R.I.P. Gene Wilder

[Big Magilla]

It's hard not to have the utterly maudlin thought, that Gilda's been waiting for him a long time.

Lots of people have said this. I do wonder, though, how his newly widowed wife of 25 years feels about that.

Probably no different than Clark Gable's pregnant widow felt about Carole Lombard. Lombard was his third of five wives. They were only married three years when she died in that plane crash, yet she is the one he's buried with.

Radner was the third of Wilder's four wives. They had been married five years when she died, but in the mind of the public he'll always be linked with her as Gable was always linked with Lombard. Gilda's Club, the worldwide cancer research foundation he co-founded in her name in 1995 is still thriving.

[Big Magilla]

It's a sign of my particular age, but I've never seen him in Willy Wonka -- I was 19 when it came out, and such a kids' movie held no appeal.

I wouldn't go see it either, but I did play Sammy Davis, Jr.'s recording of "The Candy Man" incessantly.

The film is, however, a watchable kids' movie, which can't be said of the Johnny Depp remake.

My favorite Wilder film is Young Frankenstein, which is also my favorite Mel Brooks film.

[Sonic Youth]

It's hard not to have the utterly maudlin thought, that Gilda's been waiting for him a long time.

Lots of people have said this. I do wonder, though, how his newly widowed wife of 25 years feels about that.

I grew up in Stamford, CT. I think everyone of a certain age who's from there has a "Gene and Gilda sighting" story. I remember as a kid, I saw them in a Friendly's restaurant having dinner with a friend. No one bothered them. But when they left, customers (mostly teens) crowded the front window to watch them go by.

[Mister Tee]

It always hurts to lose people who made you laugh.

He had an incredible knack for near-monotone concealing pure hysteria -- "Repeat. That."; "Put. The. Candle. Back." And sometimes hysteria itself -- "I'm wet! I'm wet and I'm hysterical" And I'll always treasure his sad-eyedl "My name is Jim, but my friends call me...Jim".

It's a sign of my particular age, but I've never seen him in Willy Wonka -- I was 19 when it came out, and such a kids' movie held no appeal. My memories of him are all Mel Brooks/Richard Pryor -- with a brief stopover on his early credits: the TV Death of a Salesman, and Bonnie and Clyde.

It's hard not to have the utterly maudlin thought, that Gilda's been waiting for him a long time.

[danfrank]

A part of my childhood just died. He was a unique talent for sure, somehow able to play both the straight man and the comic at the same time.

[Sonic Youth]

This clip is probably everywhere. But how can I not?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... o6-tYS9k1U

[Big Magilla]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nephew-gene- ... 26715.html