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.

The end of 2020 was met with the passing of a famous television actress from a popular 1960s sitcom with a character who survived in people’s minds and hearts for decades.

Dawn Elberta Wells was born on October 18, 1938 in Reno, Nevada.  

Wells attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she majored in chemistry.  She transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle, where she graduated in 1960 with a degree in theater arts and design.

While in college, Wells entered and won the Miss Nevada beauty pageant and represented her state in the Miss America pageant in 1960.

Of course, her biggest break was being cast as Mary Ann for the cult TV classic, Gilligan’s Island, which ran for four seasons beginning in 1964, along with subsequent movies produced over the next 20 years. 

But Wells can be seen in projects both before and after she made a name for herself as a shipwrecked member of the doomed SS Minnow.

Dawn made her debut on the ABC Network’s The Roaring 20s and the movie The New Interns and was cast in early career roles in episodes of such television series as The Joey Bishop Show, 77 Sunset Strip, Cheyenne, Maverick, and Bonanza.

Over the course of the next 50 years, she starred in dozens of TV shows including appearances on Wagon Train, The Wild Wild West, Vegas, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Alf, Herman’s Head, Baywatch and Roseanne.

She also appeared in a few films and nearly a hundred theatrical productions, including Neil Simon’s Chapter 2 and had a one-woman show at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in the mid-1980s.  

She was quite busy throughout her life with many humanitarian projects and activities.  Wells was the founder of a non-for-profit educational organization with a vision of education, technical training and economic development.  Dawn lent her support to the charity, the Denver Foundation – in honor of her former TV co-star Bob Denver. She wrote a cookbook, with many recipes courtesy of her Gilligan’s Island cast mates (an example includes “the Skipper’s Goodbye Ribeyes”), with the proceeds going to charity.

One of the stories that Wells would recount for the rest of her life was boasting that people around the world know what the phrase “Ginger or Mary Ann” means, even for those who have not watched the TV show. According to her obituary posted in The Washington Post, Wells reportedly said that the majority of people has always favored her character over Ginger.

According to multiple sources, Wells had a very enjoyable experience on the “Island.”  She was particularly fond of the veteran actors like Alan Hale, Jr. (“the Skipper”) and Jim Backus (“the Millionaire”), saying that both were extremely gracious and very helpful in giving performance tips to the young actress.

There’s a story of a touching exchange between Wells and Backus that the two shared shortly before the latter’s death. We will share that story along with more little known secrets from Gilligan’s Island in an upcoming Showplace entry.  (Did you know that at one time Wells actually played Ginger?)

A few years before her death, Wells was named Marketing Ambassador to the MeTV Network (seen on RCN dial position 2) which had begun airing reruns of Gilligan’s Island.

Dawn Wells passed away on December 30, 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 virus.  She was 82.

You can see Wells in her famous role as Mary Ann Summers on Rescue From Gilligan’s Island 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.

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.

Programming notes: Coming up on this week’s “SportsTalk” show we will have Lafayette Head Basketball Coach Fran O’Hanlon and members of his team along with Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel to talk about a very interesting winter sports college season.

Also, be sure to catch our first two high school basketball games of the season: this Friday, we will have Parkland at Central Catholic live at 7:00 p.m. and on Tuesday night we’ll have Central Catholic playing at Parkland.

Tune in for our season premieres!

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Last week here at “The Shop” we started our seasonal tradition of saluting the top fall sports athletes from the Lehigh Valley area.

This week we reveal the “All-Star” lists for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s girls volleyball and then, the boys and girls golf teams.

Regular Season Divisional Champions:

Parkland High School (Lehigh County)

Bethlehem Catholic High School (Northampton County)

Pocono Mountain West High School (Monroe County)

Tournament Champion:
N/A (cancelled due to COVID-19)

EPC Most Valuable Player:

Lehigh Division Co-MVP

Jaya Bhagat – Emmaus High School

Brynn Dreisbach – Parkland High School

Northampton Division:

MacKenzy Ruggiero – Bethlehem Catholic High School

Monroe Division:

Cristina Montanez – East Stroudsburg North High School

Lehigh County:

Reilly Blair – Central Catholic High School

Honorable Mention/Lehigh:

Alexa Crum – Whitehall High School

Jaya Bhagat – Emmaus High School

Allison Gerancher – Whitehall High School

Leah Brunnabend – Parkland High School

Ava Holden – Emmaus High School

Brynn Dreisbach – Parkland High School

Kalliyana Long – Allen High School

Kassidy Hallman – Emmaus High School

Maren McGuire – Central Catholic High School

Scarlett Jago – Parkland High School

Mia Pickering – Emmaus High School

Jackie Malitzki – Parkland High School

Amber Rosario – Dieruff High School

Monica Vargo – Central Catholic High School

Northampton County:

