Happy 68th Birthday to Kevin Pollak! He is known for his roles in the Grumpy Old Men series and A Few Good Men. Prior to that, he was a stand up comedian. During his act he would often do some fantastic impressions. Let’s laugh our way closer to the weekend….
One of my favorite impressions is his Peter Falk. Watch how he can do Falk’s eye!
I’ve heard some good Christopher Walken impressions, but Pollak’s is really the best.
My brother and I always made fun of William Shatner growing up, so when I heard Kevin’s impression, I was on the floor laughing,
Kevin and Shatner are good friends now, but their first meeting was awkward according to Shatner himself
Another great impression Kevin does is of the late, great Alan Arkin
Kevin has some wonderful stories about actors he has worked with. He worked with Walter Matthau on Grumpy Old Men. This is such a great story.
I’ve never been a tequila man, but the picture fit the blog. This week the Nostalgic Italian reached 1800 posts! 1800 posts about music, television, movies, books, my wife and kids, and ME. I’m grateful that you find the things I post interesting enough to come back for more. Thank you.
My blog doesn’t have 20,000 followers or get mentioned much by other blogs, and I am ok with that. I have come to know you through your posts and I consider you a friend. I again thank you for making this site a “reading stop” every so often.
______
Over the weekend, I got to spend some time with the kids. On Sunday we went to the park, but they were the only kids at the playground. They played for a bit, but when no other kids came, they decided to take a walk on the trail that runs through the park.
It was a beautiful day with sunshine and nice temperatures. We walked down the trail looking for caterpillars, squirrels, birds, trees and flowers. Every once in a while, they’d walk ahead of me just talking about things. I love when they get along and treat each other good. Every once in a while, they get to a place that is perfect for a picture.
___________
Andrew started his Pre-K class this week. I feel bad for those teachers. There are 9 students and 6 of them are boys! I wasn’t sure how he would do with us leaving, but he actually has done really well. Many of the kids were all grabbing onto their parents screaming and crying. It was worse on the second day, which surprised me. Andrew, however, gave me a hug and said, “See ya later, Dad!” and walked right in.
All summer long he talked about not wanting to go to school. When my wife went to pick him up, he said he wanted to stay longer. Go figure.
One funny story: On the first day of school I was helping to get the kids dressed. I asked my wife if I should put Andrew in a collar shirt. He heard me and said, “A collar! I’m not a dog, Dad!”
Smart kid!
_______
I came across this on one of the social media pages this week. It is such an outlandish scenario that I truly wish that someone had made it happen! Ok, picture it with me:
He began his career playing serious roles, but wound up being a comedy legend. Leslie Nielsen was born today in 1926. Most folks who are familiar with him know him going serious to funny. It was the opposite for me, as I first saw him in Airplane!, Police Squad, and the Naked Gun films first.
When I saw him in those early roles, I was blown away. He was a great actor! His performance in Forbidden Planet was amazing! Then I saw him pop up on TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and even Columbo! Each time I saw him I was more and more impressed with him. He was also good as the captain in the movie The Poseidon Adventure. He could be funny, serious, mean, nasty, romantic and more!
In Airplane! he was hilarious. His deadpan delivery is exactly what the directors wanted and it worked. It worked so well, they had him play Lt. Frank Drebin in a short lived show called Police Squad.
The show only lasted 6 episodes, but it laid the groundwork for the Naked Gun films, which featured him again as Drebin.
In his honor today, here is the Theme from Police Squad (and Naked Gun).
I’ve been having fun on the blog in the last week or so. However, we’ve experienced our share of rough stuff at home. Hopefully, we’re working our way towards the end of it.
Germs!
It started with Ella about three weeks ago. She went to urgent care with a fever. They said it was an ear infection and sinus infection and to follow up with her primary doc. They confirmed what urgent care said and we did a round of antibiotics. She missed a week of school and went back. She hung on to a deep cough, but she had no fever. The cough continued and we took her back to the doctor who told us it was due to drainage. When she spiked another high fever, we were back at the doc who gave us another antibiotic.
