Seeing Jack Nicholson appear on the 40th anniversary special for the television show, “Saturday Night Live,” made me think back to Jack and the wonderful movie “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” which also made its debut in 1975.
Nicholson won the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in the film. “Cuckoo’s” Nest was a great book by Ken Kesey. The film was produced by Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas, before the latter reached actor stardom.
Milos Foreman directed and Louise Fletcher was brilliant as the controlling nurse (Mildred) Ratched.
The movie has several sports tie-ins.
Nicholson in real life is a big basketball fan, and he played basketball in the movie with Will Sampson, who played “The Chief.”
Later, basketball great Robert Parish, who played on 3 title teams with the Boston Celtics, was given the nickname, “The Chief.”
Another sports reference is a telling scene in the movie, involving the 1963 World Series.
The patients at the mental facility want to watch the game. Sadly, they are denied the chance by “Nurse Ratched.”
Helping deal with that denial in a very tough scene, is the fact the real NBC Radio broadcast is heard with the great broadcaster Ernie Harwell setting the scene as part of the pre game show.
Nicholson’s “McMurphy” evokes the names of baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Sandy Koufax, of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers (the 1963 World Series opponents) as part of pre game anticipation.
In the 1969 World Series, both Mickey and Sandy worked on the NBC pre game show, with the under rated and fine broadcaster Jim Simpson.
They all came to life and boy can they still sing and entertain!
Those were my feelings as “The Ratpack Undead,” now playing at “Times Scare” (669 8th Avenue) in Times Square with talented “Frank” “Dean” “Sammy” and “Marilyn,” let me go back in time and enjoy them once again.
The performance knocked away some winter blues as the stars now “undead,” performed the old songs with some new words.
The premise that Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.and Marilyn Monroe come back to life among the somewhat ghoulish room artifacts (skeleton and crypts) at Times Scare in Manhattan, led to the new words. Those words and premise are good.
What is great is hearing the “updated” (“What kind of Ghoul I am” an example) music and seeing truly fine incarnations of the stars, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery.
The music is timeless and The Ratpack Undead in some way defies death to prove that again.
Kudos to the cast: Bradley Lassiter (Frank Sinatra), Johnny Blaze Leavitt (Dean Martin), Erick Carter (Sammy Davis Jr.) and Julia Register (Marilyn Monroe).
The show was created by and is produced by Cooper Jordan. I strongly suggest seeing it.
For more info on future performances, click here
Tomorrow is the annual NBA All Star Game which this year will be at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
There should be some great individual performances by some of the all stars. A high scoring, entertaining game is expected.
In fact, the experts expect nearly 300 points to be scored and surely there will be some great individual moves as well.
One great NBA All Star game I believe in the New York area was recalled to me by the late, great broadcaster, Marty Glickman.
When I asked him about some of his broadcasting thrills, Marty cited the clutch free throw shooting of legendary Minneapolis Lakers’ center George Mikan in an All Star game.
Mikan had to make two free throws to tie the game and did so. Glickman recalled he winked at the crowd while doing so.
I also recall Hal Greer of the then defending NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers being the Most valuable player in an NBA All Star game, played at Madison Square Garden.
I look forward to new NBA All Star Game memories to be established tomorrow.
It was a stirring Wednesday evening program as three greats in their fields, long time Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, his wife, Pulitzer Prize winning writer Lucinda Franks, and interviewer Dan Rather discussed Ms. Franks book “Timeless: Love, Morgenthau and Me” at The Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center in New York City.
Mr. Rather conducted the interview with good, leading questions as one would expect from such a fine journalist.
Mr. Morgenthau, as he was referred to by Rather, though known well enough to be “Bob,” has lived an incredible life.
I was most impressed by Ms. Franks’ candid, insightful comments on her relationship with Morgenthau, which is now a great marriage of 37 years.
I truly look forward to reading her book. Among the great revelations is how Ms. Franks, self described as truly looking for change as a 60’s activist, and Mr. Morgenthau, about thirty years older and part of the “establishment,” have worked hard to make theirs a great relationship.
A clue: The long time District Attorney “makes great pancakes” and surely other things.
Mr. Morgenthau talked of his career in a question and answer period while Mr. Rather’s most telling comments concerned the shoddy job networks have done in having “3 screaming heads in a room or on a set” as opposed to building bureaus in far off places and devoting time and money to investigative journalism.
It was a tremendous presentation, as all three “heavyweights” in their fields, Morgenthau, Rather and Franks demonstrated their acumen, all in discussing ‘Timeless: Love, Morgenthau and Me,’ surely now a “must read.”
I remember being outraged as to how long it took for Tony Perez, the great baseball player, to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Now that he has been enshrined for a while, I reflect on this winter’s day about his greatness as a clutch hitter.
Of course “Doggy” as he was known, was part of a great Cincinnati Reds’ team. Ask the players on that team and they will testify that Perez was indispensable.
When Cincinnati did lose Perez to free agency, their fortunes turned for the worse.
It was a “pick your poison” situation for Yankees’ manager Billy Martin in game 2 of the 1976 World Series, an eventual Reds’ sweep.
This was the lone competitive game of that World Series and with Ken Griffey at second base, and two outs of a (3-3) game in the bottom of the ninth inning, Martin could have Jim “Catfish” Hunter face either Perez or the great Joe Morgan.
He chose to face Perez, who singled home Griffey, with the winning run, surely a highlight in Perez’ great career.
This week, two great college basketball coaches died. Dean Smith died days ago and now comes news that Jerry Tarkanian has passed away at the age of 84.
