And Here's Another Surprise From Me

Well, here's the very last movie you might expect me to see.   But I did, despite the fact that I don't know a lick about opera.   And, frankly, I didn't want the documentary to end.   I was mesmerized.

Go figure.

In my life, I have two...count 'em...two exposures to the world of opera.   In the eighth grade, our music teacher took us on a field trip to see "The Magic Flute"  at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center.   This was a disaster as our goofy teacher vetted the event incorrectly and had a bunch of 12-year-old kids at an opera sung completely in German.   We were so bored that a spitball fight broke out in the balcony.

About 15 years later, a well-meaning friend gifted me for Christmas with two tickets to the same opera house and a performance of "Madame Butterfly."  Again, it was sung in Italian and I think the rustling of my pages from the English libretto interrupted the performance on several occasions.

So, yeah, me and opera...not so much.  But "Pavarotti" opened and I was intrigued for one reason.   It was a film from Ron Howard, a guy I respect a lot.  Indeed, Ron is finding a new direction for his work as this is a great follow-up to the documentary on the Beatles he did two years ago.  In newspaper interviews for this one, Ron even admits that he is not an opera fan.  But the story about the legendary tenor was so interesting, he could not resist.

And neither could I.   Judging from the packed house of receptive viewers at the Arclight Hollywood, Ron Howard's "Pavarotti" might get some attention around Oscar time.

I knew little about Luciano Pavarotti before this, except that he ran around on tour with those other two tenors for a while.  But, populated with lots and lots of performance clips, you really understand what a talent the guy was.   And how complex he was.   A man who really care about his profession and was, at the same time, super-impressed and yet humbled by his own talent.

There are a lot of talking heads here telling the story from Pavarotti's wife and daughter to, of all people, Bono of U2.  While this is surely a tribute film, it doesn't hide the inevitable warts of life.  For instance, while Pavarotti remained married for many years, he had a bit of Tony Soprano in him with a "goomah" or two.  Just like Carmella Soprano, Pavarotti's wife knew what was going on and suffered in quiet silence.  

That's really the only juicy gossip you learn from "Pavarotti."   This is really all about the music and the singing.   In a very smart move, Ron highlights those arias which have melodies everyone is familiar with.  As a result, you really become a fan of the genre without having to possess little knowledge.   That, in turn, really educates you about the world of opera.

This is a terrific film from the first note to the highest C.  Definitely check it out.  And bravo, Ron Howard!

LEN'S RATING:  Four stars.

Dinner last night:  Fried chicken sandwich at the Arclight.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - June 17, 2019

It's that time of year, Part 2.  A classic that never gets old.

Dinner last night: Sausage, peppers, and onions at the Dodger game.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - Father's Day Perfecta

My cousin found this old photo of my dad a while ago.   I still relish a glance at it from time to time.   My father was probably 27 years old.   27 years old!  It's hard to believe that any of our dads were once 27 years old!

Well, it's 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 was June 20.   Often times, the two days were connected or close enough to warrant an even bigger celebration.  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.

But now I must confess something to dear old Dad.  I goofed this year and neglected to watch the Belmont Stakes.  It still bothers me.  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 event.  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.

I had found another way to connect to my father.  I thought about that a few years ago as American Pharoah came down the Belmont stretch.   The last time there was a Triple Crown winner, I was watching that race with my father.

In a way, I still was.

Dinner last night:  Pizza at Eataly.

Classic Movie Trailer of the Month - June 2019

One more time, we remember Doris Day with her best film and one of my true favorites.  Sixty years old this year.

Dinner last night:  Salad.

Read This While You're Driving

Dinner last night:  Caesar salad.

Did You Use A Condom?

Well, I bet that title got your attention.   No, I'm not going to get that revealing here today.  I am simply reviewing a fascinating new Hulu documentary called "Ask Dr. Ruth."   Of course, the subject matter is famed sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Today's title is all about the very first time I learned of Dr. Ruth.  It was when she started her WYNY-New York radio show which aired in the bowels of late Sunday nights in the early 80s.  I was young enough to be curious about the racy subject matter of those calling in with their "sex problems."   For some reason, she always asked guys that question.

