The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation. 

 Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances. 

 One of the most popular characters on 1960s’ television was the loveable, good-natured Eric “Hoss” Cartwright on the long-running western, Bonanza, played by the equally jovial, larger-than-life personality, Dan Blocker. 

Bobby Dan Davis Blocker was born in DeKalb, Texas, on December 10, 1928.  After attending a Texas Military school, he was a standout in college football for four years before being drafted into the United States Army to fight in the Korean War. He received the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in battle.

Between 1953-1958, Blocker taught high school English and drama, in addition to teaching at middle and elementary schools.  During the latter year, he received a small part in a Three Stooges’ movie, where he was billed as “Don” Blocker.  He and his wife then moved to California for Dan to try his hand at acting.

Over the next few years Blocker earned several guest appearances on television (including playing the blacksmith on Gunsmoke — the show that would spark a string of successful western-themed TV shows, including Bonanza).

He also appeared in several film projects, including two movies co-starring Frank Sinatra:  Come Blow Your Horn and The Lady in Cement.

Stanley Kubrick attempted to cast Blocker in his film, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.  Peter Sellers elected not to add the role of Major T.J. “King” Kong to his multiple other roles, but according to the film’s co-writer, Terry Southern, Blocker’s agent rejected the script. The role went to Slim Pickens, who played the iconic scene of riding an atomic bomb down while waving his cowboy hat.

However, the role that would make Dan a household name was that of “Hoss” … a character he portrayed for 13 seasons.  He even helped launch a string of restaurants called the Bonanza (not to be confused with the Ponderosa chain) and frequently appeared in character as “Hoss” for publicity events.

Blocker was selected for several guest-starring appearances on NBC’s popular The Flip Wilson Show comedy hour and the Jack Benny hour-long TV specials in the later 1960s.  However, most of Blocker’s acting in the 1960s and early 1970s was primarily spent on The Ponderosa.

According to Bear Family Records, Blocker portrayed his character based on the following line:

“We shall pass this way on Earth but once, if there is any kindness we can show, or good act we can do, let us do it now, for we will never pass this way again.”

By many accounts, the actor and his on-screen personality had very similar views on life and towards other people.  Both the fictional “Hoss” and actor Dan Blocker were warm, gregarious and larger-than-life individuals and were admired by people inside and outside of Hollywood.

On May 13, 1972 before Bonanza’s 14th season premiere was scheduled to begin shooting, Blocker went in for gallbladder surgery but developed a blog clot during the procedure and died that same day.  He was 43.

Until Blocker’s death, an unwritten rule in television was never to acknowledge a character’s “death” on screen.  However, after starting the fall 1972 season with no mention of Hoss’ non-appearance on the show, and facing mounting pressure from fans to acknowledge his passing, the writers and producers knew they had to break rank.  On a November episode the cast “announced” Hoss’ death–although the reason for his character’s passing was not mentioned during the program’s original run.

The loss of Blocker to the show marked the beginning of the end of Bonanza.  Without Hoss’ good-natured personality to balance the show, the ratings fell hard that final year, and most fans of the show will clearly state that the Ponderosa was never the same.  Even subsequent incarnations of the show seemed to fail miserably when compared to the first 13 seasons with Blocker in the saddle for this iconic western program.

Dan’s legacy lives on in his sons.  David is a successful Emmy Award-winning film producer and Dirk Blocker has appeared in a number of films and most recently as a regular on the wildly popular NBC comedy, Brooklyn 99.

Tune in or set your DVRs to see Dan Blocker’s legendary turn as “Hoss” on Bonanza every Sunday morning at 9am on RCN-TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

There were a number of great stories for the District XI spring tournament champions this year!

The Central Catholic lacrosse team became the first Lehigh Valley team ever to reach the semifinal round of the PIAA state playoffs…then went two steps further and brought home the school’s second state title so far here in 2021.

After many years of reaching both the league and district finals but failing to win any titles, the Easton girls lacrosse team finally got over the hump and captured the first league and district championships in school history.

