Happy 92nd Birthday!

R.G. Armstrong

Born in Alabama in 1917 and the possesser of a Masters in English from the University of Northern Carolina (Chapel Hill), Robert Golden Armstrong left behind his early writing ambitions when he studied at The Actors Studio. Broadway claimed his talent in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Orpheus Descending, but Hollywood gave him steady work for four decades and a special place in the hearts of movie and television viewers.

He possessed the ability to bring a natural realism to a variety of roles, sometimes menacing and sometimes friendly. Is your favourite the religous zealot in Ride the High Country, the straight-thinking blacksmith in No Name on the Bullet or maybe Pruneface in Dick Tracy? Does one of his many television roles on Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, War and Remembrance, Quantum Leap or L.A. Law stand out for you? Maybe it's Farmer Flint who has trouble recognizing his daughter's needs in the episode Ellie Saves a Female from The Andy Griffith Show. Maybe it's every time you see R.G. Armstrong on screen that you appreciate his talent and the longevity of his career.

Speaking of The Andy Griffith Show, here is an R.G. Armstrong contribution to the cookbook, Aunt Bee's Delightful Deserts. It's a winner. Trust me.

Robert Golden's Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 C butter
1C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 C flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1-1/2 C oats
1/2 C nuts (your choice)
1/2 C coconut
1/2 C raisins
A whole lot of chocolate chips

Cream butter/sugars. Add vanilla/eggs. Sift dry ingrediants & add to creamed mixture. Combine remaining ingrediates. Drop by teaspoonful about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

Wouldn't some of those cookies and a western with that familiar face go good about now?

Happy Birthday, Mr. Armstrong.