Yesterday, I posted a bunch of Christmas songs from Kukla, Fran and Ollie, so I figured that it's only fitting that we give that show's brilliant creator Burr Tillstrom his due. This will sit in for today's Holiday Music Fest. I wrote about this piece of remarkable TV history two years ago, and it remains one of my favorites. Back in my initial posting on this site about Kukla, Fran and Ollie, I wrote about how puppeteer Burr Tillstrom won an additional Emmy Award that was not involved with KF&O, but for his work on his own. It was for one of the "hand ballets" that he performed on occasion for the satirical news series, That Was the Week That Was. That Was the Week That Was was a smart, pointed, very sharp British sketch-comedy show which was brought over to the U.S. in the early 1960s. Among other things, it introduced to American audiences one of the original British cast members, David Frost. It's also the show that introduced Tom Lehrer to most Americans. He wrote periodic songs for the series, and then recorded them for his now-classic hit album, That Was the Year That Was. And it also brought Burr Tillstrom into the national spotlight in a way people hadn't seen or expected. His hand ballets were little vignettes that didn't use any puppets at all, but merely Tillstrom's bare hands, using them alone to evoke some story in the news he wanted to get across. It was done with great artistry, often movingly. And one of them so artistic and moving that it won him an Emmy Award. In 1963, two years after the Berlin Wall had been erected, a very brief concession was made. The Wall would open for the Christmas holiday and allow those in the West to travel into East Berlin and visit family and loved ones, needing to return a few days later. This is what Burr Tillstrom did a hand ballet about shortly after. And -- -- I found the video of it. It is one of the favorite videos I've been able to find. I'm thrilled The quality of the video is a little rough, especially at the beginning, but it's fine. And ultimately, as you watch -- one brilliant artist using only his hands -- the quality of the video won't matter one whit. And if anyone ever wonders where the humanity of Kukla, Fran and Ollie came from, to bring such life into puppets, now you'll know. When I posted this last year, I got a perturbed note from a reader who found nothing worthwhile about the video, and took me to task for wasting his time. In the spirit of the season, I will refrain from anything ad hominen. I will just say that I feel completely comfortable in recognizing the legend of this piece, and anything else is an understandable matter of personal taste. Wherever that may lie. I say this knowing that it's not just my opinion on this, but the members of the of the Television Academy who voted Tillstrom the Emmy Award. But to be fair, I guess I should add a disclaimer. If anyone doesn't like old black-and-white video or just looking at hands for three minutes, or politics and history, or quiet, thoughtful, emotional storytelling with the sparsest of action or jokes, centered instead on pure artistry, by all means avoid this. For everyone else, here it is.
0 Comments
We're nearing the end of Rachel Maddow's wonderful seven-part podcast series, "Bag Man," about the resignation of then Vice President Spiro Agnew. Only two more to go.
For those who've missed any of the previous episodes, you can click on the links below. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Episode 6: Disappearing Act A secret murder plot directed by the President? A fear of political assassination by the CIA. Facing the prospect of becoming the first Vice President in American history to resign in disgrace... Spiro T. Agnew tries to set the stage for his own exit from office. With wild claims of death threats that forced him out. Surprise revelations of what Agnew was doing with all of his money. And a suspense-filled final day that leaves the sitting Vice President... a convicted felon. The move has been made. Actually, it was largely finished by about 2 PM. And it would have been earlier, but when my techie friend Bill who came over after everything was in place to help set up my computer system and deal with a couple of the TVs, I figured we should have lunch first.
