Obit watch: March 4, 2024.

March 4th, 2024

Brigadier General John C. Bahnsen Jr. (US Army – ret.) has passed away at the age of 89.

Gen. Bahnsen was a genuine, certified, American badass.

General Bahnsen was among the most decorated combat veterans in U.S. history. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest honor for heroism, behind the Medal of Honor; five Silver Stars; four Legions of Merit; three Distinguished Flying Crosses; four Bronze Stars (three for valor); two Purple Hearts; and the Army Commendation Medal with a “V” device for valor.
He earned most of those awards during the second of two Vietnam tours, when he led a troop in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment that was commanded by Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, the son of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. of World War II fame.

…

Unlike fellow commanders who led from a desk, General Bahnsen led troops from his own helicopter — a tactic that allowed him to coordinate air and ground forces simultaneously, which he did while firing his rifle and dropping grenades from his window.
“We thought he had a death wish sometimes,” Mr. Noe said.
He did, but not for himself.
“The enemy of my country is my enemy, and our mission was to kill them,” General Bahnsen said in a 2013 interview with the American Veterans Center. “You could capture them if you could. We captured a lot of them in my units, but we also killed them. And my feeling was, that’s our job.”
He was unrelenting. He often landed his helicopter to fight alongside his ground troops. One day, he was shot down three times. Each time, he ordered delivery of a replacement helicopter so that he could return to attacking.

…

General Bahnsen was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during a battle in early 1969.After his crew chief was severely wounded amid heavy gunfire at low altitudes, General Bahnsen evacuated him, refueled and rearmed.
“I was mad as hell!” he wrote in his autobiography. “I thought those bastards had just killed my crew chief.”
Not knowing whether the crew chief was alive or dead — he survived but was paralyzed — General Bahnsen returned to the battle site.
“Forcing them to a confined area, he marked their position and directed five airstrikes against them, while at the same time controlling four separate rifle platoons,” his award citation reads.
Enemy fire crippled his helicopter, so he returned to his base and got another.
Upon returning, the citation says, he “landed to guide in the lift ships carrying an additional infantry unit, and then led a rifle platoon through dense terrain to personally capture two enemy who were attempting to escape.”
He ordered the captives to be evacuated by helicopter while he remained on the ground, and led his squad on foot for more than a mile to a safe position.

…

“He is one of those rare professionals who truly enjoys fighting, taking risks and sparring with a wily foe,” General Patton wrote in an evaluation of General Bahnsen, adding that he was “the most highly motivated and professionally competent leader I have served with in 23 years of service, to include the Korean War and two tours in Vietnam.”

Chris Mortensen, ESPN guy.

David Bordwell, film scholar. He did a lot of work for the Criterion Collection.

Among Bordwell’s favorite films, according to IndieWire, were Passing Fancy (1933), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Sanshiro Sugata (1943), Song of the South (1946), Advise and Consent (1962), Zorns Lemma (1970), Choose Me (1984), Back to the Future (1985) and The Hunt for Red October (1990).

Interesting list. I kind of feel like calling “Song of the South” one of your favorite films in this day and age is just setting yourself up for cancellation. But then again, he’s dead, so what does he care if he gets cancelled? (And to be frank, the Criterion Collection could probably do a great job of preserving and showing “Song” in a historical and scholarly context.)

Mark Dodson, voice actor. Other credits include a video game inspired by a minor 1960s SF TV series, “Darkwing Duck”, and “Legend of the Superstition Mountains”.

Posted in Heroism, History, Movies, Obits, TV | Comments Closed

Obit watch: March 1, 2024.

March 1st, 2024

Richard Abath.

Mr. Abath was one of the two guards on duty at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum early in the morning on March 18, 1990. He was the one who let the two robbers, disguised as police officers, into the museum.

