Lions-49ers

Linda Lavin

Jimmy Carter

Book of Lists

Jimmy Waite

Amerika

Sam Neill

Cory Haim

Jim Harbaugh

Rickey Henderson

Big Country

Peter Criss

Robert Urich

Helen Slater

"Summer Fantasy"

Philip K. Dick

Every Rose has its Thorn by Poison

Patty Duke

John Davidson

Caren Kaye

The Amazing Kreskin

David Carradine

Kim Basinger

Dan Hartman “I Can Dream About You”

Jobeth Williams

James Naughton

Walt Disney

Superman

Rick Savage

Cathy Lee Crosby

Wayne Northrop

Bo Jackson

Bernie Kosar

Amy Grant

John Larroquette

Joe Gibbs

Ricardo Montalban

Kevin Kline

Ken Griffey Jr

Goldie Hawn

Joseph Campanella

Bob Einstein Super Dave Osborne

Huey Lewis and the News

1987 Grey Cup

Honeymoon Suite

Men Without Hats

The Spoons

Richard Mulligan

Aldo Nova

Pet Shop Boys

Demi Moore

Jack Scalia

Lou Ferrigno

Morley Safer

Kevin MacMichael Cutting Crew

Glenn Frey

Quincy Jones

Darrel Janz

Crying Over You by Platinum Blonde

Innocence by Harlequin

Soul City by the Partland Brothers

Deidre Hall

Teri Garr

Kate Jackson

Ed Whalen: Voice of Calgary

Red Rooster

Keith Morrison

Jack Jones and "The Love Boat Theme"

Judith Light

Johnny Carson

Fernando Valenzuela

Dodger-Yankees

John Lithgow

Robert Reed

Amy Linker

Dionne Warwick

Tim Robbins

Here’s to 1,000

Emma Samms

Albert Hague

Tony Kubek

Steve Young

Dana Elcar

Toy Soldiers by Martika

Entertainment Tonight

Peter Frampton

Kool & the Gang

Blue Rodeo

John Amos

Pete Rose

Sarah McLachlan

Drake Hogestyn

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

Merlin Olsen

Kelly Keagy

Ray Jauch

Gardens of Stone

Jesse Owens

One Day at a Time

Pat Mastelotto

James Earl Jones

Dennis Dugan

CFL on CTV

Jane Curtin

Frank Shuster

Paul Harvey

Jimmy Connors

Linda Purl

TSN turns 40

Edwin Moses

Ray Burris

Elliott Gould

Pat Harrington

Pat Gillick

Ray Bradbury

Shelley Long

Barbara Eden

Jimi Jamison

Roland Orzabal

John Aprea

Phil Donahue

Buckshot

Eddy Grant

8675309 Jenny

Doug and the Slugs

Peter Marshall

Can’t Buy Me Love

Feargal Sharkey:”A Good Heart” is hard to forget

“How many bones are in the human hand?”

When singer Feargal Sharkey appeared as a guest on the Canadian music show “Good Rockin’ Tonite”, that was the question fans had to answer to enter a draw to win some merchandise.

At the time, around Spring of 1986, his single “A Good Heart” was playing on the radio, and he was out promoting his album.

In large part, in Canada at least, “A Good Heart” would be Feargal Sharkey’s lone hit, adding him to that list of one hit wonders of the decade.

It is his birthday, reminding me of that great song and great show.

Cruisin’ the strip
By the Spring of 1986, I had begun to go out Friday nights with my friends. We’d take advantage of teen night at the YMCA when it was a dollar to access the whole facility, and play racquetball and basketball. Then we’d grab something to eat and cruise up and down Mayor Magrath Drive, affectionately called “The strip”.

We listened to a lot of music, and I am sure that’s when I first heard “A Good Heart”.

It slowly worked its way up the charts, and peaked at number four in Canada. It was during that time Feargal Sharkey made his appearance on “Good Rockin’ Tonite”.

Interestingly, when I looked at the U.S. charts, “A Good Heart” peaked at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. I find that very interesting, because the majority of the time U.S. and Canadian charts lined up in terms of songs, although not necessarily in the same order.

What’s in a name?
For whatever reason, I used to write down the names of songs I heard on the radio and the names of the people who sang them. I struggled with trying to figure out what Feargal Sharkey’s name actually was, because I had never heard that first name before. Back then there was no Internet, smart phones or Google to check out such things.

It wasn’t until I actually saw the name on the album cover that I confirmed how to spell it.

One last thought
I ended up buying the record “A Good Heart” a few years later in the summer of 1989, when it was on sale at Zellers. I then got my sister to record it on tape for me. I was heading back to Edmonton, so I left her a note asking her to tape the song “A Good Heart” but not the entire album.

I distinctly recall it was the summer of 1989, because I had just been elected vice president of Kelsey Hall at the University of Alberta. My friend and roommate Sean Drake and I would regularly visit the steam room in another part of res. We had this running joke too. One day, Sean and I were going to the steam room, when we were stopped by this security guy we called “Tubby”. He was quite arrogant. He said we couldn’t use the steam room in the evening, because it disturbed Francois. Sean asked, “Francois?” We both knew Francois Bouman, who was the recently elected president of the student association, and a friend.

Before Sean could finish his sentence asking where did Francois live, Tubby blurted out “…Bouman, president of the students association”. Then he left.

“President of the student association,” Sean mocked as he jabbed a finger, like Tubby did, in my chest. “Rob Vogt … vice president of Kelsey Hall.”

After that, whenever I signed anything, or introduced myself, it was “Rob Vogt” followed by “Vice president, Kelsey Hall”.

I recall signing that note to my sister, asking her to make the tape, with “Vice president, Kelsey Hall”.

Parting thoughts
The 1980s was full of one-hit wonders, and each one occupies a unique place in pop culture and in my own memory.

Whenever I hear “A Good Heart”, I am taken back to the Spring of 1986, playing basketball at the “Y”, cruising “The Strip”, and watching “Good Rockin’ Tonite”.

I also still wonder how many bones there are in the human hand.

Alex Haley: “Roots”, the blueprint of family history

Alex Haley and his epic novel "Roots"

Source: https://americanheritagetrees.org/product/alex-haley-crepe-myrtle/

(May be subject to copyright)

He was a writer who became a household name when his epic novel was made into a sprawling, compelling television miniseries.

It would be years before I actually read Alex Haley and his book “Roots”, but that miniseries was amazing. Beyond entertaining, and shining a light on the disgrace that was slavery in the United States, “Roots” sparked an interest in geneology and the quest for people to find out where they come from.

Later, we all learned more about Alex Haley himself, when a sequel to “Roots” was made that went virtually right up to the present day.

All this came to mind when I saw it was Alex Haley’s birthday yesterday.

Screaming lady
There had been a lot of promotion in 1977 about “Roots” but, as I recall, there were no trailers just a sort “Roots is coming” message.

The first part was on a Saturday night, at 9 p.m. on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial. We gathered around the television, and I had no idea what “Roots” was about.

The show opened with – a Black lady screaming.

My Mom immediately sent me to bed, and I have to say, I didn’t put up a fight.

Yet the rest of the family watched it that night, and as the show continued to air all week, I picked up bits and pieces of the story from my Mom and sister.

Then, I got the Measels that week, and stayed home from school on Friday and Saturday, where I could watch the rest of “Roots” for myself.

It was about a Black youth kidnapped by slave traders and taken to America. His name was Kunta Kinte, played by LeVar Burton and John Amos, but he was re-named Toby Reynolds by his owners. He had a daughter named Kizzie, played by Leslie Uggams, who ended up having a child with her white owner. That son would grow up to be “Chicken” George, played by Ben Vereen who, while still a slave, had more freedom because he was a renowned trainer of fighting cocks. “Chicken” George had a son, Tom Harvey, played by Georg Stanford Brown, who was a blacksmith, and eventually was freed by Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation.

These were all Alex Haley’s ancestors.

The writer
“Roots” was billed as the show based on the best-selling book by Alex Haley. Back in the day, authors got nowhere the credit they deserved, so I had no idea what Alex Haley looked like.

At the same time there was another author named Arthur Hailey, who wrote books such as “The Moneychangers” and “Wheels”, which were made into miniseries. I always wondered if Alex Haley was related to Arthur Hailey until I saw Alex Haley.

I would learn so much more about Alex Haley when the saga of “Roots” continued.

The rest of the story
“Roots: The Next Generations” was also on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial in 1979. It picked up where “Roots” left off, with Tom Harvey, his family, and his now elderly father “Chicken” George. Tom Harvey would have a daughter Cynthia, who went on to have a daughter, Bertha, played by Irene Cara. She went on to marry Simon Haley, played by Dorian Harewood. They would have a son – Alex Haley.

The show details Alex Haley’s life and career. What I recall best is his time as an adult when he is played by James Earl Jones.

