Barbara Frum: Remembering “The Journal”

The late Barabra Frum, host of "The Journal" on CBC from
1982 to 1992, was recently inducted into the Canada's Walk of Fame.
Source: https://niagarafalls.ca/
living/arts-and-culture/wall-of-fame/2008-barbara-frum.acwof
(May be subject to copyright)

It was a news program that taught me more about different things than I can remember.

“The Journal” debuted on CBC in 1982, immediately following the “The National”, which was the network’s signature newscast.

I was thinking about “The Journal” recently, when I heard that Barbara Frum, one of its hosts, is being inducted posthumously to Canada’s Walk of Fame.

“The Journal”
“The Journal” was ground-breaking from the start. When it dawned in 1982, it was anchored by two female  anchors – Mary Lou Finday and Barbara Frum. Finlay I knew from hosting “Live It Up”, which was a show I watched religiously on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial on Thursday nights. Frum, I had never heard of, but my world then did not include CBC Radio or anything beyond Channel 7, 13, 9; CJOC, CHEC and LA-FM radio; and the occasional newspaper.

As I later learned, Frum had written columns for the Toronto Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Saturday Night magazine. She had also hosted “As it Happens” on CBC Radio, so she was well known.

The show seemed to go into more depth on specific issues, but also delve into pop culture, arts, science and other issues. It was a newsmagazine as opposed to a news broadcast.

Barbara Frum hosted it from 1982 until her death in 1992 from leukemia.

She was 54.

By the book
A few months ago, I read a biography of Barbara Frum, written by her daughter Linda, and it revealed a lot of interesting things about her mother’s life and career.

Frum seemed to die far too young, and I always thought it seemed so sudden and out of the blue. It turns out, according to her daughter’s book, that Frum had been diagnosed with leukemia years before she debuted on “The Journal”. I find it inspiring and heroic that she did the entire run of that show while battling a serious illness that ultimately took her life.

Moreover, when she died in 1992, the show went with her, going off the air that same year, as part of a re-design CBC was doing with its primetime newscast.

The book went into a lot of detail about her Jewish faith, and how important that was to her. In part that, and her parents’ experiences, informed her drive to record her family history, which was something I can relate to.

At one point Linda Frum talks about her mom’s passion to record that history. It was driven by a fear that her relatives and ancestors would disappear from existence if their stories were not told. I feel that too.

Something that I always knew, but the book reinforced was that Frum, the journalist, always sought to find out the truth. Although, even as a teenager and young adult I did not always agree with her stance or approach, I respect anyone seeking to find the truth and inform people.

Another thing the book revealed, that was rarely evident with her TV persona, was the sense of humour she had. That was common back in the 1980s, when journalists were serious about serious issues, straight-faced, and rarely if ever inserted themselves into their stories directly, like they do now.

What I learned
A few things stick out from “The Journal”. One was a piece they did on an up and coming comedian, an impressionist who could bend and contort his body into the shapes of the celebrities he was impersonating. His name was Jim Carrey.

Another one was the coverage of the Meech Lake constitutional accord. It started out to be, seemingly, a done deal, but eventually unraveled and came apart at the seams. There were those who believed its demise would lead to the break up of the country. Frum was one such person, and she let that show sometimes during her interviews. As we can see, the accord died in 1990, and Canada is still in one piece in 2022.

Parting thoughts
Barbara Frum was a Canadian icon. Not only was she an incredible journalist, but also a trailblazer. According to the Canadian Walk of Fame, she is cited by many as an inspiration and the first one to shatter many barriers for women in her field.

Because “The Journal” was on so late for a junior high and high school kid, I only really got to watch it on Friday nights, holidays, and summer and Christmas breaks.

Still, she was that familiar face informing me about an important issue of the day, or maybe something that was just interesting.

Reading Linda Frum’s biography of her mother just added another layer to my respect and enjoyment of Barabra Frum.

She was another part of the tapestry of pop culture in the 1980s, and dserves her induction to the Canadian Walk of Fame for all she did to advance the cause of women and journalism.

I will never forget her either.

Give my Regards to Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney entered a new phase in the 1980s singing his first ever duets and recording songs for movie soundtracks.
Source: https://www.liveabout.com/top-80s-songs-featuring-saxophone-p2-10685
(Robert R. McElroy/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
(May be subject to copyright)

Sitting in Math 10 in my first semester of tenth grade in the fall of 1984, there was a lull in class when I heard it: “No more lonely nights.”

It was someone, who sounded like one of the Grade 12 girls who had a spare first period, but I never found out who it was.

Nevertheless, it was the next in a long line of Paul McCartney songs. “No More Lonely Nights” was from the soundtrack to the movie, “Give my Regards to Broad Street”, which I heard in the 1980s.

I was thinking about Paul McCartney earlier this year when he celebrated his 80th birthday.

Prelude
It goes without saying that Paul McCartney was prolific in the music industry. Record setting with The Beatles, and a successful second career with Wings, he was well known at the dawn of the 1980s.

I have to say, I did know who he was, as we all kind of did through some sort of pop culture osmosis. Yet, back then, in the world of Top 40 music, the Beatles and Wings did not get played a whole lot, especially with Canadian Content regulations mandating a percentage of Canadian music.

I do recall songs such as “Yesterday”, and “Band on the Run”, and even sneaking into my brother’s bedroom to look at his record collection and seeing the cover for the Wings album “Rose Royce”. After he went to college, among the stuff he left behind was a .45 of “The Long and Winding Road”.

So, as the 1980s opened, I already knew who Paul McCartney was.

Duet
The first big hit I heard from Paul McCartney in the 1980s was this amazing, stirring ballad. McCartney teamed up with Stevie Wonder on his first ever duet. The song was “Ebony and Ivory”, which was not only a truly beautiful song, but it had a greater message.

The song came out on March 29, 1982 and went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, staying there seven weeks. It was number one on the United Kingdom chart too.

“Ebony and Ivory” was also nominated for Grammys for song of the year; record of the year; and best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals.

I have a personal memory too.

