Kris Kristofferson

Tom Cochrane

Krull

Heather Locklear

Tommy Lasorda

Christopher Reeve

Spacehunter

Rosalind Chao

Toni Basil

John Houseman

Jim Croce

Neil Lumsden

Roddy McDowall

John Ritter

The double life of Merlin Olsen

Merlin Olsen, at right, with co-star Katherine Cannon in "Father Murphy".

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081861/mediaviewer/rm1763675904/?ref_=tt_ph_2

(May be subject to copyright)

Merlin Olsen led a double life in the ‘80s. On Sundays, he was a skilled and insightful professional football commentator. The rest of the week, he was an actor on a night-time drama about a man who led, well, a double life.

He always projected this aura of kindness, sincerity and respect in whatever he did.

Merlin Olsen’s birthday yesterday was a good chance to look back at a talented man who was a pro football player, broadcaster, actor and much more.

The early years
Merlin Olsen was born in Utah and raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the Mormons. He attended Utah State University, where he was a consensus All-American defensive tackle in his senior year in 1961 and won the Outland Trophy.

He was picked third overall in the 1962 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, where he played his entire 15-year career. He retired after the Rams lost the 1976 NFC Championship Game. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1962; the 1974 Bert Bell Award winner as NFL Player of the Year; a five-time First Team All-Pro, in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970; a three-time Second Team All-Pro, in 1963, 1964, and 1965; and played in 14 straight Pro Bowls, every season but his last.

He was part of the legendary Fearsome Foursome of the Los Angeles Rams that also included Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier. He finished his career with 91 quarterback sacks, nine fumble recoveries, and one interception. Tackles were not kept as a statistic back then, so we don’t know how big his impact on the defensive line truly was.

Massive I am sure, because he was elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 1982 – his first year of eligibility.

Merlin Olsen, at left, withwith partner Dick Enberg, calling football games.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Oldschool_NFL/comments/

1h8gzv7/merlin_olsen_and_dick_enberg_in_the_booth_at/

(May be subject to copyright)

Live on TV
Olsen moved into the broadcast booth in 1977. He covered AFC games on NBC, primarily with Dick Enberg, for the rest of the 1970s and most of the 1980s, as well as the Rose Bowl.

I first saw Olsen covering the Rose Bowl from 1980 with Enberg, then started watching their NFL broadcsats soon after. Interestingly, he was the Rose Parade grand marshal in 1983, just before he was broadcasting the game. That was pretty cool.

I also remember him covering a Denver Broncos playoff game early in the career of Bronco quarterback John Elway. He was playing hurt, so in the pre-game Olsen cautioned the Broncos’ offence becomes very ordinary without Elway.

He was always an insightful, measured analyst, finishing his broadcasting career in 1991.

Strike season
There was an NFL players’ strike in 1982, that brought a halt to the season. With no games to broadcast, NBC decided to come north and broadcast some CFL games.

While he was in Canada, he appeared on a CFL broadcast. When asked if he had any experience with the CFL, he said when he was coming out of college he had been contacted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He came north to see a game, but it turned out to be the 1962 Grey Cup, famously called the “Fog Bowl”. He then signed with the Rams.

Being dramatic
Merlin Olsen also transitioned into acting on NBC starting in 1977.

After roles in movies such as “The Undefeated”; “One More Train to Rob”; “Something Big”; and “Mitchell”; and guest spots in the TV shows “Petticoat Junction”; “Kung Fu”; and “Dr. Simon Locke”; he landed a role that would change the trajectory of his acting career.

In 1977, he started playing Jonathan Garvey, the best friend of pioneer Charles Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie”. Olsen would appear in 51 episodes from 1977 to 1981.

Going it alone
In 1981, Merlin Olsen struck out on his own, landing the title role in a new drama called “Father Murphy”. He plays John Michael Murphy, a frontiersman in the 1870s, who works with prospector Moses Gage, played by Moses Gunn, to protect a group of orphans being threatened with going to a workhouse. Murphy disguises himself as a priest, befriends a teacher, played by Katherine Cannon, and they help the children.

I loved Father Murphy, especially in his guise as a priest. He was sometimes underestimated, and used those skills as a frontiersman to win the day. Moses Gunn was also awesome as his partner and friend.

“Father Murphy” ran two seasons from 1981 to 1983 for a total of 34 episodes.

Rest of the decade and beyond
Merlin Olsen finished the decade with roles in an episode of “Walking Tall”; the television movies “The Juggler of Notre Dame” and “Time Bomb”; and starring roles in two series.

In the sitcom “Fathers and Sons” in 1986, he plays a father and baseball coach to his sons. The show lasted four episodes.

Then, in 1988, he starred in “Aaron’s Way”. Olsen played Aaron Miller, the head of an Amish family that moves to California. They struggled to adjust to life in California and retain their traditional values. “Aaron’s Way” lasted one season and 14 episodes.

It was Olsen’s last appearance on television.

Sadly, Merlin Olsen died of cancer on March 11, 2010.

He was 69 years old.

Parting thoughts
Merlin Olsen was an impressive man. I never saw him play football, but his statistics speak for themselves, as does his All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections, and induction to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.

It also informed his work as a broadcaster, which was insightful, measured, and called wholesome by some. I like the fact he called the game, did not insert himself into it, did not use jargon or clichés, remained objective, and was still entertaining without bluster or bravado.

He brought that same demeanor to his acting, where he was measured, understated and genuine.

It was interesting sometimes seeing him in the broadcast booth one day, then playing a 19th Century frontiersman the next.

I can’t imagine Joe Buck calling a Colts game on Sunday night, then seeing him in “Yellowstone” on Monday.

It would be hard to lead a double life like that, and maintain credibility on both ends, yet Merlin Olsen did it.

Kelly Keagy: Oh, the time has come…

It was 1984, I was just getting into music and had “Solid Gold” playing on a Saturday night. Host Marilyn McCoo was introducing the next act performing. It was this band who took the stage and performed this ballad that really struck me, partly because it started with vocals sung by the drummer, went into the body of the song with the entire band, and ended with that same drummer singing vocals with no accompaniment.

It was the first time I ever heard “Sister Christian”. The band was Night Ranger, and that drummer and singer was Kelly Keagy.

At the time I did not know the names of Night Ranger, but then I was watching the 1985 American Music Awards and Lionel Richie was introducing the performers who were presenting the award for Album of the Year. Two of those guys were Kelly Keagy and Jack Blades.

It is Kelly Keagy’s birthday today, reminding me of a band that had a number of songs that really struck me.

Starting out
The band started in 1979 in San Francisco and through various evolutions, became Night Ranger in 1982. That year they also released their debut album “Dawn Patrol”. It would go all the way to number 38 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The album also yielded the singles “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”, which went to number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, but number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart; “Sing Me Away”, which peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 39 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart; and “Young Girl in Love”, which did not chart.

Breaking out
Everything changed for Night Ranger when they released “Midnight Madness”, their second album, in 1983.

The first single performed pretty much the same way its predecessors did. “(You Can Still) Rock in America”, peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The second single would not only be Night Ranger’s most successful song, but also became one of the best power ballads of the decade.

“Sister Christian”, sung by Kelly Keagy, was a stirring, ballad that really can evoke emotion, especially when Keagy goes unplugged at the beginning and end of the song. Wikipedia reveals Keagy wrote the song for his sister Christy after visiting his hometown and being surprised at how fast she was growing up. Initially, it was “Sister Christy”, but Blades thought it was “Sister Christian”, so the name stayed.

“Sister Christian” went all the way to number five on the Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and number one in Canada.

It is an absolutely amazing song that blew me away that very first time I heard it on “Solid Gold”.

There would be one more single from “Midnight Madness”, called “When You Close Your Eyes”, which peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 14 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.

“Midnight Madness” would go gold in Canada, Platinum in the United States, and all the way to number 15 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Night Ranger was now a bonified success. Now it was time to follow up the success and interest created by “Sister Christian”.

Following up with best wishes
By the time “7 Wishes”, Night Ranger’s next album, was released in May of 1985, I was getting really interested in music.

I was in Grade 10 and listening to LA-107 FM, an album-oriented rock station, and watching music videos on “Video Hits” and “Good Rockin’ Tonite”, which both aired on CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial.

It was there where I heard about “7 Wishes”, and “Sentimental Street”, the first single released from it.

“Sentimental Street”
Now, I had heard some other Night Ranger songs, and they were more of a hard rock band, but it was becoming apparent their success would come from ballads.

