"For Good" Tribute to John Spencer and The West Wing
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- *Note - a new, slightly edited version is now up as video response
Made in tribute to John Spencer, who played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on The West Wing. I was trying to capture the bittersweet aspect of his death as portrayed on the show, where his character died on the eve of an election night that turned into victory for his presidential candidate's campaign.
Kristin Chenoweth, Spencer's friend and West Wing costar, reportedly sang "For Good" at his funeral.
Can't believe it has been almost 20 years since John passed. And it still makes me cry.
Your freaking kidding me 20 years !!! 😢 omg
I`m like you, I still cry every time I watch the episode of when he had the heart attack in the wood at Camp David and the election night episode. He was such a massive loss. May he rest in peace.
Me too. He was a giant
Yes... just unbelievable. Like Robin williams is 10 years this year and the UK beloved Rik Mayell 10 years... too damn young all of them years.
You and me both
What an amazing alignment of the stars that Kristin Chenowith should join the West Wing cast, then sing For Good at John's actual funeral. We have been changed For Good by her talent.
"For Good" has always brought tears to my eyes - but when I heard that Kristin sang it at John's funeral, it broke me. I've seen "Wicked" several times since, and whoever has gone with me knows to hand me the tissues when that song starts.
I got sober in 1999. John Spencer's Leo helped me so much. An honest and compassionate portrait of addiction and the fight it takes to beat it. He really helped. 😢
I love how the show never shamed him for it either.
Well done my friend, yes but the thing that annoyes me is that, I am high doses of pain relief, including morphine. I hear people like yourself so I get so angry, your addiction is always having sand kicked in your face when I am ok and an "okay" addiction. I am not, just because I get pain, I believe I am an addict. You take my morphine away and I would be seriously ill due to my addiction. Also I have Diazepam (Valium) and being lessening to get off it. I always admire people like yourself as you and many seem to get and others are villified because people like to kick you when I get, poor person must be so awful to need that much morphine. I consider myself a sanction made addict and you are amazing and have more courage than I could ever have!
Keep going, your amazing!!!!
I agree it was great they left his name in the credits through the very end. He was a great actor who died too young.
RIP John Spencer (December 20, 1946 - December 16, 2005), aged 58
You will be remembered as a legend.
"Thanks Boss" Get's me every single time 😭
While we all had known for a while John had passed, I think we all wondered how it would be shown. In typical WW fashion, they truly honored not just the character, but the man who that role was written for. Rest in peace sir.
"America has lost a giant tonight...and I've lost a friend"... Yeah, that's the part where I start crying, no matter how many times I watch that episode...
Me too. John Spencer was a talented actor.
@Jim Dandy a lot of us do. I do a west wing marathon every once in a while
I cry as soon as Annabeth finds him, and it only gets worse from there 😭
That’s a great line, but I don’t think it was genuine.
Thanks Boss.... That one got me.
I remember exactly where I was when they announced the John Spencer had died. I was with my daughter waiting for a table at stir crazy and being a holiday as it was backed up. So we were sitting at the bar and the TV was on and the news was on and it came on. Immediately tears fall down my face my daughter looked at me and she didn’t watch the West Wing so she couldn’t understand why I was so upset. She’s all grown up now an accomplished attorney mother of two and I wonder if she saw and watch the show from start to finish if she would understand now why I got so upset I don’t know. There just wasn’t anything like that show, and I love sports night, and the news room. But there is nothing either before or after that is better than the West Wing.
He died on my brother’s birthday. So I also remember him.
I've been re-watching TWW on netflix, and Leo's death had me crying like a baby... I can't imagine how hard it was for the actors to get through these episodes, after losing their friend and colleague in real life.... RIP John Spencer
I'm binge-watching it too. I loved it back in the day, but I think I lost track of it near the end. The cast is wonderful, the writing is jaw-droppingly good. I would like to think that current real administrations operate with that amount of caring. John Spencer, as well as the rest of the crew, was just so watchable...your eyes were on him the whole time he was onscreen.
Jim Dandy there is plenty of people that do it’s not that hard when can find shows on Netflix or whatever even people who have busy work schedules and kids can still find the time. What the hell is your problem?
@Jim Dandy go crawl back under your rock and quit spreading your hate!
I cry every time.
John Spencer was one of the best pillars of the show. What he brought to TWW speaks volumes regarding his talent. 59 is way too young to pass. His contributions live on. Thanks John. We miss you.
