I wonder what his last words were ...

[chran]

French mime artist Marcel Marceau dies, age 84 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7009040.stm).

But seriously now - a great loss - he was a wonderful entertainer and always able to make me smile :(

[Brown]

I had the pleasure of seeing Marcel Marceau in performance in the late 1970s. Even if you don't like mimes, you couldn't help but be entertained and impressed by Marceau.

One of his little skits (all of them introduced by a non-performing mime called Yanci, who carried onto the stage cards bearing the title of the skit) pertained to characters in a city park. One of the characters was a balloon salesman. Keep in mind that Marceau had no balloons; but by his posture and by the buoyancy in his gait, he told the audience his profession.

In another classic of mime, Marceau tried on masks. Of course, there were no masks; Marceau merely changed the expression on his own face whenever he "put on" or "took off" a "mask." At one point, he put on a mask with an overjoyed expression--wide eyes, enormous smile--and then was unable to remove the mask. This made him frustrated and sad. So imagine that: the face shows extreme happiness, and the body acts in a manner indicative of extreme sadness.

We saw this and we knew we were watching a performance master.

[OldTigerCub]

What a loss...Marcel Marceau was a master of the art, and had a real sense of humor. His appearances on Red Skelton's show are may first recollections of him. :(

I seem to recall, though I might have my movies mixed up, that Marceau had a cameo in the Mel Brooks film "Silent Movie"...and was the only actor who spoke...a little piece of irony that added to the film being a classic.

The world will miss you Marcel.:cry1

[theMark]

I seem to recall, though I might have my movies mixed up, that Marceau had a cameo in the Mel Brooks film "Silent Movie"...and was the only actor who spoke...a little piece of irony that added to the film being a classic.


That is correct, even though the only thing he said was "No" (or, maybe, "Non"). After fighting his way to the ringing telephone through the room against "strong wind" that wasn't there, of course... :)

It's a nice thing that video and audio technology has enabled us to keep the memory of such gifted artists around...

[billydkid]

French mime artist Marcel Marceau dies, age 84 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7009040.stm).

But seriously now - a great loss - he was a wonderful entertainer and always able to make me smile :(So there actually are people enjoy mimes? I always wondered why they existed.

[Elizabeth I]

So there actually are people enjoy mimes? I always wondered why they existed.

Most mimes are to Marcel Marceau as a kid taking his first violin lesson is to Itzhak Perlman.

[Madalch]

I would guess his last words were, "No! Not the olive loaf!"

[Hamradioguy]

I seem to recall, though I might have my movies mixed up, that Marceau had a cameo in the Mel Brooks film "Silent Movie"...and was the only actor who spoke...a little piece of irony that added to the film being a classic.


And he had a more major role in the forgettable "Barbarella" (1968) as Professor Ping. Actually he was quite good in that role, and yes, it did involve a fair amount of speaking. If you don't remember Professor Ping you likely were too busy checking out some of those costumes worn by Jane Fonda.

[OldTigerCub]

And he had a more major role in the forgettable "Barbarella" (1968) as Professor Ping. Actually he was quite good in that role, and yes, it did involve a fair amount of speaking. If you don't remember Professor Ping you likely were too busy checking out some of those costumes worn by Jane Fonda.

Ahhhhhh.....I forgot about "Barbarella". You're correct about checking out Jane Fonda's outfits, though I was young and horny when that came out, and I don't believe she had become "Hanoi Jane" yet.:rolleyes: