I haven’t written in several weeks. Pain kept me away, and Pain has brought me back. Angela Lansbury passed away on October 11, 2022. Just a few days ago and just a few days before celebrating her 97th birthday on October 16. I have already done a blog on her life, so I will refer you back to that. I want to make this a memorial of sorts.
When I think of Angela’s death or hear on my Amazon Echo device speak of it, the tears come. I’m trying to figure out why. How did a woman who wouldn’t know me from Adam get deeply embedded in my heart? I know it’s not only me; NASA dedicated a Cosmic Rose in her honor. I’ve seen pictures of this rose, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. One had to wonder why? NASA does not often align itself with the entertainment industry. They use Snoopy as a mascot from time to time, but that’s about it. Angela Lansbury and Snoopy seem an odd combination. But NASA knew that everyone loves Snoopy, and I guess they came to realize that everyone loves Angela Lansbury too.
In my family Miss Lansbury delighted at least five generations, possibly six. My great-grandparents immigrated to this country early in the 20th century. I don’t know much about them as they died when I was very young. I don’t know if they went to the movies or even watched TV. If they did, they might have enjoyed Miss Lansbury in her film work, the opportunity was there, but I don’t know. My grandmother did love Murder She Wrote, as did my parents and I. My nieces and nephews grew up on Beauty and the Beast, and they are showing that movie to their children along with Bed knobs and Broomsticks. That tallies to a definite five generations.
In my previous blog, I concentrated on the films Miss Lansbury was in, not the roles she played. Today, I want to talk about her characters. I first met Angela on the screen in 1971. I was ten, and Angela played the role of Eglantine Price in the Disney feature film Musical Bed Knobs and Broomsticks. Eglantine was a spinster determined to become a witch to help England win the 2nd World War. Her studies get interrupted when three children from London come to stay with her to escape war-torn London. This is where the fun in the film begins.
Eglantine Price was a great role for Angela. In an interview, she stated that she enjoyed playing the part and the process of creating the character. In her first appearance, Eglantine seems stern and unapproachable; as the movie progresses, you learn that she is warm, caring, and not afraid to take on a challenge. These were great lessons for a ten-year-old. I loved this movie and so did my friends who went with me to see it.
Mame Dennis. Five years earlier, Miss Lansbury landed the role of Mame Dennis in the musical version of Auntie Mame. In the 50s, no one could have touched Rosalind Russell’s portrayal of the aunt every child would love to have. In 1966 however, Lansbury made that role her own, and with the words and music of Jerry Herman, she made a mark on Broadway that would, in some ways, compel the rest of her career. She went from being a second banana to being a true star in every way possible.
Mame would be considered a person who thought outside of the box in every conceivable situation. Her solution to problems was to get involved in outlandish schemes that would both court disaster and triumph. But all through the character is the essence of life is meant to be lived. “Live, live, live, life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” This was her motto for life rain or shine.
Angela made the character her own and played her differently than Rosalind Russell of course, I can only tell this from the songs, but I think Angela was a bit more of a gentle Mame. Russell tore thru like a tornado, whereas Angela gracefully swept through, winning people to her side as she went.
Salome Autobahn was a supporting character in the first of the three filmed versions of Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile. The star of the film was Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poitot, the great Belguin detective. Some of the rest of the supporting cast boasted Bette Davis and Maggie Smith, so Angela was in good company. Salome Autobahn is a drunk author who is a suspect in the murder. Angela is a delight as she romps through this movie, outshining all the other cast members through her crazy antics. Basically, Angela gets all the laughs in this film. It’s not a comedy, but the light-hearted moments made up for the gruesome tale. This movie was made in 1978 right on the tail of Murder on the Orient Express, another Christie book, but this was not the end of Angela and Miss Christie.
In 1980 Miss Lansbury took the lead role as Miss Marple Agatha Christie’s other leading detective. Lansbury was 55 when she made this film. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster with a mind like a steel trap. Nothing gets past this old lady, and Lansbury plays her well, undoubtedly setting the stage for what was to come to her in four short years.
In 1979 Lansbury again made a hit on Broadway as Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Playing opposite Len Cariou as Sweeney, Angela was a delight as the pie shop lady that baked Sweeney’s murdered corpses into meat pies. The show found a way to make an otherwise appalling legend humorous and a little fun. Everyone, in the end, gets their just desserts, pun intended, and Angela walked away with that year’s Tony Award for best actress in a musical.
On October 7, 1984, Angela began her twelve-year run on Murder, She Wrote. The weekly murder mystery series starred Angela as Jessica Fletcher, a retired school teacher from Cabot Cove, Maine, who globe trotted her way into a different murder every week. When she wasn’t in some distant place solving a murder, one would pop up in Cabot Cove. Between Jessica Fletcher and Stephen King, Maine is not the safest place to live. Angela was nominated every year the show was on for an Emmy award, and the sad truth is she never took one home. It makes you wonder if the award shows aare more about politics than talent?
On November 22, 1991, Angela would again make a stamp on childhood. This time a symbol that, I believe, at least for the next several generations, will never go away. Much like adults in the past love to share Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz with their children. Parents now share the magic of the animated film Beauty and the Beast with Angela Lansbury as the lovable Teapot Mrs. Potts singing the title song. And like Judy’s unforgettable rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Angela’s singing of Beauty and the Beast brings to hearts sheer beauty and hope to the soul.
There is so much more to say about Angela Lansbury’s brilliant career. I didn’t touch on the villains she played; she played more than a few brilliantly; for proof of this, watch the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate. Honorary mention must go to her portrayal of Ada Harris in the original film version of Mrs’ arris Goes to Paris, Penelope Keeling in The Shell Seekers, Aunt March is the BBC/PBS version of Little Women and her wonderful cameo appearance as The Balloon Lady in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns.
I want to talk about one more role of Angela’s before I end this memorial. In 1996 Angela would again team with Jerry Herman, who wrote the music and lyrics to Mame to bring to life and finally give center stage to one of legend’s most unrecognized characters Mrs. Santa Claus. I loved and still love this musical that takes place in turn of the century New York City where Mrs. Santa Claus finds herself stranded just a few days before Christmas. In 90 or so minutes, she reunites families, makes a stand for women’s suffrage, and thwarts the plot of a nefarious toy manufacturer. All the while singing some of the best songs ever. My favorite is Almost Young, an anthem for always staying young at heart.
My bones are often racked up,
They often act up each time it rains.
But arthritis and fleabites are simple growing pains.
So let them say I’m past my peak,
That I’m a million years from hide and seek,
But when my dirge is sung,
I’ll still be struttin and kickin,
Like some little chicken,
And tough as a riddle,
And fit as a fiddle
And almost young.
Last night October 16, 2022, the lights dimmed on Broadway for Angela Lansbury. The lights went dark on NYC’s most prominent street, and an image of Angela shown for a few seconds. Now it’s time for us to say goodnight too.
Jerry Herman was born on June 10th, 1931. At an early age, he fell in love with the musical theater. Living near the NYC theater district his parents were frequent theater goers and when they came home they were filled with the music of the show they had seen. Jerry’s parents were also amateur musicians and their home was filled with music of the theater.
When Jerry was old enough his parents brought him along on their theater excursions and much to their surprise on arriving home Jerry was able to play much of the score he had heard that night. Jerry was born with Broadway in his blood.
The lyrics quoted above are a line from one of Jerry’s earliest songs. In a way, it is the philosophy behind every song Jerry ever wrote. To him, every song was about the character singing it. And into each song, he infused joy and enthusiasm for life. Even in his most grumpy characters such as Horace Vandergelder in Hello Dolly, you can’t help feeling that deep down he’s a cuddly bear when he sings “It Takes a Woman.
Jerry Herman began writing for Broadway at a time when Broadway was at its zenith. The 50s and 60s brought show after show and each was memorable. Many are still being revived on Broadway or are perennially used in community and regional theater.
This was the world of Rodger’s and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Meredith Wilson, Kander and Ebb. A young Stephen Sondheim was just getting started and Ethel Merman and Mary Martin were both queens of Broadway. This was the Broadway Jerry Herman entered. Broadway would never be the same.
I came across Jerry Herman in an off-beat kind of way. My mother loved musicals and would play records and sing at the top of her lungs every Saturday while cleaning. These records were always musicals. The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Camelot, Funny Girl, and The Music Man were played almost every week but no Jerry Herman. I was not fond of musicals at the time. I was listening to The Archies and The Partridge Family. The theater bug bit me in the 8th grade when I was cast as Harry Macafee in our school’s production of Bye Bye Birdie. I heard applause for the first time, just for me, and it changed something deep inside me.
From then on my record money went to original cast recordings and Hollywood soundtracks. Always looking for a bargain, I was a teenager on an allowance, I would delve into the bargain record bins at Jerry’s Records, a store in the Bazaar of All Nation in Clifton Heights PA. One day I found a copy of the movie soundtrack for Mame in the bin. I had never heard of it but it starred my favorite actress Lucille Ball and it was $1.99. I bought it and ran home. I played that record over and over. Everyone was telling me that Lucy can’t sing but I only heard gold and though I knew nothing of the story I fell in love with the music and lyrics of Jerry Herman.
Mame was amazing. I soon found a script for the Broadway show in our local library so I understood where the songs fit and knew the story. Eventually, I was able to order the book the musical was based on Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis. I had to special order it at Walden Books and I got it but nothing compared to the music and lyrics of Mame.
Mame is probably the most uplifting and life-affirming musical ever written. Jerry had already had two successful shows on Broadway before Mame. The first was Milk and Honey the musical, as I understand it was about a group of older American Jewish women looking for husbands in The Holy Land or Israel. Two wonderful songs came out of that production, the title song Milk and Honey and a lovely ballad called Shalom. All the songs can be listened to by following the Youtube links.
Shalom Shalom,
You’ll find Shalom,
The nicest greeting you know.
It means bonjour, salute and skoal,
And twice as much as hello.
It means a million lovely things,
Like peace be yours welcome home,
And even when you say goodbye,
You say goodbye with shalom.
After that Jerry was asked to turn Thorton Wilder’s play The Matchmaker into a musical. That musical graced the stage and won the Tony Award for best musical in 1964. The show was Hello Dolly but more on that later. Back to Mame.
Mame came to Broadway in 1966 and also won the Tony for best musical. Mame was played by Angela Lansbury and is the story of Patrick Dennis an orphan who goes to live with his only living relative Mame Dennis in New York City. The opening of Mame takes place in the streets of New York where Agnes Gooch, Patrick’s nanny, and Patrick are looking for Mame’s Beekman Place apartment. They sing a prayer to St Bridget and arrive at Mame’s as she is throwing a lavish party. Mame appears at the top of the stairs blows a bugle and sings It’s Today
Light the candles.
Get the ice out,
Roll the rug up,
It’s Today.
Though it may not be anyone’s birthday,
And though it’s far from the first of the year,
I know that this very minute,
Has history in it,
We’re here!
This song set the whole tone of the show and gives Mame’s philosophy of life. In this song, she sings the spoken line that is in all of Mame’s stage and movie adaptations. “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” Mame raises Patrick for as long as she can using this state of mind. It becomes more clear in the song Open a New Window. This song is a joyous anthem about taking chances and never saying no to whatever life offers you. It feels good, it’s upbeat, and when you listen you want to go with Mame to wherever she leads.
If you follow your Auntie Mame,
I’ll make this vow, my little love,
That on the last day of your life,
You’ll be smiling the same young smile,
You’re smiling now my little love,
If you wake up every morning,
And you pull aside the shutter,
Ans promise me that these will be,
The first words that you utter.
