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.

Here are three local sports observations before we take a look at this week’s high school basketball polls…

1)  District 11 announced its schedule and sites for its upcoming postseason events for its individual wrestling tournaments coming up for the 2A and 3A classifications:

Regional Wrestling Tournaments (Feb. 27):
AA – Central Dauphin East HS
AAA – The Charles Chrin Community Center of Palmer Township

East Super Regional Wrestling Tournaments (March 6):
AA – Pottsville Area HS
AAA – Quakertown HS

The state tournament will once again be held at the Hershey Arena. In addition to this week’s regionals, last week’s 2A district championships were held at a unique location – the Charles Chrin Community Center. It certainly has been a strange winter sports season!

2) Before the basketball playoffs get underway later this week, we discussed many of the teams in the Lehigh Valley on the latest “SportsTalk” show.

Here’s a sample…

VIDEO: Keith’s Take on Top Lehigh Valley Teams

See the entire discussion this Thursday at 7pm and 9pm on RCN-TV to hear more from on the local hoops scene!

3)  Justin Paz gave one of the top performances by a point guard a few years ago at Bethlehem Catholic and is now having success at the next level at East Stroudsburg University. However, there’s another rising guard with the Golden Hawks, Edixson Gomez, who reminds me a lot of Paz in his junior year. Gomez sports an explosive first step, great court vision and is developing into an excellent passer. In a year where there’s a ton of outstanding guard play, keep an eye on Gomez for the remainder of this year and as one of the top returning guards for 2022.

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It’s time to look at our scholastic basketball polls involving the District XI teams in our viewing area heading into this week’s action.

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.

With no eastern Pennsylvania conference playoffs this winter, 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.

Feel free to email me at Chris.Michael@rcn.net for your thoughts on this week’s poll and we might read and respond to your emails on this week’s SportsTalk show.

EPC-LV TOP 5

1) Easton 

2) Central Catholic

3) Northampton

4) Parkland

5) Bethlehem Catholic

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

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

COLONIAL TOP 5

1)   Northwestern

2)  Notre Dame

3)  Bangor

4)  Palmerton

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

Be sure to bookmark our high school winter sports broadcast schedule here on the website and check it frequently. With several games already postponed or canceled so far this season, there could be changes from day to day!

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.

As part of RCN’s celebration of Black History Month, we here at the “Showplace” are putting the spotlight on African American actors who excelled not just on the big and small screens but those who also inspired change with their courage and perseverance.

“The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within – strength, courage, dignity, the greatest gift is not being afraid to question. God, make me so uncomfortable that I will do the very thing I fear.”   — Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee provided inspiration throughout her life as an actress, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, poet and civil rights activist.  Her courage to portray powerful women and speak out against injustice has produced some of the most powerful quotes ever seen on the screen or in print.

Dee was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1922 and was raised in Harlem New York attending Hunter college high School and later Hunter College, majoring in romance language.  

Dee joined the American Negro Theater as an apprentice, working there with fellow future legends Sidney Poitier (with whom she would reunite to collaborate with on several projects during their careers) and Harry Belafonte.  After appearing on Broadway for many productions, her first onscreen role was in That Man of Mine in 1946. Dee received national recognition for her role in the 1950 film The Jackie Robinson Story.  In 1965, Dee became the first African American actress to tackle leading roles at the American Shakespeare Festival as Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Cordelia in King Lear.

Furthermore, she participated in various television projects and wrote books, short stories and poetry works, among them include “The Original Read-In For Peace For Vietnam,” “What If I Am A Woman (Volume 1 and 2),” “Tough Poems For Tough People,” To Make A Poet Black” and “To Be A Slave,” (the latter three projects co-written with her husband / actor Ossie Davis.)

She also participated in numerous civil right events, protests, marches and was a predominant speaker, speaking out against prejudice, racism and injustices.  Dee was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1963, Dee emceed the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom…

“There was so much meanness in the atmosphere, but marvelous things pierce through the darkness of poverty and racism. You meet all kinds of people that help put life in perspective and turn the heart into some kind of lesson or avenue of awakening that lives with you all of your days.”

For the next several decades, Dee continued her work on the screen, in print and as an active voice for civil rights.

