This morning I had the chance to sit outside and watch the kids play. It truly was a perfect spring morning.
Sam bought sand for the sandbox yesterday, so the kids have been playing in it with their new sand toys. Just sitting back with a cup of coffee and watching them run around barefoot was a treat. Andrew is Ella’s biggest follower and always plays along. Today, she was a source of many laughs. For five minutes I just listened and heard some of the funniest stuff:
“Grandpa’s phone never works because he always breaks it.”
“Bubby, pretend you are a super hero, but you have no powers!”
“Look at me! I’m a flying dolphin!”
“Here is my baby’s home. She hides here so the bad guys won’t get her.”
“…and that’s all because he turned into a chicken!”
“Be careful not to fall in the river, because the water is on fire!”
She is a source of so many chuckles.
Another source of chuckles is our dumb dog, LOL. We took her to the vet this week to get her spayed. She is not supposed to be running around or anything like that. Well, she is naturally crazy, so I’m not sure how we can make that happen. Today, as the kids and I were outside, she was chewing on a plastic watering can, various toys, and fetched a stick. Ok, so maybe it is a tree limb….
Watching her run with this huge thing in her mouth was more than comical.
In other news, Ella got her eyes checked this week and she needs glasses. She is farsighted, while Andrew is nearsighted. She doesn’t have hers yet, but she picked out some cute frames.
Andrew has had his glasses for a week or so now and he loves them. They are transitions, so they become sunglasses when he is outside. He’s so cool!
I’m looking forward to many more sunny mornings outside!
With the baseball season in full swing, and my daughter getting ready to start T-ball, I was reminded of those great days when I helped coach my two oldest boys. I was not the best coach, that is for sure, but we had fun. I coached T-ball, coach pitched, and player pitched teams. Eventually, my boys decided that it wasn’t for them.
Now with Ella and Andrew, I hope that they enjoy the game like I do. With my schedule I won’t be able to coach, but I have already put a plan in place to be able to see some of her games. I cannot wait to start playing catch with them.
I found this poem online and have no idea who wrote it, but I love it. It is about a boy, but I know plenty of girls who love the game, too, so it can easily apply to a girl as well.
If You Give a Boy a Baseball
If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.
You’ll buy the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.
When he realizes he can’t carry all these things with his own two hands, he will want a bat bag.
Then he will want to spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him even though you just want to sit on the couch and watch TV. He will insist. And his insistence will win!
When you go out in the yard to hit, pitch, throw, and catch. He will not want to go back in the house for dinner and will swear that even at dusk there is enough light to continue playing!
Next the backyard will get too small and he will want to go the baseball field to see how far he can hit and throw. Finally he learns to catch and then he wants friends to play with.
When a boy gets a jersey, he will want pants and socks and a belt and a hat to go with it! And a TEAM!!!
Then life as you know it will end!
There will be no more lazy weekends. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible! Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets, bags, stinky cleats, and crazy boys all over tarnation for practice and games. Your house will be a mess, and your car will be dirty.
All because you gave a boy a baseball!
Your weekends will be spent freezing in the cold or burning in the hot summer sun in a lawn chair! His weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, learning new skills, and having fun getting dirty. So dirty you will learn a whole new way to do laundry! Like going to the car wash using a pressure washer!
You will be there the day he has his first strikeout, double play and hits his first home run! And he will make you so proud. The other parents will congratulate you. But you feel weird saying thank you because it’s not you at bat or on the mound. It’s all him . . . He did this.
His smile will grow bigger and bigger! And each year that he plays with that baseball, he will get better and better. And his love for the game, and confidence in himself will grow right along with his jersey size!
Right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed from the baby who spun around with his head on the bat, (because he loves attention), into a pitcher. Because he still loves attention. Then he might try to be a catcher, outfielder or infielder because baseball teaches him he can be anything he wants!
When you give a boy a baseball, you give him more than just a ball. You give him a sport, and a talent, and hope, and dreams, and friends, a new family, a place to learn about life, room to grow as a person where he can push his limits, and bravery, and courage and life, and memories. He will have all of these things, simply because you gave a boy a baseball.
