Playing “The Sundance Kid,” he could not swim, while again, teamed with the great Paul Newman in another iconic film, “The Sting,” he already knew how to drink, however as Robert Redford, who died yesterday at age 89– oh could he act, direct, develop and yes–attempt to help.
Certainly his great looks helped, beauty in the eye of the beholder, but discernably less so when those wanting posteriors in the seats at “x” or paraphrasing Jack Kent Cooke, promoting the epic first of three great Frazier/Ali bouts, 1/2 “x” per “cheek,” yet Redford in a long great career, undeniably had and displayed the acting chops.
He stirred great emotions, so young with Gladys Cooper in a Twilight Zone episode and rose to fame with Jane Fonda (she among a trio of greats, Barbara Streisand and Meryl Streep, the others each paying tributes and recalling roles with Redford) in Neil Simon’s “Barefoot In The Park.”
There are so many others, thankfully that remains, one being “Jeremiah Johnson,” where he works with Will Geer, a great, shamefully blacklisted actor, who soon or already had the similar “Grampa” role on “The Waltons.”
Masterful with Dustin Hoffman in “All The President’s Men” and as a director try “Ordinary People,” and the so underrated and revealing, “Quiz Show.”
Mr. Redford was beyond cool displaying indifference toward girlfriend Etta, played by Katharine Ross in “Butch and Sundance,” saying “oh take her” to Newman’s “Butch” after their iconic bike ride to Burt Bacharach’s (sung by B.J. Thomas as the greats regarding Redford, continue to be noted and recalled Fond(A)ly) “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.”
My favorite and there are so many others, many I am omitting, is the almost flawless “The Sting” with Redford and Newman, a great bad guy in the limping and actually injured in real life,Robert Shaw and an array of brilliant character actors.
Redford as “Johnny Hooker” with character flaws (he did not even take his cut, lamenting “he would only blow it anyway”), dodging danger, was the gateway to the great ending.
Once downstairs at a club with an event, I did not approach Mr. Redford, for once respecting privacy as I had years earlier eschewing a talk attempt with Mr. Newman, who was seated eating dinner (Paul having talked of a fan’s approach when he stood at a urinal, racing in my mind).
Now and perhaps then, as I wish Redford well, recalling an incredible life replete with achievement, I make the signal, one finger (the index)touching and moving off my nose as Paul and Bob did in “The Sting.”
Really a co-favorite among the so many great Redford films is “The Way We Were.” View the trailer with Barbra singing the great Marvin Hamlisch composed song, below.
Robert Redford above
With Paul Newman. What a team!!
Reviewing the seminal, Robert Rossen directed and produced film, “The Hustler,” I noticed Vincent Gardenia in a fine scene early in the film.
He is in effect “hustled” to bet against Paul Newman’s “Eddie Felson” making a tough shot.
More or less the opposite manifests years later when Gardenia, a superb character actor playing Bunker family neighbor “Frank Lorenzo” notices “Archie” (Carroll O’Connor) is feigning injury to avoid a pool match with Betty Garrett’s “Irene Lorenzo.
Mr. Gardenia is on the right as one looks on. Myron McCormick and Paul Newman, left to right are next to him.
A classic film with a great opening, the best part ending the video above. After that credits roll, including the great player Willie Mosconi as “Technical Adviser.”
Today the Baltimore Ravens, the franchise that was the great Cleveland Browns are heavily favored vs the 1999 expansion team Cleveland Browns. The tilt in the NFL’s second week will be played in Baltimore.
I reflect on the Browns move, the way the NFL unlike any other city move records the franchise record and one Art Modell, who owned the Browns/Ravens franchise.
Remembering Art Modell and the Old Cleveland Browns
Get Gary Collins, for that matter Del Shofner into the Pro Football Hall
13 years back, on the day another National Football League season opened, Art Modell , a man very instrumental in the enormous growth of the league, died at the age of 87.
Modell did so much in helping the NFL become a great attraction and an enormously compensated one on television. He negotiated many of the league’s important television contracts and favored Monday night football games.
Those games have been a regular occurrence since September 21, 1970 When Modell’s Browns were victorious in the first regular Monday night game winning (31-21) vs the New York Jets. (That same day here in New York, music station WMCA switched to a talk radio format).
On the day Modell died, I happened to speak briefly with Ernie Accorsi, a truly bright man who among other things in a distinguished football career, worked for Modell and the Cleveland Browns. Ernie mentioned that he left the Browns when he was 51 years old. They were still the Browns of Otto Graham, Jim Brown and Lou Groza; a proud franchise that I rooted for despite living in New York for 11 seasons (1963-1973) and did so with much intensity, too much at times.
