Remembering the “Fall Guy”

“I might jump on open drawbridge or Tarzan from a vine, but I’m the unknown stunt man that makes Eastwood look so fan…”

He was a Hollywood stunt man by day, but also a bounty hunter. Life for Colt Seavers was never dull, and every episode of his show “The Fall Guy” was never dull either.

It faded to black close to 40 years ago, but is back in the news as the material for another big screen re-boot, this one starring Canadian actor Ryan Goslin.

It has brought back a lot of memories of Colt, Howie and the others, chasing down bail jumpers and performing death defying stunts – sometimes even for movies.

From left are Doug Barr, Lee Majors and Heather Thomas

from the television series "The Fall Guy".

Source: https://fictionalcrossover.fandom.com/wiki/The_Fall_Guy

(May be subject to copyright)

By any other name
When “The Fall Guy” debuted in 1981, Lee Majors, who played Colt Seavers, was already a well known actor. For people of my mother’s generation and taste, he was Heath from “The Big Valley”. I only ever saw one episode of “The Big Valley”. We were on a trip to Creston, and staying in a motel, flipping channels on the TV. The dial landed on a black and white show, and a scene of a man trapped under a wagon. My mom instantly recognized that man as Lee Majors. Up to that point, I only knew Majors for one role.

For my generation Lee Majors will forever be remembered as Steve Austin, “The Six Million Dollar Man”. He was part man, part machine, a pilot critically injured in an accident that took both his legs, his right arm and left eye, but was saved by bionic implants. Although it only lasted for five seasons, it left an indelible mark on pop culture, as Austin battled robots, aliens, spies, evil businessman, technology, and even the occult.

“The Six Million Dollar Man” ran from 1974 to 1978. It seemed like longer than three years, but soon enough Lee Majors was back on TV, getting involved in all sorts of adventures of a different kind.

“The Fall Guy”
Lee Majors was back in 1981 with “The Fall Guy”. It was a series where, as Colt Seavers, Majors doubled as a Hollywood stunt man and a bounty hunter working for a bail bondsman. Helping him was his cousin Howie, played by Doug Barr, and Jody, a stunt woman who was played by Heather Thomas. In the first season Jo Ann Pflug played Big Jack, the bail bondsman.

In the second season and beyond, Markie Post played Teri Shannon the new bail bondsman.

It was the style in the 1980s, in several shows such as “Knight Rider” and “The A-Team”, where the vehicle was like a character in the show. In "The Fall Guy", Colt Seavers drove a GMC truck that seemed to survive no matter what the driver put it through.

I am pretty sure that first season, “The Fall Guy” was on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial then, when getting more popular, was picked up by Channel 13.

I don’t recall any particular episode, but I do recall religiously tuning in the first four seasons, partly because I liked the show and partly because there were three channels, and not a lot of other options.

Having said that, I do recall the stunts and action scenes more than anything. The biggest thing was seeing that GMC truck do a jump then bounce up and down when it landed. I thought that was cool. So was watching Colt Seavers do all these different stunts and refer to celebrities who were actually playing themselves in cameo roles. And seeing how Colt would approach the bail jumpers he had to capture. One time, he pretended to deliver a pizza. When the bail jumper tried to punch Colt, he held up that pizza box which had a massive gear inside. It just made the bail jumper hurt his hand – and become easier to capture.

After five seasons, “The Fall Guy” was cancelled after 113 episodes.

Now in 2024, it is re-born as a major motion picture.

The song
By far, the most memorable part of “The Fall Guy” is the theme song opening every episode accompanied by footage of scenes from the show. One memorable scene is Colt punching someone. It looks like any typical fight scene, except afterwards he cries out in pain and shakes his hand. Seeing the reaction of the person doing the punching, and seeing that it actually hurt to punch someone, was not seen often, if at all, at the time.

Just recently I discovered the song, which is called “The Unknown Stuntman” and sung by Lee Majors himself, was the original pitch for the series.

The song was later released as a single.

Parting thoughts
When it debuted in 1981, I tuned in to “The Fall Guy” every week. It was just a fun show to watch. I found it interesting to see Lee Majors in a role so different from Steve Austin and “The Six Million Dollar Man”. I also loved the stunts and the action scenes, especially Colt’s truck. It was not the usual choice of the heroes of primetime TV shows of the time.

I also really liked Doug Barr and Heather Thomas in supporting roles, although I often wondered why she would appear in a scene in a bikini with no apparent reason. I now do know why.

When you put it all together, “The Fall Guy” was just fun to watch, and really never got too heavy.

Sometimes you need that, don’t you?

Pierce Brosnan: Man of mystery

Pierce Brosnan as "Remington Steele.".

Source: https://www.gq.com/story/pierce-brosnan-power-suit-tbt

(May be subject to copyright)

It has always been extremely funny to me. Someone who looked to me like a bit of a James Bond knock-off ended up actually playing James Bond.

Yet, in the 1980s that would be years away because, when the producers of James Bond came calling, he was bound by his contract to stay on his television show.

It would be years before he was able to assume the role that so many people thought he was perfect for.

In the late ‘90s and beyond, Pierce Brosnan was James Bond, but his time in the ‘80s was defined by a different role – Remington Steele.

The years before
Brosnan is an Irish actor who got his start on British TV with the part of Tony Murphy in “Murphy’s Stroke” in 1979, a TV movie about a horse racing fraud; and guest spots in 1980 in “Hammer House of Horror”, and the crime drama “The Professionals”.

In 1981, he had one of the main roles in the miniseries “Manions of America”. It was about Irish immigrants to America in the 19th Century during the potato famine. I recall seeing pieces of “Manions of America”on Channel 13 of the peasant vision dial.

He followed that up in 1982 with a guest spot in the British drama anthology series “Play for Today”. That year he was also in four episodes of “Nancy Astor” on British television, about the first woman to sit in the House of Commons. It earned Brosnan a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 1984 after it aired on “Masterpiece Theatre” in North America.

Everything would change for Brosnan in 1982 when he took a role in a brand new television show, and moved to Southern California.

Remington Steele
It was a show that was very indicative of its time. Laura Holt, played by Stephanie Zimbalist, was an aspiring private investigator. However, she quickly discovered no one would hire a woman.

Consequently, she created “Remington Steele”, an imaginary internationally renowned investigator to be the name of her detective agency. When perspective clients came in, she would meet with them, because Mr. Steele was busy. However, she assured them she would keep Mr. Steele fully apprised of their case. Any information or progress came from him, and Miss Holt was just passing it on.

It seemed to be working fine, until a mysterious British man comes on the scene, claiming to be Remington Steele. Miss Holt couldn’t very well reveal the truth, so “Remington Steele” was born.

The show debuted on CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial in 1982, when I was in Grade 8, and I watched it every week.

Steele was a bit of a bumbler initially, drawing the ire of Murphy Michaels, played by James Read, who was an actual investigator. However, Steele charmed secretary Bernice Foxe, played by Janet DeMay. Murphy also had a crush on Holt, and was jealous of Steele. Murphy Michaels and Bernice Foxe left after the first season, replaced by Mildred Krebs, a former Internal Revenue Service agent who becomes the firm’s secretary.

The thing I always thought was cool was how Steele often referred to movies for parallels or insight into cases they were working on. In a clever twist, in one show Holt refers to TV shows to do the same thing. Steele has no idea what she is talking about.

Over time, as happens, Holt and Steele grow closer, developing feelings for each other and teasing the audience as to whether they will ever get together.

The show ran from 1982 to 1987 for a total of 94 episodes. By the time it reached its final season, the show was cancelled then NBC decided to renew it. In that intervening time both Brosnan and Zimbalist had taken roles in movies – she in “Robo Cop” and he in the James Bond film “The Living Daylights”. However, upon renewal of the series they both had to drop out. Ultimately, six hours of "Remington Steele", aired as TV movies, was the final season, so the show kind of drifted away. By then, I had started going out with my friends and just stopped watching. I do recall tuning in for that final episode, but I have no recollection of how it ended.

No longer tied down to a television show, Pierce Brosnan got busy exploring other opportunities, launching a pretty major film career.

Rest of the decade
Pierce Brosnan closed out the ‘80s with main roles in the TV miniseries “Noble House” in 1988, and “Around the World in 80 Days” in 1989.

He also moved on to the big screen with roles in “Nomads”; “Taffin”; “The Fourth Protocol”; and “The Deceivers”.

