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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.
Happy Memorial Day!
Pay your respects to those who have sacrificed their life for our country.
At a time when the United States is yearning for strong presidential leadership, it’s best to reflect to the past for guidance into the future. On Memorial Day, this sentiment is magnified 100-fold. Our veterans that never returned home from the battlefield demonstrated resolute strength in the face of unthinkable evil. We must always remember the reason for the long weekend, which is to honor those in America’s armed forces and celebrate what their courage means for us each and every day.
To all the American heroes in uniform:
Thank You!
Uncle Phil’s Final Curtain Call
Sadly, actor James Avery did not get to ring in 2014.
For those who may not be familiar with the name James Avery, he may be known not only as the former voice of Shredder and Splinter in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series from the late 1980s and early 1990s, but more famously remembered as Uncle Phil from the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
According to the Washington Post article, “James Avery, television and movie actor, dies,” Avery passed away at the age of 68 on Tuesday, December 31st. The cause seems to be related to complications from a major surgical procedure.
Millions of fans from around the world watched (and watch in reruns) Avery entertainingly portray Uncle Phil in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for 6 seasons. His character was the moral center of the show. He provided plenty of laughs and moments of sincerity and heart, as well as important life lessons for the show’s viewers.
For 30 minutes a week, he was everybody’s uncle.
Below is a clip featuring some favorite moments from the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There is one portion that starts at 3:26 that embodies so much of what so many loved and will miss about everybody’s Uncle Phil (however, it is recommended to watch the entire video).
The background to the scene is that Will went against his uncle’s stern warnings to not go to the pool hall. Will disobeyed and thought he could beat an older gentleman who turned out to be one of the pool hall regulars. Deep in debt, Will was forced to use his uncle’s Mercedes/his ride as collateral until his debt could be paid. Panicked, Will managed to convince his furious uncle to go back to the pool hall to discuss with the hustler a way to get the car back alongside his trusty butler Geoffrey/”G.”
Uncle Phil has lost a couple games to Will’s nemesis…and badly. However, Uncle Phil is able to negotiate one more game at the steep price of $100 a ball…
Smart. Loving. Funny. Role Model. A Hustler for Good.
Now, the “Big Guy” is with The Big Guy.
Rest in peace James Avery/Uncle Phil.
12 Thoughts on 9/11
Twelve years ago, two hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center Towers, a third hijacked airplane crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth hijacked airplane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania on a clear, unassuming September morning. The world was changed forever.
I was walking through the second floor of my high school’s library when I heard a fellow classmate of mine since elementary school say, “a plane just hit the World Trade Center” to someone near him as I strolled by towards the doors to the hallway. I could tell that while he said it as if it was probably an accident, he also knew it was something more…Confused, I initially hypothesized a small plane had accidentally flown too low and hit one of the skyscrapers. Once I walked into my math class and saw the images on the television screen hanging in the front left corner of the room that every single person was fixated on, we all knew something truly terrible had happened. It was no accident. Then, soon thereafter, the second plane hit. The United States was under attack and nobody could believe what their eyes were seeing.
Reflecting on what occurred on that morning, I have prepared 12 thoughts regarding what happened and what transpired on September 11, 2001:
Nobody saw it coming and our heart’s sank as the smoke billowed out from the towers
Everyone rushed to a television in shock, watching a nightmare unfold without our eye lids closed so tight
Vast panic flooded the streets of New York, Washington, D.C. and those aboard the planes as a numbness started to paralyze those running and sitting in confusion, panic and fear
Each fireman, police officer and good citizen offered a helping hand as hell surrounded them all, giving a glimmer of hope to those experiencing the unimaginable
Real heroes emerged that day, sacrificing everything for their fellow man, woman and child
Forever etched in our memories, that morning changed the world
Our accidental glances up into a clear blue September sky will never again look completely peaceful or tranquil
Rebuilding our hearts takes time, but we make sure to always take pause on this day
Good people never returned home and that’s a vacancy and pain the entire country felt then and feels today
Even as we mourn, we must also know that in the darkest of places can rise a sign of optimism, like a cross standing strong amongst the rubble or the brave words, “let’s roll”
True heroism and courage is quietly honored today, combined with the overwhelmingly emotional reflection of the entirety of what transpired on September 11, 2001
9/11 will always be remembered…always
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