Ritter, Cash, Bronson... An Appreciation

Death… it's an unavoidable part of everyone's life. It just seems strange when it happens to someone in the limelight, and even more so when said figures are "bigger than life." Men such as Charles Bronson and Johnny Cash shouldn't have succumbed to pneumonia or diabetes - they were too tough for that. \nBy the same token, it seems odd to see someone like John Ritter pass on too. No, he wasn't the mythic badass that the aforementioned two were, but an everyman - someone you could easily imagine being your father or uncle, and that makes his passing all the more difficult. \nRitter was born into Hollywood as the son of country western singer/actor Tex Ritter (best known for having performed the theme to High Noon). He came to fame via the role of Jack Tripper on '70s sitcom phenom "Three's Company." \nThe promise he showed within the realm of physical comedy led to what would become one of his best-known and received bits of filmmaking, Blake Edwards' Skin Deep. He followed that film with the insanely stupid but nonetheless entertaining Problem Child flicks, where he would work with his future wife, longtime "Wings" staple Amy Yasbeck. \nMuch of the '90s were slow for Ritter, though he did turn in subtly beautiful work in his friend Billy Bob Thornton's masterful directorial debut Sling Blade and later turned in a piece of none-too-subtle, ham-fisted acting in the 1998 campfest Bride of Chucky. \nIt's a pity that someone as relatively young as Ritter (he was 54) had to die, especially when Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl lived to see the ripe old age of 101 before dying early last week.\nMost, me included, were saddened to see Johnny Cash go. The Man in Black was distinctly American. Those who didn't like him only had one reason for doing so; they were ignorant and knew nothing of the man or his talents.\nWith cuts like "Ring of Fire," "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues" and one of my personal favorites, the lesser-known "The Man Comes Around," among his credits, the man was an icon of both country and rock music. His appeal knew no bounds, as the 71-year-old received six MTV Video Music Awards nods for his heartbreaking rendition of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" last month.\nThough I, among numerous others, will miss both the man and his music, there's a certain beauty in his passing. His beloved wife and frequent collaborator, June Carter Cash, passed away in May. She was the woman who led Cash back to religion and sobriety after he had spent much of the '60s in a stupor, and they remained married for 35 years. If there's a heaven above, the two of them are up there making some of the sweetest damned music you're ever likely to hear.\nThough dated, Charles Bronson's passing also had quite an effect on me. The puma-faced actor (who's real name was Charles Buchinsky) always reminded me of my grandfather, fitting, as both were tough guy sons of Lithuanian immigrants. Bronson never achieved the success he fully deserved and only became a marquee name once he hit his late 40s. Most associate him with the ill-fated Death Wish franchise, which is unfortunate, as he starred in many of the '60s best action and western pictures. \nHis portrayal of Bernardo O'Reilly in The Magnificent Seven is a work of staggering genius. Not that it was a great performance per se, but he managed to out-cool the likes of Steve McQueen, James Coburn and yes, even Yul Brynner. He followed this with The Great Escape. Again managing to stick out among a highly reputable ensemble, one that would re-team him with McQueen and Coburn, as well as James Garner and Richard Attenborough, as the very cool Flight Lt. Danny "The Tunnel King" Velinski (a direct influence on the Andy Dufresne character from The Shawshank Redmeption). Last, but certainly not least, is The Dirty Dozen. Bronson, alongside tough S.O.B. Lee Marvin, are the group's only survivors. To have outlived the likes of Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly "Kojak" Savalas, Ernest Borgnine, George Kennedy and Donald Sutherland on celluloid is quite the achievement. Suffice it to say, the man was a hardass. And let us not forget Once Upon a Time in the West, Sergio Leone's best spaghetti western barn-none, and the one in which Bronson did in one film what it took Clint Eastwood to do in three - truly become the man with no name.\nTo these three men, I salute you and god bless you wherever you may be.