Nostalgia

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KateR
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Nostalgia

Post by KateR »

On the old Forum, we used to have a thread called "Nostalgia" in which fans shared their stories or experiences of how they were first drawn to RDA.

I began the thread with this:
There hasn't been much conversation on here in awhile, so let's see if anyone has any suggestions for some interesting topics. I'll start. :)

Going through all these Photo Gallery pictures has put me in a nostalgic mood, looking back over the years of following RDA's career.

So, at the risk of repeating some conversations that may have appeared elsewhere here... When did you start following him? Were you a fan of RDA's or soaps, who followed him to each new project? Were you a sci-fi fan who discovered him in Stargate? Did you stumble upon him by accident? Feel like sharing your story?

Here's mine:

I didn't watch soaps, so my first RDA show was Seven Brides. I liked musicals, (and I had been a fan of Here Come the Brides), so I thought I'd give it a try. I enjoyed it, but RDA didn't jump out at me enough for me to actually remember his name. (Too bad I didn't think to record any of those, though!)

I watched very few evening soaps, but Emerald Point had some cute guys in it, so I gave it a try. Again, RDA didn't make a huge impression, and some of those I even had on tape because I was taking night classes and I set my brand new VCR to time shift. Too bad I didn't keep them!

Then 1985 came along, and I remember talking to a friend that summer about the ads for the new fall TV season. I loved the line in the commercial:

"Don't tell me you know how to make a bomb out of a stick of chewing gum."
"Why, ya got some?"

And I remember saying to my friend, "That MacGyver series looks like fun. I think I'll check that one out."

I had no idea then where that particular comment was going to lead! :wink:

Kate
The rest of my story, and the stories added by others, can be found in the original Nostalgia thread here:

http://rdanderson.com/forum2/nostalgia.htm

Feel free to reminisce and add your own stories. :)

Kate
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Caty
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by Caty »

That was a great thread. I hope all the new people join it :D
"No matter how hard the past,
you can always begin again.
"

(Buddha)
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by Jemster »

I don't think I've done this before so I'll go first...

I remember MacGyver but never liked the show (I know, I know...boo! hiss!) and Rick did absolutely nothing for me when both him and I were younger. I forgot about him and moved on with my life.

My sister had watched Stargate and really liked it. She thought I'd like it a lot too - since I had been in the USAF - but I was hesitant for a number of reasons:

1) It was based off a movie. While I had seen the original movie in the theaters and enjoyed it the series I had seen that were based off major theatrical releases deviated from the spirit of the movie as well forgot the major points of the story just because they could.

2) Besides Rick I had *no* clue who the rest of the cast were. Had never seen them before in my life.

3) It starred the guy who played MacGyver.

4) It was on Showtime and why would I pay for a channel just to watch a show that probably deviated from the story, had no one but the main actor that I recognized, and starred the guy who played MacGyver?

Fast forward a few years and I went to Dragon*Con (2001 I think). Checked out a few panels with Chris and Tony Amendola, although I was there mainly to see anything B-5 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer related. Season 4 had just come out on DVD. I had vacation so my sister and I had made a deal - I buy seasons 1-4 and if I didn't like it she would buy it off me but if I did I would just keep it. Well, guess which one happened. :D

Since season 5 was airing on SyFy and I've watched it ever since. I'm a Jack/Sam shipper and have even written a few fics (they suck) .

Oh, and when Rick got older he suddenly became *very* attractive. Like "one of the hottest men I've ever seen in my life" attractive. Yeah...something like that. :-)

Michelle
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bftlovesRDA
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by bftlovesRDA »

Thanks for this thread, Kate....will enjoy reading everyone's history with RDA.....my story is not very exciting but here it is.

I did not watch Seven Brides or General Hospital (I was working and at lunch others were watching a different soap so I didn't see GH at all). Too bad these others didn't recognize the cute actor on GH named Richard Dean Anderson....I might have "found" him then.