I first read on Wikipedia that she sang "For Good" at his funeral. I was at work, and I just started crying there and then.
Same here - I completely lost it.
It makes the gut punch hit even harder when you learn that shortly before he died she was yelling at him for smoking and telling him it was going to kill him. He told her that if it did kill him, he wanted her to sing “For Good” at his funeral and she ended up having to fulfill that request way sooner than she ever imagined 😢
This tribute never gets old, oh how much I loved this series and Leo. "Thanks Boss."
“Thank boss.” 💔😭🥺
John was an amazing actor and a beautiful human being. He is greatly missed.
Bradley Whitford’s reaction hit me right in the chest.
he played it perfectly, didn't cry, didn't really do anything. He just stood there in complete shock and kind of numb at first.
What an extraordinary character he was. A fighter pilot, a successful businessman, labour secretary, chairman of "Bartlett for America" 1 and 2, White house Chief of Staff, Father, Husband and recovering addict and a man who could rock a double breasted suit.
U forgot duely eletected vice president of the United states
You do realize this is a fictional character.
@@jamescoughlin6911 "What an extraordinary character he was." - 7 years ago
@@jamescoughlin6911 He was a fictional character, one that was larger than life. He could easily have gone wrong in so many ways - too perfect, too unbelievable, too arrogant or unlikable, etc. But John Spencer brought the character to life and made him beloved.
Love the double-breasted suit comment!
Martin Sheen crying breaks my heart every time :-( John Spencer brought so much heart to that show and it was never the same without him
😭
So VERY TRUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The relationship was always so genuine.
I have the entire seasons' collection & watch them at least 5 times a year. One of the best shows ever made. God rest the soul of John Spencer & thank you Aaron Sorkin & everyone for a great series. Love every single actor! My all time fave.
I have the entire collection as well, and I watch it all year long. It's my favorite show of all time. Love all the actors who were on the show throughout the years, but especially John Spencer.
God, how I cried when this happened! And I mean REAL tears! What a tribute *For Good* !
For seven seasons he had been their friend and colleague. I suggest that the tears were real.
I sobbed all day, Real tears real heaving.
The characters in TWW were so well written, so beautifully performed, so admirable … it’s as though they became friends to viewers. People genuinely appreciated, respected. That’s enduring, endearing and classic brilliance.
This proved that they were family in so many ways.
John Spencer was a Giant among actors. May he always shine in our memories.
as a young man I was lucky enough to see Spencer play the lead in Coriolanus at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival. The Festival used to ask specific equity actors to join each year, and Spencer was in the title roll here and was phenomenal in a very demanding lesser know play. The voice is unmistakable and he commanded the stage and role.
John Spencer was at least as much an influence as any character in this great show. Missed, but never forgotten.
This episode was difficult to watch because the emotions were real for everyone. I can't even imagine how difficult it was for them to film.
Amazes me the sorrow I still feel when I see the retrospectives of John Spencer's death n how well it was handled by the producers of the West Wing.
Jimmy smits and john Spencer were friends for over 30 years, they knew eachother on LA Law
I love West Wing and all those in it. I guess I was too busy raising five children when it was on the first time. Thank God for Netflix.
@@edwardvanderhey8370 I am 60 and only discovered the show on Netflix this year. It is brilliant!
To be fair, they only spent one season together as main, one where Smits was a recurring character.
@@edwardvanderhey8370 its a brilliant show
JX....Oh that's rite forgotten the LA Law Connect
No other version of the tribute makes me cry every time.
This combines two of my favorites: Wicked and the West Wing. You did a great job. I just found out a week ago that Kristin sang For Good at John Spencer's memorial service. Amazing song, amazing actor.
I just found out today.
She sang it at the funeral at his request. I couldn’t think of a more fitting song for him ❤😢
I've been going through my Favorite Videos list today, only two videos have made me grab a tissue-"The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson," and this one. RIP Leo McGarry. RIP John Spencer.
"The West Wing"-greatest TV series OF ALL TIME!!!
An excellent actor ...back to binge watching The West Wing during this pandemic ... can't help but note that he went out with a reunion of Tommy Mullaney and Victor Sifuentes.
I absolutely loved them together on LA Law...another one of my favorite shows!
15 years ago damn
only discovered TWW in 2022
Best show ever in history period.
The show was very historic
I remember the news of his passing coming over the radio when I picked up my daughter from school. I was stunned. He will always be a giant in the entertainment industry.
that note of panic in Annabeth/Kristin's voice when she says "Leo" the second time is one of the most heart-breaking pieces of acting I've ever heard. If it WAS acting...
beautifully made tribute - thanks...
