RIP: Bobby Sherman

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It was announced today that Bobby Sherman died today from stage 4 kidney cancer. Mr. Sherman was 81.

Bobby Sherman was born Robert Cabot Sherman Jr..  His professional career began as a singer when Sal Mineo arranged for the recording of two songs that Mineo had specifically written for Mr. Sherman.  Not long after this, Bobby Sherman landed a featured role on the television series Shindig!. This led to more records as well as appearances in teen magazines.

In 1968, Bobby Sherman landed the co-starring role as Jeremy Bolt on the television series Here Come the Brides.  It made Bobby Sherman a star.  During the show’s run Bobby Sherman received more fan mail than any other star on ABC.  Here Come the Brides. ran from 1968 – 1970.

For the rest of his entertainment career Bobby Sherman made records, appeared on television, in two feature films, and live concerts.  Although he still made television guest appearances, Bobby Sherman’s career shifted to public service.

Mr. Sherman became a paramedic.  He volunteered with the LA Police Department  where he taught first aide classes.  In the 1990s, Bobby Sherman became an LA Reserve Police Officer.  In 1999, Bobby Sherman earned LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year Award. Mr. Sherman became a reserve deputy sheriff in 1999 with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department where he continued CPR and emergency training of new deputies.

Some of the television projects that feature Bobby Sherman include:  Shindig! (28 episodes); Honey West; The Monkees; The F.B.I.; Here Come the Brides (52 episodes); The Partridge Family; Getting Together (14 episodes); Cade’s County; Mod Squad (2 episodes); Emergency; Ellery Queen; Jigsaw John; The Gossip Columnist; Fantasy Island; The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo; The Love Boat (2 episodes); Murder, She Wrote; Blacke’s Magic; Sanchez of Bel Aire (13 episodes) and Frazier.

Bobby Sherman’s feature film appearances are: Wild in the Streets; He is My Brother and Get Crazy.

As a singer, Bobby Sherman released 107 songs, 23 singles and 10 albums between 1962 and 1976.  Mr. Sherman had seven top 40 hits, seven gold singles, one platinum single as well as five gold albums.  Bobby Sherman’s biggest top ten hits were Little Woman [#3 in 1969]; La La La (If I Had You) [#9 in 1969]; Julie, Do Ya Love Me [#5 in 1970] and Easy Come, Easy Go [#9 in 1970].

I probably first saw Bobby Sherman when he appeared on The Monkees. Of course I remember him best from his co-starring role on Here Come the Brides.  When someone says “teen idol” it is Bobby Sherman that I think of first.  He was in all the teen magazines and the girls loved him.  He was also one of the few teen idols that the guys didn’t seem to mind.

I always admired that Bobby Sherman gave up the celebrity life for one of public service.  He didn’t just talk the talk.  Bobby Sherman walked the walk.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Bobby Sherman’s family, friends and fans.

“In the Line of Fire” (1993) directed by Wolfgang Petersen; starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich and Rene Russo / Z-View

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In the Line of Fire (1993)

Director:  Wolfgang Petersen

Screenplay: Jeff Maguire

Stars: Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, John Leguizamo, Dylan McDermott, Gary Cole, Fred Thompson, John Mahoney, Sally Hughes, Elsa Raven, Arthur Senzy, Patrika Darbo  and Tobin Bell.

Tagline:  An assassin on the loose. A president in danger. Only one man stands between them…

The Plot…

November 22, 1963.  Frank Horrigan was a young secret service agent hand-picked by President Kennedy to serve on his security detail.  That day President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.  The memory still haunts Horrigan.

Nearly 30 years later, Horrigan, nearing retirement is the only active Secret Service agent who was on President Kennedy’s detail the day he was assassinated. Being a secret service agent is a young man’s job.

During an investigation Horrigan finds a wall filled with articles and photographs of infamous assassinations.  Included is a cover photo of the current President.  A bold red marker has been used to draw a rifle’s crosshairs over the President’s face.  Horrigan gets a search warrant and returns.  He finds only one photo on the wall.  It is of President Kennedy taken on the day he was assassinated.  Behind Kennedy stands Horrigan.  In the photo, Horrigan’s face has been circled with a bold red marker.