Did you use a condom?

Of course, this documentary from film maker Ryan White is about a lot more than my hormones.  The life of Dr. Ruth is immensely compelling.  From being a young girl and being shipped from Germany to Switzerland by her parents to avoid the Nazis.  Her move to Israel where her feet were almost blown off during the even-back-then skirmish with Palestine.   To her own sex life and her three husbands and sudden meteoric media fame.   

The cool thing is that the life story is told by Dr. Ruth herself, who is still going strong at 91 and still residing in the same Washington Heights apartment she has inhabited for decades.   She's everyone's favorite grandmother, regardless of whether you are Gentile or Jew.   There is something very warm and appealing about the stories she relates herself.  How could all of these life experiences come from a woman who's just 4 foot-seven?

Once again, it's a documentary that captures my attention, although, frankly, I do believe Dr. Ruth could hold her own against a few Marvel super heroes.   If you simply want to be entertained, check this out on Hulu.   Or in one of the theaters where it has received limited release.   It...and she....is worth your time.

And, oh, by the way...of course I did.

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

Dinner last night:  The last of the leftover meat loaf and cucumber salad.

This Date in History - June 12

And a mere minutes after this photo was taken...  But, first, let's go back to the year 70.

70:  TITUS AND HIS ROMAN LEGIONS BREACH THE MIDDLE WALL OF JERUSALEM IN THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM.

And the status of the outer and inner wall is?

1257:  KRAKOW, POLAND RECEIVES CITY RIGHTS.

And was later a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.

1283:  ROGER OF LAURIA, ADMIRAL TO KING PETER III OF ARAGON, CAPTURES CHARLES OF SALERMO.

Who was later taken over by Vinnie from Bayonne on WFAN.

1798:  DURING THE BATTLE OF NEW ROSS, THE ATTEMPT TO SPREAD UNITED IRISH REBELLION INTO MUNSTER IS DEFEATED.

And what did the United Irish Rebellion have against the Addams Family?

1829:  HMS PICKLE CAPTURES THE ARMED SLAVE SHIP VOLADORA OFF THE COAST OF CUBA.

Hold the HMS.

1832:  THE JUNE REBELLION BREAKS OUT IN PARIS IN AN ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW THE MONARCHY OF LOUIS-PHILIPPE.

Which is why the song goes "April in Paris."

1837:  HOUSTON, TEXAS IS INCORPORATED BY THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS.

Long before it switched over to the American League.

1850:  SHERIFF PAT GARRETT IS BORN.

Billy the Kid, watch your step.

1851:  HARRIET BEECHER STOWE'S SERIAL, "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN," IS PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME.

It was a soap opera?  Like sands through the hourglass, so are the slaves of our lives.

1879:  REVOLUTIONARY PANCHO VILLA IS BORN.

Si.

1883:  THE FIRST REGULARLY SCHEDULED ORIENT EXPRESS DEPARTS PARIS.

That trip is murder.

1883:  ECONOMIST JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES IS BORN.

That adds up.

1910:  AUTHOR O HENRY DIES.

How's that for a twist ending?

1915:  DENMARK AMENDS ITS CONSTITUTION TO ALLOW WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE.

Which is why so many men went there to become women.

1916:  LOUIS BRANDEIS IS SWORN IN AS A JUSTICE OF THE US SUPREME COURT.

I thought he was a college.

1917:  DURING WORLD WAR I, CONSCRIPTION BEGINS IN THE US AS "ARMY REGISTRATION DAY."

Getting a little drafty around here.

1920:  AUTHOR CORNELIUS RYAN IS BORN.

Interesting that his birthday is on June 5 since......well, you will see later.

1934:  JOURNALIST BILL MOYERS IS BORN.

Journalist?  Really?

