The Epidemic That Could Be Stopped
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In his seminal short novel, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Truman Capote’s lead character, Holly Golightly, explained the difference between the blues and the mean reds. With the blues, she pointed out, “You are sad, that’s all. But the mean reds are horrible. You’re afraid and you sweat like hell, but you don’t know what you are […]
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St. Valentine’s Day and the Fall of Al Capone
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For very good reason, the gravestone is unremarkable. Not elegant, subtle or in any manner imposing. Otherwise, it would be more of a target for thieves than it already is. The simple grave in section 35 of Mt. Carmel Catholic Cemetery, fourteen miles west of downtown Chicago, south of the confluence of Dwight Eisenhower Expressway […]
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Words That Matter After Death
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“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” Those wry words from Groucho Marx resonate on many levels. In his typical incorporation of humor and wisdom, Marx strikes a contemporary universal chord — sometimes the power of the written word and the devoted love […]
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Carol Channing and Her Dying Wish
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Outside the venerable St. James Theater in New York City on the night of January 16, 1964, the temperature plunged into the mid-20’s. Inside, the atmospherics were considerably warmer. A genuine, five alarm, red hot triumph, “Hello, Dolly,” was blazing through its Broadway debut. The most revered theater critic of his time, perhaps all time, […]
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Living to Be 100
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Esteemed film producer Sam Goldwyn called Dorothy Parker into his office one day to complain about her screenplays. The savagely witty Parker, whose erudite writings had not only been published to high praise, but had also earned two Academy Award nominations, was apparently not the least bit intimidated. Goldwyn groused about the way […]
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