By Bob Berry

November 8, 1986. Can it really be 29 years ago?

Berlin’s mega-hit from the great Top Gun soundtrack, “Take My Breath Away” went to Number One for the first of four weeks.

Sure, the song was helped by a terrific script, co-written by Michigan State professor and good friend, the late Jim Cash and his writing partner Jack Epps Jr. And yeah, there was great casting. Kelly McGillis buttoned-up smart blonde, until she kicked in the afterburners. Tom Cruise showing off his now all-too-familiar (see picture at left) sullen intensity.

But, man. When this song kicked in, and the sparks flew, you knew from note one that “Take My Breath Away” was a smash.

And, all credit to the filmmakers. They didn’t use the song for the volleyball scene!

Enjoy Sunday Brunch on Keener. Careful for the afterburners!

By Bob Berry

The fifth Mission Impossible movie, “Rouge Nation“, starring Tom Cruise opens today. Lots of action, effects, and stunts, the MI theme and lots of the Tom Cruise formula. Tom Long in today’s Detroit News calls the movie a “happy meal“.

Is that a bad thing? Perhaps, if as Mr. Long suggests, you remember when Tom Cruise made really good movies. Or perhaps not, for those of us who enjoyed the original TV show for the escapist drama it was.  But in the end, I always remember the immortal words of Dobie Grey’s 1966 Keener classic “The In Crowd”:

“The original is still the greatest“. And so, they can re-mix, re-invent and re-imagine all they want. But for my money, there will never be a better theme song than the theme to the original Mission: Impossible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lih-z4G4jY

And, while we’re at it, check out this PBS clip on the original TV show, with some fun facts and cool stories: