If you're thinking of leaving the country if your candidate isn't elected president, my buddy Joe Brancatelli has some travel suggestions for you. Joe wrote me that he had me in mind, along with a couple of other friends, when he wrote this piece. But I haven't even bothered to read it because I have no intention of leaving no matter who wins. I'm an American born white guy who owns his own home and has money in the bank. I'll be fine no matter who wins, just as long as we don't have some nut who'd get us into a nuclear war and —
A new Stephen Sondheim musical is on the horizon — and by "horizon," we mean maybe in 2017. Since Mr. Sondheim is 86, it might be a good idea to hurry it along a bit, huh? Maybe?
No word on any productions of the musical based on the Jerry Lewis film, The Nutty Professor. Jerry's last known announcement of it definitely opening on Broadway as that it would be there in November of 2014. It's not on any lists of shows that are set or likely to open there in the foreseeable future. Surely some theater company somewhere would like to do it?
See that comic book cover at left? See the great logo on it saying SWAMP THING? That great logo was the handiwork of the man at right.
For around five decades, you couldn't read DC Comics without seeing and surely enjoying the contributions of Gaspar Saladino, who passed away yesterday following a long illness. Sources vary on his birthdate but he was either 88 or 90.
Gaspar was a letterer — one of the best in comics and the man responsible for so many iconic logo designs. He was born in Brooklyn and attended Manhattan's School of Industrial Art, picking up occasional money inking for comic books. Throughout the forties, he dabbled in comics for minor publishers but his main career trajectory was towards fashion art.
After a stint in the Army, he decided to try and find something steadier at one of the major publishers and showed his portfolio to Julius Schwartz at DC. Schwartz was unimpressed with the art but impressed with the lettering…and that was how Gaspar found his life's occupation. He lettered for DC for more than fifty years.
Schwartz had first call on his services for a long time but Saladino's crisp, attractive lettering could be found all across DC's line and he occasionally moonlighted for other publishers, particularly when asked by an artist-friend. (Online sources say he lettered the early issues of Eerie for Warren Publishing. They're wrong. His work for Warren was minimal.)
Until around 1966, Saladino was the second banana letterer at DC, the first being Ira Schnapp. Schnapp was a gifted calligrapher and designer who was responsible for most of the cover lettering, logo design and house advertising there for years. In '66 when artist Carmine Infantino was brought into management (eventually becoming publisher), he attempted to modernize the look of DC by replacing Schnapp with Saladino. Thereafter, Gaspar did most of the cover lettering, logo design and house advertising. Schnapp left the company in 1968.
Gaspar designed hundreds of logos for the company and as time permitted, worked on the insides. When Swamp Thing by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson became both a financial and creative success for DC in the seventies, everyone agreed the comic wouldn't be the same without Gaspar's distinctive and expressive lettering. When he had to miss an issue, the point was proven. He also occasionally worked for Marvel, often under the name "L.P. Gregory" or merely "Gaspar," and was called upon most times when MAD needed someone to do fancy lettering.
Many comic book letterers, including frequent award-winner Todd Klein, cite Saladino as an inspiration or even mentor. He truly was an artist himself, able to craft sound effects and display lettering that were as good as any artwork over which they appeared. His basic balloon lettering was clear and organic and more than a few artists were known to ask, "Can you get Gaspar to letter my work?" He was also super-reliable, putting in long hours at the drawing board when necessary to meet deadlines.
I interviewed Gaspar one year at a comic convention — before a room packed with professional letterers who regarded him as a master. He was a genuinely humble man, delighted to find that so many people noticed and appreciated what he had done. Take a look at this page of Gaspar lettering designs and tell me if you wouldn't be a little conceited if you could letter this well.
I'm trying an experiment: Binging on reading about the election for one hour every morning, then pretending it doesn't exist the rest of the day. So far, it's been a total failure but I live in a world where people don't let total failure stop them from trying the same thing again and again and again and again. Trickle-down Economics, denying Global Warming, Abstinence Education, "Pray the Gay Away," recent Adam Sandler movies…some people like to try things that don't work over and over, rather than to admit to some harsh unreality in their thinking. There are even people talking about Newt Gingrich as the guy to lead the G.O.P. out of its current hole. Like the Republicans don't have enough trouble.