Pierce Brosnan’s best work was still in front of him as the ‘80s ended.

The years after
Brosnan appeared in a number of television movies, but he found his greatest success on the big screen.

He appeared in such movies as “The Lawnmower Man”; and “Mrs. Doubtfire” with Robin Wiliams and Sally Field, which is one of my favourite movies.

Then, he finally assumed the role of James Bond, which he played in “GoldenEye” in 1995; “Tomorrow Never Dies” in 1997; “The World is Not Enough” in 1999; and “Die Another Day” in 2002.

Brosnan was also in “Mars Attacks!”; “The Mirror Has Two Faces”; “Robinson Crusoe”; “Dante’s Peak”; “Grey Owl”; “The Thomas Crown Affair”; “After the Sunset”; “Laws of Attraction”; “The Matador”; “Mamma Mia!”; “The Ghost Writer”; “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”; “The November Man”; “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”; and much more.

He also has four movies in production or coming out.

Mistaken identity
When I was in university, this guy I knew was running for students’ union president. I had this message on my answering machine that paid homage to “The Rockford Files”, one of my favourite TV shows. Each episode started with an answering machine message. It went, “This is Jim Rockford, leave your name and number, I’ll get back to you.” So that’s what I had on my answering machine.

One day, I come home and there is this message. It starts with, “Hi Jim, this is Pierce Brosnan…”

I laughed, because if he wanted to be clever, he would have said “This is Remington Steele…”, but I totally appreciated the sentiment.

Throughout that election campaign, he called regularly for assistance with his campaign.

His name was Randy Boissonault. He is now the MP for Edmonton Centre and Deputy Minister of Finance.

Parting thoughts
I have always found it kind of funny how “Remington Steele’ kind of spoofed British men of mystery. Yet, Pierce Brosnan ended up playing one of the greatest British spies straight up. I still recall anytime he was mentioned as the next James Bond, everyone would say, “Oh yeah, for sure.”

Brosnan’s role as Remington Steele was also quite layered. He came off as kind of a cad and con man, but had a loyalty, sensitivity and charm that showed a depth of character.

That versatility prepared Brosnan for a film career that ranges from horror, action and thrillers, to comedies such as “Mrs. Doubtfire”, and romances such as “The Mirror Has Two Faces”.

I heard recently he has a movie coming out, which also speaks to his longevity.

Yet, whenever I see him, or hear his voice, he is still a man of mystery pretending to be a different man of mystery.

Luc Robitaille: Anything but lucky

Luc Robitaille with the Los Angeles Kings in the '80s.

Source: Facebook/Hockey Beast

(May be subject to copyright)

The first rumour I heard in the summer of 1988 that he and Jimmy Carson were being traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Edmonton Oilers for Wayne Gretzky. I thought that was impossible. Gretzky was untradeable.

As it turned out, that’s what the Oilers asked for, but the Kings thought that price was too steep. Had Luc Robitaille gone to the Oilers, he likely would have won a Stanley Cup with the team.

Instead, he stayed with the Kings and became their all-time leader in playoff games played.

I heard that stat today when the Kings were yet again playing the Oilers, and noted Drew Doughty is second on the Kings’ all-time playoff games played list – behind just Luc Robitaille.

It reminded me of those days watching the man they called “Lucky Luc”.

Junior sensation
Luc Robitaille played his junior hockey in Quebec for the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1983 to 1986. He was taken in the ninth round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, 171st overall.

It is incredible he went that low in the draft, especially because he put up great numbers in junior. In fact, he and former King teammate Dave Taylor are the lowest NHL draft picks to have 1,000 career points.

In the 1983-1984 season, Robitaille had 32 goals and 53 assists for 85 points; then 55 goals and 93 assists for 148 points in the 1984-1985 season, plus another four goals and two assists for six points in the playoffs.

His best year in junior was his last, as Robitaille scored 68 goals and 123 assists for 191 points in the 1985-1986 season. He added another 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points in 15 playoff games. He was also named the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year. He ended his three years of junior hockey with 155 goals and 269 assists for 424 points in just 197 games.

Later, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League created the Luc Robitaille Trophy for the team who scores the most goals in a season.

After seasoning in junior, Robitaille was poised to make the jump to the NHL.

Rookie sensation
Luc Robitaille made his Los Angeles Kings debut at the start of the 1986-1987 season, and it was a year to remember. He scored 45 goals and added 39 assists for 84 points in 79 games. The Kings finished fourth in the Smythe Division with 31 wins, 41 losses and eight ties, drawing a date with the first place Edmonton Oilers who won the series in five games. Robitaille had one goal and four assists for five points in those five playoff games.

After the season, Robitaille was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. To this date, he is the only Losa Angeles King to ever win the rookie of the year. He was also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, and was a Second Team NHL All-Star.

Sophomore success
In the 1987-1988 season, Robitaille’s second year in the NHL, he improved on his rookie totals, recording his first 50-goal and 100-point season. In 80 games, he scored 53 goals and added 58 assists for 111 points. The Kings would have virtually the same season as the year before. They finished with 30 wins, 42 losses and eight ties, again finishing fourth in he Smythe Division. This time they faced the first-place Calgary Flames who defeated the Kings in five games. Robitaille had two goals and five assists for seven points in those five playoff games. He was also named a First Team All-Star for the first time in his career, and he was named to his first All-Star game as well. He would be named to the next five in a row.

New era
The 1988-1989 season saw the arrival of Wayne Gretzky, making the Kings certainly better than the perennial fourth place team they had become. Gretzky keyed a turn around that saw the Kings win 42 games, lose 31, and tie seven to finish second in the Smythe Division. In the most delicious of ironies, they faced Gretzky’s old team the Oilers in the first round. The Kings prevailed, winning in seven games, but were then swept by Calgary who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Robitallie had another solid season, scoring 46 goals and 52 assists for 98 points in 78 games. He also contributed two goals and six assists for eight points in 11 playoff games. For his efforts, Robitaille was again named a First Team All-Star and was named to his second All-Star game as well.

Sustained success
In the 1989-1990 season, Luc Robitaille sustained the success he started over the previous three seasons. He again had more than 50 goals and 100 points, as he scored 52 goals and 49 assists for 101 points in 80 games.

The Kings finished fourth in the Smythe Division with a record of 34 wins, 39 losses and seven ties. They drew the first place Calgary Flames in the first round of the playoffs and, for the second year in a row, eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions in six games. They came back to earth in the second round, where they were swept by the Edmonton Oilers who would go on to win their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years. Robitaille had five goals and five assists in 10 playoff games.

He was also named a First Team All-Star and went to his third all-star game.

As the decade ended, Luc Robitaille’s career was just beginning.

The years after
Luc Robitaille played with the Kings until the end of the 1993-1994 season, helping the Kings reach the Stanley Cup final in 1993 where they lost to Montreal in five games. He then played for Pittsburgh for the 1994-1995 season; the New York Rangers from 1995 to 1997; back to Los Angeles from 1997 to 2001; Detroit from 2001 to 2003, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2002; then finished his career with the Kings playing in Los Angeles from 2003 to 2006. He retired at the end of the 2005-2006 season.

His career totals are 1,431 games, 668 goals and 726 assists for 1,394 points. He also had 58 goals and 69 assists for 127 points in 159 playoff games.

He had 40 or more goals in his first eight seasons, including three of 50 or more goals. In the 1992-1993 season, Robitaille had a career high of 63 goals, and 125 points, which were both records for left wingers. The goal record has since been broken, but Robitaille’s 125 points is still the single season record for left wingers. He also served as captain that year with Gretzky injured.

Robitaille also played for Team Canada in the 1986 World Junior Championship, appearing in seven games and scoring three goals and five assists for eight points; the 1991 Canada Cup where he had one goal and two assists for three points in eight games, helping Canada win gold; and the 1994 World Hockey Championship, helping Canada to the gold medal with four goals and four assists for eight points in eight games.

He would go on to be a First Team All-Star in the 1990-1991 and 1992-1993 seasons, a Second Team All-Star in the 1991-1992 and 2000-2001 seasons, and played in the all-star game in the 1990-1991, 1991-1992, 1992-1993, 1998-1999, and 2000-2001 seasons.

Luc Robitaille was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 2009.

He moved into management, becoming the Kings’ president of business operations in 2007, and became the team’s president in 2017, a position he still holds. They won the Stanley Cup in the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Parting thoughts
Luc Robitaille was the definition of professional. He was calm, cool, poised, talented, and contributed on and off the ice.

