Last week social media was flooded with AI generated pictures of people’s “action figures.” You basically upload a picture of yourself and ask AI to generate it with whatever accessories you want. And while there were memes making fun of everyone doing this, I had to try it for myself.
This made me laugh out loud. It also got me wondering what else it could do. I asked it to make me and Larry from the Three Stooges doctors.
They got Larry’s hair right, but not so much the face.
Then I asked it to make me and Moe from the Three Stooges mechanics.
This was a bit closer. The face is a bit off, and I have no idea why they have my name as Chris here. I figured they’d get better as I kept going.
So I asked it to make me and Dean Martin singing a duet.
This is actually pretty good. Dean’s eyes are a bit off, but I was impressed. The best one of them all though was when I asked it to make me having a nice pasta dinner with Frank Sinatra.
All that’s missing are the pinky rings! I was totally blown away by this one. I have a few more ideas I want to try with a few other celebrities. If they are worth posting, I’ll share them.
On this day in 1903, Jerome “Curly” Howard was born. He was a man who made – and continues to make – millions of people laugh! He is considered by many, myself included, to be a comedic genius. He, of course, is remembered for his role as the “third stooge” in the Three Stooges comedy team. He is easily remembered as the most popular, and favorite stooge.
His brother Moe was the leader and often delivered slaps and konks on the head with various instruments. Larry was the stooge in the middle and often overshadowed by the other two. Curly was a whirlwind! He was a ball of energy. He was a childlike force of physical comedy! He commands every scene he is in! Whether he is a “victim of coicumstances”, barking like a dog, “woo woo wooing”, or giving his standard “N’yuk, n’yuk, n’yuking”, he has rightfully earned a place in comedy history.
Ted Okuda and Edward Watz’s book, The Columbia Comedy Shorts, puts Curly’s appeal and legacy in critical perspective:
Few comics have come close to equaling the pure energy and genuine sense of fun Curly was able to project. He was merriment personified, a creature of frantic action whose only concern was to satisfy his immediate cravings. Allowing his emotions to dominate, and making no attempt whatsoever to hide his true feelings, he would chuckle self-indulgently at his own cleverness. When confronted with a problem, he would grunt, slap his face, and tackle the obstacle with all the tenacity of a six-year-old child.
Curly’s legend far outlived him when the otherwise-obscure country-pop Jump ‘n the Saddle Band scored one of the biggest novelty hits of the 1980s with their 1983 single, “The Curly Shuffle.” The video featured some of Curly’s best scenes. One band member claimed they had watched hundreds of hours’ worth of Three Stooges films to find the right clips.
In honor of his birthday, here is The Curly Shuffle
Recently, I asked if anyone would like to participate in a “Guest Blog Series.” I’m happy to tell you that I have enough interest to proceed with the series. I have asked for guest bloggers to write a piece about their favorite childhood toy. They will write about that one special toy that they will never forget. I know many of the writers well, and am looking forward to their piece.
The series will begin on Sunday, October 20th. Each day will feature one of my guest bloggers. There is still time if you would like to participate. Drop me an e-mail at: Nostalgicitalian@yahoo.com if you are interested. I’m excited to walk down memory lane! Stay tuned!
The Silly Monty
On this day in 1969, Monty Python’s Flying Circus Premiered on BBC1.
The sketch comedy show featured the talents of John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Graham Chapman. The series stands out for its use of absurd situations, mixed with risqué and innuendo-laden humor, sight gags and observational sketches without punch lines. Live-action segments were broken up with animations by Gilliam, often merging with the live action to form a segue to the next bit.
I recall seeing it for the first time on Channel 9 out of Canada. I remember it was nothing like I had ever seen before. It was completely crazy. One of the first bits I ever saw was called the Funniest Joke in the World. A guy writes a joke that is so funny, he dies laughing. Everyone who reads the joke does the same. The joke is so funny that it is dangerous and it is used as the ultimate war weapon. It was so ridiculous!
Monty Python created some of the funniest sketches in comedy. They include The Dead Parrot Sketch, The Lumberjack Song, The Spanish Inquisition, Spam, Election Night Special, Cheese Shop, The Ministry of Silly Walks and Nudge Nudge. Each of them make me laugh.
The one that kills me every time is the stupidest bit ever. I laugh like crazy when I watch it. So for your enjoyment… The Fish Slapping Dance
The Argument Clinic is a sketch that was done on the show, however, I prefer the recording of it a little better:
The absurdity of the Bookshop sketch shows the brilliance of the writers. Cleese plays a marvelously frustrated book seller who is forced to deal with a very picky customer.