My current goal is to get to Election Day without losing certain Trump-supporting friends as friends. Most of 'em seem to currently be falling back on the old "The press is biased against us" meme that we all embrace when the news is not to our liking. I think the press is biased…towards what sells papers and engenders clicks and tune-ins. At the moment, that's the narrative that Trump's campaign is an outta-control garage fire that threatens to consume the home to which it's attached. I have no doubt that if they could write that about Hillary's operation, they would…and maybe at some point, they will. Certainly, Trump will have better weeks than this one before this thing is over.
But you have the Fox News poll saying she's ten points ahead of him, which is hard to dismiss as the lies of the Liberal Media. Ten points is way more than we'll probably see either candidate ahead on November Eighth but it's a frightening number right now for Republicans. In 1980 when Reagan beat Carter by nine points, the Democrats lost 34 seats in the House and in 2008 when Obama beat McCain by seven, Republicans lost 21 seats in the House. To flip the House of Representatives from R to D would take 30.
Meanwhile, this article by Harry Enten shows that Trump is hurting Republicans in a lot of their Senate races. So are we going to see a lot of G.O.P. candidates distancing themselves from the presidential nominee or even disavowing him?
I don't begin to think Hillary has it won…not when every day brings some new issue outta nowhere. Today, people are suddenly writing about the possibility that Mrs. Trump entered the country illegally. I dunno if it's true but we're in for a lot of jokes about how Trump wants to build that wall, not to keep Mexicans out but to keep his wives in. Before long, Hillary will have just as bad a week and the folks on my side can all fall back on how the press has always had it in for her.
A reader of this site who didn't specify if I could use his name sent me this in response to what I just posted about Bill Cosby…
I can't tell if you're joking in the last part, but I don't think you are. I'm inclined to believe that if Bill Cosby gets sent to jail for the rest of his life, blind or otherwise, it'll be a deterrent for others to not rape women. If he did it, he should do the time.
I agree, especially since it would be a deterrent not just to rapists but to the kind who think, "I'm too rich and/or important to be punished." It might also give his victims, including any who have never come forward, a bit of closure and satisfaction.
Believe me: Unless Cosby's lawyers can make a helluva case that all those women are lying or they were all deceived by a real good Bill Cosby impersonator, I think the guy should face whatever penalty the law says is appropriate. And the same one as a not-rich, not-famous rapist.
I just would have a hard time sending him or anyone to prison. This is one of the reasons, along with the fact that I don't look good in a black robe, that I'm not a judge. I'd do it but I wouldn't enjoy it except in the way you might enjoy completing any nasty, unpleasant obligation and getting it over with. There are lots of jobs in the world that are necessary and I'm glad there are people to do them instead of me.
If Donald Trump's main goal was to have the world pay a lot of attention to him, he's probably succeeded leagues beyond his wildest expectation. I'm weary of reading about this guy and wearier, right now at least, of writing about him. So let's see what else there is to talk about.
Stephen Colbert did well in the ratings with his convention shows, though they felt to me like he was doing two different programs at once. One was a clever comedy show with a point of view. The other was the usual infomercial for this new series or that new movie. I wish they'd decide that the latter had to go. There are about ninety things Colbert does better than Jimmy Fallon but fawning over celebrities who have a new film opening this weekend isn't one of them.
There are reports and rumors circulating that Bill Cosby is blind. Well, so is justice. In an interview in the new Playboy, Jeffrey Toobin says that he's confident that if the judge allows other women ("other" than the one this case is about) to testify about their experiences with Cosby, jail time awaits the comedian. I think he probably belongs there but I'd sure have a hard time sentencing a blind show biz legend to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
I missed mentioning the 102nd birthday of another comedy legend — Professor Irwin Corey — who hit that impressive age on July 29. This is from Wikipedia…
For an October 2011 interview, Corey invited a New York Times reporter to visit his 1840 carriage house on East 36th Street. Corey estimated its resale value at $3.5 million. He said that, when not performing, he panhandled for change from motorists exiting the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Every few months, he told the interviewer, he donated the money to a group that purchased medical supplies for Cuban children. He said of the drivers who supplied the cash, "I don't tell them where the money's going, and I'm sure they don't care." Irvin Arthur, Corey's agent for half a century, assured the reporter that Corey did not need the money for himself. "This is not about money," Arthur said. "For Irwin, this is an extension of his performing."
