See, They Return, And Bring Us With Them

      Looking at such lists at the end of every year, I am always a bit saddened by the depth of loss in any given year, but am also saddened by how many of the passages I'd not heard about. From this year's list, I'm addled that I'd not heard of the deaths of Dame Wendy Hiller (the original film Eliza Doolittle), Rachel Kempson (wife of the late Sir Michael Redgrave, and mother of Lynn, Vanessa, and Corin), Leon Uris (recalling Cletus from The Simpsons: "Nothin' cracks a turtle like Leon Uris"), Benny Carter (the great jazz saxophonist), John Schlesinger (director of Midnight Cowboy and The Falcon and The Snowman), Alan Dugan (American poet), Gordon Jump (Mr. Carlson from WKRP In Cincinnati and the second Maytag Repairman), Jack Elam (he of the manic-eyed codger in countless westerns), and Michael Kamen (composer and arranger of countless movie scores, including the Lethal Weapon movies). How did I not hear about these, especially Dame Wendy and Leon? It says something, I think, about the gracelessness of the North American media. Rest in peace, all.