Today, we celebrate the birthday of a great American: Joe Don Baker! No, it’s not a holiday yet. But it should be! (Though my friend Shaun told me that you do get the day off if you’re a hooker or a brewer.)

As you should already know, Joe Don Baker is the star of Mitchell, the greatest 70s cop/detective movie ever made. Don’t believe me? Peep this collection of clips from the films MST3K treatment, and thou shalt believe.

Still not convinced? Infidel! Then check out the hot merging action in this quote-unquote car chase scene.

Please also consider this sampling from the latter-day Joe Don Baker oeuvre, Final Justice, in which our hero roams the island of Malta dressed in a 5-year-old’s idea of a sheriff’s outfit.