@Anne Liesveld he was actually already in the hospital for (I think) pneumonia and had a heart attack.
Still feels like a punch in the gut. Loved the character and the man.
This is a wonderful compilation of classic clips. I loved his wit. I have watched all 7 seasons probably 5 times over and his Solomonesque ways are enduring and endearing. John is and will always be terribly missed.
Still missing this great man, may his memory live on forever in his wonderful work!
It doesn't matter how many times I watch those episodes (and I've been binge-watching TWW since 2016) it still makes me cry.
The last time I heard this song was right after my mother died in 2012...haven’t been able to watch wicked since...this is painful, but I needed this...thank you
What a lovely tribute. That song makes me cry without any context in the first place; adding these images made it more powerful.
Leo was a superb actor and a supporter of other actors in each scene. Thanks boss.
You mean John Spencer was a superb actor
When CJ told the president that he died.... and seeing CJ cRy I began to loose it When they hugged ... I lost my shit
Wonder how many viewers of "West Wing" at the time this show aired knew Kristin Chenowith had such a beautiful voice.
John Spencer was a great actor. His character as a Leo McGarry was essentially for The West Wing. Maybe without Leo, the serie hasn't been an exit. Actually the Spanish audience watches The West Wing in Amazon prime video. Best regards from Spain.
Loved his character -need someone like him now!
John was great on L A Law, and I think if he wasn't the chief of staff on the west wing, it wouldn't have been as popular as it was. He made his role believable. RIP John Spencer
I never did get to see this one...too busy taking care of my mom who died some months later, then my partner. Very nicely done. Loved his character...and what a great cast. I’m glad he passed while doing something he really enjoyed...as he said...his swan song. Thank you, John Spencer. 🌹 I think he would be pleased w/how they dealt w/this.
Just wish they'd included that line from "Running Mates" he gave to Annabeth about not being able to imitate her voice: "There's not enough helium in the cosmos..."
That is STILL one of my favorite lines from the series!
Hands down...best vid ever. I wanted the series to end better than what it had....so hard to believe Leo made that show go round.
One of the best things ever on TV
It had to be a very odd and surreal experience, all the West wing actors having to act in an episode such as that one. It seems like it would of been easy to draw up the emotions required for that scenario. Showing that kind of raw emotion and bringing out the tears had probably never been easier. On the other hand, keeping those emotions somewhat in check between shoots so that they could get all the scenes and material they needed, would of been very difficult. Either way, I miss this show. It was great on so many levels.
I don't think they had to act, those tears were real
I agree. I'm certain they were for real. However, they still had a job to do. They weren't able to simply mourn the death of John Spencer, but also Leo McGarry. And even though they could easily do both at the same time, they still had characters to play. Again, it's kind of what I was talking about in my initial comment, pointing out how it must of been a very surreal experience.
I've always felt that destroyed and haunted look Jed Bartlett/Martin Sheen had as pallbearer was Pure legit emotion
When Matt Santos is saying he lost a friend, what makes the statement so powerful is that Jimmy and John had been friends for decades.
This gets to me everytime I see this. Of course the piece of music behind it. The two most incredible voices on broadway today. Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.
So sorry when John died! May he rest in piece. I cried, too! And I cry watching this tribute.
I cried through the whole thing. So sad, and such a wonderful tribute.
I have been down this hole, I’ll show you how to get out.
Now I have to rewatch that episode. I'm almost positive he says I've been down this whole, I know the way out.
The fact that this trivial difference bothers me shows I am way too much of a West Wing addict !!!LOLOL
@@ellenw391 It was actually "I've
been down here before, and I know the way out."
@@ellenw391 Hole. Correct quote, wrong spelling.
Kristin Chenoweth plus For Good equals TEARS... always...
No One could sing this song any Better than Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel...
Wait-she sang this? Oh man 🙏😭-beautiful tribute..beautiful..
i cried then........ im crying now
A great actor and human being.
Loved Leo. Loved John Spencer. Broke my heart.
probably the 10th time ive watch this and the show and still a tear jerker
Two words"Thanks Boss" say it all.
It just aired here in reruns on Bravo about a week or so ago. Gets me everytime I see the episode on tv or watch this video here.
I'm on my gazillionth rewatch! Best TV ever made!
You're absolutely wonderful! You have the gift bringing us to our knees and making us tear. Thank you for sharing your beauty and passion with the rest of the world.