“Tark,” as he was known, won so many games and for years battled the NCAA and its hypocrisy. His teams at Long Beach State and Nevada Las Vegas were “outlaw” teams often facing NCAA sanctions.
His 1990 U.N.L.V. team won it all, routing Duke in the championship game. In 1990-1991 they were undefeated until the semi-finals, when Duke, a big underdog, upset them.
I think now of that 1991 semi-final/final four. In the opening game a Roy Williams coached Kansas team upset North Carolina coached by Dean Smith.
In the second game, Duke got arguably its greatest win as coach Mike Krzyzewski’s team upset Tarkanian and UNLV.
Duke went on to beat Kansas for its first title. They now have four, all under Krzyzewski, who recently notched his 1000th coaching win.
Roy Williams, an assistant coach under Dean Smith at North Carolina, eventually became the North Carolina coach where he still coaches. He won national titles in 2005 and 2009.
Now within days, Smith and Tarkanian have died and just to show who is to say nor “JUDGE” in life, consider the following.
A key, if not the key play in Duke’s semi-final win vs U.N.L.V. and “Tark” nearly 24 years ago, was a “charging” call against Greg Anthony of U.N.L.V.
Now on the same day of Tarkanian’s death, news that a solicitation charge against Anthony will be dropped. “Tark” a kind man who loved his players, likely would have appreciated the coincidence.
I watched Joe Torre’s speech at services held for the recently departed great Chicago Cubs’ baseball player, Ernie Banks.
Torre, as was the case with all that met Banks, talked of Ernie’s warm ways which included his famous optimistic “let’s play two,” that is forever associated with Mr. Cub (Banks).
At some point, Torre brought up something I knew but did not immediately associate between Banks and Torre.
As I pointed out in my tribute to Banks when he died, he was certainly one of the greatest players never to appear in a post season game.
Torre, himself, in my book, a near great player and certainly a great hitter, also never played in a post season game.
His luck changed when he became Yankees’ manager and the team’s success for over a decade under Torre, which included an incredible 4 titles in 5 seasons added to his fine playing career, rightfully got Torre into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
I know that Torre appreciates his great fortune in managing the Yankees, meanwhile Banks great playing career and his great name is not diminished by the fact he never made it the post season.
Ernie Banks was one in a million–as friendly as could be with a big heart. We should all strive to be more like him.
Click here to watch Joe Torre at the Ernie Banks memorial service
Those two storied NHL rivals, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, played only 4 games in this seemingly endless NHL regular season. The Canadiens won all four, and that’s it for this year.
Guess what, no not “that’s what,” but that the games mean little, if anything.
Regular seasons are too long and nearly meaningless in hockey and, for that matter, in basketball.
Also, there are too many teams in the playoffs in all sports.
A true regular season in baseball is the best, but it is more than diminished by the presence of wild card teams. Only the football season is reasonable because the team’s record is truly important.
So, regarding hockey, wake me when the playoffs start, because that is still a good deal of time away.
Dean Smith, who had a remarkable career as a College basketball coach died yesterday at age 83.
He was best known as the coach at North Carolina University for 36 seasons, guiding his teams to two national titles and 11 semi-final appearances–better known as Final Four appearances.
His North Carolina teams were almost always at least pretty darn good. Of the 11 Final Four appearances, he lost the first six in a row, won in his 7th attempt in 1982 and again in 1993.
I remember sitting on the floor at home watching the 1982 final game. It pitted North Carolina led by James Worthy vs Georgetown led by Patrick Ewing. The radio was also on, crackling through from WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina.
North Carolina trailed by one point with about 30 seconds left when a freshman player took a cross court pass from Jimmy Black.
Legendary North Carolina announcer Woody Durham and I called it as Michael Jordan, then
a freshman, hit the first, and one of the most important shots of his great career. A short time later Dean Smith had finally won the NCAA basketball title as a coach.
Smith’s North Carolina teams played in three straight Final Four appearances from 1967-1969 against the great UCLA teams that were led by college basketball’s greatest player Kareem Abdul Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor.
UCLA won all three, the 1968 title vs Dean’s team which included the great player, Charlie Scott, who was actively recruited by Smith and became North Carolina’s first black scholarship player.
In addition to his eventual coaching, Smith was also a player in two semi-finals with the University of Kansas. Those appearances resulted in a national title in 1952 and a finals loss in 1953 which is pretty darn good.
Michael Jordan and Dean Smith
The demolition process has begun on Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
There were so many great games and so much history there.
The NFL 49ers won 5 Super Bowls while playing there, the baseball Giants lost their only two World Series while playing there.
Before game 3 of the 1989 World Series in which the Oakland A’s swept the Giants in 4 straight games, an earthquake erupted just after 5 p.m. local time.
The great winds at Candlestick Park were legendary. Once in an All Star Game, a fine pitcher named Stu Miller was actually blown off the mound with insult added as a balk was called on Miller.
The games, so many great ones. I choose the most dramatic, one from football and one from baseball.
In the 1981 season NFC Championship game vs the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers drove for the winning touchdown late to win (28-27) thanks to Joe Montana’s touchdown pass to Dwight Clark.
The 1962 World Series between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants went to the decisive seventh game.
The Yankees led (1-0) in the bottom of the ninth inning but the Giants had the tying and World Series winning runs in scoring position.
Pitcher Ralph Terry, victimized two years earlier by Bill Mazeroski’s World Series winning home run, got the great Giants player Willie McCovey out on a hard hit line drive to second baseman Bobby Richardson to give the Yankees an incredible 20th world Series win in 40 seasons.
Demolition has begun on Candlestick Park
Andy B Sports 