RIP James Garner

[ne1410s]

86 years old. One of my fav actors. His Murphy's Romance performance was perfect..IMO.

[BackInTex]

Man, this bums me out. He is absolutely one of my favorites. The Great Escape is a family favorite.

I named my dog in college Rockfish, after the nickname his Jim Rockford character was given by a character, Gandy, played by Isaac Hayes. My roommates and I watched that show religiously. Funny, looking at IMDB, that character only appeared in 3 episodes. I would have swore it was in more than that, probably because of my familiarity with the name Rockfish.

[Bob Juch]

He was one of my dad's favorite actors and golfing buddies.

[ghostjmf]

This hurts. Bad. Very bad.

When I was 8 I was convinced Maverick if he met me would want me as his kid girl sidekick through the west, & I've been a fan ever since.

[silverscreenselect]

I've posted a link to an interesting article in The Atlantic from last year that talks about how few genuinely charming leading man actors there have been. Garner, along with Cary Grant and George Clooney, was at the top of a very small list.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc ... _page=true

[mellytu74]

Damn.

Barbarians at the Gate. The Bill W story with James Woods. The Notebook (don't cry when he reads to Gena Rowlands - I dare you).

His patient husband and father in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (and, funnily enough - as I read the books, James Garner was the man I pictured as Shep).

I particularly like Garner's performances when he is better than the material -- Sunset, for example.

And, of course, Rockfish.

[Beebs52]

Sooners lost a big fan. Everybody else will miss him, too. I'm with ghost, only I think I had a crush on Maverick.

[ghostjmf]

Beebs says:

Sooners lost a big fan. Everybody else will miss him, too. I'm with ghost, only I think I had a crush on Maverick.

Oh, I had a crush on him, I was just too itty-bitty to know what a crush even was.

[Bob Juch]

James Garner with Diahann Carroll at the March on Washington 1963. Now that's a man.

[T_Bone0806]

His persona of gruff but honest and likable, served with a side of "why does this kind of stuff always seem to happen to me?" attitude, served him well through the years.

[Beebs52]

Beebs says:

Sooners lost a big fan. Everybody else will miss him, too. I'm with ghost, only I think I had a crush on Maverick.

Oh, I had a crush on him, I was just too itty-bitty to know what a crush even was.

You whippersnapper! I think now he may have been a bit mature for me...

[silvercamaro]

Around here, Garner was the ultimate "Local Boy Hits the Big Time," and he still has a great number of relatives and childhood friends who live here. The city even has a statue of him on Main Street near downtown. Today, a mound of flower bouquets has has been piled around the statue by individuals who adored him, whether for a lifetime, from his movie and television appearances, or from more recent local events such as being an OU commencement speaker, showing up for the graduation ceremony for the grade school he attended, or serving as the Grand Marshall for Norman's 89er Day parade. (This parade is not a big deal, as parades go. His reason for participating was because he was a heck of a nice guy, for real, and somebody asked.)

[Bob Juch]

Around here, Garner was the ultimate "Local Boy Hits the Big Time," and he still has a great number of relatives and childhood friends who live here. The city even has a statue of him on Main Street near downtown. Today, a mound of flower bouquets has has been piled around the statue by individuals who adored him, whether for a lifetime, from his movie and television appearances, or from more recent local events such as being an OU commencement speaker, showing up for the graduation ceremony for the grade school he attended, or serving as the Grand Marshall for Norman's 89er Day parade. (This parade is not a big deal, as parades go. His reason for participating was because he was a heck of a nice guy, for real, and somebody asked.)

Are there still Bumgarners in the area?

[silvercamaro]

Are there still Bumgarners in the area?

Quite a few Bumgarners and Baumgarners (which I believe is how it was spelled by Garner's immediate family, despite the AP reporter's story) are still around. James Garner's uncle was the principal of an elementary school attended by both of my sons.

[hermillion]

He was always one of my favorites, too. Classy, genuine, honest.

[tlynn78]

A true class act.

[Estonut]

RIP

How a Random Moment on La Cienega Launched James Garner's Acting Career


Yay! The first headline that I've pasted/posted here in years that is properly capitalized. What's the deal with on-line headlines no longer being capitalized, except for the first letter?

[Ritterskoop]

What's the deal with on-line headlines no longer being capitalized, except for the first letter?

We do that in print also. The focus group people say it is easier to read.

[ulysses5019]

When I was still doing photos for USC sororities, one of them was Gamma Phi Beta. One of James Garner's daughters was a member and her family hosted a Gamma Phi party at their house in Brentwood. James Garner was there and he was very nice...taking Polaroids and handing them out AND handing giving away some of the cameras from his stash.
He was very generous and personable.

[Bob Juch]

[Beebs52]

So? He had a point of view. What's YOUR point?

[Bob Juch]

So? He had a point of view. What's YOUR point?

Exactly that.

[Estonut]

So? He had a point of view. What's YOUR point?

Exactly that.

Look up Garner quotes on Quote websites. This one is nowhere to be found. Google the quote and you'll find that most references have sprung up on liberal websites since his passing. Just the type of stuff that BJ loves to copy and paste to the Bored.

[Spock]

Learned when reading of him that he also earned the Purple Heart(s) in Korea.

http://blogs.militarytimes.com/outside- ... ple-heart/

[Bob Juch]

So? He had a point of view. What's YOUR point?

Exactly that.

Look up Garner quotes on Quote websites. This one is nowhere to be found. Google the quote and you'll find that most references have sprung up on liberal websites since his passing. Just the type of stuff that BJ loves to copy and paste to the Bored.

You mean the conservative websites didn't quote that?

It's from his autobiography: The Garner Files: A Memoir, page 93.

I don't know why you're so attracted to me, but it's embarrassing, as I only like women in that way.