I have never been to a concert quite like it: Chris DeBurgh on his
“Into the Light” tour at the Northlands Coliseum in the first part of 1989. One
of the guys I went with described it best: “He was the perfect host”.
My friend Bruce got me the ticket, and he was a big Chris DeBurgh fan.
I, on the other hand, was limited to “Fire on the Water”, “Lady in Red”, and a
couple other songs from “Into the Light”. Bruce had begun to fill me in,
because he had a bunch of DeBurgh tapes, but that was it.
No pre-recorded tape of music could prepare me for the show I saw.
The concert
It's funny how, when you're new to music you may hear a song you recognize, but have no idea who sang it. Before long you realize you actually knew a bunch of the singer's songs after all. That's happened at this concert. The first time it was "Spanish Train", then later "Don't Pay the Ferryman". I had heard them before.
The thing that stood out though, was how Chris DeBurgh introduced each song with a story. Bruce cheered every time he recognized a song by the story DeBurgh told.
At one point he started telling this great story but suspected he might not remember all the words to the song he was introducing. He started playing then, right in the middle, he stopped dead.
"I told you I'd forget."
On to the next song.
There were other songs like "Patricia the Stripper", that I had never heard. Another one of Bruce's friends reacted in disbelief that the song was actually called THAT and it was about THAT.
When DeBurgh sang "A Spaceman Came Travelling", I was almost moved to tears when he let the crowd sing the "La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la" part.
Eventually, he played the songs from "Into The Light", the album he was promoting. Songs such as "The Lady in Red", and I think "Fire on the Water".
The highlight for me came in two parts.
DeBurgh told the story of the song "Borderline". It's the tale of a young man going off to war and saying goodbye to his love. The songs kind of just ends.
Then, he introduced the song "Say Goodbye to it All". To that point, I had heard it on the tape, but it really did not resonate with me. After he told the story of "Borderline", and how "Say Goodbye to it All" concluded the story, it has become one of my favourite songs. The imagery is powerful, and the word play is incredible. I marvel at how "Say goodbye to it all" applies to so many situations. Tim McGraw used the same technique in "Don't Take the Girl".
The best part was "Say Goodbye to it All", was the finale. We all stood on our feet, waving our arms as we joined in the chorus. It was almost magical.
Interestingly, Chris DeBurgh did the same thing a few years ago, when he released a sequel to "The Lady in Red".
The perfect host
The only performers who have come close in my travels in hosting a concert the way Chris DeBurgh did, are Burton Cummings, and Greg Keeler of Blue Rodeo. Close, but I believe Chris DeBurgh is a poet and a troubadour more than a musician.
The apple doesn't always have to fall far from the tree in the same way. Mark Harmon is synonymous with the ‘80s, playing numerous memorable roles on TV and in the movies, literally spanning the entire decade. Yet he does not coming from acting stock.
Instead, Tom Harmon was a football legend, who the University of Michigan honoured recently at their home opener against Notre Dame. They no longer retire numbers, but they awarded Harmon's number 98 to quarterback Devin Gardner for the remainder of his career at Michigan. It is a way for the school to honour Harmon, who was Michigan's first Heisman Trophy winner in 1940.
Mark Harmon with co-star Morgan Fairchild in "Flamingo Road"
He is also the father of actor Mark Harmon, who made his mark in the 1980s, but continues that success today as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the long-running series "NCIS". Mark started out following in his father's footsteps, playing quarterback at UCLA, but chose a different way of entertaining the masses, and became an actor.
Dawn of the decade: Flamingo Road
As the 1980s opened, Mark Harmon was just revving up his acting career. I'd seen him briefly in 1979 in the TV series "240-Robert" where he starred with Joanna Cassidy, but that was pretty short-lived.
Then, one day in the summer of 1981 I was flipping channels and landed on Channel 7 where I caught a rerun of a show called "Flamingo Road". It was a night-time soap opera on NBC, designed to compete against "Dallas" and "Knot's Landing". It featured Morgan Fairchild as the villainess Constance Weldon Carlyle. When I tuned in, I remember the scene clearly. Constance's husband Fielding Carlyle was running for the senate. He was giving a speech then just tore up his cue cards and threw them in he air. Fielding Carlyle was Mark Harmon's first major, recurring acting role in a TV series.
The show had a pretty good cast, including Stella Stevens, Barbara Rush, Howard Duff, Christina Raines, Kevin McCarthy, Woody Brown, and John Beck. It started out well, but tanked, and was cancelled after two seasons.
Groundbreaking on St. Elsewhere
The medical drama "St. Elsewhere" had gained a reputation for attacking controversial subjects. None would be more controversial, cutting edge, and forward-looking as one involving Mark Harmon. He joined the show in 1983, playing Dr. Robert Caldwell, who would eventually contract HIV from unprotected sex, leaving the show in 1986. It was one of the first instances of a character on primetime television to contract HIV or AIDS.