“Sentimental Street” was a ballad, but different from “Sister Christian”. It didn’t have that thing that touched the heart, but still told a story. The video was interesting too, with the band playing a Second World War bomber crew, lost at sea.

At Christmas of 1985, I was visiting some relatives over the break. One of my cousins had taped some videos and, as I entered the living room, “Sentimental Street” was playing. The wife of another cousin said she had seen a list of the worst videos of the year and “Sentimental Street” was at the top. I always liked the song, and thought the video was something different. Incidentally, “Centrefield” by John Fogerty was ranked the best.

“Sentimental Street” would take Night Ranger back into the top 10, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

Follow-up single
Night Ranger followed up “Sentimental Street” with a single that was more up tempo, and indicative of their sound.

It was called “Four in the Morning (I Can’t Take Any More)”. The song also hit the top 20, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

My cousin Fred is a musician and music guru. He was really into hard rock and heavy metal, and pointed out “Four in the Morning” as a song he liked. I am pretty sure he actually owned “7 Wishes” too. It also got significant air play, on LA-107 FM.

“Goodbye”
The final single Night Ranger released from “7 Wishes” is not only one of my favourite Night Ranger songs, but one of my all-time favourite ballads.

I saw “Goodbye” just once on a video show when it came out, and had the thought that Night Ranger put out another good ballad.

It would go all the way to number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 16 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

However, it would be the Fall of 1987 and into 1988 that I really got into “Goodbye”. I was living in student residence at the University of Alberta. That was a cool environment, because I could borrow or trade tapes with other students. It was almost unlimited access to music.

One of my floormates had “7 Wishes”. She said it was the selection of the month on Columbia House, but it was not what she thought it was. I asked if she thought it was soft rock when it was really hard rock. That is exactly what she thought.

I borrowed it, because I wanted to have a closer listen to “Goodbye”.

At that same time, something odd happened. One of my closest friends on our floor had to leave. I helped her move to another floor, and it was like a scene from a movie. She came to my room to say goodbye, and “Goodbye” was actually playing on my ghetto blaster.

After she left, I played it over a bunch of times, like a homage to her leaving.

It was kind of surreal.

The album
“7 Wishes” would peak at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 200, the highest charting album Night Ranger would have.

I had another crack at it in my second year of university in 1988-1989. I was putting together a bit of a mixed tape, because my wingmate Lorne Zaparniuk had a bunch of tapes with songs I liked, and the end of the year was coming soon. I recorded “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel, “Deep Cuts the Knife” by Helix, and – “Sentimental Street” by Night Ranger.

That was the last time I ever listened to “7 Wishes”.

What’s that say?
The next time I came into contact with Night Ranger was in 1987. I was reading a music magazine, either “Hit Parader” or “Circus”, both steered in my direction by Fred. There was an article on Night Ranger’s new album called “Big Life”. The band explained where the title came from. Back then, one of the fads in Canada and the States was shirts with Japanese writing on them. I always wondered what the characters printed on the shirts actually meant. They could have been messing with us, or it could have just been gibberish. Without someone who actually spoke Japanese, we had no way of knowing.

There was a similar fad in Japan, except the shirts had English words printed on them. Night Ranger toured Japan, and saw some of these shirts. Most, in fact, did not make sense. One that Keagy and Blades saw said “Big Life”, which sounded kind of cool. It also could have an interesting meaning.

Thus, an album was born.

“Big Life” would peak at number 28 on the Billboard 200 album chart, but had no top 20 singles.

However, there was one notable single from “Big Life”.

Movie music
In the Spring of 1987, I was in Grade 12, and started going out on dates. I was, and still am, a huge Michael J. Fox fan, so I took one girl to his latest movie “The Secret of My Success”. The date was a disaster, the movie was good, and I heard a familiar sound on screen.

As it turns out, Michael J. Fox requested Night Ranger write and record the song “Secret of My Success”, which also doubled as the debut single from “Big Life”.

The song was not a huge commercial success, peaking at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 12 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

However, “The Secret of My Success” was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1988 for Best Original Song, losing out to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.

The years after
Night Ranger’s first five albums sold 10 million copies worldwide according to Wikipedia, and they have sold 17 million total. They would break up in 1989, but reunite in 1991 and continue to tour and record.

Parting thoughts
I have a lot of memories of Night Ranger, but they are all from their ballads. Kelly Keagy just has that voice that resonates with me, whether it is “Sister Christian” or “Goodbye”.

I am not the only one who thinks so, because “Sister Christian” was ranked number 32 as VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s.

It was one of the iconic songs of the decade, and Kelly Keagy sang it.

Ray Jauch: Hall of fame coach

Ray Jauch coached the Edmonton Eskimos,

Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL.

Source: Facebook/Shaw Media's Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame

(May be subject to copyright)

The first professional football game I ever saw was the Calgary Stampeders playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and I was immediately hooked.

Ray Jauch was the coach of the Blue Bombers that day, and I can still picture him on the sideline gazing at the action on the field with that big headset on, communicating with the rest of his staff.

Jauch was recently inducted into the Canadian Football Hall Of Fame.

Seeing him looking good and healthy, and like he could still coach, reminded me of a coach who accomplished a lot before I started watching football, some more when I started, then had a final act when many thought his coaching days were long behind him.

Back to the beginning
Ray Jauch played his college football at Iowa, was a running back on the Hawkeyes’ 1958 national championship team, and played with Iowa in the 1959 Rose Bowl against California. He came north to play for Winnipeg, but had his career ended by injury in the 1961 Grey Cup.

He entered coaching in 1962 and got his first professional coaching job in 1966. Neill Armstrong was coaching Edmonton and he hired Jauch to be running backs coach for the Eskimos. Jauch remained in that role until 1970. That year Armstrong left the Eskimos to join his friend Bud Grant who was going to coach the Minnesota Vikings.

When Edmonton opened training camp to start the 1970 CFL season, Ray Jauch was their head coach.

Edmonton epic
The Eskimos had finished with a record of five wins and 11 losses in 1969, finishing fourth in the CFL West Division and out of the playoffs. There was really no place to go but up.

When Ray Jauch took over, Edmonton climbed to second in the West Division with a record of nine wins and seven losses. However, they lost in the West Semi-Final to the Calgary Stampeders to end their season. For his efforts, Jauch won the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL Coach of the Year.

In 1971, the Eskimos took a step back, finishing with a record of six wins and 10 losses, finishing last in the West Division and out of the playoffs.

They rebounded in 1972, finishing second in the West with a record of 10 wins and six losses, but again lost in the West Semi-Final, this time to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The following year, Edmonton began an incredible run that saw them appear in nine Grey Cups in 10 years. They won the West Division in 1973 with a record of nine wins, five losses and two ties. They defeated Saskatchewan in the West Final but lost to Ottawa in the Grey Cup.

In 1974, the Eskimos again finished first in the West with a record of 10 wins, five losses and one tie. They again defeated Saskatchewan in the West Final but this time lost to Montreal in the Grey Cup.

Jauch took the Eskimos to their third straight Grey Cup in 1975. They finished first in the West with a record of 12 wins and four losses. They went on to beat Saskatchewan in the West Final then exacted some revenge on Montreal, beating the Alouettes to win the Grey Cup.

The Eskimos could not repeat as Grey Cup champions in 1976. They dropped to third in the West with a record of nine wins, six losses and one tie. They defeated Winnipeg in the West Semi-Final but lost to Saskatchewan in the West Final.

After the 1976 season, Jauch would move into the Edmonton front office as director of football operations. His record as coach of the Eskimos was 64 wins, 43 losses, and four ties.

After doing that for the 1977 season, Ray Jauch would be back on the sidelines at the start of the 1978 season.

Turning blue
Ray Jauch became the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers starting in the 1978 season. He took over a team that finished third in the West in 1977 with a record of 10 wins and six losses, and lost to the B.C. Lions by a single point in the West Semi-Final.

In 1978, the Blue Bombers won nine games and lost seven good enough for third place in the CFL West. They went on to play the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final but lost.

I pick up the story in 1979. The Calgary Stampeders opened their season against Winnipeg, winning by a score of 35-7. That was the first time I saw Ray Jauch.

The 1979 season was not a good one for Winnipeg. They plummeted to fourth in the West with a record of four wins and 12 losses, and out of the playoffs.

I recall hearing a lot about Jauch that year and his success in Edmonton. However, every time I saw his Bombers play, they seemed to lose.

They would turn it around in a big way the next year.

