Hey, remember how I mentioned that Fred Kaplan would be a guest Thursday evening on Tavis Smiley? Well, the show was taped, Fred reports, but it won't air on Thursday. It's preempted by programming relating to Ted Kennedy. The Kaplan interview will be rescheduled and I'll try and let you know when.
Monthly Archives: August 2009
From the E-Mailbag…
Tim Hogdson writes…
Getting older is a bitch, isn't it? Particularly when you not only start forgetting things but also begin to remember things that never happened. In your otherwise even-handed little appreciation/reminiscence about Ted Kennedy, you say: "…in 1979 [Kennedy] was thinking of challenging incumbent Jimmy Carter for the presidency…I also recall a certain relief a few months later when he decided not to run. I just didn't want to invest that much time and emotion in a guy who seemed so likely to disappoint us on some level. Since then, of course, they all have."
Kennedy did in fact launch an insurgent Presidential campaign against Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter on on November 7, 1979. The campaign self-sabotaged almost from the outset (do you remember the infamous CBS interview with Roger Mudd when Kennedy couldn't answer a straightforward question about why he was running for the Presidency?). In the event Carter won 24 of the Democratic primaries in 1980, Kennedy just 10. But Kennedy didn't end his campaign until the 1980 Democratic Convention in New York. Despite the overwhelming odds against an upset victory, his team firmly believed they could force through an amendment to the party's nominating rules and free delegates from being bound by primary results. They couldn't. The Kennedy move was defeated on the first night of the convention and the Senator withdrew from the race. He went on to deliver perhaps the most electrifying speech of his career on the second night of the Democratic gathering before folding his tent and stealing away back to Washington (or maybe Hyannis), offering only the most tepid endorsement of Carter before he left (and making a complete mockery of the notion of party unity in the process).
Anyway, I won't go on. Probably 29,000 other people have pointed out this little memory glitch.
Well, not quite 29,000. So far, it's yours and one other. But yeah, I shorthanded in writing that piece last night and I shouldn't have. What I actually recall is that about two months after that dinner meeting, the person who was organizing the Comedy Writer Squadron for Kennedy called and said that the plans were off; that Kennedy was not going to mount a serious challenge against Carter…just a "favorite son" candidacy to give himself some leverage at the convention.
I dunno if that was ever Kennedy's intent. It certainly was not what he went on to do. He did mount that serious challenge that she'd told me he was abandoning but he did so without the gang of joke writers that had been assembled. I was never asked again and neither were the others I knew at that dinner. I also recall a great disappointment in Kennedy (and my own relief that I hadn't invested a lot of emotion in him) when he gave that grudging, minimal endorsement of Carter.
That's kind of what I was trying to get at. Too often, we channel our passions towards some leader who looks like he's different, like he won't let us down. And then of course, they all do to some extent. We may not admit it. I have Republican friends who are in spectacular denial about what Bush-Cheney did because, I guess, it's too painful. I also have friends (Democrats, mostly) who strike me as too hasty to give up and admit defeat or betrayal. Ted Kennedy took his supporters on a roller coaster ride, up and down, up and down. I suppose that's better than one who only goes down but still…
Today's Video Link
You probably won't make it through this one but here it is if you want to peek. This is Where There's Smokey, an unsold TV pilot produced by Desilu in 1959. It stars Soupy Sales as a bumbling fireman and Gale Gordon as his long-suffering chief, and I wonder if it was ever humanly possible to make something funny out of the premise of a bumbling fireman. Rod Amateau, who directed it and co-wrote, later did some pretty successful shows ranging from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis all the way to The Dukes of Hazzard, but you can kinda see why this one didn't sell. It was a pretty complete flop in '59 and for a long time, they didn't even play it off on one of those "Vacation Playhouse" anthologies the networks used to run, airing unsold pilots in the summer.
Eventually, Soupy was popular enough from his other work that they aired it on one of them around 1966. As a loyal Soupy fan, I remember watching it and being pretty disappointed. I was also puzzled at first by the presence of Mr. Gordon, who was by then a fixture on The Lucy Show and in no need of another series. That was before I realized I was watching something that had been on the shelf for a long time.
You might want to watch a little. Jack Weston and Louise Glenn are in there, plus there's narration by Paul Frees. The player below should run the whole show in three parts…but I'll bet you don't watch all three. Thanks to some reader of this site named "OM" for letting me know about this one.
Recommended Reading
Roger Ebert discusses his problems over the years with drinking and how he stopped via Alcoholics Anonymous.
Having never had a drink in my life — not even beer or wine — I don't understand a large swath of that world and that problem. On the other hand, I have had a few friends who destroyed their lives that way, usually dragging down others around them. So I have a large respect for those who quit and those who work to help others quit. And it's just a coincidence that this posting is following the one about Ted Kennedy.
