Edwin Moses: Unstoppable hurdler

Legendary American hurdler Edwin Moses was unbeatable much of the '80s.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edwin-Moses

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He was the man who could not be beaten, a humble hurdler who just kept on winning. Like a Swiss watch, Edwin Moses was like clockwork in the 400-mete hurdles, gliding over hurdle after hurdle, leaving his competition behind him.

He went years without losing then, when a newfound rival finally did beat him – once – he just started another winning streak.

In a day with brash and cocky American runners such as Noah Lyle, it is a great time to look at one of America’s finest champions who just went about his business on the track.

That business was winning.

Starting out
Edwin Moses was born and raised in Ohio, attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia where he competed on the track team. He ran mostly the 120-yard hurdles and 440-yard dash and, before March of 1976, ran just one 400-metre hurdles race.

That changed when he began to focus on the event. Wikipedia reveals with his height of six feet and two inches, he developed a technique where he was able to run a consistent 13 steps between each hurdle. This allowed him to pull away in the second half of races, because his competitors often took 15 strides, or chopped their stride, which changed their stride pattern.

The same year he began to focus on the 400-metre hurdles, he qualified for the 1976 United States Olympic Track and Field Team. They were off to Montreal for the games of the 21st Olympiad.

The 1976 Olympics were Edwin Moses’ first international meet. He won the gold medal and set a world record of 47.63 seconds. After breaking his own record the following year in Los Angeles with a time of 47.45 seconds, he lost to Harald Schmid of West Germany on August 26, 1977 in Berlin. It was Moses’ fourth defeat in the 400-metre hurdles.

Beginning the next week, Moses beat Schmid by 15 metres in Düsseldorf, and did not lose another race for nine years, nine months, and nine days.

Moses also won the International Association of Athletics Federations World Cup in 1977 in Düsseldorf and in 1979 in Montreal

Dawn of the decade
Edwin Moses qualified for the 1980 United States Olympic team, but he never got to compete in Moscow. The Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Out of protest over this act of aggression, the United States, Canada, and other countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics, which the Soviets were hosting.

It always bothered me that these athletes were pawns in a political game. They had trained and sacrificed for years, only to have their dream snatched away over something completely out of their control. Something I did not learn until recently was that the United States created 461 Congressional Gold Medals for the American athletes.

Edwin Moses received one of those medals.

In 1981, he would win his third International Association of Athletics Federations World Cup, this time in Rome.

The 1984 Olympics
The first time I ever heard of Edwin Moses was at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. There was a lot of talk about him, because he hadn’t lost a race in seven years, and seemed virtually unbeatable. Coming into the 1984 Olympics, Moses had won 89 consecutive finals, including the inaugural 1983 World Championships in Helsinki.

It was expected to be a coronation, more than a race. However, the competition did include Harald Schmidt, the last man to beat Moses, and up-and-coming 18-yeard old American Danny Harris. There was a third American who got a lot of attention as well, named Tranel Hawkins.

Moses did not disappoint, winning his second Olympic Gold Medal, in a time of 47.75 seconds. Harris won the silver with a time of 48.13 seconds, and Schmid won bronze in a time of 48.19 seconds. Hawkins finished sixth, in a time of 49.42 seconds.

I recall CBC commentator Geoff Gowan saying the only man who could beat Moses was not the German Harald Schmid, or fellow American Tranel Hawkins, but an up and coming hurdler named Danny Harris.

Gowan would prove to be prophetic.

What’s next
Edwin Moses just kept on winning, taking the gold medal in the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow.

His streak ended on June 4, 1987 in Madrid, when the aforementioned Danny Harris beat him. Moses had won 122 consecutive races.

He immediately put together another 10-win streak, including the 1987 World Championship in Rome in August.

The final race of his career was the final of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, where Edwin Moses took bronze, behind American Andre Phillips who won the gold and Amadou Dia Ba of Senegal who took the silver medal.

Edwin Moses retired after that race.

Parting thoughts
Edwin Moses was a model of consistency, effort, determination and hard work. He was one of the most dominant hurdlers in history but he wasn’t a dominator.

Instead, he was humble and went about his business. There was no chest thumping, bragging, or theatrics.

That, more than his record of achievement, is why I love Edwin Moses and consider him one of the very best of all time.

It wasn’t just that he won, but how he won, and what he did after.

Ray Burris: One magical season

Montreal Expo Pitcher Ray Burris in 1981.

Source: https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/

october-14-1981-expos-ray-burris-outduels-valenzuela-to-even-up-nlcs/

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He may have had a long Major League Baseball career, but for me, pitcher Ray Burris had one magical season. It was for a team no one really knew outside Canada, that came within a whisker of going to the World Series.

Burris was a big part of the staff that propelled the 1981 Montreal Expos to within one pitch of playing for a world championship.

It wasn’t a pitch he delivered – but maybe should have.

Perhaps things would be different.

The years before
Ray Burris was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft, and made his major league debut in 1973 against, coincidentally, the Montreal Expos. He stayed with the Cubs through to the 1979 season. Part way through 1979, he was traded to the New York Yankees. After making 15 appearances with the Yankees, the New York Mets claimed Burris off waivers.

He stayed with the Mets through the end of the 1980 season.

In the offseason he decided to head north.

Ray Burris joined the Montreal Expos for the 1981 season.

Dream season
Ray Burris’ dream season started out as a nightmare. The 1981 season was interrupted by a players’ strike, stopped part way through the season. When play resumed, Major League Baseball made an interesting decision.

The playoffs would be different. There would be two rounds. All the teams who were in first place in their divisions when play was stopped would be declared first half champions. The records would go back to zero, and the second half champions would play the first half champions in a best-of-five divisional playoff series. If the same team won both halves, the second place team in the second half would qualify for the playoffs. The winners of those divisional series would then play in the standard league championship series.

Burris’ record was three wins and five losses with a 3.09 earned run average when the strike stopped play.

When the season resumed, Burris turned his season around. He turned in a record of six wins and two losses with an earned run average of 3.01.

The Expos had a record of 30 wins and 23 losses to win the second half division title, beating out the St. Louis Cardinals but just one game. That meant the Expos were going to the postseason for the first and only time in their history in Montreal.

It was also the only time Ray Burris went to the playoffs in his entire 15-year Major League Baseball career.

Division series
Awaiting the Expos in the National League Division Series was the Philadelphia Phillies, defending World Series champions and winners of the first half division title.

The Expos opened the best-of-five series with two games at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, winning them by scores of 3-1 and 6-2. The next three games, if necessary, would move to Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Burris would make just one start in the series. He got the call in Game 3, providing a chance to clinch the series and punch Montreal’s ticket to the National League Championship Series. He started against Larry Christianson. After the Expos scored a run in the top of the second, Burris gave up two runs in the bottom half of the inning. That 2-1 score remained when Burris left the game in the fifth inning with one out and runners on first and second. Reliever Bill “Spaceman” Lee allowed both runners to score, giving Burris four earned runs. He took the loss as the Expos dropped a 6-2 decision, and Philadelphia closed the gap to 2-1 in the series.

The Phillies forced a fifth and deciding game with a 1-0, 10-inning win in Game 4. In the deciding fifth game, Montreal rallied, as Steve Rogers pitched a complete game, 3-0 shut out, and drove in the first two runs of the game. Montreal went on to win the game and the series 3-2.

Looming on the horizon were the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Houston Astros in the National League West Division Series.

Championship series
Back in 1981, the league championship series was a best-of-five, not a best-of-seven.

Los Angeles won Game 1 as Burt Hooton beat Bill Gulickson in Dodgers Stadium by a score of 5-1.

Burris got the start in Game 2, knowing a loss would put his team on the brink of elimination. Compounding the problem was the Dodgers were sending Fernando Valenzuela to the mound. He was a tough lefty with a wicked screwball, who would go on to be National League rookie of the year and National League most valuable player.

I remember watching a chunk of this game at my friend and neighbour Mike’s farm. Burris was masterful in that game, He scattered five singles over nine innings, pitching a complete game, 3-0, shut out. Twice the Dodgers got something going, in the sixth and ninth inning, but both times the Expos turned double plays to end the threat.

The Expos won Game 3 by a score of 4-1 in Montreal, but the Dodgers forced a fifth and deciding game with a 7-1 win.

Montreal called on Ray Burris to start Game 5, and again he was up to the challenge, facing Valenzuela in a re-match of Game 2. Burris allowed just one run over eight innings, and left the game when the Expos pinch-hit for him in their half of the eighth inning.

He was still going strong, but Montreal thought they had a better chance to get the Dodgers out in the ninth inning by bringing in their ace Steve Rogers. With two out, he gave up a solo home run to Rick Monday, which stood up as the winning run.

