An Unrivaled TV Queen: See Betty White’s Most Iconic Television Roles Through the Years
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White joined host Steve Harvey on a special episode of this talent show for seniors that reunited her with tap dancer Arthur Duncan, whom she’d featured on The Betty White Show nearly 60 years prior.
“I was on the show, and they had some letters out of Mississippi and elsewhere that some of the stations would not carry the show if I was permitted to stay on there,” Duncan explained of his stint on White’s show. “Well, Betty wrote back and said, ‘Needless to say, we used Arthur Duncan every opportunity we could.’ "
That letter helped Duncan keep his television tenure and would launch his career, allowing him to become the first Black regular on a variety show when he was hired on The Lawrence Welk Show.
Jeff Astle’s daughter recalls promise she made after his death 20 years ago
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As his body lay in a chapel of rest 20 years ago, Jeff Astle’s daughter Dawn made him a promise.
Astle had enjoyed a stellar footballing career with Notts County and West Brom scoring the winning goal for the Baggies in the 1968 FA Cup final, and represented England at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
However, in his mid-50s, he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and he died at the age of 59 on January 19, 2002, choking to death at a party to celebrate Dawn’s 34th birthday.
Jeff and Laraine pictured at a reception to celebrate West Brom’s 1968 FA Cup final victory (PA Archive) (PA Archive)
In life his rapid deterioration – described as being like “a juggernaut out of control” by his widow Laraine – was attributed to Alzheimer’s Disease.
During his illness, his family had their suspicions that his career in football had contributed to his death.
“We always thought, we always suspected, but we didn’t know,” Dawn told the PA news agency in an interview to mark 20 years since Astle’s death.
“One of the most horrendous things I did was to go to see him in the chapel of rest,” she recalls.
“I walked in and I’ve never walked so slowly in my life, because you can see the coffin in the room. My mum and I were howling, it was horrific. I remember I took his hand and said: ‘Dad I promise you, if football has done this, I’ll make sure the whole world knows.”
I walked out of there completely and utterly stunned. In the blink of an eye, in the seconds it took to tell me I knew my life had changed forever. Laraine Astle on Jeff Astle’s dementia diagnosis
Laraine recalls first noticing something was not right when Astle was aged 54. He had become a welcome and regular fixture singing songs on the ‘Fantasy Football League’ programme presented by comedian Frank Skinner – an Albion fan – and David Baddiel.
But in filming the final series of the show, Laraine noticed Jeff finding it a particular struggle to learn the words of the songs, and where he needed to come in.
She also noticed a restlessness in him on a holiday in Ibiza, and pleaded with him to go to a GP. He reluctantly agreed, and underwent a series of tests.
At the end of the consultation, Laraine made an excuse to go back in and see the GP alone.
“The GP said: ‘I’m going to send him for a scan, I think he’s got early-onset dementia’” Laraine recalls.
“I walked out of there completely and utterly stunned. In the blink of an eye, in the seconds it took to tell me I knew my life had changed forever.”
Picture of the Jeff Astle gates at West Brom’s ground, The Hawthorns (Nigel French/PA) (PA Archive)
Astle developed an eating disorder, and in his last months could not even remember the names of his children or grandchildren.
“When (grandchildren) Taylor and Matthew came to see him his face lit up. I could see him struggling to remember their names,” Laraine said.
“He just said: ‘It’s my beautiful girl and my bestest boy’.”
In November 2002, just under 10 months after his death, coroner Andrew Haigh said Astle’s brain resembled that of a boxer. He recorded a verdict of death by industrial disease, owing to Astle’s repeated heading of a ball.
“We thought that result would be a defining moment, and sport would react with vigour to protect future generations and help those past heroes who would die, with their families on their knees. We assumed incorrectly,” Dawn said.
A study looking at the link between exposure to head trauma and ‘boxer’s brain’ was initiated in 2001 by the Professional Footballers’ Association and the Football Association but the family were devastated to learn in 2014 via a Mail On Sunday reporter that there were no plans to publish it.
West Brom fans hold aloft a ‘Justice for Jeff’ banner (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Archive)
Dawn describes that period between her dad’s death and receiving that news as “12 wasted years”.
Consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart re-examined Astle’s brain in May 2014, and diagnosed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The family launched the ‘Justice for Jeff’ campaign which in April 2015 became the Jeff Astle Foundation. The Foundation works to support other families of former footballers living with dementia.