Resurgence
As a new decade dawned, a new era of football was coming in Winnipeg. Jauch led the Bombers to a 10-6 record in 1980, good enough for second place in the West. They defeated the Stampeders in the West Semi-Final, but ran into that Edmonton Eskimo juggernaut in the West Final. The Eskimos were on their way to winning their third of five straight Grey Cups.

Ten years after winning his first Annis Stukus Trophy as CFL Coach of the Year, Ray Jauch won his second one at the end of the 1980 season.

The Bombers were again second in the West in 1981 with a record of 11 wins and five losses. They hosted the West Semi-Final but lost to the B.C. Lions.

Jauch’s final year in Winnipeg was 1982 when the Bombers once more finished second in the West with a record of 11 wins and five losses. They again hosted the West Semi-Final, defeating the Calgary Stampeders but lost to Edmonton in the West Final by a score of 24-21.

Jauch finished his time in Winnipeg with a record of 45 wins and 35 losses.

New league
Ray Jauch headed back south after the 1982 season. The United States Football League was set to start an 18-game schedule in the Spring of 1983, and Jauch would be the coach of the Washington Federals. Interestingly, his old West Division rival Hugh Campbell, who coached Edmonton to five straight Grey Cup championships, also joined the USFL as coach of the Los Angeles Express.

The Federals won four games and lost 14 in their inaugural season, missing the playoffs. They lost their season opener in 1984, and Jauch was fired.

He coached some high school football in Virginia in 1986 and 1987, then was set to join another new professional league.

Indoor football
The United States Football League folded before it was set to start its 1986 season. In 1987, a new league launched – the four-team Arena Football League.

Four teams would play in ice arenas. I read about this in an issue of “TV Guide”. The teams were the Chicago Bruisers, Pittsburgh Gladiators, Washington Commandos and Denver Dynamite. The article only had illustrations, but no pictures, so as I started reading it, I was not sure if it was real.

Then I read that Ray Jauch was coaching the Chicago Bruisers. It had to be real.

The Bruisers went on to a record of two wins and four losses.

He again was fired after the season, and closed out the decade coaching some more high school football. He was also the Arena Football League’s director of operations in 1989.

The years after
Ray Jauch returned to the CFL in 1991. He was the offensive coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders until 1994 when he became head coach. In his two seasons as head coach, the Riders won 18 games and lost 20.

In 1996, he coached the expansion Minnesota Fighting Pike of the Arena Football League, where they won four games and lost 10.

He would go on to be an offensive assistant for the Toronto Argonauts in 1999; an assistant coach for the Carolina Cobras of the Arena Football League in 2004; offensive coordinator of a football team in Germany; and currently Wikipedia reveals he coaches high school football in the United States.

Ray Jauch was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2024.

Parting thoughts
Ray Jauch’s greatest coaching success, by far, came in the Canadian Football League. I never saw him in Edmonton where he restored the team to respectability and took them to their first Grey Cup in 19 years. However, it was interesting to see what he did in Winnipeg.

When I started watching Canadian football in 1979, the Blue Bombers were just not very good. The first game I saw was the Calgary Stampeders against the Blue Bombers, and the Stamps blew them out. They didn’t have a good season at all. Through the course of the year, I heard about Jauch’s success in Edmonton, but I just didn’t see it when I saw Winnipeg play.

It all changed in 1980, when Jauch turned around the Bombers and took them to three straight playoff appearances under his leadership.

He also won two coach of the year awards, with two different teams 10 years apart.

Add that all up and it is obvious Ray Jauch is a hall of fame coach.

“Gardens of Stone”: A great war movie

From left are James Earl Jones and James Caan in the 1987 movie "Gardens of Stone".

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093073/

(May be subject to copyright)

It is a haunting and chilling image – Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Even more chilling is one of its descriptions – “gardens of stone”.

“Gardens of Stone” is set among the 3rd Infantry Regiment, or The Old Guard, who provide the ceremonial honour guard for the funerals of fallen soldiers. A movie seemingly devoid of action, turns out to be a great war movie.

Recently, I was laid up and off work for a day. Sitting on my PVR for close to a year was this movie I had heard of close to 40 years ago, watched 10 years after that, and decided I needed to see again.

“Gardens of Stone” was as good as I remembered.

The movie
The movie stars James Caan as Sergeant First Class Clell Hazard, who is assigned to the the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He would rather be training living soldiers sent to Vietnam, so they don't get killed in action.

He meets Samantha Davis, a Washington Post reporter opposed to the war, played by Anjelica Huston. Eventually, they become involved romantically.

One of Hazard's best friends is Sergeant Major “Goody” Nelson, played by James Earl Jones, who is also a superior. Another superior is Captain Homer Thomas, played by Dean Stockwell, who is company commander.

Then, one day, Jackie Willow, played by a very young D.B. Sweeney, is assigned to Hazard’s platoon. Willow’s father served in Korea with Hazard and Nelson. Willow said his dad suggested he look up Hazard.

Hazard, in turn, tells Nelson he promised Willow’s dad he would look out for his son.

Willow is gung ho, hell bent on deploying to Vietnam. He also courts, and eventually marries, Rachel Feld, played by Mary Stuart Masterson.

As the days go by, Hazard tries to keep Willow safe, and away from Vietnam. In the end, he fails and Willow is sent to Vietnam. He writes letters home describing his experiences, and everything seems to be going well.

One day, Hazard receives some bad news. The next thing we see, he is absolutely destroying a room. He’s throwing chairs, flipping over tables, and screaming in rage.

Willow has been killed in Vietnam.

Hazard requests to go to Vietnam to be a platoon sergeant in a combat infantry unit.

The last scene of the movie was also the first scene – a military funeral in Arlington National Cemetery. At the outset of the movie, we had no idea who anyone was. Now we know them all. The widow, is actually Rachel Willow.

Hazard places his Combat Infantry badge on Willow’s coffin, then speaks to those in attendance.

The movie ends with a rifle salute and “Taps” being played.

It is a great movie.

Viewing history
I first heard about “Gardens of Stone” on “The Movie Show”, a locally produced series on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial. I recall towards the end of Grade 12 in 1987, writing down the title on a list of movies I wanted to see. I had it pinned it to the corkboard in my bedroom. Then I went off to university and never looked back.

In the Summer of 1996, I had just finished up at the University of Alberta, and moved into an apartment. Between jobs, I decided to rent some of the movies I had wanted to see for a long time.

One of those movies was “Gardens of Stone”.

That was the first time I ever saw the movie, and the last time, until a couple days ago.

Parting thoughts
As I was reflecting on “Gardens of Stone”, it occurred to me that in some ways it is a book end for another one of my favourite war movies “Heartbreak Ridge”. They both have characters in postings they would rather not be in, being protected by superiors who are also friends. In both cases, they served in Korea and Vietnam and had definte opinions on the direction of those conflicts. That's why I kind of think “Gardens of Stone” is a book end to “Heartbreak Ridge”.

Beyond that, it is a good movie that illustrates the random tragedy of war. It looks at how gung ho and committed someone can be to getting into action, only to die for no really good reason.

The backdrop is really interesting too. Whereas a movie like “Heartbreak Ridge” is about training and going into military action, “Gardens of Stone” is about what happens to the unfortunate few who don’t make it back from combat.

It is pretty sobering.

“The Jesse Owens Story”: The movie and the man

Dorian Harewood played the title character

in the 1984 television movie "The Jesse Owens Story".

Source: https://people.com/dorian-harewood

-uses-music-rebuild-after-los-angeles-fires-devastates-family-11678915

(May be subject to copyright)

Everything I know about legendary, trailblazing athlete Jesse Owens I learned on television. In particular, a four-hour TV event I saw one Sunday afternoon in 1986 called “The Jesse Owens Story”.

On the occasion of his birthday today, I was reminded of that four-hour TV movie, the insight it gave me into the man, and the actor who played Jesse Owens.

The story
By 1986, it had already been 50 years since Jesse Owens broke onto the international stage. I knew the general outline of his life.

Owens was born in Alabama and rose to prominence as a sprinter and long jumper. He qualified for the 1936 United States Olympic team at a most precarious time in history.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party had risen to power in Germany, capitalizing on the insecurity of a nation hobbled by war, the Depression, and economic instability. He not only had consolidated his power in the country, but was creating a supremely racist state that was exterminating all opposition, religious groups, and ethnic groups who did not conform to his concept of the “Master Race”.

Seeking to demonstrate to the world Germany’s return to glory and prominence, and showcase his “Master Race”, Hitler and his country hosted the 1936 Olympics in the German capital of Berlin.

