Slashdot Mirror
Actress Madeline Kahn Dead at 57
jjohn writes "CNN is reporting that actress Madeline Kahn, star of many Mel Brooks films, has died of ovarian cancer. She will be missed." Perhaps not news for all nerds, but a sad moment for anyone who enjoyed Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, or any of the many other fine movies Ms. Kahn brightened.
One of her all time best parts was Marlene Dietrich in Blazing Saddles. It was so good in fact, that she earned an Academy Award nomination for the role.
She will be missed.
And to the people screaming, "this doesn't belong on
www.mp3.com/Undocumented
There are few cinematic moments finer or funnier than the one in which MK receives...er...wisdom(?) from The Monster in 'Young Frankenstein'. It's a
Facial expression: 10
Body language: 10
Voice: 10
If you've never seen this movie, In My Humble But Outspoken Opinion (IMHBOO) it's MB's very best, and yes, I've seen 'em all.
I for one will miss her wondrous talent very much.
"We reject kings, presidents and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code." Dave Clark, IETF
You are partly correct. It is true that she was undergoing horomone treatment in order to become a "man". Unfortunately, the hormones triggered and help fuel the ovarian cancer from which she died. Hormones are nasty stuff when handled incorrectly. Almost all cancers have some linkage to hormones which cause the cancer to grow.
>"but he only does that when he has some sort of weak reasoning for it belonging here"
OK. "Young Frankenstein" is the story of a man discovering how to create life, and how to deal with the consequences of doing so. i.e. It's science fiction with an admittedly comedic bent (actually, it's hilarious). Madeline Kahn was his fiancee' in the movie. This is one of her best known roles.
"I'm tired, tired of being admired, tired of love uninspired...let's face it boys, I'm tired!"
* mild mannered physics grad student by day *
* mild mannered physics grad student by day *
* daring code hacker by night *
http://www.silent-tristero.com
WHERE IS A CURRENT VERSION OF THE SLASHDOT SOURCE? HYPOCRITES!!!
Oh come on. Does being a 'nerd' (what a detestable term) mean one has no interest in anything outside of, oh, I don't know, a PC? Of course it doesn't.
The news of MK's death was just another item on sites which didn't permit the posting of comments: CNN, the BBC,...
/. however does permit postings, *and* lots of us liked her a lot, *and* we also happen to be interested in technical things.
"...shedding a tear for the famous?" No, that's really the whole point; we're shedding a tear for a *talent*. 'Famous' I couldn't care less about (except that it was her talent which put her there). If you like a good laugh, please do watch 'Young Frankenstein'. It's worth it.
I'm in full agreement with Roblimo on this. Where's the harm, exactly? The whole story will be gone from your screen in a couple of days anyway.
"We reject kings, presidents and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code." Dave Clark, IETF
She was wonderful as Mrs White in CLUE. -jE
What a tremendous waste of good air you are.
"We reject kings, presidents and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code." Dave Clark, IETF
because...what?
"We reject kings, presidents and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code." Dave Clark, IETF
This nerd greatly enjoyed her work on Cosby , in addition to the earlier works mentioned. She will be missed.
Uninteresting to you, interesting to me. Welcome to democracy.
"We reject kings, presidents and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code." Dave Clark, IETF
One of the funniest characters I ever saw was in a Barbra Streisand movie "What's Up Doc?" where Khan played the fiance of the male lead. It was a great character.
i get the impression that there are 2 kinds of geeks: those that divide the rest of the population into 2 categories and those that...
no, wait...
what i was trying to say is that it seems to me that there are 2 kinds of geeks: those that have a sense of humor and those that don't.
for those of you in the latter category that need to be told this, geek humor is a pretty specific sub-genre of entertainment. monty python, red dawrf, weird al, and yes mel brookes movies. so on that basis this is news for nerds (with a sense of humor).
if you are one of the geeks sans-humor then move along, theres nothing to see here.
Yep, that would be a tiny, closed mind, wouldn't it?