Over the next hour and a half, the thieves stole more than a dozen works of art, including pieces by Edgar Degas, Rembrandt van Rijn, Édouard Manet and Peter Paul Rubens, cutting the works from their ornate wooden frames. They also took an ancient Chinese beaker and a bronze eagle finial from a Napoleonic-era flagpole.

…

All together they took some $500 million in art, the equivalent of $1.2 billion today, making it by far the biggest art heist in history.
Suspicion immediately turned to Mr. Abath. City and federal investigators zeroed in on important details, like the coincidence of the thieves arriving so soon after the second guard left to make the rounds. A video camera outside the museum showed Mr. Abath briefly opening a side door not long before the robbery occurred.
Mr. Abath maintained his innocence throughout the rest of his life, and he was never named as an official suspect. He said that he regularly opened the side door to make sure it was locked and that while museum protocol forbade him from letting anyone in after hours, there was no contingency should the visitors be uniformed police officers.
“You know, most of the guards were either older or they were college students,” he told NPR in 2015. “Nobody there was capable of dealing with actual criminals.”

Brian Mulroney, former Canadian PM.

Posted in Art, Law, Obits, Politics | Comments Closed

Obit watch: February 29, 2024.

February 29th, 2024

Richard Lewis. Tributes. (The one from Jamie Lee Curtis is particularly nice.) NYT (archived).

Anne Whitfield, actress. Other credits include “The Bold Ones: The New Doctors”, “Dragnet 1967”, and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker”.

Posted in Obits, TV | Comments Closed

More tags that I do not get to use often enough.

February 28th, 2024

Even better, this is sort of a Texas story.

For decades, countless articles and videos using similar verbiage have boasted of their creators gaining unprecedented access to sumo. What follows is inevitably a mishmash of cliche, misinformation, outdated statistics and the all-too-common confusing of amateur sumo with professional.
The reality is that ōzumo, for all its pageantry and uniqueness, is actually one of the most open and accessible top-level professional sports in the world, particularly for amateur athletes from overseas.

Summary: guy up in Dallas runs a sumo club, club holds first tournament successfully, everyone celebrates and places long distance call. Lots of great stories start out this way.

“We got drunk in celebration and made a drunken Instagram call to Gaga (former maegashira Gagamaru). He was with someone who spoke English and we were like ‘You should come our next tournament! We’ll have you as a guest’ and he was like “Yes I’m down. Let’s do it!’”

It happened.

“We hung out with him for a week in Dallas, took him all over the place, and he helped us train, and did a group session with all the people who flew in for the tournament,” Morrison says.

And one thing led to another.

Emboldened by that positive experience, and their growing friendship with Gagamaru, Morrison and Sauer decided to make a sumo-centric visit to Tokyo this month to coincide with the retirement ceremony of another Georgian rikishi — Tochinoshin.
With little more than a “why not” attitude and a handful of social media connections, the Texan managed to have a deeper and more all-encompassing sumo experience over the course of two weeks than most do in a lifetime.
Morrison also took advantage of former Texan rikishi Wakaichiro’s coincidental visit to the capital by tagging along to watch training at Ikazuchi stable. Morrison was delighted when the stablemaster — who had extensive experience in amateur and international sumo — agreed to let him join practice.
“I barely even have time to stretch and, before I know it, my first bout is against Ikazuchido, who I’ve rooted for on TV and I’m like ‘what the hell is happening.’ It was surreal.

…

Further sessions with rikishi from Oshima and Asakayama stables left Morrison in plenty of pain but floating on air.

The whole story reminds me of “Genghis Blues“, except with sumo instead of Tuvan throat singing. Brings a smile to my face, it does.

Posted in Sports, Sumo | Comments Closed

Obit watch: February 28, 2024.

February 28th, 2024

Ole Anderson, one of the Four Horsemen.

That’s the Four Horsemen of professional wrestling.

