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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 3, 2019 14:48:12 GMT -5
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Post by Cei-U! on Jul 3, 2019 15:51:25 GMT -5
When I was in 7th grade, every guy I knew did impressions of Arte Johnson's German soldier, his dirty old man, or both.
Cei-U! I summon the cultural touchstone!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 3, 2019 17:59:27 GMT -5
Aw, @#$%!
I loved Arte Johnson. Amazingly, my dad had no problem with Laugh-In (my dad came from humble, religious, though tolerant background) and Arte was our favorite, in my household. Between his old man character and the german, he got great mileage out of a catch phrase. he was also a great actor, as he demonstrated in his increasingly fewer guest roles. He ended up doing more voice work, than acting, including providing the narration for the audio editions of Dave Barry's books and playing characters like Virman Vundabar, on Justice League (even getting in his catch phrase).
Another part of my childhood....gone.
Thanks for the laughs, Arte!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 3, 2019 18:05:11 GMT -5
ps Just read he was a fellow Univ. of Illinois allumnist. Another reason to love the man!
Married to the same woman for 50 years! And she is German, which meant she could take a joke, with his Wolfgang character.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2019 23:07:52 GMT -5
Loved him in Laugh-In and that show was a big part of my life and he made it a joy to watch ... Thanks for the memories Artie!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2019 23:37:37 GMT -5
RIP Lee Iacocca. I remember his name being ubiquitous in the headlines during the 80s whenever the auto-industry of business in general was discussed, usually because of his stewardship/bail out of Chrysler. He was also responsible for the development of the Ford Mustang and Pinto during his time at Ford, and headed the Foundation that oversaw and financed the restoration of the Statue of Liberty in the 80s.
-M
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Post by Cei-U! on Jul 5, 2019 9:48:54 GMT -5
Iacocca's autobiography was one of the titles I got when I joined the Book of the Month Club circa '88. I lent it to a friend before reading it and never got it back. Wonder if it was any good?
Cei-U! I summon the Mustang man!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2019 12:08:53 GMT -5
RIP to former Third Party Candidate and businessman Ross Perot. Perot ran on a populist campaign, branding himself an outsider, despite years of government contracts for his company and deep political ties in Texas and Washington. He finished the 1992 election with the highest percentage of votes for a third part in history, and is credited with damaging Bush's standing with conservatives. A follow up run in 1996 was marred by bizarre claims of conspiracies to ruin his daughter's wedding and a poor showing in a debate with Al Gore.
Perot attended the US Naval Academy, but, did not serve his full active duty commitment. He requested early release due to the "character" of fellow officers and it was granted, among accusations that his family's political connections secured the deal.
Perot's public image was often at odds with the background details. His campaign presented him as someone who came from humble beginnings, who rode a mule to school. His father was a commodities broker (selling cotton contracts) and he attended a private school, for a time. After the Navy, he worked at IBM; but left the company in a dispute with his superiors. He formed his own company, Electronic Data Systems, which secured a government contract to upgrade the Medicare records system. Further contracts would follow, including foreign government contracts, like the one EDS had in Iran, prior to the revolution. Two of his employees were imprisoned during the revolution and he turned to friend and former special forces officer, Col. Arthur "Bull" Simmons to develop a plan to get them out. Simmons had led the ill-fated Son Tay Prison Raid, during the Vietnam War, which sought to rescue American POWs, only to find an empty prison. Perot had developed a friendship with Simmons, while being involved in POW/MIA groups. Simmons led a small group of EDS employees into Iran and used a mob riot that attacked the jail where the two prisoners were held, to secure their release and then smuggle them out of the country. The events were immortalized in Ken Follett's non-fiction On Wings of Eagle, which was adapted into a movie, with Richard Crenna as a more glamorous Perot and Burt Lancaster as Simmons.
Perot appeared on Larry King Live, attacking the Bush Administration and, especially, NAFTA. He presented a populist message of government "gridlock" and attacked the loss of American jobs, though his own company had been negotiating a free trade zone deal with Mexico, which would have been affected by NAFTA. He scored well on the program and it led to calls for him to run. He announced his candidacy and chose Adm James Stockdale, a former POW during Vietnam, as his running mate. He was credited with siphoning off conservative votes from Bush and finished higher than any other 3rd party candidate. However, Stockdale performed poorly in a vice presidential debate, owing to problems with a hearing aid (result of injuries from North Vietnamese interrogations). Perot was satirized on SNL by Dana Carvey, in immensely popular skits. After the vice presidential debate, a skit had Perot attempting to abandon a clueless Stockdale in the woods, but Stockdale (the late Phil Hartman) was able to chase down Perot's car.
Perot continued to make public appearances, making further broad attacks on the government and then ran again in 1996, with an increasingly bizarre campaign, that included claims of conspiracies to disrupt a daughter's wedding. He fared poorly in a debate with Al Gore that is credited with diminishing his support. His Reform Party's biggest victory would end up being pro wrestler Jesse Ventura's successful campaign for the governorship of Minnesota.
After his defeat, Perot continued to make civic appearances but did not run again. The Reform Party had been largely built around him and broke up. Perot generally remained out of politics, though did endorse Mitt Romney's campaign.
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Post by Cei-U! on Jul 9, 2019 21:30:28 GMT -5
On a visit to Texarkana years ago, I heard stories aplenty about what a horrible human being Perot was. The one I remember best concerned a Perot executive who was not only fired by Perot after coming out of the closet but was blackballed throughout the south, as the venemously homophobic Perot threatened to ruin any company that dared to hire him. Was it true? I don't know, but I do know that every Texarkanan I met simultaneously hated and feared the man. O you'll have to forgive me if I shed no tears for him.
Cei-U! I summon the second-hand grudge!
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Post by beccabear67 on Jul 9, 2019 22:41:57 GMT -5
I would've loved for a viable third party to have really gotten off the ground, but it didn't take too long to see the man had a cracked head or something. The more you got to know the scarier.
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Post by brianf on Jul 9, 2019 22:47:17 GMT -5
RIP Rip Torn I loved him in so many things - Defending Your Life was wonderful.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2019 22:58:33 GMT -5
I think the first film I remember Rip Torn from is The Beastmaster, but he has played so many wonderful roles. RIP.
-M
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2019 23:31:52 GMT -5
Fine actor, with some personal issues. Great in character roles, especially in Summer Rental, Defending Your Life, MIB, and Canadian Bacon. Early roles include things like Pork Chop Hill (with Gregory Peck) and A Face in the Crowd (with Andy Griffith).
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 10, 2019 6:09:21 GMT -5
On a visit to Texarkana years ago, I heard stories aplenty about what a horrible human being Perot was. The one I remember best concerned a Perot executive who was not only fired by Perot after coming out of the closet but was blackballed throughout the south, as the venemously homophobic Perot threatened to ruin any company that dared to hire him. Was it true? I don't know, but I do know that every Texarkanan I met simultaneously hated and feared the man. O you'll have to forgive me if I shed no tears for him. Cei-U! I summon the second-hand grudge! The rumor I heard was that they threatened to "out" his daughter as a lesbian for the reason he dropped out of the race. He was a real threat.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2019 22:48:41 GMT -5
Jim Bouton, Ball Four, dies at the age of 80. ESPN reported today, and I met him when he played with the Seattle Pilots. One of my favorites.
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