On my way to Austin, I stopped off in Oklahoma City where an old buddy and I would then B'ROadtrip down to Texas. After picking me up from the clean yet empty airport we headed south of the capital to Norman so I could check out a ten-foot tall bronze statue of one of my favorite actors, James Garner! You see, Garner grew up in Norman and was a long time supporter of the local university and it's football team the Sooners. Welcoming you to a strip of picturesque small town America, Garner's statue is just past the train tracks and across from the Sooner Theatre, where Garner watched movies as a young boy. They even renamed the street to James Garner Avenue. Local friends and supporters raised the money, hired sculptor Shan Gray and in 2006, Garner was on hand for the unveiling. Although Garner had great success in films like The Great Escape, on television in The Rockford Files or on the race track as a driver, his role as television's Bret Maverick would always be a signature and the statue depicts him his western costume.
You know how I love to seek out sky high dining, comic shops and arcades, visiting statues of cinematic icons is another great way to see America and the world. With Garner off the list, I can set out to see Arnold's statue in Columbus, Ohio, Stallone's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bruce Lee's in Hong Kong and of course, Jean-Claude Van Damme's in Belgium.
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