This Date in History - June 30

Happy birthday to Ron Swoboda.   I am still marveling over your catch in the 1969 World Series.

296:  POPE MARCELLINUS BEGINS HIS PAPACY.

When do we get some simpler Pope names like Leo or John?

1559:  KING HENRY II OF FRANCE IS MORTALLY WOUNDED IN A JOUSTING MATCH AGAINST GABRIEL, COMTE DE MONTGOMERY.

What the hell is a comte?

1859:  FRENCH ACROBAT CHARLES BLONDIN CROSSES NIAGARA FALLS ON A TIGHTROPE.

It amazes me the number of people who try things that could ultimately kill you.

1864:  US PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN GRANTS YOSEMITE VALLEY TO CALIFORNIA FOR "PUBLIC USE, RESORT AND RECREATION."

Sounds like Lincoln was looking for a vacation spot.

1906:  THE US CONGRESS PASSES THE MEAT INSPECTION ACT AND PURE FOOD AND DRUG ACT.

That will keep them busy for the next...well...thousand years.

1917:  ACTRESS SUSAN HAYWARD IS BORN.

She was in a movie "I Want to Live."  And on this date she does.

1917:  SINGER LENA HORNE IS BORN.

I wonder if she and Susan are twins.

1919:  BASEBALL COACH ED YOST IS BORN.

Also a member of the 1969 NY Mets.

1921:  US PRESIDENT WARREN G. HARDING APPOINTS FORMER PRESIDENT WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT AS CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE US.

To this day, I think the Supreme Court is a joke.

1934:  THE NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIFES - HITLER'S VIOLENT PURGE OF ENEMIES IN GERMANY TAKES PLACE.

The ultimate villain.

1944:  NY MET RON SWOBODA IS BORN.

Still marveling at the catch.

1953:  THE FIRST CHEVROLET CORVETTE ROLLS OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE IN FLINT, MICHIGAN.

And immediately depreciates.

1956:  A TWA PLANE AND A UNITED AIRLINES COLLIDE ABOVE THE GRAND CANYON IN ARIZONA AND CRASH, KILLING ALL PASSENGERS.

Fly the Unfriendly Skies.

1966:  THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN, THE US' LARGEST FEMINIST ORGANIZATION, IS FOUNDED.

And so it begins.

1966:  BOXER MIKE TYSON IS BORN.

He didn't have any teeth on that day either.

1972:  THE FIRST LEAP SECOND IS ADDED TO THE TIME SYSTEM.

Now everybody's going to lose a little sleep.

1984:  AUTHOR LILLIAN HELLMAN DIES.

Love her mayonnaise.

1985:  SWIMMER MICHAEL PHELPS IS BORN.

Swam down the birthing canal.

1990:  EAST GERMANY AND WEST GERMANY MERGE THEIR ECONOMIES.

Now was that so hard?

1995:  ACTOR GALE GORDON DIES.

The guy had one act and played it over and over and over.

2003:  COMIC BUDDY HACKETT DIES.

What did he say?

2014:  BASEBALL EXEC FRANK CASHEN DIES.

The architect of the 1986 NY Mets.

2019:  DONALD TRUMP BECOMES THE FIRST SITTING US PRESIDENT TO VISIT THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA.

Never heard of him.

Dinner last night:  Dodger Dog at the game.

Hollywood Then and Now - June 2021

 One of the most surprising hits that you can stream is the wonderful reboot of "The Karate Kid" called "Cobra Kai."   I know I got sucked into it big time and was quite surprised to learn that they filmed it in Atlanta.   But they did go back to the San Fernando Valley for some nifty location shots.   Certainly you remember Daniel LoRusso's apartment in Reseda.

Well, as you can see in this comparison from then to now, the location has not changed one iota.

God bless consistency.   And a reboot that is actually successful.

Dinner last night:  Pepperoni pizza at Pizzane.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - June 28, 2021

 I wish you all a happy and safe July 4th.

Dinner last night:   Fried chicken sandwich at the Dodger game.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - Summer's Here, Turn On The Radio

 

No, I don't know the two oldtimers in this picture.  But, regardless of the age of these geezers, they are doing something we can all identify with.

Listening to a radio on a summer day. 

Who doesn't have a memory or two when a certain song is played on an oldies channel?  The first notes of the ditty might send you back to a hammock in the yard, a boat ride on the Long Island Sound, or a scolding from your mother because you went into the water too soon after finishing your ham sandwich.

You have your own songs to recall fondly.  Here are some more of mine.

