RIP Angela Lansbury

[allezfred]

RIP Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury, Entrancing Star of Stage and Screen, Dies at 96

She played Mame and won five Tony Awards, received an honorary Oscar and starred for 12 seasons as Jessica Fletcher on 'Murder, She Wrote.'

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[AYS]

RIP Angela Lansbury. This one hurts. I was just thinking about her a couple of days ago, was talking about the movie Gaslight, and that got me thinking about seeing her as a fabulous Madame Rose on Broadway many years ago. What a legend.

ETA this lovely tribute:

https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1579922555129204736?s=20&t=LYWmxTsANWIg_Dip1UZa8g

 

[TOADS]

RIP Angela Lansbury..

My late wife just loved “Murder she Wrote” and had ideas of possible plot ideas.

Right now in heaven, my wife is talking Angela’s ear off..

 

[attyfan]

From Gaslight to Jessica Fletcher to Mrs. Potts ... RIP, Ms. Lansbury

 

[Wyliefan]

Oh no.

 

[allezfred]

It’s a testament to Lansbury’s skills as an actor that she made even the preposterous plots of Murder She Wrote compelling.

 

[tony]

RIP Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury, Entrancing Star of Stage and Screen, Dies at 96

She played Mame and won five Tony Awards, received an honorary Oscar and starred for 12 seasons as Jessica Fletcher on 'Murder, She Wrote.'

www.hollywoodreporter.com

I've watched every episode of Murder, She Wrote probably a good 5-10 times through and I have all of the novels that have been written as an addition to the show. I even have a pillow with a collage of Jessica Fletcher moments. Sigh I grew up loving Bedknobs & Broomsticks, and matched with my love for murder mysteries from a young age, my grandparents got me into MSW when it was in its original run as they knew I'd love it.

 

[vgerdes]

As others have said, this one hurts a little. RIP, Angela.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

She also played a hard-talking saloon entertainer named Em (much older than her actual age of not quite 20 when it was filmed in 1945) in "The Harvey Girls" (released in 1946), opposite Judy Garland and Cyd Charisse.

I remember her being quoted as being hissed at in public or something like that because her character was mean to Judy's sweet but feisty ingenue.

What an amazing career for a wonderful and accomplished performer. RIP Jessica/Mrs. Potts/Mame Dennis.

 

[VGThuy]

As amazing as she was in Murder, She Wrote and in her films, she was really in her element on stage. In her prime, she was legendary. There’s a reason why she’s a five-time Tony winner:

IMO, the above clip shows you her incredible stage presence and her power as a leading lady of the stage. It gets really going starting in the 4 min, 43 sec. Part.

This above clip shows not only could she do the classic Broadway showtune, but she could do some of the most challenging Sondheim works. Her performance as Mrs. Lovett is unmatched, IMO.

 

[annie720]

I had no idea she was that old. She kept going for a long time. RIP Angela. You've provided so many hours of wonderful entertainment for our family.

 

[Buzz]

Angela Lansbury was one of my favourites. LOVED Murder She Wrote. R.I.P.

 

[Garden Kitty]

I read how she used to put certain older actors into Murder She Wrote to make sure they qualified for union health insurance. RIP

 

[emason]

I read how she used to put certain older actors into Murder She Wrote to make sure they qualified for union health insurance. RIP

Madlyn Rhue was one of these actors; Rhue suffered from MS and was eventually confined to a wheelchair. Angela Lansbury created a recurring role for Rhue so that she had enough working hours to keep her union health insurance.

 

[A.H.Black]

Still turn on Murder She Wrote at night - instead of the news.

Little Women - as Aunt March
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax
Mrs 'Arris goes to Paris
The World of Henry Orient
The Manchurian Candidate
The Long, Hot Summer

Some of the ones that stand out for me.

 

[escaflowne9282]

I am very sad to hear of her passing. I loved Murder She Wrote. I'm a huge murder mystery fan and that show was one of my absolute favorites. Rest in Peace, thanks for the entertainment and memories.

 

[peibeck]

Farewell Mrs. Lovett!!! I hope Mr. Sondheim was waiting at the pearly gates to give you a warm hug!

 

[Coco]

Legit teared up at my desk when I heard about this. Was raised on Bedknobs and Broomsticks and then Murder, She Wrote.

Pure class, from her amazing talent and range to the way she treated others and handled fame.

The other Queen of England has died.

If you've never seen the original Manchurian Candidate, she's a revelation in that role.

 

[Wyliefan]

I swear she was in EVERYTHING. I was looking at some of the articles and going through her filmography and kept thinking, "Oh, I forgot she was in that! And that! And that!" Such a brilliant, versatile actress.

