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RIP Gene Wilder
One of cinema’s favorite sons, Gene Wilder, died yesterday at the age of 83.
To list a few of Mr. Wilder’s most popular film credits:
- The Producers (1967)
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
- Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Stir Crazy (1980)
To illustrate the impact of an actor, whose acting portrayals far precede my birth, is a challenging task. How did Gene Wilder forever bring joy and fuel an imaginative engine inside the hearts and minds of children (now adults), especially those of us who did not even experience his cinematic works of comedy until a decade or more after the initial release?
The only explanation I can muster is revealed in bright colors, accompanied by a beautiful song in a scene from the 1971 masterpiece Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. This film not only defined a decade, but flipped the switch on who an adult could be in the eyes of a kid: a childlike dreamer.
If that nostalgic trip down Wonka’s way doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, get your tissues ready.
“There were times we would go out to dinner as a family and children would light up at the sight of him and smile. And because he never lost his instinct or sense or sensibility, it occurred to him that if that disease were made public … that then after that smile, some parent may then say something about disease or sadness. And he was such that he could not bear to be responsible for one less smile in the world.”
–Gene Wilder’s nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman on his uncle’s choice not to reveal he had Alzheimer’s disease.
I’ve said on a few occasions that when I finally have a house with a family, on Halloween, I will dress up like Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka and decorate my house like the Wonka factory, ready to hand out world-altering chocolate and candy.
That was Gene Wilder’s everlasting gift: Pure imagination.
RIP Gene Wilder.
Pushing Towards that Whopper of a Dream
Viktor Navorski’s preference for Burger King aside, his passion for working hard for what he wants makes for a perfect Throwback Thursday.
The Terminal was a 2004 Steven Spielberg-Tom Hanks collaboration that cleverly told the story of a man from a war-torn nation stranded in New York’s JFK terminal desperate to visit the United States. Bustling during the day and eerily lonely at night, the JFK terminal proved an opportunity and a prison for Viktor. He cannot leave the terminal and enter the United States because of his status as the man without a country. In what’s revealed as his charming character trait, Viktor befriends the blue-collar workers of the airport and evolves from a peculiar foreign nuisance into an inspirational tour de force.
No matter what your goals and dreams are for today and tomorrow, we should all embrace the spirited resolve of Viktor Navorski.
Only Steven Spielberg could’ve framed and transformed a mundane activity into an endearing exercise of the human spirit.
Happy Throwback Thursday!
Happy Monday!
How excited were you to wake up early this morning?
Generally, Monday is a slightly tougher day than the rest because we’re adjusting back to the workweek schedule and outlining our responsibilities for the next few days. We all feel it, especially when that first alarm sounds from our phones or clocks (old school).
What can be done? While Carter Duryea cannot bring the weekend back or fast-forward to the upcoming weekend, he can give us all the pep talk we need to hear.
What’s the word?
I’m psyched!
And after work, I’m ready to hang out, down the street and do the same old thing that I did last week.
Have an Inspired Week!
Happy 4th of July!
There’s a phrase, “Truth is stranger than fiction.”
In the case of most Americans, they’re wishing that fiction was the truth.
Today is when we celebrate our founding fathers for their revolutionary vision and incredible blind faith in a new nation with new principles that would redefine the world forever. The United States of America is the greatest country in history, and 240 years ago, this nation declared that its citizens have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That’s the truth.
Here’s the fiction.
Independence Day: Resurgence has the difficult task of just trying to live up to the classic original. Certainly not an easy task, particularly without Will Smith. The rest of the cast and director did return, which is an encouraging sign. The 1996 B-Movie masterpiece was 2 and 1/2 hours of cinematic gold, featuring one of the best (if not the best) American presidential portrayals in film: President Thomas J. Whitmore. If there’s one dynamic the current presidential election cycle has verified, it’s that anything is possible. With this in mind, why not write-in or at least imagine a fictional movie character as our next president?
President Thomas J. Whitmore exemplifies the character and courage our founders had in mind back in 1776.
Happy Independence Day!
Jimmy's Daily Planet 