"We reject kings, presidents and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code." Dave Clark, IETF
Like maybe "I own it so I'll post whatever I want" topic.
or "I know dam well it's off topic"
> I generally like Mel Brooks movies, and I'd
:)
> definitely perk up if Mel Brooks died, but
> apparently this was a long time ago...
Um, Mel Brooks is alive and well(debatable
Believe it or not, she frequently donated her time and acting skills to the Children's Television Workshop for episodes of Sesame Street. In fact I just saw one of the M.K. episodes with my 11-month-old daughter over the weekend (she's already hooked *grin*).
Polymorphism -- It's what you make of it.
Yes, but can we build a Beowulf cluster out of her, Joey Adams, Gene Rayburn, and Milt Jackson?
I wonder if we could harness the electrical potential of our founding fathers, by hooking dynamos up and taking advantage of the fact that they must be spinning in their graves...
Sad about all of 'em (particularly Madeline and Bags...)
- Anon.
She was a talented actress, who starred in many of the films that occupy my movie collection. Comedies (what nerd doesn't watch Mel Brooks movies?) are one of the few genres that I really watch, because I usually am doing something else at the time.
Without this article, I wouldn't have known that she died. While not having a big impact on my life, this is knowledge that I am glad to have. She'll be missed because she played fun roles in movies that can't attract "big names," yet her talent made them better. She helped make Blazing Saddles and History of the World Part I, two of my favority movies.
Alex
It doesn't belong here, it belongs on aint it cool news or somewhere with a celeb focus. Perhaps if she was in Star Wars it would fit, but it doesn't. I can think of something else that just doesn't fit round here...
I don't think you could have missed it. It was right there along with the Mars Polar Explorer, which might be missing.
I did a little research to see what I missed, and it looks like most of the best stuff she did was 25 years ago. Perhaps the generation gap is at work here.
For what it's worth, I loved Paper Moon. But I don't think I would have recognized her from that. And I still don't think it's enough to warrant a slashdot story, especially when it's already plastered over all the major media.
Also, our "whining" is not off-topic. I think that questioning the validity of a story, especially when there are other more suitable stories available, is always rather ON topic. (I mean, if the story *is* the topic, and it isn't a very good one considering the audience, isn't that an issue?
If Douglas Adams, Weird Al, or Eric Idle (probably in that order) died, I might be surprised if it didn't show up on slashdot. But this? Sorry I didn't watch the Cosby show, or whatever, dude.
---
pb Reply or e-mail rather than vaguely moderate.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
...the editors think it does. They did. End of story. Don't read the article if the headline doesn't interest you, dumbasses.
Madeline Kahn *ruled* in Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. I'm sad to see she's gone.
At least (for a moment?) no one's asking if she supported Open Source so they can decide whether her passing is a good thing.
Farewell Ms. Kahn.
The lander has a safe mode?
Isn't that where they don't load a lot of drivers, and bring it up in 640x480x4bpp?
Now we're in trouble...
A very sad day for comedy and the movie world indeed. I saw her in many Mel Brooks films and she was always brilliant in those.
:-)
/. peeps will be interested by this news. I agree that there should be an additional obitury (sp?) news item so if people don't want to see this, they can filter it out.
My favourite role was as Lili Vonn Shtupp in Blazing Saddles (also one of the best films ever made - watch it if you haven't already) - it's less well known that she was actually a very talented opera singer in spite of the grating (delibrate!) voice she used in that movie
Is it offtopic for Slashdot? Alternative maybe but it's a common fact that geeks tend to like the same sort of stuff so it stands to reason a lot of
At the end of the day, if it bothers you just ignore it.
Closed Source, Closed Casket? YES! Closed Casket, Closed Source? YES! Open Casket, Open Source? YES! Open Source, Open Casket? YES!
Open Source Open Casket
I was saddened, and consensus among my peers is the Madeline had a way of getting through to the psyche of a geek.
Lets not forget a few other roles: how about the Gypsy voice in A Bug's Life? Or the fussy fiance Eunice Burns in What's Up Doc? Or hitting on Kermit in The Muppet Movie?
