WA2K Radio is now on the air

Yeah, I got sleepy eyes and the lady Diane is out shopping, it's not dark yet but it's getting there. The wind is howling and it's grey in the west. It's not dark yet but it's getting there.

Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time
Out of the mist your voice is calling, 'tis twilight time
When purple-colored curtains mark the end of day
I'll hear you, my dear, at twilight time

Deepening shadows gather splendor as day is done
Fingers of night will soon surrender the setting sun
I count the moments darling till you're here with me
Together at last at twilight time

Here, in the afterglow of day, we keep our rendezvous beneath the blue
And, in the same and sweet old way I fall in love again as I did then

Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me like days of old
Lighting the spark of love that fills me with dreams untold
Each day I pray for evening just to be with you
Together at last at twilight time

Here, in the afterglow of day, we keep our rendezvous beneath the blue
And, in the same and sweet old way I fall in love again as I did then

Deep in the dark your kiss will thrill me like days of old
Lighting the spark of love that fills me with dreams untold
Each day I pray for evening just to be with you
Together at last at twilight time
Together at last at twilight time

We have heard from almost everyone tonight, folks. Only France is missing. Wherever he is, we wish him the best.

Goodnight, goodnight. Blowing a kiss to you all.

From Letty with far away eyes but always...always

With love.

But before I go, I want to thank our very favorite Turtle for his Twilight song.

Waving to the Left coast ......................................

Well my heart's in The Highlands, gentle and fair
Honeysuckle blooming in the wildwood air
Bluebells blazing where the Aberdeen waters flow
Well my heart's in The Highlands
I'm gonna go there when I feel good enough to go

Windows were shaking all night in my dreams
Everything was exactly the way that it seems
Woke up this mornin' and I looked at the same old page/pain/paint?
Same old rat race, life in the same old cage

I don't want nothin' from anyone, ain't that much to take
Wouldn't know the difference between a real blonde and a fake
Feel like a prisoner in a world of mystery
I wish someone'd come and push back the clock for me

Well my heart's in The Highlands wherever I roam
That's where I'll be when I get called home
The wind it whispers to the buckeye trees of rhyme
Well my heart's in The Highlands
I can only get there one step at a time

I'm listening to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound
Someone's always yellin' "Turn it down"
Feel like I'm driftin', driftin' from scene to scene
I'm wonderin' what in the devil could it all possibly mean

Insanity is smashin' up against my soul
You could say I was on anything but a roll
If I had a conscience, well I just might blow my top
What would I do with it anyway, maybe take it to the pawn shop

My heart's in The Highlands at the break of dawn
by the beautiful lake of the Black Swan
Big white clouds like chariots that swing down low
Well my heart's in The Highlands only place left to go

I'm in Boston town in some restaurant
I got no idea what I want
or maybe I do but I'm just really not sure
Waitress comes over, nobody in the place but me and her

Well it must be a holiday, there's nobody around
She studies me closely as I sit down
She got a pretty face and long white shiny legs
I said "Tell me what I want"
She say "You probably want hard boiled eggs"

I said "That's right, bring me some"
She says "We ain't got any, you picked the wrong time to come"
then she says "I know you're an artist, draw a picture of me"
I said "I would if I could but
I don't do sketches from memory"

Well she's?? near she says "I'm right here in front of you or haven't you looked"
I say "All right I know but I don't have my drawin' book"
She gives me a napkin, she say "You can do it on that"
I say "Yes I could but I don't know where my pencil is at"

She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says "Alright now go ahead draw me I'm stayin' right here"
I make a few lines and I show it for her to see
Well she takes the napkin and throws it back and says
"That don't look a thing like me"

I said "Oh kind miss, it most certainly does"
She say "You must be joking", I said "I wish I was"
She says "You don't read women authors do ya?"
at least that's what I think I hear her say
Well I say "How would you know, and what would it matter anyway"