Mark Harmon in "The Prince of Bel-Air"
TV movie mania
Mark Harmon in "The Deliberate Stranger"
It was a Saturday night in 1986, and my parents went out for the evening. I stayed home and watched a double header on Channel 13. I was stoked about the first movie, which was "The Return of Perry Mason". I wasn't even sure what the second movie was about, but it turned out to be awesome. It was "The Prince of Bel-Air" and it starred Mark Harmon and Kirstie Alley, before she joined the cast of "Cheers" to replace Shelly Long. Harmon played a beach bum, who met his match in Alley.
Mark Harmon at far right in "Moonlighting"
That same year, Harmon played one of the most chilling roles I have ever seen him play. I am totally surprised he never got an Emmy nomination. The movie was entitled, "The Deliberate Stranger" and Harmon turned in a haunting performance as serial killer Ted Bundy. I still recall the cover of "TV Guide", which showed a picture of Harmon as Bundy crouching in prison fatigues, handcuffs and leg irons, all chained together.
Another banner year
The following year, 1987, was another banner year. He played laid back, beach-bum teacher Freddy Shoop in "Summer School", which I saw in the theatre with some high school buddies. Shoop is a teacher, all set to take off for summer, who is forced to teach summer school in order to save his job. In the meantime, he falls for another teacher, played once again by Kirstie Alley. The movie actually has quite a few of the same actors as "The Prince of Bel-Air".
The movie poster for "Summer School"
Harmon returned to series TV to guest in a four-episode arc on "Moonlighting", during a tumultuous time on one of primetime's most popular shows. In the midst of acrimony between the show's two leads, Harmon played a new love interest for Shepherd's character Maddie Hayes.
Closing out the 1980s
Harmon would star in a few more movies, most notably "The Presidio" in 1988 with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan. It was Connery's first movie after his monster success on "The Untouchables" with Kevin Costner. I remember my best friend of the time, Chris Vining, telling me you could drive a truck through all the holes in the plot.
Harmon would also appear in the movies "Let's Get Harry", "Stealing Home" and "Worth Winning", but his theatrical career never took off.
Durability
Since then, he has starred in various TV series such as"Reasonable Doubts" with Marlee Matlin from 1991 to 1993, "Charlie Grace" as the title character in 1995, "Chicago Hope" from 1996 to 2000, and did a four-episode stint in 2002 on "The West Wing", earning an Emmy nomination.
In 2003, he guest starred in two episodes of "JAG" which served as a pilot for "NCIS", a show he still work on.
Parting thoughts
Mark Harmon truly is one of my favourite actors. He is one of those actors who always seemed to be there when I was growing up. He has more range and talent then I think he is given credit for, ranging from a hilarious movie like "Summer School" to an Emmy-nominated performance in "The West Wing".
What do
sitcoms “All in the Family”, “Three’s Company”, “Reggie”, “Amanda’s”, and “Too
Close for Comfort” have in common? Wait a second, what are “Reggie”, and
“Amanda’s” anyway, you ask? The answer is simple, they were all part of a trend in the 1980s of sitcoms in the U.S. that were inspired by British sitcoms.
It was easy
to tell them apart too. If you read the end credits like I did, they always
credited the show on which they were based.
The number of
these sitcoms is quite surprising too.
All in the
Family
The show
about Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), a bigoted father, his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), their daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her husband Mike (Rob Reiner) all living
together was based on “Till Death Us Do Part”, which ran from 1965 to1975.
Three’s
Company
The show about Jack Tripper (John Ritter), a man pretending to be gay so he can live with two women (Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt) in an apartment
complex, is based on “Man About the House”, which ran from 1973 to 1976.
Reggie
The show
about a man daydreaming his life away, was short-lived in America, lasting about a month in 1983. It starred
Richard Mulligan, fresh off his role in “Soap”, and Jean Smart, before her big
role in “Designing Women”, and was based on “The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin”, which ran from 1976 to 1979.
Amanda’s
This show, starring Bea Arthur as Amanda, in her first role after “Maude”, and before
“Golden Girls”, was also short-lived in 1983 lasting 10 episodes, but was based on one of the most famous
British comedies of all: “Fawlty Towers”, which ran from 1975 to 1979. It also featured Canadian actor Tony Rosato as Aldo. That’s right, Bea Arthur was the American version
of John Cleese.
Too Close for Comfort
This show about Henry Rush (Ted Knight) a cartoonist and his wife Muriel (Nancy Dussault) with two gorgeous daughters (Lydia Cornell and Deborah Van Valkenburgh) living in an apartment downstairs, was based on "Keep it in the Family", which ran from 1980 to 1983.
You Again?
This show starring Jack Klugman as Henry Willows, a grocer whose son Matt, played by John
Stamos, comes to live with him, has the most unique history. "Home to Roost", the show on which
it was based was still in production and, the actress who played housekeeper
Enid Tompkins, played that same role in both shows. It made for a lot of travel
for her. "You Again?" ran for two seasons from 1986 to 1987, while "Home to Roost" ran from 1985 to 1990.
Sanford and Son
Even this show, with essentially an all-African-American cast, about Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) a
junk dealer and his son Lamont (Demond Wilson), was based on the British show, “Steptoe and Son”, which ran from 1962 to 1974.
