Cool News
Father Geek bids adieu to Jean Simmons!
Goodbye Jean... I'll surely miss those beautiful "Doe" eyes...
sorry this is late, I needed to gather my composer...
My 65th birthday was on Janurary 27th 2010. I was passing some time at the
house waiting to cruise over to son Harry's and later his sister Dannie's
to stuff myself with Italian pasta, cake and well wishes. I decided to check
out my favorite TV channel TCM, and just happened to catch one of their
beautifully edited, outstanding "Tribute" clips... as it dissolved to black
I clicked off the set... a solitary tear rolling down my cheek as I realized
one of my youth's great heart throb's must have just died... bummer... not
the message I wanted that day.
The wonderful, alluring, "Doe eyed" Jean Simmons had passed away on the
22th, but I didn't become aware of it until that moment, alone in my dark
livingroom. Silent, like that great gut wretching scene of her's with Peck
in THE BIG COUNTRY... just her face, those eyes, scene after scene, memories
flipping by at 24 frames a second... a fantastic editing exercise for a
fantastic actress, a fantastic screen personiality.
Jean Simmons was born Janurary 31, 1929 in London, England the daughter of
an Olympic champion. She died Janurary 22, 2010 in Santa Monica California,
USA. She had been married to a man in an iron mask, Stewart Granger, annnnd
the word spinning Richard Brooks. With them she had created 2 lovely
daughters, Tracey & Kate.
Jean's film career took root in Britain... three films in paticular brought
attention to her on our shores... 1946's Dicken's classic GREAT
EXPECTATIONS, 1947's artful BLACK NARCISSUS, and her outstanding Ophelia to
Olivier's lead in 1948's HAMLET.
I first took notice of her in 1953's THE ROBE in the sculpted palace of San
Antonio's Majestic Theatre. I was just about 9 years old, but those eyes of
her's worked their magic even then. Two year's later I revisited those big
dark eyes in the Majestic during Brando's GUYS AND DOLLS. I was hooked by
the time THIS EARTH IS MINE hit the screen, and Jean's charms had totally
had their way with me by the time Lancaster and ELMER GANTRY exploded at
the packed 4000 seat Majestic. By the time her signature film, Kubrick's
SPARTACUS hit I had my own real flesh & blood, raven haired, soulful eyed
love, but I remained tied to Jean well into the 70's and occasional work
right up to 2009's SHADOWS IN THE SUN.
Of course there was all that wonderful TV work of her's as well, much of it
phantastic genre pieces: "North & South," "Inherit the Wind," "Murder She
Wrote," "Star Trek," "Dark Shadows," "Angel Falls," "In the Heat of the
Night."
Jean has said one of her fondest movie making memories occurred during the
long (multi year) shoot of SPARTACUS. Kirk Douglas was hanging on the cross,
lunch was called, the whole crew left, buuuut Kirk, hanging above them all,
loosing character, finally.
It will be tough looking into those eyes of yours on TCM, Jean, knowing
you're gone now. Hope you're finally at peace, at least.
Goodbye,
Father Geek
and finally: here's your son...
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+ Expand All
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so good in spartacus
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Okay, I know it wasn't him.
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...an obit for the English language,just murdered?
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properly. . .apparently they're not just. . .for teenagers. . .anymore.
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Wow. I need to see that. Excellent scene!
They always go in threes. RIP -
but it's January. January. Spellcheck. Anyone?
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Jan 29, 2010 5:23:21 PM CST
She was hot. Another loss to the ravages of time.
by stereotypical evil archer
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I always imagined him as an only child. RIP Jean Simmons anyway.
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"Janurary" could be a simple typo. But "to gather my composer" doesn't get a scornful comment?
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Cam I assume that ellipse comment wasn't for me?
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I thought the same thing (I think). I was thinking "at last. No more frigging farewell Kiss tours or family jewels".
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Yes, . . . the comment . . .was in response to the article not your post. . .It was bad timing. . . Sorry.
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I don't wish death on anyone, but let's just say that Kiss' Gene Simmons should retire in peace.
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well done sir. I have to admit I've never seen UNTIL THEY SAIL, but that clip got me interested as I watched two natural talents - who eventually became masters of their craft - at work. Just goes to show, you don't always need explosions or fancy-shmancy spfx to draw a viewer in.
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How does he feel about being gathered?
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rocking all night no more.
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hah but seriously what ep was she in star trek?
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THE NEXT GENERATION episode entitled "The Drumhead". She played a Starfleet Admiral who was looking for traitors within the Federation. Best part is when she accuses Picard of being one himself & goes all batshit-crazy on him! Great performances by Ms. Simmons & Patrick Stewart in an episode that focused more on acting rather than the usual spfx.
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Always liked her in Great Expectations and the Robe. Really a classy lady.
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No wonder Harry can't type worth a damn. Sins of the father and all.
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Jan 29, 2010 7:11:11 PM CST
I would of prefered if this article was about the KISS lead sing
by linguo_is_dead
because, you know, waste of space and all.
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This is gonna start some interesting rumors among people who think it's the guy from Kiss!
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and partied every day.
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she gave great tongue too.
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Took you a while Harry.
But Jean Simmons was one of the most beautiful ladies to grace the silver screen. Bottomline. -
... from BLACK NARCISSUS.