Well she says "Ya just don't seem like ya do", I said "You're way wrong"
She says "Which ones have you read then?", I say "Read Erica Jong"
She goes away for a minute, and I slide out, out of my chair
I step outside back to the busy street, but nobody's goin' anywhere

Well my heart's in The Highlands with the horses and hounds
way up in the border country far from the towns
with the twang of the arrow and the snap of the bow
My heart's in The Highlands, can't see any other way to go

Every day is the same thing, out the door
feel further away than ever before
Some things in life it just gets too late to learn
Well I'm lost somewhere, I must have made a few bad turns

I see people in the park, forgettin' their troubles and woes
They're drinkin' and dancin', wearin' bright colored clothes
All the young men with the young women lookin' so good
Well I'd trade places with any of 'em, in a minute if I could

I'm crossin' the street to get away from a mangy dog
talkin' to myself in a monologue
I think what I need might be a full length leather coat
Somebody just asked me if I'm registered to vote

The sun is beginnin' to shine on me
But it's not like the sun that used to be
The party's over and there's less and less to say
I got new eyes, everything looks far away

Well my heart's in The Highlands at the break of day
over the hills and far away
There's a way to get there, and I'll figure it out somehow
Well I'm already there in my mind and that's good enough for now

Romance in Durango

Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun
Dust on my face and my cape,
Me and Magdalena on the run
I think this time we shall escape.

Sold my guitar to the baker's son
For a few crumbs and a place to hide,
But I can get another one
And I'll play for Magdalena as we ride.

No llores, mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango.
Agarrame, mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.

Past the Aztec ruins and the ghosts of our people
Hoofbeats like castanets on stone.
At night I dream of bells in the village steeple
Then I see the bloody face of Ramon.

Was it me that shot him down in the cantina
Was it my hand that held the gun?
Come, let us fly, my Magdalena
The dogs are barking and what's done is done.

No llores, mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango.
Agarrame, mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.

At the corrida we'll sit in the shade
And watch the young torero stand alone.
We'll drink tequila where our grandfathers stayed
When they rode with Villa into Torreon.

Then the padre will recite the prayers of old
In the little church this side of town.
I will wear new boots and an earring of gold
You'll shine with diamonds in your wedding gown.

The way is long but the end is near
Already the fiesta has begun.
The face of God will appear
With His serpent eyes of obsidian.

No llores, mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango.
Agarrame, mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.

Was that the thunder that I heard?
My head is vibrating, I feel a sharp pain
Come sit by me, don't say a word
Oh, can it be that I am slain?

Quick, Magdalena, take my gun
Look up in the hills, that flash of light.
Aim well my little one
We may not make it through the night.

No llores, mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango.
Agarrame, mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.

B Dylan

Lilly Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts

The festival was over, the boys were all plannin' for a fall,
The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin' in the wall.
The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin' wheel shut down,
Anyone with any sense had already left town.
He was standin' in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts.

He moved across the mirrored room, "Set it up for everyone," he said,
Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin' before he turned their heads.
Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin,
"Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins?"
Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts.

Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs,
Lily had two queens, she was hopin' for a third to match her pair.
Outside the streets were fillin' up, the window was open wide,
A gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside.
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts.

Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine,
He made his usual entrance lookin' so dandy and so fine.
With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place,
He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste.
But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts.

Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town,
She slipped in through the side door lookin' like a queen without a crown.
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear,
"Sorry, darlin', that I'm late," but he didn't seem to hear.
He was starin' into space over at the Jack of Hearts.

"I know I've seen that face before," Big Jim was thinkin' to himself,
"Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf."
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him,
Starin' at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts.

Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child,
She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash every time she smiled.
She'd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere.
But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts.

The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined,
The drillin' in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind.
It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring
And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king.
No, nothin' ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts.

Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife,
She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife.
She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide,
Was lookin' to do just one good deed before she died.
She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts.

Lily washed her face, took her dress off and buried it away.
"Has your luck run out?" she laughed at him, "Well, I guess you must
have known it would someday.
Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint,
I'm glad to see you're still alive, you're lookin' like a saint."
Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts.

