MEMORIES:

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Ironically, the world’s first Jewish action figure wasn’t really designed for action.  He was an executive.  At his disposal were a headset telephone, a briefcase, and a secure office desk.  He sported a stylish hounds tooth blazer, a turtleneck sweater and snappy checkered slacks. He was the key decision maker in America’s ongoing secret struggle against tyranny, injustice and Bigfoot.  For he and he alone was the one man who could send our country’s greatest, and arguably most expensive weapon into harm’s way.  His name, of course, was Oscar Goldman, and he was Steve Austin’s boss.  Oscar, as the acting head of O.S.I. would receive a case file, brief Steve (and later Jaime Summers) and then make himself available via phone, or if need be, in-person support.

More effective than the disembodied Charlie of Charlie’s Angels, less flamboyant than Tattoo’s boss, Mr. Rourke, More even-tempered than Mr. Spacely and much more decisive than Larry Tate, Oscar stands tall among his peers, taller even than Captain Stubing, who would receive his own action figure years later.

Yes, it is time to give Oscar the spotlight he so richly deserves.  Though he was not bionic, he was dependable when the chips were down, and if that doesn’t spell HERO in today’s morally ambiguous world, than I don’t know what does.

Where, you may ask, are today’s Oscar Goldmans? Perhaps if he were real and life-size, the world would be a better place.  We may never know.  But we can learn from him.  If everyone, every day asked of ourselves “What would Oscar do?” we might just see a difference.