It was the summer after Grade 7 and my mom, my sister and I went to Radium Hot Springs for a family trip. On our way to B.C., we stopped part way there in Claresholm and ate pizza at a local eatery that I later discovered was Douros Pizza and Pasta. While we ate, music played, and the song I remember playing in the background of that family trip was “Ebony and Ivory”. I have lived in Claresholm the past 21 years.

Duet, part two
In 1983, Paul McCartney teamed up on another duet, this time with Michael Jackson on the song, “The Girl is Mine.” It was the first song released on Jackson’s blockbuster “Thriller” album and went all the way to number one on the rhythm and blues chart and number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also nominated for a Grammy for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal.

Although recorded, a year earlier, the two collaborated on another successful duet, “Say, Say, Say” which appeared as the lead single on McArtney’s solo “Pipes of Peace” album in 1983. It went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

This was a song I heard a lot, and liked, before I really got into music. I recall hearing it at my friend Mike Hartman’s place, and watching the video and hearing the song on “Solid Gold” on Saturday night. I also distinctly remember it playing on the TV while I played on my Commodore 64 in our makeshift games room.

“No more Lonely Nights”
It was classic Paul McCartney, the next in a long line of slow songs that included “Hey Jude”, “Let it Be”, and “Yesterday”. “No More Lonely Nights” came out in September of 1984 and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

This was a song I associate with the end of 1984 when I first got into music at the same time my grandmother was dying. I spent a lot of time at my cousins’ place in Lethbridge and remember seeing the video in their basement on MuchMusic. It was another song I heard on “Solid Gold” while playing on my Commodore 64.

Live Aid
The next time I heard something new from Paul McCartney was in the summer of 1985. I went over to my friend Chris Vining’s in Coaldale to watch the “Live Aid” concert. It was actually two concerts, one in London, England and the other in Philadelphia.

The London concert’s finale was a rendition by everyone of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. The song before that, the lead up to the finale, was “Let it Be”. It was sung by McCartney, Bob Geldof, David Bowie, Pete Townshend and, as Wikipedia reminded me, Alison Moyet.

It was a powerful performance, and could only be trumped by “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Sound track success
Paul McCartney's last hurrah in the 1980s occurred in 1985 when he released the song “Spies Like Us” for the movie of the same name. It was another catchy tune that featured Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, stars of the movie, appearing in the music video.

“Spies Like Us” went all the way to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 singles, making it McCartney’s last U.S. top 10 single of the decade, and last one until 2015.

I recall talking about this song during Math 20 in first semester of Grade 11, right after I went and saw the movie with, I am pretty sure, my sister.

Parting thoughts
Paul McCartney is best known for his work with the Beatles and Wings. One band may go down as the greatest band in history, while the other was a really good second act for McCartney.

But all that had come and gone in the 1980s when I started really listening to music, and McCartney had moved into a different phase of his career.

He began recording duets, with a lot of success, and began having chart success with songs he wrote for movies.

Although, I would become very familiar with the Beatles collection, and the songs of Wings, in the ‘80s, my memories are of Paul McCartney singing with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, and his songs in the movies.

It was all about Paul McCartney, and not about his band.

And it was yet another part of the soundtrack of the ‘80s.

Greg Vavra: True blue Canadian quarterback

Greg Vavra, who led the University of Calgary Dinosaurs to their first Vanier Cup national championship in 1983, drops back to pass. He was selected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2020 but, because of the pandemic, inducted earlier this year.
Source: https://godinos.com/news/2020/7/16/greg-vavra-headed-to-canadian-football-hall-of-fame.aspx
(May be subject to copyright)

What could be more Canadian than a Ukrainian dance in the end zone to celebrate a team’s touchdown in the Vanier Cup?

The quarterback who threw the touchdown.

When Mike Siroishka did that dance in the 1983 Vanier Cup, it signaled the University of Calgary Dinosaur football team had arrived.

The man who led them there was quarterback Greg Vavra, who not only threw that pass to Siroishka, but also symbolized what being a Canadian quarterback means, in university and the Canadian Football League.

Vavra was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame back in June during the game in Hamilton between the Calgary Stampeders and the hometown Tiger Cats, and it brought renewed attention to one of the greatest Canadian university players of all time.

That 1983 season
The University of Calgary Dinosaurs football team truly arrived in the 1983 season. They finished 6-2, defeating the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to advance to their first ever Vanier Cup against the Queen’s Golden Gaels at Varsity Stadium in Toronto.

Greg Vavra, the quarterback of that Dinos team, had a season for the ages. He won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the outstanding player in the country, was First Team All-Canadian, set a single game passing record of 627 passing yards in a game against Saskatchewan, and set the record for most passing yards in a season with 2,823 that held up until 2015. He also tied the record for most passing attempts in a game with 55 against Manitoba, was Canada West Player of the Year in 1982 and 1983, and University of Calgary Male Athlete of the Year in 1983.

Vavra was the Dinos' kicker as well, setting a school record with a 52-yeard field goal against Saskatchewan; unleashing a 93-yard punt that is still the seventh longest in Canadian university football history; and was the school’s sixth all-time leading scorer when he graduated.

He did everything in that Vanier Cup. Vavra passed for two touchdowns, and kicked one convert and five field goals, which is still a Vanier Cup record, as the Dinos won their first ever national championship.

It was Vavra’s last game of university football. He finished a career that spanned 1979 to 1983 with 611 career completions on 1,200 attempts. His 8,401 yards and 63 touchdowns were also national records at the time.

The question now was, could he be the next great Canadian quarterback?

Staying at home
The Canadian Football League did not make it easy for Canadian quarterbacks with its rules on imports and Canadians, favouring American signal callers and discriminating against Canadian ones.

Yet, in that environment, Greg Vavra was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders, traded to Edmonton, released, returned to finish university, and joined the Stampeders in 1984.

That year he started 11 games as a rookie, going 4-5, and completing 161 of 324 passes for 1,901 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.

