Archive for March 9th, 2021

Obit watch: March 9, 2021.

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

I’ve been running behind on obits, so here’s a roundup.

Roger Mudd, CBS, NBC, and PBS anchorman and reporter. He was also a distant relative of Samuel Mudd (the doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth’s broken leg).

Norton Juster, author of “The Phantom Tollbooth”.

Carla Wallenda, of the Flying Wallendas. She was the last surviving child of Karl Wallenda.

By way of Lawrence, John “Bud” Cardos. IMDB describes him as a “B-movie Renaissance man“: he directed, acted, and did stunt work.

FotB RoadRich sent over some nice obits for Mike Collins. He sounds like a truly interesting guy: he worked for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) as technical editor and director of business operations. He was also a skilled photographer and amateur brewer.

Finally, Tony Hendra, “National Lampoon” and “Spy” guy, and “Ian Faith” in “This Is Spinal Tap”.

Posted in Movies, Music, Obits, Planes | 2 Comments »

“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 343

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

Great and good friend of the blog RoadRich pointed out that Ernesto Miranda was born on this date in 1941.

You may remember Mr. Miranda from Miranda v. Arizona. Today’s feature video: “Right to Remain Silent: Miranda v. Arizona” from AnnnenbergClassroom.org.

Bonus: well, the discussion of Mr. Miranda kind of went a little sideways, what with talk of trying to find autographed Miranda warning cards and semi-related matters. (I can’t turn up any of the autographed ones online.) Lawrence mentioned in passing that Carmen Miranda was only 46 when she died, which is a fact I was not conscious of, and it kind of shocked me.

Carmen Miranda’s last performance on “The Jimmy Durante Show” in 1955.

According to Durante, Miranda had complained of feeling unwell before filming; he offered to find her a replacement, but she declined. After completing “Jackson, Miranda, and Gomez”, a song-and-dance number with Durante, she fell to one knee. Durante later said, “I thought she had slipped. She got up and said she was outa breath. I told her I’ll take her lines. But she goes ahead with ’em. We finished work about 11 o’clock and she seemed happy.”
After the last take, Miranda and Durante gave an impromptu performance on the set for the cast and technicians. The singer took several cast members and some friends home with her for a small party. She went upstairs to bed at about 3 a.m. Miranda undressed, placed her platform shoes in a corner, lit a cigarette, placed it in an ashtray and went into her bathroom to remove her makeup. She apparently came from the bathroom with a small, round mirror in her hand; in the small hall which led to her bedroom, she collapsed with a fatal heart attack.

Posted in History, Law, TV | Comments Closed