Through the 1970s and early 1980s, he was a member of the tag team known as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, which over the years included Gene, Lars and Arn Anderson, who called themselves brothers and were popular around the Midwest. They were part of regional circuits like Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling that were united under the National Wrestling Alliance, which regularly crowned them tag-team champions.
In the 1980s, Mr. Anderson teamed up with Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard to become the Four Horsemen, who went on to dominate the N.W.A. and later World Championship Wrestling, which competed with the W.W.F.

…

As professional wrestling became more popular and commercialized, Mr. Anderson grew increasingly disparaging of it. In a 2003 book, “Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling,” written with Scott Teal, Mr. Anderson wrote about his disdain for the corporate transformation of the sport and his clashes with executives, including Vince McMahon, the longtime head of W.W.E.

…

Mr. Anderson was left out when other members the Four Horsemen were inducted into the W.W.E. Hall of Fame, but he is a member of the N.W.E. and W.C.W. halls of fame.

Brian Stableford, noted author, passed away a few days ago. I don’t have a direct obit I can link, but Michael Swanwick posted a nice tribute to him on his blog.

Posted in Books, Obits, Sports | Comments Closed

Quote of the day.

February 27th, 2024

I know this should be a local story, and for some reason it has become an international one.

But I can’t tell a lie: I get a kick out of this.

Scotland police were even called to the scene, the event shut down and parents said their children were in tears. All the event lacked was a man in top hat telling customers: “You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!”

Bonus points:

Posted in Bagatelle | Comments Closed

Obit watch: February 26, 2024.

February 26th, 2024

I was running pretty much flat out from mid-Friday afternoon until late Sunday night, so this is the first chance I’ve had to post anything. But: the NYT finally ran an obit for Chuck Mawhinney. (Previously.)

After graduating from high school in 1967, Chuck wanted to become a Navy pilot. But a Marine Corps recruiter won him over by promising that he could delay his enlistment by four months, until the end of deer season.
The Marines had not had dedicated snipers since World War II, but by 1967 the corps had changed its mind. Mr. Mawhinney was among the first to complete the new Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps installation in Southern California. He graduated at the top of his class.

Lawrence sent over an obit for Golden Richards, former Dallas Cowboy receiver.

Richards helped the Cowboys reach Super Bowl X and XII. Against the Broncos in Super Bowl XII, Richards caught a touchdown pass from running back Robert Newhouse (the first touchdown pass thrown in a Super Bowl by a non-quarterback) as Dallas recorded a 27-10 win.

José DeLeón, pitcher.

DeLeón was 86-119 with a 3.76 ERA in 264 starts and 151 relief appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1983-86), Chicago White Sox (1986-87, 1993-95), St. Louis (1988-92), Philadelphia Phillies (1992-93) and Montreal Expos (1995). The right-hander struck out 1,594 in 1,897⅓ innings.

Jackie Loughery, actress (and Jack Webb’s third wife). Other credits include OG “Perry Mason”, “Surfside 6”, and “Marcus Welby, M.D.”.

Charles Dierkop, actor.

Other credits include “Matt Houston”, “Bearcats!” and…two episodes of “Mannix” (“A Penny for the Peep Show”, season 3, episode 6. “Desert Run”, season 7, episode 6).

Eddie Driscoll, actor. IMDB.

Chris Gauthier, actor. Fair number of genre credits, including “Supernatural”, “Watchmen”, and the “Earthsea” mini series.

Kenneth Mitchell, actor. Other credits include “NCIS”, “CSI: Cyber”, and “Detroit 1-8-7”.

Posted in 1970s, Guns, Heroism, History, Mannix, NFL, Obits, Sports, TV | 1 Comment »

Obit watch: February 23, 2024.

February 23rd, 2024

It is the stated policy of this blog that, if you were a Bond girl, you get an obit.

Pamela Salem.

Yes, Miss Moneypenny counts as a Bond girl. Yes, “Never Say Never Again” counts as a Bond movie.

Other credits include “Magnum, P.I.” (original recipe), “The Great Train Robbery”, “God’s Outlaw”, and some “Doctor Who”. And “EastEnders”.

