In Memoriam

-


Roy Scheider
Nov. 10, 1932 to Feb. 10, 2008

I was so sad when I heard that Roy Scheider died. He was such a tremendous actor, a guy who came off as real, even if the particular film he was appearing in wasn't that good.

I remember seeing him in The French Connection, where he had the unenviable task of playing Gene Hackman's partner.

I think a lot of other actors would have been overwhelmed by Hackman's blowout performance as Popeye Doyle, but Scheider held his own.

He went on to star in several films, including Jaws, of course, All That Jazz, and Blue Thunder.

He also did a flick called The Seven-Ups, which I didn't like too much when I first saw it in the theater.

However, I saw the movie again a few years after that on television and I enjoyed it a lot more.

It's been a while, but as I recall it was a very gritty cop movie that took place in all these grungy locations in the outer boroughs--the kinds of places where you really believe that bad people would get together to do bad things.

There was a car chase in the middle of thing, which, while spectacular, had nothing really to do with the story. But this was a post-French Connection cop movie, so car chases were pretty much required in cop movies.

So we lost another talented actor. And I hate to sound like a geezer, but looking around at the current crop of stars, I have to say that I'm not impressed.

Rest in peace.

Comments

Anonymous said…
These days, there's way too much "star" power and not nearly enough talent power. And when an actor DOES some decent work, five minutes later he or she is being lionized by James Lipton. yeesh. Signed, Not Quite a Geezer
10:50 AM
Rob K said…
There's way too much "star" power and not nearly enough talent power.

Well said, N.Q.G.!
2:22 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Bystander Effect

-
Image
Winston Moseley knew no one would stop him. “I knew they wouldn't do anything,” he told police after his arrest. “They never do.” Moseley murdered Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964 in one of the most infamous murder cases in modern times. The horrific crime gained worldwide attention largely because of a New York Times article that said “38 respectable, law-abiding citizens” did nothing while Moseley attacked Kitty Genovese on three separate occasions. The story sparked worldwide condemnation and provided material for writers and composers, including the Phil Ochs song “ Outside of a Small Circle Friends .” There was talk of the Bystander Effect or the Genovese Effect and the words “I didn’t want to get involved” summed up life in the big city. The Kitty Genovese case is the subject of a new documentary called The Witness that explores the mythology surrounding the murder. The film features Kitty’s brother, Bill, who was 16 years old at the time of his sister’s murder. ...
Read more

‘Permanently Closed’

-
Image
And, so, another local landmark is gone. My sister and I passed by O’Sullivan’s Bar & Grill in Bay Ridge last night during our after-dinner walk and saw nothing but darkness. There were no lights shining from this old Irish saloon that the O’Sullivan family took over in 1934. There were no customers outside taking a cigarette break on Third Avenue; no voices, music or laughter emenating from the corner business on 89th Street. A dark bar on a Saturday night only means one thing, but I didn’t want to accept the grim reality. I had to walk up to the front door, grab hold of the handle and pull back. But the place was locked up tight. This morning I jumped on the Internet in hopes of learning that the owners were on vacation, or that they were renovating the place and would be reopening in grand style any day now. But the bar’s Yelp page was branded with two grisly words at the top: “Permanently Closed.” I’ve been searching around local message boards for any ind...
Read more

Renew Year

-
Image
In retail, they call it “a soft opening.” New restaurants usually debut with a grand opening, as they announce their presence with all kinds of fanfare and hoopla. On the other hand, a soft opening involves working with a limited number of customers, so the owners have a chance to try out their menu on real people. I’ve taking that second approach for the New Year. Rather than waiting for the ball to come down in Times Square at midnight, I’ve been implementing—or trying to—some of my resolutions ahead of all the noise and confetti. I like this plan, but inner saboteur, as usual, is getting in the way of things. This morning I woke up with a bad case of the New Year’s heebie-jeebies, where I’m convinced that I’m not changing fast enough, and I go into emotional vapor lock. This usually starts in the first week of the year, but I guess my shadow self doesn’t feel like waiting. So, I’ve decided I’m going to ease into 2024. I’ll work on the stuff that needs fixing, but I’m...
Read more