Open a new window,
Open a new door,
Travel a new highway,
That’s never been tried before.
I could go on all day about the wonderful songs in Mame. My Best Girl, Bosom Buddies, We Need a Little Christmas, If He Walked into My Life and of course the title song Mame. But this whole blog would end up being only about that one show. This was my first introduction to Jerry’s music and what I didn’t know was there was more.
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding Lucille Ball’s portrayal of Mame. Some felt her voice and her age worked against her playing the role. I’m not sure that’s all true. My biggest problem with the film is the stuff they cut out and the script. After finally seeing the stage production and hearing the original Broadway cast album a lot of the story was left out and or changed and this was not necessary. The song That’s How Young I Feel was cut and it was key to describing Mame’s feelings as an older woman as she sings it when Parick has grown up. The script just didn’t work for me in parts. One change that I did enjoy was Lucille doing her best to get out of a store where Mame has been fired from wearing one roller skate. It was hilarious and true Lucy antics.
For a long time, Lucille’s portrayal as Mame was all I knew and I loved it. When VHS tapes came out and you could buy movies to own them for the very first time. My first purchase was Mame. The movie will always be dear to my heart.
I have to admit I keep hoping every year that NBC will decide to do Mame Live as they have done with The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, Grease, The Wiz, Hairspray, and most recently Annie. NBC usually airs these television events at Christmas and Mame would be perfect, especially with a Christmas song embedded in the show. That is also my hope for the next Jerry Herman show we’ll discuss Hello Dolly.
Hello Dolly opened in 1964. It is the story of Dolly Levi a widow who has decided to “rejoin the human race.” She decides to accomplish this goal by marrying Horace Vandergelder the leading citizen of Yonkers New York. The musical takes place in 24 hour time period it has a prelude in NYC continues in Yonkers, goes back to NYC, and ends in Yonkers. Not bad for a day.
It took me a while to catch on to Hello Dolly. I wasn’t interested at all at first. All I knew of the show was the title song sung by Louis Armstrong and recorded in 1964. I was three years old and didn’t care much for it. My grandmother would be playing it while we visited her and it wasn’t a kid’s song. It took me a long time to find out where that song came from.
For a moment I want to take some time and talk about Jerry Herman the human being. Jerry’s songs were always joyful and filled with life. He came from a family that gave him that but he didn’t change when it came to being successful. Some folks when they make it big in their chosen professions don’t have time for others but Jerry was not like that as illustrated here by my good friend Richard Tyley Jordan. Richard has written the definitive book on the Character of Mame Dennis and it was over this book that Richard and I met. He is also the author of The Polly Pepper Mysteries which are great fun and have been called a cross between The Carol Burnett Show and Murder, She Wrote. Here is Richard’s story of his first meeting with Jerry Herman.
When I began writing my nonfiction book But Darling, I’m Your Auntie Mame!, I sent a letter to Jerry Herman requesting an interview. I didn’t actually expect a response. Why would the legendary composer of Hello, Dolly!, Mame, Mack and Mable, and La Cage Aux Folles, among other Broadway hits, deign to offer an audience to me, an unaccomplished kid (I was actually in my 30s, but I felt completely inferior compared to the great man)? I was equally terrified that he’d grant my request and find that I was an interloper in his rarefied world. I just happened to be in New York doing research for my book when I got the call. Yes! Jerry Herman would see me on Friday afternoon at 2:00! My world was spinning!
When I arrived at Jerry Herman’s brownstone, I was greeted by his amiable assistant, who guided me to the left and down two steps, and into Jerry’s wood-paneled office. A set decorator couldn’t have designed a more perfect room for showcasing career memorabilia of Tony Awards, Grammy Awards, framed gold records, and posters from Mr. Herman’s many Broadway triumphs. The assistant asked if I’d like a tea or coffee (“No, thank you.” I was too edgy as it was.) and said, “Mr. Herman will be with you shortly.” And then the moment arrived! Jerry Herman … in-person … appeared in the doorway, brandishing a friendly smile and a warm handshake. I was immediately instructed to drop the “Mr. Herman” formality and call him “Jerry.”
Jerry sat behind his desk (with a portrait painting of Carol Channing as Dolly Levi looking down from the wall behind him), and I sat nervously in a brown leather wingback chair. Neurotic me was trying very hard to appear intelligent and sophisticated so that he wouldn’t realize I was just a fan on a mission to chronicle the success of author Patrick Dennis’ Auntie Mame character. What I remember most about that afternoon is how gracious he was to me. For those two hours, we talked about how much he loved Mame and composing the songs for that show and how it was actually one of the easiest shows he’d ever worked on. But we also talked about how deeply and personally disappointed he was with Lucille Ball’s film version of his hit musical.
I guess I did something right that afternoon because when we concluded the interview, it was Jerry himself who offered to write the introduction to my book! This amazing man, whose songs I had admired my entire life, offered to personally contribute to my labor-of-love project! I’m still overwhelmed by his generosity. That’s the kind of man that Jerry Herman was. I’ve rarely known anyone more magnanimous. I will always be grateful to Jerry Herman, not only because he believed in my book and penned the introduction to it, but also because he gave me the soundtrack of my life:
I Am What I Am
If He Walked into My Life
It Only Takes a Moment
It’s Today
I Won’t Send Roses
Put On Your Sunday Clothes
Time Heals Everything
Although my book is long out of print (maybe I should release an e-book version), I am forever and deeply indebted to Jerry Herman, one of the finest men and talents I’ve ever known.
I don’t think much more can be said of the man. He was not only talented but he had a spirit of generosity to both see and nurture talent in others.This can also be seen in Angela Lansbury’s autobiography where she tells of Jerry so wanting her to get the role of Mame in the original Broadway cast that he coached her on how to sing the songs he wrote before she auditioned. This is the kind of man he was. Because of this generous, beautiful spirit music poured out of him.
Hello Dolly is a show about second chances. It’s a show about coming out of the fog and realizing you’re alive and life is worth living. It’s a show that tells you in no uncertain terms that you can begin again at any time of life. I of course saw Dolly first as a film starring Barbra Streisand. It may not have been my best introduction to the show but it was fun nonetheless and had a deep impact on my life. The music and lyrics are just as amazing as what Jerry would soon write for Mame but the theme was different. Mame is about knowing life is wonderful and teaching that lesson to the upcoming generation. Hello Dolly is about forgetting that life is wonderful and having to relearn the lesson. This didn’t mean much to me as a young man but it means a whole lot now.
In 2018 I had the privilege of seeing Bernadette Peters in a revival of Hello Dolly in NYC at The Schubert Theater. Watching Miss Peters was a revelation of what this show means. It’s for and about older people starting again. Anyone can start again, but there are plenty of movies and plays about young people starting again, not so many about our older generation. Right now, my generation. I came away from that show not only singing beloved songs but knowing I could start again. It took awhile but this blog is part of that second chance for me.
The songs of Hello Dolly are full of joy. I Put My Hand In, It Takes a Woman, Put on Your Sunday Clothes, Dancing, Before the Parade Passes By, Etiquette, It Only Takes a Moment and of course the title song Hello Dolly.
Carol Channing the original Dolly in the musical tells the story of recording the cast album. In the recording studio the whole cast couldn’t contain themselves and they burst into the kicks while singing the title song. It has been said that the cast recording of Dolly is one of the few that makes you feel like you’re in the theater.
In the show Jerry’s Girls, the title song gives a list of many of the actresses that played in Jerry’s shows. One of those names is Lucie Arnaz. I reached out to Miss Arnaz about how she feels about performing the music of Jerry Herman. Miss Arnaz replied:
“Jerry writes about joy and, as a performer, it’s a vacation to sing his music.”
And that is about the best thing that could be said. Singing Jerry’s music can be a balm for me when I’m down. The songs from Hello Dolly are infectious. You can’t help singing along and if you have them in your heart you can’t help singing them when life has kicked you in the gut.
One such song from Hello Dolly is a sort of anthem for second chances. The song is Before The Parade Passes by
Before the parade passes by,
I’m going to go and taste Saturday’s high life.
Before the parade passes by,
I’m going to get some life back into my life.
I’m ready to move out in front,
I’ve had enough of just passing by life.
With the rest of them.
With the best of them.
I’m gonna hold my head up high.
I’ve got a goal again,
I’ve got a drive again.
I wanna feel my heart coming alive again.
Before the parade passes by.
Can you think of better words to say to the world that you still have something to offer, that you still count, and that you are part of the parade ready to do your bit and find a full life? In this respect, the roles of Dolly and Mame are very much alike. Both women are driven to find the best out of the life that they have and to have joy in that journey.
After his stellar success with Hello Dolly and Mame Jerry would write several more shows for the Broadway stage some successful and some not so successful. Even the shows that weren’t so successful had memorable moments and great music. One such show was Mack and Mabel.
Mack and Mabel opened in 1974 and told the love story of silent movie director Mack Sennett and silent movie star Mabel Norman. It opened with two Broadway legends as the leads, Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters. It had wonderful music. Movies were Movies, I Wanna Make the World Laugh, Look What Happened to Mabel, I Won’t Send Roses, Wherever He Ain’t and the ballad Time Heals Everything.
This show only played 91 performances which had to be a big letdown for the entire team. I have read that the show’s ending with Mabel’s death due to drug addiction was hard for the audience to watch. With all the upbeat music the show brings you down in the end. I have also read that the ending was reworked and is now not as dark. I have never seen a production of this show but I would love to. It does continue to be performed in regional and community theater. The cast album is great and I enjoy listening to it. No matter the ending you can’t help feeling happy while listening to the music.
Jerry’s Next Hit would come in 1983 with his show La Cage Aux Faux. La Cage is about two gay men who have raised a straight son who now wants to marry. I have not seen this show but the son wants his dads to act a bit more middle of the road which is hard to do when you consider that the dads own a club that features men in drag and one of them is the star performer.
The title in English translates to The Cage of Fools and it was originally a French film, but not a musical. After the musical opened an American version of the film was produced called The Birdcage and it starred Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.
La Cage Aux Faux was a big risk for Jerry and Broadway. There had been plays about gay men before but they weren’t lavish musicals and this would be a big production. It also opened at the beginning of the AIDS crisis and gay men were again being attacked for who they were. But despite all of that La Cage was a hit and won the Tony award that year. To add to its honors the show was revived twice in 2005 and 2010 and won the Tony for best revival both times.
There are two stand-out songs in La Cage. One is almost a campfire song and Jerry himself describes it as such. The song has a great melody and is easy to learn. The song is The Best of Times.
The Best of Times is now,
What’s left of summer but a faded rose,
The best of times is now
As For tomorrow, well who knows
Who knows,
Who knows.
So make the moment last,
And live and love as hard as you know-how,
And make this moment last,
Because the best of times is now
Is now
Is now.
The other song is an anthem for gay men and for everyone else who feels misplaced in society. It is a song for the marginalized, for people of color, for the odd kid at school that gets beat up because he’s different. The song is I am What I Am.
I am what I am
I am my own special creation.
So come take a look,
Give me the hook or the ovation.
It’s my world that I want to take a little pride in,
My world, and it’s not a place I have to hide in.
Life’s not worth a damn,
‘Til you can say, “Hey world, I am what I am.”
I am what I am,
I don’t want praise, I don’t want pity.
I bang my own drum,
Some think it’s noise, I think it’s pretty.
And so what, if I love each feather and each spangle,
Why not try to see things from a diff’rent angle?
