HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY

Well, Happy Halloween everyone. It's a gloomy day here and it looks like it wants to rain, but we have had so much heat here, right through October that it's finally a bit of relief. Today we remember the passing of dear old Harry Houdini who died on this day in 1926. Good old Harry was a magician, an escape artist and even a movie actor. He always promised that he would somehow "come back from the grave" every Halloween. So listen, if your hear some chains rattling in your attic this evening, it may just be Harry trying to communicate. My friend usedc to call Houdini the patron saint of all procrastinators. On this day Martin Luther nailed ninety nine protests to the door of his church and the Protestant Reformation was born.Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a universal priesthood. According to Luther, salvation is a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church. At the Diet of Worms assembly over freedom of conscience in 1521, Luther's confrontation with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and being declared an outlaw of the state as a consequence.
His translation of the Bible into the vernacular of the people made the Scriptures more accessible to them, and had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism. Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45.[As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial. Today would have been the seventy-first birthday of actor Michael Landon. Michael's daughter Leslie used to always come into the camera store where I worked. She was a really sweet person. And on the note of peace on Earth, on this date in 1968, Lyndon Johnson ordered a halt to all bombing in Vietnam as a grand and great gesture of peace. Well again, Happy Halloween everyone and don't eat too much candy yourselves.

JOHN ADAMS AND HISTORICAL EVENTS

I love American History. I really think I would have loved to teach it. Many people have absolutely no idea just how it affected so many things we have in our country today. Today would have been the birthday of John Adams, the second president of our dear country. Adams was an absolute defender of freedom and was the one leader of our country who was most responsible for The Declaration of Independence, itself. But then there is the word "politics". Even way back in 1796 when Adams ran for the presidency. Back then, we had The Federalists -- who advocated strong controls by the Federal Government over the entire country. The big opponent here was Thomas Jefferson who was then a member of what was called The Democratic-Republican party. Federalists had two candidates to choose from -one was Adams and the other was Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury and the man who died in the duel with Aaron Burr. (Remember those "Got Milk" commercials that featured a question about them both?) Adams was considered the less of two evils. But this amazing man who did so much for our country was also a tremendously vain and pompous kind of guy as well. And in 1798 signed four very anti-constitutional laws called The Alien and Sedition Acts. Believe or not, one of these horrible laws is still in effect today in 2008. One doubled alien residence from seven to fourteen years before you could become a citizen. The Alien Enemies Act (still in effect) allows the deportation of aliens back to their home country if we happen to be at war with that country. Think back to World War Two-- not confinement, but deportation itself could have been effected. My grandfather would have been deported because he was becoming a citizen in the early 1940's when war broke out with Italy and Mussolini. During the presidential campaign of 1796 Adams was the presidential candidate of the Federalist Party and Thomas Pinckney, the Governor of South Carolina, was also running as a Federalist (at this point, the vice president was whoever came in second, so no running mates existed in the modern sense). The Federalists wanted Adams as their presidential candidate to crush Thomas Jefferson's bid. Most federalists would have preferred Hamilton to be a candidate. Although Hamilton and his followers supported Adams, they also held a grudge against him. . However, they thought Adams lacked the seriousness and popularity that had caused Washington to be successful, and also feared that Adams was too vain, opinionated, unpredictable, and stubborn to follow their directions. Adam's opponents were former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, who was joined by Senator Aaron Burr of New York on the Democratic-Republican ticket.
As was customary, Adams stayed in his home town of Quincy rather than actively campaign for the Presidency. He wanted to stay out of what he called the silly and wicked game. His party, however, campaigned for him, while the Democratic- Republicans campaigned for Jefferson It was expected that Adams would dominate the votes in New England, while Jefferson was expected to win in the Southern states. In the end, Adams won the election by a narrow margin of 71 electoral votes to 68 for Jefferson (who became the vice president). Thomas Jefferson was elected in 1800 and in 1802 abolished these horrific laws against liberty. The grandson of Benjamin Franklin, himself , Benjamin Franklin Bache was arrested and jailed and died of Yellow Fever awaiting trial at the tender age of twenty-seven. So we must be very vigilant about the laws we pass today. Of course, the laws of Judicial Review (which would have permitted these laws to be challenged by the Supreme Court had not yet been established, but the fact that one of these terrible laws is still on the books today and NEVER challenged is horrific. Think of how easily we declare war today! Today was history also for Russia's explosion of a Hydrogen Bomb in 1961 (The Cuban Missile Crisis only a year away) and dear Rosa Parks, who stood up for her freedom on a Montgomery, Alabama transit bus was placed in casket view in the United States Capitol building on this day in 2005. I urge all of you to review American History-- we will learn many lessons from it. And let's get the left over tyranny law from the late 1790's off the books!

