My god, is he still alive!

Subject: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 12:44 PM

I was amazed to find that the great cellist Pablo Casals had given a recital for Queen Victoria and, much, much later, for John F Kennedy. I was also amazed that Percy Grainger lived until 1961! Now, I know the dates add up, but I'm still surprised. Has anybody else out there got similar examples of "My god, is he still alve!".

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Midchuck
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 12:58 PM

Well, Segovia only made it to 94 - but he was picking from age 4 until the end.

Peter.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:09 PM

Mugabe!

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:10 PM

Sorry, I know that was a bit flippant but there ya go.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Blowzabella
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:16 PM

Completely unrelated but I was astonished when I learnt that Wyatt Earp, who I associate very much with the 'Wild West' lived until 1927 - by which time my parents were 7 years old .... Time, eh - it means not a lot really ....

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Amos
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:19 PM

Dick Cheney...and his boss.


A

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Midchuck
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:23 PM

I was astonished when I learnt that Wyatt Earp, who I associate very much with the 'Wild West' lived until 1927

I understand he was a consultant in Hollywood for studios making western movies, in his later years.

Peter

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: treewind
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:41 PM

My earliest remembered experience of that sort of time-shock was hearing a lady on the radio describing how she'd had tea with Brahms.

The most recent was a few months ago hearing that someone had died who I had no idea was still alive until then. B***ered if I can remember who it was.

I went to hear Stéphane Grappelli in about 1976, on advice that "you should really grab the chance while he's still alive" and he kept going for another 22 years after that.

We like telling people we live in a house that was built while Mozart was still alive.

Anahata

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Wesley S
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:43 PM

There is a highly fictionalized account of Wyatt Earp in Hollywood called "Sunset". It stars James Garner as Earp and Bruce Willis as Tom Mix.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Ebbie
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:47 PM

I remember how astonished and thrilled I was when I learnt that my grandfather was born in 1868- "just three years after Lincoln died", my brothers and I kept marveling to each other.

But it happens often. A friend of mine who had learned many songs from Burl Ives' recordings came to music one night and suggested that we sing some of the songs because "Burl Ives died today". And so we did. Afterward I confessed to my friend that I had thought that Ives had died long since, that I had no idea he was still alive.

My friend said, Actually, I didn't know either.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: MMario
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:52 PM

I keep being astonished that William Shatner is still alive - but that is primarily wishful thinking.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: beardedbruce
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:54 PM

MM,

Can you prove that WShatner IS still alive?

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: MMario
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 01:56 PM

good point

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 02:47 PM

Doc Watson made his "last and final appearance" at the WVA Festival for about 5 years in a row some while back. Although he hasn't been back there since the final last and final final last show about 10 years ago, so far as I've heard he's still pickin'.

(And still sounds purty good.)

John

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 02:52 PM

Cheetah, the chimp from Tarzan movies just had a birthday party...72 or 75...

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Shaneo
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 02:58 PM

Our accordion player ,considering the amount of whiskey he drinks.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 03:11 PM

We never thought he'd last this long when he looked like THIS!

John

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 03:39 PM

Shatner is definitely still alive..its all the English cereals he eats and advertises.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: beardedbruce
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 03:46 PM

But is that living?

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 03:47 PM

When I was a kid, I loved the movie "March of the Wooden Soldiers" with Laurel & Hardy.   In my adult years, I was always shocked when I read an obit from one of the actors when they passed away during the 1980's and 90's.    The actor who played Silas Barnaby died in 1990 - he was ony 22 years old when he filmed the role as the old man. The actor who played Tom-Tom passed away in 1998.   Even when I watched the film in the 1960's, it had a feeling of the distant past and it was a shock to revist the film and put it in perspective.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,Frank Sellors
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 04:19 PM

Some 20 odd years ago, I wrote an article on William Bolton, a ex-seaman, who gave us - via the Penguin Book of English Folksongs - "Rounding the Horn" ( among others). In researching the article ( which subsequentially appeared in a EFDSS publication), I interviewed William's son Reg, and it was amazing to think that I was talking to someone whose father had fought in the Crimean War.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,Arnie at work
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 07:28 PM

As a kid, I befriended an old man who lived nearby named Willie Walton. He told me that as a kid he'd watched Wild Bill Hickock ride into Halifax over North Bridge with a huge band of cowboys and indians (should that be Native Americans?). I thought he was having me on, but years later I learned that Wild Bill did indeed bring his wild west show to Yorkshire at the turn of the last century. As Wild Bill was born in 1837 (quick check on Google) this is the oldest link I can make with a historical character.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,Arnie at work
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 07:36 PM

Whoops! On second thoughts that might just have been Buffalo Bill Cody who brought his Wild West show to Yorkshire, not Wild Bill Hickock.Not sure when Buffalo Bill was born but I'm sure it was a long time ago.....

