Several folks who are fans of Langer's Delicatessen here in Los Angeles are horrified beyond belief that I prefer Langer's corned beef to Langer's pastrami. One wrote, "I can understand that someone might prefer the corned beef at some delis to the pastrami since some pastrami isn't wonderful. I cannot conceive of anyone preferring Langer's corned beef to Langer's pastrami."
To this person, I say, "Okay, you're right. I'm the only person who ever felt that way. Langer's has been offering corned beef and freshly cooking several of them every day since they opened in 1947 — five years before I was born! — just in case decades later, I dropped by — as I do every few years — and ordered a sandwich. I am the only person who'd rather have it than their pastrami."
By the way: My assistant Jane and I had lunch delivered from Langer's yesterday. I'd forgotten how much I don't care for their potato salad but they do have the best potato latkes I've ever had from a deli. I am, of course, using the universal standard for latkes: The best ones that were not made by your mother are the ones that most resemble the ones made by your mother. I suspect that when my mother passed, her soul found its way to Langer's and is now there making the latkes.
The other day here, I embedded a video of Rod Serling talking with some students and said I didn't know where this conversation had taken place or when. A few of you wrote in to theorize that because of Serling's remarks about someone maybe doing a musical on the life of Hitler, the conversation must have taken place prior to the release of Mel Brooks' The Producers, which was in 1967.
Well, Jeff Hetzel (an alumni of Ithaca College) tells me it was filmed at Ithaca College in 1972 when Serling took part in a seminar there. He had a long relationship with the school, occasionally taught there and that is where his archives are located. So, as with many good guesses that turn out to be wrong, pre-1967 was probably wrong.
Lastly for now: I'm working today on some articles that will appear in the souvenir book for this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego. Barring an unexpected surge in communicable diseases, I plan to be there and to host a mess of panels and present The Bill Finger Award and whatever else it is I do at that convention. My partner Sergio Aragonés does not expect to be there but I'm still planning to host a rousing game of Quick Draw!