Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)

Subject: Obit: Theodore Bikel, 1924-2015
From: Cool Beans
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 05:35 PM

Singer, actor dead at 91.

http://news.yahoo.com/stage-film-star-theodore-bikel-dies-la-91-191732759.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory&soc_trk=fb&fb_ref=Defau

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel, 1924-2015
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 07:14 PM

RIP Theo. thanks for sharing

glad I heard him live

dennis

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel, 1924-2015
From: artbrooks
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 07:52 PM

He certainly had a good long run. I saw him play Tevya, but I really would have loved to have seen him live with the Pennywhistlers.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel, 1924-2015
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 08:03 PM

What a fabulous voice and all-around talent.

National Public Radio remembrance of Bikel.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel, 1924-2015
From: voyager
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 08:23 PM

Before there was UBER...

There were 'uber mensch' like Theodore Bikel

OSEH SHALOM

Oseh shalom bimromav
Hu ya'aseh shalom aleynu
Ve'al kol yisrael
Ve'imru Amen
                
HE WHO MAKES PEACE

He who makes peace in his high places
He shall make peace upon us
And upon all of Israel
And say Amen

RIP
voyager

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel, 1924-2015
From: Janie
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 09:19 PM

A good man gone. He had a long and good, thoughtful run and contributed much to several different spheres of what it means to be human in this old world.

My condolences to his family and all who loved him.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: GUEST,Tinker From Chicago
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 10:07 PM

I learned songs from his songbook and performed them. I was happy to see how varied his career was, from Capt. von Trapp to that crazed Hungarian in "My Fair Lady" to the Russian submarine captain in "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" to Worf's father on "Star Trek TNG." But I never met him, alas. I hope to some day.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Jul 15 - 10:56 PM

One of my favorites, singing with Rick Fielding, Art Thieme, Mary Travers, Stan Rogers, Spaw, and all the rest. RIP.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 04:11 AM

A man of enormous presence and authority. Once, when in London in The Love of Four Colonels, he came into my mother's restaurant off Gloucester Road. He took a guitar hanging on the wall above his table, tuned it in seconds, and began to sing -- no mic or amplification, just his fine ringing voice. Pin-drop silence while he performed, and ecstatic applause at the end.

≈M≈

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 05:26 AM

Wonder if anybody will mention that Bilel embarrassed Bob Dylan into taking part in the Civil Rights campaign by paying his fare to Mississippi when his manager had claimed that he couldn't afford it and was too busy anyway
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: GUEST,Cruisin' Susan Gillett
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 05:51 AM

I first discovered Theodore Bikel in the 1960's - I had a copy of what was probably the only record album he released that was all in English, and I loved it. He sang in about 25 different languages, and I had several of his international albums, but liked him best doing English folksongs. I also recognized him on Star Trek (I forget which incarnation) as Warf's Russian adoptive father. I refer you to Eric Bogel's "Safe in the Harbor" as a fitting tribute to Theodore Bikel. Farewell, old friend!

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: bubblyrat
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 06:53 AM

I seem to recall him being in the film "The Enemy Below" with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens ; a fine dramatic performance .

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 08:44 AM

I knew Theo personally and was impressed by his generous spirit and massive
talent. I borrowed his 12 string guitar upon occasion and he always had a gentle and good word to say about everyone. His first role was in "Tonight in Samarkand". He spoke numerous languages and could sing in all of them. He was particularly adept in Russian. He shared the birth nationality with Martha Schlamme. Theo was the organizer for the early parties at the Washington Square Apartments which included guests such as Dylan, Baez, Glen Yarborough and all the New York folkies. With the late Herb Cohen, he opened the Unicorn Coffee House in Los Angeles. I used to jam with him there along with Billy Faier, the great five-string banjo player who is still alive and kicking. Theo's Hannukah program was great and I remember him singing on it. I think it was for PBS.
He will be missed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 10:57 AM

Odd that nobody mentioned that he was president of Actors' Equity, among his other accomplishments. A good man, a fine singer and fun to play with, back in his Washington Square days.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 12:26 PM

I guess I first became aware of Bikel as the southern sheriff chasing Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones. I remember him best as an international folk singer. He was a terrific entertainer, a better human being. RIP.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 12:54 PM

Loved his work! Il y a longtemps que je l'aime, jamais je ne l'oublierais!

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Don Firth
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 01:39 PM

This is indeed sad news. But—happily, Theodore Bikel had a good, long run.

One of my favorite records is one that Bikel did with another excellent multilingual singer, Cynthia Gooding: "Young Man and a Maid."