It’s funny how I have been critical that Hollywood has no new ideas.
Instead, they are resurrecting every TV show from the past, and a lot of
movies, and remaking them for the big screen.
It turns out this practice is nothing new. It’s as old as some of the
shows being remade.
The album cover for the soundtrack for "Eddie and the Cruisers"
Sometimes in
life, I really need to pay more attention.
The summer of
1984 I was visiting my cousin Fred in Brooks, when he had to babysit one night.
He invited me along, but I really did not know what to expect. I was working on
a story called “Swamp Rats”, so I brought a notepad along. Fred told me not to
worry, because the family had pay TV and we could watch a movie.
Fred settled
in on a movie, while I kind of scribbled away, only half paying attention
through most of it. Then the music coming from the TV got good, but by then I
had no idea what was going on. It turned out the movie we watched was “Eddie
and the Cruisers”. The soundtrack would become one of my favourites of all
time, and two songs off it are still favourites.
It would be
10 years before I saw that movie and paid attention, but just a few months
until I heard the music again.
Heard it on
the radio
Once again,
riding the school bus one day, I heard this song that rang a bell. Again, I
could not place it. However this time, unlike “All I Need” by Jack Wagner,
there was no easy answer when I got home that night. Instead, it would be close to
a month or maybe more, before I placed that song.
Just like I
had no idea who Jack Wagner was, I had no clue who John Cafferty and the Beaver
Brown Band were. In essence, they were Eddie and the Cruisers. Eventually, I
put the two together. The song was, “On the Dark Side”, and it reminded me more
of that summer night in 1984 in Brooks than the movie. A few months later, I
was watching the tail end of “Solid Gold” on a Saturday night, when I heard
another song that seemed strangely familiar. A few days later, it was on the
radio in my sister’s car when we were driving somewhere. She told me it was
“Tender Years”, from “Eddie and the Cruisers”.
Not too much
after that, I joined Columbia House, and the first choice in a second round of
purchases, three free ones for signing up my sister, was the “Eddie and the
Cruisers Soundtrack”. I still have it, and listened to it not too long ago.
The movie’s
better with age
Long after I
wore out the tape, and learned every song off by heart, I had a chance to see
the movie. I was living in res and my floormate Nick wanted to watch it, so he
actually reserved the TV late one Saturday afternoon. I was not disappointed.
In fact, I probably wasn’t in the right place in life back in 1984 to watch it.
I sure was by 1993.
There are
many things I appreciated that I wouldn’t have a decade earlier. The story was
awesome, and all the snippets I recalled from so long ago, now made sense. The
movie is essentially two stories – one in the present and one in the past, told
through flashbacks. Ellen Barkin plays reporter Maggie Foley looking into the
death of musician Eddie Wilson and the search for his band’s second album,
which disappeared right after his death. The story told through flashbacks is
about how Eddie and the Cruisers got their start, achieved fame, and fizzled
after Eddie’s death. They started to record their own material when Frank
Ridgeway, played by Tom Berenger, joins the band. Their second album is
everything Eddie wanted to see in music, but the record company doesn’t buy it,
and refuses to release it.
In the movie,
the record company re-releases the first album, which achieves even more
success the second time around. They commission a documentary, and there even
is a hint of Eddie Wilson still being alive. All of this climaxes in a search,
and discovery, for the lost second album.
The movie
ends with Foley’s documentary piece being aired on TV, and watched through a
store window. As the camera pulls back, we see a bearded, albeit older, Eddie
Wilson watching.
It seems that
me and Fred were not the only ones who discovered “Eddie and the Cruisers” that
summer. Research shows the movie was a flop at the box office when released in
1983. It was re-released on pay TV in 1984 where it achieved cult status, and
launched the popularity of those two songs. It is interesting that this
somewhat parallels what happened to the fictitious first album in the movie.
Parting
thoughts
A couple
years ago I bought “Eddie and the Cruisers” on DVD and watched it again. I
really like the structure of the flashbacks, and the element of surprise. I
always liked the music, and finally was able, after all these years to put it
all together, even better than I had in 1993.
It left me
wondering, would I have got more out of it had I only paid attention in the
summer of ’84?
(Incidentally,
I really wasn't sure what to blog about this day. I had "Eddie and
the Cruisers" on my list for awhile – then just like it was on cue, I
heard it on a co-worker's computer, so that cinched it. I had to blog about
it.)
There is less than an hour left in September 11, 2013, the one-year anniversary of the launch of this blog. It has been an amazing experience, mostly of self-discovery. Songs, movies, and TV shows have awakened memories of long ago, which was what I had hoped would happen. The power of the Internet, especially YouTube and Wikipedia have been felt, because they have allowed me to verify a lot of the things with the touch of a Google search. It also provides inspiration, and the best entries are the ones where I toggle back and forth between Google and Blogger.
I also wanted to share some of the things I have learned over the past year.
