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A LOOK AT THE PAST
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Death Of John Ritter Actor John Ritter was taken too the hospital after he fell ill on the set of his tv sitcom "8 simple rules...for dating my teenage daughter." He was only 54. He would have turned 55 six days later. His youngest child Stella turned 5 the day he died. Ritter appeared in more then 25 movies and a number of films. He was said to have died from a "dissection of the aorta" which is a an undetected flaw in the main artery of the heart. I always enjoyed watching john ritter act..especially in his role as "Jack Tripper" on the sitcom "Threes Company". The show always seemed to make me laugh no matter how many times the reruns would play..too me it would just get funnier. Personally it was a shock when he passed away because I have always watched him as a kid growing up. You may remember John in such movies as: Slingblade, IT, Problem Child, there just too name a few and are personally some of my favorite movies. John Ritter was a very funny man and he probably would have wanted us to celebrate but I know we hear that alot but it's probably true. My heart condolences do go out to the family and friends of John Ritter. Life will go on but it does not mean he will be forgotten. I will have another post on here in a few days or over the weekend. Please feel free to sign my guest book or leave me a comment on my other website which is also linked over to your left take care and have a good weekend. 
Friday, December 05, 2003
Welcome to my other blog. THis blog will mainly be about past history and things that stick out in my mind so just sit back, relax and i hope you enjoy what you read or at least find it interesting. The first thing I will post is about one of the best young actors I have ever seen before. That actor is Brandon lee who was shot on the set of making "the crow" so this is my little tribute to him and i also linked some other blogs on this site and i may have a comments board on here later. 
Two weeks before he was due to be married, actor Brandon Lee was killed on the North Carolina set of the motion picture "The Crow." A scene in the movie called for Brandon Lee to enter a room where actor Michael Massee was to shoot him using a revolver loaded with blanks. When the handgun was fired, a real bullet penetrated Brandon's abdomen and lodged next to his vertebrae. Brandon was rushed to hospital and died in the operating room. An investigation into his death discovered that the gun had earlier been loaded with "dummy" cartridges for a close up shot. (A dummy is a cartridge case containing a bullet but no gunpowder). For this production real cartridges had been purchased from a local gun shop, the bullets removed, the gunpowder dumped out and the bullets placed back in the empty casings. Although dangerous, it was felt that the crew simply did not know any better and did what they thought best under budget and time pressures. According to the investigation, during a previous scene where the handgun was loaded with the dummy rounds, one of the bullets came loose and became lodged in the chamber or barrel. Exactly how the bullet came to be lodged in the gun was never conclusively confirmed. Some witnesses stated that they saw one of the actors pulling the trigger of the gun, which would have sparked one of the live primers, silently propelling the bullet slightly forward. On the night of Lee's death on March 31, 1993, no one thought to check the chamber and barrel for obstructions before loading the gun with blanks. A blank has far more gunpowder than an actual cartridge in order to create the look of a gunshot by a bright muzzle flash out the end of the gun. The gun was loaded, pointed at Brandon Lee and fired. He fell over, although it took a few seconds for the crew to realize he had been truly hurt. He was rushed to the hospital and died 13 hours later. The weapons specialist on the set had been sent home earlier that evening to save money, leaving a props assistant in charge of the firearm. Brandon Lee's mother sued the production company for negligence, and eventually won won an undisclosed settlement. No criminal charges were laid against actor Michael Massee, and he was deemed not responsible for Brandon Lee's death. Like many accidents, the tragedy of Brandon Lee is not one big mistake but rather a chain of small errors. Because of ill-timed cost-cutting, lack of knowledge, lack of supervision, inadequate safety procedures and pressure to finish a scene quickly, a promising young actor is dead. The production probably saved about $100 by sending the weapons specialist home early.  
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