Later Horrigan receives a phone call from a man who identifies himself as “Booth”.  Booth says that he is going to kill the President.  Booth taunts Horrigan about failing to save President Kennedy.  This call will be just the first of the killer’s game.  Horrigan knows that this isn’t some crank. The threat to the President is real.  What Horrigan doesn’t know is the caller is an ex-CIA assassin with a grudge.

What chance does an aging Secret Service Agent have against a trained assassin?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In the Line of Fire was nominated for three 1994 Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Film Editing – Anne V. Coates
  • Nominee for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen – Jeff Maguire
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – John Malkovich

Clint Eastwood (at the age of 62) wearing a safety harness actually did hang six stories above  the street for one of the scenes.

Speaking of Eastwood’s age, he initially turned down the role. He felt he time had passed to play someone in their early 50’s.  Thankfully, Eastwood was wrong and convinced to play the part.

John Malkovich improvised the scene where he puts Eastwood’s gun in his mouth.

In the Line of Fire (1993) rates 5 of 5 stars

THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK: A TRAVIS MCGEE NOVEL by John D. MacDonald / Z-View

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THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK by John D. MacDonald

First sentences…

Late April.  Ten o’clock at night.  Hustling south on Florida 112 through the eastern section of Cypress County, about twenty miles from the intersection of 112 and the Tamiami Trail.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

At night on a deserted Florida back road after a long day, Travis McGee and his buddy Meyer are making good time. Eighty miles an hour good time.  Suddenly a scantily clad woman runs across the road.  McGee is able to avoid hitting her but his car goes off the road.  It hits hard and begins sinking.

McGee and Meyer are bruised and battered but nothing is broken.  They make it out and to the shore.  Then watch as the car sinks in swamp water.

With no options but to walk to the nearest town, they begin their trek.  There’s little hope of a passing car so late at night on a deserted road.  McGee and Meyer are happy to see a truck with a burly driver approaching.  They feel their luck has turned.

Then the driver starts shooting at them.

+++

THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK features Travis McGee at his best.  (John D. MacDonald too.)

Rating:

“Carlito’s Way” (1993) directed by Brian De Palma; starring Al Pacino & Sean Penn / Z-View

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Carlito’s Way (1993)

Director:  Brian De Palma

Screenplay: David Koepp; based on CARLITO’S WAY and AFTER HOURS by Edwin Torres 

Stars: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo, Ingrid Rogers, Luis Guzmán, James Rebhorn, Richard Foronjy, Frank Minucci, Adrian Pasdar, John Ortiz, Al Israel, Rick Aviles, Jaime Sánchez  and Viggo Mortensen.

Tagline:  In his world, you got to shoot your way out. He wanted out. He’d do anything to get there.

The Plot…

The year is 1975.  When Carlito Brigante gets released from prison after serving just five years of a thirty year stretch, he is determined to leave a life of crime behind.  Carlito hopes to get back with his ex-girlfriend Gail.  Once he has the cash, they’ll retire to the Caribbean.

How hard should it be to walk the straight and narrow?

Carlito’s cousin, Guajiro, asks Carlito to accompany him on a drug deal. Guajiro just wants Carlito there for moral support.  It will be an easy exchange.  Of course things go south.  Guajiro is killed.  Carlito shoots his way out with the cash from the drug deal.

Carlito’s buddy Dave Kleinfeld, is the lawyer who used a legal technicality to get Carlito out of prison.  Now Dave wants Carlito’s help with some thing not exactly legal.  How can Carlito turn him down?

Plus Benny Blanco, a young hotshot gangster wanna-be wants to go into “business” with Carlito.  Carlito turns Benny down repeatedly.

Carlito’s dream of a life free of crime in paradise with Gail is put at risk with every move he makes.

Will Carlito’s way become a dream or nightmare?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Carlito’s Way is based on two novels (CARLITO’S WAY and AFTER HOURS) by Edwin Torres.  Torres also wrote the novel Q&A which was the basis for the movie of the same name.  Torres, in addition to being a novelist, was a New York State Supreme Court Judge.

Carlito’s Way is based on two novels.  Most of the film comes from the second book, AFTER HOURS.  The title of the first novel was kept as the title of the movie, mostly to void confusion with Martin Scorsese’s movie After Hours.