In 1970, she won the Frederick Douglass Award from the New York Urban League, a nonpartisan organization advocating for economic and social justice for African Americans and speaking out against racial discrimination.

Dee was nominated for eight Emmy Awards and continued guest starring on television series and was featured in various films in the 1980s and 90s including Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing and Jungle Fever.

In 1995, both Dee and her husband were awarded the National Medal of Arts.  In 1999, Dee and Davis were arrested in New York City, protesting the police shooting of Amadou Diallo.  In 2003, she narrated a series of WPA slave narratives for the HBO Films.

Dee was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for her portrayal of Mama Lucas in American Gangster — and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for that same performance.

Her seven decade acting career crossed all major forms of media, including the film, A Raisin in the Sun, in which she recreated her stage role as a suffering housewife in the projects, and Edge of the City. She played both roles opposite Poitier.

“The world has improved mostly because unorthodox people did unorthodox things … not surprisingly they had the courage and daring to think they could make a difference.”

You can see Ruby Dee starring in The Jackie Robinson Story 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.

Fans of “RCN SportsTalk” and of Lehigh Valley basketball know that SportsTalk co-host Keith Groller was diagnosed with COVID-19 in December and has had some difficulty overcoming that horrible illness.

No one had been more outspoken during the pandemic in promoting the high school games to continue over the last year.  Without delving into too much detail, it is pretty clear that he did NOT contract the disease by covering local sports events.  That being said, this awful sickness has been a significant setback for Keith and his recovery over the last few months has been much more drawn out than anyone would have liked.

This week, Keith makes his triumphant return to our program and talks for a segment about his ordeal over the last three months and also how his own experience now influences his thoughts on how high school sports should proceed going forward.

Yes, I’ll also be talking sports with him–getting his thoughts on this unusual winter scholastic season, some of the standout performances thus far and his players and teams to watch over the final two weeks of the regular season.

Tune in to hear more insights from Keith, along with our special guests from the Notre Dame basketball team on this week’s show.  The Crusaders posted some of the biggest wins so far this season, including a victory over the defending District XI 6A champions from Allen High School.

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A few other news items for Lehigh Valley sports fans that we’ll talk about on this Thursday’s show…

After a plan was in place and was ALMOST approved, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference decided to scrap its plan for a basketball playoffs.

The fact that a few schools like Liberty and Freedom, who, at the time the EPC cancelled their post-season, had played just two games COMBINED, really tied the hands of the league officials to conduct a fair playoff format.  With some schools playing well over a dozen games so far while other schools from the Poconos have also been limited in terms of games played, the decision to cancel the tournament seems to make sense.  The decision allows the schools that have been severely sidelined the chance to make up some of those postponed games during the last two weeks of February.

Also, the District XI decision to have all other games completed by February 26 and in time for their tourney to begin at the beginning of March, made it even tougher for the EPC to try to squeeze in their own post-season event.

The Colonial League, meanwhile, has been adamant since Day One that they were going to conduct a post-season event for their teams.

What’s the latest on their plans?  Which might be the Colonial teams to keep an eye on over the next month?  And what are some of the top storylines to keep an eye on over the next several weeks?

Tune in to this Thursday’s show at 7pm to find out.  (RCN customers can also watch the show for free On-Demand or set their DVRs to catch the program).

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

As part of RCN’s celebration of Black History Month, we here at the “Showplace” are putting the spotlight on African American actors who excelled not just on the big and small screens but those who also inspired change with their courage and perseverance.

Of all the zany and popular comedic characters over the five decades that the Jack Benny Program was on radio and television, none was more popular nor drew as much applause at public events than Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.

Guest starring on an episode of Jack Benny’s radio show in 1936, Benny immediately realized that Anderson’s unique voice, comedic timing and quick-witted return of a line would resonate perfectly with Benny’s “slow burn” style delivery.  Benny immediately hired him as a regular full-time character on his team and, in doing so, Anderson became the first African-American regular cast member on a national medium.

Born in Oakland, California he had early aspirations of performing along with his older brother, Cornelius. In his obituary in the Ludington Daily News, Anderson described himself as being a descendant of slaves who were able to leave the South during the Civil War through the Underground Railroad.

