RIP Donald O'Connor
RIP Donald O'Connor
We're seeing too many people go lately. Donald O'Connor forever has a special place in my heart for his unforgettable turn in Singin' In The Rain (one of the greatest films ever made in any language) and for being the quintessential classy veteran for so much of his career. A big part of me has always wanted to be able to dance like this man could.
-
Jackson Monk
- Posts: 1919
- Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2003 4:33 pm
- Location: At the other end of the telescope
-
girl out of time
- Posts: 328
- Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2003 7:55 pm
- Location: Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Contact:
This is the first I've heard of this. Sorry to see another of the good ones go.
To me, Donald will always be Cosmo Brown (okay, he'll also be Francis the Talking Mule's buddy too, but I think even Donald might want to forget that part).
Unlike the esteemed Jackson Monk, I have always been a "musical movie" kind of a guy! I don't exactly walk around with a top hat and cane, but it's the first film genre I ever really bonded with, for whatever reason. And there's no getting around it that, lightweight as it was, there's never really been a musical-comedy better than "Singin' in the Rain." (Though the follow-up, "It's Always Fair Weather" and "The Bandwagon" give it a run for its money.)
Donald's performance on "Make 'em Laugh" is pretty much unparralled, and the duets he did with Gene Kelly on "Fit as a Fiddle" and "Moses Supposes" -- and the trio (or whatever you call it) with Gene and Debbie Reynolds on "Good Morning" -- well, he was integral part in making that the sort of official best musical of all time.
I actually saw him talk in person at a class at USC (I knew the TA and slipped in the back door -- I'm a UCLA grad) a long way back, and he was great and pretty frank. You could tell that, while he definitely respected Gene Kelly's achievement on "Singin'" as driving force and codirector, they weren't exactly pals. Words like "taskmaster" got thrown around a lot. Still, he couldn't say anything bad because the results were so amazing.
Actually, my only regret is that we didn't see more of him. I'm sure he could have nailed lots of dramatic parts. He came off as a pretty serious guy, actually.
To me, Donald will always be Cosmo Brown (okay, he'll also be Francis the Talking Mule's buddy too, but I think even Donald might want to forget that part).
Unlike the esteemed Jackson Monk, I have always been a "musical movie" kind of a guy! I don't exactly walk around with a top hat and cane, but it's the first film genre I ever really bonded with, for whatever reason. And there's no getting around it that, lightweight as it was, there's never really been a musical-comedy better than "Singin' in the Rain." (Though the follow-up, "It's Always Fair Weather" and "The Bandwagon" give it a run for its money.)
Donald's performance on "Make 'em Laugh" is pretty much unparralled, and the duets he did with Gene Kelly on "Fit as a Fiddle" and "Moses Supposes" -- and the trio (or whatever you call it) with Gene and Debbie Reynolds on "Good Morning" -- well, he was integral part in making that the sort of official best musical of all time.
I actually saw him talk in person at a class at USC (I knew the TA and slipped in the back door -- I'm a UCLA grad) a long way back, and he was great and pretty frank. You could tell that, while he definitely respected Gene Kelly's achievement on "Singin'" as driving force and codirector, they weren't exactly pals. Words like "taskmaster" got thrown around a lot. Still, he couldn't say anything bad because the results were so amazing.
Actually, my only regret is that we didn't see more of him. I'm sure he could have nailed lots of dramatic parts. He came off as a pretty serious guy, actually.
http://www.forwardtoyesterday.com -- Where "hopelessly dated" is a compliment!