In softball, Northampton and Whitehall — two teams that have long histories of successes but haven’t won a title in the last few years — met for the 6A District XI championship.

I had an opportunity to take in the game and it was one of the most competitive finals I ever saw!

After trading one-run leads early, Northampton built a three-run lead late, before Whitehall stormed back to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning.  The K-Kids responded in the bottom of the seventh with a timely hit to capture the title.
 

 Northampton head coach Kristy Henritzy knew exactly what that moment felt like as she shared a similar experience when she won the district title as a player back in 1996 (that same team would go on to win a state championship).  It was the school’s first championship since 2013. 

Tune into “RCN SportsTalk” over the next few weeks to hear the thoughts of our district winning teams and other local success stories from schools in the RCN-TV viewing area.  There were some tremendous accomplishments by student-athletes in Eastern Pennsylvania and I know there’s some very interesting interviews that you’ll want to hear.

If you’re not home to watch any of the district winning teams on our show when they air, be sure to set your DVRs or watch the program “on demand” … these episodes are free to watch for RCN customers for up to two months from their initial air dates.

One other local sports news note…

The 2021 District XI Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar Athlete Information was announced this past week.  The district winners are: 

2A Scholar Athlete Winner

Brett Ungar- Notre Dame Green Pond High School

3A Scholar Athlete Winner

Dominic Falcone- Easton Area High School

2A Essay Winner

Danny Grigas- North Schuylkill High School

3A Essay Winner

Evan Gleason- Bethlehem Catholic High School

Congratulations to all of these winners and check back to “The Shop” as more postseason awards and honors become available!!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

My Favorite Brunette is regarded as one of the top cinematic performances in the incredibly lengthy career of Bob Hope. But this 1947 film had a lot more going for it than just it’s leading man, who by this time had already become one of the biggest names in show business.

“Brunette” was actually the second of three “My Favorite…” movies that was produced by Paramount Pictures. Five years prior, Hope starred in My Favorite Blonde, which also featured Madalyn Carroll. Four years later, Hope returned for My Favorite Spy, co-starring Hedy Lamarr.

Aside from the title, the main star and a somewhat similar “misdirection/wrong identity” formula, the three movies had very little in common. “Brunette” was by far the most financially successful of the three films and was the only one of the three that was universally praised by critics and fans alike.

While the first film came at the peak of the film noir era and incorporated many elements from that time frame, “Brunette” was more of a classic romantic comedy. If anything, the second film poked fun at the noir-style, as that brand of filmmaking had, by that time, become passe. Clearly, the second film had jokes that were much funnier and fresher than its predecessor, which is no surprise when you look at the two writers who penned this screenplay.

Writer Jack Rose was coming off a successful turn in writing another Hope vehicle, The Road To Bali, which is also regarded by many as the best of that film series. Rose had success writing jokes for Hope and Milton Berle for each one’s radio shows. Rose would go on and be nominated for three Academy Awards for his writing and also scripted all of the episodes in the 1960s comedy, The Good Guys.

The other writer of this film was Edmund Beloin. Beloin had established himself as one of Hollywood’s best comedic scribes by co-writing all of the scripts for The Jack Benny Program when the program first became the number one rated show in the country in 1936.

He too had success in films in the latter 1930s and throughout the 1940s, also working with Rose on the “Bali” film. Beloin would go on to write for classic television shows like The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, and Mayberry RFD.

Speaking of “The Road To…” movies, “Brunette” also benefited from having Hope’s cohort in those films, Doroth Lamour, as a co-star in this flick. The chemistry between Hope and Lamour clearly works better than it does in the other “My Favorite” entries and makes this particular film’s pace much quicker, more familiar and thoroughly more entertaining.

One last benefit of this film is the supporting cast. Peter Lorre and Alan Ladd both lent solid contributions in advancing the movie’s plot while, at the same time, played against type. Both actors are used in the comedic take of poking fun at the noir style.

Fellow established movie veteran Lon Chaney Jr. was also featured prominently, playing Willie, which was based on his character in the film classic Of Mice And Men.

