[Spotlight Post] A Week of Losses

Wow, this has been a hard week for authors and actors. This is going to be a general memorial spotlight post for all of them. I mentioned Neal Barrett, Jr. on Wednesday. Then yesterday we lost three in a day – Ruth Robinson Duccini, Russell Johnson, and Dave Madden.

I already wrote about Neal, and other people have said much more eloquent things than me about him and his work. He was a gentleman, an excellent writer, and a great loss to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Community. A lost keenly felt by Texans in particular, because Neal was one of ours. He was (and will continue to be) someone we admire and strive to be like.

Russell Johnson was iconic as the Professor in Gilligan’s Island. I remember loving watching the show as a kid – and my mom hating it. I never quite knew what my mother’s issue is with the show – except for the mighty ridiculousness of it. But it was a majorly influential show. Everyone knows Gilligan’s Island. Everyone knows the Professor could ‘ve probably built a microwave from coconut shells and bamboo somehow, but still, somehow, couldn’t fix the boat… Of course, I always remembered wanting the male castaways’ clothes – they were stain-resistant and self-repairing beyond the magical. And I learned to over pack from the Howell’s and the female castaways. But the Professor was always a beloved character.

I wasn’t as big a fan of The Partridge Family, but Dave Madden’s Ruben Kincaid was a long suffering manager and agent. I don’t know any agent/manager who would’ve taken on a family band and dealt with small children and teenagers who were also musicians. That’s a whole lot of weird temperament to deal with. But he was more than that. He was the father/uncle figure. He filled more than just a business role with the band/family. He also show that “craggy”/”Grumpy” could also be FUNNY. He wasn’t just the “straight man” to whom things happened. He was funny on his own. He will be missed.

And we also lost Ruth Robinson Duccini. Ms. Duccini isn’t the household name that Johnson and Madden might have been, but she was iconic in her own way. Ms. Duccini was the final female member of the Lollipop Guild alive, and one of the last two Munchkins. The Munchkins were essential to The Wizard of OZ, and she was part of a contingent we won’t ever see again thanks to CGI. In the days of The Wizard of OZ, they had to cast a real person for each Munchkin. Now… not so much. Ms. Duccini will live forever as part of this vital film and Pop Culture.

What was amazing about all of these people? They had full lives. These were not “Die Young Leave a Good-Looking Corpse” people. These were “in it for the long run” people. These artists worked long and hard and lived long and full lives. They made a mark. We will remember them.

Tags: actors, Author, Dave Madden, Gilligan's Island, Hollywood, Neal Barret Jr, Partridge Family, Russell Johnson, Ruth Robinson Duccini