Saturday, she wasn’t really herself. My brother was in town and she was kind of clingy. On Sunday, my brother was supposed to come back over, however, plans changed. Ella woke up with a fever of 105.1. So it was off to the ER.
She was miserable. They swabbed her to check for Covid, Strep, and any other virus. They gave her Motrin and the fever started to break. They took her for x-rays to check for pneumonia, too. We were there from 8:30am until about 2pm. No pneumonia, urinalysis was fine, chest was clear, but she does have a form of Coronavirus that is not Covid. She came home and immediately fell asleep on the couch.
She slept for almost five hours. Sam stayed up with Andrew while I was at the ER. When we got home she laid down to nap, too. My brother didn’t know how long we’d be and figured it was best to let Ella rest. He ended up going home early. So it was just me and Andrew.
We went outside and raked leaves. He was pretty proud of the big pile we made, and he wanted a picture.
Andrew, Sam and me have all had a cough. Sam seems to have gotten what Ella has. Andrew and I are just coughing. I hope this goes away!
Kit Kat Club?
Sam ordered a cat tree for the kitten. She is extremely playful and loves to claw at things. The hope is that she will sharpen her claws on it, and use it to rest. I don’t think that is going to be an issue….
Keith – AI
I was scrolling Facebook this week and something popped up. It was some AI thing that Facebook has. It said to have it “imagine” something and it would create it. You can say, “Imagine pigs flying” and bingo – there is a picture. So I said, “Imagine me as a radio DJ.” Real creative, right?
The first thing it did was took a picture of me from the front, and both sides. It had me upload a picture or two of me to aid it in the creation. Next thing I know….
Not bad, I suppose. Something is obviously wrong with my right hand as it only has three fingers! I’m not sure about the headphone cords … something isn’t right there. On another note, if I was really this thin, I’d be extremely happy!!!
Naturally, I had to try another. That one was too easy. So I said, “Imagine me as Columbo.” I meant, of course, Peter Falk’s iconic character. I never clarified that at all and wanted to see what it came up with. I’m not going to lie, it is kind of impressive.
They got the raincoat and messy hair, although most of it is covered by a hat. I may have to make this my profile picture on Facebook. It’s too good!
Ewe Never Know What You Might Ram Into …
Our town has a Facebook page. It is used to talk about events, traffic issues, and so on. The past week has been a real hoot. It seems that someone’s ram got loose and ran away.
The page began to fill with ram sightings all over town.
This thing was everywhere and they couldn’t seem to catch it.
It became quite humorous as people were creating memes and other photoshopped pictures with it. Those were funny, but I though the real photos were funnier.
I mean, here is this ram just out enjoying the sights and sounds of our town!
I won’t lie, I was actually a bit disappointed when they posted that he was finally caught and returned home.
He was so popular, I may write him in as my candidate for President!
Yesterday, I posted about the premier of Columbo with Peter Falk. Coincidentally, today is the anniversary of his birth. He was born on this day in 1927, and is worthy of a two day celebration.
He stars as Guy Gisborne, alongside The Rat Pack in a spoof on Robin Hood. Falk convincingly plays his gangster character to perfection!
So, how does this tie in with my Movie Music Monday feature? Well, the film is a musical and features songs written by Sammy Chan and Jimmy Van Heusen. All the arrangements are done by the legendary Nelson Riddle.
The soundtrack features Sinatra’s hit, My Kind of Town, as well as catchy songs like Mr. Booze, Bang Bang, and Style. Each song was recorded for the film, but when it came time to release a soundtrack album, everything was re-recorded. According to Frank Sinatra Jr., this was because of the better quality attainable in a recording studio as opposed to the process used for film soundtracks.
The song for today is a short one. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on whether or not you think Peter Falk can sing. Yes, he actually sings in the movie!
In the scene, Big Jim (the leader of the crime organization) is dead. A group of gangsters is electing a new leader. Conveniently, the only nomination is Guy Gisborne. In true Robin Hood fashion, he talks of how things will now be “all for one and one for all.”