Your life is a sham ’til you can shout out loud
I am what I am!
In 1996 Jerry Wrote the words and music for a Christmas television musical called Mrs. Santa Claus. It was aired only once as far as I know but it had a terrific cast and storyline and of course incredible music. The leading lady was Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Claus. She feels neglected sometime around 1900 and decides she knows a better route for Santa to deliver his toys. She takes the sleigh in order to go around the world only to be stranded in NYC on Avenue A where she meets and is befriended by many locals. In the few days she’s there she reunites a family, softens the heart of an evil toy manufacturer, and strikes a blow for women’s rights. All to the sound of some terrific and clever music.
My favorite song from the show is Almost Young a declaration of you’re as young as you feel and Angela proves it to a bunch of children who work in the toy factory
I’m holding back the hands of time And though a fool might say I’ve passed my prime My heart has always clung to staying almost young
A few grey hairs, A few gold teeth Can never hide the kid that’s underneath The kid whose hopes are hung On staying almost young
My walk is swift and sporty My disposition is evergreen Why say I’m over forty, I’m over seventeen
I’ll still have all the speed it takes When all the others have applied the brakes And when my knell has run
I’ll still be struttin’ and kickin’ Like some little chicken I’m almost young
Considering Miss Lansbury was 71 when she made this musical you can see she was still pretty spry if you follow the Youtube link.
I haven’t said much about Jerry’s Love songs and there were a good many. It Only Takes A Moment from Hello Dolly, Time Heals Everything and I Won’t Send Roses from Mack and Mabel, Loving You from the film version of Mame. My favorite is from Mrs. Santa Claus and it’s sung by a young couple who Mrs. Claus helps bring together. It’s called, We Don’t Go Together at All.
{Sadie}: Look Marcello… A girl with a drive and a fellow with a dream Are like pickled herring with vanilla ice cream So, as unromantic as my words may seem We don’t go together at all
My big loud mouth and your quiet ways Are like August evenings with December days Are like corned beef and cabbage topped with mayonnaise We don’t go together at all
We’re like chicken soup And a slice of ham
{Marcello}: We’re the big bad wolf And the little lamb
{Sadiе}: Like a picnic lunch That’s ruined by a sudden squall
{Sadiе}: We don’t {Marcello}: No we don’t
{Both}: No we don’t go together at all
{Marcello}: Like an overcoat And a hot July
{Sadie}: Like a bowl of borscht And a pizza pie
{Marcello}: Like if I asked you To come to the policemen’s ball
{Sadie}: We don’t
{Marcello}: No we don’t
{Both}: No we don’t go together at all {Sadie}: An onion roll at a Mayfair tea Like a march by Sousa in a minor key
{Marcello}: So forget all the magic that was meant to be We don’t go together at all
{Marcello}: A stable boy and a suffragette Are about as peculiar as a pair can get
{Both}: So it’s, oh, such a pity That we even met
{Sadie}: We don’t go together at all
I love the cleverness of the lyrics to this song. It also has a catchy tune and it’s fun to sing either the girl part or the boy part or both.
This is truly the longest blog I have ever written. I hope I captured the joy of Jerry’s music and the inspiration he has given to…well too many people to count. If you are unfamiliar with Jerry’s work the CDs are still available to buy and Spotify has all of his original cast recordings and soundtracks as well as many many different artists that have covered his songs in one way or another. If you can catch a performance of any of his musicals spend the time and money it is well worth it. Mrs. Santa Claus is available on DVD and well worth adding to your holiday film collection. The film Mame is available on DVD and electronically on platforms such as Vudo. Hello Dolly is available on DVD and electronically. It is also available to stream on Disney+.
I’m leaving you with Jerry’s first hit. It was used in the show and to advertise lunchmeat and as a presidential song for Lyndon Johnson. I don’t know if it helped but he won the 1964 election. For the election it became Hello Lyndon, For Oscar Mayer it was Hello Deli, for me it will always be Hello Dolly.
Hello, Dolly, Well, hello, Dolly It’s so nice to have you back where you belong You’re lookin’ swell, Dolly I can tell, Dolly You’re still glowin’, you’re still crowin’ You’re still goin’ strong We feel the room swayin’ While the band’s playin’ One of your old favourite songs from way back when
Golly Gee, fellas Find her an empty knee, fellas Dolly’ll never go away again.
It is my Hope Jerry Herman will never go away too.
MPL and the estate of Jerry Herman have graciously given me permission to use the lyrics to Jerry’s songs. This author is grateful and I hope the article is a source of joy for many.
Had Judy Garland lived she would have been 100 years old on Friday, June 10, 2022. Tragically, she passed away in 1969 at the age of forty-seven. Judy is a show business legend and while delving into that legend I found some disturbing things. About Judy? Yes. But more about how we in the 21st Century treat our legends. When I Googled Judy here is what came up as to what people wanted to know.
What Illness Did Judy Garland Have?
Why did Judy Garland have no money?
What was Judy Garland’s net worth at death?
What was Judy Garland’s cause of death?
This is what Google thought most people wanted to know about. I have read more than one biography of Judy Garland. She has fascinated me since I was a teenager. I know about most of the struggles in her life and yet when I read some of the articles online they reported other tragedies which her biographers did not report and I am sure Judy herself would have preferred they remain private.
What is it about us as a society now that we have to take our legends and our heroes and tear them down? Why do we need to lay bare every sin of every person? To quote Lord Grantham on Downton Abbey, “We all have chapters in our lives that we would rather not have published.” And yet as soon as anyone in our current media culture gets an ugly fact they can’t wait to publish it. This is what I will not do today. Yes, Judy Garland had problems. Big Problems. The ones we all know about are enough. A battle with drugs, several broken marriages, people who embezzled her money, and much more. It is out of those problems that there emerged a performer who has been hailed as the greatest talent of the 20th century. This talent, this woman, this gift is what I will write about today.
Judy was born Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922. She was the daughter of a vaudevillian couple Frank and Ethel Gumm who had given up life on the road to manage a movie house in Grand Rapids Minnesota. In addition to showing movies the Gumms featured Vaudeville acts between shows frequently using their daughters, Francis had two older sisters, Mary Jane and Dorothy Virginia, as part of the entertainment. Francis joined her sisters at the ripe old age of two singing “Jingle Bells’ with her sisters. The Gumm Sisters were born.
In 1926 the family moved from Grand Rapids to Lancaster California. Reportedly this move was precipitated because Francis’ or Judy’s father had homosexual inclinations and he had been found out. In Lancaster, The Gumm sisters began to work the vaudeville circuit. Because their name, Gumm, seemed to attract laughter from audiences, and at one time they were billed as The Glum Sisters they were encouraged to change their last name. The name Garland was chosen and Francis chose to change her first name to Judy. This was late in 1934. Francis now Judy was 12 years old.
In August of 1935, The Gumm Sisters disbanded when one of the sisters left to get married in Nevada.
Also in August of 1935, Louis B Mayer the head of MGM sent Burton Lane to the Orpheum Theater in LA to hear the remaining two sisters ‘ act. Judy was brought to the MGM studio along with her father for an audition. Judy sang “Zing Went The Strings of My Heart and an old Yiddish song called Eli Eli. The studio immediately signed her to a contract with MGM and the magic began.
Unfortunately for Judy success wouldn’t come overnight. She was 13 when she was signed to MGM and basically too old to play a child and too young to play an adult. And though she wasn’t by any means unattractive she did not and never would have the glamour girl look of the 1930s. MGM signed her but wasn’t sure what to do with her.
Judy’s big opportunity came when she sang You Made Me Love You to Clark Gable at his birthday party. The studio was so impressed by her performance that they recreated it in the movie Broadway Melody of 1938. In the film Garland sang to a photograph of Gable. Here is the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/5OrCar5qFsQ
After the success of You Made Me Love You MGM made the historic decision to team Judy with Mickey Rooney. The pair would make many films together including Love Find Andy Hardy, Babes on Broadway, Strike Uo The Band, Girl Crazy, and Babes in Arms. Many of these films were dubbed Backyard musicals as in the story a bunch of kids always getting together to put on a show. Judy would star and also be featured in two other films Everybody Sing where she shared the bill with Fanny Brice (Funny Girl) and Billie Burke who would join Judy later in the film that would make her a star. She starred in the very Irish film Little Nelle Kelly with songs written by George M Cohan.
Judy’s first triumph came in 1939 when MGM starred her in The Wizard Of Oz. Judy would play Dorothy Gale a Kansas farm girl who gets knocked on the head during a tornado and dreams of an adventure in the Land of Oz. In her dream, she must face her very real nemesis Elvira Gultch who, in the dream becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Judy was not MGM’s first choice for the role of Dorothy. MGM wanted Shirley Temple for the part but 20th Century Fox would not release her to MGM. The studio reluctantly went with Graland but they struck gold.
The funny thing about The Wizard of Oz, the film was based on the book by L Frank Baum. In the book, the adventure is not a dream and there were a total of 15 Oz books written by Baum. MGM could have gone on and made a small fortune if they had not made the film a dream by producing sequel after sequel much as they did with The Thin Man. In the books, Dorothy, her Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry all go to Oz to live and there is a happily ever after for everyone. Toto too.
The Wizard of Oz would give us the most famous of all performances by Miss Garland, the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow. The song was written by Harold Arlan and Yip Harburg. It comes in the story at a point where Dorothy is in trouble but her family and friends are too busy to help. She’s told to go find a place where she won’t get into any trouble and walking with her dog she sings one of the most haunting songs of the movie musical.
Somewhere over the rainbow,
Way up high,
There’s a land that I heard of,
Once in a lullaby.
This song and the film is almost every child in the United States’ first memory of movies. Though the film was a critical success in 1939 it wouldn’t be totally appreciated by the public until the 1960s when it would air yearly on television. I was born in the early 60s and my earliest memories revolve around watching this wonderful story. When I was very young I remember hiding behind my father when The Wicked Witch of the West appeared. The Wizard of Oz was almost part of the rite of passage for being children.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow would be recorded by other artists over the years. It was in 1986 that Barbra Streisand even came close to capturing the same magic. In 1986 Barbra Streisand lovingly and with amazing grace recorded the song in a concert filmed and recorded at her home called One Voice. The concert was for 500 guests but it was a fundraiser for Streisand’s causes. After that, many artists including Mandy Potimkim and Matthew Morrison recorded the beloved song. None equaled Judy Garland.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow is haunting and hopeful. It’s a song of yearning for a better place. It speaks to the deep yearning in all of us for a world that’s different from the world we live in. A world where dreams really do come true.CS Lewis wrote, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” This is a desire that seems universal to all people. Somewhere Over The Rainbow gives words to that desire and if we are willing we each can find our way to that other world.
Garland’s movie career would explode after The Wizard of Oz. No longer the teenaged misfit she would give a wonderful performance as Esther Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis and she would give The Trolley Song, The Boy Next Door, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas as gifts to the world. Her other stand-out performances came in films that include, For Me and My Gal, The Harvey Girls, In The Good Old Summertime, Summer Stock, Easter Parade, and her acclaimed performance as Esther Blodgett in A Star is Born.
In Summer Stock she co-starred with Gene Kelly and in a way, it was a return to the old days of the backyard musicals. Judy plays Jane Falbury the owner of a farm that is struggling to make ends meet. She reluctantly permits a group of Broadway performers to use her barn as a stage and Jane is drawn into the life of show business. Judy’s break out performance is in the song Get Happy. This is a revival-type song that reminds us to ‘get happy and ready for the judgment day.” For me, it frames in music the joyous return of Jesus Christ where he will lead us across the river.