 

[Cachoo]

I just saw “All Fall Down” for the first time recently. John Frankenheimer cast her as Warren Beatty’s fawning mother. She was a different character from her role in Frankenheimer’s “Manchurian Candidate” but in some ways just as damaged. She was excellent in both films.
“Mame” is a wonderful musical and the powers that be chose Lucille Ball for the film role even though Lansbury received rave reviews and her first of six Tony awards. The movie bombed with Lucy. It should have been Angela.
I also thought she was perfectly cast as the voice of Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast.”
And finally a little known role but I enjoyed her in a Christmas movie called “The Gift of Love” from 1983. It is dated in some ways but aren’t we all? It is on Tubi.
RIP dear lady.

 

[Cachoo]

NYT tribute:

Angela Lansbury, Star of Film, Stage and ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ Dies at 96 (Published 2022)

She was a Hollywood and Broadway sensation, but she captured the biggest audience of her career as the TV sleuth Jessica Fletcher.

www.nytimes.com

 

[emason]

Another role in which Angela Lansbury was terrific was as Anna Leonowens in The King and I. Yul Brynner had been starring on Broadway opposite Constance Towers as Anna and Brynner had a contract-mandated vacation coming up. What could the producers do? There was no star of Brynner’s magnitude to cast as the king so the producers sent Constance Towers on vacation also and hired Lansbury for the duration and focused the show on Anna instead of the king. For whatever reason I had no interest in seeing Brynner but I sure hustled my buns to get a ticket to see Lansbury and she was great. I had seen Lansbury’s turn as Mama Rose in Gypsy a few years earlier and was thrilled to see her onstage again.

 

[Jay42]

She was the first actress who's name I could remember as a kid. Watching Murder, She Wrote on Sunday nights with my mom was a huge thing in our house and her voicing Mrs. Potts was definitely a contributing factor to why I loved Beauty and the Beast so much (the other reason was because Belle is the heroine who reads). Angela Lansbury was a huge part of my childhood. She lived a good long life and she will be missed. Her last role is a cameo in Rian Johnson's Glass Onion, the sequel to Knives Out.

If you've never seen the original Manchurian Candidate, she's a revelation in that role.

She's absolutely phenomenal in that role. It completely changed how I saw her as an actress.

 

[allezfred]

Angela Lansbury was ‘Irish, English, Scottish’, a TV superstar and a Broadway demon

Film Correspondent Donald Clarke pays tribute to the late actor

www.irishtimes.com

 

[allezfred]

Hope Angela Lansbury got to hear this. Am sure she would have loved it.

MURDER, SHE WROTE Theme (w/lyrics)

Never-before heard lyrics to the beloved theme from MURDER, SHE WROTE. Also don't miss our first series of MSW guest-star trading cards:https://meh.com/forum...

youtu.be

 

[Jenny]

Jessica Fletcher might have been her ultimate signature role, but I'm so glad many are remembering so many of her great performances. I thought immediately of Gaslight and the Harvey Girls, and thank you @A.H.Black for the reminder that she also played a pivotal role in the World of Henry Orient, one of my all-time favourite movies since I was a young girl.

 

[MLIS]

NYT tribute:

Angela Lansbury, Star of Film, Stage and ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ Dies at 96 (Published 2022)

She was a Hollywood and Broadway sensation, but she captured the biggest audience of her career as the TV sleuth Jessica Fletcher.

www.nytimes.com

This article is a lovely tribute, but I particularly want to highlight the video interview that is embedded in it. She gave this interview years ago with the understanding that it wouldn't be released until after her death. Definitely worth a listen. She was remarkable.

Video: The Last Word: Angela Lansbury

The New York Times sat down with Angela Lansbury in 2010 to discuss her life and accomplishments on the stage and screen. She spoke with us with the understanding the interview would be published only after her death.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Rob]

I saw her in Sweeney Todd with Len Cariou on Broadway and then later on tour with George Hearn. Unforgettable.

 

[Vash01]

Saw the news onTV. I got to know her through Murder she wrote. Loved her. I may have seen her in a moviebut haven't been able to get her two best - The Manchurian Candidate and Gaslight.
RIP

 

[Asli]

It’s a testament to Lansbury’s skills as an actor that she made even the preposterous plots of Murder She Wrote compelling.

My thoughts exactly! Flimsy plots and often mediocre and annoying guest actors, yet Angela Lansbury was able hold you in the palm of her hand throughout a zillion episodes. She took nothing for granted and filled every second with nuance, with depth, with imagination.

She was so warm and full of life, a comforting presence. I love her forever and I'm happy she lived a long life and was so beloved.

Here's a genius performance that I've watched over and over:

Olivier Awards Sondheim Tribute Part 1: Angela Lansbury sings "Liaisons"

And here she's accepting her first Olivier Award, aged nearly 90, for Blithe.