When MacGyver came on, I started watching from the first episode - not sure why I did that only that I probably saw the ads for it and liked what I saw. I fell in love with the MacGyver actor, someone named Richard Dean Anderson, whom I had not heard of before then. I taped (VCR) most of the episodes but not until the series reran in syndication. I just thought RDA was the handsomest, cutest TV star ever....even back then. So, yes, I had an immediate crush on him.

I lost track of him after MacGyver but always thought he was a good actor and wished he would be in another TV series. I totally missed Stargate when it was first aired because life got in the way. I remember seeing glimpses of this Sci Fi show named Stargate as I would channel surf during that time, and thought it looked interesting and I would like to see it.....but my hubby did not like Sci Fi at all so we didn't watch it and how I wish now I had watched it when it first aired. There is just something about seeing the original run of one of these series....though thank God for DVD's.

Can't remember exactly when I got interested recently in seeing Stargate except that somehow I found out that RDA, the most beautiful man I had ever seen, starred in it. When I finally saw reruns of Stargate, I was hooked.....this happened in the last year (I know, I was hibernating or something until then).

Immediately I knew I HAD to have these two series for my own viewing pleasure......so I ordered both series from Amazon. That was last summer. (I am SOOOO late to this party). I have been watching episodes of either MacGyver or Stargate almost every night since then, enough to annoy some of the friends and family who know I am "a bit" obsessed with this actor named Richard Dean Anderson. Their loss.

Then of course I started looking on the internet for anything related to RDA, including the You Tube videos of Jack O'Neill and of Sam and Jack and of RDA interviews and such. That caused me to be even more determined to find everything I could on the internet about RDA, looking especially for a fan site. That led me here to Kate's wonderful website and the forum. I first looked at all the section about Stargate and drooled over the pictures of that series here on the website. ThenI lurked at the forum for a long time and finally when the new forum was established by Kate, I joined....and have enjoyed every minute of watching and learning all I can about THE MAN from all those who have followed him for awhile, including Kate's posting of his movies like Beyond the Bleachers and Firehouse and Pandora's Clock. For someone like me who has missed out on all of those movies and the rest of RDA's life, this is soooooooooooooooooo wonderful. Oh, I do remember seeing Through the Eyes of a Stranger when it came on and remarking that this movie had that handsome RDA in it....and drooling then about his role and about him.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
B
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tvero80
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by tvero80 »

Ok, here's my story.

I don't remember exactly when I watched MacGyver for the first time . And I must admit I only know Mac and Stargate well.

Before him ,I had a crush on Magnum (Tom Selleck), I usually chose the series partly because of the male lead 's good looks back then (!) .But there was something else .Let's face it, Mac was perfect (resourceful,nice,attentive,caring...) :oops:
The character is still very popular in France and whenever something doesn't work and someone fixes it ,he's called MacGyver. Some of my pupils even know him thanks to the reruns (mainly boys who identify with him).So I'm not alone...

Stargate is different.It aired in the late 1990s on digital television ,which means fewer people could watch it .For those who liked science fiction it was ok but for the others... I like sci fi but I'm not too keen on watching soldiers in outfit (sorry).But it was humorous, at least it was supposed to be.Well, we have a problem here, the French translation .We can't always translate the puns correctly and I thought it sometimes fell flat.I had to buy the DVDS to discover RDA's real voice ( which is very ,very...) and understand his jokes,which were much funnier in English.

Two years ago RDA came to Paris to receive the Jules Verne award. I missed it but I watched the show on French tv afterwards .Poor man, it mustn't have been a good memory .Like I said before there were silly people around him, asking silly questions. But I started browsing trying to find information,a fan club perhaps.I remained a guest for over a year and in september last year I asked for an autograph (Paul Brown's website) then another( one MacGyver,one Jack O'Neill) ,I read RDA's interview by Kate which was very interesting ,I also started reading fanfictions and now I 'know' one of the authors (Beth !) thanks to this forum and if all goes well I'll be in Duesseldorf at the end of May. So you see, it's getting better and better,'higher and higher'. I hope it's not going to be like a 'soufflé' though :)

The end.