To me, the mark of character is what players do off the ice and after their playing days are over. Robitaille moved into management, where he not only helped his team win two Stanley Cups but has been a team president for more than 17 years. He and his wife have also done a great deal of charity work.

It is true that Luc Robitaille was a sensational left winger, one of the best in history.

It is also true his nickname was “Lucky Luc”.

Everything he accomplished was anything but luck.

John Rhys-Davies: Life long before “Lord of the Rings”

John Rhys-Davies as Rodrigues in the 1980 television miniseries "Shogun".

Source: https://frockflicks.com/mcm-john-rhys-davies/

(May be subject to copyright)

It took a minute but I finally remembered where I had seen him first, and why that name rang a bell.

It wasn’t from “The Hobbit” or “The Lord Of The Rings”. They were the movies that brought him to Calgary this weekend for the Comic and Entertainment Expo, but I haven’t seen them yet.

It wasn’t even from the Indiana Jones movies, where he played the sidekick, starting in 1981 with “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.

Instead, the first time I recall seeing John Rhys-Davies in an epic miniseries, that is back in the news again.

It was called “Shogun” and it debuted in 1980.

I was thinking about all he has done when I walked past him signing autographs today at the Calgary Expo.

Getting started
John Rhys-Davies made some movies in the 1970s. However, he really cut his acting teeth on television, most notably in the acclaimed miniseries “I, Claudius” in 1976. It was a history of the early Roman Empire.

Then he appeared in one of the biggest television events of the new decade. James Clavell had written the best-selling book “Shogun” and, in 1980, it debuted on television as a miniseries. It chronicled the life of explorer John Blackthorne, played by Richard Chamberlain, who lands in feudal Japan, and slowly becomes integrated in Japanese society, all the while trying to make his way back home.

Rhys-Davies played Blackthorne’s friend Vasco Rodrigues, a fellow pilot whose life Blackthorne saved. Rhys-Davies played the charming friend and kind of a sidekick. It was territory he would re-visit again.

For his effort, John Rhys-Davies was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role as Rodrigues.

The next year, 1981, Rhys-Davies appeared in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” playing Sallah, an Egyptian excavator and close friend of Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford. Rhys-Davies again was kind of a sidekick. He reprised the role of Sallah in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”.

The ‘80s in TV
John Rhys-Davies had a prolific career in the 1980s on television. He had a guest starring roles in shows such as “CHiPs”; “Scarecrow and Mrs. King’; and “Murder, She Wrote.”

However, he spent much of his time in miniseries and recurring roles.

In 1982, he played Sir Edward in “The Quest”. I read about this show in the “TV Guide Fall Preview”, but it didn’t air on peasant vision. “The Quest” was about a fictional principality seeking a possible heir to the throne. Four individuals are identified and one will ultimately become the heir. Sir Edward was there to help determine who that should be. “The Quest” only lasted nine episodes, with four unaired. I eventually saw the pilot on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial as a TV movie, and it just whet my appetite.

Rhys-Davies was also in the TV movies “Ivanhoe” and “Reilly, Ace of Spies”; the Perry Mason movie “The Case of the Murdered Madam”; “Noble House”; the epic miniseries “War and Remembrance”; “Great Expectations”; and he ended the decade in 1989 in “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk”.

The ‘80s in the movies
John Rhys-Davies also fashioned a decent body of work on the silver screen, appearing in “Victor/Victoria”; “Sahara”, starring Brooke Shields; “Sadat” where he played former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser; “Kim”; “King Solomon’s Mines”, again opposite Richard Chamberlain; “Firewalker”, starring Chuck Norris; “The Living Daylights”, a James Bond film; and wrapping up the decade in 1989 in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” as Sallah.

Yet, this was all just the beginning as John Rhys-Davies continues to work.

The years after
His film credits include “The Lost World” and “Return to the Lost World”; “The Great White Hype”; and much more. He began his run in “Lord of the Rings” in 2001 with “The Fellowship of the Ring”, and followed that up with “The Two Towers” and “Return of the King”. He also was in a plethora of movies right up to 2023 when he was in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, where he lends his voice for the Brine King. It was a role he started back in “Aquaman” in 2018.

On television, I remember him best as Professor Maximillian Arturo in 40 episodes of the time travel adventure “Sliders” from 1995 to 1997.

He has also been in “Tales from the Crypt”; the Perry Mason movie “The Case of the Fatal Framing”; the series “The Untouchables”, for 15 episodes; the sitcom “You Wish”; “Star Trek: Voyager” as Leonardo da Vinci; “Psych”; and a lot more.

Rhys-Davies also did a lot of voice work in cartoons and as characters off screen.

Parting thoughts
“Shogun” was dubbed a television event when it aired over five nights in 1980. It was a sprawling epic that not only showcased Japan and the talents of Richard Chamberlain, but also exposed John Rhys-Davies to a much wider audience.

The miniseries drew massive numbers, and my Mom and sister watched it religiously. My sister had actually read the book too. I didn’t watch it, because at the time it did not sound that interesting.

Yet, one of the weird phenomena of the’80s was that networks would replay these epic miniseries again, a year or two later. The same thing would happen with “The Thorn Birds”, which also starred Richard Chamberlain.

So, by then, I had heard all about it, and eagerly watched “Shogun”. From the first time I saw him, Vasco Rodrigues was my favourite character for his presence on screen, wit, and chemistry with Richard Chamberlain. He deserved that Emmy nomination for the role.

It also set the stage for so many of the roles that followed, such as Sallah and Professor Arturo – two of my favourites.

It is just a reminder John Rhys-Davies had a life and a career long before “The Lord of the Rings”.

Crowded House: The memories are “Something So Strong”

The band Crowded House in the '80s.

Source: https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/crowded-house-30th-anniversary-reissues-album-review

(May be subject to copyright)

We were having show and tell in Grade 6 at St. Joseph’s School in Coaldale. Meriel Kingston brought a record she was excited about, and our teacher even agreed to play a bit of the song on it she really liked. When she picked up the album, the record went rolling out the end of it, continuing until it hit a cinder block wall and came to a stop.

I noticed the record wasn’t like any of the black vinyl my brother had in his record collection or like any record my Mom had. It had this geometric diamond like pattern cut into it by lasers. When Meriel picked it up and light hit those patterns, you could see little rainbows. It was so cool.

That was my introduction to Split Enz, a band that became Crowded House, who I quite like.

They recently announced they are reuniting and going back on tour.

I was glad to hear that because I have some fond memories of Crowded House and its members.

Split Enz
Split Enz formed in 1972 in New Zealand. It is credited as the first New Zealand band to gain substantial recognition outside Australasia.

Their big hit came in 1980 with “I Got You”, from the album “True Colours”. It was that record that had the laser etching. It was designed so when light hit the record, the designs etched in the vinyl would protrude and spin about the room.

“I Got You” went all the way to number one in New Zealand and Australia, number 12 in the United Kingdom, and number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Split Enz was back with another big hit in 1982 with the album “Time and Tide”, which reached number one in New Zealand and Australia. It also yielded the hit single “Six Months in a Leaky Boat”, which peaked at number two in Australia, and number seven in Canada and New Zealand.

Let’s start a band
In 1984, Neil Finn, vocalist, guitar and piano, and Paul Hester on drums, decided to form a new band as Split Enz was ending. They were joined by Nick Seymour on bass and guitarist Craig Hooper, to form the Mullanes, which quickly morphed into Crowded House.

They released their debut album, the self-titled “Crowded House” in 1986. I did not know their first single was actually “Mean to Me”, which failed to chart in the United States.

That was not the case with the second single, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, which remains one of my favourite songs. Released in October of 1986, it went all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It really is a cool song that, at times, tries to stuff as many words as possible into a line of verse.

The third single was another hit, “Something So Strong”, which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1987. The album also contained two other songs that hit the radio – “World Where You Live” and “Now We’re Getting Somewhere”.

I ended up buying the album “Crowded House” on tape at a garage sale in Edmonton. However, as it turned out, I actually already had a good chunk of it already. My friend Bruce Freadrich had lent me a tape he made that contained the songs “Heat of the Moment” and “Only Time Will Tell” by Asia. I played them quite a bit, but only those two songs. Then, one day, I left the tape running because I was in the middle of something. Suddenly “World Where You Love” then “Now We’re Getting Somewhere” played back to back. That’s when I realized how much I liked the sound of Crowded House.

