Such a Cold Finger

Kathy Shaidle is away this Boxing Day, facing, as many of you know, an absolutely wretched holiday season. We love to publish her film columns, because she is one of the best writers around on popular culture. If you're missing Kathy, you can drop her a note directly via the email address listed here. We would rather she were here this Saturday and we know you would too.

In lieu of Kathy's weekly movie date, Mark presents an audio collage of those in the motion picture business who left us in 2020 - a year in which not only famous film stars but movies and moviegoing died. In this hour-plus of remembrance, Steyn salutes not just screen legends but boom operators, vocal coaches and cinematic footwear designers, many of them taken by ChiCom-19. We touch on a lot of movie history along the way - Star Wars and Snow White, James Bond and Sherlock Holmes, Jaws and E T, Fellini and Antonioni, Spartacus and The Graduate - with moviemakers from America, Britain, Belgium, Italy, Japan...and one Hollywood retirement home.

Click above to listen. It's not intended to be comprehensive, so please don't complain if Mark left out a favorite director or actor: It's simply a sample of those whose passing struck him and about whom he has something to say.

If you're one of that small brave band who prefer Steyn in visual formats, well, he'll be on telly throughout the coming week.

If you're a member of The Mark Steyn Club, then feel free to hit the comments. Do please be respectful to fellow commenters, and stay on topic.

What is The Mark Steyn Club? Well, it's an Audio Book of the Month Club. It's also a discussion group of lively people around the world on the great questions of our time. It's a video poetry and live music club. We don't (yet) have a clubhouse, but we do have a newsletter and other benefits. And, if you've got some kith or kin who might like the sound of all that and more, we have a special Gift Membership. More details here.