Merry Christmas Movies!

Ha! I bet you thought I forgot about doing something here this week, didn't you? Well, you were absolutely...right. Hey, when it's tough to keep track of what day it actually is, things fall thru the cracks.

But, I have a little bit of time before work, so since it's actually December now, I guess it's okay to dust off a sadly 'normal' topic for this particular list - some of ArcLight's favorite Christmas movies....

Listen! Did you see that?!?

Oh...I can't do it this week. We're working even more hours and I just don't have the time or energy.

But...I have to put something here to keep my promise to myself....

I ditched cable a few years back. Between Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and various other apps and Roku channels I'm covered for most anything I actually want to keep up with. For all other times when I just need the TV on for background noise, I can usually pick up some over-the-air station that shows old programs.

One thing that really stands out about them is - they have theme songs. An actual minute or longer piece of music that plays during the opening credits. Nowadays, a short musical 'sting' is about all we get.

So this week, here's a couple of my favorite TV themes in no particular order courtesy of the fine users of YouTube:

R.I.P. Richard Anderson

Richard Anderson

August 8, 1926 - August 31, 2017

It seems like half of the entries since the first time I restarted doing this have begun with me talking about how THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and THE BIONIC WOMAN are two of my favorite TV shows of all time. Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman, head of the OSI and friend to our two bionic heroes, was a big part of that. 

Along with Martin E. Brooks, Anderson was one of the small group of actors to play the same character on two different shows at the same time. They went one better than that by playing the same characters on different shows airing on different networks when THE BIONIC WOMAN switched from ABC to NBC. And with the final bionic reunion movie airing on CBS, they scored a trifecta.

Aside from his bionic adventures, Anderson also appeared on, well, everything it seems like. Several episodes of THE BIG VALLEY with future bionic-buddy Lee Majors, most every other western around, PERRY MASON, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.... Oh, heck, too many to list. Check his IMDb credits out yourself and be impressed.

Special mention should be made about his role in the second Kolchak TV-movie, THE NIGHT STRANGLER, as it pitted him against Darren McGavin who would be Steve Austin's boss Oliver Spencer in the first Six Million Dollar Man TV-movie shortly afterwards. Anderson's Goldman took over in the second SMDM movie after McGavin was committed to the Kolchak TV series.

I had the good fortune to meet Anderson (along with Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner) back in 2015. I wrote about that convention trip here. He'd just turned eighty-nine before the convention, and I have to admit he looked it. During the panel, when Lee Majors made a comment about not knowing when or if the three of them would be together at another convention, I have the feeling I wasn't the only one thinking he was referring to Anderson. Still, he was getting around under his own power, manning his autograph table and talking to fans and generally handling the weekend better than I would've in the same situation, even at my slightly younger age. 

I had a few minutes with him and was able to tell him how much I've enjoyed his work over the years and shake his hand and he seemed genuinely pleased. I'm sure it meant more to me than to him, but I'm glad that so far I've not had to worry about that "never meet your heroes" business. Even tired from all the con stuff, he still had a twinkle in his eye and came across as a good guy and a class act.

Rest in peace, pal....