Comments on: Peter Graves 1926-2010

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:58:20 +0000

Hi, Mark, and welcome! All the tributes to Graves (le0pard 13 linked to some in his comment above) show how much he affected our lives. I always respect people more when they have a sense of humor, especially about themselves.

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:52:36 +0000

I didn't know Airplane! was called Flying High down there! That sounds so...different. For me, most of the laughs did come from seeing such a serious, stalwart actor be so ridiculous. It's also why Leslie Nielsen was so funny in the same movie. I think we all owe Schifrin residual checks from humming the theme all day.

By: Mark Tucker

Mark Tucker — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:17:46 +0000

Dear PCN

Peter Graves had a great run and his voice is in the background of so many documentaries, and old shows- I had no idea he was 84! He just seemed like he would be the narrator of life forever- Probably 75% of the world sees him like a news anchor, and that is all GOOD, but what made him great was the airplane stuff, the unexpected stuff. He didn’t take himself too seriously, and got MORE respect because he could be silly- RIP

By: Shell Sherree

Shell Sherree — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:44:46 +0000

I happened upon Flying High {the name Airplane! was released with here} on telly late the other night ~ and laughed all over again at those scenes in particular ~ those lines could have been 'euwwwww' in the hands of someone less talented than Peter Graves! I have to wonder if some of the laughs came instinctively from the shock factor of seeing "Jim Phelps" acting so inappropriately! And no, I can't get Lalo Shifrin's theme out of my head now. Surely it has to go down as one of the all time best!

By: le0pard13

le0pard13 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:48:16 +0000

Shows you how many are mourning this man's death. Many are posting their reactions on YouTube on the many M:I theme song videos there.

By: Brett Battles

Brett Battles — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:28:01 +0000

Are you kidding me? That’s the soundtrack to my life…now if only my life could live up to my soundtrack! Good old Lalo Schifrin, he really hit it out of the park with that one.

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:21:01 +0000

O.K., so who else can’t get the MI theme music out of their heads?

By: READER#9

READER#9 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:01:51 +0000

I always wanted to see Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves as a pair of detectives playing off one another. I wonder why they never did that? I would have gone to see that. Hell, I would have stood in line overnight.

Graves always had such a cool voice.

Okay, time for coffee……

By: EIREGO

EIREGO — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:49:16 +0000

I always liked him. MI was one of my favorite shows. And, whenever that theme song came on, my brothers and I would dramatically run around the room in our pajamas fighting injustice as international spies. We were sooooo cool.

And Airplane…Geez! I thought it was really great he could be so silly like that.

By: Pop Culture Nerd

Pop Culture Nerd — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:37:44 +0000

Brett—I guess I was doing my tribute to Mr. Peck. When I saw his picture and the DOB-DOD dates on the Italian newspaper, I ran to the concierge, heart in my throat, and asked him to translate, hoping that the headline announced anything but Mr. Peck’s death, knowing that’s exactly what it did.

And you’re right about the resemblance. Once I saw the all the pictures in the Graves tributes yesterday, I wondered how I could’ve missed it all this time.

Christine & lp13—I’m gonna check out the Stalag DVD from the library! I just looked online and they have a copy. Thanks.