Saturday, April 14, 2007

Roscoe Lee Browne (1925-2007)

8 comments:

inciquay said...

I'm absolutely shocked that I didn't hear anything about this until now! Wow. Poor news coverage of Black stars continues! Browne was an excellent emmy winning actor...nothing against Don Ho and his "tiny bubbles" but his story has been splashed all over the news today! For shame.

Undercover Black Man said...

Welcome, inciquay. Thanks for commenting.

I wish somebody would put on YouTube the "All in the Family" when Roscoe Lee Browne gets stuck on an elevator with Archie and a couple of Puerto Ricans.

I'll always dig Roscoe Lee Browne.

Susie said...

I had the pleasure of meeting Roscoe Lee Browne one night while having dinner at Orso. He and Diahann Carroll (whom I have adored ever since Julia was on TV) were at a table next to ours and over the course of the evening we all got to talking. He told the most wonderful stories in that marvelous voice and I was completely charmed. I feel so lucky to have had that experience and so sad that he's gone from us.

Undercover Black Man said...

How cool, Suze!

Alan Sepinwall said...

I wish somebody would put on YouTube the "All in the Family" when Roscoe Lee Browne gets stuck on an elevator with Archie and a couple of Puerto Ricans.

One of my favorite episodes, primarily for the jubilant contempt that Roscoe's character had for Archie (or, as he called him, "Bunker Hill").

Anonymous said...

Roscoe Lee Browne and Kurt Vonnegut both died on the same day (or very close) and both were given short shrift in reporting because of Imus and Anna Nicole Smith and all that other "important" news that was happening at the same time [eye roll]. Don Ho's death didn't have to compete with those stories because they'd already started waning.

Anonymous said...

I'm late to the party, but I just wanted to say thanks for your remembrance of Roscoe Lee Browne.

The Independent published a respectful obituary.

My favorite part:

Browne once recalled that, early in his career, a director told him that he sounded "white", to which the actor responded, "We had a white maid."

Undercover Black Man said...

Gracchus, thanks for that quote. What a comeback! I assumed he was a very witty man, and this proves it.

The last episode of "ER" I wrote, Mr. Browne was cast in the role of a dying clergyman. I never met him (I wasn't on the writing staff at the time), but he did a wonderful job. He just brings that dignity, intelligence and wit to every role.