There are a couple of recent Fresh Air episodes that I want to highlight. First, there’s a retrospective episode of interviews from several years ago with Alan Cumming and Angela Lansbury. Cumming talks about his appearance in Caberet among other things, and the Lansbury interview is from 1980, so she’s talking about her role in Sondheim’s … Continue reading Alan, Angie, and Clarke
Podcasts
The One with David E. Kelley
David E. Kelley has been responsible for more TV shows than just about other single writer-producer. From LA Law (created by Steven Bochco) to The Practice to Ally McBeal to Boston Legal to Chicago Hope to Harry’s Law to Love and Death to The Lincoln Lawyer to Big Little Lies to— The list goes on. … Continue reading The One with David E. Kelley
Smile
There’s something that Graham Norton and I have in common. We each hate it when someone tells us to smile. Thankfully it hasn’t happened to me recently, because now I would most likely growl at anyone who had the temerity to say that to me, but it used to occur on a semi-regular basis years … Continue reading Smile
More Short Takes
There is a bonus episode of the Pluribus podcast featuring Rhea Seehorn and Carol Burnett. It has absolutely nothing to do with the show; it’s simply those two fine women exchanging embarrassing and hilarious anecdotes. Give it a listen: “Carol” and Carol: A Conversation I’ve heard Carol Burnett tell the story about her performance in The … Continue reading More Short Takes
How Do You Get To Silent Night?
Of all the pointless wars ever fought The Great War, or World War I as it eventually became known, was one of the most pointless. On the first Christmas Eve, 1914, during a lull in the fighting, with German troops on one side of the trench and French and British troops on the other, the … Continue reading How Do You Get To Silent Night?
The Subway Vigilante
When I was going to New York City fairly frequently during the 1970s and into the early 1980s to see Broadway shows, concerts, and operas, the city was going through one of its worst eras. Street crime was rampant and the murder rate was climbing practically every year. Two of the worst areas for crime … Continue reading The Subway Vigilante
August 6, 1930
Joe was born on January 5, 1889, in Easton, Pennsylvania, the eldest of four children of Irish immigrants. Educated at Lafayette College and Columbia University, Joe met Stella, who was married, but they fell in love and with his legal education, he helped her get a divorce, after which they wed. Joe began his legal … Continue reading August 6, 1930
Wanging On with Graham and Maria
In addition to his television chat show, Graham Norton used to have a radio program; he’d interview guests, and he and his friend Maria McErlane would dish and answer listeners’ questions about nearly anything under the sun, even though they admitted they were not qualified to do so. Highlights from those shows were repackaged as … Continue reading Wanging On with Graham and Maria
Catching Up
Quote of the day: The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.—Will Rogers I was tentatively planning to write a post about the first three of these, but I have so many irons in the fire, so many posts in the queue, that I decided to throw these all … Continue reading Catching Up
“Life is a loveless tale”
Quote of the day: A rich man is one who isn't afraid to ask the salesperson to show him something cheaper.—Jack Benny It was 1942 and Richard Rodgers wanted get to work on Green Grow the Lilacs, a play that had failed on Broadway a decade earlier but in which he saw possibilities for a … Continue reading “Life is a loveless tale”