It turns out I really like Richard Dean Anderson.

Cafe Society
1

Not in a Patty and Selma manner, of course, but inspired by a recent reminder in these august pages of the Simpsons episode in which they kidnapped him I looked to YouTube for the pilot of MacGyver, which I had not watched when it was on the air. Then to Legend, of which I had forgotten. They might have Stargate SGI, but I saw most of them in first run so I won’t be looking for a good, long while.

Sure, his characters are all the same, just him being charming, affable, funny, and a bit hammy, but he makes it work well enough that I haven’t grown tired of him. Not yet, though I have seven seasons of MacGyver ahead of me.

And MacGyver was also worked on by Doctor Who’s Terry Nation!

2

He’s all right.

3

I like Richard Dean Anderson, and Richard (Norman) Anderson: Oscar Goldman on the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman. As to Macgyver - who knows his first name (no Googling or Wiki’ing)

Difficulty: Same name as the lead guitarist of AC/DC :slight_smile:

4

It’s McMurphy, right? McMurphy Macgyver.

5

Nope, actually Macguyver’s first name was bobot!.

I kid.

It’s ancient trivia. I doubt Mr. Dean Anderson would know. dropzone would probably know his first name.

It’s Angus. A damn fine name.

That was a good show. A rubber band, a paper clip, perhaps some sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter - save the world!

I don’t think he ever made gunpowder - it was a kid-friendly show.

6

The only guy to ever look good in a mullet.

7

It turns out, so do I.

8

I see him as another Jimmy Stewart or Jim Garner. They all slid through their careers by being likeable. It’s not like any of them could act for beans. They didn’t have to. They played the same characters, delivered their lines with a wink to the audience, and made people feel good. The writers wrote for them, which helped, like songwriters wrote for Astaire’s vocal range.

9

I always loved him in Stargate SG1, and thought the show went way downhill when they switched him from starring to recurring status. The show never really recovered, in my opinion, though it limped along for several more seasons. The best episodes from the last few seasons were invariably the ones where he made an appearance.

I am old enough to remember him in MacGyver as well, though it didn’t make much of an impression on me. Just enough that when I saw him in Stargate, I thought, hey! it’s MacGyver!

10

He’s no MacGruber.

11

Don’t thank him - thank the moon’s gravitational pull.

12

The guy’s name has always annoyed me. Largely because my first and middle names are “Richard Dean”, and in high school jazz band, the alto sax player who sat next to me was named “Dean Anderson”.

“Richard Dean Anderson” just makes a confusing knot in my brain.