Ted Baxter


Dear Fred:

Really liked your story about you killing Ted Baxter. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one of my two favorite sitcoms, along with the Dick van Dyke Show, another one of your favorites as well. (What is the commonality there?) But did you know that Ted Knight got started on television right here in the Capital Region, where you used to live, and where I still do? Check out this story.

I must admit, though, that I’ve NEVER seen the last episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Now, I’ve seen clips – the Kleenex scene, for instance – but not the whole program. I’ve managed to miss it in reruns, even though it was on TV Land or Nick at Nite on New Year’s Eve for a number of years. If you see it on the cable schedule, please let me know, O.K.?

Another confession: there was a period when I would confuse Ted Knight with another silver-haired fellow, Jack Cassidy, who was married to Shirley Jones. (Did you know that the Partridge Family was Gordon’s guilty pleasure?) Jack was David’s father, and Shirley was David’s step-mom. Of course, a cultural maven such as yourself would NEVER make such a mistake, would you?

Glad that your reduced blogging schedule is working for you, though I miss those daily words of wisdom.

And where’s the Macca review?

All the best, Roger

Pink eye

It was very evident that some strange stuff was coming out of Lydia’s eyes. This was diagnosed to be the dreaded “pink eye”, likely caused by a sinus ailment or allergy in her case. However, her eyes weren’t all that pink.

One of the things some new parents don’t know are nuanced ways to accomplish certain goals in a manner less stressful for all concerned. For instance, we were told to put eye drops in her eyes four times a day, two drops in each side. Insanely, we took this to mean actually trying to get drops IN her open eyes, which involved sometimes 10 minutes and two of us holding down a 30-pound baby – she is VERY strong – before mentioning this difficulty to a couple people, who suggested putting drops in the CORNER of the eyes and working in the drops. This I can do myself in less than a minute, and it’s much less onerous for all concerned.

Truth is, in terms of available sick time, I should take off all of the occasions that Lydia is ill. Because I’ve been in the job so long, my sick days number something like 140, no exaggeration. But in terms of the effect of trying to keep up with our respective jobs, we try to be more equitable. So Monday and Tuesday, I was at home with Lydia, Wednesday, Carol was, and Lydia was back in day care on Thursday.

When we were in the doctor’s office, Lydia was playing with the toys in the waiting room. A white girl, about seven, went over to play in the same area. Her father whispered across the room, “Come here!” He told his child, “You shouldn’t play over there! Over there they have,” and a slight pause. So what’s the punch line? “Sick children play over there.” Well, yes, they do. So maybe I was being paranoid.

It was fairly cold out much of last week, but Lydia needs to get some air, lest she go stir-crazy. So on Tuesday, I took her in her carriage to the local grocery store. I saw this older couple. The woman was picking up eggs. The man, who was at the cart, said, “Make sure you get good ones!” Presumably, he meant getting ones that were unbroken. He couldn’t see her face, but I could, and her look suggested this monologue in her head: “Shut up, old man! I’ve been buying groceries for decades without your stupid help!” I’m guessing that he’s a retired guy, maybe a former middle manager, with way too much time on his hands.

If I Were a Comic Book Character

Near-twin Gordon added me to the Avengers, and I pilfer him yet again with a comic character-related thing.

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman
80%
Hulk
75%
Spider-Man
65%
Supergirl
62%
The Flash
60%
Robin
54%
Batman
45%
Catwoman
45%
Green Lantern
40%
Wonder Woman
32%
Iron Man
20%
You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the “Which Superhero are you?” quiz…

Well, I am a librarian, so I do like to help others, not to mention my obligation to truth and justice. but I always related more to Spidey. But I do look good in blue.

Rock Meme-Frank Sinatra


There was this local politician named Jim Coyne who as Albany County Executive had the Knickerbocker Arena (now known as the, ugh, “Pepsi Arena”) built, went to jail for misappropriation of funds regarding the same, and is now back, renovating the Washington Armory, and bringing back pro (continental Basketball Association) basketball to the city in the form of the Albany Patroons, a team he supported back in the 1980s. Fitzgerald was wrong- there ARE second acts in American lives.

And what does this have to do with Frank Sinatra, you ask? Ol’ Blue Eyes was the first performer at the Arena.

Artist/Band: Francis Albert Sinatra (b. 12/12/1915, d. 5/14/1998)
Are you male or female: Mack the Knife
Describe yourself: High Hopes; Good Life
How do some people feel about you: Call Me Irresponsible
How do you feel about yourself: Deep in a Dream
Describe what you want to be: The Best of Everything
Describe how you live: Nice ‘N’ Easy
Describe how you love: Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart; Tell Her That You Love Her Every Day
Share a few words of wisdom: When You’re Smiling (the Whole World Smiles With You)
***
Now, it’s also friend Gladys’ birthday. She HATES Sinatra, but is OK with Dionne Warwick, who also has a birthday today. Happy birthday, GC.

Raunchy Richard and Clean Gene


I voted for Eugene McCarthy for President. Not in 1968, when his over 42% showing in the New Hampshire Democratic primary toppled a sitting President. I always felt sorry for McCarthy, who unwittingly became the stalking hose for Bobby Kennedy’s run for the nomination. But I was too young to vote.

In 1976, McCarthy was again running for President, but I did not get a chance to vote for him in the Democratic primary in New York, because the supporters of Jimmy Carter got him forced off the ballot. It was probably done legally – New York state election law is quite arcane – but I felt it was so terribly undemocratic.

So when the general election came up, and my choices were Carter, who admitted to having lust in his heart in a Playboy interview (which didn’t offend me as much as it seemed not very savvy) and Gerald Ford, the bumbling-seeming, Nixon-pardoning 25th Amendment President, I decided on a third way. I wrote in the name of the person I thought we most needed in a post-Watergate America, the scrupulous Gene McCarthy. Yeah, it was a quixotic gesture, not the last time I would “throw away” my vote, but I felt good doing so.
***

Richard Pryor’s 1977 TV series was “appointment television” in my household. That first show with the celebrated nude but emasculated comedian felt like truth, not just in terms of network censors, but also about race in America. Unfortunately, it was a short appointment, as the series was canceled in a couple months.

Peculiarly, my favorite bit on the show, didn’t involve Richard. The Pips were on doing “Midnight Train to Georgia”; no Gladys Knight, just her back-up singers. The camera would pan to an empty mike when Gladys’ part came up, then her brother and cousins did all of their “woo woo” parts, including the steps. I thought it was hysterical.

Subsequently, I also was a big fan of comedy specials by Pryor and Lily Tomlin. It seemed that each was the primary guest in each other’s gigs, and I’d love to see them and the Pyror series again to see how they held up.

I wasn’t always a fan of Richard’s more provocative language. He was very funny clean, and did a wicked impression of Bill Cosby, for one. But I also recognized that he brought truth to light, especially in his “concert” movies.

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