“People talk about the 1966 team, and rightly so because they were so iconic. But I can assure you those five (who developed dementia) in the team isn’t unique, it really isn’t,” she said.
The Foundation has also led the calls for further, meaningful research into the risks from concussive and sub-concussive injuries to footballers’ long-term brain health.
In 2019, Dr Stewart’s FIELD Study – commissioned two years earlier by the PFA and the FA – concluded footballers were four and a half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative disease than age-matched members of the general population.
Further studies are looking at the cause of that increased risk, but Dawn said: “It isn’t because of the grass, or the oranges at half-time, is it?”
Football has taken more proactive steps to improve safety since that study was published, with heading guidelines in training introduced for under-18s in 2020 and for the professional and adult game last year.
Laraine recalls “tears streaming down her face” in sheer relief when former Football Association chairman Greg Clarke told the family about its plans to make children’s football safer.
Battles still lie ahead – Dawn has described football’s concussion protocols as “farcical” and continues to campaign for football-related dementia to be classified as an industrial disease.
Astle is still remembered with huge affection at West Brom, and the family will attend this Saturday’s match against Peterborough. His nine-year-old grandson Joseph, a massive Albion fan, will be one of the mascots.
January 19th is the day my dad died, not the day I was born. He wouldn’t want that, but I can’t help it. Dawn Astle
Before that, the family faces a difficult day on Wednesday, two decades on from Astle’s death.
“It’s a weird day. January 19th is the day my dad died, not the day I was born. He wouldn’t want that, but I can’t help it,” Dawn said.
“My dad died because of football, and football did nothing. I still think now they wouldn’t have done anything if we hadn’t done what we’ve done.
“And players would have continued to die, and children playing on a Saturday or a Sunday would still be at risk.”
The heading guidance introduced and studies instigated over the last two and a half years have undoubtedly been spurred on by the family’s relentless campaigning.
The family can therefore draw comfort on Wednesday from a promise kept.
How ‘Coneheads’ Went From ‘Pothead Sketch’ to ‘SNL’ Classic
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On Jan. 15, 1977, Beldar, Prymaat and Connie – better known to the world as the Coneheads – made their debut on Saturday Night Live.
The strange aliens were the brainchild of SNL star Dan Aykroyd, who came up with the idea while getting high. “I had been looking at TV – I guess I’d smoked a ‘J’ or something,” the comedian recalled in the book Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. “I thought, ‘Everybody’s heads don’t really reach the top of the screen. Wouldn’t it be great if you added four inches to everybody?’”
“The production assistants used to play a game. We’d get the sketches and then it would be like, ‘Hmm, what drug were they on when they wrote this on?” added Robin Shlien, who worked on SNL at the time. “Like the Coneheads, that was a total pothead sketch – the quintessential pothead sketch.”
Watch the Coneheads on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Still, the characters didn’t begin life as the Conehead family. Originally, Aykroyd came up with a sketch called “The Pinhead Lawyers from France,” which had a similar visual, but lacked the alien plot. Saturday Night Live head honcho Lorne Michaels thought it would be in bad taste to make fun of people with deformities and the concept was shelved.
Later, Aykroyd and SNL writer Tom Davis came up with a sketch called “Blind Dates From Outer Space,” inspired by cheesy 1950s sci-fi films. It too would be abandoned before making it on screen, but the idea included distinctive alien voices which would later be revisited for the Coneheads.
A vacation to Easter Island – known for its mysterious and ancient statues – inspired Aykroyd to bring all of these elements together.
At Michaels’ suggestion, the lawyer concept would be dropped for a more familial feel. “Lorne said, ‘Yeah, but what if they’re stuck in the suburbs and having to blend in?’ Which was the brilliant twist,” Aykroyd later explained to Maclean’s.
The alien patriarch Beldar was modeled off of Aykroyd’s own father. “There is an outward kind of formality there,” he noted of the character, “but in reality, Beldar is a cream puff. He is like the average American—North American—father, trying to exert control, but really having none. It’s Father Knows Best played by space aliens.”
Jane Curtin played Beldar’s wife, Prymaat, while Laraine Newman played the couple’s daughter, Connie.
When the characters debuted on Jan. 15, 1977, they received an instant reaction. “The first time [Aykroyd] walked on stage as Beldar and took off the stocking cap he was wearing over his cone, the audience let out a collective gasp,” Davis later recalled.
