Monday, November 30, 2009

Telly Savalas Is Masculine Coolness

One of my favorite actors of all time is Telly Savalas. I'm been a fan of him since I was a young boy. I first remember watching him on the television series Kojak (1973-1978). My mom actually went into labor with my younger brother when we were watching an episode of the show. Telly is most remembered for that classic show of the 1970's. He would even go on to play the role again in a series of television movies during the 1980's.

Some of his other credits throughout the years are
The Young Savages (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), etc. He also played the part of the Bond supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. His portrayal of Blofeld is actually my favorite in the Bond franchise. Telly recorded quite a few albums. He also did some print and commercial ads over the years. He even has a connection with members of the Rat Pack because he played the villain in Cannonball Run II in 1984.

Telly always had this masculine coolness about him that I've always admired. Even as a young boy, I found myself idolizing him. There was just something about him that drew me in. I knew that this was the type of man I'd love to be more like. Telly was his own man. He was comfortable in his own skin. He's one of the first bald actors I can remember ever seeing. He also had a voice that was very memorable. It could be soothing, humorous, threatening, etc. Plus Telly definitely had a style of his own. Telly passed away from cancer at the age of 72 in 1994. He's been sorely missed ever since.


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Here are a few clips of Telly for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy them.


Telly's spoken word version of If:



The fight scene between Telly's Blofeld and George Lazenby's Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service:



Tribute video to Telly:




P.S. I do hope all my fellow Americans had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was fantastic. I hate to see it come to an end. I also hope that all my international friends had a great week and weekend. I'm trying to head around to all of your blogs now. I did miss checking you guys out this week. I wish you all the best. I hope you will all have a great week as December is almost upon us.

I did want to let everybody know that I'm making some changes here at the blog. I've talked with some friends about this before I made this decision. I will more than likely not be leaving comments anymore here at my blog in response to the comments you leave.

When I was only getting a couple of comments, it was easy to leave comments here and then visit the blogs of others to leave comments there as well. Now that I'm getting a lot more comments at both my blogs, it's gotten to where it's taking so much time that I don't really have. I love doing it, but it's very time consuming. I know that a lot of people who get lots of comments don't leave responses in their own comment section, so I'm definitely not alone in this. I will be visiting each of your blogs and leaving comments there like I always have. If there's a reason to leave feedback in my own comment section, then I'll do it. Otherwise I just won't be usually doing that much anymore.

I hope you all understand. I don't think it should be a problem with anybody. I had been mulling this for quite some time, but had put it off. This is my first week of trying it out. I did want to let all of you know. I'm not sure if any of you had really been checking back to see if I leave comments in my comment section or not. That way you will know what's going on. Plus obviously this will make the amount of comments in my comment section go down, but I never wanted it to look like I was inflating my comment section with my own comments. Thank you for your support. Take care.


45 comments:

Maria Jensen said...

Great post Keith : )

Maria

Leah said...

Hi Keith! I miss you.

Gosh, I love Kojak. Hahaha! My age is showing. He's really so cool.

Glad you had a great Thanksgiving. Have a great Sunday! Glad to have you back.

lorenabr said...

I´m such a fan of Kojak:) It´s fun to watch. The stong bold man with the red lolly pop : ))) Welcome back in the blog world ;)

http://creationbites.blogspot.com/

Ms. B @ Millie Deel said...

How funny, I saw a couple of Kojak episodes over Thanksgiving! Hope you had a great holiday!!

Anonymous said...

Ohh my friend, you're back!

I loved Kojak in the 70's and his constant signature ... the lollipops!

What a lovely post, and it's soooo wonderful to have you home again!

Sandy footsteps from "a swedish and wintry beach'....

Agneta

Carrie Clevenger said...

Telly! I forget about these awesome people and there you go, reminding me. My comments are given freely, I rarely check back. Take it and smile. Happy Sunday.

MaryMary said...

Hahah !...Great post! I love Telly Savalas.

Who loves ya baby ?

Scott (gotankgo) said...

Telly is the man and this blog is a great tribute. Hope you enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing holiday.

Anonymous said...

It's good you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Thank you for remembering me and my blog. I had a normal weekend instead, but relaxing, which is the most important thing.
And yes, I remember Kojak so well. He was a tough bald man.

Couture Carrie said...

Welcome back, Keith!
Fab pics of Telly!

xoxox,
CC

Stéphanie said...

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous Keith !
http://mimietnini.canalblog.com/

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your comment, glad your break was enjoyable...Loved Kojak...

E.K. said...

Any reason for you to mention Bond! My blogger brother in arms!

Marcos Callau said...

The eternal Kojak is unforgettable. I think he was cool, too. Great actor.

Gabbi said...

I love your tribute post to Telly Keith! As a kid he totally fascinated me. Scary and fascinating to a kid maybe?

Also, don't even worry about commenting back. I make a point of reading every one of my comments, they're the best part about blogging... but yeah, it gets hard to answer in the comments section.

chic femme said...

Oh, Telly is wonderful. He has such a unique look. Loved him in Bond. :) Great film.

Maria Confer said...

