Monday, November 29, 2010

God Speed Leslie Nielsen


Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010)

Oh Leslie, you broke my heart yesterday when you passed away. I don't ever think I got a chance to really express how much I appreciated you. Let me take a moment to thank you for a few things:

1. Thank you for entertaining us. You were devilishly handsome and grew up to be quite a distinguished looking older gentleman. But you were never stuck up. There was always a childish quality about you. You had a silly youthful spirit and you made so many of us laugh until our sides hurt. So thank you.

2. Thank you for being there when I got my first period. I know, it's a very strange thing to thank you for. I remember watching Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) at home and being surprised by a visit from mother nature. It's a difficult time for a young girl but I had you to entertain me for a couple of hours and you know what, that made things a lot easier for me. So thank you.

3. Thank you for Katie and Orbie. I was a teenager with a strong interest in children's entertainment. Who knew I'd end up working at a children's book publisher later in my life. That early interest of mine helped me with my career path. Kate and Orbie was such an unusual show. Canadian produced, semi-animated and with a heart of gold, you narrated the whole thing. You told the story, you did all the voices, it was all you all the time. And you know what? It was lovely. I will always remember that show. So thank you and God Speed.


6 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting something other than the "Shirley" line.

    My favourite screen performance of his was alongside Susan Clark's villainess in a "Columbo" episode.

    He was also "Cassius" in a production of "Julius Caesar" at the Stratford Festival in my home-province of Ontario, Canada.

    He will be misses, surely.

    Kat

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  2. That must have been a Freudian slip!

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  3. Wow! That's sad that he passed away! He was a very good actor, I had seen him in a few comedies that were made years ago.

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  4. Great choice of photo. I'm so used to seeing him with gray or white hair it's shocking to see him looking so young once upon a time.

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  5. Of all the deaths this year, even given such greats as Jean Simmons and Tony Curtis has past, it is the death of Leslie Nielsen that has hit me the hardest aside from the death of The Knack's leader Doug Fieger. I honestly believe he was a truly great actor. He was not just a great comic actor, but a great dramatic actor as well. He played everything from the heroic commander in Forbidden Planet to The Swamp Fox in Disney's mini-series of the same name to villains in many TV shows. While I must confess I remember him best as Detective Frank Drebin of Police Squad and The Naked Gun movies, I remember him from so many other roles as well. I just hurt so much because he's gone.

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  6. Kat - Those Shirley jokes were getting to me! Although I'm sure you didn't mean yours. :-)

    Sweet Life - I know, so sad. At least we have the laughs.

    Rich - He was devilishly handsome as a young man. I think people forget that!

    Mercurie - I think this one hurts the most. Sounds like we both have personal connections to his life and career that made him really special to us. God Speed Leslie Nielsen!

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