When folks think of Al Pacino’s greatest films, they think Godfather I & II, Heat and Dog Day Afternoon.  Carlito’s Way should be on that list.

Carlito’s Way (1993) rates 5 of 5 stars

“Predator” (1987) directed by John McTiernan; starring Arnold Schwarzenegger / Z-View

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Predator (1987)

Director:  John McTiernan

Screenplay: Jim Thomas, John Thomas

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, R.G. Armstrong, Shane Black,
Franco Columbu and Sven-Ole Thorsen.

Tagline:  If it bleeds, we can kill it…

The Plot…

A helicopter carrying a diplomat is shot down in a Central American jungle.  The CIA sends in Agent Al Dillon to oversee the rescue mission led by Major “Dutch” Schaefer and his team of mercenaries.

Shortly after their drop-off in the jungle, the team finds three skinned corpses strung upside down from a tree.  Dutch learns that his team was sent in under false pretenses.  Even worse, as the team will soon discover, an alien predator with advanced technology is stalking them.

It wants warrior trophies.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Jean-Claude Van Damme (5’9″) was originally cast as the Predator.  It was soon decided that JCVD’s Predator (much shorter than Schwarzenegger and the rest of his squad) was not imposing enough.  Kevin Peter Hall (7’2″) ended up playing the Predator.

John McTiernan was chosen to helm Predator after Ridley Scott, James Cameron, John Milius, John Carpenter, Renny Harlin and others turned it down.  McTiernan proved to be the right choice.

Kevin Peter Hall can be seen as one of the helicopter pilots at the end of the film.  John McTiernan gave him the role as a reward for his performance in the Predator suit.

Shane Black, the actor who plays one of the rescue squad soldiers is better known as the screenwriter for Lethal Weapon and other films.

Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura would go on to become state governors in real life.

Predator is a classic.

Predator (1987) rates 5 of 5 stars

Sly Stallone (and Marvin) by Tom Armstrong!

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Tom Armstrong is the creator/writer/artist of the long-running Marvin cartoon strip.  I met Mr. Armstrong way back in 2004 at the Cavalcade of Comics 2nd Annual Benefit to fight Tourette’s Syndrome. Comic’s legend Don Perlin and his wife spearheaded the event.

Tom Armstrong was one of the artists sketching and he did his take on Sly Stallone for me.  As Tom was signing it, he added a little Marvin peeking over Sly. How cool is that?

“Die Hard 2” directed by Renny Harlin; starring Bruce Willis / Z-View

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Die Hard 2 (1990)

Director:  Renny Harlin

Screenplay: Steven E. de Souza, Doug Richardson; based on 58 MINUTES by Walter Wagner

Stars: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Reginald VelJohnson, Franco Nero, William Sadler, Dennis Franz, Art Evans, Fred Thompson, Tom Bower, Sheila McCarthy, Don Harvey, Tony Ganios, Robert Patrick, John Leguizamo and John Amos.

Tagline: Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Same John McClane

The Plot…

Christmas Eve two years after the events at Nakatomi Tower.  John McClane is now a lieutenant with the LAPD.

While waiting to pick up his wife at the at Dulles International Airport, McClane notices two men sneaking into a restricted area.  McClane pulls his police ID and follows.  When McClane identifies himself, the two men pull guns and begin shooting.  McClane returns fire.  After a short gun battle, McClane kills one. The second man escapes.

McClane meets with Carmine Lorenzo airport police chief, and Ed Trudeau, air traffic control director.  McClane is concerned that the two men were part of a bigger team planning a major terrorist attack.  Neither Lorenzo or Trudeau are willing to accept that.

McClane is right.  What nobody knows is the Ramon Esperanza, a cartel drug lord, is in custody.  He’s on a plane headed for  Dulles International.  A squad of ex-military mercenaries led by disgraced US Colonel William Stuart have plans to liberate Esperanza.  It will be up to McClane to stop them.

What chance does one cop have against a group of heavily armed terrorists?  Anyone remember Nakatomi Tower?

Yippi-Ki-Yay, mother*******.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Die Hard 2 is loosely based on the Walter Wagner novel 58 MINUTES.  A lot was changed for the film.  Don’t read the book expecting Die Hard 2 the movie.