Garland would only be in two non-musical roles. She starred in The Clock in 1945 with Robert Walker and as a featured character in Judgement at Nuremberg in 1961.
Judy was not idle when she was not making movies. She did radio shows, went on publicity tours with her movies, and spent many hours in the recording studio. There is a long list of musical soundtracks and albums that are to her credit. When her film career ended due to her ill health, the star began concert tours that spanned Europe and the United States. She played both The London Palladium and The Place Theater in NYC. In the mid-sixties she desperately wanted to take over the role of Mame on Broadway when Angela Lansbury left but the producers, due to her ill health and her known erratic behavior on movie sets during her last years, could not trust her with the role.
Judy had a long history of drug abuse and mental health issues. It was both of these that led to her death on June 22, 1969, just 12 days after her 47th birthday. On that day, I believe, one of the stars in heaven went out.
Judy Garland worked for 45 years in the entertainment business. She gave her heart and soul to her performances and she had a voice that was unlike any other. She could belt like Ethel Merman but she could also sing very tenderly like Doris Day. It’s been said that Judy only had to hear a song once to have it down. In that way, she was a musical genius.
Many of us love Judy Garland and her many films. We feel we know her and when we are old enough to understand how young she was when she died we feel a great sadness in ourselves over her passing. I don’t know what would have happened if Judy lived. I would have liked her to play Mame in the film version of that wonderful musical. I think she would have recorded more and become very proud of her children Liza Minnelli and Lorna and Joseph Luft. In her elder days, she would have been a Great Dame of the Golden Age of Hollywood. With many of us listening to her stories. That wasn’t meant to be.
I could have said a lot more about the life of Judy Garland. She never had it easy. I believe that out of her pain came something beautiful and something that will be remembered for generations to come. Though we lost her too soon, we will have her forever.
I grew up in the era of reruns. It all started with the genius of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who instead of using a kinescope to film I Love Lucy, which was standard in the day, they used film and movie cameras. Kinescope programs were not well filmed and those that are left today are hard to watch. These were the early days of television and much that was, is now lost. An example of this would be the great character actress Mary Wickes who played Mary Poppins for television audiences in 1949.
When I was old enough to watch television, as I have told earlier, my mother sat me down in front of our black and white set to watch I Love Lucy and The Jack Benny program. Most people still know who Lucy was but many have forgotten Jack Benny and he was around for many years. His career as a comic began in Vaudville but he really made a name for himself on the Radio with a recurring cast of characters in his weekly show. His gravel-voiced butler Rochester, his girlfriend Mary Livingston, who was also his wife in real life, his friend, the golden-toned Dennis Day who sang regularly on the program, they all made the stories of the tight-fisted, violin playing comic very funny.
I was born in the early 60s and so the reruns of the shows from the 1950s and those first aired in the early 60s were brand new to me. I think the first on the list is Superman.
Superman aired from 1952 until 1958. The beginning seasons were filmed in black and white but the remaining seasons were filmed in color. This was well before color TV sets were readily available. Superman even made an appearance on I Love Lucy in the classic episode Lucy meets Superman. The episode was not Lucy Meets George Reeves the actor who portrayed Superman but Lucy Meets Superman. In the episode, Superman does not break character at all. I dearly loved television cross-overs which would set me up for comic book cross-overs years later. But I digress.
Superman was a half-hour adventure series that wrapped most stories up in one show, Superman was played by George Reeves, Lois Lane by Phyllis Coates at first but then Noelle Neal, Jimmy Olson by Jack Larson, and Perry White by John Hamilton. It was a perfectly crafted and well-written show. In my opinion, most of the stories still stand up pretty well today. They jammed a lot of adventure and action in a half-hour show. Well written and so well-acted that when George Reeves made a personal appearance as Superman a little boy showed up with a gun to see if he was really bulletproof. George talked him out of it and no one was hurt.
From 1963 to 1966 Patty Duke starred in her own self titled show. I was too young for the original run but not for the re-runs. I don’t know this for sure but my feeling is ABC got the idea from the Haley Mills classic movie The Parent Trap which debuted in 1961. In the Parent-Trap Mills played both Susan and Sharon who were twin sisters, who had been separated at birth. One went to California to live with dad and the other to Boston to live with mom. In the film the twins meet at summer camp. At first there is mutual dislike until they discover they are sisters and then they scheme to bring their parents back together and of course, all ends happily. The Patty Duke Show was a bit different. Patty Duke played both Patty and Cathy Lane. Not sisters but identical cousins. Cathy’s father is either a foreign correspondent or a diplomat. My guess is correspondent as Patty’s father was a newspaperman. Cathy has been brought up in England and has a cultured British accent. After the death of her mother Cathy goes to live with her Uncle Martin, Aunt Natalie, and her cousins Patty and Ross. When Cathy arrives it is much to both girl’s delight to find that they are exactly alike and the fun begins. This show was very much a Lucy and Ethel relationship. Patty had the schemes and innocent Cathy found herself dragged into them as often willing as not. It was a fun show. It portrayed a loving family with a wise father and a caring mom. If you haven’t seen this gem it is worth seeking out.
Next on my list is Gidget. Lets’ get this straight from the first Gidget is a nickname. Given to Frances Lawrence. It stands for girl midget, Gidget. The name was given to Francis as she showed off her surfing skills to the boys on the California beach. Gidget was played by Sally Field on television but the role was originated on the big screen by Sandra Dee. There would be a few Gidget movies made but the series only ran for one season in 1965.
There’s a story behind that too. Gidget ran its first season throughout the Fall and Winter. No one wanted to see a show based on the fun at the beach during those months. However in the summer when the show ran as reruns the ratings went through the roof. Unfortunately, the show had already been canceled and they could not bring everyone back again. The show is available on DVD and is fun to watch. Don Porter was cast perfectly as Gidget’s father a widower who cherishes his daughter despite her tomboy-like tendencies.
Sally Field didn’t keep still in 1967 she would make her next TV splash as Sister Bertrille The Flying Nun. The Flying Nun would run for three seasons until 1970. The show centered around sister Betrille who because of the shape of her wimple and her small size and light weight when the wind was right she became airborne. The show was a big hit, especially with catholic families. It was a comedy most of which centered around Sister Betrille getting in and out of trouble while airborne. It didn’t help that a long-suffering Reverend Mother did her best to keep Sister Bertrille’s feet on the ground. I loved this show and still do. I believe Sally Field has mixed feelings about it but considering all that she would eventually do these two series were a good foundation to start from.
One I never want to forget is Hazel. Hazel ran from 1961 to 1966 and starred Shirley Booth as the outspoken maid to the Baxter family. Hazel is funny and endearing. Watching the show is like curling up with a warm cup of cocoa on snowy night. Though Hazel is outspoken and her mouth gets her into more trouble than it ought to, she also really loves the family she works for and goes to all lengths possible to help and protect them. If Shirley Booth had lived she would have played an Angel in Touched by Angel because that’s what Hazel was an earth-bound Angel.
Petticoat Junction ran from 1963 to 1970. In some ways, it was a spin-off of The Beverly Hillbillies and a forerunner for Green Acres. Paul Henning produced all three shows and from time to time the characters would cross over making those episodes extra special. I don’t quite know the reason why but The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction cannot all be seen in reruns. The early shows are intact but for some reason the later seasons seem to have disappeared. I hope one day that all of the episodes of both shows will be made available.
Petticoat Junction centered around the life of Kate Bradley and her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobby-Jo, and Betty-Jo. They lived in a hotel called The Shady Rest along with the girl’s Uncle Joe Carson. The hotel was the only one on the railroad line that was dominated by The Cannonball Express. Actually, The Cannonball was the only train on the line and is in constant danger of being taken out of commission in the early episodes of the show. The engineer and conductor were show regulars, along with Sam Drucker who ran the general store. Sam would be the major link between Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. This show too was both funny and heartwarming. We see the girls grow into women and we see their mother played by Bea Benadarret pass away as the actress died of cancer during the run of the show. The mother was not replaced but a lady doctor played by June Lockhart who had recently come off playing the mother in Lost in Space as well as Timmy’s mother in the Lassie TV series. She brought just the right touch of gentle wisdom to the show to keep it going.
This blog is beginning to run long and there are so many other shows I want to reminisce about with you but they will have to wait. Shows like Room 222, Nanny and the Professor, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Magician, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, That Girl, The Lucy Show, and Here’s Lucy will have to wait for another time.
In the meantime keep tuning in to this blog. Until next time same bat time and same bat channel.
It was to my great delight to find out last week that Spider-Man No Way Home won the Kid’s Choice Award for best live-action movie. As I wrote several weeks back the latest Spider-Man film should have received an Oscar nod for best picture. But Hollywood, as we saw at the Academy Awards Ceremony, is not only full of snobs but a bad indicator of a good movie. Kid’s on the other hand see the truth, sometimes to the dismay of adults as in The Emperor’s New Clothes. They live more” in the moment” than most adults do and therefore can see more than most adults can see. If a kid says something is good or bad, it’s best to pay attention.
Stan Lee got his start in comics while still a teenager. He went to work for Timely Comics as a writer somewhere in the late thirties or very early 40s. Lee worked for Timely for 20 years until that fateful day when his boss asked him to come up with a Superhero team comic book to go head to head with DC’s Justice League of America. Lee teamed up with Jack Kirby and The Fantastic Four was born. The Marvel Legends began.
What many people don’t realize is that Lee was ready to give up working in comics just before that fateful day. He had enough writing thinly veiled comics that copied whatever was popular at the time. In other words, if Zorro was popular, Lee would write a Zorro-type character and sell it. Anything for the company to make a quick buck. Really The Fantastic Four was a to be a copy of The Justice League, except for the fact that The Fantastic Four acted like a team only when they had to, they were no Justice League. The League had honor and high moral standards. Heck, they were indeed super friends. The Fantastic Four could just barely tolerate each other. They brought true human problems and emotions, including resentment and despair, into comic books and the industry was changed.
But I digress. As stated Lee was ready to quit comics. He had begun to talk with his wife about leaving the industry and beginning work on what he hoped would be the great American novel. His wife convinced him to give comics one last chance and in that last chance, The Fantastic Four was born. Lee took every bit of the creative talent he had in writing the story of the Fantastic Four. Maybe he figured this was his last shot so he’d go out in a blaze of artistic glory. Instead of going out Lee began to soar to heights of popularity and stayed there until the day he passed away.
After The Fantastic Four Stan and Jack created the Incredible Hulk which, believe it or not, did not sell well at the beginning. The Hulk, also, wasn’t green when he first made his debut, he was grey. But things did turn around. Grey turned to green and we have the Hulk that we all know and love today.
Lee came into his third inning. He was up to bat. Would he strike out or would he hit a home run? OK, enough with the sports metaphors. Amazing Adult Fantasy had reached its fourteenth issue and it was not doing well. Adult: would mean that a bit of sleaze was probably in this magazine but Stan Lee himself tells us that the comice book was a collection of fantasy monster stories usually about five pages long. The stories were written by him and illustrated by Steve Ditko. The magazine was about to be canceled after the publication of its fifteenth issue and Lee decided to experiment.
Stan Lee was a big reader of the Pulp Magazines that were published in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Many germs of comic book characters that would come later can be found in these ten-cent novels in a magazine. The pulps’ main characters included The Shadow, Doc Savage, and one that Lee particularly liked The Spider. The Spider was just an ordinary guy who was an expert marksman. He disguised himself with fangs and a hunched back. His true Identity was Richard Wentworth the last in the line of a wealthy family. He began his career after saving a college friend from criminals. Lee liked the name The Spider but he had other ideas than a man who was good with a gun. Lee was about to break more comic book rules.