53 years ago today, on September 15, 1971, one of my favorite TV shows AND favorite TV characters debuted on NBC. In honor of this anniversary, here is a “summer rerun” (with updates) from our TV Draft in 2022. Here is a tip of the hat to Columbo.
Columbo was called a murder mystery where the murder was no mystery. The reason for this was that you know who the murderer is right from the start. The show pioneered the “inverted mystery” technique/format. Almost every show begins with a crime and the audience knows who the culprit is. Then enter the LAPD’s Lieutenant Columbo who spends the remainder of the show looking for clues, pestering the criminal, and eventually solving the case. The show was not a “whodunit” like Perry Mason, but rather it has been described as a “how’s he gonna catch him?”
The first season of Columbo began in September of 1971. Most episodes were featured as part of the NBC Mystery Movie rotation. It ran for 35 years with a total of 69 episodes.
The show was created by schoolmates Richard Levinson and William Link. The character first appeared in 1960 on The Chevy Mystery Show in an episode called “Enough Rope.” That episode was then adapted for a stage play entitled Prescription: Murder, which was then adapted for television in 1968. Columbo was played by Bert Freed in Enough Rope and by Thomas Mitchell in the stage version in 1962.
The writers of the show had originally wanted Lee J. Cobb to play Columbo, but he was unavailable. They next approached Bing Crosby, who turned down the role because it would take away from his time on the golf course. Peter Falk came across the script for Prescription: Murder and contacted Levinson and Link and said, “I’d kill to play that cop!”
They weren’t really sure about Peter Falk, who was only 39 at the time. They envisioned the character as being older. He won the role, and he plays him as a much straighter, cleaner, and firmer Columbo in the first episode. It was a huge hit! The Columbo quirks and mannerisms that fans came to know and love would develop as he continued to play the role.
Peter Falk really threw himself into the role. He wore his own clothes. The suit was one that he had dyed brown, because he felt that looked better. He wore his own shoes. The world famous raincoat was one that he purchased in New York City while caught in a rainstorm. It cost him a mere $15. One difference between Peter and Columbo – Columbo preferred cigars, while Falk enjoyed cigarettes.
There is a a fantastic book on the show written by David Koenig, that is full of great stories and information.
Columbo is like no other cop. Koenig says, “There was nobody or nothing like Columbo at all before him. All the detectives were these hardboiled, emotionless, tough guys. And he was the opposite of that in every way. He hated guns and violence.” He describes the show this way, “Columbo wasn’t really a cop show. It was a drawing-room mystery done backwards with a cop as the lead. It was an anti-cop show.”
Recently, Koenig released a second book that is on my “To read” list:
During the first few seasons of Columbo, it really set the standard for what some refer to as “event television.” There were some fabulous guest stars who played the murderer. Those stars included Gene Berry, Jack Cassidy, William Shatner, Dick Van Dyke, Ruth Gordon, Robert Vaughn, Anne Baxter, Janet Leigh, Robert Culp, Donald Pleasence, Eddie Albert, Leonard Nimoy, Johnny Cash, and Patrick McGoohan – just to name a few!!
After the murder, when Columbo finally shows up, his genius is hidden by his often confused look. It is also hidden by the way he is dressed and by his friendly demeanor. He is looked upon as a stupid fool. The killer has no idea what a brilliant man Columbo is and they are lured into a false sense of security. The killer becomes even more arrogant and dismisses Columbo as a dope, only to be caught in the end.
One of the things that certainly added to the character was his little idiosyncrasies like fumbling through his pockets for a piece of evidence, asking to borrow a pencil, or being distracted by something in the room in the middle of a conversation. Falk adlibbed those moments on camera while film was rolling as a way to keep the other actors off-balance. He felt that it really helped to make their confused and impatient reactions to Columbo more genuine. It really truly worked.
On the show, the murderer is often some famous person, or someone who is cultured or from high society. Either that, or some sort of successful professional (surgeon, psychologist, etc…). Paired up against Columbo, it is gold! The interactions between the two become such a marvelous part of the show and brings out Columbo’s character and cunning genius!