What’s next?
Crowded House released their second album, “Temple of Low Men” in 1988. It did not match the success of their debut album, but the first single from “Temple of Low Men” did get some good air play on the radio. “Better be Home Soon” was another great ballad that went all the way to number one in Canada; number two in New Zealand and Australia: and number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

None of the other singles from “Temple of Low Men” charted – not “When You Come”; “Into Temptation”; “Never be the Same”; “Sister Madly”; or “I Feel Possessed.”

The years after
Crowded House kept on writing, recording and performing. Tim Finn, who was one of the founding members of Split Enz and Neil’s brother, joined Crowded House in 1990. The Finn brothers had been writing songs together for their own album , and ended up using them for Crowded House’s third album “Woodface”, which came out in 1991.

This was my last exposure to Crowded House. I think it was on “The Journal” on CBC, but I saw a profile on the band. They focused on how Tim Finn joined the band; his brother; and their first single called “Chocolate Cake”. It didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but did peak at number two on Billboard’s Modern Rock Charts.

Crowded House has continued to write, record and perform on and off to this day. That includes releasing a new single earlier this year in February of 2024, from their eighth album “Gravity Stairs”, which was released on May 31, 2024.

Up close, in person
So many bands from the ‘80s have disbanded, had members die, or just faded away. Gone with them are any opportunity to hear them perform their songs in person.

I was lucky enough a few years ago to capitalize on a unique experience. Neil Finn joined Fleetwood Mac, replacing Lindsey Buckingham. When we went to see them at the Calgary Saddledome, they actually played two songs from Finn’s former bands – “I Got You” by Crowded House and “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House

It was amazing.

Parting thoughts
Crowded House holds a special place in my heart. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Something So Strong” came out in the last half of Grade 12, which was an eventful time in my life. It was a time of change, looking back and looking ahead.

Every time I hear either of those two songs, it brings back all those memories of that period in time.

They really are something so strong.

Bob Cole: Story teller, spokesman, ambassador of hockey.

CBC sportscaster Bob Cole called NHL hockey games all through the '80s and beyond.

Source: https://puckstruck.com/2024/04/25/bob-cole-1933-2024/

(May be subject to copyright)

Sportscaster Bob Costas once said that someone could watch a sport and enjoy it, but broadcasting turns it into a story with a narrative.

No one could cover a hockey game better than Bob Cole. He had the perfect words for every important moment.

Cole had this calm soothing voice that exploded into hyperbole when the action changed on the ice.

No on could call it like Bob Cole, and no one did.

Sadly, his voice went silent yesterday for the final time.

Bob Cole was 90 years old.

A hockey career
Bob Cole was originally from Newfoundland. Wikipedia reveals he began broadcasting hockey there on CBC radio in 1969, then moved to television in 1973. He would eventually be the primary play-by-play man for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was where I first encountered him. He would also do the playoffs when CBC expanded their hockey coverage.

That career went from 1980 right through to his 50th season ending in 2019.

He called Olympic hockey in 1998 in Nagano, Japan; 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah; and 2006 in Turino, Italy Cole also called the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and 2004.

Through much of his career he had Harry Neale beside him doing colour commentary. Before Neale joined him for 1986-1987 season, Cole teamed up with Gary Dornhoefer, Mickey Redmond, and John Davidson. Dick Irvin also jumped into the booth for big games. Cole’s final partners would be Garry Galley and Greg Millen.

Much more than hockey
I am pretty sure it was CBC’s “Life and Times” where I saw a profile of Bob Cole. It explained he was a Newfoundland provincial curling champion, and played in the Brier too. As it turns out, in 1971, he skipped his team to the Newfoundland championship, and on to the Brier where they had a 4-6 record. He was back at the Brier in 1975, where he skipped the Newfoundland champions to a 1-10 record.

Cole also participated in the Canadian Mixed Championships twice. In 1965, he played second as his Newfoundland team finished with a 4-6 record. Cole skipped the 1973 Newfoundland champions to a 4-6 record as well.

The years after
Cole was there for some memorable broadcasts over the years.

For his efforts, he was honoured by the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1996 as the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for broadcasting excellence.

In 2016, Bob Cole was appointed a member of the Order of Canada

Parting thoughts
I don’t recall any specific broadcasts by Bob Cole. Instead, I just remember his presence on the airwaves for all those Saturday nights I tuned in to “Hockey Night In Canada”. He was calling the game and telling me stories about the players, coaches, teams, and the history of the game.

I have always maintained the way I learned about sports was by watching them on TV. The broadcasters did more than just call the action, over days, months and years, they taught me the game.

There was no better teacher than Bob Cole. He not only described what was happening on the ice, but provided context, history and insight.

Bob Cole made hockey more than a game, he made it an event, something you had to see every week.

He was a story teller, a spokesman, and an ambassador for hockey.

Remembering the sounds Foreigner

Sometimes you remember the strangest things. When I was in elementary school, I was talking to my friend and neighbour named Mike. At that point in our lives he was much more into music than I was. He was singing on the playground one day, and I kind of joined in.

“We should start a band,” I joked.

Mike nodded.

Since he was Dutch and I was German, I suggested we call ourselves “The Foreigners”. It sounded good to him.

The next day he broke the news to me. He had mentioned this to his older brother and sister and they told him the news.

“There’s already a band with that name.”

That was my introduction to Foreigner.

The first song of their’s I actually heard regularly was a stirring ballad, accompanied by a choir, that stood a top the charts for weeks.

Earlier this week Foreigner was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

That brought back these memories and much more.

“I Want to Know What Love is”
It would be five years before I found my way to the actual band. I started really getting into music in the Fall of 1984, and got a ghetto blaster for Christmas that year. In about mid-November, I started hearing this amazing ballad that was just powerful. The vocals were striking and they were backed up by this beautiful choir.

The song was “I Want to Know What Love Is”, from the album "Agent Provocateur", and it went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. For their efforts Foreigner was nominated for Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal for “I Want to Know What Love is”.

When I was in Grade 11, I started writing this semi-autobiographical play. I wanted to use contemporary music in it, so I scoured the airwaves and ultimately came up with a soundtrack. The first single on the second side is “I Want to Know What Love is” by Foreigner.

The cover of Foreigner's 1984 album "Agent Provocateur".

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Provocateur_%28album%29

(May be subject to copyright)

Agent Provocateur
By then, I was listening to LA-107 FM, a radio station broadcasting from Lethbridge. They had an album oriented rock format, which meant they played multiple singles from the same album, not just the most recent release.

Every Monday night LA-107 had a a top 20 album countdown, and that was where I first heard “That Was Yesterday”, the second single from the album “Agent Provocateur”. I actually liked it as much as “I Want to Know What Love is”, because it has a cool sound.

“That was Yesterday”, went all the way to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

I also heard the third single “Reaction to Action” on the top 20 album countdown on LA-107. Interestingly, I had started to watch “Good Rockin’ Tonite” on Friday nights on CBC Channel 9 on peasant vision. The show had a singles and albums countdown. When Terry David Mulligan was scrolling through the album countdown, he went through it pretty quickly. As he blew by “Agent Provocateur”, which was in the middle of the pack, he said “Reaction to Action” was the latest single. I finally felt like a true music fan, because I knew what he was talking about. “Reaction to Action” peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Interestingly, “Agent Provocateur” was an album that did not have a title track. I used to keep a mental list of the other ones around at the time that didn’t. They included “Songs From the Big Chair” by Tears for Fears; “No Jacket Required” by Phil Collins; “Sports” by Huey Lewis and the News”; “Secrets of Association” by Paul Young; and “Language of Attraction” by Animotion, to name a few.

I eventually bought a copy of “Agent Provocateur” at a flea market. I could feel the record was warped. After I got my sister to record it, you could hear the warp on the tape she made of the record.

Body of work
Another feature LA-107 FM used to run was a spotlight or profile of a particular band. One night, I had the radio on and they highlighted Foreigner. That’s when I discovered something interesting. Not only had they been around awhile, but I recognized quite a few of their songs before “I Want to Know What Love is”.

To accentuate the point, I came across their greatest hits album “Records” in the vinyl section of Comic City in Lethbridge. The album cover looked like an old tabletop juke box, with each slot containing the name of a song I had heard before. I bought that record, and it sits in my garage as we speak.

