Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on April 10, 2023, 03:49:03 PMI'm a bit of a prayer warrior so I will add him to my list 

Me too. He is on my list as well. Jim, if you read this, we're thinking of you and sending you our love and warmest of intentions.

Peace!

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 09, 2023, 09:00:37 PMBrings back old memories when I was just a kid. Let's see...I'm 69, this was 59 years ago...I must've been 10. I remember my parents putting me and my two brothers in the back seat of our 2-door, cherry red '58 super eight Oldsmobile and taking us to get "conies" (white hots) in Binghamton. My baby sister was simply held in the front seat on my mother's lap (the old days huh???). On the way down, the Beatles came on the radio with "She Loves You" and we all said, "turn it up, turn it up". My father had a scowl on his face and told us it was loud enough, LOL

So we get to one of those stainless steel diners and we get a booth. There was a box on the table that you could play the juke box for a nickel from where you sat. I saw "She Loves You" by the Beatles and I remember begging my Dad to let us play it. He did, bless is heart in hindsight

I watched them each time they were on the Ed Sullivan Show and my Dad would scowl and say, "they need a hair cut and I shouldn't let you kids watch that crap". Oh how I miss him

I think a lot of us here really miss our dads for that, and a million other reasons. I was fortunate to have one who actually watched with me some of my own TV selections and that includes the cartoons of the 70s, soccer on PBS in the 70s and early 80s, This Old House was a favorite of both of us and, of course, so too were the Giants, Yankees and Rangers of the day. You try to grow up so fast to get on the same plane as your dad that, when the day finally comes that you do, it's about time for him to pack it up and call it a life. It's the one aspect of life that, if I could change something, I'd make every effort to close the loops on everything with him ... the good, the bad and even the ugly. I see him in my dreams, from time to time, and believe he's doing all he can do to let me know he still comes around. How, it's not for us to know in the life we live and the existence of us on this rock called the Earth which spins around this hot thing in the sky called the sun. Until we all find out, I'll continue to keep his memory alive by telling my daughter stories about him so that, even though she was a year old when he passed, she'll have a good idea who he was, and see for herself from the picture of him holding her as an infant. It was the day a life-long dream of his came true: he became a grandfather.

Peace!

Quote from: LennG on January 29, 2023, 02:44:33 PMhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/10-tv-shows-that-changed-television-forever/ar-AA16RPeE?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=67400257bb8b4c4ca1710cc97f6eeff2

in no particular order

24
CSI
X-Files
Scoobi-Doo
Looney Tunes
Dragnet
I Love Lucy
The Simpsons
Twilight Zone
Star Trek

Now, I'm sure we can name a few more, but  this isn't our favorite TV shows

All In The Family--- changed all comedy forever with the way it portrayed life at that time
MASH--was a completely new way to watch a comedy/drama
Sesame Street-Changed the way Kids watched TV
Survivor-Maybe the first of the reality boom
Seinfeld--A show about nothing
Ed Sullivan Show-- Something for everyone
Laugh-In--a hodge podge of jokes, stories, and famous people acting silly
The Tonight Show--Really changed the way we stayed up late, and then later.

This is quite the list, and there's been some good input to this thread, thus far. So, let me share my two cents' worth and ask your patience since this comes through the eyes and mind of someone who watched Neil Armstrong and crew land on the moon while still in my diapers.

Scooby Doo (headed by the voice of the legendary Casey Kasem) was an all-time kids' favorite back in the famous Saturday morning cartoon era of the 1970s. Would later gain more exposure once it went into syndication, and modern spin-offs of the show extended the brand through the 1980s into the new millennium, it remains one of the most beloved series ever created and a far less violent alternative to the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the 60s which were laden with images of crudity and violence which make them nearly impossible to find in the modern era.

When Hanna-Barbera received an overhaul of their entertainment lineup, a new concept emerged with the dawning of Sid and Marty Krofft and their colorful designs, puppetry and the infamous 70s "special effects" which we all laugh at today' however, they were the coolest thing on Saturday morning television in the 70s. HB married up the old cartoons, in an effort to phase them out, while phasing in the Krofft's productions such as "The Banana Splits," "H.R. Pufnstuf," "The Bugaloos" and "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters." Not to be outdone, they topped all of those great shows with the now cult-like following of "Land of the Lost," which remains my favorite, to this day, and have enjoyed "programming" my daughter into watching it, along with my wife who fought it until she grumbled and sat down watching it with us. Land of the Lost may have been the most revolutionary of all the Krofft's series in that it had some of the greatest story writers of the day putting in scripts for the show. For example, some of the best first and second season shows were written by none other than some of the very best writers from "Star Trek." They included the likes of D.C. Fontana, Walter Koenig and David Gerrold.

I Love Lucy was in syndication in the 70s and used to watch it when home with the sickies or on summer vacation. I always wanted to Babaloo with Ricky Jr. on the bongos, for some reason.