He becomes a writer, first for “Playboy” magazine. In a memorable moment, he is doing a piece on the American Nazi Party and interviews its leader George Lincoln Rockwell, in a chilling portrayal by Marlon Brando. At one point Rockwell looks at Haley and says he does not look all Black, asking if there is some white in his family. Haley admits there is. Up to that point I was not sure it was common knowledge “Chicken” George’s father was his slave owner. Rockwell goes on to talk about these songs his party has created, such as “The Jews are through in ’72, parlez vous.”

Haley goes on to co-write the autobiography of Black activist Malcolm X. That is actually where I first learned about Malcolm X.

As time goes on, Haley gets into his family history and begins to do research. His journey eventually takes him to Africa where he meets the family historian, who begins to recite generation after generation of family. Then he mentions a son, Kunta, who went out to find a log for a drum and was never seen again.

Haley turns. His ancestor, Kunta Kinte, came to America after being captured by slave traders. He had gone out to find a log for a drum.

Where his history ends in Africa, it begins in America.

One of the coolest parts of the story is when Haley pays a visit to a man named Reynolds, who he is pretty sure is the ancestor of the man who bought Kunta Kinte. Haley’s reception is cold and dismissive. This man’s family would never own slaves, and the mere mention of it is insulting. He asks Haley to leave.

On his way out, Haley notices a painting of horses from a bygone era. He asks Reynolds if his family has owned horses for a long time? Reynolds responded they have owned horses for hundreds of years. In fact, he has the records going back generations. Haley said often slave owners kept the records of slaves they owned with the records of livestock they owned. Reynolds is still standoffish. Haley asks Reynolds to indulge him. Finally Reynolds says he will look – to prove Haley wrong.

He grabs this old ledger, leafs through it and is shocked at what he learns. It is all there in black and white. His ancestor owned Kunta Kinte, or Toby Reynolds.

James Earl Jones was brilliant as Alex Haley.

The book
“Roots” was published in 1976, but I didn’t read the book for another 25 years or so. That was when I discovered how brilliant Alex Haley was. It is probably 600 or 700 pages and I could not put it down. The first thing it did was fill in the gaps for that first part of the saga I missed on TV. After that, it gave some impressive detail about all the generations of Haley’s family.

It was well worth the read.

Haley was awarded a Pulitizer Prize Special Award for “Roots” in 1977.

Sadly, Alex Haley died of a heart attack on February 10, 1992.

He was 70 years old.

Parting thoughts
As I embark on my quest to write my own family history, I am inspired by Alex Haley. I read he was accused that some of his historical assertions are fabricated, and “Roots” is more a novel than a work of historical scholarship. The critics site historical records that don’t line up with Haley’s story until after the Civil War.

Even if that is the case, when I read “Roots”, I kind of viewed it as an approximation of history. After all, the records could still be spotty. To write a story, he would have to fill in the gaps.

At the end of “Roots: The Next Generations”, Alex Haley encourages people to explore their own family history by interviewing older relatives, researching old records, and holding reunions.

I have often thought how would I craft my own family history? I have done interviews with my parents and family members.

Every time I think about it, I think I will craft it just like “Roots”

To me, it is the blueprint of a family history.

Eric Carmen: Dirty Dancing and more

It is the song playing when Patrick Swayze lifts Jennifer Grey over his head in a creek, as they become familiar as dance partners.

Up to that point, Eric Carmen was best known for a soulful ballad but, after his “Hungry Eyes” made its appearance in “Dirty Dancing”, Eric Carmen’s career reached another level.

He died earlier this year in March, but his birthday is today, offering the perfect occasion to reflect back on “All by Myself”, “Hungry Eyes”, and more.

The years before
The first time I heard Eric Carmen was in a single called “All by Myself”, which was a crooning ballad. It turns out that “All by Myself” was Carmen’s first solo single. He had been performing with a band called The Raspberries, as lead singer, and wrote or co-wrote all their hit songs.

“All by Myself” went all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975 and number three in Canada.

His next single, “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number one in Canada.

Eric Carmen didn’t have another top 10 hit, and just one top 20 hit, over the next 11 years.

Then he made a big comeback.

Soundtrack success
Carmen made a splash in the ‘80s as far back as 1984, when he and Dean Pitchford co-wrote “Almost Paradise” for the “Footloose” soundtrack. It was the love theme of the movie, performed by Ann Wilson of Heart and Mike Reno of Loverboy, who took the song all the way to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

He would find even bigger success as a singer three years later on a soundtrack for a movie that has become a classic.

Dirty Dancing
Eric Carmen released “Hungry Eyes” in 1987, as the second single from the soundtrack to “Dirty Dancing”. I always remember the scene in the movie when the song is play. Johnny is teaching Baby, to dance in a lake. They are practising lifts because if she falls, it is a much lighter landing than the hard ground. In particular, I remember Johnny, played by Patrick Swayze, lifting Baby, played by Jennifer Grey, above the water. It was pretty cool.

I have another odd memory of the time. It was second semester of my first year of university and I picked up a statistics class. Our professor initially was named Dr. Gian Jhangri, before our class split and I had Professor Ferenczi. My friend Roy was in another section, and he had Jhangri. One day, we were waiting in line at the cafeteria and I asked him how stats was going.

Then, for whatever reason, I started singing, “Jhangri Eyes”. We both laughed.

“Hungry Eyes” took Eric Carmen back to the top 10, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

That song catapulted Eric Carmen to another successful single.

Summer of 1988
Not long after I finished my first year of university in the Spring of 1988 and was back to the farm for the summer, Eric Carmen released another single.

It was called “Make Me Lose Control”, and became part of the soundtrack of the summer of 1988, back in Southern Alberta. When I hear that song, I am taken back to the things I was doing that summer – cruising the strip in Lethbridge; going to Alley Oops; working at the greenhouse; talking to guys like Shawn Kingston and Lorne Miller.

“Make Me Lose Control” went all the way to number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number two in Canada.

Eric Carmen would chart just one more song, “Reason to Try”, which reached number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.

He hasn’t charted another single to this date.

Parting thoughts
It’s funny how artists come and go. Eric Carmen had had a big hit with “All by Myself”, but kind of faded into the woodwork.

Then, come 1987 and his songs were as popular as anyone’s, charting two in the top five, and occupying spots on the charts for a significant amount of time.

Then he was gone again, never to return to those heights.

Yet, those songs came out at a very special time in my life, when I was away from home for the first time, meeting new people, experiencing new things, and exploring what was out there.

Whenever I hear “Hungry Eyes” or “Make Me Lose Control”, I will think of those times.

Dustin Hoffman: Remembering "All the President's Men" and more

Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man" in 1988.

Source: Fhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095953/mediaviewer/rm3251813120/

(May be subject to copyright)

Long before I became a journalist, “All the President’s Men” was one of my favourite movies. It recounts the efforts of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to uncover the Watergate scandal that brought down U.S. President Richard Nixon.

There is one scene in particular that stands out. Bernstein is in the bathroom of a possible source, and she starts to talk. He has no notepad with him, but grabs the closest thing and starts taking notes. The next scene he is in the news room back at the Washington Post and he is recounting what he learned. He starts to empty his pockets of toilet paper, matchbook covers, and whatever else he grabbed to take notes on.

I laugh, because I have been in that situation. It also shows Bernstein’s determination.

Dustin Hoffman played Carl Bernstein and, although “All the President’s Men” came out in the 1970s, I did not see it on Channel 13 of the peasant vision dial until the ‘80s.

Carl Bernstein was just one role of many in the ‘80s for Hoffman, who celebrated his birthday a couple days ago.

The years before
Dustin Hoffman got his start on an episode of “Naked City” in 1967, and followed that up with two guest starring roles in “The Defenders”; another episode of “Naked City”; and some roles in TV movies and specials.

Hoffman made his film debut in 1967 in “The Tiger Makes Out.”

His breakout role came that same year, 1967, in “The Graduate”, when he played 21-year-old college graduate Benjamin Braddock, who is seduced by Mrs. Robinson, an older married woman played by Katharine Ross. Hoffman was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. Simon and Garfunkel also wrote “Mrs. Robinson” for the movie.

Hoffman appeared in “Madigan’s Millions” in 1968, then hit it big again in 1969 with “Midnight Cowboy”. He co-stars with Jon Voight as two hustlers in New York City. Hoffman and Voight both received Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.

In 1969, he appeared opposite Mia Farrow in “John and Mary”, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He was then in “Little Big Man” as a 121-year-old man telling his life story to a historian. He talks about being raised among the Cheyenne Nation then tries to reintegrate into American pioneer society. What I will always remember is Canadian actor Chief Dan George’s performance, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. George was the first Indigenous actor ever nominated for an Oscar.

The next movie I recall is “Papillon” which came out in 1973. Hoffman plays alongside Steve McQueen as prisoners trying to escape from Devil’s Island. I recall watching the movie and one scene where one of them is forced to eat bugs to survive.

The next year, 1974, Hoffman played controversial comedian Lenny Bruce in the aptly titled “Lenny”. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for the role and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.