The Dodgers won the game 2-1, the series 3-2, and would go on to defeat the New York Yankees to win the 1981 World Series.

Montreal should have left Burris in the game.

The rest of the decade
Ray Burris would pitch three seasons for the Expos from 1981 to 1983, then moved on to Oakland for the 1984 season, Milwaukee for the 1984 and 1985 seasons, St. Louis for 1986, and back to Milwaukee for the 1987 season when he retired.

He never again pitched for a team that made the playoffs.

Parting thoughts
Ray Burris will also have a special place in my heart. I followed the Montreal Expos closely back then because they were a contender year after year after year, and finally made it to the playoffs in that 1981 season.

Steve Rogers may have been their ace but, to make a playoff run, a team has to have a lot more pitching than one arm.

Ray Burris provided that pitching, especially in the National League Championship Series. He not only out-duelled one of the best pitchers in baseball, but went the distance in shutting out the eventual World series champions.

He was also called upon to help the Expos win a trip to the World Series, starting the fifth and deciding game of the National League Championship Series. Again he responded, allowing just one run when he left.

I believe he should have stayed in the game because he had the Dodgers’ number that series.

Instead, he was pulled and the result led to heartbreak for the Expos.

Still, Ray Burris was a big part of that magical 1981 season.

Elliott Gould: More than Ross and Monica’s dad on “Friends”

Elliott Gould in the 1981 movie "The Devil and Max Devlin".

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082263/mediaviewer/rm1043090432/

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Long before he was Ross and Monica Geller’s dad on “Friends”, Elliott Gould was the original “Trapper” John McIntyre; an agent of Satan; star of failed sitcoms; part of “ER”, but not the one you may think, and much more.

He has had a diverse and prolific career and, on the occasion of his birthday, it is time to reflect on “The One About Elliott Gould”.

In the beginning
Elliott Gould got his start in 1964 in the movie “Quick Let’s Get Married”, and followed it up in 1968 with “The Night They Raided Minsky’s”. He had his breakout role a year later in “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice”, where he starred with Natalie Wood, Natalie Wood and Dyan Cannon in a comedy about two couples. Gould received an Oscar nomination in 1969 for Best Supporting Actor for is role in “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice”.

His next movie was “M*A*S*H” in 1970, where he originated the role of “Trapper” John McIntyre. By the time I saw the movie, I had seen the TV show and, to me, “Trapper” John McIntyre was the curly-haired jokester played by Wayne Rogers. He did not have a big moustache like Gould did. I did like that he threw around a football though. Interestingly, I have seen the first part of the movie “M*A*S*H” several times, but fell asleep every single time part way through. To this day, I have never seen all of the movie.

For his efforts, Gould received a Golden Globe nomination for “M*A*S*H” for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

He worked steadily through the 1970s in a lot of movies, including “The Long Goodbye” as legendary private detective Philip Marlowe; “S*P*Y*S” where he starred opposite Donald Sutherland, his co-star in “M*A*S*H” who played “Hawkeye” Pierce; “A Bridge Too Far”, a Second World War movie; “Capricorn One” with James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and O.J. Simpson, about a faked mission to Mars and the conspiracy to perpetuate the lie; “The Muppet Movie”; and much more.

Dawn of the decade
Gould began the 1980s with “The Last Flight of Noah’s Ark”, which I am sure I saw on Walt Disney Presents on Sunday night. Gould plays a pilot who gets involved in adventure when he flies an evangelist, a bunch of animals, and two stowaways to the South Pacific in a B-29. Ricky Schroder also stars.

His next movie was one of my favourites of the decade.

“The Devil and Max Devlin”
In 1981, my sister and I travelled to the College Cinema in the Woolco Mall in Lethbridge to see a movie called “The Devil and Max Devlin”.

Gould played Max Devlin, a tenement landlord and despicable human who is killed when hit by a car. He is confronted by the devil, in the form of Bill Cosby before he actually became one, who offers Max the chance to save his soul.

All he has to do is deliver the souls of three young, innocent teens to save his own soul. One is a struggling singer, another is a teen who wants to race dirt bikes, and a third just wants a family. In the end, Max redeems himself when he refuses to deliver the souls.

In the case of the singer, it wasn’t Max’s powers of the occult that made her successful. She just found her confidence. In the last scene, she sings her hit single all on her own as Max looks to Heaven and mouths a thanks to God.

That singer was Julie Budd, and her songs in “The Devil ad Max Devlin” really resonated with me.

She was incredible.

It was not the last I saw of Elliott Gould either.

TV Time
Elliott Gould continued acting in the ‘80s in a lot of movies including “The Muppets Take Manhattan”.

Gould also transitioned into television, playing the Giant in the “Jack and the Beanstalk” episode of “Faerie Tale Theatre” in 1983.

He had his first recurring role in a series in the comedy “E/R” or “Emergency Room“ in the 1984-1985 season. Gould played Dr. Howard Sheinfeld, an ear, nose and throat specialist who moonlights in an ER in Chicago to make his alimony payments. Unlike a later show called “ER”, this one lasted just 22 episodes before it was cancelled.

In 1986, he was in this incredible movie called “Vanishing Act”, where police go through an elaborate scheme to trick a man, played by Mike Farrell, into admitting he killed his wife. Gould played Lieutenant Rudameyer.

Later that same year Gould was in an unforgettable episode of “The Twilight Zone” called “The Misfortune Cookie”, where he plays a ruthless food critic who literally gets his just desserts.

Also in 1986, Gould tried his hand at another comedy. This one was called “Together We Stand” where he starred with Dee Wallace as a couple with three children who adopt two more. One, Sam, was played by Ke Huy Quan, who had just entertained crowds as the boy Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. Gould’s character was killed off after six episodes, and the show shifted its focus to his wife trying to cope with his death. The show lasted just one season and 19 episodes

My one memory of the show, which aired on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial, was the way Sam tried to say Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it never came out right. The next day in Social Studies 30 class, Shawn Kingston, who sat in front of me, referred to that scene, imitating Sam’s attempt to say Schwarzeneger.

Gould would appear in a number of TV movies, and close out the decade with an appearance in “Murder, She Wrote”.

The years after
Elliott Gould continues to appear in movies and TV to this day.

His movies have included “Bugsy”; “The Player”, as himself; “Amore!”: “American History X”; “Ocean’s Eleven”; “Ocean’s Twelve”; “Ocean’s Thirteen”; “Ocean’s 8”; and much more. His most recent film was “You People” in 2023.

Gould has also done a lot of television work including “The Hitchhiker”; “The Ray Bradbury Theatre”; “L.A. Law”; “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”; “Burke’s Law”; “Cybill”, as himself; “Touched by an Angel”; “Diagnosis: Murder”; 17 episodes of “Getting Personal”; 14 episodes of “Baby Bob”; “Las Vegas”; “Drop Dead Diva”; “Law and Order”; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”; “The Cape”; “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”; 19 episodes of “Ray Donovan”; three episodes of “Sensitive Skin”; 13 episodes of “Mulaney”; “Hawaii Five-O”; “Grace and Frankie”; and much more.

Most notably, he appeared in 20 episodes of “Friends” as Jack Geller, the father of Ross and Monica, played by David Schwimmer and Courtney Cox.

Gould’s most recent work was five episodes of “The Lincoln Lawyer” in 2022 and 2023.

Parting thoughts
Elliott Gould has portrayed a number of great characters from “Trapper” John McIntyre to Jack Geller. Yet, to me, when I hear the name Elliott Gould, I will always think of “The Devil and Max Devlin”. One of the running gags in the movie was that Max seemed to knick himself shaving in a different place every morning. It was a nice touch.

It just shows, Elliott Gould is much more than Ross and Monica’s dad on “Friends”.

Pat Harrington: Building superintendent for the ages

Pat Harrington as building superintendent Dwayne F. Schneider in the sitcom "One Day at a Time".

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/pat-harrington-jr-one-day-at-a-time-actor-dead-at-86-64251/

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“Always remember, and please never forget.”

Dwayne F. Schneider began many a sentence this way, only to follow it up with a pearl of his unique wisdom. It was usually intended for one, two or all of the people living in Ann Romano’s apartment on the classic and durable sitcom “One Day at a Time”.

There may not have been a more well-known building superintendent then the charming, blue collar, man’s man played by Pat Harrington for nine seasons.

On the occasion of his recent birthday, and the fact I have been binge watching “One Day at a Time”, it is a good opportunity to look back at Schneider as well as Harrington’s other work.

The years before
Pat Harrington got his start on television in 1956 on “The NBC Comedy Hour”.