(His being there relieved a LOT of stress, and he got it all done a whole lot faster and better than if it had all be left to me.) The move basically went well. (For those who missed the tale behind the move, after decades in the same place, you can read it here.) Still lots of things to put away -- which is why I didn't jump on the computer right away -- but most things are in reasonable order since I’ve been putting them away daily each time I’ve brought something over. Above all, the TVs and my computer are all working, and that might be the most important thing… (As it happens, the one piece of equipment that got damaged in the move was a tiny, thumbnail-sized transmitter for my wireless keyboard and mouse. I'd forgotten it was still in a computer USB port, and it got bent. So, after the computer was all set up...the mouse and didn't work. Fortunately, I'd had the good sense to save my old keyboard and mouse as a spare. Plugged them in and all was well -- in fact, that's what I'm using now. I've ordered a new one, and this Old Faithful will go back to spare status. Highly recommended...) The oddest thing is that my office is NOT in my bedroom – that’s something I’ve never had. Ever. First my home bedroom with my bed and desk in the same room, of course, then my college dorm room, then my two-bedroom apartment after college with a friend, and then my one bedroom place ever since. So, now, for the first time, an actual, standalone office. Very weird. Honestly, the bedroom-office was a sort of all-in-one comfort. It was great being able to move between each so seamlessly -- flop on the bed from the desk, and jump to the computer from the bed. And it will be an adjustment separating them. But a nice adjustment to make. (For one thing, I leave my computer and printer on all the time, and it’s going to be nice not having to cover up all the lights!) Other adjustments, too, but I look forward to discovering them. Some will be great, others I’ll miss. Life isn’t perfect, but steps forward are always good… Here's one nice "adjustment." I have had idiot neighbors in the apartment below me for the past 10 years. And among their many faults, they'd go ballistic if I made even the slightest noise after about 10 o'clock -- which means watching television at that oh-so-late hour. (One night, one of the guys pounded on my door and berated me for about an hour. The next day I asked one of my next door neighbors if I was too noisy for her. She said, "What?? You're the quietest neighbor I've ever had. I also asked the neighbor on the other side, and he said "I never hear you.") The point being that for years I either have turned the sound waaaaaay down low and strained to listen to TV after 10 PM, or I bought an earphone jack. And yes, it was as annoying as it sounds. More so. But now... now I can watch TV after 10 in the evening!!! Like the rest of the world. Huzzah! It's 10:30 as I type this. And I have the television on at the very same time. Watching television after 10, what a concept. (I know the place has good sound-proofing because we tested it beforehand.) Most people get excited about a new place for any number of valid reasons. "Being able to watch TV after 10 at night" is generally not one of them. And not just a separate room for an office, but also a den/guest room on top of it. Yes, I went from a one-bedroom apartment to a three bedroom condo. No, I do not remotely need three bedrooms. But that's what the place came with, and I really liked the place. And better to have one too many bedrooms than one too few. One can always find something for it, even if it's just for storage. Most people initially said, "Oh, you can have a guest room." But I realized that I'm not a Holiday Inn and don't get all that many guests, so a dedicated guest room would be a wasted room rarely used. Instead, I've made it a sort of den/music room, and it can accommodate any guests who do pop up, since I'll get one of those air mattresses that compress to an easy compact size when not needed. I checked first with my interior designer friend Martha, and she said that that's even what she has. So, I'm fine with it. And now we dive back in. Still in mid-move, or more likely at this point at the stage of getting things properly set up. ?Still a chance of popping in later tonight with a live update, but until then -- or in lieu of it -- here are a couple of holiday pieces from my faves Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Or as I prefer to more appropriately refer to them during the season as Kukla, Fran and Holly. This first is Fran Allison singing an original song, "Christmas is a Time," written for their show. It's a sweet song, done lovingly, though the song is not especially memorable. But of all the Kukla, Fran and Ollie Christmas songs available, it's the only one with video. This, on the other hand, is a joyful medley of Christmas songs, sung by all the Kuklapolitans. It's only audio, released as part of a Christmas album, but it's a pleasure to hear all their enthusiasm. Mainly, though, I include it because it ends with their rousing "Deck the Halls" (with boughs of holly, hang the mistletoe for Ollie) -- made all the better for being accompanied by my fave Kuklapolitan, the unintelligble Cecil Bill and his "toi ta toi toi's." (For the record, the "Dolores" referred to, who sings "Silent Night" is Ollie's little niece.) As I said, because it's Moving Day, I would be without Internet access for most of the day. So, rather than not post anything, I set up something ahead of time to auto-schedule. As I was busy packing, I tried to figure out what would be appropriate for a Moving Day, especially after over 30 years here, and was a bit stumped. But then I had an idea. From Fiddler on the Roof, here is the scene and song, "Anatevka"... The other day, I wrote about there being a story behind why I finally got around to opening the big box of material that I'd shipped to Los Angeles after my father's passing two years ago.