The Stripper by David Rose:  This was a big hit one very young summer for me.  In our house, my mother listened to all the hits of the day and even ran out to buy the 45 rpm platters.  This song made me uncomfortable.  It felt dirty.  The distress was felt even more when I saw my own mother dancing to this whiledrying the dishes.  Yikes.

Theme from Dr. Kildare by Richard Chamberlain:  When I was really small, there were two doctor TV shows that were all the rage.  And you liked either one or the other.  Either you sided with Ben Casey or you were on the Doctor Kildare bandwagon.  Our home was the latter.  And, so Mom ran out to buy this hit when it came out.  With the star, Richard Chamberlain, singing it himself.  She even had a bit of a crush on the guy.

"He's so cute."

Years later, I'd like to tell my mother.  Um, he'd have zero interest in you.

Palisades Park by Freddie Cannon:  When this tune was a big summer hit, I had no clue that it was about an amusement park we could have easily gone to.  It was only on the other side of the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey.  Heck, it didn't look that far on the map.  And they had a big salt water pool!

Unfortunately, my father controlled our itinerary.

"It's too far."

No, it's not.  The radio commercial said it's "easily accessible from all parts of the New York metropolitan area."  I didn't really know what "accessible" meant, but I could parrot with the best of them.

"You don't want to be in that pool with a lot of strangers."

But it's the same as going to the beach. 

"No, it's different."

How?

Dad?

No answer.  We never went.

 .

Something Stupid by Frank and Nancy Sinatra:  Listening to the lyrics of this big summer hit, I was always a little conflicted.

I know I stand in line, until you think you have the time
To spend an evening with me
And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance
You won't be leaving with me

And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
And have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid
Like: "I love you"

Okay, this is being sung jointly by a father and a daughter.  There goes my creepy meter.

Meanwhile, this song takes me back to my own weird-o memory.  The song was playing while my father and I were sitting in our car at Woodlawn Cemetery.  We were watching my grandmother hard at work over my grandfather's grave. 

You see, a giant sinkhole had formed in his still fresh grave.  So, as Frank and Nancy sang away, I saw Grandma shoveling dirt herself into the sinkhole.  Grandpa was essentially being buried a second time.

Now that was really something stupid.

What's New Pussycat by Tom Jones:  This infectious tune was all the rage one summer.  I remember Tom's warbling of it on the "Ed Sullivan Show.  I was watching with Grandma.

"His pants are so tight you can see his business."

Enough said.

Help! by the Beatles:  The focus of this special summer was the opening of the Beatles' second movie.  None of us on 15th Avenue in Mount Vernon could wait.  We trooped down to the Loews Theater for the first show on opening day.  And ran home in the manic and frenzied style that the Beatles adopted in the movie. Except none of us could sing.

.
Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight:  This was going to the summer where this White teenager was going to get diverse in a hurry.  It was my first really important summer job.  I was going to be a playground supervisor for the Mount Vernon, New York Department of Recreation.  I was assigned to the Purdy Tot Lot on Ninth Avenue.  My area was in a completely Black neighborhood.  And, as it turned out, this was the easiest gig I would ever have in my life. 

These were the nicest kids in the world.  And they really needed no supervision.  Games?  Not interested.  Crafts?  Forget it. 

All they wanted to do was sit all day and play 500 rummy.  And sing along to the radio.  This song was a particular favorite.  I remember one day where a bunch of them stood up and organized a dance number around it.

"Hey, Mr. Len, Playground Teacher, you want to dance with us."

Um, no.  Diversity for me would have to come in very small doses.

Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet:  If there were any girls hanging around your neighborhood, they annoyed the shit out of you the summer this movie and record came out.  That album cover was a real eye opener.  Eewwwww!  They're naked.  And having sex.  Gross.  What the hell did you want from some 13-year-olds back then?  These days, some of the same kids are already pregnant.

Dinner last night:  Baby back ribs at Wood Ranch.

Classic Movie Trailer of the Month - June 2021

 Yikes!  Look what opened this month 40 years ago.  Slap in the face.

Dinner last night:  The pre-game buffet at the Dodger Stadium Club.

The "Class" of 2021

 

Getting the finger.

Career choice:  7-11 clerk.

Thanks for dressing, Dad.

Swam through some seaweed to get his diploma.

Pretty in pink.  Except this ain't Molly Ringwald.

Bang.  I could have had a V-8.

Just oozes...obnoxious.

Majored in Stripping 101.

Yeah, that's the world you're heading out into.

Musical theater??  Seriously???

Dinner last night:  BLT at Barney's Beanery.

Len's Recipe of the Month - June 2021

 

As the recent pandemic had me experimenting with one new recipe after another, there was always one I resisted.   