In 1985, he was relegated to a back-up role, appearing in 10 games, starting two, completing 32 of 73 passes for 391 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. He was 1-1 as a starter and the last Canadian quarterback to start and win a game until 2017 when Brandon Bridge did it.

Save Our Stamps
The 1985 season was a disastrous one for the Stampeders. They were terrible on the field, and drew no one to the stands off the field to see their games.

The team teetered on the brink of collapse, so a campaign called “Save Our Stamps” or SOS was started. They produced a music video, raised funds and sold 22,400 season tickets to save the team.

Greg Vavra was front and centre for the campaign.

For his efforts, he was not re-signed by the club.

Up Highway 2, off to the coast and back
Greg Vavra signed with Edmonton as a free agent in 1986, but was released in June of 1986.

He signed with the B.C. Lions where he played two years, dressing in 23 games, and completing 50 of 101 passes for 839 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions. In 1986, he completed four of nine passes for 75 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, while in 1987 he completed 46 of 92 passes for 764 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions.

Vavra started his last game on Oct. 11 where B.C. lost, fittingly, to Calgary.

After the 1987 season, Vavra signed with Edmonton for the 1988 season, where he was a back-up. He played in 11 games, completed 10 of 26 passes for 105 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

He retired after the 1988 season, appearing in 55 games, completing 253 of 524 passes for 3,236 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions. Vavra rushed for 194 career yards on 51 attempts, with one touchdown, in 1984. He punted three times, once in 1984 with Calgary for 43 yards, and twice with B.C, once in 1986 for six yards, and once in 1987 for 18 yards. He also had seven kick-offs with B.C. in 1986 for 359 yards and a 51.3-yard average.

Parting thoughts
With the advent of promising Canadian quarterbacks Nathan Rourke, who was on the road to becoming the next great Canadian quarterback before injury, Michael O’Connor and Tre Ford, it is important to remember those Canadian quarterbacks who paved the way for them.

Everyone points to Russ Jackson who was one of the best quarterbacks in history period, and the best Canadian quarterback of all time. Yet, the designated import rule that existed when Greg Vavra was playing, favoured American quarterbacks. Any Canadian quarterback who played at all at that time was exceptional.

Vavra had one of the best careers of a Canadian quarterback since Russ Jackson, but more than that, he did everything he could to contribute from passing to rushing and kicking.

He really did carry the banner for Canadian quarterbacks, a banner that has now passed to Rourke, O’Connor and Ford.

For that, and so much more, he was finally inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Pat John: remembering Jessie from “The Beachcombers” and more

Three of the main characters on "The Beachcombers". From left are Relic, played by Robert Clothier; Nick Adonidas, played by Bruno Gerussi; and Jessie Jim, played by Pat John.
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/archives/last-beachcombers-filmed-1.6526226
(David Gray/CBC Still Photo Collection)
(May be subject to copyright)

It was can’t miss television back when there were only three channels to choose from. Coming on Channel 9 on Sunday nights at 7 p.m., right after “The Wide World of Disney”, “The Beachcombers” was a true Canadian drama.

Set in Gibson’s, B.C., it told the story of Nick Adonidas, who salvaged logs for a living, and the friends – and rivals – that inhabited Gibson’s and occupied his life.

His partner, from the very first episode airing in 1972 when they formed their partnership, was Jessie Jim, played by Pat John. Together they worked closely salvaging logs, outwitting Relic, a rival with a jet boat, and hanging out at Molly’s Reach, the local coffee shop.

“The Beachcombers” was a trail blazer, having one of the first, if not the first, First Nations actor in a main role.

All these “Beachcombers” memories, and what Pat John’s performance on the show really meant, came back recently when I heard that Pat John had died. He was 69.

Hard way to make a living
The premise of “The Beachcombers” was the salvage of logs, which had broken away from logging booms and barges. Nick and Jessie travelled up and down the coast northwest of Vancouver on Nick’s tug called the Persephone.

They were always knocking heads with Relic, a rival salvager who was not above doing whatever it took to get to a log first, or even steal the logs Nick and Jessie had salvaged.

Coffee time
Everyone would spend their down time at Molly’s Reach at Gibson’s, a coffee shop owned by Molly who was a mother figure. It was kind of neutral ground, because everyone hung out there.

Molly’s Reach was a Canadian icon, as synonymous with “The Beachcombers” as that opening sequence where the log rolls down a bank and into the ocean, pulled by the Persephone.

In person
In 1993, my uncle and aunt moved to the Sunshine Coast, eventually building a house carved out of rock, equidistant from three communities – Gibson’s, Sechelt, and Wilson Creek.

About 10 years later I accompanied my parents to visit my uncle and aunt. They were incredible hosts and tour guides, and took us into town. We toured around Wilson Creek, where they used to co-own a campground with their daughter and her husband, then Sechelt which was the economic hub of the area.

Then they took us to Gibson’s. We walked around the community then I saw it in the distance – Molly’s Reach.

It looked just like it did on TV.

“Can I buy you a coffee?” my uncle asked.

So we went inside, and it was pretty much exactly as I expected with one exception. I did not expect to see an old, square colour TV in the corner – playing episodes of “The Beachcombers”.

After coffee, I took a photo of my parents and my uncle and aunt in front of Molly’s Reach.

My brush with Canadian TV history was complete – and it was awesome.

Parting thoughts
“The Beachcombers” ran until 1990, for a total of 387 episodes, and quite simply became a Canadian institution. It was the epitome of appointment watching. Everyone in the nation, partly because we had just a few channels, watched the show Sunday nights at 7 p.m.

It was also a trailblazer. Jesse Jim was the first major First Nations role that was not a caricature. Yet, I don’t ever recall thinking of Jesse as First Nations. He was Nick’s partner. Pat John would go on to blaze a trail for other Canadian First Nations actors such as Graham Green, Tom Jackson, Dakota House, Adam Beach, Nathaniel Arcand and more.

Interestingly, when I mentioned to people that Pat John had died, no one knew who I referred to.

Then I said, “Jessie from ‘The Beachcombers’”.

