Thursday, June 25, 2009

First Ed. Then Farrah. Now Michael. I feel like part of my childhood just died.

For all of us who grew up or came of age in the 1970s, this was a very sad week, as we lost three icons of that period: Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson.

Take a walk with me down memory lane, won't you, as we revisit everyone's favorite 1970s sidekick...



An angel*...



and smooth operator (I just love this ad)



... and pop king (pre-plastic surgery, sequined glove, spandex pants, and chimps)...



R.I.P.

*Though she wasn't my favorite; I actually preferred Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith and even Cheryl Ladd. I did, however, buy the iconic Farrah poster for a boy I had a crush on, who had a crush on Farrah.

7 comments:

TommyMac71 said...

It was a really good week in the TommyMac ghoul pool........

Sad, but still. Life goes on. For some

Another David S. said...

Wow. And only this morning I was thinking, "Ed McMahon, Farrah... Who's going to be No. 3?"

Then boom.

Sad, for sure. And as a friend wrote, it's reminiscent of the day both Elvis and Groucho died. In Jacko's case, I'm frankly surprised it took him *this* long.

Another David S. said...

Oh, forgot to add: nice clip choice for Jackson (before he got freaky). Ever since "Bad," it's the "Off the Wall" Michael I've most appreciated.

Anonymous said...

A lot of people forget this about Farrah: She was only on Charlie's Angels for ONE season. Think about that.

Dave S. said...

As the family grocery buyer I knew that Farrah was ill but Jacko took me by surprise. Not even a hint of "MICHEAL JACKSON'S SAD LAST DAYS!" in the tabloids.

J, I like your poster story but one reading of your syntax suggests you purchased the object of your crush. I guess that would get his attention. In any event, I suspect that in hindsight you realized that if you wanted a 70's boy to think about you, the last thing to get them would be a Farrah poster.

Good work on the pool, Tommy. Same day for two gets a bonus, correct?

Verification word "Firsesse" which I believe was one of the shampoos hawked by Farrah.

J. said...

Syntax corrected. In regard to your comment, Dave S., What did I know about boys back in the 1970s? I thought he'd be happy and impressed. (Sadly, I never got the boy, nor Farrah's figure, though I did have her hairdo for a year.)

And Anonymous, I know that Farrah was only on "Charlies Angels" for a year. Just goes to show ya what a huge impact she made. Or maybe it was the poster.

Congrats to Tommy, I think. (Btw, as my mother just reminded me, BOTH of her parents/my grandparents died on June 25, two years apart. Ghoulish.)

And I'm with you, Another David S. that he lasted this long, especially considering all the drugs he was supposedly addicted to.

Lizzy said...

Let's hope death comes only in
3's, J.

I am still in deep shock over MJ - no warning, the last person in the world that I thought would die.

Even though he has been beyond weird the last 15 years, his music has been a part of our generation's whole life - remember "The Jackson Five" cartoon on Saturday mornings in the 70's? ("one bad apple won't spoil a whole bunch of girls....")

From "ABC" to "Wanna be Starting Somethin'" to "Billie Jean" and "Thiller" - his music and dance steps (Moonwalk, anyone?) are interwoven in the fabric of our lifetime.

He was very, very talented - a true genius. He was also a "complicated individual" (a/k/a "crazy as a loon").

However, he was never boring: from bleaching his skin, shaving his nose down to a little nub, to grabbing and kissing a non-too happy "wife" Lisa Marie Presley on national TV to dangling his baby "Prince Michael Blanket" over a German hotel balconey, Michael Jackson always gave us something to think/talk about.

At the very center was a scared little boy with low self esteem, immense talent and seemingly few loyal friends or family who truly loved him (aside from Elizabeth Taylor), and no one who cared enough to tell him, "hey Mike, it's not cool to sleep with 6 year old boys and monkeys - stop it." He morphed into victim of poor judgment because no one cared enough to stop him.

Rest in Peace Michael. You deserve to finally be content.