DISNEY AND ITALIAN PORN
I’M HONESTLY surprised when I get involved in these things. Half awake, I was listening to my (6 a.m. Pacific) news on the BBC World Service. Did I hear “Disney” … Continue reading
SALOME, OH MY!
OPERA RIDES THE razor edge of absurdity, Peter Ustinov observed. I’ve already had fun here with operatic production goofs, such as costume malfunctions, tomb doors not closing properly and unexpected … Continue reading
THANKS, WOMAN’S DAY
A GOOD COOKBOOK is like a good travel guide. If it was worth visiting a century ago, it’s likely worth a visit today. If it was tasty 50 years ago, … Continue reading
PEG LYNCH, THE DRUMMER, ALGEBRA AND THE HUMOR OF MARRIED LIFE
PEG LYNCH, PLAYING THE wife in radio’s The Couple Next Door, was the spiritual godmother of Tina Fey. Lynch’s warm and gentle comedic writing and acting are recurring pleasures to … Continue reading
FATHER DIVINE: CHARISMATIC, CONTROVERSIAL
WHEN WE left Reverend Major Jealous Father Divine, indeed only yesterday and 1932, he was sentenced to a year in stir because his Long Island commune disturbed the peace. Ironic, … Continue reading
FATHER DIVINE: GOD, SCAMP–OR A BIT OF BOTH
.THE THRONE CAR of evangelist Father Divine was yesterday’s topic. Today (and tomorrow) I celebrate this man who was an early role model of racial equality for many, and yet … Continue reading
KABUKI, SHAKESPEARE AND MOZART
AUBION BOWERS, known in Japan as the man who saved Kabuki theater, followed this up by writing a fascinating book on the topic of Japanese theater in general. Faubion Bowers, … Continue reading
NANCY CUNARD: OUTRAGEOUS, SCANDALOUS AND–EGAD–A POET!
JULIAN FELLOWES and his Downton Abbey have a marvelous way of introducing us to early 20th century personalities. Lady Edith’s mention of French aviatrix Adrienne Boland got me interested in … Continue reading
HUBBA HUBBA HUBBA FOR THE B-17 AND THE BREN
OURS ISN’T the first era in which offensive matters of one sort or another have been expressed. Yet, I would argue that the examples I offer here were considerably less … Continue reading
A MUSEUM OF EARLY AMERICAN TOOLS
BY WAY OF CONTRAST, my recent item on additive manufacturing, ”Directions in 3D Printing,” led me to Eric Sloane, American artist and admirer of early Americana. Eric Sloane, 1905–1985, was … Continue reading
