There’s a quote that I remember from Walter Kerr’s Tragedy and Comedy, and I even used it in preparing a speech for a public speaking course I took at Penn State. This may account for the mysterious distinction Groucho Marx once made between an amateur and a professional. An amateur thinks it's funny, Groucho said, if … Continue reading Groucho and the Real Old Lady
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Tragedy and Comedy
Walter Kerr, in addition to being the husband of humorist Jean Kerr, was a theater critic for the New York Herald Tribune and later on for the New York Times. During his time as a critic, he gave absolute raves to fluffy musicals such as Hello, Dolly!, and he consistently panned everything that Stephen Sondheim … Continue reading Tragedy and Comedy
John Oliver on Soap Operas
A while back John Oliver offered to appear on a soap opera if they could meet his conditions. On his most recent episode he revealed what became of that offer:
He’s De-Mented
Randy’s back!
Summer of Mystery
In the summer of 1967, often referred to as the Summer of Love, I had just graduated from high school and had my first summer job. Both Randy Klopp and I had gotten jobs at the nearby VA Hospital. In those days VA stood for Veterans’ Administration, but it has since been renamed to Veterans’ … Continue reading Summer of Mystery
What’s the Name of This Country?
When I went to elementary school, I remember believing that the name of the country that I lived in was the United States of America. It was right there in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was one of several countries on the continent of North America, and as the continent was called North America, the … Continue reading What’s the Name of This Country?
Maximo Pleasure
When Apple began its TV streaming service several years ago, I tried watching the sitcom Acapulco but gave up after one episode. It seemed like a pretty conventional sitcom that was set in Mexico. Then not too long ago I noticed that there were four seasons of the show available. Perhaps I had been too … Continue reading Maximo Pleasure
A Very Stable Genius Part Two
I like Randy’s parody videos better when he uses a song that I know, like this one.
Ross Bagdasarian
Having mentioned “Witch Doctor” the other day, I had to look to see what was available on YouTube, and there is a video of David Seville performing it. Well, lip-syncing to it. I remember those nonsense syllables so clearly after all these years: “Oo! Ee! Oo-ah-ahh. Ting. Tang. Walla-walla bing bang. Oo-Ee! Oo-ah-ahh. Ting tang … Continue reading Ross Bagdasarian
Do Not Forsake Me Part 3
In High Noon Sheb Wooley plays Ben Miller, one of the three gunslingers who rides into town at the start of the film. While he had a modest career as a character actor and went on to a recurring role on TV’s Rawhide, his voice has appeared in over 400 motion pictures. Wolley appeared in the … Continue reading Do Not Forsake Me Part 3