He went on to appear in shows such as “Make Room for Daddy”; “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”; “Kentucky Jones”; “Mr. Novak”; “The Lucy Show”; “The Munsters”; “McHale’s Navy”; “F Troop”; “The Beverly Hillbillies”; “The Man from U*N*C*L*E”; “Run for Your Life”; “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”; “The Outsider”; “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”; “Here Come the Brides”; “The Flying Nun”; “The Most Deadly Game”; “The New Andy Griffith Show”; “The Interns”; “Marcus Welby, M.D.”; “The Bold Ones: The Lawyers”; “Cade’s County”; “Nanny and the Professor”; “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”; “The Rookies”; “The Girl With Something Extra”; “Love, American Style”; “The Partridge Family”; “The New Perry Mason”; “Faraday and Company”; “Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law”; “The New Dick Van Dyke Show”; “Banacek”; “Columbo”; “Kolchak: The Night Stalker”; “Police Story”; “Police Woman”; “Fay”; “McMillan and Wife”; “Ellery Queen”; “The Invisible Man”; and more.

He also appeared in a number of movies, dating back to “The Wheeler Dealers” in 1967, such as “Easy Come, Easy Go”; “The President’s Analyst”; “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes”; and more.

In 1975, he took a role that would take him into living rooms across the continent.

One Day at a Time
Pat Harrington played Dwayne F. Schneider from the first episode of “One Day at a Time” in 1975, until the series finale in 1984, for nine seasons and a total of 209 episodes.

Through it all, Schneider evolved from, essentially a lecherous building superintendent taking inappropriate advantage of his pass key, to a sensitive, multi-layered, expressive character.

He would constantly involve himself in the affairs of Ann Romano and her daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper. Often, they would kick him out but, as they got to know him, he became part of the family. He was very protective of everyone in that apartment.

He was also a man’s man – enjoying fishing; hunting; spending time with his brothers at the lodge; drinking beer; and spending time with his many lady friends. As the building superintendent he also enjoyed tools; mechanical things; construction; maintenance; and so much more.

Schneider had this folk wisdom from his time in the Navy, but also from living an adventurous life. That sometimes revealed itself with one of the heavier episodes such as when Schneider laments the likelihood he will never have children; faced death; was betrayed by a nephew he trusted; and when Ann, Barbara, or Julie were really hurting.

In the final episode with the entire cast, Ann has taken a job in Europe. Schneider shows up at Ann’s door in a suit, and says, “Always remember, and please never forget…Annie, I love you.” He starts to cry as he closes the door.

There would be one final episode of “One Day at a Time”. It was a backdoor pilot with Schneider leaving Indianapolis to move to Florida to take care of his brother’s son and daughter. It was never picked up as a series.

For his efforts, Pat Harrington won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1984, his final year as Schneider. I wondered if it was given as a sort of lifetime achievement award. He also won a Golden Globe in 1980 for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series for the role of Dwayne F. Schneider.

The rest of the decade
Pat Harrington kept on appearing in other productions during and after “One Day at a Time”, right through the rest of the ‘80s.

He appeared in “The Love Beat”; “Glitter”; “Who’s the Boss?”; “Comedy Factory”; “Crazy Like a Fox”; “Hotel”; “Duet”; and “The Ray Bradbury Theater.

The years after
Harrington continued on in the ‘90s and beyond with “Sydney”, starring old “One Day at a Time” co-star Valerie Bertinelli; “Murder, She Wrote”; “The Golden Girls”; “Hearts are Wild”; “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill”; “Street Justice”; “Civil Wars”; “Silk Stalkings”; “The George Carlin Show”; “Empty Nest”; “Burke’s Law”; “Kirk”; “Roseanne”; “The Wayans Bros.”; “Fantasy Island”; “Diagnosis Murder”; “Las Vegas”; “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; and “The King of Queens”.

His last appearance was in “Hot in Cleveland” in 2012, once again opposite Bertinelli.

Pat Harrington died on January 6, 2016.

He was 86.

Parting thoughts
Watching “One Day at a Time” has illustrated to me how great an actor Pat Harrington is. As Dwayne F. Schneider, he was equal parts funny, sensitive, tough, macho and kind. Initially, he was a letch who hit on Ann Romano but, over time, became more like a brother, someone who was there in good times and bad. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was not just some caricature. He had feelings and emotions. Sometimes he got hurt, and you could see it on his face.

I am so glad he won an Emmy for the role because, for nine season, he developed, nurtured and explored every facet of Dwayne F. Schneider – making him a building superintendent for the ages.

Pat Gillick: Architect of a champion

Pat Gillick, general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in the '80s, built them into a perennial contender.

Source: https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/ex-blue-jays-exec-gillick-remembers-garcia-good-player-good-person/

(May be subject to copyright)

He got criticized for not making enough moves before the trade deadline to put his Toronto Blue Jays over the top in their quest to win the American League East Division. He was even nicknamed “Stand Pat”. Yet, without Pat Gillick, the Blue Jays would never have reached the heights they did in the ‘90s.

That’s because Gillick, who celebrated his birthday today, laid the groundwork with some amazing player moves in the ‘80s that started it all.

In the beginning
Pat Gillick has a strange intersection into my own world. In my job as a weekly newspaper editor, I cover the communities of Claresholm, Stavely, Granum and the surrounding area.

Gillick was born in California and went to high school there. According to Wikipedia, upon graduation, he hitchhiked to Vulcan, Alberta, a community about 40 minutes from Claresholm, to pitch for the Vulcan Elks of the Foothills-Wheatbelt League. In 1956, while playing for Vulcan, he was picked up by George Wesley to pitch in tournaments for his team – the Granum White Sox. He would go on to throw a no-hitter in Medicine Hat, strike out 17 batters in Calgary, and help Granum to an 18-1 win over Fernie.

There is a museum in Granum that I have done many stories on. It has an elaborate exhibit on the White Sox. One-time owner of the Oakland A’s, Steve Schott, also played for Granum.

Gillick would go on to pitch at the University of Southern California where he helped the Trojans win the College World Series in 1958.

He graduated with a degree in business, and spent five years in the minor league systems of the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates, getting as high as Triple-A. The south paw ended his playing career with a record of 45 wins and 32 losses with an earned run average of 3.42 in 164 minor league games.

After retiring from the game, he moved into the front office in 1963 as the assistant farm director with the Houston Colt .45s. He worked his way up to director of scouting, before moving to the New York Yankees in 1974, as coordinator of player development.

In 1976, he moved on to the job that would define his career, and ultimately get him elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.

In the beginning
Gillick joined the expansion Toronto Blue Jays in 1976 as vice-president of player personnel and, in 1977, became the Jays’ vice-president of baseball operations and general manager. In 1984, he became executive vice-president of baseball operations.

The Blue Jays, initially, were your typical expansion franchise. In 1977, their inaugural season, they finished seventh, and last in the American League East Division, with 54 wins and 107 losses.

They repeated that seventh place finish in 1978, with a record of 59 wins and 102 losses.

The Blue Jays would have their worst season in franchise history in 1979, with a record of 53 wins and 109 losses. This was about the time I started watching the Jays, and recording their stats in little scribbler-type notebooks.

As the 1980s opened, it did not look like the Blue Jays were making much progress, but things would change. By the end of the decade, they were a perennial pennant contender, with two trips to the post-season and the potential of a World Series championship looming on the horizon.

Signs of life
It didn’t look that promising at the dawn of the decade. The Jays again finished seventh in the American League East with a record of 67 wins and 97 losses. It was a monumental improvement over the year before, and the first time in franchise history they did not lose 100 games.

The 1981 season would prove to be a difficult one for all of baseball. It was stopped by a players’ strike, which created some interesting dynamics. It was stopped part way through the season. When play resumed, Major League Baseball made an interesting decision.

The playoffs would be different. There would be two rounds. All the teams who were in first place in their divisions when play was stopped would be declared first half champions. The records would go back to zero, and the second half champions would play the first half champions in a best-of-five divisional playoff series. If the same team won both halves, the second place team in the second half would qualify for the playoffs. The winners of those divisional series would then play in the standard league championship series.

This really did not affect the Toronto Blue jays, because they were still not quite there yet. They finished seventh, and last, in both halves. In the first half, their record was 16 wins and 42 losses. In the second half, their record was 21 wins and 27 lessons, by far their best stretch of baseball in franchise history, and signs that things were looking up.

Breakthrough
The Blue Jays would turn the corner in the 1982 season. It would be the first year they crawled out of the cellar – sort of. They had their best record yet, with 78 wins and 84 losses, finishing in a tie with the Cleveland baseball club, but finished last based on a tie breaker.

However, the Blue Jays really began to turn their franchise around in the last part of the 1982 season, winning 17 out their last 26 games.

