Preaching About Girls - From "Coming to America" (1988)

If you have never seen this film before then you are missing out on one of the funniest comedies ever made. Briefly, since this not a review of the film, it is the story of an African Prince, played by Eddie Murphy, who comes to America in search of a bride to be his Queen. He is accompanied by his servant, played by Arsenio Hall.

During the film they each play several parts; all brilliantly; but one of my favorite scenes is the one with the Preacher, played by Mr. Hall, at the gathering of a local community group. I don’t think there is any real lesson in this scene, unless it is to lampoon the mega-churches of the time. This film was made when TV evangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart and the Baker’s over at PTL were in their heyday.

That day is quickly returning with the rise of the “mega-church” from coast to coast here in America. The houses inhabited by the Pastors of these “churches”; which are tax free; approach palatial proportions. Here in Charlotte we have the Elevation Church, with the pastor their earning an undisclosed salary and living in a 16,000 square foot house. But that is another matter.

Enjoy the clip, or better yet, get the film and enjoy the whole story. The film is rich in characters, and the story is incredibly funny. Interesting note; Art Buchwald originally pitched this same story line to the studio and was turned away. Imagine his surprise when the film came out, with the storyline centering around an African Prince, rather than a Jewish immigrant! He sued, and won.

"Neptune Nonsense" - Felix the Cat (1936)

We all tend to think of Felix the Cat in terms of the 1950’s cartoons we saw on television. But Felix had a long life before that incarnation. He actually dates back to the days of silent films. He is also the first cartoon character to ever have a fan base of his own, preceding even Mickey Mouse in that regard.

Felix’s real background is somewhat obscured, with ownership being claimed by  an Australian cartoonist named Pat Sullivan. He claims to be the original creator of Felix. An American animator named Otto Messmer, who worked for Mr. Sullivan, has also been created with Felix’s birth. But, since Sullivan did have the Felix character in a newspaper comic strip prior to the partnership with Messmer, so I suppose he is the original, although even in that endeavor he had a partner named Joe Oliolo.

Felix was so popular during the 1920’s that he spawned a whole line of products, ceramics, postcards and even stuffed toys. He was also the subject of several jazz songs of the time, the most notable being Paul Whiteman's "Felix Kept on Walking".

When sound arrived in the theater, Sullivan was at first against giving his character a voice, but within a year had caved into the change. For whatever reason, the cartoon failed against the newer characters coming from Disney and others. There was a short time in the 1930’s when Felix enjoyed a short resurgence, and this cartoon is from that period with the Van Beuren Studios.

The Felix cartoons on American TV in the 1950’s, with which most of us are familiar, were the product of Sullivan’s old partner Joe Oriolo. He reintroduced Felix in an altered form with new characters, and a "Magic Bag of Tricks".  And of course there was that theme song…

In this 1936 offering, Felix decides that his fish is lonely and goes in search of a companion for it. A delightfully silly plot and great animation make this one a keeper, as well as a doorway into Felix’s past.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

Let’s begin by saying that I am Pro-Choice on the Abortion Issue. My reasons for this are very simple. I don’t get pregnant, and I am not willing to adopt any of the millions of children who are already without homes, so I choose to not cast the first stone at those who are Pro-Choice. But, neither do I dismiss the concerns of those who are Anti-Choice. At the same time though, I am not for overturning the Roe vs. Wade ruling which made abortion legal.

Why am I even writing about this? Well, for some unknown reason I receive the e-mails from NARAL, which is some sort of Women’s Rights group. How or why I receive these e-mails is irrelevant; although I wish they would stop sending them as they tend to tick me off. Here’s why.

I just got this one a week or so ago. It concerns the “would be” Governor of Virginia who is Anti-Choice on Abortion. His reasons are that it is comparable to slavery and it is pushing this country towards Civil War. NARAL says you should be infuriated, and to prove it they want you to send them money to stop the plans of this fellow down in Virginia. But they need to bone up on their own history a bit first. 

For starters, they claim he’s nuts for comparing Abortion to Slavery; and I agree. But what they are missing is that Roe v. Wade, which legalized Abortion in America; from sea to shining sea; was decided on the 14^th Amendment, the very one which this fellow in Virginia is claiming as the basis for being Anti-Choice. So, the problem for NARAL is this; if the Court’s decision concerning Roe v. Wade relied on reference to the 14^th Amendment, how can they now be opposed to the very same Amendment?