Last but not least was the cameo of Bing Crosby. Throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, it became almost expected that a film featuring any one of Hope, Crosby or Lamour, would have at least one of the others popping up for a brief, uncredited role in the film.

Tune in for My Favorite Brunette, this Monday at 2:30pm on RCN-TV. To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN-TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

To be honest, I do not get very excited about the Olympics.  I must admit, however, that, for me, the excitement does build as the games progress.  I’m sure part of the reason is that there is not much to watch in the way of sports when the Olympics roll around.  With all the hours of Olympic programming, that void is certainly filled.

With less than 50 days to go before the opening ceremonies (July 23), there are serious considerations about whether the Games should be held or not:

• Japan has actually seen four Covid surges, with the fourth now declining. May saw 7,000 cases per day; that number is now down to 3,000.

• Much like here, until the past week or two, restaurants and bars have been closed and outdoor spectator sporting events limited to 5,000.

• The citizens of Japan do not want the Games to happen now. Eighty-percent want the games postponed or canceled.  A petition to cancel the games garnered over 400,000 signatures.

• There will only be local spectators if they are allowed at all. Overseas foreign travelers will not be allowed to attend.  It is estimated Japan could lose $23 billion in consumer and business spending.

• The number of athletes, media, officials, coaches, and administrative personnel are expected to near 60,000 in number.

• Only North Korea has withdrawn from the competition claiming they want to protect their athletes – many believe it is more about the political environment between the two countries. This withdrawal has not led to other countries following suit.

• Only 5% of Japan’s population has been vaccinated. That number should increase dramatically with the donation of vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech.

• Athletes must have two negative Covid tests prior to arriving in Japan.

• The athletes will live in “bubbles” that are “sterile and secure”. They cannot arrive more than five days before their competition and must leave no longer than two after their competition is completed.

• NBC paid $7.75 billion to air the games through 2032. The company lost as much as $1 billion when the Games were postponed last year.  They claim to already have at least $1.25 billion already booked this year for advertising.  Insurance would cover their losses, but not the potential profit.  A huge void would be created in their programming schedule.

Suffice it to say, there is too much money to be made for the Games to be canceled.  They will go on and it will garner much of my summertime television viewing.  I am certain I am not alone.  “USA!”  “USA!”

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. How much will a “small tear” lead to a giant collapse is the question the 76ers will answer in the next week or so. Joel Embiid may or may not be available in the NBA series against the Atlanta Hawks because of a tear in his meniscus.  They will win with him, but not without him.

2. If you watch professional golf, you realize just how difficult it is to win. The competition is extraordinary, the courses are so difficult, and the mental aspect is so challenging.  Imagine having a 6- stroke lead going into the final round of a PGA tour event and finding out you tested positive for Covid.  That happened to Jon Rahm this past weekend.  He had to withdraw from the tournament.

3. The Phillies are certainly having an up and down season so far, but, thankfully, that could be said for the entire NL East. One Phillie who is not is Rhys Hoskins.  As I write this, he is in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs.  He needs some help, though.

4. I congratulated Emmaus for winning the EPC baseball championship, their first league title since 2005. Now, I must congratulate them again – this time for winning the District XI 6A baseball championship and heading to the PIAA state playoffs.  Their last District title was also in 2005.  They will be joined by the District runner-up Parkland Trojans.

5. The McDonald’s All-Star Football Classic will be played on June 17 at Nazareth’s Andrew Leh Stadium. We will have the game on a tape-delayed basis at 10:00pm.  Support a great cause and get out to the game.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

While there have been many versions of The Phantom of the Opera, the 1925 version of this classic story remains one of the best.

That being said, it’s safe to say that the production of this great silent film did not go very smoothly.

Produced and released almost two years before the first talking movie, The Jazz Singer, was released, this “Phantom” story stars Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kelly, John St. Poli, Arthur Edmund Carewe and Gibson Gowland.  The film is an adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel “Le Fantome De l’Opera.”