Between those two sources, I got an instant primer to Foreigner’s body of work.

In 1977, they released the debut album “Foreigner” with the singles “Feels Like the First Time”, which went all the way to number four on the Billboard Hot 100; and “Cold as Ice” which peaked at number six. I later considered “Cold as Ice” for the soundtrack of my play. I went so far as to copy out the lyrics from one of my cousin Fred’s “Circus” or “Hit Parader” magazines, but ended up not using it. “Long, Long Way from Home” was the third single, peaking at number 20.

Foreigner was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist for their efforts.

In 1978, Foreigner released “Double Vision”, and the singles “Hot Blooded” which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100; and the title track “Double Vision”, which peaked at number two. “Hot Blooded” also appeared on the soundtrack for the movie “Vision Quest” in 1985.

They released their third album, “Head Games” in 1979, and the singles “Dirty White Boy” which went all the way to number 12; and the title track “Head Games”, which peaked at number 14.

Their fourth album, simply titled “4” or “Foreigner 4”, came out in 1981, yielding the singles “Urgent”, which peaked at number four; “Waiting for a Girl Like You”, which spent 10 consecutive weeks at number two, a record, but could just not get to the top spot; and “Juke Box Hero”, which peaked at number 26.

Foreigner garnered their second Grammy nomination, this one for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, for their work on “Foreigner 4”. The album also spent 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.

In the Fall of 1986, St. Joseph’s School, which I attended for Grades 1 to 9, held their annual penny carnival and flea market. I went there with my friend David Perlich, whose sister still went to that school. I ended up buying three used tapes – “Money Talks” by Trooper; “Run for Cover“ by Straight Lines…and “Foreigner 4”.

“Agent Provocateur” was Foreigner’s fifth album.

Follow up
To be honest, after “Agent Provocateur”, I had thought Foreigner had run its course, especially after I discovered all their older material.

Then, they released their sixth album, “Inside Information” in December of 1987. By then, I had gone off to university and did not follow music as closely.

However, the TV in our lounge always seemed to default to MuchMusic,. Consequently, I discovered Foreigner had a new single out, and by extension a new album.

That single was “Say You Will”, which caught my ear because it sounded like a Foreigner song. Lead singer Lou Gramm had those distinctive vocals. “Say You Will”, went all the way to number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

The second single, “I Don’t Want to Live With Out You” was released in March of 1988. Its time on the radio coincided with my return home from university for the summer. By then, I did not have much of a social life, and listened to music, and the charts, a lot more. “I Don’t Want to Live Without You”, another ballad in the tradition of “I Want to Know What Love is” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You”, peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.

“I Don’t Want to Live Without You” also could be heard on the soap opera “Days Of Our Lives”.

“Inside Information” is the last album recorded by the Foreigner’s 1980s core lineup of Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Rick Wills, and Dennis Elliott. “I Don’t Want to Live Without You” is the band’s final top 10 hit to date.

Parting thoughts
It has always been hard to categorize Foreigner. At times they have this hard rock, bordering on heavy metal sound. Then they unleash these amazing power ballads.

Whenever I listened to “Records”, I got to hear the full breadth and depth of their music.

Lou Gramm’s vocals are a highlight, but the band is just as good.

Their music occupies a unique place in my heart, because they span junior high right through to my first year of university. They are a part of that sound track.

I am glad they were finally elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because they have the body of work to back it up.

Jack Nicholson: One of the greatest

Jack Nicholson, at right, with Shirley MacLaine in the 1983 movie "Terms of Endearment".

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2023/11/14/terms-of-endearment-jack-nicholson-classic-role/71526632007/

(May be subject to copyright)

It was a terrifying sight. He had this maniacal look in his eye and he was wielding an axe.

Then I saw him following Shirley MacLaine and muttering “I’d rather stick needles in my eyes.”

Those are my earliest memories of Jack Nicholson when I was growing up in the 1980s.

It was his birthday yesterday, and it gave me pause to reflect on “The Shining”, “Terms of Endearment” and so much more.

The early days
Jack Nicholson got his start in 1958 in “The Cry Baby Killer”. He would do some TV but continue on acting in movies for seven decades.

His first notable movie was “Easy Rider” in 1969 where he and Peter Fonda travelled America on motor bikes carrying the profits from a cocaine deal. For his efforts, Nicholson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

He would follow that with “On a Clear Day you Can See Forever” and “The Rebel Rousers”.

Then, in 1970, “Five Easy Pieces” came out where Nicholson played a son who goes home to see his dying father. The role garnered him his second Oscar nomination, this one for Best Actor, and a second Golden Globe nomination, this one for Best Actor in a Motion Picture.

“Carnal Knowledge” followed, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, then “A Safe Place”; “Drive, He Said”; “The King of Marvin Gardens”; and “The Last Detail”, for which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture.

In 1974, Nicholson appeared as private detective Jake Gittes in “Chinatown”, which became an instant classic. He again was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture.




The next year he appeared in “The Passenger” and “The Fortune”, as well as “Tommy”, a rock opera by the band The Who.

He was also in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1975, a movie set in a mental institution as they were called at the time. What I remember about this movie is my parents and brother going to see it in the theatre on Saturday night while I stayed home with my sister, because I was way too young for that movie. Nicholson won his first Oscar, for Best Actor, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture.

In 1976, he appeared in the western “The Missouri Breaks”, then “The Last Tycoon”. Nicolson closed out the decade by appearing in “Goin’ South” in 1978.

The next decade would bring Jack Nicholson critical acclaim and success in a string of successful movies.

Dawn of the decade
Jack Nicholson got rolling right in 1980, playing the possessed Jack Torrance in “The Shining”, yielding a memorable performance. When he wasn’t wielding an ax he was voicing such memorable lines as “Here’s Johnny!” and “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” That ax-wielding scene appeared prominently in advertising and, although I didn’t see the movie back then, it remains clear in my memory.

He then appeared in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” in 1981. He played a drifter beginning an affair with the wife of a diner owner, who then plot to murder her husband.

Later that same year, Nicholson played playwright Eugene O’Neill in “Reds”. It’s the story of John Reed, played by Warren Beatty, who was a journalist and writer who detailed the October Revolution in Russia. Nicholson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

He followed that up with “Terms of Endearment” in 1983. Nicholson played retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove, opposite Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the role and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

At this point in time, I had not seen a single Jack Nicholson movie, but that soon changed.

The summer of ‘86
In the summer of 1986, I was taking a two-week driver’s ed course in Lethbridge and staying with my sister. We rented a movie every couple nights from a 7-11 a few blocks up 13th Street on Third Avenue. We started with “A Soldier’s Story” and “The Jagged Edge”.

Then we watched “Prizzi’s Honor”, which had come out in 1985. It was awesome. Nicholson played a dimwitted but loyal hit man to the Prizzi crime family. He falls in love with fellow assassin Kathleen Turner, only to discover they have been hired to kill each other. Again Nicholson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Oscar and won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

In July of 1986, Nicholson appeared opposite Meryl Streep in “Heartburn”. It's the semi-autobiographical story of the marriage of writer Nora Ephron to journalist Carl Bernstein, who was one of the reporters who broke the Watergate story.

Busy year
In 1987, Nicolson appeared in three movies.

In “The Witches of Eastwick”, three divorcees played by Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer, unintentionally form a witches’ coven in the small New England town of Eastwick. They get involved with a mysterious man, played by Nicholson, who may be the devil.

He was then in “Broadcast News”, a movie starring Holly Hunter as a TV news producer who gets involved in a love triangle with journalists Albert Brooks and William Hurt. This was one of the first movies I saw in Edmonton when I started at the University of Alberta in September of 1987. I knew it would be good, and it was.

Finally, Nicholson was in “Ironweed", opposite Meryl Streep. They play a homeless couple in the years following the Great Depression. He is an alcoholic while she is terminally ill. The role earned Nicolson another Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.

Never rub another man’s rhubarb
Jack Nicholson closed out the ‘80s with an iconic turn as The Joker in “Batman” in 1989. He was absolutely incredible as the psychotic criminal mastermind. His performance was chilling, satirical, and he just had the best lines:

“Never rub another man’s rhubarb.”

“You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”

“This town needs an enema.”

I saw that movie in the summer of 1989 with my friends Bruce Freadrich and Larry Irla. We quoted a different line from that movie a week at a time all summer. I went home to the farm at the end of that summer for a week. There, I went to see “Batman” in Lethbridge with my high-school friend Shawn Kingston, and found myself mouthing those lines as we watched the movie.

