77 Sunset Strip / Hawaiian Eye, etc. (1 Viewer)

[Mysto]

Off On A Tangent...

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. For those of you who are race fans, you are most likely aware that the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 was on Sunday.
Most people are not aware of the fact that if you live in Indy, as I do, the race is blacked out from TV. For nearly most of my life I had to listen to it on the radio. However, the magic of technology allowed me to pirate real-time streaming video via Great Britain and enjoy it from the comfort of my easy chair. Plus, all the commercials were British--kind of an added feature of enjoyment.

Many, many years ago I used to travel to Indy for work. I was the first kid on the block to own a betamax and recorded the race. I took it with me a couple of days after the race and that night at the hotel we had a party with a lot of racers and their wives that wanted to watch the race. No big names (mostly guys trying to break in - that were spotters). Even though they were at the race - they didn't get to see the race. As a time frame for this Janet Guthrie was making her debut.

And now back to 77 SS and HE.

 

[Rustifer]

Many, many years ago I used to travel to Indy for work. I was the first kid on the block to own a betamax and recorded the race. I took it with me a couple of days after the race and that night at the hotel we had a party with a lot of racers and their wives that wanted to watch the race. No big names (mostly guys trying to break in - that were spotters). Even though they were at the race - they didn't get to see the race. As a time frame for this Janet Guthrie was making her debut.

And now back to 77 SS and HE.

The official explanation from the Indy 500 people for blacking out the race in Indianapolis is rather ludicrous. They claim that if it were shown live on TV, no one would come to the track. This is horse pucky, as most of us who live in Indy avoid going to the race anyway--the traffic, heat, uncomfortable stands, drunken idiots and outrageous prices make it an anathema. Oh, I went a few times when I was younger just for the experience and to know better not to go again.
The race would have as many attendees with or without live TV. Plus, anyone here in the city with a hard drive can stream the event in real time from another location.

After the race...

 

[Gary16]

The official explanation from the Indy 500 people for blacking out the race in Indianapolis is rather ludicrous. They claim that if it were shown live on TV, no one would come to the track. This is horse pucky, as most of us who live in Indy avoid going to the race anyway--the traffic, heat, uncomfortable stands, drunken idiots and outrageous prices make it an anathema. Oh, I went a few times when I was younger just for the experience and to know better not to go again.
The race would have as many attendees with or without live TV. Plus, anyone here in the city with a hard drive can stream the event from another location.

View attachment 46657
After the race...

I was told a few years ago that the live ban was lifted. So I’m assuming they went back to the live ban.

 

[Rustifer]

I was told a few years ago that the live ban was lifted. So I’m assuming they went back to the live ban.

It was lifted 2 years ago for the 100th running of the race, which was a sellout way in advance. Just for that year only.
Reinstated thereafter.

 

[criblecoblis]

It was lifted 2 years ago for the 100th running of the race, which was a sellout way in advance. Just for that year only.
Reinstated thereafter.

I recall clearly when the Indy 500 was not broadcast live anywhere. For a while in the Sixties, the heyday of auto racing's popularity, it was shown live via closed circuit in theaters. I think it was not broadcast live until the mid-Eighties.

 

[ponset]

John Dehner had a long career in radio. Nearly 900 episodes to his credits.
Was the lead in 2 Western series, "Frontier Gentleman" and "Have Gun, Will Travel".
was on many episodes of: Gunsmoke. SUSPENSE, ESCAPE, The WHISTLER, ROMANCE, and YOURS TRULY JOHNNY DOLLAR.

And I enjoy his TV appearances from Cheyenne to The Colbys.
My favorite is probaby his appearance on the MAVERICK episode "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres".
My 2 favorites of his on 77 Sunset Strip are "The Attic" and "The Disappearance".

 

[criblecoblis]

Speaking of John Dehner as we have been, he is one of my Brushes with Greatness.

It was about 1980, and I was at a party one of my brothers threw on the occasion of his tenth wedding anniversary. Our family was quite splintered at this point, and I was the only representative of our side of the family there, so I knew very few people other than my brother, his wife, and her maid of honor, who was the daughter of longtime LA Times film reviewer Charles Champlin, and a very nice person.

So I was sitting there at the party by myself, just barely an adult and doing my best to comport myself as one, when I looked across the room and saw that someone else was sitting alone: John Dehner.

Now, my father, in the course of his work and charitable efforts, was on a friendly basis with a goodly number of celebrities in the sports and entertainment fields, and he taught me not to freak out and fawn when I came across a celebrity in the wild. He used to say that celebrities have as much a right as anybody to go out in public without their having to deal with unwelcome interruptions.

But this was different. It was a private event, we were both guests, and at any rate, he was alone. So I went over and introduced myself, and we had a long, cordial conversation. It turned out that he had known my sister-in-law her whole life, that he regretted having to miss the wedding because of work commitments, and was grateful that he was able to attend this celebration.

