Tuesday, December 31, 2002
The 2002 Death List - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER – The line, "We shall not see their like again" is particularly apt when looking at the list of those who've died in the past year. Like any year, there have been deaths of significance and deaths that mean so much more. Herewith in this space is a rough sketch of some of those who made 2002 their finale.
Dave Thomas, the restauranteur, who made Wendy's famous died, as did Walter H. Annenberg, the well-connected businessman and diplomat. Whilst Thomas flipped burgers, Annenberg created TV Guide and was close pals with Frank Sinatra and the Reagan's. President Reagan made Annenberg an ambassador in the 1980s.
Hollywood mogul Lew Wasserman died. Having headed up Universal for centuries, Wasserman was both hated and loved in the motion picture business. The turnout for his memorial service was large and vast. The many heavyweights who went to the Wasserman wake could be that he was that respected, or that, you give the people what they want, and they show up in droves.
Producer Julia Phillips died, as did producer and director Ted Demme. Cartoonist Chuck Jones passed on, as did legendary film director Billy Wilder. The week that Wilder died, Hollywood lost actor Dudley Moore and legendary comic Milton Berle. Along with creating actress Sigourney Weaver, father Sylvester Weaver created NBC's Tonight Show and Today Show.
Director John Frankenheimer, who's helmed everything from The Manchurian Candidate to Reindeer Games to television films like George Wallace, died. There is a rampant rumour that's been going around Hollywood for years as to the father of director Michael Bay. Bay, who has helmed Armageddon, has refused to divulge the identity of his father, who too is a director. Some have said Frankenheimer was his dad.
The world of comedy lost Avery Schriber, British legend Spike Milligan and LaWanda Page. Schriber made folks laugh during his many appearances on Match Game, whilst Page co-starred on Sanford and Son. Milligan was a favourite of the British royal family, who this year lost Princess Margaret, The Countess of Snowden, and a month later, her mother, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
Canadian comic legend Frank Schuster died, prompting chatter that were it not for the one half of the legendary Wayne and Schuster, there would never have been Saturday Night Live. SNL creator Lorne Michaels admitted the truth in this, as he was once married to Schuster's daughter, and thanks to his father-in-law, Michaels was able to do comedy at the CBC, and take that irreverence to NBC in the States. Long-time SNL director Dave Wilson died as well.
In Canada, we lost Dalton Camp, the former Conservative party backroom boy turned esteemed political commentator. Camp, helped oust John Diefenbaker from the Tory leadership, and assisted Brian Mulroney during his term as PM. After political activity, Camp became a respected journalist, writing columns and appearing in the media. Amongst the stops Camp made, was the political panel on Peter Gzowski's radio program, Morningside. To many, Gzowski was Canada, and with his death so too did a part of the country die.
Former CBC personality Otto Lowy died, as did the remarkable Jack Cullen, who was king of Vancouver nostalgia for over 50 years. Jack Cullen was my first hero and we all miss him.
A couple of Canadian captains of industry that died in 2002: Hartland Molson, and George Montegu Black. Black, was the quiet sibling to his more flamboyant brother, Lord Black of Crossharbour, the former Conrad Black.
Carol Burnett lost her daughter Carrie Hamilton. Burnett subsequently opened a play she wrote with Hamilton, on her early life growing up in Los Angeles. Mary Stuart, an actress on Search For Tomorrow died, as did Robert Urich. British actors who died were Leo McKern, the Rumpole of The Bailey, and the Inspector Morse performer John Thaw. Actress Irene Worth died, as did St. Elsewhere producer, and father to Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, Bruce Paltrow.
The world of music lost Miss Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Lisa Lopes, Waylon Jennings, Ray Conniff, Lionel Hampton and Adolph Green. Green, was the subject of a touching profile in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine, by his son Adam. It seems the night Green died, he and his son had a revealing conversation, where it was revealed that he hadn't gone to his father's funeral, because his dad had said he was a mere "piece of meat, taking up space on this earth." Green went on to co-write musicals like Peter Pan, Bells Are Ringing and On The Town.
Academy Award winner Harold Russell, was the last Oscar winner to win two Oscars for the same role. He won a supporting actor Academy Award, as well as a special one for his role in The Best Year of Our Lives. Kim Hunter died as well, she won her Oscar for A Streetcar Named Desire. Academy Award winner Rod Steiger, who won an Oscar for playing the bigoted sheriff in In The Heat of The Night, passed away, as did James Coburn who won his Oscar in 1999 for Affliction. George Roy Hill died a couple of days ago, not before winning Oscars for directing Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid and The Sting.
Charles Guggenheim, won Oscars for making documentary films. He died this year, as did Richard Harris, the versatile stage and screen actor, who also sang "MacArthur Park," making it a recording hit. Harris, most recently seen in the Harry Potter pictures.
Roone Arledge, television pioneer died. Having created ABC landmarks like Wide World of Sports, World News Tonight, 20/20 and Nightline, among others. It was said after his death that Arledge is partly responsible for the commercialisation of sports, as he was the one who brought football into prime time with Monday Night Football. Football, heretofore, was less commercial, I guess, and the bastardisation of sport could be Arledge's fault. But were we to blame him for anything, I think we should for inflicting Diane Sawyer on us. Sawyer, of course was a legitimate journalist on 60 Minutes, before Arledge whisked her away from CBS. Now, Miss Sawyer grills whack jobs like Whitney Houston.
Mafia dons, Joe Bonanno and John Gotti died. Bonanno died of natural causes, years after leaving the world of organised crime. Natural causes felled John Gotti too, though he had died in prison. Gotti's funeral was lavish, befitting a mafioso who ran New York for years.
Other notables who passed away were: Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, theatre producer Robert Whitehead, porno performer Linda Lovelace, politician Cyrus Vance, wrestler Lou Thesz, journalist Howard K. Smith, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, football player Johnny Unitas, advice columnist Ann Landers, artist Jean-Paul Riopelle, baseball great Ted Williams and historian Stephen Ambrose. Williams, earned notoriety as following his death, his body was cryogenically frozen by his son. Ambrose, of course, glamorised war with his accounts of World War II, as well as the best selling Band of Brothers.
Former British Labour cabinet minister Barbara Castle died, as Canadians lost Yousuf Karsh, the famous photographer who captured the ultimate portrait of Sir Winston Churchill. A week or so ago, we lost former governor general Ray Hnatyshyn, who brought dignity and warmth to Rideau Hall and Canada's vice-regal office.
Here's hoping they're all resting in peace. We're probably better for their having lived.
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