That Was the Broadcaster That Was

David Frost, an integral part of Richard Nixon’s legacy-shopping tour, has died of a heart attack at the age of 74. In more good news for the cruise industry, he had been in the middle of a lecture aboard the Queen Elizabeth at the time. Frost got his start as the perfect straightman to anchor the BBC’s satirical take on world events That Was The Week That Was, which boasted a writing staff that included John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Peter Cook. After 2 successful seasons, the BBC canceled it for fear of affecting the 1964 elections, so Frost brought his show to America under the same title. He returned with The Frost Report, more satire and sketches notable for bringing together Chapman, Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Frost moved from comedy into in-depth interviews, including eight prime ministers and seven US presidents, most notably Nixon two years after his resignation. In those interviews, Nixon alternated between his version of contrition and contentiousness, insisting "When the president does it, that means it's not illegal," in between asking about Frost’s fornicating. Frost was the first host of Inside Edition, lasting just 3 weeks before producers decided that Frost’s combination of wit, gravitas, integrity and intelligence was poorly suited to the program and replaced him with Bill O'Reilly.

Unjustified

Or

Author in the Hole

Or 

Be Cold

Or 

Out of Sight

Elmore Leonard, a prolific crime novelist dubbed a master of the genre for novels like “Get Shorty,” “Freaky Deaky” and “Glitz” by people who didn’t read “Pronto” and “Raylan,” has died at the age of 87. Credited with elevating the crime genre by those who failed to realize he was really just Mickey Spillane Redux, Leonard did create Deputy US Marshall Raylan Givens, who is so much cooler as embodied by Timothy Olyphant on the Peabody Award-winning FX original series Justified than he’s ever been on paper. Others among Leonard’s 45 novels are “Be Cool,” “Out of Sight,” “Hombre,” and “3:10 to Yuma,” and “Rum Punch,” which was turned into the movie Jackie Brown. Although he acknowledged his approval of Justified, and cashed the checks for the rights to his novels that became movies, he was generally dismissive of adaptations of his work. When his novel The Big Bounce was made a movie in 1969, he declared it “at least the second-worst movie ever made.” Once he saw the 2004 remake, he said he knew what the worst one was. His spare style was exemplified with his 10 rules of writing, which included: “Try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip,” and “If it sounds like writing, rewrite it.” 

Blame It on the Hasty Coma

(Props to Monty) 

Or

Softly, As She Leaves Us

Eydie Gorme, who teamed with husband Steve Lawrence to swim in Frank Sinatra’s wake, but never picked up a check, has died at the age of 84. The duo filled casinos and Branson theaters for decades, offering a steady barrage of pop standards with a polished tux-and-gown, old married couple banter routine, beacons of civility rising above the ever-changing musical landscape of rock, disco, grunge, rap, ska and whatever the hell it is Arcade Fire does. The duo won a Grammy for best pop duo in 1960 and an Emmy in 1979 for outstanding comedy-variety or music program for “Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin.” Occasionally, she stepped out on her own, winning a Grammy nomination for her 1963 hit “Blame It on the Bossa Nova,” and winning an international audience by singing “Amor” in Spanish. She got her start with a two-week gig on The Steve Allen Show that turned into a permanent job as the show evolved into The Tonight Show. Gorme also found a husband in Lawrence, a cast member on the show, who she married in 1957. 

Donovan’s Grief

Art Donovan, the oral historian of Baltimore Colts football, has died of a respiratory ailment at the age of 89. The only member of the worst defense in NFL history to make the Hall of Fame, Donovan spent 12 years in pro football, then spent the rest of his life telling people about it with tales of gridiron glory from the time when concussions were cool and not Exhibits A-XYZ and the NFL was populated by "oversized coal miners and West Texas psychopaths." Donovan’s grandfather, Mike, was a world middleweight champion who gave boxing lessons to Teddy Roosevelt, his father, Arthur Sr, was a referee inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and Donovan got shot in the ass on Okinawa during World War II, so he had a lifetime of stories even before he sacked a drunken Bobby Layne in the middle of a game. Each of the first 3 pro teams Donovan played for folded before he found a permanent home in 1953 in Baltimore, where he was All-NFL for four straight years, played in five consecutive Pro Bowls and helped win consecutive world championships in 1958 and 1959.