Posted in Movies, Obits, TV | Comments Closed

Obit watch: February 22, 2024.

February 22nd, 2024

The paper of record finally got around to publishing an obit for Niklaus Wirth.

Ewen MacIntosh, British actor. IMDB.

Lefty Driesell, noted college basketball coach.

Robert Reid, one of the great Houston Rockets.

Lawrence sent over two obits:

Paul D’Amato, actor. IMDB.

Steve Miller, SF author.

While Miller is known in the science fiction community for the hundreds of stories he and [Sharon] Lee wrote together, he is best remembered for having co-authored the Liaden Universe, a series that now includes 25 books described as “space operas,” with stories emphasizing the interpersonal connections between characters, human or otherwise, within vast literary universes.

Posted in Books, Geek, Movies, Obits, Sports, TV | Comments Closed

Pop culture programming note.

February 21st, 2024

Tomorrow morning’s episode of “Perry Mason” (assuming METv sticks to their schedule) is “The Case of Constant Doyle”.

This is an interesting episode. This is not the same as saying it is a good episode, or one I recommend you watch. If you have not seen it previously, it might be worth your time.

During the filming of the sixth season, Raymond Burr was hospitalized for a period of time. I haven’t read any of the biographies, so I’m not sure exactly why. But his issue was serious enough that he was unable to film several episodes of “Perry Mason”.

There’s a four episode block (plus at least one more episode later in sequence) where they have “guest” lawyers, played by some of the best actors in Hollywood. Michael Rennie, Hugh O’Brian, Walter Pidgeon, and Mike Connors all did stints.

This is the first episode in that four episode block, and the guest lawyer is…Bette Davis, as the titular “Constant Doyle”.

The setup for this episode is that Constant and her husband Joe were both lawyers, and friends of Perry Mason. As the episode opens, it is established that Joe Doyle passed away a few months earlier, leaving Constant a widow. She gets involved in the case of “Cal Leonard”, a 17-year-old juvenile delinquent (played by Michael Parks) and friend of Joe’s. Constant ends up having to defend him from murder charges, even though criminal law is not her area of practice. But of course, Paul and Della are willing to help out. Perry even appears briefly (by telephone from his sickbed: they shot some scenes before Burr’s hospitalization and inserted them).

If I don’t exactly sound enthusiastic about this episode, as I have with others, well…

Bette Davis is always worth watching. But the way she plays Constant Doyle in this episode is very much as a cougar. This was 1963, and the networks still had standards and practices, so there’s nothing explicit here. But the character very clearly comes across as desiring not just a client-lawyer relationship (and the big fee she’d get from defending a teenage deliquent), but something more: perhaps something to fill the void left by the death of her husband.

The long lingering looks, the touching…your mileage may vary, but for me, this is a really uncomfortable episode to watch.

This episode will be on at 0800 CST (0900 EST) Thursday morning, so if you want to watch Ms. Davis, consider yourself notified.

You could also wait until the evening and watch “All About Eve” again.

Posted in Mannix, TV | 1 Comment »

Speaking of the 1911…

February 20th, 2024

…here’s another gun that was featured in a “Preview of coming attractions” post a while back.

Since I’ve written a lot about the 1911 in the past, and plan to write a lot about 1911s in the future, I can make this a somewhat shorter than usual for gun crankery post.

(Also, I think at this point I need a “1911” sub-category under “Guns”. I think a “Smith and Wesson” category was long overdue as well.)

Mike and I were out at Provident Arms in Spicewood a while back, just making the rounds and poking around.

The guy behind the counter (GBtC) said, “Hey, do you want to see something cool?”

“Hey, do you want to see something cool?” is, to my mind, one of the most dangerous phrases you can hear in a gun shop. Especially if, like me, you have Smith and Wesson tastes and a Jennings budget.

Anyway, we indicated our assent, and GBtC pulled this out.

It’s not a 1911A1. It’s a real honest to God Colt 1911.