It set the stage for what would become a sustained streak of success that lasted more than a decade.

Team builder
Pat Gillick was the architect of this renaissance, making a number of moves to continually improve his ball club.

One of the tools he used to great advantage was the Rule 5 Draft of minor league players, which aims to prevent teams from stockpiling prospects in their minor leagues. When a team drafts a player under the Rule 5 Draft, that player must immediately join the roster of the drafting team and remain with the club the entire season. That means the team must have a roster spot available.

Gillick built the Jays by plucking players from other teams through the Rule 5 draft. In 1977, he took first baseman Willie Upshaw from the New York Yankees; outfielder George Bell from Philadelphia in 1980; and pitcher Jim Gott from St. Louis in 1981. They would all make major contributions to the Jays over the next few years.

He made some exceptional straight up trades too. In 1978 he acquired shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who would win co-rookie of the year, along with Phil Lansford from Cleveland in exchange for Victor Cruz.

In 1979, he acquired cornerstone second baseman Damaso Garcia along with Chris Chambliss and Paul Mirabella from the New York Yankees, for Rick Cerone, Tom Underwood and Ted Wilborn. Later in 1979 he acquired outfielder Barry Bonnell, Joey McLaughlin, who became the Jays’ first real, effective closer, and Pat Rockett from Atlanta for Chambliss and Luis Gomez.

In 1980, he acquired reliever Roy Lee Jackson, who became an effective set-up man, from the New York Mets for Bob Bailor.

In 1981, he acquired catcher Buck Martinez, who became another cornerstone early on, from Milwaukee for Gil Kubski. He also acquired outfielder Hosken Powell from Minnesota for a player to be named later, who became Greg Wells. Powell would be an early part of a dynamic and effective outfield.

In 1982, Gillick acquired third baseman Rance Mulliniks from Kansas City for Phil Huffman. Mulliniks would provide an effective platoon at third base with Garh Iorg.

Gillick made some great free agent signings as well such as pitcher Luis Leal in 1979. Leal would be an effective third starter when the Jays started winning.

In the off-season leading up to the 1983 season, Gillick signed second baseman Nelson Liriano, who was a big part of the infield later in the decade, in November of 1982. He also acquired Cliff Johnson, who would become an effective designated hitter and clubhouse leader, in a trade with Oakland for Alvis Woods. Gillick acquired pitcher Jim Acker from Atlanta in the Rule 5 Draft. Then he engineered a massive trade with the New York Yankees, acquiring outfielder Dave Collins, first baseman Fred McGriff and pitcher Mike Morgan for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray. All three of those players would make major contributions to the Jays. In February of 1983, Gillick acquired first baseman Cecil Fielder from Kansas City in a trade for Leon Roberts, and signed pitcher Randy Moffitt as a free agent. During the 1983 season Gilick also signed pitcher Doyle Alexander as a free agent.

Winning season
Gillick also made another inspired move when he hired Bobby Cox as manager in 1982. Together, they tilized some of the same strategies as the Oakland A’s did in “Moneyball”, way back in the ‘80s, such as platooning. They had Garth Iorg and Rance Mulliniks platooning at third base; Ernie Whitt and Buck Martinez behind the plate; and Dave Collins, Lloyd Moseby, Hosken Powell, Barry Bonnell and Jesse Barfield in the outfield.

The moves began to pay off as the Jays not only turned in their first winning season with 89 wins and 73 losses, but sat in first place at the all-star break, before fading to fourth by the end of the season.

The Jays were on the right track, but still needed to improve, most notably in their bullpen, so Gillick kept on working.

Second place
Gillick had set to work in the offseason after the 1983 season, signing outfielder Sil Campusano as a free agent; drafting third baseman Kelly Gruber from Cleveland in the Rule 5 Draft; and acquiring Willie Mays Aikens from Kansas City for Jorge Orta. Most importantly, he tried to bolster the bullpen by signing reliever Dennis Lamp, from the Chicago White Sox, as a free agent.

The Detroit Tigers started the season with a 35-5 record and never looked back. They became the only team in history to lead their division wire to wire from opening day to closing day. The Jays became the first team to go wire to wire in second place, with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses.

The Jays again had crept closer, but needed a bit more to win the division.

Over the top
Gillick set to work immediately, signing pitcher Tom Filer, who would be an effective starter, as a free agent; and drafting shortstop Manny Lee from Cleveland and Lou Thornton from the New York Mets in the Rule 5 Draft. More importantly, Gillick again tried to shore up the bullpen, acquiring all-star reliever Bill Caudill from Oakland for Alfredo Griffin and Dave Collins. In January of 1985, Gillick chose reliever Tom Henke as free agent compensation for Texas signing away Cliff Johnson. Henke would go on to be the reliever who the Jays had been looking for. During the season, Gillick acquired designated hitter Al Oliver from Los Angeles for Len Matuszek; and designated hitter Cliff Johnson back from Texas for players to be named later. In September, Gillick signed outfielder Junior Felix as a free agent. He would pay dividends in a few years..

The Jays won the American League East in 1985, with a franchise record of 99 wins and 62 losses. However, they lost the American League Championship Series in seven games to the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Drop off
Gillick did not do too much to improve the Jays in the offseason. In January of 1986 he signed infielder Luis Sojo as a free agent. Yet, in July he acquired Duane Ward for Doyle Alexander in a trade with Atlanta. Ward would go on to be the set-up man for closer Tom Henke when the Jays won the World Series in 1992. He became the closer for their World Series championship in 1993.

However, the Jays dropped to fourth with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.

Almost again
In the offseason leading up to the 1987 season, Gillick made no moves to improve his ball club. During the season he did trade for knuckleball pitcher Phil Niekro from Cleveland in an effort to add another effective starter, but released him three weeks later when he acquired pitcher Mike Flanagan from Baltimore to perform the same role. Gillick also acquired pitcher Juan Guzman from Los Angeles in a trade for Mike Sharperson. Guzman would be a key part of Toronto’s World Series teams.

The Jays led the American League East into the last weekend of the season. The only thing they could not do was get swept by the Detroit Tigers who were battling the Jays for the division title. The Tigers swept Toronto and went on to lose to eventual World Series champion Minnesota in the American League Championship Series. Still, the Jays finished second with a record of 96 wins and 66 losses, the second best record in franchise history.

Another drop off
In the offseason before the 1988 season, Gillick again did little to improve the Jays beyond selling Willie Upshaw to Cleveland, and signing free agent pitchers Juan Beniquez and Graeme Lloyd, and catcher Sal Butera. He also didn’t do much during the season beyond releasing Beniquez, and signing free agent pitcher Doug Bair.

The Jays fell to fourth in the American League East with a record of 87 wins and 75 losses.

Back on top
Before the 1989 season, Gillick signed free agent Carlos Delgado who would be a cornerstone of the club in the future; sold the rights to Cecil Fielder to the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan; re-signed free agent pitchers Mike Flanagan and Doug Bair; and sold pitcher Mark Eichhorn to Atlanta.

During the season Gillick acquired pitcher Al Leiter from the New York Yankees for Jesse Barfield; sold Doug Bair to Pittsburgh; acquired outfielder Mookie Wilson from the New York Mets for pitcher Jeff Musselman and Mike Brady; claimed outfielder Lee Mazzilli off waivers from the Mets; re-acquired pitcher Jim Acker from Atlanta for Francisco Cabrera and Tony Castillo; and signed free agent pitcher Paul Spoljaric, who became a contributor in the ‘90s. The Jays also drafted all-star first baseman John Olerud in the 1989 amateur draft.

The Jays won the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses. They were beaten soundly by the Oakland A’s in the American League Championship Series on their way to a convincing win over San Francisco in the World Series.

The years after
It becomes obvious examining these transactions that Pat Gillick could easily be called “Stand Pat”, because he didn’t make a lot of moves.

That would change after the Jays had a late-season collapse, finishing second to Boston in the American League East in the 1990 season.

Pat Gillick essentially blew up the Jays in 1991. He acquired all-star centrefielder Devon White, and pitchers Willie Fraser and Marcus Moore from California for Junior Felix, Luis Sojo and a player to be named later. Three days later he signed free agent Pat Tabler, then acquired Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar from San Diego for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez.

The Jays would win the American League East that year, but lose to Minnesota in the American League Championship Series.

The next year he signed free agents Dave Winfield and Jack Morris, and the Jays won the 1992 World Series. The year after that, he signed Paul Molitor and Dave Stewart and the Jays repeated as World Series champions.

Gillick remained with the Blue Jays until 1994, then moved onto Baltimore from 1996 to 1998, Seattle from 2000 to 2003, and Philadelphia from 2006 to 2008, winning a World Series in 2008.

