Saturday 9: Secret Agent Man

* Joining in today, but I don't know that I will be participating in Sunday Stealing or posting much in the next few days. We leave for a 9 day cruise early Thursday morning and I'm working every day up to then. Something will have to give if I'm going to get everything that needs doing done before then. I won't be posting during the cruise, either, but I promise lots of pictures when we get home. It feels funny to say, "See you in August!"

Secret Agent Man (1966)

I don't think I've ever seen the show, but I've always liked the song. Don't know where I first heard it. And funny, we just had a group in for entertainment at the nursing home that mentioned Johnny Rivers and played a couple of his songs.

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) This is the theme of a TV show that ran on CBS from 1964-1967. The series was produced, and originally aired, in England. The BBC has shared many shows with American audiences over the years. Can you name another?  Benny Hill. That's all I've got. I'm not big on British television, but Benny Hill was very popular when I was in high school. My mom even stayed up to watch him now and then.

2) The show is about John Drake, a special agent dedicated to exposing plots that threaten world peace. A quick check of Netflix and Goodreads reveals that spy stories are just as popular today. Is espionage a genre you enjoy? Do you read books, or watch shows and movies, about spies?  Yes. I enjoy a good spy story. Many of the books I read are spy thrillers and it's the genre of movie my husband prefers so I see a lot of those....and Daniel Craig makes it easy to watch James Bond movies.

3) The lyrics tell us Drake travels from the Riviera to Bombay. Where were you when you last spent the night away from home? Why were you there (vacation, business, international intrigue)?  I think I was in Erie, PA for a weekend away with my husband last fall. I can't think of anything since then. No wonder I'm so ready for our vacation next week!

4) The refrain states, "They've given you a number and taken away your name." In today's digital world, that could now be said of all of us. Are you good at remembering your computer passwords? Only the 3 or 4 that I use daily. For the rest I have a notebook of all my passwords stashed somewhere handy.

5) Patrick McGoohan, who played Agent Drake, went from being a good guy to appearing as a murderer on Columbo four times. Were you a fan of Columbo?  I know my parents watched him, but I don't remember ever sitting down and watching. However, now that several of the "oldies" stations are playing him in reruns I am totally hooked!

6) Born John Ramistella, this week's featured artist, Johnny Rivers, grew up in Louisiana. He took "Rivers" as his stage name because he grew up along the Mighty Mississippi. If you were to change your last name based on the geography of the area where you grew up, how would you be known?  Stacy Mountain. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
 

7) In 1966, when this song was popular, Jacqueline Kennedy was the woman most Americans admired. What famous woman do you admire most? (She doesn't have to be American.)  Does she have to be living? I'm a little hard pressed to come up with someone current as I don't pay a lot of attention to pop culture and those in leadership, well....let's just not go there. From days gone by I admired Mother Theresa for her selfless giving, Barbara Bush for her classy ways and devotion to her husband, and Barbara Walters for the barriers she broke in journalism.

 
8) 1966 also found another Jacqueline was in the news. Jacqueline Susann's first novel, Valley of the Dolls, was atop the best seller lists, even though it was savaged by the critics. What's your guilty pleasure? What book, movie, TV show, or song do you enjoy, even though you know it has little artistic merit?  Dirty Dancing.

9) Random question: Imagine you've been stranded alone in the woods for 10 days. No companionship, no internet or phone or TV. You have been sleeping in the dirt, living on berries and river water. Your rescuers drive you to a hotel. Upon check-in, what's the first thing you do?  Take a shower! After 10 days sleeping in dirt with bugs and creepy crawlies that's a no-brainer.

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