Research Don't rely on the Internet for everything, because there are gaps
When I was looking for a copy of "Time and Place" by Andrew Cash on YouTube, there was none. There was actually very little information at all on the song, and not that much more on Cash himself, from his days in the '80s as a musician. Obviously, there is quite a bit of current information on him because he is an NDP member of parliament from Ontario.
The same holds true for a lot of sports information. When I was looking for particular game information, especially line and box scores, it was difficult to find. In some cases, such as the Boston Bruins-Edmonton Oilers game I wrote about, and even the 1987 CFL West Division Semi-final, there was little information. Eventually, I am going to have to go back to the microfiche of a daily newspaper like "The Lethbridge Herald" or "The Edmonton Journal".
Wikipedia can be wrong
Information is only as good as the people who put it on the Internet. Sites such as Wikipedia freely admit they may need clarification or proper sources. When I was writing about Dan Pastorini's acting career, there was a post on a website that said he played a gladiator in an episode of "Fantasy Island". That was not correct. He did play a gladiator on "Voyagers", and a struggling quarterback in an episode on "Fantasy Island". That was all corroborated by other sites and my own actual memories, which led me to look to other sources.
Writing Posts can take on a life of their own
Sometimes a post, such as my treatments of Jack Klugman and Chris DeBurgh, begin to spiral in all directions because they conjure up so many different memories. In the case of Jack Klugman, it started with "Quincy", then "The Odd Couple", "You Again", and "12 Angry Men". This brings me to my other point.
It is okay to keep it simple and break a subject into parts
When something begins to develop multiple parts, it's easier to break into more than one blog post. I found that right from the beginning with my musings on peasant vision. The same thing happened with my postings on J.C. Watts and "Star Trek", as well as Jack Klugman and Chris DeBurgh. In the case of DeBurgh, the stories did not really go together, and were better suited in separated entries. Breaking up the topic also makes it easier to read, and allows me to give it more detail, care, and attention.
It is difficult to write every day
This is not so much about the art or craft of writing, but the quantity. Twice now I have tried to write every day, and it is extremely difficult. Most days it is not hard to come up with a topic, but sometimes energy, motivation, and inspiration are hard to come by. The result is the beginning of a post that never gets finished, to be left for another day. When I do that regularly, I end up in the situation I am in now, where I have more than a dozen half-finished entries. The flip side is that I may never have started many of these entries without a looming daily deadline.
There is so much more, I am sure. The best part is that this blog has become a great place to recount the pieces of my past that I, some day, will knit into a memoir or autobiography. Without starting this blog, I would still just be musing about some day writing a book about my life growing up in the '80s.
“I know everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented”
– Shooter Flatch during his first conversation with Norman Dale
Sports can teach some great life lessons in life when taken in the proper context. So can sports movies, and there is no more influential sports movie in my life than "Hoosiers".
On the surface it is a David-versus-Goliath, Cinderella story about a small-town, small-school basketball team that wins the Indiana state championship. You go deeper, and it is much more. It is a story of redemption, second chances, winning for the right reasons, dreaming, and community.
The story
Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) had been in the marines for some time when he arrived in Hickory, Indiana to coach the high school boys' basketball team. An experienced, successful coach, he sets to using the coaching techniques that worked for him elsewhere to Hickory. Predictably, he meets with resistance from the local townspeople who all have an opinion on how the Hickory Huskers should be coached.
Dale is treated with distrust from the outset by Myra Fleener (Barbara Hershey), a fellow teacher. She suspects there is more to Norman Dale than meets the eye. She digs into his past and discovers his secret: he hit a player when he was coaching in New York, and was banned from the game for life. His long-time friend Cletus, the principal at Hickory High, gave him what is likely his final chance at coaching.
Coach Norman Dale with players Rade Butcher and Ollie.
As the coach moves through the days and weeks, we see what he faces. There is a boy in town, Jimmy Chitwood, who is treated like a basketball god. Yet, he will not play, partly because he was close to the previous coach who died. All the townspeople say the team will go nowhere without Jimmy. Fleener has been tutoring him, and tells Dale that Jimmy could earn a scholarship and get out of Hickory. She also warns him to stay away from Jimmy.
Dale finally asks her why she's so unfriendly. She tells him she sees all these players treated like gods, then get old and sit around talking about the glory days like it was the highlight of their lives. Dale said if Jimmy is as good as everyone says, an athletic scholarship would be a likely option. Plus, most people would love to be treated like a god even for just a minute. She says she doesn't want Jimmy to be coaching in Hickory when he's fifty. Ouch.
Much to everyone's surprise, Dale pays Jimmy a visit to tell him if he wants to play, fine. But, he will not chase after him or ask him again. The entire time Jimmy is shooting the ball, making every basket. After Dale finishes what he has to say and walks away, Jimmy can't make a single shot.
Coach Norman Dale in the huddle.
Meanwhile, Coach Dale sets to preparing his team. He focuses on conditioning, fundamentals, and defence. When one of his players talks while Dale is talking, then gives him a smart aleck answer when confronted by Dale, he kicks him out. The boy soon returns, with his dad, who make him apologize. Dale then incenses the community by closing his practices to the public, and the basketball parents sitting in the stands in particular.
