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When I was a youth, I was of course in love with a variety of men. As I may have mentioned on this blog and everywhere else, I was perhaps the world’s dorkiest kid. Horrible perm…thick, breathtakingly ugly glasses…bad posture…gah! It hurts just to remember. Picture a Caucasian Ugly Betty, but with worse hair and without the gorgeous skin.
And so, like dorky girls everywhere, I turned to the movies and TV for men. I’m not talking about the Rhett Butler variety (and just for the record, ladies, he’s mine!)…more the icons of the day who captured this nerdy heart.
Here’s my list:
Luke Duke. Not Bo, the better-looking, flashier cousin, no, no. I wanted some brains, even back them. Luke was smarter, calmer, and let’s face it. He looked better in jeans. Bo’s were just ridiculously tight.
Apollo from Battlestar Galactica. Not Starbuck, the better-looking, flashier friend…hm. A trend might be emerging. Apollo, if I recall properly, had a child. He was widower, right? Sigh! Oh, the tragic male!
Fonzie. Oh, come on. You were in love with him, too.
Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H. What can I say? I was ahead of my time. Alan Alda is a good-looking man.
Father Damien from The Exorcist. Was it inevitable that I’d write a book about a woman in love with a priest? I guess it was. But you know, he’s so calm, and he’s not afraid of that freaking terror strapped to the bed up there…how could you not love this guy?
So okay, I think I’ve been very brave and honest (and will tolerate no mockery from the rest of you in public, so think again). ’Fess up. Who did it for you when you were an adolescent?
Filed in: Jaunty Post
May 11th
2009
5:43 am
Fran Said:
Mine were (and are) clichés: Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. And long time ago Jean Claude Van Damme
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May 11th
2009
7:40 am
Margo Maguire Said:
I’ve got one that no one will remember. Gardner McKay from Adventures in Paradise. [sigh] Every week: one big adventure on a schooner in the South Pacific that involved a pretty lady and hunky Gardner McKay. I think I must have been seeing residuals because it was on TV when I got home from school – not primetime.
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May 11th
2009
9:06 am
Shana Said:
I had a huge crush on Shawn Cassidy. Oh, and Harrison Ford, though I think he is older than my dad!
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May 11th
2009
9:18 am
kristan higgins Said:
Jean-Claude, squee! And Shawn Cassidy…what child of the 70s didn’t love Shawn Cassidy?
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May 11th
2009
9:41 am
Romantic Girl Said:
I loved the Dukes of Hazzard though I was a Bo girl. It’s funny because now I like dark-haired men better, but then I couldn’t get over that beautiful blond hair and blue eyes. I have to say Bo aged much better than Luke. He still looks good! Hmm, other big crushes from back in the day…Kirk Cameron, Tom Hanks – actually that one remains, but when I first saw him in Splash, I lost my heart completely.
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May 11th
2009
9:51 am
RobynDeHart Said:
I had a nightgown that said “my heart belongs to Bo” with a heart and a picture of his face.
And I’m embarrassed to admit that I had a HUGE crush on Corey Feldman, which thankfully did end when he entered his Michael Jackson phase.
I also loved Scott Baio cause there was nothing sexier than the way Chachi loved Joni! At least to my seven year old mind.
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May 11th
2009
11:46 am
Kathryn Said:
Parker Stevenson… my favourite Hardy Boy. Harrison Ford as Han Solo (I was 16 when the first movie came out and I drooled over him). John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino. Sean Connery as James Bond — and this one is long lasting as I still find him very attractive (ditto Harrison Ford).
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May 11th
2009
12:17 pm
serenissima Said:
Ladies,
I was totally in love with Kurt Russell after seeing him in the series The Quest back in the 1970s…
A bit later he was beaten by Michael Brandon who played the part of an American police in British series Dempsey and Makepeace… Ooh, how I wanted to have hair like Harriet(Harry) Makepiece in that show.
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May 11th
2009
1:10 pm
kristan higgins Said:
Ah, youth! The Bo/Luke debate remains heated, does it not, ladies?
As for Kurt Russell, he was a pretty good investment in the “ages well” criteria…Parker Stevenson, good lord! I completely forgot about him and loved him madly. Hope he’ll forgive me.
Robyn, don’t be ashamed of your Cory love. It was an era. Scott Baio, now THAT you can be ashamed of!
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May 11th
2009
2:54 pm
Nancy Robards Thompson Said:
If Kristan had not granted us amnesty from being mocked I would never admit this… but here goes… in my preteen years I had a huge crush on Stuart “Woody” Wood, the bass player for the Bay City Rollers. My friends and I were avid Roller fans. And when I was seven, I was in love with Donny Osmond, who looks awesome as a backup dancer in Weird Al’s “White and Nerdy” video. If that doesn’t say it all… :blush:
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May 11th
2009
4:39 pm
Solveig Said:
Great blog Kristan :ÖD I was completely and completely in love with Gus Pike from Road to Avonlea and Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables
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May 11th
2009
5:58 pm
kristan higgins Said:
Nancy, you were mistaken. I only granted MYSELF amnesty from being mocked. Bay City Rollers, huh? I must praise your honestly in admitting the Donny Osmond thing, because I did not–until now–have the courage to do so, but I will stand with you, Robyn and say yes, I too loved Donny Osmond. Oh, the humanity!
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May 11th
2009
9:35 pm
Nancy Robards Thompson Said:
Oh, Kristan…
Oh, no! Blanket amnesty for one and all! 
Because… did ya notice how the comments came to a screeching halt after you said that??
Seriously, this was a lot of fun. Great post!
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May 11th
2009
9:52 pm
Diana Said:
I was quite the New Kids on the Block fan when I was in elementary and middle school. Joe McIntyre was my favorite. Unfortunately, I never got to see them live when I was really obsessed with them. Fortunately, I got to see them for the first time last October when they reunited. I’m debating if I should see them again in concert in July. It was so much fun screaming and singing along to some of my favorite New Kids songs. I never saw so many twenty- and thirty-year-old women screaming their hearts out in my life. What a sight!
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May 12th
2009
6:10 am
kristan higgins Said:
Okay, okay, amnesty for everyone. Especially Diana, who was the only one BRAVE enough to admit the New Kids obsession. And yes, Diana. You should definitely go to the reunion concert
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May 13th
2009
12:12 am
Romantic Girl Said:
Diana, you are brave! I didn’t want admit to my NKOTB phase. Jordan was my fave.
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May 14th
2009
10:56 pm
Maya M. Said:
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Greg or Peter from the Brady Bunch, or the eldest son of the Partridge family. Though the depth of my love may be questionable considering his name escapes me right now…
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