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.

Before we take a look back at some of the significant accomplishments by local high school athletes, let’s take a quick look ahead to this week.

On Thursday’s “SportsTalk” show we will have our second high school basketball preview show – more interviews, predictions and insights on the revamped winter sports schedule, which will now officially kick off next Friday.

Be sure to tune in to hear how coaches are adjusting to the truncated season and also hear possible changes yet to come as local administrators try to find a way to get through this winter sports campaign.

******

Not many things went “normally” this fall but one traditional occurrence that did happen recently was the local administrators’ naming stand out performers from the shortened, yet-completed autumn sports season.

I’d like to thank the local athletic directors for sending their “all-star” lists to me for the District XI and Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.  As I mentioned last year the Colonial League officially did away with these recognitions.  If there are some unofficial awards that are announced and sent to us, I’d be happy to mention those names if and when they are sent.

So here are the honored players from the EPC’s high school football season…

LEHIGH COUNTY OFFENSIVE MVP – (12th grade) Brandon Camire (Emmaus)

LEHIGH COUNTY DEFENSIVE MVP – (11) Lavon Johnson (Allentown Central Catholic)

MONROE COUNTY OFFENSIVE MVP – (12) Christian Sapp (East Stroudsburg South)

MONROE COUNTY DEFENSIVE MVP – (12) Jace Tutty (Stroudsburg)

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY OFFENSIVE MVP – (12) Matt Bugbee (Nazareth)

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY DEFENSIVE MVP – (11) Braelin Moore (Freedom)

2020 EPC ALL-STAR RECIPIENTS (LEHIGH COUNTY DIVISION) 

OFFENSE 

Tight End: 

1st Team – Christian Spugnardi (Allentown Central Catholic) #81 – Senior 2nd Team – Chad Newhard (Emmaus) #10 – Senior 

Wide Receiver: 

1st Team – Jack McGorry (Allentown Central Catholic) #3 – Senior 

 Jayden Booth (Dieruff) #1 – Senior 

 Jameel Sanders (Emmaus) #8 – Senior 

2nd Team – Tommy Buskirk (Whitehall) #2 – Junior 

 Bryce Bashore (Whitehall) #4 – Junior 

 John Siggins (Parkland) #15 – Senior 

Tackle: 

1st Team – Michael McCambridge (Allentown Central Catholic) #74 – Senior  Justin Roman (Emmaus) #79 – Senior 

2nd Team – Anthony Saed (Whitehall) #75 – Junior 

 Ivan Nieves (William Allen) #77 – Senior 

Guard: 

1st Team – Carter Hudak (Whitehall) #55 – Sophomore 

 Tyler Keller (Emmaus) #78 – Senior 

2nd Team – Garrett Fitzgerald (Parkland) #56 – Senior 

 Brock Boyer (Parkland) #54 – Junior 

Center: 

1st Team – Jakob Koren (Parkland) #65 – Senior 

2nd Team – AJ Colon (Allentown Central Catholic) #72 – Senior 

 Nick Davidson (Emmaus) #71 – Junior 

Quarterback: 

1st Team – Quinn Wentling (Whitehall) #3 – Junior 

2nd Team – Jake Fotta (Emmaus) #17 – Sophomore 

 Matt Rauscher (Allentown Central Catholic) #2 – Senior 

 Ty Trema (Parkland) #12 – Junior 

Running Back: 

1st Team – Brandon Camire (Emmaus) #3 – Senior 

 Jayden Williams (Allentown Central Catholic) #24 – Senior 

2nd Team – Nigel Linton (Whitehall) #6 – Sophomore 

 Isiah Rico (Parkland) #26 – Senior

Offensive Athlete: 

1st Team – Matt Rauscher (Allentown Central Catholic) #2 – Senior 

Placekicker: 

1st Team – Connor Fenstermaker (Whitehall) #82 – Senior  Alex Orlando (Emmaus) #84 – Senior 

DEFENSE 

Defensive End: 