In 1976, Hoffman played Carl Bernstein in “All the President’s Men”, which remains one of my favourite movies and my favourite Dustin Hoffman film. Along with Robert Redford, who plays Bob Woodward, they are two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate scandal story.

The first time “All the President’s Men” was on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial, I had to go to bed about halfway through it because it was a school night. The first time I saw the movie beginning to end was at the Princess Theatre with my friends Bruce Freadrich and Colin Peters in the 1989-1990 school year

Hoffman starred in the suspense thriller “Marathon Man” in 1976, where he was nominated for Best Actor Motion Picture Drama. He was then in the crime drama “Straight Time” in 1978, and “Agatha” in 1979, about the 11-day disappearance of mystery writer Agatha Christie in 1926.

Hoffman closed out the ‘70s playing Ted Kramer opposite Meryl Streep in “Kramer vs. Kramer”, a movie about a couple going through a bitter divorce and the effect it has on their son. Hoffman won the Oscar, his first, for Best Actor for the role, and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.

Dustin Hoffman certainly had made a name for himself as he entered the ‘80s, a decade that give him extreme highs and lows.

Tootsie
After a three-year break, Hoffman was back in 1982 with another award-nominated performance in “Tootsie”. This time out he plays Michael Dorsey, an actor who cannot find work, so he masquerades as a woman to earn a role.

Hoffman was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Ishtar
Hoffman’s next movie was one for the ages. In “Ishtar”, which came out in 1987, he stars with Warren Beatty. Wikipedia describes them as two talentless American songwriters who travel for a booking in Morocco and stumble into a four-party Cold War standoff.

I never saw “Ishtar” but heard all about it – the massive cost overruns, no one getting along, the massive cost overruns. It is sometimes mentiond in the same breath as “Heaven’s Gate” and “Waterworld” as movies with huge budgets that bombed. I have said many times before the size of budget is an unfair measuring stick.

Still, at the time, being associated with “Ishtar” may have been one of the low points in Hoffman’s career.

Rain Man
As low as “Ishtar” was, Hoffman’s next movie was a high point. “Rain Man” came out in 1988 and starred Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt, whose father dies. It is revealed he has an autistic brother named Raymond, played by Hoffman. It is an exceptional movie about autism, inclusiveness, family, and love. For me, this movie humanized Cruise who, to that point, always played the cocky, smirking protagonist. There is still some of that here, but his role is layered.

Hoffman steals the show in so many scenes with his love of routine and need to watched Wapner, on “The People’s Court”.

Hoffman won the Oscar for Best Actor for “Rain Man”, and the Golden Globe for Best Actor Motion Picture Drama.

It is one of his best performances, and another favourite of mine.

Rest of the decade
Hoffman’s final movie of the decade was “Family Business” in 1989. He plays the son in a crime family who leaves when his own son is born. He plays opposite Sean Connery and Matthew Broderick.

Dustin Hoffman also returned to television in 1985 for a live production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” where he plays the main character Willy Loman. I remember this television movie being heavily promoted, and I saw a piece on it on “Entertainment Tonight”. It was on peasant vision, I believe, because I recall coming across it when I was switching channels during the commercials of another show. Now, I definitely would watch it.

It was another success, earning Hoffman the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, and the Golden Globe for Best Actor Miniseries or Television Film.

The ’80s had been a decade of the low of “Ishtar” and the high of another Oscar win for “Rain Man”, and Hoffman just kept on working.

The years after
He would appear in movies such as “Dick Tracy”; “Billy Bathgate”; “Hero”; “Outbreak”; “Sleepers”; “American Buffalo”; “Mad City”; “Sphere”; “Runaway Jury”; “Finding Neverland”; “I Heart Huckabees”; “Meet the Fockers”; “The Lost City”; “Barney’s Version”; “Little Fockers”; and much more.

He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for “Hook”; nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for “Wag the Dog”; and nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for “Last Chance Harvey”.

Hoffman also appeared on television in “The Simpsons”; “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; nine episodes of “Luck”; five episodes of “Medici: Masters of Florence”; and more.

Parting thoughts
Dustin Hoffman is a versatile actor to say the least. It is hard to believe he played Carl Bernstein, Raymond Babbitt and Captain Hook, yet he did, and his talent was often recognized for those efforts.

More than anything, he was in so many films I now want to see.

Until then, my favourite performance will be Carl Bernstein in “All the President’s Men”, and that scene where he is taking notes on whatever he can find.

Richard Anderson: The bionic boss

Richard Anderson played Oscar Goldman in both

"The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman".

Source: https://file770.com/richard-anderson-1926-2017/

(May be subject to copyright)

Before Steve Austin, “The Six Million Dollar Man”, or Jaimie Sommers, “The Bionic Wiman”, could spring into action, they needed an assignment.

Always there waiting to give it to them was their liaison with the OSI – Oscar Goldman.

He had all the necessary information to brief them, and was usually there monitoring their mission in case they got in trouble or, more importantly, the mission got in trouble.

Oscar Goldman was played by Richard Anderson who did much more than that one character.

It was Anderson’s birthday yesterday, offering an opportunity to look back at and beyond the bionic boss.

The years before
Richard Anderson’s first movie was “La perla” in 1947, and his first TV show was a two-episode stint of “Mama Rosa” in 1950.

He appeared in movies such as “Forbidden Planet”; “The Buster Keaton Story”; “Paths of Glory”; “The Long, Hot Summer”; “The Wackiest Ship in the Army”; “Seven Days in May”; “Tora! Tora! Tora!”; and more.

Anderson also appeared in TV shows such as “The Millionaire”; “Playhouse 90”; “Steve Canyon”; “Zorro”; “Wagon Train”; “The Untouchables”; “Thriller”; “Checkmate”; “Wanted: Dead or Alive”; “Hong Kong”; “The Rifleman”; “The Virginian”; “Dr. Kildare”; “The Lieutenant”; “Combat!”: “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour”; “Perry Mason”; “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”; “I Spy”; “12 O’clock High”; “The Green Hornet”; “Mission: Impossible”; “The Fugitive”; “The Invaders”; “Bonanza”; “The Wild Wild West”; “Mannix”; “Judd for the Defense”; “The Big Valley”; “Daniel Boone”; “Land of the Giants”; “Mod Squad”; “Alias Smith and Jones”; “Columbo”; “Longstreet”; “The Bold Ones: The New Doctors”; “Hawaii Five-O”; “The Streets of San Francisco”; “The F.B.I.”; “The New Perry Mason”; “Cannon”; “Barnaby Jones”; “Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law”; “Gunsmoke”; “Ironside”; and much more.

Then, in 1973, Richard Anderson played for the first time a role he would become synonymous with over the next 20 years.

Oscar Goldman
“The Six Million Dollar Man” was based on the book “Cyborg”, and starred Lee Majors as Steve Austin, a pilot who is virtually killed in a horrific crash. Yet, an organization called the OSI rebuilds him, using bionic technology. He is given two bionic legs, a bionic right arm and bionic eye. In return, he goes on missions as an operative with the OSI.

“The Six Million Dollar Man” began with three television movies released in 1973. The first one was called “The Six Million Dollar Man: The Moon and the Desert“, but Richard Anderson did not became the head of the OSI and the bionic man’s boss until the second movie, called “The Six Million Dollar Man; Wine, Women and War”.

“The Six Million Dollar Man: The Solid Gold Kidnapping” followed, and a few months later the series began.

Oscar Goldman was the one who convinced his superiors to make Steve Austin the first bionic man. Once Steve was healthy, Oscar was the one who gave Steve his assignment every week, then would periodically check in.

He was also the one Steve convinced to make Jaime Sommers the first bionic woman, when she was injured as badly in a parachuting accident as Steve was in his crash. Her bionics initially rejected her body, and Jaime died. However, she was actually saved and recovered, and her body ultimately accepted her bionics. The result was “The Bionic Woman”, a spin-off to “The Six Million Dollar Man”. So Oscar would also visit Jaime and giver her assignments every week, then periodically check in.

However, some of the best episodes were when something happened to Oscar. In one episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man”, he is replaced by a robot that Steve ends up fighting. In probably the best episodes of “The Bionic Woman”, a disgruntled former OSI scientist, played by John Houseman, creates a group of “fembots”. He uses them to systematically replace key secretaries in the OSI to steal information, and actually replaces Oscar with one as well. It was a three-parter called “Kill Oscar”, with one of the parts crossing over to “The Six Million Dollar Man”.

After its second season, ABC cancelled “The Bionic Woman”. However, it was picked up by NBC. Richard Anderson became the first, and perhaps only, actor to play the same character on two different shows on two different networks at the same time.

Both shows were cancelled at the end of that season. “The Six Million Dollar Man” ran from 1973 to 1978, for five seasons and 102 episodes. “The Bionic Woman” ran from 1976 to 1978 for three seasons and 58 episodes.

Yet, that would not be the end. Instead, there would be three television movies – “The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman” in 1987; “Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman” in 1989; and “Bionic Ever After?” in 1994.

So, at the dawn of the ‘80s, Richard Anderson had turned in his signature performance, but he kept on working.

