Author Archives

As a reporter for Channel 7 in Boston for 31 years, I was witness to most of the major events affecting the region. I met a lot of people ... politicians, actors, moguls, criminals and many regular folks caught up in extraordinary situations. Sometimes, I write about the people I've met and places I've been. Sometimes, I write about life, my family, my dogs and me. Or what might otherwise be called Life.

• MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWBOYS – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 09/23/2022 • ( 9 )

  

  I just finished reading the definitive biography of legendary film director, John Ford. It’s a wonderful read by Scott Eyman who specializes in biographies of Hollywood legends. “Pappy” Ford, of course, was the master of western films — from the… Read More ›

• WHAT WOULD STEVE McQUEEN HAVE DONE?

  By Garry Armstrong on 09/02/2022 • ( 19 )

  

  It must be payback. Karma, hubris, or both. For more than 30 years, I drove a succession of fully loaded convertibles with Steve McQueen in my brain. Once, I was racing to a story in the dead of night when… Read More ›

• BEING AGAINST FORCED BUSING DOESN’T MAKE YOU A RACIST – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 08/19/2022 • ( 84 )

  I was in the middle of what I honestly call the Boston busing fiasco. On center stage, it played as a racial divide between Boston’s white and minority communities. It played well in the media – especially national and international… Read More ›

• BEST OF THE OLD WEST – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 08/15/2022 • ( 4 )

  

  “Lock n’ load” was the political slogan of a presidential candidate I was covering in the ’80’s. He wore a white Stetson and a gold string tie over his flowered cowboy shirt. As a reporter, I was objective and clear-headed…. Read More ›

• A SUMMER AFTERNOON WITH JAMES CAGNEY – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 07/06/2022 • ( 9 )

  After our evening of watching Yankee Doodle Dandy and then watching the “extra reel” that came with the movie, I got nostalgic. This story goes back to the early ’70s. My mind gets a little bit hazy. I always thought… Read More ›

• BASEBALL AND A NATION IN DISARRAY – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 07/05/2022 • ( 11 )

  

  I’ve been travelling down Memory Lane recently, far from the madding crowd of reality. The stark reality of the January 6th hearings, reality that resembles the madness of movies like “Seven Days In May”, “The Parallax View” and “The Manchurian… Read More ›

• CATBIRD BY THE BLACKSTONE

  By Garry Armstrong on 06/20/2022 • ( 16 )

  

  Usually Marilyn takes all the bird pictures, but this little gray bird was just hanging around, almost as if he were thinking about becoming a pet. I took pictures. Marilyn said he is a Grey Catbird, so named because the… Read More ›

• PORTRAITS OF THE OTHER HALF

  By Garry Armstrong on 06/18/2022 • ( 17 )

  

  After Marilyn took pictures of me, I took some of her. They are more casual, but she’s not looking for a job in the moving picture or television business. She makes an interesting subject. I don’t like posed pictures, so… Read More ›

• ANOTHER “DUH” CONVERSATION ON GUN CONTROL – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 06/07/2022 • ( 36 )

  

  It was an innocent quick trip to the local supermarket. Two or three items and I would exit the place. I was wrong on so many levels. My fast dash down a shopping lane was quickly stopped. Passage was blocked… Read More ›

• SPRING AGAIN – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 05/12/2022 • ( 8 )

  

  We went to the dam to take a few pictures. More than 300 photographs later, we came home. Marilyn is still working on them, but here are some of mine. It was great being able to be outside without freezing… Read More ›

• PORTRAIT OF THE (SKETCH) ARTIST By GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 03/20/2022 • ( 44 )

  

  My wife, Marilyn, has always been a skilled wordsmith. In fact, Marilyn has been my editorial ‘Max Perkins,’ polishing up all the things I’ve written in recent years. She knows my voice and her edits make my work much better…. Read More ›

• UPDATE: MARILYN – SATURDAY PM

  By Garry Armstrong on 03/19/2022 • ( 17 )

  

  FLASHBACK FRIDAY On Saturday – Originally written on March 19, 2014 by Garry Armstrong. Update by Marilyn. Not all flashbacks are fun to read or remember. Eight years ago, I was in Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital trying to stay alive…. Read More ›

• ME AND BERNIE SCHWARTZ – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 03/18/2022 • ( 23 )

  

  Those of you who are regular visitors to this site know I like to share stories about my encounters with legendary stars from old Hollywood. The shares come from my working days as a TV news reporter. It was a… Read More ›

• LOST IN SPACE – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 02/21/2022 • ( 24 )

  

  THE CONTINUING SAGA OF MISSING ITEMS This is not Sci-Fi. It’s true. No names or places have been changed for dramatic purposes. Things are, in plain sight, vanishing and it’s becoming unnerving. First, it was my computer glasses. Kept in… Read More ›

• BACK WHEN STARS WERE STARS – GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 02/09/2022 • ( 62 )

  

  It’s getting close to the Academy Awards time. This year it’s near the end of March, but the buzz is on about the contenders. Who’ll win, who should win, who’s been snubbed, who’ll be wearing what, etcetera ad nauseam. This… Read More ›

• NOR’EASTER FELLS THE LEGEND By GARRY ARMSTRONG

  By Garry Armstrong on 02/06/2022 • ( 34 )

  

  Mother Nature came through on the heels of the frantic predictions of a whopper storm. Skeptical New Englanders are watching the snow fall faster than the numbers on Wall Street after another week of gridlock on Capitol Hill. What’s the… Read More ›