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In a rare event, one that could happen only once in every millenium, two insignificant celestial objects colided. That happens often, but this time, it kindled a massive celestial event that shaped the world as we know it.

A young vaudeville wannabe named Joey was going nowhere with his act — a pantomime accompanied by records. He was able to get jobs on the theater circuit in the days before motion pictures put the live stage out of business, but it was a meager living.

Another show-biz climber named Dino had trouble holding a job — the bandleaders said he was too derivative and he needed to get a nose job if he wanted to be serious.

They met while both were on the bill at one of the minor mob-owned clubs in Atlantic City in 1945. The owner wasn’t happy with either one and threatened to fire them if the late show that evening didn’t get better attendance.

Joey went to Dean and proposed that they disrupt the program — they had nothing to lose. So when Dino went out to sing, Joey acted like one of the club’s waiters and caused a commotion by dropping plates and breaking glasses. Dino acted angry and told him to get out and quit disturbing the audience. Joey heckled the singer, the singer heckled back — and the audience loved it.

The pair repeated the orchestrated fiasco three times a night at the club, and word got out that this was the place to go. There were long lines of people waiting to get in. The pair got offers to play other places for more money.

Dino got his nose job. Joey Levitch changed his name to Jerry Lewis — and the rest is history.

For ten years, Martin and Lewis were the top act in show biz. They made movies, they made records, they played sold out performances, they made money — hoo boy did they make a lot of money!

And then, for whatever reasons, they parted — and not on the best of terms.

Then, the world waited to see if either of them could make it alone. Was the singer good enough to compete without the comic?

And the surprise ending to the story is — the comic actually had a gold record before the singer did. The comic’s next movies — basically the same formula with different actors — were successful and the singer’s next movies were flops.

The surprise success of the comic’s singing career depended upon the fragile superstar Judy Garland. Garland had to cancel a performance in Las Vegas (reportedly because of strep throat), and her husband/manager Sid Luft asked Jerry to fill in. Legend has it that 30 year old Jerry — who hadn’t sung alone onstage since he was 5 years old — didn’t know what he could do at the last minute, so he asked what songs Judy was going to sing that night. One was the standard “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby” made famous by Al Jolson — who was Jerry’s idol. They orchestra had the arrangement and was well rehearsed, so Jerry said he’d do that song (he also did “Come Rain Or Come Shine” – a Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen hit).

Jerry hit the stage, and schmaltzed it up — did his impersonation of Jolie — and the crowd went wild. He told jokes of course, but the musical performance was such a hit that he got an offer to put it out as a record — and that is what launched his solo career.

Meanwhile, Dino was getting buried by the critics for the flop of his first post-Jerry movie, “10,000 Bedrooms” and worse — the movie lost over a million dollars (steep in those days).

But neither success nor failure can erase the historical significance of Martin and Lewis — alone or together.

Jerry’s main contribution to the world was his tireless devotion the the Muscular Dystrophy campaign — which brings us to the reason for this essay:

Another Labor Day without Jerry Lewis is so sad for those of us who grew up catching snatches of his marathon telethon. Fortunately highlights survive and can be easily accessed online. The schmaltz of Jerry Lewis survives — as do his movies and recordings.

Frank Sinatra surprises Jerry by bringing Dino onstage at the telethon 20 years after they split.

For that, we are thankful. And for Labor Day — so sorry, you have to get along without Jer.

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Here in Southern California, we celebrated Independence Day 2019 with a moderately successful earthquake. The quake’s publicist claimed it was 6.5 Richter — but you know how agents always exxxagggerate.

Of course, all quakes try to live up to THE BIG ONE — the San Francisco earthquake of ….

But I’m getting ahead of myself. This story is really about a man I — well, maybe not admire or want to emulate, but a fellow who fascinates me. I’m referring to John Sidney Blyth, who achieved fame under the name John Barrymore.

Those who have a good education will know him as the most celebrated actor of early 20th century stage and later movies.

The culturally inept should be told that he was Drew’s grandfather.

Barrymore was not only a celebrated actor, but a world class drinker. His drinking was so bad …. (How bad was it?)

Well, that is the whole point of this story.

