1. I remember watching the great comic actor Arte Johnson (Laugh-In, etc.) narrate and play all of the main characters in a television production of the book of Esther in the Old Testament. I believe I saw this early on a Sunday morning way back in the mid 1970's. I wonder if anyone remembers this. Johnson played Mordecai, Haman, King Xerxes, and even donned a wig to play Esther herself. One-man shows in which different characters are portrayed by one actor used to be all the rage. Recently I saw Valerie Harper play Golda Meir, both of her parents, her boyfriend (later husband) as well as Ben Gurion in a one man (or rather,'one-woman') show on the Jewish Television network.
This takes some kind of talent.
2. The legendary Will Rogers is known for making the statement that he had "never met a stranger." Of course, this is due to the fact that he suffered from severe agoraphobia which resulted in his never being able to leave his house during his entire adult life.
3. The author Robert Fulghum is famous for his book, "Everything I Need to Know, I Learned In Kindergarten." That was easy for him to say, since Mr. Fulghum, it is widely known now, attended an extremely advanced kindergarten in upstate New York where he learned history, government, science, math, law, accounting, visual art and even typing.
4. I don't believe in Nietzsche's doctrine of eternal recurrence where everything that has ever happened has supposedly happened once before and will happen again, ad infinitum. That is, I don't believe it now. I'll probably believe in it next time.
5. The great James Lileks posted an old cartoon on his site in which a Depression-era hobo knocked at a lady's door, asking if he could do any work for her. The lady rudely said that "there wasn't nothing" he could do for her (sic). Undeterred, the hobo, who was quick on his feet, remarked that there was indeed something he could do for the lady. The very polite hobo kindly told the lady, "Oh yes, there is something I can do for you. I can correct your grammar." This was very true, and at the moment the hobo said this comment, there seem to be a multitude of hobos, vagrants, idlers, and 'hangers-on' all gathered to the far horizon as far as the eye can see, who give a hearty 'hurrah' at this well-placed barb.
Old cartoons ain't what they used to be.
6. Speaking of old cartoons, I once saw an issue of "Bunky" who is basically a baby who comments upon the action from his position in a corner of the strip, much like one of the political cartoons of Pat Oliphant. But the main character revolves around an obscenely wealthy idler named 'Gilhooley' who has a beloved dog named 'John Thomas.' In one strip, Gilhooley decides to invite everyone and anyone named 'John Thomas' to his mansion where he will throw a party in his dog's honor. About 40 or 50 people show up and hear Gilhooley belt out "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" while the real John Thomas snores in a corner. The people enjoy this show while ransacking through his mansion, going in his refrigerator, and pulling the butler's cap down on his eyes. 'Bunky' makes the wry observation from his corner caption that Gilhooley is 'tetched in the haid.' "Bunky" usually ran in the 1930's on the Sunday page above "Barney Google."
7. The phrase "every dog has his day" comes from the old tort law concerning dog bites. At the common law, when a dog bit someone, and the owner was sued, the plaintiff could usually not recover if it was proven to be the dog's 'first bite.' The original phrase was thusly: "Every dog deserves one free bite." This phrase gradually evolved into the phrase "every dog has his day."
8. Speaking of catchphrases, the oft used "wow-oh" is directly traceable to the trend as begun in 2002 of everyone dropping their vowels at the least opportunity. The great Icelandic pop singer and performance artist, Bjork (as pictured) was an expert at this type of lingo.
9. You know you grew up in a squalid, tiny tenement slum if you always admired the expansive and spacious manner in which sardines were arranged in their can.
10. Speaking of growing up the hard way, I've got to go to bed since it's late and the work truck comes by my house at 6 o'clock sharp. I missed it this morning and had to spend the day scrubbing the highway with a toothbrush.
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