PETROCELLI (1974-1976) – Joel Hodgson once observed “You’ve got to light a fire PRET-ee early in the morning to burn Barry Newman.” However, that observation and the 1979 disaster movie that inspired it – City on Fire – have nothing to do with Petrocelli. It’s just the first thing that comes to mind every time Barry Newman’s name comes up. (Well, that and “Chickee chickee boom boom” from that same flick.)
Setting aside my inherent weirdness, Newman starred as the title defense attorney in the clever series Petrocelli as well as the show’s pilot movie Night Games (1974) AND the 1970 theatrical release film The Lawyer, which started it all.
The cleverness I’m referring to was the hook that this program boasted. As surely as Columbo was known for the viewers seeing who the murderer was from the beginning of each episode, and Ellery Queen would feature Jim Hutton breaking the Fourth Wall to ask the audience if they, too, knew who the guilty party was, Petrocelli had its own gimmick.
Viewers would get a Rashomon style account of the episode’s crime from the perspective of both the Defense and the Prosecution. Then, Petrocelli’s investigation would enable him to reconcile the conflicting accounts.
At any rate, after the 1970 theatrical film and the 1974 pilot telefilm, the Petrocelli series was picked up and ran for 2 seasons and 44 episodes.
THE MOVIE: Continue reading
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT RIVER FALLS FALCONS took on the defending champions – the NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE CARDINALS. The Cardinals led 7-3 in the 1st Quarter and 14-10 at Halftime. 
Time for another current events roundup from 
Here’s another blog post where I take a break from personally pointing out how the American Left’s unbearable pomposity and snobbery have driven away so many of us who used to consider ourselves part of it. This time my points are being made in a New York Times Op-Ed by Gerard Alexander, a professor of political science at the University of Virginia. 
DOWN GOES NUMBER NINE – The MADONNA UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS welcomed the 9th ranked team in the nation – the INDIANA TECH WARRIORS (should be Hoplites). The Crusaders put Indiana Tech on Upset Alert by Halftime with their 52-42 advantage. From there, Madonna University kept their opponents at arm’s length for a 98-91 win. Ahmoni Weston led the Crusaders with THIRTY-TWO points. 
CENTURY CLUB – Teams scoring 100 or more points in Regulation: The (1) GRACE COLLEGE LANCERS beat the MT. VERNON NAZARENE UNIVERSITY COUGARS 103-93 ### Meanwhile, the LINCOLN (CA) OAKLANDERS defeated the CAL MARITIME KEELHAULERS 102-96 ### And the (18) LIFE UNIVERSITY RUNNING EAGLES won 105-84 at the POINT UNIVERSITY SKYHAWKS. 
THE WAR UNDER THE SEA (1892) – Written by Georges Le Faure. This sci-fi work was intended as an escapist societal salve to a French public still smarting from their loss to Germanic forces during the Franco-Prussian War just over two decades earlier. 
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT Vol 1 #32 (Aug 1975) 
Moon Knight arrives at Jack’s Los Angeles apartment, where Jack shows up shortly before the Full Moon rises and turns him into the Werewolf. The pair fight it out through the streets of L.A. while Moon Knight’s helicopter pilot Frenchie abducts 
1st – The ROSE BOWL GAME was broadcast on radio for the first time. This game pitted the undefeated UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE, then from the Southern Conference, against the undefeated UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HUSKIES, then from the Pacific Coast Conference. The Huskies led 12-0 at Halftime, but the Crimson Tide came from behind to win the game 20-19 in what has been called “the football game that changed the South.” 
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