Tag Archives: Gene Wilder

“What good is a character who’s always winking at the audience to let them in on the secret?” –Gene Wilder

Posted on June 11, 2025 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. Where does the humor lie? Can this moment be broken down to discover its secret? Is it the eye pan to the right? Is it the delayed eyebrow raise? Is it what’s happening with his mouth? … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, On This Day | Tagged | 7 Comments

“To match the shoes with the jacket is fey. To match the shoes with the hat is taste.” – Gene Wilder on the Willy Wonka costume sketches

Posted on September 1, 2016 by sheila

In Gene Wilder’s book Kiss Me Like a Stranger, he describes his first meeting with the director Mel Stuart, before he had decided to do it. He had reservations. He had an idea for what would dispel those reservations. Listen, … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, RIP | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Mystery That Was Gene Wilder’s Gift

Posted on September 1, 2016 by sheila

Is it the eye pan to the right? Is it the delayed eyebrow raise? Is it what he’s doing with his mouth? Is it that it’s one of his specialties – the comedic pause? Is it all of that together? … Continue reading →

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R.I.P. Gene Wilder

Posted on August 29, 2016 by sheila

I said what I needed to say on Twitter. Humphrey Bogart said that good acting was “6 feet back” in the eyes. Gene Wilder exemplified that. For example this: Actors watch a moment like that and have the same reaction … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, RIP | Tagged | 14 Comments

Jennifer McCabe on Acting: “Bring Yourself.”

Posted on March 8, 2012 by sheila

Jennifer McCabe I met Jennifer McCabe in 1995 when we both were grad students at the Actors’ Studio MFA Program in Manhattan. We became friends, of a sort, during our 9 a.m. dance classes at the Alvin Ailey Dance Studio … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Directors, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Happy Birthday, Archie Leach

Posted on January 18, 2011 by sheila

I first saw the light of day — or rather the dark of night — around 1:00 a.m. on a cold January morning, in a suburban stone house which, lacking modern heating conveniences, kept only one step ahead of freezing … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, On This Day | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

R.I.P. Arthur Penn

Posted on September 29, 2010 by sheila

Obituary here. Bonnie and Clyde, a landmark in so many ways. I am right now tearing through Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America, Peter Biskind’s biography of Warren Beatty, so it’s all very close to the surface for me. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors, RIP | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Movie Poster: Young Frankenstein

Posted on February 10, 2009 by sheila

J’adore (one).

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Books: “Kiss Me Like A Stranger: My Search for Love and Art” (Gene Wilder)

Posted on November 20, 2008 by sheila

Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Kiss Me Like A Stranger: My Search for Love and Art, by Gene Wilder There’s a magic about Gene Wilder. It is hard to describe or pin down, and maybe that’s the biggest part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Books | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

2006 Books

Posted on December 30, 2006 by sheila

Books read this year. I actually may end up adding a couple more to the list – since I am bed-ridden at the moment and could finish 2 more books by the time the damn ball drops across the river. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments