There's a point to this all, bear with me. The other day, I went to see a play, Curve of Departure, at the Northlight Theatre in suburban Skokie, just north of Chicago. I've been to the Northlight before -- it's a very nice facility of a little over 300 seats that's surprisingly part of the local Doubletree Hotel. The four-person play written by Rachel Bonds has gotten very good reviews, and I enjoyed it though found it a bit unfocused. But what got me there was that one of the co-stars, playing the patriarch of the family was Mike Nussbaum. Mike Nussbaum is a hugely popular actor in Chicago, all the more impressive since he came to acting late, changing careers from being partners with his brother-in-law running, of all things, a pest control company). But it worked out awfully well for him, since he's been at it now for well-over 50 years. In fact, Acators Equity lists him as the oldest-working actor on stage. That's because he's 94. And he was spritely and vibrant on stage the other night, giving a fun, lively performance full of texture and enthusiasm. You probably would recognize Mike Nussbaum, because he's done tons of movies and TV shows, with a distinctive Chicago accent. (Though he plays a character from New York City in Curve of Departure and uses a good New York dialect.) His most recognizable roles are most likely Men in Black, where he played the kindly shop owner who "splits apart" to reveal that the tiny alien leader is living inside this human shell. And also he had a major role in Things Change, the terrific movie written and directed by David Mamet, opposite Joe Mantegna and Don Ameche. In fact, he has a long history with Mamet, who got his start in his home of Chicago, and has appeared in numerous Mamet plays in the city, as well as the original Broadway cast of Glengarry Glen Ross. And also many of Mamet's movies. His versatility is extensive, and maybe 10-15 years ago he had the starring role in King Lear at the well-regarded Chicago Shakespeare Festival Theatre. Which brings us to the point here.
It's that Mike Nussbaum got his start acting in summer camp at Camp Ojibwe in Wisconsin, appearing in plays written by one of the counselors -- my dad, Edward Elisberg! My dad didn't stay in the theater, becoming a doctor which was his first love since literally age 10 when he wrote a poem about wanting to become a doctor, but he's always felt great affection for Mike Nussbaum's very long success. And I know that my dad's story is absolutely true and not one of those parent tales that gets embellished over the years. That's because about five years ago Mike Nussbaum was starring in another play at the Northlight Theatre, Better Late, which was written by my friend Larry Gelbart. Because I was going to be in town, Larry got seats for me and my dad, as well as my cousin Susie, and we all went to see it. The play was wonderful, and afterwards we hung around in the lobby waiting for the actors to leave the dressing rooms. (That's where they depart at the Northlight.) When Nussbaum showed up, I went over and introduced myself as a friend of Larry Gelbart, and we had a nice chat about that -- and then I mentioned that I believed he also know my dad, Edward Elisberg and pointed...and immediately his face lit up, he threw his arms out and shouted, "Eddie!!!!" My dad came over, and they had a warm, terrific conversation. (To be clear, this wasn't the first time they'd seen each other in 75 years. They didn't cross paths often, very rarely, in fact, but I do know that they briefly visited at the Shakespeare Theatre when Nussbaum did King Lear. And when he had that Household Pest Control business I mentioned, I assume my dad overlapped with him then because Nussbaum's brother-in-law partner was the father of one of my brother's friends.) After the play the other night, I again waited around in the lobby for Mike Nussbaum to arrive from his dressing room. Again I introduced myself to him and noted that I was the son of Eddie Elisberg. His face once more broke in to a big smile, and he spoke affectionately of my dad. And I was surprised by impressed that he was even aware that my dad had passed away recently. So, clearly he kept up with the "old gang" -- though I suspect there isn't much of the old gang left. I believe Mike Nussbaum has said that this will be the last stage play he appears in. (In fact, the show closed the very next night.) Though I suspect he'll keep acting in films and TV, since there's less of a physical and mental strain -- though he was often prancing around the stage the other night almost like a kid. I have no idea what Mike Nussbaum will, in fact, be up to next, but it was -- and always has been -- a joy to see him.
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I've written in the past about how I don't prefer to read current events books when they're initially published, rather like to read them 10-20 years later. That way, many things that would otherwise mean nothing when you read them on the publication date often marinate over time and take on substantive meaning later on. (For instance, I once read a current events book on Washington, D.C. -- but 30 years after publication. There was a passage about a congressman speaking about the importance of transparency and good government, and why being open with the public is so critical to democracy. It was quite noble. And it would have meant nothing at the time that some then-little-known congressman made the statement. But 30 years after the fact, it leaped out that this "noble" statement was made by Dick Cheney.)