1st Team – Dylan McHugh (Emmaus) #56 – Junior 

 Garrett Fitzgerald (Parkland) #56 – Senior 

2nd Team – Brock Boyer (Parkland) #54 – Junior 

 Christian Spugnardi (Allentown Central Catholic) #81 – Senior 

Defensive Lineman: 

1st Team – Lavon Johnson (Allentown Central Catholic) #52 – Junior  Justin Roman (Emmaus) #79 – Senior 

2nd Team – Marcus Loch (Parkland) – Senior 

 Anthony Saed (Whitehall) #75 – Junior 

Inside Linebacker: 

1st Team – Leroy Johnson (Allentown Central Catholic) #1 – Senior  Jared Groller (Emmaus) #26 – Junior 

 Connor Neith (Parkland) #1 – Senior 

2nd Team – Connor Carter (Emmaus) #47 – Senior 

Outside Linebacker: 

1st Team – Jayden Sanchez (Parkland) #4 – Senior 

 Mason Maxsim (Allentown Central Catholic) #23 – Senior 2nd Team – Jaden Delgado (Emmaus) #22 – Junior 

 Tommy Buskirk (Whitehall) #2 – Junior 

Cornerback: 

1st Team – Jameel Sanders (Emmaus) #8 – Senior 

 Tanner Ritter (Emmaus) #15 – Senior 

2nd Team – John Siggins (Parkland) #15 – Senior 

 Bryce Bashore (Whitehall) #4 – Junior 

 Josh Carrion (William Allen) #5 – Senior 

Safety:

1st Team – Chad Newhard (Emmaus) #10 – Senior 

 Isiah Rico (Parkland) #26 – Senior 

2nd Team – Quinn Wentling (Whitehall) #3 – Junior 

 Jayden Booth (Dieruff) #1 – Senior 

Defensive Athlete: 

1st Team – Josh Carrion (William Allen) #5 – Senior 

Punter: 

1st Team – Ty Tremba (Parkland) #12 – Junior 

2nd Team – Alex Orlando (Emmaus) #84 – Senior 

Special Teams Player: 

1st Team – Brandon Camire (Emmaus) #3 – Senior 

2nd Team – Jayden Booth (Dieruff) #1 – Senior 

Congratulations to the following E.P.C. County Champions (there was no divisional or conference championship this fall):

Lehigh – Emmaus High School

Monroe – East Stroudsburg South High School

Northampton – Nazareth Area School District

We’ll have more “all-star” recognitions next week here at “The Shop.”

It’s almost time for RCN TV’s annual Christmas Takeover, full of special holiday programming, classic shows and movies airing non-stop Christmas Eve through 9:00am on December 26.

In anticipation of this special event, we asked the RCN TV crew what show or movie they are most excited to see for this year’s “Takeover.”

Rick Geho: For me it is the Christmas Lights and the Steckel School “Holiday in Song” programs.

Patti Ditzel: Mine is “The Ditzel Sisters’ Christmas Special!”

Chris Popik: “Christmas Lights with Bill White 2020” since it is locally produced by RCN TV and features various homes every year.  Also, it will look different this year due to Covid-19 protocols requiring us to interview the homeowners via Zoom.

Jack Ebner: For both my wife and I, our favorite has to be the local production of “The Nutcracker.”

Paul Lewis: The new and older Christmas Lights shows, the Moravian Putz, and the Bacon “Yule Log.”

Chris Michael: My whole family always enjoys watching the “Christmas Shopping: 1955” edition of “The Jack Benny Show” as well as the very underrated movie, “The Christmas Wish.”

Merari Kingsley: The “Nuestro Valle” Christmas choral program.

Chris Zaia: All of the “Christmas Lights” episodes.  It is really exciting to see the changes to our TV production from year one until now.

Jim Frick: “The BASD Christmas Special” and the Seibert Church Christmas Cantata: “The Wonders of Christmas.”

