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Making Up With Harry Morgan

TODAY IS HARRY MORGAN’S 102nd BIRTHDAY.

Depending on your age, you’ll probably remember actor Harry Morgan fondly from one or more of his over 100 films – or, on TV, from the original “Dragnet” (1951-1959), “December Bride” (1954-1959), “Pete and Gladys” (1960-1962) or “M*A*S*H” (1972-1983).

Harry and Hal Linden. “Blacke’s Magic” (1986)

Harry also starred in another largely (but unfairly) forgotten TV series.  In 1986, I had the great pleasure of guesting on “Blacke’s Magic,” a delightful but short-lived series starring Hal Linden and Harry Morgan – as a magician/sleuth and his father, who served as his assistant in his off-stage adventures.

Continue reading “Making Up With Harry Morgan”

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April Fool’s Day – Playing the Fool

ON APRIL FOOL’S DAY…
… it’s good to remember that, at one time or another, we’ve ALL played the fool – some of us more often than others.

Celebrating at the Gala with some of the LEAR cast.

Here’s one of my more purposeful and pleasant times as the Fool (type casting?) — in “King Lear” for NYC’s Shrunken Shakespeare Company (SSC), with director Paul Sorvino as Lear and a brilliantly talented cast, a few of whom are pictured here at the Gala, including, Eric Tucker, Anne Bates, Paul, Chukwudi Iwuji, me and Clodagh Bowyer.

 

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Literary Dept. – “World Poetry Day”

 

Add some “culture” to your life.  It’s the perfect day to take a moment and focus on truly artful verse:

“There was a young lady called Harris,
That nothing could ever embarrass;
Till the bath-salts one day
In the tub where she lay
Turned out to be plaster of Paris.”

– Ogden Nash.

(Okay, so it’s a limerick, not poetry in the purist sense. But at least it doesn’t start with, “There once was a girl from Nantucket…”)

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Still Scoey After All These Years

March 12th is the birthday of one of my dear friends and colleagues for many years, Scoey Mitchlll. And I always try to remember my buddy’s birthday.

During the 1960s and 70s, Scoey was a trailblazer for African Americans in the world of standup comedy, appearing regularly on the Ed Sullivan Show and so many other variety shows and game shows. He also went on to blaze more trails, however, behind the camera as a successful writer / producer / director. Continue reading “Still Scoey After All These Years”

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“Hello Dolly” – An Evening with Carol Channing

HAPPY 96th BIRTHDAY, Carol Channing, the great star of Broadway, film, television, recordings and even a Super Bowl half-time show!

The enchanting Ms. Channing.

The last time I saw Carol was quite a few years ago. I was performing at Vine St. Bar & Grill, a then-famous Hollywood jazz show room. We followed Anita O’Day, who loved our music and invited me to come see her perform the next night in Beverly Hills. Continue reading ““Hello Dolly” – An Evening with Carol Channing”

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BY THE BOOK…

… Quite a while ago, I was interviewed by author/broadcaster Bob O’Brien (Bob Leszczak) about my experiences doing two short-lived TV series on NBC back in the 1980’s, (“Me & Mrs. C” and “13 East”).

Bob was very knowledgeable about the shows and we had a delightful chat – but that was, as I said, quite a while ago and I had completely forgotten about it.

Well, Bob’s latest book is now out and “Single Season Sitcoms of the 1980’s – A Complete Guide” is just as advertised and more – an amazingly complete guide to a wide array of comedy shows no longer forgotten and I’m very pleased to be a very small part of this impressive work. Continue reading “BY THE BOOK…”