In those conversations Columbo is often confused. He doesn’t know anything about classical music, chess, fine wines, photography or pieces of art. One article on the show stated that his “ignorance” will often “allow him to draw in the murderer with a cunning humility that belies his understanding of human behavior and the criminal mind.”
The last episode of Columbo aired in 2003 and was entitled “Columbo Likes the Nightlife.” Falk had planned for one final episode. It was to be called “Columbo’s Last Case” which was to begin at his retirement party. There was a lack of network interest and with his age and failing health, the episode was never to be.
Columbo remains as popular as ever. It was one of the most watched shows on streaming platforms during the pandemic. Author David Koenig says about the show, “It has stood the test of time for 50-plus years now. That character is still vibrant and alive, appealing to people. People love that central character, that basic format, the fact that it’s not political, it’s not violent, it’s not all the things television shows are today, it’s something different. And that is charm. That’s what people love about it.”
Columbo Facts:
Steven Spielberg directed the first episode of Season 1 – Murder by the Book.
Peter Falk won 4 Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Columbo (1972, 1975, 1976, and 1990)
He also won a Golden Globe Award for the role.
Patrick McGoohan played a murderer more times than any other actor – 4 times. Jack Cassidy and Robert Culp each had 3 times, William Shatner and George Hamilton each played a killer twice.
Columbo’s name is never revealed – although a close up of his badge in the first season says it is ‘Frank.’ The creators of the show have stated that his first name was never known, so take that however you want to.
Columbo drives a 1960 Peugeot 403 convertible.
Columbo’s favorite food is chili and black coffee is his drink of choice.
In the 1972 episode entitled, “Etude in Black,” Columbo rescued a basset hound from the dog pound. The dog could be seen in many other episodes, and was as close to a sidekick/partner as Columbo ever got.
In 1997, the episode Murder by the Book was ranked #16 in TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time” list.
In 1999, Lieutenant Columbo was ranked #7 on TV Guide’s “50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.”
There is a bronze statue of Columbo (and his dog) in Budapest, Hungary. It was unveiled in 2017. Peter Falk is rumored to be a distant relative of the well-known Hungarian politician Miksa Falk (1828-1908).
I thought I would close with little treat for you. On one of the Dean Celebrity Roasts, Frank Sinatra was the Man of the Hour. Now, these roasts were often edited down to make sure all the best stuff was shown on TV. In Lee Hale’s book, he stated that there was only one performance that was shown in its entirety – Peter Falk’s appearance during the Sinatra roast.
Falk appears from the audience – as Lt. Columbo. The entire 11 minute bit is just priceless. It is a must see. Enjoy:
Boy, do I miss Peter Falk! Happy 53rd Anniversary to Columbo!
Since discovering the Libby App, my wife and I have been listening to almost all of our books in the car. She gets through hers faster than me, as she tends to be able to listen to them at work, too.
She will grab books that I already have on my Goodreads “Want to Read” list and there are ones that I have added to my list that she read first. The issue I have is that my “Want to Read” list grows faster than my “Read” list! Anyway, it is fun to discuss those books together after we have both read one from our lists.
Ward D has been on my list forever. It sounded really good. My wife read it and she said it blew her away. My son’s speech therapist read it, too, and she raved about the ending as well. I was waiting on a book that was still on hold and I looked to see if Ward D was available and it was, so I finally got around to reading it.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
Medical student Amy Brenner is spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward.
Amy has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital’s inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation. Reasons nobody can ever find out.
And as the hours tick by, Amy grows increasingly convinced something terrible is happening within these tightly secured walls. When patients and staff start to vanish without a trace, it becomes clear that everyone on the unit is in grave danger.
Amy’s worst nightmare was spending the night on Ward D. And now she might never escape.
This is the first book I read by Freida McFadden. It was a good psychological thriller. It definitely has you guessing and wondering through most of the book. There are plenty of characters in it that make you wonder who’s good and who’s bad. There are also characters that will creep you right out!
