Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Easter Parade

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is best known from the 1948 movie of the same name, but it was originally written for a 1933 Broadway play called As Thousands Cheer. In the play, a young man reads about the parade in a New York newspaper and decides to go and show his lady love off to parade goers. What's the most recent parade you attended? It's been a long time. After what happened in Highland Park last year, it will be a lot longer. (You may be wondering, "Which mass shooting was Highland Park? I forget, there are so many!") For some reason, it's more important for us to be able to purchase AR-15s than it is to celebrate our holidays. Don't even try to tell me this is about the right to "bear arms." To protect your home and property, you could use a revolver or a shotgun, you don't need an automatic weapon. If you think an AR-15 will protect you from "tyranny," remember the government has tanks, helicopters, kevlar vests, and hand grenades, so good luck with that. No, these destructive guns are for civilians to kill other civilians. Happy Easter.

2) On Broadway, the song was performed by Clifton Webb. He'd had a busy stage career, appearing in musicals as well as plays by Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward, but when he was in his mid-50s, he was considered too old to be a leading man. Broadway offers stopped coming. He was unexpectedly cast by Otto Preminger for the film noir Laura and a new career was born. He worked steadily in Hollywood for 20 years and earned three Oscar nominations. Tell us about a time you were grateful your life took an unanticipated turn. This was a million years ago. I went on vacation with my friend, Mindy. First Disneyland, then San Francisco to stay with her friends, Ron and Susie, whom I'd never met. Now in between winter when we planned the trip and July when we took it, Susie left Ron. Let's just say Ron turned out to have better rides than The Magic Kingdom. It's the only "Love Boat" vacation romance I ever had, and it's a memory I cherish.

3) Today he's fondly remembered by the students at UCLA who have benefited from The Clifton Webb Scholarship of the Arts. If you could give an endowment to a school or charity, what would you like it to be used for? I'd endow my local animal shelter with funds to be used to care for senior dogs and cats. After age 8, it's very difficult for these lovable and loving animals to be adopted. I wish I could help them live out their lives in safety and comfort. 

If you need your heart warmed a little, watch this video about Grandpa Mason, an elderly feral cat with health problems who fought so valiantly to live and finally got  three years of love, care, and companionship.

 

4) According to Forbes magazine, the average American household will spend upwards of $150 on Easter dinner, candy, and decorations this weekend. Do holidays strain your budget? Not Easter. Christmas can be a bit of a pinch.

5) The biggest chocolate Easter egg was made in Italy, measured 34 feet tall and weighed a staggering 15,000 lbs. Do you think it's possible to have too much chocolate? I would love to investigate this further.
  

6) After chocolate, the top-selling Easter candy is Peeps Marshmallow Chicks. They're so popular that they were once the subject of a Jeopardy clue. Do you often watch Jeopardy? Nope. I have no issue with Jeopardy. I just forget about it.

7) Jelly beans are also popular this time of year. In a 2020 poll, jelly bean fans responded that cinnamon is their favorite flavor. Do you have a favorite? Not really. Until all my dental work is done, I try not to even think about anything quite so gummy and chewy.

8) We've been talking a lot about sweets this morning. The only holiday that generates more candy sales is Halloween. When do you eat more candy: Easter or Halloween? I suppose Halloween, but I've never really kept tabs.

 9) Easter is considered the season of rebirth. What makes you feel refreshed or rejuvenated? I take a shower. To borrow from Judy Garland in A Star Is Born, "When anything happens to me, good or bad, I make straight for the shampoo bottle." (Did I get the quote right, Bev? ☺)