The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair.
"There's something funny going on," he said, "I can just feel it in the air."
He went to get the hangin' judge, but the hangin' judge was drunk,
As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk.
There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts.

Lily's arms were locked around the man that she dearly loved to touch,
She forgot all about the man she couldn't stand who hounded her so much.
"I've missed you so," she said to him, and he felt she was sincere,
But just beyond the door he felt jealousy and fear.
Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts.

No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick,
The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked.
And Big Jim was standin' there, ya couldn't say surprised,
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes.
She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts.

Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall
And cleaned out the bank safe, it's said that they got off with quite a haul.
In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground
For one more member who had business back in town.
But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts.

The next day was hangin' day, the sky was overcast and black,
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back.
And Rosemary on the gallows, she didn't even blink,
The hangin' judge was sober, he hadn't had a drink.
The only person on the scene missin' was the Jack of Hearts.

The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, "Closed for repair,"
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair.
She was thinkin' 'bout her father, who she very rarely saw,
Thinkin' 'bout Rosemary and thinkin' about the law.
But, most of all she was thinkin' 'bout the Jack of Hearts.

B Dylan

Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite provided my ex with her name Solveig.

Sarah Brightman -- Solveig's song

The winter may pass and the spring disappear
The spring disappear
The summer too will vanish and then the year
And then the year
But this I know for certain: you'll come back again
You'll come back again
And even as I promised you'll find me waiting then
You'll find me waiting then

Oh-oh-oh ....


God help you when wand'ring your way all alone
Your way all alone
God grant to you his strength as you'll kneel at his throne
As you'll kneel at his throne
If you are in heaven now waiting for me
In heaven for me
And we shall meet again love and never parted be
And never parted be!


Oh-oh-oh ....

Good morning, WA2K listeners and contributors.

dys' song was a combination of Scotland, blue bells and imagination. Beautiful, cowboy. Also a bit like James Taylor's "In my mind I'm going to Carolina."

Well, Texas. Romance in Durango was a haunting Dylan melody. Thanks for the music of the evening. <smile>

Ah, hawkman, that was a fascinating piece of Peer. Amazing, it was, and gives us a bit of the history of names. Thanks, Boston.

Hey, listeners, how about a bit of Gershwin this morning:

Artist: George Gershwin
Song: It Ain'T Necessarily So
Album: Porgy & Bess-Hlts


It ain't necessarily so
It ain't necessarily so
The t'ings dat yo' li'ble
To read in de Bible,
It ain't necessarily so.

Li'l David was small, but oh my !
Li'l David was small, but oh my !
He fought Big Goliath
Who lay down an' dieth !
Li'l David was small, but oh my !

Wadoo, zim bam boddle-oo,
Hoodle ah da wa da,
Scatty wah !
Oh yeah !...

Oh Jonah, he lived in de whale,
Oh Jonah, he lived in de whale,
Fo' he made his home in
Dat fish's abdomen.
Oh Jonah, he lived in de whale.

Li'l Moses was found in a stream.
Li'l Moses was found in a stream.
He floated on water
Till Ol' Pharaoh's daughter,
She fished him, she said, from dat stream.

Wadoo ...

Well, it ain't necessarily so
Well, it ain't necessarily so
Dey tells all you chillun
De debble's a villun,
But it ain't necessarily so !

To get into Hebben
Don' snap for a sebben !
Live clean ! Don' have no fault !
Oh, I takes dat gospel
Whenever it's pos'ble,
But wid a grain of salt.

Methus'lah lived nine hundred years,
Methus'lah lived nine hundred years,
But who calls dat livin'
When no gal will give in
To no man what's nine hundred years ?

I'm preachin' dis sermon to show,
It ain't nece-ain't nece
Ain't nece-ain't nece
Ain't necessarily ... so !

Wow! what a genius!

Good morning WA2K.