Watch a Classic Conehad Sketch From ‘Saturday Night Live’
The Coneheads – with their distinctive alien voices, quirky interpretations of human life and penchant for “fried chicken embryos” – immediately became the most beloved characters on SNL. They would appear in six of the show’s episodes in 1977, with another four appearances in ‘78 and one more in ‘79. Their popularity would also stretch beyond Saturday Night Live, inspiring an animated special, feature film, toy line and even a song by Frank Zappa.
For Aykroyd, the characters’ charm stemmed from simplistic honesty.
“Straight Earth people, Bluntheads, hide their emotions,” the comedian explained. “With Coneheads it’s way up front. When they get mad they go gggrrraaaaaiiihl … It’s like a cartoon.”
Wednesday’s letters: Don’t annex Siesta Key, voters ignored, column unfair to Rubio, more
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Sarasota Herald-Tribune
No annexation, no incorporation of Siesta
After reading the paper Jan. 10, I’m asking Sarasota Mayor Erik Arroyo to drop his proposal to discuss annexation of Siesta Key (“Sarasota City Commission to discuss idea of annexing Siesta Key at Jan. 18 meeting”).
On Jan. 4, Sarasota County’s legislative delegation failed to support a vote on incorporation of the Key.
We residents feel these measures are a little too late. Several hotels have already been approved. Neither annexation by the city nor incorporation would solve the major problem: traffic.
More:How to send a letter to the editor
Furthermore, we have excellent services here and do not want incorporation or annexation, which would absolutely cause higher taxes, among other problems.
The Sarasota city commissioners should focus on Sarasota’s homeless issues and leave Siesta Key as it is.
Lynne Croshier, Siesta Key
Politicians should listen to the people
I was disappointed to hear that Siesta Key won’t be allowed to vote to incorporate (“Siesta Key incorporation dies,” Jan. 5).
Not only will residents be unable to protect their quality of life, but this issue is emblematic of bigger problems in our area and in the state. The wishes of the people aren’t taking precedence.
The people want responsible development and less traffic. We want the environment to be protected so seagrass isn’t dying, causing record numbers of manatee deaths. We don’t want gopher tortoises, whose burrows provide homes for numerous species, to take a back seat to developers.
The people want our water sources protected, and we don’t want businesses like Mosaic being allowed to expand so they can continue to mismanage their toxic wastewater and pollute our waterways. We certainly don’t want their radioactive discharge injected into deep water wells.
Time and time again, our public officials promote policies that allow developers and businesses to run roughshod over their constituents.
But enough is enough: It’s time to vote out the politicians who’ve been in office too long and vote for new officials who will honor the wishes of the people. Please follow what is happening at the local and state level and consider running for office if you want to remedy the situation.
Laraine Bortner, Venice
Columnist a know-it-all about COVID
Fabiola Santiago’s Jan. 7 column is disturbing on many levels (“Rubio’s COVID falsehoods put Floridians at risk”). She presumes she knows everything about COVID and Sen. Marco Rubio knows nothing, while accusing him of being irresponsible.
Imagine if Ms. Santiago picked up the phone, called Mr. Rubio, they discussed their differences and she then wrote a column. That would be a far more informative column, still based on their opinions but much more balanced and maybe even valuable.
The public is tired of these self-aggrandizing op-eds denigrating opposition party members. Pick up the phone and try comity. Good grief.
P.S. This applies to Russ Feingold, too, in regard to the statistical distortions in his column the same day (“Biden’s judicial picks reflect nation’s diversity”). Come on, man, please.
Brian C. Jones, Port Charlotte
Republicans pushing U.S. toward fascism
Republican writers are always criticizing the left for supposedly promoting socialism. I wonder how many have actually looked up the definition.
What I would like to know is why those who are so against socialism are willing to see our democracy fail and be replaced by a dictator and fascism, which is currently being promoted by the Republican Party.
The right is responsible for the Jan. 6 attempt to overthrow our democracy. Those who fail to acknowledge this attempt are complicit. What is their excuse?
And, for those who are crying fraud with regard to the 2020 election, why is it that four people arrested recently on charges they voted more than once live in The Villages, a predominantly Republican enclave. Three of them are registered Republicans.
Ann Rubin-Hentschel, Lakewood Ranch
Don’t let GOP politicize education
State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, wants to legislate that all school board races in Florida become partisan (“Florida lawmakers look to make school board candidates run as either Democrats or Republicans,” Dec. 1).
He follows the effort of Donald Trump, his party’s national leader, to politicize everything possible, including cultural trends or issues - even religion - in its quest to gain more power.
