Our Area Vice President visited our plant for the first time today, and was careful to shake as many people's hands as possible. Plant management was just crowing after he left about how different that was from some of the previous bosses, who were very uncaring in their manner.
I got to thinking about that. I could not have bought one single thing with that man's smile or thanks or handshake. It cost him absolutely nothing to do that. It did not better my situation one bit. If he had increased my pay or spent some money to adequately staff the facility, then I would have been impressed, at least a little. But a handshake? I don't work for handshakes; I work for money.
Some people are easily impressed.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The use of language
Language has two basic uses - to express things precisely and to express things beautifully. The two are not the same. Vagueness is one of the frequent methods of speaking or writing beautifully. Usually, however, language's usefulness is directly proportional to its ability to express exactly what the speaker intends. To that end, the academic end of language is very useful, for it enforces conventions that allow us more precision than slang and colloquilisms generally provide.
Fog in Washburn Valley
Between Booneville and Greenwood, Arkansas, Highway 10 crosses what is known as Washburn Mountain. This is one of a series of ridges that are found between the Arkansas River and the Ouachita Mountains. Every once in a while there will be a fog which nestles in the valley just south of the ridge, which is one of the loveliest and most peaceful sights you will ever see.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Oh, how right you are, Bertie!
"It will mean that Mrs. Little will get the goods on Mr. Little to an extent that which, though only a bachelor myself, I should say that no wife ought to get the goods on her husband if the proper give and take of married life - what you might call the essential balance, as it were - is to be preserved. Women bring these things up, Jeeves. They do not forgive and forget." (from Very Good, Jeeves, by Sir P. G. Wodehouse)
On the plump side, was he?
"The Right Hon. was a tubby little chap who looked as if he had been poured into his clothes and had forgotten to say 'When!'" (from Very Good, Jeeves)
Outpost in Morocco (1949)
George Raft is the most notorious ladies' man in the French army in the desert. He is assigned to escort an emir's daughter (Marie Windsor) to her father's mountain citadel, and try to find out what is going on in her father's stronghold, for things seem to be stirring. Enroute they fall in love (very quickly - I guess they had time restraints in the plot). However, her father greets him with cool formality. He hints to his daughter that he is planning to take up arms against the French. Then a sentry at the French post is shot. The bullet appears to be from a new weapon. Raft slips back into the emir's fortress, against all odds. Windsor hides him. He escapes and returns to the garrison with a sample of their new rifles.
He returns to his original base, but it told that he will have to make a forced march back with reinforcements. When they arrive, they find the garrison wiped out, with evidence of prisoners having been executed. In the meantime the emir is rousing support among the other Arab leaders. Raft sends Akim Tamiroff to lead an attack against the Arabs. They try to capture the emir and end up instead with Windsor. Their water begins to run out. Tamiroff leads a party to water the stock and the Arabs ambush them, then divert the river. But the emir cannot attack with his daughter in the fort. Raft orders the horses released so they can find water, and limits the men to one cup per day. One man is shot while stealing water. The movie does a good job of depicting the heat and the thirst. Finally a shower starts, but it causes the outer wall of the fort to collapse.
The French dig in with explosives and machine guns. The Arabs attack, but Windsor has sneaked out and is riding with them. Raft sees her, but orders the charges detonated anyway. The emir and Windsor are killed. The emir's successor makes peace.
Raft and Windsor
Tamiroff
He returns to his original base, but it told that he will have to make a forced march back with reinforcements. When they arrive, they find the garrison wiped out, with evidence of prisoners having been executed. In the meantime the emir is rousing support among the other Arab leaders. Raft sends Akim Tamiroff to lead an attack against the Arabs. They try to capture the emir and end up instead with Windsor. Their water begins to run out. Tamiroff leads a party to water the stock and the Arabs ambush them, then divert the river. But the emir cannot attack with his daughter in the fort. Raft orders the horses released so they can find water, and limits the men to one cup per day. One man is shot while stealing water. The movie does a good job of depicting the heat and the thirst. Finally a shower starts, but it causes the outer wall of the fort to collapse.
The French dig in with explosives and machine guns. The Arabs attack, but Windsor has sneaked out and is riding with them. Raft sees her, but orders the charges detonated anyway. The emir and Windsor are killed. The emir's successor makes peace.