For his efforts, Nicholson was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

The years after
Jack Nicolson continued on acting for another three decades, making his last film to date in 2010 in “How do you Know.”

It was in this period, I saw a lot of his movies and truly became a fan.

After the “Two Jakes”, a sequel to “Chinatown”, and “Man Trouble”, a romantic comedy opposite Ellen Barkin, Nicholson hit it big again.

In 1992, he played strict, seemingly by-the-book military man Colonel Nathan R. Jessup in “A Few Good Men”. That is where he utters another famous line. In court, Jessup is being cross-examined by Daniel Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, who demands the truth.

“You can’t handle the truth,” Jessup screams.

The other moment that sticks is during another exchange when Jessup calls Kaffee a “Snotty little bastard.” I always joked that a lot of people would have liked to say that to Cruise in real life.

Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jessup, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

Nicholson then appeared in “Hoffa”, where he was nomimnated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama; “Wolf”; “The Crossing Guard”; “Blood and Wine”; “Mars Attacks!”; and “The Evening Star”, reprising his role as Garrett Breedlove in this sequel to “Terms of Endearment ”.

Then, in 1997, he had another memorable role in “As Good As it Gets”, starring opposite Helen Hunt. Nicholson plays an osessive-compulsive writer who falls for a single mother with a sick son. The line I will always remember is Nicholson telling Hunt, “You make me want to be a better man.” For his efforts, he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor.

His next movies were “The Pledge”; “About Schmidt”, where he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor; “Anger Management”; “Something’s Gotta Give”, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy; and “The Departed”, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture..

Nicholson appeared in “The Bucket List” in 2007, a movie I went to see on my birthday. It was excellent. He starred with Morgan Freeman as two men who are terminally ill, but band together to accomplish things they have always wanted to do before they die. That, in fact, is where I first heard the term “bucket list”.

Parting thoughts
Sometimes brilliance comes in simplicity.

Wikipedia describes Jack Nicholson as one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century.

With three Oscars and 12 nominations, and six Golden Globes and 17 nominations, need I say more.

“Silverado”: The western is alive and well

From left are Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Scott Glenn and Danny Glover, the main protagonists of the 1985 western "Silverado".

Source: https://www.directv.com/guide/movies/Silverado-5ad0cbfd-f368-97d8-fc82-adbde59e8fee

(May be subject to copyright)

The Western is dead. That was the talk in the mid-1980s. It had reached its golden era, then was satirized, which was the fate of mature genres.

Then along came a movie that signaled the western wasn’t dead after all.

It was alive and well and living in a small town called “Silverado”.

I tripped over “Silverado” on an ‘80s movie channel last night and it got me again. With about an hour left in the movie, I just couldn’t stop watching it.

Just like the first time I saw it back in the 1980s.

The cast
Looking at it now, the cast was just filled with great actors. Some, such as Danny Glover, Kevin Costner and even Kevin Kline were early in their careers. Others, such as Brian Dennehy, Jeff Goldblum and Scott Glenn were more established.

Together, they weaved together several plot lines that layered the story in “Silverado”.

The movie
I will never forget the opening scene were Paden, played by Kevin Kline, is lying in the desert, in his long underwear. There he is discovered by Emmet, played by Scott Glenn. Interestingly, we hear very few of the full names of the characters.

We soon discover Paden was robbed of everything – his horse, his hat, his very clothes. He spends the first part of the movie trying to recover all those things. Emmet is on his way to Turley to accompany some settlers to the frontier town of Silverado. Emmet helps Paden get some clothes, and a gun. I will never forget that temporary hat. The brim just kept flipping straight up, no matter how hard Paden tried to straighten it.

Soon, Paden sees his horse, and his hat, and reclaims them. The law shows up and asks if Paden has any proof the horse belongs to him.

He utters the famous line: “Can’t you see this horse loves me?”

Then he tells the lawman to flip over the saddle because his name is scratched in it. Sure enough there it is – “Paden”.

The story goes from there.

Paden reunites with an old associate named Cobb, played by Brian Dennehy, who turns out to be the villain of the story. Emmet meets up with his brother Jake, played by a very young Kevin Costner. They also meet Mal, played by Danny Glover, who deals with rustlers who run Mal’s dad off his place.

Ultimately, Paden has to choose sides, and teams with Emmet, Jake and Mal to battle the bad guys.

Parting thoughts
“Silverado” had all the hallmarks of a great western. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, showing us just how desolate the frontier was. The panoramic views are accentuated by this booming soundtrack that screams out epic.

The story has all the great characters too. There is Emmet, the brooding hero, just released from prison, not only seeking a new life but helping others do that too, while keeping his impulsive brother out of trouble. There is Paden, a good man, torn between doing what is right and what is profitable. In the end, he not only chooses what is right, but has the character to become the ultimate symbol of justice – the new sheriff of Silverado. And there is Mal, who just wants what is rightfully his and, when his father is killed and his sister injured, to get some revenge.

“Silverado” remains one of my favourite movies of all time, because I see something different every single time that I watch it.

And, at a time when it looked like a dying genre, showed the western is alive and well.

Roger Doucet: A national anthem like no other

He will always be the man who taught me the Canadian national anthem in French – well at least parts of it. Virtually every Saturday night, when I started watching the national game, “Hockey Night In Canada” would air a Montreal Canadiens game if they were playing.

They always seemed to be on, more often than the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a lot more often than the Vancouver Canucks.

At the start of every game was the national anthem.

No one did a more Canadian rendition of the national anthem than Roger Doucet – because he did it half in English and half in French.

He died more than 40 years ago, but it’s his birthday again, and a chance to look back at another uniquely Canadian institution.

“O Canada in French”
It was in Grade 4 that we learned the Canadian national anthem in French. We asked our teacher, Mrs. Lastuka, to teach us. She was perfectly suited because she was the French teacher at St. Joseph’s School.

As she went through the words with us, I remember Mike Balint and Tim Nestorowicz thinking the same thing I was – we were aided by hearing the anthem on “Hockey Night in Canada” sung by Roger Doucet.

To this day, I remember the words to “O Canada” in French, and it dates back to Grade 4.

National anthem
Until recently, I had forgotten Roger Douctet also sang his unique version of “O Canada” at Montreal Expo baseball games, and at Montreal Alouette football games.

No wonder it sticks out in my mind – I heard it a fair bit.

The singer
As it turns out, Wikipedia reveals Roger Doucet was a Canadian tenor who first sang the national anthem at a Montreal Canadiens game on October 13, 1970. He would be inducted into the Order of Canada in 1980 for his efforts.

Sadly, on July 19, 1981, Roger Doucet died, succumbing to a brain tumour.

He was 62 years old.

Spoof
The comedy duo of Wayne and Schuster often spoofed movies and television shows on their TV specials. They aired on CBC Channel 9 on peasant vision.

One year, they spoofed the Scarlett Pimpernel, with a sketch called “Close Encounters of the Pumpernickel Kind”. The actual Scarlett Pimpernel was a Lone Ranger type vigilante during the Reign of Terror in France. As the Scarlet Pimpernel, he would rescue French aristocrats from the guillotine then pose as a seemingly harmless English aristocrat by day.

Johnny Wayne portrayed the Brown Pumpernickel, who would rescue French aristocrats headed for the guillotine. However, he would leave behind a loaf of pumpernickel bread.

Part way through the sketch, the Brown Pumpernickel is captured by the authorities. In order to stall his execution, he cries how they need the national anthem before any beheading.

Then he called up Roger Doucet who, dressed in period costume, comes up to the front and starts to sing the national anthem of that period.

I always thought that was really clever.

Parting thoughts
Only in Canada, can we revere a talented singer for his very special rendition of our national anthem sung at hockey games.

Yet we do, and it is a uniquely Canadian thing.

I have to be honest. Whenever I hear anyone singing “O Canada” at a televised hockey game, my mind always drifts back to Roger Doucet at the mike in the Montreal Forum.

He really sang a national anthem like no other.

George Takei: Actor, advocate and role model

George Takei as Sulu in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" in 1982.

Source: https://theultimaterabbit.com/2019/08/30/george-takei-reflects-on-the-significance-of-star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan/

(May be subject to copyright)

No matter how charming and tough Captain Kirk is, how smart and endearing Mr. Spock is in an Aspergers kind of way, or how much southern charm Dr. McCoy has, my favourite member of the bridge crew of the USS Enterprise will always be Mr. Sulu.