Into this hypertense environment stepped Jesse Owens. As a Black man, he had experienced extreme racism in his own country. It kept him from attending college and living the life other Americans did.

Owens had the opportunity to stick it to Hitler and his “Master Race”. He was competing in four events and could very easily win them all.

That is exactly what he did. Owens won the 100-metre sprint; 200-metre sprint; long jump and four-by-100-metre relay. Moreover, he shook Adolf Hitler’s hand when receiving his medals, and stuck it in his eye again.

Owens should have been a conquering hero after that, but he was still a Black man in America in the 1930s. He experienced racism, his various sponsorship opportunities dried up, he had to work various menial jobs, and eventually he declared bankruptcy and was charged with tax evasion.

The movie shed a lot of light on this aspect of Jesse Owens’ story.

The movie
The “Jesse Owens Story”, which came out in 1984, is told largely through flashbacks as Owens is facing tax evasion charges. A court-appointed investigator, played by Georg Stanford Brown, looks into his life.

The first thing I recall distinctly is that Owens’ first name is not Jesse. He was named James Cleveland or J.C. Owens. However, his coach, played by George Kennedy, was hard of hearing. He thought he heard “Jesse” and, when he called him that, Owens did not correct him.

He did not want to make waves, a theme that is re-visited throughout the movie.

I knew well Owens’ Olympic journey, so that does not stick with me. What does sit with me is everything the movie showed me about what happened to Owens after the Olympics.

Avery Brundage was with the Olympic committee. The movie paints him as a racist who hobbles Owens’ chances to capitalize on his success. I recall being so angry at the injustice.

Owens ended up doing all sorts of things to make ends meet. The one thing that stands out was how Owens competed head to head with race horses – and won. At that time, the Olympics were still a recent memory and gold medalists were doing all sorts of commercials. I thought it was just sad that an Olympic champions, got so little respect or appreciation at home.

Dorian Harewood played Jesse Owens and he was amazing. Not only did he look like Owens, but he portrayed the pain and emotion the athlete felt. Harewood had previously played Alex Haley’s father Simon in “Roots: The Next Generations” and Dr. Nate “Skate” Baylor in this drama called “Trauma Center”.

Sunday afternoon viewing
I distinctly recall recording “The Jesse Owens Story” and sitting down on a Sunday afternoon to watch it. It was four hours long and, even fast forwarding through the commercials, it took the entire afternoon.

Often, after I watched something I had recorded, I would record over it. “The Jesse Owens Story” left enough of an impression on me that I kept it. I didn’t use that tape for anything else ever again.

Personal connection
One of my Grade 7 and 8 teachers was Joyce Ober, who had been an accomplished athlete. At one time, there was a display in our home room with newspaper clippings of her accomplishments. Before she got married, she was Joyce Meheden. When I looked at one of the clippings, there was a picture of Joyce Meheden sitting with Jesse Owens. He was older and grayer, but it was unmistakably him.

It was so cool.

Parting thoughts
America really didn’t treat its champions very well if they were Black. Boxer Joe Louis, a contemporary of Jesse Owens, suffered a similar fate, driven into bankruptcy and was ultimately taken in by his one-time nemesis. Jesse Owens endured racism before he went to the Olympics and again when he returned a conquering hero.

It is telling that he endorsed the opponent of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, pointing out Hitler shook his hand but Roosevelt didn’t.

Yet, at the time, and especially with the benefit of history, Jesse Owens has taken his rightful place in the annals of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century. Moreover, he is recognized as a trailblazer for equal rights, someone who fought valiantly against racism.

So much of Jesse Owens story I learned from TV, and it was well worth watching.

One Day at a Time: Some unfinished business

From left are Pat Harrington; Valerie Bertinelli;

Bonnie Franklin; and Mackenzie Phillips.

Source: Facebook/Killer Cosmonaut

(May be subject to copyright)

It just seemed like a piece of unfinished business. When I was growing up, I really liked this show then, like so often happened in the three-channel universe, it just wasn’t on our channels every year. It still aired on its usual channel on cable and in the States, but Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial just stopped airing “One Day at a Time” for its last few seasons.

I was able to keep track of the show, by reading the fall preview issue of “TV Guide” which described in general terms what was coming for that season of the show. I also read the weekly blurbs, so I had a bit of an idea of how the show progressed.

Then, in the Spring of 1984, on an episode of “Entertainment Tonight”, they showed a clip of the last scene of the last regular episode of “One Day at a Time”.

I always wanted to know what happened over those last few seasons. Awhile back I saw all nine seasons, and 209 episodes, of “One Day at a Time” were available to stream for free on CTV Throwback.

So, on April 7, 2024, I began an odyssey of reliving old TV memories from the ‘80s, and watched all 209 episodes. I finished that odyssey today, and finally found out exactly what happened to Ann Romano, her daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper, and the building superintendent Dwayne Schneider.

In the beginning
The first time I ever heard about “One Day at a Time” was in Grade 1, so the Fall of 1975 or the Spring of 1976, when it was still in its first season. I was standing at the drinking fountain with Greg Ronne, and we had just come from a day off school. That meant we could stay up late because we had no school the next day. We started talking about what we watched on TV.

Greg said he watched “One Day at a Time”. I had never heard of the show, and would not see an episode for another year or two.

I filled in those blanks when I binge watched the show.

Groundbreaking
What first reminded me of “One Day at a Time” a few months ago was the death of its creator Norman Lear. He had already established a reputation for groundbreaking comedy with “All in the Family”, and was not afraid to confront tough issues.

He built on that reputation with “One Day at a Time”. Bonnie Franklin played Ann Romano, a recently divorced woman who moved from her hometown of Logansport, Indiana to Indianapolis. Accompanying her were her two daughters Julie Cooper, played by Mackenzie Phillips and Barbara Cooper, played by a very young Valerie Bertinelli.

The subject of divorce was groundbreaking enough, but Ann chose to go back to her family name and was fiercely independent. Joseph Campanella played her ex-husband Ed Cooper, who was a typical man of the era, a chauvinist who made it be known a woman’s place was in the home. Ann not only left that behind, but rebelled against it as she tried to balance finding out who she was with raising two teenage daughters.

Starting out
That first season, Dwayne Schneider, the building superintendent, came on to Ann, and was a chauvinist too. Relatively quickly, he became a friend, confidante, protector, and soon a part of the family. David Kane, played by Richard Masur, was a friend of Ann’s who wanted to be more, and proposed often, but was rebuffed by Ann continually. She eventually relented but, when he took a job in California, Ann had no intention of going with him and the relationship ended.

A lot of the plots revolved around the rebellious Julie doing something to get her in trouble, coming into conflict with Ann, and in the end sorting things out. There were stories about Barbara too, but she was still young and more wise-cracking comic relief than anything. That would soon change.

Ann was also unemployed pretty much all of the first season, and looking for a job was always part of the on-going narrative.

She would find a job with Connors and Davenport, an advertising agency. John Hillerman played Claude Connors, until he left to play Jonathan Higgins on “Magnum P.I.”, and Charles Siebert played Jerry Davenport until he moved on to play Dr. Stanley Riverside in “Trapper John, M.D.”

Issues
There were some really good episodes in the first few years. One that really sticks out is quite unsettling. Barbara makes friends with Melanie, who is insecure, annoying, and attention seeking. She even thinks Barbara’s boyfriend likes her only to have Barbara steal him away. Barbara has enough and tells off Melanie. At the end of the episode, Melanie phones Barbara, telling her no one likes her and we see she has an empty pill bottle in her hand.

The episode is a two-parter. The second part is a struggle to keep Melanie awake on the other end of the phone line, convince her parents their daughter needs help, and the aftermath of her surviving the suicide attempt.

It was awesome.

There were also episodes where Julie runs away from home with her boyfriend; joins a cult; and gets engaged to a man old enough to be her dad. Incidentally, he was played by Jim Hutton, the father of actor Timothy Hutton.

Tough day at the office
It must have been around the third season or so that I started watching “One Day at a Time”, because I started seeing episodes I remembered.

One I vividly recalled had Ann, who by now was doing well as an ad executive at Connors and Davenport, falling ill and getting an assistant, Francine Webster, played by Shelley Fabares. Francine is very helpful, only to take all the credit for Ann’s work. However, Davenport who is an old newspaper reporter by trade, sniffs out who and what Francine really is – and transfers her elsewhere.

This would not be the last of Francine Webster.

A few seasons later she is back, masterfully manipulating the situation. She goads Ann into demanding a promotion – to Texas – knowing she won’t take it. So Ann quits.