Anderson “acquired” his famous raspy voice as a child when his vocal cords were ruptured when he was selling newspapers. The newsboys believed those who would shout the loudest sold the most papers. The permanent damage done to his vocal cords left him with his voice now so familiar to radio and television audiences.

No one brought out the cheapness of Benny’s character better (and funnier) than Anderson, who would frequently test the penny-pincher’s budget and deliver rapid-fire lines underscoring just how little he paid his employees:

     “You can split an apple, you can split an atom, but I defy ANYONE to split my salary.”

According to Benny’s memoirs “Sunday Nights At Seven,” he came up with the name “Rochester” because he felt the way he could draw out the syllables of that name.  Anderson liked it so much he incorporated it as a middle name for any future productions, including non-Benny performances.

In 1942 while touring Europe with his entire cast and performing shows for the Allied Forces, Benny met a soldier who claimed to be a fan of the show and began to have dinner together.  During the conversation it became evident that the soldier’s favorite part of the program were jokes using prejudices (eg., drinking gin, playing craps) against people of color that were rampant during the time period.  Benny immediately got up from the table, told the soldier that he is not interested in “that type” of person listening to his show.  Benny then instructed his writers to never use any of those stereotypes nor any jokes that would be considered racist or offend any ethnicity again –  a promise to Anderson he kept through the rest of his career.

Unlike his character’s persona, Anderson was paid handsomely for his role as Rochester and used his regularly increasing salaries to enhance his love for horses, exotic boats and exquisite mansions, taking up residence in the West Adams district in California.

In the 1940s, the African-American entertainment community began purchasing homes in the district, nicknaming it “Sugar Hill.”  According to the website, westadamsheightssugarhill.com, property owners reacted to their new neighbors by adding restrictive covenants to their deeds, prohibiting African-Americans from purchasing a property or inhabiting it once purchased. The practice was later declared illegal by the US Supreme Court and Anderson lived in that mansion until his death in 1977.

Anderson also had an astute business sense.  In 1948, he saw the value and potential of Las Vegas as an entertainment center and wanted to build a hotel where African-Americans would be welcome.  Anderson failed to attract enough people willing to invest, and he was unable to complete the plan.

When the Benny program moved to television in 1949, Anderson appeared more than any other character and was a part of many of the show’s most popular episodes and funniest bits seen on the small screen.

Anderson was featured prominently in the 1963 mega star film It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. While he was given some of the funniest lines in the film, he was the only African American in the entire ensemble cast.

Anderson would make various guest appearances on television shows, including the Benny television specials until his boss’s death in 1974.  Anderson spoke very highly of Benny in memoriam until Anderson’s own death 3 years later.

You can see Anderson’s iconic Rochester character on the Jack Benny Program, along with guest appearances on other classic sitcoms seen 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.

Before we take a look at this week’s high school basketball polls…

I was invited to participate in the District XI press conference this past Friday to hear about how the postseason plans will change for this unusual winter sports season. 

 A few of the changes for girls and boys basketball within this region include:

• Districts will start w/pigtail rounds on 3/2 & 3/3 and continue on the “typical” Tue/Fri & Wed/Sat schedule.

• Tournament is an open field, everyone qualifies but teams can “opt out” if they’re not happy with the seating and / or have health concerns.

• If a school has COVID issues, their game will be postponed “as long as realistically possible” — if a team can’t play and officially goes “out” for COVID, then they are out for good and cannot re-enter the playoffs at a later date.

• Games will be at the higher seeded team’s site until championships, that will be held at a neutral site – if possible.

• Hosting site determines restrictions/crowd capacity.

For this winter wrestling postseason, adjustments include:

• Teams championships will take place on Feb. 14th, although District XI Chair Bob Hartman indicated most teams will probably “opt out” this year.

• Individual wrestling tournaments will commence the following weekend (matches will be held on the weekend to avoid scheduling issues with schools)

• Individual wrestling regionals will be held on Feb. 27th featuring the previous rounds top eight wrestlers for each weight class, with “Super Regionals” (Districts I, II, III, IV, XI and XII) the following weekend and PIAA state finals, the weekend after that.