Namely eggplant parmagiana.   I had always heard horror stories about how long the prep would take.  For instance, you had to drown the eggplant in salt to sweat out the water for a few hours.   Then the bread crumbs were messy and often resulted in a gummy consistency.  And, oh, yeah...peeling the eggplant.  Ugh.

Well, I was watching America's Test Kitchen and they unearthed a recipe from some restaurant in the Midwest that removed all the complicated steps.   I was all in.  No salt.  No sweat.  No peeling.  No bread crumbs.

So how do you avoid that?   Simply by slicing the eggplant very thin.   Perhaps in slices of 1/4 inch.  That removes the need for the sweating.   So you take two medium eggplants and slice them up to about 20 or so slices of that size.

Put aside the slices.   In two pans, set up your flour and eggs.   In the flour mixture, add salt, pepper, and some grated parmesan cheese.   As you will see, the cheese star of this dish will not be parmesan, but pecorino cheese.

Heat up a large skillet with some EVO.

Dredge each slice first in the flour, being carefully to shake off the excess.  Then dip into the mixture of three beaten eggs.   Add to the pan.   You will need to do this in batches.   Depending upon the size of your skillet, do four to five slices at a time.  You will want to brown both sides, two minutes each.

When all the slices have been fried, grab a casserole pan.   You could always make your own sauce, but I used a jar of Rao's marinara, which is the best jar gravy you can buy anywhere.  Spoon some sauce on the top of the pan and begin to assemble four stacks of eggplant slices.   Spoon some sauce on top of each layer and sprinkle liberal amount of grated pecorino.  Essentially, you are assembling a lasagna but substituting eggplant for pasta.

When you are done layering all the slices, cover with the last of your sauce and then cover with four slices of mozzarella cheese.   Your oven should be pre-heated to 325 degrees.  Bake the casserole for 30 minutes.   Then turn the broiler on for the last five minutes.

Let it cool and then serve.   And share how easy this was to your guests.   Or let them think you slaved in the kitchen for hours.

Dinner last night:  Taylor ham on English Muffin.

This Date in History - June 23

 

Happy birthday to actor Ted Shackelford.  A "Knots Landing" star is automatically honored here.

229:  SUN QUAN PROCLAIMS HIMSELF EMPEROR OF EASTERN WU.

Who died and made him Emperor?

1611:  THE MUTINOUS CREW OF HENRY HUDSON'S FOURTH VOYAGE SETS HENRY, HIS SON AND SEVEN LOYAL CREW MEMBERS ADRIFT IN AN OPEN BOAT.  THEY ARE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN.

So he never got to see his parkway.

1683:  WILLIAM PENN SIGNS A FRIENDSHIP TREATY WITH LENNI LENAPE INDIANS IN PENNSYLVANIA.

Lenni Lenape Speaks.

1780:  THE BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD, NEW JERSEY DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.  THE AREA IS NOW SHORT HILLS.

And a mall.

1860:  THE US CONGRESS ESTABLISHES THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

Lots of dollar bills to come.

1917:  IN A GAME AGAINST THE WASHINGTON SENATORS, BOSTON RED SOX PITCHER ERNIE SHORE RETIRES 26 BATTERS IN A ROW AFTER REPLACING BABE RUTH, WHO HAD BEEN EJECTED FOR PUNCHING THE UMPIRE.

Forget the pitching performance.   I want to know about the umpire being punched.

1927:  DANCER BOB FOSSE IS BORN.

And all that jazz.

1931:  WILEY POST AND HAROLD GATTY TAKE OFF FROM ROOSEVELT FIELD, LONG ISLAND IN AN ATTEMPT TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE WORLD IN A SINGLE EMPIRE PLANE.

And they got stuck on the LIE near Islip.

1940:  ADOLF HITLER GOES ON A THREE-HOUR TOUR OF THE ARCHITECTURE OF PARIS.

Too bad the three hour tour wasn't like on "Gilligan's Island" and he never came back.

1946:  ACTOR TED SHACKELFORD IS BORN.

TV's Gary Ewing.

1956:  MUSICIAN RANDY JACKSON IS BORN.

Beginning his "journey."

1957:  ACTRESS FRANCES MCDORMAND IS BORN.

She won an Oscar this year for one of the dullest movies ever.

1960:  THE US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION DECLARES ENOVID TO BE THE FIRST OFFICIALLY APPROVED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILL IN THE WORLD.

Take two and wake me in the morning.

1969:  IBM ANNOUNCES THAT EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1970 IT WILL PRICES ITS SOFTWARE AND SERVICES SEPARATELY FROM HARDWARE THUS CREATING THE MODERN SOFTWARE INDUSTRY.