If things aren't bad enough, the Huskers play their opener which does not go well. Dale tells them to pass four times before they shoot. They do so, turning the ball over, and bringing on cheers of "Shoot! Shoot!" from the crowd. When guard Rade Butcher disobeys and shoots, then scores, the crowd goes wild, while Dale simmers. When Rade comes off, he does not even look at his coach and sits at the end of the bench. Later in the game, a Husker fouls out, leaving them a man short on the floor. Rade is the only sub and gets ready to go back in. Dale tells him to sit down. The ref tells him he needs one more. "My team is out there," Dale replies. Playing with four to end the game was a tough lesson.
One day while he's having breakfast, Dale encounters Shooter Flatch, the town drunk, rambling on about basketball. It turns out Shooter's son plays for the Huskers too. Later Shooter pays Dale a visit. He picks up an old team photo sitting on Dale's mantle and tells him he had a hell of a team there.
Coach Norman Dale with assistant coach Shooter.
"You know that team?" Dale asked.
"I know everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented."
Shooter also intimates he knows what happened to Dale when he was coaching the Ithaca Warriors in New York.
Soon after, Dale finds Shooter to ask him about their next opponent, Verdi, which Dale mispronounces. Shooter corrects him and tells him how to beat them. Then Dale offers Shooter a spot on his bench, but he has to clean himself up and stop drinking. Shooter agrees. Again, this does not endear Dale to the people of Hickory, Indiana.
Dale discovers how bad the situation is when, during a game, he asks the ref of a question and is assessed a technical foul. He questions that, and is ejected from the game.
Eventually, a town meeting is been called to discuss the future of the coach. A non-confidence vote is also planned. By this point, Fleener has discovered Dale's past, and confronts him. If she reveals it at the meeting, his run in Hickory will be over. She does thank him for leaving Jimmy alone and what's he's done with Shooter.
The only allies Dale has are Cletus and Fleener's mother Opal, who doubles as his landlord. Dale says his piece at the meeting, while the Huskers wait outside. His fate is sealed, even after Fleener changes her tune and expresses her support for his coaching. They call for a vote, just as Jimmy Chitwood, clutching his beloved basketball, makes his way to the podium. He is greeted with cheers.
"I got something to say," he says.
The room quiets.
"I figure it's time I start playing ball again," he says.
The room erupts in cheers, and someone even yells it's because they are getting rid of Norman Dale.
Then Jimmy drops a bomb.
"Coach stays, I play. Coach goes, I go."
The parent who most hates Dale sheepishly says the vote is for the coach to go.
Suddenly Opal yells for another vote. They take an oral vote and the townspeople vote to keep the coach.
After that, the Huskers get on a roll and advance all the way to the State final, riding on the combination of Jimmy's play, Dale's coaching, and the community's support.
Coachable moments
Each game along the way offers another insight into the type of coach Norman Dale has become after living in a small town for a year.
In one game, the Huskers are getting manhandled by their opponents. I think it's Oolitic. At one point, an opposing player drives one of the Huskers out of bounds into a trophy case, breaking the glass and cutting him up. Dale yells for the trainer to patch him up. He asks the boy if he can play. Of course he says he can. Stitched up, with blood showing, he takes the court. Dale looks at him, takes a long breath, and calls time again. He promptly takes him off the court, telling him he's had a good game. Norman Dale is no longer the same coach who hit a player years before.
In another game, the Huskers are in tough and one of their starters fouls out. Dale has no choice but to call on Ollie to play. Ollie is the brush cut wearing, timid seventh man of the Huskers who tells the coach early on he's the trainer, claiming to be too short to play. With no other choice, Dale sends him on the court. His first time down, he dribbles the ball off his knee. The next time he chucks up a prayer of a shot that isn't even close.
Ollie makes a tense pair of free throws.
Late in the game, with the clock running down and the Huskers' hopes dwindling, Ollie chucks up another prayer and is fouled. If he makes both shots, they go ahead. Time is called leading to another coachable moment.
The Huskers gather in the huddle and Ollie looks terrified, like he may even throw up.
"After Ollie makes both free throws," Dale says, he tells them to get back on defence because they will look to chuck up a prayer of their own.
Ollie, shooting free throws bucket style (which is essentially under handed), makes them both. The Huskers sink in defensively and win the game.
The confidence Coach Dale showed in Ollie, helped him win Hickory that game.
Finally, in the lead up to the championship game, Coach Dale pulls the master stroke coaching move. The Huskers are all in absolute awe of the gym they will be playing in for the final. He gets two players to measure the distance from the base line to the foul line. Then he gets one to put Ollie on his shoulders to help measure the distance from the rim to the floor.
"These are the exact same measurements as our gym in Hickory," Dale says.
The players all laugh, relax, and walk off the court.
Dale follows, but not before turning to say to an assistant, "It is big."
Research reveals that actually happened before the championship game on which the movie is based.