When Barrymore was a relatively young man and relatively new (but gaining a reputation) as an actor, he was already testing his limits with alcohol. This was right after the turn of the century — certainly before Prohibition — so the booze flowed easily and steadily.

While acting in plays, Barrymore would go out afterward and drink the night away, often collapsing unconcious to sleep it off.

John Barrymore at his best

One such night, the young actor left the theater, made the rounds of his favorite establishments, and then retired to his hotel room to collapse — as usual — still fully dressed in a tuxedo shirt and pants with his jacket and tie askew.

When he awoke, the world was a different place. Still groggy from the night’s grog, he stumbled from the hotel to find the town in shambles.

San Francisco had been leveled by a massive earthquake.

History, through her spokesperson Wikipedia, tells us that the quake struck at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906 with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9. At the risk of losing my audience by introducing mathematics, the Richter scale is logarithmic. That means that a 2.0 quake is ten times as strong as a 1.0. And a 3.0 is ten times stronger than a 2.0, which means it is 100 times the intensity of 1.0. When we get to 4.0, it is 1000 times as disruptive, and … well just carry on this train of thought until you get to 8.0 and you’ll see how devestating the San Francisco earthquake was.

And young Barrymore slept right through it.

Not only were buildings toppled and streets buckled, but fires broke out all over the city and raged for days. Around 3,000 people died and more than 80% of the city was destroyed.

Into this mess stumbles drunk and hung-over John Barrymore. Try to put yourself in his place. Better yet — don’t put yourself there.

He wrote a letter to his father complaining about being caught in such a disaster, but since he was not harmed, he was given a shovel and told to help dig out — help find trapped people, and clear roadways. My goodness! He was a Artiste! An Actor! How dare they make him perform menial labor.

Years afterward, Barrymore’s father — also an actor — told acquaintances some good came out of the disaster.

“It took an act of God to get John Barrymore out of bed and the US Army to make him work!”

Barrymore’s life was tumultuous — and that is a fun word to use in a sentence. Alcohol ruled him from the age of 14 until he died at age 60. His work deteriorated along with his memory and his looks. He went from being the most idolized actor of his day — and some claim that he was the best Hamlet ever — to playing drunks and has-beens on the silver screen.

Fortunately, our current earthquake did little damage, but I can’t help but think that everytime California has an trembler, John Barrymore is in heaven exclaiming, “My GOD! I’m trying to sleep!”

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Joseph Bologna passed away last week. Funny name, huh? Never heard of him?

Maybe he wasn’t a huge movie star, but his achievements were quality, if not quantity.

People behind the scenes aren’t as celebrated as those who appear on the screen. Joe did both. Besides acting in many movies he wrote and directed some pretty popular works. In many of these, his wife (Renee Taylor) was his creative partner.

Joe Bologna with Renee Taylor

Husband-and-wife team of Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor.

I stopped to think of all the pleasure Joe had given me, mainly from a sentimental favorite of mine, “My Favorite Year.”

This 1982 movie isn’t remembered by many — not like Casablanca or The Wizard of Oz. But it is a gem and meant a lot to me. It’s a great piece of writing and acting, as well as a nostalgia piece and a tribute to one of the greatest shows ever to air on TV in the golden age, and a tribute to several great talents that made that show great and went on to do other great things.

Premiere Magazine (a big glossy magazine I call “The Rolling Stone Of Movies”) voted this movie as one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time” back in 2006. Of course, I agreed with them.

The movie is a behind-the-scenes story of a comedy variety show based on “Your Show of

Read more on “My Favorite Year” Actor Joe Bologna — RIP…

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The Academy Awards show will be the talk of the world tomorrow. Unlike most programs on television (even awards programs) the Oscar ceremony is not presented for the people watching it on TV but the live audience in the room — the movie business insiders.

And as in all awards shows (and many other facets of life) I am against competition. We have turned everything in our lives into a contest with winners and losers, and a decision on who is the best.

But — does the Oscar itself matter?

