Paint Can from Saturday Night Fever dies at 89.
The paint can best known for her role in Saturday Night Fever’s iconic opening scene, died Tuesday morning at the age of 89, her agent announced.
She died peacefully in her sleep in the shed she shared with a pile of 2x4s, some gardening tools and a pink flamingo pool floaty. She had been suffering from a bout of rust, but had otherwise been in good spirits, her agent reported.
“It’s so sad,” said a garden gnome with tears in his beady little eyes. “She was always out in the yard. She always said hi. She looked so good. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
She was born in 1928 into a family of paint cans with roots in the Yiddish theater. She received her formal training at the prestigious Juilliard School of Dramatic Props then relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career in film. There, she became romantically involved with Gene Kelly’s umbrella from Singing in the Rain. They married in 1952, but she filed for divorce in 1960, citing the umbrella’s latent homosexuality.
She also appeared as Paint Can #2 or “Harry’s Paint Can” in the 1990 hit Home Alone.
“She loved physical comedy,” reminisced Chris Columbus via telephone. “She did all her own stunts. That was really her, swinging off that banister into Joe Pesci’s face! She loved every minute of it.”
She had been slated to appear alongside John Travolta in a Saturday Night Fever 40th anniversary special to be filmed later this year.
When informed of his co-star’s passing, Travolta issued this statement:
“It was an honor to have worked with the most extraordinary paint can of her generation. She was a true original. They don’t make paint cans like her anymore. I’ll go to Home Depot to check, but I’m pretty sure they don’t.”
A memorial service will be held Friday in Burbank.
