RIP, continued ...

Sir Roger Moore (1927-2017), aged 89. Lots of people's favourite James Bond, Roger parlayed his astonishing good looks into a long career, aided by his debonair charm and those famous raised eyebrows. Like Sean Connery he too was a male model posing in all those cardigans and sweaters, before Hollywood came calling in the mid-Fifties, where he was soon co-starring with Elizabeth Taylor in THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS, Eleanor Parker in INTERRUPTED MELODY, Lana Turner in DIANE, a splendid MGM costumer, as was THE KING'S THIEF with David Niven, another of those debonair actors of whom Moore seemed the latest incarnation. Soon he was IVANHOE (I think I would have liked seeing that series) and in THE ALASKANS and MAVERICK

and hilariously out west in the rather homoerotic comedy western GOLD OF THE SEVEN SAINTS with Clint Walker (below) in 1961, where he sports a funny cod Oirish accent. One also fondly remembers THE MIRACLE, camp heaven with Carroll Baker, and THE SINS OF RACHEL CADE with Angie Dickinson. Then of course he was THE SAINT, which is still a treat to see those early 60s episodes now. And there was that famous marriage to Dorothy Squires ...

Bond of course was his greatest role and he played it eight times, I did not see them all, but liked THE SPY WHO LOVED ME most and VIEW TO A KILL where Roger and Grace Jones were an odd team.  He sauntered through other adventures (GOLD, ESCAPE TO ATHENA and more) before retiring from acting and becoming an UNICEF Ambassador, like his good friend Audrey Hepburn. (We will have to overlook BOAT TRIP and another dreadful one with Michael Caine which I imagine not many saw). It was also a pleasure to see him sending himself up in a VICTORIA WOOD TV SPECIAL. The tribures and obituaries are of course fulsome for this charming, funny, self deprecating stalwart of the movie scene, ever since I was a kid. 

Dina Merrill (1923-2017), aged 93. Socialite, heiress, philanthropist and actress, Dina probably had her best role as the neglected wife in 1960's BUTTERFIELD 8, and also scored in DESK SET, OPERATION PETTICOAT, and was quite effective in THE SUNDOWNERS, THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER, THE YOUNG SAVAGES, A WEDDING, THE PLAYER. She also did a lot of television. She had been launched as 'a new Grace Kelly' ....