We went on to have a nice conversation. We talked about his work, and happily I was familiar enough with it to discuss it intelligently, but mostly we talked about my brother and sister-in-law. He was very open and cordial, and in retrospect, very kind to treat my callow 21-year-old self with such equanimity.

Needless to say, that has proved to be one of the most memorable evenings of my life!

 

[Rustifer]

Speaking of John Dehner as we have been, he is one of my Brushes with Greatness.

It was about 1980, and I was at a party one of my brothers threw on the occasion of his tenth wedding anniversary. Our family was quite splintered at this point, and I was the only representative of our side of the family there, so I knew very few people other than my brother, his wife, and her maid of honor, who was the daughter of longtime LA Times film reviewer Charles Champlin, and a very nice person.

So I was sitting there at the party by myself, just barely an adult and doing my best to comport myself as one, when I looked across the room and saw that someone else was sitting alone: John Dehner.

Now, my father, in the course of his work and charitable efforts, was on a friendly basis with a goodly number of celebrities in the sports and entertainment fields, and he taught me not to freak out and fawn when I came across a celebrity in the wild. He used to say that celebrities have as much a right as anybody to go out in public without their having to deal with unwelcome interruptions.

But this was different. It was a private event, we were both guests, and at any rate, he was alone. So I went over and introduced myself, and we had a long, cordial conversation. It turned out that he had known my sister-in-law her whole life, that he regretted having to miss the wedding because of work commitments, and was grateful that he was able to attend this celebration.

We went on to have a nice conversation. We talked about his work, and happily I was familiar enough with it to discuss it intelligently, but mostly we talked about my brother and sister-in-law. He was very open and cordial, and in retrospect, very kind to treat my callow 21-year-old self with such equanimity.

Needless to say, that has proved to be one of the most memorable evenings of my life!

Great story, Rob!

 

[Rustifer]

I recall clearly when the Indy 500 was not broadcast live anywhere. For a while in the Sixties, the heyday of auto racing's popularity, it was shown live via closed circuit in theaters. I think it was not broadcast live until the mid-Eighties.

I believe you're right, Rob. There was a whole couple of generations of us that grew up listening to the race on the radio each Memorial Day for lack of live TV. In retrospect, I remember it as happy times since the whole day would be planned around the event. My dad would have the morning Indy Star newspaper scorecard (of all the racers) cued up to tally each lap. A BBQ feast would be planned and prepared as the whole family sat on the patio with the radio announcers droning in the background. If you had a pool, even better.
At one point, we lived close enough to the track that we could actually hear the cars roaring through the course in the distance. In those earlier days, the top speed was, at best, 130 mph--so the race took most of the day to finish. Leftover spare ribs and painful sunburns were the general remnants of the day's activities--and some really nice memories of times gone by.

Fancy propane grills were unheard of in those days. This contraption was barely a step above grilling meat on a stick over an open flame. Mighty good, though. For some reason, lemonade always tasted better back then, too.

 

[Rustifer]

John Dehner had a long career in radio. Nearly 900 episodes to his credits.
Was the lead in 2 Western series, "Frontier Gentleman" and "Have Gun, Will Travel".
was on many episodes of: Gunsmoke. SUSPENSE, ESCAPE, The WHISTLER, ROMANCE, and YOURS TRULY JOHNNY DOLLAR.

And I enjoy his TV appearances from Cheyenne to The Colbys.
My favorite is probaby his appearance on the MAVERICK episode "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres".
My 2 favorites of his on 77 Sunset Strip are "The Attic" and "The Disappearance".

My favorite John Dehner 77 SS episode was "The Unremembered", where as a cat burgler he wore a number of different costumes as he would leap from roof to roof. For some unknown reason, his name in that episode stuck with me from the first time I heard it as a kid--Roland Dumont. Later on, I would sometimes use it as a pen name on essays I wrote in college.

 

[Flashgear]

Thanks for sharing your story Rob, and this is a nice coincidence...I was just watching John Dehner in the recently released Gunsmoke season 13 set, and posted some screenshots in that thread from what I believe was one of his most memorable performances (among countless great appearances), "Dead Man's Law" (Jan. 8, 1968)...

The great man himself...I share your sentiments here that he is one of our favorite guest stars from vintage tv...

With Gunnar Hellstrom...Hellstrom was one of my favorite "German" types in shows like 12 O'Clock High and Combat!

With Buck Taylor...

