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

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…

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.

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.

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.

…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?"

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.

Last Friday, our 45th, 47th and perhaps last president gave a speech at the Justice Department that cried out for major league fact-checking.  A team at The New York Times did the honors and there was a lot there to correct or clarify.

BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical is now in previews at the Broadhurst Theater in New York with an opening date of April 5. I admit to a certain curiosity about it, especially about the meeting in which someone said something like, "You know what Broadway is dying to see? A musical about Betty Boop!" I love the old Max Fleischer Betty Boop cartoons, especially when administered in small doses but I'm just wondering why they thought there was a lot of name recognition there.

Or maybe they didn't. Maybe the whole point of it is just to do a jazzy, colorful musical and Betty could anchor it and represent a carefree era where the world had the energy of one of her cartoons. Advance word would suggest the show is at the very least jazzy and colorful and those aren't bad things for a musical to be. So we shall see what we shall see. Here's a link to a page that tracks reviews, which are so far of the outta-town tryouts. And here's a 48-second sampler of the show which is, as you'll see, jazzy and colorful…

Clydene Nee, who passed away last November, was an important contributor to Comic-Con International and a very sweet, wonderful lady who loved comics and the folks who create them. I wrote about her passing at the time.

This year at WonderCon, those who knew her will gather for a memorial on Friday evening — that's March 28th — at 9 PM at the Hilton in Ballroom B. I'm sure going to try to be there.

I haven't linked to any videos from Devin "Legal Eagle" Stone in quite a while but this one seems too important to overlook…

WonderCon Anaheim is happening March 28 through March 30 at the Animation Convention Center, located just a few blocks (as the elephant flies) from Disneyland! Details on how to attend can be found here. The list of panels on which I'm appearing can be found below…

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.

That Trump guy keeps claiming that the U.S. spends $200 billion a year to subsidize Canada. Glenn Kessler, the fact-check guy for The Washington Post, can't figure out how that could possibly be true…and apparently, the White House can't, either.

At one time or another, just about every person who claims the title of Magician performs the Cups and Balls routine. It's kind of a rite of passage and it's one of the purest tricks because it's (usually) all about artful skill and misdirection, not about how a gimmicked prop was built. I did this trick with paper cups when I was twelve and I doubt I did it well because…well, I just wasn't that good a magician, especially at that age. Still, everyone I did it for was the kind of person who would have pretended they were fooled if they weren't so I couldn't be sure how good or bad I was.

Today, if you asked a roomful of magicians who does it best these days, someone would probably mention Paul Gertner. I was fortunate to see Paul perform at the Magic Castle a few years ago and to spend some time with him between shows. He's a great talent and here's how he does this, his favorite trick…

Measles is making a big comeback thanks to a lot of misinformation exacerbated by the stubbornness of people who are wrong about the disease and just plain don't want to admit they're wrong. The folks at FactCheck.org are correcting some of the misinfo because much of what's being said is — you'll forgive the term, I trust — spotty.