Irving Kanarek was a character. He was an aerospace engineer until his government security clearance was revoked. He pursued a law degree and was admitted to the California Bar in 1957.

In 1963, Irving represented Jimmy Lee Smith, who was arrested for kidnapping and murder. Smith’s case was chronicled in the 1973 book The Onion Field.

In 1969, Irving was the attorney for Charles Manson. LA County prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, in his account of the trial, remembered that Irving objected nine times during opening statements, despite warnings from the judge. Irving called witness Linda Kasabian “insane.” By Day Three of the trial, Irving had raised objections over 200 times. Jurors allegedly requested NoDoz to keep them awake during Irving’s long-winded — often rambling — presentations. His actions prompted Manson to physically attack him in the courtroom. Irving was jailed twice during the course of the trail for contempt of court.

Irving suffered a mental breakdown in 1989. An assessment by the California Bar resulted in Irving’s licence to practice law to be revoked. By the late 1990s, he was living in poverty and drifting among motels. Irving passed away on September 2, 2020, at age 100.

Comments

comments

RIP Mrs. Peel

Diana Rigg, 1938 – 2020

Comments

comments

Rosemary Dexter had absolutely no aspiration to become an actress. On a vacation in Rome in 1963, the pretty nineteen year-old met Italian director Ugo Gregoretti. He was taken with Rosemary and cast her in a featured role in his science-fiction film Omicron. Whether she liked it or not, Rosemary’s film career was officially launched. She appeared in mostly uncredited roles in both Italian and American films, but her dark and mysterious looks always made her stand out on the screen.

Rosemary worked with “spaghetti Western” icon Sergio Leone in For a Few Dollars More and appeared in the epic The Shoes of the Fisherman as David Janssen‘s mistress. She even portrayed “Juliet” in a version of the Shakespeare play produced for Italian cinema. In 1975, Rosemary graced the cover of Playboy magazine. However, the following year, she abruptly retired from the screen.

Rosemary lived in relative seclusion in an apartment in Recanati, Italy, venturing out only for an occasional visit and errands. After missing an appointment with a friend, Rosemary was found dead in her apartment. Coroner’s reports estimated she had died two days earlier. Rosemary had been suffering from a long-term, yet undisclosed, illness. She was 66 years old.

Comments

comments

You know Pat Hingle, right? Gosh, this guy was in everything! He made his motion picture debut in an uncredited role in Elia Kazan’s On The Waterfront. Over the years, he was cast as Warren Beatty’s father and Sally Field’s father. He played such diverse characters as “Colonel Tom Parker” in John Carpenter’s Elvis biopic to no-nonsense “Commissioner Gordon” in Tim Burton’s take on Batman. He also appeared in numerous guest roles on television including M*A*S*H, Cheers, Mission: Impossible, The Invaders and many others.

Pat was primarily a stage actor in the beginning of his career. In 1959, while performing in the award winning Broadway play J.B., Pat was offered the title role in the proposed film Elmer Gantry, slated for a 1960 release. Flattered by the recognition, Pat humbly accepted. A short time after accepting the role, Pat became trapped in the elevator of his Manhattan apartment building. when it stalled between the second and third floors. Panicked, he crawled out of the immobile elevator car and tried to reach the second floor corridor. However, Pat lost his footing and fell 54 feet down to the bottom of the shaft. He fractured his skull, wrist, hip and most of the ribs on his left side. He broke his left leg in three places and lost the little finger on his left hand. He lay near death for two weeks in the hospital. He slowly gained strength — a little every day — but his full recovery required more than a year. Unable to put off production on the film, the title role of Elmer Gantry was given to Burt Lancaster, who went on to win an Oscar for the performance.

After his recovery, a determined Pat enjoyed a very prolific career than spanned five decades. He passed away in January 2009 at the age of 84.

Comments

comments

Chadwick Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020 at the age of 43, to much shock and surprise.

He began his career in television, eventually making his big-screen debut in a supporting role in the 2008 film The Express. In 2013, he was cast in his first starring role in a major motion picture. He played baseball great Jackie Robinson in the biopic 42. This was the springboard to a stellar, albeit short, career in Hollywood. He starred in a number of films, including every actor’s dream role – a key player in a lucrative superhero franchise.

In 2016, unknown to his new-found legion of fans, Chadwick was diagnosed with colon cancer. However, it didn’t hinder his determination. He appeared in almost a dozen films in the short period between his diagnosis and his death. He made the standard promotional appearances for these films, as well — all while being subjected to surgical procedures and making time to receive chemotherapy treatments. For this feat alone, Chadwick should be praised. In direct contrast to the stereotypical, temperamental actor — stomping around a movie set, angered by a stagehand’s sneeze or a late cue — Chadwick soldiered through a debilitating illness and kept it secluded, opting to keep the focus on the film, and not on him. His actions showed his grace, perseverance and humility.

Once the initial shock dissipates, it is doubtful that Chadwick Boseman built up enough of a body of work to join the lofty club that includes such revered “Golden Age” stars as Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe. Nowadays, the word “legend” is tossed about too freely and bestowed upon far too many to which the description is not applicable. Chadwick will no doubt be included and honored in next year’s “In Memorium” segment at the Academy Awards ceremony. But sadly, because we are a society with a very short attention span, Chadwick’s memory will soon fade behind the shiny publicity of Hollywood’s “next big thing.” That’s just the fickle nature of the entertainment business. But for right now, think about Chadwick Boseman’s courage and modesty.

Plus, he was a pretty good actor.

Comments

comments

Mimi Forsythe had dreams of becoming an actress. She had hoped that her family’s wealth and influence (her father was an associate of Andrew Carnegie) would advance her proposed career, but it did not. Instead, she married producer Benedict Bogeaus. Mimi headed for Hollywood.

She agreed to appear in an amateur 16mm short subject called Mimi, Queen of the Crap Shooters. The film was seen by another producer and Mimi was cast in the 1943 feature film Three Russian Girls as a replacement for Oona O’Neill, who had bowed out of the project. She made two more films before her marriage began to crumble. Her husband had begun an affair with Hollywood sexpot Dolores Moran. Mimi divorced Bogeaus and sunk into depression. However, Mimi remarried, but her second husband was killed in an automobile accident within a month of the wedding ceremony. Mimi’s depression deepened.

With acting roles dried up and mounting depression, Mimi took her own life in August 1952. She was 30 years old.

Comments

comments