The Beach Will Never Be The Same….Without Annette Funicello.

The Passing of America’s Sweetheart was a sad announcement Monday. All I could think of another part of my youth gone, a much to frequent events coming more and much faster over the last year.

No more is it just my parents era of entertainment, it’s mine.

In reality I honestly cannot really remember sitting and watching the Mickey Mouse Club. Born in 57′ I probably had at some point but I can say I watched every single film that Annette Funicello & Frankie Avalon made together. Every single beach movie. No swearing, no naked bodies, just a more innocent time. We begged our parents to let us buy the newest 45rpm and what we watched and listened to made us feel happy.

Annette stood for these times. The world watched her grow up and blossom and she did so with class. The movies and the music will live on and always keep her memory alive and when we see and hear them if only for a moment, it will still be our innocent time.

Thank You Annette.

God Speed to her family & friends.

 

In Memory of Jack Klugman, Charles Durning & Fontella Bass.

Of lately I feel like an obituary writer and it is more than disheartening.

December has been a horrible month for the entertainment industry, as far as that goes the whole year whether Musicians or Actors. One right after the next, the deaths just keep coming. Dave Brubeck, Ravi Shankar, Larry Hagman, Lee Dorman and now Jack Klugman, Charles Durning & Fontella Bass.

Klugman was something special. His role as Oscar on the TV side of the Odd Couple was a show you looked forward to every week. I grew up watching him in a variety of Movies and TV. From the “Day’s of Wine and Roses”, “Twelve Angry Men”, the earliest of the Twilight Zone episodes, from Broadway where he created the character of Herbie in 1959 stage version of “Gypsy” to The Odd Couple Broadway & TV (he replaced Walter Matthau on stage version) and back then later Quincy M.E.. Jack always played his characters convincingly and more, with passion.

He just was a likable personality that fit in to whatever project he was doing. So it was sad to hear of his death Christmas Eve. He gave us decades & decades of enjoyment and will be remembered for his gift of making us laugh. Of course me having worked in the Thoroughbred Industry all my life that was another soft spot I had with this man. He loved horse racing, gambling and was an owner of them as well.

Monday Mourning ~ My Beloved “Marty” Ernest Borgnine has died.

I’m absolutely heartbroken.

Believe it or not I actually go to sleep with “Marty” playing. I have the movie recorded on DVR. Being Italian I just find the movie relaxing. I could watch it every day and never get sick of it and know the lines like the back of my hand.

My favorite one in the movie is from Esther Minciotti who played his mother, when she tells her always complaining sister.

“Where you go rain goes, someday you gonna smile we all gonna to have a big holiday”.

This movie is beyond a CLASSIC.

It made Ernie a star because how only he could of portrayed him. With passion and straight from the heart.

He took a hold of “Marty” and made all who watched fall in love with him. He was one of the best character actors there was.

Goodbye Colonel Potter. Harry Morgan 1915-2011

It was with great sadness to hear today that a great actor from one of my favorite sitcoms had died. Harry Morgan who in his entire career never appeared once on any talk show even when Dragnet was such a hit, because he felt why talk about himself. A rarity among actors of any stature. But my God is there a lot to talk about when it comes to this man.

Sexy Sunday with Elvis & Kitty White ~ Crawfish

Mind you they are singing about FISH.

Funny when I hear it I’ve got other things on the mind. LOL

Only Elvis Presley could sing a song about fish and make it sexy.

This was from the movie “King Creole” and this was my favorite Elvis film and soundtrack. He blew everybody away with “Trouble” but again what caught my ear when I saw this when very young was this sultry song sung by Presley and Jean “Kitty” Bilbrew aka Kitty White.

A Thanksgiving Prayer for now and the past.

Sultry Saturday ~ Moonglow from Picnic

The sexiest dance number in cinema history.