Raft and Windsor
Tamiroff
Private Eyes have to visit some sleezy hotels
"It was not even a fleabag. The fleas sickened and died a long time ago." (from The Dry Martini Caper, an episode of the Sam Spade radio show)
Bastards
The word bastard is commonly regarded as being some sort of a curse word, but it is not. It is a proper English word that means "an illegitimate child." While it is not properly profanity, it has been regarded historically as an insult. To question the legitimacy of another person's birth was about as severe a personal slur as could be made.
It would seem that today the word should have lost virtually all its sting, however. There are so many illegitimate children that it has just about lost all its social stigma.
It would seem that today the word should have lost virtually all its sting, however. There are so many illegitimate children that it has just about lost all its social stigma.
Julius and Leroy
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Walter Tetley, who was the radio voice of Leroy on The Great Gildersleeve and Julius Abruzzio on The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show.
Dangerous combination
With the crooked roads and all the deer that are in this part of the world, fog makes a dangerous situation. Deer can be on the road in a heartbeat. Not good!
Ties ALWAYS matter
"What do ties matter, Jeeves, at a time like this? Do you realize that Mr. Little's domestic happiness is hanging in the scale?"
"There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter."
I could see the man was pained, but I did not try to heal the wound. What's the word I want? Preoccupied. I was too preoccupied, don't you know. And distrait. Not to say careworn.
(from Very Good, Jeeves, by Sir P. G. Wodehouse)
"There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter."
I could see the man was pained, but I did not try to heal the wound. What's the word I want? Preoccupied. I was too preoccupied, don't you know. And distrait. Not to say careworn.
(from Very Good, Jeeves, by Sir P. G. Wodehouse)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
First king of England?
It depends somewhat on who you ask, but according to Wikipedia, it was AEthelstan (b. 895).
How many bluebloods are there in Britain?
This is per Ivor Richard, their Ambassador to the United Nations in 1983.
25 Dukes
30 Marquesses
160 Earls and Countesses
105 Viscounts
792 Barons and Baronesses
25 Dukes
30 Marquesses
160 Earls and Countesses
105 Viscounts
792 Barons and Baronesses
Rhythm on the Range (1936)
Frances Farmer is rehearsing her wedding, to a wealthy Wall Street heir. It is obvious that Farmer is not overly enthused about the match. Lucille Gleason is her aunt, from the West. She is in NY for the rodeo at Madison Square Garden. Bing Crosby is a cowboy in the rodeo. He works for Gleason on her ranch. Goofy Bob Burns is his sidekick. (Burns was born about 20 miles from here in Greenwood, Ark.) Gleason is introduced at the rodeo as a "true pioneer woman." She makes a short speech, and it is obvious that Farmer is affected by it. Crosby is trying to win enough money to buy a bull named Cuddles. They just make it because Burns does a sidewalk performance with a bazooka, a homemade trombone.
In the meantime, Farmer has stowed away on the cattle train on which they are traveling back to Arizona. She falls when the train lurches to a start and is knocked out. She wakes up when Crosby accidentally stabs her with a pitchfork. He sings as he works on the boxcar and, of course, she falls for him in spite of the that he treats the bull much better than he does her. She gives a telegram to her dad to a hobo to send for her, but the bull follows her off the car and they get stranded. In the meantime the hobos figure out who she is and figure there is money to be made. Farmer buys a car, and she and Bing make their way west (Bing still singing, of course). He tells Farmer that he once broke up with a rich girl because he wouldn't be willing to let his father-in-law support him. The hobos lock them in a barn, but Bing lets the bull knock down the door. On the train, Burns has hooked up with Martha Raye, the corny combination of which is almost too much to take. Bing and Farmer get stuck in a muddy road, and have to spend the night in an old house, where they hook up with Raye and Burns. Farmer confesses to Burns that she is in love with Bing. He advises her to marry him first and tell him she is rich later. Burns sets up Bing to propose at a party at the ranch, while the hobos punch holes in all the gas tanks of the cars.
Gleason shows up and accuses Bing of being a gold digger. He angrily leaves. Farmer hires the hobos to go after him. He goes to the old house at which they stopped on the way in. Farmer and Cuddles show up, and the rest is history.