Everyone, to a person, responded, “Ooooooohhh yeah, I remember him.”

Pat John was a great Canadian actor who should be remembered fondly, as a trailblazer, and as an important part of pop culture and Canadian history.

Burger King: Whoppers, Star Wars cards and more

The original Burger King in Lethbridge
was recently torn down.
Source: https://www.cylex-canada.ca/company/
burger-king-12372414.html
(May be subject to copyright)

It was the end of an era when the walls of the Burger King on Third Avenue in Lethbridge came tumbling down a few weeks ago.

It was the original Burger King in Lethbridge, and held a lot of memories of the 1980s.

In the beginning
My cousin Carl was always in the know about new, cool things. He had been the first to tell me about going to this new, hip burger place called “McDonald’s”. Now, he was telling me about this new place coming to Lethbridge called “Burger King”.

Somehow, I got the idea it was opening soon, probably because I thought Carl said so. Anyway, I got my parents to go down to Third Avenue where Burger King was “open”. From the outside, it looked like it may be open. When we got inside, it was still under construction and workers were buzzing around everywhere. Oddly, no one either noticed us or bothered to see what we wanted. I wonder if they had a lot of people checking the place out.

I had to wait just a little bit longer.

Eventually, we did get to Burger King – but only after Carl told me he had eaten there.

I was impressd by the sign that said "Home of the Whopper".

In the cards
Pretty soon, stopping at Burger King was a place we would stop occasionally. Sadly, The Whopper had some sauces I could not eat. Although I liked their cheeseburgers, and really liked their onion rings, when they started offering a veal parmesian sandwich that became my favourite.

That was the case when they started a promotion I could not get enough of – Star Wars scratch cards.

“The Empire Strikes Back” had come out a few months before, when I heard about the scratch cards. You could scratch and win all these great prizes, but what I really liked was if you didn’t win any major prize you always got three “Star Wars” cards as a consolation. It was like a participation prize but I loved it. They were not three individual cards, but in a strip of three. We could cut them into individual cards if we wanted, or not. I really didn’t want to.

What I remember most about that promotion was when my cousins Fred and Chris and Henry came for a week or two to stay. My parents were such good hosts and took us to Burger King for those “Star Wars” cards.

Pre-game show
By Grade 12, Burger King was firmly established, and took on new meaning. High school football games were on every Friday night in September and October. Back then, all the games were played at the Lethbridge Sportsplex field. Even if there was no Lethbridge team, let’s say Kate Andrews versus Cardston, the game was at the Sportsplex. That made it the same for everyone.

So we started going to Burger King before games, because it really was on the way. I recall frequenting Burger King with Dave Perlich and his friends, the three exchange students from Germany.

A few weeks into Grade 12, Burger King took on new meaning.

I’ll have a Crush (but not the pop)
It was then that I developed a crush on a classmate named Mal. I soon discovered she worked part time at Burger King, so that was an added incentive to go.

There was one time, me and my friend Randy went to go see her at Burger King.

I had entertained thoughts of talking to her, but saw she was in the back and did not see us. Back then, Burger King had a microphone at the till that staff spoke orders to the kitchen into. It was abandoned at that moment too.

“Just grab the microphone,” Randy joked.

It would have been a cool scene – if we were in a sitcom.

Instead, we just waved as we placed our order, and that was the end of it.

I never did ask her out.

The years after
The next time Burger King came to mind was when it opened in Edmonton in 1996. When I first heard that, I thought, “We’ve had Burger King in Lethbridge for close to 20 years”.

Not so in Edmonton, or anywhere north of Red Deer.

The way I heard the story was that someone who owned some Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises had opened accompanying burger places called “Burger King”. I do recall such a place in Brooks as well.

The whole thing went to court, and ultimately the solution was simple. A line was drawn by Red Deer, through Innisfail to be exact according to Wikipedia. So, south of that, Burger King franchises started springing up. North of that, they did not.

When I moved to Edmonton, I never noticed the absence of Burger King because there were so many other options.

Yet, when Burger King finally opened in 1996 in Edmonton, it was a big deal. I heard reports of line-ups blocks long. It was really kind of funny.

The first time I went was with my friend Jeremy. It was pretty late at night when he climbed into his car that he affectionately called “The Admiral”.

As we drove down the street a car was coming at us in an oncoming lane. Something seemed strange. That was when I realized we were on a one-way street and the oncoming vehicle was going the wrong way. No big deal, because the streets were completely desserted, so we averted disaster.

I don’t recall exactly what I ordered, because Burger King was not new to me.

When I moved back to Lethbridge in 1998, more Burger Kings would sprout up after that.

That, I am assuming, is what made the original one on Third Avenue expendable.

Parting thoughts
Like so many other parts of growing up, the memories of Burger King are more about people than food. Whether it was Star Wars cards or teenage crushes, the place renowned for the char-broiled burger will always hold a special place in my heart.

And not any Burger King, the one on Third Avenue.

Seeing it torn down, replaced by an empty lot, really does mean the end of an era.

Robert Pine: Chris’ dad in real life, but a great dad on TV

Robert Pine played Sergeant Joe Getraer in "CHiPs".
Source: https://chipsonentwo.weebly.com/robert-pine-getraer.html
(May be subject to copyright)

When Chris Pine debuted as Captain James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ re-boot of “Star Trek” in 2009, I was impressed by his performance, but also wondered – is he related to Robert Pine?

It turns out he is the son of the venerable actor.

I was thinking of Robert Pine recently when he not only guest starred as the birth father of Rob Lowe’s character in “911: Lone Star” but played the estranged brother of a dying Vietnam veteran in an episode of “Magnum P.I.”.

It brought back memories of 30 years ago when Pine played a father figure in one role and an actual dad in another.

CHiPs
It was another staple of Sunday night viewing in the later 1970s and early 1980s. CHiPs aired on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial, from 1977 to 1983.

The show featured Jon Baker and Frank Poncharello, California Highway Patrolman nicknamed CHiPs, hence the name of the show. Baker was played by Larry Wilcox and Poncharello, nicknamed “Ponch”, was played by Erik Estrada.

