Well-done, Please

Happy Trails, Curly

Jack Palance, one of the best character actors cinema has ever known, died this weekend. He was 87. He was a man, and by "man" I mean MAN.

He had a tremendously smoky voice that just oozed that Western American version of machismo. How much of a man was he? When he won his one and only Oscar in 1992, he accepted his award, put in down the stage, dropped to the floor himself and amazed the audience with 20 one-armed pushups. HE WAS 73!

Oddly my first and most vivid memory of Jack was in a commercial for Skin Bracer aftershave. Actually, I remember it more becuase it was the first time I'd ever heard the word "sexy." And no, there's nothing gay about making that association.

"Confidence is very sexy... don't you think?" (go about 3/4 down to "skin bracer").

Yes, Jack. I do.