Dawn of the decade
Anderson closed out the 1970s with appearances in the TV movies “The Immigrants” and “Murder by Natural Causes”; and TV miniseries “Pearl”; “The French Atlantic Affair”; and “Condominium”.

He also appeared in an episode of “The Love Boat” in 1979, as Doc Bricker’s mentor, who had lost an arm.

As the ‘80s opened, Anderson appeared in “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo”; “Charlie’s Angels”; “Nero Wolfe”; “Darkroom”; two episodes of “Knight Rider”; “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” as Douglas MacArthur; “Whiz Kids”; “The Fall Guy”; “Automan”; four episodes of “Fantasy Island”; and two episodes of “Matt Houston”.

In 1984, he played Henry Towler in the series “Cover Up”, starring Jon-Erik Hexum and Jennifer O’Neill as a model and fashion photographer who are actually government operatives. Henry Towler was their liaison who gave them their assignments. Sadly, Hexum was killed in an accident on the set part way through the season, and was succeeded by Antony Hamilton. “Cover Up” lasted just the 1984-1985 season for a total of 21 episodes on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial. Henry Towler was very similar to Oscar Goldman.

Anderson also appeared in the miniseries “Kane and Abel” in 1985, which was a heavily promoted production.

That same year, 1985, he appeared in “Perry Mason Returns”. He was the man wrongly accused of murder who Perry Mason comes out of retirement to defend. That movie would be the springboard for that long run of Perry Mason movies starring Raymond Burr.

Anderson would also appear in “The A-Team”; “Hardcastle and McCormick”; three episodes of “Simon and Simon”; nine episodes of “Dynasty” as Senator Buck Fallmont in the 1986-1987 season; “Danger Bay”; “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”; two episodes of “Murder, She Wrote”; the TV movies “The Stepford Children” and “Stranger on My Land”; and as “Lyndon Johnson” in the miniseries “Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War”.

The years after
Richard Anderson continued working, appearing as himself in the movie “The Player”; as well as in TV movies and miniseries, and was the narrator for all 83 episodes of “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues”.

He died on August 31, 2017.

He was 91.

Parting thoughts
Richard Anderson became synonymous with Oscar Goldman. To be honest, every time I saw him in a different show, I thought, “Hey, there’s Oscar.”

The thing is, the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman universe became a cultural touchstone. It was a unique part of pop culture that everyone of a certain age remembers.

Richard Anderson was a big part of that, so he will always be associated with that iconic character.

After all, neither Steve nor Jaimie could get to work until they got their mission from Oscar.

Donald Bellisario: TV mogul

“Magnum P.I.”, “Airwolf”, “Quantum Leap” – he is responsible for some of the most entertaining hour long action shows of the ‘80s.

Hearing it was Donald Bellisario’s birthday today, offers a great opportunity to shine a light not only on someone whose work had a great influence on me as a viewer, but also as a writer.

Donald P. Bellisario was the man behind shows

such as "Magnum, P.I.", "Airwolf" and "Quantum Leap".

Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0069074/

(May be subject to copyright)

Getting started
Donald Bellisario served in the Marine Corps in the 1950s and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University. He moved into advertising as a copywriter then creative director, then directed TV commercials. He then capitalized on his business experience to go to work as an executive at Universal Studios.

He would soon get into television production. Bellisario wrote for shows such as “Kojak”, and “Delvecchio”, starring Judd Hirsch. On “Delvecchio”, Bellisario began his association with Glen A. Larson. Bellisario then wrote for “Switch”, a show produced by Larson that starred Robert Wagner and Eddie Albert as an ex-con and an ex-cop who start a detective agency. I loved that show, which aired on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial.

Bellisario would later collaborate with Larson on “Battlestar Galactica”, another one of my favourite shows. It was a science fiction drama about a group of humans, the survivors of a mass genocide at the hands of an android race, wandering space in search of a shining planet known as Earth.

Bellisario was also heavily influence by Stephen J. Cannell, one of my all-time favourite television writers and producers. I recall seeing Bellisario’s name on a writing credit with “The Rockford Files”, which was one of my favourite shows. He also collaborated with Cannell on “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, which became “Black “Sheep Squadron”. It starred Robert Conrad as pilot Greg “Pappy” Boyington during the Second World War. Bellisario and Cannell also collaborated on “Stone”, starring Dennis Weaver about a cop turned mystery writer.

Then it was time to strike out on his own.

Belisarius
He created his own production company called “Belisarius”, which was a play on his own name. It is named after the legendary Roman general Belisarius, and is an Italian language variant of Bellisario. Belisarius had a distinctive closing credit of the word being etched into stone as dust blows away.

Magnum P.I.
In 1980, Donald Belliasrio would change television forever when he collaborated with Glen A. Larson to launch “Magnum P.I.”. It was a drama with Tom Selleck, then relatively unknown, playing the title character Thomas Sullivan Magnum. He was a Vietnam veteran who was a private detective and director of security for a mansion owned by Robin Masters, a mysterious writer. He lived free on the estate, much to the chagrin of its major domo Jonathan Quayle Higgins, played by John Hillerman, who was also a military veteran of the British army. Magnum had two best friends, Theodore Calvin, or T.C., played by Roger E. Moseley, and Orville “Rick” Wright, played by Larry Manetti, who had served with him in Vietnam. Rick co-owned a bar with Robin Masters, while T.C. ran a helicopter charter. The three were like brothers, which meant they did not always get along, especially when Magnum liberally used both on cases he was working on.

It was an amazing show that mixed humour with intense drama and intrigue. It ran from 1980 to 1988 for eight seasons and 162 episodes.

Tales of the Gold Monkey
In 1982, Bellisario launched a new series that critics said would be a sure hit. “Tales of the Gold Monkey” starred Stephen Collins, long before “Seventh Heaven”, as Jake Cutter, a pilot who ran an air cargo delivery service, in the South Pacific in 1938, with a plane called “Cutter’s Goose”.

It was an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” which had come out the year before.

“Tales of the Gold Monkey” aired on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial. I watched the pilot, and the next couple episodes, but something else caught my interest after that.

That must have been the case for a lot of other people. “Tales of the Gold Monkey” ran one season from 1982 to 1983, for a total of 22 episodes.

When my Mom, sister and I went on a bus tour to the States during the Easter break of 1983, we toured Universal Studios. Our tour guide pointed out “Cutter’s Goose”, half under a tarp, moored to a dock not far from our bus.

Airwolf
Bellisario had more luck with his next venture, “Airwolf”, which debuted in 1984 with a captivating television movie. It tells the story of Stringfellow Hawke, played by Jan-Michael Vincent, a helicopter pilot who learned to fly in Vietnam. A high-tech helicopter called “Airwolf” has been developed by a shadowy organization called The Firm, but its creator goes rogue, takes the plane and massacres everyone in sight. He then hires himself out as a mercenary utilizing “Airwolf” to wreak havoc wherever he is called upon. Hawke is the only other man who can fly “Airwolf”, so The Firm forces him to recover the chopper. Hawke does, but he also holds on to it. His brother St. John, disappeared in Vietnam, and Hawke wants to find him. Consequently, he holds onto “Airwolf” until he gets information on his brother's whereabouts, and whether he is even still alive. His co-pilot is Dominic Santini, played by Ernest Borgnine, who owns a helicopter service and acts as Hawke’s co-pilot on “Airwolf”.

It was a great show that aired on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial. It was also another show I really liked, until something else caught my interest.

“Airwolf” ran from January of 1984 to March of 1986, for three seasons and a total of 56 episodes.

Quantum Leap
A year after “Magnum P.I.” ended, Donald Bellisario was back in 1989 with “Quantum Leap”, a time travelling drama starring Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett, and Dean Stockwell as his sidekick Al. Sam is a scientist who develops the Quantum Leap accelerator then steps into it, hurtling through time. He has lost much of his memory about his life before, so he is guided by Al, who is a hologram. Sam “leaps” into the bodies of existing people and must right something that has gone wrong in history. Incidentally, the leaps only cover the span of Sam’s life.

“Quantum Leap”, which aired on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial, was a show I really got into and, like “Magnum P.I.” and “Airwolf”, I own all the seasons on DVD.

It ran for five seasons, from 1989 to 1993, for a total of 97 episodes.

The years after
Bellisario also produced his only film “Last Rites” in 1988, and kept on working. In 1992 he created “Tequila and Binetti”, starring Jack Scalia, about a cop and his dog. It lasted 12 episodes, with only 10 airing.

He also did “JAG” starring Canadian David James Elliott as Harmon Rabb and Catherine Bell as Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie, lawyers in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General. “JAG” ran from 1995 to 2005 for 10 seasons and 227 episodes. Bellisario also launched a spinoff called “NCIS”, starring Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, leader of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It debuted in 2003 and runs to this day at 21 seasons and 467 episodes and counting. Bellisario retired in 2007, and Harmon left the show after the 19th season.