Because you gave a boy a baseball, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the game and love of your team. You will cheer together, all because you gave a boy a baseball.
Then one day, many years from today . . . he will be in his room and a baseball will roll out from an old dusty bat bag underneath his bed. And he will pick it up and realize instantly that when you gave that boy a baseball, you also gave him a childhood that he would never forget! Then he will hug you, and your eyes may leak – because you realize that everything YOU gave up along the way . . . was worth it!
Yesterday a New Orleans R&B legend passed away. Clarence “Frogman” Henry passed away at age 87. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation announced his death but provided no other details. He was scheduled to perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival later this month.
Clarence’s biggest hit was one that I remember playing over and over as a kid. He recorded “Ain’t Got No Home” when he was only 19 years old. In the song he sings as a boy, a girl, and frog. You read that right – a frog. He croaks a verse as a frog which, of course, led to the “Frogman” nickname. In 1956 the song hit No. 20 on the U.S. pop charts and No. 3 on the R&B charts.
He toured and continued to record, but only had two other minor hits. One was a cover of the Bobby Charles song “(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do” from 1961.
The other minor hit was also from 1961 and also a cover, “You Always Hurt The One You Love.”
His success was enough to land him quite a gig – opening for the Beatles!!
Frogman opened for the Fab Four in 1964 on eighteen dates across the US and Canada. That’s not a bad bill to be on!
He remained a popular entertainer at New Orleans clubs along Bourbon Street until 1981, when he retired from the grueling club circuit. He continued to be a crowd-pleaser at the Jazz & Heritage Festival. Even though he hadn’t had a hit in years, his name still drew big crowds.
In April 2007, Henry was honored for his contributions to Louisiana music with induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
This is probably SO wrong, but I have to wonder how many headlines about his passing will read, “Frogman Croaks at 87.”
100,000! No, I did not hit the lottery. However, I did get lucky to have YOU, my readers, help me hit another blogging milestone.
With every milestone, I become more grateful that you find my corner of the blogging universe worthy of reading. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope to continue to bring you stuff worth reading.
I suppose I am behind as far as this one is concerned. It’s a book that I have heard talked about for some time now. I also recently found out there is a movie based on the book, too.
I’m not sure why it took so long to get to it, other than my “to read” list seems to grow daily. It has been on my list for awhile and within the last month or so, something pulled me to it.
I had been in a Barnes and Noble recently getting a gift card for a friend’s birthday and saw the book front and center when I walked in. There were a couple people there talking about it, saying good things. Then, on a Walmart trip a week ago, I saw someone with it in her hands by the book shelves. I figured it was time to read it.
Depending on who you talk to it is either a Young Adult book or it isn’t. I never felt like it was. At the same time, reviews were either really good or really bad (I saw more good than bad). It’s not a fast read, but I never felt like it was too slow.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.
By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.
In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.
The book is narrated by Death. He tells the story and gives many of the details. There are likeable characters and some not so much.
What I found interesting about this particular book was that it is not written from the perspective of a Jewish person as most World War 2 books are. The main characters are almost all German. It was interesting to read it this way.
There were a few things in the book that I didn’t care for, but nothing that takes away from a good story. I hope to be able to watch the movie version in the coming week, but am hesitant because I know what Hollywood tends to do to books.
If you do choose to read this, I’d love to know your thoughts!
It was a long day yesterday. We were on the road by 5am to be at the hospital by 7am. Andrew’s surgery was at 9am.
They repaired the cleft in his throat without harming the vocal chords it was between. They removed adenoids and shaved the tonsils. It all went very well.
Waking up from anesthesia was very difficult. They wanted him to drink something, but he wasn’t having any of that. Even popsicles and ice cream didn’t phase him. He just wanted to snuggle with mom.
We planned on staying the night, but once we got to the room he began drinking and eating. He drank water, juice and ate popsicles. After a few hours, he wanted to walk the halls. He wanted to go home soon after that.
His nurses said that the doctors had said if he did well, he wouldn’t have to spend the night. He was discharged about 5pm. He did sleep some in the car, which was probably good for him. The rush hour traffic allowed for a good nap.
