Things I should have written about earlier this week

Actor Robert Dix, son of early talkie star Richard Dix, died on Monday at the age of 83. The younger Dix was in Forbidden Planet although I don't remember his role; and the fun Barbara Stanwyck western Forty Guns. Looking through the obituary, one role that I do remember him in is as Frank James in Young Jesse James, one of those B movies that Fox was distributing in the years while Cleopatra was eating up their budget.

By now you've probably heard about Robert Redford's decision to retire from acting. The guy turns 82 this month, so really nobody should begrudge him a chance to enjoy his retirement. I've always wondered, however, whether voiceover work (for actors, I'm particularly thinking animation) would be a lower-stress way for actors to cut back on their workload and keep working if they like it.

Also on the obituary front is cinematographer Richard Kline, who died on Tuesday aged 91. I don't pay as close attention to the people working behind the camera, directors excepted. But he was the cinematographer on the interesting composition of The Boston Strangler, Soylent Green and the first Star Trek movie. He was twice nominated for an Oscar, for Camelot and the 1976 Jessica Lange version of King Kong.

Over on the TCM boards, somebody posted a link to an interview with script supervisor Angela Allen. That's the person who makes certain the movie keeps continuity, which can be a difficult thing, as Allen mentions a story about The African Queen. It's another of those behind the camera jobs you don't hear much about, so it's a really interesting interview.