This has been a hard week and not just for the Television Crossover Hall of Fame....
Los Angeles AP —
Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died.
Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday, family spokesperson Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88.
McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No cause was given.
From Wikipedia:
Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American country singer, songwriter, and actor.
Kristofferson was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a more raw, introspective style.
He released his debut album "Kristofferson" in 1970. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night", all of which became hits for other artists. Kristofferson was also a member of the country music supergroup the Highwaymen between 1985 and 1995. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
During the 1970s, Kristofferson also embarked on a successful career as a Hollywood actor. He became known for his roles in "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973), "Blume in Love" (1973), "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974), and "A Star Is Born" (1976); for the latter, he earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. His acting career waned somewhat following his role in the box office bomb "Heaven's Gate" (1980), but he continued to act in films such as "Stagecoach" (1986), "Lone Star" (1996), and the "Blade" film trilogy (1998–2004).
Kristofferson will be remembered for so many great songs, especially “Me And Bobby McGee”, no matter which gender you prefer for Bobby. But there were so many movies which would have made somebody unfamiliar with his career think that he had studied acting and trod the boards to hone his craft.
But when it came to his work in television, I’ve looked through his credits and I was surprised I had never even heard of most of them. He played Sam Houston and Abe Lincoln? Why didn’t I know this?
But when it comes to his televersion in the League of Themselves, there may not be many in the collection, but they are cherce.
S8 E187 (SINGERS & SONGWRITERS)
S9 E17 (SINGERS & SONGWRITERS)
S10 E215 (CANNES)
O’Bservation:
More than most other talk shows, ‘The Merv Griffin Show’ has a televersion, thanks to an episode of ‘Seinfeld’. I hope to find some pictures from any of his appearances with Merv.
He hosted and was one of the musical guests (along with his wife at the time, Rita Coolidge)
Once again he was teamed up with Rita Coolidge.
O'Bservation:
Like many of the guests in this salute to Joan Rivers' "friend" Heidi, Kristofferson appeared as a talking head with his reminiscences of her.
ARTHUR'S CRISES (1994)
Although Arthur is having an affair, Larry worries that he is being courted for another job.
THE DOTTIE WEST STORY (1995)
From Wikipedia:
"Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story" is a 1995 American television biopic about the life of country music singer Dottie West portrayed by Michele Lee. Bill D'Elia directed the film which was shot in Nashville, TN, between July 11 and August 4, 1994. The film first aired on January 22, 1995, on CBS.
The movie chronicles the life and rise to fame of country music singer Dottie West (Lee).
In addition to Kenny Rogers, country singers Larry Gatlin and Loretta Lynn (close friends of West's) portrayed themselves, [O’Bservation: also Chet Atkins & Kristofferson] and Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson also provide narration. West's family, including her children (Mo, Kerry, Shelly, Dale) helped with the making of the movie.
O’Bservation:
Kristofferson was again a talking head with this production. Kristofferson not only played himself, but Tony Higgins portrayed his younger televersion.
"The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico" is a Canadian mockumentary film released in 2005. Written and directed by Michael Mabbott, the film stars Matt Murphy, a musician previously associated with the bands The Super Friendz and The Flashing Lights, as Guy Terrifico, a country singer long rumored to have died three decades earlier, but now re-emerging from his disappearance and releasing a new album.
O'Bservation:
Once again, Kristofferson was a talking head. He revealed that after thirty years, he had not forgotten that Terrifico owed him fifty bucks.
Welcome to the Hall. I’m sorry it took so long….
“Good night and may God bless.”
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