A few days late with this... stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham passed away Friday at age 82. After serving in the Korean War as a paratrooper, Needham became one of Hollywood's premiere stuntmen. A close friend of Burt Reynolds, Needham graduated to directing with Smokey and the Bandit, also penning its screenplay. That movie's success led to a prolific, if not especially distinguished career: Hooper, The Cannonball Run, Stroker Ace.
Few of Needham's films are good, and some absolutely terrible. But he'll always get a pass for Smokey and the Bandit, a big part of my childhood, and a not-quite-guilty pleasure even today.
We also lost Marcia Wallace to breast cancer at age 70. Well-known for The Bob Newhart Show and a regular on game shows like Hollywood Squares, for my generation she'll always be the bitter, sarcastic yet strangely likeable Mrs. Krabappel from The Simpsons.
Rest in peace to both.
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