And we have never been the same since.

1972:  WATERGATE - US PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON AND WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF H.R. HALDEMAN ARE TAPED TALKING ABOUT USING THE CIA TO OBSTRUCT THE FBI'S INVESTIGATION INTO THE WATERGATE BREAK-IN.

Is this thing on?

1980:  ACTRESS MELISSA RAUCH IS BORN.

Bernadette on TV's "Big Bang Theory."

1995:  NEWSCASTER ROGER GRIMSBY DIES.

Not here now with the news.

1998:  ACTRESS MAUREEN O'SULLIVAN DIES.

Me, Tarzan.  You, Dead.

2006:  PRODUCER AARON SPELLING DIES.

A very, very rich rich man.

2009:  TV PERSONALITY ED MCMAHON DIES.

Hi-oh.

2011:  ACTOR PETER FALK DIES.

Can I ask you one more question?

2013:  NIK WALLENDA BECOMES THE FIRST MAN TO SUCCESSFULLY WALK ACROSS THE GRAND CANYON ON A TIGHT ROPE.

Wouldn't it have been easier to take a hike?

2015:  ACTOR DICK VAN PATTEN DIES.  

87 Was Enough.

Dinner last night:  Leftover sausage and roasted vegetables.

Loglines Don't Lie

 

This is one of those movies that you know what you are getting five hours before it starts.   But, sometimes, that kind of cinematic familiarity is just what you need as we all head back to the sanctity of our local theaters.   Indeed, the elevator pitch and logline for this film comes from an actual line of dialogue in it.

"They're like Mean Girls with medical alert bracelets."

And there you have everything about "Queen Bees" in one compact hive.  I totally knew what I was in for and that's okay.   I like Jane Curtin.   I like Loretta Devine.  I absolutely love Ann-Margret.   This was going to be a big old comfort food meat loaf on the silver screen.   

And there are days when that's all you need.

Ellen Burstyn is the main senior citizen here.   Recently widowed, her daughter would like Mom to sell the house.   The opportunity arises when Ellen almost burns down the kitchen.   While the damage is being repaired, she has to go and live in a seniors assisted living facility for a month.   While there, she runs into a nasty bridge club run by a bullying Jane Curtin, a wisecracking Loretta Devine, and a randy Ann-Margret who has designs on new resident Christopher Lloyd wearing a dead squirrel on his head.

Got that?

Of course, Ellen doesn't fit in with her new friends until she does.   She also finds romance with another oldster played by James Caan...clearly light years away from Sonny Corleone at the Jones Beach toll booth.   You know they won't hit it off until they do.  In "Queen Bees," efficiently directed by Michael Lembeck, everything is going to happen just as you expect.   There will be dementia and a stroke and arguments and death and...

You get the picture.   Despite this being as predictable as wet water, there is something very soothing and relaxing about "Queen Bees."   Perhaps it's simply the ability to enjoy some well known actors doing what they do best.  In an era where every Hollywood movie seeks to be darker than the next, it is refreshing to simply be entertained and come out of the theater smiling.

Even if the logline is as simplistic as this one.   Buzz around "Queen Bees."   You'll get stung but it won't hurt.

LEN'S RATING:  Three stars.

Dinner last night:  Hot dog at Petco Park.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - June 21, 2021

 Here's hoping you all had a great Father's Day.

Dinner last night:  Beef sausage and peppers.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - A Memory on Father's Day

 

Father's Day again and, as likely the case with you as well, memories come back to the forefront one more time.   If your dad is around, hug him a bit tighter.

As for me, the holiday is always a little more poignant because my father's birthday is June 20.   Often times, the two days were connected or close enough to warrant an even bigger celebration.  Like today.  Of course, for many years when I was a kid, the true present would be dictated by my mother.

"Don't bother your father today."

Yes, ma'am.  

Indeed, there were years later on where my dad got cheated a little bit.  As an adult, I would take him out to dinner on Father's Day and that would cover the birthday festivities as well.   Back in that day, he loved to go any place that had a salad bar.  This was routine to me.  For him who rarely went out any more, the many options of cole slaw, pickled beets, cucumbers, and radishes were a novelty.

This year though, my dad memories started a few weeks back.   When I was watching the Kentucky Derby.   You see, that has always been my little unspoken legacy and hat tip to my dad.   Wherever I am and whatever I am doing, I watch the three legs of that horse racing Triple Crown.  My father had instilled in me early on the importance of watching these races.

As long as I can remember, Dad was a horse racing fan.  I remember him going to Yonkers Raceway all the time.  That was a big double date night out. Frequently, my mom would go along and they would be joined by another couple.  It was a big deal.

