Our pal Neil Gaiman, who didn't graduate from college, speaks to a bunch of people who are about to. Hey, I went to college but didn't graduate. Maybe if I'd never gone at all, I'd write as well as Neil…
Interlude at El Pollo Loco
So yesterday I'm in an El Pollo Loco waiting to order and there's a couple behind me in line. She's a cute teenager who is obviously very sweet on her guy even if he has taken her to El Pollo Loco. He's a tad older than she is and he's wearing the proud garb of someone who works at McDonald's. There's a McDonald's in the same shopping center as this El Pollo Loco. The fellow's name (I learn) is Rob.
I'm just about to order when a man of about forty bursts into the El Pollo Loco. He does not walk in through the door. He bursts. He too is wearing the colors of the Golden Arches but he appears to be a manager there. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demands of Rob.
Rob is startled. "I'm on my break, Mr. Whatever-the-Guy's-Name-Was," he says. He didn't say "Whatever-the-Guy's-Name-Was." He said his name but I don't remember it so I'm calling him Mr. Whatever-the-Guy's-Name-Was. "I'm just getting some lunch with Whatever-the-Girl's-Name-Was."
Mr. W-t-G-N-W shrieks, "At our competitor? In your uniform?" He actually calls it a uniform then he ticks off whatever section of the McDonald's Penal Code has been violated. O.J. Simpson hacked two people to death and I don't think he's ever been dressed down like this.
The McDonald's employee, who may not be that for long, stammers that he forgot about the rule or didn't know about the rule or something. His main defense is that he promised his lady friend that if she came over while he was on his break, they'd grab a fast lunch.
"We have fast lunches at our restaurant," Mr. W-t-G-N-W responds and yes, he actually calls it a restaurant. Then he adds, "…in case you didn't know."
Rob says, "Well, she didn't want to eat at McDonald's." Another patron of El Pollo Loco calls out, "None of us do!" and everyone in the place laughs. The El Pollo Loco manager leans over and tells his opposite number at Mickey D's, "Hey, I don't come over to your place…" The McDonald's manager has said what he had to say so he mutters a smidgen of an apology for the intrusion and gets the hell outta there.
I go ahead and order some chicken and then Rob orders some chicken. And all anyone in the building can think is, "Boy, that manager sure did a fine job of protecting the reputation of McDonald's."
Cut to the Chase
Yair Solan assures me that Charley Chase (seen in the above pic with Our Gang's Spanky McFarland) was born Charles Joseph Parrott and that Charley Chase was a stage name. Several books say otherwise but I'm going to believe Yair because he's the proprietor of the Charley Chase website — a fine place to remember a largely-forgotten comedian. Most of the guys of that era who are forgotten were forgettable at the time but not Charley. I'll see if I can feature one of his films here in the next few days so you can see why I like him so.
Today's Video Link
I am here to rectify the appalling lack of Snub Pollard in your life. Mr. Pollard was a pretty important player in comedy films from about 1913 to 1924, commencing with sidekick roles in Harold Lloyd's earliest films. Snub — and how come no one these days names their kids "Snub?" — was fortunate to have had good co-stars and directors and gag men in a lot of them…but I've never seen any particular comic talent on his part. He always seemed to me like just a guy who was willing to work hard and who'd found a distinctive mustache that made him look interesting. In the silent days, when the director could yell to you during the scene and tell you what to do at every moment, that was often enough.
"What a Whopper!" was made in 1921…and you'll see the titles, which alas are not original, say it was directed by Charles Parrott. That was the alter-ego of Charles Chase, who was also an on-camera performer and a much better one than Mr. Pollard. Since "Charley Chase," as he was billed, is the perfect name for a silent comedian, one might assume the man's real name was Parrott and he made up the "Chase." And one might be right but some film history books will tell you no, even though his brother Paul later worked in the film biz as Paul Parrott, "Chase" was the family name and "Parrott" was an invention. I really don't know which to believe and am losing sleep over this. Snub Pollard's real name, by the way, was Harry Fraser.
