Artist Jennette Brown: Whose Line Is It Anyway? Christopher Walken

Source:Artist Jennette Brown- Jeff Davis and Colin Monarchy on Whose Line is it Anyway? Not mine.

"This is Jeff, a guest on Whose Line, he does a great impression of Christopher Walken. It's hilarious! All ownership and copyright of this video belongs to 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' and ABC Family. No copyright infringement intended."

From Artist Jennette Brown

ABC use to have a show called Whose Line Is It Anyway, the American version of the BBC Whose Line show. And what it was five comedians including the host Drew Carey who would be given scenes and characters to play, but the comedians would have to act out the scenes with no script or lines. The comedians would have to act out the scenes off the top of their heads, almost completely spontaneously.

And they would do scenes like Hoe Down where they would have to do a song off the top of their heads, or Super Hero’s where each person would have this made up Super Hero with a name that no Super Hero, who is sane and sober at least, would have.

And one comedian would start out with a name and as each comedian would enter the game, the comedian who came before would give the next comedian a name. So let’s say Alcoholic Man would introduce let’s say Mr. Clutz who would topple to the floor as soon as he’s introduced. And Mr. Clutz would do is act and then introduce the next person and say: “Thank God you are here Scared Shitless!” or something like that.

My favorite skit that they did is probably Weird Newscasters. Especially the two anchors and these two people would makeup the news literally on the spot. And would say something like: “Our lead story tonight, 200 people reported missing or dead as a result of an attack by Killer Tomatoes.”

And the second anchor with a weird character to play like a news anchor being played by race car driver whose had too much to drink or something. And he or she would say something like: “This just in: alcoholism linked to drunk driving. Shocking I know.” And they would introduce the weatherman who farts every time he speaks or something like that. As well as a sportscaster who falls in love with every women he sees in the audience or something.

My favorite character on this show even though I don’t believe Chris Walken has ever actually physically been on this show before is Chris Walken. Because he’s a great comedian on the spot, who never needs a script to be funny, movies like American Sweethearts, True Romance and his appearances on Saturday Night Live are excellent examples of that.

And Jeff Davis from Whose Line, does a great impression of him and that’s what makes this show great and how you tell great comedians from good or average comedians. How funny are they when they have to be and when they don’t have a script.

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Raymond Fisher: 'Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Debate'

Source:Raymond Fisher-  Minister Malcolm X, I believe being interviewed at Berkeley, California in the 1960s.

“American history as it’s usually taught likes to focus on rivalries, and there are many involving big personalities and major historical stakes. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. These figures are set up to represent the “both sides” we expect of every political question. While the issues are oversimplified (there are always more than two sides and politics isn’t a sport) the figures in question genuinely represented very different perspectives on power and progress.

When it comes to the history of the Civil Rights movement, we are given another such rivalry, between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Their ideas and influence are pitted against each other as though they had shared a debate stage. In fact, the two leaders met only once, during Senate debates on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “King was stepping out of a news conference,” writes DeNeen L. Brown at The Washington Post, when Malcolm X, dressed in an elegant black overcoat and wearing his signature horn-rimmed glasses, greeted him.”

From Open Culture 

“Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Debate”  

Source:Raymond Fisher- Nation of Islam Minister Malcolm X, at California Berkeley, in 1963.

From Raymond Fisher

This was the ultimate debate (that never happened in person between Reverend King and Minister Malcolm X) as it related to the civil rights movement and perhaps generally as well, because it involved the two most effective and intelligent spokespeople when it came to civil rights and equal rights. And two of the most effective spokespeople when it came to individual freedom in general.

Before the civil rights legislation of the 1960s and to a certain extent after that, African-Americans didn’t have the same freedom as Caucasian-Americans. Even though they had the same constitutional rights under law as every other American in the country.

African-Americans simply weren’t getting their constitutional rights enforced. Which is exactly what Dr. Martin King and Minister Malcolm X were trying to accomplish. They wanted African-Americans to have the same freedom as any other American in the country, they just had two different approaches.

The MLK approach was to show the country that they were freedom fighters fighting for freedom, but they weren’t trying to destroy the country. Just the system that held them down and we’re going to accomplish it by exercising their constitutional rights of Freedom of Speech and Assembly.

