World War II service shaped the lives and careers of authors Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut, and in turn their works were profoundly influential in the Vietnam era.
Vonnegut turned his ordeal as a POW during the 1945 allied firebombing of Dresden, Germany, into his 1969 novel “Slaughterhouse-Five.” Its surrealistic approach made it a hit with young readers who were questioning the Vietnam War.
Mailer made his name with the postwar novel “The Naked and the Dead,” drawing on his war service. Two decades later his 1968 account of Vietnam protesters’ march on the Pentagon, “The Armies of the Night,” won a Pulitzer.
They were two of the artists, entertainers and pop culture figures who died in 2007.
Through such masterpieces as “The Seventh Seal,” director Ingmar Bergman combined startling imagery and a deep understanding of human nature. Michelangelo Antonioni, who died the same day as Bergman, explored alienation in films such as “L’Avventura.” Ousmane Sembene of Senegal gained worldwide honors through such films as “Moolaade.”
Along with their artistry on the opera stage, Luciano Pavarotti and Beverly Sills had star personalities that brought them millions of fans who saw them only on television. Drummer Max Roach was remembered as a genius in the jazz world. Igor Moiseyev brought his Russian folk dance troupe to audiences worldwide, even during the Cold War, while Marcel Marceau kept the art of pantomime alive.
Many entertainers who died in 2007 predated the era when blue jeans and brutal candor became the norm for celebrities young and old.
Scottish-born Deborah Kerr epitomized elegance when she danced in 19th century finery in “The King and I.” A smooth baritone in a tuxedo didn’t go out of style if the voice belonged to the likes of Robert Goulet. Rhinestone suits were the proper attire for country star Porter Wagoner.
Oscar-winner Jane Wyman’s old-fashioned class showed when she maintained silence about her failed marriage to Ronald Reagan. (“It’s bad taste to talk about ex-husbands and ex-wives,” she said.)
Also in 2007, the world of fashion said goodbye to American Liz Claiborne, who dressed the burgeoning ranks of career women in the 1970s, and Italian Gianfranco Ferre, who designed structured, sculpted shapes.
Television greats who died included impresarios Merv Griffin and Roger M. King, talk show host Tom Snyder and comic actor Tom Poston. Pop music lost Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho; Mamas and Papas member Denny Doherty; 1950s hitmakers Frankie Laine and Teresa Brewer; and, late in the year, rock pioneer Ike Turner and singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg.
Liz Renay and Anna Nicole Smith both gained notice in their youth as Marilyn Monroe lookalikes. One starred in some cult films, got mixed up with mobsters and lived to be 80; the other starred in advertisements and reality TV, got mixed up with drugs and lived less than half as long.
Some notables were known for just one, quirky thing: Bobby “Boris” Pickett did “The Monster Mash,” Dick Wilson starred in “don’t squeeze the Charmin” ads, and Calvert DeForest was David Letterman’s eccentric nebbish.