This is my first introduction to Telly and I love him. Great style and I adore his strong nose!!

lululetty.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Great post! Thanks for commenting over at my blogs! Talk later!!!

yyam said...

His name doesn't ring a bell but I think I do remember him playing the villain roles...He certainly had a style of his own.

I actually never check back on the comments I've made..my profile is linked to my email so I just assume that any response will go to my email. Hope the new system works for you and you have more time to blurf (blog surf)...and have more cool stuff to share..:)Just so you know, I really do appreciate you stopping by my blog...you are cool!

Have a wonderful week ahead Keith!

bananas. said...

i dunno, i'm sure he's coolness and all but he has a face that looks like he'd murder me and my grandma and not even blink. haha!

no? okay, nevermind. hope you had a lovely thanksgiving!

Niki said...

very cool! glad to hear you had a great thanksgiving :)

x Niki

http://ahautemess.blogspot.com

Witchcrafted Life said...

Hi Keith, welcome back, I hope you had a marvelous Thanksgiving!

This post is tops, I really enjoyed it, and am now wondering why they don't seem to show Kojac on any of the channels we get up here on Canadian satellite TV these days?!

I totally understand where you're coming from in regards to the comments left for you on your own blog. A while back I also switched (by and large) from replying to individual comments on my site and instead leaving my replies on the blogs of those who had visited me in the first place.

Wishing you a fantastic Monday and week ahead, my friend!
♥ Jessica

Steve Langton said...

Always think of Lisa And The Devil when Telly's name crops up which is where the lollypop came in.

Understand your reasoning as far as leaving comments go. It's a breeze when your blog only gets one or two like mine does, but a real task when you have tons to answer.

Zuzana said...

I agree with you, Telly Savalas has a certain uncanny charisma.;)
As for the comment reply, I am struggling with this issue myself, so I totally understand your decision. Just like you, I rather go and visit other blogs than sit for an hour answering all the kind comments that people leave. Sometimes I have left a joined reply to all visitors, as I still feel it is appropriate to acknowledge their visit.;)

Sam said...

Oh! Thank you so much Keith!!! I adore Telly! Really and truly!! I grew up watching Kojak and I thought he was just the best thing! That chuppa chup was an incredible prop he had too!! So glad you're back! (Sorry about all the exclamation marks!!)

Wolf Boy said...

I think I've only seen him as Blofeld. Kojak was before my time. I liked these pictures and videos.

Nancy Sinatra Fan said...

I've seen Telly in so many things over the years. My husband is a big fan of his. I love that video for "If." What I like about Telly is that he shows you can be cool without having to look like a male model.

erika sorocco said...

My mother once saw him in person in New York City - this is like 30 years ago. She said that he was so nice. He kissed her hand!

So glad to have you back, Keith - you were missed! Hope you had a great vacation! :)

Anonymous said...

Excellent post !
It's so nice to make a post on him (and so rare*°*°*°*°*)
Have a wonderful week dear !

Unknown said...

Hey keith, welcome back to the bloggosphere! Thanks for the lovely comment.
I think Telly Savalas was the first to make bald considered sexy. Personally, I favour hair :D LOL.

Kira Aderne said...

Hello Keith!

Such a cool man!
So great to see you back after a time off...I hope to have a time off too during new's year...let´s wait!


all my kisses,

Kira

Mondo said...

He was the kiddie, and so cool in Kojak. Don't forget to check out Sammy Davis singing a vocal version of the Kojak theme..

It should be on my blog somewhere

Maggi said...

Oh yeah, he is a total bad ass for sure!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for stopping by

GYPSYWOMAN said...

oh, telly, telly! who loves ya, baby!!!
:)

FilmFather said...

Wow. I don't know if Savalas' performance of "If" is awful or awesome. Definitely feels a bit Shatner-esque, a la "Mr. Tambourine Man" or "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

Tights Lover said...

Great post...I loved all the pictures and videos!

AutumnJones said...

Love the post!

Unknown said...

owww. really cool, so, how r u?
thank u for your lovely comments... kisses

Unknown said...

OMG...his.. oh... so... quiet sexy cool will undo my straps any day ..... any time :P

drollgirl said...

kojak! tee hee. we used to watch kojak, hawaii five o, and the rockford files when i was a kid. kojak was pretty good. pretty, pretty good. :)

Graham I. Haynes said...

The self-titled album and "IF" video are crucial, man. Great post. Hilarious.

Unknown said...

Ah Telly... he rocked Bald before bald was cool. That episode on The twilight Zone whith him and that talking doll STILL freaks me out! LOL!

Cheryl Lynn Pastor Romance Author said...

Mr. Keith! I can't tell you how many weeknights my mother and I would enjoy Kojak together! This is a wonderful post. Telly Savalas was the ultimate cool dude. He was not a joke, but still managed to remain compassionate.

I totally understand about the comments. It is very time consuming to answer your comments after receiving so many.

Besides, I like it when you visit my blog to leave your comments:)

Have a great evening, my friend.

Giannis said...

I really really enjoy Savalas in one of the most funny anti-war movie, the: Kellys heroes

goodmorning