Thankfully, despite a sore throat, he was talking a lot. There was some concern that the surgery would hinder his speech, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The next couple days will be the hardest as far as pain and such. We’ll continue alternating Tylenol and Motrin and hopefully stay ahead of the pain.
We thank you for your good wishes, your prayers, and support. We hope this will be the last surgery for quite a while.
Many readers of this blog have only been reading it for a couple years. One of the first blogs I wrote was back in 2018 in honor of my mom’s 70th birthday. I thought I would revisit and update it a bit. I have mentioned her a few times in blogs, but this blog will really give you an idea of just how much she meant to me.
April 4, 1948. 76 years ago today, one of the most heroic, strongest, and special people was born. She wasn’t an actress in television or movies, and was far from famous. As a matter of fact, unless you know me personally, you probably have no idea who she is. That is the reason for this blog. Today, I want to introduce you to my mother. This blog will serve a few purposes: First, I want to, in a very simple way, pay tribute to the first woman who I ever loved with all my heart. Second, I hope that those reading take away a small lesson from it. Lastly, writing my feelings out has been very therapeutic and helps me personally be a better person.
The bond between a mother and a son is as special as that of a daughter and a dad. It wasn’t until I became a father that I really truly realized just what my parents felt when they held me for the first time. Sure, I have seen hundreds of pictures of my mom and dad holding my brother and I. In each of those pictures, they wear smiles as big as Texas! Once you become a parent you know that the smile, no matter how big it is, doesn’t even begin to express the joy that you feel within you!
My mother and father met because she saw his name in the paper. My dad was in Vietnam fighting in the war, and my mom wrote him a letter. They were both from the same city and they corresponded until he came home. Neither mom or dad told me us much about the letters, but they obviously liked each other because they ended up getting married.
You always knew where mom was. My mother was loud. She was Ethel Merman loud! Remember the first play you were in, and the teacher or director said that you needed to talk to the wall in the back of the room so people could hear you? That’s kind of the way my mom talked normally. And boy, could she talk! She spent countless hours on the phone talking to friends and family (I guess this is one thing I inherited from her, because I am the same way). My house was the one you would call and always get a busy signal (this was back in the days of corded phones and there was no call waiting, kids). There was never a doubt when it was time to come home – mom would simple open the door and yell, “Keith Allan” and even if I was four streets away, I could hear her!
She laughed just as loud. She enjoyed life and it showed. Her boisterous laugh could shatter glass, and she didn’t care. I remember watching Bill Cosby, Himself on HBO with her. She laughed so hard. She could be everyone’s friend, but don’t cross her, because if you did, you would certainly regret it. She could be incredibly loving and at the same time, when crossed, be terribly angry.
While she was usually loud, I do want to interject that there were plenty of times where my mom spoke to me in a normal or soft voice. Those talks were usually because I came to her with an issue and she gave me support or advice. Sometimes, she spoke softly to me when I was sick, in pain, or upset. The fact that she could speak to me in this way, made what she was saying even more meaningful.
Back in the day, we didn’t have cell phones to take pictures or movies. My dad had an 8mm movie camera and he had many films that he had taken of my grandparents and family, and eventually, he took movies of me as a baby. While I don’t remember these events personally, I can watch them and be a part of the memories caught on film. One of the movies I remember the most is my mom guiding me down the hallway in our house on Brandywine on various vehicles. It’s actually silly to think about, because it was almost like I was a model showing off different outfits, except there were no outfits, they were toys. There was mom smiling and pushing me down the hall on a tricycle, then a big wheel, some other contraption, and finally this metal fire truck. Man, I remember that fire truck! I am glad that there are pictures floating around of it still. I wish I still had it!
File written by Adobe Photoshop¨ 4.0
Mom was a night owl. She would stay up late and watch old movies on TV until 5am and then finally go to sleep. On Saturday nights on Channel 20, she would watch these ridiculous Kung Fu movies. I remember one day walking in and wondering why the hell the people’s mouths were not matching up to the words being said. She laughed and told me that they were speaking another language and I immediately said, “but I can understand them”, which made her laugh more. Because she was such a late sleeper, I remember many mornings when my brother and I would go in and jump on the bed to annoy her. It’s funny the things you remember from when you were a kid – not sure why, but I have never forgotten a set of sheets that had stripes on them or the gold comforter that used to be on the top of my parents bed.