If school boards become more political, in a red state, schools could become another source of campaign income and control where conservatives could indoctrinate children in their right-wing conservative ideology.
Do Florida voters want their kids to be educated in this narrow way? Or are students better served by free exposure to both liberal and conservative principles?
Jim Beck Sr., Sarasota
Planners on board with addition of warehouse/office complex at Brickhouse Commons in Pembroke
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Randy Fancher, president of J&R Specialties of Akron, citing ongoing supply chain issues and inflation, presented a fourth version of his company’s plan to develop three parcels at the corner of Route 5 and Route 77 in the Town of Pembroke to the Genesee County Planning Board tonight.
“We’ve been here before,” said Fancher, speaking of the planning board’s previous approvals of the Brickhouse Commons LLC mixed-use project – a pair of buildings combining retail and residential near Brickhouse Corners Drive and Tim Hortons, and across from Pembroke High School.
While that venture is still on the table, Fancher and his brother, Jeff, vice president, now are proposing to construct a 42,000-square-foot warehouse and office building – between the two mixed-use structures.
“Our core business needs have changed drastically over the last year with all the supply chain issues and inflation, and so we are now having to stock way more product than in the past,” he said. “So, now this is our core need for this warehouse.”
Fancher told The Batavian that the company’s current set-up – working out of three separate facilities in Akron – is “extremely inefficient.”
“As everything in the world has changed recently, we have decided it would be much more efficient to build a new warehouse/office complex large enough to have everything under one roof,” he said.
Pending final approvals from the town and other agencies, the Fanchers said they are committed to developing the warehouse/office first, followed by the mixed-use apartments/retail space and, eventually, a three-story mixed use building with commercial on the first floor and 17 apartments on the second and third floors farther south along Route 77.
Fancher said that J&R Specialties already has received approvals for the mixed-use buildings, which are located in the Genesee County Economic Development Center’s Buffalo East Technology Park in the town’s Interchange District.
Planning Board member Tom Schubmehl, a Pembroke resident, asked Fancher about the amount of truck traffic the warehousing operation would produce.
Fancher replied that the plan calls for the loading dock to accommodate three tractor-trailers at any time, adding that he figures there will be three to five semis at the location per day.
“… the drawing we submitted was only a conceptual,” he said. “We had to check with the Town of Pembroke to see if they needed curbs – what their curb requirements were. Once we get approval, we’ll move into an actual site plan and then we can address semi flow.”
Planning Board Chair Laraine Caton noted that the intersection will become quite contested before Planning Director Felipe Oltramari mentioned that the trucks will enter and exit from Brickhouse Corners Drive, which is off of Route 5.
The board then recommended approval of the site plan, with modifications pertaining to acquisition of a stormwater permit, signage that complies with the town’s zoning regulations, and meeting Enhanced 9-1-1 standards and (the recently added) public safety radio system in-building coverage requirements.
PEMBROKE IN THE CANNABIS ‘ZONE’
The planning board also recommended approval of the Town of Pembroke’s desire to amend its zoning test to include “cannabis related businesses” throughout the 41.7-square-mile municipality.
The town has opted in to allow cannabis dispensaries and on-site consumption establishments in accordance with New York State’s Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act. Other Genesee County communities that opted in are the City of Batavia, Towns of Darien and Pavilion, and Village of Corfu.
The text amendment would allow for cannabis related businesses to operate with a special use permit.
Schubmehl commented that Pembroke will become “the county’s business center for marijuana distribution,” prompting Oltramari to advise that cannabis sales already are taking place on the nearby Tonawanda Seneca Nation Reservation.
INCENTIVE TO COMPLETE SURVEY
Oltramari said that Genesee County is number one in the state thus far in terms of people responding to an online survey about broadband access (www.geneseebroadband.com). He said that 3 percent of households have filled out the survey, which is twice as much as any other county.
County residents completing the survey can enter a drawing for a “Dine, Stay & Play Package” at Batavia Downs Gaming which includes a one-night stay for two at the Hotel at Batavia Downs and $50 towards a meal at Fortune’s restaurant (valid Sunday-Thursday).
The planning director said he will be presenting the Genesee 2050 Comprehensive Plan and Recreation Plan to the County Legislature’s Public Service Committee next Tuesday.
Drawing above: Brickhouse Commons site plan – Route 5 (Main Road) is at right; Route 77 (Alleghany Road) is at the bottom. The proposed warehouse/office building is located between the two proposed commercial/residential buildings.
Previously: GCEDC board approves assistance for Pembroke mixed-use project