• Currently there is no site available for the local district individual championships — obviously finding a school or other venue that is willing to host this event will be an extremely high priority over the next two weeks!

Plans are already underway for a special district winter sports playoff show discussing these and other issues on the February 25th edition of RCN SportsTalk, debuting on at 7:00 p.m. on RCN TV and will be available for free for RCN customers to view it anytime on demand!

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It’s time to look at our scholastic basketball polls involving the District XI teams in our viewing area heading into this week’s action.

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.

While both local leagues are trying to press on with conference playoffs, the possibility of being able to crown league/district champions is still not 100-percent definite thanks to the pandemic.  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.

Feel free to email me at Chris.Michael@rcn.net for your thoughts on this week’s poll and we might read and respond to your emails on this week’s SportsTalk show.

EPC-LV TOP 5

1) Allen 

2) Central Catholic

3) Dieruff

4) Parkland

5) Northampton

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

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

COLONIAL TOP 5

1) Notre Dame

2) Northwestern  

3) Bangor

4) Palmerton

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

Be sure to bookmark our high school winter sports broadcast schedule here on the website and check it frequently.  With several games already postponed or canceled so far this season, there could be changes from day to day!

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.

This February, in celebration of Black History Month, we here at the Showplace are putting the spotlight on those who have inspired change and broken social barriers, both inside and outside of the entertainment industry. 

Recently here at the Showplace, we began our look at one of the world’s greatest living actors / directors / activists … Sidney Poitier.  Today, we continue to highlight his legendary career . . .

After a successful nine-year run in films in the ’50s, Poitier would close out the decade by breaking new ground in the 1959 production, A Raisin In The Sun.  The play was unique in that it was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, as well as the first with a Black director.

According to NPR archives, writer Lorraine Hansberry noted that her play introduced details of an African American family’s life to the overwhelmingly white Broadway audiences, while director Lloyd Richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of Black people were drawn.  Frank Rich of “The New York Times” said that A Raisin in the Sun (for which Poitier earned a Tony Award for Best Actor) “changed American theater forever.”

Sydney would continue to look for roles that challenged racial issues throughout the 1960s.

In 1967 alone, Poitier starred in three film classics–all testing social boundaries and exploring race relations in America: To Sir With Love, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and In The Heat Of The Night (which also inspired two additional films based on the success of Poitier’s portrayal of Detective Tibbs).

Poitier received outstanding reviews in all three films and all three pictures received widespread acclaim from people of ALL races.

According to Mark Harris’s book, “Pictures at a Revolution: Five Films and the Birth of a New Hollywood,” Poitier was very much aware of his status as an actor breaking society’s limits in entertainment, but was conflicted on the matter. He wanted more varied roles.  He also felt obliged to set an example with his characters, by challenging old stereotypes as he was the only major actor of African descent being cast in leading roles in the American film industry at that time. For instance, in 1966, he turned down an opportunity to play the lead in an NBC television production of Othello with that thought in mind.

His advocacy for social change went beyond plays and films.  Among his non-production efforts in the 1960s, he joined Charlton Heston, Harry Belafonte and other celebrities for the March on Washington in 1963.  He frequently spoke out and was very vocal in advocating for civil and economic rights for African Americans.

In the 1970s Poitier stepped out of the spotlight to an extent.  While starring in less films than he had in the previous decade, he increased his presence behind the scenes.  Among his successful big budget films as a director was Stir Crazy, starring Richard Pryor, which for many years was the highest-grossing film directed by a person of African descent.

Poitier accumulated best acting awards from various outlets and countries, including winning the Academy Award in 1964 for Lillies Of The Field.  He has captured a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, multiple NAACP Image Awards and an Honorary Oscar – “for his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence.”

A complete listing of all of Poitier’s awards, accolades and expressions of gratitude for inspiring others would be too numerous to mention.

Poitier has occasionally starred in films over the last 30 years (later this month he will celebrate his 94th birthday).  He is currently the oldest living actor to have received an Academy Award and is one of just a small handful of surviving members of the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Actors of the first 100 years of cinema.  Among his non-film responsibilities in recent years is being Jamaica’s Official Ambassador to Japan, and a ten-year stint as a board member for The Walt Disney Company.