I guess you will just have to remember that:
/., so you don't get to decide what goes on /. If you want some sort of editorial control, put up your own page. And, if you have, worry about what is posted on there, not on here.
/. is for US, not for YOU. As long as some of US like it, and appricate the posting, everything is cool. Sometimes YOU are part of US, and sometimes you are part of THEM. If you are part of THEM that don't like a post, remember again, it was posted for US.
A) You don't run
B)
Remember, it is always easier to tell someone how they should run thier page then just to do it yourself.
--knick
US and THEM? I could just listen to Pink Floyd for that...
But yes, I realise that
know why something is posted, that would be ME saying that. And if other
people agree with me, well, that would be US... I'm sure that for every
article, some people agree and some people don't. In this one, though,
you might find that the numbers are a bit closer than you might like.
...and I think I've already sufficiently explained in my previous posts
examples of deaths that would go unquestioned by the
so I won't reiterate them. I don't think that this one is that obvious.
If you do, well, I guess this article was definitely for you.
Other issues you do not consider are: who is posting this, the fact that
a major news franchise already picked up the story and is bombarding
the public with it, the fact that when this story was chosen, the other
big story was *much* more nerd-relevant, (The Mars Lander, fortunately
Roblimo eventually noticed *that* one, it was CNN's top story when he was
busy posting this) the fact that this was posted under Film, which
traditionally discusses movie reviews, or *occasionally* technology in
film, but never obituaries, to my knowledge, and even that Roblimo
*said* in the beginning, "perhaps not news for all nerds"... What can
I say, the films mentioned were about 4 years before my birth, and I
haven't gotten to see them yet. I generally like Mel Brooks movies, and
I'd definitely perk up if Mel Brooks died, but apparently this was a long
time ago...
So, for many reasons, when this story was posted, a lot of people did not
find it relevant. I was also expressing that. Fair enough? I don't
usually see obituaries on slashdot, if I do, I generally say "Who died?",
and if I don't know who it is, I start to wonder, I guess it wasn't Knuth.
I know this isn't my site exclusively, and all I can say is, if it were, I
wouldn't have ever dreamed that this would make it as news. Maybe on a
different site, but not slashdot. I remember when Rob had to apologize
for even *having* Film as a category. But maybe I've just been here too
long, and need to find a different "News For Nerds" site, eh?
Maybe we can finally register
"BackSlashDot
News For Disgruntled 31337 Nerds,
Stuff That Doesn't Suck",
But I'd rather that never happen.
And that's all. If you have any further, non-rhetorical points, please
e-mail them to me, or look at my user bio to see where else you can respond.
---
pb Reply or e-mail rather than vaguely moderate.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
My heart goes out to Gene Wilder, who has now lost two of the funniest women in his life to the same disease.
------
WWhhaatt ddooeess dduupplleexx mmeeaann??
This sig intentionally left justified.
News for Nerds and stuff that matters. Nerd doesn't necessarily have to do with technology. Mel Brooks is a great big nerd. Like many else have said, if you don't like it skip it. Somebody obviously thinks this is something that "matters" I personally liked her and will miss her.
I'm rather irked that I feel I have to say this,
but I think noting Ms. Kahn's death was entirely
appropriate for this site. I know there are geeks
out there who don't think Mel Brooks' stuff is
part of "geek cvltvre" (but who mysteriously do
think that Monty Python is; well, Monty Python
is, but no more or less than Mel Brooks, IMHO),
or that noting her passing is somehow horribly
elitist, to which I'd point out: she helped
make cultural artifacts that brought people
together rather than apart. That should be enough.
(currently testing something about signatures here)
What then, is on topic? Space? Most geeks work in computers. Science fiction? Cute, but how relevant is William Gibson to anything? Linux? Most computer users use M$, and Linux is used by a minority. BSD? A smaller minority than Linux users.
For any conceivable slashdot topic, you could invent a rationale, albeit tired and stupid, as to why it doesn't fit in here. I was particularly amused by the idea of having strategic defense part of an "ask slashdot" topic, since slashdot seems to be populated by an increacing number of people who think being able to write perl makes them qualified to discuss physics and engineering.