This is the story. Call it a holiday miracle of sorts. Something my friends thought would never be done. But it came to pass. After over 30 years of living in my apartment...I am moving. Today. So, as you might imagine, I've been a wee bit preoccupied the past few weeks. (And if this here is filled with typos, sorry. But I'm fairy swamped today and will not be going back to proof-read it.) Mind you, for a move after 30 years, it's not a very big one. I am moving across the street. Literally across the street. Not down the block, or metaphorically "across the street." But across the street. The two addresses are off by 5. It's not just that I'm familiar with the area, but I really like it a great deal. It fits my life wonderfully. I like to walk, and there is SO much within six blocks walking distance in any direction. If you live in a residential area, it might be beautiful, and preferable for some people and their circumstances, but more me -- who works at home -- it's important to be able to get out and expand my world. And so, within those six blocks, there are a post office, a library, two movie theaters, a large part, a grocery store, a Trader Joe's, my auto repair shop, two dozen restaurants, a big park, a police station, fire department, bank, a couple dry cleaners, a Bed Bath and Beyond, and in two months a Target is scheduled to open in a new mini-mall, and they are supposed to be breaking ground down the block for a new Whole Foods. And I'm six blocks from a freeway entrance. And walking distance to a light rail station, so I have easy access to getting around the city. And it's still pretty much a residential neighborhood. So, I was looking in "the area." I just didn't expect to end up across the street. I'd seen a couple condos in that building across the street, and loved them. (It's a fairly new building, about 12 years old.) But their location within the building was lousy. One, for instance, overlooked the alley. Another was right next to the front door. So, for the past 18 months, I've looked elsewhere. But one day about six weeks ago, totally by accidental, I saw that there was an open house in the building -- but it was ending in only half an hour. Of course, being just across the street, it was easy to get to... The negotiation was surprisingly fast -- and odd. Finding the place occurred only two days before I left on my train trip across the country to Chicago. So, the negotiations took place on the train as it headed through the desert at night. When I left, I wasn't even sure if there'd be cell phone accessibility. But it all got settled on the last day of the ride, as we were heading through the Midwest. But because I was on a vacation, I had to occupy a lot of my time with all the red tape and paperwork. And couldn't be there for the inspection -- my realtor and a friend had to do it in my place. Because the condo is across the street, I decided to make the move as stress free as I possibly could. Rather than have to pack everything up, and make sure I was ready by a certain date, I made it easy on myself. First, I didn't have to be out by any exact date, so I just stayed over and paid an extra month's rent. And second, for the past month I've simply carried boxes over for a half-hour or so every day, getting everything put away except for the few Big Items. And the movers are coming by for all that. They really don't even need a moving van. I mean, seriously, what are they going to do? Take a sofa from my apartment, carry it down to the truck, immediately take it out of the truck and carry it across the street? The place is very nice, and far bigger than my current home of the past three decades. Now, I'm in a one bedroom apartment. This is three bedrooms. I don't need that much space, but better to have too much than one room too few. And when I do get around to selling it at some point, I suspect that that's better for it, as well. The one problem is that after 30+ years in a home, you develop muscle memory. I know where everything is in my place now. I could get around with my eyes closed and grab whatever I need. That is no longer the case. My new master bedroom alone has two huge walk-in closets. AND a third closet. But there I shall be, starting today. I say all this for another reason. Because I'm moving and also disconnecting my electronics, I can't swear I'll be back online, let alone in any shape to post anything again later in the day. I'll try to auto-schedule something to post later today, so at least there should be a song to move by of some sort. But with some luck, and the assistance of my tech friend Bill Goldstein, I may be hooked up and able to give an update on it all this evening. I'm not counting on it -- I suspect it will be exhausting -- but at the very least, I should be refreshed and up and about tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some last-minute things to pack... |
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
Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|
© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2024
|