V
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by Mac/Jack#1fan »

Hi everyone! Wow, I didn't have time last night to come to the forum and post, and wow! The changes that can be made here in 24 hours! I have catching up to do!

Thanks for transferring this thread Kate :D Your experience sounds AMAZING! I'm jealous :mrgreen: Hehehe, lucky you! :D Everyone else's stories are really cool too. Mine is kinda on the boring side, but I'll share it anyway ;)

The very first time I saw RDA was on "The Facts Of Life". My whole family collects a bunch of 70's, 80's and 90's Tv shows, and I watched "The Facts Of Life" and there he was. A very young RDA that is ;) I didn't really take to him much at that time though. That was 4 years ago.

About 2 years ago I came home and the tv was on and MacGyver was playing. The episode was "The Gauntlet". I watched the whole thing and I liked it, a lot. I thought Mac was cute :oops: Then for Christmas that year, I got season 1 of MacGyver. I was so happy! I watched the whole season in less then a month, and then I just bought the entire MacGyver series boxed set, because I figured it would be cheaper then buying all the seasons seperatly.

Then I started to look into what else RDA had played in, and I found SG1. I was like... YAY! ANOTHER TV SHOW! I'm not really a sci-fy person, like at all, but RDA made the show really enjoyable and I actually loved it. Jack always made me laugh, I just love his sense of humor! I because a Jack/Sam shipper as well ;) :oops: I am such a romantic! That whole show had a strong cast, and I really liked the SG1 team in general.

After watching both shows, I wanted to get to know more about RDA himself. I thought for him to play such amazing characters on Tv, he must be a pretty awesome guy. Wow, was I right, well, I was actually wrong. RDA is a better guy then I thought he was! He is so humble and sweet, and adorable! I was like... wow! He's just amazing!

One day while on one of my many "RDA/Mac/Jack internet surfing journeys" I stumbled across this site. I thought the forum was REALLY AWESOME! A place were people talk about RDA..... how could that be anything but awesome! I was hesitant to join at first, I don't know why. But I was a lurker for awhile, checking out the conversation and what not. I even read the entire THUNK thread from the old forum straight through before joining!

I joined.... I think it was August of last year and I am so happy I did! This is totally the place for me! The people here are just the best, the conversation is great, and Kate does an amazing job with upkeep and whatnot of the site. Its just all around wonderful and I'm so happy to be a member of this wonderful site!

RDA is just...... an all around astounding guy. Even as he ages, he's still the silly, big kid he always has been. He has the most genuine personality, and he is humble and such a sweetheart. I think its impossible not to be totally in love him. :oops: ;) Oh, and besides his wonderful personality, he's not bad to look at ;) :oops: Even now, he's still a very attractive gentleman :oops:

So, yeah, I just had to add my story to this thread. I warned you it was on the boring side ;)
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Gatelady
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by Gatelady »

It was Stargate that made me a fan of RDA.He played Jack so very well with humour and caring when that was needed. I also named my cat after Jack! Though I understood his reasons for Thorpe show it was not the same when he left so I prefer to see the ones with him in them.
Gatelady
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by Gatelady »

Oops that was meant to say his reasons for leaving!!
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Annelies
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by Annelies »

First of all, Kate, I LOVE YOUR STORY!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
And I love this topic and all the other stories I read!

The first time I saw Richard Dean Anderson was on MacGyver. I was 13 when it aired in the Netherlands, (as a grumpy adolescent) I loved "Tropical Heat" back then, the broadcasting stopped, and was replaced by MacGyver... I was really sitting on my chair and searching for every negative point in MacGyver.. You know "how dare they replace it, with something like this"..But I just couldn't find any negative point...
So I watched the next episodes and became a big fan of MacGyver..