Teenagers were not the main character in almost any comic book. There are a few notable exceptions. Superboy, stories of Superman when he was a boy and then a teenager. Captain Marvel Jr and Mary Marvel were both teenagers when they got their powers but unlike Billy Batson when he became Captain Marvel by shouting SHAZAM turned into an adult Mary and Junior stayed teenagers. The last is Kid Eternity a teenager who was murdered but is granted the ability to come back and fight crime by being able to call up all the heroes from the past. Aside from these most teenagers were sidekicks to other Superheroes. Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl all fall into this category. Even Johnny Storm, The Human Torch of the Fantastic Four was not on his own though eventually, he would gain his own solo stories.
Lee decided to take a chance and make his next superhero a teenager with all the problems that come with being a teenage boy. He kept the name Spider but dropped the marksman and gave the young man the abilities of a Spider. With those thoughts in mind, Spider-Man was born.
Lee didn’t have much hope for his new character. He didn’t start him off in his own magazine as he did with The Fantastic Four and The Hulk. He starred him in the last issue of Amazing Adult Fantasy only now the word adult was dropped from the title and Spider-Man made his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy number 15 in August of 1962. Lee’s first two creations were illustrated by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko was the artist for Amazing Fantasy and Lee stuck with him for his new creation.
Not many people need to be told the origin story of Spider-Man. A teenager, Peter Parker, who is a bookworm and a student of science is shunned by his peers. On attending a demonstration of radioactivity, a spider who has absorbed some of the radiation during the experiment, bites Peter giving him the abilities and proportionate strength of a spider. Peter, after learning of his new abilities decides to cash in on them and make himself rich with his new talents. He hopes to be able to help his elderly Aunt May and Uncle Ben who had raised him. He designs a costume for himself to conceal his identity, web-shooters to gain another spider ability and begins to make TV appearances. He also becomes arrogant and a bit self-centered. When a thief runs by him in the hallway of the TV studio Peter lets him go and tells the police that it is their job to catch crooks, not his. On his way home that night there are police cars at his home. His Uncle Ben has been killed by a thief he found in the house. The police tell Peter that they have the killer trapped in an old warehouse. Peter immediately dons his costume and goes after the killer himself. Peter does nab the guy but on catching him realizes it is the same crook he let run by him in the studio. His guilt overwhelms him as he feels responsible for his Uncles death. He remembers something his Uncle Ben once told him, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Stan Lee says in the book, The Origins of Marvel Comics, with the publication of Amazing Fantasy number 15 and the story of Spider-Man out of his system, Lee went back to working on his new superstars. Lee essentially forgot all about Spider-Man. It would be months before it was realized that Amazing Fantasy #15 was a best seller and the reason had to be Spider-Man. There was a swift meeting held and The Amazing Spider-Man comic magazine number 1 made its debut in an issue dated March of 1963.
Spider-Man has entertained us now for 60 years. He has starred in several different Marvel Magazine titles and is probably one of the most iconic heroes of all time. Spider-Man is to Marvel what Superman is to DC, their most recognized character and almost a symbol of the company itself. Spider-Man like Superman has appeared in almost every form of entertainment. In television shows, both live-action and animated, and movies also both live-action and animated, novels based on the character, a newspaper strip, and a Broadway musical, the only thing Spider-Man did not get is a radio show. Spider-Man was born a bit too late for that.
Spider-Man broke down all kinds of barriers in his 60 years and continues to do so. The comic book character took on many of the social issues of the 60s and 70s and made an impact. I well remember being affected by Peter’s best friend Harry Osborne having a drug addiction. It helped keep me on the straight and narrow. There were also gut-wrenching stories like the death of Peter’s first true love Gwen Stacy at the hands of The Green Goblin. There were also some joyful tales including Peter’s marriage to Mary Jane Watson an event that took place in the comic book, the newspaper strip, and at a live ball game in NYC.
Spider-Man continues to entertain us today. His movie adventures are now reaching millions of people and his comic books are still enjoyed. As I stated at the beginning of this blog, it did my heart good to see Spider-Man No Way Home win The Kid’s Choice Award for the best live-action movie. I hope that the film will pick up more honors in the months ahead. It’s also my hope that The Academy of Motion Pictures begins to see that movies based on comic books or children’s literature or animated films all have artistic value and should be placed in the best films category. To me leaving these movies out, movies that the people love is a disgrace. A movie does not have to be filled with sex, over-the-top violence, and foul language to be a good film. It has to have a solid story well-formed characters and great acting. The Marvel movies have all of that. DC we are waiting for you to catch up.
It was late in 1938 when the powers that be realized they had a hit with Superman. Action Comics number one had hit the newsstands in April that year. Superman was the flagship hero and was on the cover. The sales of the original book went through the roof but no one knew why. It took a few months before they learned it was all about Superman.
What was next was the need for another costumed hero. The management went to artist/writer Bob Kane and asked him to develop a costumed hero for their Detective Comics magazine which had already been around for a while. They didn’t want another Superman. They wanted a costumed detective. Bob was approached on Friday afternoon and he promised a new hero by Monday morning and he did it, but not alone.
To me, Bob Kane was one the shrewdest and one of the most evil men in comics. He was shrewd in the fact that before he signed anything away that he created he got lawyers involved so he owned a piece of the property. Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster did not do that and signed Superman away for one hundred and thirty dollars. For many years they lived at almost a poverty level while their creation was making millions. Kane was evil in that he didn’t give the same advantage to those who helped him create his work and so for years all the credit and all the accolades and all the money went to Kane.
Kane left the office of National Periodical Publications and went home to brainstorm. He came up with a character in red tights, a mask, like the one Robin would eventually wear, blond hair, and stiff wings. He brought his sketch to his buddy Bill Finger and told Bill the name of the character was The Bat-Man. Bill did not like the look of the character at all. He changed the costume color to black and gray. He got rid of the mask and suggested a cowl with bat ears. The stiff wings were replaced by a billowing cape and the symbol of a bat was drawn on the chest. The Bat-Man was born.
Kane took the new sketches to the editor, Vin Sullivan, and they were approved. Now Kane had to write a story. He went back to Bill Finger and made a deal with him to ghostwrite Bat-Man and receive none of the credit. Kane agreed to pay Finger out of the money he was making. Finger agreed to this, much to his regret in later years.
Bill Finger was the mind behind most of the things we love about Batman today. Beyond the stories, he originated to the utility belt, The Batcave, Robin, The Joker, The Penguin, and The Riddler. All without receiving any credit.
It wasn’t until the first comic book convention in 1965 that the truth slowly began to leak out. Bill was invited to speak and the session was recorded. He told his story and a fanzine article was written. When Kane got wind of the story he publicly denounced Bill Finger and continued to take all the credit for himself.
Bill gave some other interviews and tried to get his rights to the character. This became more and more painful as 1966 rolled around and Batman became a TV sensation. Bill would only see his name associated with the character once. He co-wrote one episode of the television series. He asked his co-writer if his name could go on top in the credits. In his lifetime it would be the only time he ever saw it.
Bill Finger died a pauper with eviction notices taped to the door of His apartment in January of 1974. He was 59 years old, A son, who none knew he had, cremated his father and brought his ashes to the northern Pacific Coast. His son drew a bat symbol on the sand and scattered the ashes over the symbol. He watched while the ocean carried his father away.
The years would go by in the 1940s and other artists and writers would leave their mark on The Bat-Man. Jerry Robinson would make the first new contributions by eliminating both the hyphen and the “the’. The Bat-Man became Batman.
Not many years ago a young writer named Marc Tyler Nobleman came across the story of Bill Finger. Marc had previously written a book on Superman’s creators and wanted to do the same for Batman. He assumed the story was about Bob Kane but Marc unearthed the material about Bill Finger and with that he began a crusade to win Bill the credit he deserved.
After months of research and detective work, Marc was able to locate the granddaughter of Bill Finger. They worked together by bringing the problem to the fans thru Comic-Con panels and interviews. The wheels of justice turn slowly but they do turn and Athena, Bill’s Granddaughter met with her lawyer and the powers that be at Warner Brothers the parent company of DC comics an agreement was reached and starting with the film Superman Batman The Dawn of Justice Bill Finger was listed as co-creator of Batman. His name would be on all future Batman projects including the comics and films.
For more information on this amazing journey to justice please see the film Batman and Bill which is a Hulu original.
Not much more needs to be said about Batman. Everyone knows that one night while coming home from the movies Thomas, Martha, and young Bruce Wayne are stopped by a thief. The thief takes Thomas’s wallet and Martha’s pearls and then kills them in front of Bruce. Not long after Bruce makes a vow to avenge his parents by warring on all criminals. He trains for years to become both physically and mentally perfect as a human being can. Late one night he feels he is ready and as he thinks of what symbol would strike terror in the hearts of criminals a bat crashes through the window and Bruce decides. With the money left to him by his parents Bruce is more than wealthy enough to collect all the things, he would need to set out on his mission, and thus Batman was born.
At the moment, in theaters, there is a new movie titled The Batman. This would be number ten in the big-screen adaptations that began in the mid-sixties with the release of the Batman movie that was based on the popular TV show. Before that, there were two serial films of Batman in the 1940s. This latest film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman and I honestly cannot recommend it.
First, the film is dark. Not in the story but in lighting. Even the daytime scenes are filmed on cloudy days so light just doesn’t penetrate. I found some of the scenes hard to see and at two hours and fifty-five minutes the darkness became tedious. I found myself looking at my phone for the time more than I should have. In fact, in a Batman movie, I shouldn’t have felt the need to look at all.
Second, they messed with Bruce’s family. Making his mother Martha a mental case and to cover that up Thomas goes to the mob for help. Thomas Wayne in comic books would never do that. This leads to Thomas feeling he needs to turn himself in which leads to the mob killing Thomas and Martha Wayne instead of a random shooting. It’s the randomness of his parents’ death that is at the heart of Batman.
Third, they messed with the Riddler’s real name. Since the beginning when Bill Finger created The Riddler his real name was Edward Nigma or E Nigma and enigma is a puzzle and Edward was obsessed with riddles and puzzles leading him to be so compulsive that he had to leave a riddle before he committed a crime. The new movie changes his name to Nash or Norton. Sort of destroying a major part of the character.
I was very disappointed in this film. We are going to see four more DC character movies during the rest of this year. The Flash, Batgirl, a direct to HBOMAX a live-action film, Black Adam and Aquaman. I hope Warner Brothers does a better job on these though I have my doubts.
Let’s start by saying I am not, nor have I ever been, a big fan of award shows. I do like the spectacle and the sometimes-amazing musical numbers. When it comes to The Tony Awards, I enjoy watching the scenes from different nominated shows because it is unlikely, I will see them on Broadway. It’s a glimpse into a place I get to less than once a year. Award shows in general just don’t seem quite right to me. One person’s art is another’s garbage so how can an award show be objective? Who’s to say what makes any art form great?
The Academy Awards are also known as The Oscars, a term I will use from now on, used to be at least fair in their award shows. These days I don’t see it as fair at all especially with our new world of political correctness. Political correctness seems to be something everyone hates and yet no one wants to do anything about.
I believe in equal rights for every person on this earth. I believe that we should all be able to pursue those things that make us happy. I believe that we should work in the field that we are gifted in. I believe that every person is entitled to dignity and respect. And I believe that everyone should be able to believe in what they choose to believe. Every person has to grapple with their beliefs and then live with the outcome of that battle.
