As you probably know, a bunch of us have put together a "Celebration of Life," that life belonging to our friend, the late Michael Schlesinger. To that end, we are accepting RSVPs at celebrateschlesinger@gmail.com. At that address, we recently received the following e-mail…
Dear celebrateschlesinger,
I am Barrister William Douglas, I contacted you over the claim of deposit made by my deceased client who shares the same last name with you as enshrined in his deposit agreement, I want you to assist me in receiving this amount of US$12.5 million in your designated bank account as beneficiary to my deceased client who died in a ghastly accident with his wife and only child, I have been searching for his close relative's over the years but all my attempts proved futile, Presently the bank has issued urgent notice to me as the deceased Attorney to present a beneficiary with the same last name, or they will go ahead in confiscating his account as unclaimed assets, I will provide all the relevant documents and information relating to the deposit that will enable the bank to release and transfer the funds to you without lapses, I will offer you 50% of the total amount, confidential and 100% risk-free. reply immediately.
Yours Sincerely,
Barrister William Douglas.
Sounds legit to me. I mean, the guy's a barrister, right?
The diligent folks at FactCheck.org have two debunkings for us today! Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to say all sorts of misleading and unsupported things about the measles. And the fact-checkers tear into the claim by Donald Trump that pardons signed by Joe Biden are invalid if they were signed via autopen. This is the same guy named Trump who tried claiming that the president can declassify any classified document without committing that declassification to paper; that all he has to do is think about it.
In both cases, I think you have men who are just saying whatever they think their supporters want to hear, regardless of the reality. Lovely.
I've never liked boxing or even the premise behind boxing — people hitting each other and the one who does a better job hitting wins. But I liked one boxer. George Foreman and I had the same attorney and through him, I met George and he sure didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd hit or harm a flea. He was genial, friendly and even funny.
I can still make myself laugh recalling one time he was on with Johnny Carson because George was about to get into the ring for the first time in quite a while. They were talking about the guy George was about to battle and Johnny asked, "Is he a good fighter?" George replied…
No, I think I'll let you hear him say it himself. It's near the end of this conversation. Watch the whole thing. It's only six minutes…
That was what George was like when I was around him. And the fact that I was around him a few times led to him asking to do a voice in an episode of Garfield and Friends. We had him in — he played a boxer who couldn't stop eating — and he was real good, though a couple of people saw his name in the credits and didn't believe it.
But it was him and he was a joy to work with, a joy to be around…and full disclosure: It was the only time in my career as a Voice Director for cartoons that I took a bribe from someone I'd hired. He sent me a grill. Autographed.
WonderCon Anaheim convenes one week from today at the Animation Convention Center, located just a few blocks from Disneyland — which is the same distance as the line to get into the Indiana Jones ride. Badges are still available and you can find out how to get one or more here. But the best reason to go is to attend one or more of these breathtaking presentations…
WRITING FOR ANIMATION
Friday, March 28 from 3:30PM to 4:30PM in Room 213AB
Did you ever want to write cartoons? Or just want to know how it's done? Well, here's a panel for you! Some folks who've written some of your favorite shows will fill you in on what they do, how they do it, and how they got to do it -— plus they'll answer your questions about the art of creating scripts for animation. Brynne Chandler (Disney's Gargoyles), Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series), and John Semper (Spider-Man: The Animated Series) are hosted by moderator Mark Evanier (The Garfield Show).
HANNA-BARBERA HISTORY
Friday, March 28 from 4:30PM to 5:30PM in Room 213AB
Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera were the kings of TV animation for decades, especially on Saturday mornings. Their studio produced countless childhood favorites, including The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear, Space Ghost, Top Cat, Quick Draw McGraw, Jonny Quest, The Smurfs, Superfriends, and dozens of others. Come hear all about what went on in the hallowed halls of Hanna-Barbera from writers Mark Evanier and John Semper (who worked at that studio) and animation historians Jerry Beck and Greg Ehrbar.
TALES FROM MY SPINNER RACK (LIVE!)
Saturday, March 29 from 3:00PM to 4:00PM in Room 209
With the new Fantastic Four: First Steps movie coming out in just a few short months, Gary Sassaman (former director of programming and publications, Comic-Con and WonderCon) takes a nostalgic look back at “The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!” in this graphics-filled presentation featuring the “first steps” of the Fantastic Four comic book series by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Joining Sassaman to discuss growing up with the F.F. and Kirby's boundless creativity is WonderCon special guest Mark Evanier (Kirby: King of Comics, Groo the Wanderer), friend and former assistant of the artist.