1942:  DURING WORLD WAR II, THE US DECLARES WAR OF BULGARIA, HUNGARY, AND ROMANIA.

Every war needs a couple of pushover countries.

1944:  DURING WORLD WAR II, MORE THAN 1000 BRITISH BOMBERS DROP 5000 TONS ON BOMBS ON GERMAN GUN BATTERIES ON THE NORMANDY COAST IN PREPARATION FOR D-DAY, THE NEXT DAY.

Happy birthday, Cornelius Ryan.   Now you have something to write about.

1947:  THE MARSHALL PLAN - IN A SPEECH AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, US SECRETARY OF STATE GEORGE MARSHALL CALLS FOR ECONOMIC AID TO WAR-TORN EUROPE.

Knock 'em down and then build 'em up.  Ain't war grand?

1951:  ECONOMIST/TV HOST SUZE ORMAN IS BORN.

I met her once.  I still don't have a million dollars.

1951:  JILL BIDEN IS BORN.

As inconsequential as they come.

1956:  ELVIS PRESLEY INTRODUCES HIS NEW SINGLE "HOUND DOG" ON THE MILTON BERLE SHOW, SCANDALIZING THE AUDIENCE WITH HIS SUGGESTIVE HIP MOVEMENTS.

Meanwhile, Milton was even scarier when he dressed like a woman.

1963:  BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR JOHN PROFUMO RESIGNS IN A SEX SCANDAL KNOWN AS THE PROFUMO AFFAIR.

Wasn't that an episode of "Man from U.N.C.L.E.?"

1967:  THE SIX DAY WAR BEGINS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

The six day war now in its fifth decade.

1968:  US SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY IS SHOT AT THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL IN LOS ANGELES.  HE DIES THE NEXT DAY.

"Let's go on to Chicago and win there."

1971:  SINGER/ACTOR MARK WAHLBERG IS BORN.

The newest kid on the block.

1975:  THE SUEZ CANAL OPENS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SIX-DAY WAR.

And is still open as the war approaches its sixth decade.

1976:  THE COLLAPSE OF THE TETON DAM IN IDAHO.

Look out below.

1977:  THE APPLE II, ONE OF THE FIRST PERSONAL COMPUTERS, GOES ON SALE.

What version are we up to now?

1981:  THE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION REPORT THAT FIVE PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES HAVE A RARE FORM OF PNEUMONIA SEEN ONLY IN PATIENTS WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS, IN WHAT TURNS OUT TO BE THE FIRST RECOGNIZED CASES OF AIDS.

A long sentence that could be reduced to four words.  "This is gonna suck."

1993:  PORTIONS OF THE HOLBECK HALL HOTEL IN ENGLAND FALL INTO THE SEA FOLLOWING A LANDSLIDE.

You wanted a view of the water?  Now you got it.

1993:  SINGER CONWAY TWITTY DIES.

Long before people would start sending daily messages in his name.

1998:  A STRIKE BEGINS AT THE GENERAL MOTORS PARTS FACTORY IN FLINT, MICHIGAN THAT QUICKLY SPREADS TO FIVE OTHER PLANTS.

And they thought AIDS moved fast.

1998:  LOS ANGELES MAYOR SAM YORTY DIES.

Next to Twitty, the second funniest name to die on this date.

1999:  SINGER MEL TORME DIES.

I hear this guy was a real scumbag.  

2002:  SINGER DEE DEE RAMONE DIES.

Dee Dee Dead.

2003:  A SEVERE HEAT WAVE ACROSS PAKISTAN AND INDIA REACHES A PEAK OF 122 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

In countries where there is no central air.  Yeech!

2004:  PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN DIES.

His casket drove past my apartment on this date.  The closest I have ever come to a President, dead or alive.

2012:  AUTHOR RAY BRADBURY DIES.

Talk about high Fahrenheit temperatures.

2018:  FASHION DESIGNER KATE SPADE DIES.

They'll need one to bury her.

Dinner last night:  Leftover meat loaf and rice.