All in the Family was a beloved comedy in my household and became addicted to it when it started showing in syndication on WNEW-5 back in the day. Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton remain my all-time favorite actor/actress combination because of this show. What helped make their characters so funny was that their real personalities were 180 degrees out of phase from the characters they portrayed. As much as I liked Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, they never succeeded in front of the camera without Carroll and Jean. Those two remain icons for eternity! Finally, no, there is no way such a show could be successful in today's world. Back in 1969-70, Norman Lear went out on a limb to get this show out there. In fact, he had multiple takes of the pilot episode and tried to sell it to ABC before CBS bought the project out and filmed a new pilot with the complete cast which would make up the nine-year run of the series. Also revolutionary was that "All in the Family" was taped in front of a studio audience, except the final season when the show was first taped then shown to a live audience in order to capture their response. It was very "Lear-like" to have a genuine reaction to the comedy versus the "canned laughter" which became commonplace in the 60s and 70s. But it was these little things which helped make the series one of the greatest in the history of television.

I could go on and on but I'll stop here. I can follow up in the future with "Sesame Street" and the evolution of public television and its use as an educational medium.

Peace!

Quote from: NapoleonBlownapart on May 12, 2021, 07:50:26 PMRay Guy gets no love from Dave or john James.

What an interesting interview including the 400K dig at Tom Skladany.  Thanks Wolverine wherever you may be in 2021!

This is great stuff, but would be eclipsed, the following year, with the saga of Russell Erxleben, the first-round punter/kicker for the Saints.

John James went on to have a long and generally successful career (1972-84) with the Falcons, Lions and Oilers. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection (1975-77) and named an All-Pro in 1976 and 1977.

Our Dave Jennings, had a very successful career, spanning 14 seasons, between the Giants and Jets. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection (1978-80, 1982), All-Pro five consecutive seasons (1978-82) and the one punter considered as close to peer status with Ray Guy for punters of that era.

Peace!

I have nothing more to add apart from my wanting to take the time and offer kudos to everyone offering their opinions, experiences and insight into an incredibly difficult and complex issue. Reading the thread, in its entirety, offers a wealth of information to reflect on. Not just for Plaxico Burress, but also for the laws intended to protect us (NOTE: "placate the voters" (Ed Vette) ... a profound thought).

There's no direct solution to the issues presented but I just wanted to commend my fellow contributors for an excellent discussion.

Salut!

Peace!

Quote from: Slugsy-Narrows on November 29, 2022, 02:10:20 PMWhen people focus more on the mental illness aspect and stop focusing on the gun as the problem we may be able to have the right conversations on this topic.

Slugsy, identifying and treating mental illness, or one struggling to maintain mental health and wellness (e.g. stress management) is indeed part of the problem. It's not something that is easy to discuss, nor is it easy to live with someone who suffers from a form of it (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders). Whether we're talking about guns, or any other subject, it impacts that person and those around them. The trouble you run into is that there are very few "real" treatment specialists/centers where one afflicted can go and receive "real" care. It's not as simple as going on Dr. Phil and getting to go to a dual-diagnosis facility followed by some rehabilitation place. I can share horror stories of what reality looks like for afflicted persons but I won't go into detail here. Also, if someone with a diagnosed mental illness ends up getting in trouble with the law, regarding a firearm, that individual will be placed on the FBI list as far as being prohibited from ever owning a firearm again.

It is a very complicated issue and our society is currently not equipped to deal with it with even the slightest degree of effectiveness.

Peace!

Quote from: Ed Vette on November 29, 2022, 11:49:54 AMWhat's really touching is how family and friends turned their back on him. One incident or one decision can alter the course of a person's life. Sometimes it's in our control and sometimes it's not.

This is really the case of finding out who your friends and family really are. To learn that, on top of everything else he was able to process in the correction facility, takes it to another level. He made his mistake, paid dearly for it, and knows things will never, ever, return to the way they were before that gun went off.

Even the snide remarks he receives, regarding how that impacted the 2008 Giants, will never go away. I view that season a grave disappointment, in the manner it played out, as Philly would never have done to the Giants what they did to kick them out of the post-season. The Cardinals going to the Super Bowl ... are you kidding me? Not if Plax was there. So, that's the way it is, and we can be bitter about that, but why continue after all this time?

That Plax will forever live in guilt, because of what he missed out on the football field, is bad enough. That he found out who was real to him, in his life, was painful but probably necessary anyway. That he lost the most intimate moments of being a dad will haunt him forever. You'll never get that time back and that pain is very real and doesn't go away easily. I've missed special days in my daughter's life, due to business travel, and know how it feels.

In all honesty, it would be more of a privilege to get to meet Plax now, versus when he was still playing with the Giants, for the wisdom he has taken from a near grave mistake in his life. He appears to be very much down to earth, as well as a caring family man, and is sought after in the talk radio world these days. Most of all, he is a human being, just like you and I.