He was cool under pressure but able to crack a good joke or take on an enemy presence with the best of them. Sulu was also essentially the pilot of the Enterprise and maneuvered her out of some sticky situations.

Able to take over a scene when called upon, George Takei is a fantastic actor, and an advocate and community leader.

It is his birthday today and a chance to look back from the time of “Star Trek” to now, and all George Takei has accomplished off the screen and away from the helm of the Enterprise.

Hard to find
Growing up on a farm in the 1980s, it was hard to find “Star Trek”. There were only three channels on peasant vision, and airing reruns of “Star Trek” was not really high on the list. So, I settled for reading about “Star Trek” in novelizations of episodes, fotonovels of episodes, and books about the history of the show.

By then “Star Wars” had come out and was on the lips of everyone. At one point, in a conversation, one of my friends referred to “Solo” when he meant Sulu. I had to correct him.

It seems like heresy now.

Eventually, CBC Channel 9 did start airing “Star Trek” on Saturdays. Sometimes it was in the morning, and sometimes at night.

One of the first episodes I saw was “The Naked Time”, where the crew contracts a virus that lowers their inhibitions and makes them seem drunk. George Takei steals the show in every scene Sulu appears. He is a swashbuckling, shirtless pirate. At one point he taps the top of his sword and yelps “ouch”, as if he was surprised it was sharp and pointy.

That was just one example of the talent of George Takei.

It is unfortunate, he really didn’t get a lot of chances to stretch his acting muscles.

Going to the movies
The big thing the ‘80s brought to “Star Trek” fans was the movies. It started with “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” in December of 1979, where the crew reunites to save the galaxy from an unknown intelligence. That movie was big on special effects, but the plot was like one of the weaker episodes. It made a lot of money but disappointed fans enough to put the franchise in jeopardy if the next movie wasn’t better.

What resulted was what I like to call the trilogy – “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” in 1982; “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” in 1984; and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” in 1986. They were excellent movies, especially the “Wrath of Khan” which, to me, saved the franchise.

I don’t recall George Takei doing too much in “The Motion Picture”, but his role grew during the next three movies, especially when the old crew steal the Enterprise to rescue Spock. Sulu is right there, demonstrating his loyalty to his friend and his old crew. He had some memorable moments too. In one, he is called “Tiny” by a security guard. Shortly after, Sulu knocks him out, but does not leave before standing over him and saying, “And don’t call me tiny.”

It was just example of his comic timing and charm on screen.

It was then that I also learned his first name is Hikaru.

The decade ended in 1989 with the disastrous “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”, which again just was not very good. In fact, it is the only Star Trek movie with the original characters, that I have only seen once. I have had no real interest in seeing it again.

Once more, I don’t recall much of a role for Sulu.

The final movie
That changed in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” which came out in 1992. It was the final movie with all the original series characters, and opens with Sulu finally getting his due. In the opening scene, we discover he is captain of his own ship.

It was about time.

The years after
George Takei has forged a unique path since his days on “Star Trek”. In addition to appearing at conventions, fan events, and more, he has become an advocate.

He came out of the closet and had become a champion for the LGBTQ community. He married his long-time boyfriend and has become a role model.

As a child, Takei was interned in camps along with thousands of other Japanese-Americans during the Second World War. It was part of the paranoia after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and fuelled by racism that already existed in the country. Takei has brought attention to that sorry chapter in history, and told his own story of childhood trauma.

Parting thoughts
George Takei just has a natural charisma and charm on screen. The combination of timing, that deep melodic voice, and just plain acting talent make him my favourite member of the “Star Trek” crew.

However, what has really impressed me is what George Takei has done beyond “Star Trek”. He is an advocate and a role model.

As much as the ideals of “Star Trek” chart out a better world and a brighter future, George Takei embodies that ideal every day with his actions.

Dudley Moore: More than “Arthur”

Dudley Moore, at left, with Liza Minelli in "Arthur" in 1981.

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082031/mediaviewer/rm785239040/

(May be subject to copyright)

He will always be kind of a soused but charming English man with some disarming charm, and a smart remark.

It’s Dudley Moore’s birthday today, and a chance to take a look back at his career.

The years before
To be honest, I really have not seen a lot of Dudley Moore films, yet he always just seemed to be there. I did not know his career dated back to 1961 and British movies.

The first time I ever saw him was in “Foul Play” in 1978. It was on the Sunday night movie on Channel 13, and I had to keep the volume down low on the TV so I didn’t keep my parents awake. It was a great murder mystery where Dudley Moore played opposite Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase, trying to stop an assassination plot against the Pope. Moore plays a British womanizer who hits on Hawn.

Later that same year, Moore would play Dr. Watson in “Hound of the Baskervilles” opposite Peter Cook as “Sherlock Holmes”.

Then, in 1979, Moore had a North American breakout when he appeared opposite Bo Derek in “10”. Moore plays a middle-aged man infatuated with a young model he pursues to Mexico. The role also gave him status as a romantic leading man.

That new status would propel much of his career in the ‘80s.

Oscar-nominated
It was an inauspicious start to the new decade with “Wholly Moses!” in 1980, a biblical spoof where Moore plays a man misled to think he is a prophet of God.

Moore’s fortunes would change dramatically in 1981, when he played the title character in “Arthur”. He was a drunk millionaire in New York doomed to an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress. Instead, he falls for a working glass woman from Queens played by Liza Minelli. The role earned Moore a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

That would be the peak of Moore’s career in the ‘80s and beyond.

The rest of the decade
Moore appeared opposite Mary Tyler Moore in the drama “Six Weeks” in 1982, then in a string of romantic comedies. It started with “Lovesick” where he played opposite Elizabeth McGovern in 1983; then “Romantic Comedy” opposite Mary Steenburgen also in 1983; and “Unfaithfully Yours” in 1984 opposite Nastassja Kinski, Armand Assante and Albert Brooks.

He was also in two more movies in 1984. In “Best Defense” Moore played an engineer developing a targeting system on a tank for the United States Army. In “Micki and Maude”, he plays a man married to two women played by Ann Reinking and Amy Irving. For his efforts, Moore won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy/Musical.

He closed out the decade with “Santa Claus: The Movie” in 1985, where he plays one of Santa’s elves; “Like Father Like Son” in 1987 where Kirk Cameron played his son and they changed bodies; and “Arthur 2: On the Rocks” in 1988, which was a disappointing sequel that he would later distance himself from.

The years after
Dudley Moore only appeared in a handful of movies, before his final film role in “The Mighty Kong” in 1998. I did not realized he had a degenerative brain disorder. He died in 2002 of pneumonia resulting from tht brain disorder.

He was just 66 years old.

Parting thoughts
Dudley Moore is another unique part of the 1980s. He was an odd sort of romantic lead, English, and not quite like anyone else. I can’t quite think of someone now anything like Dudley Moore to be honest.

I guess the reason I think of him as always soused with a smart remark is because that was his character in “Arthur”. It was pretty much the only major role I saw him in. I also saw him in “Foul Play”, but that was a minor role.

Never did I realize he was as prolific and decorated an actor as he was.

Dudley Moore was much more than “Arthur”.

Rick Moranis: Prolific in the ‘80s, family man beyond

Rick Moranis plays a hockey coach in the 1984 television movie "Hockey Night".

Source: https://www.tumblr.com/producejoe/739901509344641024/

(May be subject to copyright)

He never seemed to have the best luck. Either he was being shrunken to microscopic size, blown up to monstrous proportions, or possessed by an evil demon. Throw in some time with a demented plant, a beer guzzling dim-witted brother, and under a space helmet, and Rick Moranis had quite a wild ride in the 1980s.

His name came across my newsfeed today because it is his birthday, and he largely has retired from the movies.

That was not the case in the 1980s, when he had a lot going on in both in Canada and the States.

Second City Television
Rick Moranis really got his start on “Second City Television” in 1980. Wikipedia reveals he is the only cast member not to come from a Second City stage troupe.

In 1980, with “SCTV” moving to CBC in 1980 and syndication in the United States, Mornis and his good friend Dave Thomas were challenged to fill two additional minutes with identifiable Canadian content.

Thus Bob and Doug McKenzie and their show “The Great White North” were born. They were two beer guzzling, toque and flannel wearing hosers who made fun of each other. The duo ended up having a successful album and a movie in 1983 called “Strange Brew”.

