Page last modified Fri Jan 28 13:30:57 2005.
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Oh Captain! My Captain! On January 23, Mike hops to early lead with 300 points when Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangaroo, goes to the big Treasure House in the sky. This puts the Angel of Life is out of the Game in record time.
Under Paar; Closed Frame. Just a few days later on January 27, Rob gets on the board with 300 points for Jack Paar, but Mike doubles his score the next day with Janet Frame, famed non-schizophrenic author and subject of the movie Angel at my Table (no, not that angel).
No kiddin'. On March 7 John Henry Williams, the kid's kid, Ted William's son, gets to learn for himself if cryogenics is just another excuse for eating Popsicles. Mike scores another 300 points.
The Cooke Crumbles. On March 29 Marsha joins Rob in 2nd place with 300 points after Alastair Cooke really and truly sends his last letter from America, or from anywhere for that matter.
Ending the Hurt. Mike scores 300 more points on March 30 as Timi Yuro, known for her 60's hit Hurt, makes one last pitch for stardom.
Jammin' no Mo'. Jazz Guitarist Barney Kessel dies May 6, and Mike "The Eliminator" scores another 300 points to bring him to 1500.
Waning waxer; waxing prosaic. At the end of the month Young shoots onto the board and into second place with 600 points when Sam Johnson, chairman emeritus of S.C. Johnson Wax Co., applies his last coat on May 22nd, and a week later the credits roll for British TV playwright Jack Rosenthal.
Mourning in America. The US media turns exclusively to the extended death and burial rites of Ronald Reagan beginning on June 5 for what seems like several months. Five players score 100 points apiece, putting Holly, iamchmod and Larry all on the board with their first score.
Brand-X. On July 1 Marsha pulls into second-place, trailing Mike but leading Young by 100 points and Rob by 300 when Marlon Brando proves she can be a contender.
Carried off. On August 8 Marsha narrows that second-place gap, Mark gets on the board, and Larry and Rob also score 120 points apiece when Fay Wray is lifted beyond reach of all skyscrapers.
No Child Left Behind. Just a few days later on the 13th Marsha closes the gap further, bringing her to 1120 points when Julia Child, who once attributed her vitality and longevity to "red meat and gin," makes her final reduction.
Past all the stages of grief. Then on the 24th Mark passes Larry for fifth place with 420 points when authority on death Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross becomes an even greater authority on it. This by far ends up being the most unsettling "gift" that Mark receives for his birthday, which is the very same day.
Sent to the shower. After a quiet September, Young scores another 300 points, closing in on Marsha's second-place spot October 3 when it's curtains for actress Janet Leigh.
No last respects. Just two days later more scores come in when Rodney Dangerfield pulls a final Noonan. Rob picks up another 150 points in the fourth-place spot, as do leaders Mike and Marsha.
"I'm late!" On the 30th Princess Alice, aunt to Queen Elizabeth II, passes along the distinction of being Britain's oldest royal two months shy of her 103rd birthday. Mark K's score increases to 720 points, edging out Rob for fourth place.
"Does this coffin make me look Ara-fat?" On November 11 Yasser Arafat is confirmed dead and is greatly mourned by a very small minority of the world. Keith gets on the board with 200 points, while the other 200 put Young into even closer contention with Marsha for second place, at 1100 points to her 1270.
Reaping Oates. On December 24, Young scores another 200 points and edges past Marsha for second place with 1300 points when former Rangers and Orioles baseball manager Johnny Oates is irrevocably retired. Mike scores the other 200 points, pushing his score to 1850.
End the Beguine. On December 30, the very last score for the Game of Death comes in when jazz legend Artie Shaw quits music for the second and final time. Marsha's 150 points are enough to re-take second place at 1420. Mark's fourth-place score increases to 870, and the DuPonts' 150 points get them finally on the board at the last minute and out of their dead-last position. Nonetheless it's all too-little too-late to unseat Mike, who is the 2005 GAME WINNER!
What a fun experience it has been these past eight years playing Game of Death. I remember the first game in 1995, which wasn't run by me, but actually run by Brian Smith. It's nice to see some things that haven't changed, like the old-time style website, which still has frames, making it impossible to reasonably link to pages within the site, and the wonderfully trickling blood in the "Game of Death" icon. In addition, the number of people who have played all eight games are very few: in addition to Mark and me, there's Larry Beiderman and Keith Macklin.
Everybody knows Larry; he's not only responsible for our trophies, he's had a rule named after him, a song dedicated to him (people want to *be* him), been mentioned in the news, and the butt of a couple of top-ten lists that are probably too obscure to detail here. Keith Macklin has been a much more silent player, writing his list, sending me $5 every year with a little note wishing me well. Thanks for playing, Keith.
The first game was actually won by ... me. It was my best submission, and probably my last decent one. Not to fear, we had our fingers on the failing pulse of death-prediction, picking such unlucky folks as Spiro Agnew, Carlos Castenada, Leon Hess, Morton Downey, Jr. and Richard Harris (leaving, as Mark J sadly noted, Peter O'Toole without a drinking buddy.) Marsha's dramatic 1998 victory is also notable. You ought to read some of the old game progressions (see the Results links on the main page.)
There are some notable players, including Mike Richard who won three years in a row. Marsha always gave a great fight, and oddly has a significant series of "Cryogenic Awards", including the coveted "L. Ron Hubbard Cup". If you don't know about this, you really missed out, and can find them by looking at the Awards link on the left-side menu.
Thanks for playing, everyone. I'm sad to see it go. --Rob K
I just wanted to add my two cents as well. It's been fun helping run and playing this game. I guess my highlight was managing to win two years thanks to time spent trolling the tabloids for sick celebrities. I was shocked when I figured out they were pretty accurate about that! I also remember spending many a New Year's Eve trying to come up with the *perfect* list to send before midnight. And I really enjoyed the give and take with Rob and the AoL coming up with just the right caption for each death. My favorite is still Guinness, now in a can.
Anyway, I'll be leaving these pages up for posterity, as I have no plans to replace them with anything. And it's still free. Thanks to you all, and take care. --Mark K.
Page last modified Fri Jan 28 13:30:57 2005.