The RIP Thread

I loved the Pink Panther films, they were so stupid they were brilliant.
RIP Burt

 

Sad indeed, those were truly wonderful films, so silly yet so funny and the mix of characters was spot-on. Bert was, certainly in the 60s & 70s, the ubiquitous Chinese/Japanese actor appearing in so many films and TV programmes and a measure of his longevity was his later appearances in 'Last of the Summer Wine'...

 

Not now, Cato!

 

Was in 3 Bond films? 1.You only live twice what were the other two?

 

Goldfinger and the spoof Casino Royale

 

Carla Lane, writer of the Liver Birds, Bread and other stuff I really never enjoyed, has died.

RIP, you definitely had something which people appreciated.

 

The one that I really liked was Butterflies.

RIP

 

Doesn't look too good for him. Fair to say at his peak in the 60s/70s he was the most famous person on the planet, we'll not see his like again...

 

One of my great memories is the original 'Fight of the Century' in 1971 Ali v Frazier. The only time two undefeated World Heavyweight Champions had met. Ali had been stripped of his title for refusing his call-up for Vietnam and Frazier won the vacant title in awesome style and seemed unstoppable from then on. When Ali returned to the ring in 1970 and beat Jerry Quarry in 3 rounds it lined up the biggest fight in history. In those days there were only one World Champion in just 8 weight divisions unlike the crazy situation these days.

I was lucky enough to get a ticket from a mate who worked in a ticket agency to see it live at the Odeon in Kensington High Street via closed circuit TV at 3.30am. The cinema was packed out and the atmosphere inside was electric, just like being at the fight even though the pictures were grainy and piss-poor quality compared to these days. When Frazier floored Ali in the 15th round there was bedlam and it was a measure of Ali's bravery that he got up from a blow that would have ko'd most fighters that late in a fight. I can still remember the buzz from that and emerging into the cold dark morning at about 5.30am and getting a taxi home, I had to borrow from my Dad for the rest of that month...

 

A skillful fighter that knew it was about more than just throwing punches. An absolute legend and if my memory serves me correctly our 'enery was the only boxer to put him on the floor.
Hope he pulls through, but as already mentioned his quality of life hasn't been great for a number of years now.

 

Most of the title fights were on the BBC usually the day after although I'm sure the Ali v Cooper fight was live on a Saturday night back in 1966, that was the second time Cooper had been stopped on cuts against Ali. I remember listening to the first one on the Radio back in 1963, my mum was an avid boxing fan as her dad had been a boxer back in the 1920s, she absolutely hated Ali and I never saw her so animated as when Cooper floored him even though it was on the radio she was screaming with delight only to be deflated a few minutes later when the ref stopped the fight. Amazing how one man can generate so many memories...

 

At least partly because we had Harry Carpenter commentating on it, a very fine sports journalist. I'll never forget how simultaneously calm and furious he was when the crowd rioted after Hagler smashed Minter in 3(?) rounds.

 

'No black man's going to take my title'

http://www.thesweetscience.com/arti...gler-minter-wembley-arena-london-sept-27-1980

 

Brutal and also embarrassing.

That's great sports writing, seldom seen nowadays. I've got an anthology put together by Nick Hornby I think full of beautiful pieces on all sorts of sports, but the boxing ones are the best.

 

Muhammad Ali has passed away sadly.

R.i.p. A true great