Author MICHAEL CRICHTON passes

Author Michael Crichton has passed away at the age of 66. Crichton, who wrote the popular novel Jurassic Park, died of an unpublicized battle with cancer. The loss saddens me as I was a fan. I remember seeing WESTWORLD, a sci-fi thriller that Crichton wrote and directed, when I was kid in 1973. The film, which is similar in story to Jurassic Park about a theme park where robots turn on its patrons, was a really fun ride. The climactic showdown in the film’s last 30 minutes between Richard Benjamin and Yul Brenner (as the gunslinger) was classic. It was one of the coolest genre films of that decade. Steven Spielberg’s film version of his best selling novel, Jurassic Park (Crichton wrote the films screenplay), is still one of the very best movie going experiences of my life. A good friend and I traveled to NYC and saw that film twice on its opening day at the famed Ziegfeld movie theater in 1993. The reaction the movie received from the NY faithful was breathtaking as I can still hear them roar with excitement. It’s an experience that I’ll always hold dear to my heart. Crichton also created the NBC landmark medical drama ER, a show that I still watch religiously to this day. A major talent is lost! Michael will be missed. R.I.P.