DIED. Don Iddon, 66, Britain's sassy U.S.-based columnist who for 22 years interpreted America's wiles, whims and gossip in the London Daily Mail and papers on five continents; of a heart attack; in New York City. By depicting America as a "Rainbow Land" filled with steak-chomping faddists and wastrels, the bumptious Iddon ("Let's face it, I'm a terrific egotist") delighted his readers and confirmed their preconceived notions of primitive Yankee ways.

DIED. Nicholas Ray, 67, moody, erratic film director; of cancer; in New York City.

His first film, They Live by Night, won critical plaudits for its stark depiction of teen-age alienation, loneliness and savage cruelty--themes he later developed in the psychological western Johnny Guitar and the '50s cult film starring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause. Ray's fortunes faded in Hollywood in the 1960s, not to be revived by blockbuster fiascos he made abroad.

DIED. Franz J. Polgar, 79, celebrated mesmerist and mind reader who claimed to have hypnotized more than a million people during his lifetime; of illness resulting from a brain tumor; in Miami. The Hungarian-born Polgar, who held doctorates in economics and psychology, said he discovered his telepathic powers upon recovering from amnesia and aphasia caused by World War I battle wounds. A good snowman who performed on the lecture circuit, he also conducted a lifelong campaign to establish hypnosis as a scientific discipline, especially useful as a substitute for anesthesia during childbirth and in curing the smoking habit.

DIED. Leverett Saltonstall, 86, crusty Massachusetts Republican who as state house speaker (1929-36), Governor (1939-44), and U.S. Senator (1944-67) shaped policies in his increasingly Democratic state for nearly five decades; of a heart attack; in Dover, Mass. Born into a wealthy Brahmin family with 300-year-old roots in Boston and eight Massachusetts Governors among its scions, the long-jawed, rawboned "Salty" had a face so honest and distinctive it was called his best political asset. After serving 13 years in the state legislature, he won glory and the governorship by defeating Boston's scandal-tainted ex-mayor James Michael Curley in the elections of 1938. Saltonstall's cautious, plodding but scrupulous administration did much to restore Bay State confidence in elected officials, and, after being twice re-elected Governor, he moved on to the Senate. As Senator, "Old Lev" was known for his reticence ("No comment, and that's off the record"), ability to reconcile House and Senate differences, and unfailing dedication to the folks back home. He was ranking Republican on the powerful Senate Appropriations and Armed Services committees when he retired in 1967, to tend the cows and chickens on his Dover farm and be the "just plain country fellow" he always claimed to be.

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