This would lead to several interesting plot developments.

Man trouble
Ann decides to start her own ad agency. She ends up bidding for a job against an artist named Nick Handrus, played by Ron Rifkin. The client ends up liking Ann’s words and Nick’s art, and essentially forces them to work together. Initially, they are at each other’s throats, but an attraction develops and, by season’s end, they are a couple. Nick has a son, Alex, played by Glen Scarpelli, who becomes a recurring character as well.

Frienemies
Sadly, in the first episode of the next season, we learn Nick was killed by a drunk driver. Alex has nowhere to go, so he moves in with Ann. He would leave again a couple seasons later.

She is now faced with either finding a new partner, or maybe folding up the agency. In her search, who should appear at her office? Francine Webster.

By this point, Channel 13 was no longer airing “One Day at a Time”, so I just read the basic description of this plot line. I was excited to see how it unfolded.

Ann would take on Francine as a partner and they would stay together, through good and bad, for the remainder of the show. It was really interesting to see.

Sister act
Meanwhile, Julie and Barbara grew up. In real life,

Mackenzie Phillips struggled with addiction, and was on and off the show right through season nine.

The story of Julie’s marriage was one of the last I saw before the show stopped being aired in our area. She came back from a ski trip engaged to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed medical student named Fred, played by Morgan Stevens. Fred’s best friend Max Horvath, played by Michael Lembeck, was always around, and he continued to get under Julie’s skin. He confronts her with the fact he loves her, and he’s pretty sure she loves him too. At the wedding, this all comes to a head and, as Julie walks down the aisle, her betrothed is waiting at the altar – and it’s Max. It was really cool.

Max stayed with the show until the end, even when Julie was away. When Phillips was actually fired in real life, Julie left him. By then, they had a little girl named Annie, who Max raised with the help of his ex-wife’s family.

The story of Barbara’s marriage is a little less weird, but has a similar tone. Barbara agrees to date two men, knowing she will be back in plenty of time from the first date to go to the second date.

However her first date, a dental student named Mark Royer, played by Boyd Gaines, has no intention of rushing her home when he discovers Barbara’s plan. In fact, he does the opposite and takes her across the state for a cup of coffee. Barbara is furious. However, as I see it, she is in the wrong, but cannot stop thinking about Mark. He is in love with her too, and they do marry.

Things get interesting when they do get married.

Settling down and out on their own
Mark’s dad Sam Royer, played by Howard Hesseman fresh off his stint as Dr. Johnny Fever in “WKRP in Cincinnati”, comes to the wedding. There is an immediate spark between Sam and Ann. They get together and soon are married. In the last season and a half, Sam moves in with Ann and a lot of the stories revolve around how that goes between them.

This was another plot line I read about in “TV Guide” and was really curious to see.

Meanwhile, Julie, Max and Annie, and Barbara and Mark all rent a house together. Many of the stories are about their lives and living together. Max is a flight attendant, Barbara gets a job at a sporting goods store and eventually goes back to college, and Mark finishes school and starts his own dental practice. In the last season, Max and Barbara go to work at a travel agency.

The end
Like all things, “One Day at a Time” came to an end. Ann gets a job offer in France and accepts it. The final episode with Ann, Schneider and the rest is quite touching. Ann has packed up all her stuff and is ready to leave. Francine comes over to say goodbye, and you can see they have developed an affection for each other. Schneider shows up in a suit, says his patented line, “Always remember, and please never forget…Annie I love you.”

Ann is all alone in her now empty apartment. A flashback plays – the scene plays from the very first episode when she and the girls move in. Then she is standing at the door, with just a phone lying in the middle of the empty apartment – and Ann shuts off the light.

It was that last scene that I saw play on “Entertainment Tonight”, that I really wanted to see.

It took 40 years almost exactly, but I saw it.

Denouement
Unfortunately, that actually was not the final episode. There was one more, a backdoor pilot with Schneider leaving Indianapolis to move to Florida to take care of his brother’s son and daughter. It was never picked up as a series. Interestingly, a very young Corey Feldman played his nephew.

Parting thoughts
“One Day at a Time” holds up well. It is interesting to see clothes and style change, but a lot of the issues it addressed remain. We still deal with sexism, racism, inclusion, suicide, fraud, and so much more.

Norman Lear was never afraid to confront these issues head on, and many of the episodes still resonate.

One of the neat things about watching a show that is more than 40 years old, is seeing all the actors who went on to other roles.

The most striking was Mark Hamill who, shortly after his appearance, went on to a little movie called “Star Wars”. There were others too, such as Corey Feldman, Greg Evigan and many more.

It was a neat trip down memory lane, one I am glad I took. It also filled in a lot of blanks for me.

Now, after seeing all of “One Day at a Time’, this piece of unfinished business is finished.

Pat Mastelotto: Ain’t that Mr. Mister…

“Hey soul sister, ain’t that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo.”

A few years ago Train had a hit with the song “Hey Soul Sister” that had this curious line in the chorus. The song was covered on the show “Glee” and gained another audience.

So who, or what, is Mr. Mister?

For a two-year period, from 1985 to 1987, Mr. Mister was a chart-topping band with stirring music videos to match.

Pat Mastelotto was the drummer and a founding member of Mr. Mister.

It is his birthday today, offering a great chance to look back at a band that produced some of my favourite songs of all time.

Starting out
Wikipedia reveals Pat Mastelotto was born in California, started playing drums at 10 years old. By the age of 16, he was playing in popular bands while still in high school and travelling several hours to Lake Tahoe for gigs. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-70s and worked as a studio musician for performers such as Scandal, Al Jarreau, The Pointer Sisters, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins and Canadian musician Kim Mitchell.

Richard Page and Steve George founded the band Pages in Phoenix, Arizona in 1978. After three albums and little commercial success, Pages broke up in 1981. George and Page focused on songwriting and studio work for artists such as Laura Branigan and the Village People.

In 1982, they began putting together a new band, recruiting Mastelotto on drums and rounding out the group with guitarist Steve Farris.

Mr. Mister was born.

Debut album
Mr. Mister released their first album, “I Wear the Face”, in 1984. Their first single was “Hunters of the Night”, which peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100.

I had never heard of the band or the song at that point, but I was just getting into music. After they had achieved international success, I was watching “Good Rockin’ Tonite” one Friday night. Mr. Mister, and Richard Page and Steve George in particular, were their guests. They played the video for “Hunters of the Night”, as they went back to the beginning of Mr. Mister.

There was a second single from “I Wear the Face”, called “Talk the Talk”, but it did not chart.

A year later, life would never be the same. Mr. Mister exploded on the charts with a new album, with some amazing songs to match.

Take these broken wings…
In the first semester of Grade 11, so September of 1985, I was taking an accounting class. We had a huge project we were given a couple months of class time to work on. I sat by a number of people, including my friend Shawn, and this girl I developed a crush on. We often talked about the music of the day.

One of the songs working its way up the charts, and getting more and more airplay, was this brooding, soulful ballad called “Broken Wings”. It was accompanied by this black and white video. Lead singer Richard Page was driving in a convertible through the desert, with this crow flying around.

“Broken Wings” would go to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Interestingly, the song it replaced at number one was “Separate Lives” by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin from the soundtrack of the movie “White Nights”. The song that replaced “Broken Wings” at number one was “Say You, Say Me”, by Lionel Richie, which was also from the movie “White Nights”.

A few months later, CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial, started airing the “Disney Sunday Movie”. The first one was called “Help Wanted: Kids”. Cindy Williams and Bill Hudson, her real-life husband of the time, played ad executives married to each other. They intended to make a good impression on their new boss, so they hire two orphans to be their children.

More than the movie, I recall in a pivotal scene, “Broken Wings” was the background music.

 

Down the road that I must travel
A few months after “Broken Wings” went off the charts, I was riding the bus home one day. The radio was playing a little feature of songs that were following up hit singles. There was “Sara” by Starship, following up “We Built This City”; “King for a Day” by the Thompson Twins, following up “Lay Your Hands”; “Somebody, Some Day,” by Platinum Blonde, following up “Crying Over You”; and – “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister following up “Broken Wings”.

It was the first time I heard a song that remains one of my favourites to this day.

“Kyrie” was part of the Latin phrase “kyrie eleison”, which means God have Mercy. The whole phrase “Kyrie Eleison” is in the song. I initially did not understand what it meant, because it sounds like “Kyrie a lays on”, which does not make much sense. Then my friend David Perlich explained it was part of the Catholic mass, where parishioners say God Have Mercy, Christ Have Mercy, God Have Mercy. In Latin it is Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.