Poitier’s legacy both in front of and behind the camera cannot be overstated as his roles and performances continue to be an inspiration to people around the world.

You can see Sidney Poitier starring in classic films on RCN TV and check back to the Showplace all month long as we continue to feature people of color breaking barriers in the entertainment industry.  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.

Here are three local sports observations before we take a look at this week’s high school basketball polls:

1)  While a few schools have struggled to remain competitive in high school wrestling, and others are struggling just to stay healthy and get on the mats, this Wednesday could be one of the premiere regular season events of the season. Northampton has looked solid against some of the premier wrestlers in the area (and therefore, the state) this winter and their matchup with Parkland will be a great barometer for both teams.  Also, the Trojans are one of just a handful of teams in Pennsylvania that have added female wrestlers to their regular rotation. If you’re a wrestling fan, there’s a few outstanding talents to keep an eye for years to come as more schools adopt women into their wrestling programs.

2)  If you were watching RCN SportsTalk two weeks ago, you’re probably not surprised that the Dieruff boys basketball team posted some of the biggest and most impressive wins over the last 10 days.  New Head Coach Marlon Randall talked about his new strategy and reasons for optimism among the Huskies ball club – a vision that quickly came to fruition with a pair of wins over Whitehall and our previously number one ranked team, Central Catholic. Dieruff is for real and, for the first time in a couple years, the traditional Battle of Allentown between Allen and Dieruff should be a great one to watch as they play each other twice over the next week.

3)  Two other teams that really have been playing well and pulled off some impressive victories over the last couple days are Northampton and Northwestern (yes, we also had Tigers Head Coach Jerry Lloyd on Sports Talk last month as well).  There have been six or seven really outstanding games featuring Colonial League teams in the month of January.  Northwestern, along with Bangor, Notre Dame and Palmerton could make some major waves come league and district playoff time.

With a couple exceptions, most teams got at least two, if not more, games in last week. With that, it’s time to look at our scholastic basketball polls involving the District XI teams in our viewing area heading into this week’s action.

Before we do, one more quick plug for our Thursday night show.  We mentioned in BOTH of our preseason high school basketball shows that the Lehigh County Division of the Eatern Pennsylvania Conference would be much further along in their development than the Northampton County teams. Therefore, it’s no surprise to our viewers that four of our top five teams in our EPC poll are all from schools west of the Lehigh River.

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.

While both local leagues are trying to press on with conference playoffs, the possibility of being able to crown league/district champions is still not 100-percent definite thanks to the pandemic.  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).

Feel free to email me at Chris.Michael@rcn.net for your thoughts on this week’s poll and we might read and respond to your emails on this week’s SportsTalk show.

EPC-LV TOP 5

1) Allen 

2) Central Catholic

3) Dieruff

4) Parkland

5) Northampton

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

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

COLONIAL TOP 5

1) Notre Dame

2) Bangor

3) Northwestern

4) Palmerton

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

Be sure to bookmark our high school winter sports broadcast schedule here on the website and check it frequently.  With several games already postponed or canceled so far this season, there could be changes from day to day!

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 it may not be a familiar name to today’s mainstream media audiences, Mr. and Mrs. North was quite popular for four decades.  The idea had many different versions and through various outlets while using basically the same premise from 1930-1963.

The initial storyline, featuring this entertaining couple who happened to be master amateur sluthers, debuted in the early 1930s as a series of short stories in the New York Sun.

As their mysteries quickly became a national sensation, Author Richard Lockridge teammed with his wife Francis, to write their first novel, “The Norths Meet Murder.”  The real-life writing couple would churn out 26 mystery novels over the next thirty years.

Its success spawned a Broadway play, several featured films and its own radio show in the early 1940s.  The first movie Mr. and Mrs. North starred Gracie Allen (at the apex of her comedic fame with the wildly successful Burns and Allen radio show) and William Post in the title roles.

The radio show debuted in 1941 on NBC.  It featured multiple actors playing the husband and wife team over the years and ran continuously from 1941-1946 and again from 1947-1955. It also alternated over time on the NBC and CBS networks. In 1946 it received the first ever “Best Radio Drama Edgar Award” from the Mystery Writers of America. 

