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As you might have seen before, one of my favorite old westerns was Steve McQueen’s, “Wanted Dead or Alive.” He was also a star of some of the most iconic action movies in history. Examples include the original, “Magnificent Seven,” “Bullitt,” “Papillon,” and “The Great Escape.” Based on his movies, he was known as The King of Cool. But was he really that cool?

If you’ve read much of my stuff, you know I sometimes go back in history to find obscure facts about famous people. For example, I’ve done pieces on Napoleon, Cleopatra, and Abraham Lincoln. Having said that, I believe Ben Franklin is the most interesting historical figure I’ve done to date. He led a seriously diverse life. So, here are some obscure facts about Benjamin Franklin.

Or what kind of old person are you, for that matter?. When I was just semi-old, I wondered what type of old person I would be. I was tottering between being a crusty old curmudgeon and a bitter old man, depending on how things worked out. I know I’m splitting hairs on the difference between those two, but people seem to cut curmudgeons more slack. I think that’s where I landed.

His was an eventful life. During the 70s, Burt Reynolds was arguably the King of Hollywood. His movies were generally more fun than deep and Reynolds himself parlayed good looks, a nice sense of humor and a likeable persona into a notable career. Of course, everything wasn’t hunky dory in Burt’s life. Let’s look at some things you might not have known about Burt Reynolds.

Not all of these things are high tech. As I’ve said before, I’m not a car guy. I just like a vehicle that is reliable, easy to drive, and if possible, as satellite radio. Both of my vehicles have all of those things. But one of my vehicles, a 2016 Hyundai Elantra has a feature I was unaware of until recently. Seat warmers. And they felt good on a cold night.

He wasn't the easiest guy to like. Kirk Douglas played in a lot of action films, so I’ve seen a lot of his work. He’s even done some memorable westerns. He generally goes about his work with a lot of intensity. In fact, he was so intense it was also a little too much for me. But that’s just me.

He was more than just a blond James Bond. There was a brief period in my life where I thought Roger Moore was a better James Bond than Sean Connery. But I got over it. While Moore seemed like the most affable of James Bonds, he didn’t seem up to the action sequences. His movements seemed awkward, and he even had a body double run for him. But at least he didn’t seem like he was going to drop dead from angst like Timothy Dalton.

He doesn't always take a good picture. Before he became the poster boy for every bad mug shot ever taken, Nick Nolte was named The Sexiest Man Alive. He also had quite a movie career. He’s been below the radar for some time but at one time he was very prolific in both movies, as well as doing some noteworthy TV work.

It's in the neighborhood of Heartbreak Hotel. As we get older, we are faced with increasing challenges. As we decline physically, some of us are also working with diminishing income. It’s a good thing that our mental acuity increases as we age.

He has climbed the list of my favorite actors. I’ve known of Robert Duvall for quite a while. To me he was a decent actor, but I didn’t think much about him until he played Augustus McCrae in “Lonesome Dove.” It was one of the best performances I have ever seen.

Buddy had two iconic TV roles. Buddy Ebsen is best known for his great work as Jed Clampett, but there is so much more to his career than that. He also did a memorable turn as the geriatric detective, Barnaby Jones. But wait, there’s more!

We’ve heard variations of a good prosecutor can get a grand jury to induct a ham sandwich. That may or not be true, but what would that process be like? Let’s follow the story of a ham sandwich who runs afoul of an ambitious district attorney. And in this case, the DA isn’t Jewish so we will eliminate that issue of potential prejudice.

He was a great actor and fellow Okie. In the interests of full disclosure, James Garner was one of my favorite actors.His Jim Rockford character was my favorite TV detective of all time. In addition, Bret Maverick was one of my favorite TV western characters. He also made some pretty good movies.

He was a big star who could have been even bigger. The late 50s and early 60s was the golden age of TV westerns. They were everywhere you turned. And one of the biggest western stars, both literally and figuratively, was Clint Walker. He starred in the hit TV series, Cheyenne, as well as starring in some movies. You will notice that in the picture that goes with this article, Clint is wearing his shirt, which makes this photo rare. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. Walker did have a striking physical appearance, standing 6'6" with a 48 inch chest and 32-inch waist. So why was Walker photographed so often with his shirt off? The same reason I wear a t-shirt when I go to the pool. People want it that way. Having said that, on to things you might not have known about Clint Walker. Links are provided to references.

Especially to a poor guy. Probably the best way to ensure you are wealthy is to be born into a rich family. And often, people who are born into money take credit for their financial status. It’s like that old saying that goes, “He was born on third base, but thinks he hit a triple.” Starting with a bunch of money makes financial independence a whole lot easier. So, here’s a poor man’s look at financial cliches.

Slim Pickens is one of the most recognizable character actors in the history of Hollywood. He was great in “Blazing Saddles” as Taggart but could also be truly menacing as he was in “One-Eyed Jacks.” He also did a convincing turn as Dean Martin’s henchman in “Rough Night in Jericho.” That’s an underrated western in my opinion, but I digress. Slim played in a number of westerns, and he brought real authenticity to his roles. The dude could really handle horses. So, there is a good chance you’ve enjoyed Slim’s work, but here are some things you might not have known about Slim Pickens. Links are provided for references.

Generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of medical dramas, but out of all of them, I believe St. Elsewhere was my favorite. Of course, the storyline about St. Elsewhere was it was the hospital of last resort. If there were no other options, patients would be shipped to St. Elsewhere. I kind of identify with that underdog mentality. And when they got to St. Elsewhere, what did they find? A star-studded medical team. Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon and Howie Mandel were some of the headlines, but others, like David Morse and William Daniels added plenty of depth. The idea behind St. Elsewhere was it was going to be a hospital version of “Hill Street Blues.” And it was pretty true to that vision. Which is a good thing. So, here are some things you might not have known about “St. Elsewhere.”

He really is an intersting guy. Nicolas Cage has the reputation of being somewhat, shall we say, “eccentric?’ I started looking at some Nic Cage info after seeing he wanted to be called a “thespian”, not an actor.Having seen some of Nic’s work, I don’t believe he has to worry about being called an actor. I’m not sure how that thespian thing is going to work out.