07/30/2007
La Cage Aux Folles Actor Michel Serrault Dies
Michel Serrault, a French actor who won acclaim for his role in both the stage and film versions of La Cage Aux Folles, died at his home in Normandy, France over the weekend. He was 79:
"It was a stage hit that brought him one of his biggest screen successes. La Cage aux Folles was a farce written by Serrault's old friend and collaborator Poiret. It was a massive hit in Paris and when Serrault repeated his stage role for the film version, it too proved an international success. Serrault’s performance as the hysterical drag performer opposite the Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi was for many the key to the film’s success. The film was nominated for three Oscars and won Serrault the first of three Cesars, the French equivalent. (The Birdcage, a 1996 US remake, starred Robin Williams in Serrault’s role.)"
There were two other notable deaths over the weekend as well.
Legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died at 89. From the NYT obit: "Throughout his career, Mr. Bergman often talked about what he considered the dual nature of his creative and private personalities. 'I am very much aware of my own double self,' he once said. 'The well-known one is very under control; everything is planned and very secure. The unknown one can be very unpleasant. I think this side is responsible for all the creative work — he is in touch with the child. He is not rational, he is impulsive and extremely emotional.'"
And talk show host and journalist Tom Snyder died at 71 from complications of leukemia on Sunday afternoon: "Known for his improvised, casual style and robust laughter, Snyder conducted a number of memorable interviews as host of NBC's The Tomorrow Show. Among his guests were John Lennon, Charles Manson and Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. Snyder began his career as a radio reporter in Milwaukee in the 1960s, and eventually moved to local television news. He anchored newscasts in Philadelphia and Los Angeles before moving to late night. In 1972 he left news to host 'The Tomorrow Show,' which followed 'The Tonight Show' with Johnny Carson. In 2005, Snyder announced on his Web site he had chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He expressed hope that treatments would keep him alive."
Posted 9:52 AM EST by Andy in Deaths, News | Permalink
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Wasn't Serrault's role filled by Nathan Lane in The Birdcage?
Posted by: james | Jul 30, 2007 10:08:04 AM
Oui.
Posted by: Digger | Jul 30, 2007 10:26:49 AM
"He is not rational. He is impulsive and extremely emotional."
Those very candid words by the great Ingmar Bergman made me think about the discussion some of us had Friday about the irrational, impulsive, and extremely emotional Amiri Baraka receiving the Tennessee Williams award for literary achievement. Many artist are not very nice people. Some are haters: anti-black, anti-white, anti-gay, anti-women, etc. But if that artist creates something great you cannot deny their achievement because he/she is a lousy person.
Mr Bergman was a great artist, no matter what type of man he was in private...probably wasn't too bad there either, certainly was an honest man.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jul 30, 2007 10:39:57 AM
A good way to remember Snyder is to visit YouTube and see Weird Al's early performance of Another One Rides the Bus on his show. It was a breakthrough for Al.
They had a good portrait of Rothko on PBS last night too.
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Jul 30, 2007 11:50:31 AM
Was Tom Snyder gay? I noted from MSNBC's page that his publicist and "longtime friend" announced the news, he lived in San Francisco, and there was no mention of a wife. I know, stereotypes, but still...
Posted by: Chris | Jul 30, 2007 12:38:17 PM
RIP Ingmar. An incredible artist. Some of his films are among the most intense I've ever seen (Cries and Whispers especially) and even the lesser stuff like Serpent's Egg is worth seeing.
Posted by: John C | Jul 30, 2007 1:01:57 PM
Serrault was brilliant in a marvelous film [though the sequels were progressively inferior] and demonstrated the crucial and rarely understood difference between being funny while a super nelly character and attempting to be funny simply for being nelly. Therefore, NO, his role was not "filled" by Nathan Lane; it was raped. Anyone who thinks "Birdcage" was funny obviously never saw the original and/or was on some powerful hallucinogenics.
I'm fairly confidant that Snyder was not gay, but, in any case, he deserves credit for serving "gay" on his old show in a pretty respectful way for its time. Out Ranks, the current exhibit about gays in the military at the San Francisco LGBT historical society, includes a video of Snyder circa 1980 interviewing, for at least the second time, Leonard Matlovich, the first gay to publicly challenge the military's policies. He clearly respects Matlovich, but one of the most interesting aspects of it is Snyder scoffs at the Air Force vet's fear of religious right censorship. It could certainly be much worse but one wonders what he thought when PBS repeatedly has bowed to pressure from fascists, though he probably missed JetBlue caving into repeated televised attacks by Bill O'Reilly for their simply being one of the sponsors of the YearlyKos conference for bloggers whom he compares to Nazis and KKKers. Gee, Bill, if the hood fits.....
Posted by: Leland | Jul 30, 2007 1:09:00 PM
Don't forget... The Tomorrow Show's original theme music was Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye". Gee, how I loved watching that show every night when I was in college. I would study all evening and then make certain I good for a great evening of chuckles or thoughtful discussion. His opening comments were always timely or humorous or caustic, depending on the situation at hand.
Who else did a show from a leper colony in Hawaii or an orphanage in Vietnam or aboard a 747? He took chances and was a good showman.
Snyder was the original NBC minute update news person at 7:59pm.
Tom was mocked by Dan Ackeroyd. But we should also not forget that Tom had the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" as guests on his show before they began SNL.
And Tom responded to his audience and their letters and emails, whether he was on NBC, CNBC, or CBS Late Late Show or on the syndicated ABC radio.
"Mounds of sounds and stacks of wax for listening pleasure..." that's what he quoted from his radio dj days...
"From the late shift in Burbank, good night and sleep tight everybody"... and you too, Tom!
Posted by: krishnan | Jul 30, 2007 3:05:45 PM
I wish someone would photoshop a pic of Bergman playing
chess with Death. In this case, Death won.
Posted by: gr8guyca | Jul 31, 2007 4:15:21 PM