John Spencer
Posted December 16th, 2005 by RD Heldenfels
Word reached me a little while ago that John Spencer of "The West Wing" has died. It's quite a blow. You can see my admiration of his work and his character in my recent "Journey of Leo McGarry" post. I also had a chance to talk to John several times over the years, and not just about "The West Wing," and he was one of the nicest guys in the world. At the moment, I don't know what "West Wing" will do without Leo, and I pretty much don't care. Instead, I'm saddened by the loss of such a terrific actor, and glad I had the chance to know him a little.
December 20th, 2005 at 2:20 am
Hi Rich…
And Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Just a note about John Spencer.
I am amazed that so many of your peers (including Variety, THR, Broadcasting & Cable (via its bcbeat blog) and many others keep mentioning the "problems" producers will have because Leo appeared in the opening scene this year.
Remember, that was the clever "flash forward" to the Bartlet Library dedication — the scene that ended just as the Presidential limousine pulled up?
At any rate, Leo WASN'T IN THAT SCENE.
(I remember thinking at the time that had he been included, it would have tipped off the election result.)
At any rate, story after story keeps repeating the contention that since Leo was in the scene, the script writers are going to have to "rewrite history".
In the scope of things, and with the loss of John Spencer, this is not a major point. But among the things I appreciate the most in your blog notes and your columns, is the fact that you sem to be concerned with accuracy. So I trust this is not a trap you'll fall into.
By the way, the script for that episode (and many other TV shows) is here:
http://www.twiztv.com/cgi-bin/thewestwing.cgi?episode=http://dmca.free.fr/scripts/thewestwing/season7/thewestwing-701.htm
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On another point, earlier tonight I read Paul Brownfield's scathing review of Barbara Walters' special in Tuesday's LA Times.
Though I haven't read anything you have written about the special, I am looking forward to watching it. The ides of a TV network spending two hours discussing Heaven seems somehow refreshing to me.
And I am willing to wade through the Richard Gere, etc, to listen to some discussion of a topic mankind has pondered for millenia.
But Brownfield can't get beyond the Walters' clothes changes (he counted 16) or the soft lighting, etc., etc.
It just reminded me — and perhaps even cemented in my mind — a major reason I appreciate your work so much.
You don't try to impress us with your fancy phrases — although your writing is clear, concise, and most enjoyable to read.
You don't try to imply that you are far better than the kind of schlock
you are forced to watch.
You seem to genuinely want to enjoy TV. All of it, not just "hip" or off-beat shows that are "in" this week.
I've been doing my best by telling friends about your work, and mentioning you (and linking you) on the avsforum website. I have gotten loads of positive feedback from folks who seem to appreciate your work, too.
So one gift I got this year was discovering your writing.
I am sorry this rambled, as I am sure that this week you have better things to do with your time than read lengthy notes from people you don't even know.
So I'll stop.
But thank you again, and again, a very Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Fred Farrar
December 20th, 2005 at 3:38 am
Thanks for the note and comments, Fred. I don't know if I will watch the Walters special. As for "West Wing," I should point out that my friend and colleague Alan Sepinwall quickly pointed out Leo's absence in the flash-forward. You can see that on his blog here: http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2005/12/rip-john-spencer.html