Sunday, August 21, 2005

Show biz pioneers



I admire the current crop of actors, actresses, and musicians out there, but they all owe a debt of gratitude to those pioneers in TV, music and movies who paved the way for them. Therefore, I present a list of the best old school entertainers who have stood the test of time. These are people we will still be talking about 50 years from now.

  1. Johnny Carson
  2. Bob Hope
  3. George Burns
  4. Frank Sinatra
  5. Jackie Gleason
  6. Milton Berle
  7. Dean Martin
  8. Sammy Davis Jr.
  9. Jerry Lewis
  10. Elvis Presley

All of these greats are gone now, with the exception of Jerry Lewis. And as the MDA Labor Day Telethon nears, I recall fond memories of the days when Jerry would have many on the list on his telethon. I especially enjoyed seeing Sinatra and Davis Jr. One year on the telethon there was a reunion between Jerry and Dean Martin, who hadn't spoken in years. Most on the list lived long lives, especially Hope and Burns who lived past the century mark. This was probably attributed to the fact that they made a living doing what they loved.

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