Remembering Stan Laurel today:



(He was so sweet.)

Well, there's our Raggedy, folks. Great duo, PA. I think it was Dick Van Dyke that idolized Stan, right?

My husband loved W.C. Fields and Oliver and Hardy. Never heard of them until I met him.

Hardy: Stanley, I don't think you have met my wife
Stanley: Yes, I never did.

I just spent a looooonnnnnnggggggg time trying to find songs by Laurel and Hardy. Surprisingly, I remember that theme Cuckoo. Weird, no?

Anyway, listeners, they did "In the Good Old Summertime", and the following is a version by Nat Cole:



Artist: Nat King Cole Lyrics
Song: In the Good Old Summertime Lyrics


In the good old summertime
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo)
In the good old summertime
(Doo-doo-doo-doo)
Strollin' through the sha-ady lanes
(Doo-doo-doo-doo)
With my baby, mine
(Doo-doo-doo-doo)
I hold her hand and she-ee holds mine
(Doo-doo-doo-doo)
And that's a very good sign
(Doo-doo-doo-doo)
That she's my tootsy-wootsy in
A good old summertime

In the good old summmertime
In the good old summertime
(If I could go) Strollin' down a shady lane
With my baby mine
I hold her hand
And he holds mine
And that's a very good sign
That she's your tootsy-wootsy
In the good old summertime
(Down shady lane)
In the good old summertime
(With baby mine)
In the good old summer - time

Breaking news from the home front. Jespah has just announced a change in user names:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=75522&start=40

Thanks for the alert, Jes.

Geronimo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Geronimo (Chiricahua Goyaałé 'One Who Yawns'; often spelled Goyathlay in English), (June 16, 1829-February 17, 1909) was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who long warred against the encroachment of the white man on tribal lands.

Biography

Geronimo, U.S. prisonerGeronimo was born near Turkey Creek, a tributary of the Gila River in what is now the state of New Mexico, then part of Mexico, but which his family considered Bedonkohe Apache hell(tori) land. Geronimo himself was a Bedonkohe Apache. He grew up to be a respected medicine man and, later, an accomplished warrior who fought frequently with Mexican troops. Mexican soldiers killed his first wife and three children during a supposedly peaceful trading session in 1858, and as a result he hated all Mexicans for the rest of his life. Mexicans gave him the nickname of "Gerónimo". The reasons for this name are not known. Some believe that his Spanish enemies called out to Saint Jerome for assistance while attacking or in the midst of violent defeat. Others believe it was a transcription of the Spanish attempt to pronounce the name Goyaałé.


Geronimo fought against ever-increasing numbers of both Mexican and United States troops and became famous for his daring exploits and numerous escapes from capture. At the last, these 38 men, women and children evaded 5000 U.S. troops (one fourth of the army at the time) and the Mexican army for a year. His forces became the last major force of independent Indian warriors who refused to acknowledge the United States Government in the American West. This came to an end on September 4, 1886, when Geronimo surrendered to United States Army General Nelson A. Miles at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona.

Geronimo was sent as a prisoner to Fort Pickens, Florida. In 1894 he was moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In his old age Geronimo became something of a celebrity. He appeared at fairs, including the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, and selling souvenirs and photographs of himself. However, he was not allowed to return to the land of his birth. He rode in the United States President Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 inaugural parade. He died of pneumonia at Fort Sill in 1909, and was buried at the Apache Indian Prisoner of War Cemetery in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Ironically, General Henry Ware Lawton who under General Nelson A. Miles led the expedition that eventually captured Geronimo, was killed by another Geronimo, the Filipino insurgent Licerio Geronimo during the Philippine-American War a few years after.