In Roe v Wade, the justices found, by a vote of 7-2; Justices White and Rehnquist dissented; and the Court found for Roe and upheld her right to abortion in the first trimester (90 days). The Court stated that the 14th Amendment, in Section 1, contained three references to a “person.”

I thought the findings were correct, but have always believed the decision should have been based on Amendments 4, which gives you the right to freedom from undue search and seizure, and to be secure in your homes; and with the 9^th Amendment ceding all rights to you not denied by the Constitution; meaning that they are implied by omission.

So, the views of the “would be” Governor are that a Civil Rights issue; which Abortion is; could set off a conflict not unlike the Civil War, which was the very way in which we got Amendment 14 to begin with. And, if that’s not inconsistent enough for you, the NARAL group is now opposed to the very reasoning by which Roe v. Wade was decided in the first place.

I hope this is clear to you all. Inconsistency is the one thing I have come to expect from my Political leaders and Social advocates. With their minds so firmly set on “winning”, they have lost their intellectual capacity to reason in a consistent manner. And this, I believe, is the biggest threat of all.

Midnight and the Great Pumpkin

Every year at this time Midnight gets a bit nervous. The appearance of the Pumpkins is his first clue that something major is about to happen. Then the Witches and Goblins appear, followed closely by the dreaded Trick or Treaters, who completely baffle him. He usually hides just out of sight to watch this annual parade of the dead and undead. He sees lots of things going into their sacks, but nothing ever comes back out. That is frightening to him.

Midnight is an asset to my blog. He gets fan mail. Really! And these people expect answers to their notes. Most of the time I answer for him, as his paw printing is still not what it should be. He is, after all is said and done, a stray. And getting him to attend school on a regular basis is somewhat akin to trying the same thing with Huck Finn; that is; it’s just not going to happen. So I write something nice and just affix his paw print to it before sending it on.

But, for all of his skittishness concerning the Halloween ritual, he is always back at his post, sitting on the porch at about midnight; the hour for which he is named; waiting, like Linus, for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. It hasn’t happened yet, but when it does Midnight intends on being there to greet him.

"Meeting Sue" - Half a Life Ago

It was 30 years ago this evening that I first met my wife. That means we have been together for just over half our lives at this point. We were both 29 when we met. It was at a Saturday night Halloween party in Baltimore. I could recount it here; but instead I’ll just re-post the story of that night; and the week which followed. The rest, as they say, is history. The above photo was taken several months later in Virginia Beach. I am dressed as usual, while Sue is in costume.

I arrived back in New York and stayed briefly with Mark and Lois. I wanted to get back to school quickly and obtain my Third mates License. By October 8th, 1983 I was back in Baltimore, this time renting a one room “flat” on the corner of Eager and Calvert Street. This was still on the edge of the gay neighborhood and just 3 blocks North of Peabody Institute and the Washington Monument. With a kitchen alcove area and a main room for sitting and sleeping it was all I needed. It was also just a half story above street level.

I set about, as usual, in making friends with my neighbors. These included two girls who were studying Chamber Music at Peabody. Their names were Mary and Mary. So I called them M and M. On Sunday mornings around 11 AM they would come down to my place for brunch. I would make stuffed mushroom caps with crab meat and pour the wine while they played Cello and Violin for me. Not too bad a trade when you think about it.

I had been seeing a girl named Mari before I left and had bought her back a beautiful enameled 20 karat gold ring from Turkey. But things were kind of “not there” between us and so I found myself looking at a lonely birthday in Baltimore. And to make matters worse I was without weed and had stopped drinking. This was going to be a lot of fun….

Walking around and hoping to meet someone to celebrate with I started drifting toward the “bad” side of Eutaw Street and into the area where pot was sold openly. I asked around a bit but nobody wanted anything to do with me. I was in good shape, well fed and they decided I was a cop! So I finally went into my birthday spiel-“Hey it’s my birthday and I just got into town, don’t know anyone etc.” No one believed me and I finally had to show someone my ID with my birthday on it in order to get some grass!

School was good and I was making a lot of progress. I had to get my CPR certification and some other Red Cross stuff so I signed up for the classes at the local Red Cross. I forget what the exercise was but you had to pull someone around on a blanket. My partner was some Jewish girl who was about my age and had a ticking biological clock. You could actually hear her planning the wedding and everything. But that didn't prevent me from asking her out and we saw each other a few times but “no spark” for me.