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KISS was big when I was in High School, but not at all to me. One day a friend of mine said he had a picture of Gene Simmons in his locker. I didn't know who Gene Simmons was, but I knew who Jean Simmons was and I said, "What, in the nude?" He didn't know who Jean Simmons was.
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Didn't Jean Simmons recently say: "I get 100 fan letters a week. My favorite one said: I love the way you spit up blood." ..... RIP J-e-a-n Simmons. May 1000 retarded KISS fans guide thee to thy rest.
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...but it's kinda funny that this was mentioned on a talkback last weekend. So Harry's dad doesn't even check out this site?
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No, I asked him to write it yesterday, since he grew up watching her since she was a teenager. I didn't write it because other than her main work, I felt inadequate in discussing her as I knew my father would having been smitten with her for ages.
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he's not only going to post when someone dies
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with Robert Mitchum? Very little known film noir directed by Otto Preminger. Simmons plays completely against type as a cold blooded psycho bitch hiding behind the sweet, innocent facade. One of her best roles.
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And a great actress too. She will missed.
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in Great Expectations.
great work in "The Thornbirds" decades later. -
...decades later, in the Disney TV miniseries that also starred Anthony Hopkins as Magwich. It's not available on DVD, sadly. And yeah, she was GREAT in that Star Trek: TNG episode!
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I hadn't realized she was the mad admiral in TNG's "The Drumhead", but she was pretty good there (aside from not being in uniform). I did however remember her quite well from Spartacus, Elmer Gantry, The Big Country, and Guys & Dolls, and her passing is quite a sad one, she had one of those personalities that fit her cinematic era perfectly, either she was made for the silver screen, or it was made for her.
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great story.
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What was problem that she had?
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My 35th birthday was on the same...Jan 27th...Long live Aquarians!
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..and as I said, I thought it was a nice tribute. I was just making a joke as to why he didn't know about her death for several days after it was mentioned in the talkbacks.
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Better late than never, and better meaningful than not. Mind you, next time you're within bitch-slapping distance of young Harry, just reach out and cuff the lad. Then when he turns and asks what that was for, hit him again. Harder. When he asks what THAT was for, just hold him in your stare until he breaks your gaze, looks down and mumbles something about being tired out after watching DVDs all week in preparation for maybe/maybe not writing his review column.
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I saw that in the ST:TNG next week's promo for
"The Drumhead" and was like "Damn." -
Catch up on McMahon, and John Quade, and we'll call it even.
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AWESOME MOVIE. Jean Simmons was like the rich man's version of Audrey Hepburn and a better actress. If you haven't see So Long at the Fair check it out. She was also in Spartacus, Guys and Dolls, Grass is Greener and many man kickass movies. For those in their 30s, she's probably most recognized for North and South, Thorn Birds and Star Trek
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Yes, that's a joke.
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"HOW DARE YOU INVOKE MY FATHERS NAME AT THIS TRIBUNAL!!!!"
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First, RIP. I wasn't sure who she was when I first read of her passing so I checked IMDb. Still wasn't sure, so I did a Yahoo image search. "Oooooh!" Then I knew who she was. Odd how many things she'd been in that I love (including Trek, where she gave a great performance - I knew she was good for a reason there) but that I didn't know her by name. I actually own a few movies on DVD she's in. Another great one gone. Again, RIP. Do people really think that every contributor to AICN reads every post on every talkback? Do you read every post on every talkback, or even every talkback? I'm guessing most people don't.
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Jan 30, 2010 7:28:42 PM CST
thank you father geek...for bringing some class to this site
by brabon300
despite the idiot kiss references from some talkbackers ms simmons was pure hollywood royalty...and for those idiots making light, watch her in great expectations and guys and dolls and try not to fall madly in love
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I'd never seen her in anything until I watched Black Narcissus, she was pretty young. Stone fox!!
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You truly will always be "The God of Thunder" to this fan.
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She will live on.
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the Roman Holiday takeoff, where she ironically plays the Audrey Hepburn role (who she was mistaken for all the time). She didn't do a lot of comedy, so I'm glad she did that, Also, old Jet fans might remember her in the Heidi-bowl tv movie.
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has to be one of the great malapropisms of all time.
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She was in one of the Heidi movies as the governess. Of course I wasn't around then but as you say that famous Jets/movie of the week incident is legend. Hepburn was the epitome of lovely but was so fucking annoying as an actress and didn't even do her own singing. Jean had a much more versatile career and was just as lovely but a much better actress. Could Hepburn pulled off the role Spartacus? Jean was great in action movies to musicals to mysteries to romances. Actor singer dancer. Hepburn was marginal at even one.
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Your one-stop source for absurdist humor is THE DAILY ABSURDIST: http://thedailyabsurdist.blogspot.com/
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This lady played with several of the great and sometimes very difficult leading men of her time--Brando, Lancaster, Burton, etc.--and did it so well! Thank you for the tribute.
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And shilling in a memorial, tribute Talkback. Have you no shame?
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Could be he's dead?
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When was the 22th? Was it before or after the 22nd?
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When they force a carriage return because they have a really small desktop setup. Or they just don't know how to setup a larger display. Or their vision is so bad that they have to use a small display setting on a big monitor. Man, this type of shit really annoys me.
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It is too bad that a man writes a heartfelt tribute and all that most can see are the jokes and misspellings. Thanks for the memories Father Geek... may she rest in peace.
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Ok, Harry. You go get him. The rest of us will try to pay tribute to Jean Simmons...
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