King of Pop Gone

Certainly, it was very sad to learn of the death on pop superstar Michael Jackson. Jackson was a phenomenal musical talent whose personal life seemed to be more destructive as time went on. It is a sad story, with a tragic ending.

I remember well his performances with The Jackson 5 on several variety shows back in the day. While Off the Wall was a great album, Thriller was fantastic, and remains the best selling album of all time.

Jackson seemed very friendly when I had occasion to meet him at Orlando Church Street Station's Rosie O'Grady's Phineas Phoggs one time in 1984, and that year I did catch his Victory Tour at The Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.

It is just sad how his life played out, but his musical talent will never be questioned. The following video of Billie Jean off Thriller leaves no doubt:



It was a tough week, losing three high profile celebs with Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon passing, early in the week and then losing seventies icons Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson on the same day. Can't recall two as widely known as Fawcett and Jackson dying on the same day.

BAHL's Babes: Farrah Fawcett

Even though we knew it was coming, it drew a tear to the eye to learn of the death of Farrah Fawcett, the original BAHL's Babe, from cancer. Like seemingly every other little kid, the poster of all posters hung on the wall in my bedroom and Charlies Angels was must see television.













Farrah, from Corpus Christi, TX, was also an athlete, often spending time on the tennis courts.

I was pleased to learn that the other Angels, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson, had been visiting and helping Farrah through her trying time. Both had spent time over the past year with her and I think that says quite a bit in itself. Certainly, along with Nebraska native David Doyle as Bosley, Charlie's Angels was an enjoyable show back in the day.

I first became aware of Farrah when she was Farrah Fawcett-Majors, as I was a big fan of Lee Majors in both The Big Valley and The Six Million Dollar Man, where Farrah has a small part in few episodes. Although she had been well known for her work on the commercial side, it was Charlie's Angels that made her a star, and with her head of hair which spawned copy cat styles across America, she will always be one of America's top sex symbols.

During her fight with cancer she displayed courage and strength and with her faith she traveled her final journey with class and dignity. God Bless You Farrah!

"She was an angel on Earth and now an angel forever." - Lee Majors

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RACE TO CURE CANCER HERE

Barkleys Best of The West

Recently, The Western Writers of America released their list of The Greatest TV Western Series of All Time, and CBS's long running series Gunsmoke topped the list.

The top five, as determined by the organization of some "600 writers founded in the 1950s to promote and honor the best literature about the American West" is as follows:

1. Gunsmoke (1955-75)
2. Maverick (1957-62)
3. Rawhide (1959-66)
4. Bonanza (1959-73)
5. Have Gun, Will Travel (1957-63)

Although only two of these ran current within my lifetime, I have watched episodes of four of the five and cannot quarrel with the findings of the group. Certainly, Gunsmoke and Bonanza have to rank high on any ones list.

I have a clear cut favorite and it came in ranked at 14, and that is The Big Valley. The Big Valley, which ran current from 1965-69 on ABC television, portrayed the Barkley clan of Stockton, CA. The cast consisted of Miss Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley, Linda Evans as Audra Barkley, Richard Long as Jarrod Barkley, Lee Majors as Heath Barkley and Peter Breck as Nick Barkley. Napoleon Whiting played the butler Silas.

Miss Barbara Stanwyck was quite an established actor prior to the series and added immediate credibility to the cast. Lee Majors went on to not only marry Farrah Fawcett, but star as The Six Million Dollar Man (watched every episode) and as The Fall Guy on ABC while Linda Evans is well known for her role of Krystle Carrington on ABC's Dynasty. The show had great story lines, and while Jarrod was often off handling legal responsibilities at his law office, Nick and Heath were kicking ass whenever necessary.

The Big Valley was a great show and, by far, my favorite western.

HT LMM