It was getting near to Halloween, which was at that time one of my favorite holidays. The parties and costumes all added up to some fun and I was looking forward to it. The Thursday night before Halloween a short chain of events began that would have a serious impact on my life.

I was walking by the old Greyhound Station on Howard and Monument Street when I noticed a woman being hounded by an older black guy. He was obviously following her and she was obviously uncomfortable with it. He was talking to her in a lecherous way and you could see her fear.

Crossing the street I walked up behind them both from an angle and slipping my arm into hers I smiled and said to her, “Sorry I’m late.” Fixing him with a glare I said, “Thanks for watching out for my girl, bro.” And then I walked her around the corner and out of sight.

Dropping her arm I apologized and she assured me there was no need to, as she needed the rescue. Her name was Mary and as we walked along a bit I let her know we should split up now as I could be part of a scam. She seemed pretty unconcerned but agreed. She also suggested that I meet her on Saturday night at an activist Church nearby that was hosting a Halloween Party. I agreed and we parted.

I decided to go to the party at the Church because I was kind of sick of the bar scene at the time. And the fact that Mary would be waiting for me was a definite enticement. The big question was what to go as. I finally decided to go as a Tom cat- you know- looking for a kitty. So I took a wire hangar and stretched it out to an acceptable length- then I added a grey scarf which I wound around the hangar/tail and topped that off with some swirls of masking tape. Attaching the wire hangar to my rear belt loop and adding some whiskers to my face with a blackened cork, I was off to the races.

The Church was one of those “activists” ones. By that I mean they were really not that religious- they were kind of a gathering spot for political activists touting such causes as El Salvador, Legal Defense Funds, Battered Women, and After School Care etc.

Mary was there waiting with some friends and the party was already started. There was a band playing and they had some really tacky disco lights going. The biggest surprise of the evening was when Mary and I were dancing and she started doing cartwheels and all sorts of splits to the music. Turned out she was a gymnast and I started thinking of all the fun we might be having later on utilizing her skills…

Her friends were a group of 6 really nice looking women- some doing post graduate work, some still working towards degrees and a couple of guys who were reading Law in prep for the Bar. A very interesting crowd…

Some slow dancing began and Mary and I enjoyed the closeness and we shared a first kiss. The night was progressing nicely when at about midnight Mary got ready to go. I was confused by this. She was leaving alone and passing me on to her friends. We agreed to call one another etc.

Around 1 AM the friends, none of whose names I recall, invited me to accompany them by van to another party at the Activists Lawyers League. This party was being held at the old Enoch Pratt Free Library on the corner of Kirk and Gorsuch Streets in East Baltimore. There were lawyers and aspiring lawyers everywhere. There was lots of liquor and music, too.

I set about dancing with the ladies who had brought me there. Then I started dancing with women who asked me. I was having a great time when I spotted a woman who was standing off by herself and looking like she was not having the best of times. So I approached her and asked for a dance. She turned me down, flat and cold. “No, thanks.” The Iron Curtain. So I went back to dancing with this one and that one. But it really bugged me that this one woman wouldn't dance with me. So I asked again-same results. “No, thanks.”

After about the third time I’m thinking, “What’s her problem- it’s just a dance, not a commitment!” So I asked her again in a different way. “I've danced with every woman here tonight and you’re the only one that said no. Dance with me and I’ll leave you alone forever.” Reluctantly she began to dance- with me talking as we did. I was telling her that I had just got back from Turkey and Lebanon and when the music stopped we kept talking. Her name was Karen. As we were talking she told me, “I have 2 kids so if that’s a problem let me know.”

After a bit some friends of hers were going outside to smoke a joint and I readily agreed. We went and huddled at the bottom of the basement steps and smoked a few before heading back in. Karen had gone to the party at the urging of some neighbors and friends.

A little while later I felt a finger trace up my back and turning around I was looking at Karen who said, “My name’s in the book.” She gave me her address and left. It was about 3 AM. I left shortly afterward and passing a phone booth I looked her up. The address was incorrect and the name didn’t quite match. It said K. Sue Hart. Still I walked home in the frigid early morning air, warmed by the evening and the dancing.

