5

Painter

1984

 

Soup for One (1982)

Soup for One

5.5

Furniture Salesman

1982

 

The Wall (1982)

The Wall

6.9

TV Movie

1982

 

3-2-1 Contact (1980)

3-2-1 Contact

8.2

TV Series

Longshot

1980

6 episodes

 

Ring of Passion (1978)

Ring of Passion

7.3

TV Movie

Joe Jacobs

1978

 

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977)

Annie Hall

8.0

Alvy's Dad

1977

 

Hester Street (1975)

Hester Street

7.0

Waiter

1975

 

The Big Blue Marble (1974)

The Big Blue Marble

8.4

TV Series

Genevieve's father (1978)

1974–1983

 

James Earl Jones, Tamu Blackwell, Diahann Carroll, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Eric Jones, and Socorro Stephens in Claudine (1974)

Claudine

7.3

Process Server

1974

PD James obit

PD James - obituary

She was not on the list.

Baroness James of Holland Park, better known as P D James, who has died aged 94, was among the most celebrated in a long and distinguished line of women crime writers stretching back to Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie, with neither of whom she cared to be compared.

During more than 50 years as an author, her books showed an elegance of characterisation and an aptitude for capturing atmosphere that blurred distinctions between classic detective stories and the conventional novel. She admitted that she had started writing crime fiction because she thought it would be easier to have a story published in that genre before going on to produce “proper” novels.

She stayed with what she called “traditional English detective fiction” because she found she could still explore human behaviour within the formal structure of the crime genre. Even her final novel, Death Comes to Pemberley (2011), a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is a mystery story that opens with a brutal murder.

A vigorous, beaming woman who described herself as “grandmotherly”, P D James had a frank and sociable exterior that belied a fascination with pain and death, often graphically described in her books. “Murder isn’t pleasant,” she explained. “It’s an ugly thing and a cruel thing. Let those who want pleasant murders read Agatha Christie.” She also admitted that if she were reading one of her own books, she would feel that she was reading “a woman with such a strong love of order and tradition that she is obviously covering in her own personality some basic turbulence and insecurity”.

Any insecurities of James’s were well disguised. A long and illustrious career in the Home Office led to a period as a magistrate, appointments to various cultural bodies, including the British Council and the BBC (as a governor), and finally to a place in the House of Lords, where she took the Conservative whip and lobbied for the arts.

Becoming a pillar of the literary establishment rather late in life — she set up as a full-time writer only after retiring from the Civil Service in 1979, shortly before turning 60 — P D James threw herself into literary life with remarkable zest. She became chairman of the Society of Authors at 64, joined the board of the Arts Council at 68, and in 1987 chaired the judging panel for the Booker Prize; on television in 1990 she chaired her own books programme, Speaking Volumes, with characteristic shrewdness and wit, becoming perhaps the first television presenter to describe herself, at 70, as “an old woman”.

Gilles Tremblay obit

Former Canadien Gilles Tremblay dies at 75

 He was not on the list.

Gilles Tremblay, who played nine NHL seasons for the Montreal Canadiens and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a broadcaster, died early Wednesday at the age of 75.

Tremblay, a native of Montmorency, Quebec, was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams with the Canadiens. He had 168 goals and 330 points in 509 regular-season games and was considered a strong two-way player.

His obituary on the Canadiens website states that in Tremblay's first NHL game, Nov. 12, 1960 at the Montreal Forum, he skated on a line with legends Bernie Geoffrion and Jean Beliveau. The Canadiens faced the Detroit Red Wings and Tremblay's job duties that night included keeping an all-time great, Gordie Howe, in check.

My sincere condolences to the Tremblay family. Gilles was a pioneer and an ambassador for the Canadiens and the game of hockey.

— Geoff Molson (@GMolsonCHC) November 26, 2014

Tremblay's career was shortened because of injuries and asthma which led to difficulty breathing, but he worked as a color analyst for French television broadcasts of Canadiens games on La Soirée du hockey. He received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2002.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman issued the following statement Wednesday:

"The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Gilles Tremblay, whose career as a player and broadcaster bridged four glorious decades of Montreal Canadiens hockey.

"A solid two-way wing, Gilles contributed to four Stanley Cup championships in a five-season span from 1965-69. During his 27 years on La Soiree du Hockey, many of them as part of a formidable announcing team with Rene Lecavalier, Gilles' insights brought a national audience the stories of hundreds of games and eight more Canadiens titles. We send heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of someone who brought great dignity and professionalism to his duties on and off the ice."

After his hockey player career, from 1971 to 1997, he worked as a French-language broadcaster for ice hockey; he won the 2002 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his work. Tremblay died of heart failure on November 26, 2014.

