Daily Dirt: Bond, Batman and Capt. Jack the top three movie characters of all-time?

I’m open for debate involving thought No. 1, except for the top selection, of course. That’s a given … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 289 of The Daily Dirt.

1. My love of movies is no secret, and for decades I have made lists upon lists and rankings upon rankings involving my favorite flicks, actors, actresses, etc. Today I offer my top 10 favorite movie characters.

In a category like this, there is actually no incorrect answer. It comes down to personal preference, and in my universe here are the top 10 all-time movie characters. It’s a list, of course, that is subject to change by the hour:

• 1. James Bond: The international man of mystery was best played by Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, but not necessarily in that order.
• 2. Batman: There are so many interpretations to choose from, but I still lean heavily toward Christian Bale’s three movies as the Black Knight.
• 3. Capt. Jack Sparrow: If Johnny Depp had his personal life in any sort of order, he could still be an integral part of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. Depp’s initial performance as Sparrow is the stuff of legends.
• 4. Indiana Jones: While a couple of the scripts have been semi-lame, Harrison Ford has always been spot-on in his four performances as one of our favorite heroes. This series dates to 1981, with a fifth scheduled for 2023.
• 5. Norman Bates: To this today, Anthony Perkins’ 1960 performance as Bates in “Psycho” remains exquisite — and frightening.
• 6. Hannibal Lecter: Ditto for Anthony Perkins’ villainous portrayal of this factious character based on a real-life Mexican murderer. I love to hear Lecter say, “Clarice.”
• 7. Ferris Bueller: I will never under sdtabd why there wasn’t some sort of sedquel to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
  8. Vito Corleone: If there had ever been an actor born to play Vito Corleone, it was Marlon Brando. Twas a match made in gangster heaven.
• 9. Snake Plissken: Kurt Russell’s role as Snake Plissken made the futuristic “Escape From New York” the cult classic it remains today.
• 10. Forrest Gump: This will always be Tom Hanks’ defining role.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Good Lord, man! No Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader? No Luke Skywalker? No Harry Potter? No James Tiberius Kirk? No Harry Callahan? No Charles Foster Kane? Matthew Broderick ahead of Orson Freakin’ Wells??? Your first four are pretty solid, but then it’s like you dropped acid after that. JRG

2. With the NBA playoffs in full swing, how’s this for a starting five of all-time NBA greats who never won a title:

Guard, Pete Maravich: If only there had been ESPN in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Guard, John Stockton: The Human Assist.

Center, Patrick Ewing: Ewing led Georgetown to the 1984 NCAA title, and most figured (many) more NBA championships would follow. It never worked out that way.

Forward, Elgin Baylor: For those who never saw him play, I think it would be fair to say he was the “first draft” of what Michael Jordan would eventually become.

Forward, Karl Malone: The poor guys played most of his year in obscurity in Salt Lake City.

3. Here’s some more wacky — but actual — names of U.S. towns:

• Toad Suck, Ark.: Population: 311.
• Sweet Lips, Tenn.: There are no stop signs, street signs or post office in Sweet Lips, where 85 people reside.
• Odd, W.Va.: Isn’t it?
• Why, Ariz.: It’s located near the Grand Canyon and has one convenience store.
• Whynot, N.C.:  A description of this small town reads: “It’s a small rural community that looks today about the same way it did 150 years ago, give or take a few cars and power lines.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Steve thinks he and the Little Woman may have to take a road trip some day to Toad Suck, Ark.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He is travel challenged, so don’t be surprised if he ends up in Toe Suck instead of Toad Suck.