Pollard actually had a pretty long career in movies. After his stardom as a comic abated, he ditched the Kaiser Wilhelm mustache and became a journeyman player at whatever studio would have him, sometimes playing very small parts but working pretty steadily until his death in 1962. At the end of the title tune in Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly hands his umbrella to a passer-by. That passer-by was Snub Pollard…and Snub was also visible as a courtroom extra in Inherit the Wind with Spencer Tracy. He also seems to have been in every crowd scene, often with a line or two, in every TV western show of the fifties. Here he is back when he was the star…
Good Blogkeeping
You can't see most of them but over the last day or two, I've made a batch o' changes on this website, reconfiguring this and that. What you might notice is that for tech-type reasons, I have removed the Category and Tag assignments on each post. They may or may not be back at a later date.
I am slowly but surely importing old posts (from before the first of this year) so that eventually, every blog post I've written since I started in December of 2000 will be on this site. They will not be added here in chronological order but they'll all wind up here…I hope before this year is out. Please keep in mind that the older a post is, the more likely it is that any links you find in it will not work. The ones that link to other parts of this website will eventually all work but not at first.
Also for tech reasons, it is necessary for me to replace some of the photos and other images that adorn some posts. Apart from fixing typos and deleting a few old posts that link to parts of my websites that no longer exist, I'm not changing any of the copy, even when I read over an old message and think, "I couldn't possibly have written something that dumb!"
Recommended Reading
Fred Kaplan on yet another dumb move by the House Armed Services Committee. Just read about it and wince.
Great Photos of Stan Laurel and/or Oliver Hardy
Number two hundred and thirty-seven in a series…
Birther the Blues
John McCain, doing a feeble impression of the old and reasonable John McCain, says that Barack Obama's name will definitely appear on the ballot in Arizona. He's stating the obvious but it's nice to hear him say it.
David Weigel explains about all the "Birther" lawsuits and beliefs. By the way, the McCain campaign lawyer he quotes in there, Trevor Potter, is the gent you've seen occasionally on The Colbert Report advising Stephen Colbert about his Super PAC.
While we're on this subject: Dennis Donohoe wrote me to say…
I also am confused by what the Arizona Secretary of State is doing. However, I beg to differ when you say that people who questioned Bush's victory over Gore in Florida have dropped the matter. Many public figures (Democrats) still complain about and question the results of that election. I also seem to recall you referring to Bush's "alleged" victory over Gore. However, it may have been a joke or my memory may be bad. Just this past weekend we had a barbecue with friends and one of them brought up the Florida issue and still didn't accept that Bush had won and clearly has not dropped the matter.
You're right. There are Democrats who still moan about Bush/Gore but it's not the mainstream. You never saw Democratic leaders fanning the flames to anger their base the way many elected Republicans still do about Obama's citizenship. I also think there's more to complain about there, not about the count itself but about five Supreme Court Justices who many of us think threw the law and logic aside to just install the guy they wanted.
My own feeling for what it's worth is that we do a sloppy job of counting votes in this country. The banking system would collapse if it was as bad at counting your money as the election system is at counting your vote. I don't think people are stuffing ballot boxes. I think the folks opening them are doing a clumsy job at tallying what's in them. That bothers me as does this mindset of "If we won, the election was fair." I didn't see one Republican who said, "I'm glad Bush won but I'm real uncomfortable with how the counting was done…and how it was stopped."
But getting back to what I said: I should have remembered the Internet Rule that I made up long ago, which is that you need to avoid most absolute statements and stick in a "most" or other qualifier. If I write here that "No one in the world believes that John Quincy Adams is alive and running an Arby's on the planet Neptune," I'll eventually hear from someone who'll write, "That's not so. My uncle believes he has proof of that!" I should have just said that Democrats were more accepting of the loss to Bush than Republicans have been of the loss to Obama.
A Bit More on Comic-Con…
I just noticed this interview with David Glanzer, who's one of the main people who makes Comic-Con and WonderCon happen each year. David doesn't even know yet if WonderCon is going back to San Francisco next year but I know he'd like that to happen.