Alleged theft of remains

In 1918, certain remains of Geronimo were apparently stolen in a grave robbery. Three members of the Yale secret society Skull and Bones, including Prescott Bush, father and grandfather of Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, were serving as Army volunteers at Fort Sill during World War I. They reportedly stole Geronimo's skull, some bones, and other items, including Geronimo's prized silver bridle, from the Apache Indian Prisoner of War Cemetery. The stolen items were alleged to have been taken to the society's tomb-like headquarters on the Yale University campus, and are supposedly used in rituals practiced by the group, one of which is said to be kissing the skull of Geronimo as an initiation. The story was known for many years but widely considered unlikely or apocryphal, and while the society itself remained silent, former members have said that they believed the bones were fake or non-human.

In a contemporary letter discovered by the Yale historian Marc Wortman and published in the Yale Alumni Magazine in 2006, society member Winter Mead to F. Trubee Davison, Mead wrote:

The skull of the worthy Geronimo the Terrible, exhumed from its tomb at Fort Sill by your club... is now safe inside the tomb together with his well worn femurs, bit and saddle horn.
This prompted the Indian chief's great-grandson, Harlyn Geronimo of Mescalero, New Mexico, to write to President Bush requesting his help in returning the remains:

According to our traditions the remains of this sort, especially in this state when the grave was desecrated ... need to be reburied with the proper rituals ... to return the dignity and let his spirits rest in peace.[1]

Stan Laurel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Stan Laurel

Born
June 16, 1890
Ulverston, Cumbria, England
Died
February 23, 1965
Santa Monica, California
Arthur Stanley Jefferson (June 16, 1890 - February 23, 1965), better known as Stan Laurel was a comedy legend and member of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy.

Early life

Laurel was born in Ulverston, Cumbria, England (then in Lancashire). His parents Arthur and Madge (Margaret) were both active in the theater and Laurel's home life was a happy one. In his early years, he spent much time living with his grandmother Sarah Metcalfe, as his father managed a number of different theaters. Laurel had a natural affinity for the theater, with his first professional performance on stage at the age of sixteen. In 1910, he joined Fred Karno's troupe of actors, which also included a young Charlie Chaplin. For some time, Laurel acted as Chaplin's understudy. The Karno troupe toured America, and brought both Chaplin and Laurel to the United States for the first time. From 1916 to 1918, he teamed up with Alice and Baldwin Cooke, who become lifelong friends.

It was around this time that Laurel met Mae Dahlberg who was to have a great impact on his life. Also around this time, Stan adopted the stage name of Laurel, at Dahlberg's suggestion. The pair were performing together when Laurel was offered $75.00 per week to star in two-reel comedies. After the making of his first film, Nuts in May Universal offered him a contract. The contract was short-lived, however, and was cancelled during a reorganization at the studio.

By 1924, Laurel had forsaken his stage career to work full time in films, now under contract with Joe Rock. The contract called for Laurel to make twelve two-reel comedies. The contract also had one unusual stipulation, that Dahlberg was not to appear in any of the films. It was felt that her temperament was hindering his career. In 1925, when she started interfering with Laurel's work, Rock offered her a cash settlement and a one-way ticket back to her native Australia, which she accepted.

Hal Roach Studios

Laurel went on to join the Hal Roach studio, and began directing films, including a 1926 production called Yes, Yes, Nanette, and it was his intention to work primarily as a writer and director, but fate stepped in. Oliver Hardy, another member of the Hal Roach Studios Comedy All Star players, was injured in a kitchen mishap and Stan was asked to return to the front of the cameras. It soon became obvious that the two men had a certain comic onscreen chemistry, and they ended up starring together as an incredibly popular comedy team in more than fifty films in the 1930s and early 1940s, with their 1932 three-reeler The Music Box winning an Oscar for Best Short Subject.

Laurel and Hardy

In 1918, Laurel and Hardy appeared together briefly in a silent movie short Lucky Dog but not as a team. In 1927, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy began sharing screen time together in Slipping Wives, Duck Soup and With Love and Hisses. Roach Studios' supervising director Leo McCarey had realized the audience reaction to the two, and had begun intentionally teaming them together, leading to the start of the Laurel and Hardy series late that year. With Laurel and Hardy, he had created the most famous comedy team of all time. They began producing a huge body of short movies, including The Battle of the Century, Should Married Men Go Home?, Two Tars, Be Big! , and many others. In 1931 they made their first full length movie, Pardon Us although they continued to make features and shorts until 1935. Laurel and Hardy made the transition to talking films with Unaccustomed as We Are in 1929, a feat that many of their contemporaries stumbled over.

