Sat 9

Saturday 9: Eastbound and Down (1977)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song was featured in the movie Smokey and the Bandit, the surprise box office hit of 1977. Have you seen it?

Yeah, and I never liked it.

2) Though not well received by critics, Smokey and the Bandit had one very famous fan: Alfred Hitchcock. The classic film director enjoyed re-watching the movie on video at home, often while having dinner. Do you ever watch TV with your meal?

All the time! Mainly the news… or a western. The Lone Ranger ride again!

3) Jerry Reed not only wrote and performed the movie's theme, he appeared in the movie as truck driver Cledus "Snowman" Snow. Have you ever driven, or ridden in, a big rig?

YES! YES!

Back in my high school summer job (Do they even have those now-a-days?) I worked in a warehouse. The factory was about five miles away. So we loaded the “Big Rig” and that day I have my brother’s MGB. The driver said “Kid you drive a standard?” You want to drive the “Big Rig” over to the factory? And of course I didn’t say no.

4) He sings, "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there." Have you recently felt rushed?

All the time

5) Director Hal Needham asked Jerry Reed for a song that explained the plot of the movie. He wrote this overnight and always considered it a happy accident. Can you think of a time when something turned out better than you expected?

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Instead of wrapping up ham and chicken, I sliced the chicken in half instead of butterflying it. In a 16oz. Rankin I place the one half of the flatten chicken breast, then the ham steak, Swiss cheese and then the other half of the breast. Plastered a little mayo on top and sprinkled Panko bread crumbs on top. Voilà! It came out so moist! 

6) Reed was born in Atlanta and, coincidentally, he mentions Atlanta in the lyrics. Has your hometown been immortalized in song?

Nope!

7) Jerry met Priscilla Mitchell at Capitol Records, where Jerry was a session musician and Priscilla was backup singer. Though she was only 18 when they wed, it seems their union was a happy one and they were together until his death almost 50 years later. If a newly engaged 18-year-old asked you for advice, what would you say?

Don’t ever lie!

8) In 1977, when "Eastbound and Down" was on the radio, nostalgia for the 1950s topped the TV ratings. The two most popular shows that year were Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days. If you magically transported back to the 1950s, what do you think you'd like about it? What do you think you'd miss about your life in 2026?

Well knowing what going to happen in the future “Plastics”

What would in miss? Having all the worlds knowledge at your fingertips and word processors! Do you know how many hours I spent at the card files and in “The stacks” at college?

9) Random question: Were you ever afraid of monsters in your closet or under your bed?

Yeah… a real monster slept on the lower bunk… my brother!

 

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I'm still here in CT... life conspired to keep me here... just little things to putting the drive tot he Cape off. Plus a good dose of procrastination.

 

Also last weekend's Nor'easter had a part in the delay. The outer Cape got hammered with gale force winds.

 

Here is a photo on my backyard in CT that I posted on Facebook.

 

 Updated: 12:30PM

Oh, the hooks. I use them to hang hurricane lanterns with citronella lamp oil. As you can guess I get a lot of biting insects from the swamp wetlands when I am having cookout.