For the record, I think Linux, Mars Probes, BSD, etc. are on topic here; the same for Neal Stephenson, Gibson, etc... but if you're going to stretch to catch the latter, then don't be too suprised to find Madeline Kahn there too. Frankenstein , by Mary Shelly, was one of the first real works of science fiction, and Young Frankenstein was a particularly noteworthy satire of a lot of the distorted film versions of that work. And she really helped make it work.
(currently testing something about signatures here)
Madeline Khan dead?
Could it possibly be so?
Oh, it's twu, it's twu!
Mel Brooks Classics: Young
Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles;
No more will she Shtupp.
Lawrence Person
lawrence@bga.com
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
Do you run slashdot? Hrm? Nope. Oops. Too bad, thanks for playing, try again sometime. Or not.
I'm tired of wankers like you who can't figure out how to read past news items which don't interest them, and feel the need to bitch about something THEY DON'T EVEN PAY FOR...
Incidentally, I didn't hear about it until I read slashdot, because I don't read the major media, and this matters to me, a nerd. It obviously mattered to Roblimo, also a nerd, and one of the slashdot staff.
It irritates me (didja pick up on that?) that you would impose your worldview on me if you could. Why do you feel that need? Why can't you just move on, and let people do or read things that interest them?
--
A host is a host from coast to coast...
A host is a host from coast to coast...
Unless it's down, or slow, or fails to POST!
Another story giving the proof that slashdot is not "stuff that matters" any more.
Yes, she had a great role as Cleopatra in History of the World Part I. What other parts did she play besides those in Mel Brooks films?
"You saved 1968." - Ms. Valerie Pringle to the crew of Apollo 8
She was a perfect partner in comedic cooperation to Mel Brooks. A sad day indeed. The history of the world was made more humorous with her biting style.
"We apologize for the inconvenience."
For people like me, that know who she is (or don't), but don't know a whole lot about the movies she played a role in, www.imdb.com is pretty handy.
For a list of all film and notable TV appearances, click here.
For a brief biography, click here.
------
If a tree falls on an anonymous coward yelling 'first post' in the forest, does anybody hear?
As did the Argentinian Tango legend Enrique Cadicamo, at the age of 99. And as did about 410,000 other people I don't know.
I don't want to disrespect this death: I try to keep a constant post in my heart reserved for thoughts of the suffering, mourning and dying outside my life, my world, and my knowledge. I really think that does more than slapping up a headline here everytime a semi-celebrity dies.
-
We cannot reason ourselves out of our basic irrationality. All we can do is learn the art of being irrational in a reasonable way.
slashdot is one of the few places where i normally hope to escape from all that hollywood celebrity news. i know i'm not alone when i politely request this type of stuff not be posted here.
heh.
:)
ok. well i agree with you to a certain extent. the little graphic on the top-left corner of my netscape says this place is 'news for nerds, stuff that matters.' sure people passing away may not be in the news for nerds catagory, but it certainly belongs in stuff that matters.
also, i mean, i hope i'm not the only one, but slashdot is where is get 90% of my news. i would have never heard about the passing of many great actors and actresses if it wasnt on slashdot.
thats just my 2 cents, as they say.
tyler
ps. this isnt a lecture, i found your post kinda funny
I can handle Rob and his Pete Townshend fetish, but he only does that when he has some sort of weak reasoning for it belonging here. It's almost cute in a way. Maybe it's because I've already seen this story all night everywhere, and now I'm having to see it once again. I'm just saying quality instead of quantity, don't wring the proverbial washcloth for stray stories. I personally don't believe this belongs here. Now please give me a lecture about how nerds like different things. I know it's coming. Truly though, who comes to /. to hear about dead actors? Undoubtedly we have or would have all heard about this somewhere else anyway.
Off on a tangent, is there anybody other than me who is starting to get the impression that Martians don't like tourists?
It looks as if their air defense took out two in a row now. BBC News Story.
------
If a tree falls on an anonymous coward yelling 'first post' in the forest, does anybody hear?