Mom (along with dad) was certainly my biggest supporter. I remember her being in the audience when I was the lead role in the school play. I was a snowman. I had to sing. She helped create my costume. It was basically a white stretchy thing with pillows around my chest and belly to make me look like a snowman. My grandma and my aunt were there that night, too. She was smiling so big when she came back afterward. I remember her telling me how good I sang. It was such a boost. I will always remember that. On the other side of the coin, she held me and told me everything was ok when I my car lost the Pinewood Derby.
While mom was a good disciplinary, there were times that my brother and I often had to wait for the “higher authority”. “Wait until your father gets home…” were words we did not want to hear. I’m not sure who spanked harder, to be honest, because they could both leave a nice handprint on our behinds if we deserved it.
Like any child, as you get older, you think that you know it all and think your parents are overprotective. You feel as though they are doing everything in their power to make your life miserable. When you are an adult, you look back and realize that they always had your safety and best interests in mind. Mom and I did go through a period where we did not get along. My dad and I were obviously a lot closer during this time. It wasn’t until I was 20, that my relationship with mom grew stronger than ever.
In early 1991, I was single and had the opportunity to move away to do radio full time. I would be four hours away from home, and at the time I was ok with that. It was during this time that mom started to call on a regular basis to check up on me. She sent me “just because” cards and letters. Her letters and cards helped me, a guy who thought he’d be ok away from friends and family, feel so much better. I could not get to the mailbox faster each day, in hopes that I would find a note from home.
In 1995, I was just doing radio part time, and was working in the Mailroom at EDS. I was told by a co-worker that I had a phone call. When I picked up the phone it was mom. She did not sound right. I asked her what was up, because she never called me at work. She told me that she had just got back from the doctor and told me she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember feeling like I had been punched in the stomach. I sat staring off into space for what seemed like eternity until she said, “It’s going to be alright and we are discussing treatment options.” I could not fathom what I was hearing. As I hung up, my boss asked if everything was ok, and I told him about the call. He immediately sent me home, saying that was where I needed to be.
Breast Cancer. I hated that disease. It had already taken the life of my grandmother, and now it was threatening to do the same to my mother. She was a fighter and I knew if anyone could beat it, she would. There were many times I sat back and wondered if she was going to be around for future things in my life. There were times when she would go into remission and we would celebrate, and then there were times we heard of the return of the cancer. There were many ups and downs and she was strong through them all.
She had a lot of help from her friends during this time. Diane was like a long lost sister. They were like Thelma and Louise, Lucy and Ethel, and Laverne and Shirley. They would hang out together somewhere, come home and get on the phone and talk for hours. There was such a love between the two of them. She was such an amazing support for her. Recently, Diane also lost a battle with cancer. I envisioned mom waiting at the pearly gates to great her and the conversation picked up where it left off.
There were only two times in the 10+ years that she battled the disease where she thought of giving up. The first time was about a year and a half before my oldest son was born. Mom was not a grandma yet, and when she found out that her first grand baby was on the way, she gained a new strength that I had never seen. She was not going to NOT be here to hold her grandbaby. A surge of determination and strength came to my mom. It was amazing.
She was the one who slept (very uncomfortably) in a chair in the hospital waiting room as my oldest son was being born. She, along with my ex-mother-in-law, were the first to see him. They saw me wheeling him with a nurse down to the nursery. I don’t think I ever saw her happier. It was magical. I saw a whole new sense of love in her. My God, she loved him more than anything.
In the four short years she spent with my son, she spoiled him rotten. When we found out that he was developmentally delayed, she spoiled him even more. He made her smile as much as she made him smile. The mutual love they had for each other still brings tears to my eyes. After therapy sessions, I would take my son out for breakfast and we would call her on the phone. It was always a wonderful thing to witness. She would always tell me to make sure to call when we were at breakfast. I can still hear my boy telling grandma about Thomas the Train or Elmo.