The next day I called the number in the book, which was now changed, so I called the new number. Turned out to be the right one- her name was Karen Sue. She went by the name of Sue and used the name Karen as a way of confusing the jerks and would be stalkers. We talked for hours and then agreed to meet for Chinese food on Tuesday night. She would get a sitter. After explaining that I had no car she offered to pick me up at my apartment.

Tuesday arrived and the day seemed interminably long as I waited for the evening to arrive. I was waiting at my window when her car turned the corner of Calvert and Eager Street. She parked and rang my bell.

I opened the door and there she was- blond hair with green eyes. Looking shyly down she handed me a bunch of flowers! We left for dinner almost immediately and walked to Tony Cheng’s which was only 3 blocks away.

We had Peking duck and talked about ourselves. She was divorced with 2 boys, 8 and 6 years old. Their names were Keith and Shane. She was originally from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and had left because of the small town atmosphere. They actually listed the divorces in the local newspaper. This kind of stigmatized the ladies in certain ways. Also the job market would be easier to crack in Baltimore so she moved down 2 years earlier and took a job at Social Security Headquarters. She had put a down payment on a small house nearby and began her life anew.

We went back to my place after dinner and talked a bit more. There really was no place to sit other than on the edge of my bed or at the tiny kitchen table. We chose the edge of the bed. It wasn't long before I kissed her. We lay back on the bed and kissed again. Things were going well when she suddenly sat bolt upright and told me she had to go- the sitter was only staying until 10 PM and it was 9:30 now.

We made arrangements to meet on Saturday morning at her place to drive the kids to their Dad’s for the weekend. We spoke on the phone every day that week while waiting for Saturday to arrive. When it did I took a cab to her house and met the kids for the first time.

They were typical kids, running and shouting. They seemed uninterested in me, like I was just one of many passing through. We drove up to Chambersburg, dropped them off and then Sue showed me around her home town and introduced me to some friends. I got the feeling she was showing me off!

We arrived back in Baltimore that evening and I made my famous NY Strip Steak covered with Back Fin Lump Crabmeat and then topped with Muenster cheese. Dinner was about ready when Sue suggested we have dessert first…

"I, Toto" by Willard Carroll (2013)

In this highly imaginative and creative book, author Willard Carroll gives voice to the iconic Toto of “Wizard of Oz” fame. The inspiration for this book seems to have come from a chance discovery on the site of the old kennels where Toto was housed and trained by Carl Spitz. The area was being demolished for the widening of Ventura Blvd. when Mr. Carroll came upon a metal box in the debris.

That box contained a scrapbook of the legendary Terrier, who was actually named Terry, and appeared in over 12 films opposite stars such as Shirley Temple and Spencer Tracey, Wallace Beery, Jack Benny, Frederic March, Ida Lupino and of course, Judy Garland, to name a few.

Cleverly taking publicity stills form the films in which Terry appeared, both before and after “The Wizard of Oz”, the author is able to trace the career path which led him to the role as Toto. And, in between, the author dons the persona of Terry and tells his story.

I picked this book up as an antidote to a heavy tome I was reading, and from which I needed a break. Books come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Though this book barely hits 100 pages, it will fill your heart. 

Billy Sunday - Golden Chains of Love (1929)

One of the most controversial religious figures of the 1920’s and 1930’s used to be play ball for Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia before becoming an evangelist. He was known as one of the fastest base runners to ever take the field. His name was Billy Sunday, who could preach as fast as he could run.

He is most often remembered for his speech about sin, in which he vowed, “I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've got a foot, and I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist. I'll butt it as long as I've got a head. I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm old and fistless and footless and toothless, I'll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!"

I’ve never been too overly fond of evangelists, seeing them as more of a division than a unifying force. Religious beliefs are so very personal in nature, while evangelical preachers often lead flocks who have little knowledge of their own religion beyond what the preacher tells them. Still, in the days before television, the revival meetings were a form of entertainment. They swept into towns in a carnival like atmosphere, sucking everyone along with them and leaving town flush with cash.

Not much has changed since the days of Billy Sunday. Were he alive today he would be in Heaven here in Hell on Earth. But, with so much for him to rant about; from the moral decay of society in general, to the misguided; and sometimes downright evil; intentions of most of our elected officials, he would probably be speechless. Still, the videos are fun to watch.