There are so many classic sketches, I could write a whole blog about them, but I will move on.
Life is Just a Bowl of Larry’s
Today is the 122nd birthday of my favorite Stooge – Larry Fine.
I was late to the Larry party. I, like most Stooge fans, loved Curly. However, while working at my first radio gig, a co-worker changed that. My pal, Johnny Molson, was a Stooges fan. I remember him telling me that Larry was his favorite. I couldn’t imagine why. He didn’t really do much … or so I believed. Johnny told me that the next time I watched the Stooges to forget about every thing else going on in a scene. “Just watch Larry,” he told me.
I am forever grateful for that advice. I noticed things that I would have never seen if he hadn’t told me that. Larry’s facial expressions are priceless. His reactions are like no other. Larry added more to those films than people realize. Once I started watching him, I gained such an appreciation for his contributions to the group. Moe and Curly’s personalities are so big that they can easily overshadow the “Larry-ness” that is the glue that holds the team together!
Happy Birthday, Porcupine!
World Teacher’s Day
Today we celebrate teachers all over the world! Whether you are teaching currently or a retired teacher, I thank you for all you do. YOU play such an important role in the lives of your students.
Back in April of 2018, I wrote about some of the teachers who made a difference to me. Some of them have since passed away, but it is worth sharing again.
I had to keep this quiet, because I wasn’t sure if my wife might read my blog. However, I can now share the news. Her request to paint my children was granted and (just in time for Christmas) the finished portrait has arrived!
When the package arrived in the mail, my wife began to question things. We had “agreed” to not get each other anything for Christmas. I told her that it wasn’t for her, but for us. I, of course, had seen the progression of it and was amazed when I held the final project in my hands. She kept wondering about it and eventually broke me down and I showed it to her. She was impressed. It is really something!
Admittedly, neither one of us has ever owned a portrait before and this one is like owning something from Van Gogh of Rembrandt! It will be hung with pride and joy in our home and will be something we will treasure for many years.
Belita does amazing work. If you didn’t read the blog above, you should. There are examples of the work she has done for Moe and Larry of the Three Stooges, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia, portraits for friends, churches, and more. Her work is in high demand and I know why! What an honor it was to have her ask to paint my children!
To me, the most amazing thing was the process. Belita kept me in the loop as things progressed. She had asked me to send some photos of the kids to use. She used a couple from a photoshoot we did in the Spring of 2022. The first draft was basically a sketch.
The above was from April or May of this year.
Tweaking happened and she cropped it a bit.
The above was the skeleton of the finished product. This would have been May 23 of 2023. She opted for the closer shot because it allowed for more details on the faces.
The beginnings of color started a few days later – May 27, 2023. This in itself blew me away. Their faces were so life like.
By July 18, the base colors were done and there was still some detail work that she was doing on it.
Between July and October, she received a commission piece that she had to finish. She told me of this and apologized for the delay, but I completely understood. I told her that I would wait as long as I had to for her to finish.
On October 26, she sent me a photo of the finished piece.
What a marvelous piece! The detail in this portrait is simply amazing to me. The eye color, the curls , the buttons on the overalls, and even the holding hands are just wonderful! I showed the kids, and Ella said, “That’s me and Bubby!!” They couldn’t believe it!
I cannot thank Belita enough for the time, the effort, and the love that she put into this portrait! When the initial “go ahead” was given, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The final project was above and beyond anything I could have imagined. This portrait will be something special to my family for generations. Thank you, Belita, for such a precious piece!
God has given you a wonderful talent! I am so thankful that He allowed us to connect and become friends. May He continue to bless you, you work and your entire family.
My last blog was a “throwaway.” I’ve had a lot going on, yet I was struggling to find something to write about. I stepped away for a couple days and now I have a few things worth sharing.
We Have a Street!
They finally blacktopped the street this weekend! They finished the driveways and sidewalks a couple weeks ago. They were out yesterday laying the final coat.
Of course, every one of us now has that “hay” on our lawns in hopes that it will grow into grass by next spring. They better be back to lay our walkway bricks back down. They took them out to dig up our yard and they are still stacked next to our porch.
Puppy VS Table
Those who have been following this blog know that before Ella was born, we turned our dining room into her room. The huge dining room table was moved to the basement for a bit. We brought it up for a short time, but with all of the toys and such in the living room, we took it back downstairs.