Redemption
The movie is full of redemption. Norman Dale becomes the coach he always had inside him. In the end it was not about winning, but about doing the best you can and the rest taking care of itself. His players loved him not because they won, but because he cared about them as people. The gruff, hard-nosed coach reveals his true feelings before the final game, when in the huddle, he says, "I love you guys." Shooter overcame being the town drunk and became more than a basketball coach – he became a father.
Second chances
The movie is centred on Norman Dale having a second chance at coaching. He in turn gave Shooter a second chance by making him an assistant coach. Dale even got himself kicked out of a game, leaving Shooter the only one to take them home to win the game. And he did by running the picket fence. Jimmy Chitwood even got a second chance. He was the star, the prodigy, who had been broken when his coach died. Norman Dale gave him a chance to heal – and to succeed.
It was also a second chance for Dennis Hopper who played Shooter. Racked with drug issues and a sagging career, Hopper not only took up the challenge but turned in a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. It revitalized his career.
Winning for the right reasons
Perhaps the biggest lesson that Norman Dale learned is that winning is not everything (nor is it the only thing, Vince Lombardi!). In the past he had been banned for hitting a player. This time around, he refused to send a player who was hurt back into a game, even though it was a crucial part of the game. He inserted a bench player in another crucial game, one that no one had any confidence in – and he succeeded. By then, it was not about winning at all costs for Norman Dale any longer.
Dreaming
Norman Dale gave his players, and the town of Hickory, the chance to dream. They believed a school as small as Hickory High could compete with the city schools, and they did. They all dreamed of a state championship and, through hard work, determination, belief, and hope, they won it.
Community
It has been said it takes a whole village (or a community) to raise a child. In a small town like Hickory, it takes a whole community to win a basketball game, much less a championship. Norman Dale didn't make any friends when he arrived, and alienated a lot more with his coaching methods. The team was not successful. Only when they all got on the same page, including the arrival of Jimmy Chitwood, did they begin to all row in the same direction.
Personal memories
The odd things a guy remembers especially considering the powerful influence “Hoosiers” had on me.
The movie was playing on a Saturday night in the Lethbridge Centre theatres in the old Woodward’s mall. I was with my friends Chris Vining and Dave and Doug. While I was waiting for Vining to get ready, his friend Kent phoned to see if he wanted to go to a movie. I feared he wanted to see the same movie I did. Nope, he was going to see “Burgler” starring Whoppi Goldberg. Whew. It was also the first time I went to the washroom part way through a movie and got lost in the dark trying to find my way back to my seat.
Throughout my basketball life I have been different characters from Hoosiers – Jimmy Chitwood, even Ollie. I have invoked that movie, and some of the quotes of Norman Dale, dozens of times in my life.
I even used it as a motivation during finals in our first year of university. Just over a year old, and on pay-TV virtually every day, me and some classmates watched it while studying for our last final, at the end of first year.
Lasting impression
Every year, as the NCAA March Madness men's basketball tournament approaches, I watch "Hoosiers". The tournament and the movie will be forever linked because, mere months after the movie came out, the Indiana Hoosiers shocked the world and won the 1987 NCAA championship. It was like a scene – well – out of a movie.
I have told countless people "Hoosiers" is not just a basketball movie, but a movie about life and the lessons it teaches. When I was in university, I took a leadership class and wrote about some of those lessons "Hoosiers" teaches.
The next year, the professor showed "Hoosiers" in that same class.
There could never have been a more ironic movie to describe my first date than "The Secret of My Success". Do you remember your first date? As strange as it sounds, I was thinking about mine the other night then, an hour later, the movie I saw on that date was on AMC. And it brought back all those awkward moments.
Passing notes
Grade 12 had been a strange year. It was the spring, mid-May to be exact, maybe even early June. I had mooned over the same girl for close to two years, and that had abruptly come to an end.
Another girl, in Grade 11, caught my attention. Being a shy, awkward teenager, I was not sure how to proceed. As always, my best friend Chris Vining urged me to ask her out.
I always had the same reply.
"What if she says no?"
He just scoffed.
Instead, being the coward I was, I slipped her a note before she headed off on a week-long band trip. I really didn't expect any sort of reply for at least that long. However, a day later I was approached by one of her best friends bearing a note. She would be happy to go out some time.
Shortly after they returned from their band trip, I was in Vining's room in his mom's basement and gave her a call.
When she asked me what I had in my mind, I said, "We have the world at our feet." Another buddy, Mat, had suggested I say, "A night of wine, woman, and song."
Then I suggested perhaps going to a movie on Saturday night. That was fine by her. She dictated her address to me. I repeated it back to her as Vining wrote it down.
Return to sender
All day Saturday, I was on pins and needles. There were a couple times I thought I'd barf. Finally, the time had come. I got ready, and drove my parents' 1974 Oldsmobile Omega to Coaldale. Sitting in the front seat beside me was the piece of paper with her address in Vining's writing.
She said her place was right by the water tower. I wound my way through the neighbourhood and pulled up in front of her house. With my heart racing, I walked up the stairs and rang the door bell. I was greeted by this old man. I asked for her.
