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The same year he became one of the biggest stars of the radio show, he was stricken with a serious eye problem that almost put an end to his budâ€" ding career. But he underwent delicate surgery in Chicago and was able to resume his singing career that led him to fame, not This is Tom Fortner with ‘"‘Whatever Happened to Rex Allant?" Rex _ Allan _ was born December 31, 1922, in Wilcox, Arizona. His parents owned a typical ranch, every bit of it western. Rex, at the early age of 13, was wellâ€"known â€" throughout the state for his singing ability, and he had learned much on the ranch, especially riding skills. He was determined to be a good guitarâ€"playing singer. Upon graduation from Wilcox High School in 1939, he was offered a scholarship from the University of Arizona, but he turned it down. Instead, he rode the rodeo circuit for two years. Rex was offered his first proâ€" fessional singing job on a Trenâ€" ton radio station. In March, 1945, he was hired as a regular on Chicago‘s famous National Barndance Show on Station WLS. By Tom Fortner Secondly, the new Knob Hill is an incredibly impressive facility. Stavros is obviously no nickleâ€"andâ€"dime operator and descriptions of his latest megamarket tend to fall into sports categories, i.e. the new Knob Hill is the length of two It would be easy indeed to deliver an entire column today on Steve Stavros‘ new Knob Hill Farms outlet at Weston Rd. and Highway 401. First of all it fulfills the Link editor‘s conâ€" tinual edict that his writers must attack issues west of Yonge St. (This, of course, is a form of journalistic apartheid, but the last I checked, Weston Rd. was firmly ensconsed some 10 or 11 miles due west of Yonge. Page 4 The Link June/1986 By Peter Gross Biggest stars Early age =â€" Knob Hill lobsters cause dilemma football fields and Jack \ Nicklaus couldn‘t hit a seven iron from the farm produce section to the meat counter. And speaking of that meat ‘ counter, at 525 feet long, it‘s : over an eighth of a mile longâ€"â€" also known as a furlong in horse racing parlanceâ€"â€"which means that as long as the innoâ€" cent shoppers were assembled on the side, Stavros could proâ€" bably run a pretty decent card of quarter horse racing at his new establishment. Watch for Tom Fortner‘s World of Crime, an upcoming series on Canadian and U.S. gangsters who rose to proâ€" minence beginning in the Proâ€" hibition era. But what would a man like Rex be without a horse? His was called Koko. But whatever happened to Rex Allan?t Well, for more than 10 years, he was an associate with Walt Disney Studios. He and his wife Bonnie have three sons and one daughter. He owns the Diamond "X"‘ Ranch, located 30 miles north of Hollywood, and Rex still apâ€" pears at many of the big western rodeos, which he says make him feel that life has been really good to him. Rex‘s abilities to act and sing made all his westerns and other films top entertainment. The Hills of Oklahoma, Down Lorado Way and The Rodeo King were a few of the films in which he starred. In all, he made 31 feature films and 78 episodes of his TV series Frontier Doctor. Rex also successfully wrote and publishâ€" ed over 500 songs. only in recordings and TV, but in movies when Republic gave him a contract in 1949 to make his first movie, The Arizona Cowboy. And that‘s what happened to Rex Allan. Rex Allan and his horse Koko rode together to the top of the western movie industry. | was there covering the store for my daily report on CityPulse News, and with the bargainâ€" hungry shoppers lined up about 10 deep at each of the 30 cashier wickets, I elected not to buy anything. However, on the other side of the regular wickets is Knob Hill‘s enorâ€" mous fish market, where purâ€" But this story isn‘t about Knob Hill Farms so.much as it‘s about two lobsters | bought there the day after the super complex opened. Rex Allan‘s rise: Act and sing Two lobsters Rough road for The Rodeo King How could 1, in cold blood, murder and devour Norm and Edna? For two days, their digniâ€" ty severely compromised, Norm and Edna cowered in fear under soggy newspaper on chases can be made right on the spot. Being a genuine afficionado of shellfish, 1 bought a bag of oysters, about $20 worth of giant shrimp, and the extremeâ€" ly attractive lady behind the counter picked out two fair sizâ€" ed lobsters from a briny tank. Now I‘m perfectly fine with meat, fish or fowl that has already passed on. But these two lobsters were, of course, still alive, and being the humanitarian that | am, | imâ€" mediately assumed that Norm and Edna (before I even reachâ€" ed my car, the two innocent crustaceans already had names) had deeply etched perâ€" sonalities, affection for each other and, naturally, a pasâ€" sionate appreciation for the quality of their lives. Still alive Several minutes after being submerged in a boiling tomb, Norm had turned a delightful tone of bright orange. I plucked him out of the pot with a pair of tongs, and electing not to waste the boiling water I fetched his mate Edna. While she submitâ€" ted to her searing demise, 1 And to his credit, Norm held his class right up to the penultimate moment. One of his beady eyes surveyed me with salty contempt while the other glared into his bubbling demise. the lower shelf of my refrigerator while my hunger for lobster battled my deep seeted desire for freedom, liberty and life. My hunger won out. Last Saturday afternoon, with the thought of succulent lobster meat oozing gently down my throat, I filled a large pot with boiling salted water. 1 reached into my fridge and almost arbitrarily separated Norm from Edna for the last time. Beady eyes Peter Gross can be seen weekdays on CITYâ€"TV, Chanâ€" nel 57, in the World According to Gross, a segment of the 6:00 p.m. CityPulse News. I must still, of course, deal in my heart with my wonton slaughter; my cannibalistic atâ€" titude to one of God‘s species; my indifference to the eradicaâ€" tion of two innocent and harmless creatures. All that considered, the next time I‘m in the Weston Rd. and 401 area, 1 think this time I‘ll proâ€" bably get at least four lobsters. MMMMMMMMMM! The next day, Edna became a creative and tantalizing salad plate, and it does behoove me to report that at $5.89/lb., the lobsters from Knob Hill Farms would seem to be about the most delicious bargain a shellfish lover could find in this city. smashed the shell off Norm and greedily gobbled up his flesh. ‘-a« ; % * «* ad