Daily Dirt: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try and try again?

There’s nothing more sacred than the vows of marriage, unless you live in Hollywood or some other sector of the entertainment industry. You’ll understand as you wade through today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 106 of the Daily Dirt.

1. I’ve always been a guy who liked numbers — or stats if you prefer.  Whether it’s the amount of pit stops needed on one of my pilgrimages back to Ohio, or the amount of commercials in a Super Bowl game, I like to keep track of and catalogue things. For some strange reason, it all helps hold my life together.

One of the strange-but-true items that has always captured my attention has been Hollywood marriages. Specifically, the amount of them. More specifically, the amount per particular personality. Here’s a look at my personal top 10 list of entertainers who have been married at least four times, plus a few tidbits. This list does not include all who were married a minimum of four times. They’re simply the ones I find the most intriguing.

• Elizabeth Taylor, 8: In my mind, Liz might deserve an asterisk for that number, since two of those marriages were to Richard Burton.
• Richard Pryor, 7: Four of the comedian’s marriages lasted a year or less. That, too, might deserve an asterisk.
• Billy Bob Thornton, 6: Marriage No. 5 was to Angelina Jolie.
• Rue McClanahan, 6: Known to most as Blanche Devereaux on “The Golden Girls,” McClanahan is most famous to me for the number of wedding dresses she wore.
• Pamela Anderson, 6: Is Anderson more famous for her role on “Baywatch” or her wild and much-publicized marriage to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee?
• Geraldo Rivera, 5: Rivera has always felt right at home in front of a camera or at the altar. He’s been married off and on since 1965.
• George Foreman, 5: Even more interesting than George’s marriages are his children, or rather their names. Foreman has five sons named … drum roll, please … George. No, I’m not kidding. In all, the former heavyweight boxing champ has 12 kids.
• Kenny Rogers, 5: Give “The Gambler” credit, three of his marriages lasted 12 years or longer.
• Frank Sinatra, 4: The Justin Timberlake of his generation, Sinatra always had a beautiful woman by his side. Of the four he married, all were actresses, including Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow.
• William Shatner, 4: The 90-year-old actor’s most recent marriage ended in divorce in 2019.
• Special mention
• Halle Berry, 4: One of her marriages was to former MLB player David Justice
• Tom Cruise, 3: I know, I know. He’s only been married three times. Consider this a bonus. Cruise’s three marriages were all to high-profile actresses: Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes.

2. If I had my way:

• Anyone 65 or over would receive a minimum of four free meatballs with their order of spaghetti at any domestic restaurant.
• Cheese would not be automatically included on a hamburger at fast-food drive-throughs. It’s a hamburger, not a cheeseburger. It’s not rocket science.
• Anyone opting for the self-checkout lane that so many stores are forcing on customers should receive a 25 percent discount on their bill.
• Any time gas is more than $3 a gallon, an attendant at the service station/convenience store would be required to pump the gas for you, plus check your oil and tires.
• A fast-food customer who does not receive a “thank you” from the employee handing them their order at a drive-through window would receive a 25 percent refund on their bill. 

3. Here are some more of our favorite people with October birthdays:

• Katy Perry: The singer/entertainer (“American Idol”) turns 37 today. Her actual name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson.
• Jaclyn Smith: One of the original “Charlie’s Angels” will be 74 on Tuesday. (For the record, “Charlie’s Angels” one of my top 10 shows from the 1970s.)
• Kate Jackson: Another of the original “Charlie’s Angels.” Jackson will be 73 on Friday.

And in the gone-but-not-forgotten October birth dates:

• Dale Evans: The former “Queen of the West” and wife of legendary cowboy Roy Rogers, Evans was born born Oct. 31, 1912 as Frances Octavia Smith.
• Michael Landon: One of America’s all-time favorite actors, first starring as “Little Joe” on “Bonanza” and later on “Little House on the Prairie.” Landon was 54 at the time of his death in 1991. He was born Oct. 31, 1936.
• John Candy: The roly-poly comedian was only 43 when he died in 1994. Candy was born Oct. 31, 1950.

Steve Fact O’ The Day
Steve has never watched one episode of “Little House on the Prairie.”

Steve does not like cheese.