Arts' Greatest Generation Thinned in '07
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Tuesday, January 1, 2008
NEW YORK
World War II service shaped the lives and careers of authors Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut, and in turn their works were profoundly influential in the Vietnam era.
Vonnegut turned his ordeal as a POW during the 1945 allied firebombing of Dresden, Germany, into his 1969 novel, "Slaughterhouse-Five." Its surrealistic approach made it a hit with young readers who questioned the Vietnam War.
Mailer made his name with the postwar novel "The Naked and the Dead," drawing on his war service. Two decades later, his 1968 account of Vietnam protesters' march on the Pentagon, "The Armies of the Night," won a Pulitzer Prize.
They were two of the artists, entertainers and pop culture figures who died in 2007.
Through such masterpieces as "The Seventh Seal," director Ingmar Bergman combined startling imagery and a deep understanding of human nature. Michelangelo Antonioni, who died the same day as Bergman, explored alienation in films such as "L'Avventura."
Along with their artistry on the opera stage, Luciano Pavarotti and Beverly Sills had star personalities that brought them millions of fans, most of whom saw them only on television. Pianist Oscar Peterson and drummer Max Roach were remembered as geniuses in the jazz world.
Many entertainers who died in 2007 predated the era when bluejeans and brutal candor became the norm for celebrities young and old.
Scottish-born Deborah Kerr epitomized elegance when she danced in 19th-century finery in "The King and I." A smooth baritone in a tuxedo didn't go out of style if the voice belonged to the likes of Robert Goulet. Rhinestone suits were the proper attire for country star Porter Wagoner.
Oscar-winner Jane Wyman's old-fashioned class showed when she maintained silence about her failed marriage to Ronald Reagan. ("It's bad taste to talk about ex-husbands and ex-wives," she said.)
Television greats who died included Merv Griffin and syndicator Roger M. King, talk show host Tom Snyder and comic actor Tom Poston.
Here's, a roll call of some of the notables in the arts and popular culture who died in 2007.
