Celebrities & Chess/Chess Computers

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Cyberchess
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Celebrities & Chess/Chess Computers

Post by Cyberchess »

Greetings schachcomputer enthusiasts:

Being a member of the U.S.C.F. and a long time subscriber to “Chess Life & Review” magazine, I recall several cover photos and articles pertaining to celebrities who play chess, attend major tournaments, etc. over the years. These references perhaps serve to promote The Royal Game throughout a wider audience, and it’s always a pleasure to see someone we fondly recall from film or television enmeshed in our obsession.

One celebrity that stands out among the rest is actress Kate Jackson of the 1975 television series, “Charlie’s Angels”. Unlike most other celebrities that merely play chess, in an early 1980’s televised interview, Ms. Jackson stated that she owns a chess computer and prefers to play computer chess rather than watch television. Bravo, and how ironic that a celebrity who made her acting career through television prefers not to watch it herself!

http://chessdryad.com/articles/wall/art_05.htm

Being that this particular televised interview was aired so long ago, I no longer can remember the make/model of Kate Jackson’s computer.
Does anyone recall watching this interview, and if so, do you recall the specifics?

Image

Celebrity Chess Trivia Regards,
John
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Scally
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Post by Scally »

Hi,

I found this, it may help a little ....

Kate Jackson (1949- ), part of Charlie’s Angels, plays chess. In 1982, on the Tonight Show, she mentioned that she played chess with a chess computer. She said she would rather play with her Sargon chess computer than watch TV.


Cheers,

Al.
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Post by Cyberchess »

Scally wrote:Hi,

I found this, it may help a little ....

Kate Jackson (1949- ), part of Charlie’s Angels, plays chess. In 1982, on the Tonight Show, she mentioned that she played chess with a chess computer. She said she would rather play with her Sargon chess computer than watch TV.


Cheers,

Al.
Thank you, Al!

“The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson was one of my favorites in that era.

:P Ed McMahon calls out…

Here’s Johnny! Regards,
John
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Post by spacious_mind »

I know one that owns and plays an ARB Sargon 2.5. John Cleese. His secretary contacted me once looking for replacement pieces for it, as he had lost his pieces traveling to and from England to his house in California.

As it happened "dedicate computer" who posts here had sold me this hand made set of pieces when I met him at his house in Sao Paulo, Brazil. So anyway I really liked these hand made pieces that I bought from Oswaldo. But I felt bad for John Cleese thinking that he won't be able to find replacements easily and hated to deprive him of enjoying playing a dedicated chess computer, a hobby that we all enjoy. So anyway I sold this spare set to him at price where I just broke even (same price I paid Oswaldo). I guess I might have been a sucker for feeling bad for John Cleese! :)

Funny thing is "dedicate computer" also had this really nice Scisys Corona and MMII Mephisto module which I also bought with the chess pieces.

So anyway a few years later another forum member whose MMII failed him, was asking around for a replacement. So feeling bad again, I also sent the MMII on its merry way to that fellow collector in need.

So now all I have left from my visit with Oswaldo is a Scisys Corona! :) and... btw... I don't want to hear it... no asking, no pleading... nothing is going to work this time around that will make me part with it :P

So moral of the story is, our hobby is not just about buying and selling..... sometimes it is just as pleasant a feeling to be able to help someone else out.

Best regards
Nick
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Post by Cyberchess »

spacious_mind wrote:I know one that owns and plays an ARB Sargon 2.5. John Cleese. His secretary contacted me once looking for replacement pieces for it, as he had lost his pieces traveling to and from England to his house in California.
Greetings Nick:

I can imagine John Cleese with a horrified look on his face on account of his having blundered a piece to Sargon ARB due to hotel related irritants.

Image

I’ll always remember him as the irascible hotel manager on the hilarious B.B.C. series, “Fawlty Towers”.