Of course those Browns became the Baltimore Ravens with Modell as the owner and he was persona non grata after that in Cleveland. The Ravens handed the Giants their only Super Bowl loss. An expansion franchise team was awarded to Cleveland, that has the Browns’ colors and their records.
Cleveland got a new stadium but a great franchise left and there is no continuity. Blame can be dispensed by others but the franchise that won 3 NFL titles in the ’50’s and dominated the old All American Football Conference moved to Baltimore.
One great day December 27, 1964: (Oprah Winfrey calls it her most important day seeing Diana Ross perform on the Ed Sullivan show) and for me the Browns’ (27-0) Title game win vs the favored Baltimore Colts. Frank Ryan threw 3 touchdown passes to Gary Collins (once I heard Mr. Accorsi, a genuine historian, talk of the irony that the Browns with the great Jim Brown as a running back scored all their touchdowns via the pass that day.) Jim Brown had a big run to set up the first score. Lou Groza kicked 2 field goals, the defense which included Jim Kanicki, shutout the great John Unitas and the Colts. Blanton Collier was the coach. An upstart, (he supplanted the legendary Paul Brown to take over the team named for Brown) impeccably dressed, Art Modell was the owner. Memories!
Stan Musial, so great for so long, that he held the record for holding baseball records, all the while doing so with great class, played his last game, all with the St. Louis Cardinals, on September 29, 1963.
Stan “The Man” Musial played from (1942-1963) and epitomized an era of much good he helped manifest with his great play and classy ways.
In that last Stan game, (Stan’s St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Cincinnati Reds), it has been fairly well publicized, that he got 2 hits, both close to, but beyond the range of second baseman, 1963 N.L. Rookie of the Year, Pete Rose, who 18 years later would pass Musial as the all-time National League hits leaders. (File much else to add!!).
Much in the way of emotions and memories manifest from just say, the Musial/Rose connection.
In 1981, not long after the baseball season resumed after a 51 day strike and the purchase of my first VCR and knowing but never acting on the fact everyone would eventually get one, Pete Rose, batting left handed, singled to left on a Monday Night Baseball telecast, his 3,631st hit, one more than Stan.
There will be more notes regarding Stan’s last game.
“Appetizers” include Pete got 3 hits in what was an eventual, (3-2), second place Cardinals’ 14 inning win, vs the Reds, who were in a “battle” for first division money, then so important to the far from rich ballplayers.
One more, other than Reds/Braves with Pete and the great Henry Aaron on opposing Reds and then had to be, Milwaukee Braves’ teams (’63-’65) was there ever a game with players that amassed as many as 4,000 hits, 3,500 hits and two with over 2,700 hits in their careers?
The first two categories ought to be obvious, heck (Stan probably would have said it, not “hell” and surely with any justice, and if anywhere, is in the other, better place) I named one above.
Would you name one or both of the other two, each a starting player in that September 29, 1963 game, and who had between 2,700 and 2,800 hits in their careers.
If so, please comment. I will add more notes and perhaps some oft repeated, relevant to that game/year opinions down the road.
The great player and man, Stan “The Man” Musial, pictured above.
60 Years Since Sandy Koufax Pitched a Perfect Game
“2 and 2 to Harvey Kuenn”
Somehow 60 years have gone by since Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game vs the Chicago Cubs on September 9, 1965?!!
This was one of the greatest pitched games by both hurlers, Sandy and the Cubs’ Bob Hendley.
The lone run of the game was scored by the Dodgers without a hit. Hendley allowed but one hit in the game, that to Lou Johnson.
So many years later, I recall hearing the news of the game on Friday morning September 10th from Dick Reeves on WCBS radio.
Koufax capped his most incredible season 5 weeks later by winning (2-0) in game 7 vs the Minnesota Twins.
Sandy had not gained a victory in 5 previous starts.
Danny Kaye attended the game with a beautiful woman, not quite sure of what was transpiring, in historic fashion on the field below.
Both Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are top ranked tennis players, after each won U.S. Open titles the last two days.
Sabalenka handed Amanda Anisimova a second straight major tournament/grand slam tennis final defeat, winning (6-3) and (7-6) on Saturday.