Like many popular mystery-series shows that followed, the television edition of this series would feature prominent names as guest stars on each episode.  One of its early shows featured Raymond Burr, who would go on to handle the titular character Perry Mason on television in 1957.  Burr would also have a key role in one of Alfred Hitchcock’s all-time greatest thrillers, Rear Window, within a year after appearing on “North.”

In his early days on a local television station in Philadelphia, Ernie Kovacs and his actress/wife Edie Adams would sometimes spoof Mr. and Mrs. North in sketches titled Mr. & Mrs. South on Kovacs’s morning comedy program.

One of the most popular actors to handle the role of Mr. North on television was Richard Denning.  Denning had played the husband of Lucille Ball’s character in another popular radio show, My Favorite Husband, which became the forerunner for TV’s I Love Lucy.

Ball was determined to have her own, real-life husband Desi Arnaz join her on the television version of her program, which “freed up” Denning to helm the role of Mr. North.

With Denning in the lead, the show saw a new resurgence in popularity and produced a whopping 39 episodes during the 1953-54 season alone.  By comparison, I Love Lucy, the number one rated show on TV that season, produced “just” 33 episodes and never produced more than 36 in its most successful year.  Nowadays, some popular network shows record as few as six episodes per “season.”

It is these Denning-led shows that are being featured on RCN TV this month.  Catch the Norths and their innovative detective strategies as they uncover puzzling mysteries every Wednesday at 3:30pm and a different show on Fridays at 1:30pm. (Don’t forget to set your DVR if you’ll miss either day’s airings).

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.

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.

Name the star of his own television show that also starred in over a hundred films, recorded scores of popular songs, was voted the most popular western star for 12 years in a row and lent his name to a popular fast food chain.

The answer?

Len Slye.

Better known as Roy Rogers, his shows and movies became a favorite local stop for fans of all ages.  

A few months ago here at the Showplace, we examined Rogers early movies in great detail. But Roy’s TV career also had a different kind of success on its own.

Joining Roy and his wife, Dale Evans,  for the television series was a rotating group of popular sidekicks:  his trusty horse Trigger and his loyal dog, Bullet.  Those and other TV show friends featured many of these same characters throughout the series’ run in helping Roy in fighting lawlessness in the Ol’ West, with enough time left over for some humor and usually a song or two.

The origin of the TV show actually has an interesting story attached to it. According to RoyRogersWorld.com, Rogers approached his film studio Republic Films and asked to do a TV show. The movie company refused, indicating that television was only going to be a passing fad. 

Rogers, however, learned that Republic was secretly trying to make their own deal to sell Rogers to a TV network. Roy realized that he had a clause in his contract with the film studio that denied them the ability to use his likeness for any other media outlet.  This clause allowed him to strike his own deal with NBC without involving Republic and denying them any financial profit of his show.

In addition to being one of the most popular Western television shows of the era, The Roy Rogers Show stood apart from other westerns in that it often taught a moral lesson while addressing contemporary issues that were almost ahead of their time, like environmentalism, saving natural resources and taking proper steps for gun safety.

Another unique aspect of the show is that, while set in the late 19th and early 20th century, it had “modern day” technologies like automobiles (including sidekick Pat Brady’s sometimes “riderless” Jeep, “Nannybelle”), electricity, more sophisticated guns and other inventions that didn’t exist in the “typical” western era but we’re devices commonly used in the time period of when the shows aired.

The show ran for six seasons on network television and received an Emmy nomination for Best Western or adventure series in 1955, and several times finished its seasons and the Top 30 show, according to the Nielsen ratings historical records.

When the show ended its network run on NBC, the program was picked up by CBS, who ran reruns of the show for several more years.  It remained popular through syndication avenues for the next three years, then became a popular Saturday morning staple with children for the next generation in the 1960s.

Rogers himself remained popular through various guest appearances in television over the next several decades and was even featured in a 1990s country music video with Clint Black.

And did you know that Roy’s trademark song “Happy Trails” was actually written by his wife/co-star, Dale Evans? On the TV show you can hear her sing the duet with her husband on almost every episode.