CARTOON VOICES
Saturday, March 29 from 4:00PM to 5:00PM in Room 207
It wouldn t be WonderCon without one of Mark Evanier's famous panels of folks who supply the voices for your favorite cartoon characters and TV shows. This time, Mark has assembled Kimberly Woods (Archer, X-Men '97), Wally Wingert (Invader Zim, The Garfield Show), Candi Milo (Looney Tunes, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends), Daniel Ross (Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures) and a surprise or two!
STAN AND JACK
Saturday, March 29 from 5:00PM to 6:00PM in Room 210 Daniel Fingeroth is the author of A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee. Mark Evanier is the author of Kirby, King of Comics. So the authors of the most-read books about Stan Lee and Jack Kirby will discuss both men and what they meant to the comic book industry, the Marvel Age of Comics, and the childhoods of an awful lot of people.
TWO MARKS ANSWER QUESTIONS
Sunday, March 30 from 11:00am to 12:00PM in Room 207
If there's anything (a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g) you 've ever wanted to know about comic books, the characters, the people who created them, the business…anything, this is the panel for you! If writers Mark Waid and Mark Evanier don't know it, no one does. Come armed with questions!
JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE
Sunday, March 30 from 12:00PM to 1:00PM in Room 207
At every WonderCon, we make time to remember the man they call The King of Comics, Jack Kirby. Former Kirby assistant Mark Evanier heads up a dais of folks who knew the man or at least his amazing career. This time out, Mark is joined by two members of Jack's family — Tracy Kirby and Jeremy Kirby — as well as John Morrow (publisher of The Jack Kirby Collector), Rand Hoppe (founding trustee/director of the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center), Kirby family friend Dave Schwartz, and attorney Henry W. Holmes (better known as the Kirby-drawn character Destroyer Lawyer).
As always, everything — panels, the rooms they're in, the times they occur, the people who are on them — is subject to change. Usually, they don't but sometimes, they do so don't be shocked. The entire programming schedule can be found here just in case you're one of those odd people who might go to panels that don't have me on them.
So Trump is claiming that Canadians would be happier if their country became one of the United States because they'd pay less in taxes. As Glenn Kessler points out, that's not really true, what a surprise.
And among the many other reasons this ain't gonna happen is that Canada is unlikely to become our 51st state is that Canadians are not likely to want to swap their universal health care for what the U.S. offers. Ours was much worse than theirs even before Trump and his minions began dismantling it.
Here's a musical I've never seen on a stage: George M, the story of George M. Cohan, told (reportedly) a bit more accurately than the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy and featuring songs written by the man himself. It opened in New York in April of 1968 to mixed reviews, ran almost exactly one year (433 performances) and won a Tony nomination for its star, Joel Grey.
In 1970, it was adapted for a star-filled television special with Grey repeating the title role and Bernadette Peters (who played Cohan's sister on Broadway) with Nanette Fabray, Jack Cassidy, Blythe Danner, Lewis J. Stadlen, Anita Gillette, Jesse White and Red Buttons. This version, unlike what played at the Palace Theater in New York, opens with those actors playing themselves preparing to do a run-through of the play. At least, I don't think the Broadway version was framed that way. This is that TV version and you may enjoy it, especially if you like seeing Jack Cassidy steal every scene he's in…
We could make this a daily feature here: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying something really stupid, claiming it's backed-up by numerous studies and then being unable to name any of those studies…or at least, any studies that sound authoritative. This time, he's extolling the benefits of catching the measles. Any day now, he'll be telling us that "some doctors" say that getting run over by a truck can be beneficial to your well-being.
I erred horribly in this post when I said the potato crisp known as Munchos didn't last long. They not only lasted a long time but they're still made. Many of you wrote to tell me, as one of you put it, "They may not be available where you live but they're available where I live." So I checked the websites of some local (to me) markets and found out that they are available in a few stores — including some at which I've shopped — in Los Angeles. I just somehow never noticed them.
Compounding my error about their continued existence, I also guessed wrong about what was in them. I ventured they were — and I quote myself — "reconstituted dehydrated potatoes mixed with corn starch, monosodium glutamate and maltodextrin." Perhaps they were when they were first introduced but here is the current ingredient list for at least one flavor of Munchos…
All of this made me curious about what Munchos are like. I was thinking of whipping up a batch of them in my kitchen but I seem to be low on Ferrous Sulfate and completely out of Thiamin Mononitrate. Given this lack of ingredients, I decided it might be easier to just order a bag of Munchos from one of the markets that bring me my groceries.
