James Levine, “one of the world’s most influential and admired conductors”, according to the other paper of record.
Nicola Pagett, British actress. She was “Elizabeth Bellamy” on “Upstairs, Downstairs”.
Barbara Rickles, Don’s wife.
By many accounts, the Rickleses had one of the happiest marriages in show business. They socialized often with another enduring Hollywood couple, Bob and Ginny Newhart. Don Rickles died at 90 in 2017.
Barbara Rickles helped produce the Emmy-winning documentary “Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project” (2007) and the 2020 release “Don Rickles Live in Concert.” Don Rickles, in serious moments, would note that he was nearly 40 on his wedding day and had struggled for years to find someone.
“I advise any young person that gets married, really, work at it. If you work at it, it’s delightful,” he said in 1986, during one of his many appearances on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, whom he would tease endlessly about his multiple marriages.
Burning in Hell watch: Ronald DeFeo.
Mr. DeFeo was convicted in 1975 on six counts of second-degree murder after he confessed to using a rifle to shoot and kill his father, Ronald DeFeo Sr.; his mother, Louise; his sisters, Dawn and Allison; and his brothers, Mark and John Matthew.
The victims were found in their beds with gunshot wounds on Nov. 13, 1974. Mr. DeFeo, the oldest of the siblings, was 23 at the time.
The historical significance of this is: the DeFeo’s old house in Amityville was sold to another couple a year later.
Yeah, that house.
James Levine played a fairly big part in my listening life, a long time back.
And I would have been 12 or so when Upstairs/Downstairs was on. Nicola Pagett was a hottie.
I don’t specifically recall at the moment when “Upstairs, Downstairs” was on PBS in the US, so I can’t say how old I was. Whenever it was on, it was not something my family watched at the time, so I missed Ms. Pagett’s charms.
Now that I’m older, I could stand to watch that series. But the thing I missed when it was on and really want to see now is “I, Claudius”.
Fortunately, I believe both of those are on DVD. “Claudius” is on my wish list.