Trouble at Roach Studio

Stan kept having trouble with Hal Roach and ended up having his contract terminated. After undergoing a trial over drunk driving charges, he counter-sued the Roach studio. Eventually, the case was dropped and Stan returned to Roach. After returning to Roach studios, the first film Laurel and Hardy made was A Chump At Oxford. Their followup title, Flying Deuces is one of their most famous movies. After that, they made Saps At Sea, which was the last film under Roach's employ. In April 1940, their contract expired.


Fox Studios

In 1939, Laurel and Hardy signed a contract at 20th Century Fox to make one motion picture and nine more over the following five months. During the war years their work became more standardised and less successful. Stan discovered he had diabetes, so he encouraged Oliver Hardy to make two movies without him. In 1950, they were asked to make a film in France. The film, Utopia, was a disaster. The script was poor, and both stars were noticeably ill during the filming. When they returned home, they spent most of their time recovering. In 1952, Laurel and Hardy did another tour of Europe. This tour was very successful. They again toured Europe in 1953. Stan fell ill and was unable to perform for several weeks. In May 1954, Oliver Hardy had a heart attack that made them call off the tour. In 1955, they were planning to do a television series, The Fable of Laurel and Hardy, based on children's stories. However, the plans were delayed because Stan had a stroke. He recovered and just when he was planning to get back to work, Oliver Hardy had a massive stroke on 15 September 1956. He was paralyzed and stayed in bed for several months unable to speak or move. On August 7, 1957, Oliver Hardy died. Due to his own poor health, Stan could not attend Oliver Hardy's funeral. His explanation was simply, "Babe would understand," referring to Hardy. After that, Stan realized he would never act again, but he did write gags and sketches for fellow comedians. People who knew Laurel said he was absolutely devastated by Hardy's death and never fully recovered. On one occasion following Hardy's passing, a casual fan mistook Laurel for his late partner. "Aren't you Oliver Hardy?" the fan asked. Laurel obliged, claiming he was indeed Oliver Hardy. The fan then asked whatever happened to "the other guy". Laurel tellingly replied "Oh him? Well, he went quite mad".

Life after Laurel and Hardy

In 1961, Laurel won a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his pioneering work in the field of comedy. He achieved his lifelong dream as a comedian and had been involved in nearly 190 movies. He died on February 23, 1965, several days after suffering a heart attack. Laurel even joked about his own death: "If anyone at my funeral has a long face, I'll never speak to him again."

A comedian until the very last, Stan Laurel, just minutes away from death, explained to his nurse how he would not mind going skiing right at that very moment. Somewhat taken aback, the nurse replied that she was not aware that he was a skier. "I'm not," said Stan, "I'd rather be doing that than have all these needles stuck into me!". A few minutes later the nurse looked in on him again and found that Stan Laurel had quietly slipped away.

He was buried at Forest Lawn -Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

In 1989 a statue of Laurel was erected in Dockwray Square, North Shields, where he lived from 1897 to 1902.

Marriage

Stan Laurel married four women (one of them twice):

1926-35 Lois Nielson
1935-37 Virginia Ruth Rogers (first time)
1938-40 Vera Ivanova Shuvalova ("Illeana")
1941-46 Virginia Ruth Rogers (second time)
1946-65 Ida Kitaeva Raphael, who outlived him

Jack Albertson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Jack" Albertson (June 16, 1907 - November 25, 1981) was considered a complete entertainer from the old school. He was an Academy Award-winning American actor (dating back to Vaudeville), comedian, dancer, singer, and musician, and he performed on stage, radio, movies, and television.

