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Saturday, January 02, 2016

The Gary Files # 15: Gary Sandy

(I found this image here.)

An explanation: Since the name Gary is going extinct, I thought it incumbent upon me to celebrate more notable Garys than myself.  This is the fifteenth of a series!

Gary Sandy is an American actor most famous for his portrayal of Andy Travis on the television show WKRP In Cincinnati.  He was mostly the straight guy for a radio station full of wacky characters - a role I myself have played in my life many times.

When did you first become aware of him?  Duh, WKRP In Cincinnati!

May he have been the most famous Gary you knew as a child?  Maybe!  I loved the show a lot, & of course I had a love of radio from the get-go.  But to see the name "Gary" during the opening credits of the show - & his name was the very first - well, it was fun as a kid.

The show makes you a little nervous now, though, doesn't it?  Yes, because I've had to deejay with only two turntables, & I am very anxious when I watch the show & the deejays - Johnny Fever or Venus Flytrap - are so easygoing while something's playing on the air.  They hardly ever cue up another record after one has been started.  They have no fear about dead air.

Does it impair your enjoyment of the show?  Oh, probably not.  I haven't seen it in a while, & when I do see it, I remember the episode like it was yesterday.  I must've watched some of the those episodes dozens of times.  I think I even tape-recorded - not videotaped, but tape-recorded - some episodes & listened to them over & over.

Do you know him from anything else?  Sadly, no.  But!  He does have a website, & he seems to have stayed very busy acting his entire life.  Good for him!  Good for the name Gary!

Was his name really Gary?  Both his website & Wikipedia say his name is "Gary Sandy."  It sounds like an actor-y name, though.  But I have no reason to doubt him.  Even in the 1970s, the name Gary wasn't terribly cool.

Do you know why he was named Gary?  He was born in 1945, so it was (sigh) probably Gary Cooper.

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