So I will soon try them and report back to you. I hope I don't like Munchos because I wouldn't want to eat something like that on a regular basis. If they're good, I could easily see myself acting like the Cookie Monster prototype in those commercials.
In 1969, Jim Henson produced several commercials for a new potato crisp called Munchos. Munchos didn't last long, but a furry creature in those ads named "Arnold" soon got a different voice, found a great street to live on and discovered cookies were much tastier than reconstituted dehydrated potatoes mixed with corn starch, monosodium glutamate and maltodextrin…
One of those folks who wants to remain nameless — because, I always assume, they'd be ashamed to have the world know they read this blog — wrote right after I posted that episode of I've Got a Secret with Kirk Alyn, the man who played Superman in the movie serials. Here's what Jerry Walker wanted to know…
Looking at Kirk Alyn's IMDB page, I see that he worked a lot in Hollywood for a while and then he had long periods when he couldn't possibly have been supporting himself as an actor. Why do you think that was? How do you think he felt about it?
I don't think very many people who decide to become actors — and really it applies to any profession you choose to pursue — are happy not to be working in their chosen profession. How they cope with this is complex and can vary a lot from person to person. There are those who are proud they had what they had. There are those who are angry or sad that they didn't have more of it. There are those who can be both in a single sentence.
But before I get into that, I should say that an actor's IMDB page might not tell you everything about how often they worked or their financial health. First, IMDB has listings that are wrong or incomplete. Secondly, there are actors have lucrative and satisfying careers acting for the stage or in commercials or who make the slight adjustment into teaching and other acting-adjacent professions not charted by IMDB. I can't find my copy of Kirk Alyn's autobiography but I seem to recall him talking about some stage work he'd done. It may not have been as bleak as you presume.
Kirk Alyn starring in the Blackhawk serial
Also, a person is allowed to have more than one chosen profession. I know people who act but also paint or write or dance or perform music or find satisfaction and grocery money doing other things. Every time I see a big musical dance number on a sixties variety show done in Los Angeles, I'm reminded of a gent I met shortly after I bought my house. He was an expert finish carpenter and he did magnificent work. It was his other profession along with dancing and he ticked off a long list of shows he'd been on, including every episode of The Red Skelton Show for two seasons.
He did not think of himself as a dancer who, at the moment he was here seamlessly patching a big crack in my front door, was outta work. As far as he was concerned, he was a dancer/finish carpenter who was happy doing either and was doing one way more often than the other just then.
It's all kinda how you look at it. I believe that one of the secrets to sanity in show business — or any field where there are short term jobs and you can go months without one — is to accept the capriciousness of the profession you've chosen. And it helps if you can learn to be amused by it…or fascinated by how on Monday, you have absolutely no prospects of work and then on Tuesday, someone calls and you're on a series. It can work that way even when that Monday and that Tuesday are years apart. I've probably said this before — and come to think of it, I have a graphic I made that I can re-use here. It's the catch phrase from the old Super Chicken cartoons…
But getting back to Jerry Walker's question: It's hard to say why Kirk Alyn didn't star in more movies after a certain time period. It may be as simple as a certain casting director or producer really liking him and casting him a number of times…and then that casting director or producer has suddenly discovered a different leading man type.
Or maybe that casting director or producer just wasn't casting anything anymore. A lot of hiring is done on whims or hunches. It's about as inexact a science as you can find. I suspect that at the time Mr. Alyn was in the most demand, there were a thousand guys in this town who could have played the same roles. And some of them were wondering why that Kirk Alyn guy got jobs that they could have done.
It's just the way the business works and always will. Maybe ten dozen times in my life — and probably more — someone who had the power to hire me for a real good job told me they were going to and it looked pretty definite. And then it went to someone else…or it went to no one else because the project was canceled. I've learned to shrug and say "That's show biz." A prominent voice actor friend once told me that every time he gets a job, he reminds himself, "It didn't have to be you!"
So I don't know why Kirk Alyn didn't act more but it's quite possible (even probable) that there was no reason just as there's no fixable reason why I didn't win the Powerball Lottery two nights ago. True, I didn't buy a ticket but I don't believe that would have made much of a difference.
By the way: The above quoted question did not come from someone named Jerry Walker. I made that name up. It was actually from someone named Enrique Gardenhose.
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.
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…
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.
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…