When we vacationed in Atlantic City or Asbury Park, there was always one day set aside to visit the local track.   As a six-year-old, I was bored to tears.  But this stuff seemed to animate my rather stoic dad more than anything else.

I have images of him seated at the kitchen table with the racing results spread out in front of him.  He studied and studied.   He seemed to know his stuff when it came to the ponies.

Now, was there gambling going on?   I am sure of it.   I always remember hearing my parents talk about "hitting the number" whatever that was.   And, in those long ago days prior to Offtrack Betting, your wagers on today's card at Aqueduct or Monmouth were handled by some guy parked near the train station at 241st Street and White Plains Road in the Bronx.

And there's a little family secret that I only know about peripherally.   And likely will never know more.

The whispering in my house was a little more intense.   There was covert activity that was never really addressed.   If I asked a question, I was likely dismissed.

Several years later, while retrieving a phone number for my mother from her desk drawer, I saw a "Police Beat" item from the local newspaper.   My dad and a friend from work had gotten in trouble with the law for consorting with one said bookie.

Oh.   

Seeing your dad's name printed as an alleged criminal is a little...no...a lot unsettling.  I quickly put the clipping away.   Do I ask about it?  

Nah.   I wouldn't get a straight answer anyway.   All I know is that I never remember my dad being away from home, so I supposed it was all dismissed with a warning.  Another mystery of childhood that will never be explained.

Moving on from that supposed ugliness, Dad still followed horse racing and yes, he sat me down for three Saturdays every spring to watch the Triple Crown.   And then I started to ask him more questions about what the heck I was watching.

It was another attempt to connect with my father.  Oh, sure, we had baseball and he certainly conformed to my interests and likes there.   I mean, he was a longtime Yankee fan who switched to the Mets for me.  This was my way of giving it back.

Dad started to explain to me how he studied the racing form.   Following particular jockeys.  The strengths and weaknesses of various horses.  The conditions of the tracks and how that affected the rides.   He was more than happy to comply.

So, it was natural for this eleven-year-old to finally broach the question.

Can I go with you the next time?

"You were always bored when we went to Atlantic City."

I won't be now.  Please.

At that juncture, I became the regular companion for my father's trip to Yonkers Raceway, which was not the flats but harness racing.   No difference. Dad knew all about that world, too.  And we went one Saturday night a month for a couple of years.

The routine would be very simple.   My father would give me ten dollars and allow me to pick every other race.  He, of course, had to be the one to go to the window.   But I tried to employ all the tricks he had taught me.   Of course, he had final say.

"You don't want that horse.   The rider has never won."

"Don't pick it for place.   Go across the board."

"It's a little muddy out.   Don't pick that horse."

Sometimes, I came home with winnings after I gave back the ten dollar seed money.   But, even if I didn't, there was a treasure of gold in memories that I could never replace.

So, yes, that's why I'm a horse racing fan for a few weeks every year.

Dinner last night:  Pepperoni pizza at Maria's.

Classic TV Theme of the Month - June 2021

Back when we got to have TV theme songs.   And, on "The Donna Reed Show," the opening changed every season.  It was always the usual drill.  Getting the family out of the house in the morning.   But, as the years progressed, the hair styles and the music got a little hipper.   And note that, in the last season, Donna herself is going out to work.

Dinner last night:  Italian sub from Jersey Mike's.

Your Weekend Movie Guide for June 2021

 

Well, the long nightmare is over.   I have officially entered into a movie theater for the first time since early March 2020.  Ideally, I would have liked my triumphant return to be at the Arclight, but, alas alack, it is up for sale and not open at this time.  Finger crossed.   

Instead, I have been to the nearby Landmark complex.  But, sadly, that place has also featured a casualty.   The cool restaurant in the lobby is gone...a victim of COVID.  I guess we can never have nice things ever again.   But, nevertheless, there are movies playing and opening.   We carry on.  You know the drill, folks?  I'll sift through the LA Times movie page and give you my gut reaction to what is out at those theaters which are still open.   

Let's hope for the best.

In The Heights:   A screen adaptation of a Broadway Tony winner.   It's showing in theaters and on HBO Max.   It's a musical.  Enjoy it in the theater.

Queen Bees:  Blog review coming.  I saw it on one of my initial theater visitations.   The kind of entertainment that is light, airy, and sometimes just what the doctor ordered.

A Quiet Place - Part 2:  Reviewed here the other day.  A worthy sequel.

Cruella:  A Disney movie that is almost two and a half hours long and not designed for kids.  Huh?   It stars Emma Stone who I generally like, but the length is scaring me.