I dunno if he's still doing that but if he is next time I get back to New York, I think I'll track down where he panhandles and see if I can talk to him for an hour if I keep giving him change. Very funny man.
No, I don't think the G.O.P. will dump Donald Trump as a candidate. Too many people in the party love the guy and you can't alienate that many folks by taking away the guy they voted for and replacing him with someone he beat or who didn't enter the fray at all. If Trump gets out, it will have to be because someone offered him enough financial reward.
Which is not to say there aren't Republicans who'd like to see him go away. William Saletan lists ten vile things Donald has done just since the convention. How many more will it take before prominent Republicans start rescinding their endorsements or at least distancing himself from their party's nominee?
This morning, President Obama said "I think the Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president." I figure we have about an hour before Trump fires back with both barrels and proves it.
Here's my theory: That there was a meeting recently — at the Democratic National Convention or somewhere else — to plan how to make sure Hillary wins. Someone gets up and says…
Okay, now we just have to keep Trump perpetually pissed-off and screaming. Mr. President, we want you to insult him on Tuesday. Say something about him being unfit for office. Senator Warren, you take Wednesday. Hit him about not releasing his taxes and say it must be because he's broke. Mr. Vice-President, I have you down for Thursday…
Biden pipes up and asks, "Can I make fun of his tiny hands?" And then the guy chairing the meeting says…
We'd rather you didn't. I have Bob Reich set for the Sunday talk shows. He's going to say, "My God, that man's hands are smaller than I am!" Maybe you could say something about Trump University or Trump Steaks. Then we still need someone on Friday to hit him on the sex angle. You know, he wants to bang his daughter or he has a tiny dick. Just anything that'll keep him screaming…
So I'm thinking this is the problem that now faces Donald Trump: He's behind in the polls and the only way he seems to know to react to that is to make hysterical charges against anyone who opposes him. But hysterical charges only advance the narrative that he's unstable and that puts him farther behind in the polls. This man is not thin-skinned. This man is non-skinned.
Over on this Facebook page, a gent from Antenna TV takes us on a video tour of Johnny Carson's old offices at what used to be the NBC Burbank studios. Alas, he and his crew were not able to get into Studio 1, which was Johnny's studio. A few years ago, I had lunch on the lot with my pal Wally Wingert, who was Jay Leno's announcer. After alleged food in the commissary, we snuck (sneaked?) into Studio 1 where an infomercial was being taped, though its crew was mostly off lunching, and I showed Wally where everything was: Where Johnny and Ed each stood during the monologue, where the desk was, etc.
The video also shows you Johnny's old parking spot. I once stood with him next to his car for about ten minutes and had a wonderful conversation. During that time, when Johnny arrived at the studio, his car was met by a uniformed Burbank policeman who escorted him from car to office and later from office to stage, then back to office, then back to car and so forth. There had been threats and reasons for this.
By dumb luck, I was walking past Johnny's parking spot when he pulled his car — a two-seater Mercedes — into his space. I was between him and the police officer and when I started to introduce myself to him, the cop scurried down to stop the annoying person from bothering Johnny (or maybe pulling a gun on him or something) but Johnny waved the officer away and we had our little conversation. He was polite and in no hurry to be done with me, and I even made him laugh a bit, which felt real, real good.
Years later when I discussed this encounter with his long-time producer Peter Lassally, Mr. Lassally said, "You want to know how it wouldn't have been pleasant? If he'd sensed that you were talking to him to try to get on the show. He hated that." Since I never would have considered such a thing, I got along fine with the man.
So I have to go do things today which may keep me away from posting much. That's why the mushroom soup can. Coming up in a day or three will be another installment of my "Rejection" series and, if I can think of any, things I have to say these days that are not about Donald Trump.
Saturday, July 23, 2016 the last Mary Worth newspaper strip drawn by Joe Giella appeared. I don't think it's a record but Joe has been drawing comics — books and strips — pretty continuously since 1946. Doing anything for seventy years is impressive but drawing comics is hard on the eyes…and on the lifestyle if you're as committed to meeting deadlines as Joe has always been.
Over the years, he worked on hundreds of different characters — in comic books, mostly for DC. He was associated with Batman for a long time…and I don't think there's anyone alive who worked on the Caped Crusader before Joe did. Often, he was miscast as an inker of other artists' work instead of doing it all himself. It was usually better when he did it all himself.
