Players
RIP Packers legendary RB Paul Hornung, 84. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1956, playing QB for Notre Dame, and was the NFL’s #1 draft pick overall in ’57. He spent his entire nine-year career with Green Bay. He was MVP in 1961 and was a member of four championship teams. He was adept rushing and receiving, scoring 62 TDs. He was first team All-Pro twice and played in two Pro Bowls. He led the league in rushing TDs in 1960. He also kicked 66 field goals and had 190 PATs. He was named to the ‘60’s All-Decade team. He was suspended for the 1963 season for gambling. Post playing career he worked in broadcasting on TV and radio. Well done, sir.
The NFL has also lost WR Jimmy Orr, 85, who had an excellent career despite being the 251st pick in the ’57 draft out of Georgia. He was Rookie of the Year in ’58 for the Steelers, but went on to make his mark with the Colts. He was part of the 1968 NFL championship team that lost to the Jets in Super Bowl III. He was a member of the squad that won Super Bowl V. He was first team All-Pro once, second team twice. In 13 seasons he had 400 receptions, 66 TDs. Well done, sir.
Last night Movies!, channel 5–2 on over the air antennas in NYC, ran yet another flick I hadn’t seen in its Thursday night Noir to Die For series. The Gangster (1947) is different than most crime films of that era in that it attempts a more cerebral approach to the main character’s psychology and has very little gun play. It was the last of director Gordon Wiles’ eleven movies. He died at 46. He won an Oscar in 1931 for Best Art Direction for Transatlantic. The screenplay for The Gangster was adapted by Daniel Fuchs from one of his own stories, the wonderfully titled Low Company. He too was an Academy Award winner: Best Writing, Motion Picture Story Love Me or Leave Me (1955), shared with Isobel Lennart. The Gangster stars Barry Sullivan and features a stellar supporting cast. The following names may not be familiar but the faces would be to cinema fans of a certain age: Joan Lorring, Akim Tamiroff, Harry Morgan, John Ireland, Sheldon Leonard, Fifi D’Orsay, Virginia Christine, Elisha Cook Jr., Leif Erickson, Charles McGraw, John Kellogg and Jeff Corey. Way down on the cast list is Bill Kennedy, who I knew as the host of an afternoon TV show in which he imparted Hollywood trivia during breaks in the featured film, which I watched regularly in the early ‘70’s while I attended Western Michigan U. in Kalamazoo. He was eccentric, fun. There are 107 titles under his name at IMDb. He was almost always on the fringes even in B movies. I laughed out loud when I read his character is the one who sets fire to Ingrid Bergman in the role of Joan of Arc (1948). I am totally surprised that I had no recollection of his most famous gig, which I must have read about in a previous scan of his career. He voiced the intro of The Adventures of Superman, for which he was paid a one-time fee of $350 — highway robbery! Imagine if he’d received only a penny in royalty for each broadcast. He also worked as a newscaster. He passed away at 88 in 1997. Here’s this American original:
Headline from foxnews.com: “Musk says took four COVID-19 tests; two were positive, two negative.” 50–50 seems about the right percentage when it comes to Corona measures — and that may be generous.
Here’s one that sums up politics: “Chicago mayor defends celebrating in the streets for Biden, then shutting down city.”
There were two options for the floating book shop today: stay home or return to the viaduct, which was dry despite the persistent mist. For some reason I was optimistic. Silly me. My thanks to the tall young woman who bought a beautifully illustrated children’s book in Russian.
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