The Conjuring - The Devil Made Me Do It:   Isn't that a line from the act of Flip Wilson when he was playing Geraldine.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard:   Too many possessives in one title.

All Light, Everywhere:  A documentary on bias and police video cams.   So we can assume this is biased, too?

Dream Horse:  Secretariat Goes to Wales.  Or something like that.

The Dry:   A guy goes back to his hometown to solve the old mystery of a teenage girl.   The only name in the cast is Eric Bana and that is barely a name itself.

Peter Rabbit 2 - The Runaway:  You might have to stream Peter Rabbit 1 first.

Crack House of the Dead:   Congress?

The Sparks Brothers:   I saw a trailer for this documentary about these musicians and I was stumped.  I had never heard of them.

Rita Moreno - Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It:  A documentary about...come on, gangs...don't be stupid now.

A Crime on the Bayou:  White supremacists in 1960's Louisiana.   As if we needed another reminder of why we are all so evil.

Finding Ophelia:  This better not have anything to do with "Hamlet" because I hated when we read that in the 12th grade.

Luca:  A cartoon about a boy and his sea monster.   Isn't that Beany and Cecil?  I believe it's from Pixar.  Yawn.

Truman and Tennessee:  A documentary about authors Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams and you probably couldn't find two more fucked up people.

Summer of '85:  French love back in the day.  A young guy and a young girl find over another guy.   Well, it is 1985.

Siberia:   I'd like to send a few people there.   Not to the theater...the country.

Take Back:  A woman looks for her kidnapped daughter and we have seen that story perhaps a gazillion times.

Dinner last night:  Taylor ham and cheese omelet.

Moron of the Month - June 2021

 

Oh, you can't hide behind that mask, Chuck the Schmuck Schumer.   We can see you.  And it was a matter of time before we got to you in this monthly salute to the lowest of the low.   Too bad it's just a mask covering your face.   A gag might be more suitable.

The erstwhile Senator from NY has always been a candidate here for his completely whack-o and borderline deranged commentary in the US Senate.   Spending tax money like it's coming out of a Pez dispenser.  Being completely dumb on most important issues.   And being a general waste of time.   As government officials go, he is one of the worst.   He represents no one's issues but his own.  Along with the increasingly shriveled Nancy Pelosi, these two are the microcosm of everything wrong in government today.

So how does Chuck the Schmuck merit special attention in the month of June 2021?   Well, he just took double standards to the Nth level.  Hypocrisy to the square root.   Even I shook my head at this.

As you are aware, the second half of May found Israel in another conflict with Palestine.  Nothing new there.  This shit has been going on since Dwight Eisenhower had hair.  Indeed, none of us can really fathom how Israel survives day-to-day under constant fear of the very next bombing.  The support for Israel during this latest skirmish was palpable and very vocal.  

Now Chuck the Schmuck is Jewish and you would expect him to be at the forefront of the comments supporting Israel.   But he wasn't.   In fact, you could hear crickets around him.   Hmmmm?

Truth be told, because of the WOKE squad all around him, Chuck the Schmuck was actually afraid of saying a single word.  He certainly didn't want to rile any of his friends from whom he might need political favors in the future.  So, despite his heritage, Schumer stayed quiet.  And walked around with his tail behind his legs.

The ultimate asshole.   And, if you are a Jew living in NY and you ever pull the level for this shithead again, you are equally the moron.

Chuck the Schmuck.   If we are going to be stuck with him on the Senate floor, let's just hope it's face down.

Dinner last night:  Maple bourbon salad with bacon.

This Date in History - June 16

 

Happy birthday to Al Cowlings.   The very first Uber driver.

363:  EMPEROR JULIAN MARCHES BACK TO THE TIGRIS AND BURNS HIS FLEET OF SUPPLY SHIPS.

Sounds like a bit of a pity party to me.

1586:  MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, RECOGNIZES PHILIP II OF SPAIN AS HER HEIR AND SUCCESSOR.

Hope he doesn't throw it away for some tart like Meghan Markle.

1755:  FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR - THE FRENCH SURRENDER FORT BEAUSEJOUR TO THE GREEKS, LEADING TO THE EXPULSON OF THE ACADIANS.

Oh, no, not the Acadians.

1779:  SPAIN DECLARES WAR ON THE KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN.

Is it me or is England always fighting with somebody?

1819:  A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE STRIKES THE KUTCH DISTRICT OF WESTERN INDIA, KILLING OVER 1,543 PEOPLE.

And now they fight COVID.

1846:  THE PAPAL CONCLAVE OF 1846 ELECTS POPE PIUS IX, BEGINNING THE LONGEST REIGN IN THE HISTORY OF THE PAPACY.