 

Season Team            League            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM

1956–57            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            OHA-Jr.        18            3            4            7            2            —            —            —            —            —

1956–57            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            EOHL            8            0            2            2            2            —            —            —            —            —

1956–57            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            QHL            14            2            1            3            0            —            —            —            —            —

1956–57            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            M-Cup            —            —            —            —            —            15            5            4            9            4

1957–58            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            OHA-Jr.        27            15            12            27            6            —            —            —            —            —

1957–58            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            EOHL            36            13            19            32            10            —            —            —            —            —

1957–58            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            M-Cup            —            —            —            —            —            13            6            11            17            6

1958–59            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            EOHL            3            1            0            1            4            —            —            —            —            —

1958–59            Rochester Americans            AHL            3            1            1            2            2            —            —            —            —            —

1958–59            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            M-Cup            —            —            —            —            —            9            3            5            8            6

1959–60            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            EPHL            67            32            51            83            45            7            4            3            7            8

1960–61            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            45            7            11            18            4            6            1            3            4            0

1960–61            Hull-Ottawa Canadiens            EPHL            14            9            11            20            12            —            —            —            —            —

1961–62            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            70            32            22            54            28            6            1            0            1            2

1962–63            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            60            25            24            49            42            5            2            0            2            0

1963–64            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            61            22            15            37            21            2            0            0            0            0

1964–65            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            26            9            7            16            16            —            —            —            —            —

1965–66            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            70            27            21            48            24            10            4            5            9            0

1966–67            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            62            13            19            32            16            10            0            1            1            0

1967–68            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            71            23            28            51            8            9            1            5            6            2

1968–69            Montreal Canadiens            NHL            44            10            15            25            2            —            —            —            —            —

NHL totals            509            168            162            330            161            48            9            14            23            4

Joanna Dunham obit

Joanna Dunham, star of The Greatest Story Ever Told, dies aged 78

She was not on the list.

British actress Joanna Dunham, famed for her role in The Greatest Story Ever Told, has died aged 78.

Dunham played Mary Magdalene in the 1965 Hollywood blockbuster, directed by George Stevens.

The actress was recommended by Marilyn Monroe to take on the role in the Biblical epic.

The film, which also starred Max von Sydow as Jesus and Charlton Heston as John the Baptist, was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Dunham was spotted by Monroe in New York in 1962, who had seen her performance in Franco Zeffirelli's production of Romeo and Juliet.

She taken over the lead role of Juliet from Judi Dench.

The actress went on to appear in A Day at the Beach in 1972 and Peter Duffell's 1971 horror classic The House That Dripped Blood, opposite British actors Denholm Elliott, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

Her later TV movie roles included Lady Catherine in Leslie Megahey's The Hour of the Pig in 1992, with Colin Firth and Nicol Williamson, and as Raine Spencer in Diana, A Tribute to the People's Princess, in 1998.

The actress also appeared on British TV in hit series including Van der Valk and Are You Being Served?

Later in life, Dunham turned to her love of painting and created a gallery in a converted farm building at her home in Suffolk, where she lived with her second husband, playwright and novelist Reggie Oliver.

She held exhibitions at the gallery and also also showcased her art work at the New English Art Club in London and the Royal Society of Portrait Painter

Filmography

Dunham had credited roles in at least seven films:

    The Breaking Point (1961) - Cherry Winlatter

    Dangerous Afternoon (1961) - Freda

    The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - Mary Magdalene

    A Day at the Beach (1970) - Tonie

    The House That Dripped Blood (1971) - Alice Hillyer

    Scandal (1989) - Lady Bronwen Astor

    The Hour of the Pig (1993) - Lady Catherine d/Auferre

While working on The Greatest Story Ever Told, the on-site filming of which stretched to over a year, Dunham announced that she was pregnant. Director George Stevens tried to keep her in the production with the use of flattering camera angles and draped costumes. He told an interviewer from Variety, "Well, that Mary Magdalene always was a troublemaker.

She appeared as William Tell's sister-in-law, Gretel, in The Adventures of William Tell, notably in "The Shrew" episode (1958).

In 1973, Dunham was featured as Penny Burns in an episode of the Thriller (UK TV series) entitled, Possession.

In 1976, she appeared as a guest artist in an episode of Space 1999 entitled Missing Link, she played the character Vana. She appeared as Arlette van der Valk in the third series of Van der Valk (1977), as Alice Rhodes in an episode of Wicked Women (1970), and as Miss Featherstone in the episode "Goodbye Mrs. Slocombe" in the 10th series of Are You Being Served (1984).