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Two entertainers, both of whom I greatly enjoy, celebrate birthdays on the same day \u2013 today, September 1.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, both men excelled in their chosen fields and have left a legacy of enjoyment for all of us in various ways.<\/p>\n
Allow me to take a brief look at both men and their respective careers.<\/p>\n
George Maharis<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n George would later make some movies in the 1960s, star in a short-lived television series (The Most Deadly Game<\/em>) and guest star in several other TV shows from the 1970s through the early 1990s including Night Gallery, Medical Center, Cannon, Mission: Impossible, Barnaby Jones, Movin\u2019 On, McMillan & Wife, Ellery Queen, Rich Man, Poor Man, The Bionic Woman, Kojak, Police Story, Fantasy Island, Logan\u2019s Run, Murder, She Wrote<\/em> and others.<\/p>\n But there is one TV show for which he is best remembered \u2013 Route 66<\/em>, on which he starred with Martin Milner from 1960 until partway through the series\u2019 third season (January 1963), when he was forced to bow out due to hepatitis. After George\u2019s departure, Glenn Corbett was hired as a replacement. However, Corbett was no Maharis \u2013 after all, who could replace George Maharis? \u2013 and ratings began to go down. The show was cancelled at the end of its fourth season.<\/p>\n There can be no doubt that George Maharis made Route 66<\/em> the popular show that it once was. His charisma, his \u201ccoolness\u201d, made people want to tune in to CBS every Friday night to see what adventures he and Milner would get into next as they crisscrossed the country in a Corvette.<\/p>\n During the height of his Route 66<\/em> popularity, George revived his singing career and released several albums on the Epic label between 1962 and 1966.<\/p>\n Showing himself to be a Renaissance man, George became an impressionist painter as he grew older.<\/p>\n Happy 93rd<\/sup>, George! May you have many more!<\/p>\n Barry Gibb<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Just over three years after Barry\u2019s birth, his fraternal twin brothers Robin and Maurice were born. Together, they eventually began to sing and then, to write songs. At first Barry did the songwriting but was eventually joined in this endeavor by Robin and Maurice.<\/p>\n The Gibb family emigrated to Australia in 1958, after the birth of youngest brother Andy. While in Australia the three oldest brothers began pursuing a musical career in earnest. Eventually, realizing they had gone as far as they could in Australia, Barry, Robin and Maurice wished to return to England. They did so in early 1967 and, as the old saying goes, the rest is history.<\/p>\n I shall not attempt to go over the story of Barry\u2019s career nor that of his brothers; there is enough information on that elsewhere. And there are plenty of writers who have done a much better job at writing about the Bee Gees and Barry Gibb than I could do here. Just let me say that the music of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb has meant so much to me from the time I first became aware of them in my teens until now.<\/p>\n Barry was given a chance to act at least twice; once with brother Maurice in the 1970 Cucumber Castle <\/em>special for UK television; and in the 1984 film Now Voyager<\/em>, which is basically an extended music video featuring most of the songs from Barry\u2019s solo album of the same name.<\/p>\n It is sad, in a way, that oldest brother Barry is the \u201clast man standing\u201d among his siblings \u2013 Andy died in 1988; Maurice in 2003; and Robin in 2012. But I am so glad Barry is still with us and has been for exactly three-quarters of a century now.<\/p>\n Happy 75th<\/sup>, Sir Barry! May you continue to have good health and prosperity!<\/p>\n Photo credits:<\/em><\/p>\n Top left, George Maharis, 1962: Photographer-Bud Fraker, Beverly Hills. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/p>\n Top right, Barry Gibb, 2017: Raph_PH, <\/em>CC BY 2.0<\/em><\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/p>\n George Maharis in 1972: Harry Langdon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/a-person-in-a-suit-description-automatically-gene.jpeg\")
Born September 1, 1928 in Astoria, Queens, NY, George served in the Marines after graduation from high school. He attempted a singing career before going into acting. He began appearing in off-Broadway productions before he began to make appearances on television in the 1950s.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/philcoradio.com\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/a-group-of-people-holding-musical-instruments-des.png\")
Born September 1, 1946, in Douglas, Isle of Man, Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb would eventually be the second oldest of five children (he has an older sister, Lesley). His father, Hugh Gibb, had been a bandleader and his mother, Barbara Gibb, had been a singer, so music seemed to come naturally to Barry and his brothers.<\/p>\n