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R.I.P. actor James Farentino

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by lone star scribe, Feb 21, 2012.

  1. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    Actually, to anyone over 45 or 50 years of age, James Farentino was quite well-known and instantly identifiable because of his extensive TV work, back in txhe day when you only had three networks as an option.

    It's simply a generational thing. For example, Amy Winehouse may have been well known to many under 30, but probably not to many Baby Boomers such as myself. Her death didn't register anything with me.
     
  2. James Farentino lived for a while in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. In something right out of Hemingway - Farentino was doing some deep sea fishing with a local captain when he hooked a giant blue tuna. Just as they were about to land the tuna - it was attacked by a great white shark. The shark was close enough to the boat that Farentino put a harpoon into the shark which he secured to the cletes at the back of the boat. Doing this kept the shark close to the boat where Farentino first took a gaff and stuck it right into the eye of the shark. He then emptied six shots from his handgun into the head of the great white.

    The shark died after about thirty minutes of thrashing about. The sea captain vowed never to go out on the ocean again with Farentino but he never said that to his face.

    I wonder if his obituary will mention this story.
     
  3. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    Those are fair points, Micro. But to imply that Stitch or myself or anyone else who never heard of him don't know anything about the world before 1990 is pretty judgmental and ignorant on Biscayne's part.

    The guy was a lousy actor who had some bit parts in film, but worked extensively doing TV movies. I'm a former film student. I watch as many movies as I can, including many, many from before 1990. But, no, I don't seek out TV movies from 1969, which likely wouldn't be available on DVD anyway.

    As for Winehouse, she was at least relevant in the music world when she died. Even if people over 40 or 50 were not familiar with her, she won six Grammy awards, including one this year. Her death was newsworthy because of her youth, her self-destructive ways, her talent (wasted and otherwise) and her relevance to current music.

    This Farantino guy has one acting credit in the last decade, which -- no surprise -- was a TV movie.

    The older folks here may know him, and I'm not saying they shouldn't feel free to discuss him, but I was simply remarking that I had never heard of him and Stitch was doing the same.
     
  4. Biscayne

    Biscayne Guest

    Don't care at all if you never heard of him, Pern, but why come on his thread and mock his existence? It's neither cute nor clever, and it's been done a gazillion times before. Other than that, spot on!
     
  5. TigerVols

    TigerVols Well-Known Member

    I wonder if this means Mormons won't baptise him now?
     
  6. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    I don't think I tried to get cute, clever or to mock his existence. I clicked on the thread curious about who it was. I read the obit. Had never heard of him and posted the same. Pretty simple. Doesn't mean I think the world didn't exist before 1990. But other than that, spot on! ::)
     
  7. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    This was well played. In fact, it was both cute and clever. :D
     
  8. prhack

    prhack Member

    As a Pearl Harbor buff, I've always considered The Final Countdown (also starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen) to be a guilty pleasure. RIP.
     
  9. The James Farentino episode of Love American Style was the highest rated episode in the show's history. It is rumored that Farentino was better endowed than Milton Berle and that off stage he made love to a tiger. He didn't always drink beer but when he did he made it Pabst Blue Ribbon.
     
  10. Joe Williams

    Joe Williams Well-Known Member

    Often used to confuse James Farentino with James Franciscus, and occasionally Tony Franciosa, all of them popular TV actors more than movie stars. All three probably won't resonate with some on this board, which means they had little business living in the first place.
     
  11. Which one played Bannigan? Or was that Ty Lookwell?
     
  12. qtlaw

    qtlaw Well-Known Member

    For those of us over 45 I'm confident 95% of us would not have that confusion. Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Sunday Night Movie, we knew who he was. He was the guy who got the ladies, not Abe Vigoda.
     
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