Bellisario launched one other show, “First Monday”, in 2002 about the Supreme Court, but it lasted just 13 episodes, starring James Garner and Joe Montegna.

His most recent work was producing the “Quantum Leap” reboot from 2022 to 2024.

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.

Familiar faces
One of the really cool things I noticed about Bellisario’s productions was he used the same actors in show after show. Some of those were Marta DuBois and Jeff MacKay in “Magnum P.I.” and “Tales of the Gold Monkey”; Roddy McDowall in “Tales of the Gold Monkey” and “Quantum Leap”; John Calvin in “Tales of the Gold Monkey” and “Airwolf”; and Jean Bruce Scott in “Magnum P.I.” and “Airwolf”.

Parting thoughts
What always impressed me about Donald Bellisario was the way he brought light to the military, and especially the Vietnam War. So many of his characters such as Thomas Magnum and Stringfellow Hawke served in Vietnam, or like Jake Cutter and Al Calavicci who served in the military. Rabb and Gibbs are self-explanatory.

What I always liked was that he had this stable of actors, and he was not afraid to branch out. I admired the fact he built his own company and had so many projects on the go at once, although critics said that divided attention lowered the quality of his shows.

I remember “TV Guide” did a series on TV moguls. They highlighted all these creative minds who putout all these great shows.

They looked at Aaron Spelling, Glen A. Larson, Stephen J. Cannell and – Donald P. Bellisario.

What else can you say?

B.J. Thomas: From Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to Growing Pains

It was one of the best TV theme songs of the ‘80s. When the opening credits of some cartoon scenes aired to signal the start of the sitcom “Growing Pains”, they were accompanied by a great song by a familiar voice.

I had heard that voice somewhere, but just could not place it right away.

Then it hit me. It was in a western more than a decade earlier featuring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

That song was “Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head”, and it was sung by B.J. Thomas.

However, that was not his only hit \before his voice played in living rooms across America every week.

With his birthday today, I was reminded of “Growing Pains”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, and the great voice that sang their theme songs.

B.J. Thomas sang the theme song for the sitcom

"Growing Pains", starting in 1985.

Source: https://theseconddisc.com/2021/05/30

(May be subject to copyright)

In the beginning
The first B.J. Thomas song I ever heard, was also the one that brought him to fame – “Hooked on a Feeling”. It came out in 1968 and went all the way to number five on the Billboard Hot 100.

A year later, in 1969, Thomas recorded “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” for the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.

The song went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Oscar for Best Original Song. Thomas was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1970.

He was back on top in 1975 with “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”, which went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Wikipedia reveals it is the song with the longest title that went to number one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.

The following year, 1976, he released the first of a number of gospel albums. Interestingly, Wikipedia also reveals Thomas clashed with fundamentalist Christian fans because he kept on performing his previous – secular – hits.

Despite that, he achieved commercial and critical success as a Christian singer. He won the Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance for “Home Where I Belong”, in 1977; “Happy Man”, in 1978; “You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave me a Prayer)”, in 1979; and “Amazing Grace”, in 1981. He also won the Grammy in 1980 for Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary with Reba Rambo, Dony McGuire, The Archers, Cynthia Clawson, Andrae Crouch, Tramaine Hawkins and Walter Hawkins for “The Lord’s Prayer.”

I remember watching one of the awards shows at my aunt and uncle’s. B.J. Thomas won some sort of award and I recall my cousin Gary, who is like 12 years older than me, saying, “B.J. Thomas was a great singer – until he went Christian”.

That was the opinion of a number of his fans, as he never returned to the levels of mainstream success he had in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Yet, as the ‘80s dawned, B.J. Thomas was not done yet.

Growing Pains
In the Fall of 1985, a sitcom debuted on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial called “Growing Pains”, starring Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns. He was a psychologist who decided to work from home, she was a journalist, and they had three kids – Mike, played by Kirk Cameron; Carol, played by Tracey Gold, and Ben, played by Jeremy Miller.

The minute I heard the opening credits, I was taken by the voice.

The theme song was called “As Long as We Got Each Other” and it just resonated with me. The end credits revealed it was recorded by B.J. Thomas. Over the seasons, he would be joined on various versions first by Jennifer Warnes then by Dusty Springfield. It was also nominated in 1986 for an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics.

The song also made its way onto the radio. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1988.

That would be B.J. Thomas’ last hit single.

The years after
B.J. Thomas kept on writing, recording and performing, while “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.

Sadly, B.J. Thomas died on May 29, 2021 of lung cancer.

He was 78.

Parting thoughts
B.J. Thomas was a talented singer. I remember being surprised he was the one who sang “As Long as we Got Each Other”, because it had been so long since he released anything mainstream. In fact, I thought he stopped releasing secular music when he started recording Christian songs.

That was obviously not the case.

I have to admit, I admire a man of conviction. When stardom hit, B.J. Thomas got hooked on drugs and alcohol. Then, he found God in 1976, and remained sober the rest of his life. He turned to Christian music, seemingly, as an expression of his newfound faith.

Yet, it also did not prevent him from performing those earlier songs that brought him fame, nor record a song that was heard in living rooms across North America every week.

I think that is pretty remarkable.

Herb Brooks: Engineering a miracle on ice

Herb Brooks, coach of the United States men's hockey team, at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0112018/

(May be subject to copyright)

His legend grows by the decade. He was the man who took a group of feuding college hockey players and moulded them into champions. In the process, they took down one of the fiercest hockey teams in Olympic history.

Not one but two great movies have been made about that 1980 US Olympic hockey team that shocked the world and won gold on home ice at Lake Placid, New York in 1980.

Herb Brooks was the coach of that team. With his birthday yesterday, I was reminded as much of that amazing run by the Americans as I was of the great TV movie chronicling the feat a year later.

My perspective
In 1980, I was 10 years old when the Winter Olympics started at Lake Placid. My focus was on the Canadian Olympic team, who the nation was getting to know as they played games leading up to the Olympics. They were in the Red Pool with the Soviet Union and Finland, while the United States was in the Blue Pool with Sweden and Czechoslovakia.

The games were on during school, and I was only able to catch the tail end of some games when I got home around 4 p.m. The only game I actually saw the United States play was their first one. They were playing Sweden, and trailed 2-1 late in the game. The Americans pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. As time ticked down, the puck was slid across to Bill Baker who one-timed it past the Swedish goalie.

The Americans had salvaged a 2-2 tie.

Canada would go on to have a heartbreaking tournament. They came close against Finland and the Soviets, but lost to both of them and did not make the medal round.

I stopped watching after that, and heard the Americans had won gold after they had actually done it.

It just wasn’t that interesting to me. Canada was out, and the Americans seemed to win everything else anyway.

My interest in the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team changed a year later, when I watched an excellent movie on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial.

Miracle on Ice
The movie was called “Miracle on Ice”, and it came out in 1981. It chronicled the rise of the U.S. Olympic hockey team from the players getting their letters inviting them to try out, right through to the end of the gold medal game.

It is essentially told through the eyes of coach Herb Brooks, who was played brilliantly by Karl Malden. Very early on we learn Herb Brooks was the last player cut from the 1960 US Olympic hockey team that also won gold on home ice at Squaw Valley, California.

The movie delves into the struggle the U.S. Olympic team had in attracting and keeping players, the same challenge Canada had. All the best young talent was seduced by the money and fame of the National Hockey League. Even if players did commit to the Olympic team, they often hired agents. That jeopardized their amateur status which, at the time, was policed very carefully by the International Olympic Committee.

This is all highlighted early in the movie. Steve Grazier is a talented player, expected to make a contribution to the team. Then one day, an agent shows up to practice, so Brooks cuts Grazier, lamenting it is a waste and a shame.

One thing this movie showed, but really didn’t develop as a theme, was the rivalry between the players from the northeast and Minnesota., Those were two of the main hockey hotbeds back then. There was mention of how guys who had faced each other in the college championship a few months earlier were now teammates. This theme is developed much more in “Miracle”, a second movie about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, that came out in 2004.

Heart and soul
“Miracle on Ice” also really focuses on two players who played pivotal roles on the team. One was Mike Eruzione, played by Andrew Stevens, who worked hard and was a natural leader. When the time came, the players voted him to be their captain. He voted for Buzz Schneider. Eruzione, ultimately, was the leader of that team and scored the game-winning goal against the Soviets. In the final intermission of their last game, Eruzione says win or lose nothing can beat the feeling he had playing for the Olympic team, and planned to retire after the game. Despite pro offers, he kept his word.

The other was goaltender Jim Craig, played by a very young Steve Guttenberg. The movie highlights the bond Jim had with his Dad, played by Eugene Roche, made stronger by the death of Jim’s mom a few months earlier. When I was reading about “Miracle on Ice” in “TV Guide”, there is a picture of Guttenberg playing Jim Craig. The cutline under the photo said the Americans had just won gold and he was looking up in the stands for his father. Interestingly the fathers of Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione were friends too.

The movie also shows how great Craig played in the Olympics to backstop his team to victory.

