Another Sad Loss, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Here is the late Karen Black in my favorite dress, and the role and movie I will most remember her for--country singer Connie White, in Robert Altman's 1975 masterwork, "Nashville."

                                        I think the first time I saw Karen Black on screen was when she played the role of "The Monkey" (real name--Mary Jane Reed) in the absolutely awful film version of Philip Roth's adolescent minded novel, "Portnoy's Complaint, (1972) featuring a well cast Richard Benjamin.  In the novel from which the film was based, her character speaks (though I am not sure if Karen said them in the movie) those now immortal words, coined by Roth, which I use to humorously torment my upstairs neighbor, who, humorously is terrified--absolutely TERRIFIED!!!!!!--of having two HOMOSEXUALS living beneath him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           Those immortal words are--"Oh, do it to me, Big Boy!  Oh,   shove it in me, Big Boy!  Big Boy!  Big BOOOOOOOOOOOY!"   The last I added on my own!

                                             Of course, I loved Karen in "Five Easy Pieces."  I had forgotten she was in "Easy Rider," and "Nashville" remains my favorite.  But she is also good in the film version of "Burnt Offerings," as uneven as that movie was, and she is fabulous in "Trilogy Of Terror."  Was there a doll story in that???????  I think so.

                                               I knew Karen had been suffering from cancer for years.  I had first read it was bone cancer, but now I understand it was an advanced form of pancreatic, one of the toughest cancers of all!!!!!!!!!!!  Karen Black left us yesterday, and this is sad news indeed.  But she left behind a tremendous body of work to draw from, and the intelligence and humor she brought to her acting will always live on in memory and on celluloid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 Here is Karen singing "Memphis," from "Nashville," which she wrote both music and lyrics for.

                                                   And, much as I adore Julie Christie, my favorite film moment of hers came in "Nashville," when Julie makes an appearance at the night club where Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson) is, and says to him, "Oh, come on, Haven; she can't even comb her own hair!"

                                                    Also, remember, darlings, Connie White and Barbara Jean NEVER appear together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Farewell, Karen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!