Talent moving on

Yesterday brought news of the passing of two people who would seem to have little in common but both of whom were loved and admired by many people.

The first was Mary Tyler Moore, who died yesterday. Who did not love Laura Petrie or Mary Richards, the roles for which she was most well known? We first met Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the CBS sitcom which aired 158 half-hour episodes from 1961 to 1966. Watching those old episodes now they seem rather quaint, but there is no denying the immensely talented cast. On the surface, Laura and Robert Petrie (Van Dyke) had a fairly traditional 1950s marriage, but even now when you watch these old episodes you cannot help but notice that Rob and Laura really did respect one another’s strengths.

Ms. Moore then went on to portray Mary Richards on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970 to 1977. Although her attempts at feminism may seem quaint by today’s standards, I suspect she was quite an influence on women, encouraging us to pursue our goals both personally and professionally. After all, there she was, bright, capable, stylish, beautiful, and single! There was no lack of men interested in her, but she was never willing to sacrifice her independence. I think of it as a pendulum that had to swing fairly far before we started to understand that it is possible to play more than one role, to be both a loving wife and mother and a successful professional woman. Mary Tyler Moore helped us on that road.

I was surprised to learn yesterday that Carole King had a small part in an episode of the MTM Show back in 1975. Fast forward to 22 minutes into this attached video to see that very young Carole King. 

This was not Ms. King’s only foray into the world of acting; we saw her in a play in New York years ago, but try as I might I have not been able to find out what that was. In any case, had I known Ms. King personally, I would have advised that she should not give up that music career. Although she has occasionally played roles on stage and screen, she obviously made the right choice!

The second person who died Tuesday (24 January) at the relatively young age of 69 was the drummer Butch Trucks, a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band.

We did see one movie last week that I never got around to writing about: “Hidden Figures.” This movie tells the story, with which I was completely unfamiliar, of a group of black women who were brought in to do various jobs in the space program in the early 1960s. Included in this group were three extremely bright and talented women who are the focus of this movie, which is based on a true story. Like all Hollywood versions of such stories, it is a bit sugar-coated, but all in all does a very good job of capturing just how difficult life was for blacks and for women during that time. The movie is rated PG, and Barry and I think it would be a good one to watch with our grandchildren.

We had a little fun this week when our furnace stopped working. Two things were fortunate. First, the weather has been unseasonably warm the past couple of days. And second, we were able to have it fixed, albeit after quite expensive repairs, and right now the house is quite comfortable.

Keep warm!

Love,

Rebecca

Words of Inspiration

We are on the eve of the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45^th President of the United States of America. For many Americans, this past year has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, and I say this as someone who does not especially enjoy being terrified - we had to insist on agreements from our grandchildren that they would forego roller coasters before taking each of them to Disney World! At the same time, I have to believe that throughout the 228 years since the election of George Washington in February 1789 there have been many times when sizeable numbers of Americans were not especially pleased with the outcome of presidential elections. But we are all still here, so I hold out hope that we will all still be here in the days, weeks, months, and years that lie ahead.

I thought it might be helpful to look for inspiration in the words of some of those forty-four men (hopefully I will live to say “men and women”) who have delivered inaugural addresses over these past two centuries. Thanks to the internet, I was easily able to pull together some particularly memorable quotations from notable inaugural addresses, as well as a video of President Kennedy’s 1961 speech.

Let us, then, fellow citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things. And let us reflect that, having banished from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and suffered, we have yet gained little if we countenance a political intolerance as despotic, as wicked, and capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions.

Thomas Jefferson, March 4, 1801

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1865

Much has been given us, and much will rightfully be expected from us. We have duties to others and duties to ourselves; and we can shirk neither.

Theodore Roosevelt, March 4, 1905

This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, March 4, 1933

So let us begin anew — remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. So let us begin anew, remembering on both sides, that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always–and I repeat always– a subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, January 20, 1961

Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.

William Jefferson Clinton, January 21, 1993  

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

Barack Hussein Obama, January 20, 2009

I offer one final tidbit of interest. Apparently, US presidents have not always ended their speeches with “God bless America.”

“God bless America” has become the expected way for U.S. presidents to end official speeches. But that wasn’t always the case, explain David Domke and Kevin Coe, authors of the book The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America.

The first president to say it was Richard Nixon, who dropped the phrase during an attempt at damage control for the burgeoning Watergate scandal on April 30, 1973. “Tonight, I ask for your prayers to help me in everything I do throughout the days of my presidency,” he said. “God bless America and God bless each and every one of you.”