For those Pius lovers keeping score.

1858:  ABRAHAM LINCOLN DELIVERS HIS HOUSE DIVIDED SPEECH IN ILLINOIS.

To a country divided.

1871:  THE UNIVERSITIES TESTS ACT OF 1871 ALLOWS STUDENTS TO ENTER THE UNIVERSITIES OF OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, AND DURHAM WITHOUT RELIGIOUS TESTS.

What about photo IDs?

1884:  THE FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT ROLLER COASTER OPENS IN CONEY ISLAND.

As opposed to those roller coasters built to be merry-go-rounds?

1890:  ACTOR STAN LAUREL IS BORN.

Here's the ultimate fine mess.

1903:  THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS INCORPORATED.

Way to go, Henry.

1904:  IRISH AUTHOR JAMES JOYCE BEGINS A RELATIONSHIP WITH NORA BARNACLE AND SUBSEQUENTLY USES TO THE DATE TO SET THE ACTIONS FOR HIS NOVEL "ULYSSES."

That's a long way of saying a book report is due.

1911:  IBM FOUNDED AS THE COMPUTING-TABULATING-RECORDING COMPANY IN ENDICOTT, NEW YORK.

So what does IBM stand for?

1933:  THE NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RECOVERY ACT IS PASSED IN THE US, ALLOWING BUSINESSES TO AVOID ANTITRUST PROSECUTION IF THEY ESTABLISH VOLUNTARY WAGE, PRICE, AND WORKING CONDITION REGULATIONS.

Like most government edicts, I understand none of this.

1937:  AUTHOR ERICH SEGAL IS BORN.

Love means never...oh, forget it.

1944:  IN A GROSS MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE, GEORGE JUNIUS STINNEY JR, AGE 14, BECOMES THE YOUNGEST PERSON EXECUTED IN THE US IN THE 20TH CENTURY AFTER BEING CONVICTED IN A TWO-HOUR TRIAL FOR THE RAPE AND MURDER OF TWO TEENAGE WHITE GIRLS.

And the gross miscarriage of justice is?

1947:  FOOTBALL PLAYER AL COWLINGS IS BORN.

The blue book value for a Ford Bronco is?

1961:  WHILE ON TOUR WITH THE KIROV BALLET IN PARIS, RUDOLF NUREYEV DEFECTS FROM THE SOVIET UNION.

Never let an opportunity to leave a Communist country go to waste.

1970:  FOOTBALL PLAYER BRIAN PICCOLO DIES.

Hence the movie.

1981:  US PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN AWARDS THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO KEN TAYLOR, CANADA'S FORMER AMBASSADOR TO IRAN, FOR HELPING SIX AMERICANS ESCAPE FROM IRAN DURING THE HOSTAGE CRISIS OF 1979-81.  HE IS THE FIRST FOREIGN CITIZEN BESTOWED THE HONOR.

A move suggested by Nancy's astrologer.

1996:  BASEBALL SPORTSCASTER MEL ALLEN DIES.

This Week in Heaven.

2014:  BASEBALL STAR TONY GWYNN DIES.

And hence the statue outside of Petco Park.

2016:  SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND OPENS TO THE PUBLIC.

You can buy real mouse ears at a local wet market.

Dinner last night:  Leftover chicken parm.

Shhhhh: The Sequel

 

Starting in March 2020, there's a billboard near my house that was announcing the the release of "A Quiet Place Part II."   It was set to open the last weekend of that March.

Yeah, well.

Because of COVID, lots of billboards all over town didn't get changed for months.  This was one of them.  And I was constantly reminded that this movie was coming.  Soon.  Having seen and enjoyed the first installment, I was waiting for the day to see the sequel.  It took 14 months but "A Quiet Place Part II" finally has opened.   And I am delighted that it never went to a streaming service or On Demand during the pandemic.   Because, truly, this is the type of movie that should be seen in a theater.

As the ad above says.   Duh.

Director-writer John Krasinski, with the first film, crafted a wonderfully simple monster movie with a minimum of dialogue.  How do you do that?   Well, you create monsters who hate noise.   The characters have to stay quiet.  Talk about word efficiency.  And character efficiency.  One of the youngsters in the film is hearing-impaired.

Well, the first tale opened with a family already on the run from the creatures who, like in "Jaws," are not seen for the longest time.  Part II gives you a different perspective.   It begins with Day 1 and you see the first entry into the world by these aliens (?).   And you see the monsters immediately.   But they quickly move you to Day 474.   Yes, you know some of the family members have already...well...you know.  But the survivors are still on the run and you get the same delicious kinds of scares you got with the first one.  

