# Farewell, George Kennedy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2016, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572 "2016-02-29T22:58:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/21 "2016-03-01T09:19:09Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > The other is from Sons of Katie Elder, when John Wayne SMACKS him in the face with an axe handle. Gawd I love that scene, absolute perfect timing. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/22 "2016-03-01T16:25:52Z")
Hope I’m not stealing this from somebody: “Vigoda’s syndrome: 1.The belief that a living celebrity passed away a long time ago. 2.Also if enough persons prematurely believe a particular celebrity to be dead, that celebrity may be said to have Vigoda’s syndrome.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/23 "2016-03-01T16:27:12Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Hope I’m not stealing this from somebody: “Vigoda’s syndrome: 1.The belief that a living celebrity passed away a long time ago. 2.Also if enough persons prematurely believe a particular celebrity to be dead, that celebrity may be said to have Vigoda’s syndrome.” Yup. I’m sure they left Vigoda out of the Oscar tribute because he’s been dead for decades. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/24 "2016-03-01T19:25:50Z")
I always appreciated the way George could take a small role and wring every inch of meaning from it. Unlike other actors who made a career largely from small roles, I always remembered George was in a movie after I’d seen the movie. We’re a country who used to greatly admire a man who did his job, did it well, and didn’t need it to be all about him. That’s exactly the type of actor George was. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/25 "2016-03-01T20:04:38Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Hope I’m not stealing this from somebody: “Vigoda’s syndrome: 1.The belief that a living celebrity passed away a long time ago. 2.Also if enough persons prematurely believe a particular celebrity to be dead, that celebrity may be said to have Vigoda’s syndrome.” > [@TriPolar](#): > > Yup. I’m sure they left Vigoda out of the Oscar tribute because he’s been dead for decades. Just in case this site may be new to you, there’s a decent list of folks who’re “Not Dead Yet” at [Dead People Server Not Dead Yet Quash Those Dead People Rumors!](http://dpsinfo.com/dps/rumors.html) ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/26 "2016-03-01T21:46:19Z")
RIP George “They’re not here for you Frank. Weird Al Yankovick is on the plane” ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/27 "2016-03-01T21:47:18Z")
I always liked how in the “Airport” series he worked his way up from head of a runaway maintenance crew to piloting a Concorde. “Airport”. nervous assistant tells Patroni that flight control is sending bulldozers to clear the stuck 707 so Dean Martin can land his damaged plane Chomping on cigar, Patroni says “can’t hear them, too much noise”, goes full throttle and 707 gets out of the ditch. Kennedy worked his way up from being a military advisor on set of “Sgt Bilko” to winning an Oscar ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/28 "2016-03-01T22:22:42Z")
I posted this in the Death Pool thread. Jim Beaver (Supernatural, Deadwood) posted on his facebook page that when he was a child and a big movie buff he sent George Kennedy a request for an autographed picture. He got the picture but also received a Christmas card from Mr Kennedy every year for 25 years. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/29 "2016-03-02T00:28:58Z")
If anyone remembers the title and ending of this GK film–without consulting IMDb–you’ve earned a six-pack of Skittlebrau on me: GK is a farmer(?) bitten by a rabid skunk and chains himself in his barn. Young son and wife try to find doctor, while flooding threatens near-by dam. George was the best. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/30 "2016-03-02T04:20:56Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > “Airport”. nervous assistant tells Patroni that flight control is sending bulldozers to clear the stuck 707 so Dean Martin can land his damaged plane Chomping on cigar, Patroni says “can’t hear them, too much noise”, goes full throttle and 707 gets out of the ditch. “Hang on, we’re going for broke.” I love his character in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/31 "2016-03-02T04:37:47Z")
Joe Patroni: They don’t call them emergencies anymore. They call them Patronis. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/32 "2016-03-06T12:48:23Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > If anyone remembers the title and ending of this GK film–without consulting IMDb–you’ve earned a six-pack of Skittlebrau on me: > > GK is a farmer(?) bitten by a rabid skunk and chains himself in his barn. Young son and wife try to find doctor, while flooding threatens near-by dam. > > George was the best. Title, no, but if I recall correctly, he’s rabies free at the end, and gets his son up on the roof and saves his life. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/33 "2016-03-06T17:19:41Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Flight of the Phoenix was another good showing for him. This! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572/34 "2016-03-06T17:26:12Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Title, no, but if I recall correctly, he’s rabies free at the end, and gets his son up on the roof and saves his life. The title:[A Cry in the Wilderness](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071374/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) You’re right about GK being rabies free at the end; unless I was having a fugue or something, the reason was:All that water (from the dam bursting), “shocked” his system into “remission(?)” and the rabies was cured :eek: :dubious: (Yeah, I don’t get it either). Next time you’re in Houston, look me up and we’ll split a six-pack of Shysterbrau. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farewell-george-kennedy/747572.md?page=1)