She knew he loved Thomas the Train. Towards the end of her battle with cancer, she bought tickets for us to go to see Thomas and ride the train. She was so sick by this time, but she was not about to miss out on this day. She was moving slow, she had a walker and her wheelchair, and I was worried she wouldn’t be able to get up on the train. What was I worried about? When it came time, she stood and walked up there to sit next to her grandbaby. There is one picture of her on the train with him that remains one of my all time favorites. You would never know that she was sick.
The only other time I saw her give up during her battle with cancer, and that was when they told her there was nothing more they could do. There was really no further treatment and now it was all about making her comfortable. She knew at that point that she fought a good fight, but the cancer was going to prevail. At this point, it was time to start saying goodbyes.
Toward the end, there was one day when we were all together in the living room. Mom was in her hospital bed, and we all sat around telling stories. My brother, my aunt, my dad, and I laughed, cried, and all heard things we’d never heard before. It remains one of those days that I will remember forever. At one point, she said she was tired and everyone left the room. I asked if I could have a minute with her and we got to share some very special conversation. As my son left the room, she shed a tear and said to me, “That one is going to hard to leave behind”. It is a memory that is etched forever in my mind.
I was out at a restaurant when the call came from my dad. “I think you should come home. We’re close.” Just a day before I had spoke with mom on the phone, and she seemed a bit out of it, but ok, so I was surprised at dad’s call. The minute I walked into the living room when I got there, I knew just how close we were. We all took turns sitting next to her and talking to her. She was not able to speak any more.
At one point, I could see that we were all exhausted. I told my dad that I would stay up with her if he wanted to rest. During the time I was with her, I held her hand, spoke with her, told her how much I loved her and how much I was going to miss her. I reminded her of some Bible verses we had talked about in the past. I wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue and prayed with her. Throughout that time, her breathing was mostly shallow. At one point she took a bit of a bigger breath, and it returned to short breaths. Then, at 5:24am on October 25, 2006, she took a long, deep breath, and she passed away still holding my hand. I will never forget sitting there waiting for the next breath that never came. I looked at my phone to see the time and woke everyone.
One year later, while looking for something in my dad’s basement, my brother found a bunch of envelopes. One was addressed to him, one to me, one to my dad, etc… What an amazing thing it was to read a message from my mom long after she passed away. The sad thing was that the notes were written before my son was born, so she doesn’t mention him in it. “Know that I love you” was the first thing she said to me. There was never a doubt, mom. Never a doubt.
There was a reason I picked the song “Hero” to dance with my mother to at my wedding. She showed strength that I could never know as she battled that damn cancer. She fought like no one I had ever seen. She pushed and kept pushing. She said she was going to “kick this cancer’s ass”! She hated it with a passion and she was bound and determined to win! She was truly my hero. I was so amazed at her fight against it.
Now, almost 18 years later, the pain of her passing remains. She lives on in many memories. There are so many things I wish she had been around to see. I wish that she was around to see and spoil her second and third grandsons and her first granddaughter. We named our daughter Ella after her (and Sam’s mom, who both share the same name). I think of the amount of love that she gave to my first son and can’t even begin to imagine the love that she would have for the rest of my children! She was born to be an amazing grandma – time just wouldn’t let it happen.
When I originally wrote this blog, I had yet to know that Sam and I would be married. I know without a doubt that she would have loved Sam! She would have loved to see me so happy. I am sure that she would find ways to spend time with us, spend the night, babysit and just be with our family. That was how she was. Sam saved my life, and my mother would be extremely thankful for that. I know that if she were around they would be shopping together, finding the right outfits and toys for the kids and just hanging out watching Grey’s Anatomy or something. Sigh – How I wish she could be here!
I wish that she were around to know some of the people who have played such an important part of my life over the last 15 years. There are people who have come into my life since she passed away that she would have loved. I am sure that there would be things she’d have opinions about, there would be things that would make her angry, and there would be things that would still make her laugh. She would have been there for council, as she had always been in the past. I only wish that I had done more with our time together.
