TVXOHOF MONDAY MEMORIAL TRIBUTE - CHUCK NORRIS

 

From CNN:
Chuck Norris, veteran, martial arts world champion, action hero and early 2000s Internet meme inspiration, whose rugged demeanor was immortalized on hit show “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died. He was 86.

“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” read a message credited to the Norris family posted to Instagram and Facebook Friday morning. “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”

Norris had an unidentified medical emergency in Hawaii on Thursday, according to news reports. The family thanked fans for their prayers during his hospitalization.

Hearing the news, I checked his credits, figuring that Texas Ranger Cordell Walker would easily be eligible for membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  But I was surprised to see that another role of his was also Hall-worthy....

CHUCK NORRIS

From Wikipedia:
Carlos Ray Norris (March 10, 1940 – March 19, 2026) was an American martial artist, actor, screenwriter, and author. He held black belts in karate, taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, he won numerous martial arts championships and later founded his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. Norris began working in Hollywood as a martial arts instructor for celebrities before making his screen debut with a minor role in "The Wrecking Crew" (1968).

Friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in "The Way of the Dragon" (1972). While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested he take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film "Breaker! Breaker!" (1977), which turned a profit. His second lead, "Good Guys Wear Black" (1978), became a hit, and he soon became a popular action film star.

Here are most of his appearances which qualified him for membership in the TVXOHOF.  As you will see, his fictional televersion is joined by several of his appearances on talk shows (and one game show.)  Either he is seen with another Hall member who is a part of the League Themselves, or the show itself is in the TVXOHOF (or will be, one day....)

ROOM 222
DREAMS OF GLORY (1970)
Larry Ellison, a diminutive student of Pete Dixon's, lacks confidence in himself because of his size, and especially because he is taunted mercilessly by much larger fellow student Vic Martin. Pete suggests that Larry take up karate to build his self-esteem, and Larry begins to study under a karate master (real-life martial arts champion Chuck Norris, playing himself). Larry's efforts eventually begin to pay off, but Pete starts to have second thoughts when Larry becomes determined to use his new skills not just in self-defense, but also to settle his score with Vic Martin.

THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW (1971)

O'Bservation:
Eva Gabor was the substitute host that day.  And she does not look happy.

THE LATE SHOW with JOHNNY CARSON (1973)

TO TELL THE TRUTH (1974)

THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW (1980)

LATE NIGHT with CONAN O'BRIEN (1995)

THE LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN (1996)

YES, DEAR
JIMMY & CHUCK (2003)
Chuck Norris plays himself as an actor preparing for a security guard role in a movie. Jimmy shows him the ropes for being a security guard at the studio.

MOUNTAIN DEW (2007)

O'Bservation:
This blipvert also lampooned a cultural phenomenon which could be unique to Chuck Norris and Keith Richards - meme themes.

In Chuck's case, it's the flood of memes about how powerful he is.  (As for Keith Richards, his meme stock-in-trade would be about how old he is.)

ADDENDUM:

I don't know what talk show this was or who the host was. (The video has a link imbedded for YIKERS.com.  No clue.)  But he had Chuck Norris read a Top Ten List of meme captions about the omnipotence of Chuck Norris.  These two were my favorites.

LARRY KING LIVE (2008)

TOTAL GYM INFOMERCIALS (2009 + 2010)

THE GOLDBERGS
BOY BARRY (2015)
Erica convinces Barry he's lost Lainey to Boy George.

O'Bservations:
While it was broadcast in 2015, this episode took place in October, 1980-something.

And those captions from the letter were actually read by Chuck Norris, because that's who Barry thought had sent the letter.  (But it was his brother Adam who had faked it.)

UNITED HEALTH CARE
LUNCH VS. CHUCK NORRIS (2017)

TOYOTA TACOMA (2018)

Here's a look at a couple of those commercials:

A popular trend in AI-generated videos show casts of TV shows and movies, "Then" & "Now".  Sometimes the video chooses a group of actors with something in common and then has the actor surrounded by 3 or 4 of their best-known characters.

For one reel whose theme is the greatest martial arts actors (in no particular order), this is what they had for Chuck Norris....

I'm sorry for the circumstances which spurred this induction and I also apologize that I never thought of it sooner.

For those who are wondering, Texas Ranger Cordell Walker will be saved for next year; he'll be the traditional Western inductee in August 2027.  (I couldn't bump him up to be the inductee this August, as this year is a milestone year for a historical figure and I will be saluting his many multi-dimensional portrayals.

There is another character he played on an alternate Toobworld who only got 2/3 of the way to becoming eligible for Hall membership.  But he will make for an interesting blog post in my infrequent Thursday Theory of Relateeveety... and at least that will be seen, come this August.

Welcome to the Hall, Mr. Norris.