Mr. T, The 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala and Apache

 

In 1984 Ronald Reagan was re-elected as president and in 1985 there was a Presidential Inaugural Gala broadcast on TV and Mr. T was there.

The program was organized by Frank Sinatra and featured a diverse group of entertainment. Not only did Sinatra organize the event, he also introduced Mr. T. At this point Mr. T takes over:

Thank you, Mr. S.

It's a thrill for me to be back in the nation's capitol. Last time I was here I played Santa Claus at the White House. Where else but in America can a black man from the ghetto play a white man from the North Pole and live to tell about it? Now I'd like to introduce another performer who is used to playing many parts including the President of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Rich Little...

So it all comes full circle, Mr. T hung out with Dean Martin, now he's with Sinatra... I was just talking about Rich Little, now Mr. T is introducing him. It's all part of God's plan.

The two highlights of the evening, in my opinion, as if anyone cares, are Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful" which is always great and Don Rickles roasting the room.

I mentioned the diversity of the entertainment... Mr. T is introduced by Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles is introduced by Emmanuel Lewis (14 years old at this point)... but my favorite is when Jimmy Stewart introduces a breakdancing troupe - The New York City Breakers.

The New York City Breakers, a group of 8, come out and dance to - what else - "Apache." One of my favorite memories is one time when I was watching TV with a friend and "Apache" comes on and I spontaneously stand up and do the hip-thrusting Apache Dance. It was so unexpected, he couldn't stop laughing. But as the Breakers were dancing I thought to myself, "'Apache' is by Sugarhill Gang, right?" Well it's interesting.

Amazingly, "Apache" is a British song and was released as a rock instrumental in 1960!

The song was then covered in 1973 by the Incredible Bongo Band to make a hip-hop classic. And this is the version danced to by the New York City Breakers.

But I was not wrong about it being a Sugarhill Gang song because they then covered the Incredible Bongo Band version and added lyrics:

And that's the version I remember.

Oh, and by the way, after the New York City Breakers the next entertainer was an opera singer. Seriously.

Ronald Reagan - Berlin Wall Speech

 I'm reading Ronald Reagan's autobiography right now and I got up to the speech at the Berlin Wall. So I figured I'd watch it.

Even today it's a stirring speech. 

Ronald Reagan's autobiography is good but it is detailed. It's 775 pages and most of it is the 8 years of the presidency.  The letters between Reagan and Gorbachev go back and forth, back and forth, on and on for quite a while.

I'm watching now Reagan speaking to Moscow State University and there's no interpreter. I can't figure out how that works. It doesn't seem possible that they all know english, in the Q&A section they're asking in Russian.... I don't see them wearing headphones as if there's an audio translation. I don't get it.

Ronald Reagan and James Dean

 Who knew Ronald Reagan and James Dean once acted together? I didn't.

Reagan's a little wooden but everyone looks wooden next to James Dean. There has never been a more compelling actor, even with slightly stilted lines, MAN.

Late Show - Don Rickles

Don Rickles talks about his recent health problems and Reagan's second inaugural (almost).





Are inaugurals like that anymore? I've never seen anything that looks like that.

The special "One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles” will air May 28th on Spike TV.

Serious Jibber-Jabber - Edmund Morris

Conan has a new web series where he sits down with people and does lengthy, completely serious interviews about potentially serious subjects. It's called "Serious Jibber-Jabber" and his first guest on the series is Presidential Biographer Edmund Morris.

Edmund Morris wrote biographies of Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Conan loved the three-book biography of Roosevelt so much, he had him on his show. You could tell that it was one of the interviews in which he was actually interested in the guest. Perhaps just having 5 minutes to talk to him was a main reason for starting this series.

Note: in case you haven't realized already, this isn't a comedy piece and it's 47 minutes long. I likes it.

Merry Christmas

First, a message from the President:

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight

A Charlie Brown Christmas (The Ruined Version)

[Broken Video Link Removed]

A Patrick Swayze Christmas (A Christmas Carol based on the movie "Roadhouse")

Darlene Love & The CBS Orchestra - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"

[I wanted to avoid repetition but it is unavoidable.]

Merry Christmas.