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Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Night of 100 Stars: Who was missing?

On the latest episode of the podcast, we dive into the 1982 Night of 100 Stars gala broadcast on ABC and discover there are actually way more than 100 stars. Yet many big ones are missing from the event. Here is a list of 10 stars who should have (and as far as I know could have) been there:

*Cary Grant: It's great seeing so many screen legends on stage, but maybe the best movie star of all is conspicuous by his absence. He was long retired as a performer, but all he had to do was walk out on stage and wave, right?

*Katharine Hepburn: Does this seem at all like her "thing"? No, but she was arguably the biggest female screen legend not there, and she was red hot after the success of On Golden Pond.

*Audrey Hepburn: We're talking STARS here, right? Grace Kelly IS on the special, but Hepburn would have made a nice addition.

*Frank Sinatra: His New York, New York was released a mere couple of years before this event, and he spent 1982 doing high-profile concert gigs and a residency at the Golden Nugget. He would have been a great choice to close the event.

*Alan Alda: Arguably the biggest primetime TV star not at the event, coming off Emmy recognition and starring in one of the most notable programs on the airwaves.

*Robert Redford: The special emphasizes Old Hollywood over 1980 Hollywood, but Newman and Redford together would be a natural treat.

*Jack Nicholson: Any event with numerous Hollywood celebs from this era seems incomplete without some reference to Jack.

*Johnny Carson: Maybe the biggest TV star, period, not at the special.  Maybe it was too difficult logistically, and he had moved his show from New York years ago, but still, he was THE Academy Awards host at this point.

*Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood: Two macho men who were among the top box office draws of the early Eighties.

*Darth Vader: One of the biggest villains of all time and not at all publicity shy.

Now, anytime people complain about who is left off of an all-star team, others will point out, not without reason, "Well, who are you gonna remove to make room for them?" So then I will now list the stars who should have been REMOVED from the Night of 100--

No, it's Christmas season! I am not going to do that.  Let's just consider this a way the show could have been even bigger, even more spectacular, than it already was.

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