I don’t believe that we should forget or erase the past. I don’t believe Columbus Day should be replaced by Indigenous People Day. I believe there should be an Indigenous People day it just shouldn’t cancel out Christopher Columbus, who though a flawed man, like we all are, still did an amazing thing that I am reaping the benefits of today. You see for me it’s not either-or but and.
This brings me back to The Oscars. In 1958 Auntie Mame was nominated for best picture. Auntie Mame is a comedy about a madcap aunt raising her orphaned nephew. It’s a great film was a terrific cast and great performances. The movie didn’t win. It was a comedy and it was rare for comedies to win an Oscar but it was in the running now you never see a comedy in the Academy Awards. Making people laugh seems unimportant to those who make these decisions.
In 1966 The Oscar for best picture went to The Sound of Music. In 1965 both My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins were nominated for Best Picture. My Fair Lady won but Julie Andrews took The Oscar home for best actress. All three of these movies were family-friendly and were beautiful films. Could you see any of them winning an Oscar today? Of course not. Not many films today that win Oscars are family-friendly. Very few even get nominated and that is a tragedy. We keep talking about needing diversity in our culture and that is absolutely true but diversity does not have to be serious or violent or sexy. It can and should be fun exciting and humorous. We need serious films with strong endings to teach us about life and the fact that it’s hard. No one gets out without some bumps and bruises but life is also funny and joyful and warm and cuddly we need our films to express all these things and those that do this well should be given an Oscar, After all, it was Auntie Mame who said, “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.”
This brings us to the nominees for this year’s Oscar for best picture. This year’s nominations are not as bad as the last few years. There really is diversity in tone and subject matter. It was great to see West Side Story on the list and Dune, a Sci-Fi epic was a complete surprise to me. The rest were films I am less impressed with but that is a matter of taste. There is just one problem with this list. One movie that checked every box that makes a movie great was snubbed by The Academy.
This movie was well written, filled with both action and suspense. It has a great cast and had humor as well as tragedy. The film was loved by almost everyone who saw it. It got good reviews and ranked at 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also won a Golden Tomato award. It is still in theaters and is slowly overtaking the films that have grossed the most amount of money. The film I am talking about is Spiderman No Way Home.
Spiderman No Way Home would have been up for best picture 60 years ago without a doubt. It has everything a movie should have and then some. Even surprises that no one was expecting but were wonderful to see as the story unfolded. So what happened to us. Why is this film not Oscar-worthy. I’m not sure I know. Still, I’ll take a shot at it.
I think the Academy has become a group of politically correct snobs. They don’t see that life can be fun and that Superheroes, who are part of our modern mythology have a long-standing and respected place in our society. There are college courses on comic book heroes and though originally a form of entertainment for children is now a form of entertainment for adults. The characters are complex and interesting and the fact some of them have been around for more than eighty years proves that they have something that our world needs. I think that is hope.
Today’s world doesn’t seem to have much hope. This is reflected in some of our TV shows, our books, and our films. Superhero movies provide hope because good always triumphs in the end. Disney films do the same thing. As did the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings, and three films that were done in The Chronicles of Narnia. Only one of these won best picture and that was The Return of the King the third part of The Lord of the Rings the first two parts were never even nominated. Movies need to give us hope again.
It all comes back to story. We are all a story have I have stated before. We are our own story but we are also part of a bigger story that God began to write when he created the earth and everything on it. Our movies and our books and TV shows and comic books are all ways for us to find our place in our own stories. Are we the heroes or are we the villain? Are we the one who disaster strikes or are we the one who saves the day? The answer to these questions is yes, we are all of these.
Let me give you an example of how stories have affected my life. Back in 1972, a television show premiered on the CBS network. That show was The Waltons. I was 11 at the time but the show became a family favorite. The lead character John-boy the eldest son became a hero to me. He had to wear glasses to read and I had just been given my first pair, he was creative and he wrote, and it was watching that series that inspired me to become a writer as well. I wrote all kinds of things and for a little while in 6th grade started the first and only school newspaper my elementary school ever had. The Primos Press. I did this with my best friend Charlie Meo but behind all of it was John-boy Walton.
Stories shape us. They help guide us and help us make decisions. The process may not be conscious but it’s there. We are formed by our own story and by the stories of others both fictional and real. This is why we watch movies and it’s why we need those movies that are honored with an Oscar to be films that show the things we need to know.
Remember that movies are subjective so what I love will not always be what other people love. But when a vast majority of people enjoy a film, that film deserves an Oscar nomination. Spiderman No Way Home is such a film. And it is a sad reflection on our culture that it was ignored.
I think was blessed to be born in the early part of the 1960s. Technology had not come near the point where things were handed to you instantly. Fast Food restaurants did not exist yet and microwaves and cell phones were in the far-flung future. Because of this life was slower and could be savored and we did even as children.
Television was still in its infancy in the early 60s. Sure it had been around a while but it was still black and white and though color sets existed they were out of the reach of most people. We had three channels to choose from NBC, CBS, and ABC. Eventually, we would have PBS and three UHF Channels for my area they were channels 17, 29, 48. It was on these channels that the reruns of shows that had gone off the air would play as well as a plethora of old movies. That was it and I don’t think all of that was established until I was at least 6 or 7.
So what did that mean? It meant that we had to wait. There were no streaming shows when we wanted to see them. There was getting hold of the newspapers TV listings and scanning what was on that week to plan what you were going to watch. And if you missed it that was too bad. Never was this more true than at Christmas.
I was the youngest of four children and at Christmas time I became the ruler of the TV set, or at least my family let me think I was. I was born just as the great Christmas shows were being made for the first time. I was three When Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer first went up against the Abominable Snowman. Mr. Magoo had already captured the world with his version of A Christmas Carol and so many were to come. A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, The Year Without A Santa Claus, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Little Drummer Boy, and so many others. I would grab The Sunday TV supplement every week, as soon as I learned to read, scanning for these yearly events and hoping my family didn’t have to go out the night they were aired. If we did, it would be a whole year before I could see them again. I was pretty lucky. I don’t think I missed any of them except Rudolph once when I was in the hospital with an eye injury.
Anticipation, which ultimately is the theme of Advent, was in the heart of every kid I grew up with. Not anticipation for spiritual things, that comes with growth and maturity, but anticipation for the fun and joyful things of Christmas. In some ways, it was good practice for when we grew up and awaited Christmas for its true meaning.
But we didn’t wait just for kids’ shows. There were other more adult shows that we waited for. Bing Crosby’s yearly Christmas show, the same for Bob Hope, Andy Williams, and the now almost forgotten King Family. The whole family gathered around the set for these treats presented to us by the three networks.
Then there was that special night. My brother Vince would usually spot it first in the TV listings. The night the movie White Christmas would air. White Christmas was not a kids movie, it is a full musical that kids can be charmed by but also can be loved by parents. So every year until the family began to go our separate ways all six of us sat around that TV and watched this beautiful movie unfurl. That time will never come again but it is sweet to remember.
The family watching White Christmas led me to even more Christmas movies. Things that were being shown but the rest of my family had little interest in. Movies such as Holiday Inn and Meet Me in St Louis soon became more yearly favorites. When a new version of Miracle on 34th Street was shown starring Sebastion Cabot and David Hartman I was hooked and wanted to see the original. I had never heard of It’s A Wonderful Life until Marlo Thomas remade the film switching the gender roles and calling it, It Happened One Chrismas. Eventually, these made-for-TV movies made me want to back to view the original and they all became favorites. I directed a stage version of It’s a Wonderful Life in 2000 it remains a lovely memory.
Still, we had to wait every year for these treats. Watching television was not the only thing that made Christmas special. I remember going out every year to find the perfect Christmas tree. At first, it was in local lots where people were selling freshly cut trees, as we grew older my family began to drive out to Christmas tree farms where we would cut down our trees. By then my brother and sisters were married and it was a caravan that would go to these places. Stopping at Burger King for a quick lunch and then coming home to hot turkey rice soup and meatball sandwiches that mom had warming in crockpots while we were away.
Then there was the tree decorating. No one was more of a perfectionist than my father when it came to how the tree looked. It had to be straight as an arrow before one light or ornament could be placed on the branches. And the lights, this was still back in the time when if one light had blown none of the lights would come on. You then had to spend as much time as it took to find the dead bulb. There were more Christmases with dead bulbs than without.
After that, we kids generally took over looking for our favorite ornaments to hang on the tree. We had a nice variety of the delicate glass balls, homemade ornaments that my brother had done, and some store-bought figures. My favorites were Santa’s eight reindeer with Rudolph in the lead. Those needed to be spaced nicely so it looked as if they were flying around the tree. My family were tinsel people and my dad again took charge of that, Tinsel had to be placed delicately on the tree almost one strand at a time. It took forever. when I learned about garland and you only had to drape it around the tree, I thought I had been given the Holy Grail of Christmas.
Christmas was family time, but not just our immediate family. I had cousins and aunts and uncles and second and third cousins and we all got together on Christmas night, not just once but three times. My father had two sisters, My Aunt Mary and my Aunt Dolores. My grandmother, my father’s mother (My grandfather had died before I was born) would alternate between her three children where she would go on Christmas day for dinner. Where ever she was the whole family would descend on that house for dessert first. After that, we went to the two other houses for dessert making it a three dessert holiday. Actually, it was four desserts as we had dessert with dinner too. We kids had a blast because there were still gifts to be received at each of the Aunt’s houses. I liked going to my Aunt Mary’s and Uncle Steve’s best. She had a wonderful bakery at the top of her street and she always had mini Danish and coconut cream pie which was my favorite. I got it once a year as mom never made it. That is not to say Aunt Dolores didn’t outdo herself. At her house, there would be delicious stromboli and Christmas punch made with soda, juice, and a tub of sherbert.
Aunt Mary and Uncle Steve had another wonderful tradition that fascinated all the kids and most of the adults. In their basement, there was an enormous train display. It had mountains and tunnels and trees and all sorts of things to delight the mind of a child. I don’t know where the tradition originated and who was most responsible, my Uncle Steve or his eldest son Steven or if it was a yearly team effort. I do know that Steven kept up the tradition as best as possible in his own home. Trains weere a big part of Christmas. At our house there would occasionally be a set wrapped around the bottom of the tree. But nothing I have ever seen compared to that wonderful set in my aunt and uncle’s basement.
Christmas eve was a day of preparation, as a little kid I remember going to midnight Mass with my whole family. The Mass was said in Latin up until 1966 so I understood very little of it. It was, however, still beautiful to me. There was a solemness in the church that I could feel but also great joy and anticipation. In those days our church had the whole town of Bethlehem laid out in a special display, I remember filing past this to catch a glimpse of the tiny baby in his manger. I couldn’t wait for that moment. At that moment I knew Christmas had come.
I had been to see Santa and I made sure, one way or another a letter got written to him. In those early days, my family had a custom of meeting my dad in Center City Philadelphia for dinner and to see the amazing light show at Wanamaker’s a prestigious, though now gone, department store. We would take the train in town and meet Dad at the station, we would then proceed to a restaurant called The Pub and then on to Wanamakers. The light show was amazing and if I was lucky I could sit on the eagle statue’s base, which was in the middle of the hall. I am happy to say that Macy’s bought the Wanamaker’s building and keeps the light show going every year.
After the light show, it was on to Santa’s village for the walkthrough display of animated dolls in Christmas scenes, and at the end of the village was the man himself waiting to hear about my list of toys and questioning my behavior of the previous year. Like I would ever tell him I had misbehaved.
