« Momentous! | Main | Sclerosis of the Left »

October 10, 2012

Sadly, Mongo No Longer Pawn In Game of Life

Alex Karras, Former NFL Lineman, Star of 'Webster,' Dies at 77: I remember him best from his tailor-made role in Mel Brooks' 1974 classic western sendup, Blazing Saddles, as Mongo, a brute strong man enlisted by the evil Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) to destroy the innocent town of Rockridge. -- Sensing @ Sense of Events

Posted by gerardvanderleun at October 10, 2012 1:29 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

The campfire scene in that flick is one of cinema's greatest accomplishments.

Posted by: Skorpion at October 10, 2012 4:26 PM

I was always partial to the Yiddish-speaking Indians myself.

RIP, Alex. This old Detroit boy fondly remembers your playing days with the Lions defense.

Posted by: waltj at October 10, 2012 5:36 PM

@WaltJ, I was 14 years old when one of the greatest games in Detroit Lions history occurred; the Thanksgiving Day massacre. Needless to say, our Thanksgiving dinner that day was festive. There's a great photo online of Bart Starr going down in the embrace of Alex and crew. RIP Alex.

Posted by: JimBobElrod at October 11, 2012 7:15 AM

@JimBob: That 1962 game is but a vague memory to me, a young child at the time, but I do seem to recall my dad and uncles being in a rather jolly mood over dinner, even more so than was typical for the day. Pity the Lions couldn't have had more games like that since the late 1950s.

Posted by: waltj at October 11, 2012 8:35 PM

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)