We lost some amazing talent and some of the last of the better era of Hollywood, with the passing of Dame Maggie Smith and Kris Kristofferson this weekend, not to mention the amazing James Earl Jones not long before.
These were all very different people, but all had a sense of humor and fun behind their serious demeanors. As a fond farewell to September, and these three wonderful talents it took, here are some clips to remind us to keep smiling and laughing as we say goodbye to some legends:
Dame Maggie Smith with Carol Burnett
Maggie Smith left us Friday at age 89, and younger generations know her best as Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movie series and the sharp witted and even sharper-tongued Dowager, Violet Crawley from Downton Abbey. That is fine, as she was excellent in both roles. Yet, Smith had decades of stage and screen performances, excelling in both comedy and drama.
Long before she had to keep Harry, Ron and Hermione in line, she had the displeasure of dealing with another problem students, Bubba, and his family on The Carol Burnett Show.
Smith and Burnett did several skits together, including this wonderful duet on her show from 1975.
James Earl Jones Reciting the ABC’s
James Earl Jones was 93 when he died on Sept. 9, and he was still worthy of awe andrespect. He was the voice of Darth Vader when being part of Star Wars was epic. He was the only thing good about CNN, and he was a fantastic actor in every single thing he did. He also made reciting the alphabet sound amazing and cool, with his dramatic interpretation of the ABCs on Sesame Street.
Many people might argue Morgan Freeman or Michael Caine has the greatest show voice, but really Jones could make anything sound great, as he did on David Letterman in 2001.
Kristofferson Gets Pranked by Willie
Yesterday was particularly sad with the passing of Kris Kristofferson, a talent in so many disciplines from writing to music to acting. He was also a one of Willie Nelson’s best buds..which should be all you need to know about this clip from the start of the 90s on Bloopers and Practical Jokes. The one making the prank call, by the way is Jodi Benson, the voice of The Little Mermaid.
Today, Willie is the last of the Highwaymen to still be with us (he and Keith Richards might outlast us all). As we say goodbye to Kristofferson, we need to listen to him, Willie and the other two music legends who already passed on, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.
So long Kris and all the legends who left us this month. Save a place for us in the front row when our time comes.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Maggie Smith was a gem, and Julian Fellows wrote her some killer barbs for Downton Abbey. She was fantastic, even that late in life.
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Yeah. Incredible talent.