From: Albertus Magnus Area: Metaphysical To: All 22 Aug 94 23:31:28 Subject: The Week in Death: August 5-11 UpdReq QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "When I die, I want to decompose in a barrel of porter and have it served in all the pubs in Dublin. I wonder would they know it was me?" --J.P. Donleavy, "The Ginger Man " THE WEEK IN DEATH (August 5-August 11) IDA CHAGALL (78), Marc's only child. PETER CUSHING (81), actor. If not for Cushing, Hammer Studios might have had just a string of schlock horror instead of an =oeuvre=. In "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell," "Frankenstein Created Woman," and "Frankenstein Must be Destroyed," Cushing played the evil Baron as obsessive, cold-blooded, aristocratic, and =creepy=, bringing to the role the same control and focus he brought to the role of Osric in Olivier's film of "Hamlet." By refusing to take even a tentative nibble at the scenery or wink at the audience, Cushing elevated what would have otherwise been a bunch of throwaway drive-in flicks to eminently watchable films. Though early in his career he made a series of movies based on the classics, he became indelibly associated with his horror roles -- Frankenstein, Dracula, Van Helsing, to the point where just casting him was a sort of directors' shorthand. When he appeared as the Commander of the Death Star in Star Wars, we immediately intuited that the Empire must indeed be corrupt if it was in the hands of someone like him. Other films include: "Beau Brummel," "Tales from the Crypt," "Pride and Prejudice," "Dr. Phibes Rises Again," "The Man in the Iron Mask," "The House That Dripped Blood," and "The Hound of the Baskervilles." BUFF DONELLI (87), athlete/coach. Donelli had several interesting distinctions. In 1941, he became the first man to simultaneously coach a college football team (Duquesne, undefeated season) and a pro club (the Steelers, 0-5 under his tenure); no one has done it since. In 1957, he coached Columbia U. to a 6-1 record in the Ivy League (6-3 overall), to share the league title with Harvard, the only time those urban brainiacs have ever come close to a championship. He was also the only American to score in the 1934 World Cup, in a 7-1 first round loss to Italy. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Speaking of the Mundial, was anyone else as infuriated by those moronic sportswriters and network prognosticators who kept insisting that Americans would never watch soccer because it's too slow and low-scoring? As if all those millions of couch divots watch golf because it's such a fast-paced, high scoring, thrills 'n' chills kinda sport... A Faithful Reader has already leapt to defend the dullards who tune in to network golf, noting that ``a gazillion people watch golf because a gazillion people play golf, and they like to see how it's supposed to be done, since a few thousand of them worldwide actually play it with any talent.'' When TWIDman expressed some skepticism (okay, okay, our voice was dripping with sarcasm) that any amateur hacker has ever actually improved his or her game by watching the pros, this FR acknowledged that watching golf on the tube actually ``makes them worse, if anything, because they emulate the style not the substance. I read somewhere that in the U.S., 10% of all golfers regularly break 100 and 1% break 90. Yet I bet they all watch on TV.'' With defenders like these, golf doesn't need us. ROBERT HUTTON (73), actor. A star in a string of 1950s B movies, including "Time Out of Mind," "Destination Tokyo," and "And Baby Makes Three." PIERRE MENARD (53), musician. A violinist who was one of the founding members of the Vermeer Quartet. MANUEL CEPEDA VARGAS (NA), politician. A Colombian Senator and head of that country's Communist Party. Assassinated. From the There's Still Bargains Out There If You Know Where To Look For Them Department (TSBOTIYKWTLFTD): Say you're a biologist on the Shuttle, and your favorite newt has suddenly and inexplicably died. Ah! Such woe! You look to the Air Force flat-tops you're sharing quarters with for sympathy, but they're cracking wise about how the newt couldn't have gone belly up because, technically speaking, in space there is no ``up.'' What to do? Call Empathy Unlimited in Hollywood, Fla., a ``bereavement company'' that now has a 900 line staffed by professional shoulders-to-cry-on. According to founder Patricia Bell, Empathy Unlimited is getting tons of calls from people suffering from the death of a beloved pet. Dr. Bell and her staff offer consolation with an open, compassionate heart that helps callers deal with pain and loss, according to Dr. Bell, who tells mourners to ``close your eyes and thank them [the pet] for the love they have given you. Visualize them as being at peace, and know that the love that they have shared will remain with you always.'' Those who have lost someone special in their lives -- semiaquatic salamander or otherwise -- and need to talk to a stranger who cares, can call 900-225-CARE. Calls are $2.98 a minute, a true bargain for those who can get over a loss quickly. For those who can't, note that that rate translates to just under $180 per hour. Bob Hartley never charged that much. (The Week in Death is by Brian Santo, [B.SANTO@genie.geis.com].) 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718