Chaney was highly sought after for the role, following his success in the lead role of 1923’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In addition to being arguably Lon Chaney’s greatest role, he was incredibly involved in many aspects of the film’s production.  At times, he directed scenes in place of official director Rupert Julian.  Chaney also created and invented many of the “make-up tricks” that he incorporated into his role as the deformed anti-hero, self-imprisoned in the French Opera House.

According to legend, Carl Laemmle, the president of Universal Pictures, took a vacation to Paris in 1922. During his vacation Laemmle met the author Gaston Leroux, who was working in the French film industry. Laemmle mentioned to Leroux that he admired the Paris Opera House. Leroux gave Laemmle a copy of his 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. Laemmle read the book in one night.  He later bought the film rights and soon became the film’s producer.

The original premise (and screenplay) stayed extremely close to the original source but subsequent script revisions strayed wildly after the initial first draft.

Production began in mid-October, 1924 and instantly found problems. According to director of photography Charles Van Enger in the 1970 book “American Cinematographer,” Chaney and the rest of the cast and crew had strained relations with their director, Rupert Jullian. Eventually the lead star and director stopped talking, so Van Enger served as a go-between. He would report Julian’s directions to Chaney, who responded “Tell him to go to hell.” As Van Enger remembered, “Lon did whatever he wanted.”

Despite having a great reputation with Universal, Jullian’s directorial mediocrity was obvious to the crew. For example:  according to Van Enger, Julian had wanted the screen to go black after the chandelier fell on the Opera audience. Van Enger ignored him and lit the set with a soft glow, so the aftermath of the fall would be visible to the film audience.

Furthermore, the ending to the movie was rewritten completely — at least four times.

The initial rough cut of the film came in over four hours long…completely unheard of for motion pictures in the 1920s.  Over two-and-a-half hours of the original prints ended up on the cutting room floor.

The initial screening of the film was so negative, that the premiere date was delayed (several times in fact) and the movie was constantly in a state of reshooting, rewriting and re-editing for months.

When the film was finally released, reviews were still mixed.  However, as time has marched on, the more contemporary reviews cite fewer flaws and more polish than the initial critics.

TV Guide gave the film 4-out-of-5 stars, calling it, “one of the most famous horror movies of all time. The Phantom of the Opera still manages to frighten (audiences) after more than 60 years.”  On Rotten Tomatoes, The Phantom of the Opera holds an approval rating of 90% following its most recent review in October 2020.

Film historians also have praised this version of the film, citing many innovative techniques, from Chaney’s own make-up skills to unique examples of camera positioning and lighting strategies throughout the film.  The fact that this picture had to overcome so many challenges to reach its initial release (and even then, has had to withstand reworkings several times thereafter) have only added to the picture’s lore.

(One more interesting note:  the last surviving cast member was Carla Laemmle, niece of producer Carl, who played a small role as a “prima ballerina.” She was 15 in the movie and passed on in 2014.)

Is it truly a classic masterpiece?  You can decide for yourself when you check out the original film version of The Phantom Of The Opera.  Tune in and set your DVRs for Friday, June 11th at 10pm on RCN TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

In the pre-coronavirus era, the hottest sports debate over the last couple years in the Lehigh Valley swirled around the new school, Executive Education Academy Charter School.

The Raptors were accused of allegedly taking top-tier players from other Lehigh Valley school districts…a charge that resulted in a public hearing.

While EEACS was not found guilty nor made any formal retributions, the local governing sports body (District XI) did recommend that some changes needed to be made by the academy to their “recruiting” practices, with a warning that penalties might be issued if they chose not to follow the suggestions.

This did not sit well with many surrounding school districts, who felt there was clearly enough evidence to warrant formal sanctions.

The result?

Not one Lehigh Valley basketball team had ever scheduled the school for any regular-season game the last few school years (prior to this current COVID-filled school year).

In fact, in its first year, the Raptors won the District XI 2A title without playing a single team from the Valley until the championship game.  Ironically, Executive Education Academy’s championship victory came over another “non-boundary” school, Moravian Academy.

