3's Company John Ritter Dies/Johnny Cash Too- Page 2

[Al Dente]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 5:54pm

Very sad, very unexpected. He was so young. Thanks for the article Theaterbaby. Condolences to Mr. Ritter and Mr. Cashs' families.

[singnyc]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 6:01pm

Suzanne Sommers is supposed to be on Larry King Live tonight sharing her memories of John.

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 6:03pm

I am an avid fan of Johnny Cash, and was utterly upset when I heard the news this morning. However, I was never really much of a fan of John Ritter. But it is a sad thing.

"I still miss someone..."

[Max Bialystock]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 6:17pm

singnyc writes:
"Suzanne Sommers is supposed to be on Larry King Live tonight sharing her memories of John."

Oh, my God no...
...They're not bumping Queen Noor -- again!

[Tiny_Dancer]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 6:50pm

Shocking!!!!
My prayers to both the Cash and Ritter families.

[dotmarie]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 8:48pm

It's so awful about them both. I can't get over John Ritter. I was upset all day today. He had such amazing talent, and was so young; I'm not going to be able to watch Three's Company without crying now.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 10:44pm

If anyone reads this thread in the next couple of minutes, put on 20/20.
They are about to do a piece on John Ritter.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 10:52pm

I heard Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News refer to Johnny Cash and John Ritter as "two giants of the entertainment industry." I know people are prone to hyperbole at times such as these, but Cash - giant; Ritter - not.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 11:03pm

That may be, but John Ritter is getting much more press over his death because of how he died and that fact that he was so young.
I'm sure he'll be on one of the upcoming People magazine covers before Johnny Cash is.
Plus, John Ritter is a TV icon. He was a baby boomer. I'm sure more than half of the population of the United States would recognize a picture of John Ritter before recognizing a picture of Johnny Cash. Not to undermind Johnny Cash's death. It's very sad that they both died; but at least Mr. Cash had a long life.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 11:10pm

Yes, I agree that 55 is relatively young. I am not sure what making a People cover proves, exactly, but I am sure it has meaning for those for whom it has meaning. I respectfully disagree about the percentage of Americans who would recognize a picture of Ritter over a picture of Cash, not that that proves anything either.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 9/12/03 at 11:37pm

Just for the record he was 54.
The People magazine comment was just to emphasize how the media deals with things. It's like when News programs fight for the biggest stories to be told on their program first; Magazines do the same as far as covers and articles. And I just think that his cause of death along with his popularity would make him more marketable.

[CourtneyM]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 12:38am

it's very very sad. i was so shocked to hear john ritter died, i mean he was so young. it's also very sad that johnny cash died. they will both be missed

[DofB5]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 8:39am

Interesting to note that when your in your teens/twentys the 50's seem like "old" but when you hit middle age, Ahem, they don't seem that bad and when someone passes in their 50's we all say, "But he/she was so YOUNG!"

When we hit the 50's, what will we say about someone who passes in their 60's?

D

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 10:31am

Not for nothing, I was only talking about the hyperbole. "Giants of the entertainment industry." With Ritter it comes down to this: "Three's Company" (inexplicably popular in its day, it wasn't exactly respected or classy, "appointment TV," in spite of the juvenile giggles it inspired, including in me), "Sling Blade," (Billy Bob Thornton's film in which the phrase, "Wow, John Ritter was surprisingly good," surfaced in reviews and conversation), one later Neil Simon play (which was received as all later Neil Simon plays have been), and of course "8 Simple Things..." (an ABC/Disney family-ish sitcom that came as close to being a success as ABC is capable of producing at this point, and that ain't saying much). "Entertainment giant?"

Johnny Cash, on the other hand:


was this. [Click Here].

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 10:37am

Re Ritter, he is dead & I see nothing to be gained by taking pot shots at him. He was a recognizable star. If what he did was not your cup of tea, so be it. Let him rest in peace. My mother always used to say "don't speak ill of the dead"

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 10:45am

Of course we know what Bette Davis said when something similar was said to her regarding the death of Joan Crawford. "They say we should only say nice things about the dead. She's dead. How nice."

Also, I have gone out of my way to point out that I wasn't speaking ill of Mr. Ritter. Sudden deaths are in general terrible for the dying and their survivors. My only point was to suggest that the immediate flood of hyperbole that always accompanies something like this, ie, NBC Nightly News lumping Cash and Ritter together as "Giants of the Entertainment Industry" because it made for an easy way to talk about two deaths, was, perhaps, a titch inaccurate. That's all. Criticism of NBC, not Jack Tripper.

Updated On: 9/13/03 at 10:45 AM

[etoile]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 12:14pm

In typical fashion, I'll take this thread in a different direction.

Interesting quote from Bette Davis. In fact, it's as though you can actually imagine the inflection in her voice as she spoke those words. What an actress!

After recently seeing POCKETFUL of MIRACLES I was reminded of the genius in Davis, Frank Capra, and Damon Runyon.

[lensman55]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 3:24pm

>As a youngn’ we always had Johnny Cash on the stereo. Sexy man >in black, sexy voice, sexy bad-boy.

While I enjoyed Cash's "bad boy" image and style. (The man just would [not] let anybody pigeonhole him.) I also enjoyed his later attempts at self-parody. "One Piece At A Time" (about a Cadillac worker who tries to steal a car off the assembly line one piece at a time over several years and "Chicken In Black" (Johnny Cash plays himself, getting a brain transplant from a bank robber) showed a bizarre sense of humor.

As far as John Ritter is concerned. He was a great comedian. He took Jack Tripper, a character from an English sit-com, and made him his own. I must be one of the few people who actually liked the movie about "Hell's Television." But I think it would be absurd hyperbole to refer to him as an "entertainment giant."

[sharon1]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 3:42pm

I was in the hospital with a broken back when Three's Company debuted on the telly. It made me laugh thru all the pain. I will never forget that

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 7:31pm

It's a shame that MTv blew their chance to honor Mr. Cash at the VMA's in August. He clearly had the best video of the year but went away empty handed. It would have been nice to see him win the award for video of the year. But I've come not to expect too much from the idiots who run MTv.

[DofB5]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 7:41pm

I know. That seems to happen with a lot of the award shows. They have the chance to honor someone who clearly has a lifetime of wonderful performances yet they don't choose them, even knowing they are in ill health and may not be around by the same time next year. I'm not saying they should give the award based on age/illness alone but like the saying goes, "Give me any flowers you want me to have and enjoy when I'm ALIVE. Don't cover my grave with them."

D Updated On: 9/14/03 at 07:41 PM

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 9:33pm

and in spite of Mr. Cash's passing, his Hurt was the best video of the year. If you haven't seen it I suggest searching for it online. Very haunting.....

Posted: 9/13/03 at 9:39pm

I heard that HURT was a Nine Inch Nails song? Is this true?

I both enjoyed John Ritter. He was the last of the great slapstick comedians who was able to mature into something more.

Loved him on Alley McBeal.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 10:35pm

Yep, it's a Nine Inch Nails song. There's a great live version of it with David Bowie from the Bowie/NiN tour out there too. Rick Rubin really knew how to find the perfect cover songs for Johnny Cash on his recent recordings.

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 9/13/03 at 10:52pm

Areinkingfan, you are truly an angel:)