Celebrating Black History Month: Jim Brown, NFL running back extraordinaire, first black action star

James "Jim" Brown, born February 17, 1936 in St. Simons, Georgia, was a record-setting football player, an action movie star, and a civil rights activist.

He played football while at Syracuse University from 1954-1956 and earned unanimous All-American honors, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. 

In the 1957 NFL draft, he was the sixth pick of the first round, by the Cleveland Browns.  He played for the Browns from 1957 to 1965.  During his career, he carried the ball 2,359 times, for 12.312 rushing yards, and 106 touchdowns, which were all records when he retired. He is the only NFL player to average over 100 rushing yards per game for his career.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

He became an actor shortly before he ended his career, and starred in leading roles throughout the 1970s. He has been described as Hollywood's first black action hero. In the 1969 film, 100 Rifles, he made history for featuring the first interracial love scenes with Raquel Welch.   He won an Image Awards (NAACP) for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his work in El Condor.  I liked him in Ice Station Zebra, although the critics panned the movie.

During the civil rights movement, he was one of the few athletes to speak out on racial issues. He launched a foundation for diverting at-risk youth from violence, teaching them life skills.

He passed away from natural causes at 87 in May 2023.

Remembering Raquel Welch (1940-2023)

Sex symbol for the 60s and 70s, beautiful Raquel Welch, born September 5, 1940 in Chicago, passed away yesterday, February 16, 2023.  She was 82.  She started her acting career by providing sexiness in the background of television shows, such as Bewitched, but she soared to fame when she appeared in One Million Years B.C. in 1966. In 1971, she was a guest on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.  

She starred in The Three Musketeers and its sequel The Four Musketeers as Constance de Bonacieux, a role for which she won a Golden Globe.  

Raquel Welch wins Golden Globe for Best Actress 1975

I've always liked Raquel Welch. Though I'm not familiar with much of her work, my favorite movies of hers are The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, which unfortunately her character does not survive.

But the movies let her showcase her talent and it worked.  Ms. Welch won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for her work as Constance Bonacieux in The Three Musketeers.  She had some stiff competition for the award.  Lucille Ball, Helen Hayes, and Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein).

The Three Musketeers was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. I'm a little shocked that these were the only two nominations this movie received.  Faye Dunaway was nominated for her work in Chinatown, but got snubbed for her work on The Three Musketeers.

I could not find an image or a clip of her accepting her win, so I settled for a still from the movie and the catfight between her and Faye Dunaway.

Happy birthday, Raquel Welch!

Raquel Welch, born September 5, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois, burst onto the scene in a skimpy, furry bikini in the movie One Million Years B.C. in 1966.  She became an international sex symbol and every boy's adolescent fantasy. 

I enjoyed her in The Three Musketeers, her role in which won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. I also loved The Four Musketeers, except that her character got killed off.