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If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Better start thinking of a trip to Las Vegas the weekend of Dec. 1-2. The Pac-12 championship football game is Friday night, which should feature USC.

The next night, it looks like USC will play Gonzaga at either the MGM Grand Garden or Mandalay Bay.

The publicity and potential TV ratings surrounding Bronny James is forcing Andy Enfield to upgrade the schedule.

Gonzaga lost Drew Timme and Julian Strawther but added Creighton transfer point guard Ryan Nembhard, Wyoming transfer Graham Ike and Eastern Washington transfer Steele Venters.

  • Argentina was paid $7 million to play a friendly soccer match vs. Australia in Beijing on Thursday. That makes the $1.3 million USC is paying Georgia Southern in 2025 almost reasonable.
  • And now for some history:
  • It’s always a good day when you can find a picture of Anthony Munoz playing in the Rose Bowl.
  • There was a lot going on before the USC-UCLA game in 1952, where the winner would go to the Rose Bowl. UCLA was ranked No. 3 in the nation. USC was No. 4.

The big noon rally at Bovard Auditorium the day before was headlined by Mickey Rooney. A newspaper article said Rooney had attended USC, a claim I never heard before. It also said he was a USC fan.

Rooney had just eloped with actress Elaine Devry the previous weekend (wife No. 4 of 8) and brought a nightclub show he intended to perform in Reno on Christmas Day.

Mickey Rooney and his new bride, Elaine Devry, attended USC-UCLA game in 1952.

KMPC disc jockey Johnny Grant emceed the show. The day before, the rally chairman personally dropped 3,000 leaflets from a plane above campus that exhorted students to “Ruin the Bruins’ Rose Bowl Dream.”

For 2 days before the game, a truck drove the streets around USC playing music from the Trojan Band.

Also performing with Rooney was the Dick Winslow variety troupe. Winslow performed with the USC band for years even though he was not a student.

  • The USC homecoming variety show that year featured comedian Pinky Lee, Radio/TV personality Art Linkletter, actor Keenan Wynn, musician Hoagy Carmichael and singer Martha Tilton.
Pinky Lee
Martha Tilton
  • Here’s some trivia: Clarence Sawhill was band director at USC from 1947-52. He then went to UCLA, where he was band director from 1952-72.
Photo/UCLA Library
  • Joe Bruin, a 6-foot tall Teddy Bear, sat in a chair in the lobby of the Bruin Theater in Westwood for years. But the Monday before the USC-UCLA game in 1952, he was stolen by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, who gave Joe a tour of the USC campus. The genius frat members then called the newspapers and posed for photos (see above).

This drew the attention of USC counselor of men, Alfred Zech, who demanded the bear be returned to the theater by 1 p.m. Tuesday. It was returned 30 minutes before the deadline. The incident was then referred to the USC Men’s Judicial Court.

“We hope there will be no more visitations of this kind to UCLA,” Zech said.

A Sig Ep spokesperson claimed the bear was not kidnapped by USC students but admitted the bear was under the supervision of students once it was brought to the Row.

“We did take him out for a drink,” the spokesperson said.

  • The Trianon Ballroom in South Gate was the place to be two days before the USC-UCLA game. Channel 7 broadcasted a show from 9-10 p.m. at the Trianon that featured the student body presidents, yell leaders and prominent members of each university. Plus Benny Strong and his orchestra and football telecaster Tommy Mars!
  • There were 101,043 tickets sold for the USC-UCLA game in 1952.
  • The behavior between the Crosstown Rivals had gotten so bad that several traditions were banned before the game.
  1. There was no post-game serenade of the loser by the winner.
  2. The Victory Bell was no longer exchanged at the game but at a later date.
  3. Each rooting section was required to stay on its side of the field.
  4. No school banners were displayed above student sections.
  5. There were no decorations of the goal posts.
  • Oh yeah, the game. USC won, 14-12.
  • Another Big Ten flashback: USC played at Ohio State in 1964. Here’s Buckeyes’ All-American Arnie Chonko, who had 11 interceptions that season, breaking up a pass for USC receiver Fred Hill. Ohio State won, 17-0.
USC song girl Tracy Chu leaps off the diving board in Belly Flop contest at Swim with Mike in 2015.

USC tailback Justin Davis vs. Notre Dame in 2015.

At the top: That’s the USC-UCLA game in 1980. No. 47 is Joey Browner. No. 24 is Freeman McNeil.

VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

Let’s celebrate athleticism with two great videos.

  • First, the memorable Jim Kelly showing off his karate skills in the 1974 film, “Three the Hard Way.”

Kelly went to Louisville on a football scholarship but then learned karate. He became an actor and then took up tennis. He was ranked No. 2 in California in the senior men’s doubles in 1975.

  • Even if you don’t like musical numbers, this is a hidden gem worth watching for the impressive athleticism of actor/dancer Gene Nelson in the 1952 film, “She’s Working Her Way Through College.” It’s a wonderful performance.

105 thoughts on “If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column”

  1. No serenade of the loser by the winner in 1952?– What’s with the current
    ‘u-c-l-a-sucks’ cheer?

    Mickey Rooney was short in stature but a man when it came to women– 8 wives, which is in tune with my philosophy that every woman has a different love to offer
    so don’t sell yourself “short” with just one

    I tried a 1 1/2 flip off a 10-foot diving board in ‘Vegas once and only did a 1 1/4 or
    belly-flop, and everyone around the pool thought I hurt myself. I did!

    Liked by 3 people

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    2. It was lame.

      But at least it took me back to the SNL skit with douche Alec Baldwin. In spite of him, the Schweddy balls skit was pretty funny. Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon…you know, back when SNL was actually funny.

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    4. “Gabby”— Get off it! Joe isn’t a pervert….he’s just a super good guy who keeps getting caught on camera accidentally touching women’s breasts …..

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  2. So there is going to be a big protest of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence having its way in Dodgers Stadium. Wouldn’t the better means of protest be to completely ignore this group for being boring?

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      1. Oh, people do, real Gabby, at least in their thoughts.
        But I doubt God cares about religions since it turns out alright for all in the end

        Liked by 1 person

      2. But not The Sister of Perpetual Indulgence. If they are so edgy and brave, why don’t they dress up in burkas and mock the religion that allows husbands to rape their wives and throws homosexuals off roofs?

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      3. Someone exposed your fucking pathetic ass. I knew that penis breath was from gotry22. little fucking pussy boy. HAHAHA!

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      4. gotroy22 is a little pussy boy who jacks off while trolling the blog with one of his socket puppets.

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      5. Fake Gabby hates being mocked as the psycho she is! Now everyone knows what a freak you are!

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    2. No we should not ignore the mocking of Jesus and his church and I would not describe the behavior as boring but rather as blasphemous. If we ignore such things soon you will have public school teachers telling our young children that their sex is not determined by their genitalia and other lies. They be teaching them to select a preferred pronoun and hanging gay pride banners in the 2nd grade classroom. The schools will be inviting 7 year old students to kid friendly drag queen shows and eventually someone will suggest that they are really a boy even though they have a vagina and that they can get a surgery to change them into a boy. Oh yeah, all of this is already happening with horrendous consequences. We were founded as a Christian nation with freedom of religion to all but now our leaders are following the Sodom and Gomorrah example and I don’t think we should ignore it.

      Liked by 1 person

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      2. Plow Horse —we ARE beginning to resemble Sodom and/or Gomorrah.
        [I never finished that Bible story —how did things turn out for those 2 cities? I hope God didn’t punish them too excessively for their behavior. Otherwise I’d be a little worried about what’s next for Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Oakland].
        P. S.
        As one recovering from surgery it actually hurt me to watch Gene Nelson climbing up & down that rope. I guess those days are over for me for a bit….

        Liked by 1 person

      3. So Cal —
        Fake! The REAL Joe could never in a million years have gotten through that commercial without multiple screw-ups….
        #NoWayInHellCouldOurPrezDoABudLightSpot….
        #…WhenHeCan’tPronounce”Constitution”

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      5. Libtards like Fake Gabby and Bruin Rob actually think Biden isn’t senile.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. You need treatment for your paranoid schizophrenia condition, Fake Gabby…Don’t feel bad, it is a fairly common (and can be severe) mental illness: about 0.32% of the population suffers from it. [Let’s see. There were 331 million Americans in the 2020 Census. I don’t believe they diagnose it (for sure) until one’s late teenage years, so let’s apply it to those Americans and Traitors like you 18 and over. Google says that 258 million Americans are 18 years old & older: 258 million x 0.0032 = 825,600 people adults who suffer from paranoid schizophrenia, just like you.

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    4. Possible answer:
      …because Muslims take their religion seriously & the “sisters” would pay for their blasphemy…?

