DCS: gerry mcgee

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If you ever heard any kind of popular American music — either from your radio or your record player — chances are, you’ve heard Gerry McGee play the guitar.

The son of popular Cajun fiddler Dennis McGee, Gerry developed his own style of guitar-playing as a teen, influenced by Jimmie Rodgers, Chet Atkins and Lefty Frizzell, as well as the music played by his father. He moved to Los Angeles where his prowess and reputation led him to become an in-demand session player. His guitar work is prominent on early recordings by The Monkees. At various times, Gerry backed Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt, The Everly Brothers and many others. He even played lead guitar on the novelty hit “Alley-Oop” by The Hollywood Argyles.

He replaced founding member Nokie Edwards in the instrumental group The Ventures. Gerry played lead guitar on their rendition of the theme to the TV drama Hawaii Five-0. He toured and recorded with the band until 1972, when he left to play with John Mayall and tour with Kris Kristofferson and Dwight Yoakum. Gerry returned to The Ventures in 1985, playing and touring with the band ever since. He was inducted into the rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 as a member of The Ventures.

Gerry even found time to pursue an acting career, appearing in films and television including a small role in the 1976 remake of A Star is Born, where his character, among other things, slaps Barbra Streisand on the ass.

In October 2019, while on tour in Japan, Gerry suffered a heart attack on stage and collapsed. He was taken to a hospital, where he passed away. Gerry was 81.

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inktober 2020: week three

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inktober 2020 - week three

According to his son David, John Carradine saw a production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice when he was 11 years-old and decided that acting was the career for him. He went on to become one of the most prolific and indispensable character actors in movie history. In addition to Westerns and Shakespearean drama, John appeared in numerous horror films throughout his six-decade career. He claimed to have auditioned for director James Whale for the role of the monster in the original Frankenstein. While this claim is unsubstantiated, he did have a small role in its sequel The Bride of Frankenstein in 1935.

John passed away in 1988 at the age of 82. His children and grandchildren carry on the family acting mantle.

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DCS: jane weir

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No promises as vague as Heaven

Jane Weir and her mother left Davenport, Iowa for Hollywood, California in 1926. Jane attended and graduated Hollywood High School and immediately signed a five-year contract with Paramount Pictures. The studio had big plans for the pretty blond. She was cast in both dramas and comedies and co-starred with such big names as George Raft, Gary Cooper and Jack Benny. She had aspirations to become a screenwriter and Paramount was developing a starring vehicle for her.

Jane went for a routine appendectomy just before her fame was poised to skyrocket. During recovery, she developed a blood clot. After an emergency blood transfusion, she lapsed into a coma and died.  Jane was just 21 years old.

A subsequent autopsy and a police investigation revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

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inktober 2020: week two

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inktober 2020 - week two

Creighton Chaney changed his name to the more familiar “Lon Jr.” to, no doubt, cash in on his father‘s popularity. Actually, Lon Jr. was discouraged by his father from entering the field of acting and didn’t do so until after his father’s death.

He was best remembered for his role in the 1941 Universal horror film The Wolf Man and its sequels. He portrayed troubled “Larry Talbot” in nearly every incarnation of the character, even after the character was seemingly killed in some films. Although he was closely associated with the Wolf Man character, he is the only actor the portray all of the top Universal monsters – Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolf Man and The Mummy.

Working decidedly outside of his genre, Lon Jr, received critical acclaim for his role of the gentle giant “Lennie Small” in the stage production of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. He reprised the role in the film version.

Lon Jr. worked into the early 1970s with a slew of low-budget films like the infamous Spider Baby and guest roles in TV series like The Rifleman, Route 66 and even The Monkees. He passed away in 1973 at the age of 67. As per his wishes, his body was donated to medical research.