This movie introduced the song, "I'm An Old Cowhand." Roy Rogers has a bit part.
Bob Burns
Gleason
In the meantime, Farmer has stowed away on the cattle train on which they are traveling back to Arizona. She falls when the train lurches to a start and is knocked out. She wakes up when Crosby accidentally stabs her with a pitchfork. He sings as he works on the boxcar and, of course, she falls for him in spite of the that he treats the bull much better than he does her. She gives a telegram to her dad to a hobo to send for her, but the bull follows her off the car and they get stranded. In the meantime the hobos figure out who she is and figure there is money to be made. Farmer buys a car, and she and Bing make their way west (Bing still singing, of course). He tells Farmer that he once broke up with a rich girl because he wouldn't be willing to let his father-in-law support him. The hobos lock them in a barn, but Bing lets the bull knock down the door. On the train, Burns has hooked up with Martha Raye, the corny combination of which is almost too much to take. Bing and Farmer get stuck in a muddy road, and have to spend the night in an old house, where they hook up with Raye and Burns. Farmer confesses to Burns that she is in love with Bing. He advises her to marry him first and tell him she is rich later. Burns sets up Bing to propose at a party at the ranch, while the hobos punch holes in all the gas tanks of the cars.
Gleason shows up and accuses Bing of being a gold digger. He angrily leaves. Farmer hires the hobos to go after him. He goes to the old house at which they stopped on the way in. Farmer and Cuddles show up, and the rest is history.
This movie introduced the song, "I'm An Old Cowhand." Roy Rogers has a bit part.
Bob Burns
Gleason
Dennis Day
The famous tenor, a regular on the Jack Benny program for years, and who had his own radio program, was married to Peggy Almquist from 1948 until his death in 1988. They had ten children. He died of Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Dennis Day
Peggy Day
Here is link
Dennis Day
Peggy Day
Here is link
The real stars of Dobie Gillis
As is often the case with sitcoms, the star of the show often is not the titular character. In Dobie Gillis, the scene stealers were his father (Frank Faylen), and of course, his pal, Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver).
Faylen
Denver
Faylen
Denver
What the radio Henry Aldrich looked like
Jackie Kelk (left) as Homer Brown and Ezra Stone as Henry on the air in 1947.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Oh, now that is REALLY brave!
"By the end of the week I couldn't stand it any longer. Too bally absurd, I mean, being marooned miles away in the country just because young Bingo's uncle and wife wanted to have a few words with me. I made up my mind that I would pop back and do the strong, manly thing by lying low in my flat and telling Jeeves to inform everybody who called that I wasn't at home."
(from The Inimitable Jeeves)
Thankful for small compliments
"He's very good-looking, isn't he?"
"Good-looking? Bingo? Bingo, good-looking? No, I say come now, really!"
"I mean, compared with some people."
(from The Inimitable Jeeves, by Sir P. G. Wodehouse)
"Good-looking? Bingo? Bingo, good-looking? No, I say come now, really!"
"I mean, compared with some people."
(from The Inimitable Jeeves, by Sir P. G. Wodehouse)
A pretty trio
"Comrade Butt looked like one of the things that come out of dead trees after the rain; moth-eaten was the word I should have used to describe old Rowbotham; and as for Charlotte, she seemed to take me straight into another and a dreadful world. It wasn't that she was exactly bad-looking. In fact, if she had knocked off starchy foods and done Swedish exercises for a bit, she might have been quite tolerable. But there was too much of her. Billowy curves. Well-nourished, perhaps, expresses it best."
(from The Inimitable Jeeves)
(from The Inimitable Jeeves)
An odd-looking chap, was he?
"How does he look, Jeeves?"
"Sir?"
"What does Mr. Bassington-Bassington look like?"
"It is hardly my place, sir, to criticize the facial peculiarities of your friends."
(from The Inimitable Jeeves)
"Sir?"
"What does Mr. Bassington-Bassington look like?"
"It is hardly my place, sir, to criticize the facial peculiarities of your friends."
(from The Inimitable Jeeves)
A friend of yours, perhaps?