There was still a last treat for the littlest of children. Between the ages of maybe 3 and 10, you could ride the in-store monorail. This monorail took you all around the toy department and let you see from above all the things you could wish for. It was exciting because it was a ride that, after I was 5 years old, I could go alone. I think that was the first thing I could ever do for myself. I don’t think there was anything like it in any other store in the country.
Christmas morning came early, even if we did go to Midnight Mass. Little kids don’t need a lot of sleep and I’m pretty sure I was the first one awake. I shared a room with my brother Vince who was seven years older than me. He was the second one to be awake on those mornings.
I don’t remember eating breakfast on Christmas morning at all. I do remember piles of gifts for all four of us under a lovely tree. My parents were generous to us, for me, in the name of Santa. Not everything was there but there was never a reason to feel disappointed. There was enough to keep you very happy.
There wasn’t much time to play with my new treasures. Shortly after we opened the gifts and got ready for the day we got whisked off to my other grandmother’s house for another round of gift-giving and receiving. Sometimes my grandfather, who was a chef, would make apple dumplings with warm vanilla sauce and the sugar rush would begin.
And there was a sugar rush all day long. My mother was a wonderful baker and so all kinds of cookies were made and decorated. There were sugar cookies in Christmas shapes and raisin filler cookies that looked like little round ravioli, then there were butter cookies also pressed out into festive shapes and of course chocolate chip. And it wouldn’t be Christmas if my mother didn’t spend hours making the Italian Pizzelle.
At dinner, which would always be a turkey (In the early years my grandfather, my mother’s step-father, would cook the bird, but as he got older my mother took over) we also enjoyed mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce from a can, until I learned how to make it myself, green beans, apple, and pumpkin pie and then, what we now call, a Jewish apple cake. Back then it was a German apple cake. I don’t know why. The reason for the cake was that December the 25th was not only Jesus’ birthday but also my father’s and my mom did the best she could to separate the two. After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday and gave him his gifts. It was a shame that he had to do it all in one day but he took in stride and never complained.
In later years my sister’s Trish’s husband would be included in the ranks as he was born not on Christmas day but very close. Mom would always get him a large chocolate chip pan cookie with Happy Birthday written on it from the local bakery. A lot went on in the Roberto house at Christmas. For the kids it was a lot of fun, for the adults I think, it was mostly exhausting.
I think the most important thing in my Christmas memories is that from a very early age I knew what Christmas was all about. I didn’t need Linus to explain the Gospel story to me, I knew it and saw played out in church every year and every Sunday. At an early age, I connected Christmas to Easter and in the third grade, I wrote a poem about the child who waited for death so near. Even as a babe Jesus was both fully man and fully God. This is the mystery of the incarnation, how God worked it all out I will never know. I only know he did and because of Christmas and Easter, we have freedom from our slavery to sin and great joy in knowing that there is a reward waiting for us after death.
Christmas has come under scrutiny now and many want to dismiss the day. Some folks only see the non-Christian side and just decorate trees and wait for Santa without knowing what is behind these symbols of the season. This is very sad because these symbols, the tree, the holly, the wreath, Santa, the TV shows and big screen movies and everything else is pointing directly at Jesus. But it is as the saying goes, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” If you are interested in the great traditions of Christmas may I point you to the books by Ace Collns. He has done his research well and in three volumes captures just about everything you’d want to know about the holiday.
What are your Christmas memories? I’d love to hear about them. Please leave them in the comment section so everyone can share your joy in the season.
I remember being in Beverly Hills Junior High School and going to Seller’s Memorial Library for the first time. Seller’s is the main branch of the Upper Darby Township Library System and is one third an old Victorian type house and the rest a modern building attached to the house. It’s a pretty cool piece of architecture.
Beverly Hills Junior High School was only a short walk to and from the library. My house was nowhere near the main branch, and I wanted to go because I was on a quest. So, after school one day I walked to the library in search of mystery.
The year was 1974 and Murder on the Orient Express had made a huge impact as a film starring Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot and a host of other A-list stars including Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman. I saw the film and fell in love with it. I was already an enthusiastic reader and wanted anything and everything by Agatha Christie.
I started with my school library at first, but I don’t remember finding very much there. Junior High School English had already introduced me to Sherlock Holmes, but I wasn’t ready to commit fully to Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective yet, I would in the years to come. I wanted Mrs. Christie.
So, one late afternoon in 1974 I found myself fully engaged in the mystery section of my hometown’s biggest library. I was combing my way through the stacks looking at title after title when an older gentleman approached me and asked what I was doing in that section. I was a little bewildered. It’s not like I was in some sort of X-rated area of the library so I stammered out some kind of answer and he replied that this section was for older people, and I should look for books somewhere else. To quote Hermione Granger of Harry Potter fame, “What an idiot.”
Needless to say, I didn’t listen to him and went on with my search much to his annoyance. I don’t know what I went home with that day, but my guess is it was And Then There Were None, probably the most famous of all Mrs. Christie’s works. When I opened up that book, I opened up a whole new world of mystery one that I still live in.
Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None were my first two trips into adult mystery, but my love of mystery goes back to my grade school days when I was reading Encyclopedia Brown and The Hardy Boys. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Encyclopedia Brown was a series of short stories where all the clues were laid out in a pretty obvious way. The reader was challenged to solve the mystery themselves before looking at how the hero, Encyclopedia Brown, solved it. The books were fun but, in many ways, they were a one-time only read because after the mystery was solved there was no point in going back.
The Hardy Boys were a different story, they were probably another level up. The adventures of Frank and Joe Hardy solving mysteries in their hometown or in exotic locations were the stuff of fifth and sixth grade fantasies and doing it with your brother made it even better. I’ve mentioned my cousin Steve before. It was his library, that he left at home, that also introduced me to The Hardy Boys. The first book I read was called While the Clock Ticked. My aunt made me give this one back too, but I started my own collection after that and read several of the books in the next few years.
I stayed with Miss Christie for a long time, as if she were the only mystery writer worth paying attention to. There was reason for this. She wrote so many novels that you just don’t know when to stop and enjoy other authors. Mrs. Christie had a whole stable of detectives that she created, and they were all worth reading. Besides Hercule Poirot there is Miss Jane Marple and Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to name her most famous. There were also her standalone books such as The Pale Horse and Endless Night all totaled Mrs. Christie wrote 82 detective Novels. I have no idea how many short stories and several plays. She was and is the queen of mystery.
Other author’s and movies would come along as I got older. Soon I began to notice other detectives in novels and movies. In 1934 Dashiell Hammett published his novel The Thin Man with the crime solving detectives Nick and Nora Charles. This was not the first husband and wife detective team. Agatha Christie was first with Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. Tommy and Tuppence were middle class when pitted up against Nick and Nora.
The Thin Man was soon scooped up by MGM and immediately and made into a popular film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora. Though filmed in black and white the film showed the opulence of upper-class New York because Nick and Nora Charles were very wealthy. This was the exact opposite of what most Americans were living like at the time. And because of the opulence and the devil may care attitude of the leading players The Thin Man became very popular and a series of films, totaling six, was produced from 1934 to 1947.
Mysteries were popular on both sides of the Atlantic and though we started with Agatha Christie we must now go back in time the great Victorian era. London was gaslights and fog. The English countryside was speckled with large estates nestles against mysterious moors. And one man walked through those mysteries into international fame, the great Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes first appeared in The Strand Magazine in 1887 in a story titled A Study in Scarlett. He was creation of Arthur Conan Doyle. The story goes that Doyle, who was a doctor, did not have a very busy practice so to pass the time he created Sherlock, Doctor Watson. It is said that there are three characters every child knows, Mickey Mouse, Superman and Sherlock Holmes.
In the Sherlock Holmes canon, there are 4 novels and 56 short stories that Doyle originally wrote. After Doyle came many who tried to emulate Doyle’s style, and some came close. There is The Seven Percent Solution by Nicholas Mayer and most recently a whole series of Holmes books which are surprisingly good, written by Kareem Abdul Jabaar. But there are probably 100s of other authors who have taken up the pen to write further stories of the great detective.
After the popularity of the Holmes stories Doyle himself got a little tired of writing about his detective and had him killed in a story called The Final Problem. The public outcry was so great and the national mourning so sincere for a fictional character, that Doyle brought him back first in The Hound of the Baskervilles which took place before his death and then he resurrected Holmes in a story titled The Empty House. Holmes had never actually been dead but had faked his death to make himself scarce to those who still wanted to kill him. Sherlock Holmes is now part of our great arts culture. He will continue to be loved and to be enjoyed for generations to come.
One of my favorite detectives that I have discovered in the last couple of decades is the wonderful Nero Wolfe. Wolfe aided by his handsome, man about town assistant Archie Goodwin was created in 1934 by Rex Stout. He would go on and publish about a book a year until 1975. There are 33 novels and 41 novellas and short stories in the Nero Wolfe canon. I have read about thirty percent of the novels and have enjoyed each of them.
Nero Wolfe lives in an NYC brownstone house in the heart of metropolis. He weighs a quarter of a ton and rarely leaves his home unless under extreme compunction to do so. He solves his mysteries in a great desk chair built especially for him and has all the leg work dome for him by Archie Goodwin. The Wolfe stories are told in first person from Archie’s point of view. Wolfe, in today’s language would be called a foodie and takes great delight in being involved in the preparation and the consumption of his meals. He has chef/butler that lives with him as well as a gardener who manages his large collection of Orchids that are kept at the top of the house in the plant rooms. Some of his greatest stories are centered around the office, the plant rooms, or his meals. For those who desire to eat like Nero Wolfe there was even A Nero Wolfe Cookbook that was published many years ago and is still available today.
Nero Wolfe was not left off of film. There is one movie I know of and two TV series. The best television series was done in the early 2000s and starred Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin. These shows kept very close to the source material and are fun to watch. The producers decided to hire a company of actors that worked across all the shows playing different parts. In some of the shows the performances are so good you don’t realize you had seen the performer in a different role the week before. These shows can be found on YouTube to watch for free.
To delve into humorous mystery, we are going to make one stop. The Polly Pepper Mysteries. There are four books in The Polly Pepper series. Remains to be Scene, Final Curtain, A Talent for Murder and Set Sail for Murder all written by Richard Tyler Jordan. Mr. Jordan worked in Hollywood for a long time and his books are riddled with caricatures of famous celebrities. Half the fun of reading his books is trying to guess who the real people are behind the characters. The Polly Pepper book have been described as a cross between Carol Burnett and Murder She Wrote. Polly Pepper herself is an out of work actress who once had her own wildly popular variety show. She knows and schmooses with the best of Hollywood but when a murder gets committed leave it to Polly to solve the crime with the help of her openly and well-loved gay son and an outspoken maid. The books are a hoot and should be on the shelf of every mystery loving fan. Here’s to hoping Mr. Jordan decides to take up the pen and give us more Polly adventures.
Most of the detectives I’ve written about went from page to screen but there is one that took the opposite route and went from screen to page. That would be Jessica Fletcher and the television show Murder She Wrote. Murder She Wrote starred Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher a retired schoolteacher and widow living in the fictional town of Cabot Cove Maine. We are introduced to Jessica as her nephew has secretly submitted her murder mystery book to a publisher. The book is excepted and becomes a best seller. Jessica is pinned in the spotlight and whisked off to New York City to meet her publisher and to solve her first murder. Murder She Wrote gave the audience the chance to solve the mystery and entertained television viewers for twelve seasons. It had many celebrity guest stars including Florence Henderson, Shirley Jones, Van Johnson, and June Allison.