Moranis’ time on “SCTV” ended in 1982. After “Strange Brew”, Moranis got really busy in the rest of the decade.

Classic Canadiana
In 1984, Moranis appeared in “Hockey Night”, which is just as about as Canadian as a movie can get. It starred a very young Megan Follows and Yannick Bisson in his first TV role. Follows plays a girl who moves to a small town and wants to play hockey for the boys’ team. Bisson is one of the members of that team. Moranis plays the coach who gets caught in the middle when the team’s sponsor does not want a girl on the team.

I saw this movie when it aired in 1984 on CBC Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial and really liked it.

I saw it again a couple years ago, and it stands up pretty well, in my opinion.

Movie magic
Moranis also appeared in several movies in 1984. He started with “Streets of Fire” a dystopian fable about an ex-soldier out to rescue his ex-girlfriend. Moranis plays a sleazy concert promoter who is the woman’s current boyfriend.

Later that year, Moranis was back on the screen in the blockbuster “Ghostbusters” where he plays a poor nebbish possessed by a demon the Ghostbusters do battle with.

He rounded out the year in “The Wild Life”, a movie I have never seen.

In 1985, he was in “Brewster’s Million” which starred Richard Pryor who stands to inherit $300 million if he can spend $30 million in 30 days. Moranis was also in “Head Office”, which I had never even heard of.

Then in 1986, Moranis was in “Club Paradise”, a movie I have never seen, and “Little Shop of Horrors” where he plays a nerdy florist contending with a carnivorous plant. I have never actually seen this version in its entirety, but I have seen the stage version.

In 1987, Moranis spoofed Darth Vader in the Mel Brooks parody “Space Balls” as Dark Helmet, and he is hilarious.

He reprised his role as a nebbish possessed by a demon in “Ghostbusters II” in 1989. He also appeared opposite Steve Martin in “Parenthood”.

The year 1989 also marked the first time Moranis played eccentric scientist Wayne Szalinski in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” whose experiment well, shrinks his kids.

By the end of the ‘80s, Rick Moranis had put together an incredible body of work, and it looked like he had nothing but good days in front of him.

The years after
Rick Moranis appeared in “My Blue Heaven”; the sequel “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid”; “Splitting Heirs”; “The Flintstones", where he brought Barney Rubble to life; “Little Giants”; “Big Bully”; and the second sequel “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves”.

Sadly, his wife died of cancer in 1991, so Moranis tapered off acting as his two children got older. He stopped altogether for awhile in 1997.

He slowly returned to acting in 2001 with some direct to video movies, and a few TV appearances. Those included two Bob and Doug McKenzie projects and a guest spot on “The Goldbergs” in 2018 as Dark Helmet.

Parting thoughts
Rick Moranis was incredibly prolific through the ‘80s in a variety of roles that really have stood up to the test of time.

However, as funny and talented as he is, I will forever admire him for walking away from that success to be a dad to his children.

Beyond all those great characters he played, that commitment to his family is all about character.

The short happy hockey life of Bruce McNall

Bruce McNall, owner of the Los Angeles Kings in the late '80s, engineered

the trade that brought Wayne Gretzky to Southern California in 1988.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_McNall

(May be subject to copyright)

He may be best known as the man who either “Stole Wayne Gretzky” or “Bought Wayne Gretzky and took him to the States”.

It is true that Bruce McNall did engineer the trade that wrestled the greatest hockey player in the world from the Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers. Then he re-located Gretzky to a place that paid little attention to hockey, and a team that didn’t give them much reason to. That move would not only make the Los Angeles Kings an instant Stanley Cup contender, but lead to the growth of hockey not only in Southern California but all over the United States.

He would try and replicate that feat in the Canadian Football League, with nowhere near the same level of success, then drifted into oblivion when he was beset with legal difficulties.

It is Bruce McNall’s birthday today, and a chance to reflect on his life and times.

Out of nowhere
Back in the ‘80s, it was rare for the public to know the owners of hockey teams. It was a little different in Canada, where the population is smaller and more intimate, and we follow hockey much closer. That’s why we know Peter Pocklington owned the Edmonton Oilers, Nelson Skalbania initially owned the Calgary Flames, and Harold Ballard owned the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Beyond that, it was rare to know who owned any of the other teams, especially the American ones. I am a Boston Bruins fan, but I had no idea who owned them in the ‘80s.

Oddly, I did know a little about the history of the owners of the Los Angeles Kings. I had read in “The Hockey News” the Kings were owned by Jack Kent Cooke, who was a Canadian. He also owned the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, and the Washington football club.

The next time, I heard about the owner of the Kings, it was in the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Kings had fallen behind 5-0 in the third period to the Edmonton Oilers at home in the Los Angeles Forum. Kings owners Jerry Buss just stormed out. The Kings ended up mounting a comeback to beat the Oilers and ultimately eliminate them from the playoffs. Buss also owned the Lakers. He in fact, had bought the Kings, Lakers and the Forum from Cooke.

When the story began to come out about the Gretzky trade, I still thought Buss owned the Kings, because the name of the owner was never really mentioned.

Then, when everything was announced there was the owner of the Kings, a man named Bruce McNall.

To me, Bruce McNall seemed to come out of nowhere.

Back story
I really had heard nothing about McNall, other than he was rich. Later, I heard he had made his money in rare coins, but that didn’t seem like a sustainable source of income.

Wikipedia reveals McNall claimed to have made his initial fortune as a coin collector. He also produced several Hollywood movies in the 1980s including “The Manhattan Project” and “Weekend at Bernie’s”.

McNall bought 25 per cent of the Kings from Jerry Buss in 1986, then an additional 24 per cent in 1987 to become the team’s majority shareholder. He bought the rest of Buss’ shares in 1988.

He was set to turn the hockey world upside down.

The trade
I remember the day well. I was home from university for the summer and was already getting ready to go back to school in the Fall. Rumours had started early in the day about a possible trade between the Oilers and Kings involving Wayne Gretzky, who was the greatest player on Earth, and I thought untouchable.

Then the impossible happened.

On August 9, 1988, the Kings acquired Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and $15 million US.

McNall then increased Gretky’s salary from less than $1 million to $3 million yearly, which began a wage spiral.

Improvement
The Kings historically had been one of the worst teams in the league. They qualified for the playoffs by virtue of a generous playoff format which saw four teams from each of the four divisions qualify for the playoffs.

Now, the Kings were not just looking to qualify, they were looking to win it all.

In Gretzky’s first season, they upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Oilers in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Calgary. The second year, the 1989-1990 season, the Kings upset the defending Stanley Cup champion for the second year in a row. This time it was the Calgary Flames.

In 1992, McNall was elected chairman of the NHL Board of Governors, the second highest post in the league.

The Kings kept on improving and finally, in 1993, they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Montreal Canadiens.

Football
McNall continued to become better known in Canada when, in 1991, he, John Candy and Gretzky purchased the Toronto Argonauts. He then shocked the football world by signing highly regarded college prospect Raghib “Rocket” Ismail of Notre Dame to a two-year contract. The move paid immediate benefits as the Argonauts won the 1991 Grey Cup, keyed by a kick return touchdown in the big game by “The Rocket”.

Flame out
As bright as Bruce McNall’s star shone, it flamed out just as quickly. Wikipedia reveals in December of 1993, McNall defaulted on a $90 million loan and Bank of America threatened to force the Kings into bankruptcy if he did not sell the team.

Also in December of 1993, McNall plead guilty to five counts of conspiracy and fraud, and admitted to bilking six banks out of $236 million over 10 years. He was sentenced to 70 months in prison. It emerged shortly after that he had put the Kings in serious financial jeopardy. That effectively ended his ownership of the Argonauts too

McNall sold controlling interest in the Kings in 1994, and resigned as chairman of the NHL Board of Governors. The Kings were forced into bankruptcy in 1995, and were plagues with financial problems for years after.

He was released from prison in 2001 after his sentence was reduced by 13 months for good behaviour.

Then Bruce McNall got on with his life post-hockey.

Parting thoughts
It’s almost like one of the Hollywood movies Bruce McNall produced. A mysterious owner spirits away hockey’s greatest player, and becomes a force in professional hockey and football. Then it turns out he made his money the old-fashioned way – he stole it. Just as quickly as he arrived on the scene, he was gone.

It was a short, happy hockey life for Bruce McNall.