"He was a thin, tall chappie with a lot of light hair and pale-blue goggly eyes which made him look like one of the rarer kinds of fish." (from The Inimitable Jeeves)
Holding back a snicker can be dangerous
"I didn't laugh, but I distinctly heard a couple of my floating ribs part from their moorings under the strain." (from The Inimitable Jeeves)
Population dearth in Nebraska
There is a considerable section of Nebraska where the declining population is a real problem.There is a group of eight contiguous counties in the central and west-central portion of the state that each has a population of substantially less than 1000. According to the 2012 Rand McNally atlas, Loup (619), Blaine (428), Thomas (583), Logan (735), Hooker (736), McPherson (514) and Grant (604) all fall into that category. The worst case of all, however, is Arthur County, which has only 338 people in its entire area. That is a total of 4557 people spread over eight counties, or an average of 570 people per county. A quick approximation of the area yields 5834 square miles, or just less than one person per square mile - assuming my math is correct.
Particularly in Arthur County, they must be hard pressed to find enough people to be city and county office holders and employees, school employees, and just to have enough warm bodies to hold down the basic functions of society.
Particularly in Arthur County, they must be hard pressed to find enough people to be city and county office holders and employees, school employees, and just to have enough warm bodies to hold down the basic functions of society.
Heavy weather
One of my least favorite weather situations is that thick, heavy, humid feeling when it feels like it is about to rain, but hasn't rained, and there is in the air a feeling of impending violence.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Aura of Dodge City
When you step outside in Dodge City, there is one things that meets your nose - cattle. You cannot see them, but you do not need to see them. You know for certain they are around somewhere.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Interesting and uninteresting faces
As examples of the principle of attractive but uninteresting faces vs. attractive and interesting faces, consider the two below. Janice Paige (interesting) and Barbara Bates (uninteresting). Both were admittedly very pretty actresses (and it is also admittedly it is very much a matter of personal opinion).
Paige
Bates
And then, there are faces that are no where close to being attractive that are nonetheless very interesting .
Paige
Bates
And then, there are faces that are no where close to being attractive that are nonetheless very interesting .
The House Across the Street (1949)
This is a really cute movie with mystery, romance and comedy. It gets a big thumbs up from the team of Pammy and Mark.
In an ordinary town, a crime is about to happen. A man sits in a house across the street (thus the name), watching. The postman goes into the house - and then another postman comes along. Too late: the first one was an assassin. The editor of the paper (Wayne Morris) is called into the publisher's office (Alan Hale) because his criticism of the police's methods in the case. One his way out, he stops in to see the lonely hearts editor (Janis Paige), whom he wants to marry and whom he demoted from the city desk. He continues to pound the police in headlines. Finally the underworld object of the editorials, Bruce Bennett, bring his lawyer to the office. Hale orders him to stop, but he refuses to because he has a contract. So . . . he does the same thing to Morris that Morris did to Paige - demotes him to being "Dolly Trent," the lonely hearts editor. He becomes the butt of the office wiseacres. Hale offers him his job back, but he won't take it unless he has a free editorial hand.
One of Dolly's readers comes to the office to get help with her boyfriend (James Holden). He went to Bennett's bar, and woke up in a rooming house clear across town. He had not been robbed. It was the same night as the murder. He goes to the rooming house but gets kicked out by the manager, who immediately calls the man (James Mitchell) who took the doped man to the rooming house. However, a little girl outside the rooming house remembers a woman coming there. Paige finds Morris' notes and goes to the rooming house. Mitchell watches her talking to the girl, then follows her and tries to run her down. After Morris gets her patched up, they go to see Holden, but Mitchell got there just before them and is listening to the conversation. Paige sees his shadow and they leave. Morris goes to see Barbara Bates, Mitchell's girlfriend, and Mitchell comes in and roughs him up. Morris and Paige go to see the police and file a complaint against Holden because Paige slipped her purse into his suitcase while they were in his apartment.