“Ponch” always seemed to be getting in trouble, while Baker was straight-laced and by the book. In fact, initially Baker was paired with “Ponch” to try and keep him in line.

Sergeant Joe Getraer, played by Robert Pine, was the commander Baker was trying to keep “Ponch” from getting in trouble with.

Pine’s portrayal of Getraer was much like so many other commanders of shows, such as this, in the 1980s. He was a father figure – gruff and stern on one hand, but sensitive and compassionate on the other. He played the perfect foil to “Ponch”.

Robert Pine guest starred as Thomas Sullivan Junior,
Thomas Magnum's father, in "Magnum P.I.".
Source: http://magnum-mania.com/Pics/
Screen_Caps_Season_Four.html
(May be subject to copyright)

Dear dad
The other role that really stands out for me, was a guest star in “Magnum P.I.” – Thomas Sullivan Magnum Junior. He was the father of Thomas Sullivan Magnum III, the private investigator operating from Robin Masters’ Estate in Hawaii. Pine reprised that role three times through the 1980s 

The episode I will always remember is the first episode of the fourth season. Magnum is stranded at sea, trapped in the ocean and forced to tread shark-infested waters for hours until help arrives. He thinks back to his life growing up, and we meet his father, played by Robert Pine.

In the flashbacks, Magnum is trying to beat his record treading water, and encouraged all the way by his father. Later, he tries to tread water for an hour. He holds on to this memory to keep on treading water until help arrives. When it does, he continues on until he meets the challenge and exclaims he did it Dad. We later learn all of this was intertwined with memories of Magnum’s father shipping off to the Korean Conflict and never coming home. In fact, his funeral was on July 4, the day Magnum is lost at sea, put in danger in part by the fact he wanted to spend the day alone.

It was an awesome episode.

Parting thoughts
Robert Pine would continue acting right on to this day, including reprising the role of Joe Getraer in a “CHiPs” reunion movie. It is also cool that he appeared in both the original “Magnum P.I.” and the re-boot.

Every rebellious police officer needs a straight-laced supervising officer to play off, someone who is tough but also reasonable and flexible enough for the relationship to grow. In essence, a father figure. Robert Pine did a great job of that as Joe Getraer.

However, what makes him most memorable to me is the turn he took as an actual father – Thomas Magnum’s dad.

Gerald McRaney: Remembering Rick Simon

Gerald McRaney played Rick Simon in "Simon and Simon" for much of the 1980s, from 1981 to 1988.
Source: https://www.memorabletv.com/tv-people/gerald-mcraney/
(May be subject to copyright)

On the surface, he was kind of a carefree goof who preferred a shot of tequila on a beach in Mexico to a case he was working on as a private investigator. Yet, as you peeled away the layers there was much more to Rick Simon, making him a much more compelling character in a durable crime drama.

Gerald McRaney played Rick Simon for eight solid seasons and 156 episodes. He brought sensitivity and depth to a character who seemed to be the laid back older brother, with the cool truck, of uptight, professional A.J. Simon.

It was the springboard to a prolific acting career that continues to this day.

I was thinking about Gerald McRaney when I watched the last episodes of the six-year run of “This is Us”, when he reprised his ward-winning role as Dr. K.

Sibling rivalry
It was a strange first year for “Simon and Simon”. It debuted on CTV Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial in the fall of 1981. It featured A.J. Simon, a trained private investigator, and his older brother Rick, a Vietnam veteran, who owned the Simon and Simon Detective Agency. Complicating matters was they were in competition with the Peerless agency. It was owned by Myron Fowler, the father of Rick and A.J.’s friend Janet, who helped them out on cases. Oh, and she was also A.J.’s girlfriend.

It was set in San Diego, so there were a lot of forays by Rick that first season into Mexico.

A.J. was straight laced and by the book. Rick was much more easy going, laid back, and well, could be a bit unscrupulous. He drove this amazing truck, a Dodge Power Wagon, lived on a boat, and had no problem impersonating people to get what he needed. He often just kept the business cards of other people and used those to impersonate them. It was all for a good cause, and he was still loveable and endearing.

Death and resurrection
I really liked the show. Then it just disappeared, seemingly replaced on CTV by this other show, “King’s Crossing“ that took its place and looked to be taking over.

It was in the summer of 1982, when I discovered what happened. “Simon and Simon” had essentially been cancelled after its 13-episode first season.

However, it was given a reprieve with a new time slot. When I saw it next, it was the fall of 1982. "Simon and Simon" was now on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial.

What I later discovered was CBS in the States moved “Simon and Simon” to Thursday night to follow “Magnum P.I.” The theory being the audience would carry over from “Magnum P.I.”

To cement the relationship, the producers had a two-part cross-over event, where the main characters appeared on each other’s shows. What I recall about that was Morgan Fairchild played the bad guy in he event, and I distinctly remember her making out with A.J. Simon.

It worked. Instead of dying after 13 episodes, “Simon and Simon” went for eight seasons, from 1981 to 1989, and 156 episodes.

Older brother, war hero
It always seemed easier to like and relate to Rick Simon. He seemed more down-to-earth and easy-going than his younger brother. He could seem too flippant at times, someone you couldn't take seriously. Then I saw an episode that still sits with me as the best of the series’ run.

It was in the second season and I recently discovered it was called “What’s in a Gnome?

Rick and A.J. are hired to find out who has been saboutaging an amusement park. He has been dubbed “The Phantom”, and branded a criminal, but when they go undercover, things are not what they seem.

Rick soon suspects "The Phantom" may be a fellow Vietnam veteran. He enlists an old military friend, to discover who “The Phantom” is. Wheelchair bound as a result of injuries in Vietnam, Rick's friend is now a computer whiz.

They soon learn “The Phantom” is Luke Dwyer, a Vietnam veteran dying as a result of his whole unit being exposed to Agent Orange. He reveals to the Simons, the commanding officer who ordered the bombing of Agent Orange, knew Dwyer's unit was still there before the bombing started.