What will be YOUR favorite? You and your loved ones have the opportunity to make your own holiday traditions by seeing favorite programs’ holiday adventures or enjoying shows and movies that you may have never seen before!

Be sure to catch this year’s RCN TV Christmas Takeover beginning Thursday morning, December 24!

To view the complete rundown of holiday and classic programming on RCN TV, check out the schedule and 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.

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 have driven on my share of bumpy roads on my way to games and events at some remote locations in my lifetime, but nothing was as bumpy as this past fall’s high school football season.

As the pandemic case numbers rose and fell throughout the last few months, players, coaches, administrators, fans and those of us in the media all had our hands full getting through the autumn sports campaign.

Once again, a big hats off and salute to the RCN crew members for bringing you as many scholastic football broadcasts as we could while also staying within Covid protocols and keeping everyone in our local community safe.  It was certainly an unusual experience doing the games remotely, but our crew members did a fantastic job bringing you all of the action over the last several months.

Here are highlights of most of our broadcasts from this past fall season. Some of these games can still be seen for free for RCN customers by visiting our on-demand services.

You can also purchase DVDs of our entire broadcast of these games by calling 610-443-2909.

Enjoy!

VIDEOS:

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.

Last week we took a look at the early career of one of the most popular names and voices heard this time of year in radio, television and movies.

Today we look at the second half of Bing Crosby’s career and how he literally changed the way shows were presented.

During World War II, Crosby came across a reel-to-reel magnetic tape device used by the Germans to record messages. He invested $50,000 in a California electronics company and convinced ABC Radio, after much protest, to allow him to tape his shows. He became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings.

The decision was instrumental in changing the way that record companies, radio and then television shows were broadcast. No longer were networks mandated to do strictly live performances and having to repeat a brand new show for the west coast audiences. This allowed show producers to edit out “bad” portions and only keep certain parts of a show, change the order of the performances and provide various other benefits still used in broadcasting to this day.

Furthermore, this allowed for shows to be recorded and preserved, which paved the way for programs to be rebroadcast. Ultimately, this would revolutionize the industry as shows could be now re-released in syndication and find new life with whole new audiences.

Among Bing’s highlights during the second half of his career include starring in the holiday film classic, “White Christmas.” This was actually the second time that the yuletide traditional song was featured in a movie – the first being “Holiday Inn” over a decade earlier with Fred Astaire.

Crosby would continue to make movies, produce and star in semi-annual television specials, perform live in front of sell out crowds and record songs right up until his death.

A common misconception is that the popular holiday duet “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with David Bowie recorded before, but airing after, his death was his last recording. However, three days before Bing’s passing, he recorded several songs for an album that was released posthumously. Ironically, the last song he recorded was an old standard called “Once In A While,” a tune asking and answering how he would like to be remembered.

Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1930 to 1954. He made over seventy feature films appearances (his last film was that as a featured presenter in the 1974 star-studded blockbuster “That’s Entertainment”) and recorded more than 1,600 different songs.

Be on the lookout for Crosby’s appearances on various television shows and films on RCN TV and for his music to be featured prominently on the “Sounds of the Season” on RCN’s Music Choice channel 1944.

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.

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.

Just try to get through the holiday season without hearing a Bing Crosby classic tune like “White Christmas” or seeing a clip from the holiday film with the same name featuring this legendary crooner (go on, I DOUBLE-dog dare you!)

Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby became arguably the greatest entertainer of the 20th century, contributing to great successes in music, film and radio while producing television shows and even advancing technology in the recording and broadcasting industries.

After a somewhat reckless early venture in the music industry (his drinking and temper nearly ended his career before it really began), Crosby traveled the country singing in various groups.  His great voice soon separated himself from working with a group to a solo act.  It wasn’t long before his tremendous singing style garnished a record contract…and a number of hit singles would soon follow.

In addition to his singing skills, Bing was the first to utilize the newfound technology of a microphone–instead of singers having to belt out tunes to large theaters so everyone could hear, the new amplification techniques allowed him to sing softer and more melodically, which opened up a brand new avenue for singers.