Yesterday (“far away” becomes operative, when you consider tournie winner Alcaraz and runner-up Jannik Sinner, are “far away” both qualitatively and certainly quantitatively, better than any other men’s players, even the great Novak Djokovic, who lost in 3 sets to Alcaraz in one “semi”) Mr. Alcaraz won in 4 sets vs pre-tournie, fairly big favorite, Sinner.
Above applies to much, for now, call it cryptic Chris(es).
Often in the many posts written/typed here over the years, I cited the greatness of goaltender Ken Dryden.
Now (who knew he was sick?!)Dryden, who goaltended great Montreal Canadiens teams to an incredible 6 titles in 8 full seasons (’72-’79, he was not even a rookie when he burst on the ’71 playoffs scene and led third place Montreal to an upset crown) has died, far too young, at age 78.
He “burst” when I loved two teams, for a long time not the case and Dryden led Montreal over each, yet I l remain awed by the achievement and even love it.
Dryden had not even achieved rookie status (he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL top rookie, the next season ’71-’72, one of only 2 seasons Ken played and the Cup did not go to Montreal) when his brilliant goaltending led the Habs, a third place team to the title, allowing their captain the great Jean Beliveau, to “go out” a champion, as similar greats Joe DiMaggio and Bill Russell, had respectively achieved 20 and 2 years before.
Oh the memories vs my then two teams, (the record breaking, defending champion Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, each of whom finished first and had home advantage, when Dryden’s sensational save on Phil “Espo” (Phil’s brother Tony and Ken shared goaltending duties when Canada won a rousing “Summit Series” 4-3-1 vs Russia in the fall of 1972) caused Phil to react with the on ice glass.
Even more sensational and when all is considered, not so arguably the greatest hockey save was made by Ken on the excellent “Chi” player, Jim Pappin, in the waning minute or so of a (3-2) Montreal win in #7 for “all the marbles” in 1971.
In subsequent years, ’73 and ’76-’79 Ken, with a great defense in front of him and part of a truly all-time team, backstopped 5 title winners.
There is so much more regarding the eloquent, brilliant Ken Dryden.
I close with this and maybe it will “click” with Mr. Dryden on the hopefully, continuing journey.
Only Ken among the many athletes I called and tried to record when that was possible, another era or even two ago, perceived/”caught” me, politely asking are you tape (remember that and where might it be?!) recording this?
One of a great kind, go easy, Mr. Dryden and thanks for a life so well lived.
Click below to read one of my myriad references regarding Ken Dryden and his magnificent career.
Exact Dates/Defending Champions Ousted on April 18, 2021
The video includes the great Montreal and all of hockey broadcaster, Danny Gallivan’s so memorable calls.
It will be Aryna Sabalenka vs Amanda Anisimova in Saturday’s U.S. Open Women’s Tennis final round match.
In this year’s Women’s Wimbledon “semi,” Anisimova prevailed vs Sabalenka, before losing (6-0) (6-0) to Iga Swiatek in the final match.
Meanwhile hail the first year Golden State Valkyries, whose win last night clinched a playoff spot in the W,N.B.A.
They are the first WNBA expansion team to qualify for the ‘Offs in their inaugural season.
A scheduling conflict will cause the Valkyries to play an ‘Offs tilt in San Jose, California, away from their regular home arena.
This evokes the so called miracle 1975 NBA champion, Golden State Warriors playing two away from their regular home, their former home The Cow Palace in the final round,
Sixty one years have “rear windowed” since The Beatles’ famed first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, on Sunday February 9th, 1964.
Today an episode of the great television show, “What’s My Line?” that aired live, as of course were The Beatles (we no longer have that), from that night.
There were two great mystery guests, Johnny Mercer and Jane Fonda.
The panelists were Arlene Francis, Bobby Darin, Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf. John Charles Daly is the show’s host.
There are references to the Beatles appearance on the Sullivan Show earlier in the evening, two interesting guests not of the “mystery” variety, and commercials from the time are included.
This one is great! Enjoy.
The Minnesota Lynx, who lost a heartbreaking decisive winner take all to the New York Liberty last season, have eased to an early clinching of the WNBA top mark.
If for no reason alone to avoid Spike Lee’s so annoying “exuberance,” I will “sign” right now for the highly deserving Lynx to succeed the first time in 28 seasons Liberty, as the WNBA title winners.
The ‘offs begin September 14th and the final will be best of 7 for the first time in the loop’s 29 seasons.
Despite a dominant regular season, the Lynx are far from prohibitive favorites to win the title.
Andy B Sports 