Anyway, I made a rare exception by buying Bob Woodward's book Fear upon publication. It just seemed like an important book to read now. However, I put it aside for five weeks because I thought it would make good reading material for my two-day train trip, and wanted to be sure I didn't finish it before taking off. What a difference even just five weeks makes. Had I read the book when I first received it, the passage in question would have meant nothing. But with only a mere five weeks delay, it leaped out. Beginning on page 110, Woodward talks about Derek Harvey, director for the Middle East on the National Security Council Staff, who has gone to see Jared Kushner. "'What do you think about the president going to Riyadh for our first presidential trip,' Kushner asked." Harvey was pleased to learn from Kushner that the first presidential trip would not be to Canada or Mexico, as was usual, but rather to Saudi Arabia. Woodward continues on the next page -- "Kushner told Harvey he had important and reliable intelligence that the key to Saui Arabia was the deputy crown prince, the charismatic 31-year-old Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS. The son of the Saudi king, MBS was also the defense minister, a key position and launching pad for influence in the Kingdom. MBS had vision, energy. He was charming and spoke of bold, modernizing reform." On the other hand, then-National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster had hesitancies and "clearly disliked the out-of-channel approach but there was not much he could do with it" since Kushner was pushing the matter and had Trump's ear. Among McMaster's significant concerns, there was a problem of causing friction in the royal family. But in a meeting, Kushner held his ground and pushed his case to support "MBS." Not only did he insist it was important to meet with Saudi Arabia and the Crown Prince for the politics, but also for the business deal that could come of it. "'I understand this is very ambitious,' the president's son-in-law said. He stood. 'I understand the concerns. But I think we have a real opportunity here. We have to recognize it. I understand we have to be careful. We need to work this diligently, as if it's going to happen. And if it looks like we cant get there, we'll have plenty of time to shift gears. But this is an opportunity that is there for the seizing.'" Woodward continues. "No one said no. Harvey knew they really couldn't, and he continued to plan as if it was going to happen. He set some thresholds, decided that they would have to have over $100 billion in military contracts agree on beforehand." And now the Trump administration is in this horrific and untenable situation of defending the ever-changing cockamamie stories from Saudi Arabia trying to explain away the Crown Prince's involvement with killing and dismemberment of an American permanent resident, with American children, and who was working as a journalist for an American newspaper. All because of a potential, national business deal and previous personal business connections. Showing once again why nepotism is quite frowned upon when it comes to hiring advisers at the White House, especially high level ones. And most especially when the person has absolutely no experience in international diplomacy. Particularly when they have massive, personal money problems and are looking for friends to help bail them out. And the president has his own business dealings without financial disclosure. No, this $100 billion opportunity was not a good one to seize. And had I read the passage only five weeks ago, it would have zipped past. The Mystery Guest on this episode of What's My Line? is one of the all-time great silent movie comedians, but probably the least-known of the legends, Harold Lloyd. This comes from 1953, and his segment starts at the 18:30 mark if you want to jump to it. There's a particularly funny moment, but one of the panelists ponders a guess, and the whole thing is warm and affectionate. The other day I went to the Chicago History Museum. I'd been there once before, many years earlier when they had a tremendous anniversary tribute to Burr Tillstrom and Kukla, Fran and Ollie, which had broadcast its legendary show out of Chicago. The place seems to have changed quite a bit since then, and for the better, much more expansive than before. One thing I particularly loved was, of all things, their floor. After you entered the main museum and headed towards the back, the floor was designed as a massive map of the Chicago area with highlights of the city's history and landmarks marked all over wherever you walked. Not everything at the museum was consistent in the detail of how it was presented, though among the secondary displays there was a fairly interesting exhibit on Abraham Lincoln. But the standout section was the museum's centerpiece, the Crossroads of America section on...well, the history of Chicago. It's a massive, well-woven area with the history overlapping in a wide range of areas -- early Chicago TV, merchandising from the founding days of Sears and Montgomery Wards, sports, theater, blues music, architecture (that dealt with innovators like Frank Lloyd Wright, Burnham & Root who developed the first skyscrapers, Danmark Adler & Louis Sullivan, and more), manufacturing on a large scale like George Pullman inventing the Pullman train sleeping cars and Cyrus McCormick creating the first wheat thrasher, as well as smaller, individual items but with much personal impact like the Kraft company developing its macaroni & cheese, Sunbeam coffee makers, early Zenith radios and more. Also, race relations, social programs such as Jane Addams' Hull House, Margaret Sanger's efforts that lead to the local Abbott Labs development of The Pill, and the scientific efforts of Enrico Fermi and his team researching the first atomic bomb at the University of Chicago. And this being Chicago, needless-to-say politics, with a focus on the 1968 Democratic convention and the ensuing riots and police brutality. Most of the Crossroads of America vast space was wonderfully done. I was disappointed that the sports section covering the Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Amos Alonzo Stagg, the women's baseball league (that started in Chicago by Cubs owner William Wrigley during WW II and was the theme of the movie, A League of Their Own) and more was exceedingly thin and cursory, though at least they touched on all these. But only touched and with few artifacts on display. I also wished there was much more on Tillstrom and Kukla, Fran and Ollie. I'm definitely biased there, but considering that he donated his full archives to the museum they had so much to work with. But happily there was attention paid to it, and to the early days of Garroway at Large (Dave Garroway's show which lead to the creation of the Today show which he hosted), and Stud's Place with Studs Terkel, among others. Too little, for my taste, and almost nothing on radio, especially since Chicago was probably the center of the early days of radio. But I did enjoy what they did present. It will come as no shock that I loved that they had the first Chicago street car -- Car No. 1 -- the only existing one from the era, which you could walk through, along with having a good display on that era and its development. Perhaps the most detailed and therefore interesting sections was on disasters throughout the city's history. The Haymarket Riots, the sinking of the Eastland just barely off the coast in Lake Michigan, (two years before the Titanic, where 848 people died), a 1919 race riot and the previously-mentioned 1968 Democratic Convention riot. There was a deeply-detailed timeline of the city's history alongside a model and map of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Though what leaped out to me at that exhibit was a street sign that should have meaning, as well, to longtime readers of these pages -- Jo Baskin Minow is the mother of the oft-mentioned here Nell Minow, and wife of Newton Minow, FCC chairman under JFK. She's on the board of directors of the museum, and it was a nice honor to see. More on that in a moment. But first we'll get to a wonderful special exhibit they had on blues music in Chicago (separate from the much smaller one they had in the permanent Crossroads display). Not only was it full of rich detail, covering people like B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, but there was also a great of hands-on material. For instance, they had areas with an electric guitar display where you could jam along with piped-in music, a recording studio mixing board to play around with, a room where you could design an album cover and even a room that along with artifacts on the walls had two musicians sitting around playing guitar and blues harmonica. I note this, as well, to bring us full circle to the point I made before. This particular blues exhibit was held in a wing which you got to off of a central balcony -- Yes, there she is again. The Minow Parade continues.
