Impressive Careers
Why should this bother anyone? Headline from nypost.com: “Parents at elite NYC school enraged over ‘masturbation’ videos for first graders.” Or this one: “NYC’s iconic Washington Square Park now a ‘drug den’ that’s terrifying neighbors.”
RIP Oklahoma-born B.J. Thomas, who had tremendous success in the pop and country genres. In 1966, as part of Thomas and the Triumphs, his version of the Hank Williams classic I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry hit #8 on the U.S. chart, selling a million copies. As a solo artist he released scores of albums and singles. Hooked on a Feeling hit #5 in ’68, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head went to #1 in ’69, as did (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song in ’74. I Just Can’t Help Believing rose to #9 in ’70. He had four top ten hits, two #1’s on the country charts. There are 41 credits under his name in the category of Soundtrack at IMDb, and three under Actor. He won five Grammys for his work on inspirational and gospel music. He overcame substance abuse and reconciled with his wife, both embracing Christianity. I remember how often his songs were selected on the cafeteria jukebox at WMU. Awesome, sir. Thank you.
RIP Gavin MacLeod, 90, who had an incredible run on TV despite battles with alcohol in a career that spanned 1957–2014. Born in upstate New York as Allan George See, he earned a degree in Fine Arts at Ithaca College. A role in the Broadway production of A Hatful of Rain led him to Hollywood. There are 101 titles under his name at IMDb, but that figure does not reflect how prolific he was. He was in 73 episodes of McHale’s Navy, 168 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and 250 of The Love Boat. He was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards. Like Thomas, he got sober, reconciled with his love, and wrote a book about it. Awesome, sir. Thank you.
Last night the Heroes & Icons channel, 9–4 on ota in NYC, aired Silver Service, episode five of season three of Combat!, first aired in 1964. To that point, there are several episodes where either Lt. Hanley or Sgt. Saunders do not appear other than in the credits. Neither was in this one. Caje appears in the first few minutes then leaves the stage to Kirby and the impressive guest stars: Mickey Rooney, Claudine Longet, her first of two appearances on the show, and silent film star Ramon Navarro as a grandfather. It was directed by Sutton Roley, who was at the helm of 15 episodes of the series, as well as scores of other popular TV fare. The teleplay is credited to Kay Lenard and Jess Carneol, each of whom had successful careers on the small screen, and Edward J. Bonner, curiously, his only credit. Here’s Jack Hogan, now in his 90’s, as Kirby, carrying his B-A-R, Browning Automatic Rifle. He has 89 titles under his name. He did 111 episodes of the series:
Feeling a bit funky. Not sure if it’s from the second Pfizer shot or being stuck in the house on this second straight rainy day. Best aspect of being fully vaxxed is now not having any problem booking an appointment should I need dental work.
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