The kids have a little picnic table they eat at. Well, the puppy can jump up and grab all their food, so I mentioned that the old table should come back upstairs so the pup couldn’t jump up there. Sam reminded me of how big that table was and how we hardly have room, so we went out and bought a smaller table, which works fine and doesn’t take as much room.
Putting that table together was project #1 this weekend. Naturally, it is all put together with those Allen wrenches. The instructions said not to use power tools to put the table and chairs together, but I did anyway! I cannot stand what those wrenches do to my hand!
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like ….
My wife decided that since Halloween was over, it was time to put up the Christmas tree. So I dug through the boxes and such in the basement and found the tree. I drug it upstairs and put it together. No ornaments yet, but I did string the lights.
With the puppy, the cats, and the kids, I had to find a way to keep them away from and out of the tree. Sam reminded me that her dad bought us this play pen type thing that is meant to keep babies in when you’re outside. The tree fits perfectly!
Book Ordered
Finally, Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges gets a book! My pal, Geoff Dale has completed it and it is now available. Larry, Moe, and Curly all have books, and I cannot wait to read this one. He was, as the title proclaims, much more than a stooge! He starred in many solo shorts and appeared in many Abbott and Costello movies. This should be a very interesting read!
Testing, Testing
I haven’t talked much about it because I’d been so busy with other things (a poor excuse), but I have been back in my Bible classes. Over the past week and a half, I worked on tests for two classes. I was so glad to see that I passed both of them. Just started a third test today, and will chip away at it over the next day or two. Praying for similar results. I won’t be but a couple more weeks and I move on to the next semester.
Upcoming
The next Turntable Talk topic has been selected and I will be participating in it again. I’m not quite sure what angle I am going to take, but hope to know soon.
I had the day off yesterday for my son’s birthday. It was such a great day with the family.
He is all about tools and the construction vehicles that have been outside, so that was the “theme” for his birthday.
My dad sent him a tool box earlier this week. It had some cool tools in it and he was loving it! Without seeing one Three Stooges movie, he’s already showing me he’s going to love them.
When I came home Tuesday, I put together his birthday present so he could get it first thing in the morning. It’s a cool Mickey Mouse Tool Bench.
He also got some “power tools” that we got from Sam’s Club. They really look like Bosch tools and they all make noises. The drill actually lets you drive a screw in and reverses to get them out. He figured that out on his own. He is loving this!
Sam’s coworkers told her about a cool place north of us. It’s like a big McDonald’s Play Place. Slides, zip lines, and more. He was in his glory going through the tunnels.
They even had a rock wall for him to climb.
We played long into the afternoon and then made our way home. Sam’s mom picked up Andrew’s birthday cake. We were going to go pick it up and bring it home, but then Sam’s sister said she had a gift for Andrew and she’d meet us at their mom’s. We wound up eating cake and ice cream there before finally calling it a night.
We don’t often get days together as a family, so Andrew’s birthday was extra special. It was a really great day.
In my blog yesterday, I posted on of the photos from his 2nd birthday shoot. Our photographer captured this amazing candid that I cannot wait to hang on the wall. This very well can be one pose that I have them do every year ….
I am thankful that the Lord blessed me with my wonderful children. I am so happy to be their dad.
The construction continues on our street. That in itself is bad enough. They have pretty much ripped out all of the concrete from the street itself. They had removed all the sidewalks from the other side of the street early in the project. This week, they began ripping up not only our sidewalk, but our driveway.
They began doing this about 90 minutes before I had to leave for work. Naturally, I wondered if I was even going to be able to get out. Thankfully, they did lay down some sort of gravel type mess to create a way for our cars to get in and out.
We knew they’d be coming up the driveway a bit. What I didn’t know was that they were going to rip up half of my front lawn!
They had to be sure that the pipes leading to the house were copper and not galvanized. You would think that someone would have some sort of notes on something like this, right? Well, the construction guys told me that the city has NO blueprints whatsoever about our street. They don’t know where pipes are, gas lines, etc… This sort of explains why they keep hitting them while they are digging I guess.
“Plans? What plans?!”
The hole they dug in my yard is no laughing matter. It’s deep. And this picture is when they were about half done with it.
And you know, why not kill the rest of the grass by just piling the dirt you are digging up on top of it?
I can only hope that they dug up the mole – or moles – that were making tunnels under there earlier in the year!
I did give myself a chuckle, though. As they were checking the water pipe, I remembered the Three Stooges short “A Plumbing We Will Go.” In that short, Moe tells Larry to find where the water turns off. He ends up digging up the lawn. In one scene, his head pops out of the grass and he says, “I’ll find this thing or else!” and then goes back under the lawn. It cracks me up every time!
