End Credits #24: Cinema's 2014 Lost Treasures Joan Rivers, Brian G. Hutton, Andrew V. McLaglen
These are some of Cinema's sad departures of 2014 taken from my personal notes soon after the events took place:
After still recovering from the death of Robin Williams, we’re hit with another huge loss of an essential spokesperson of our collective comedic consciousness. And what a mind she possessed! Even if one found her distastefully offensive (which she actually counted on), her acerbic wit, sharper than a filed razor and delivered with such unique finesse, had to be acknowledged. Her long and successful career in comedy took a quantum leap late in life with her regular appearance on The Fashion Police. Her insults were insanely brilliant. We shared in her co-stars' gobsmacked reactions at first, hilarity second and finally the admiration of ingenuity she displayed in comment after comment. In addition to her comedic brilliance, including some of the most creatively shocking bombshells of put-down humour ever heard on the planet, her humanity always seemed to shine through. This was especially demonstrated by her own outrageously funny self-deprecation and appreciation of a good joke by others even if she was the butt of it. For me personally, another part of this sudden and tragic loss was the fact that she appeared briefly but so effectively in my favourite film The Swimmer. This is really sad.
Joan and Burt in The Swimmer
Joan Rivers dead at age 81. (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014) R.I.P.
Brian G. Hutton (January 1, 1935 - August 19, 2014) the multi-talented actor and director has died at age 79. His best directed films are loads of fun, especially for the boyish at heart who appreciate bold and daring action-adventure with a pinch of fantasy or comedy thrown in. The director's fearless and commanding spirit really shines through in this genre. I'm speaking of Where Eagles Dare and Kelly's Heroes both with actor Clint Eastwood. After he made Kelly's Heroes actor Don Rickles remarked that his director liked to "blow things up," which the comedian might have thought was a totally inside joke but for us fans, a funny but honest compliment. Hutton's last film as a director was High Road to China with Tom Selleck. As an actor, Hutton appeared in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, King Creole and Last Train from Gun Hill as well as numerous TV series.
Andrew V. McLaglen (July 28, 1920 - August 30, 2014) the confident and capable director who worked with some of Hollywood's biggest names like John Wayne (McLintock!, Hellfighters), William Holden (The Devil's Brigade), Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum and Richard Widmark (The Way West) and Jimmy Stewart (Shenandoah, The Rare Breed, Fool's Parade) has died at age 94. For me the real stand out here is Fool's Parade, a distinctive and engaging film that defies all genre definitions. McLaglen learned the art of directing in part from John Ford who eventually gave him a job as assistant director on The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and co-starring Andrew’s father Victor McLaglen. He also directed television shows like Have Gun - Will Travel and Gunsmoke.
More of Cinema's 2014 lost treasures can be seen on this site's Pinterest Board.