Alex Barowski – Northampton High School

Rileigh Cummings – Bethlehem Catholic High School

Kyleigh Brown – Bethlehem Catholic High School

Sydney Houchens – Liberty High School

Jenna Deagan – Easton High School

Avery Lynn – Freedom High School

Elizabeth Flynn – Liberty High School

Jaiden Martellucci – Easton High School

Lindsey Nemeth – Northampton High School

Emma Maskiell – Bethlehem Catholic High School

Maddie Orth – Nazareth High School

Alaina Roman – Freedom High School

MacKenzy Ruggiero – Bethlehem Catholic High School

Monroe County:

Bella Beautz – Pocono Mountain West High School

Jalen Andino – East Stroudsburg North High School

Charli Cordoves – Pocono Mountain West High School

Alivia Kipp – Pocono Mountain West High School

Andrea Crilley – Pleasant Valley High School

Christine Marin – Pocono Mountain East High School

Cristina Montanez – East Stroudsburg North High School

Katia McNab – East Stroudsburg North High School

Madison Moore – Pocono Mountain West High School

Vendela Moyer – East Stroudsburg South High School

Alexis Womack – Pleasant Valley High School

Stephanie Zaso – Stroudsburg High School

Kiana Young – Stroudsburg High School

And for local golf teams…

Regular Season Divisional Champions:

Liberty High School (Lehigh County)

Nazareth Area High School (Northampton County)

Stroudsburg High School (Monroe County)

Tournament Champion: N/A (cancelled due to COVID-19)

EPC Most Valuable Player (Male):
Jordan Barker – Liberty High School

EPC Most Valuable Player (Female):
Michelle Cox – Emmaus High School

Lehigh County:
Jordan Barker – Liberty High School

Jase Barker – Liberty High School

Michelle Cox – Emmaus High School

Ryan Evans – Liberty High School

Nathan Myers – Central Catholic High School

James Kelly – Parkland High School

Matthew Vital – Liberty High School

Michael Vital – Liberty High School

Matt Zerfass, Emmaus High School

Evelyn Wong – Emmaus High School

Northampton County:

T.J. Bohl – Nazareth High School

Owen Fahs – Nazareth High School

Jake Haberstumpf – Freedom High School

Aiden Greenberg – Nazareth High School

Ethan Honsel – Nazareth High School

Ryan Kovach – Northampton High School

Matt Ronca – Freedom High School

Jacob Noone – Easton High School

Chase Skrapits – Nazareth High School

Trevor Schubert – Easton High School

Monroe County:

Pierce Argot – Pocono Mountain East High School

Ashlyn McCormick – Pocono Mountain West High School

Will Eberz – Stroudsburg High School

Steve Ottman – Pleasant Valley High School

Josh Jasionowicz – Stroudsburg High School

Mary Scully – Pleasant Valley High School

Jason Koch – Stroudsburg High School

Nicholas Taborelli – Pocono Mountain East High School

Xavier Rodriguez – Stroudsburg High School

Paul Wildrick – East Stroudsburg South High School

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.

By any standard, Sidney Poitier has been one of the most impactful entertainers of all time.

Portraying several of the most memorable characters ever seen on the silver screen while also mentoring some of the top contemporary performers, Portier has inspired countless actors over the last seven decades.

While his entire family lived in the Bahamas, Poitier was born unexpectedly in Miami while his parents were visiting for the weekend, which automatically granted him American citizenship. He grew up in the Bahamas, but moved back to Miami when he was 15 and to New York a year later.

According to his own autobiography, Poitier failed in his first attempt in the theater.  Despite being tone deaf and unable to carry a tune, he was given an opportunity to perform with the American Negro Theater in 1945.   At the early age of 18, Sidney’s thick Bermudian accent did not resonate well with audiences nor did they take his characters seriously on the stage.

Determined to lose his accent and improve his stature in the theater, Poitier spent the next six months training his voice and improving his acting skills.  On his second attempt at the theater, he earned a leading role in a small Broadway play.  Even though this show ran for just four days, Poitier received positive reviews along with an invitation to understudy for a bigger production, Anna Lucasta.

Soon, Sidney had to make difficult choices in choosing between starring roles on the stage or in the cinema.  Choosing the latter, Poitier began appearing in an impressive run of films through the 1950s.  Those movies include No Way Out, Blackboard Jungle, Mark of the Hawk and The Defiant Ones, which landed eight Academy Award nominations. Poitier earned a nomination for Best Actor, making him the first black male actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award in that category.

His landmark works of Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, In The Heat Of The Night and many more classics would soon follow.  He would also author books, voice “spoken word” albums, march for justice, become an international ambassador and lay the foundation for many great actors, perhaps none bigger than Denzel Washington, to follow in Sidney’s footsteps.

There are many more great stories on Poitier’s continuing legacy as an actor, director and writer and as a shining beacon for change.  Check back to the Showplace in a few weeks as we spotlight Poitier and other pioneers in the entertainment industry as part of our celebration of Black History Month this February.

In the meantime, you can see Sidney Poitier starring in the 1957 drama Mark Of The Hawk on RCN TV this Monday, January 11th at 1:00 p.m.

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 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.