As I mentioned on February 12, while I understand the creation of President's Day, and it's reasonable, my quibble with it is that we don't get to celebrate the actual birthday of Lincoln and Washington, and those days tend to get lost to time. Well, today is George Washington's actual birthday, and so it's only right and proper to celebrate it. So, here's a wonderful sketch from Stan Freberg presents the United States of America: Volume 1 -- the Early Years. It's about the famous moment in American history when George Washington prepared to cross the Delaware during the Revolutionary War. Though according to Mr. Freberg the event didn't go exactly as written in the history books. And though it's not precisely about George Washington, this next selection is at least about the Revolutionary War that the good fellow led. And besides, it's the wonderful finale to the album.
Side note: near the very end, you'll hear a knock, and a woman ask for "Mr. Freberg?" That's the great June Foray, still around at age 98.
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Though Jeb (!) Bush was rightly seen as the biggest loser in the GOP's South Carolina primary, given that he dropped out of the race, I also think that although it got little attention, John Kasich was a big loser, as well.
Now, clearly, John Kasich was a deeply long-shot in the GOP race, and wasn't expected to get much more than about 4% of the vote on Saturday. But I also think he oddly did have one path to the nomination. And it's that he could have been seen as a sane, establishment choice, now that so many other establishment candidates have dropped out. It was obvious that Jeb (!) Bush was fading and would drop out soon, since he likely wouldn't be able to raise more money, having already raised SO much. And Marco Rubio had a meltdown, disastrous primary in New Hampshire. That left Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson (though he was never getting the nomination and is plummeting fast) -- and Kasich. The first three are as near to causing panic among the Republican establishment And Kasich can probably stay in the race for a while since he doesn't appear to be spending much. So, with Bush out and Rubio losing his gloss, that would really only leave Kasich as someone establishment voters could rally around. It wasn't likely, but it was an understandable path. But with Marco Rubio finishing second in South Carolina -- only be a hairs-breadth, and with zero delegates -- he resurfaced as a candidate who the GOP establishment could support without its head exploding. For all his flaws (and they are a great many) and his history of having other meltdowns and being far more deeply conservative than is ideal for an establishment character...he has one saving grace as a candidate: compared to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, he is not evil and insane. Now, of course, there's no certainty in the slightest that Marco Rubio will get the GOP nomination. But the mere reality that most others have dropped out now, and he's someone who the party leaders and semi-rational voters can support, that takes away pretty much the last hope that John Kasich had. And John Kasich knows it, too, because on Saturday, Kasich -- who has positioned himself as a "moderate" (which he isn't at all, he's conservative, but he appears "moderate" compared to the deeply far right positions of Trump, Cruz and Rubio) -- just signed a bill in Ohio to defund Planned Parenthood. That appears to me his last-ditch effort to show the base of the party that, when push comes to shove, he can be as base as the rest of them. Despite how many hugs he gives to people. And while we're at it, I think Bernie Sanders was one of the big losers on Saturday, too. He did quite well in Nevada, but it was seen as a state that he could win, yet Hillary Clinton not only won the caucus, but by a bigger margin than expected, 53-47%. And she's likely going to win South Carolina this week by a significant margin. So, that takes away any sort of momentum that Sen. Sanders needed going into Super Tuesday. And Super Tuesday, with so many of its primaries in the South, is being seen as most probably a big day for Ms. Clinton, especially with her leading the polls in so many states at the moment. And she'll now be the one going into it with momentum. And on we roll... It only got hinted at and off-handedly mentioned on Sunday night's tribute to TV director James Burrows, but for those not aware, his father -- briefly referred to -- was Abe Burrows, one of the most successful book writers for Broadway musicals.
Among his many shows, he co-wrote Guys & Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (which won the Pulitzer Prize). He also wrote the hit play, Cactus Flower (which recently was remade as the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston comedy Just Go for It). This week's contestants are Nancy Parton and Ron Morebello from San Diego, California. At least I got the composer style, but didn't have a clue on the hidden song -- which is really deeply hidden. I was even listening in the right place for it, but couldn't hear it. I even listening closely when pianist Bruce Adolph said where to listen, and I had been listening there, and he slowed to down to be more clear. Zero idea. Even when he gave the answer and I listened again, I had a hard time picking it out. But...it's guessable, because the contestants got it on the second time around. Not me...
The other day, I posted a long video of Mike Nichols and Elaine May in a two-hour conversation. It's only appropriate therefore to follow-up with this. At last Saturday's Writers Guild Awards, Elaine May received the Guild's Laurel Award for Screenwriting. Here's her acceptance speech. It's present by the great screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown, among many others...), who gives a somewhat rambling, but affectionate speech that's intruded a few times by technical glitches. I should also mention that there is a montage from Elaine May's films that is cut out, which I assume is because they only have the rights to show them at the awards shows itself, not for other uses. Also, a word about a story she tells. It refers to Frank Capra's screenwriter, who (all too ironically, given the point of the story...) she doesn't name. But I will -- it's Robert Riskin, who is the father of my friend, former Guild president Vicki Riskin. I once asked if the story was “really true” (as Elaine May says in her speech…), and Vicki didn’t know for sure. She’d heard the story, but didn’t know if it was apocryphal or not. But...it should be. And here's a bonus video. In his presentation speech, Robert Towne quotes a line from Elaine May at the Emmy Awards years ago. He makes it sound as if it was in an acceptance speech, but in fact it's a sketch she did with Nichols, and the thing is much longer than the few lines Towne quotes -- and a whole lot funnier. Here is that full comedy sketch, from the 11th Emmy Awards in 1959. And making it all the more of note -- and oh-so-whimsical, indeed even a bit ironic (again) given the point of the bit -- it is led into by a short, oddly-patriotic speech by the then-Vice President, Richard Nixon.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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