Having just looked up the Sargon ARB on your site, I believe that this is the very machine that Kate Jackson preferred to play in lieu of watching television. This is quite a snazzy unit, retailing for a whopping $2,000 in 1980. Some of my commoner acquaintances owned the modest Chafitz/Applied Concepts Great Game Machine with the small board, plastic pieces and laborsome keypad move entry back in the early ‘80s.

These Celebrity Types Sure Live the Good Life Regards,
John
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Post by Reinfeld »

I know one that owns and plays an ARB Sargon 2.5. John Cleese. His secretary contacted me once looking for replacement pieces for it, as he had lost his pieces traveling to and from England to his house in California.
Oh my god. That's flat incredible. Did not know Cleese played chess. I love him even more now.

- R.
"You have, let us say, a promising politician, a rising artist that you wish to destroy. Dagger or bomb are archaic and unreliable - but teach him, inoculate him with chess."
– H.G. Wells
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Post by spacious_mind »

Cyberchess wrote:
spacious_mind wrote:I know one that owns and plays an ARB Sargon 2.5. John Cleese. His secretary contacted me once looking for replacement pieces for it, as he had lost his pieces traveling to and from England to his house in California.
Greetings Nick:

I can imagine John Cleese with a horrified look on his face on account of his having blundered a piece to Sargon ARB due to hotel related irritants.

Image

I’ll always remember him as the irascible hotel manager on the hilarious B.B.C. series, “Fawlty Towers”.

Having just looked up the Sargon ARB on your site, I believe that this is the very machine that Kate Jackson preferred to play in lieu of watching television. This is quite a snazzy unit, retailing for a whopping $2,000 in 1980. Some of my commoner acquaintances owned the modest Chafitz/Applied Concepts Great Game Machine with the small board, plastic pieces and laborsome keypad move entry back in the early ‘80s.

These Celebrity Types Sure Live the Good Life Regards,
John
Fawlty Towers is legendary, I also loved his two movies with Jamie Lee Curtis.. Fish called Wanda and can't remember the other one.

But Fawlty Towers is right up there with Bean and Black Adder...

Regards
Nick
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Post by Scally »

Hi all,

In my early working days, he was in some of our IBM training videos, learning and laughing, brilliant ....


Cheers,

Al.
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Post by spacious_mind »

Scally wrote:Hi all,

In my early working days, he was in some of our IBM training videos, learning and laughing, brilliant ....


Cheers,

Al.
Yes I remember those, he did quite a few educational videos.
Nick
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Post by spacious_mind »

Ah I remember the other movie with Jamie Lee Curtis (had to look it up) it was Fierce Creatures. Kevin Kline, Michael Palin (Monty Python) and Ronnie Corbett were in it too. Ronnie Corbett of course from the Classic British TV duo, The Two Ronnies with Ronnie Barker who was another classic British TV Comedy star who did Porridge and Open All Hours.

Regards
Nick
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Post by Cyberchess »

spacious_mind wrote:Ah I remember the other movie with Jamie Lee Curtis (had to look it up) it was Fierce Creatures. Kevin Kline, Michael Palin (Monty Python) and Ronnie Corbett were in it too. Ronnie Corbett of course from the Classic British TV duo, The Two Ronnies with Ronnie Barker who was another classic British TV Comedy star who did Porridge and Open All Hours.

Regards
Greetings!

Of the films and shows you mentioned, I distinctly recall watching “A Fish Called Wanda” with Jamie Lee Curtis on VHS (circa 1989) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also, my friends and I enjoyed watching “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” on the big screen back in ’75.

A few years ago I picked up the early gem, “The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer” (1970) on DVD and found it both entertaining and inspirational (:) highly recommended!):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066302/?re ... mg_act_145

More recently, John Cleese portrays Chief Inspector Dreyfus in “Pink Panther 2” (2009) with Steve Martin trying his best to fill the shoes of the legendary, late Peter Sellers (one of my favorite comedy actors):

http://watch32.is/movie/5OGgoEGR-the-pi ... her-2.html

Cleese Filmography Regards,
John
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Post by spacious_mind »

Cyberchess wrote:
spacious_mind wrote:Ah I remember the other movie with Jamie Lee Curtis (had to look it up) it was Fierce Creatures. Kevin Kline, Michael Palin (Monty Python) and Ronnie Corbett were in it too. Ronnie Corbett of course from the Classic British TV duo, The Two Ronnies with Ronnie Barker who was another classic British TV Comedy star who did Porridge and Open All Hours.

