A "Program for Life" authored by the late Tom Rettig
USE Yourself exclusive SET TALK OFF CLEAR DO WHILE ALIVE STORE "LOVE" TO heart STORE "health" TO body STORE "peace" TO mind STORE "compassion" TO others STORE "esteem" TO self STORE "faith" TO God REPLACE Negative WITH Positive , ; Judgment WITH Acceptance , ; Resentment WITH Forgiveness REPLACE Hopelessness WITH Choice , ; Confusion WITH Clarity , ; Procrastination WITH Participation REPLACE Separation WITH Connection , ; Lack WITH Abundance , ; Sorrow WITH Celebration @ all, times SAY your_truth If its_time EXIT ENDIF ENDDO SAVE TO Always CLEAR ALL RETURN EOF: remember.prg |
By the time he passed away of a heart attack in 1996, Tom Rettig was a Pretty Good Guy:
Tom had every right to a high opinion of himself. Child actor Tommy Rettig had great success, starring in several movies, and playing Jeff Miller, the first owner of TV's "Lassie." Tom reprised the role a few years ago in an episode of "The New Lassie" series; he wrote the script that had Lassie using a computer (helped by himself as a grown-up Jeff Miller). This was especially fitting, because as an adult, Tom's ability as a programmer was legendary -- he was a guru with a Hollywood-famous name. Yet he was one of the most friendly, accessible people you'd hope to meet.
As news of Tom's death (from natural causes) spread, dozens of people posted messages on the Fox forums. Those messages, while deeply touching, were remarkable for their similarity. Here are a few examples:
"He spoke to people as peers, whether they were on a guru or novice level. He never seemed condescending. Once he was introduced to me, he remembered my name and always greeted me by it as if I was a long lost friend."
"What a class act: Here he is, an acknowledged guru, author and vendor of a powerful FoxPro development environment (Tom Rettig's Office), and instead of talking about himself, he asks about my (relatively piddling) work."
"Somehow when we were around Tom we got to be more valuable than we were before--smarter, funnier, more gracious. And he seems to have made everybody feel like that."
TCM: "Natural, not overly-cute, sincere and obviously intelligent, Tommy Rettig was a child actor who didn’t get on your nerves. And that’s saying quite a bit."
As you might have guessed, real life as a kid actor wasn't as idyllic as on TV. From a 1981 interview:
HIGH TIMES: Why did you get out of "Lassie"?
RETTIG: We sued the producers of the show for four years in a row. One year they put out a Lassie doll with my picture on it and paid me no royalties. They owned the name Lassie and they owned the name of my role, Jeff Miller. We took them to court and they had to either take my picture off or pay me a royalty, so they took the picture off. Another year we took them to court because they told us they were going to pay my salary in savings bonds: "We owe Tommy ten thousand dollars so we'll pay him seventy-five hundred dollars and in three years it'll be ten thousand dollars." Unbelievable sh*t. So, in the last year, the whole cast sued for release from our contracts. It didn't upset the producer at all: "I've still got the dog, don't I" And he did. That's all it took. I'm now syndicated under "Jeff's Collie," and, of course, I make not one cent in residuals.
HIGH TIMES: Hooray for Hollywood. You did "Burns and Allen." What was it like?
RETTIG: Look, I did almost all the hit shows. They were all just another gig. You go there, you get your script, you say some lines, Gracie Allen says some lines, people laugh, George Burns says some lines, people laugh, show ends, you ask for their autograph, pick up your check and go home.
High Times: Fun?
RETTIG: It was work.
But for a teenage boy, it did have a bright side:
Fame did bring some compensations. "I'd say, 'Gee, Mrs. Jones, can I keep your daughter out until 2 a.m.?' She'd say, 'Oh, you're the nice boy from Lassie. Of course, she can stay out all night.' I had a halo on my head, but it was hiding horns."
We absolutely love your blog and find many of your post's to be exactly what I'm looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content in your case? I wouldn't mind composing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome weblog!
Posted by: ขายเกมส์ | 11/20/2013 at 10:56 AM
I visit every day a few web sites and information sites to read articles, but this webpage presents feature based articles.
Posted by: Subway surfers for windows phone | 11/13/2013 at 06:30 AM
That's the kind of image that i really thing is super image like. If more images very real like this were out there we'd be super full of graet images in the world.