The lesson I hope someone takes away from this blog is one that I have stated in the past: Make every moment count. Answer the phone calls from mom, one day those phone calls are going to stop. Make time to listen to the same story mom has told you a hundred times, one day you will long to hear it again. Never stop telling your parents you love them, one day they will not be around to hear it. Never stop hugging your mom or dad, one day you will miss the comfort you found in them. Everyone is put in your life for a reason. Some may be there to guide you. Some may be there to teach you a lesson. Some may be there to love you. My mom was in my life to do all of those things.
The sad realization is that time is a funny thing. You never know how much you have. There is never a guarantee of tomorrow. Hell, there is never a guarantee of the next hour or minute! Use that time wisely, because it is too precious to waste. Again, that old saying from the band room grease board holds true, “Live every day as if it were your last – some day you’ll be right”. In the same way, you never really know when you are going to be talking to or seeing someone for the last time. Make that time count.
I would give anything to tell mom Happy 76th Birthday to mom face to face today. I know if I did, I would probably have some crack about her being old and call her Old Grey Haired Sally or something, and she would smack me and laugh. I would welcome that today. She is missed by so many, and my heart will forever ache that she is not here today. She lives on in memories. Those memories still bring tears, but also smiles, because they are memories of her. I have written this blog holding back tears. There are so many more memories I could share, but I will end for now.
Happy Birthday, Mom. Thank you for all you did for me while you were here….and all you continue to do for me in your absence. As I said at your funeral, “See you later”.
If you do a search on IMDB for Joe Flaherty, you will see some of his roles listed as: Jeering Fan, Chief Elder, Western Union Man, Doorman, Pilot, Death Row Inmate, Border Guard, and Patrol Car Policeman #2! Truly he was a great character actor, but he was so much more! He was one of the sketch/improv comedy legends! Perhaps it is fitting that he passed away on April Fool’s Day at age 82.
He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV from 1976 to 1984 (on which he also served as a writer). On SCTV he worked with Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, John Candy, Eugene Levy and many other greats. He also was known for his role as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks and had guest starring roles on many TV shows and made movie cameos.
He served four years in the US Air Force before getting involved in dramatic theater. In 1969 he then moved to Chicago where he joined Second City where he worked with John Belushi and Harold Ramis. After a few years, he moved to Toronto to help establish the Toronto Second City theatre troupe, which led to SCTV.
His list of celebrity impersonations on SCTV is a long one, but he created some very memorable original characters there as well. For example –
Count Floyd
Guy Caballero (the SCTV station manager)
and Big Jim McBob (of the Farm Film Report)
It was always fun to see where he would pop up. He was in some of my favorite films.
He was the border guard in Stripes
He appeared on stage in a great scene from 1941
He delivered Marty McFly a letter from the old west in Back to the Future II
and many younger folks know him from Happy Gilmore
One of my favorite cameos was when he appeared with his former SCTV costar Dave Thomas on That 70’s Show
You can also hear his voice on many Disney projects and other cartoons. In 2004, he actually joined the staff at Humber College in Toronto where he taught a comedy writing class.
He was a very funny guy, and the world is a lot less funny now.
As the Nostalgic Italian, it only makes sense to feature one of the great Italian American singers on his birthday – Lou Monte. Many people will have no idea who he is until you mention the Christmas song Dominick the Donkey. Yep, he sang that one. Personally, it saddens me that he will be remembered for that one more than his other hits.
Musician Lou Monte recording at a Reprise Recording Session on October 30, 1961 in New York. (Photo by PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Much of this is taken and adapted from the biography at his official website loumonte.com.
Lou Monte was born as Louis Scaglione today in 1917 He was born in Manhattan, New York. He played the guitar and started singing as a child beginning his professional career as a singer, comedian, and musician as a young man just prior to World War II. After a stretch in the military, Monte settled in Lyndhurst, New Jersey and his first real break came when he had a radio show in Newark, New Jersey. Eventually, Monte was given a television program on that same popular station, WAAT.
Entertainment journalist June Bundy notes, “although Lou had been singing professionally for fifteen years, it wasn’t until he recorded an Italian-English version of “Darktown Strutter’s Ball” at the end of 1953, that he hit the big time.” After that, his records, both comedic and not, sold in the millions. He appeared regularly at many famous nightclubs and, unlike most Italian-American comedians of the era, he was seen frequently on national T.V. At the pinnacle of his popularity, he was promoted in various press releases as “The Godfather of Italian Humor” and “The King of Italian-American Music.”
