Movie Monday: Mr Mom

The film Mr. Mom (1983) has three main actors with connections to Ohio.

Michael Keaton was born in Ohio Valley Hospital in Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania.  He studied speech for two years at Kent State University before dropping out and moving to Pittsburgh.

Teri Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1944(7).

Martin Mull was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in North Ridgeville, Ohio, from age 2 to 15 years old, when his family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where he attended and graduated from public high school.  Martin Mull:  Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio

My favorite scene from Mr. Mom

Ziggy's Legacy

Although Ziggy may not be my favorite comic (and yes, it also has an important Ohio connection), I do have fond childhood memories of the sweet down-trodden guy, who is now know the world over. It is therefore very sad news to hear that the funny little everyman's creator passed away on Friday.  Tom Wilson was born in West Virginia and raised in Pennsylvania but spent the majority of his adult life in Ohio with secondary homes in Hollywood and New York.  His son, who graduated from my alma mater and now lives in Loveland (a northern Cincinnati suburb), has been drawing the comic strip since 1987.

Soap Heartthrobs

As I continue my quest to catch up on all things '70s and have been viewing episodes of Soap on Netflix (thanks to Alycia's suggestion), I discovered that the two heartthrobs in this hilarious and sometimes poignant parody of daytime television were played by Ohioans.  Peter Campbell, the tennis pro that slept with every woman that entered the little Connecticut town's country club was played by 'Galahad with a gun' Robert Urich, who grew up in Toronto, Ohio.    Danny Dallas, the somewhat dim-witted but sweet and charming son of Mary Campbell who has gotten in too deep with the mob, was portrayed by Ted Wass of Lakewood, Ohio.  I doubt that either actor's upbringing had much bearing on their portrayals in this series but it did at least affect Urich's overall career.


I think my longevity has a lot to do with where I come from – a blue-collar town in Ohio – and how I was raised: to work hard and respect other folks. -- Robert Urich