After being denied early film roles because one producer thought his ears were too big, Crosby slowly became a major film star with hits like The Big Broadcast, Anything Goes, Pennies From Heaven, Holiday Inn and the “Road To…” film series.

Crosby attempted–and succeeded–in advancing his credibility as an actor in the 1940s by winning the Academy Award for his leading role in the film, “Going My Way.” (He also was nominated for best actor in another holiday classic, “Bells of St. Mary.”)

Crosby continued to bang out number one hits while creating a new style for singing, coining the name “The Crooner”–a nickname Crosby reportedly felt was insulting. 

The tune “White Christmas” became so popular that the original disc containing the song broke from making so many copies.  Crosby, along with all the same members of his backing chorus and orchestra, came back to re-record the song and to try to perform it exactly in the same style as before to recreate the recording.  Although they used the same arrangement and musicians, there are actually slight differences in the recordings.

For example … to tell if it’s the first or second version, listen to the first few lines of the recording: “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.”

Crosby did an unscripted trill in the opening verse for the word “dreaming” in the first rendition, but, in the second, did the trill for the word “know.”  More often it’s the SECOND version of this song you will hear today on radio stations and on outlets like the “Music Choice: Sounds of the Season” channel (now available for RCN customers at dial position #1944).

The song held the record for the most sold records until Elton John’s 1997 tribute to Princess Diana with the reissue of “Candle in the Wind.”

But some of Crosby’s greatest contributions to the film, radio and television industries were yet to come, as he would revolutionize all of those mediums in a way that no one else had imagined before World War II.  Details on that and more coming in next week’s Showplace blog entry.

In the meantime, you can see Crosby’s work in films like Road to Bali, his guest appearances on The Jack Benny Program and more classic shows 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.

A few weeks back on both our “SportsTalk” television show and here at “The Shop,” I asked our audience if they might be interested in a high school basketball poll for teams in our PIAA District XI coverage area–similar to what we do each fall.

I’m not really surprised that I did receive comments from a number of local hoops fans saying that they would really like to see a scholastic basketball poll or two this winter.

The only debate was in how to set up the poll.

We had almost an equal amount of people voting for each of the different ways we could “lay out” the polls, including the interesting and somewhat controversial “boundary vs. non-boundary” idea.  I think in light of the restrictions/limitations of local schools scheduling during this unusual winter season, it’s best this year if we do things similarly to the way we ran our polls for this past fall football season.

The only difference between the fall and winter is that we may not be doing the poll each week.  Most of our local teams are taking the holidays “off” because of the pandemic (the EPC now won’t have any “official” league games until January).  Also, both local leagues have ordered certain “off periods” during the season set aside in which teams will not be playing…thus, on those week’s we won’t be doing our polls.

So for this winter, we are breaking the two polls down into the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (Lehigh Valley teams only) and Colonial League schools, within the RCN broadcast area.  With the reduced schedules and many of our teams staying mostly “in country” with their opponents this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions, this plan for our polls will keep things interesting since many of the top teams within the local conferences will not have the opportunity to actually face each other this fall.

Like football, there will not be any league playoffs for basketball.  Without the crowning of official Colonial League and EPC champions, our polls will be an intriguing barometer to who in fact is the best team in each conference (and, of course, bragging rights through the winter months).

So below we have high school polls for both leagues, along with the listing of all of the teams that are included in our respective categories.

EPC-LV TOP 5

1) Central Catholic 

2) Allen

3) Bethlehem Catholic

4) Parkland

5) Whitehall

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Allentown Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, Nazareth, and Northampton

COLONIAL TOP 5

1) Southern Lehigh

2) Notre Dame

3) Palmerton

4) Bangor

5) Wilson

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh, Southern Lehigh and Palisades

Tune in to this week’s SportsTalk show as RCN Commentator Tom Stoudt will join us to break down the upcoming high school basketball season, which commences this week for the Colonial League.  In addition to discussing the EPC’s decision to postpone the start of their season until after New Year’s Day, we’ll also be highlighting the top players and teams to watch this winter, intriguing matchups and giving predictions for the new season.

