Obit watch: March 26, 2021.

Bertrand Tavernier, noted French film director.

The Saturday Night Movie Group has watched “In the Electric Mist“, which is an interesting but flawed adaptation of James Lee Burke’s In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead (affiliate links). And I’ve seen “Coup de Torchon“, which is likewise an interesting adaptation of Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280 (ditto). It seems to me, just looking at his filmography, that he was one of the more interesting French directors.

Jessica Walter. Damn.

I have never seen an episode of “Arrested Development”, but the Saturday Night Movie Group has watched quite a bit of “Archer”. We’ve also watched “Play Misty For Me”, which I think is a swell Clint Eastwood directed film.

And she appeared in every damn thing at some point, too: “Quincy, M.E.”, the good “Hawaii Five-O”, “Banacek”, “McCloud”, “The F.B.I.”. “Cannon”, “Mission: Impossible”…

…and she did a guest shot on “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”, in the episode “Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger”. Really, that’s the title, and if it comes up in reruns, you should seek it out (assuming you have a taste for black comedy). She’s basically playing a live action Mallory Archer: a social climbing woman who’s obsessed with her grandson attending the right pre-school. (“If it wasn’t for me, he’d be eating yams and watching ‘Jerry Springer'”.)

…and, yes! She was a “Mannix” three-timer. (“The Danford File”, season 6, episode 24. “Moving Target”, season 5, episode 18. “Who Is Sylvia?”, season 3, episode 19.)

4 Responses to “Obit watch: March 26, 2021.”

  1. tim kies says:

    Jessica Walter!? Damn is right. She was one of those icons of my youth, who you just seemed to always see on every TV drama you turned on. You never knew just where she was going to turn up, but when she did, you believed her character was totally different from the one you saw her in the last time. She seemed to have a gift of just disappearing into the person she was portraying. She was a pretty lady, that I am sure turned a lot of heads in her time.
    I think that she might have been on a couple of TV comedies as well. It does suck to get to the point that you are old enough that you have so many memories that they start to get mixed together and you don’t know for certain which one belongs where. Perhaps I should declare my campaign for president?

  2. stainles says:

    I will throw my support behind the tim kies for President 2024 movement.

    We need to come up with a good campaign slogan.

  3. tim kies says:

    That last line was a joke, really!
    And the last good slogan for a presidential campaign was when the Republicans decided to replace the nose on the elephant’s trunk with a crooked Dick.
    I mean, it worked for Nixon, right? Besides, I had the principal of the high school I attended tell the entire crowd when I graduated that I was the student with the highest moral character that he had ever known. So I am totally unqualified, and could never pass a background check.
    Plus, I have never been to a hooker, stolen money from anyone, or slept with an intern. Although, I guess, if I ran as a Democrat, I would have to learn.
    I tell you what, I will run for president if you run as my VP. The only problem is, I am an old white guy. Let me check with 23 and me, and I will get back to you. Maybe I am part native American.

  4. stainles says:

    “I tell you what, I will run for president if you run as my VP. ”

    You’ve got a deal.

    “Kies/Brown 2024. We’re not Joe Biden.”