And I hear there are still some hotel rooms for San Diego available on the convention website. If you're going to need one, grab it now.
Also: During the Comic-Con this year, Petco Park next door will be filled with zombies and the walking dead. And this will be different from watching the Padres play the Colorado Rockies…how?
Today's Video Link
The late Robert Goulet had a long, successful career in show business. In the last decade or so, he became the subject of a number of jokes that I suspect flowed from the fact that he did some movies and shows he probably should not have done. Nevertheless, I thought he was a tremendous talent. If a magic genie granted me the power to have any singing voice in the world, it would be a toss-up between Mel Tormé and this guy. And I think he, the band and the back-up singers were all live for this number…and given that it was The Dean Martin Show, probably expected to get it in one take…
Comic-Con's A-Coming!
Hard to believe but it's 54 days until the 2012 Comic-Con International commences. Actually, it's 53 days until Preview Night when the hall is filled with attendees. I don't know why we talk of the con opening on Thursday when it's about as open as it gets on Wednesday evening.
I am in no way an officer or official or representative of the con. I'm just a guest and a guy who does a lot of panels. But I get a lot of questions and I'll try to answer some here…
If the con is sold out, how do I get tickets? It is sold out, true. If you keep your eye on the con website, you may see some more become available. Tickets are non-transferrable so if someone who has some decides they can't use them, they'll usually get a refund from the con itself which will then put them up for sale. You might also talk to exhibitors. Someone who purchases a booth gets a certain number of passes for those it will have staffing their exhibits. They may have more passes than they need.
What if I buy those super-expensive tickets on eBay? You'll probably regret it. Some of them are counterfeit and even the real ones are, like I said, non-transferrable. The con has turned people away who arrived with what they thought were legit tickets.
I have a pass. How do I get a hotel room? Keep looking. As with tickets, more may become available through the convention website. Another thing to do is to spend a bit of time on Google. If I needed a place to stay, I think I'd try that. The convention center is serviced by a very efficient trolley system and the Pacific Surfliner train on the Amtrak line can get you within walking distance (or a cheap taxi ride). I would look at those maps and see what's available along those routes.
Hey, have you heard anything about whether WonderCon is moving back to San Francisco next year and when it is? I've heard it's likely but not certain. For some reason, the Moscone Center in San Francisco won't commit to dates as far in advance as most other convention centers. The convention does want to return to that city by the bay.
Getting back to San Diego, what should I be doing now to prep for that convention? Firm up your travel plans, especially if you're flying. (Note that I've retired my usual joke about how if you need a parking space, leave now. But it's still applicable.)
Do you need any more nominations for the Bill Finger Award? Not for this year, thanks. The committee has made its selections and I'm very pleased with our picks. The names will be announced in the next week or so on the convention site and on this one.
How many panels will you be moderating at this year's Comic-Con? I'm currently at 13 and I expect to add a few more. They will include as usual: Two Cartoon Voice panels, another panel on how to break into that field, Quick Draw!, a panel with Sergio and me, Cover Story, the annual Jack Kirby Tribute and some spotlight interviews of guests. There will probably not be a Golden Age/Silver Age Panel because as I've explained here, there just won't be enough qualified people at the convention to populate such a thing.
If you have more questions about the con — and you probably do — I refer you again to the convention website. It's real good and full of useful info, more of which will appear there in the coming weeks. I highly recommend giving it a good once-over just before you attend. It's especially helpful to study the Programming Guide before you get there and I'll let you know when it's posted…probably 2-3 weeks before the con. Which (gasp!) isn't that far off.
My Tweets from Yesterday
- Today's potatoes are from Clawson Farms in Shelley, ID. Or so five men would like me to believe. 21:52:53
Great Photos of Stan Laurel and/or Oliver Hardy
Number two hundred and thirty-six in a series…
Birth Marks
This is another one of those "I don't get this" matters. The Secretary of State in Arizona, a man named Ken Bennett, is now saying he might not allow the name of Barack Obama on the ballot in the upcoming presidential election; not unless he has some solid proof that Obama was indeed born where he says he was born. I don't get why he's making a public issue of this.
