THE BLACK & WHITE PAGE

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DO YOU REMEMBER?

THE RAT PACK

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The 1960's Rat Pack consisted of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and for a brief stint, Norman Fell. Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, and Shirley MacLaine were often referred to as the "Rat Pack Mascots", a title which reportedly made these ladies feel like "one of the boys".

Lawford was a brother-in-law of John F. Kennedy, and the group played a role in campaigning for him and the Democrats. Sinatra expected that he would be part of Kennedy's inner circle after the election but was excluded due to JFK's concerns about Sinatra's perceived ties to the mafia. This in turn led to Peter Lawford's exclusion from the group after 1962.Lawford's role in Robin and the Seven Hoods was given to Bing Crosby and beefed up with several songs added. (It wasn't the first time Sinatra had treated a Rat Packer that way; Davis's role in Never So Few was given to Steve McQueen when Davis badmouthed Sinatra over the radio)

The Rat Pack often performed in Las Vegas and were instrumental for its rise as a popular entertainment destination. They played an important role in the desegregation of Las Vegas hotels and casinos in the early 1960s.Sinatra and the others would refuse to play in or patronize those establishments that would not give full service to black entertainers, including Davis.Once Rat Pack appearances became popular and the subject of media attention, the Las Vegas properties were forced to abandon segregation-based policies.

Often, when one of the members was scheduled to give a performance, the rest of the Pack would show up for an impromptu show, causing much excitement among audiences, resulting in return visits. They sold out almost all of their appearances, and people would come pouring into Las Vegas, sometimes sleeping in cars and hotel lobbies when they could not find rooms, just to be part of the Rat Pack entertainment experience. The marquees of the hotels at which they were performing as individuals would read, for example, "DEAN MARTIN - MAYBE FRANK - MAYBE SAMMY" as seen on a Sands Hotel sign.

The video above is from June 20, 1965 Sinatra, Martin and Davis with Johnny Carson as the emcee (subbing for Bishop who was out with a bad back) performed their only televised concert together during the heyday of the pack at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, a closed-circuit broadcast done as a fundraiser for Dismas House (the first halfway house for ex-convicts). After being thought lost for thirty years Paul Brownstein tracked down a print of the show that had been sitting in a closet in St. Louis. It has since been broadcast on Nick at Night (in 1998) as part The Museum of Television & Radio Showcase series and released on DVD as part of the Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin.

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Do you remember 


METRO "DYNAMITE" BLAST FROM THE PAST

THE METRO LOOKS BACK AT

FEBRUARY, 1994

Visit The Metro Archives Page

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My Favorite Valentines

The best part of Parkman Elementary School was getting those cheap 500 for $1.99 Valentines Day cards. Here's a few of my favorites.
ED NOTE: In looking back at these cards, I should have been very scared.

The Backyard Mechanic

Dear Mechanic: Now that winter is here, how can I make a few bucks with my car? -- Car Entrepreneur

Dear Cow Manure: Here's a few things I've picked up from my brothers over the years. You can try to tie a snow shovel on the front bumper to push snow, but it usually costs more to replace the shovel and broken headlight after you've rode over it a few times. Not too many people are receptive when they see your "snow plow" anyway and a lot of them call the cops. Another way is to take jumper cables and look for people who can't start their cars. For a few bucks apiece, you can get them going in a few minutes. Be sure to look over your prospective clients because I've lost more than one battery to some innocent looking gangster with a gun. Finally, you can let some people sleep overnight in your car to stay warm. The trick is to collect from them each night, kick them out each morning, and be sure to tell them the "crapper" is outside. Good luck

Dear Mechanic: I'm tired of cars behind me with their bright lights on. What can I do? -- Blinded By The Light

Dear Manfred: Don't be a wussy. My favorite tactic is to slow down until they are forced to go around you. Then, when they get in front of you, turn on your high beams and follow them until they get so ticked off they either pull out of the funeral procession of they pull along side you to fire a few rounds in your window. I'm currently working on a new device that incorporates a light tower from Briggs Stadium that will pop up in my back seat. The next time one of these jerks pulls in behind me, I'll flip the switch and he'll find himself parked in some store front blinking his eyes like Gordie Howe after a photo session.
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GQ CORNER
by Ryan McCarty

Being that I am the only McCarty who dresses cool. I thought I would fill all of you in on what I wore to school last week.

  • Monday - Structure Shirt, Jeans, Baseball Cap

  • Tuesday - Structure Shirt, Jeans, Baseball Cap

  • Wednesday - Structure Shirt, Jeans, Baseball Cap

  • Thursday - Structure Shirt, Jeans, Baseball Cap

  • Friday - Depeche Mode T- Shirt, Jeans, Baseball Cap (on Backwards)

College Beat
by Andrew Maxwell McCarty

Hey McCarty Dudes... January was an awesome month for snow up here at Hope College. While most dudes are inside, I like to be positive and find cool things to do like: Run through campus yelling, "Hello, you beautiful old Bailey Brothers Building & Loan!" or Slide down the railing outside my dorm and re-enact that "Agony of Defeat" Wide World of Sports guy. or Go to the Elias Brothers restaurant and pack snow to make the Big Boy anatomically correct.or Tell little kids that yellow snow tastes like a Lemon - Lime Slurpee.

Classi-fried Ads

  • Left over cheese nibbler tray. Call Jean V.

  • Bike and driving lessons. Sears certified. Call Milk

  • Used bike, wrecked car, & clumsy husband. Call Karen

  • Used fat black books of women, or used black books of fat women, or fat black books of used women. Call Tex

  • House searches\inspections. Reasonable. Call Lt Rick

  • Full plate of ambrosia salad. Free. Call Kate

  • Hip ball & socket joint (chipped). $10 or b\o. Call DJ

  • "How To Hurt The Family" video kit. Call Larz

  • 1 video camera, 3 girls. Call Carla

  • 10,000 Brad Savage & The Cockroaches limited edition records. Call Koko

  • Used AK47's, assault rifles, and Cliff Claven collectables. Call Margaret

  • "I Wanna Be Harry". Harry Connick Jr makeup kits. Call Bear

  • 1992 Convertible Cutlass and mens rollerblades. Call Kathleen

  • Bypass code for Danny's answering machine messages. $1500. Call Steve

  • Muskrats and muskrat parts. Call Kristen
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METRO PHOTO BLAST


Karen & Earl Hickey, Ryan & Andy McCarty - 1978

BILLBOARD TOP 100 HIT SONGS
GUESS THE YEAR THESE SONGS WERE HOT

"Faith".....George Michael
"La Bamba".....Los Lobos
"Livin' On A Prayer".....Bon Jovi
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now".....Starship
"I Think We're Alone Now".....Tiffany

1983   1984   1985   1986   1987   1988

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Here's your chance to show your comic past and name this character.

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Last Month's Character

White Spy
(From MAD Magazine)

Congratulations To:

BT, Gwenda

Spy vs. Spy is a wordless black and white comic strip that has been published in Mad magazine since 1961. It was created by Antonio Prohias, a Cuban national who fled to the United States in 1960, days before Fidel Castro took over the Cuban free press. The comic features two spies, Black and White, who are constantly warring against each other, and coming up with increasingly sophisticated ways of doing away with the other.

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