Here is the 1953 song that Bundy mentions:
The medium of most of Lou Monte’s comedy is song, although his extensive and impressive night club act also contained a good deal of stand- up. Many of his songs were sung, and nightclub acts performed, in English with a liberal interspersing of Italian dialect (of Neapolitan and Calabrian). As one commentator has noted, “He translates American music into Italian and Italian music into English.” As was stated in a past nightclub review, Monte’s “songalog is heavily laden with pizza pieces, including Italo verses of his American numbers with emphasis generally on comedy tunes.” Monte’s appeal to the Italian-American audience can be understood in both emotional and social terms. Emotionally, his humor provided some Italian Americans with a sense of comfort, of one-upmanship, or the sense of being a part of an inside joke, and, socially, of having a slice of their world recognized by others. His appeal to other ethnic groups was based upon their perception that his humor related to their own experiences in associating to American society.
An important theme in Monte’s Italian-American humor is his tendency to Italian-Americanize American history and life. Such a technique served this marginal ethnic group by making it feel a part of America’s early historical development. It also served to heighten a sense of in-group solidarity by the ludicrous layering of Italianicity on things supposedly rock-solid Anglo-Saxon. In one song, he asks the question, “What did Washington say when crossing the Delaware?” The answer: “Fa un’fridd! (It’s cold!).” This bit is a take-off on a joke which was popular in the Italian- American community, although Monte sanitized the coarser punch line.” In this way, he played to the Italian-American audience, knowing its members would enjoy and relate to the reference.” In another example, according to Monte, the name of Paul Revere’s horse was Baccigallup. The hit song, “Please Mr. Columbus” offers yet another of Monte’s unique historical interpretations.
I love Please, Mr. Columbus! I’ve seen many men’s vocal groups perform this on stage, but the song loses something when you lose the “Italian” in it.
A lot of Lou’s music dealt with the common themes of marriage, courtship, sexual relationships, and food. In his food song, “My Rosina – The Menu Song,” the lyrics include: “She is so good looking when she is cooking, what a beautiful sight among the pots and pans.” In collaboration with Ray Allen, Monte wrote, “Who Stole My Provolone?” (sung to the tune of “Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley”) a song parody, making use of the double entendre. Originally, my thought was just to post one song, neither of which I have mentioned yet, but as I read through the biography, I thought I would share the above songs, too.
The song I originally wanted to feature is a song that means a lot to me. When I got married the first time, I wanted to be sure to share a dance with my Italian grandmother. Looking back, I probably should have picked a Dean Martin song, as she loved him, however, I wanted to have some fun. So I chose an Italian Tarantella that was popular at weddings (and is even featured in the wedding scene in the film The Godfather) – Lazy Mary.
The song is a remake of the Italian song “Luna Mezzo Mare.” It tells the tale of a conversation between a young woman who wishes to be married, and her mother. The somewhat risque song mixes English and Italian verses. The two use double entendre to compare the occupations with the sexual appetites of the various suitors. The song goes back to the mid-1800s and the lyrics got a bit raunchier by the end of the century.
Monte’s 1958 version of the song peaked at number 12 on the U.S Pop Singles chart. Believe it or not, it was banned initially by British radio because of the innuendos in the song. That obviously doesn’t bother Americans, as the song has played during the seventh inning stretch at almost every New York Mets home game since the mid-1990s.
Unlike most Italian-American comedians of his time, Lou Monte received much national television exposure on such programs as the Perry Como Show and The Ernie Kovacs Show. Monte’s records sold in the millions. As a matter of fact, Reprise records had its first smash hit with Monte’s “Peppino The Italian Mouse” recording. Monte also made appearances at prominent feasts and festivals it is said that had a role in the comedy hit film, “Robin and the Seven Hoods” (1964), although I cannot find proof of that.
Lou Monte died in Pompano Beach, Florida in June of 1989. The Nostalgic Italian wishes Lou Monte a happy heavenly birthday!!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 