American playwright Neil Simon dead at 91

American playwright Neil Simon dead at 91.

Some deaths are worth noting.

Last week, former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King died. He helped write Sweet Home Alabama, which was a defining moment in American music. He also helped found the band Strawberry Alarm Clock.

This week, Neil Simon died. He wrote plays I know almost nothing about, except for the fact that they made some movies out of his plays. Some of these movies were decent, and they starred people like Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss.

Personally, when I saw Richard Dreyfuss in The Goodbye Girl, I started to get an idea of why people called him a great actor. That he could do a technicolor freakout like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and then follow it up with a more subdued, chamber drama, like The Goodbye Girl, was, indeed, impressive.

And even though I don't care much about Richard Dreyfuss, or Marsha Mason, let's face it, a guy like me would not have paid ANY attention to either of them if it weren't for Neil Simon.

Neil Simon also wrote The Odd Couple. That was funny, and Jack Klugman and Tony Randall starred in the TV show. It was almost gay, but not quite. That's why it was funny, or at least that what a lot of people thought. Because of this it was groundbreaking comedy. That's the way these things work.

And so, though not all deaths are worth noting here at Infidel Blogger's Alliance, Neil Simon's death IS worth noting.