We’ll also be joined by former Parkland High School and current University of Virginia football standout De’Vante Cross, who’s making an impact at the Division I level.  Like his Cavaliers teammate (and former Easton star Shane Simpson, who was on our show last year), Cross has excelled at the next level and has pro football aspirations.  Among the topics of conversation will be discussing the steps he has been taking in making himself eligible for the NFL Draft next spring.

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.

Last week here at the Showplace we focused on the early years of James Stewart, leading to his decorated service as a fighter pilot in World War II.

The strain of the war and his leading of fight squadrons in tense battles showed on Stewart’s facade when he first returned from fighting in Europe.  Stewart appeared to age many more years than the three he was away, and film roles were few and far between upon his return.

Stars like Stewart, Clark Gable and other major box-office draws who left to fight in the war returned to find that a new generation of leading men had taken over their mantle.

Stewart relied on an old friend, Frank Capra, to star him in an independent film project, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” which initially was panned at the box office.  Other Stewart films, regarded as commercial “failures” (at that time) forced Jimmy into the Western genre, where his more weathered-features would fit better on the big screen.  This career decision led to successful movie-starring roles in classics like “Winchester ‘73,” “The Naked Spur,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “How The West Was Won” and “”The Man From Laramie.”  

Stewart shined in other non-color films like the gritty “Anatomy of a Murder,” light-hearted films like “Harvey” and the biographical “Glen Miller Story” and “The Spirit of St. Louis”.  Even in Cecille B. DeMille’s Academy Award-winning “The Greatest Show on Earth” filmed in glorious technicolor, Stewart’s entire face was covered by clown’s makeup through the entire picture (the reason why is cleverly revealed just before the climax and in the denouement of this epic film).  

Steward’s more weathered features were also “hidden” better in black and white television vehicles as well, starring in the teleplay, “Flashing Spikes.”  He also become a frequent guest on shows like “The Jack Benny Program” (now seen weekly on RCN TV) where he often guest-starred as himself.  This introduced him to a new audience that could “warm up” to the “real” Jimmy Stewart and give people a chance to know his genuine likeability that had already been known throughout Hollywood and in the film industry.

Stewart’s popularity would reach new heights as Alfred Hitchcock would star him in four feature-length films, including “Rear Window” and “Vertigo,” the latter film widely regarded by cinema experts as one of the greatest films of all time. 

In all, twelve of Stewart’s films have been inducted into the United States National Film Registry and five are currently featured in the American Film Institute’s list of the “100 Greatest Films” of all-time.

Be on the lookout for some of Stewart’s historic work from both the big and small screens on RCN TV.

To view this week’s current listings as well as a complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the listings section 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.

My very first full-length sit-down interview with a professional athlete was Eagles’ Safety Brian Dawkins.

I was nervous as all-heck.

Dawkins was just entering his prime and was one of the biggest sports personalities in all of Philadelphia.  I had been working at Philly’s Sportsradio WIP (the number one sports radio station in the nation at that time) and I had done some group interviews, but nothing “one on one.”

Of course, I figured if I messed up this interview, I might never get another chance again and my entire career would be ruined!  I had heard some horrible stories from seasoned journalists about how rude pro athletes can be (along with lots of encouraging words) but I was afraid he’d turn out to be another Chase Utley–someone who always appears gracious on camera but bites reporters’ heads off the second they ask a question that he has the slightest problem with.

I could not have been more wrong.

Brian was as wonderful a big time personality as I ever had the good fortune to interview.  He said he was honored to be interviewed by me (I knew he didn’t, but what a thing to say??) and made for pleasant talk before the interview, joked around a little, and then gave clear and well thought out responses to all of my questions.  I could not have imagined a better experience and it was a tremendous confidence boost for the hundreds of sit-down interviews I’ve done since.

