"I'll never say no to you..."

It's not news at all that there seems to be a surplus of celebrities/actors/people of note dying lately. Some considered before their time, others after battles with illnesses, and some were just old. Still, it seems a bit excessive that of late, almost everyone in entertainment and the surrounding areas, is passing away. I can't even hop on a web site over the last couple days without being assaulted by another, "Guess Who's Dead Now?"-type headline. Honestly, I've been pretty unbothered by most of them. The only one to truly elicit a "Holy crap!" reaction was Michael Jackson.
But now I've had a second "Damn!" reaction for a newly dead celebrity. It's the news of Harve Presnell's passing yesterday. He was 75, and died of pancreatic cancer. Some of you may best remember him as William H. Macy's father-in-law in the 1996 movie Fargo. Others remember him as the dean in Old School; and Preston Blake in Mr. Deeds. Presnell also was known on the stage, touring as Daddy Warbucks in Annie and its sequel, Annie Warbucks. In 1965, alongside George Segal and Topol, he won the Golden Globe for "Most Promising Male Newcomer."
That's all good stuff, but I remember Presnell best as "Leadville" Johnny Brown in the movie and stage musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, also starring Debbie Reynolds. It's no secret that I have a soft spot for movie musicals, as that particular genre has been the meat-and-potatoes of my movie-viewing history since I was old enough to be plopped down in front of a screen. (Thanks, Mommy!) But my goodness, The Unsinkable Molly Brown is one of my very favorite musicals ... EVER! I was never able to reconcile Reynolds and Presnell as older actors. I can never bypass the film when I find it on Turner Classic Movies. I made Brian sit and watch it with me one night so he would finally understand some of my Molly references. I also was frickin' giddy to see them on stage and in person several years ago for a Molly Brown stage show. (You may remember that I mentioned several months ago downloading the soundtrack onto my iPod after realizing that the music was probably available and why the hell didn't I already have it?) I feel so sad that Presnell died. My favorite songs of his from the movie? "Colorado, My Home," of course, but the best will always be "I'll Never Say No to You." You may not have ever heard of him, but I'll tell you, Harve Presnell totally rocked.