While a few schools did play Executive this past basketball season, the common reason was, because of all the limitations placed on a number of school districts due to COVID, opponents were sometimes few and far between.  Most administrators and coaches have remained mum about the possibility of adding or resuming games with EEACS in the future.

In a completely separate news story, Allen High School anointed Randy Atiyeh as the school’s new athletic director a few months back.  A long-time assistant basketball coach and a tireless worker in the community, Randy was an obvious choice to take over the position and, so far this year, has done a tremendous job in that role.

But this hiring set up an intriguing decision for local sports fans now to ponder.

One of Atiyeh’s closest friends is former Parkland High School basketball standout player, Toomey Anderson, who is officially the assistant athletic director and a key figure at Executive Education Academy’s basketball program.  Both Atiyeh and Anderson have been co-directors of one of the annual summer basketball tournaments at Cedar Beach in Allentown–the same event that has seen most local schools drop out of competition because of Anderson’s involvement with the Raptors.

Furthermore, Allen’s new boys’ basketball Head Coach is Darnell Braswell, who is good friends with another former Canary great, Ray Barbosa – the boys’ basketball Head Coach at, you guessed it … Executive Education Academy.

The immediate question surrounding the Allen High School sports program now becomes, will Atiyeh break the unanimous, yet unofficial union of the local schools by putting the Raptors on the Canaries’ schedule in future seasons?

We asked Randy and Darnell that very question on a recent edition of “SportsTalk.”

Here is a portion of Atiyeh’s answer.

RCN customers can get more of Randy’s response, plus Darnell’s reaction and more of their opinions by watching the entire interview though RCN’s Video-on-Demand.  And keep checking back to our “SportsTalk” show for news and analysis as this story continues to evolve for future seasons.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

One of the new programs added to the RCN-TV lineup this year is a television show that excelled because of a comedian’s mediocrity on radio.  While Milton Berle was a popular entertainer, film star and comedian, he did not have the greatest success in radio in the 1930s and 40s. He was a hit as a guest, would get good reviews as a fill-in star, and had a two-year run as host on a panel show.  However, his physical brand of humor never could really resonate with audiences .. .until television came along.

Initially, The Texaco Star Theatre (the first name of his television program) targeted fellow comedian Jack Carter as the host — one of several the sponsor wanted to “try out” to lead their new 60-minute comedy show. However, Berle (comic contestant #2) was such a success when his “month” to host came, that they made Milton their permanent star.

The reason for his success?  Berle took all the physical comedy from his radio program, combined it with the pure slapstick from his vaudevillian days and mixed in some outrageous attire (Berle was frequently dressed in drag).

Berle dominated Tuesday night television for the next several years, reaching the number one slot in the Nielsen ratings. At his height he would also bring in as high as a 97% share of the viewing audience, meaning all but 3% of everyone whose TV was turned on, was watching Berle.

Here are a few other barometers that showed how popular his TV show was.

Movie theatres either closed or offered less showings on Tuesday nights because few people left home to see movies on the night Berle’s show aired. Restaurants and other businesses would also shut down for the hour or closed for the evening so their customers would not miss Berle’s antics.  According to his 1974 autobiography (co-written by Haskel Frankel), he notes that in Detroit, an investigation took place when the water levels took a drastic drop in the reservoirs on Tuesday nights between 9:00 pm and 9:05 pm.  It turned out that everyone waited until the end of the Texaco Star Theatre before going to the bathroom.

Wrap up your Memorial Day weekend with a mini-marathon of some of the best moments of Berle’s television show, starting this Monday at 9:00pm.  Make sure you tune in or set your DVRs to RCN TV.  And when you do, make sure to listen for a rather “unique” and quite loud laugh in the audience. It belongs to Milton’s mother, Sadie. She was often used as a “plant” by Berle to help ignite the audience to laugh at jokes Milton wasn’t sure about or to make sure the audience gave a wild reaction when he came out in some of his more bizarre costumes.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

I love high school baseball.