I guess I should be happy that they are working outside on the pipes and not inside …
Before I get into the events of the weekend, I thought I’d throw a funny Jeopardy question your way. The answer, which will be easy for those who follow this blog, will appear at the end of this post.
Saturday morning was nice. The entire family spent the morning together. At one point, Sam, the kids and I were all snuggled up on the couch watching TV. I can’t even begin to tell you how nice that was.
There was plenty of outdoor playing and walks around the neighborhood.
Sunday, Sam was sleeping and it was, what Ella calls, a “Ella, Bubby, Daddy Day.” I had to drive Sam’s brother to his football practice and then I planned on taking the kids to the park for a picnic. On the way, my eye caught a Dairy Queen with outdoor seating. So instead, we stopped there!
By Ella’s reaction, I think it was a good choice!
After our picnic lunch, we went to a little park that is enclosed. The kids could run everywhere and play on anything. I played with them and actually got a minute or two to just sit back and enjoy watching them play.
Funniest line of the weekend – and also one of those things you never thought you would say out loud: (Sam to Andrew) “Bubby, don’t put the Playdoh in your nose!”
Boy, does he keep us on our toes! While we were out in the back yard the other day, he picked up one of the dandelions – not the yellow ones, the white ones – and stuck it in his mouth. All those things were on his tongue and I am really surprised he didn’t throw up! Urgh, just thinking about it makes me nauseous!
Two of my favorite pictures from the weekend –
First, Ella looking like a movie star! Priceless
Second, Andrew wearing what his sister picked out for him to wear…. one of her dresses!
Hilarious!
Project Update
I took advantage of the kids falling asleep early Sunday night and figured I would prime and paint the nook I was working on.
This is what it looked it before:
We used OSB board this time, and after painting I wish I had used just regular shiplap. It still looks good. It has a rustic look to it, I think. We need to get a cushion for the bench seat and a decorative throw pillow to go on that, but it is painted and coat hooks are in place.
The angle at which I took this picture makes the hook on the left wall look higher than the others, but they are all on the same line, believe it or not!
The kids seem to think that this is a new play area now, or at least a spot for photo ops.
I’m so glad to have this project 98% finished. I have a few touch ups to do, but it is mostly done. I also love having the baskets under the bench.
All in all a very productive and enjoyable weekend!
Your trivia/Jeopardy answer? Of course, you knew it was …
I believe the saying goes “A stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet!” Thanks to this blog and social media, I have been able to connect with some friends who I have never met face to face. One of those friends is Mr. Puppet.
A few days ago, I posted a blog about random acts of kindness. Today, I need to thank Mr. Puppet for an act of kindness that I was the recipient of. Before I tell you about that, let me tell you about him.
Mr. Puppet is Bob Abdou. He is a ventriloquist and puppet master who has been entertaining folks for many years. As I sat here trying to recall just how I connected with him, I realized that it could have been quite a few ways (all of them on Facebook). For example, it could have been because we are both Beatles fans. I belong to a few Beatles group pages and I may have met Bob on one of those. Is Bob a big fan? Well, he has “a few” Beatles collectibles.
….and a few more ….
… and a few more
….and remember the famous Abbey Road album cover?? Yeah, his Beatles puppets actually walked Abbey Road!!
It could have been through a Beatles page I became acquainted with him. It also could have been one of the Batman pages I follow. He’s a fan of the Caped Crusader, too!
Of course, maybe it was through a love for Spiderman or Marvel comic characters…?
Or maybe it was on a site about collectible Lunch Boxes or Classic Movies or TV Shows?
A better guess might be through a Three Stooges page …
In all honesty, however, I think we met through a mutual love of the legendary Soupy Sales.
He even has an original White Fang puppet in his collection!
Before going on, I think it is apparent from the above photos (all stolen from his Facebook page), that Bob is quite a collector. While I have never been to his home, I understand that it is not an odd thing for people to stay overnight at his place. I would imagine from all of the many photos that I have seen, his house is more like a museum. This incredible collection is simply amazing!
He has amazing stuff from Happy Days that even Henry Winkler would find fascinating!
And I can honestly say, no one I know – except Bob – has a Welcome Back, Kotter collection!!
Back to Soupy and how we met. Bob can correct me if I am wrong, but on one of the Soupy pages on Facebook he posted that Soupy Sales attended his wedding! I couldn’t even imagine how cool that would be! He posted a picture of Soupy with him and his wife, June.
