R.I.P. HUGH HEFNER

HUGH HEFNER

Hugh Hefner, the publisher of Playboy Magazine passed away on Wednesday Sept. 27th at the age of 91. Hefner began Playboy in 1953 with Marilyn Monroe on the cover and an inside pictorial. Now over six decades later Playboy is an entertainment and media empire worth millions of dollars.


Pamela Anderson on Playboy January 1996 cover

Playboy has featured some of the most beautiful women in the world helping to launch the careers of many celebrities including Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Kelly Monaco, Cindy Crawford,  Elle McPherson, and Kim Kardashian.

In the 1960's and 1970's Playboy further entrenched itself in pop culture with the TV show Playboy After Dark. Hefner would be joined by some of the biggest celebrities of the time including George Carlin, Jerry Lewis, Bill Cosby, and Sammy Davis Jr. 

Hugh Hefner was a visionary in entertainment and provided an escape to millions of Americans through Playboy. He will be missed but he will never be forgotten. 

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. BOBBY "THE BRAIN" HEENAN

Bobby Heenan

Bobby Heenan, one of the greatest performers in wrestling both inside and outside of the ring has died. He was 72 years old. Bobby Heenan came to worldwide fame as a wrestling manager in the WWE during the 1980's as he managed some of the biggest stars in the industry such as Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, Ric Flair, Rick Rude,  "Mr. Perfect " Curt Hennig, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard among others.


Bobby Heenan, Nick Bockwinkel, and Harley Race

Bobby Heenan first came to prominence in the AWA (American Wrestling Association) as the manager of Nick Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel and Heenan were a great pair as two arrogant bad guys. Bockwinkel playing his role as the star athlete and Heenan as his cocky manager. They would have great success working against Verne Gagne who was the promoter and main event star of the promotion with Bockwinkel becoming World Champion four times. It was in the AWA where Bobby Heenan would meet Hulk Hogan. Hogan became a main event star in the AWA and would challenge Bockwinkel for the championship on numerous occasions.



Andre The Giant, Haku, and Bobby Heenan

By the 1980's Vince McMahon and the WWE were taking over the wrestling business and grabbing all the talent from different areas promising more money and a global stage. Bobby Heenan left the AWA and joined the WWE in 1985. Heenan would manage "The Heenan Family" a rotating group of bad guys that included Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, Ric Flair,  Rick Rude,  "Mr. Perfect " Curt Hennig, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard and others. The Heenan Family would work against heroes like Hogan and The Junkyard Dog.


Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant at Wrestlemania 3

Bobby Heenan's greatest moment may have been in 1987 at Wrestlemania 3 when he managed Andre The Giant against Hulk Hogan for the World title. Andre was billed as being unbeaten and over 90,000 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome to see if Hulk Hogan could do the impossible. Andre would lose that night but the spectacle of that match would put all three men in the history books forever. 


Bobby Heenan and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig

In later years Bobby Heenan retired from managing and became a color commentator or as he once called it a "broadcast journalist" working for the WWE until 1993 and then moving onto WCW (World Championship Wrestling) until they closed in 2001. Bobby was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2004.

Thank you Mr. Heenan. The memories you've given fans will endure forever. 

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. RICHARD ANDERSON

RICHARD ANDERSON AS OSCAR GOLDMAN

Richard Anderson, who rose to fame in the 70's in the classic TV shows, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman died on August 31st. He was 91 years old. Anderson portrayed Oscar Goldman on shows who is the head of OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence) that gives bionic implants to Steve Austin (Lee Majors) after he is badly injured in an airplane crash. The show was based on a book called Cyborg by Martin Caidin. Anderson would go on to play Oscar Goldman in The Bionic Woman which starred Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers.

Anderson had a long and prolific career throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's appearing on many classic TV shows including Perry Mason, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Murder She Wrote, and Remington Steele. 

As a fan of classic TV and of comic books I had to write this blog about Richard Anderson. When he came to fame as Oscar Goldman in The Six Million Dollar Man, science fiction TV shows were not as popular as they are now. The Six Million Dollar Man TV show combined action, adventure, and espionage to create a long-lasting imprint on pop culture that is still felt today. 

Thank you Mr. Anderson for your contributions to the entertainment industry. You will never be forgotten. 

THE PROFESSOR