It’s a great sport with so many inside nuances if you are really into it…cat-and-mouse games between pitchers and hitters…or pitchers and baserunners…where to position your outfielders.  If you understand the game (and little patience is needed at times) and you have teams that play the game the right way, it’s really a lot of fun.

Fortunately in our viewing area, we have an abundance of teams that play fundamentally-smart baseball programs that makes for some very enjoyable viewing.  With the district playoffs upon us, it’s time to delve headlong into our discussion of teams and games in our viewing area.  In addition to recapping the regular season and the EPC championship game (which is now available on RCN On-Demand), we’ll be looking at the district baseball playoffs.

The brackets are out and we’re looking forward to all the matchups over the next 9 days, culminating with the District XI 6A title contest, which you will be able to watch live on RCN-TV (bookmark our broadcast schedule and keep checking back to our website for specific game information and “first pitch” time.

Meanwhile on this week’s “RCN SportsTalk,” RCN Sports Director Gary Laubach will join us to break down all the elements and preview the next week-and-a-half worth of games with Co-Host Keith Groller and myself.

We have some great storylines already in place:

Liberty’s dominating run through the regular season, only to be tripped up in the semifinal by Pocono Mountain East. Can the Hurricanes bounce back?

Emmaus won the EPC championship but it has been decades since the same team has won both the big schools’ league and district titles in the same season.  Can the Hornets break the curse?

Perennial power Parkland was also upset in the league playoffs and a few other schools who traditionally do well have been struggling of late.  Will one of those teams get hot in time to contend for a championship?

Plus, on the girls side, there’s some very intriguing matchups coming up after a very entertaining league playoffs in both the EPC and Colonial League.  We’ll talk about those storylines as well.

But baseball is not the only thing we are working on for our upcoming “SportsTalk” programs.  Here’s just a sample of the guests we are lining up over the next several weeks:

• PIAA Assistant Executive Director Melissa Mertz talks Pennsylvania state sports issues including the spring state playoff format, current rule and procedure adjustments in the works and possible changes for the fall and winter sports seasons

• Maret HS (DC) Head Football Coach Mike Engelberg talks about his undefeated spring sports season in the DMV after missing out on the entire fall campaign after his team won the DC state title in 2019.

• Allentown Central Catholic’s tennis team did something no other team in our viewing area did this spring and also accomplished another feat that no one in school history had ever done.  First year Head Coach Jared Smith will explain.

• Multi-sport Wilson HS standout Jeff Breidinger will return to his alma mater as the school’s athletic director after some successful stops as a coach at other schools and has some major changes in store for his new programs.

• The Morning Call’s Tom Housenick and Dante Terenzio will recap this spring’s track-and-field, tennis and volleyball seasons and also get us up to date on local golf, wrestling and other sports news and issues.

• First-time new HS football head coaches are taking over at Allen and Liberty high schools. We’ll introduce you to them and their captains — one already is making a guarantee about this fall’s season.
• Spring sports district champions and state playoff participants

• … and more!

Make sure you tune in, set your DVR or check out these guests and more over the next several weeks on RCN-TV and RCN On-Demand!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

 For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.   Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

Gary Cooper is known for some of the most iconic shots and soliloquies in cinema history.  From his long stare across the town in the famous, wide, crane shot ahead of the climactic showdown in High Noon, to his tear-jerking speech as Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees, you can’t examine Hollywood’s Golden Era without highlighting Cooper’s contributions to the industry.

Born Frank James Cooper on May 7, 1901 in Helena, Montana, Gary’s parents sent him overseas to gain an “English education.”  He returned to America before his 11th birthday and spent his teenage years living the life of a cowboy.

When he was 15, he was injured in a car accident.  According to Larry Swindell’s “The Last Hero: the Biography of Gary Cooper,” his doctor’s misguided recommendation included Cooper’s recuperation consisting of horseback riding.  This caused a permanent disability and left him with his characteristic stiff, off-balanced walk now so familiar to film followers.

While still attending high school he also enrolled in an art school where many of his drawings and watercolor paintings received acclaim and attention in the community.  While his credibility grew as an artist while enrolled in Iowa’s Grinnell College (he was named the school yearbook’s art editor), he ironically was turned down for a position in the school’s drama club.