Regards
Greetings!

Of the films and shows you mentioned, I distinctly recall watching “A Fish Called Wanda” with Jamie Lee Curtis on VHS (circa 1989) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also, my friends and I enjoyed watching “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” on the big screen back in ’75.

A few years ago I picked up the early gem, “The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer” (1970) on DVD and found it both entertaining and inspirational (:) highly recommended!):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066302/?re ... mg_act_145

More recently, John Cleese portrays Chief Inspector Dreyfus in “Pink Panther 2” (2009) with Steve Martin trying his best to fill the shoes of the legendary, late Peter Sellers (one of my favorite comedy actors):

http://watch32.is/movie/5OGgoEGR-the-pi ... her-2.html

Cleese Filmography Regards,
John
It's funny your first movie brings back memories of Peter Cook who at one time had gotten together with Dudley Moore to do a couple of comedy records and a movie and some TV Comedy sketches.

They called themselves Derek and Clive.

The vynil record they made was called Derek and Clive Live (they made 2 or 3 vinyl comedy records) and movie was called Derek and Clive get the Horn. They also performed several comedy sketches on British TV as Derek and Clive. The comedy was as extreme as it gets and probably never been beaten since for the boundaries it stretched.

I remember watching on British TV some of their TV sketches when I was a kid and have to say that it was some of the filfthiest language I had ever heard on TV. Apparently this one sketch still holds the record of using Word 1 12 times and word 2 15 times in 70 seconds and being the most cussed in sketch ever recorded on British TV and this was the mid 70's.

Makes you realize how the world has changed to Victorianism in 40 years.

I guess this is where Dudley Moore received his notorierety to land movies like Arthur.

Regards
Nick
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Post by Cyberchess »

spacious_mind wrote: It's funny your first movie brings back memories of Peter Cook who at one time had gotten together with Dudley Moore to do a couple of comedy records and a movie and some TV Comedy sketches.

They called themselves Derek and Clive.

The vynil record they made was called Derek and Clive Live (they made 2 or 3 vinyl comedy records) and movie was called Derek and Clive get the Horn. They also performed several comedy sketches on British TV as Derek and Clive. The comedy was as extreme as it gets and probably never been beaten since for the boundaries it stretched.

I remember watching on British TV some of their TV sketches when I was a kid and have to say that it was some of the filfthiest language I had ever heard on TV. Apparently this one sketch still holds the record of using Word 1 12 times and word 2 15 times in 70 seconds and being the most cussed in sketch ever recorded on British TV and this was the mid 70's.

Makes you realize how the world has changed to Victorianism in 40 years.

I guess this is where Dudley Moore received his notorierety to land movies like Arthur.

Regards
Having lived throughout the states my entire life, I can sure appreciate what you’re saying. The U.K. and Europe are far less prudish than us folks living in the land of the free. I recall how when VCRs became widely distributed, shops that rented the VHS cassettes were popping up everywhere, and were always jam-packed with consumers eager to break free of network censorship. This meant no more scenes deleted by the networks, and consumers were finally free to set their own moral guidelines, or not. In fact, one of the very first films that I rented was the risqué 1974 Gene Wilder western spoof, “Blazing Saddles”.

Here’s a clip from the chess scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr9xVmCL0bA

Cheers and Regards,
John
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Post by Cyberchess »

Just learned from a friend in the New York City chess scene that British rock star legend, Robert Plant of the enormously popular rock band, Led Zeppelin, is also a chess player, and has taken lessons from a well-known New York chess instructor (name withheld for privacy reasons).

How The West Was Won Regards,
John
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Post by TracySMiller »

Derek and Clive! My friend and I listened to them back in the 80's. You're right, they were RAW.
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