They go to the Bennett's restaurant, where Holden was doped. (We get to hear some pretty good barbershop singing there.) The photo girl takes their picture, and Morris has an idea. He goes around the corner to the developing lab. The technician remembers the picture because a man paid him $50 to destroy the negative. However, Morris gets a copy of another picture taken at the same time. It shows Mitchell passing money to Eddie Foster, a well-known hit man. Morris brings Bennett into the office to grill him about the photo, and let's Mitchell listen over the intercom - then let's Bennett see him. Mitchell then has the option of talking and living, or walking out and being rubbed out by Bennett. He decides to talk, and Bennett is convicted. Then Morris pops the question - or she has to go back to being Dolly Trent. She agrees, and they live happily ever after.
Bennett won the silver medal in the 1928 Olympics in the shot put.
Morris and Paige
Bennett
In an ordinary town, a crime is about to happen. A man sits in a house across the street (thus the name), watching. The postman goes into the house - and then another postman comes along. Too late: the first one was an assassin. The editor of the paper (Wayne Morris) is called into the publisher's office (Alan Hale) because his criticism of the police's methods in the case. One his way out, he stops in to see the lonely hearts editor (Janis Paige), whom he wants to marry and whom he demoted from the city desk. He continues to pound the police in headlines. Finally the underworld object of the editorials, Bruce Bennett, bring his lawyer to the office. Hale orders him to stop, but he refuses to because he has a contract. So . . . he does the same thing to Morris that Morris did to Paige - demotes him to being "Dolly Trent," the lonely hearts editor. He becomes the butt of the office wiseacres. Hale offers him his job back, but he won't take it unless he has a free editorial hand.
One of Dolly's readers comes to the office to get help with her boyfriend (James Holden). He went to Bennett's bar, and woke up in a rooming house clear across town. He had not been robbed. It was the same night as the murder. He goes to the rooming house but gets kicked out by the manager, who immediately calls the man (James Mitchell) who took the doped man to the rooming house. However, a little girl outside the rooming house remembers a woman coming there. Paige finds Morris' notes and goes to the rooming house. Mitchell watches her talking to the girl, then follows her and tries to run her down. After Morris gets her patched up, they go to see Holden, but Mitchell got there just before them and is listening to the conversation. Paige sees his shadow and they leave. Morris goes to see Barbara Bates, Mitchell's girlfriend, and Mitchell comes in and roughs him up. Morris and Paige go to see the police and file a complaint against Holden because Paige slipped her purse into his suitcase while they were in his apartment.
They go to the Bennett's restaurant, where Holden was doped. (We get to hear some pretty good barbershop singing there.) The photo girl takes their picture, and Morris has an idea. He goes around the corner to the developing lab. The technician remembers the picture because a man paid him $50 to destroy the negative. However, Morris gets a copy of another picture taken at the same time. It shows Mitchell passing money to Eddie Foster, a well-known hit man. Morris brings Bennett into the office to grill him about the photo, and let's Mitchell listen over the intercom - then let's Bennett see him. Mitchell then has the option of talking and living, or walking out and being rubbed out by Bennett. He decides to talk, and Bennett is convicted. Then Morris pops the question - or she has to go back to being Dolly Trent. She agrees, and they live happily ever after.
Bennett won the silver medal in the 1928 Olympics in the shot put.
Morris and Paige
Bennett
Relaxed breakfasts
One of the little things in life I enjoy so much, but so seldom get to enjoy. One of the parts of retirement which I most anticipate.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Whose ear is this?
Symbol of an association of professional wrestlers. It is a picture of the ear of well-known actor and three-sport professional athlete Mike Mazurki.
Incidentally, though he was huge and portrayed tough guys and thugs, in real life Mazurki was highly intelligent, well-read and a witty conversationalist.
Criminal Lawyer (1951)
Pat O'Brien is defending Mickey Knox, but the case looks iron clad against him. O'Brien is late in appearing for the session of court. Douglas Fowley, Knox's older brother, finally finds him in a bar. He strong-arms O'Brien, but the lawyer's bodyguard, Mike Mazurki, pulls him off. O'Brien makes it back just in time to cross-examine the key witness and destroy his testimony.
Jayne Wyatt, his personal assistant, cautions him about his heavy drinking binges. After the trial, O'Brien assembles his firm and announces his retirement since his name has been nominated for a Supreme Court slot. Robert Shayne, one of his partners, becomes the new head of the firm. He goes to talk to Fowley to solidify his position with him.