“Kyrie” would follow “Broken Wings” and also hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

What’s next
There were a lot of performers who had two consecutive number one singles, but it was rare for a third consecutive number one. I wondered what Mr. Mister would have next.

Their third single did not hit number one, but it was another top 10 hit.

“Is it Love” was a great song but it did not have that intangible quality that its two predecessors had. Still, “Is it Love” went all the way to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.

What I remember more than anything about “Is it Love”, is its appearance on an episode of the daytime soap opera “Days of our Lives”. There was this character named Melissa who was dancing with a Russian defector named Lars. One day, they were in the studio, put on some music, and the opening bars of “Is it Love” started.

The rest of the album
I used to spend a couple weeks every summer with my cousins and aunts and uncles in Brooks. The last summer was 1986, and one of my outstanding memories was waiting for my cousins and browsing through their tapes.

There, staring me in the face was “Welcome to the Real World” by Mr. Mister. It was the album, released in 1985, that contained “Broken Wings”, “Kyrie”, and “Is it Love”.

It also had a lot of other songs that I came to enjoy on their own merits.

A fourth single, “Black/White”, was released, but did not chart.

“Run to Her”, another brooding ballad made an appearance in the gymnastics movie “American Anthem”, starring Mitch Gaylord and Janet Jones, also known as Wayne Gretzky’s wife.

“Don’t Slow Down” appeared in the movie “A Fine Mess”, that starred Ted Danson and Howie Mandel.

There are no bad songs on the album. The other songs are “Uniform of Youth”; “Into My Own Hands”; “Tangent Tears”; and the title track “Welcome to the Real World”.

The album “Welcome to the Real World” ended up going all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart as well.

For their efforts, Mr. Mister was nominated in 1986 for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for “Broken Wings”, but lost out to “We are the World” by USA for Africa.

Follow up
To be honest, I lost track of Mr. Mister. I was in my first year of university in Edmonton, living in residence. It was early September and we had MuchMusic on the TV in our lounge. While watching, they announced Mr. Mister had a new album out and the video for the first single was about to play.

The song was called “Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You)”, and the album, the band’s third, was “Go On…” I have to admit, “Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You)” just didn’t have it the way “Broken Wings”, “Kyrie”, and the others just popped. Quite honestly, it sounded like “Hunters of the Night”, which didn’t either.

“Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You)” went all the way to number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the band’s last charting single to date.

Mr. Mister released two more singles from the album, “Healing Waters” and “The Border”, and wrote the title track for the movie “Stand and Deliver” in 1988, but none of those songs charted.

However, Mr. Mister was nominated in 1987 for a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance for “Healing Waters”.

The band broke up in 1990.

The years after
Pat Mastelotto followed his time in Mr. Mister with more session work for bands such as Hall and Oates; Cock Robin; The Rembrandts; Eddie Money; Matthew Sweet; and more.

In fact, he played drums for The Rembrandts on their hit “I’ll Be There for You”, which was the theme song for the blockbuster comedy series “Friends”.

Since 1994, Mastelotto has been a member of the band “King Crimson”.

Parting thoughts
There was a period in the 1980s when Mr. Mister was as hot a band as there was. It was in that 1985 to 1986 period where their songs were on the top of the charts, in movies and TV, and they were touring with big bands such as Don Henley, The Bangles, the Eurythmics, Tina Turner and Heart.

Their songs resonated and really are icons of the decade.

For me, “Broken Wings” and “Kyrie” are a big part of the soundtrack of growing up.

James Earl Jones: Much more than a pretty voice

James Earl Jones in the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams".

Source: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechfieldofdreams.html

(May be subject to copyright)

“Luke, I am your father.”

“This is CNN.”

James Earl Jones, the voice behind these quotes and so much more is unmistakable.

As recognizable as his voice is, his face is just as well-known.

Whether it is a retired baseball player in “Field of Dreams”, an African noble in “Coming to America”, or any of his other roles, Jones has a long and storied career.

Sadly, that powerful voice went silent, when James Earl Jones died today.

He was 93.

The early years
James Earl Jones came to mass public attention, after an outstanding stage career, with “The Great White Hope” in 1970, after roles in “Dr. Strangelove”; “The Comedians”; and “End of the Road”. In “The Great White Hope”, Jones plays a championship boxer based on real-life boxer Jack Johnson. For his efforts, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. He also won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer male.

He would go on to roles in “The Man”; “Claudine”, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Film; and “The River Niger”.

On the diamond
The first time I ever actually saw James Earl Jones was in this amazing baseball movie called “The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars and Motor Kings”. It came out in 1976, but I didn’t see it until later when it appeared on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial.

It focuses on Bingo Long, played by Billy Dee Williams, a Negro League baseball player who puts together a travelling all-star team. Jones plays Leon Carter, a catcher, who starts out as Bingo Long’s rival, then becomes his teammate. I believe Leon Carter is patterned on real-life legendary catcher Josh Gibson.

I saw this movie twice, and it remains one of my favourite baseball movies.

Darth Vader
A year later, Jones provided the voice of the villainous Darth Vader in the 1977 blockbuster “Star Wars”. Interestingly, all the credits said Vader was played by David Prowse, with no mention of Jones providing the voice. It was well after “Return of the Jedi” when I discovered Jones was the voice behind the mask. That’s because his role was initially uncredited. That all made sense then.

He also provided the voice of Vader in “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980, and the aforementioned “Return of the Jedi” in 1983.

Conan the Barbarian
A couple friends of mine were really hyped in 1982 to see the movie “Conan the Barbarian”. It starred Arnold Schwarzenneger as a freed slave who seeks revenge on the man responsible for the death of his parents. That villain, Thulsa Doom, was played to perfection by James Earl Jones. He was absolutely awesome as the entrancing cult leader looming over everything – until Conan cuts his head off.

Gardens of Stone
Jones appeared in “City Limits” in 1985; and “Soul Man”; and “Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold” in 1986.

In 1987, he appeared with James Caan, Anjelica Huston, and a young D.B. Sweeney in “Gardens of Stone”. I actually did not see this movie until the summer of 1996, when I had some time to watch a bunch of movies I had wanted to see for years.

“Gardens of Stone” refers to the Arlington National Cemetery and the military detail charged with carrying out military funerals there. Caan plays an officer who would rather be training soldiers to go to war in Vietnam, and Jones plays one of his commanding officers. Jones is fantastic as a military leader balancing that command and his friendship with Caan. He also has a wry sense of humour and can be a little provocative when not on duty or in uniform.

It is another solid performance.

Dear old dad
A year later James Earl Jones was back on the big screen as King Jaffe Joffer in 1988’s “Coming to America”. In it, Eddie Murphy plays a prince who, with his best friend and aide played by Arsenio Hall, comes to America seeking a wife. Jones plays Murphy’s father.

I saw this movie with my friend and neighbour Bill in the new Park Place Mall theatre complex in Lethbridge, and it was excellent.

Although Murphy and Hall carry the show, Jones turns in another solid performance.

Back on the diamond
Jones closed out the decade with “Three Fugitives”; “Best of the Best”; and another stellar movie, “Field of Dreams”. In it, Kevin Costner plays a farmer who builds a baseball diamond in his corn field that attracts the ghosts of baseball legends. Jones plays an author and activist from the ‘60s who helps the farmer unravel the mystery.

“Field of Dreams” is another great baseball movie, but just as much about family.

TV times
James Earl Jones also ventured onto television. His first big role was as author Alex Haley in both “Roots” and “Roots: The Next Generation”. After seeing the real-life Alex Haley, it drove home what a great job Jones did in portraying the author.

His first recurring television role was as a police detective in “Paris”, for 13 episodes in the 1979-1980 season. He would appear in the miniseries “The Atlanta Child Murders” in 1985; and six episodes of “Me and Mom”, a detective comedy/drama starring Lisa Eilbacher and Holland Taylor in 1985. He also had guest starring roles in “Highway to Heaven” and “L.A. Law”, as an activist lawyer.

Jones also appeared in the television movies “Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones”, in 1980; and “The Vegas Strip War”, in 1984.

The years after
Jones continued to appear in movies such as “The Hunt for Red October”; “Patriot Games”; “Sneakers”; “The Sandlot”; “Naked Gun: 33+1/3: The Final Insult”; “The Lion King” with his voice; “Clear and Present Danger”; “Benchwarmers”; “Scary Movie 4”; and “Coming to America 2” in 2021, which was his final role.