(You can't read it on the plaque off to the side, unless you have incredible eyesight, but our pal Nell even gets mentioned there. Okay, not by name but the description of "three daughters" counts...) By the way, as much as I very much enjoyed the Chicago History Museum, I almost didn't make it very far into the place. It was a case of bad timing (and honestly, bad management). Which brings us to the reason why in a vent. When I arrived, there were three or four school groups visiting, mostly with little kids, and it was like being at Wrigley Field during a Cubs game. And I'm not exaggerating much. After all, keep in mind that sound reverberates off the marble walls and stone floors, especially in a closed environment. It was sort of hellish. Just as an example, I had to return a phone call, and it was so incredibly loud that I wasn't able to do it, I simply couldn't hear. I needed to wander around to find a corner nook where it was at least somewhat quiet enough so that I could hear marginally reasonably. (Again, remember that this wasn't at Wrigley Field, but inside a museum.) I understand and even love the enthusiasm of kids discovering things at a museum, but this seemed to transcend that and was separate on a different level. It was your basic yelling and often just running around, not from excitement at the exhibits. And not occasional bursts with pockets of quiet, but non-stop screaming for about an hour. That's great for a playground and at a school assembly and even a field trip to an outdoor venue -- but not in a museum. While I was surprised that there was no effort by teachers to control their students, I was almost more surprised that there was no effort by museum staff to do so. After all, they know there are a lot of other patrons there visiting, trying to read the displays and focus on the material. And I know the museum staff was bothered by the noise themselves, since they commented wearily on it later. So, it wasn't a case of just me thinking something was out of order. I have no idea if this was a daily occurrence, or just a rare event -- but I do know it was bad enough that I almost left. But I figured the groups would leave soon enough, and most of them did within the hour. When there was one school left, they were a bit older, and things from that point on for the next 2-1/2 hours were fine. Actually, better than fine -- an extremely nice place. This is a bit different from our usual 'Not My Job' segments of the NPR quiz show, Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! Actually, it's A LOT different.
In honor of the show's 20th anniversary, panelist Faith Salie sits down with the show's host and creator Peter Sagal, along with announcer Bill Kurtis (a former very popular news anchor for the CBS TV outlet in Chicago), and several of her fellow panelists, as well as even a few handful of producers to give a behind-the-scenes look of the show. They're calling it Wait Wait: Naked and Ashamed. The second guest on the "series" is longtime panelist Paula Poundstone, who I'm a huge fan of. It was deeply unfortunate (for any number of reasons) when her life hit a brick wall, and I was so happy she got her life turned around and then her career back on track. As I wrote here a long-while back, one of the funniest comedy acts I've seen live wasn't even exactly a comedy act per se -- it was at the Consumer Electronics Show a few years ago when Paula Poundstone had been hired by some vendor to bring some attention to their booth (as happens on occasion at the show). I was walking by, and there she was with a microphone, just talking to people on the show floor, and it was hilarious. Total strangers, nothing prepared, all ad lib, just chatting with people, and it was as drop-dead funny as one could imagine. Though I was rushing through, I stopped for about 15 minutes to watch and revel in it. I wanted to stay longer, but I had a schedule to keep and was already far behind. From the archives. This week's contestant is Richard Baum from Houston, Texas. On the positive side, I was able to get the composer style. On the other side of the coin, I had trouble with the hidden song, and I think most people will. However, I'm almost ready to give myself a win on it, or at the very least bonus points. I guessed the composer of the hidden song, and even had a strong feeling of what it's from (and was right) -- and though I couldn't think of the song's proper name, my thought was, "It sort of sounds like that song whose title is something like..." And that's what it was.
It's not a totally unknown song -- and the composer is renowned, and so is the encompassing work. But this isn't one of the better-known tunes. |
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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