At a restaurant, O'Brien learns that he was not endorsed by the Bar Association because of his flamboyant, unethical methods. So, he goes on another bender with Mazurki keeping watch over him. He returns to find that the son of one of the state board members has been accused of a crime. He angrily turns them down, but Wyatt smooths it over on both sides. The board members agree to resubmit his name.
The judge's son hit a man in a crosswalk and killed him. The boy had alcohol in his blood at the time, but was not drunk. O'Brien has three stooges hired to step up in front of members of the jury the day before the trial to make them sensitive about the fact that it could have happened to them. (Our old friend Chief Gates from Gildersleeve is one of them.)
Shayne signs a contract with Fowley that him his exclusive legal representation for a piece of his business. Fowley assumes that it includes O'Brien, even though he is no longer with the firm. The wife of one the accused murderers O'Brien defended comes to the door intending to kill him, but she breaks down and flees. O'Brien goes after her even though he has dinner guests coming. Wyatt and Mazurki visit while he is absent, and he tells her why he is so devoted to O'Brien. Mazurki pockets a gun and goes to look for O'Brien. Then we learn that Fowley is dead and Mazurki is held for the murder. Wyatt desperately tries to find O'Brien to defend his friend. Finally she finds him. He has been crushed by realization that you can be legally right and morally wrong. Though exhausted and in the throes of a massive hangover, O'Brien begins his defense. It hangs on the fact that a bowling trophy is missing off Fowley's desk.
The guilty party - Shayne, although he claimed self-defense.
Wyatt
Shayne
Jayne Wyatt, his personal assistant, cautions him about his heavy drinking binges. After the trial, O'Brien assembles his firm and announces his retirement since his name has been nominated for a Supreme Court slot. Robert Shayne, one of his partners, becomes the new head of the firm. He goes to talk to Fowley to solidify his position with him.
At a restaurant, O'Brien learns that he was not endorsed by the Bar Association because of his flamboyant, unethical methods. So, he goes on another bender with Mazurki keeping watch over him. He returns to find that the son of one of the state board members has been accused of a crime. He angrily turns them down, but Wyatt smooths it over on both sides. The board members agree to resubmit his name.
The judge's son hit a man in a crosswalk and killed him. The boy had alcohol in his blood at the time, but was not drunk. O'Brien has three stooges hired to step up in front of members of the jury the day before the trial to make them sensitive about the fact that it could have happened to them. (Our old friend Chief Gates from Gildersleeve is one of them.)
Shayne signs a contract with Fowley that him his exclusive legal representation for a piece of his business. Fowley assumes that it includes O'Brien, even though he is no longer with the firm. The wife of one the accused murderers O'Brien defended comes to the door intending to kill him, but she breaks down and flees. O'Brien goes after her even though he has dinner guests coming. Wyatt and Mazurki visit while he is absent, and he tells her why he is so devoted to O'Brien. Mazurki pockets a gun and goes to look for O'Brien. Then we learn that Fowley is dead and Mazurki is held for the murder. Wyatt desperately tries to find O'Brien to defend his friend. Finally she finds him. He has been crushed by realization that you can be legally right and morally wrong. Though exhausted and in the throes of a massive hangover, O'Brien begins his defense. It hangs on the fact that a bowling trophy is missing off Fowley's desk.
The guilty party - Shayne, although he claimed self-defense.
Wyatt
Shayne
Kill the Umpire (1950)
William Bendix is a hard-core baseball fan, and being so, he hates umpires utterly. His father-in-law (Ray Collins) happens to be a retired ump, and he arrives for a visit in time to learn that Bendix just lost his job. Bendix' son-in-law is a ball player. Bendix sneaks away from work early to go to a spring training game. He disagrees with a call and runs onto the field, where he is apprehended by the police. On the way out of the park, he run into his boss, who fires him on the spot. His wife (Una Merkel) finds out about it when he gets home, and he sleeps on the couch. He promises he will get another job and will never skip out to go to ballgames again. But his work is in a manhole just outside a lounge where a game is on the TV. He has to buy a drink to stay in the lounge, and becomes the worse for wear. He gets the lines all crossed and causes a major foul-up, and gets fired. Collins suggests that he combine his love for the game and need for a job and become an umpire. Bendix is aghast, but he finally gives in. "But how can I be an umpire? I've got good eyes!"
