It was a rough weekend for icons of my youth. Philadelphia Phillies play by play man Harry Kallas, Detroit Tiger Pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, and "Behind the Green Door" porn-star Marilyn Chambers all now belong to the ages.
I remember many a night huddled up next to my little transistor radio listening to the Phillies as I went off to sleep. Harry Kallas and Ritchie Ashburn were the guys in the booth, and their voices were just what I needed to fall asleep. Kallas went on later to be the voice of NFL films (headquartered in my hometown, Mount Laurel NJ!) after John Facenda (another Philly icon) died.
Mark Fidrych had a magical rookie season in 1976, winning 19 games. It was more than half the wins he'd amass in his injury-plagued career. His ungainly style on the mound and his incredibly eccentric off-field persona made him an object of intense national fascination, and as an 11 year old baseball fanatic (yep, used to be) I was intrigued how this guy who was just a few years older than I was mowing down major league hitters.
And then there's Marilyn Chambers, the adult film star. The first time I saw a complete version of "Behind the Green Door" was in college, not in some smoky dank fraternity but at the biology building, Gilmer Hall. Gilmer Hall had a big auditorium in which student organizations ran films to make money, and apparently "Behind the Green Door" and "Deep Throat" were big fan favorites. The porn industry has changed quite a bit since Marilyn's virtuoso performance, with video cameras and You-tube like sites providing the means for everyone to be a porn-star (while not everyone can be a major league pitcher!). Marilyn Chambers' greatest talent was in her ability to make a viewer believe she was enjoying herself--immensely.
Farewell, youth, farewell.
I was more of a "Fritz the Cat", "Heavy Traffic" fan!!!
ReplyDeleteB, I thought it was "Insatiable" they showed at Gilmer Hall? Or at least that's the one the boys and I from Balz saw our 1st Year at The U.
ReplyDeleteOh, and "the Bird", reminds me of baseball when it was fun to watch and participate in... I too was a Phillies fan, though seldom fell asleep listening to them play. I wonder if kids today as fanatic about baseball as much as we were in our youth?!
ReplyDeleteNot unless they've come out with an xbox baseball...
ReplyDeleteAlas, Wahooligan--I think you may be right! It was Insatiable.
ReplyDeleteThat kind of memory for porn is to be expected from someone who lived in Balz dorm....