Bob actually remembers the first words Soupy spoke to him at the Friars Club. He has them hanging in his home.
You can learn more about Bob, his shows, and more by surfing to his website:
On January 8th, I posted a small blurb on Facebook about it being Soupy’s Birthday. I included a couple links to past Soupy related blogs that I had written. I later discovered that I had received a private message from Bob:
“Hey Keith. Send me your home address. I have an item to send you soon. Thxs bob“
Keep in mind, Bob and I have never met face to face. I know him through Facebook, we have chatted on occasion and we share a love for many of the same things (The Godfather, The Muppets, Dean Martin, Red Skelton, Hanna Barbera cartoons, and of course the other things I mentioned above). If it had been anyone else asking, I just would have ignored the message. But it was Bob, so why wouldn’t I send him my address? A few blogger friends have my address and have sent me books, Christmas cards, etc… So I sent it to him.
Today, I received the “item” he sent me. I was speechless. Truly. Included in the box was a note that reads, “Since we are both Soupy fans, I want you to have this special toy plaque.”
I have never seen this before. It is so cool! It is obviously Soupy doing his dance “The Mouse,” which was a number one song in New York City and a fan favorite.
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU, Bob! I will be sure to take good care of it! Your kindness speaks volumes of your character. I am so grateful to have connected with you. I hope to one day get to meet you in person, shake your hand, and compare White Fang impersonations. What a blessing it is to call you my friend! Thank you again!
Bob included his phone number with the package, and I plan on giving him a call in a few days to thank him personally, but for now, his generosity was something that I felt needed a place on the internet. (I also wanted to make sure I gave his website a plug!)
I also wanted to say that it feels good to be the person who performs random acts of kindness. However, when you are the recipient of one of those random acts, it really does feel extra special.
“Oh boy. Here goes Keith talking about that Bluey show again. Isn’t that a kid show? Why does he watch that?”
I relate to it! There, I said it. There are so many things about this show that I can relate to! For example, in our house, Sam and I cannot use the bathroom without one or both of the kids being in there with us. Bandit, Bluey’s dad, deals with that …
All he wants to do is poop for crying out loud! Look at that poor dog!
Another example which hold true in our house – the short amount of time it takes to go from clean to disaster.
I swear this just happened to me yesterday! The kids have this bowl of fake fruit and veggies that they play with. They keep all of it in a plastic Tupperware bowl. I literally walked all over the loving room picking up fake cucumbers, broccoli, onions, apples, bananas, avocadoes, tomatoes and more! I put them all back in the bowl and put them in the door of the fake kitchen. I went and got a cup of coffee and returned to the living room to find all of the contents of the bowl on the floor again!
The kids had Disney on the other morning and they were playing the episode called “Dunny.” In Australia, where Bluey lives, “dunny” is a slang term for toilet. The episode takes place in the parents bedroom. The kids are hanging out in bed with their parents and discussing why “dunny” isn’t an appropriate word for toilet.
This episode led to me thinking back to my childhood and I remember many Saturday mornings getting up and going into my folks bedroom. Many times we’d crawl into bed and just goof off. I truly wish I had more photos of those times. I have a few. First, one of my favorite photos of my mom and I (forgive me if I have posted these before).
I remember going in and waking her up. She’d always snuggle us and read books we brought in there. Those Saturday mornings were always so much fun.
My dad used to get in bed with us and wrestle with us. Sometimes he’d pretend to be Moe from the Three Stooges. There would be a “bear” we had to hide from and we’d get under the covers and hide. Sometimes he’d say he’d go check to see if the bear was still there and we’d be under the covers and he’d growl and grab at us from the top of the covers. We had so much fun when he did that!
Just the other morning, Ella and Andrew woke up and it was them, Sam and me in our bed. It was just a lot of silliness and me wrestling or tickling them and hiding under the covers.
I’m not sure what it is about being under covers that is cool. We built a fort with blankets and such the other day and they loved it. Then I started sitting on the floor and covering myself in a blanket and they’d come over and get under the “tent” with me. Sam even got into the fun the other morning!
So yeah, I watch Bluey. I relate to it more than any cartoon or kid’s show before it. The more I see an episode, the more I find myself saying, “I need to do that” or “I’ve done that!”
If you have toddlers, you have to check it out. If you’re an adult, you should to. In my opinion, it is the best.
One final example? Sure. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone into the kid’s rooms after they fall asleep and just watch them. It’s not weird – only parents get it.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 