I was about 3 hours into the book (the audiobook was like 7 hours) and I came home and started telling my wife about where I was in the book and recapping what was happening. Maybe it is just that I watched a lot of Perry Mason and Columbo, but I tend to over think things. I find little things and I question them. So I blurted something out to my wife and she looked at me dumbfounded.
“I’m right, ain’t I?!” I said, proudly. She was pretty impressed that I figured part of the ending out, but “there is more to it and you’ll never guess that!” she told me. Well, she was right. There certainly was a few things I didn’t see coming and it wound up being ok. I will certainly be reading some more of her books.
I can easily see that if I was reading a physical copy of it, I’d be staying up late saying, “Ok, just one more chapter before I go to sleep!” 4 out of 5 stars.
Dabney Coleman passed away recently at the age of 92. He was one of those great actors who always seemed to be playing a jerk in the movies. He played those characters so well, it is hard to believe that he was actually the opposite of that in real life.
As an actor, he appeared in so many great classic TV shows. He was in The Naked City, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, The Outer Limits, Hazel, The Donna Reed Show, The Fugitive, That Girl, I Dream of Jeannie, The Mod Squad, Bonanza, Ironside, Kojak, Mannix, Cannon, Police Story, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Quincy ME, The Love Boat, Columbo, Different Strokes, Boardwalk Empire, Yellowstone, and so many more. He starred as the lead character in Buffalo Bill and The Slap Maxwell Story. His movies included Midway, North Dallas Forty, War Games, Tootsie, Dragnet, The Beverly Hillbillies, Modern Problems, and of course, 9 to 5.
I always liked him as an actor, and it is 9 to 5 which brings about the lesson learned. That lesson is something that I can relate to right now in my life. For those not familiar with 9 to 5, let me give you just a brief overview of the plot from IMDB:
“Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.:
Yeah, that’s pretty much what happens. Dabney plays the hard-ass, no nonsense boss, Franklin Hart. He is the stereotypical bad boss. He is exactly how he is described by IMDB. Long story short, working for him sucks. The workplace is a hell hole where the employees are basically slaves to his rules and statutes. The employees can’t even put pictures up at their desks!
I won’t give away too much of the plot, but the three ladies played by Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda wind up holding him against his will and run the company while he is “away.” During that time, the girls change things up a bit, well, a lot. They add flex shifts for workers, a daycare, plants and pictures can adorn desks, rehabilitation programs, and a whole lot more. Employee morale goes through the roof!
As for how the movie ends, you will have to watch for yourself, but here is the lesson and how it applies to me and my work life. We recently had a merger. As that merger continued to be finalized, there were a lot of unknowns. A few weeks ago, our director was let go along with many others. No one knew what was going to happen.
Shortly after an introductory e-mail, our interim manager was named manager, much to our delight. We all like her. She was one of us techs, so she knows all our concerns and the things we deal with on a daily basis. We then had a meeting via Zoom/Teams where all of us were told of the plans going forward. This was scary for us – we had no idea.
What happened during the meeting was nothing short of amazing. Ideas that had been thrown around years ago and shot down, were suddenly a possibility. Many concerns were addressed and tentative plans to correct them were presented. Over and over again we were given things that were being discussed for our workplace that would make things so much easier for all of us. The future looks bright!
I won’t lie to you, a couple years ago, I was on the job hunt. I had interviews, but nothing really panned the way I had hoped. Places I thought were the answer gave off bad vibes. People I met didn’t give me a good feeling, etc. So I stayed and did my job. (It is always easier to find a job while you still have one.) I was so unhappy about things. I was miserable. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could do it. My health was bad, my blood pressure was up, my sleep was nonexistent, and my home life was tense. Stress was an understatement.
When the interim manager took over, she presented me with an opportunity to go to second shift. I jumped at the opportunity. Almost immediately, my demeaner was better. I was happier. I saw more of my family. My stress level dropped – and so did my blood pressure. My doc was so impressed with my blood pressure that she wrote a note saying that for my health’s sake, I should not be allowed to work midnights.