It turns out that commanding officer is the same retired military officer who owns the amusement park. Dwyer is not only trying to mess with him, but ultimately provoke the colonel and his hired guns to shoot Dwyer. That would lead the media to finally pay attention and expose the truth. Dwyer had tried to share his story, but media would then contact the department of defence who would deny everything. This was Dwyer’s last hope.

He seems to get his wish. The colonel brings in a dozen hired guns who eventually corner Dwyer. They have their sights set on him as he is holding the colonel with a knife to his throat. Rick and A.J. are able to get the colonel to admit he thought the 79 soldiers, were all expendable. A.J. points out, in disgust, the colonel knew the exact number of soldiers.

Suddenly and slowly, all the hired guns walk away from the colonel one by one, leaving him alone to scream at the wind. They are all ex-soldiers too.

The next scene we see, it is two months later and the Simons are at Rick’s friend’s place, getting ready for something. They are talking about how the colonel is under investigation and facing 50 years in jail.

The screen dissolves to a gravesite. Rick and his friend are in full formal military dress, standing beside a casket draped in an American flag. Rick's friend plays “The Last Post” on the bugle. Then Rick takes off two medals – his Purple Heart and Bronze Star – pulls back the flag, places them on the casket, and replaces the flag.

Then he salutes.

I cried twice. Once in 1983 when I saw this episode, and again on June 30, 2022 when I watched it again online.

The other thing that episode reveals is the relationship between Rick and A.J. When they first meet Luke Dwyer, Rick introduces A.J. as his brother the “Campus Commando” who was protesting the war. A.J. said he did not sleep for years. Rick said he was just trying to live and survive until the next breakfast.

That’s why I didn’t sleep for years, A.J. said.

Dwyer said to Rick, "It's good he didn't have to go (to Vietnam)."

It was awesome, and some of the first exposure to the Vietnam War that I ever got.

The truck – a personal connection
Back in the ‘80s a bunch of shows were known for the vehicles their characters drove as much as for any of the characters. The best example was KITT on “Knight Rider”. There was also the black van in “The A-Team”, and the boat in “Riptide”.

Then there was Rick Simon’s Dodge Power Wagon. It even makes an appearance in the opening credits as Rick is driving through a field.

I actually saw the Dodge Power Wagon just over a year into the show’s run. My mom, sister and I took a bus tour to California, that included a day at Universal Studios.

As we drove through the lots, our guide pointed us in the direction of the Dodge Power Wagon, and I could clearly see it was Rick Simon’s truck.

That was my personal connection to Rick and “Simon and Simon”.

The years after
Gerald McRaney would go on to more success with series television in “Major Dad”, and “Promised Land”; reprise his role as Rick Simon in “Simon and Simon: In Trouble Again” in 1995; and keep on acting up to this day. He has had guest spots in a multitude of shows including “The West Wing”, “One Tree Hill”, “Mike and Molly”, “Longmire”, “House of Cards”, “A Million Little Things” and more. He also had a recurring role in “This is Us”, for which he won an Emmy for outstanding guest actor in a drama series, and was nominated a second time for the role.

Parting thoughts
There is always a danger that an actor can be typecast if he or she plays the same character for too long. Playing Rick Simon for eight years and 156 episodes could easily have done that too Gerald McRaney.

Instead, it was a springboard to a variety of characters, some similar to Rick Simon, like Dr. K, but some the exact opposite of the Vietnan veteran private eye.

Still, through the years and all the other roles I have seen him in, Gerald McRaney is still Rick Simon.

He was goofy, flippant and not always serious. But when it mattered most, he was there and always came through in the end.

Seeing him at the end of “What’s in a Gnome?” in full military dress, placing his medals on the casket of a fallen soldier and saluting, just reminded me of that once again.

Remembering Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When we Touch” and more

Watching a hockey game on a Sunday night, I was only half paying attention to the TV when I heard this distinctive song in a commercial, and it took me back to another hockey game I watched more than 30 years ago.

It was a commercial for Purex and the song was “Sometimes When we Touch” by Dan Hill.

It said Purex is even softer than Dan Hill.

That may be a nice sentiment, but Dan Hill could sing a pretty powerful and heartfelt ballad – and did the trick twice in the 1980s with great success.

“Sometimes When we Touch”
Hill wrote "Sometimes When we Touch", according to Wikipedia, when he fell in love with a woman who did not love him.

The song was released in 1977, but I heard it when I started listening to music in the ‘80s. It was Hill’s biggest hit, hitting number one in Canada and peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the States.

Soaring with the Great one
My biggest memory of “Sometimes When we Touch” occurred on Hockey Night in Canada. Wayne Gretzky was on yet another scoring tear and they were doing a feature on him

.

I was doing something else but, when I looked up, I saw him on a breakaway, scoring to break another record of some sort. It was set to the sounds of "Sometimes When we Touch".

It was an interesting selection to go with Gretzky’s scoring prowess, but it was fitting. Perhaps it was a comment on the fact very few players could touch Gretzky because he was always one step ahead of everyone.

Northern Lights
“Sometimes When we Touch” was what I associated Dan Hill with when I saw the video for “Tears Are Not Enough”, a song recorded by Canadian singers to raise funds for African famine relief in 1985.

The song starts with essentially Canada’s top performers, up to that point, taking turns singing a line each of the first verse. It started with Gordon Lightfoot, then Burton Cummings, Anne Murray, Joni Mitchell – then Dan Hill.

It was one line, but as soulful and heartfelt as “Sometimes When we Touch”.

And he wasn’t done yet.

Duet
It was yet another time when I heard a song on the radio, liked it, and thought it sounded kind of like someone I knew. Again, though, it was someone who hadn’t put out a song in years. Plus, the artist was singing with someone else, which was another reason I did not recognize him. When I heard it again, paying full attention, the song had that signature Dan Hill sound – heartfelt and soulful.

