Wednesday, January 20, 2016

On Rat Patrol Looking At Fort Worth's Surfside 6 Van Williams With No Calamity Nightmares

Yesterday, after I blogged about a Calamity Hotpepper Nightmare in which I mentioned the nightmare may have been caused by watching a Rawhide episode from a half century ago, someone calling him or herself Anonymous made an interesting comment...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Elsie Hotpepper Becomes A Nightmare Calamity":

You could watch Surfside 6 which features famous Fort Worth actor Van Williams in one of the starring roles. Van Zandt Jarvis Williams had another role as TV's Green Hornet. His sidekick was none other than Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee attended the University of Washington and is buried in Seattle. The Fort Worth - Seattle connections keep a comin'. And now you know the rest of the story. Good day. 

I checked to see if Surfside 6 is available via my YouTube ancient TV show provider. It is not. All there is is a video of the Surfside 6 opening credits and theme song. A very catchy theme song with a bit of cha cha cha.

Reading the Wikipedia article about Surfside 6 I learned that in addition to Fort Worth's Van Williams, this is the show which turned Troy Donahue into a temporary star. Surfside 6 was to be pretty much the high point of Troy Donahue's life. I remember Troy Donahue, but til reading the Wikipedia Troy Donahue article I did not know how pitiful the rest of his life was after his heyday in the early 60s.

As for Fort Worth's Van Williams, he is still among the living and according to the Wikipedia article about Van Williams, his life has had a much better trajectory than his Troy Donahue co-star.

Does Van Williams ever return to his old hometown? I do not recollect a visit being noted since I have been in this location.

As for Van Williams Green Hornet co-star, Bruce Lee being buried in Seattle. I can remember visiting a grave in the cemetery that is adjacent to Seattle's Volunteer Park. But was it the grave of Bruce Lee? Or Jimi Hendrix.

Back to Wikipedia to find out who is buried where.

Okay, it was Bruce Lee who is buried in Lakeview Cemetery on the north side of Volunteer Park on Seattle's Capitol Hill.  Jimi Hendrix is buried at the location of his mother's gravesite at Greenwood Cemetery in Renton, Washington.

Last night I did not watch Rawhide or Route 66. Instead I went the World War II route and watched Rat Patrol.

About Rat Patrol I will say this show from half a century ago is not up to the quality level of Combat, Rawhide or Route 66. Rat Patrol is so bizarrely plotted and badly dialogued that it is sort of a comedy.

I wonder why watching a TV show called Rat Patrol did not trigger another Elsie Hotpepper nightmare?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Van was the son of Blackie and Prissilla Williams. He went to Arlington Heights and was famous for driving his jeep through the old fountain in front of the main building... long since removed. Bernard " Blackie" was a great guy and was on the TCU National Chamionchip football team of 1938. He married Prissilla Jarvis and had 2 sons. Van and the older Bernie, who lived his life as a monk in California.
Van was a looker. He was discovered by Mike Todd and Elizabeth Taylor as he walked the beaches of Waikiki.
He was the cousin of my ex who was a Jarvis. He used to come to visit and had a beautiful family. Gorgeous wife and daughters. The
Jarvis and Van Zant families were founding families of The Fort.
Blackie introduced my mother to her second husband, though I never held it against him. My little sis was a burn victim when she was little and Van came to see her in the Carswell burn unit. She has never forgotten it.
Van had a beeper company in LA back when that was hot. He took parts as he could to be able to keep his SAG insurance plan.
Fun to see him brought up again. Thanks Durango and Hotpepper.