Goodbye Beautiful

Barbara Hale passed away at 94 and was the last surviving cast member of TV’s greatest courtroom drama, Perry Mason, where she won an Emmy Award and millions of fans for her dedicated, loyal Della Street.  She had a long movie career and also did several TV movies of Perry Mason with long time costar Raymond Burr. Her son was The Greatest American Hero, William Katt).  Long out of the public eye, she lives on in over 270 episodes of the classic TV show that featured “The Case of…” To paraphrase Paul Drake’s oft used greeting on the show, “Goodbye Beautiful”.

Connor’s Beloved Private Eye

Mike Connors passed away at 91, another fondly remembered actor whose tough, private eye, Mannix, ran for eight action packed seasons. Following in the footsteps of Peter Gunn, this was the last show created by Lucille Ball’s Desilu Studios and was the ‘other’ show created by the late Bruce Geller after Mission Impossible. What a one-two punch!

The show would open with a setup scene that cut to a marvelous, opening credits montage abetted by a catchy title theme. With a loyal secretary, Peggy (Gail Fisher), you knew Mannix was one of the good guys, a compassionate hero, and no matter how bleak things looked, he would triumph in the end. 

One by one, these icons of the baby boomers and beyond are leaving us, but Connors had a long TV/movie career capped off by this beloved, classic TV character who will live on forever.  

Life Lessons of FENCES

Pulitzer Prize winning August Wilson was a renowned playwright whose personal writings for the stage included this slice of 1950s life for a black family at a crossroads. Well-directed for the screen by Denzel Washington and repeating his and Viola Davis’ Tony winning performances, this is a heartfelt tale of a family torn apart by broken promises and shattered dreams. 

Troy is a strong willed husband and father who displays much bravado while spinning yarns as he works in a sanitation crew. When his teenage son Cory has an opportunity to play for his high school football team and possibly attract college scouts, Troy, who was once talented enough at the wrong time to play pro baseball, discourages his son’s desires and has his own ideas for him. As Cory learns to stand up to his father, the two faceoff even as a dark secret emerges that threatens Troy’s family and his future.

When Washington gets great material, he can put on an acting clinic.  He conveys a bitter tone in Troy who is a proud man with a flawed past and whose boisterous manner masks inner demons and regrets.  Davis may have sealed her Oscar with her role as the dutiful wife who must contend with unfulfilled wishes and betrayal. There is not one false note in their interplay. 

The dialogue is authentic and reflects Wilson’s ear for how people talk.  Amid its authentic period flavor and urban setting, the conflicts and past sins of a family in turmoil ring true through Wilson’s words, sharp direction, and grand performances.

**** of **** stars

"Who Can Turn the World on With Her Smile?"

You knew it would happen one day , but when Mary Tyler Moore passed away at 80, it was the beginning of the end of our childhoods growing up watching Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show-both all time comedy classics that were showered with Emmys and viewers/critics love for many years.  An evening with her on TV was a pleasant, fun, wonderful memory.  She did many more TV shows and movies especially almost winning an Oscar for Ordinary People by playing a troubled mom.  She would bring a smile to your face, and even though she had health issues that she advocated like diabetes, her contributions to TV history particularly as the career woman circa 1970 are profound.  (It is ironic that her co-owned production company with former husband Grant Tinker produced great shows like Hill Street Blues –and now, within a year, Tinker is gone too.) At least we have hundreds of hours of reruns of her to savor forever. We will miss you Mary.

 

A Family Crisis in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Writer/Director Kenneth Lonergan has a reputation for depicting affecting, human conflict realized by excellent acting.  In Manchester by the Sea, he has mastered the art of observing intimate behavior where you can feel and even smell this world inhabited by real people right down to minor characters.

Lee (Casey Affleck in an Oscar worthy performance) is a handyman in Boston who suffers the loss of his brother (Kyle Chandler) and must deal with the prospect of being guardian for his teenage nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges).  Their tentative relationship and bond experiences growing pains.  Traumatized by previous events, Lee also carries hidden rage, and when a face from his past visits, it brings back painful memories as he must reconcile not just his past, but his nephew’s future.

The film is as much about revisiting old wounds and finding a way to move on in life. It is about the fragility of family dynamics where a delicate balance can be thrown into disarray.  Beautifully filmed, there is good use of its New England setting, and the film is structured in a series of timely flashbacks that give crucial background to present events.  Lonergan is not afraid to linger on a scene an extra beat to let it play out with fully developed characters. 

Honest and unflinching, it is about real life where there are sometimes no simple answers, and the issues may not be tied up neatly.  It’s a beautifully rendered drama that does not take the easy path.

**** of **** stars