Date: January 11th, 1970
Place: New Orleans, Louisiana
Event: Chiefs beat Vikings to win the Super Bowl
They say history repeats itself, and a lot of evidence has piled up to prove it. Yet, Chiefs fans are still waiting for a repeat of the most joyous night in team history. The Chiefs won the big game in 1970, but a lot more then just football was going on that year. Surely the Chiefs winning another big one isn't the only event that has yet to repeat itself.
Or is it?
In 1970 some of the top movies of the year were: M.A.S.H., Patton, Kelly's Heroes, The Aristocats, and Tora! Tora! Tora!. Patton took home best picture, actor, and director awards from the Academy. M.A.S.H. repeated itself 100's of times over as a syndicated television program. It was one of t.v.'s all time most loved shows that racked up more awards than Patton himself collected in the military over it's long run on television. Kelly's Heroes too was spoofed as a t.v. show. The famous scene out of Patton with the general himself standing in front of an enormous American flag giving his speech is one of THE most repeated visuals on film. We've seen Presidents, used car salesman, comedy movie spoofs, album covers, as well as bikini models and strippers revisiting it's iconic theme. The movies of the 1970's have absolutely repeated themselves.
Turning from movies to television, it's more difficult to find the repetition of 1970. Marcus Welby, M.D. was a medical mystery show set in a hospital where one gifted M.D. solved perplexing medical mysteries and saved lives no one else could. I can't even count the number of hospital shows since 1970 that have repeated that theme, but I'll leave you with a current day equivalent: House.
The Mod Squad staring Claire Dains wasn't just a movie released in 1999. It stared out as a t.v. show in 1968 that was nominated for and won awards in 1970. Mission Impossible, Bewitched, Hawaii Five-O, The Bill Cosby Show, and Ironside were ALL t.v. shows that won awards in 1970. All have since been repeated as movies, t.v. programs or both. Yet, the Chiefs haven't managed to fulfill their part of repeating history.
Listed among Billboard's top 100 hits of 1970 are a few tunes you might have heard of, even if you weren't alive to enjoy music in 1970. America Woman by the Guess Who, Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head by B.J. Thomas. and Call Me by Aretha Franklin are just the tip of the iceberg among the songs that have been remade, remixed, sampled, and re-released. Stand By Your Man has been sung by more tribute artists than there are female country singers. Face it, popular music of the 70's era make up what seems like 80% of all the popular hits of the 2000's. If the Black Eyed Pea's didn't steal, sample, and remake songs, titles and riffs they wouldn't ever had cut a single (and I dream of the day when they stop slaughtering good music).
Nope, we aren't going to find any relief from history's selective repetition in the music world. But not everything in history comes back again. I mean, [laughing in disgust] it's not like bell bottoms, hip hugging jeans, platform sandals, Afros, or hemp clothing is ever going to make a come back, right? In the words of Homer Simpson: "DOH!"
It's almost like the only thing that hasn't come back around is a Super Bowl winning Chiefs football team. I guess I'll have to find my relief from repetition frustration in an area that just can't repeat itself: technology.
Do you remember those old gas guzzling, solid steel behemoths they used to drive around in 1970? I sure am glad we don't have to put up with that antiquated technology any more. Who would want to be stuck driving around in such simplistic vehicles like a V.W. Bug, Mustang, Camero, Charger, Thunderbird, Duster, Challenger, or some huge boat of a Cadillac? Am I right? Those things were flat out embarrassing! I sure am glad we never brought those environmental disasters of transportation back. 1970 is where they belong! ....... DOH!
Everywhere you turn and look in 2011 is actually just a repeat of 1970. Music, movies, t.v., fashion, architecture, children's toys, even food keeps coming back to haunt me.
The Kansas City Chiefs may be over due to repeat history given everything else that's already come full circle, but maybe.....just maybe.... 1970 is saving the best for last. As a Chiefs fan I'll just have to take solace in the knowledge that everything great is remade again, and the 1970 Chiefs' success is well on it's way back.