Every time I see this man I think of this scene with Robin Williams [1] from The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. RIP.
James Earl Jones has died
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Re: James Earl Jones has died
#102James narrating Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven in the very first Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode (2x03), to the backdrop of the quirky and artistic early-Simpsons animation, was such a wonderful union of beautiful cross-generational zeitgeist.
Here's a different reading by him of The Raven (not the one from The Simpsons): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXU3RfB7308 — he chooses to almost ignore the meaning and stick to a recitation, which is great: his voice perfectly brings out the poem's cadence and assonance.
Other readings of The Raven, for comparison: Christopher Walken [1], Vincent Price [2], Christopher Lee (build-up in intensity, unfortunately some background music) [3], Basil Rathbone (the opposite of James Earl Jones: in places almost like prose) [4]
[1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wj1DRQs9AQ
[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGZ_wp_i9w
Re: James Earl Jones has died
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
He was also Police Chief Thad Green in the Mathnet segments of Square One TV . He only appeared a few times, but was unmistakable when he did. He also participated in early test footage for what would become Sesame Street . Film footage of him reciting the alphabet, in trademark James Earl Jones diction, was one of the things they used to research young children's response to educational programming.
I loved Mathnet and Mathman segments. Still remember the episode where they figured out the hill a van drove up because of the tilt of the water in a glass.
I remember that one! Goodness that was a long time ago.
Re: James Earl Jones has died
#104You know he was good when the Lion King remake had a chance to recast the entire movie with actors like Beyoncé and Donald Glover and the casting director was like “well obviously we aren’t changing Mufasa.”
Re: James Earl Jones has died
#105Re: James Earl Jones has died
#106He's done a lot of great work. Selfishly, one of my favorites is narrating the University of Michigan (his alma mater) football hype videos and stadium announcements. Always felt unique and fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1PFH3w_b8g
When this comes on in the Big House you immediately feel like you want to run through a brick wall for the team.
Re: James Earl Jones has died
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think of Conan , and Coming to America . I was told by an industry insider (taken at face value), that he almost never turned down a part, which drove his agent nuts. That's why he was in these kind of oddball movies. I suspect that Nicholas Cage is similar.
Ah, the 'working actor'. Gary Oldman (who also calls himself a working actor) kinda tanked his career for a while by getting typecast as a villain. Playing Sirius Black was basically autobiographical, and kind of got him unstuck.
Gary Oldman is one of the best actors I've had the privilege of seeing.
Consider that Mr. Zorg, Winston Churchill, and George Smiley, are played by the same person, is amazing.
Re: James Earl Jones has died
#108His genie in Shelly Duval's Fairy Tail Theater: Aladdin (directed by Tim Burton) was terrifying and brilliant!
Re: James Earl Jones has died
#109My favorite story from the CB radio era:
“I did that once when I was traveling cross-country. I used Darth as my handle on the CB radio. The truck drivers would really freak out — for them, it was Darth Vader. I had to stop doing that,” Jones told the Times magazine.
Re: James Earl Jones has died
#110I know everyone is talking about how he voiced Vader, but when I think of him, I think of Strangelove and Hunt for Red October. I didn't spend a lot of time in the fleet, but what I did was rather boring and/or annoying; the idea that something exciting would happen in the CIC is probably why I often think of the line "Now, understand, Commander, that torpedo did not self-destruct. You heard it hit the hull. And I wa…
For me it's Sneakers "We are the US Government, we don't do that sort of thing"
I can still hear it. Some voices are just available to you, forever.
"We'retheUS GOVERNment. We don't DO that SORT of THING."
What a loss. He is one of a kind.