Malcolm X’s approach was different, that the way to destroy the system, was by any means necessary, even if that means violence. That what they were fighting for which was their own freedom just as the Caucasian community had, should already be there’s. And that the racists should just get-out-of-the-way, or they’ll be run over. That there wasn’t any negotiation, because African-Americans already had the freedom under law and under the Constitution that every other community had in America. Which meant that racist Southern Anglo-Saxon bigots and other racist Caucasians, should either step aside, or they’ll be forcefully removed by the African-American community.  

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NFL Films: NFL 1956- NFL Championship- Chicago Bears vs New York Giants: Highlights

Source:NFL Films- the Chicago Bears and New York Giants for the 1956 NFL Championship.

"The Big One 1956 NFL Championship game" 

From Newton Minnowowski

The Cleveland Browns were the NFL franchise of the 1960s with their 5 NFL championships. But the 1950s was also a great decade for the New York Giants winning 6 Eastern Conference championships and winning the the NFL Championship in 1956. The 1950s was really the last good decade that the Giants had till the 1980s when they finally became consistent winners again after having a bad 1970s and a 1960s where they were no longer contenders after losing the 1963 NFL Championship to the Chicago Bears. 

Historically there have been a few great inter-divisional and inter-conference rivalries in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers is perhaps the best one. But the 49ers also had a great inter-conference rivalry with the Giants and to a certain extent with the Redskins. 

But the rivalry that the Giants have had with the Bears goes back to the 1940s and is still alive today, at least to some extent, because they've played so many great regular season games against each other, as well as championship games like in 56, but in 63 as well. So historically it's always been a big game when the Bears play the Giants.

NFL Films: NFL 1967- The Story of The New Orleans Saints

Source:Crescent City Sports- the 1967 New Orleans Saints didn't lack talent.

“As a kid, I never saw my father happier.

In the fall of 1966, newspapers came in the morning and in the afternoon. Ed Daniels came home with an afternoon paper trumpeting New Orleans as the newest NFL city.

Back then, a season ticket was 15 dollars. Yep, a youth ticket in the end zone, purchased with an adult ticket, was 15 bucks.

A lot of kids got to see a lot of Saints football. Like me, they were hooked for a lifetime.

For the initial wave of Saints fans, the 1967 team will always have a special place.”

From Crescent City Sports 

“1967 Saints in the beginning”

Source:Shark Throwback- literally one of the first field goals in New Orleans Saints history.

From Shark Throwback 

The New Orleans Saints early on in its history looked like a division 2 minor league club of an NFL Franchise. They looked like a not ready for prime time operation, with an owner who had nothing to do with pro football before New Orleans. With a general manager who had just as little or as much pro football experience as his boss. With a head coach that literally came from the minor leagues, from a franchise in Richmond or Norfolk, Virginia. Because they were so cheap and so minor league, they were awful for their first ten years or so.

The Saints weren’t even in playoff contention until 1978, when they were 7-9 and 8-8 in 78 and 79. The Saints are remembered for not even having a winning season in their first twenty seasons. (1967-86) When general manager Jim Finks and head coach Jim Mora came in 1986, owner Tom Benson a few years before that, things started changing in New Orleans in the mid 1980s. Bum Phillips made them somewhat competitive in the early 1980s, after another 2-14 season in 1980. But they were finally putting something together in the late 70s and since these are the New Orleans Saints, they weren’t able to build on that. Going from 8-8 in 1979 to 2-14 in 1980.

Archie Manning of course the father of two Super Bowl champion quarterbacks in Peyton and Eli Manning, is probably the best quarterback in Saints history, at least before Drew Brees arrived in 2006. Played eleven seasons in New Orleans 1971-81 and was a Pro Bowler there. Never played on a winning team in New Orleans, got close a couple of times in the 1970s, but never played for a winner. And this franchise back then had their share of Pro Bowlers, like WR Danny Abramowicz, RB Chuck Muncie, Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, and Munice would move on and have a good career with the San Diego Chargers.