Aside from selling editorial cartoons to a local newspaper, Cooper struggled to find work as an artist and, after two years, left to join Poverty Row, working silent film Westerns as an extra (for $5 a day) or as a stuntman (for $10/day).

Cooper’s first important film role was a supporting part in 1926’s The Winning of Barbara Worth starring Ronald Colman.  Cooper relied on his own persona for the role, and the film’s success, based largely on Cooper’s performance, helped garnish major attention.  MGM reportedly rushed to offer Cooper a long-term contract, but he held out for a better deal—finally signing a five-year contract with Paramount Pictures for $175 per week.

While Cooper had an unremarkable career in silent films, his first “synchronized sound” film, Lilac Times, proved to be one of the most successful pictures of 1928.

Cooper then starred in The Virginian a year later, directed by Victor Fleming (Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind) and helped to establish the standard Western codes and conventions that are still used to this day.

While other leading men struggled to adjust to “talkies,” Gary’s deep, clear and natural–yet understated–delivery endeared him to audiences worldwide.

Meanwhile, Paramount, anxious to cash in on Cooper’s popularity, began starring him in as many films as they could.

Just SOME of his films in 1931 alone include Fighting Caravans with French actress Lili Damita, the Dashiell Hammett crime film, City Streets, co-starring Sylvia Sidney and Paul Lukas, I Take This Woman with Carole Lombard, and His Woman with Claudette Colbert. The demands and pressures of making ten films in two years left Cooper exhausted and in poor health. He had lost thirty pounds during that period and left Hollywood for Italy, where he lived for the next year.

Rested and rejuvenated by his year-long exile, a healthy Cooper returned to Hollywood in April 1932 and negotiated a new contract with Paramount for two films per year, a salary of $4,000 a week, along with director and script approval.

Cooper would soon star in one of his most memorable roles in A Farewell to Arms, which would prove to be one of Gary’s most challenging performances.  The film also  ignited a long-standing relationship with the original story’s famous writer, Ernest Hemingway.  Plus, a series of iconic performances and film classics would soon follow–and several future Showplace blog entries about Coop, yet to come!

You can see Cooper star in 1932’s A Farewell to Arms this Tuesday, May 25, at 9am (also featuring Helen Hayes) on RCN-TV.  Also, keep checking back to the “Showplace” for more insights on this great actor in early Hollywood history.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

No, I did not make a typo and add a question mark by mistake when putting this week’s “SportsTalk Shop” blog title together.

This is normally the time of year when I check in with local spring and summer basketball coordinators to receive their schedules, talk with them about their plans for the next several months and perhaps get some insights (and usually a few juicy rumors) on some local storylines to keep an eye out for.

In doing that this week, there’s been a similar theme to what I heard last year:

Cautious optimism.

Regardless of these leagues and tournaments’ organizers’ background, everyone I’ve talked to is hopeful to get some semblance of summer action in. 

That being said, many were equally optimistic about last Summer, thirteen months ago.

This year some organizers are saying they are hearing positive, aka declining, numbers in terms of COVID cases and feel very strongly that the games can be played just as in previous years.  But the fact that the mask mandate will be lifted in a few weeks hasn’t kept some from getting overly hopeful things will go off as planned.

The “spring games” have already been postponed and, quite likely, games will not go regularly like they would in a “normal” year.  However, as of this moment, there is a schedule for local summer league games and tournaments in place for June and July within the RCN-Lehigh Valley footprint.

Last year, in lieu of bringing you pictures of the summer’s local basketball action, I uncovered many “never before seen” shots of the special people participating in summer games and tournaments in our viewing area.  Until we have games being played, and because I received some very nice comments about posting these images a year ago, I am bringing you more previously unpublished pictures from the prior summer’s basketball action.

Also, like in 2020, I’ll be checking in with local representatives as we get closer to the bigger summer tourneys in June and will present an update–one way or the other–on the status of this year’s local activities on the courts.

Stay tuned!!