The Mary Worth strip continues without him. For some time now, June Brigman and her husband Roy have been doing the Sunday pages to lighten the burden on Joe. Now, they'll do the daily strips also while Joe takes it a bit easier. He is not retiring completely but will now focus mainly on commissions.
The history of Mary Worth probably begins with a strip called Apple Mary which began in 1934, the creation of cartoonist Martha Orr. Apple Mary was a good-hearted victim of the Depression who sold apples and didn't let her own meager life stop her from helping others. In 1939, Ms. Orr retired from cartooning, reportedly to devote all her time to her family. At that point, a new strip appeared in its spot in most newspapers. It was officially called Mary Worth's Family and the title character, though not a seller of apples, looked a lot like ol' Apple Mary and went around helping others the same way.
The new strip was written by Allen Saunders and drawn by artist Dale Connor, who had formerly assisted Martha Orr. It looked so much like the old strip that many of the newspapers that ran it didn't bother changing the name on their pages. Probably at the suggestion of lawyers, the syndicate (King Features) has always maintained that Mary Worth's Family was a replacement strip, not a continuation. Eventually, its name changed to Mary Worth.
Allen Saunders wrote it for a long, long time and later his son John wrote it. Ken Ernst drew it for a long time after Connor left. After Ernst died, the job went to a wonderful, unsung artist named Bill Ziegler who worked for years as a ghost/assistant for other artists and finally got to draw and sign the strip from 1986 to 1990. There were others in there too but it's been drawn by Giella since 1994 and written by Karen Moy since 2004.
It's amazing that at her age, Mary is still finding troubled people to help. I'm more impressed though by the longevity of Joe Giella, a fine gentleman and an amazing artist.
A few years ago, the Broadway show Everyday Rapture revived the old Supremes hit, "Up the Ladder to the Roof" and made it very popular in the cabaret community. Here from that show is an excerpt of the tune as performed by Sherie Rene Scott, Lindsay Mendez and Betsy Wolfe…
My "Window Ledge" Friends — otherwise rational folks who are terrified at the thought that Trump may win — are slightly (slightly!) comforted this morn by reports that Hillary got a decent-sized bounce from the Democratic Convention. The Pollster Aggregate has her up 46.0% to 40.1%, which may not seem like a safe gap but remember that Obama only beat Romney by about 4% and still managed to rack up an Electoral College landslide.
One of my friends is afraid not that Trump will win but that he won't lose by a wide-enough margin to (a) repudiate his kind of politics forever and (b) prevent him from screaming that the election was rigged. The latter is highly unlikely. Trump is already screaming that if he loses, the election had to have been rigged. To him, an alleged Trump loss is incontrovertible evidence of skullduggery since Trump never loses. The former? Well, it's possible but I wouldn't count on it.
Then again, it's 98 days until the election. So figure Trump averaging one real stupid and/or offensive statement per day 'til then, that's 98 things that may drive Independents — as well as Republicans whose antipathy for Hillary isn't set in lucite — to decide to vote for her or not at all. That may be Ms. Clinton's greatest advantage at the moment.
Still, here at newsfromme.com, we're all about the Electoral College and it's tricky to see where we are with that, this far before Election Day. The main three states to watch are, of course, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. It's highly unlikely Trump can win without all three of them and states aren't polled that often until the last month.
Looking just at the major pollsters: The last polling of Ohio was July 22-24, before the Democratic Convention, which obviously changed some minds. The last poll of Florida was July 11. And the only polling we have for Pennsylvania since the D.N.C. ended was yesterday and while it showed Hillary four points ahead of Donald, that's just one poll. Since she's been generally ahead in all three states and the national polls show that bump in her overall vote total, she's probably still ahead in all three.
How far ahead and for how long? That remains to be seen. I have the feeling though that until Election Day, there's going to be a constant lag time in the polling. Right now, we're waiting for all the post-D.N.C. polls but when they materialize in the next day or three, they won't reflect what (if anything) Trump has done to himself with his attacks on Khzir Khan, the Muslim father who scolded Trump for anti-Muslim sentiments. And by the time we do get the polls that show any movement because of that issue, we'll be waiting for the polls on the next Trump-induced controversy. Because you know there'll be one, maybe by the time I post this.