The Saints also had WR Roy Jefferson who again would move on and have a good career with the Washington Redskins. As well as WR John Gilliam who would move on and have a good career with the Minnesota Vikings. Notice where I’m going with this: the Saints would draft good players and then trade them away. Except for Archie Manning because they didn’t want to pay their other talent. One thing I don’t understand about the Saints of this era, is their fans their management is pretty easy to understand.

The Saints were simply cheap and not willing to invest the resources to build a long-term winner that could compete in the National Football Conference. Even though they always had the fan base that would allow them to win in Southern Louisiana and Southwestern Mississippi and perhaps the State of Louisiana as a whole. But their fans have been very loyal to the Saints for this whole time and really love football. 

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NFL Network: America's Game- The 1989 San Francisco 49ers

Source:Niner Nation- 49ers WR Jerry Rice and QB Joe Montana.

"NFL Network has been running a series of programming in March called Dynasty Week. Each week, they have taken a look at the five great NFL dynasties. Thus far, they've aired weeks dedicated to the Packers, Patriots and Steelers. The month wraps up in a week with the Cowboys. But starting March 24, we get 49ers week.

The "Dynasty Week" will feature team-related segments on NFL AM and NFL Total Access, as well as interviews with guests associated with each team. Additionally, throughout the week NFL Network will show team-related editions of such shows as A Football Life, America's Game, NFL's Top 10 and Sound FX, as well as classic games and Super Bowl re-airs.

Here is a rundown of the 49ers schedule this coming week. This does not include the NFL AM and NFL Total Access shows. I'll update the schedule as more information comes out about some of the potential guests." 

From Niner Nation 

"America's Game #4 - 1989 49ers" 

Source:80's Football Cards- NFL Films has the 89 49ers as the 4th best NFL team of all-time.

From 80's Football Cards

If you judge the greatest NFL teams ever by how good their personal, their coaching, who they played, who they beat, the amount of games that they won, what they did in the playoffs, and then later in the Super Bowl, and not by how popular they are socially and in pop culture, I don't think you are going to find a better football team than the 1989 San Francisco 49ers.  

Statistics of course can be overused and overrated, but the 89 49ers were 14-2, with the number one ranked offense and 3rd rank defense. The 1980s 49ers are stereotyped as a team that was soft because they were a pass first team and had light, mobile offensive lineman. But during that decade after they won their first Super Bowl in 1981, they were always in the top 10 in defense and always had one of the better running games in the NFL. The 89 49ers scored almost 200 more points than they gave up: 442-253. 

I think when judging the greatest NFL teams ever, who have to look at the era that they played in as well. In the 1980s, you had to be able to run the ball well and have great or at least good defense to even get to the Super Bowl. You don't need that today with the NFL game being so centralized around spread formations, throwing the ball quickly and throwing the ball a lot, scoring a lot of points. And you only run the ball to keep the defense off-balanced and perhaps give your QB and offensive line a break. And you only need in many cases to get stops on defense when you have to have them. In the 1970s and 80s, 90s, even, you had to have great, balanced, all around team, to win the Super Bowl and perhaps even get to the Super Bowl.

The San Francisco 49ers are the NFL franchise of the 1980s. 1989 was the last NFL season in the 1980s, and the 89 49ers was the best 49er team of the 80s, and was also their best Super Bowl championship. It's the old cliche you save your best for last. Well, the 49ers did that in 1989 and perhaps have the great NFL team ever, when you look at their personal, and what they accomplished on the NFL football field.

Dave Volsky: 'The Young, The Old & The Bold'

Source:Dave Volsky- Detroit Lions QB Bill Munson. And that's all I know about this photo.

"Opening track to 'The Young, The Old, And The Bold'.  Thanks to Bob Scott for the confirmation assist on this track."

From Dave Volsky

The NFL of the 1960s was a great decade for the NFL for several reasons and just because of the Super Bowl that started in January, 1967 but the National Football League had the American Football League to compete with, which meant a lot of great players, people who would end up in the Hall of Fame. Like Len Dawson QB with the Kansas City Chiefs, LB Willy Lanier also with the Chiefs and many others who were overlooked by the NFL, because they went to small schools. Or we're drafted in the NFL but were cut there because they were behind several other players or perhaps not used in the right way, got their opportunity in the AFL and made the most of it.