It was the spring of 1987 and the song was called “Can’t We Try”. Hill's partner was Vonda Shepard and the song went all the way to number six on the Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Adult Contemporary chart, and was the top song of 1987 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

It was Shepard’s only top 10 pop hit. However, she did record “Searchin’ My Soul”, the catchy song in the opening credits of the show “Ally McBeal”.

Parting thoughts
I always have mixed feelings when I hear pop music songs in commercials. Part of me thinks "What a great song" that a new audience can hear. Another, bigger part, is sad the song was commercialized. That is, its emotional hook is being used to sell paper products. That same part of me asks, “Why couldn’t they just write their own song?” I know the answer to that – they’re using a familiar song, with an emotional hook for people, in order to sell paper products.

It is kind of funny though. The first time I heard “Sometimes When We Touch” was for commercial use – in “Hockey Night in Canada”. The last time I heard "Sometimes When we Touch" was to sell paper products. So, the first and last uses of the song have been for commercial purposes.

Having said all that, it is still good to hear that song, and I am glad a new audience will hear it.

I only wish I’d heard it on the radio, not in a commercial.

Doug Mitchell: So long, commissioner

Doug Mitchell had a long career in Canadian football, including a stint as commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1984 to 1988.
Source: https://www.alberta.ca/aoe-doug-mitchell.aspx
(May be subject to copyright)

He was always there at the end of the season, after the gun sounded to end the Grey Cup. There he stood, clutching the trophy emblematic of the Canadian Football League championship, presenting it to the captains of the winning team.

He was Doug Mitchell, commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1984 to 1988, where he presented the trophy to some of the best teams of the decade. And helped save the league

When I started this post, he was recently inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and it reminded me of those Grey Cups in the 1980s. He also is the first member of the Hall of Fame I met in person.

Before I was able to finish the post, Doug Mitchell passed away on July 20 at the age of 83, so this is a tribute as much as a reflection.

The years before
When I started watching football, the commissioner of the CFL was Jake Gaudaur, who was this majestic figure that symbolized Canadian football. To me, he was most prominent in presenting the Grey Cup to the Edmonton Eskimos who won five straight Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982.

And, it was Gaudaur’s name that was imprinted on the first ever Canadian football – and the second – that my mom gave me for Christmas.

When he retired, I was still pretty new to the game, so I really knew nothing about Doug Mitchell, other then he was now the head of the CFL.

Football pedigree
Doug Mitchell had a lengthy career in football before becoming commissioner, and long after he left the job in 1988.

Mitchell grew up in Calgary where he played high school football for Crescent Heights before going on to post-secondary studies at Colorado College and the University of British Columbia where he played for the Thunderbirds. He also went on to play three games for the B.C. Lions in 1960.

He graduated with a law degree from UBC in 1962 and went on to have a distinguished career in law.

Mitchell also help rebuild the Canadian Olympic hockey program, and sat on the National Hockey League Board of Governors, before turning his attention to the Canadian Football League.

Yes, commissioner
Doug Mitchell was appointed commissioner of the CFL in 1984, serving in that role until 1988. He would preside over some tumultuous times, but helped save the league by introducing a salary cap. The cap created an even playing field for all teams, reined in spending by some teams, and gave the league a stable financial framework. The league still operates with a salary cap.

After leaving the office, Mitchell would eventually become part of an ownership group of the Calgary Stampeders and serve on the CFL board of governors as of 2011.

For all his efforts, he received several honours. He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1999; the Order of Canada in 2004; the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2007; Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2019; and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2021. The Mitchell Bowl, one of the national university football semi-finals for the Vanier Cup, is also named in his honour.

Parting thoughts
Doug Mitchell is the first CFL Hall of Famer I ever met in person. It was not as a headliner, but as a plus one. His wife is Lois Mitchell, who was the lieutenant-governor of Alberta, when they were in Claresholm, attending an event at the museum.

I was able to meet and interview her afterwards. Her husband Doug was with her and they actually talked to me together. Once the interview was over, I shook Mitchell’s hand and told him how much I remembered him, what an honour it was to meet him, and thanked him for what he did for the CFL. He was very gracious.

The best part was a conversation I heard him having with some of the lieutenant-governor’s staff. The Stampeders were playing that day, and he was trying to find out the score. So, he went into the bathroom of the exhibit hall to get some privacy – and maybe better Internet reception.

Football meant a lot to the man.

So long, commissioner and rest in peace, you have certainly earned it.

Peanut M&Ms: Fuelling a teenage crush

The package for peanut M&Ms in the 1980s, around 1981.
Source: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/13440498857775672/
(May be subject to copyright)

Tonight I was binge watching “This Is Us”, and I was munching on some peanut M&Ms as a snack, and it took me back to another time and another place a lifetime ago.

It was a tale of high school, a teenage crush, and my love for candy.

That was my real introduction to M&Ms.

The note (no book)
It kind of started in an odd way.

It was Grade 12, I was tired every morning, and depressed over this girl I liked who I was pretty sure didn’t like me.

My locker was on the second floor of our high school, not too far from my first class of the morning. I took to sitting on the floor in front of my locker, and waiting for the bell to ring.

One day, right after class started, I got this note passed to me. It was from a girl named Mal, who was extending an invitation to talk.

I never took her up on that, because I was really just too shy and paralyzed with indecision.

The crush
Still, that note set my heart aflutter and my teenage mind buzzing. I asked around about her, and started looking for her in school. One day after school, I was sitting on the school bus waiting to go home, and was looking out the window. A friend of mine was walking past with Mal and that friend said, “Hi Rob.” Then Mal said, “Hi Rob.”

I even went to a house party she was at, but blew a chance to talk to her by giving her a ride home (This episode is detailed in an earlier post called “Human League at the House Party).

Through it all, I never talked to her directly, beyond saying hi in the hallway or at class.

But I had one other chance.

The cantina (but nothing like Star Wars)
Mal was one of the Grade 12 students who worked the cantina at noon in the lunch room.

I got the bright idea to go buy something from there, and see her.

They sold chips, and pop, and candy and it was all on display on the counter.

The first day I went up there, Mal asked me what I wanted and I froze. I really just wanted to talk to her.