In 2011, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall Of Fame.

Gillick is alive and well. He is 87 years old.

Parting thoughts
From 1983 to 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays had 11 consecutive winning seasons, an unparalleled streak of success. They went from a team that never had a winning season, and only once they did not finish last, to becoming a perennial contender.

If you look at their roster in 1983 and then their roster in 1993, it was completely made over. That is something you have to do in order to remain successful.

Through it all was Pat Gillick.

He was the architect of a champion.

Ray Bradbury: Always inspiring

Legendary science fiction writer Ray Bradbury.

Source: https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/ray-bradbury-theater-sci-fi-series-streaming-peacock-best-episodes

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Whenever I hear the name Ray Bradbury, I am taken back to a night of homemade pizza, movies, and junior high friendship.

The prolific author recently celebrated a birthday, giving me the chance to reflect on how I crossed his literary path back in the ‘80s and beyond.

Birthday bash
In junior high, I had this friend named Shawn Kingston. We had a lot in common, both playing on the basketball team, reading science fiction, walking to shop class at the high school together, hanging out downtown on our walks to the school, playing a little bit of “Dungeons and Dragons”, and getting into computers and video games.

I was excited when he was having a birthday party, and I was invited. Yet, this question was bugging me – what should I get him for a birthday present? We talked a lot about science fiction and reading.

So, I figured I would get him a book. When my family made our weekly shopping trip to Lethbridge on Saturday morning, I made a stop at Coles Books in the Woodward’s or Lethbridge Centre Mall.

My thought was I would look around, and maybe a book would speak to me, something that Shawn would like. I wandered the aisles, mostly in the science fiction section, casting around for something.

Recently, maybe a year or two earlier, this miniseries had been on that I think he really got into. It was science fiction, about the exploration of Mars and it starred Rock Hudson. It was called . It was based on a book written by Ray Bradbury.

Consequently, I went looking for the book. However, I made sure it was the actual book that Bradbury wrote, not a novelization of the miniseries, which could be very different.

The party was after school. I had been to Shawn’s house before, and loved his mom’s cooking. She made individual pizzas for the party, and they were amazing. We were going to watch a movie downstairs, but not before Shawn opened his presents. I was a little nervous, but he seemed to like “The Martian Chronicles”. I do recall him bringing the book to school with him, because he would read when he had a few minutes here and there.

I never did read “The Martian Chronicles”, but the book occupies a spot in one of my precious memories of junior high.

It would not be long before I saw Ray Bradbury’s name again.

How hot does it get
From a pretty early age, I developed a dislike and aversion to censorship. It was really cemented in junior high by a few things, most notably a drive on the part of pressure groups in the States to ban records or, at the very least, have warning labels put on about their lyrics. I had heard about book burning too, and that was something frowned upon in my own family. Instead, books were valued and even revered.

It was in this period, I heard about a book written by Ray Bradbury that addresses this subject.

It was called “Fahrenheit 451”, named after the temperature at which book paper catches fire. It takes place at a time when books are outlawed and any books discovered are burned by enforcers called “Firemen”. The story follows a fireman who becomes disillusioned with destroying books and knowledge, quits his job, and begins preserving literature.

I heard a lot about “Fahrenheit 451” and discovered my brother had a copy in the book room in his house when he lived in Calgary back then.

The themes resonated with me, but I never read it to this day.

Commercial TV
In junior high, I also recall seeing commercials in 1983 for a movie that looked really scary called “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. It tells the story of an evil carnival owner who preys on unsuspecting townsfolk by granting them wishes – for a price. It was also based on a story by Ray Bradbury.

My good friend David Perlich, was just getting into science fiction and writers such as Bradbury. He wanted to see it and, if memory serves, did go see it.

When I learned it was a horror movie, that turned me off.

So, “Something Wicked This Way Comes” is another book I have not read to this day.

Parting thoughts
Ironically, I haven’t read anything Ray Bradbury has published. Instead, I have read what he hasn’t published – sort of.

“The Martian Chronicles” and especially “Fahrenheit 451” are two books by Ray Bradbury that I really want to read, and eventually will.

Close to 20 years ago, my parents were still alive and I went to see them in Lethbridge pretty much every Sunday. I always stopped at Chapters/Starbucks on my way out of town.

One Sunday, I was looking through books that had been discounted and one in particular caught my eye.

It was called “Bradbury Speaks”, and consisted of writings by Bradbury that were non-fiction, exploring all sorts of topics. Some were even unpublished works he had in his office.

A few years after I bought it, I read “Bradbury Speaks”, finally reading something by this prolific author.

More than the content, the process inspired me.

I thought I also have a lot of material lying around that has never seen the light of day. Maybe I could collect that into an anthology of some sort. Or, I could collect all my writings, such as letters, speeches, eulogies and so on, into a collected works volume.

Either way, Ray Bradbury continues to inspire with his work, whether you read his classic works or not.

Shelley Long: The infuriating and endearing Diane Chambers

Shelley Long as Diane Chambers in the sitcom "Cheers".

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle

/shelley-long-need-lot-work-become-pretty-girl-184022300.

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One minute she was haughty, snobby and outright infuriating. The next she was funny, endearing and alluring. Through it all, and whatever she did, when Diane Chambers was around Sam Malone, the sparks would fly, whether it was hot love or hostility.

Shelley Long played Diane Chambers opposite Ted Danson as Sam Malone in the venerable sitcom “Cheers”.

It was her birthday today, offering a great opportunity to look back at Diane Chambers and more.

The years before
Long before Diane Chambers happened upon a neighbourhood pub in Boston, Shelley Long had put together a solid body of work.

Her first on-screen appearance was in the television movie “That Thing on ABC” in 1978, followed soon after by guest spots on “The Love Boat”; “Family”; “Trapper John, M.D.”; “M*A*S*H”; and a number of other TV movies.

Long was also on the big screen in “A Small Circle of Friends” in 1980, and “Caveman” in 1981, opposite Ringo Starr, his wife Barbara Bach and Dennis Quaid.

She was then in “Night Shift” in 1982. Long played a hooker with a heart of gold, as Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton started running ladies of the evening out of a downtown morgue after midnight.

I saw “Night Shift” on TV after Long started her turn as Diane Chambers, and the contrast couldn’t be more stark.

Where everybody knows your name…
In the beginning, no one knew Diane Chambers when she walked into a neighbourhood pub called “Cheers” occupied by denizens such as mailman Cliff Clavin, barfly Norm Peterson, bartender Ernie “Coach” Pantusso, and bar owner Sam Malone.

Diane had been abandoned by her fiancé, who returned to his ex-wife. Since she also worked for him, she needed a job and wound up waitressing at “Cheers”.

From the minute she walked through the doors of the bar, there was immediate chemistry with Sam Malone. They were at each other’s throats from the start, but that only fuelled the speculation they would eventually get together – and they did. And they broke up, and got back together again.

Along the way, the academic and haughty Chambers would hook up with a new boyfriend who started coming around the bar too. His name was Frasier Crane, and he too would go down in history as one of the most memorable characters. Not only was he in “Cheers”, but his own spin-off series “Frasier”, which debuted immediately after “Cheers” went off the air.

There were some very interesting moments on and off screen. One that I distinctly remember was when Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach, died mid-season. Long was on maternity leave, but was pressed back into action. I heard about this on “Entertainment Tonight”, which explained she would have limited screen time. When I watched that episode, Shelley Long essentially stood still behind something to hide her pregnancy.

Shelley Long played Diane Chambers regularly for the first five seasons of “Cheers” then reappeared periodically throughout the rest of the series’ run, which ended in 1993. She was in a total of 122 episodes from 1982 to 1993.

For her efforts, she won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1983, and was nominated again in 1984, 1985, and 1986. She was nominated for an Emmy in 1993 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the role of Diane Chambers in an episode of “Cheers”, and again in 1996 for the role of Diane Chambers in an episode of “Frasier”.

Long won a Golden Globe in 1982 for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for “Cheers”. She also won a Golden Globe in 1984 for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy for “Cheers”, and was nominated in that same category in 1983.

Movie career
While working on “Cheers” Long continued to appear in movies.

In “Irreconcilable Differences” in 1984, she starred with with Ryan O’Neal and Drew Barrymore, about a daughter who divorces her parents. Long was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress Motion Picture Comedy or Musical in 1984 for the role.

In 1986, Long starred with Tom Hanks in “The Money Pit”, about a couple whose marriage comes apart as renovations to their dream home become a nightmare.

She followed that up in 1987, starring with Bette Midler in “Outrageous Fortune”. They play musicians who start dating the same man, then form an uneasy alliance when he dies. They suspect his death is not all it appears to be, and seek to find the man to make him choose between them.

