The Terrible Catsafterme

I know him thanks to KISS. Like Leif Garrett before him, I had absolutely no idea who Rex Smith was or what he did back in the late 1970’s, but his mug – which I guess would be one to make the girls swoon – routinely adorned the 16 Magazines that I would buy. There were lots of heartthrobs in those pieces of pulp, but I was only buying it for the KISS articles and pictures. But since his face became a fixture of my nostalgic youth, I was rather happy to meet Rex Smith face to charming face. Read the rest of this entry »

Even if you can’t place the face, you’re sure to recognize it. That is, if you’ve ever seen an episode of F Troop, whether voluntary or against your will. It’s a show I never cared for, but it’s interesting to note that James Hampton, who portrayed Hannibal Dobbs, had actually served in the “F” Troop of the Army’s Sixth Cavalry. Outside of F Troop, you might recognize the face of James Hampton from Teen Wolf (both the film and TV series), Sling Blade, Gunsmoke, Superboy, Newhart, Police Academy 5, Perfect Strangers, or the Hogan Family. Go ahead. Admit it. You know him!! Read the rest of this entry »

If you answered Ghostbusters! to that question – and worse yet, sang in the cadence of the classic song from the 1984 film Ghostbusters, well than I must say, you are quite predicatable. The answer I was looking for was actually Ray Parker, Jr., the solo recording artist who wrote, produced, and recorded the chart-topping #1 hit theme song that people are still singing ad nauseum today. Read the rest of this entry »

For week, maybe even months, before we actually departed for the 8th International Convention of the Sons of the Desert, my friend Jon Petering kept telling me, “Buddy, I can’t wait to get on that plane.” Yes, for some odd reason one of my fellow Kroger baggers was going along with us to Las Vegas to attend the convention. It was a little odd, because he had no real interest in Laurel and Hardy, but the allure of Las Vegas and the untold pleasures he could find there was too much to resist. In the end, his favorite quote was “Buddy, there’s nothing to do here”, and he spent a lot of his time sitting in the room watching baseball. Read the rest of this entry »

He simply got left out. Nerds often do. I’m referring (of course) to exclusion of Andrew Cassese during the great Revenge of the Nerds reunion that took place in Burbank in October of 2010. Almost all of the actors portraying the nerds in the classic (well, I think it’s classic) film from 1984 were present. Anthony Edwards who had played Gilbert had simply gotten to big to attend, due to his role in E.R. Andrew Cassese, who had played Wormser, was simply forgotten. Read the rest of this entry »