It also meant that several cities that were overlooked by the NFL would get their opportunity at pro football to have their own franchise. Like Kansas City but also Buffalo, Houston, Denver, San Diego, Oakland, Cincinnati, Boston and Miami. Which meant the NFL had serious competition from a league, that was producing players that were good enough to play in the NFL. The 1960s was so important, because it was the decade that the NFL passed Major League Baseball as the number one pro sports league in the United States.

The 1960s was the last decade for the NFL that it was the league that it was always suppose to be. The last decade that every NFL franchise played their games on grass, instead of artificial turf, the last decade that every franchise played their games outdoors, not in indoor stadiums. The last decade where the NFL Championship was played every year in football weather, where the games were played in cold frigid weather. Championship games played in Green Bay and Cleveland in December, having to deal with frigid weather, snow and arctic wind.

The NFL wasn't perfect in this decade, it was probably too brutal in some cases like defenders being able to trip and close line offenders. Being able to hit players after they are already on the ground and have been tackled and could do that until the whistle was blown, but generally speaking the game was played the way it was designed to be played.

The 1960s was the last decade before the NFL-AFL merger where the two best pro football leagues were brought together and combined into the best pro football league in the world. The modern NFL which officially happened in 1970 even though they really already had that starting in 1967 with the Super Bowl. And it was the last decade where the game was played the way it was suppose to be played, before the game became more artificial like the fields.

NFL Films: Missing Rings- 1969 Minnesota Vikings

Source:NFL Films- the 1969 Minnesota Vikings yearbook photo.

"I know that this video has already been posted on YouTube, but for those of you that have never seen it, here's a great documentary by NFL Films on the 1969 Minnesota Vikings season. I was only seven at the time, and professional football wasn't quite yet on my radar, but for hardcore Vikings fans, the finale of this season must have been a pretty hard pill to swallow. Anyway, I hope YouTube/NFL Films allows me to keep this video posted, so until then...

From Randy Fast 

NFL Network has a series called America's Game which originally was about the top 20 Super Bowl Champions of all-time and then became about the latest Super Bowl champion. And then they created a spinoff about the greatest teams to never win the Super Bowl or should've won the Super Bowl. Well, the 1969 Minnesota Vikings was part of their Missing Rings series, meaning they should've won the Super Bowl in 69 and beaten the Kansas City Chiefs at Tulane Stadium in January, 1970. 

My point about Bud Grant's Vikings is that he had very good, if not excellent teams. They always had one of the best defenses in the NFL and generally had very good offenses as well. But I think to be part of a Missing Ring series when it comes to the NFL Super Bowl, you had to have a team that should've won the Super Bowl that year. 

To be part of a Missing Rings series, you have to of had the best team in the NFL all year and you even lost the Super Bowl, or you didn't even get to the Super Bowl. Like the 1998 Vikings that probably had the best team in the NFL that year and I think were probably better than the Denver Broncos that year, but the Vikings got upset in the NFC Championship to the Atlanta Falcons who hadn't even been in the playoffs for 3 years, before beating the Vikings in the NFC Championship. 

But, the Vikings lost 4 Super Bowls from 1969-76 and lost to 4 better teams. You could argue that they could've beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 9, but their offense was overwhelmed by the Steelers defense and the Steelers moved the ball well enough and just scored enough points to beat the Vikings 16-6. And the Vikings were overwhelmed by the Chiefs in Super Bowl 4 and were never in the game. They were overwhelmed by the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 8 and were never in that game. The Oakland Raiders took the Vikings apart in Super Bowl 11 and beat them 33-14. 

I don't know how a team makes a Missing Rings series when they lost 4 Super Bowls in 8 years and had the 2nd best team in each of those games. The Vikings were very good in the 1970s and had one of the best defenses in the NFL during that decade and had good offensive teams as well, but they never had the best team in the NFL at any point during that decade. To me the 1970s Vikings are a better version of the 1980s Denver Broncos that lost 3 Super Bowls in 4 years and never came close to winning any of those games.