I had the good fortune to interview Brian again twice more…once when he was “on the way out” of Philly (one of the dumbest things the Eagles did–and they’ve made a lot of “brain dead” decisions).  Dawkins was once again as kind and as considerate as he was the first time, even though he was no longer on top of the world and his career as an athlete was in decline.

A few years after that, I had him on RCN SportsTalk — this time as a retired ball player who looked back at his career and his road ahead as a family man, a tremendous banquet event and inspirational speaker and as a businessman.  He was, and is, a tremendous person and a joy to interview.

Brian Mitchell is very similar to Dawkins.

Both are tremendous athletes who have done great work in their respective communities.  Both are terrific interviewees and give deep, thought-provoking answers and are pleasures to speak with.

Also, both athletes “get it;” aka, they’ve always known they are not “God’s gift” to mankind, even though they both are two of the greatest football players I (and millions of others) have ever seen.

I also first had a sit-down interview with Mitchell when he first came to the Eagles.  Although it was later in his career and, by this time, it was not my first “one on one” with a pro athlete either, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him and had a great radio interview with him.

Shortly after Mitchell retired, I interviewed him again for television and, just like Dawkins, he was a great person to speak with and gave just as wonderful an interview as before.

And this week, much like Dawk did, Mitchell will be giving a sit-down interview on this Thursday’s SportsTalk program.

Much like the third time I interviewed Dawkins, Mitchell will be looking back at his career and all his highlights, including memorable experiences with his playing time in Washington, Philadelphia and New York.  But he will also be discussing growing up in less-than-ideal conditions, how football helped save his life and many more important issues than just “Xs and Os.”

We hope you will tune in to hear his stories and insights.

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 familiar face on television screens this time of year is that of Jimmy Stewart in the annual holiday traditional airing of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

But many people do not know that this 1946 film was a commercial failure upon release and there were many other Stewart-led movies that received much greater attention.  The time period of the “Wonderful Life’s” release marked a low-point in this legendary actor’s career as he seriously considered retiring from film-making altogether, as Stewart found very few roles offered to him.

James Maitland Stewart, the son of a hardware store owner, initially did not want to become a movie star when he left home to attend Princeton University and was planning on returning to his hometown of Indiana Pennsylvania to take over the family business.

But future movie stars Margret Sullivan and Henry Fonda would play huge roles in his life and his decision to “play around” in the theatre while on the East Coast. 

According to his biography by Marc Eliot, Stewart had a crush on Sullivan and continued to pursue her from afar by continuing to act on stage with her in various theatrical productions.

Slowly, Stewart began the foundations of his lasting “everyman approach” to acting and started to get starring roles in the theatre.  This eventually led to a casting call in Hollywood. where he once-again roomed with Fonda and the two became life-long best friends.

Sullivan was well-aware of Jimmy’s shyness/lack of ego and desire for the spotlight, and would ask directors to cast Stewart opposite her in leading roles, in films like “The Shopworm Angel,” The Mortal Storm” and “The Shop Around The Corner” (later remade in the more contemporary “You’ve Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan).

Other leading ladies like Katherine Hepburn, Marlene Deitrich and Ginger Rogers would also request the unassuming Stewart to play opposite of–guaranteeing them of top-billing.

But soon it was Jimmy that was becoming the major star, with featured performances in “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,” “Frank Capra’s You Can’t Take It With You,”  “Destry Rides Again” and “The Philadelphia Story,” in which he won the Academy Award for Best Leading Actor.

Stewart was well on his way to earning the title of the third greatest American Male Actor of all time as ranked by the American Film Institute.

But that’s when World War II broke out.

Stewart enlisted in the Air Force as a pilot and led several successful bombing raids in defeating the Axis Powers.  He eventually was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and was awarded the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.

After becoming a decorated war hero, Stewart was anxious for his triumphant return to Hollywood to resume his acting career…but Hollywood wasn’t quite ready for him after the war.  We’ll have more on the life of James Stewart next week here at the Showplace.

