Ben Franklin was born on this day, January 17, in 1706.  And as I like to do to celebrate, I thought I'd post a few songs with the good fellow from a couple of Broadway musicals.  Yes, a couple -- there are two musicals I know of that feature Benjamin Franklin, which is probably two more than most people would have guessed for a very long time.

While I'm certain that 1776 comes first to mind for most people, instead we're going to start with another.  It's a show that opened in October, 1964, called Ben Franklin in Paris.  And it had an impressive lead -- Robert Preston, in his first musical since The Music Man.  It had music and lyrics by a fellow named Sidney Michaels and also starred Ulla Sallert.  The show didn't have a long run, though did play for 215 performances, which is half a year.

I'm not bowled over by the score, but it does have a few nice things in it.  And happily, my favorite song even has video of it when the cast appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and performed the song and the scene that leads into it.  This is "Half the Battle."

The other song, "Look for Small Pleasures," is quite nice, in a small, charming way.  In fact, it even had a bit of life outside the show and was recorded by several people, with moderate success.  

This week’s contestant is Steven Buchthal from Honolulu, Hawai.  While I didn’t get the composer style, I did almost immediately get the classical piece this was based on, since it was totally clear to me, but I had a brain freeze about who wrote it.  (The composer isn’t terribly well-known, but extremely well-known for this particular composition.)  Not long after, though, I got the hidden song, which was pretty easy.
 

I saw the following comment on Twitter yesterday.

The tweet got a lot of support in response.  Y'know, the "You go, girl" kind of thing.  With "You never should be" and things like that.  I took my life in my hands by replying --

"It's my experience that most people who do, never are.

And then to protect myself, I added, "I'm not saying this critically or in support, just making an observation."

And honestly, I wasn't being critical, because I didn't know her definition of "sometimes" and "too much."  Talking too much on occasion can be because you're simply excited about a subject or just get carried away.  Or are bubbly and lively, and every once in a while it just spills out.  

And "too much" covers a wide swath.  Is it more than you generally feel comfortable talking?  Or more than makes others listening comfortable?  And is it for like an extra 30-seconds -- or a monologue so long that it would make Eugene O'Neill uncomfortable?

But sometimes talking too much is perfectly fine.

But --

It is also my experience that most people who say, "I sometimes talk too much," are saying that because they always talk far too much and have no filter.  (Most, I said.  Not everyone who does.  Life is full of exceptions.)  After all, if  you only talk a bit too much sometimes, most people don't feel a need to make an issue of it needing a full-blown, cover-all apology for how they speak.  Because there isn't a need to.  It doesn't require an apology.  Something that's occasional, brief, and over might might even be interesting of fun.  If that person feels that on that occasion they want to say, "Oops, sorry for going on so long," fine, it's personal choice.  Not necessary, but thought.  But it's in the moment, not something that calls for a bumper sticker.  It's only when it's your default way of speaking that you feel it's, oh, y'know, worth perhaps mentioning because people are always complaining.

Which brings us to what is the complaint part.

Always talking way too much is, of course, rude and thoughtless. You might be okay with it, because it's who you are -- but then, that's the point of being someone who always talks much too much.  If you weren't okay with it, you wouldn't do it.  But "who you are" is someone who likes to hear themselves talk all the time.  Because, to yourself, you're so incredibly interesting and funny and insightful and heartfelt.  And don't care what anyone else around you says.  Which is the point of "rude and thoughtless."  The other people there.  Other people who, even if they find you interesting, funny, insightful and heartfelt, still want to be part of the conversation and offer their own views.  Not everyone, some people are taciturn or shy about talking.  But in general, when talking with other people, most people like to talk.  That's the point of conversation.  As opposed to soliloquies.  

Always talking far too much is telling others -- "My thoughts are the most important and significantly more important than yours.  Your thoughts and time and interests don't really matter to me.  But mine do, And so, I'm going to talk too much -- and I'm not sorry."

​So, no, it wasn't shocking that Miss Amanda was not sorry.  Just that she proudly wanted to tell us that she talked to much, and wanted to be sure we knew.

By the way, to my surprise, I was not slammed by a stream of people in response to my reply to Amanda's comment. In fact, only one person even responded.

It was Amanda.  

She "Liked" it.

​As readers of these pages know, I have great affection for the summer camp I went to -- Camp Nebagamon in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin.  In fairness, it's not the case of going away for a few summers.  Rather, I began going as a pre-school kid to family camp. Then, when my dad was camp doctor for four years as Doctor's Son (the official title), and later a camper and eventually counselor.  A very long time.  So, it's not just some fond summer memories, but a major part of my life.  But then, the camp has been around a long time itself -- 91 years.  