Die Hard was loosely based on Roderick Thorp’s novel NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.  Thorp was given credit in Die Hard 2 for creating  “certain original characters”.  His name was misspelled as Thorpe in the credits.

Because Willis’ ad-libbed many of the most popular lines in Die Hard, he was given free reign to ad-lib all he wanted in Die Hard 2.

Die Hard 2 did almost twice the box office of Die Hard.  This insured that the franchise would continue.

Roman Esperanza, the drug lord, was said to be from Val Verde.  This is the same fictional country used in Commando.  John McClane and John Matrix could have teamed up!

Die Hard 2 is a worthy follow-up to the original.

Die Hard 2 (1990) rates 4 of 5 stars

“Die Hard” (1988) directed by John McTiernan; starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman / Z-View

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Die Hard (1988)

Director:  John McTiernan

Screenplay: Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza; based on NOTHING LASTS FOREVER by Roderick Thorp

Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, De’voreaux White, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Alexander Godunov, Andreas Wisniewski, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Lorenzo Caccialanza  and Al Leong.

Tagline: High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages and declared war. One man has managed to escape. An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He’s alone, tired… and the only chance anyone has got.

The Plot…

New York City detective John McClane has flown to LA on Christmas Eve.  McClane is hoping to get back with with his estranged wife, Holly.  But first they have to attend Holly’s work Christmas party at the Nakatomi Towers.  Holly’s moving up in the Nakatomi corporation and that’s one of the problems in the McClane marriage.

The party is just getting underway when John arrives.  He excuses himself to clean up in one of the company restrooms.  Everyone else is gathered together for the party’s kick-off.  That’s when a group of heavily armed terrorists led by Hans Gruber busts in.  They take everyone at the party hostage.  Except for John McClane.

McClane realizes what is happening. He’s alone and unarmed.  The terrorists have cut off all communications to/from the tower.  When they realize McClane is there, one of the armed terrorists is sent to retrieve him.  McClane manages to kill the terrorist.  He takes the assassins machine gun and radio.

As the terrorists move forward with their plan (and it ain’t getting a ransom for the Nakatomi party-goers), they begin to hunt for John McClane.  Killing him with be a bonus.  What chance does one tired off-duty cop have against a band of armed mercenaries?

Yippi-Ki-Yay, mother*******.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Die Hard was nominated for four 1989 Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Visual Effects – Richard Edlund, Al Di Sarro, Brent Boates, Thaine Morris
  • Nominee for Best Sound Effects Editing – Stephen Hunter Flick, Richard Shorr
  • Nominee for Best Film Editing – Frank J. Urioste, John F. Link
  • Nominee for Best Sound – Don J. Bassman, Kevin F. Cleary, Richard Overton, Al Overton Jr.

Die Hard is loosely based on the Roderick Thorp novel NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.  A lot was changed for the film.  Don’t read the book expecting Die Hard the movie.

Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson and many other big name movie stars were offered the role of John McClane.  Even Frank Sinatra was courted to play the lead.  Everyone asked turned it down.  Bruce Willis, a television lead at a time when tv was seen as way below feature films, was paid $5 million to star.  In many of the first posters and ads for Die Hard, Willis’ name was not played up.  The movie went on to be a hit with audiences and shot Bruce Willis into the top tier of movie actors.

Die Hard features Alan Rickman’s first feature film role.  He is perfect as Hans Gruber.

Die Hard was added to the National film registry by the Library of Congress in 2017 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Hart Bochner is on point as the smarmy executive that overplays his hand with Hans Gruber.

Die Hard is one of the best action movies ever made.  Scratch the word action and the sentence is still true.

Die Hard (1988) rates 5 of 5 stars

Jack Carter by Jarrod Alberich “The Yard Sale Artist”!

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Jarrod Alberich aka The Yard Sale Artist created the Jack Carter piece above for me after I won a contest he was running.

Jarrod calls himself The Yard Sale Artist because he uses only materials that he finds at yard sales, thrift stores, dumpsters and so on. Jarrod is a great guy and his prices are reasonable. This was my second piece by Jarrod that he did way back in 2017.  Jarrod’s art has improved since then as you’ll see in future posts.