In the movie, Herb Brooks is portrayed as a hard man, demanding excellence from his players. The underlying suspicion is that he is so driven because he had been the last cut on that 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team. In one scene, he takes Eruzione aside. He tells him that when he rides him and uses his first name, he is talking to him personally, but when he calls him Eruzione he is sending a message to the whole team. He told Eruzione to tell Craig the same went for him.

The players
Through “Miracle on Ice”, I learned all the members of the team, some of whom I watched in the NHL for years to come. The next year’s hockey cards also had a little logo on the cards of NHL players who had played for the U.S. Olympic team.

They were:
• Jim Craig, who played initially with Atlanta, but was traded to his home Boston Bruins when the Flames moved to Calgary and were looking to stockpile draft picks.

• Mike Eruzione, who never played pro. A year or so after the Olympics, I was flipping through a magazine and saw he worked for ESPN.

• Bill Baker, who played for the Montreal Canadiens. I watched him on “Hockey Night In Canada”, where he got cut in a fight and bled all over his jersey and the ice.

• Dave Christian, who played for the Winnipeg Jets. His dad and uncle had played for the 1960 U.S. Olympic hockey team. There is a scene on “Miracle on Ice”, where he is being interviewed and lets out a little frustration about always being asked about that. Then he apologizes to the reporter, composes himself, and gives him the quote he wants.

• Ken Morrow, who joined the New York Islanders after the Olympics and immediately won a Stanley Cup with them. I will always remember his massive, bushy beard, because I saw him a lot on TV when the Islanders were making their run for the Cup.

• Mike Ramsey, who played for the Buffalo Sabres. I always recall him playing with Craig Ramsay who spelled his name just a bit differently.

• Rob McLanahan, who played for Buffalo then Minnesota.

• Jack O’Callahan, who played for the Chicago Blackhawks. He got hurt, and Brooks could have replaced him with a healthy skater, but chose to carry him on the roster until he got healthy. That made an impression on the rest of the players. O’Callahan was played by a young Peter Horton, who would go on to success in “Thirtysomething” and some other shows.

• Neal Broten, who played for Minnesota, and had two brothers also play in the NHL.

• Mark Pavelich, who played for the New York Rangers.

• Dave Silk, who also played for the New York Rangers.

• Buzz Schneider, John Harrington and Phil Vercota, who didn’t play in the NHL.

• Bob Suter, who opened up a sporting goods store. He is the brother of Gary Suter who played for the Calgary Flames, and father of Ryan Suter who currently plays in the NHL.

• Steve Janaszak, the back-up goalie, and only member of the team he saw no ice time in the Olympics.

• Mark Wells and Eric Strobel.

• Steve Christoff, who played for the Minnesota North Stars.

• Mark Johnson, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is the son of Bob Johnson, who coached the Calgary Flames, then Pittsburgh, where he won a Stanely Cup with the Penguins in 1991.

The glory
After surviving that scare against Sweden, the Americans went undefeated against the rest of the Blue Pool, advancing to the medal round. There, they shocked the Soviets then beat the Finns to secure gold. In each game, the Americans came from behind to win.

The man
Herb Brooks spent nine years as head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers leading up to the Olympics, from 1972 to 1979. Afterwards, he coached HC Davos in Switzerland in 1980-1981, then hit the big time.

Brooks coached the New York Rangers from 1981 to 1985. In the 1981-1982 season, the team won 39 games, lost 27 games, tied 14, finished second in the Patrick Division, and lost in the second round to the New York Islanders.

In the 1982-1983 season, the Rangers won 35 games, lost 35, tied 10, finished fourth in the Patrick Division, and again lost in the second round to the Islanders.

In the 1983-1984 season, New York won 42 games, lost 29, tied nine, finished fourth in the Patrick Division, and lost in the first round to the Islanders.

It should be noted the Islanders went all the way to the Stanley Cup final all three years, winning in 1982 and 1983.

In the 1984-1985 season, the Rangers were 45 games into the year, winning 15 games, losing 22, and tying eight when Brooks was fired.

He coached St. Cloud State in 1986-1987, then returned to the NHL in the 1987-1988 season. He coached the Minnesota North Stars to a record of 19 wins, 48 losses, and 13 ties as the North Stars missed the playoffs.

The years after
Herb Brooks coached the Utica Devils in the 1991-1992 season, then the New Jersey Devils in the 1992-1993 season; was a scout for the Pitsburgh Penguins from 1995 to 2002; coached France’s Olympic team in 1998; coached the Penguins in 1999-2000; the U.S. Olympic team in 2002; and was director of player development for the Penguins in 2002-2003.

He was elected to the Hockey Hall Of Fame as a builder in 2006.

Sadly, Herb Brooks died in a car accident in 2003.

He was 66.

Watching the movie
The first time I saw “Miracle on Ice”, was on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial on a Sunday night. My parents had gone to bed, so I had to watch the last part of the movie with the volume turned low and huddled close to the TV so I could hear it.

The second time I saw “Miracle on Ice”, I had a VCR by then. I taped it when it aired as a late night movie after midnight. I recall my grandfather visiting and, when I paused the movie to go to the bathroom, and the picture flickered, my grandpa said the TV was broken.

I kept that tape until it fell victim to the cleaning out of my Mom’s basement four years ago.

Parting thoughts
Everything I know about Herb Brooks I pretty much learned in “Miracle on Ice”. He was intense, focused, and single-minded in his quest for gold. Karl Malden did a masterful job playing him.

Incidentally, Jessica Walter played is wife, long before she was Lucille Bluth on “Arrested Development”.

I consider “Miracle on Ice” one of my favourite sports movies of all time. The story is just so compelling.

So much so, it was made into a second movie, “Miracle”, in 2002, with Kurt Russell playing Herb Brooks. He too did a masterful job.

You have to, because both Malden and Russell were playing a miracle worker.

Maureen McCormack

Maureen McCormick in one of her appearances on "The Love Boat" in the '80s.

Source: Facebook/Grew Up in the '70s and 80's

(May be subject to copyright)

The “Brady Bunch” is one of those pop culture phenomena that kind of defies description. It never made the top 10 in the ratings, but remains one of the most identifiable shows of its time.

Perhaps the most memorable character from “The Brady Bunch” is Marcia Brady, the eldest daughter of one of the first, if not the first, blended families on primetime network television.

Maureen McCormick played Marcia Brady in “The Brady Bunch” and all the spin-off and follow-up productions afterwards.

It is her birthday today, and a great chance to look back at the pop culture phenomena that was “The Brady Bunch”.

Here’s the story…
When I was a kid, it seemed Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial was always playing reruns of “The Brady Bunch” after school, often alternating with “The Flintstones”. It was the story of Mike Brady, a widowed architect, who had three sons, marrying Carol Martin, who had three daughters. The result was a blended family with parents Mike and Carol Brady, played by Robert Reed and Florence Henderson; sons Greg Brady, played by Barry Williams; Peter Brady, played by Christopher Knight; and Bobby Brady, played by Mike Lookinland; and daughters Jan Brady, played by Eve Plumb; Cindy Brady, played by Susan Olsen; and the eldest daughter Marcia Brady, played by Maureen McCormick. They also had a housekeeper named Alice, played by Ann B. Davis.

What ensued was a show that ran from 1969 to 1974, for a total of five seasons and 117 episodes, chronicling the busy household of a family with six children.

Marcia Brady was the oldest girl, and often the subject of sibling rivalry, most notably in an episode where middle daughter Jan has had enough, exclaiming everything is “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.”

In another episode, I recall the trauma Marcia felt after being hit in the face by a ball and having her nose broken.

The “Brady Bunch” would live on in a number of sequels.

The first one was in 1976, when an hour-long TV special aired called “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour”, that became “The Brady Bunch Hour”. It ran from November of 1976 to May of 1977 for one season and nine episodes. It featured songs and skits, but just did not last long.

I remember hearing about the show, but don’t recall seeing an episode.

I did see the reunion movie “The Brady Girls Get Married” in 1981, which aired in half-hour segments over three weeks. I recall really enjoying it, especially seeing what the Bradys had been up to. Mike is still an architect, Carol sells real estate, Greg is a doctor, Marcia is a fashion designer, Peter is in the air force, Jan is also an architect, and Bobby and Cindy are in college.

They reunite for Marcia and Jan’s double wedding. Marcia marries Wally Logan, played by Jerry Houser, a salesman for a large toy company. Jan marries a college professor several years older than her, played by Ron Kuhlman.

It was a cool show, with the final segment serving as a pilot for the TV series “The Brady Brides”.

Unfortunately, “The Brady Brides” did not air on peasant vision, and I only leared about it from “TV Guide”. That’s where I also read it was cancelled after 10 episodes.

There were further sequels. “A Very Brady Christmas” was a TV movie airing in December of 1988, which led to a new series called “The Bradys”. That lasted six episodes from February to March of 1990. Notably, Maureen McCormick was replaced as Marcia Brady by Leah Ayres.