I was on a girl school at that time and was bullied a lot and MacGyver really helped me through these years..
In the mean time I searched for information about RDA, held a lecture about him in english class (got an A- 8-) ) and found out what a fantastic guy RDA was..
Saw several movies on dutch tv. Pandora's Clock, Through the eyes of a killer, Beyond Betrayal and both MacGyver movies..
Two years later I moved and walked by the rental shop and I was like :o :shock: A HUGE Jack O Neill in front of the window..
View months later Stargate SG-1 aired on dutch television, I followed it when I could..
In the meantime I had recieved an answer on a letter wich I wrote to the fanclub in LA that time..
Never expected an answer, I mean, how many fans does he have, but I did got an answer!!
Beautiful pic of Jack O Neill with autograph, I was happy as a child.
Still watching Stargate on the moment on SyFy..

In 2003 I searched for rdanderson.com again and became a member for the second time..
Met the most fantastic people around here!! Hope to meet some of them someday in real person!!

Learned a lot from RDA, gratefull for it!!
I am doing the job that I have right now big part because of what I learned from MacGyver.



That's my story...
Lots of love,

Lies

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MacBeth
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Re: Nostalgia

Post by MacBeth »

Love the stories so far!!

Here's mine:

I didn't watch the soaps at all, pre-MacGyver; in fact, I've never watched a lot of TV at all. For several years, when the TV networks announced the new shows for each season, I would look through them and see if anything interested me. Usually, if it did, I'd watch it for part of a season and then it would get cancelled! But in fall of 1985, when MacGyver first aired, I had seen the write-up and thought "Ooo, that looks interesting." Well, I completely fell for it -- it was smart, it was action-adventure (I loved anything with spies at that point), it had a hero that hit just the right balance between tough and vulnerable, and he was funny to boot without being stupid.

But -- I was in graduate school at the time, so although I caught most of the first season, it was hit and miss after that. I would catch later episodes, and the series changed enough that it started to feel strange and unfamiliar. By the later seasons, I was really only catching an occasional episode. One of them was, of all the rotten timing, The Coltons! I pretty well gave up after that. Not long after, I heard the show had gone off the air.

Jump forward several years: I was struggling in a bad marriage with a TV addict. I saw a few scenes of an unfamiliar show, and said "Good lord, that's Richard Dean Anderson! And his hair is short! And he's carrying a great big gun. Ewwww." I had never seen the Stargate movie, and I had no interest in it -- it looked way too military. Not my kind of thing at all.

Jump forward again, to 2007, long after the bad marriage had ended. I was at a loose and melancholy end: I'd been heavily active for several years in a different fandom, which was now in a toxic death spiral. I was hanging out with my dear friend Emma, who had just picked up a new stash of DVDs of various TV shows. On top of the stack on her coffee table: the first season of MacGyver.

I picked it up. "Wow, look at that -- I used to have such a crush on this guy. I really liked the show, too. I remember it was pretty good."

"Why don't you borrow the DVDs?" Emma asked. "It'll be a while before I get around to watching them. Have you seen Stargate at all? Oh, you should! He's really great in that!"

I did take it home, and watched, and fell in love again. I had the delight of being able to say "Wow, this show is actually better than I remembered!" I had the fun of rediscovering the show, finding episodes I had loved the first time around, and watching a lot of episodes I had never seen at all. Emma lent me her copies of the Stargate DVDs, one season after another, and I went through those as well. I bought the entire run of MacGyver as a special present for myself, and lent the later seasons to her in turn -- quid pro quo!

I got into online fandom, met some lovely people, started doing the LOLMacs, and -- to my astonishment -- started writing fanfic. The next year, Gatecon announced that they had achieved the Holy Grail and that RDA had actually agreed to attend a con! Talk about great timing. (And luck in my location -- I was living in Seattle, so Gatecon was basically just up the road for me!)
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