The Reluctant Blogger

It was a bad weekend for celebrity deaths.

First, Saturday would have been George Harrison's 63rd birthday. He had so much more music to share. I've just started to appreciate his last album, "Brainwaves."

Second, Don Knotts died over the weekend. He was one of my favorite comedic actors. I appreciate his work on "The Andy Griffith Show" and regret that a comic genius had to play the role of Mr. Furley on a bottom-feeder show like "Three's Company," but I truly enjoyed his films. As a journalist, I still get a kick out of "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." I still chuckle at "The Reluctant Astronaut." "The Simpsons" did a great spoof of that film when Homer goes to space and the inanimate carbon rod gets all the attention.

Of course his best film was "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." I introduced my kids to that film a few months ago and they loved it just the way I did at their age. I figure I liked it because it showed how a misfit could contribute to a cause bigger than himself -- and still get the girl, er, fish, in this case.

And, yes, I did put Don Knotts on the front page of the paper.

Third, Darren McGaven died Saturday. I loved him in "A Christmas Story" as the classic grumpy dad. Every family has debates like the "lamp" and its glow of electric sex in the window of Cleveland Street. More, though, McGaven will always be "The Night Stalker" to me. I loved that show. It was like "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Rockford Files" -- shows I watched with my dad and cherish the simple time together.

Thought: All things must pass, but luckily we have DVDs and CDs to keep enjoying the works of the greats.