Anyway, after that meeting, I got a sense that our new leaders really wanted to (1) help our lab grow, (2) help get us what we needed to be the best for our patients, and (3) make us employees happy. Just like in the movie 9 to 5, I see these things being implemented and the morale becoming better. I see good things to come. The leaders truly make me feel appreciated and I think that’s amazing.
When I was a boss in radio, I always said if you make your employees happy, they will follow your leadership. I hope that the vibe that I am feeling is right and we see happy employees and a great work environment.
If you had a dollar for every time I have ranted about this, you could get yourself a really nice seven course meal! I wish that this didn’t aggravate me so much, but it does! So, please let me rant and you can get on with your regular scrolling….
It is all over the internet and on social media that Liam Neeson will be starring in a Naked Gun “reboot.” Before I go any further, I want to say that I REALLY like Liam Neeson! He is a great actor. I enjoy a lot of his movies and I think he has an amazing voice.
That being said, I continue to get angry and frustrated that Hollywood cannot come up with an original story! WHY? Why do we need a reboot or remake or whatever the heck they want to call it of the Naked Gun? The only answer I can come up with is money. But can’t they come up with an original money making idea?!
I understand that the original creators aren’t even a part of this. Paramount Pictures owns it and they can do whatever they want. I heard that Seth MacFarlane is the guy behind it. I’m not a huge fan of his TV and movie work, so perhaps I am biased. I just see this as being something that will be crap.
If you don’t agree with me, that’s ok. I will offer up my reasoning: Airplane 2. Yep. While there are some funny scenes in it, and has a lot of returning cast (and William Shatner), it lacked the original creators and was a lot less funny.
Another lame argument from me is that Leslie Neilson will ALWAYS be Lt. Frank Drebin! Just like Peter Falk will ALWAYS be Columbo and Raymond Burr will ALWAYS be Perry Mason. Why is the argument lame? James Bond and other big characters have been played by other actors or actresses, however, some people just own the role. I can’t see anyone else playing Archie Bunker or Fred Sanford, for example.
I know that Liam Neeson can do comedy. A good actor can do it. I have seen him do comedy in bit parts in movies, on SNL, and such. He will probably be great, but why reboot an old premise or series? Write him a new police comedy. Come up with something new!
A buddy on Facebook said that the Hollywood sign should be changed to read “Lazywood.” I agree. I feel like the ones that are getting all the talk (Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, etc…) are based on books. Rightfully so! I think there are thousands of great stories in books that are ready to be adapted into a movie. Why isn’t this happening? I don’t know. Maybe the folks in Hollywood can’t read?
I will wrap up by stating once again – STOP WITH THE REMAKES!!!! Please!
I just finished listening to the audio version of this book by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I guess this is what folks refer to as a “cozy mystery.” I really don’t know what that means, but I will tell you that I liked it.
As someone who reads a lot of mysteries, this one kept coming up as a suggestion in my Goodreads feed. Before adding it to my “Want to Read” list, I always read some of the reviews. They were mixed, but the thing that sold me on it was that people said that it made them laugh out loud. So I took a chance on it and loved it.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.
As I prepared to write this blog, I found out that this book was one that the author’s editor had her rush to write it. They had her put all her other projects on hold and get this book out. According to one review, the book was “sloppily thrown together,” but I never thought that. Another review noticed that the author used a line (or a similar line) twice, which they found annoying. Uh, ok. I never noticed.
I was hooked from the first line of the book:
“Vera Wong was born a rat, but she should have been a rooster-that is according to the characteristics of the signs in the Chinese horoscope!“
I admit to having laughed out loud quite a few times while listening. There were also times where I really felt for some of the characters. Vera certainly is the main character, but the supporting characters were just as important to the story. While there was some predictability to some of the story arcs, I was surprised to find out who the murderer was. I never saw it coming.
I can see the Vera character being one that could easily be a protagonist that could carry a series of stories. Honestly, I hope that is the case. She’s a bit Columbo and a bit Sophia from the Golden Girls. It was a joy to read (listen to).
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 