"There's no one here by that name," he replied kindly. "I've never even heard of her."
I just froze.
Once I composed myself, I went back to my car, cursing Vining for writing down the wrong address. I angrily grabbed that piece of paper and discovered – I had misread the address.
"Sorry buddy," I muttered.
The correct address was across the street. I pulled around and parked in front. I took a deep breath and I went in.
Meet the parents
She was waiting at the door when I knocked. She invited me in to meet her parents.
Her dad was about the same size as mine, blue collar like mine. Then he totally surprised me.
"Do whatever you like with her, she's crazier than I am," he said as he shook my hand, laughing.
Her mom was in behind, and I spotted her older sister going out the back door. I'd actually taken accounting in Grade 10 with her sister, but she was in Grade 11 and completely ignored all us Grade 10s back then.
"One daughter out the back, one out the front," her mom said. She seemed so excited.
I shook her mom's hand then escorted the girl to my car.
We were all alone now.
The silent treatment
Every time I had seen her, she had to be the centre of attention. She was this loud, outgoing, ebullient girl who was full of life and energy. When I started taking an interest, I would go see her in her social studies class before it started. The teacher had been one of my favourites, and he still welcomed visitors before class. I always suspected she had a crush on him. One day, just before I sent that fateful note, I paid her a visit, and she was horsing around with her friends. She saw me and actually gave me these strips of paper she had torn and formed into what she called a "pumpkin". I couldn't see it, but loved the gesture. Vining was there and said she had to like me.
Anyway, once we were in my car, I had no plan for the evening. I thought, naively, we'd figure it out together. So I asked her if there were any movies she wanted to see. The whole conversation on her end consisted of one-word answers. We headed to the Coaldale Mac's to get a "Letbridge Herald" with the movie listings. I read the movies out to her and, again, there was little response. The car was kind of small, and I was tired of wrestling with the newspaper so I crumpled it up and threw it in the back seat.
"The Secret of My Success" seemed like the logical choice, given she gave me little feedback.
That was until it was time to get to the theatre. I forgot which theatre it was. She replied, "I'll look, but you did destroy the paper."
That was nice.
The secret of my failure
I tried everything I could to bring her out of her shell, but it just got worse and worse. I don't know if she was nervous, or what, but it really was like pulling teeth.
We got to the Paramount Theatre and, as it turned out, she was still a youth and her ticket was cheaper, although that really did not matter. I absolutely loved the movie. Michael J. Fox is one of my favourites.
After the movie, we cruised Lethbridge, as teenagers did, but there really was no spark between us.
"Do you just want me to take you home?" I asked.
"Yes," she said softly.
I dropped her off, and it was right around 10 p.m.
Vining had asked me to phone him once the date was over with all the details. Usually we were hanging out together on Friday nights.
I really did not want to go home, so I found a pay phone in Coaldale and phoned him. His mom answered.
"Why are you phoning so soon?" She knew about the date, and could hear the sadness in my voice.
"I really need to talk to him," I said.
"He went out with Kent. I don't expect him back until midnight," she responded.
I told her to tell him I'd call the next day.
Then I went to Corky's, a restaurant in downtown Coaldale run by the older brother of a classmate of mine, and had the biggest, greasiest steak they had. I had not discovered beer yet, so as a 17 year old, I ate to forget. Gorged myself in fact.
My first date had been a complete failure.
The days after
There actually would be more dates, better ones with that girl and she would be my escort to grad, but that is the most memorable because it was the most surreal. To this day, I have no idea why she went from party animal to wall flower in my Oldsmobile Omega. But every time I see "The Secret of My Success", I ask myself that very question.
Poster for the 1984 movie "Starman", another movie I saw with my sister at the College Village Mall in Lethbridge.
Love stories can come in many shapes and forms. One of the strangest, and most touching, love stories I saw was the 1984 movie "Starman" starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen.
It tells the tale of Jenny Hayden, a widowed woman, played by Karen Allen (not far removed from her role as Marian Ravenwood in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"). She watches a home movie made of her and her late husband, played by Jeff Bridges, sing the song "All I Have to do is Dream". Soon after, an alien seeking to explore Earth lands and assumes the form of her husband. Soon, the government discovers the extraterrestrial visit and begins pursuit.
One of the funniest moments for me is when the Starman is riding with Jenny. She is approaching a green light when it turns yellow, so she hits the gas to make it through the intersection before the light turns red. Later on, the Starman is driving. The light turns yellow and he hits the gas, almost crashing into a car coming from the side.
"What are you doing?" Jenny yells.
"Green means go. Yellow means go faster," Starman replies.
The Starman has only three days to make it to a rendezvous point before he dies, convincing Jenny to take him. Gradually she goes from hostility to love, when she sees his compassion and caring. They make love the day before the rendezvous and Jenny, who was unable to conceive, is told by Starman she is pregnant. Better yet, the baby is Scott's because Starman is a clone of Scott.