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The term "mixed feelings" cannot begin to describe my reaction to the death of Senator Edward Kennedy. An awful lot of the legislation he backed did things I thought should be done and had to be done. Not only that but he generally achieved those things the hard way: Though they were Liberal initiatives, he nearly always managed to enlist at least one prominent Republican as a co-sponsor or strong supporter. Given how Washington works these days, he may have been the last elected official who knew how to make bi-partisanship happen.
Against all that, of course, were his personal failings. A lot of us wanted to admire him, respect him and cite him as a leader. He certainly didn't make that easy. Even now, when some might want to mourn him unreservedly, you have to wonder. He's been in dreadful health for months now. Why oh why didn't he step down last year so that his successor could be in or near office today? The Democratic push for Health Care Reform (his pet issue) didn't need this additional complication.
I met him once…in 1979. He was thinking of challenging incumbent Jimmy Carter for the presidency. A supporter of his in Hollywood gathered together a band of comedy writers for a dinner party/sales pitch. The pitch was that if Kennedy ran, we should write jokes for him to punch up his public appearances and help him win the White House.
Late in the evening, Kennedy himself appeared at the party, looking very presidential indeed. When he entered, the mood went electric, and he proceeded to give a brief, utterly mesmerizing speech that captivated everyone present. But he'd already won us all over before that when he circulated around the room, giving every person one of those two-fisted handshakes: his right hand grasping yours, his left hand grasping both right hands, refusing to let you go. Then he looked you in the eye, asked you who you were…and said something to you, pointedly using your name and acting like he'd remember it forever. I guess all politicians master this but he's still the "biggest name" I've ever met in his line of work, so it's the encounter I remember most vividly.
I remember agreeing to join his joke-writing squadron. In that room after that speech, it was physically impossible to decline. But I also recall a certain relief a few months later when he decided not to run. I just didn't want to invest that much time and emotion in a guy who seemed so likely to disappoint us on some level. Since then, of course, they all have.
Someone is bound to write to me and say that the body isn't even cold; that at this time, we should look only at the many great things he did…and they were many. I admired his career and achievements in the Senate and I really admired him that night at the party. I just find it impossible to write about Ted Kennedy and pretend that all that other stuff never happened. Wish I could.
Put On A Happy Show
A revival of Bye Bye Birdie is heading for Broadway. The new version, which stars John Stamos as Albert (the Dick Van Dyke role) and Gina Gershon as Rosie is set to open in mid-October. Bill Irwin has the Paul Lynde part.
Theater folks are buzzing at reports that the producers are dropping a dance number in Act Two — the one where Rosie, out for a wild night on the town, gets chased around by a bunch of Shriners. The number was in the original production with Chita Rivera. It was in the movie with Janet Leigh. It's been in darn near every production since, including some staged by high schools. But now there's apparently the fear that it's socially inappropriate since it is, after all, about a bunch of older men acting like they're about to gang-rape a lady.
There are a couple of ways of looking at this kind of thing. One is that it's wrong for any producers of anything to get too worried about offending those who might be offended, especially when there's little or no empirical evidence that anyone ever has been offended by whatever it is. A lot of things that never would have bothered anyone — or at least, anyone rational — have been pointlessly changed or omitted because of bad guessing in this category. It's one of those kinds of predictions that's nearly always wrong.
You can also say that there's a duty to the original authors and to history to perform a piece as written. I'm less impressed by this argument as it pertains to something like Bye Bye Birdie. Some creative works feel sacrosanct and others are practically begging to be revised and updated so as to remain successful. I think this one's in the latter category.
Matter of fact, I think Bye Bye Birdie has a great premise and a great score and a really, really stupid book. When they did the movie, screenwriter Irving Brecher rearranged a lot of things, including the insertion of a Disneyesque bit about a hyper-kinetic tortoise and drugging a Russian conductor so that he conducted a ballet at breakneck speed. It was inane stuff but it wasn't any worse than what he was trying to fix, and it may have been an improvement.
This is the first-ever Broadway revival of the show. If they're going to be utterly faithful to the original book, it will be the last, because the whole thing needs a major overhaul. If in the process the Shriners Ballet gets tossed, fine. While one never likes to see the "let's not offend too-sensitive people" mentality prevail, the more important question is whether the storyline works. If it doesn't, then it doesn't matter if that one number is in or out. If the show does work, and it works without it, okay. What I'm getting at is that I think anyone who sets out to revive Bye Bye Birdie has bigger problems than that one number.
Today's Health Care Posting
Daniel Gross reminds us that the majority of folks who are out there now demonizing government-run health care are themselves receiving or otherwise benefiting from government-run health care..and don't seem to be eager to change that. You get the feeling that while some of these people may be campaigning against it because they have legitimate concerns (or maybe bribes from the private insurance industry or Big Pharma), a big objection is just that it would be a "win" for Obama.