(I have a friend who will bring up his own summer camp in Wisconsin, so relentlessly and glowingly that it makes me look mute.  Every once in a while, when he gets to the point where you sense he's about to insist that no other summer camp in the world worth noting exists or has ever existed since time began or will exist into eternity, I politely mention to him that the fellow who ran the camp he loves so much actually went to...Camp Nebagamon.)

Over the near-century, they've had a lot of famous people who went there, most notably the Broadway composer John Kander (Cabaret, Chicago), Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride and All the President's Men) and his brother also Oscar-winner James Goldman (The Lion in Winter, the musical Follies with Stephen Sondheim.)  Lots of others, though I'll just add Jason Kander (great-nephew of...) who was Secretary of State of Missouri, and who I've referenced here periodically as a growing voice in the young wing of the Democratic Party. 

Fun, too, is that the camp song, "Thanks for the Pines" was written the husband-and-wife couple Gus and Grace Kahn, both professional songwriters, and among his credits are "It Had to Be You," "Dream a Little Dream of Me," "Makin' Whoopee," "Carolina in the Morning, "I'll See You in My Dreams," "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby,"...and a LOT more.  (The 1951 movie, I'll See You in My Dreams was a biopic about the Kahns, starring Danny Thomas and Doris Day.)  For those who care about such things, I wrote here the fun story how the camp song came about, and how decades later I got to sing the song to then 90+ year-old Grace.

I mention all this as backdrop about another Camp Nebagamon alum I just found out about.  No, not at that level, though fairly popular these days, TV host Andy Cohen.  And this came about because of a video I found where he's a guest on Stephen Colbert's show and reads from a bunch of letters he wrote him when he was going to Camp Nebagamon -- all of which his mother saved.  It's pretty darn funny.

And as a bonus, here is a photo of an alumni reunion a few years ago, and there he is, returning to the North Woods as an adult -- clearly not hating the camp, as he notes in one of the letters -- sitting in the front row, all the way on the far right, in a green shirt.

Well, this was a weird experience yesterday.

On Wednesday evening, I got an urgent phone call from a friend saying that Ralphs Pharmacy here in Los Angeles were now accepting appointments for COVID-19 vaccine shots for the group I qualified in.  But the slots were filling up really fast, so I should go to their website immediately.  He began telling a story about his experience signing up and what went on when he was...and I cut him off instantly without relying on politeness and in his mid-sentence I said, "Goodbye, I'll call you later!" and hung-up.

And it clearly was filling up fast.  The first few days were already gone, and when I got a date that was available, but the time I got to the end of the form, that date and time was no longer open. So, I picked another date and time, and the same thing happened when I reached the end.  It took four tries before I finally got an appointment for a little over two weeks from now.  But huzzah.

I was really surprised to hear about the scheduling, since I hadn't read anything about it on the news, but was very glad for his call.  He hadn't known either -- and he's usually on top of most-everything -- but his daughter had called him.  And word clearly spread everywhere.

Anyway, yesterday morning, I called Ralphs Pharmacy to find out if they'd be keeping a waiting list in case they got cancellations, since I live walking distance from it -- and it's actually the pharmacy I tend to most use.  The person I spoke to said, no, there wouldn't be a waiting list, but then asked when my appointment was for, which surprised me. But I told her, and at this point, the conversation went -- 

“The appointment’s been cancelled.”
 
Long pause.  “What do you talking about???”
 
“The appointment has been cancelled.  It’s only for healthcare providers.  You should be notified.”
 
Trying to digest this.  “What do you mean I should be notified??  Are they planning to send emails?”
 
“You should get an email about it.”
 
Taking a deep breath.  “This doesn’t make any sense.”
 
“You should keep the appointment, but right now it’s cancelled.  They’ll let you know.”

It made little sense to me, and was a bit disconcerting, needless-to-say.  But when it became clear that she didn't actually have information and couldn’t add more than to say that right now they were only giving the vaccine to healthcare workers and that Ralphs might be sending out an email, I knew that there was no pointing in getting upset with her or even arguing.  So, as much as I wanted to say, "You handled getting this information across really, really poorly" (after all, if I didn't ask follow-up questions, she would have left it at the perfunctory, "The appointment's been cancelled" -- which it must be noted is also a poor way of phrasing things when you later add, "But keep your appointment") -- I also recognized that they were likely overwhelmed with phone calls and harried, so I said goodbye, ungnashed my teeth, and hung up.
 
As the day went on, I talked to some people and read articles, and though there was nothing specific to learn, the situation did become a touch more clear and somewhat more comforting.  (With an emphasis on the "somewhat.") It appears that Ralphs jumped the gun and wasn’t supposed to create appointments yet.  In fact, for that same sign-up form on their website, “Coronavirus” is no longer listed among the options of vaccines that Ralph offers.  Press releases from Ralphs as of two days ago, however, say that they are, in fact, now giving the vaccine to healthcare workers.
 
