Mark Evanier's Blog, page 57

FACT CHECK: Job Numbers

Trump has been talking a lot about job numbers lately…which means he's been lying and cherry-picking and distorting reality. The folks at FactCheck.org set things straight.

Today's Video Link

This is a half-hour episode of the 1972 version of I've Got a Secret. I've embedded it but configured things so if you click to watch it, it starts late in the program just as they're bringing out the last contestant. That contestant is Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in movie serials beginning in 1948. Mr. Alyn, as I think I've mentioned on this site, was a frequent guest at comic book conventions in Southern California, way back when very few celebrities by any definition did that. Always dressed immaculately in suit and tie, he'd gladly talk with anyone, especially if they bought an autographed photo or a copy of his self-published autobiography. He was also Blackhawk in a 1952 serial.

By '72, his acting career was pretty much over, though he did get a brief cameo in the 1978 Superman movie with Christopher Reeve. He was a pleasant gentleman, very gracious and very appreciative of your attention. I thought some of you might enjoy seeing him on this show. If you want to watch the whole episode, move the slider all the way to the left and it will start from the beginning. The celebrity guest was Buddy Hackett…

FACT CHECK: The Voice of America

For some 83 years, the Voice of America radio broadcasts have spread the message of democracy to some 360 million people around the world. The White House is now accusing them of spreading "radical propaganda" — and their definition seems to be anything that isn't wildly pro-Trump. Glenn Kessler, the ace fact-finder of The Washington Post, explains how ridiculous the allegation is.

Good Blogkeeping

I accidentally posted the wrong draft of the preceding post. I have corrected it and now the right draft of it is there.

Today's Video Link

The TV career of the great Sid Caesar confuses some people so let's run through it. These are the American TV series which starred Mr. Caesar…

Admiral Broadway Revue (1949) – Imogene Coca and Sid – Writers were Mel Tolkin, Mel Brooks and Lucille Kallen.Your Show of Shows (1950-1954) – Imogene and Sid joined by Carl Reiner and Howard Morris – Writers included Tolkin, Brooks, and Kallen, plus Tony Webster, Joe Stein, Selma Diamond, Neil Simon and Danny Simon.Caesar's Hour (1954-1957) – Nanette Fabray replaces Imogene while Carl and Howie remain – Writers included Tolkin, Brooks, Diamond, Stein, Webster, Stewart and the Simon brothers plus Larry Gelbart, Aaron Ruben, Sheldon Keller, Gary Belkin, Phil Sharp and others.Sid Caesar Invites You (1958) – Imogene Coca returns, Carl Reiner remains, Howie Morris does not – Writers included Tolkin, Brooks, Gelbart, Stewart and the Simon Brothers.The Sid Caesar Show (1963-1964) – No Coca, Reiner or Morris. In support were Gisele MacKenzie, Joey Forman and Bea Arthur – Writers included Diamond and Webster along with Mickey Rose, Goodman Ace, Jay Burton and Terry Ryan.

And there were a number of specials before and after that last series.  People keep listing Larry Gelbart and Woody Allen as writers on Your Show of Shows but neither were there. Gelbart's career with Sid started at Caesar's Hour.  Allen's work with him was on specials and there is some disagreement out there as to which ones and when, and some claim he worked on that last series.

But there's another Sid Caesar series that isn't on the above list and the reason it isn't there is that that's a list of shows done in America.  Sid Caesar Invites You was not run in England but after it finished in the U.S., Caesar and Coca went over there and did thirteen half-hours of Sid Caesar Invites You for the B.B.C., recycling scripts done for the American version. American comic actor Cliff Norton joined them over there and reportedly, Carl Reiner turned up in a couple of episodes but he's nowhere to be seen in this one…

FACT CHECK: Biden's Pardons

The current occupant of the White House is claiming that pardons issued by his predecessor are invalid. Politifact explains how ridiculous that is. The current guy will say just about anything that he thinks will thrill his base.

Lenny Schultz, R.I.P.

The unconventional comedian Lenny Schultz has left us at the age of 91. He was one of those guys who would do just about anything for a laugh and you can read all about him in this Hollywood Reporter obituary or this piece that I wrote about him some years ago on this blog. Neither will give you the full sense of how strange and fascinating he was on stage. You really had to be there.

The Bitter End

As you may have heard, some ugly things appear to have happened to Stan Lee in the last few years of his life. Any article about those years is likely to include terms like "elder abuse" and "swindled out of millions." There's currently a crowd-funding drive to raise the funds to complete a documentary about that part of Stan's amazing time on this planet and if you want to contribute, you shouldn't have much trouble finding more info and a place to donate.

I'm not linking to it because I honestly have no idea how accurate it is (or maybe I should say "will be") and also because, having been stiffed now by a number of crowdfunded projects, I'm not linking to any of them unless I really, really know the folks involved. In this case, I don't. And also, there's a great deal of online outrage calling the project "exploitative" and I don't know enough to have an opinion on that.

So take this all as a big "No Comment" on most of the whole situation. The last two times I saw Stan were very different from each other and I have no idea which, if either, was typical of his final years. Probably both were indicative of different times. Neither time did he seem unhappy or indentured but these were brief and in very public settings. I would draw no firm conclusions from them.

Was there sadness in his last years? Of course. Stan was very devoted to — and madly in love with — his wife of almost seventy years, Joan. She took great care of him when she could but her health was failing and she died on July 6, 2017 at the age of either 93 or 95, depending on which source you believe. Stan died sixteen months later at the age of, inarguably, 95. How could that not have been sadness there?

And then there was this: In his last decade (or so) of life, he made vast sums of cash signing his autograph and lending his name to dozens and dozens of business ventures and projects…and he reportedly wound up with very little of that money. How could that not have been sad…to say nothing of criminal? But I don't know precisely who dunnit or exactly what they dun and I'm not sure I need or even want to know. I think Stan did some very good things in his lifetime and some very not-very-good things…but — and maybe this is just me — I can't feel anything but bad about how that lifetime ended.

So this post is in response to the many who have written me to ask what really went on there. I'm sorry I can't give you a firm answer. All I know is that whatever it was, it shouldn't happen to anyone.

Yet Another Thing I Don't Understand…

…is why almost all the packaged salmon sold in this country as "boneless" has a warning on it in teensy type that says "May contain bones."  Yes, I know they put that there to (perhaps) protect themselves from legal action if/when a bone slips by but shouldn't this be advertised as "Mostly boneless?"

Kirby Kulture

Hey, lemme tell you about an upcoming event at the Skirball Cultural Center here in Los Angeles. But first, I'll let this paragraph I cribbed off Wikipedia tell you about the Skirball Cultural Center…

The Skirball Cultural Center, founded in 1996, is a Jewish educational institution in Los Angeles, California. The center, named after philanthropist couple Jack H. Skirball and Audrey Skirball-Kenis, has a museum with regularly changing exhibitions, film events, music and theater performances, comedy, family, literary, and cultural programs.

I've been there a number of times including once to see George Carlin be interviewed, once to see Frank Ferrante play Groucho, once for an exhibit about the roles of Jewish comic book creators in that industry. For the one about Jewish comic book creators, they had me interview the wonderful Jerry Robinson in their theater. The people there really respect comic books and they'll prove it again — and I'll be there again — on May 1 when they open…

Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity — Delve into the six-decade career of legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby (1917–1994). This exhibition goes beyond the page, featuring original comic illustrations, fine art, and commercial art — many on view for the first time — and his experiences as a first-generation Jewish American whose faith remained important throughout his life.

You can learn more about it on this page…and I'm not sure how long it's going to be there but it'll be there for a while. You don't have to rush.