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      1. …replying to “Gabby’s” question about why the “sisters” don’t mock Islam….

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    6. Exposed? Anyone with any sense has known it for at least a couple of years. Almost a dozen people here have come right out and stated it! She’s in denial about that.

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    7. Fake Gabby loves how her Dictator Senile Joe relates to the Hispanics and charms them!

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    8. Maybe those drag queens are impersonating the priests and pastors who raped all those boys in church over the years.

      What does Jesus think of those who raped boys in his name?

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    2. I may as well resume myself, says myself–
      But talk about boring, 😂these imposters recycle the same stuff over and over and over. But at the same time, I should start using their material instead of logging on under the half of dozen or more different imposter names that I use. And please believe me, nobody does it more than me!! 😂😂😂. Btw, I need another Blow Job from Ed.G, where are you buddy, Mr Nutts are throbbing for ya! 😘😘

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      1. John — I think the team that comes out on top in a conference that includes Washington, Utah, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA will probably be in the final 4 —even with 2 losses [which is a distinct possibility given the strength of the conference in it’s final year]…..

        Liked by 1 person

      2. What about Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, and ND? Someone is going to get left out in the cold.

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  5. Played 6 holes of golf with Mickey Rooney before he stormed off the course because he thought that the pace of play was slow. He had a foul mouth, every other word was fuck and the other words were profane, he was a miserable person, no wonder he was married so often

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. On the one hand, he seemed so nice on the Dinah Shore Show…. on the other, he sure did make a great “Baby Face Nelson”…..
      #IHopeYouWereKickingHisAss,Karma

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. btw, the thought of Ava Gardner with Mickey musta driven Frank Sinatra crazy…..
        [As a matter of fact, Ava’s coupling with Rooney ALMOST rates a prurient post from the fake Ed. G]……..

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Only MG would think to bring up Ava Gardner and Mickey Rooney and the possible reaction of Frank Sinatra. Nice to have you back and doing well my friend.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. In a Sinatra bio the author said Frank and Ava could get along for about a day and then that was it, one or the other would split after a big fight.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. I guess if there were any man in the world who could handle losing Ava Gardner it woulda been Mister Frank Sinatra….
        [He made a comment about deciding it was time to “cut my feelings out” after she left]….

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    1. I hope she reads your comment, Sgt. Friday [wait a second —didn’t you get promoted in the second iteration of Dragnet]?

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      1. Nope. At the end of the 1950s Dragnet, the actual Joe Friday was promoted to Captain. When the series was brought back in 1967, Webb decided that Sergeant was a better fit, inasmuch as Captain implied a desk job, not a working detective out solving crimes.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. “Winslow performed with the USC band for years even though he was not a student.”

    Here I thought Art had started that practice! He merely carried on what those before him had done. With the slightly smaller numbers in the band, as noted by other posters, I’m not sure Jake has kept it going.

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      1. fuck you gotroy22 you fucking fake sack of shit. you got exposed …..go service your goats pussy boy before I give you a good ass whipping

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  8. Speaking of Georgia Southern, the money being paid to play a game is really the back pay owed for firing Helton.
    Michael G. I wrote a message warning you to avoid the mistake I made when having hernia surgery. I had my wife with me during pre surgery consultation. She said to the doctor, “while you’re in the neighborhood.” I woke up with a repaired hernia and a scar south of that area which rendered me sterile. The only good news was the doctor laughed so hard at my wife’s suggestion that he waved the charge for the extra procedure.
    I posted that advice, but apparently one of the terms I used tripped the sensor and I never saw it. I hope you’re feeling better.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. San Marcos,
      Thanks for the well wishes, my bud.
      First lesson I learned about marriage is leave the little lady home when doing business or seeing a doctor.
      btw, as somebody who values his magic twanger I told the doctor to fix the hernia that was black and blue and leave the rest of me [including the hernia south of the border] the fuck alone…..