What if this were a Monty Python member instead of a frequent Mel Brooks star? Would that be geek-newsworthy enough?
/. stuff I actually find interesting...
Although I work in a newspaper, I don't actually have time to read the thing much, and like some others have mentioned, I get most of my daily news from Slashdot/LWN/Freshmeat/Etc..
If you aren't interested in Madeline Kahn, skip the story, for chrissakes! Personally, I have no interest in computer games at all. None. But I don't mind downloading an extra couple-hundred bytes of game-related headlines along with all the other
Whatever flips yer lid...
-- TJ
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve your problem, you're not using enough of it. --AC
Personally, even though a bunch of posts seem to complain about this article, I think it's a refreshing change of pace from the usual anti-microsoft and 'linux can do no wrong' fare (although that sounds incredibly morbid).
And like some other guy said, there's a 'stuff that matters' tag on the end of the title, and this matters to me. If you've ever seen Blazing Saddles or History of the World Part 1 then you know how incredibly funny Madeline Kahn was. Also, it's not like she was some enormous celebrity whose face floods the stupid news shows dedicated to providing celebrity gossip 24/7. She was a really good actress who was known by her own merits
"'N'Sync" Forever!!!!
What's *your* favorite celebrity website?
Does Kevin Costner really have the hots for Demi?
Typically, when someone famous contracts or dies from cancer, public awareness of these diseases is raised (if only briefly). Considering that more than 8.2 million Americans alive today have a history of cancer, ./ers almost certainly know, or will know, someone who has had cancer. Prehaps more importantly, statistically 25% of /.ers are likely to eventually die from cancer. Any who are interested in learning more about cancer may want to check out some of these American Cancer Society links.
Basic cancer facts.
Leading New Cancer Cases
Ovarian Cancer Information
Graph of Cancer Deaths in Women"
Graph of Cancer Deaths in Men"
Hail,
She also made an appearance on the Muppet Show, where Gonzo falls in love with her. It's one of the better episodes (the one where the Swedish Chef tries to boil a lobster).
Arithon
"...sometimes late at night when I'm all alone, I wash my socks in club soda to make my feet fizz."
-- Gonzo the Great
I remember her. The first time I saw her on TV was on a short lived Sitcom called "Oh, Madeline!". In one episode, she gets stuck in a suana for the whole ep.
What role did she play in Young Frankenstein? I had a look at CNN's article, but her picture doesn't ring a bell..
LONG LIVE ALPHA!!!
...step on the same foot, at the same time?! MY TITS ARE FALLING OFF!
-- Empress Nympho, "History of the World Part I"
Her delivery of that line is all you need to remember her by.
grep -ri 'should work'
Please create a new topic: obituaries, so that we can filter out these posts.
Be insightful. If you can't be insightful, be informative.
If you can't be informative, use my name
I have been hoping for years.
Ditto Young Frankenstein,
"The Constitution, the WHOLE Constitution, and nothing but the CONSTITUTION."
Well.. i wonder wether Bauhaus is gonna do a song like "Bela Lugosi's dead".. Madeline.. Oh Madeline.. Madeline's dead, the Countess's dead...
Krystalia passed away from ovarian cancer, and /. failed to even notice. http://www.krystalia.org/
Madeline Kahn was also in an early SNL sketch that drew attention to the cause of sex and reproduction education, which involved her, Gilda Radner, and (I believe) Laraine Newman as pre-teen girls at a slumber party. Madeline Kahn's character was "explaining" sex to the others. talking about sex. "And then you both go to sleep, which is why they call it sleeping together." The sketch was later used to demonstrate why explaining the so-called 'facts of life' to kids is important and the sorts of misinformation that gets out.
'nuff said
1000 SlashDot sigs
Another memorable character in Madeline Kahn's pantheon was Miss Trixie Delight, in Paper Moon (1973).
I mean, is this news for nerds? Are nerds so much like the norm of society: only shedding a tear for the famous?
I'm sure for her family / fans this person meant a lot but Slashdot coverage seems excessive if not inappropriate.