In the meantime, the Republican National Committee has issued something they call the Seniors' Health Care Bill Of Rights. Among other points, it insists that Medicare must not be cut. You all remember Medicare. It's that plan that the Republican National Committee would get rid of if they could.
Fred Alert!
As you all know, I'm impressed with the on-target batting average of author Fred Kaplan, especially when writing about things like military budgets and foreign affairs. The guy's not infallible but he seems to have a better track record than anyone we ever elect to handle those things. Anyway, I just wanted to mention he'll be a guest this Thursday evening on the Tavis Smiley show on PBS. I'll be watching. Well, I won't be watching…I'll be TiVoing. But later, I'll be watching.
Good Morning!
Sammy Petrillo's obit made The New York Times. Nice to see the notice.
Good Night, Internet!
I'm going to bed. I've been writing and writing, but I've reached the point where ideas are getting scarcer than Glenn Beck sponsors. See you in the morning.
Today's Video Links
To the long list of things I never would have expected, add this: The musical version of The Producers is a big hit in Germany. I'm told it has a lot to do with a younger generation of German who has learned to move past the shame of the Hitler era and into actively mocking it. To the extent that's true, perhaps it's a good thing but I don't pretend to really understand it. Whatever the reason, they seem to love it. Here are some snippets from the production now playing in Berlin, as performed on a popular talk show…
And while we're at it, here's a commercial for that production…
Recommended Reading
Harry Shearer offers two anecdotal views of health insurance.
When Bloggers Lunch
I have occasionally directed you fine folks to the political writings of a gent named Kevin Drum, who strikes me as one of the most sensible and well-informed people on the Internet. He writes for the fine magazine called Mother Jones and his blog for them is a must-click for me each day. He is also the inventor of Friday Cat Blogging™. Kevin and I struck up an e-mail acquaintance some time ago and I am just back from what turned into a three hour meal/visit with the guy.
We discussed all sorts of stuff…but mostly I wanted to talk about politics and he wanted to talk about comics. So we did both. Occasionally, a conversation on one topic had eerie parallels to the other. Our big disagreements turned out to be that he likes the Legion of Super-Heroes (or at least, he used to) more than me, and I'm a bit more optimistic that Barack Obama will deliver a meaningful Health Care Reform package. Other than that, we got along swimmingly and had a good time. The cuisine was, of course, barbecue.
I mention all this just to marvel at how wonderful the Internet is at connecting people who would otherwise never have crossed paths. If not for blogs, I might well read Kevin in some magazine but we'd never have met, never gotten to have a one-on-one discussion. I meet a lot of people because of this here weblog. It's one of the reasons I do it. It goes right along with the huge blogging salary.
Anyway, when you get a chance each day, go read Kevin. It's not as good as having lunch with the man but at least you won't get barbecue sauce all over your shirt. Unless, of course, you websurf while eating ribs.
Recommended Reading
The New York Times has a good editorial up on the national disgrace (that may be too soft a word) in the sheer number of Americans who lack health insurance. I wonder how many of the folks who felt Terri Schiavo had to be kept "alive" at all costs are interested in helping out sick people who actually stand a chance of getting better and leading real lives.
To me, sheer humanitarian concerns make a pretty airtight case for enabling every American — and yes, even in some cases, illegal aliens, especially their children — to have some sort of "safety net" in this area. But since that won't move some folks to support it, someone oughta itemize the ways in which we personally benefit from everyone having access to health care: Better control of diseases, less crowded emergency rooms, fewer of our friends having to declare bankruptcy, etc.
I even think that my own health care, which comes through one of the major commercial providers, will improve if we have meaningful Health Care Reform in this country. Right now, they know that if I'm not happy with their service, it's very difficult for me to take my business elsewhere…and even if I could, it would only be to another firm trying to make a 35% profit by denying as much coverage as possible.
From the E-Mailbag…
Just got this in from Don Roemer, who's with the Ambassadors of Harmony…
As a long time member of the Ambassadors of Harmony chorus, I thank you on the behalf of all the Ambassadors for including our performances on your blog.
One quick correction, above the La Mancha video you identify us as the Masters of Harmony rather than the Ambassadors of Harmony. There is, by the way, a very good chorus in California with that other name.
The "76 Trombones" was one of two songs we did at the 2009 Barbershop Convention at the Honda Center in Anaheim in early July. We won the contest with a record high score and beat a chorus from Texas which had not lost a competition in thirty years.
If you like, you can learn more about us at www.aoh.org. Thanks again!
Thanks, Don, and my apologies for the name confusion. As the kind of singer who couldn't join in the National Anthem at a baseball game without throwing the entire performance off-key, I have only admiration for the talents and obvious dedication of a group like yours. Someone else posted a link to mine and headlined it, "A four minute smile from Mark Evanier." That's a great way of putting it except, of course, that I deserve little credit for passing it on.