John Spencer was one of my favorite actors on West Wing. Sad for the show and for the fans.
John Spencer ? went out at the very top of his goals, passion and success.......his loss is hard his life? a blessing to the end ....
12 years later and I still get weepy
I sit corrected, looked like a 1 on my iPhone. :) Great song, from Wicked, and great way to honor Leo. Missed this scene a lot when it aired and glad to see it up. :)
This is fitting. I believe that in real life, Kristen sang this at John Spencer's funeral. RIP.
carloss Loss Wicked the musical
Wicked the musical that Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Mendel starred in on Broadway.
Yes, she did sing at his service
carloss Loss one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen, wicked
I have to say as a fan via clips of this show and never a "true time fan" I have to say that scene right about 2:00 or so gives me the willies. Anyone who says this isn't acting it is like no duh my friend. Maybe I am overthinking it but weren't those actual wet eyes on Mr. President. Not to mention, picturing Alison and him embracing it is like WOW it didn't take that much for him to embrace. He seemed genuinely sorrowful. So much sucks for him. Seeing him so emotional like sends shivers down your spine. Wonder if any of this was based in reality (aka who "found" and got to the hospital first or 2nd or who told Martin the news! Poor guy!
Why don't you just watch the full series? It's the best series ever to be on TV! And The full run is on Netflix
PS noticed I just replied to a 6 year-old post. Oh well I'll leave it up in case the info is handy or she happens to come back and read I should have tagged her @Anne Liesveld
Superb tribute. It's perfect... don't change a thing.
Kindness and charity, words that are sorely not used much these days. As the holidays of 2024 approach, please remember there are those, who would appreciate a little kindness and charity.
Thank you. Great pairing of this song sung by Kristin with the clips. Lovely tribute.
Everyone should have someone in their life who looks at them the way Josh looks at Donna.
So many great moments this one only added to the legend.
Great track to add to the video.
John definately deserved the best for his contributions to Tv and Film.
God Bless
Those were the hardest episodes to watch. Especially knowing why they were made.
Leo mcgarry one of the best characters on TV
How the cast got through without breaking down-man oh man..
As you saw, they didn't completely. All those tears were real. They were mourning their co-star and friend.
@@shadowstarz3651 I know that-but that they were able to do that at all-I tear up every time I think about it..
it was sad, John Spencer was a great actor. I wonder if his death was the deciding factor on them not continueing the show....or if the show was meant to end the way it did
Love the actor. Love the character. Love his story. The soundtrack on this? Not so much. It minimizes Kristin Chenowith. But, still, love this effort and video.
this made me cry, i loved his character so much!
If you are very very lucky you get one Leo McGarry in your life. I have one and I'm blessed for it.
I know I had my Leo and sadly, lost him almost 7 years ago...
I am happy for you❤️
To pair this video with For Good from wicked pure genius. Especially with Kristin’s version.
One of the very best characters in the show. Great actor. Such a shame.
What a loss!! Thanks BOSS😪🥺
Magnificently done
Like a true professional, he passed during the show’s Christmas hiatus.
I don't even know the show but ur video totally made me cry. Beautifully done! A wonderful tribute!
a great tribute for a great actor.....
This was the one episode where no one had to ACT. RIP John!
Spencer was a great man and is sorely missed still today. RIP Mr. Chief of Staff
In four years BOOK IT.....
@observercorps Actually it is Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. From the origininal cast album of Wicked. Kristin joined the show in the 6th season.
Rumor has it Aaron Sorkin had planned for the Santos campaign to lose the election.
If you have only ever seen clips of the West wing, go get a copy of the first season. Be prepared to be blown away by the awesome writing, incredibly acting and quitely simply at times anyway truly moving story lines touched upon by the show.
When the characters find out that Leo has died, thats not acting its showing the actors true feelings.
He really was extraordinary.
Excellent video...both visually and aurally. Nice job!
There is actually a follow-up mistake with the moment Annabeth tells Josh in tears 'He died, Josh'. In the original sequence, she looks at him for several seconds, then buries herself in his chest without any more words.
But in the next episode with the recap of that moment, she buries herself in Josh' chest and says additionally 'Leo's dead!'.
Oh wow! I didn't know that was Kristin singing. This was excellent too. The one episode that I dread to watch it Election Day p2. I love this series but I always have to have a box of kleenex nearby at the end of s7. Heartbreaking. I miss John. :(
Me too. I can't get through it without shedding tears.