Not long after the show started a series of books began to be published supposedly written by Jessica herself. These are told in the first person as if Jessica is speaking to us. The books are very good and keep the flavor and the pace of the TV show. Murder She Wrote had stopped new TV episodes several years ago. New books come out regularly.
Charlotte and Thomas Pitt are the creation of Ann Perry and began their adventures in 1979 in the book The Cater Street Hangman. The stories take place in Victorian London where Thomas is a police detective. Charlotte, his wife always finds a way or stumbles into his investigations.
These books aren’t just telling mysteries. Miss Perry has all her characters grow. There is a regular cast of recurring supporting characters that you begin to care about as much as Charlotte and Thomas. In the first book Thomas meets Charlotte in the second they are married as the series continues; they have children. These books don’t just tell of the solving of a good case but also are the story of a family.
In recent years there have been several new detectives that come at solving crime through cooking up delicious food. These books are three quarters story and maybe one quarter or less cookbook. The best of these are The Hannah Swensen series by Joanna Fluke.
Hannah is a caterer in Aspen Colorado when meet her in The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. She is divorced but is doing quite well on her own serving up meals to the Aspen elite. In this series the characters also grow as Hannah meets new people falls in love and starts a new family. All of this takes place over several delectable tales. The latest is the series is The Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder. The recipes in these books are usually easy to follow and fun to try.
Mystery! Why do we love these stories of who dun it? It is kind of odd that we take delight in murder. Or is it possible that we don’t delight in the murder as much as we delight in the solving of the puzzle? All murder mysteries are puzzles and the pieces are all laid out before you to find if they seem obscure. These mysteries may be a metaphor for life. After all we start asking questions and trying to solve the mystery of our existence almost as soon as we can talk. What parent doesn’t cringe a little when their three-year-old asks, “Where did I come from?” No parent is going to give a technical answer regarding sex so other answers are given that a child can appreciate, but the question remains. Where did I come from? It soon turns into why am I here? Is there a God what does that mean for me?
We all ask these questions. And we spend our lives trying to find out the answer. I think mysteries are there to tell us that the answers are there if me choose to seek for them. There is a meaning and a purpose for every person born on this planet. The hard part is that no one can tell you the answers to your questions at least not the most basic ones. You must seek those answers out on your own. I think mysteries tell us that there are answers to all questions. I think mysteries give us hope.
I read recently that classic children’s literature is being removed from schools and school curriculum. Books like The Odyssey, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are now considered unsuitable for a child to read or to be taught. I take exception to this. There is great Children’s Literature out there and to be honest I don’t think that the books that claim to be written for children these days are not anything more than feel good shlock made for the child to feel ok about his or her own self as opposed to becoming self-aware that we all can always be improving. It has been said that once you stop changing you start dying. I think this is true. We are people that have been put on this planet to grow first outwardly and then inwardly. We start out being constantly in need and when we have grown old enough, we begin meeting the needs of others and this should never change.
There are some books that we should come across early in life that celebrate just letting a child be a child. Winnie The Pooh, Peter Pan and Tom Sawyer are three of these. Let’s take a look at these three classics.
Winnie The Pooh is heading toward his one hundredth birthday. He is 95 this year. AA Milne released the “silly old bear” on the world in 1926. I doubt there are very many children in the world who don’t know of this lovable bear. The reason, of course is the star treatment this character has gotten from The Walt Disney Studio since the 1960s. Disney, as much as I admire the work of Walt Disney did a bit of disservice to Pooh Bear. The book of his adventures is charming because they are not adventures at all. Winnie The Pooh never gets his honey as is depicted in the film Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. He really never accomplishes anything in the books, and he is perfectly content with that. His world is the world of the very young pre-school child who also plays at all kinds of imaginary games but never goes much further than his back yard.
Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, is an adventure for all the characters. Peter defeats Captain Hook and saves Wendy, John, and Michael. Here we see character development in Wendy, John, and Michael as they leave Neverland knowing they will grow up. In the book Peter’s lost boys go with Wendy and her brothers and are adapted by Wendy’s parents. Peter however stays the same. In the book and in the original play Peter comes back for Wendy and in a heart-breaking scene finds that she has grown up with a child of her own named Jane. Being heartless Peter takes Jane to Neverland and we are led to believe this will go on thru time.
Tom Sawyer is probably the most read of Mark Twain’s novels by younger people. But younger people were not his only target audience in his Preface he wrote: ‘Although this book is intended mainly for boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and how they felt and thought and talked and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in. – Hartford 1876
Mark Twain was not only writing for children but for adults too. Any children’s book worth its salt should be able to engage the adult as well as the child. In other words, it might be easy to read but the words and stories have depth to them that you have to look for in order to find them.
Tom Sawyer is like that. Here is a boy longing to hold on to his childhood but being slowly drawn into adulthood. He is a hero and an antihero at the same time. His friends Becky Thatcher and Huckleberry Finn are names etched into our collective memory and it would be tragic if any of these names became forgotten.
As we grow older the world of children’s literature grows with us. We begin to have complex thoughts so Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with its charm and wit appeals to us. We make friends, some of which will be life long and so The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham makes sense to us as there are no better friends in literature then Mole Rat Toad and Badger. Our minds begin to solve problems and we begin to learn more complex math and language skills. Even at this stage there is a book, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.
Most of the books mentioned in the last paragraph, in fact I think all of the books in this Blog have been made into movies, but they weren’t good movies. The screen writers took liberties with all the books and cut out some of the best parts. There is a stop motion animation version of The Wind in the Willows that is well worth seeing. And the 1970s adaptation of Tom Sawyer with Johnny Whittaker is also worth watching. Still parts are left out and there is nothing like the book.
One book that captured my imagination in the fifth grad was My Side of the Mountain by Jean George. Sam Gribley, a city born boy, learns to live on the land his grandfather bought in the Catskill Mountains. That book was mostly novel, but it also taught you how to fish and other practical camping secrets. I am no great outdoorsman, but I love a good adventure and Sam striking out on his own, building a house inside a tree and taming a falcon to help him hunt food had everything a boy could want.
There are other books that I wish I had read when I was younger but was glad, I discovered them as an adult. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a great American novel. I don’t really see it as a book for children alone. It is about four sisters growing up and sharing hard times as well as fighting and making up. It’s really about the idea that if real love exists in a family, you can conquer the worst of times.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is another book that teaches fundamentals of life. Those lessons are that hard work, and healthy habits are what you need to lead a good life. It helps that it is set in an old castle on the desolate Yorkshire moors with strange secrets.
Robert Lewis Stevenson gave us the greatest high seas adventure of all time when he wrote Treasure Island. Treasure maps, pirates, tall ships, men with one eye or leg and black spots thrill the imagination. There is a very good film version of this book starring Christian Bale and Charlton Heston. I still believe it is more fun to read the book first and see the film afterward.
Now we come to the father of modern fantasy the great JRR Tolkien. While professor Tolkien was grading papers, or so the story goes, he wrote on the back of one of the exam books, “Once in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…” And the world would never be the same.
The Hobbit was published on September 21, 1937. It became a popular book for children and Professor Tolkien found that he had very strong base of enthusiasts for his book. The story of Bilbo Baggins and his quest to aid the 13 dwarves to get their gold back from the dragon Smaug took the reader into a new land of Middle Earth and they didn’t want to leave.
I first came upon the book when I spent the night at my Aunt Mary’s house. It was sometimes in the 70s and I can’t remember why I was there. I was put in my cousin Steve’s old room. Steve is ten years older than me, and he was already married. I was rummaging through the bookshelf and found The Hobbit. I started it but of course couldn’t finish it all in one night and asked if I could have it. Steve had left it behind and as anyone knows treasure that is left behind is free for whom ever finds it. My Aunt Mary said “no”, but I could borrow it. So, I did and was transported myself to the best of the fantasy worlds.
I remember the first time I read the book of having a dream where the dwarves came to me and in one way or another invited me to go with them. I remember pickaxes and ropes and climbing but that’s about all. The Hobbit had a hold of my sub-conscious mind as well as my conscious mind.
If you look at the title of Walt Disney’s first animated feature, you’ll find that it is called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Tolkien, who was, to put simply, a professor of languages, decided that that was not the way to spell Dwarfs and changed it in his book to dwarves. It has remained that way ever since.
Tolkien got letter after letter asking for information about hobbits and Middle Earth. It would take him almost 20 years to publish The Lord of the Rings the first book of the sequel, The Fellowship of the Ring appeared in July of 1954. The other two books in the trilogy would follow, The Two Towers in November of 1954 and The Return of the King October of 1955. These books probably surprised his readers. The light touch of The Hobbit was slowly pulled away and a darker scarier world was revealed. Tolkien had gone form writing books for children to writing books for both children and adults.
With the publication at the subsequent popularity of The Lord of the Rings books of fantasy were no longer just in the realm of children’s literature but squarely in the world of books for adults too. And those adults who cherished the memory of going to Wonderland with Alice now would have books that led them into strange new worlds of adventure and excitement.
I would be remiss in not mentioning here CS Lewis and his Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis was a friend of Tolkien and an atheist. The story goes that one day the two friends took a walk. They both loved the old myths and legends of ancient times and Tolkien explained to Lewis that Christianity and Jesus redemptive work on the cross was the one true myth. This argument convinced Lewis that Jesus was all that he said he was and that the Gospel’s were true. He became an ardent follower of Jesus and wrote many books for adults on Christianity. Mere Christianity is Lewis’s explanation of The Christian Faith. The Four Loves is an explanation of the four Greek words for love and how they interact with Christianity. Surprised by Joy is his memoir. All these books are great for adults but his work for children may well out last anything else he wrote.
CS Lewis once said “When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now That I am 50, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” He also said, “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” In Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, he gave us, in seven books, the history of Narnia from its creation to its end. He also gave us many characters to know and love. First the children who find their way from our world into Narnia and then the inhabitants of Narnia itself, Prince Caspian, Reepicheep, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and Father Christmas himself.
The Narnia books are more than fantasies. They are in many ways allegorical to the Christian faith. Many people come away from reading these books with their faith strengthened and commitment to Christ renewed. Others who read them see no connection at all between Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia and in that I believe you see the genius of CS Lewis.
There are so many other books that in children’s Literature that I could mention but if I did, we would be here for weeks on end. The Harry Potter books that grew up with the readers as they originally were published. Aesop’s Fables which seem to have disappeared in these days but when I was child held valuable lessons and still do if they are sought out. Then there are the books of legends, The Greek God’s and Heroes and The Norse Gods and Goddesses. Then there is The Matter of Britain better known as The Story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and we cannot leave off this list The Adventures of Robin Hood. The there are the fairy tales those collected by The Brothers Grimm and those written by Hans Christian Anderson these are some of the tales that Lewis was speaking of when he said there would be a time when we are old enough to read fairy tales again.
One last thought somewhere in the late 1800’s L Frank Baum decided that American children had no fairy tales of their own. Oh, we had our legends, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, and The Headless Horseman to name a few but no magical fairy stories. In 1900 Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and gave America it’s first fantasy. Baum would go on to write 15 Oz books all truly delightful tales and all for American children, though, of course, the books would go on to delight children around the world.
I started this as a call to arms not to allow classic children’s literature to disappear from our schools and libraries. Our kids shouldn’t be deprived of the lessons these books teach and adults should be at the forefront of the fight reading these books again and digesting the simple yet profound messages almost every one of these books teach.
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