Saturday 9

Saturday 9: 77 Sunset Strip (1958)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) 77 Sunset Strip was one of TV's early hits, running for six seasons. Before this morning, were you familiar with this show? I watched it when it was on MeTV. It's an interesting show. Some episodes were funny and others were more typical detective fare, with car chases and gunplay.

2) The show's jazzy theme is punctuated by finger snaps. When you snap your fingers, is the left-handed snap as loud as your right-handed snap? My right snap is much louder.


3) The show revolved around Bailey and Spencer Investigations. Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer were among TV first "private eyes." Who is your all-time favorite TV PI? David Addison on Moonlighting, the genesis of my mad and enduring crush on Bruce Willis. I do not recall if David was a good private investigator. Whenever I think of him, moments like this spring to mind.



4) Their office had "a fancy label," meaning an attractive address, on Los Angeles' Sunset Blvd. Tell us about the prestige area of your neighborhood. In Chicago, it's the Gold Coast. If you live there, you're likely in a high rise apartment or a restored 19th century home. You can walk to Lake Michigan, to designer retail stores, and some of the nation's best restaurants. But are happy?

5) Next door was Dino's Lodge, the real-life restaurant and bar owned by entertainer Dean Martin. Are you a Dean Martin fan? Not at all. He always gave me the willies.

6) The valet at Dino's was Kookie. He was known for his perfect hair, his slang ("ginchy" meant cool, "germsville" was the hospital, "a dark seven" was a bad week) and his desire to someday be a private investigator, like Stu and Jeff. Do you think you'd be a good detective? No. I read a lot of mysteries and I'm happy to let my protagonists do the work. Conversely, I get the same kinda feeling when I watch crime/caper movies. I have no idea how to plan a heist or go on the lam. I suspect Kookie might deem me "dullsville."

A publicity photo of the real Dino and his TV valet

7) Stu and Jeff had a loyal secretary named Suzanne, played by French actress Jacqueline Beer. In real life, she was married to adventurer Thor Heyerdahl, who famously traveled from Peru to French Polynesia by raft. Does 100 days on a raft, sailing the south seas, sound fascinating to you? Not in the least.

8) Clint Eastwood was fan of the show and, in the 1990s, tried unsuccessfully to bring 77 Sunset Strip back. Is there a show from the past you'd like to see "rebooted?" Not really. There are old shows that I dearly love (Friends, Designing Women, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy) but I'm happy with the reruns.

9) Random question: Thinking about the last week, did you nag anyone? Or were you the one who was nagged? I nagged. And nagged some more. To no avail. The real estate agent who showed our building has been slow to return unit owner's keys. He's very cavalier and seems to take me not at all seriously. I wish I wasn't on the condo board, because then I could just forget about this. But everyone's security is my responsibility. Alas, I've got to handle this somehow. AARGH!