{"id":266,"date":"2009-09-17T15:10:59","date_gmt":"2009-09-17T22:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/?p=266"},"modified":"2009-09-17T15:10:59","modified_gmt":"2009-09-17T22:10:59","slug":"so-long-mary-travers-and-henry-gibson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/so-long-mary-travers-and-henry-gibson\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

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Two iconic pop culture figures from my childhood died yesterday.<\/p>\n

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Mary Travers<\/strong> was the female member of the legendary folk trio \u201cPeter, Paul and Mary.\u201d\u00a0 They provided a bridge between the early pioneers of folk music like The Weavers and brought this soulful, activist sensibility to the masses.\u00a0 They also helped cement the popularity of Bob Dylan by making huge hits of several of his songs.<\/p>\n

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Their songs, which include \u201cIf I Had a Hammer, \u201d \u201cWhere Have All the Flowers Gone?\u201d, \u201cPuff the Magic Dragon\u201d and \u201cBlowin\u2019 in the Wind\u201d became part of the soundtrack of American life when I was growing up.<\/p>\n

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But it\u2019s their non-political hit \u201cLeavin\u2019 on a Jet Plane\u201d which has always been my favorite PP&M song.\u00a0 This lovely lament, written by John Denver, was their only #1 hit song.<\/p>\n

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Henry Gibson<\/strong> became famous on \u201cRowan and Martin\u2019s Laugh-In.\u201d\u00a0 His signature shtick was to recite a little poem, delivered with a stiff and formal style, while holding a stupidly huge fake flower.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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One of his pithy verses:<\/p>\n

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“Ostriches are not clumsy” by Henry Gibson <\/strong><\/p>\n

Ostriches, when they mate and such,
\nFrolic with a gentle touch,
\nThey’re cautious when it comes to sex,
\nOne false move, they’ll break their necks.
\nImagine! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Though best known for \u201cLaugh-In\u201d and mountains of other television shows, Gibson was a superb actor and appeared in dozens of movies, including The Nutty Professor, Kiss Me Stupid, The Blues Brothers, <\/em><\/strong>and The Wedding Crashers<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Perhaps his most notable film roles were as country singer Haven Hamilton in Robert Altman\u2019s Nashville <\/em><\/strong>and as a faded barfly in Magnolia<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ll miss Mary and Henry.<\/p>\n

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