“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Blog in Under Four Minutes…
Manny P. here…
“`Before The Beatles, Roger Bannister was a true British superstar in track and field. He was a medical student at Oxford in 1954, when he electrified the sports world and lifted postwar England’s spirit, becoming the first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes. Roger put on his spikes, and ran four laps around a cinder track in 3:59.4 seconds, for one of the defining sporting achievements of the 20th Century.
ROGER BANNISTER
“`His passion for running took off in 1945, when his father took him to a track meet at London’s White City Stadium, built to host the 1908 Olympics. He resolved to take up running seriously at Oxford. At the 1952 Helsinki Games, Bannister was considered the favorite to win Gold in the 1,500 meters. But, organizers added an extra round of heats. Subsequently, he would have to run on three consecutive days. Roger finished fourth.
“`On the day he made history, May 6th, 1954, shortly after 6p, Bannister churned around Oxford’s Iffley Road track, his long arms and legs pumping, and his lungs gasping for air. Roger put in an extra kick over the final 300 yards and nearly collapsed as he crossed the finish line.
“`The record lasted just 46 days. Despite the brevity, he was selected Sports Illustrated’s first Sportsman of the Year in 1954. Bannister retired from competition, and had a long and distinguished career in medicine. Later, as chairman of Britain’s Sports Council from 1971 to 1974, he created the initial test for anabolic steroids. Roger’s most treasured honor was the Lifetime Achievement award he received in 2005 from American Academy of Neurology. He was knighted for his medical work in 1975.
“`Sir Roger Bannister was 88.
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“`David Ogden Stiers (right) was a prolific character actor, best known for his role as Major Charles Emerson Winchester on the small screen adaptation of M*A*S*H*. He received two Emmy nominations for his performances in the Korean War sitcom. He also played a adversary on the Perry Mason television movies of the 1980s. He was the associate conductor for Newport Symphony Orchestra and the Ernest Bloch Music Festival.
“`A former high school classmate of film critic Roger Ebert, he performed with California Shakespeare’s Theater, San Francisco Actors Workshop, and the improv group, The Committee, whose members included Rob Reiner, Howard Hesseman, and Peter Bonerz.
“`In film, Stiers appeared THX 138, Oh God!, Doc Hollywood, The Cheap Detective, The Accidental Tourist; and he was a voice actor on Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas. On television, he guest-starred on Charlie’s Angels, Wings, Rhoda, Matlock, Phyllis, Kojak, Murder She Wrote, Ally McBeal, and Frasier.
“`The pontificating David Ogden Stiers was 75.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2018 at 3:14 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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