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      1. Yes, I tell my wife we share good times together, but during bad times I want to be alone, and isn’t that just like our Michael, the guy knows what is important to protect, “south of the border”

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  9. Friday and the masquerade has begun. Biological males in clown makeup pretending to be nuns will be performing mock sex rituals in the outfield. (Which should delight the imposter with the single email) Joe is using presidential edicts to take away guns, which will be sold to cartels to pay for student loan forgiveness. This will be followed by putting his face on the new orange dollar bill which is worth slightly more than the Mexican peso.
    Donald Trump will use his passport to flee to a country without extradition treaties. His plane will be shot down over Georgia Southern.
    Speaking of Georgia Southern, the money being paid to play a game is really the back pay owed for firing Helton

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  10. I was afraid we might be writing MG’s obituary, so I under the name of John Wolcott scoured for some old clippings–
    “Yeah, me again, the Ghost of Wolcott. Man, this is great, I, The Ghost, getting away from Wolcott. I should do this more often. “I don’t get out much” ”

    “And the truth. Wolcott suppresses a lot of the truth. But not I. I come out with it.

    Like how Wolcott and that guy Michael Guarino, MG– how they are together.
    Wolcott was afraid the truth might come out about MG and him– that it would be shocking.

    You see, MG is not a real person. He is a prop I created years ago and plopped on you to see how it would work out”

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. Just a little joke, Plow Horse; you can’t decipher a “whopper” with tongue in cheek?

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      2. So Cal masquerading as Gabby would have taken a lot of brain power. And yes, I live in the middle of Chinatown at the Croatian Orthodox Church

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      5. To Plow Horse and So Cal– from now on when I write a frivolous piece I am going to label it “Warning. Satire Ahead”

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    2. There is no way MG was an imposter. Who would make up a background as a prosecutor, candidate for city attorney, law school dean, lover or books, music, and classic movies, divorced by a UCLA graduate, resident of Maui, despised by his leftist in laws, gets injured hitting the heavy bag at 70 years old, and drives himself to the hospital. How do you fake that background.

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      1. Well, I was going to tell you to call John to bail you out anyway, if you end up in the hoosegow as a result of the protest. He supposedly lives in Chinatown…just a hop, skip & a jump away from the stadium and not far from Men’s Central. 😉

        Raise some hell, but be safe!!!

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      2. MG is for real, always was and always will be. Lawyer John Wolcot is all over the place though. What we really need is Sam theBam on here again.

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    3. Very funny, Lawyer John.
      I got a little surprise from you today. Very thoughtful, old buddy. If I get back to Los Angeles one of these days I say we head over to some great restaurant in China Town and talk about “Our Book”…..

      Liked by 1 person

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  14. It’s only June? No Phil Steele magazine yet so I’m reading everyone’s posts until fall camp starts. I still don’t get the hatred to silly President Biden. If he gets indicted/arraignment after his presidency, Democrats wouldn’t come to his defense. BofA Hartnett just waved the flag on a recession. Jerome Powell has saved America from the politicians.

    Michigan and USC have the best offenses. Will their defenses be healthy enough (all season) to get both schools into the playoff?

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    1. Some of us don’t like Dictators who destroy America.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. fuck you pussy boy ……we know all know you’re the little bitch who has ruined this blog with multiple imposters. You’re lucky I can’t find your ass.

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    2. What a load TW horse crap. How TW, does a 2023, 8 – 4 bozo FB team rate as a best team offense?

      TW, please explain the Ore. St. squeaker, or the Utah trip stumble and fall, or the Vegas humiliation and lastly, the Tulane debacle…best offense my ass.

      bozo FB rah-rah’s: excuses, excuses, excuses, excuses ad infinitum.

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      1. You need that explained in pictures? Drinking bleach lately? Heisman winner returning. That’s like the John Wooden award for college football. It kinda helps if the best player in college football is on your side with more talent than the year before that Coach Riley can use. I mean, Duce Robinson over Malcom Epps? Really Owns, your going to argue this? Ursa minor, indeed.

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    1. No thank you. The biggest liar working for the most evil party ever. There is absolutely nothing he has done that has truly benefitted the American people as a whole. They still want everyone divided and at each others throats over race and sexual id.

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      2. I’ve posted more than once, CR, that this is Obummer’s third term. That’s why I laugh at the dimwits who said that because Joe has dementia, he couldn’t possibly be behind the weaponization of the DOJ. “What? Is he pulling double duty?”

        Well duh, Dumbasses! We all know someone else is pulling the strings!

        Liked by 1 person

      4. you’re the little bitch always crying -woke this and woke that. Trump told thousands of lies but you’re still sucking his cock. wipe the chin, looks like Trump pulled out too quick

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      1. but trump has been arrested twice with two more to go. you sound like a fucking idiot. you might be the new village idiot

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      2. That’s what Banana Republic Dictators do to their opposition, Gabby the paranoid schizophrenic loser.

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