Mark Evanier's Blog, page 51

The Longest Day

…or at least it was one of the longest days I've had in a long time. On very little sleep — because of an urgent deadline — I went out to Santa Monica and hosted the Mike Schlesinger Celebration. Hundreds gathered to salute our late friend…and I was told it went well but I was in no condition to make that assessment. All I know is that people laughed and people cried and you would have been real impressed by the turnout of actors, directors, producers (etc.) at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Here's what was on the marquee when we arrived…

The celebration included a screening of Mike's favorite movie, which happens to also be mine, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I don't know how many times I've seen it now but it always makes me laugh and I always notice something I'd never noticed in it before. Then some of us Friends of Mike had a lovely dinner, my friend/assistant Jane drove me home and in changing out of my emcee clothes, I fell fast asleep for a few hours. I would have stayed that way all night but I had to get up and spend 2+ hours on the phone with the editor of a new book I have coming out later this year.

It's about one of the greatest creators in comics and no, it isn't my still-in-the-works mega-bio of Jack Kirby. It's about another great creator of comics and I should be able to tell you all about it tomorrow or the next day. I'll also tell you more about the Schlesinger Celebration. And now that I've finished 2+ hours of minor copy-edits, I'm posting this and diving back into dreamland. Nighty-night.

From the E-Mailbag…

Mel Narunsky writes, referencing a line in this post…

Being an American, you unknowingly came up with a marvelous pun: Sheldon had first spotted Dick in the 1959 Broadway revue The Girls Against the Boys…" Spotted Dick is a traditional British steamed pudding, historically made with suet and dried fruit (usually currants or raisins) and often served with custard.

Best wishes and hope that your foot heals soon.

Actually, it was my buddy Vince Waldron who wrote that sentence but I should have noticed it. I sampled the real, non-canned and non-microwaveable kind of Spotted Dick at a party once and wasn't inclined to eat more than that sample. I got the feeling it was more fun to mention in a double-entendre context than it was to eat.

My foot continues to heal, thank you…a little behind the surgeon's predictions but things are still going in the right direction. My problems now are mostly matters of balance when I walk and quick fatigue in my left leg when I'm walking or standing. Another few months of physical therapy and I should be able to do all the steps in the curtain call for Boop! That is, as long as I'm on strings like the dog marionette.

Today's Video Link

I'm hearing nothing but good things about Boop!, the new musical on Broadway based on the old Max Fleischer cartoons. I expect to get back to New York before the year is out and it looks like it'll still be there. This footage of the curtain call at its first New York preview sure looks like the curtain call of a hit show…

FACT CHECK: Warren Buffett

I would love to see the American economy rebound and do better and better…but I'm not going to believe that's happening until Trump has some real quotes to share from respected economists and industry leaders who aren't inclined to smooch his buttocks. As the Associated Press points out, claims that liberal skillionaire Warren Buffett has praised the current financial strategies are bogus.

Today's Video Link

We haven't had any barbershop quartet on this blog for some time so here's The Bank of Harmony with a medley of three Hanna-Barbera theme songs…

From the E-Mailbag…

Back here, I wrote that I do not believe that it was ever a close contest between Dick Van Dyke and Johnny Carson as to which of them would star in what was eventually called The Dick Van Dyke Show. This prompted a note from my pal Vince Waldron, author of a great book on that series…

I enjoyed your post about the mistaken impression in some circles that Johnny Carson had ever been a serious contender for the role of Rob Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which — as you correctly surmised — he most certainly was not. When I asked Carl about his search to find a leading man for the show, he noted that Johnny Carson's name was briefly floated in one very early conversation. "But," Carl was quick to add, "that was just a passing idea."

In fact, Carl's producing partner on the project, Sheldon Leonard, had pretty much made his mind up to offer the role to Dick Van Dyke from the minute he read Carl's first script. Sheldon had first spotted Dick in the 1959 Broadway revue The Girls Against the Boys, where the lanky comic actor so impressed the producer that Sheldon resolved then and there to find a television project worthy of Dick's considerable talents. When Carl's script about a witty TV comedy writer named Rob Petrie landed on his desk a year or so later, Sheldon knew exactly who he wanted to play the leading role. "There's a guy in New York," Sheldon told Carl. "He's doing Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway. His name is Dick Van Dyke."

And a fine choice it was. One of the many things that went right on that show is that it was so expertly cast. Everyone was so right for their parts and if they weren't when the show first went into production, Mr. Reiner made them right in a hurry. I remember him saying that when they cast Mary Tyler Moore, they never imagined she'd blossom into such a strong comedic performer.

I can't think of too many women on situation comedies then (or even much later) who proved able to handle so much funny dialogue and action; not unless like Lucille Ball or Joan Davis, the show was built around them. Usually, wives in supporting roles didn't so much more than tell their husbands about the problems their kids were having or causing.

By the way: Recently here, I was skeptical that one of the dancers in a Jimmy Durante clip was, as some thought, Mary Tyler Moore. I have been convinced that it was and in the next day or two, I'll run the e-mail from a friend who convinced me.

FACT CHECK: Fentanyl

Trump and his supporters — especially Marjorie Taylor Greene — like to cite "The Fentanyl Crisis" as justification for much of what they're doing or want to do to immigrants. There is a crisis there, though perhaps not as severe as they make it out to be, and a lot of it doesn't have much to do with their actions. U.S. News and World Report has an article up explaining just what this crisis is and how it relates to many recent deeds and proposals by our government. You may be shocked to learn that someone is not telling the truth.

Today's Video Link

Another segment I liked on a recent Daily Show…

WonderCon Report

Jan Wagner of The San Diego Union-Tribune was at WonderCon and seems to have enjoyed everything — especially our Cartoon Voices panel.

FACT CHECK: Those Tariffs

FactCheck.org discusses how misleading Trump's chart about his tariffs was. And the folks at Snopes explain some of the math in those charts.

Trump is citing a number of economists as being optimistic about his tariffs. According to Glenn Kessler, they don't think so much of it. I'm not seeing many people who do like the plan who seem to know what they're talking about.