The phrase didn’t catch on during the Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter years, but Ronald Reagan’s presidency definitively ushered in the era of “God bless America.” Reagan used the line when accepting the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 1980, and made it his standard sign-off once in the White House. Since then, it’s become a standard part of the language of the American presidency.

May God bless America. It is fair to say that we could use all the help we can get!

Love,

Rebecca

Two movies

Had we not had such a connection to Boston, I am not sure we would have gone to see “Patriots Day,” the movie that tells the story of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. Every American knows how this story ends. But it turns out that the movie seems to be the least popular with what would seem to be the key target audience: Bostonians themselves. Even for people who did not personally know any of the victims, Boston is a small enough city that its citizens feel a natural connection with each other. The local television stations spoke of little else during the days and weeks following the attack, so most Bostonians are extremely well versed in the details of the victims and the efforts to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. Hence it is no surprise that the movie has not been especially well received in the Boston area. In fact, the New York Times published a laundry list of the factual errors that are really gnawing at Bostonians who have seen the film. You can read that here:

https://nyti.ms/2jDDZoT

Having said that, and recognizing that it was not entirely historically accurate, the filmmakers did a pretty good job of capturing this horrifying event without falling into the usual pitfalls of being either excessively maudlin or sappily sweet. We do see the young man who went on to complete the Boston Marathon this year with a prosthetic leg, but there is certainly no suggestion that his life or the lives of any of the victims and their families will simply go on happily ever after.

We also went to see the movie “Moonlight.” I sat down to start writing about it and thought I would take a look at the review in the New York Times. My favorite reviewer, A.O. Scott wrote this one, and I was stunned as I read the first paragraph that said, far more eloquently than I ever could, exactly what I had said to Barry in the car on the way home:

To describe “Moonlight,” Barry Jenkins’s second feature, as a movie about growing up poor, black and gay would be accurate enough. It would also not be wrong to call it a movie about drug abuse, mass incarceration and school violence. But those classifications are also inadequate, so much as to be downright misleading. It would be truer to the mood and spirit of this breathtaking film to say that it’s about teaching a child to swim, about cooking a meal for an old friend, about the feeling of sand on skin and the sound of waves on a darkened beach, about first kisses and lingering regrets… “Moonlight” is both a disarmingly, at times almost unbearably personal film and an urgent social document, a hard look at American reality and a poem written in light, music and vivid human faces.

The movie follows the life of Chiron in three chapters, the first as a young boy, the second as a teenager, and the third as an adult. It is not easy to watch. Chiron’s mother is a drug addict and there is no father around. His quiet personality simply does not earn him points in the environment in which he has to make his way largely on his own. The only person who seems to be a somewhat positive influence on him is a local drug dealer, Juan. Juan and his girlfriend, who live in a neat and clean house that is in stark contrast to Chiron’s home, become sort of surrogate parents for Chiron. Still, it is no surprise that Chiron eventually realizes that Juan is providing drugs to his mother, and Chiron himself eventually ends up in trouble with the law.

I think I am ready for a good comedy right now!

Love,

Rebecca

#37

Some people love Donald Trump, some people despise Donald Trump, and some people are just sick of Donald Trump. At times the disagreements can become quite contentious. But if we could just put all of these people together at Madison Square Garden for a Billy Joel concert, I think we could solve all the disagreements and problems in the world, if only for a few brief hours.

Since the beginning of 2014, Mr. Joel has been performing monthly at Madison Square Garden. Last night was concert #37. Here is the Set List, played straight through with no intermission (he is older than we are - how does he do it?):

Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)

Prelude/Angry Young Man

Vienna

The Entertainer

All for Leyna

Zanzibar

All About Soul

Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)

Layla (Derek and the Dominos cover)

She's Got a Way

Allentown

Midnight Rider (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

New York State of Mind

Surprises

My Life

Sometimes a Fantasy

Kashmir (Led Zeppelin cover)

Don't Ask Me Why

Ruby Tuesday (The Rolling Stones cover)

She's Always a Woman

The River of Dreams

Take It Easy (Eagles cover)

Nessun dorma (Giacomo Puccini cover)

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

Piano Man

Encores:

We Didn't Start the Fire

Uptown Girl

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

Big Shot

Only the Good Die Young

You May Be Right / Rock and Roll

“Allentown” took on new meaning when he sang:

Every child has a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got

But something happened on the way to that place

The words in “Piano Man” described the experience perfectly:

We’re all in the mood for a melody

And you’ve got us feelin’ alright

Mr. Joel has said that he plans to keep going monthly until the concerts no longer sell out. Tickets go on sale tomorrow for concert #41 on May 25.

Here is my favorite Billy Joel song, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” Enjoy!

