Daily Dirt: They’re oldies, but they’re goodies, too

December 30, 2021 | By Steve Eighinger, Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Dec. 30, 2021

For the record, I’m younger than 13 of the following in today’s first of three thoughts … welcome to Vol. 173 of the Daily Dirt.

1. It can be difficult to accept some of the personalities you have grown up watching on TV actually aging, growing old.

For example, to me, Cher is still 25 years old and belting out “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves”. And little Ron Howard is 8 years old and still playing “Opie” on the “The Andy Griffith Show”.Alas, entertainers grow old, too.Here’s a look at a handful of familiar names. I’m sure some of the ages may surprise you:

Cher, 75: It’s hard to fathom the girl born Cherilyn Sarkisian El Centro first reached stardom as the better-looking half of Sonny and Cher. Along with a fine solo career in music, Cher also touched our hearts with notable performances on the silver screen, including “Moonstruck,” which won her an Oscar.
Bob Newhart, 91: Hands down, Newhart was the deadest of the deadpan comedians. He is known to many as the star of a couple of situation comedies bearing his name.
Tina Louise, 87: Remember “Ginger” on “Gilligan’s Island?” That was Tina Louise and she is the last living member of that 1960s sitcom.
Ron Howard, 67: He’s one of the most acclaimed directors of this or any other generation, but to many he’s still just Opie.
Clint Eastwood, 91: He’ll always be Rowdy Yates from “Rawhide” or Dirty Harry to most of us, and hopefully he’ll be around for many more years.
Dick Van Dyke, 96: The multi-talented Van Dyke is an accomplished musician, singer and actor, but will always be entrenched as Rob Petrie, husband of Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore) on the 1960s comedy classic, “The Dick Van Dyke Show”
Bob Barker, 98: It’s hard to believe the famous TV game-show host and animal activist retired way back in 2007.
Kris Kristofferson, 85: We will always owe a debt of gratitude to Kristofferson for such hit songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “For the Good Rimes,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night”.
Maureen McCormick, 64: Remember Marcia Brady from “The Brady Bunch?” Yep, this is her. All together … “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”.
Chevy Chase, 77: Much like pro wrestling, “Saturday Night Live” was much better in the 1970s and 1980s than it is today. And Chevy Chase was one of the key reasons for that early SNL success.
Samuel L. Jackson, 73: Raise your hand if you woud simply enjoy Samuel L. Jackson reading the phone book. Yeah, me too. The man has been in 105 movies, the majority of them memorable.
Tim Matheson, 74: For baby boomers, Matheson is a living legend for his role of Eric Stratton in “National Lampoon’s Animal House”.
Diana Ross, 77: I never knew her real name was Diane Earle, until now. I have listened to her music since I was in seventh grade, which for those keeping score, was 1966.
Susan Dey, 69: She was Laurie Partridge on “The Partridge Faily” and later won a Golden Globe for her effort on “L.A. Law”.
Tina Turner, 82: If not for the late Aretha Franklin, Turner might be regarded as the finest soul singer ever. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

2. This has been one cray month of weather. Here are three quotes which pretty much sums up December:

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.” — Bill Bowerman, Nike co-founder and former track and field coach.

“The weather is the weather. You deal with whatever is out there.” — Matt Cassel, NFL quarterback.

“Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” — Mark Twain, American philosopher and author.

3. First of all, today’s pro wrestling shows are almost unwatchable. It wasn’t always that way.

The 1990s were a great decade for the squared circle. Here are my 10 favorite personalities from that glorious time:

1. Ric Flair: Still stlyin’ and profilin’. Woooo!
2. The Rock: To this day, we can call smell what The Rock was cookin’. And, always remember, know your role.
3. Goldberg: If he had stayed around longer, he would have been No. 1.
4. Randy Savage: The Macho Man wasn’t much of a wrestler, but he was great with the microphone. Ohhhhh yeahhhhhh.
5. Juventud Guerrera: I always thought he would be a champion, but there was a little problem with substance abuse. At the very least, he was king of the luchadors.
6. Hulk Hogan: Always a great showman and interview, but he mad just one move — that ridiculous leg drop.
7. Stone Cold Steve Austin: Another of the mostly flash, but little substance type of champion.
8. The Road Dogg Jesse James: “Oh you didn’t knowwwwww?”
9. Mick Foley: I was fortunate enough to interview him. What a great guy!
10. Sabu: One of the all-time best bleeders. He never met a piece of barbed wire he didn’t like.