The actress
Maureen McCormick, however, was more than just Marcia Brady. Prior to “The Brady Bunch”, she appeared on television in shows such as “The Farmer’s Daughter”; “Bewitched”; “Honey West”; “Camp Runamuck”; “I Dream of Jeannie”; and “My Three Sons”. She was also in movies such as “The Arrangement” and “Cold Turkey”.

Subsequent to “The Brady Bunch”, she was in shows such as “Marcus Welby, M.D.”; "Happy Days”; “Harry O”; “Joe Forrester”; “The Streets of San Francisco”; “Gibbsville”; “Delvecchio”; “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries”; “Vega$”; “Insight”; “Lou Grant”; and “The Runaways”.

In the ‘80s, she was in several episodes of “The Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island”; “New Love, American Style”; and more.

During the years after, she was in “Herman’s Head”; “The Single Guy”; “Touched by an Angel”; the TV movie “Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story” as Barbara Mandrell; “Teen Angel” for 12 episodes; “Passions” for 10 episodes; “Son of the Beach” for three episodes; “The Ellen Show”; “Scrubs”; “The Guardian”; and much more.

Maureen McCormick continues to work to this day.

Parting thoughts
It is one thing to say someone is typecast based on a role, but another to say an actor is closely associated with a role. Maureen McCormickj was not typecast after playing Marcia Brady. She played roles that were much different than the eldest Brady daughter.

However, by virtue of syndication and a number of sequels that kept “The Brady Bunch” alive, Maureen McCormick will always be most closely associated with Marcia Brady.

I don’t see a problem with that, because it was a great character, and she did a great job.

Clara Peller: Finding the beef

It was the question heard around the world. A little old lady peeks under a hamburger patty and bellows – “Where’s the beef?”

Like so many other great commercials, that one left a lasting impression, but often people can’t remember what the commercial was promoting.

Well, it was Wendy’s and that little old lady was Clara Peller.

I saw it was her birthday today, and although she died way back in 1987, Clara Peller is another one of those unique characters of the '80s.

History
Wikipedia reveals Clara Peller was born in Imperial Russia in 1902, and spent most of her early life in Chicago. Her father had left Russia in 1906 and went to Boston, then settled in Illinois. She married William Peller, a jeweler, in 1920; they had a son and a daughter, but later divorced; and she never remarried. And, for 35 years, she worked as a manicurist.

When she was 80, she was hired as a temporary manicurist for a television commercial set in a Chicago barbershop. That agency was impressed with her voice and signed her to a contract as an actor for their agency.

She was used in a number of TV commercials, then caught national attention.

Wendy’s
Peller made her first appearance in a TV commercial for the Wendy’s restaurant chain in January of 1984. The commercial has three old ladies served a large hamburger bun with a tiny patty from a fictional fast-food competitor of Wendy’s called “Big Bun”.

While two of the women are talking about the size of the bun, they are interrupted by Clara Peller growling “Where’s the beef?” at the same time she is looking for customer assistance. In subsequent commercials she uttered “Where’s the beef?” in various other settings.

The campaign proved to be a success. Wendy’s worldwide sales increased 31 per cent in 1985 to $945 million.

However, Peller's success didn’t last. Trying to capitalize on her new-found fame, Peller signed a contract with Campbell Soup to do a commercial for Prego pasta-plus sauce. In the commercial she looks at the Prego sauce, wonders “Where’s the beef?” then exclaims “I found it! I really found it!” When the commercial aired, Wendy’s terminated Peller’s contract, noting she found the beef somewhere other than at Wendy’s.

Her response was pointed. She made the company millions and, in the end, they didn’t appreciate her.

Peller would go on to make other appearances, capitalizing on her newfound fame.

Sadly, Clara Peller died two years later, on August 11, 1987.

She had just turned 85.

Parting thoughts
To be honest, I knew very little about Clara Peller’s history before those Wendy’s commercials. I recall watching them and, honestly, did not realize they were advertising Wendy’s. However at the same time, Wendy’s had not yet made its way to Lethbridge, which was the closest city that attracted franchises such as that.

Still, I knew who Clara Peller was, and the phrase “Where’s the beef?” is an indelible part of the ‘80s.

Martin Sheen: The American president and more

Martin Sheen in "Method Actor", a 1985 episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".

Source: https://www.imdb.com/fr-ca/title/tt0508402/

(May be subject to copyright)

There he is, lying in a bed, upside down, tossing and turning. He obviously has a lot on his mind, like a mission to kill someone.

It is the opening scene of “Apocalypse Now”, and the first time I ever saw Martin Sheen.

Since then he has been the aid to the American president, the actual American President, and found a way to act alongside his sons in film and television.

That scene from “Apocalypse Now” came to mind the other day when I read it was Martin Sheen’s birthday.

So I looked back and saw what his career has been all about, especially that pass through the ‘80s.

Heart of Darkness
“Apocalypse Now” is a movie based on the book “Heart of Darkness”. Sheen plays Benjamin Willard who is tasked with assassinating Colonel Walter Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando The colonel is waging an unauthorized war against the North Vietnamese Army, Viet Cong and Khmer Rouge, and is thought to be insane.

I first heard an ad for “Apocalypse Now” at the end of an episode of “The Love Boat” on Channel 13 of the peasant vision dial. Back then, there would be voice-over ads over the closing credits of TV shows.

Interestingly, I was in junior high at the time when the word “apocalypse” was quite scary for me, meaning the end of the world. I had no idea what the movie was about.

I did tune in to watch “Apocalypse Now”, but it was a Sunday night. I had to go to bed, so I never saw the end. I do remember getting into the movie, and recalling one of the soldiers talked about how he was a saucier.

The next day, I asked my sister about the rest of the movie. Who lived and who died from the crew who went on that mission led by Willard?

The saucier lived.

Method actor

In 1985, Sheen appeared in an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” that is still one of my favourites. He plays Paul Dano, an aging actor, who is being passed by younger actors. He takes out his frustration on one, played by Parker Stevenson, and inadvertently kills him. He is almost finished destroying the body, with just the head remaining, when he gets a visit from his agent. Dano hurriedly puts the head in an ice bucket. His agent is thrilled to tell him that Dano has received the part that originally went to the younger actor. However, he has mysteriously disappeared. The agent wants to celebrate and goes to the ice bucket, only to have the head of Parker Stevenson staring at him. Roll the credits.

Chasing a killer

In 1985, he was in “Out of Darkness”, playing Eddie Zigo, one of the real-life police detectives who tracked down the Son of Sam killer. I recall taping this movie with my brand new VCR and just loving it. What made it compelling was the movie also looked at Zigo’s private life while the investigation was ongoing.

Struggling

Sheen was also in “Shattered Spirits” in 1986, a TV movie that I saw where he played an alcoholic who loses his family.

Dawn of the decade
Martin Sheen started the decade in 1980 with the movie “The Final Countdown”. An American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier travels back in time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. I saw this movie advertised several times on Channel 13, and saw it also had James Farentino and Kirk Douglas. I did not get to see this movie, but got the low down on the movie on the school bus the next day from my good friend Mathew.

Sheen was in “Loophole” in 1981, then in 1982 was in a couple interesting movies.

One was “Gandhi”, starring Ben Kingsley as the Indian pacifist leader, and Sheen played a journalist. The other was “That Championship Season,” about a basketball team and their coach. They won the state championship 25 years ago, and get together regularly to relive their past glory. This movie was on late one night when I was growing up, but I only caught a few minutes before I change the channel.

To be honest, after that, I didn’t recognize a lot of the theatrical movies Sheen was in over the next couple years. Then there were “The Dead Zone” in 1983 and “Firestarter” in 1984, both based on Stephen King novels. He was also in “Kennedy” in 1983, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role as President John F. Kennedy.

Rest of the decade

Other than that, the only other movie I recognize is “Wall Street” in 1987. Stockbroker Bud Fox, played by Charlie Sheen, gets wrapped up with corporate raider Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas. Sheen plays Bud’s father.

It would be the start of a string of movies Sheen would appear in with his sons Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez.

Martin Sheen would also appear in a number of television movies, including “The Guardian” opposite Lou Gossett, Jr. in 1984; and “The Atlanta Child Murders” in 1985.

The years before
Martin Sheen began his storied career on television in the 1960s on “Insight”, a religious program on public television. He even won a daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in Religious Programming in 1981.

He would also have roles on television in “Route 66”; “The Naked City”; “The Outer Limits”; “My Three Sons’; “Flipper”; several episodes of “The F.B.I.”; “N.Y.P.D.”; “Mission: Impossible”; “Then Came Bronson”; “Lancer”; “Hawaii Five-O”; “Ironside”; “Cannon”; “Love, American Style”; “Harry O”; “The Rookies”; “The Mod Squad”; “Columbo”; “Medical Center”; “Toma”; “Mannix”; “Ghost Story”; and “The Streets of San Francisco”.

Sheen was also in several television films such as “The Andersonville Trial”; “Goodbye, Raggedy Ann”; “Mongo’s Back in Town”; “Message to My Daughter”; as the title character in “The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd”; as Robert F. Kennedy in “The Missiles of October”; and the title character in “The Execution of Private Eddie Slovik”, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. 