On television, he was in “Gabriel’s Fire” for 22 episodes, which was an amazing show I caught in the summer of 1991. He played a cop sentenced to life in prison for murder, then released after 20 years, when he really just wanted to stay in prison. He co-starred with Madge Sinclair, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Sinclair won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The show was retooled for a second season where he now co-starred with Richard Crenna, and the show was re-named “Pros and Cons”. Jones was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama in 1990 for “Gabriel’s Fire” and in 1991 for “Pros and Cons”.

In 1990, he was in the miniseries “Heat Wave”, where he won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries; and was in the miniseries “By Dawn’s Early Light”, where he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries.

Jones had roles in “Law and Order”; “Picket Fences”, where he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series; “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”; “Under One Roof”, where he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series; “Mad About You”; “Touched by an Angel”; “Frasier”, where he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series; “Stargate SG-1”; “Homicide: Life on the Street”; “Will and Grace”; “Everwood”, where he was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series; “Two and a Half Men”; “House”; “The Big Bang Theory”; and more.

He was also in TV movies such as “Percy and Thunder”; “What the Deaf Man Heard”; “The Second Civil War”; “Santa and Pete”; “Summer’s End”; “The Reading Room”; and more.

He was inducted into Kennedy Center Honors in 2002, and given an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 2011.

James Earl Jones died in Pawling, New York on September 9, 2024.

He was 93.

Parting thoughts
That voice was a commanding presence for James Earl Jones, but he was so much more. He was a talented actor who could do high drama and comedy, sometimes in the same scene.

Whatever role he took on, he projected kindness, strength, respect and so much more.

He is one of a very few artists to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, but is in not surprising because he was good in every role I saw him.

He really was one of the best – much more than that commanding voice.

Dennis Dugan: Richie Brockelman, Captain Freedom and more

Dennis Dugan in a guest spot as private investigator Richie Brockelman in "The Rockford Files".

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071042/characters/nm0240797/

(May be subject to copyright)

What would you do if a crook strong-armed your dad and essentially stole his business with no recourse. Especially if you are a good-natured, college-educated, happy-go-lucky kind of guy?

Private Investigator Richie Brockelman decides he is going to get even, and get some money for his dad, by running a con on the crook.

The challenge is, Richie really doesn’t know what he’s doing. Looking on is his old friend Jim Rockford, a seasoned private investigator who knows his way around a con. He ultimately helps Richie get even, and get some money back for Mr. Brockelman.

This is my favourite episode all time of “The Rockford Files”, because it is so well written and because Richie Brockelman is a compelling character.

Dennis Dugan played Richie Brockelman, and went on to a couple other memorable performances for me, before settling into a career as a director, most often of Adam Sandler movies.

It was Dugan’s birthday a few days ago, offering a great chance to look at Richie Brockelman, Captain Freedom, and Ronald Miller's dad in “Can’t Buy me Love”.

Richie Brockelman, Private Eye
Dennis Dugan got his start on television, with guest spots in shows such as “The Waltons”; “Cannon”; “M*A*S*H”; and “Columbo”.

In 1978, he played Richie Brockelman in a two-part episode of “The Rockford Files” called “The House on Willis Avenue”, which served as a pilot for a TV show. In it, Rockford meets Brockelman, a 22-year-old private investigator he teams up with to investigate the death of a fellow private investigator.

I recall seeing that, then hearing about the new series called, fittingly, “Richie Brockelman, Private Eye”. It was on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial at like 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., the last show anyway, before the news. It was hard to find, but I do recall seeing a couple episodes.

My outstanding memory of the show was that Richie was a recently graduated college student, who drove a convertible and, when trying to figure something out, would say, “The thing of it is…”

Sadly, “Richie Brockelman, Private Eye”, lasted just five episodes and was not picked up for another season.

However, the next year, Richie Brockelman was back one last time in the “Rockford Files” episode “Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man’s Job” in 1979. It is one of my favourite episodes of any series ever. Richie’s dad is bilked out of his business by Harold Jack Coombs, a ruthless businessman. Everything is legal, so Richie wants to run a con to get at least some of his dad’s money back. Ultimately, Rockford gets involved, becomes a major part of the con masquerading as high roller Jimmy-Joe Meeker, and successfully cons Coombs.

It was my favourite memory of Dennis Dugan, but would not be the last.

Space age
The next time I saw Dennis Dugan, he was playing an astronaut who is hurtled back in time to King Arthur’s Court, where he helps defend the king from a plot to de-throne him. It was a Disney movie that came out in 1979 called “Unidentified Flying Oddball.” It was also called “A Spaceman in King Arthur’s Court.”

He would appear in the 1981 Joe Dante horror film “The Howling”, and an episode of “Supertrain”, before another defining role as an actor.

Super hero – sort of
Criminals flee a crime scene in a vehicle when suddenly a man in super hero costume jumps in front of the car holding out his hand to stop. The criminals veer to avoid him crash, and are apprehended.

Captain Freedom has nabbed his first criminals.

Dennis Dugan played Captain Freedom in four episodes of the groundbreaking police drama “Hill Street Blues” in 1982. Captain Freedom was delusional, but the police, especially undercover cop Mick Belker, took a liking to him. Sadly, he is eventually killed trying to foil a crime, and dies in Belker’s arms.

Empire and Shadow Chasers
Dugan also had recurring roles in two TV series that did not last long.

“Empire” came out in 1984 on Channel 13 of the peasant vision dial, and was a satire of corporate life. Dugan played the straight man in a world of intrigue. “Empire” lasted just six episodes before being cancelled.

A friend of mine referred to “Shadow Chasers” as a live action version of Scooby-Doo. The show came out in November of 1985, and lasted just 14 episodes, although only 10 aired. Dugan played a reporter teamed with a British anthropologist, played by Trevor Eve, who investigate paranormal activity.

I saw “Empire”, but “Shadow Chasers” never aired on peasant vision. I only heard about the show, and its demise, on “Entertainment Tonight”.

Daddy dearest
Dennis Dugan went from being the college kid to the wise dad in the wink of an eye.

“Can’t Buy Me Love”, my favourite movie, came out in 1987. It is the story of Ronald Miller who, tired of being on the outside looking in, pays the most popular girl in school $1,000 to go out with him. He gambles it will be his ticket to the in-crowd, and he is right – initially.

Dennis Dugan plays Ronald’s dad David Miller. He offers Ronald his not-too-cool station wagon, complete with his business name “Tic Tac Tile” stencilled on the side, any time he wants to take it out. At first Ronald cringes, but later is seen in it – with “Tic Tac Tile” conveniently covered up.

It was a great supporting role.

Rest of the decade
Dennis Dugan rounded out the ‘80s with roles in the movies “She’s Having a Baby”; “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking”; and “Parenthood.”

He also had steady TV work with guest spots in “Hunter”; “Wiseguy”; and five episodes of “Moonlighting” as star Cybill Shepherd’s short-lived husband.

The years after
Dugan kept acting, with movies such as “Problem Child”; “Happy Gilmore”; “Big Daddy”; “The Benchwarmers”; “Grown Ups”; “That’s My Boy”; “Grown Ups 2”; and more. “Happy Gilmore 2” is scheduled to come out in 2025.

He was on television in “Doogie Howser, M.D.”; “Columbo”; “L.A. Law”; “NYPD Blue”; “Burke’s Law”; “Picket Fences”; “Chicago Hope”; “Love Boat: The Next Wave”; “Ally McBeal”; “Hope and Faith”; and much more.

Dugan also moved into directing, with projects such as “Problem Child”; “Brain Donors”; “Happy Gilmore”; “Beverly Hills Ninja”; “Big Daddy”; “Saving Silverman”; “National Security”; “The Benchwarmers”; “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”; “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan”; “Grown Ups”; “Just Go With It”; “Jack and Jill”; “Grown Ups 2”; and “Love, Weddings and Other Disasters”.

Parting thoughts
It is hard to believe Dennis Dugan is 78 years old, because he will always be frozen in time as 22-year-old Private Investigator Richie Brockelman. He had this “Aw shucks” charm that caused people to underestimate him and allow him to solve tough cases.

That same boyish charm made Captain Freedom so endearing on “Hill Street Blues”. It even melted the heart of the toughest cop on the beat, who genuinely grieved when Captain Freedom died.

Even when he graduated to playing the father of the main character in “Can’t Buy Me Love”, he still had an affable charm.

Put it all together and Dennis Dugan had a pretty good career in the ‘80s.

