Among the great actors nominated many times, sans an Academy Award “victory,” is Albet Finney, a classy, superb actor, who passed on this month.
The always (more or less by definition) too short “In Memoriam” segment of the recent Academy Awards, ended with Mr. Finney, a well deserved honor.
I also note the passing of Morgan Woodward at age 93 and in tribute include a past post, involving the excellent character actor, perhaps best known for his role as Marvin “Punk” Anderson on the iconic television show, “Dallas.”
Click below for a post including Morgan Woodward’s fine work.
Joan Van Ark, Morgan Woodward, Gunsmoke and Dallas
Stanley Donen, another great he a director and choreographer, who among other things directed Gene Kelly in “Singin in the Rain,” was neither ever nominated for an Academy Award nor was included in the most recent “In Memoriam”/Academy Awards.
Thus, I feel the above video of Mr. Donen, introduced by Mr. (Martin) Scorsese, receiving an “Honorary” Award is a nice, meaningful tribute to Mr. Donen, whom we lost recently. He was 94 years old.
As stated in last Sunday’s post about the 39 year anniversary of the U.S. Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal, I did have the honor and pleasure to meet many of the players, approximately twenty years after their Olympic triumph.
Among them, I recall Dave Silk, Ken Morrow and goaltender Jim Craig all talking objectively and in proud fashion regarding those Olympic games.
Truly all the players echoed their great pride and the acknowledgement of how great the Soviet team, whom they upset in the semis, was.
I posed the question and their responses particularly about the great player Valeri Kharlamov, who was among the greatest to ever play, were truly heartwarming.
They set forth praise for their opponents, in addition to their great “on ice” achievement.
Those players were a classy, inspiring bunch, who will live on in so many people’s memories for a long time.
Goaltender Jim Craig, pictured below, was brilliant in leading the U.S. Olympic hockey triumph.
There were two big upsets in the major categories at the “apples/oranges,” 2019 Academy Awards.
“Green Book,” a film I truly liked and one of the few I saw, was an upset winner for “best” film, denying the favorite, “Roma,” whose director Alfonso Cuaron “held form” and was the best director winner.
Speaking of “favourites,” (only the preferred U.S. spelling is different), Olivia Colman from the movie, “The Favourite” was the upset winner for best actress, denying heavy favorite, Glenn, who again likely came (insert her surname)— it is Close.
This was the seventh time Ms. Close has been denied, however, first off she was superb in “The Wife” and a la such greats as Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole and Deborah Kerr, to name 3 that never won an Academy Award, the many nominations say so much.,
Meanwhile favorites won in the other major acting categories as Rami Malek won the best actor award for “Bohemian Rhapsody” while supporting “nods” went to Mahershala Ali (“Greenbook”) and Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”).
The magnificent Myrna Loy, pictured above, was never even nominated for an Academy Award.
Today marks the 39 year anniversary of the United States Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal at Lake Placid, New York on February 24, 1980.
The “gold medal” clincher was a Sunday morning start vs Finland and was covered live by ABC-TV (Though ABC-TV was in commercial for a key United States team goal).
Two days earlier, in a game not covered live by ABC, the United States team “semi’d” a truly great Russian team.
I had the pleasure and honor to meet and interview many members of that U.S. team, years later. More on that in an upcoming post.
Ken Morrow, pictured above, was not only a member of the U.S. gold medal winning team, but months later a member of the first of 4 straight New York Islanders’ Stanley Cup title teams. Morrow played on all four of those teams (1980-1983).
Today in a game albeit an exhibition one that I prefer to the endless such battles on the Sunday night package, the world champion Red Sox host the New York Yankees.
136 days have passed since the Boston team held off the Yankees to take their division series three games to one.
The Red Sox went on to win their ninth title, as cited yesterday tied with the Athletics for third and one third the number of Yankees titles (27).
Tomorrow some thoughts on a “hockey anniversary.”
Nine Red Sox titles, an impressive 4 in this century and a (9-4) World Series mark.
The Yankees also with one better than victories in two thirds of their W.S. appearances, an incredible 27 titles with 13 losses in the Fall Classic.