Bennett says he's not a "birther." Well, of course not. He can't afford to be because he's going to have to accept proof.
We all know who the birthers are. They're people who desperately want to believe that Barack Obama was never really President of the United States. They're not like those of us who didn't like George W. Bush. We liked the idea of Bush not getting a second term but we only briefly indulged our fantasy that proof would come out that Gore had gotten more votes in Florida. Once it was apparent that no such proof would be forthcoming — not that Bush had won fairly but that it couldn't be proven he had — we dropped the matter. Birthers are still demanding recounts of the recounts of the recounts.
Birthers never give up. No matter what proof comes out that indicates Obama was born where he says he was born, they just say "It's an obvious forgery" and it emboldens them to demand something else they can claim is fake. They demand Obama play their game while at the same time fixing the rules so he can never prove what they demand he prove.
Mr. Bennett doesn't have that luxury. At some point, his opposite number in Hawaii is going to send him the kind of affirmation that Secretaries of State always accept from each other. He'll be told Hawaii stands behind Obama's birth certificate and what's Bennett going to do then? Challenge the right of Hawaii to verify its own documents? Argue that the Secretary of State there really isn't the Secretary of State there?
So what I don't get is why he went public with his "Obama might not be on the ballot" thing. He may earn some points from the Birthers in his state today but before long, he's going to disappoint them and be condemned as a sell-out who's joined the conspiracy to keep a Kommie Kenyan in the White House. Not one of them is going to say, "Well, I guess if Ken Bennett accepts Hawaii's word for it, we ought to."
Maybe we oughta start a movement claiming that Ken Bennett isn't eligible to be Secretary of State. And whatever proof he provides of birthplace or residency, we'll just say it was obviously created last Tuesday in Photoshop…probably by the same group that's trying to convince us that Jan Brewer is governor there.
Ernie Chan, R.I.P.
I am back, alas, with an obit. Ernie Chan, one of the most prolific comic artists in American comics of the seventies, has died at the age of 71. His death (from cancer) comes right after the passing of his Filipino colleague Tony DeZuniga just last week.
As mentioned then here: In the early seventies, DeZuniga opened the door for the many comic artists in the Philippines to work for the publishers in this country, starting with DC Comics. Due to the different economy, DC found themselves able to get professionally-drawn comic book pages for a fraction of what they paid American artists. The work also was often quite excellent and work by Filipino illustrators filled DC's ghost, war and western comics. To the great frustration of management, those artists rarely seemed to be able to produce what the company wanted for its mainstay, the super-hero titles. Time and again, DC tried those artists out on Superman, Batman or other such features and the result was usually unsatisfactory. Ernie Chan, whose name then was Ernie Chua, was a rare exception.
Ernie "got" the style that was wanted. In fact, he did it so well that when he relocated to the United States — for personal reasons and to earn American rates — he wound up doing hundreds of covers for DC and drawing the Batman feature for several years. Readers also knew him for his long association with Conan the Barbarian at Marvel, finishing the pencil work of John Buscema and sometimes drawing stories on his own. He was fast and dependable and very much in demand.
I believe I met Ernie at the San Diego Comic Con (now the Comic-Con International) in 1976. He and Alfredo Alcala were doing wonderful color sketches for fans at bargain rates to raise money to help an ailing artist-friend back in the Philippines. I commissioned one from each and as Ernie worked on his, he told me proudly how he'd just achieved U.S. citizenship and had taken the opportunity to change his surname from Chua to Chan, restoring the original family name that had been changed against their will — I don't recall just why.
I asked him if he was going to start signing his comic book work as Ernie Chan. He said he was trying to decide that. People knew him as Chua and there was the thought that one should keep one's "brand" intact. As he was very close to finishing my piece, I asked him to sign it "Ernie Chan" and he did…and before the con was out, he decided to sign all his drawings that way. So I think I have very first drawing by Ernie Chan. I'm sorry to hear that now someone someplace has the last.