Equally important to the picture is that a friend in Texas said the exact same thing happened there a couple of weeks ago.  There were sign-ups and then it turned out that they didn’t get their allotted vaccine supplies, so everything was put on hold.  But what's important to add -- and added to the comfort is that not only did they subsequently get their vaccine supply…but he got his first shot this past Tuesday.
 
That said, I don’t know exactly where things stand.  What I do know is that they said, “Keep your appointment.”  And no email has been sent out yet putting anything on hold.  Also, most people who signed up have times that are still a week or two weeks off.  And the Biden Administration is coming in next Tuesday, so there is probably a big push now to get vaccine out.  In addition, we know that Ralphs Pharmacy does, in fact, have vaccine which they are currently giving to healthcare workers.  And we know, too, that 30 million doses have been distributed but only about 10 million shots have been given.  So…it seems like things should be fine.  Though I don’t know.
 
But also, there is a possible good side to this, at least on a personal level.  The screw-up by Ralphs of jumping the gun early may explain why there were no big news stories about it – which in the end helped allow people to sign up for an appointment so early before there was a huge public rush.  So, assuming they do get it worked out, everyone who now already has an appointment probably has it earlier (perhaps much earlier) than they would have had otherwise.
 
And again, it remains comforting my friend in Texas said that this exact same thing happened there, and he not only kept his appointment, but got his shot earlier this week.

Of course, this all presumes that they do get their new allotment.  If not, they will have a huge mess on their hands for all the people who signed up the earliest and find their appointments cancelled, pushing them back into the pool.
 
When I had that phone conversation this morning with the pharmacy it was – as you might imagine – very weird and disturbing and very poorly handled.  But knowing more now, while still in a state of uncertainty, I do feel better about it.  And I especially feel at least a sense of comfort from being told, “Keep your appointment.”  And if and when there is any update – including to say that appointments remain on schedule – emails will be sent out. 
 
Anyway, that’s the news, which I suspect is good to know for other areas when they get their vaccine allotment and start to make appointments.

Thankfully, there is a vaccine.  And it will get administered soon.  But it's Impressive how smooth and impeccably well-organized everything about handling the pandemic and protecting the country has been by the Trump administration which alas, unlike the coronavirus, did completely disappear last March.

​January 20th can't come soon enough.

UPDATE:  There is an addendum to all this.

Since writing my column, an article in the Washington Post appeared which may be the explanation for the problem at Ralphs Pharmacy.  While Ralphs is at fault for jumping the gun, it will not shock you to learn that what caused the larger problems is probably because the Trump administration was lying.  Here’s the opening of the article –
 
“When Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday that the federal government would begin releasing coronavirus vaccine doses held in reserve for second shots, no such reserve existed, according to state and federal officials briefed on distribution plans. The Trump administration had already begun shipping out what was available beginning at the end of December. Now, state and local officials across the country are realizing their limited vaccine supply will not immediately increase, dashing hopes of dramatically expanding access for millions of people.”

Y'know, it makes it oh-so much easlier to run your operation at "Warp speed" when you don't have to deliver what you promised.
 
Hopefully there’s enough time between now and my appointment – and with the Biden Team taking over in five days – for them to get a supply out and I can keep the date.  But I’m not holding my breath on that.  The next hope is that when they do start rescheduling appointments that Ralphs will keep the current schedule and just move those to the front of the line where they were.
 
For those interested, you can find the full Washington Post article here.
 

​Okay, let's head back to our 1999 videos of  when Laura Benanti made her Broadway starring debut when she was a replacement lead as 'Maria' in The Sound of Music, taking over the role from Rebecca Luker.  As I mentioned, she took over the lead at the same time Richard Chamberlain joined the cast. 

For those who don't remember, Chamberlain was famously a big TV star in the early-1960s series, Dr. Kildare. He then dropped out of sight for three years, and when he resurfaced, it turned out he had been studying serious acting and played the lead in Hamlet with the well-regarded Birmingham Rep in England to much praise.  And then reprised the role on TV in The Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Anyway, here is Laura Benanti and Richard Chamberlain singing Something Good, which wasn't in the original stage show, but has since been interpolated into it after being added to the movie.

How can you not love this?! --
 
Philip Rucker of the Washington Post reports that Trump has told aides not to pay Rudy Giuliani's legal fees & that he personally must approve reimbursing expenses!
 
Better still, Trump want Giuliani to defend him in the Senate trial.
 
I mean…I mean…seriously????  About all of that.  Seriously.

There's an old song, "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," which was a hit for Dinah Washington.  It might be more than "a day," but man, what a difference only two months make.

