-
The Religion of Peace Strikes London Again
May 22, 2013 | 0 comments
-
Carney Goes Birther on Major Garrett
May 22, 2013 | 7 comments
-
Ray Manzarek, R.I.P.
May 20, 2013 | 1 comment
-
Thoughts on The Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma
May 20, 2013 | 1 comment
-
Alan O’Day, R.I.P.
May 20, 2013 | 3 comments
The Spectacle Blog
Actor Ben Gazzara passed away on Friday of pancreatic cancer. He was 81.
The New York born character actor had a career which spanned six decades on Broadway, film and TV. Gazzara was a member of the original Broadway cast of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and worked with directors ranging from Otto Preminger in Anatomy of a Murder to the Coen Brothers in The Big Lebowski. He also collaborated with John Cassavetes in the 1970s on a trio of films - Husbands, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Opening Night. Others still might remember Gazzara as the villain in the Patrick Swayze movie Road House.
However, when I think of Ben Gazzara the first person that comes to mind is Yogi Berra. Gazzara played the Yankees legend in an Off-Broadway one man play called Nobody Don’t Like Yogi. In March 2005, Gazzara had a one week engagement at the Wilbur Theatre here in Boston and I had the chance to see a Sunday matinee performance. The Boston Globe said of Gazzara’s performance, “This Yogi is a Yankee than even a Red Sox fan can love.”
I leave you with a clip of Gazzara sparring with Berra’s longtime battery mate Whitey Ford and boxing legend Joe Louis on I’ve Got a Secret with Garry Moore which originally aired in September 1959.
View all comments (10) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/02/04/ben-gazzara-rip
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Nessus| 2.4.12 @ 6:23AM
Why we must see show business and Red Sox "news" nearly every day on this supposed conservative site?
RJ| 2.4.12 @ 2:54PM
That was my first reaction when started reading the blog, but I now find it a nice a break from the political discussions. Decompression from the intensity of politics is a good thing.
W| 2.4.12 @ 8:59AM
Aaron
He was great on Run for Your Life.
Drek| 2.4.12 @ 12:03PM
He also played Saint John Bosco very well; he even kinda' looked like him a bit.
Of course he was pretty good too in "The Bridge at Remagen."
Sardonikus| 2.4.12 @ 12:46PM
To me, Ben Gazzara will always be Jackie Treehorn from "The Big Lebowski", the sleazy but oh-so-smooth porn tycoon with a fabulous pad in Malibu and a penchant for doodling oversize phalluses. Truly this was a role that has ensured him cinematic immortality. R.I.P.
Richard Baker| 2.4.12 @ 6:49PM
Enjoyed him as an actor and in the clip his boxing was no joke. Always a manly portrayal regardless of the role. RIP.
Occam's Tool| 2.5.12 @ 5:01AM
Aaron also does politics, but, Nessus, unlike Dhimmicrats, our life is not about politics. Indeed, if things go our way, the government becomes less and less important...
Wasn't Gazzara in one of the Raid on Entebbe movies?
Rent Seeker| 2.5.12 @ 3:03PM
To me he'll always be the guy who lived in the big house across the lake from the Double Deuce.
MOS was 71331| 2.6.12 @ 12:26AM
Gazzara started out strong in his first two movies, 1957's "The Strange One" and 1959's "Anatomy of a Murder." His total body of work was impressive, but he never was a major box office draw.