Famous names=a lifetime of memories...
Like hearing a song title, hearing the name of a famous person who recently passed away, brings a flood of memories. Since last weekend we lost a famous actor, two sports names and a singer. All of their names carry memories starting with Georgia Gibbs who started life as an orphan in Worcester (MA) to become one of the biggest singers of the 50s. The nickname, "Her Nibs, Miss Georgia Gibbs" was bestowed on her by TV host Garry Moore. She was barely over 5 feet tall. Her biggest hit was "Kiss of Fire" but she also covered "The Wallflower", "Dance With Me Henry" and "Tweedle Dee". Georgia Gibbs lost her battle with leukemia on December 9th at 87...
Peter Boyle, the grouchy father on "Everybody Loves Raymond", star of "Joe" and tap-dancing monster in "Young Frankenstein" died Tuesday night from multiple myeloma and heart disease. Peter Boyle looked a lot older but was just 71. He was a terrific actor...
There would be no Super Bowl without Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, who came up with the term. He also founded the American Football League and has been inducted into 8 halls of fame (who knew there could be that many?). Hunt was 74 when he passed away last night from prostate cancer in Dallas...
Paul Arizin was an early pioneer of the jump shot and one of the 50 greatest NBA players. The Hall of Famer from Villanova who starred with the Philadelphia Warriors was 78 when he died in his sleep in suburban Philadelphia Tuesday night. I remember Arizin as one of the early leading scorers in the NBA during his heyday...
Four famous names and lots of memories...
Timeline Memories...
- [1911] Norwegian explorer Roald (still looking for an "n") Amundsen becomes the 1st person to reach the South Pole, 35 days ahead of Captain Robert F. Scott...
- [1977] One of the biggest box office movies of the 70s, "Saturday Night Fever", starring John Travolta premieres with such classic lines as "would you just watch my hair?"," I work on my hair a long time and you hit it". "He hits my hair", has its world premiere...
- [1980] Yoko Ono, back in the news with an extortion plot, calls for a 10-minute vigil around the world for her husband John Lennon, shot to death 6 days earlier...same date in 1995 the White House releases classified documents that the FBI spied on Lennon in an attempt to have him deported. One report criticizes Yoko's singing which could be the only accurate account of all the accusations...
- [1999] BMI announces "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" as the #1 composition on the performing rights group's list of "Top 100 Songs of The Century". This video link contains the Righteous Brothers performing the song, live, on Shindig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVrDQQIiweE
- [1999] A former Beatle plays the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the 1st time in 36 years when Paul McCartney does a one-nighter there...
"Happy Trails": 1799] George Washington dies of a throat infection at his home in Mount Vernon (VA) at 67...1963] Dinah Washington (no relation) dies of a drug overdose at 39...
Released on this date: 1968] "Crimson & Clover" - Tommy James...1974] "Lady" - Styx...1979] "London Calling" LP - The Clash...
Debuted on this date: 1955] The Tappan Zee Bridge...1968] The Jackson Five make their 1st appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...
Gold Standard: 1961] "Big Bad John" - Jimmy Dean...
#1 on this date: 1970] "The Tears of a Clown" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles...
Premiered on this date: 1995] "Frank Sinatra: 80 Years My Way" on ABC-TV...
Final Curtain: 1999] Charles M. Schulz announces he's retiring the "Peanuts" comic strip (the last original strip is published on February 13, 2000)...
Wedding Bells: 1985] James Taylor marries actress Kathryn Walker (the marriage will last until the two divorce in 1996)...2000] The FTC approves the $111 billion merger of AOL and Time Warner...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
From Los Angeles, this e-mail: "Ya know, how the hell could they (Brooklyn Dodgers) trade Jackie Robinson? and to add to the insult, trade him to the Giants of all teams? I was a huge Dodgers (as well as Red Sox) fan as a kid growing up in North Jersey. I should've disowned them when they traded Jackie instead of waiting 'til they moved and became the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. I've despised them ever since". This easily could have been from another die-hard Dodger fan, my sister Ri but it wasn't. It was from Ed Pyle. But Ed, how do you really feel???
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
If you're a Red Sox fan you don't have to send birthday cards to: Bill Buckner (57), Dee Wallace (58), Joyce Vincent-Wilson (from Dawn)(60), Patty Duke (60), Abbe Lane (74) and former, tick...tick...tick "60 Minutes" producer Don Hewitt (84)...
Timeline Countdown: 1 day until Chanukah, 11 days until Christmas, 17 days until 2007, 23 days until the NFL playoffs, 25 days until the BCS championship game and 52 days until Super Bowl XLI...
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