Consider --

The day after the General Election on November 3, there was basic elation among Democrats for Joe Biden beating Trump.  That was of #1 importance, and nothing else was a close send.  Still, there were other important races at risk, and a certain amount of surprised disappointment seeped in about them.  Not winning control of the Senate.  Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins winning re-election.  Losing too many seats in the House that resulted in a challenging, close majority.  Ultimately, wonderful for Joe Biden beating Trump, but a certain letdown that the Republican Party was not only not repudiated and discredited, but even came away with some advances and a bit of confidence.

That was only two months ago.  The Republican Party lost the White House but was on a solid footing to give Joe Biden trouble and build for 2022.  Just two months ago.

And in two months --

The Republican Party lost control of the Senate.  

Trump and the GOP in full went on a full-blown meltdown crying for two months about what they claimed was a fraudulent election that the sane public could see clearly Trump lost by a massive seven million votes.

The GOP exacerbated their infantile and growing anarchical image by losing 60 lawsuits -- winning only a single case that allowed moving up a voting date by three days.

Trump looked even more lunatic, irrational and fascist by claiming he not only supposedly won the election, but won by a landslide.

Trump was caught on a recording relentlessly trying to illegally coerce a Secretary of State to overturn a completely legal and certified election.

Republicans focused their anti-democracy reputation even more by challenging the perfunctory Constitutional process of accepting certified Electoral votes.

Trump invited insurrectionists to Washington where he said it would be "wild" and raged to the mob, inviting them to fight and go to Congress.  Where the seditionists broken into the U.S. Capitol and threatened the lives of the Vice President, Speaker of the House and all of elected representatives.

Around 150 Republicans in Congress still voted to challenge the certified Electoral votes even after the mob insurrection with pipe bombs, zip ties, and five deaths.

Around 100 insurrectionists have already been arrested by the FBI, who says they have 100,000 tips already and are just starting going through them all.

Trump became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice -- getting 10 Republican votes, the most ever for an impeached president by his own party, double the next closest.

Republicans will have to face dealing with the resultant trial in the Senate, and either vote to convict the man so much of their party still loves, or acquit the man the majority of the country saw promote the insurrection and believes is responsible for the violent sedition.

Trump was banned permanently from Twitter.  And from another dozen or so social media platforms.

Numerous major corporations said they would not give donations to anyone in Congress who voted against accepting the legitimate, certified Electoral votes.

Trump became such a pariah for promoting insurrection that banks began to send signals that none would lend money to him, all the worse for someone with perhaps $800 million in loans due soon.  His sole bank, Deutsches Bank, cut ties with him.

The major social media platform for the far-right and white supremacists lost its hosting service and has been shut down.

Reports have begun to grow that Republican members of Congress may have assisted the seditionist mob in breaching the U.S. Capitol which, if true -- and it seems likely -- would be crushing to the Republican Party.

All in just two months.  And I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot.  But two months ago, the Republican Party was in a very respectable position from some small but important, unexpected victories and had a solid foundation to build on for the mid-term elections.  And now, only two months later, with us only a week from the insurrection and details only just starting to be revealed, FBI investigations in its very earliest days, and Congressional investigations not even having begun yet, the GOP is hanging on by a thread from being discredited as a party and crushed for its enabling Trump and being complicit.  At the very best for them, they are deep on their heels, playing defense with total fear in their eyes. At the worst, depending on what the various investigations uncover, they are in complete disarray, every man for themselves.

In just two months.

Two months.

Republicans snatched defeat from the jaws of success.

In only two months.

It's remarkable how the GOP not only imploded, but SO quickly to disaster while riding a high.  But of course, its success was always built on a tenuous chimera -- starting with convincing people that the truth and reality were a lie.  That said, there was no certainty it would fall apart.  Though the very reasons which allowed the success of that fantasy world to be created were the same ones that always risked causing its destruction.  Because as the strands frayed, there was no substance to sustain its weight.

And so it's begun to fray.  All in just two months.

I was trying to think what to post tonight that would be appropriate.  And this came to mind.  It's from a 1960 movie that starred Bing Crosby, High Time, about the owner of a national chain of hamburger restaurants who decides to go back to college.  (It got basically remade in 1986 with Rodney Dangerfield as Back to School.  I say "basically" because I don't think it gave credit but is incredibly close in plot and even scenes.)  The song was written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, and was nominated for Best Song -- though lost out to "Never on Sunday."

Even though Bing Crosby introduced it, Frank Sinatra had a big hit with it and oddly is even more associated with it.  And his version seems to fit a little be better for the occasion.

All that aside, it just seems so right for today. 

And what the heck, let's throw in second one, for a bonus.  Because you can never say "a second one" today enough times.