That same year, Long was in “Hello Again:” as a housewife brought back from the dead. She wrapped up the decade in 1989 with “Troop Beverly Hills”, playing a housewife who agrees to lead a wilderness girl camp to bond with her daughter and forget about her impending divorce.

During this period, she became one of the stable of actors appearing in Disney’s Touchstone Pictures productions, which included “Outrageous Fortune” and “Hello Again”.

The years after
Shelley Long kept on working in both movies and television.

On the big screen, she was in “Don’t Tell Her it’s Me”; “Frozen Assets”; “The Brady Bunch Movie” and “A Very Brady Sequel” as Carol Brady; ”Dr. T and the Women”; “Trust Me”; and much more.

On television, she appeared in the television movie “Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase”, about a woman with multiple personality disorder; the documentary “Memories of M*A*S*H”; 19 episodes of a sitcom called “Good Advice”; a guest spot in “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”; the TV movie “Freaky Friday”; guest appearances in “Murphy Brown”, “Frasier”, “Boston Common” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”; seven episodes of “Kelly Kelly”; guest starring roles in “Diagnosis: Murder” and “Beggars and Choosers”; the TV movie “The Brady Bunch in the White House”, reprising her role as Carol Brady; guest spots in “8 Simple Rules”, “Strong Medicine”, “Joan of Arcadia”, “Boston Legal”, “Yes, Dear”, two episodes of “Complete Savages” , eight episodes of “Modern Family”; and much more.

Parting thoughts
Shelley Long stayed quite active after she left “Cheers”, and appeared in some good movies. Yet, she kept coming back to Diane Chambers, and doing such a great job in the role, that she will forever be the waitress in the bar where everybody knows your name.

Barbara Eden: That darn Stella Johnson

Barbara Eden in the sitcom "Harper Valley PTA" in 1980.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVJZMLfCdFE/

(May be subject to copyright)

She may have made her mark as a genie in a bottle in the ‘60s, but the first time I ever saw Barbara Eden was in the ‘80s. She was tormenting the Parent Teacher Association in Harper Valley and loving every minute of it.

As the decade progressed, Eden would return as Jeannie, join an old friend on “Dallas”, and do much more.

Her birthday is a great time to look back on a career that hasn’t finished yet.

Genie in a bottle
My Mom used to talk about the show “I Dream of Jeannie” every so often. It starred Larry Hagman as an astronaut who finds a bottle with a genie in it played by Barbara Eden. Mom said my brother and sister loved the show. One time, they were all visiting relatives in Lethbridge and Dad wanted to go home. They wanted to stay to finish watching “I Dream of Jeannie”. Dad insisted. So they left, but he wanted to get them home to watch the end of the show. He ended getting stopped for speeding.

It was a story they all told in my family, but it was years before I was born.

I also read about the battles the producers had with the network censors over things like Barbara Eden’s belly button, and how it could never be shown on TV.

All of this happened before I was born in 1970. “I Dream of Jeannie” aired from 1965 to 1970.

“I Dream of Jeannie” also came up when my Mom was telling me about a movie she had watched while I was doing something else.

It was called “Harper Valley PTA”.

The movie
“Harper Valley PTA” was initially a song written by Tom T. Hall, which became an international hit in 1968 for Jeannie C. Riley. The song topped both the U.S. Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100- charts.

A movie, inspired by the song, came out in 1978, starring Barbara Eden as Stella Johnson. She was a single mom who upsets the apple cart in Harper Valley, ultimately making a run for the parent-teacher association.

My Mom just loved the movie and told me all about it. Unlike today, where I could likely go out and watch it for myself on some streaming service, back then I had to take her word for it.

It was the same a few years later when she noticed a TV series with the same name.

The TV show
In 1981, “Harper Valley, PTA” was made into a TV series that appeared on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial. Barabra Eden reprised her role as Stella Johnson, and she was really good. The other memory I have, aside from her continual ability to irritate the snobs and elitests of Harper Valley, was Stella Johnson’s best friend, played by Fannie Flagg. Up to that point, I had only ever seen Fannie Flagg as a panelist on the game show “Match Game”.

“Harper Valley, PTA” lasted two seasons, from 1981 to 1982, and 30 episodes. The producers changed the show’s name in the second season simply to “Harper Valley”, because the PTA angle had run its course.

Barabra Eden would keep on acting with the movie “Chattanooga Choo Choo” in 1984, based on the song recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. She was also in the TV movies “Return of the Rebels” in 1981 and “Woman of the Year”, in 1984.

Then she returned to a familiar role.

Fifteen years later
In 1985, Barbara Eden returned to the bottle and was once again the genie in “I Dream of Jeannie…Fifteen Years Later”. I was so excited when I read about this reunion in “TV Guide”. When I tuned in, one thing became clear very quickly. Larry Hagman was otherwise occupied now, playing J.R. Ewing on “Dallas”, so Wayne Rogers assumed the role of Tony Nelson.

The funny thing is, the first time I ever saw “I Dream of Jeannie” was in this reunion movie. That meant I never really saw Larry Hagman as Tony Nelson, so I had nothing to compare Wayne Rogers to.

The plot of the movie is that Tony takes on one more mission into space, upsetting Jeannie and prompting her to move out and take their son with her.

Barbara Eden would reprise the role once more in 1991 in “I Still Dream of Jeannie.”

The rest of the decade
Barbara Eden kept on working in the ‘80s in the TV movies “The Stepford Children”; “The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick”; and “Your Mother Wears Combat Boots”; as well as six episodes of a short-lived TV show called “A Brand New Life” opposite Don Murray.

She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1988.

The years after
Barbara Eden keeps on acting and performing. She appeared in a movie in 1990 I really enjoyed called “Opposites Attract” opposite John Forsythe. Later that year, and into 1991, she began a five-episode arc on “Dallas” appearing opposite her old “I Dream of Jeannie” co-star Larry Hagman.

I never saw those later seasons of “Dallas” when they initially aired. However, in 1997 I watched the full run of “Dallas” when it aired weeknights on The Nashville Network. By then, I was out of student residence and watched the first bunch in my apartment in Edmoton. I saw the rest when I took a job at Lakeland College and moved to Vermilion.

She appeared in a number of TV movies, as well as TV shows such as “Teamo Supremo”; three episodes of “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”; “George Lopez”; “Army Wives”; “Shimmer and Shine”; and more.

Parting thoughts
It is interesting at what point someone comes into history. Barbara Eden was well-known as Jeannie, yet for me that was prologue. The first time I saw her was in a much different role as Stella Johnson, and I remember she was awesome – self assured; defiant; funny; flirty and so much more.

For many fans, she turned Tony Nelson‘s life upside down.

For me she turned all the snobs of Harper Valley upside down.

Jimi Jamison: The inspiring anthems of Survivor

 

 The image is burned in my mind. A man in a long coat is walking through the darkened streets at night, contemplating life and love, as “The Search is Over” is playing.

That man was Jimi Jamison, the lead singer of Survivor, who sang some of my favourite songs of the ‘80s.

Although he passed away 10 years ago, it is his birthday today, reminding me of yet another great singer and band that were part of the soundtrack of the ‘80s for me.

The band
Almost 25 years ago someone asked me if I liked “Survivor”, this new reality show on TV.

“To me, Survivor is a band,” I said – and what a band it was.

Survivor rose to prominence in 1982 with “Eye of the Tiger”. It was the theme song for “Rocky III” and spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Their popularity waned after that. They also fired lead singer Dave Bickler, who had suffered vocal cord injuries requiring a long period of rest. It was something the band was unwilling to give.

So, they invited an artist who had been the lead singer of the bands Target and Cobra, hoping he would inject new energy in the band.

His name was Jimi Jamison.

“The Karate Kid”
Survivor’s first single with Jamison at the helm was called “The Moment of Truth”. Released in 1984, it was on the soundtrack for “The Karate Kid”, a movie that became a classic. Interestingly, at the time, it was described as a young Rocky, with actor Ralph Macchio even looking and sounding like a young Sylvestor Stallone.

“The Karate Kid” remains in my top five favourite movies, and I have seen it more than a dozen times. I saw it twice in the theatre, bought the book, the movie poster, and the soundtrack. That was the first time I heard “The Moment of Truth”. When I saw the movie in the theatre, I did not recall hearing the song though.

I instantly loved it, and listened to that record over and over. When “The Karate Kid” aired on TV, I discovered when “The Moment of Truth” was in the movie – playing at the end credits.

That may have been why it did not have the same kind of soundtrack success as “Eye of the Tiger”.

“The Moment of Truth” peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100.

However, Jimi Jamison was just getting started with Survivor.