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DCS: helen reddy

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If you grew up in the 70s, you couldn’t turn on a radio without hearing the beginning, middle or end of Helen Reddy’s feminist anthem “I Am Woman.” She performed it on variety shows, on talk shows and on late-night music shows. It was inescapable and undeniably infectious. At the time, it pretty much defined Helen Reddy’s career. Whether or not she liked it, she became the unofficial poster child for the burgeoning Women’s Rights movement that spilled over from its germination in the late 1960s. This was ironic, considering the Australian native released the fairly subservient single “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” just 15 months earlier.

However, Helen tried to rise above her “pigeonholed” stature. She released a series of songs which purposely (I assume) did not follow in the “message-carrying” path of her iconic hit. Over the next two years, she recorded and released ten singles in rapid fire. All were delivered in Helen’s familiar easy-listening radio-ready voice, but the subjects of each didn’t remotely tread in “I Am Woman” territory. Her immediate follow-up, Kenny Rankin’s “Peaceful,” was a tranquil tune that fittingly conjures images of shady trees and breeze-blown meadows. Next was “Delta Dawn,” previously recorded by Tanya Tucker and Bette Midler. It was a story song that teased at its country-western origin. Late in 1974, Helen released “Angie Baby,” a dark tale of an unusual young lady. It was written by “Undercover Angel” vocalist Alan O’Day, and it caused quite a stir among radio listeners with its ambiguous narrative and creepy mood. It hit Number 1 on the Billboard chart and was one of Helen Reddy’s biggest hits… and my favorite from her catalog.

The 70s was a fantastic time to be Helen Reddy. She enjoyed success from singles and albums, as well as a popular television special and hosting duties on The Midnight Special, a late-night weekly showcase for current musical acts. She even dabbled in the acting business, with roles in Disney’s Pete’s Dragon and the ill-conceived Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and guest appearances in Love Boat, Fantasy Island and The Jeffersons.

Soon, the 70s weren’t the 70s anymore. Popular musical tastes changed. While Helen continued to record and release music, interest in her musical output waned considerably. She popped up from time to time, doing voiceover work in segments that spoofed her career. She did, however, embark on a new endeavor — the stage, appearing in a several plays and musicals through the 80s and 90s. She officially retired from show business in 2002, living modestly on song royalties, pension and social security.

Honestly, I hadn’t heard Helen Reddy’s name in years, save for the few times one of her forty-year old hits surfaced on the Sirius Radio ’70s playlist, evoking the question: “Hmm… whatever happened to her?” And just this week, after many more years, news sources reported that Helen had passed away at the age of 78. She had not been in the news, no surprise or long-term illness had been reported. Just a name from the past, another memory from my innocent youth — now gone.

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inktober 2020: week one

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inktober 2020 - week one

Here we are again! October! And Inktober is once again upon us. That means it’s time for hundreds of talented artists worldwide… and me…. to create special works daily just for October, based on a set of suggestions from the official Inktober website. And once again, I’ll be making up my own rules of participation. I will be posting a new, black & white drawing each week for the entire month – in addition to my participation in the regular Inktober 52 and a Dead Celebrity Spotlight plus a “retro movie poster that never was“…and, if I feel like it, another random drawing here and there. Every year, I choose a theme in keeping with the “spirit” of the Hallowe’en season. This year, my drawings will be a tribute to one of the immortal actors that made horror movies the chosen genre in which to ply their craft.

I’ll start things off with the great Boris Karloff. Born William Pratt in 1887, he adopted a more intriguing stage name and appeared as a bit player in dozens of silent films in Hollywood’s early days. Actually, Boris acted in nearly one hundred films before being cast in his iconic role as the monster in James Whale‘s 1931 classic Frankenstein and its subsequent sequel The Bride of Frankenstein. He took roles in other horror films until the genre fell out of favor with the movie-going public. He appeared in non-horror films including mysteries like the Charlie Chan series and suspense like Dick Tracy serials. He returned to horror when its popularity resurged. He starred in a number of horror films well into the 50s and 60s, working with directors like Val Lewton and Roger Corman. Boris moved into television as the host of the anthology program Thriller. He spoofed his malevolent persona as the narrator of the animated holiday classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas and in the film The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini in 1967, his last role.

Boris passed away in 1969 at the age of 81.

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