A thought on Anne Bancroft's death

[xiphias]

This is maybe a little morbid . . .

It occurred to me that now, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder are both widowers, whose beloved wives both died untimely early (I consider 73 to be relatively young these days -- it didn't used to be, but now, it seems young). And I was wondering what kind of art they might make together based on the notions of loss that they've both experienced.

And I was wondering about other comedians -- Bill Cosby, for instance, whose son was brutally murdered in a carjacking.

Would the three of them have something to say together, about loss, about sorrow, about mourning when much of your identity is as a comedian?

Comments

[vuurvasthouden.livejournal.com]

Actually,

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5809-2005Mar27.html

might give you some insight into Gene Wilder's POV (but the book might be a worthwhile read for further insight).

And this is Oprah & Camille on Ennis's death:

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/200005/omag_200005_features3.jhtml

And I'm sure we'll have to wait a bit to see what Mel has to say. I'm just deeply saddened by this (I really liked Ms. Bancroft, and was really amused by her cameo in Dracula: Dead & Loving It).

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Well, I was aware that Cosby and Wilder had already done some stuff on their own losses. What I was really wondering about is if they'd have anything interesting to say in collaboration.

[mattblum.livejournal.com]

Gene Wilder remarried in 1991 (Gilda Radner died in 1989), to Karen Boyer, and they've been married since, so he's not really a widower. Wilder has published two books, one back in '96 called Gilda's Disease [etc.], and another, just a few months ago, called Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art, which is essentially an autobiography. He's already tried to say something along the lines of what you're suggesting, but then of course he's had the longest of the three to work on it.

I'm sure their experiences of loss are vastly different from each other. I mean, Radner was only (almost) 43 when she died, she had not been sick for that long, and she and Wilder had been married for less than five years. Anne Bancroft was 73, had been ill for a while, and she and Brooks had been married for over 40 years. Bill Cosby's situation is of course completely different, since not only was it his child who died, but the death was so completely unexpected and senseless.

It would be interesting to see what they could come up with together, but I don't think it's likely to happen. Speaking of comedians discussing serious issues like illness and loss, you should see Julia Sweeney's God Said, 'Ha!' if you haven't already. I was never a big fan of hers on SNL, but the movie is well worth seeing.