"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for me and my monkey" - The Beatles "If you're not part of the solution, you'
Madeline will be missed.By me.....by many.When
one who has made an unforgettable mark in our
lives die,a part of us goes with it.We are left
with the laughs we got...none to follow.Madeline
had Slack,praise Bob,and she shared it with us.
Life is about more than computers,geeks,tweaks
and memory leaks.I like others,live on Slashdot
in a community sense,so i like an occasional look
into the big picture.It helps me triangulate a
better perspective.
It would seem that if you didnt know,know of or
appreciate Madeline due to your 'scrip for
lithium;that this article is none of your damn
business pink boy.Read elsewhere,you're obviously
part of the conspiracy so youd be just as happy
over at www.microsoft.com.No-one made you hit this
link.You just hit it like a lab monkey pushing the bar to get his 'nads tingled.
The need to grieve is universal,the need to whine
is the mark of inbreeding humorless pinks for
several generations.
She's in a better place now,PRAISE BOB
*www.subgenius.com for the only true open source religion*
*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
I'll fall for the bait... You must be Canadian eh? You're just a J.O.
__ While you sleep, I creep... gaining ground by the week.
We aren't all fascinated by the same topics, nor are we all the same kind of nerd-- Madeline Kahn, IMO, is far more of a nerd topic than Star Wars which matters to me not at all.
The reason I like Slashdot is the idea I get that the editors are real people with real people's interests that don't always intersect with mine. What was that stoopid post with "not fitting our geek agenda" all about?
Sheesh.
Boojum_UC
Because the snark was a...
1. Get a login
2. Go to the prefs page
3. Turn off all the topics you don't want to read about
You know, like "Oh Lili Lili Lili legs..."
Madeline Kahn was an excellent actress with a great deal of talent and ability. She's been in many Mel Brooks films as well as playing cameo roles in some newer things, such as the new Cosby show (She was a next door neighbor).
Few people seem to be commenting on her gorgeous singing voice. I always enjoyed her singing ability. One instance that comes to mind was when she participated in a Broadway revival of the musical Company, singing the song Getting Married Today. For those of you who don't know this song, it involves being able to sing well at about 90 mph. She pulled it off, and she produced one of my favorite versions of that song.
She was quite good as a semi psychotic housewife in Clue, which I'd definetly recommend since it's hillarious. Fans of the movie surely remember her cracking "What's going o-o-n here" line.R.I.P
"In individuals, insanity is rare, but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule." -Nietzsche
Madeline Kahn was one of my favorite actresses, and Mel Brooks is (usually) brilliant.
Now, about the "why is this here" posts:
On one hand, it gratifies me as someone of Latin American descent that so many of these posters are supporting the fragile economy of the Andes by their purchase and consumption of large quantities of crack cocaine. It gratifies me to see the support given to the hardworking narcotraffickers of Colombia.
That said, *look at the icon, people..* It's a clapboard! That means that it's on the MOVIE (and media) topic! Like Pi and Star Wars and The Truman Show! An actor whose work is popular among geeks has died, and we celebrate her work.
Is geek cinema only science fiction? (And fantasy?) Feh. I like a lot of science fiction cinema, but that's hardly enough. 1. Most science fiction cinema isn't interesting. 2. Most intellectually engaging cinema isn't science fiction. I share an above poster's view that I think History of the World is much more geekworthy than Episode 1 was.
And here's the BIG rub - a notice about an actor's passing, even IF it weren't NFN-STM, is a LOT less invasive to attention than complaints about the same in the following discussion. You ACTUALLY posted on an obituary and BOTHERED to comment on how it didn't belong here.
WOW. The peace-loving coca growers of the Andes owe you a huge debt.
If /. is where you get 90% of your news, that is very, very , very scary. Honestly, I hope the majority of /. users have a broader spectrum than just /.. Hopefully you do think other things in the world are at least slightly important. Anyway, seculding yourself to one area isn't really any better than those you call main-stream idiots.
She was in a gene wilder film "The adventures of sherlock holms smarter brother" If you EVER want to see Ms. Kahn in her acting prime this is the movie to watch! This is a sad day in comedy.