Do you think the Oscar award goes to the best movie or actress or director? Well then you probably believe in the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny. The Academy awards are presented

Walt Disney presents Shirley Temple's Honorary Oscar

Read more on Oscars: Who Will Win? Who Is Best? Bah! Humbug!…

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I carried a daily newspaper delivery route from about 2nd grade through 6th and had to quit when I started going out for after-school sports in 7th grade.  I walked — didn’t ride a bike or have a car (of course).

The trip from the newspaper office where I picked up my papers to the first house for delivery took me through the business district, and almost every day I stopped and bought a comic book to read while I walked the route.  It was 10cents for the comics until those $#%& raised it to 12cents!

Vintage Marvel Comics Dr. Strange comic book cover

Vintage Marvel Comics Dr. Strange

My main fodder was DC comics (Superman and Batman, League of Superheroes and various spin-offs). I really wasn’t into Marvel, except I like Spiderman.  But the art was not as good as DC.  I thought Steve Ditko art was “blocky.”

I eventually lost contact with those comics — although I never outgrew my love for comic art (I never really had the talent to draw, although loved to doodle and cartoon).

I left Superman behind while Clark Kent was still a newspaper reporter, before he married Lois and back when Batman still had Robin … and all the other crazy alternate Earth stories with various lives and deaths and resurrections.  I don’t know what the heck is going on in the DC universe and Marvel universe today.

However, comic books are a minor form of entertainment now.  It’s all about the movies.  Especially when they make a billion dollars apiece!

They go through all the super heroes trying to find the ones the public will embrace so they can make a franchise with ever-more popular and lucrative sequels and spin-offs.

Or they just make the same darn movie over and over again.  (How many times can Peter Parker get bitten? How many times must young Bruce Wayne see his parents murdered?)

Now they are reaching down into the well to draw up a fresh bucket of superhero to quench the fires of rabid fan demand.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that the newest is Marvel’s Doctor Strange.

Benedict Cumberbatch (with an American accent) in the title role leading a British cast, as a neurosurgeon whose hands are destroyed in an accident, so he trains with a Far Eastern mystic guru (Tilda Swinton) to learn secrets of bending time and space and whatever else he wants to bend.

Marvel's Newest Superhero Movie Features Dr. Strange

Marvel’s Newest Superhero Movie Features Dr. Strange

As movies go, audiences generally want an action movie, rather than a thinking movie.  They generally want flying and bullets-bouncing off the chest and X-ray vision and a colorful costume. Instead, Marvel is offering Eastern mysticism and an opera tuxedo.

Will it work?

The HR review complimented the casting, but the intended audience might not know Cumberbatch or Swinton — much less Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The review also compliments the witty script — but these types of movies are more noted for lines like — “Over there!  Look!” and “Hulk Smash!”

But as the review says, “they unquestionably class up the joint.”

Of note — the villain is Mads Mikkelsen who was also a James Bond villain and TV’s Hannibal Lecter.  Typecast?  I imagine Mikkelsen is cackling all the way to the bank.

Supporting cast members Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg and Benjamin Bratt are all well-known (at least their faces are) and sturdy actors that should put in a reliable performance.

I’m looking forward to the movies.  I’m not a snob about intellectual content, but I enjoy a good mental treat as well as some good ole “Hulk Smash!”

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Dory Previn died on Valentine’s day.  She was 86.

Known mostly for her work on songs for the movies, she also had some success in the pop field with records released in the 70s.  She and her first husband, André Previn, were nominated several times for an Academy Award but never won.

Her six records were recorded after her divorce from Previn, her most successful being a live album.

Dory Previn

Dory Previn

Her songs were intelligent and insightful and most dealt with her personal life, which was a fertile field.  Her abusive father was gassed in WWI and suffered severe mood swings which resulted in violent behavior.  He deteriorated to the point where he boarded his family up in their home and held them at gunpoint for several months.

She broke into show business as Read more on Dory Previn — 1925 to 2012…

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We Create Music

ASCAP features British composer Paul Leonard-Morgan — fresh off of his score for the hit movie Limitless, and he tells about the experience of scoring a major Hollywood movie.

He has scored various movies and TV series in the U.K. and worked with popular music bands, but nothing will blow your mind like a major motion picture.

Click here for unlimited access to Paul Leonard-Morgan’s website.

WADE

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