Steve McQueen

With Krissy in Arizona texting me photos of the desert and lounging by the pool, I've resorted to 1966 western movies on television. Actually, Nevada Smith with Steve McQueen was pretty good.  I was reading his biography and I'm amazed at how many great movies he was in despite dying at the age of 50. His only Oscar nomination was for The Sand Pebbles which I've never seen. My personal favorites are Bullitt, The Great Escape possibly the best war movie ever made and Papillon which was filmed in Jamaica on the very cliffs that I've stayed on. How he didn't win an Oscar for that I'll never know and it co starred Dustin Hoffman.

Add in The Getaway, the original Thomas Crown Affair, Towering Inferno and The Hunter and he's a box office smash for nearly 20 years. The Hunter was filmed partially in Chicago and was the last film he ever made. He was also an accomplished motorcycle racer with over 140 bikes at the time of his death. His car collection was almost as good and today anything he owned goes to auction with a 7 figure price tag.

Unfortunately he contracted cancer from asbestos exposure likely from his time in the service working on boats in tight quarters. The man was a true legend!

Have fun tonight.

Later