Then I saw peanut M&Ms. I ordered those.

She gave them to me, and I gave her money. That was it.

The next day, the same thing happened. I ordered M&Ms. She smiled and gave them to me. I gave her money.

It went on just like that for a few weeks, every day.

Never did I summon up the courage to talk to her, ask to talk to her later, or pass her a note.

Instead, I just got a pimple, and another, and another.

After a few weeks that all just stopped.

I got a crush on someone else – actually the same girl I had one on before Mal – and I heard Mal started dating a guy from Lehbridge.

Parting thoughts
This is all so high school, where it belongs. Yet, it just reminds me how we all have these moments in our lives that can define us. It took a long time for me to summon up the courage to ask girls out. I sometimes wonder if I had summoned up the courage then, if things would have got easier.

But, then that would have changed the whole trajectory of my life and, in the end, I am pretty happy with the way things have gone.

I still love peanut M&Ms, but now I eat them with the actual love of my life binge watching "This is Us".


I still love peanut M&Ms, but now I eat them with the actual love of my life.

Arby’s: On the road to independence

Recently, I stopped by Arby’s in Lethbridge after visiting my mom. As I looked around the restaurant and the neighbourhood, I remembered my first trip to Arby’s – a long time ago, in a city pretty far from here. It wasn't just a meal though, it was also a step on my path to independence.

Con-Version
It was the summer of 1985, and I had just finished Grade 10. I made some new friends and strengthened some existing relationships.

Two of them were David Perlich and Craig Tanaka. I grew up with Dave and had gone to school with him since Grade 5, while Craig had gone to the other junior high in Coaldale and I met him when we all went to the same high school starting in Grade 10.

One thing the three of us had in common was a love of science fiction.

Dave had joined a Star Trek fan club in Lethbridge, and had made a bunch of new friends, many older than us. Most were adults with jobs, their own cars, and the trappings of adulthood.

It was two of those friends who invited Dave to join them in for a weekend science fiction convention in Calgary called “Con-Version”. Dave in turn invited Craig and I to go too.

Surprisingly, my parents had no problem letting us go. Craig’s were science fiction fans themselves so they had no problem either.

Part of that was two of Dave’s older friends, a couple in their 20s or maybe even 30s, were driving us and essentially “chaperoning” us.

If memory serves, the registration also included a hotel room, which the three of us shared, although Dave was gone late into the evening, hanging out with his two friends.

Craig and I basically spent the weekend together, which was cool because we were pretty good friends.

The other thing I remember was that, before I left, my mom gave me one of my dad’s old wallets to put my money in.

It was the first wallet I ever owned.

And it would come into play later.

Supper time
The whole convention was at the Carriage House Hotel, and we were left to our own devices for supper.

We got there, settled into our room and had a bit of time before the convention actually started.

Craig suggested we go to Arby’s. I had no idea what he was talking about.

We were outside on Macleod Trail and he pointed to the restaurant off in the distance. It was actually a pretty good jaunt, but I was in. So we walked all the way to Arby’s. It seemed like a long way too, but we got there.

Craig knew exactly what to order. Me, not so much. He explained Arby’s uses shaved roast beef, and that just sounded awesome to me. I also remember Craig explaining Arby’s Sauce and Horsey Sauce. Arby’s sauce was like a barbecue-type sauce, and I made sure to have that. Horsey Sauce sounded a lot like horse radish, which I really did not care for.

Ultimately, Craig ordered and I did a well. My first ever order was on July 26, 1985, a regular roast beef sandwich for $1.95 and a large root beer for $0.80 for a total of $2.75. There was no GST yet.

It was so good too,

We finished up, then headed back to the Carriage House Inn. We were like a block from the hotel, when something occurred to me.

I had forgotten my wallet at Arby’s. It was the first one I ever had a wallet, and I was just not used to carrying it. I took it out to pay, put it on my tray, took it back to our table, then left it when we ate. We just put our trays on top of the garbage can.

So we walked back to Arby’s. I was pretty much resigned to not getting the wallet back.

Once we got back to Arby’s, we went straight to the counter and I asked if they found a wallet. They asked me to describe it. I said it was a ratty old brown wallet I left on a tray.

The guy smiled and handed it to me.

I remember breathing this sigh of relief, because my money was also in there after all. Since then, I have never left my wallet anywhere again.

That experience didn’t really deter us either.

We were back again the next day, July 27, 1985 for supper. The order was a French dip for $2.65, a super roast beef sandwich for $2.95, large frys (that is the actual spelling) for $0.75, and a large Pepsi for $0.80 for a total of $7.15, again with no tax.

And we were back the next day, July 28, 1985, where I had a beef-n-cheddar for $2.75, large frys for $0.75, and a small root beer for $0.60 for a total of $4.10, with no tax. If memory serves, we grabbed that food on our way out of the city.

My relationship to Arby’s has continued to this day.

Arby’s artifacts
It is funny how sometimes things just seem meant to be. I had pondered writing about my first Arby’s experience for months, and finally started a few weeks ago.

A year and a half ago, I was cleaning out my mom’s basement and discovered all kinds of things I grabbed to discuss on this blog. The vast majority – like 99 per cent – are in boxes in my garage and my soon-to-be home office closet.

Yet, there was one bunch of stuff I rescued that I put elsewhere. It was the contents of that first wallet. I put them in my work office for safe keeping.

I was cleaning that office recently when I discovered the contents of that first wallet – including the receipts from my first trip to Arby’s.

It was just meant to be written at this point in time. (I also found the receipt from the entry fee for “Con-Version”, but that is another story).

Parting thoughts
More than discovering a new kind of fast food, those trips to Arby’s symbolized something more ­– a step on my journey to independence.

It was the first time I went away from home for an overnight trip in a hotel. In fact, it was the first overnight trip I went on that was not to a relative’s of some kind. And it was the first time I ever ate out somewhere on my own.

A year later I was hanging out with my friends, going out with them for pizza and burgers. A year after that I was on my own, going to university in Edmonton.

It all started with that trip to Arby’s.