During the Seattle World's Fair in 1961, I had a chance to meet and chat with a number of singers who had come to perform concerts in one of the brand new concert halls at the Seattle Center, and/or to sing with several of us local singers at the United Nations Pavilion, including Joan Baez and Richard Dyer-Bennet.

Unfortunately, Theodore Bikel was unable to make it to the U. N. Pavilion, but I saw his concert at the new Seattle Opera House, and had a chance to meet him the following day.

For some time now, I've been working on a "memoir cum history" of the folk music scene in and around Seattle as I inhabited it, and the following is an excerpt from that memoir:

The next performer was singer, actor, and Renaissance man Theodore Bikel, fresh from a long run as Captain von Trapp in the original cast of the Broadway production of "The Sound of Music." He sang to a capacity crowd in the Opera House. Like his records, particular his live concert record, "Bravo Bikel," he sang songs in many languages, often humorously introduced, and with brief sub-titles when needed. He mentioned that it was nice to be out doing concerts again, having recently escaped from nightly performances "with twenty nuns and seven children."

He described how he decided to take up the guitar. He had a roommate who played the guitar. When the roommate went away, he left no forwarding address—but he did leave his guitar. "That's worse than leaving a woman behind," Bikel said. "A woman can follow. But a guitar can't. So I kept it!"

Once again, there was an opportunity to meet and talk with him, but this was the day after his concert. A record autographing session had been arranged at Campus Music and Gallery in the University District. Nancy Quensé and I both arrived before 2:00 p.m., the appointed time, along with a couple of other people, and there was Bikel, sitting in front of the counter by a big stack of his records waiting to be autographed.

But it seems that someone goofed and the word hadn't got out. Jim Bates, the store owner, apologized profusely about the mix-up. But actually, Bikel seemed relieved to be able to just relax and sit and chat with us. So for about two hours, a half dozen of us sat around in front of the counter with Bikel. A few people wandered into the shop to browse, and looked curiously at this clump of people sitting and gabbing in front of the counter.

Asked about his prodigious skill with languages, Bikel said that he was born in Vienna into a Jewish family, and that by the age of three he was used to switching easily between three languages, Hebrew, Yiddish, and German. With this early start, he seemed to be able to pick up languages easily, and soon learned English and French. He could speak several other languages fluently and could get along in a number of others.

He commented that the new theaters, such as the Opera House and the Playhouse were going to be a real boon to Seattle. Because of its previous lack of really desirable venues, Seattle had a reputation for not been all that attractive to many performers, but the word had already got around about the new performance halls, so performers would be far more eager to come here.

Theodore Bikel was very friendly and outgoing. A thoroughly remarkable man.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Don Firth
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 01:43 PM

Correction of typo in my above post. The Seattle World's Fair was in 1962, not 1961.

Sorry--

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: fat B****rd
Date: 22 Jul 15 - 03:50 PM

RIP Mr. Bikel. Such diversity of talent always leaves me amazed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Felipa
Date: 25 Aug 15 - 12:03 PM

Theodore Bikel singing "When I'm Gone" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qHdOgE3Q5M

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Felipa
Date: 25 Aug 15 - 12:05 PM

Theo singing in June this year Bikel at YIVO Institute

Subject: RE: Obit: Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 25 Aug 15 - 03:06 PM

an incredibly rich life in the performing arts. RIP.

Anyone know of a comprehensive discography of his work?

The earliest recordings by Bikel I am aware of are 2 78rpm discs
issued by HMV in the UK
B.10453 OEA 17077 CALYPSO BLUES(Cole-George)
B.10453 OEA 17078 THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN

B.10701 OEA 17079 LE CAISSIER (Stephane Golmann)
B.10701 OEA 17080 ACTUALITES (As sung by Theodore
                   Bike in the film "Forbidden Cargo")
                   (Golmann-Vidalle)
Anyone know the DATE these were recorded ??
any other recordings from that period ??

There are some tracks in a ISRAEL MUSC FOUNDATION LP which are a mystery - Anyone know when they were recorded ??? Other recordings in that series were first issued on 78rpm discs (early 1950's), then transferred to 10" LP, then to 12" LP. I have not found any reference to the Bikel tracks on 78's ?????

ISRAEL MUSIC FOUNDATION LP 7
Israeli Folk Dances - Third Series
A1 Le'or Chi Yu Chech   Theodore Bikel
B1 Mezarai Yisrael      Theodore Bikel
B3 Bat Harim            Theodore Bikel Rachel Hadass

Thomas.