CFL on CTV again

CFL football has returned to CTV where it was a staple right into the mid-80s before CTV did not renew their contract.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/CFL/comments/1fbeq10/this_is_pretty_awesome_cfl_on_ctv/

(May be subject to copyright)

Everything I know about Canadian football, I learned from TV. When I was growing up, every single game of the Canadian Football League season was broadcast on TV – either on CBC or CTV.

The CTV telecasts, Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial, were billed as Canadian Professional Football, and featured broadcasters such as Frank Rigney, Pat Marsden, Leif Pettersen, and Al McCann.

As quickly as I got into watching them, the CFL fell on some hard times, and they were gone just as fast from Channel 13.

Today, the CFL returned to CTV, and it reminded of that time everything was so new, and I was just discovering Canadian football.

As seen on TV
I started watched football in 1978. Edmonton was the dominant team, on the verge of winning the first of an unprecedented five straight Grey Cups. I took a liking to the Calgary Stampeders, who always seemed to be David to Edmonton’s Goliath. However, they were always up for a good fight, and usually gave it to the Eskimos.

I saw it all on CTV.

The network had been broadcasting football since 1961, and broadcast its first Grey Cup in 1962.

That first year I watched football, the broadcast crew was the aforementioned Pat Marsden, Frank Rigney, and Peter Young, and they were excellent. Down at field level was Al McCann or Bill Stephenson. They were both excellent too.

A few years later, when I was buying something from Radio Shack in Coaldale, I learned learn Al McCann was actually from Coaldale. There was a fundraising dinner coming up and the Radio Shack had a poster featuring the guest speaker – Al McCann.

Other broadcasters would come over the years. Leif Pettersen entered the broadcast booth after a successful playing career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Dale Isaac would come along to do play-by-lay and, in 1984, Jack Gotta entered the booth as a colour commentator. He was my favourite coach of all time, from his years coaching the Calgary Stampeders and later the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The best part, at the time, was that between CTV and CBC all the games were on TV. It was a quick and easy way to learn about a game that has become a passion for me.

The other really interesting thing, something only in Canada, was the annual Grey Cup broadcast. The game was televised on both CBC Channel 9 and CTV Channel 13. The broadcast crews would split the broadcast. The first half was done by the CTV crew, usually Marsden, Rigney, and Mike Wadsworth then Pettersen. The second half was done by a CBC crew.

I recall, as a boy, flipping between the two channels to see if they were actually in sync.

They were.

Don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone
Then, one day, CTV ceased broadcasting CFL games. It was after the 1986 season, and CTV dropped CFL football.

The games would now be broadcast by the CBC, who kept on showing CFL games until the end of the 2007 season. The remaining games were picked up by the new cable service, TSN or The Sports Network, and a new entity. That new entity was the Canadian Football Network, a partnership with the Canadian Football League and various independent television stations. Where I lived, Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial was part of the Canadian Football Network.

It was weird tuning in to Channel 7 to watch football, and not Channel 13.

What was worse was that not all games were available to the masses any more. If you didn’t have TSN, which was impossible if you lived in the country and subscribed to the rural cable network of three channels, you missed the games they broadcast.

It was the end of an era.

Rebirth
Ultimately, TSN secured the exclusive broadcasting rights to the CFL in 2008. Given there is a very close association between TSN and CTV, something that did not exist in the 1980s, the current CFL broadcast looks exactly like a TSN broadcast – because it is.

Yet, as the advertisements indicate, the CFL is once again available in every corner of the country.

That is good news for football fans and for the game.

Parting thoughts
It was a bit disingenuous when CTV said they lost the broadcast rights in 1986, because that was not the case. They did not renew them. They gave them up. The proof is in the fact the CFL had to scramble to find a replacement, patching together a coverage package that included a fairly new cable sports channel and a network of independent stations the league had to create itself.

Still, it is nice to see the CFL not only go back to some of its broadcasting roots, but also provide football that is available to everyone across the country again.

Plus, it is nice to hear those words “CFL on CTV” again.

Jane Curtin: Kate and Allie and more

Jane Curtin, at left, starred with Susan Saint James as the title characters in the 1980s sitcom "Kate & Allie".

Source:https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/kate-allie-remake-in-works-nbc-4124719/

(May be subject to copyright)

“Sometimes tears and sorrow, are all the things you’ve got.”

“And just when you think you’re all by yourself, you’re not.”

Those few lines sung during the closing credits pretty much sum up the premise of “Kate and Allie” – two divorced women, with children, pull together for support under one roof.

Jane Curtin played Allie Lowell and Susan Saint James played Kate McArdle on the sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1989.

Today is Jane Curtin’s birthday, the perfect opportunity to look back at “Kate and Allie” and more.

Live, it’s Saturday night
Jane Curtin was one of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players on “Saturday Night Live” starting in 1975 and going right through the 1979-1980 season. She became well known for the “Weekend Update” segment and her role as one of the alien “Coneheads”.

She was low key and often played the straight woman while others were going crazy all around her.

Curtin would reprise that straight laced persona again.

Kate and Allie
Curtin would appear in the movie “How to Beat the Cost of Living”, with Susan Saint James; and had roles on television in an episode of “The Love Boat”; and the TV movies “Divorce Wars: A Love Story” and “Bedrooms”.

Her career took off in 1984 when she landed the role of Allie Lowell in “Kate and Allie”.

Allie was a calm, straight laced, conservative woman, divorced with two children. Kate McArdle was more free-spirited and outgoing. She was also divorced with a daughter.

Kate and Allie grew up together, and decided to move in together after their respective divorces.

I recall watching the first episode on CBC Channel 9 of the peasant vision dial, and immediately fell in love with the show. There was strong chemistry between Curtin and Saint James, and between Allison Smith, Frederick Koehler and Ari Meyers who played their children.

Every week they would explore different situations experienced by divorced people and teenagers. It was a good show.

It was also really funny, with Curtin acting as the straight person.

There is one episode in particular I remember where Kate and Allie and their children are snowed in at a local television station, and have to fill the airwaves with something. At one point, Allie does a cooking show. She does not have all the actual ingredients to make the dish she is demonstrating. Instead, she uses ingredients that look like the proper ingredients, but really don’t go together or taste very good. She gets into explaining how to make the dish and absently tastes it. The look on her face is priceless, but she just grins and bears it.

That demonstrated how great a comedian Jane Curtin is.

For her efforts she won the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1984 and 1985, and was nominated again for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1987.

Over time, I got into other things and lost track of “Kate and Allie”. I was glad when I came home from university after my first year of university in the summer of 1988 that the show was still on. I later discovered Allie got married, and Kate moved in with them because the new husband worked away from home a lot. That pretty much spelled the end of the show.

“Kate and Allie” ran six seasons from 1984 to 1989 for a total of 122 episodes.

Post script
Years later, in the summer of 1993, I was working as an interior painter. Reruns of “Kate and Allie” aired on CBC again right before I went to bed on weeknights. I recall getting back into the show. The next day I would often reflect on the plot and the lines of that aforementioned song would repeat in my head. It was such a good show.

The years after
Jane Curtin keeps on acting to this day. She was in movies such as “Coneheads”; led her voice to the cartoon “Antz”; “The Shaggy Dog”; “I Love You, Man”; “The Spy Who Dumped Me”; and more. Her most recent movie was “Jules” in 2023.

She had a lot of work on television, such as 13 episodes of the show “Working it Out” in 1990; an episode of “Dave’s World”; and a starring role in “Third Rock from the Sun” from 1996 to 2001 for 137 episodes.

Curtin was also in TV movies such as “Catch a Falling Star” and “Our Town”; several “The Librarian” movies; two episodes of “Gary Unmarried”; a recurring role in “Unforgettable” for 34 episodes; a recurring guest role as the same character in “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight”; an episode of “The Conners”; and more. Her most recent role was in an episode of “Bupkis” in 2023, and she has a guest role in the upcoming Netflix series “The Residence”.

Parting thoughts
I really enjoyed Jane Curtin’s work. She had this great comedy timing because she was so dead pan, and often the straight person in a joke or situation. She not only was rewarded for her work, but went on to turn in another memorable performance in “Third Rock from the Sun”. Again her strength was in being the serious one.

Yet, whenever I hear her name, I think of a single mom living with her best friend as they raise three children. It was a ground breaking show at a time when there were not a lot of shows that had female leads, much less no male leads at all.

It shone a light on the life of divorced families and single parents. It was not always serious though, and had some great, funny moments.