calliopes_pen

Dick Miller passed away yesterday at the age of 90. May he rest in peace. As Bloody Disgusting and others have rightfully observed already, he was a legend and shall be missed.

He was so extremely prolific over the decades that one couldn’t help but run across something he was in. He was a recognizeable face even if one didn’t know his name. I remember him from so many movies, including both Gremlins films, Matinee, The Howling, A Bucket of Blood, Night of the Creeps, the original Little Shop of Horrors, Premature Burial and The Terror, just to name a select few.

For MST3K fans, films that included him were: The Undead, It Conquered The World, and Gunslinger.

For those that don’t already know, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is doing their annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day Marathon over here, if anyone wishes to watch it streaming live, and find out what episodes are being shown this year. The Day The Earth Froze just started. So far, with 6,400 other people watching (and still climbing, actually, as of when I type this) it seems to be holding steady.

Lupita Tovar has passed away at the age of 106. May she rest in peace. If you don’t recognize the name, she played the character of Eva in Dracula (1931)’s Spanish version. It was filmed at night on the same sets as the English language version. I always preferred her version of Eva/Mina over the English version’s. She was also in the Spanish language remake of The Cat and the Canary, which I have never seen.

I will be rewatching the Spanish version of Dracula (1931) tonight in her honor. I had planned to watch it anyway, so this is a good excuse for it. The DVD has a quick bit with her in The Road To Dracula, too.

Tony Neyman has also passed away, at the age of 80. May he rest in peace. MST3K fans and bad movie fans will remember him as the Master in Manos: The Hands of Fate. It’s the 50th anniversary of Manos this year, and Neyman reprised his role for the upcoming follow-up film Manos Returns prior to his death.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/982468.html

It’s rather difficult to narrow down what I want to nominate for this year’s Yuletide, when they open for that on September 9th. It will be three fandoms allowed. As previously stated, Crimson Peak is a definite one for me. Dark Shadows (1991) is one I go back and forth on so it isn't a total lock for slot 2. So here’s my list without those two:

Penny Dreadful (someone else will probably nominate this, but there are certain characters I want to see)
The Innocents (1961)
Suspiria (1977)
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
Dracula (TV 1968) (Someone else might get that)
Ghostbusters (1984) (Someone else will probably nominate this)
Fright Night (1985)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)(someone nominated it last year)
House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Oh, and for those that have access to Comet TV, as of 7 PM CST next Sunday (and every Sunday night thereafter) they will begin airing Mystery Science Theater 3000. First up is Manos: The Hands of Fate, followed by Teenagers From Outer Space. Monday nights, they will begin airing Poltergeist: The Legacy instead of the 90's version of The Outer Limits.

I have 14 invites for Imzy, if anyone requires them. Anyone that’s interested, just PM your e-mail address, and I’ll send it your way.

(Edited because I misheard. It isn't tonight, it's next Sunday night when MST3K begins. So just keep in mind that it begins on Sunday, September 4th at 7 PM CST.)

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/977747.html

James Horner passed away yesterday, at the age of 61, after his plane crashed in a field. May he rest in peace. He was an Oscar winning composer who worked on many movies over the decades, including these: The Rocketeer, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, Krull, Willow, Jumanji, Hocus Pocus, and Aliens. For MST3K fans, he also worked on theme music for Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell.

Dick Van Patten passed away at the age of 86, due to complications from diabetes. May he rest in peace. I never watched Eight Is Enough, so I believe I mostly recall him from Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Spaceballs, and The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988).

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/965219.html

Tanith Lee passed away on May 24th, at the age of 67, after a battle with breast cancer. May she rest in peace. While I have never read a single book of hers, I plan to rectify that very soon. I located ebook copies of Red As Blood, and Sabella, since I never even spotted a single copy of anything by her in a used bookstore in years of searching.

Betsy Palmer passed away from natural causes at the age of 88. May she rest in peace. She was best known as Mrs. Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s mother, in the first Friday the 13th.

Alberto De Martino has passed away at the age of 85. May he rest in peace. MST3K fans may know two of his movies: Puma Man and Operation Double 007. While I loved the former, I haven’t yet seen the latter episode, so I’ll be tracking it down.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/964351.html

Arthur Rankin, Jr. has passed away at the age of 89. May he rest in peace. He was consulting and executive producer on the 80’s version of Thundercats, producer and director for The Last Unicorn, as well as half of Rankin and Bass. Lord of the Rings fans may remember that he produced The Hobbit and The Return of the King in the 70’s.

Maximilian Schell has passed away at the age of 83, as a result of “a sudden and serious illness.” May he rest in peace. I mostly remember him from The Black Hole (1979), and his role of Hamlet--since the latter aired on MST3K.

John Cacavas has passed away at the age of 83. May he rest in peace. He was a film and tv composer. Among his work was the theme for Kojak, which I’ve been watching every Sunday evening lately, courtesy of Me-TV. I haven’t seen the movies he did that MST3K showed. The only films he did composition for which I have seen appear to be The Satanic Rites of Dracula, and Horror Express.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/945243.html

Russell Johnson passed away yesterday, at the age of 89, as a result of kidney failure. May he rest in peace. He will be best remembered by most as the Professor on Gilligan’s Island. MST3K fans will also remember him from This Island Earth, which featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie.

Hal Sutherland has passed away. As of the post I link to, there’s no word as to his age, when he died, or how. He was the director of almost every episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and was the co-founder of Filmation Studios. May he rest in peace.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/944883.html

Just a reminder: The MST3K Turkey Day marathon begins at 11 AM CST, over here. Joel Hodgson will be hosting as they show six episodes.

Crossposts: http://calliopes-pen.livejournal.com/937777.html

Nigel Davenport has passed away at the age of 85. May he rest in peace. I remember him best in the role of Van Helsing in Dan Curtis’ 1974 version of Bram Stoker's Dracula (the Jack Palance version). According to IMDB, he also appeared in Without A Clue, as Lord Smithwick. MST3K fans may remember him from Phase IV.