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Cobble
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 07:46 PM

William F. Cody, Born in 1846.

             Cobble

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Beer
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 09:45 PM

Richard Widmark 92
Les Paul 91
Eli Wallach 91
Vera Lynn 90
Phyllis Diller 89
Eddy Arnold 88
Kitty Wells 87
Ravi Shankar 87
Mickey Rooney 86

To name a few.
www.deadoralive.com

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 09:50 PM

Joaquín Rodrigo kept going for a long long time, carrying along traditions from composers like Dukas and de Falla. His Concierto de Aranjuez was the first one of his I became familiar with, but he was quite prolific.

1901 - 1999.

SRS

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 09:51 PM

We lost Kitty Carlisle Hart over the weekend. She was 97, I think.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 11:58 PM

a bit of thread drift here.

25 years ago I had an friend who was born before the first World War, and whose Grandfather was one of the first free settlers to arrive in Australia. He came in the early 1790's, around the time my earliest ancestor was born was born here.

Both her grandfather & father started their families much later than was the norm, which is why she was the second generation of her family born in Oz & I am the 5th generation in mine, and we were both linked to the first British settlement in Oz.

sandra

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 12:01 AM

Anna Russell made it to 95, dying in 2006 and Victor Borge made it to 91, passing away in 2000. Both were masters of classical music and turned it into a best-selling comedy show. Incredible people.

"Marshal Dillon" (James Arness) is still alive as is his brother Peter Graves from Mission Impossible! Oh, just found out Arness is only 84 and still going strong! Brother Peter is two years younger.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Howard Kaplan
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 12:05 AM

He's been dead over half a century, but I find it interesting that George Bernard Shaw was born before the U.S. Civil War started and died five years after the atomic bomb ended World War Two (1856 to 1950).

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Amergin
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 01:43 AM

I'm still amazed keith richards is still alive

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Hillheader
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 02:01 AM

Amergin

So is he.....

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 02:14 AM

One of my great-great uncles, missed the Titanic as his Hotel had failed to call him in time to get there. He lived to be 103 and died only 15 or so years ago having been for his morning constitutional, a two mile walk! He came in after his walk, sat down, put his head on his chairback and passed away peacefully. His name had been published on the Titanic death list as his body was not found...but of course he was still alive and working to get enough money to go to Canada where he was supposed to have joined his family. They all thought he was dead of course, so, communication not being too good in them days, he arrived some months later in person and they thought it was a ghost.....

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,The black belt caterpillar
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 04:42 AM

Well I remember my great-grandmother and she remembered people who had been to the Napoleonic wars, ie. lived before all these songs like "The plains of Waterloo", "Claudy banks" and "Bonny light horseman" were written.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: fat B****rd
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 07:13 AM

Kirk Douglas.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 07:43 AM

I believe the last American Civil War veteran died in 1959. Amazing !!!

Also, in the 1970's in UK there was a TV series about the Brontë sisters. Charlotte Brontë died in the 1840's, but her husband lived on to the 1900's. There were still people alive in the 1970's who remembered him.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,BobL
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 07:57 AM

Ursula Vaughan Williams (b.1911), widow of the composer Ralph V-W (1872-1958)

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 08:09 AM

William Shatner appears on a series called Boston Legal which is unbelievable currently

Ray

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: mmm1a
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 08:36 AM

After seeing that James Arness is still alive, (I thought He died yaers ago). I looked up on google to see who else is still alive.
I was surprised to see that Fess Parker (Daniel Boone) was still alive and doing quite well.
                           mmm

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Mike Miller
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 09:07 AM

Along with several friends, I made the pilgramage to see Les Paul's trio at the Iridium in NYC (He plays there every Monday). It was the week before his 87th birthday and, although he was slowed by arthritis, the show was brilliant and the room was packed, mostly, with guitarists.
The great classical banjoist, Paul Cadwell, played into his 90's. He threw a big party, every year and we, all, went because who knew if we would see him again. After a few years, we figured out that he was going to bury us, all.
Speaking of folk legends, George Britton, who began his concert and recording career in the 1940's, recently, retired as did his wife, folk agent, Charlotte Britton, who is much, much younger. (MUCH, MUCH
YOUNGER!)

