The Week That Was

The Week That Was
In a world that changes with each passing second it’s nice to know that some things remain the same.
Two icons of a past era – my era – were challenged this past week and both were able to hold their own.

The passing of Sammy Terry (Bob Carter) was a blow to all Indianapolis Baby Boomers. Bob, and by extension, his alter ego Sammy Terry (a play on Cemetery), reigned supreme over the local horror market for almost 30 years. Each Friday night, along with George, his rubber spider friend, Sammy would introduce the great classic films of the horror genre while entertaining us with his witty repartee during each commercial break. Long after the show’s demise, Carter continued to entertain his audience through live performances. His passing was a blow to all of us.

But alas! Sammy lives in the form of Carter’s son, Mark, who has donned his father’s creation with equal aplomb and amazing similarity. Godspeed Mark.

Another icon, one more nationally known, Clayton Moore, was able to hold his own as the Lone Ranger in the face of Disney’s abysmal film of the same name. It is not the first time that Moore has been able to retain his place in our collective consciousness as the intrepid Ranger.

Klinton Spilsbury (remember him? Heard from him lately?) ventured onto the silver screen in his own ill-fated endeavor as the silver-bullet firing Ranger, going down in the annals of Hollywood as one of the worst films of all time. In short, it was a classic example of how to not make a film. Spilsbury’s appearance as the Lone Ranger came during the lengthy court battles in which Moore sought (and won) the right to retain the mask that had endeared him to so many of his young fans. With the release of Disney’s The Lone Ranger, Moore’s place behind the mask seems secured for a very long time.

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