I choose to remember him, at the end of Super Bowl XLII, with his family near-by, in tears as he reflected on catching the game-winning touchdown pass and the magnitude of what had just happened. It was a beautiful moment, not just for him, but for Giants' fans for the ages. It is that moment that remains with me whenever his name is mentioned.

Peace!

Quote from: Sem on June 05, 2022, 02:30:54 AM

I remember "Up All Night" with Rhonda Shear. I watched quite a few of them, mostly because of her comic relief. If I remember correctly The Greaseman was even a guest on one of her episodes.

Yes, Rhonda definitely brought the viewers in. Her comic relief, as well as dressing the part to draw the male, under-25 audience, was a successful ploy by USA to bring up the ratings. Gottfried was already a legend at the time so those two interjecting their humor, as well as original host Caroline Schlitt (two seasons prior to Rhonda), definitely made the bad B-movies more palatable. But who cared as we were out on the town, came back loaded and chilled for an hour or two before crashing; the weekend life of a college student in the 80s. Unfortunately, I'd have to get up early the next morning, during the fall, for our soccer matches. Home games we could sleep in a little but we always left early on the away games so at least you could bank an hour sleep on the ride. Those were the days!

Peace!

So, a question for our B-flick friends ... how many folks here used to watch the Friday Night USA Up All Night B-movie with host Rhonda Shear followed by the Saturday night program with Gilbert Gottfried. Here are some I remember:

- "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" (my ex-girlfriend's favorite B-flick)
- "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" (one of my favorites)
- "Hamburger - The Motion Picture" (with none other than Dick Butkus padding up his Hollywood credits; well, maybe Chatsworth or some other San Fernando Valley / Simi Valley low-budget production company); Randi Brookes in a bikini fired up many of us hot and bothered teen males back in the day!
- "Night Shift" with a star-studded line-up of a young Dennis Keaton, Henry "The Fonz" Winkler, Shelley Long and even a cameo of Kevin Costner
- "Hot Chili"
- "H.O.T.S."
- "Piranha" (original 1978 movie)
- "Tomboy"

It scares me that I remember most of these some thirty years later.

Gilbert Gottfried ... rest in peace, my friend.

Not sure how I never found the time to add mine after all these years.

Mods - may I ask your help and add me as a March baby, please? March 29 to be exact.

Thank you!

Quote from: MightyGiants on June 03, 2022, 05:17:10 PM
done

Thank you, Rich! Since we're identifying cities, can I trouble you again to add Surprise as my new home city, please?

Thanks again!

Quote from: LennG on May 31, 2022, 01:01:12 PM
Myself, I would have to say my all-time favorite sandwich is something you can only get at a Jewish Deli--Hot Pastrami on fresh rye bread with some great deli mustard. My own take on this is I add a nice scoop of sauerkraut on top of the pastrami. My mouth waters for this. AND there is a huge difference between the pastrami one gets at a Jewish deli compared to any other deli or supermarket.  Don't know why but there is.

Hi Lenn - one of my all-time favorites as well. Add a nice dill pickle to it and you have perfection.

I also like a good hot Reuben as well. I like my cold sandwiches as well. Paneri is a good go-to spot, so is Jersey Mike's, but get me into an old Italian deli where they have fresh Capicola ham and I'm happy as a camper.

My Polish heritage engrained in me a love for the sandwich from the old country - Zapiekanki. In a nutshell, it's an open-faced toasted sandwich that you can put just about anything you'd like. Try good old-fashioned kielbasa, sauerkraut, mustard or, if you're feeling for something lighter, try a cheese of your choice, green onion, cooked bacon bits, Polish mushroom and a seasoning/condiment of your choosing. Use a baguette for the bread or even French bread cut in half. Toast lightly and it makes for either a yummy snack, light lunch on the go or whatever your fancy is. I've actually integrated them as a staple of a diet I was on, about 20 years ago, and successfully dropped 65 pounds back in the day ... without the kielbasa and bacon, of course!

I also enjoy Panini, or pressed sandwiches, in the same manner as zapiekanki, with grilled chicken breast, fresh veggies and a small dab of olive oil and Italian herbs and spices. Great stuff!

Stopping now as I am getting hungry ...

Peace!

Hi Lenn.

I agree with you that the History Channel's "Theodore Roosevelt" was very well produced and I learned quite a few details about Roosevelt that further reinforce my vision of him as a "rock star" of the day.

All of the History Channel's documentaries on the presidents have been outstanding watches and we will get to see Franklin D. Roosevelt on their next mini-series. Again, looking very much forward to it.

Peace!

Hey Rich.

May I ask your help to update me from New Mexico to Arizona (Surprise), please?

Thank you very much!

Getting primed for this weekend's History Channel documentary "Theodore Roosevelt" starting May 30. Preview here:

https://play.history.com/shows/theodore-roosevelt/videos/preview-theodore-roosevelt

History Channel's documentaries on the presidents (e.g. Washington, Grant, Lincoln) have been both masterful and insightful to the presidential era as well as the human being in office. Can't wait!

Peace!