Broadway veteran Fritz Weaver, 90, died November 25 at his Manhattan home. In 1958 Weaver worked with Lillian Gish in the Broadway production of T.S. Eliot's "The Family Reunion" at The Phoenix Theater. The play ran for 32 performances, October 20 to November 16, 1958. Lead actor in the pay was Conrad Bain and Lillian Gish played the role of Agatha. Weaver won a Tony Award in 1970 for the Robert Marasco Roman Catholic boys school drama, "Child's Play." He had a long career in film, TV, and theater.
Playwright David Berry, who wrote the play and screenplay "The Whales of August" died December 16 at his Brooklyn home. He was 73 and had a heart attack.
Berry wrote the screenplay for the 1987 movie version of "The Whales of August," directed by British director Lindsay Anderson and starring Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, Ann Southern, Vincent Price, Harry Carey, Jr., Mary Steenbergen, Tisha Sterling (Southern's daughter) and Diane Ladd. This was Lillian's last film.
"The Whales of August" was filmed on location at Cliff Island, Maine, in the Casco Bay in the late summer and fall of 1986. Lillian celebrated her October 14th birthday on the island. The cast lived in trailers on the island during the production because the ferry ride from Portland was long, the ocean could be rough and the fog very thick. It was a great screenplay and a great film. Ann Southern was nominated for an Academy Award for her robust and appealing supporting role as Tisha.
Lillian Gish and Vincent Price in "The Whales of August" 1987. The film was about two elderly sisters coming to terms with their relationship, families, and their remaining time together in Lillian's Maine vacation cabin as winter approaches. Vincent Price plays Lillian's romantic interest. The play/film is set in the 1950s. It is a lovely film about how relationships change and grow over time. It is told from the perspective of the elder stars and is not explained to the audience by younger cast members.
-30-
Jim Patterson, Editor
Writer/Speaker/Blogger
Celebrating the Life and Legend of Lillian Gish
December 27, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment