If Ben Orr was a teen television star…
Recently, one of my sweet-talking friends thanked me by saying, “Baby, you’re the ginchiest!” Curious about a phrase I had never heard before, I had to go look it up. I’m so glad I did: According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘ginchiest’ means groovy, happenin’, kick-ass, or rockin’; “the pinnacle of cool.” What a great compliment!
The term was coined by the late Edd Byrnes who played heartthrob Kookie (pronounced ‘coo-key,’ not like cookie) in the 1950s television program, “77 Sunset Strip.” Anybody remember that show? It was on the air from 1958 to 1964, coming to an end about the time that Benjamin was climbing the ladder of local celebrity with The Grasshoppers in Cleveland.
Wikipedia does a great job of illuminating Edd Byrnes’ character:
The ‘breakout’ character, who had not been included in the pilot film, was Gerald Lloyd “Kookie” Kookson III (Edd Byrnes), the rock and roll-loving, wisecracking, hair-combing hipster and aspiring PI who initially worked as the valet parking attendant at Dino’s, the club next door to the detectives’ office. “Kookie” often found a way to get involved in the firm’s cases, and was eventually made a full partner in the firm with his own office.
The Kookie character became a cultural phenomenon, with his slang expressions such as “ginchy” (cool) and “piling up Zs” (sleeping). When Kookie helped the detectives on a case by singing a song, Edd Byrnes began a singing career with the novelty single, “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb),” based on his frequent combing of his hair… Kookie was also used to provide product placement for Harley-Davidson, appearing on their Topper motor scooter in the show and in Harley-Davidson advertisements.
I had a lot of fun going down this little rabbit hole, searching for information and videos about the show. The more I watched, the more my mind could imagine Ben being such a character. My 15yo son went along for the ride, and he digs Kookie, too! We quote this clip all the time:
“And another cool cat bit the dust.”
Now, is it just me? Or do you think that Benjamin could have played that role to a T?
Check out Edd Byrnes and Connie Stevens performing “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)” on the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show hosted by Dick Clark on April 4, 1959:
Swoon! Haha! I’m addicted. “You’re the maximum utmost!” ❤
sweetpurplejune 
Oh yes, Ben could have definitely played that cool cat lol. my mom remembers all those old shows with the talk like that. i had heard of the phrase, “your the ginchiest” from some old movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funichello. they did alot of funny beach movies, plus the old show “Gidget” she would say that line all the time. and i believe i heard it in some Elvis Presley movies too. Ben could have been the perfect Hollywood heart throb for sure. i picture them showing Ben, then showing a girl with her eyes in the shape of stars with the swooning face, lol. like they used to do when they showed girls looking at Davey Jones on the sitcom, the Monkees.
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Yes, that’s the perfect visual! Haha!
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Digging you x ray . The vibes swinging and the behives a buzzing since you cleared the smog in the noggin ,with this claw sharp caper. I’m dixie fried egg n the beat you dropped and you really know your groceries.
Peace Angel
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Hahaha! Love it!
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