 

[cadavra]

The official explanation from the Indy 500 people for blacking out the race in Indianapolis is rather ludicrous. They claim that if it were shown live on TV, no one would come to the track. This is horse pucky, as most of us who live in Indy avoid going to the race anyway--the traffic, heat, uncomfortable stands, drunken idiots and outrageous prices make it an anathema. Oh, I went a few times when I was younger just for the experience and to know better not to go again.
The race would have as many attendees with or without live TV. Plus, anyone here in the city with a hard drive can stream the event in real time from another location.

View attachment 46657
After the race...

Yeah, nothing I love more than standing around in dust and heat watching cars drive around in an oval for four hours!

Mike S.

 

[criblecoblis]

Thanks for sharing your story Rob, and this is a nice coincidence...I was just watching John Dehner in the recently released Gunsmoke season 13 set, and posted some screenshots in that thread from what I believe was one of his most memorable performances (among countless great appearances), "Dead Man's Law" (Jan. 8, 1968)...

Yes, I would say that he is one of the most frequently seen guest stars on Me-TV, wthout a doubt.

One of my favorite John Dehner performances, however, is off-screen: he is the narrator of the film The Hallelujah Trail. His calm, documentary-style narration of the ludicrous on-screen proceedings greatly enhances the film for me. He was a real professional to be able to do that without constantly collapsing with laughter.

 

[criblecoblis]

I believe you're right, Rob. There was a whole couple of generations of us that grew up listening to the race on the radio each Memorial Day for lack of live TV. In retrospect, I remember it as happy times since the whole day would be planned around the event.

Auto racing was a Big Thing in our household in the Sixties. My uncle was a successful SCCA racer at the time, and took 23 checkered flags before a motorcycle accident ended his racing career. So we dug auto racing!

 

[Flashgear]

Rob, do you have the new Olive Blu ray of Hallelujah Trail? If so, what do you think of the picture quality and color, considering the deteriorated "problematic" original elements that have to be presented in a compromised aspect ratio? I've hesitated to buy it based on the negative feedback here in the HD thread on HTF. Indeed, I cancelled my pre-order for it on Amazon based on those reports. But I know some "reviews" are done by cranky people with bull crap perspective. And I remember the movie fondly, having seen it theatrically in '65...and I didn't know that John Dehner provided the narration! Now I want it again...it's Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith and Martin Landau directed by the great John Sturges, for crying out loud...

My apologies for taking off on a tangent...enjoying the discussion on all things 77...

 

[Gary16]

Rob, do you have the new Olive Blu ray of Hallelujah Trail? If so, what do you think of the picture quality and color, considering the deteriorated "problematic" original elements that have to be presented in a compromised aspect ratio? I've hesitated to buy it based on the negative feedback here in the HD thread on HTF. Indeed, I cancelled my pre-order for it on Amazon based on those reports. But I know some "reviews" are done by cranky people with bull crap perspective. And I remember the movie fondly, having seen it theatrically in '65...and I didn't know that John Dehner provided the narration! Now I want it again...it's Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith and Martin Landau directed by the great John Sturges, for crying out loud...

My apologies for taking off on a tangent...enjoying the discussion on all things 77...

From a review on Dvdtalk.com:
“It’s unlikely The Hallelujah Trail will be properly restored or even remastered anytime soon, if ever. So if you're a hardcore fan of the film and just have to have it in the best available format, poor as this is, far be it from me to discourage you. For all others, the presentation is so substandard all I can say is "Skip It”

 

[Bob Gu]

I thought it was pretty funny that on Dehner's radio Have Gun Will Travel, Hey Boy and Hey Girl were voiced by Ben Wright and Virginia Gregg.

 

[criblecoblis]

Rob, do you have the new Olive Blu ray of Hallelujah Trail? If so, what do you think of the picture quality and color, considering the deteriorated "problematic" original elements that have to be presented in a compromised aspect ratio?

No, I haven't seen it, but I haven't noticed any problem with the print that's been shown on TV for some years. Are there elements missing from it? I know it was a "road show" type of film, and those often lose footage in their second run.

If that is the case, and the Olive Blu-Ray has them, in whatever condition, I'd be interested to see it. I'll have to check it out.

 

[Rustifer]

Seems like only yesterday I posted about us finally hitting 50 pages on our little thread. And now, here we are about to hit 70!
I'd like to think this might be the most definitive treatise of 77 Sunset Strip all in one place.

I'm curious about how the growth of our particular thread compares to that of others in the Forum. I don't know if anyone of the site's founders or monitors ever look in on us. I'd like to think they get together for coffee once a week to talk about it, e.g. "Have any of you guys seen what Criblecoblis said about meeting John Dehner, or Gary's retro TV Guide covers?"

 

[Rustifer]

I thought it was pretty funny that on Dehner's radio Have Gun Will Travel, Hey Boy and Hey Girl were voiced by Ben Wright and Virginia Gregg.

Hey Boy (played by Kam Tong in the TV series) wasn't too much of a stereotype, d'ya think?