The creatures are unique and their sound allergies are clever.  They kill things that make noise which means I would love them to meet my upstairs neighbor.  At the same time, loud shrill sounds can make them implode, which means Joy Behar of "The View" may have a use after all.   Regardless, it's all well done and riveting.   I was thankful nobody's phone went off in the middle.

Again, there is a wonderful reaction when a theater-going community shares a horror movie together.   "A Quiet Place Part II" services just that.   Thank goodness it finally got to open in a movie house where it truly belongs.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Grilled beef knockwurst.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - June 14, 2021

 Prom!!!!!

Dinner last night:  Leftover barbecued ribs.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - Leap of Faith

 

Good friends of mine just celebrated a wedding anniversary.   As always, I sent a card.  Indeed, somebody could send me a similar card because that very day is an important milestone in my life.   And a major turning point in my relationship with my father.

I will explain.

First off, the photo above is not my dad's car but it's pretty darn close.   A huge barge as could only be manufactured by Buick for their LeSabre line.   It was something you steered carefully like the Titanic.   And, unlike the latter, Dad's vehicle probably would have survived a collision with an iceberg.

Secondly, as I ease into this story, I must tell you that I was a late driver.  Whereas most kids would clamor to get their driver's license as soon as they turned 16, I probably held a learner's permit longer than anybody in automotive history.   I was in college and in no hurry given most of my pals at school had wheels and were available chauffeurs for yours truly.  Plus I lived in Mount Vernon, New York.  Close to subways and buses and commuter rail.

My dad took me for driving lessons during that permit era.  Even though I wasn't driving on my own, he wanted to keep "my skills" fresh.  So, on Sunday afternoons, he would take me to Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx and let me drive all over the facility.   As my father would say...

"You really can't kill anybody in here.   They're already dead."

Thanks for the confidence.

Eventually, in my junior year of college, I finally submitted to the DMV testing on the road.   In Westchester, you went for this at a designated area near the old Adventurer's Inn in the Cross County Shopping Center.  The urban legend which was more true than not was that white teen-age boys were always flunked their first road test by the snarky black female testers.

Yes, I did fail the first time.   Bitch.  But I did pass the second time.

About a month later, I got a wedding invitation from college friends.   They were to get married in Brooklyn.   Then a gala reception at a restaurant on the old World's Fair grounds in Flushing.  

Now, normally, I could have gotten a lift to the festivities with another pal.   But the only person I knew who was going happened to be in the wedding party. Hmmm.  I would have to get there under my own steam.   By myself.   My invitation didn't have a plus one.

I came to the grim discovery that the only way I could get there was by driving. Luckily, the wedding day was a Saturday.   My father would be off from work.  The four-wheel boat would be available.

I deliberated a good week getting up my nerve to bring this situation to my dad.  Gulp.  Gulp again.  I mean, this wasn't driving Grandma to the A and P on Oak Street.   This was Brooklyn.   My family didn't do Brooklyn.   I had only been to that borough twice in my life.   Both times in the passenger seat.

This was a Band Aid that needed to be ripped off quickly.   I took the deepest breath ever and went into the kitchen and asked the question.   My father looked up from his Sunday Daily News funnies.

"Okay.  Be careful."  

Huh?

Where is my real father and when will the aliens return him?

Admittedly, I am sure that both my parents probably held their own collective breath until this wedding day had passed.   But they didn't show any fear as the day approached.   This had to be a major leap of faith for them.

I mapped out the race course many times.   There would be roads and bridges I had never been on before as a driver.   The Whitestone.  The Van Wyck.   The Belt Parkway.   My God, had anybody in my family ever been on the Belt in their entire lives?

On that Saturday, I, too, was nervous.   I held the steering wheel so tightly that my fingerprints were on it for eternity.  Plus I drove slowly.   Like one of those senior citizens you see on the road doing 20 MPH in a 60 MPH zone.

From Mount Vernon to the church in Flatbush to the reception in Flushing was one big inhale. 

I remember seeing my friend who was the usher at the wedding.

"How many trains and buses did you take to get here?"

None, I said proudly.

Yep, there are those days you remember from your youth.   Those moments when your parents truly surprise you.  

In a good way.

Dinner last night:  Chopped Italian salad at Maria's.

Classic Newsreel of the Month - June 2021

Never forget the D-Day Invasion---6/6/44.   And here is a newsreel that looks like it was produced by your local middle school.

Dinner last night:  Barbecue brisket at Dodger Stadium.

Fire That Wedding Photographer!

 

Dinner last night:  Antipasto salad.