Tough Guys with a Soft Centre

I really, really do not like traditional heroine stories from a bygone era. This also extends to most romance books and films, traditionally written from a woman's viewpoint, where she falls in love with the strong silent hero, for example.

That doesn't happen these days, does it? Oddly, I find myself fascinated by certain characters who are tough guys with a soft centre.

To focus on two actors who play these characters very well, Adam Baldwin and Christian Kane (both who were up for the part of Jayne Cobb in Firefly and, I believe, are friends), I'll refer to the TV series (plural) Chuck and Leverage.

By the end of Chuck, I found that the story of the main two co-stars had played out but I was left wanting to know more about John Casey, whose character developed brilliantly as the series progressed. 

In Leverage, Eliot Spencer was a straightforward yet complex person and I wanted to see more of him. But... did I want to know more about him? Debateable, given his brief descriptions of his past deeds. And it was great to see that Adam Baldwin had a guest appearance in S5. As far as Eliot goes, I'm delighted that, not only has Leverage:Redemption now aired but Christian Kane has the lead role in Almost Paradise, where he plays a similar character - tough, soft, not quite loveable.

Having read an old interview with Christian Kane about adapting to his role in The Librarians (a series that I've been trying to watch for a while, having seen a Librarians movie, but it's an additional cost over and above paying for Prime/Freevee), I'm even more intrigued to watch his portrayal. There's a rumour of bringing back a new series of The Librarians but, of course, everything from the 'States is taking forever because of the Writers' strike. Money-grabbing studio execs are trying to save money on paying writers and supporting actors/extras. Wow, big businesses are greedy - who would've guessed!

I haven't seen Angel, where both actors have roles, because I wasn't keen on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I guess that has to be on my list? I'm just curious to see how AB & CK fit these different characters.

Conclusion: the strong, silent hero is alive and well in the 21st Century. In the UK, Chuck, Leverage and Leverage:Redemption are free with Prime (I think that Firefly and Serenity are also available - but to buy).

Your relevant comments are welcome.

Nostalgia: Working in the 1970s & 1980s

In 1977, I was learning to write programs using a teletype (a big step from punched cards); I was good at Basic, reasonable at COBOL, not so great at Fortran. I loved working in the I.T. department (tho' it wasn't called that in those days); my colleagues were far better programmers than I was but I was very good at specifying requirements for specific needs of management so I moved into Management Information Systems. This involved specifying the program interface and training staff in using it. Good as it was, a similar opportunity arose in another division of the company which offered much more money plus a company car.

It was around 1982. I got the job, sold my lovely old TR7 (bright yellow) and was supplied with a brand new Ford Sierra (a car that had only just been launched!) 

It was a great job; I had to procure (or specify) software for a number of small business applications (e.g. estate agents) so that the sales people could entice these buyers with our multi-user desktop compter system. I had to prepare marketing materials, write instruction manuals and train the clients (hence the company car).

So - what happened next? IBM took the world a step backwards by launching their single user Personal Computer. The first time the acronym 'PC' was used in this context. And the company I worked for decided to relocate. 

Although I'd only been there a year and the company provided me with a car, a daily commute further south and across the Thames was too far to contemplate. They offered assistance for me to move house but I liked where I lived and didn't want to move 60 miles south-east. As luck would have it, I didn't need to.

I was approached by an ex-colleague who had heard of a new position opening up which he thought I'd be ideal for. Having said I was interested, I was invited for interview by my potential new employers. Of course I said yes but would be going on holiday in a week so could we meet before then? 'No problem' I was told. 'We'll send you the airplane tickets and book you into a hotel for a couple of nights, if that's OK'... 

While I was to be based locally, it turns out that the co-owners wanted to meet me and to show me their working environment before I came on board. So I flew to LAX, stayed overnight at an airport hotel then caught a flight to Las Vegas to meet everyone at a trade show (COMDEX), stayed overnight in Vegas, flew back to LAX then to LHR. I just had time to get home and pack for my holiday, as we were leaving the next day!

Yes, of course I got the job. It was possibly the best job I've ever had. Responsible for product support (mainly COBOL) to existing clients/resellers and marketing to build on the client-base throughout Europe, I loved it! Oh yes, my company car was a VW Scirocco (eventually replaced by a Toyota MR2).

I pretty much had autonomy in Europe and visited the company's selected dealers in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain... plus a couple of trips each year to Head Office in Los Angeles. Wow, I know I was lucky and enjoyed every minute of it. Business increased sufficiently to expand the team so I employed a better programmer for product support (whew!) and a marketing assistant. I also recommended an experienced salesman (an ex-colleague) to sign up larger accounts.

Sadly, good times don't last forever. When the major co-owner died, the company was sold and incorporated by another one, which hadn't a clue how to run the business. Luckily, I was head-hunted by a rival company - but that's another story.