Fellow readers, I am ashamed of my lack of work on the blog, but I promise I had very valid medical reasons: I died twice in the ER. So, though I'm still here, I remember with a different feel Mr B's death this day in 1954.
 |
| A little office decor... |
I have not sought out his death certificate, though others have noted heart issues. Story goes he was watching TV with the Wheelers when he began having trouble breathing. At the hospital, he lapsed into a coma, dying November 15th. The funeral appeared well - attended, and the paeans were extensive for someone audiences tended to take for granted (some are in the audio page here). Indeed, Mr B had finished a Hallmark radio show the week before he died, and had been in a car crash not long before that, worrying sister Ethel.
Other than in It's a Wonderful Life, much of Mr B's work goes unseen and unknown to more recent audiences, though the range and level of his work across a good 40,50 years is undeniable. From stage to early film to his voice over of Father Time for an animated TV special, Our Mr. Sun, he was there and instigated innovations on stage and screen.
So thanks again, Mr Barrymore, and nod down fondly on us from beyond.