Early life and career in Vaudeville

Albertson was born in Malden, Massachusetts to Jewish parents - Flora Craft, a Russian immigrant, and Leo Albertson, a Polish immigrant. He had an older sister, Mabel Albertson, and a brother, Frank, who were also actors. Albertson dropped out of high school and traveled to New York City in an attempt make it big in show business. He was too poor to get a room in a flophouse, so in the winter he would sleep on the IRT subway for a nickle, and hide out when the transit workers would clear out the train at the end of the line. In the summer he would sleep in Central Park. His first real job in show business was with a vaudeville road troupe, the Dancing Verselle Sisters.

From Vaudeville to Broadway

Albertson soon worked in burlesque as a hoofer (soft shoe dancer) and straight man to Phil Silvers on the Minsky's Burlesque Circuit. Besides vaudeville and burlesque, he appeared on the stage in many Broadway plays including High Button Shoes, Top Banana, The Cradle Will Rock, Make Mine Manhattan, Show Boat, Boy Meets Girl, Girl Crazy, Meet the People, The Sunshine Boys (for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor), and The Subject was Roses (for which he won a Tony for Best Supporting Actor). He was also known for two radio programs, Just Plain Bill and The Jack Albertson Comedy Show.

Albertson's move to the movies

Jack Albertson had a prolific movie career as well, mostly playing supporting roles.

Notable among these were:

a bit part as the postal worker who redirected all of Santa Claus' mail to the New York Courthouse in Miracle on 34th Street (1947);
a film version of Top Banana (1953), teamed again with his friend Phil Silvers;
The Subject was Roses (1968), for which he won a best supporting actor Oscar;
Charlie's Grampa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971);
The Poseidon Adventure (1972, where he was the husband who encouraged his wife, the former swimming champion (played by Shelley Winters) to swim for safety in her Oscar-nominated role).

A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan
officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and
needs to borrow $5,000.

The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the
loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce. The car is
parked on the street in front of the bank, she has the title and
everything checks out. The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral
for the loan.

The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a g ood la ugh at the
blonde for using a $250,000 Rolls as collateral against a $5,000 loan.
An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Rolls into the
bank's underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the blonde returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest,
which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, "Miss, we are very happy
to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very
nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and
found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you
bother to borrow $5,000?"

The blonde replies....."Where else in New York City can I park my car
for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

Finally, a smart blonde joke.

Well, Bob of Boston, that is probably the best blonde joke yet. No wonder that girl was a millionaire. How conservative can one be. <smile>

Your bio of Geronimo is quite a revelation. I guess we may never know exactly what the truth really is, as these secret societies are so named by their very nature.

How very dear the Oliver and Hardy info is. Now we have new respect for those two funny guys. Thanks for that, hawkman.

I guess I may have to research Jack Albertson, as I cannot recall his role in The Poisedon Adventure.

Time for a little music, folks.

Unwritten Law
» Geronimo

Don't wanna think about it anymore
Lying curled and naked on the floor
And I don't wanna hear those words you say
What were they anyway

[chorus]
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh


So here I go (so here I go)
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Geronimo

Don't wanna get up out of bed today
It seems much hard than was yesterday
And I don't wanna hear those words you say
What were they anyway
What were they anyway

[2 choruses]

Geronimo!

Let's leave today a
And forget everything
Can't really take this place
So what you say

Lets leave it all behind
And don't look back
We won't rewind this time
Let's get away
[2 choruses]

For our P.D.

Jack Albertson



Do you remember Shelley Winters having a heart attack after her swim in The Poseidon Adventure?
Jack Albertson played her husband and if I recall correctly, he was one of the survivors.

Funny joke, Bob.

Hey, Raggedy. Thanks. I recall Shelly Winters, of course, but not J.A. They did a remake of the Poseidon Adventure, and Rutger Hauer did Gene Hackman's role in the first one. I certainly do remember Shelly Winter's heart attack. The entire thing was ironic, PA.

Hmmm, wonder where our Tryagain is?