On the verge of both capture and death, Starman's people come back for him and he leaves. Jenny asks her to take him with him, but he says she wouldn't survive. Then he's healed and disappears.
Jenny Hayden has now lost the man she loves twice.
Jeff Bridges, who has always been one of my favourite actors, was nominate for an Oscar for best actor his role as the Starman, and two years later, when I was in Grade 12, ABC made Starman into a TV series that lasted one season. Starman returns to Earth 15 years later to spend time with his now teenage son and find Jenny Hayden. Robert Hays took over for Jeff Bridges as Starman.
"Starman" was considered one of the best movies of 1984. Science fiction really is the backdrop for what makes this movie special. At its heart, it's about real people who live, love, and suffer loss. The themes are universal – in any universe.
No song has summoned up the forces of passion and intensity that U2's "With or Without You" did for me in the spring and summer of 1987.
I was not one of these people on the cutting edge of music who listened to U2. These were the same people who accused the band of selling out once they achieved popularity on the radio once their album "The Joshua Tree" topped the charts.
These were the same people who wanted to keep U2 their little secret. They wanted to keep U2 to themselves, then lashed out when other people discovered how good they were. It was as if because they were popular, they had to sell out. They never considered that instead of U2 selling out to become popular, maybe just maybe the audience just discovered what was always there.
Letting loose
As I said, I was not one of the cool kids who knew anything about "War" or "Boy" or "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". My only recollection of U2 was from a commercial advertising one of those mixed records that companies such as K-tel and Polytel were always selling. It showed a snippet of Bono singing "Pride in the Name of Love".
Then, in March of 1987, "The Joshua Tree" came out, and the first single U2 released was "With or Without You". It was stuck in everyone's car stereo, ghetto blaster, and sound system. It flew up all the charts and peaked at number one.
I was in Grade 12 and a lot was going on. Stress was coming from every direction. I wondered if the girl I liked, liked me. I was applying for university, student loans, and scholarships. I had to finish my classes to graduate, which meant departmental exams were looming. And I had a job after school and on weekends.
One day, I was driving in my parents 1974 Oldsmobile Omega from our farm to Coaldale. "With or Without You" came on the radio, and I started to sing along. Suddenly, all that stress came to a head and I started singing louder, and louder, and louder until I was screaming the words, "…and you give yourself away…" It was this massive, albeit momentary, catharsis.
Even now, when I hear that song, and I'm alone in the comforts of my Sebring, I let loose singing to that song. It all started on a lone country road back in the summer of 1987.
Edward James Olmos with Jaime Escalante, the real-life inspiration for the character he played in "Stand and Deliver"
Many times it has made the top 10 lists of the most inspiring movies about teachers, right up there with "Dead Poets Society", "Dangerous Minds", and "To Sir With Love".
"Stand and Deliver" told the unbelievable story of a group of high school students in east Los Angeles who could barely do fractions. Then, a new teacher comes to school, a graduate of the same school and Hispanic like them. He not only teaches them math, but how to dream. They go from barely able to do fractions, to mastering calculus and writing an exam that gives them advanced college credit. It is based on the true story of Jaime Escalante, who turned barrio students into mathematicians.
Edward James Olmos, abandoning his role as the stylish and well-groomed police commander on "Miami Vice" to play the middle-aged math teacher Jaime Escalante. He actually gained weight and underwent other physical changes to play the role.
It was an inspiring movie, a true story of a teacher who saw the potential in students who everyone else gave up on. Edward James Olmos took a break from his role as Castillo, the commanding officer of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs on "Miami Vice" to play Jaime Escalante. It also starred a young Andy Garcia in a bit role, and Lou Diamond Phillips, fresh off his role as Ritchie Valens in “La Bamba”.
It’s one of a handful of movies about teachers making a difference in the world. It also showed math could be a way to a new life. Essentially, long before shows about geniuses like "The Big Bang Theory"made math cool, there was "Stand and Deliver". At the time I was an education student, and stories like this made me believe I made the right career choice.
“Just remember, I was a math major before ‘Stand and Deliver’ came out.” – Chris Vining
Those were the immortal words of my best friend in high school and roommate in university. I’d read a story and seen the movie poster of the movie “Stand and Deliver” in the Edmonton Journal in first year of university. I had made a mental note to see it when it hit the theatres.
The movie poster that first peaked my interest in "Stand and Deliver"
That would not occur until first year was over, and Chris and I had moved home for the summer. He spent a good chunk of that summer working up north, but got home once in awhile. One weekend when he was home, “Stand and Deliver” was playing at College Village Mall, or as we called it, the Woolco Mall.
He wasn't as sold on it as I was, because it really did not sound that exciting the way I described it. Yet he was always game to see a movie. When he got out, he was as impressed as I was – especially because he had just switched his major to math. He would eventually go on to teach quite a bit of secondary school math. I too changed my minor from English to math as well. However, I ultimately made the decision not to be a teacher, but to be a journalist.
As it turned out Chris made the right choice. He’s an amazing teacher. I guess what I learned was not to be a teacher, but to tell the stories of inspiring people like Jaime Escalante.