“Vital Signs”
Survivor’s first album with Jamison as lead singer became their most successful record to date. “Vital Signs” was released later in 1984, and spawned three hits.

In the Fall of 1984, I was really getting into music and started listening to a nightly countdown on 1090 CHEC, a radio station broadcasting from Lethbridge. One of the very first nights, I heard a new release from Survivor who, up until then, I knew only by “Eye of the Tiger”. Even then, when I heard their new song, I thought the lead singer didn’t quite sound the same.

“I Can’t Hold back” was a great song, and propelled Survivor back into the top 20. The song went all the way to number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, number one on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, and number 19 in Canada.

“High on You” followed, jetting into the top 10, and peaking at number eight. I also heard this song on “Solid Gold” one Saturday night when it was climbing the charts.

The biggest hit from “Vital Signs” was yet to come. It came in the form of the stirring ballad “The Search is Over”, which remains one of my top five favourite songs. It is a beautiful song, plain and simple. A lot of other people thought so too, because it rose all the way to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

A fourth single, “First Night”, peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Vital Signs” peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and was certified Platinum.

It was also one of the first tapes I bought when I joined Columbia House.

While “Vital Signs” ran its course, the movies came calling once more for Survivor.

“Rocky IV”
Once more, it was Sylvestor Stallone who came calling. He was starring in and producing a sequel to “Rocky III” and wanted another Survivor song for its theme.

The result was “Burning Heart” which, like “Eye of the Tiger”, fit the movie perfectly. It describes the fact “Rocky IV” was more than a boxing match. It was a statement on the Cold War, and the battle between two ideologies and two ways of life.

It is another amazing song.

Coming out in 1985, “Burning Heart” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1986.

That was a great lead up to Survivor’s next album, the follow up to “Vital Signs”.

“When Seconds Count”
Survivor released “When Seconds Count”, their second album with Jimi Jamison, in October of 1986. It didn’t have the same success as “Vital Signs”, peaking at number 49 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Still, it produced “Is This Love”, another good single which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

I lost track of Survivor after that, moving onto other things. They would produce one more album in the decade, “Too Hot to Sleep” in 1988, but did not chart any singles.

Jimi Jamison would go solo and re-join the band a number of times.

Sadly, he died on September 1, 2014.

He was 63.

Parting thoughts
Although Jimi Jamison did not sing Survivor’s biggest hit, he sang all their others.

Personally for me, he provided the voice behind “The Search is Over”, one of my favourite songs of all time, and part of the sound track for “Rocky III”, one of my favourite movies of all time.

Add to that “Burning Heart”, “I Can’t Hold Back”, and so many others.

More than that, those songs were anthems – they were uplifting and inspiring.

Even for just a moment, they got me going and made me feel like anything was possible.

Jimi Jamison was the voice behind that.

He really was one of the major voices in the soundtrack of my life in the ‘80s.

Roland Orzabal: Remembering Tears for Fears

The mark of a popular band is whether they can follow up one hit single with another, and another. For a period of 18 months, there was no bigger band in the ‘80s than Tears for Fears.

Made up of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, the band had success overseas with their debut album “The Hurting”. However, in 1984, they really exploded onto the scene, and stayed there with a series of hit singles.

It is Roland Orzabal’s birthday today, offering a good chance to remember a band that occupied the charts and the radio airwaves for much of 1985.

In the beginning
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith met as teenagers in Bath, Somerset, England, and would form Tears for Fears in 1981.

Their first single, “Suffer the Children”, was released in 1981 but did not chart. In 1982, they released the song “Pale Shelter (You Don’t Give Me Love)”, which also did not chart in the United Kingdom, but hit number 12 in Canada.

Their fortunes changed later in 1982 with “Mad World”, which peaked at number three in the United Kingdom. In 1983, “Change” peaked at number four in the United Kingdom, number 23 in Canada, and number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100, their first charting single in the United States.

Tears for Fears released another version of “Pale Shelter” in 1983, and this one peaked at number five in the United Kingdom.

These songs were all from their first album “The Hurting”, released in 1983.

They also released a non-album single in 1983, “The Way You Are”, which peaked at number 24 in the United Kingdom, but did not chart anywhere else.

This all set the stage for the release of Tears for Fears’ second album, which would change, if not rule, the musical world.

Songs from the Big Chair
It was in the summer of 1984 that I started getting into music and that Fall, when I started high school, that I really got into it.

That coincided, in late November of 1984, with the release of the single “Shout”. It was a few months in advance of Tears for Fears’ second album, “Songs from the Big Chair”.

“Shout” was a driving, kind of haunting song that really sits with me. I recall the video of water crashing on rocky shore as Orzabal and Smith sing.

The song went all the way to number one, for three weeks, on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and peaked at number one in Canada as well.

Not to be outdone, the band’s next single, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” also went all the way to number in Canada and on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

It is a cleverly written piece with interesting political themes. I just love the lyrics and the music.

At that time in history it was unheard of for a band to have three consecutive number one hits, especially a British one. I recall that being a subject of discussion on “Entertainment Tonight”. Wham! had two with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Careless Whisper”, and Tears for Fears had two with “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”.

Tears for Fears next released “Head Over Heels”. It was another catchy song with a cool video. It was set in a library inhabited by ghosts, reminiscent of the library scene in “Ghostbusters”. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, but got no higher, while it reached number eight in Canada. Incidentally, Wham!’s next single “Everything She Wants”, did peak at number one, becoming their third straight chart topper.,

“Songs from the Big Chair” peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, where it stayed for five weeks in the summer of 1985, and number one in Canada. It has been acclaimed as one of the best albums of the ‘80s.

Interestingly, at the end of the year Tears for Fears released a video collection and documentary called “Scenes from the Big Chair”.

After “Songs from the Big Chair” had run its course, fans were asking, what’s next?

 

 Follow up
It would not be until 1989 that Tears for Fears released their third album, “The Seeds of Love”. The first single was “Sowing the Seeds of Love”, and I remember crowding around a TV in our lounge in res to watch the video on MuchMusic.

“Sowing the Seeds of Love” went all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one in Canada.

The years after
Tears for Fears kept on releasing songs including “Woman in Chains”, which hit number 11 in Canada; “Advice for the Young at Heart”, which peaked at number 25 in Canada; and “Break it Down Again”, which peaked at number four in Canada and number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith would break up, but get back together, and continue writing, recording and performing to this day.

Parting thoughts
I always thought of artists as so much older than me. When I saw it was Roland Orzabal’s birthday today, I noticed he was born in 1961. That not only makes him the same age as my sister, but also he was 23 when he hit it big.

And hit it big he did. Tears for Fears’ signature songs “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” are just incredible.

It’s no wonder “Songs from the Big Chair” is acclaimed as one of the best albums of the ‘80s.

John Aprea: Remembering “Matt Houston” and more

John Aprea played Vince Novelli the 1980s detective series "Matt Houston".

Source: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/325783403747?srsltid=AfmBOoqx2e7sX-4jfjufVgCedBQxzbfgJ7kK8bP1XdM1JIO7IMmdqYWs

(May be subject to copyright)

Whenever a popular new movie or TV show came along in the ‘80s, it was often followed by a bunch of imitators trying to capitalize on that success.

When I first saw the ads for a new show airing on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial in 1982 called “Matt Houston”, I immediately thought it was a cheap imitation of “Magnum P.I.”.

“Magnum P.I.” starred Tom Selleck as a handsome private investigator living and working in Hawaii. “Matt Houston” starred Lee Horsley, who bore a passing resemblance to Tom Selleck, as a handsome private investigator. However, in Houston’s case, he was a wealthy millionaire who was a private investigator on the side. Initially, “Matt Houston” even aired right after “Magnum P.I.”.

Like every other show with a private investigator, the lead character had to have a contact in the local police department.

In “Matt Houston” that was Lieutenant Vince Novelli, played by John Aprea. He was your standard cop dealing with a private eye, willing to work together but often annoyed Houston went too far.

I saw John Aprea died a few weeks ago, and it reminded me of “Matt Houston”, but also that he had a solid career otherwise.

The years before
John Aprea got his start in 1968 with a part in the movie “Bullitt” starring Steve McQueen, and appeared in other movies most notably “The Godfather Part II” in 1974, and “The Stepford Wives” in 1975.

He also had a lot of parts on television including “That Girl”; “Mannix”; “The F.B.I.”; nine episodes in “The Montefuscos”; “Kate McShane”; “The Rookies”; “Wonder Woman”; “Mrs. Columbo”; and “A Man Called Sloane”.

He would build on that career in the ‘80s, and get his big break in network series television.