So many greats on both teams over the years. Casey Stengel pictured above managed the Yankees from (1949-1960). Incredibly, in those 12 seasons, the Yankees won 10 American League pennants and 7 World Series, including a record 5 straight from (’49-’53).
The Oakland Athletics franchise is tied with the Boston Red Sox for third place in World Series victories with nine. The Yankees lead with 27, the Cardinals are second with eleven crowns, the last won in 2011.
Five were attained in a pair of great sustained baseball performances by Connie Mack managed teams when the franchise was located in Philadelphia. The next four were won by the Oakland A’s, two under Dick Williams and one apiece managed by Alvin Dark and Tony LaRussa.
Today a redux of the 2008 World Series as the Philadelphia Phillies who won that W.S. in 5 games face the Tampa Rays. Click below to view the Phils’ clinching moment with the great and I mean great, broadcaster, Harry Kalas calling the last out.
Today baseball begins with an exhibition tilt between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.
Tomorrow the teams play again. At that point some A’s notes as well as Phils/Rays.
In 1995, the Mariners won vs the Angels in a one game ‘off to win a one eighth division and make their first playoff appearance, in what was their 18th completed season.
Next the “M’s” advanced to their first ALCS, winning a maximum 5 game series vs the New York Yankees.
Seattle made two subsequent ALCS, losing each time to the Yankees. After the ’95 division series loss to Seattle, the Yankees under manager Joe Torre, won 4 of the next 5 World Series.
Don Newcombe, a determined, helpful man and a pitcher who won both the National League MVP and the first Cy Young Award in 1956, died yesterday at the age of 92.
“Big Newk” hurled in so many BIG games for the perennial, pennant contending and often pennant winning Brooklyn Dodgers.
The results for Newcombe were mixed, they were largely heartbreaking losses for the team.
However, Don Newcombe, who not only completed games, something that has gone “the way of the dinosaur,” in today’s baseball, also pitched on 2 days rest and in long relief stints, in some of the biggest baseball games.
I believe most notably Newcombe came in and helped the Dodgers win at Philadelphia on the last day of the 1951 season, setting up the famed New York Giants’ victory over the Dodgers, in the best of three playoff for the N.L. Pennant.
Don was (20-5) for the title winning ’55 Dodgers and won 27 games for the ’56 pennant winning club.
His work with those who like him suffered from alcoholism, transcended the game leaving Don a “more than baseball player,” whom as is the case with the 100 year anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s birth and the ’56 National League Rookie of the Year, Frank Robinson, the latter dying a scant 10 days before Newcombe, will be remembered this year and well beyond.
Don Newcombe, pictured above.
Last season, the Boston Red Sox won 108 regular season games and then went (11-3) in post-season play, to win their fourth World Series in this century, one more than the S.F. Giants, who have the second most.
Boston was (7-1) in post-season road games, losing only a marathon, World Series aberration game in L.A. , vs the Dodgers in game 3.
It is well documented that the Red Sox went 86 years sans a World Series victory, however, in pretty sharp contrast with the Chicago Cubs, whose drought was 108 years, but never were really that close to a crown (in their lone game with a chance for the title, the Detroit Tigers eased to victory in game 7– 1945 World Series vs them), the Red Sox were gallant in heartbreaking World Series losses to two 108 regular season win teams, the 1986 New York Mets and the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.
An example of the Cubs not coming close in World Series play was in 1938 when the vaunted and truly great New York Yankees repeated their 1932 World Series 4 game sweep, vs the Cubs.
There was a good episode of the iconic television show, “Perry Mason,” that aired this morning on MeTV.
In the episode, (“The Bullied Bowler”) “Perry Mason” is travelling in Europe, hence Raymond Burr as “Mason,” does not appear.
It is Mike Connors, later the star of “Mannix,” credited as Michael Connors, who takes on the role of a defense attorney and succeeds a la “Mason” in this fine episode with Anne Seymour, another guest performer.
Barbara Hale and a pair of men named William, (Hopper and Talman), three “regulars,” do appear.
Andy B Sports 