Love,

Rebecca

Bringing back the music

Jewish tradition recognizes the period following the loss of a close relative as a time for introspection and separation from many of the ordinary little joys of life. Following the initial week of shiva, the length of the period depends on the relative in question and is traditionally defined as one month for siblings, spouses, and children, and one year for parents. These days, when many of us will live to become grandparents and even great grandparents, this may seem a bit counterintuitive. To our sensibilities, the loss of a child seems far more painful than the loss of an aging parent. But maybe that is just the point: a parent never really does stop mourning the loss of a child.

I mention this only because Barry just completed the year of mourning following the death of his mother, so we are once again able to surround ourselves with the music we so enjoy. We stopped for drinks and a little jazz a couple of nights ago, and on Sunday we went to a concert at the Merkin Concert Hall, a small venue that is part of the Kaufman Music Center on the Upper West Side. We ordered the tickets on the phone to make sure we were purchasing accessible seats, and although the web site seemed to suggest otherwise, the person on the phone insisted that “all seats in the auditorium are accessible.”  Turned out this was not true. Fortunately, perhaps because of the weather, there were a number of empty seats in what were in fact accessible rows, and we were able to take two of these just before the concert began. I have sent a letter to the venue to suggest that they need to be careful to provide more accurate information to their audience.

There were three pieces, none of them familiar to us, each introduced by one of the musicians with clear enthusiasm for the works.

MAURER  -  Concertante for Four Violins
RAVEL  -  Piano Trio
BRAHMS  -  Piano Quartet in C minor

The web site describes it well:

“An Ensembles concert provides an intimate connection between musician and audience. Hear the individual talents that make up the orchestra. Experience the passion and personality of the performers. And see how a small setting can make for a huge musical event.”

This weekend, we also saw the movie “Paterson.”  This is a touching story about a young man, Paterson (Adam Driver) who is impossible to categorize: he is a city bus driver in Paterson, New Jersey, who shuns modern conveniences and writes poetry in a small notebook. The poetry tends to be about rather mundane topics, including one about a box of matches:

Currently, our favorite brand is Ohio Blue Tip (which come in) boxes with dark and light blue and white labels (each with a) one-and-a-half-inch soft pine stem

Somehow, Paterson makes this sound almost spiritual. His girlfriend, Laura (Golshifteh Farahani) is an artistic free spirit who paints, bakes and decorates cupcakes, and is learning to play the guitar. It is a quiet and thoughtful movie, nothing earth-shattering but soothing and enjoyable.

We stopped yesterday at a local optician so that I could fill a new eyeglass prescription. We parked behind a car with this rather odd license plate:

Hopefully this is a reference to the car rather than the driver! Either way, it is a bit disconcerting to think about what possessed the owner to order this particular specialty plate. We do not have a specialty plate, but just by luck we have a license number that we can remember because, although just a string of numbers, 617473, if said just right it tells our story:

6/17 (Barry’s birthday) 4 (for) ’73 (the year we were married)

Clever, huh?

Love,

Rebecca

The Joy of Art

Our granddaughters Eliana and Maya, inspired by their mom, wrote us wonderfully spirited thank you notes for the Chanukah gifts we gave them. Hand-written notes are a dying art, I suppose, but one we might try to revive. 

Meanwhile, Maya and Ella have continued to craft beautiful artwork, and we have continued to embellish our home with copies of their creations, filling a large wall of our living room. For those who may be curious, the copies are made by taking a picture of the original and having a “canvas” made by Art to Frames (www.arttoframes.com).   

Shifting from art to film, the movie “20^th Century Women” takes tells a simple story about Dorothea (Annette Bening), a divorced single mother doing her best to raise her young teenage son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) in Santa Barbara in 1979. To provide him with a variety of influences and contemporary role models, she enlists the aid of the two young tenants who share the boardinghouse she runs, Abbie, a photographer (Greta Gerwig) and William (Billy Crudup), a handyman helping her renovate the old structure, as well as her son’s friend Julie (Elle Fanning).

The movie is at least somewhat autobiographical. Apparently the writer/director, Mike Mills, has quite an interesting background. His father was a closeted homosexual who only came out when Mike was already an adult. And his mother, on whom Dorothea is at least partially based, was, in Mr. Mill’s mind, quite an extraordinary person, a very talented free spirit. All in all, a moving tale acted well.

It is really cold out there! But I do plan to venture out, because we have tickets to a concert this afternoon. I am wearing layers, including the heaviest wool turtleneck sweater I own. Hopefully we will not have to be outside too long.

Have a great day!

Love,

Rebecca

Perfect start to the new year

It has been a fun, albeit exhausting, week in Sharon.

May we all have a year of good health and peace, with lots of wonderful smiles!

Love,

Rebecca