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 09:23 AM

Hey, Mr Dillon! Is it true that when James Arness dies, he's goung to be buried in Boot Hill, Dodge City?

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Cool Beans
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 09:28 AM

J.D. Salinger, 88

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: Stu
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 09:45 AM

Shane McGowan.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,ME
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 11:11 AM

Boris Yeltsin

Oh - hang on a minute . . .

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: open mike
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 11:30 AM

Charlie Louvin, one of the Louvin Brothers is 80 and is still touring...
The term "living legend" applies to Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin....http://www.charlielouvinbros.com/

as is Ralph Stanley, also 80.http://drralphstanley.com/index.shtml

and Utah Phillips---http://www.utahphillips.org/

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 11:30 AM

Mitch Miller, 95

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: RangerSteve
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 12:55 PM

Fess Parker was mentioned above. He owns a winery in Callifornia. I bought a bottle of his wine a while back, it wasn't bad. The label has his his picture in his Davey Crockett outfit.

When I was in elementary school, in the mid '50's, our school janitor was a Spanish-American war veteren. He led the Memorial Day parade every year. In 1960, someone asked him if he wouldn't rather lead the parade in a car and he said, "Heck, no, I can walk the pants off the rest of those guys". He died around 1964.

Wade Mainer is still alive. He started his recording career in the late 1920's.

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: GUEST,Ravenheart
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 02:03 PM

I saw two men presented as the last surviving American Civil War veterans on a popular network TV interview show sometime in the 50s. One Union soldier, and one Confederate. Does anyone else remember, who could fill in any details?

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: beardedbruce
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 02:09 PM

Last Living Veterans of America's Wars
American Revolution (1775–1783)
Last veteran, Daniel F. Bakeman, died 4/5/1869, age 109
Last widow, Catherine S. Damon, died 11/11/1906, age 92
Last dependent, Phoebe M. Palmeter, died 4/25/1911, age 90
War of 1812 (1812–1815)
Last veteran, Hiram Cronk, died 5/13/1905, age 105
Last widow, Carolina King, died 6/28/1936, age unknown
Last dependent, Esther A. H. Morgan, died 3/12/1946, age 89
Indian Wars (c. 1861–1898)
Last veteran, Fredrak Fraske, died 6/18/1973, age 101
Mexican War (1846–1848)
Last veteran, Owen Thomas Edgar, died 9/3/1929, age 98
Last widow, Lena James Theobald, died 6/20/1963, age 89
Last dependent, Jesse G. Bivens, died 11/1/1962, age 94
Civil War (1861–1865)
Last Union veteran, Albert Woolson, died 8/2/1956, age 109
Last Confederate veteran, John Salling*, died 3/16/1958, age 112
Spanish-American War (1898)
Last veteran, Nathan E. Cook, died 9/10/1992, age 106


http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0778679.html

Subject: RE: My god, is he still alive!
From: open mike
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 02:16 PM

in 2005 there were very few WW1 vets alive
WW1 veteran still alive at 104.
        
I read the news paper a few days ago and I found an article about Lloyd Brown, a veteran that served in WW1 and as of Novemeber 12th, was still alive. He served on the battleship USS New Hampshire during WW1.

It is estimated that living WW1 veterans in the US can only number up to 50 and can be as low as 30. In France the article said, there are only 6 remaining veterans of WW1, as one of 7 died two weeks before Novemeber 12th. The last Australian to serve in a war zone, died a week before that.

I was wondering recently, if any WW1 veterans were still alive, which made this article all the more interesting to me. So I thought I would share this with the rest of you guys.

I happened to find the article on CNN and it happens to be exactly what I read.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/11/vanishing.vets.ap/

We owe it to them to preserve and honor their generation, as they aren't going to be around much longer.