William Frawley runs the umpire school. Bendix' roommate takes drops to relax his eyes, and also has other drops to strengthen his eyes. Bendix even argues on the school games and finally gets tossed out of the class. At the train station he sees a group of kids fighting over a game, and they talk him into umping for them. He changes his mind and goes back to the school. He puts the wrong drops in his eyes before the game, however, and sees double, but he makes it through and makes the grade. He and his roommate get hired in the Texas league.
A local gambler slips $1000 into Bendix' berth on the train. Bendix immediately reports it to the league commissioner. The gambler's heavy comes to get the money back, and Bendix is knocked off the train in the struggle. The commissioner and his buddy finally find him. At the game there is a riot and Bendix forfeits the game to the visitors. Despite mobs and threats against his life, he insists on umping the next game. He is pelted with vegetables outside the hotel as he tries to leave the hotel, so he and his family fake a fire and in the confusion Bendix sneaks out - just barely - with the gamblers in pursuit. A madcap auto race follows with Bendix' buddy driving an ambulance. Bendix end up skating behind the ambulance on a piece of attached debris. Finally it breaks loose and he is hurled loose on a wild, downhill slalom. Finally he hooks back up with the ambulance. At the park the crowd is getting restless, but the ambulance comes roaring up to home plate and Bendix tumbles out. In the meantime, Merkel has gone to the hospital to retrieve the player who was the catcher at the controverted play. He said that Johnson got it right, and the gamblers are hauled off to jail.
Collins
Merkel
William Frawley runs the umpire school. Bendix' roommate takes drops to relax his eyes, and also has other drops to strengthen his eyes. Bendix even argues on the school games and finally gets tossed out of the class. At the train station he sees a group of kids fighting over a game, and they talk him into umping for them. He changes his mind and goes back to the school. He puts the wrong drops in his eyes before the game, however, and sees double, but he makes it through and makes the grade. He and his roommate get hired in the Texas league.
A local gambler slips $1000 into Bendix' berth on the train. Bendix immediately reports it to the league commissioner. The gambler's heavy comes to get the money back, and Bendix is knocked off the train in the struggle. The commissioner and his buddy finally find him. At the game there is a riot and Bendix forfeits the game to the visitors. Despite mobs and threats against his life, he insists on umping the next game. He is pelted with vegetables outside the hotel as he tries to leave the hotel, so he and his family fake a fire and in the confusion Bendix sneaks out - just barely - with the gamblers in pursuit. A madcap auto race follows with Bendix' buddy driving an ambulance. Bendix end up skating behind the ambulance on a piece of attached debris. Finally it breaks loose and he is hurled loose on a wild, downhill slalom. Finally he hooks back up with the ambulance. At the park the crowd is getting restless, but the ambulance comes roaring up to home plate and Bendix tumbles out. In the meantime, Merkel has gone to the hospital to retrieve the player who was the catcher at the controverted play. He said that Johnson got it right, and the gamblers are hauled off to jail.
Collins
Merkel
The Adventures of Dick Cole radio show
It ran in 1942, and appeared to be a take-off on Frank Meriwell - at least the character, if not the radio show. The Meriwell show had brief run in 1934 as a 15-minute program, but it did not join a 30-minute format like Cole until 1946. In any case, the basic thrust of the programs was the same, that being squeaky-clean school boys who were always getting into and out of various difficulties.
A monotonous diet, Lum?
"If I have to eat any more of these turnip greens, I'll have to start spraying myself for cut worms."
This is a "Miscellaneous" blog
Little of huge value. Tidbits here and there. Perhaps most of it is more on the humorous side, but we do occasionally make serious observations. We try to post something most days.
We have had two indoor dogs (not my choice)
One we named Clarence after a P. G. Wodehouse character. The other we named Hildy after the old movie character Hildegarde Withers.
It is DEBT, not deficit
Until we are reducing the DEBT, do not even talk to me. It is absolutely ludicrous that we are congratulating ourselves on reducing the deficit.
Another Charlie
"Big head is only good place for very large headache." (from Charlie Chan Carries On)
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