Matt Houston
After appearances in “The Gangster Chronicles” for 13 episodes; “The Powers of Matthew Star”; and some other theatrical and TV movies, John Aprea landed the role of Vince Novelli in “Matt Houston” in 1982.

What did make Novelli different from a lot of police in private detective series, is that Novelli and Houston were friends outside work. In fact, Houston would be invited into Novelli’s home where his mother always fed him.

However, when the second season of “Matt Houston” started, Novelli was gone. Houston had a new cop to pester named Lieutenant Michael Hoyt, played by Lincoln Kilpatrick. Buddy Ebsen would join the cast as Houston’s uncle for the third and final season.

Novelli would make one more appearance, needing Houston’s help because he was in trouble. Now retired, he returned from vacation in Hawaii accused of stealing cocaine from police evidence lock up. Novelli also looked different, as his hair was longer and lighter. I don’t think the creators explained too much why Novelli was gone.

John Aprea appeared in a total of 24 episodes over those two seasons of “Matt Houston”.

The rest of the decade
John Aprea appeared in a lot of other shows including “Three’s a Crowd”; “Mike Hammer”; “Hardcastle and McCormick”; “Simon and Simon”; “Street Hawk”; the TV movie “Stingray”; “The A-Team”; “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”; “The Fall Guy”; “Private Eye”; 16 episodes of “Falcon Crest”; “Tales from the Darkside”; 12 episodes of “Knots Landing”; two episodes of “Father Dowling Mysteries”; “Night Court”; and seven episodes of “Full House” playing the father of John Stamos’ character.

He was also in the movie “American Anthem” in 1986 starring Janet Jones, the future Mrs. Wayne Gretzky.

The years after
John Aprea kept on acting, in shows such as “The Hat Squad”; “Dark Justice”; "Melrose Place”; “Saved by the Bell: The New Class”; “Heaven Help Us”; “Renegade”; two episodes of “Silk Stalkings”; 423 episodes of “Another World”; “The Sopranos”; “The District”; two episodes of “Philly”; “NYPD Blue”; 28 episodes of “American Heiress”; “Cold Case”; “Lie to Me”; six episodes of “Days Of Our Lives”; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”; 10 episodes of “Decker”; one episode of “Fuller House” where he reprised his role from “Full House”; nine episodes of “The Bay”; and much more.

He was also in movies such as “New Jack City”; “The Manchurian Candidate”; and more.

Sadly, John Aprea died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles on August 5, 2024.

He was 83.

Parting thoughts
In the end, “Matt Houston” was not a knock-off of “Magnum P.I.”, and one of the reasons was the relationship Houston had with Vince Novelli. They were not only allies and adversaries at work, but friends outside of work.

John Aprea brought flare to the role of Vince Novelli. Despite roles in “The Godfather Part II”, “New Jack City”, and several different TV shows, John Aprea will always be Vince Novelli to me,

Phil Donahue: Daytime TV pioneer

Phil Donahue pioneered the daytime TV talk show.

Source: https://brioux.tv/blog/2024/08/19/phil-donahue-1935-2024/

(May be subject to copyright)

Originally, for me, it was just the show that was on before “Wheel of Fortune”, back in those days where I could watch cable TV at my cousin’s place in Lethbridge during the summer.

“Donahue” was just a name, and a white haired man with a microphone hosting a talk show coming from Chicago.

At 10 years old, I did not realize Phil Donahue was pioneering that talk show format, tackling some of the same issues I came to care about years later as an adult.

I was thinking about that today, when I heard Phil Donahue had passed away a couple days ago on August 18.

He was 88 years old.

Pioneer
Wikipedia provides a good history. Phil Donahue was named the new host of a daytime TV talk show in Dayton, Ohio in 1967. The station kept the live format and studio audience, but Donahue took the show in a new direction. Each show would focus on a single guest and topic for the entire 60 minutes. After introducing the guest and explaining the topic, Donahue would invite the members of the studio audience to ask questions of the guest. He would then act as moderator of the discussion between the guest and the audience.

He would interview guests on a variety of topics from politics and social issues to religion.

The show ran until 1970, when Donahue took his show into national syndication. It taped shows on the road then moved to Chicago in 1974. On January 26, 1975, Donahue celebrated his 1,000th episode.

Marlo Thomas, who would become Donahue’s wife in 1980, first appeared on the show in 1977 to promote a movie she was in. She was the daughter of comedian Danny Thomas. Her next appearance was on January 13, 1979 to celebrate the show’s 2,000th episode.

Donahue celebrated his 3,000th episode on January 11, 1982. In 1985, The show moved to New York and, on November 13, 1985, the show celebrated its 4,000th episode.

On September 16, 1987, the show commemorated its 20th anniversary and 5,000th episode.

As the 1980s closed, Donahue showed few signs of slowing down.

The years after
“Donahue” celebrated its 25th anniversary on November 15, 1992 and its 6,000th episode on December 6, 1992.

It was noted more and more talk shows sprang up, and many became more like tabloids, while Donahue continued to take the high road.

Soon, for a variety of reasons, ratings declined, and Donahue decided to retire.

The show aired its series finale in syndication on September 13, 1996. “Donahue” had been on the air for 29 seasons and 6,715 episodes.

Phil Donahue was nominated for 20 Daytime Emmy awards, winning eight in the Outstanding Talk Show Host category.

On January 5, 1996 Donahue announced he was retiring from broadcasting to spend more time with his wife Marlo Thomas, his five children from a previous marriage, and his grandchildren.

In July of 2002, Donahue returned to television after a seven-year retirement to host a show called “Donahue” on MSNBC. The show was cancelled a few months later on February 25, 2003.

He would go on to direct a documentary, and do some other projects.

Phil Donahue died at his home in Manhattan on August 18, surrounded by family, after a long illness.

Parting thoughts
Phil Donahue revolutionized the daytime talk show, so much so his format became the norm. It is difficult to fathom what it looked like before Donahue came along.

Oprah Winfrey said there would not have been an “Oprah Winfrey Show”, had “Donahue” not come along.

That is pretty high praise from someone considered the queen of daytime TV.

Remembering Buck Shot and his show

His name is Ron Barge, but I did not find that out until I was an adult, long after I stopped watching his children’s show.

Barge, who played the title character and host of “The Buck Shot Show” died a few days ago on August 17.

He was 87, 10 days short of his 88th birthday.

Anyone who grew up in the ‘80s in Southern Alberta will remember “The Buck Shot Show”.

"Buck Shot" had a children's show on

CFCN Calgary Channel 13 all through the '80s .

Source: Facebook/The Buck Shot Show

(May be subject to copyright)

The show
Everyone simply called it “Buck Shot”. Wearing that unique, beat up cowboy hat, Buck Shot aired every day from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. on CFCN Calgary, Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial. It was local programming broadcast straight from Cowtown. Wikipedia reveals it ran for 30 years, from 1967 to 1997, which is incredible if you think about it.

The show also featured several puppets, most notably Buck Shot’s sidekick “Benny the Bear”. It also included Clyde the Owl, Heathcliffe the Dragon, Dafney the Dragon, Foghorn the Firefly, Rodney the Rodent, and Farley Frick from Maple Crik. The main puppeteer was Jim Lewis.

Buck Shot’s target audience was elementary school children. Beyond the fun, games, and activities, I remember him doing stuff on fire safety, water safety, bicycle safety, community events and performing music and song.

Buck Shot celebrated birthdays, and there were also children on every episode that Buck Shot would talk to. When I got to university, I met a woman named Dana Dueck, who I would go on to work with. She actually was the only person I ever met who was on “The Buck Shot Show”.

Truthfully, because I took the bus to school, I never saw “Buck Shot”, unlike the kids who went home for lunch. That was unless I was home sick from school, or in the summer time.

Although, if memory serves, “Buck Shot” may have taken a summer break.

The song
Another very distinctive part of “The Buck Shot Show” was the opening music. Wikipedia reveals the song is actually called “The Elephant Never Forgets”, a version of Beethoven’s “Turkish March”. I have to tell you, I just listened to it on YouTube, and it takes me right back to the “Buck Shot Show”.

Parting thoughts
Buck Shot was a part of the formative years of generations of children in Southern Alberta. As my Mom would say, his show was nice and it was clean.

It also had an impact that went far beyond just when we were kids.

When I started working at the Claresholm Local Press, one of the first events I covered was a fundraising golf tournament for a literacy organization called Project Read. The organizer was legendary Canadian rodeo announcer and author David Poulsen, who organized celebrity golfers.

My editor at the time was named Rose, who was a few years younger than me. She was filling me in on the history of the event before I went to cover it for the first time.

Then she outlined some of the celebrities, emphasizing this was a big deal.

“Buck Shot came,” she said.

She had reverence in her voice.

What more can you say?