He was also in “Taxi!!!”, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special; and in four episodes of the miniseries “Blind Ambition” as John Dean, former White House counsel during the Watergate scandal. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series for “Blind Ambition”.

Martin Sheen began his film career in 1967 in “The Incident”. He was in a lot of movies leading up to the ‘80s including “Catch-22”; “No Drums, No Bugles”; “Pickup on 101”; “Rage”; “That Certain Summer” and more. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe in 1968 for Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture for “The Subject Was Roses”.

His breakout role was in “Badlands” in 1973. He starred opposite Sissy Spacek, who plays a 15-year-old who goes on a killing spree with her partner Kit Carruthers, played by Sheen.

Sheen would go on to appear in the TV movies “The California Kid” and “Sweet Hostage”; and the films “The Cassandra Crossing” and “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane”.

Then, in 1979, he landed his iconic role in “Apocalypse Now”.

The years after
To be honest, beyond “Apocalypse Now”, “Shattered Spirits”, “Out of Darkness”, and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, I had not really seen or heard a lot of Martin Sheen’s work.

That would change over the next few decades as his career really took off, especially on television.

He would appear in a lot of films including Oliver Stone’s “JFK” where Sheen is narrator; “Hot Shots! Part Deux”, in a cameo as Benjamin Willard, opposite his son Charlie Sheen; “Spawn”; “Catch Me if You Can”; “The Departed”; “Bobby”; “The Amazing Spider-Man”; “Selma”; and much much more including a movie that is currently in post-production.

He was also in “The American President” opposite Michael Douglas as A.J. McInnerney, the White House chief of staff, which happens to be one of my favourite movies

Martin Sheen achieved his greatest success in television. He had a gust spot in shows such as “Murphy Brown”, where he won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1994; “Tales from the Crypt”; “The Simpsons”, and “Total Recall 2070”.

He was also in TV movies such as “Roswell”, “One of Her Own”, “Project ALF”, “Hostile Waters”, “Babylon 5: The River of Souls”; and “Thrill Seekers”.

Sheen then landed the role of U.S. President Jed Bartlet in “The West Wing” from 1996 to 2006 for 140 episodes. He garnered six Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006. He also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2000, and was nominated in 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

He would appear as a guest star in his son Charlie Sheen’s shows “Spin City”, for one episode”; “Two and a Half Men”, for one episode, where in 2006 he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series; and “Anger Management”, for 20 episodes. He also appeared in three Anne of Green Gables TV movies, and had a recurring role in “Grace and Frankie” from 2015 to 2022 for 78 episodes.

Sheen’s reprised his role as Jed Bartlet in 2020 for “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote”. It was a stage reading of the episode “Hartsfield’s Landing”.

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989.

Parting thoughts
Martin Sheen is an amazing actor who had some memorable roles in the ‘80s for me, especially on TV in “Out of Darkness” and that memorable performance on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”.

However, he will forever will be associated in my mind with the president of the United States. Whether he played the role of the president, or someone close to the office, he did it over and over again to great effect.

James Read: from Murphy Michaels to George Hazard and beyond

James Read, at right, with Patrick Swayze in the 1985 miniseries "North and South".

Source: https://www.imdb.com/fr-ca/title/tt0088583/mediaviewer/rm3535062785/

(May be subject to copyright)

Can you imagine having a friendship so deep you went to war with him. Then, by the stroke of a pen and the sound of a gun shot, you are now enemies with a mission to destroy each other.

That was the premise of “The North and South”, a sprawling epic miniseries in 1985 about the American Civil War. The focus was the friendship of two men – Orry Main, a southern gentleman played by Patrick Swayze, and George Hazard, a northern businessman, played by James Read. They met at West Point and became best friends – then the country was thrust into civil war over the issue of slavery.

I recall being glued o the set for “North and South” and its continuation “North and South, Book II”. I wanted to see just what happens to Orry and George.

Swayze was already well known at the time for his movie work, but Read had also done some interesting things on television.

It was his birthday the other day, and that reminded me not only of “North and South”, but his personality clash with a mysterious private eye and much more.

Private detective
James Read’s first role on TV was in 1982 in a guest spot in an unknown comedy just starting out called “Cheers”.

Later that year, he landed his first major, recurring role in a TV series. Read played Murphy Michaels, a private detective working for Laura Holt in “Remington Steele”. Holt trained as a private detective but, when she opened her own agency under her own name, no one wanted to hire a woman. Remember this in 1982. So she created a fictional, internationally-renowned detective named “Remington Steele”. He carried the big reputation, but was always “away on business”. So, when clients hired his agency and got his expertise, they were served by Laura Holt and her team, which included Murphy Michaels.

The scheme worked perfectly until a mysterious man showed up and started being Remington Steele. That put Holt and company in a position where they had to go along with the charade within a charade.

As Laura and Steele became more familiar, Murphy became more jealous, because he was interested in Laura himself. The sexual tension was awesome. Compounding the problem was that Murphy really was a trained detective and Steele was not, so he kind of looked down on Steele.

One episode I remember, Laura wanted the two of them to get along. Steele asked Murphy what he does in his spare time. When Murphy said he likes to shoot hoops, Steele thought he was talking about hunting. It was hilarious.

James Read played Murphy Michaels for 22 episodes in the first season of “Remington Steele”. When the second season opened, Murphy was gone. He had married and moved away, never to be mentioned again.

Yet James Read was just getting started.

Guest roles
He had guest roles in the movie “Blue Thunder” starring Roy Scheider piloting a super helicopter; and the TV shows “Trapper John, M.D.”; “Fantasy Island”; and “Hotel”. He was in the slasher flick “The Initiation”; the shows “Jessie”, starring Lindsay Wagner; and “Matt Houston”. He played Teddy Kennedy in three episodes of the miniseries “Robert Kennedy and His Times”; and was in the TV movies “Lace II” and “Midas Valley”.

Civil War saga
In 1985, James Read first portrayed George Hazard in “North and South”. It would become the role he was most remembered for. George was a northern businessman who, when attending West Point, met Southern gentleman Orry Main, played by Patrick Swayze. They became best friends, and served together in the United States army, only to be torn apart when the Civil War broke out.

It was an amazing miniseries. I could not wait for the next episode each night. “North and South” was six episodes, but that only told half the story. In 1986, Read reprised the role of George Hazard for another six episodes in “North and South, Book II”.

One of the things I remember about “North and South” was using our new air popcorn popper, and sitting with a bowl I passed back and forth to my Mom while we watched each episode.

I did not know this until recently, but there was a third instalment in 1994, “Heaven and Hell: North and South, Book III”. Read again played George Hazard for three more episodes. I have yet to see this show, given I just heard about it.

Rest of the decade
Read was next in the TV series “Shell Game” for six episodes; the TV movie “Celebration Family”; and played Cary Grant in the miniseries “Poor Little Rich Girl: the Barbara Hutton Story”, all in 1987.

In 1988, he was in the motion picture “Eight Men Out”, about the infamous 1919 Black Sox scandal where a group of baseball players conspired to fix the World Series. He ended the decade with the movie “Beaches” in 1989, starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey.

The years after
Since the 1980s, Read has been in “Columbo: Uneasy Lies the Crown”; “Midnight Caller”; several TV movies; “Heaven Help Us”; “Murder, She Wrote”; played newspaper photographer Jimmy Olsen’s dad in “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”; “Home Improvement”; “7th Heaven”; “The Cape”; “Diagnosis Murder”; “Profiler”; “Touched by an Angel”; two episodes of “Star Trek: Voyager”; “Becker”; “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”; “Crossing Jordan”; 10 episodes of “American Dreams”; 13 episodes of “Charmed”; 41 episodes of “Wildfire”; “Cold Case”; “In Plain Sight”; six episodes of “Persons Unknown”; “Castle”; “CSI: NY”; “This is Us”; “NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service”; four episodes of “General Hospital”; “The Orville”; “Station 19”; two episodes of “Bosch: Legacy”; and 251 episodes of the daytime soap opera “Days Of Our Lives” right through this year (2024) and continuing.

He has also been in motion pictures such as “Legally Blonde”; “Not Another Teen Movie”; “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde”; “Fame” and more.

Parting thoughts
As much as I have seen James Read in movies, soap operas, and guest roles for the past five decades, I will always see him in two roles – private detective Murphy Michaels and Northern businessman and Union soldier George Hazard.

He has this stern persona in both, which is tempered with sensitivity and kindness when called upon.

In “Remington Steele” his conflict with the title character was interesting, as was the way he manifested his feelings for Laura Holt. It is unfortunate he was just written out of the show without any real resolution.

In “North and South” his chemistry with Patrick Swayze was compelling. The evolution of their relationship from buddies to friends to brothers was well done and believable. I was pulling for them to survive, but just as much for their friendship to survive the Civil War.

A lot of that is due to the talent of James Read.