I don't watch much comedy other than Seinfeld reruns. When a nine-o'clock show I'm watching is in commercial, I frequently tune to Rowan and Martin's Laugh In reruns broadcast on Decades, 112 on Cablevision in NYC. I ignored it during its heyday in the late '60's, early '70's. I was surprised to learn it ran six seasons. I would have guessed three. I don't recall exactly why I was turned off by it, but it probably had something to do with my being repressed and the show being free-wheeling, which reveals how far I had to go as a human being. Every participant, even the arch-conservative John Wayne, seemed to be having a blast. I have the strangest attraction to Ruth Buzzi and Joanne Worley, hardly beauties but wonderfully energetic, madcap souls whose singing was powerful. It reminds me of my most bizarre attraction - to wrestler Sherri Martell, who was similarly over-the-top yet far more vulgar than the aforementioned. The three had at least one thing in common - they gave it their all when in character. I guess my attraction reflects a desire in me to bust loose, which I never really learned to do, at least other than in writing. I'm sure there are books that reveal what went on backstage at Laugh In. I wouldn't have the patience to read them, but, given the era, I bet things were as wild and woolly as they were on screen. I'm also impressed with Dick Martin's perfect form phantom golf swing. I googled for info on his handicap and came across an excerpt from a book, Golf Hall of Shame by Bruce Nash and Alan Zullo. It claims Martin was the best hustler at his club. When asked why he didn't run pro, he said: "Because I can't afford it." That was back in the day when purses were very modest. Or maybe he was just a bit less talented as the pros. Whatever. Of all the celebrities mentioned in this passage, only Worley and Buzzi survive. Both are in their 80's. Here's Worley:
And Buzzi, an Italian-American:
And Sherri:
What a glorious day. The wind subsided and the sun was shining, taking a lot of bite out of the cold. My thanks to Gina, who bought Jackie Collins' Thrill!, to the young woman who purchased two paperback romances[ to the young man who selected a Daphne du Maurier bio and Ann Tyler's Breathing Lessons; and to Bill Brown, author of Words and Guitar: A History of Lou Reed's Music, who decided to make The Human Stain his introduction into the work of Phillip Roth. The highlight of the session was the delivery of Elvis on vinyl by local super Mayor Mike. There must be at least 20 records in the box he brought, the majority from the latter half of Presley's career, but several from his early years, and the soundtracks to at least five films. The covers are all in good condition and each disk has a jacket. The few I looked at closely do not appear to have any scratches. I would describe the overall condition as good. One cover is of Elvis at perhaps one or two years old.There were also two Johnny Cash compilations and one of oldies rock n roll in the box. I will ask for ten bucks and work from there. I will turn all the money over to Mike. What I'm hoping is that one buyer will want many or all of them. It should be interesting.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story Collection:http:// tinyurl.com/lh2tepa
Vic's 2nd Novel Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's 2nd Novel Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
No comments:
Post a Comment