Yes, it has the four line Colt patent and the US property mark.

And the Model of 1911 stamp on the side, along with the RIA marking.

I realize the differences between the 1911 and the 1911A1 are subtle, especially if you’re not a 1911 aficionado. Your average member of the Colt Collector’s Association can probably recite them from memory: as for me, I have to look them up.

Here’s my CMP gun side-by-side with the 1911:

Not a great picture, but I think you can at least see some of the differnces: specifically, the relief cuts and the shortened trigger.

This particular 1911 isn’t the best example, as it has been modified by a previous owner. I was told the sights had been replaced, and the mainspring housing modified. Also, both the GBtC and I are pretty sure it has been refinished, but whoever refinished it did a nice job. It doesn’t have as much collector value as it would unaltered, but I really like the way it feels in the hand.

(And the CMP gun is sort of a mixmaster anyway. Not that I’m complaining, just saying it probably isn’t a perfect exemplar of the 1911A1 for historians, either.)

Colt has an online serial number lookup tool, which says this one shipped in 1918. I’ve sent off for a historical letter, but have not received it yet.

As I have so often quoted, “You’re not paying for the gun. You’re paying for the story behind it.” The story I got was that the person who brought this in, received it as a gift from his father-in-law. That seems very much like a G.K. Chesterton sort of moment to me. It also feels like, given the modifications, this was owned by someone who knew what he wanted in a defensive handgun at the time, and didn’t value “history” more than he did “practicality”. I kind of like that in a person, and in a gun.

Unfortunately, however, the father-in-law was now the ex-father-in-law. Guy couldn’t stand having the memory of his ex-wife around? He was a Glock aficionado? Just not a gun guy at all, and wanted to convert the gun into some jingle in his jeans? No idea, but his desire to part with the gun was Provident’s gain.

And about two weeks later, my bonus payment from Cisco came through, so…it followed me home, Ma, can I keep it?

Funny story: I asked the folks at Provident if I could have a paper bag to put it in, as I didn’t want to leave it on the floor of my car in the open. The GBtC went into the back, rummaged around a bit, and came out with a really nice Glock pistol carrier that just fit the gun.

“No, no, I wasn’t asking for free stuff. I just wanted a paper bag or something.”
“No worries, chief. Glock sent us a whole box of these as promo items. I figure we can throw one in for you.”

I was a little concerned that putting a 1911 into a Glock carrier would be kind of like mixing matter and anti-matter, but so far nothing has exploded. Yet.

On the other hand, I haven’t gotten out to the range yet. I have to find some time to do that. Perhaps over spring break, as I expect to have a couple of Sunday afternoons free. And I still need to break it down and lube it…time is a flat circle indeed.

Posted in 1911, Guns, History | 6 Comments »

Today is Presidents’ Day. How about some gun book crankery?

February 19th, 2024

I recall reading somewhere (I think in Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel: The Gun That Changed Everything and the Misunderstood Genius Who Invented It) that Lincoln was a big gun guy. If any inventor showed up at the White House with a new or improved weapon design, they were pretty much guaranteed an audience with Abe.

How much of that was desperation to win the war, and how much of it was a fascination with guns and the mechanics of machines, I have no idea.

Short shameful confession: it has been a while since I field stripped a 1911 pattern pistol.

I wanted to break down and lube one of my Commander length guns (using the lubrication suggestions from Bill Wilson’s Gun Guy, and also his lube). I had forgotten what a complete and utter (word that rhymes with “witch”) it is to get the slide stop pin through both the frame and the barrel link. Every time, the link got pushed backwards and into a position where I couldn’t get the stop into place.

I finally got it, but it took me probably 45 minutes. Maybe I need more practice. Good thing I have three more 1911s that need the same treatment. And plenty of Wilson lube left…

After the jump, a few gun books for the discerning eyes of my readers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in 1911, Books, Guns, History, Hoplobibilophilia | Comments Closed

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