Tune in and set your DVRs for The Roy Rogers Show every Friday morning at 11am on RCN-TV.  Also, catch a special Roy Rogers movie marathon starting this Monday at 9 am.

To see the full listing of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

FALL ‘20 ALL-STARS (Part 3)

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.

This week here at “The Shop,” we take our final look at the fall sports teams in our RCN-TV viewing area by spotlighting the top boys and girls soccer players and their post-season honors.

If anyone else has “all-star” lists or other post-season honors or awards they would like us to recognize, please send that information to us and/or follow-up with your local school district’s athletic department to make sure they send out that information to me directly at: chris.michael@rcn.net for future seasons.

2020 EPC Girls Soccer All Stars 1st Team Lehigh
Parkland – Jocelyn Fowler – Defender – Senior MVP
Emmaus – Isabella Ingato – Defender – Senior
Emmaus – Lindsey Aiken –  Defender – Senior
Parkland – Alex Marsteller  – Midfielder -Senior MVP
Allen – Grace Edinger – Midfielder – Senior
Parkland –  Mo Olewine –  Midfielder – Senior
Emmaus – Madison Brown – Forward – Senior
Parkland – Emma Shock – Forward – Senior
Allentown Central Catholic – Erica Dietz – Forward – Senior
Parkland – Maeve Leonzi – Defender – Senior
Parkland – Zuzu Mohmed – Forward –  Senior
Allentown Central Catholic – Julia Roth – Defender – Junior
Parkland – Teresa Gonzalez – Goal Keeper – Senior

2020 EPC Girls Soccer All Stars 2nd Team Lehigh
Emmaus – Mya Cooper – Defender – Freshman
Parkland – Abby Lytle – Defender – Senior
Whitehall – Vivian Abigail – Defender – Senior
Allentown Central Catholic – Kaylen Spatzer – Defender – Soph0more
Whitehall – Alyssa Marsteller  – Midfielder – Junior
Emmaus – Madison Woodward – Midfielder – Sophomore
Parkland – Demi Olatilo – Midfielder – Junior
Allentown Central Catholic – Molly Driscoll – Midfielder – Freshman
Dieruff – Marilyn Arisa – Midfielder – Sophomore
Dieruff – Carrisa Tice – Goal Keeper – Sophomore
Allentown Central Catholic – Emily Vaughan – Goal Keeper – Senior

2020 EPC Boys Soccer All Stars 1st Team Lehigh
Parkland – Jake Seed – Defender – Junior
Allentown Central Catholic – Brandon Quinn – Defender – Junior
Emmaus – Jaeden Amato – Defender – Junior
Parkland – Michael Li – Midfielder – Junior
Whitehall – Carlos Mendez – Midfielder – Junior
Emmaus – Patrick Walsh – Midfielder – Senior
Emmaus – Alexzander Toto – Midfielder – Senior
Whitehall – Jake Gier – Forward -Senior MVP
Emmaus – Hudson Peck – Forward – Senior
Parkland – Mustapha Salau – Forward – Senior
Whitehall – Nate Walker – Defender – Senior
William Allen – Steve Salibi – Goal Keeper – Senior

2020 EPC Boys Soccer All Stars 2nd Team Lehigh
Emmaus – Josh Miller – Defender – Senior
Allentown Central Catholic – Benjamin Scandone – Defender – Junior
Emmaus – John Hanvey – Defender – Junior
William Allen – Isaac Hernandez – Midfielder – Senior
Dieruff – Christian Reyes – Midfielder – Senior
Whitehall – Elie Khalil – Midfielder – Junior
Parkland – Zach Morales – Forward – Junior
William Allen – Lester Castro-Romero – Forward – Senior
Dieruff – Jarius Sebro – Forward – Senior
Parkland – Victor Baran – Goal Keeper – Senior
Emmaus – Ty Bleiler – Goal Keeper – Junior

Congratulations to all of this past fall’s sports all-stars that we have saluted here at “The Shop” over the last few weeks!

Next week, the return of your high school basketball polls and thoughts on the first month of an unusual winter sports season!