In the meantime, you can see Stewart’s early work in films like “Made for Each Other” and more 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.

Well…we MADE it!

Honestly, back in August when I first heard the unofficial .. and then the “official”… plan for fall sports in the Lehigh Valley, I was skeptical.

The local administrators had put in a TON of time putting together an action plan for trying to play as many games as protocols allowed–limiting the amount of travel, the number of teams any one school would face and other modifications to try to keep kids safe.

By the third week of October, the playoffs had started for all fall sports but football, and only a handful of schools had to cancel more than one sporting event due to COVID.  Considering how the weather usually wreaks havoc with scheduling, this was really an amazing accomplishment to get in as many games as they did.

Then things changed.

The number of reported cases of the virus spiked and numerous schools across the region either closed or reverted back to “hybrid” learning strategies.  Sports teams either had to cancel their seasons or forfeit games–a few while in the running for championships.

Journalists in the area who have covered sports for many more years than I have agreed it was THE wildest ending to a fall sports campaign they had ever seen.  Games were canceled due to one school reporting COVID cases, then that school would be “OK” and the games were back on…only to have the OTHER school have to postpone or forfeit because THEY then had reported cases.

Some games were announced as “cancelled completely” one day, only to have that change and be played a few days later.  Some games were played on Mondays, Thursdays and even Sundays–days that were unheard of (and used to be ‘off-limits’) in previous years.

Sometimes there were different sets of rules even within the same school district.  Parkland had nearly all of its fall sports teams continue with state championship runs despite having the school closed due to the virus.  Meanwhile, the football team had to end their playoff hunt prematurely, even though they would have been heavy favorites to beat Stroudsburg and advance in the district playoffs.

So it is with just as much skepticism (and I sincerely hope I’m wrong) that we will be embarking on the winter sports season in a few weeks, and I’m hoping the number of cases can miraculously drop dramatically between now and then.

But before we do, it’s time to take our final look at our RCN high school football polls for our Lehigh Valley teams.

EPC-LV TOP 5
1) Nazareth

2) Freedom        

3) Emmaus  

4) Parkland

5) Central Catholic

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):
Allentown Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, Nazareth, and Northampton

COLONIAL TOP 5

1) Notre Dame-GP

2) Northwestern

3) Palisades

4) Northern Lehigh

5) Southern Lehigh 

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):
Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh, Southern Lehigh and Palisades

There weren’t too many surprises for our Colonial League poll–four of the five teams finished the season in exactly the same spot they started in our pre-season poll back in mid-September.  The only exception was Northern Lehigh — the lone “honorable mention” team in our pre-season picks — moved up into the #4 spot, while the team that owned that spot back in September — Saucon Valley — had its season prematurely end because of the virus.

The EPC Poll had a couple wrinkles, with Nazareth (our pre-season #5 team) reaching and winning the district championship game (SportsTalk Co-Host Keith Groller had them much lower in his own personal poll–listing them fifth in their own division, let alone making our top five in the area–something that did not set well with many of our Blue Eagles’ viewers).  Central Catholic was another team that received pre-season votes but did not make our “Top 5” in September.  However, a playoff win over “our” #5 team, Bethlehem Catholic, and their subsequent win in the 4A District Title game gave the Vikings the credibility to move up over the Golden Hawks.

Traditionally, we have not done a basketball poll in the winter–with the sports seasons overlapping and the holiday season “interrupting” the winter season, it usually doesn’t provide the regular, weekly interest of a football poll.  However, 2020 is not your typical year.  With our high school football season ending nearly a month earlier than normal, it’s something I’m considering incorporating in our blogs and “SportsTalk” show for over the next few months.

Would you like a high school basketball poll this winter?  And, how would you like to see it laid out–EPC vs. Colonial?  Big schools vs. small?  Boundary vs. non-boundary?

Feel free to email me at Chris.Michael@rcn.net for your thoughts and check back in a couple weeks to see what the majority of our readers would like to see!