Posted by: not fake | 11/03/2013 at 10:06 PM
A poorly maintained gaming site would be very inconvenient when it to be able to managing your game snack bars or asking for match support. The shelter of playing should nevertheless be guaranteed from the initial deposit of money to the final withdrawal of bucks. leather iphone 5 cases best case for ipad 3 [grizzlygadgets.com] iphone 5 accessories ipad 2 cases (grizzlygadgets.com) iphone 5 cable cases for ipad 2 kate spade iphone 4 case metal iphone case ipad mini cover iphone 4s cases ipad mini Cases michael kors iphone case (http://grizzlygadgets.com) ipad case with keyboard best iphone 4 cases apple ipad accessories custom iphone 5 cases best keyboard for ipad galaxy s3 charging case best iphone cases ipad 2 leather case mini ipad case s3 accessories best keyboard for ipad iphone 4 wallet case ipad cover michael kors iphone case samsung galaxy s3 case (http://grizzlygadgets.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-cases) best ipad cover ipad mini covers unique iphone 4 cases cases for galaxy s3 iphone cases ipad mini keyboard best ipad accessories Best iphone 4 cases ipad case Iphone 5 Case (grizzlygadgets.com) leather case for iphone 5 best iphone case; grizzlygadgets.com, Iphone 5 Accessories iphone 4 covers Iphone 5 Case ipad cases best ipad mini cases - http://grizzlygadgets.com/ - ipad bluetooth keyboard; http://grizzlygadgets.com, iphone 5 charger ipad 2 case iphone 5 leather cases iphone 4 case iphone 5 battery case ipad keyboard case accessories for iphone 4s ipad Case with keyboard ipad cases ipad bluetooth keyboard (grizzlygadgets.com) ipad cover with keyboard (http://grizzlygadgets.com/) metal iphone case iphone charger (grizzlygadgets.com) ipad mini cases Ipad Stand ipad 2 cover case for ipad 2 - grizzlygadgets.com, designer iphone cases best keyboard for ipad ipad 3 cover (grizzlygadgets.com) iphone 4 charger (grizzlygadgets.com) best ipad 3 cases samsung Galaxy s2 case iphone 4 case ipad mini case (grizzlygadgets.com) best ipad case (grizzlygadgets.com) ipad mini covers best iphone 5 case phone cases for galaxy s2 best iphone case ipad cases - grizzlygadgets.com, best case for ipad 2 Aluminum iphone case - http://grizzlygadgets.Com/aluminum-Iphone-cases, ipad accessories ipad cover (http://grizzlygadgets.com/ipad-accessories) iphone case cool iphone accessories iphone 5 waterproof case Ipad cases Best cases for galaxy s3 keyboard for ipad iphone 5 aluminum case ipad mini case apple ipad 2 case Apple ipad Accessories mini ipad covers iphone 5 covers ipad 2 case review - grizzlygadgets.com - iphone 4s Case iphone 5 aluminum case, http://grizzlygadgets.com, leather iphone case i pad covers Ipad 3 Accessories, Grizzlygadgets.Com, cool iphone 4 case case for ipad 2 ipad 2 accessories iphone charger (grizzlygadgets.com) ipad cases samsung galaxy s3 Cases apple Ipad case ipad Cases aluminum iphone 5 cases
Posted by: leather iphone 5 cases | 10/03/2013 at 04:57 AM
I had got a dream to begin my own organization, however I did not earn enough of money to do that. Thank God my close colleague recommended to take the loans "goodfinance-blog.com". Thence I used the secured loan and made real my dream.
Posted by: mortgage loans | 04/08/2013 at 05:17 AM
It is an outstanding page that enhances understanding and mind building.
Posted by: business phone line | 01/24/2013 at 06:16 AM
Great information you got here. I've been reading about this topic for one week now for my papers in school and thank God I found it here in your blog. I had a great time reading this..
Posted by: Generic Viagra | 10/24/2011 at 05:22 AM
I wonder how you got so good. This is really a fascinating blog, lots of stuff that I can get into. One thing I just want to say is that your Blog is so perfect!
Posted by: Generic Viagra | 09/22/2011 at 07:12 AM
Ils offrent aussi des raisons d'affaires à puce pour s'assurer que de telles initiatives ont du succès et continue
Posted by: allegra | 09/10/2011 at 03:14 AM
Ég kom nýlega yfir bloggið þitt og hafa verið að lesa eftir. Ég hélt ég myndi fara fyrst umsögn mína. ÉG dont 'vita hvað á að segja nema að ég hafi notið að lesa. Nice blog. Ég mun halda áfram að heimsækja þetta blogg mjög oft.
Posted by: generic Viagra | 09/10/2011 at 03:12 AM
Specialists state that business loans help a lot of people to live their own way, because they can feel free to buy necessary things. Furthermore, different banks give sba loan for young and old people.
Posted by: MADDOXMariana32 | 08/29/2011 at 01:44 PM
Ha hecho un trabajo muy bueno. Hay muchas personas en busca de eso ahora van a encontrar suficientes fuentes por tus consejos.g
Posted by: Austin Mortgage | 08/17/2011 at 10:50 PM
They lope like wolves into banks, snatch fistfuls of money and live large in the face of the Great Depression .
Posted by: Crescent Processing Company | 08/12/2011 at 01:21 AM
Nautin todella Reding viestejäsi koska olen oppia paljon niistä. Olen myös avartamaan ajattelua niin pitkälle kuin mitä voin käyttää ja tehdä asioita
Rate translation
Posted by: Buy Desyrel Online | 08/10/2011 at 05:25 AM
thnk you for sahring
Posted by: escort ankara | 07/28/2011 at 06:53 PM
Azt akarta, hogy többet tudjon konkrét témákban, de nem sok websites segítene nekem, ki tájékoztatása rám, ahogy vártam. Ez maradt meg sok kérdést, de elolvasása után a cikk, kaptam választ minden kérdésemre. Túl jó haver!
Posted by: Generic Drugs Exporter | 07/26/2011 at 07:23 AM
I think you are right when you say this. Hats off man, what a superlative knowledge you have on this subject…hope to see more work of yours.
Posted by: Generic Viagra | 06/22/2011 at 05:44 AM
Is est vere interesting, tristique eget nulla ipsum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet quaeris ultra victum et tuos contulit vester iste stipes. Sed facilisis mi in amicabiliter networks dedi!
Posted by: Seo Services India | 06/20/2011 at 08:19 AM
This is really interesting, You're a very skilled blogger. I've joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your wonderful post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks
Posted by: Mobile Computing | 05/11/2011 at 06:53 AM
Hola,Ha hecho un trabajo muy bueno. Hay muchas personas en busca de eso ahora van a encontrar suficientes fuentes por tus consejos.espera para obtener más consejos acerca de que
Posted by: Generic Cordarone | 05/11/2011 at 05:58 AM