I just saw a bit online about the death of Teri Garr. I went to the NY Times to look at her obit and saw two other people I had recently missed! Asleep at the switch, I'm slapping my wrist.
Teri Garr died today at the age of 79. She was a treasure, not just a wonderful actress but a delightful person. She had starring roles in what I see as the funniest movie ever made, Young Frankenstein, and also in one of the greatest comedies ever, Tootsie. She got an Oscar nomination for Tootsie. Here she is in a favorite scene from Young Frankenstein:
She was a frequent and beloved guest on David Letterman. She made 32 appearances on his show, which you might think might be close to a record? No, you'd be wrong. Regis Philbin was on the show 150 times and Marv Albert 126 times. But can we say that no one was better than Teri Garr...? Here's a compilation of some of her Letterman appearances, including what I believe was her last appearance in 2008, when she talked about having MS, or "MFMS," as she said. That show happens at about 59:00.
Comedian and actress Mimi Hines died last week at the age of 91. She was half of a comedy duo with her husband Phil Ford but is better remembered as the woman who replaced Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl. Based on this performance on Ed Sullivan she was pretty damn good!
I maybe wouldn't have been familiar with Hines if I hadn't seen her in a production of Follies at City Center in 2007. She sang "Broadway Baby" and got mixed up with the lyrics not even ten seconds into the song! She handled it like a pro, she got a big laugh, asked the conductor to start over, and was smooth sailing the second time. That's showbiz.
And Paul Morrissey died yesterday at the age of 86. He directed many Andy Warhol movies, including Flesh, Trash, Heat, Flesh for Frankenstein, and Blood for Dracula. Have I seen any of these movies? No. Should I see them? Definitely. I'm putting Blood for Dracula at the top of my list based on the high camp trailer. What a delight, it's on both Tubi and Pluto. With dopey commercials, which I'm sure Warhol would see as an upgrade.
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