Yes, today is the anniversary of the Great Stock Market Crash in 1929-- seventy-nine years ago and yes indeed there is a street in Texas that's called Psycho Path-- a perfect street name for these "crazy times". How'd you'd like to live on this street, folks? But today in history was an amazing day. Entertainer Fanny Brice was born on this day in 1891, and the former Senator from Ohio, Mr. John Glenn made absolute history today ten (10) years ago when he became the first senior citizen to make another space journey at the grand old age of seventy-seven. So you see --we who get older, sometimes get better. Today also was the day that Osama Bin Laden admitted publicly that he had ordered the attacks on the World trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th. My writing partner reminded me that while our domestic planes were still grounded in September, dear old George W. Bush had ordered the evacuation of Bin Laden's family who were visiting this country at the time. Is that an amazing coincidence or what? The Musical HAIR premiered in 1967 to great acclaim. Most people do not know that these same composers came out four years later with a dud musical called "DUDE"-- what a disaster. To quote a line from my new play "THE BROTHERS LAUGHTER" -- a whale falling on a lawyer couldn't flop that bad!" And speaking of this play, I have yesterday officially submitted it to Neil and Danny Simon's lawyer for approval and blessings. So hold good thoughts for John Nugent and myself. The Touch A Life Show went very well on Saturday night in my old parrish church Saint John No results in on how much money was made and compliments to all who participated.

Today would have been my dear mother's 95th birthday. Virginia Alberta Prinzio Ricciardi was born in 1913 in Alhambra, Ca. My sweet mother was the most incredible mother. I remain the luckiest man in the world for having shared nine months under the heart of this remarkable woman. It appears that I am the only child to so remember this date in a celebration kind of way, but maybe, just maybe, I remember her so fondly because she was not only dear mother, she was very best friend. She advised, but never tried to change me. She worried that I wasn't always making the right choices, but with God's grace, I am still here with the very faith in God that she instilled me with. She married my dad with the promise that we kids would be raised and educated as Catholics. My father always kept his promises. My dear mother who suffered from an injured spine all of her life was the bravest soul I have ever encountered. She never judged me poorly as to what I would become. She never threw up her hands because I wasn't the perfect son. She never grieved that I had not become a lawyer or a doctor. She took me and loved me "warts and all". She played her piano so lovingly. Oh how she loved those afternoons when my "Uncle Mario" would come over to sing. My sisters all had piano lessons- every last one of them. Today the three of them together couldn't play chopsticks with any certainty. So here I am the writer of over six hundred songs without one dime's worth of musical education. God has been very good to me. He has sent my dear friend Tim Doran into my life and I can not begin to tell you how much I love and respect this man. He has brought my music to life. My newest collaborator is another amazing blessing. He has more things physically wrong with him than I could possibly ever list here, but he is so intelligent and so talented and so amazingly sensitive. How many gifts have we received in fancy wrappings and they were only things we could simply not use? I received both of these amazing gifts while living in situations that were compromised at best and very stressful at worst. But I know God loves me and I know that my days are challenged ahead, but each little blessing he sends is the most amazing gift. Tonight on my mother's birthday, Tim has contributed so much to "The Touch A Life With Love" show which is benefiting the homeless. I've been homeless. I know what it's like to wake up in a homeless shelter at 6:00 am to the sound of a silver whistle and a banging on a garbage can. So I am honored to have my song be the center of all of this effort. My mother would be proud. She would have know every song I had written. My three sisters combined couldn't name more than one between them. As I read about the tragedy of Jennifer Hudson having her mother and brother murdered in the middle of her great fame, I can only urge my sisters and my friends to love one another while we can. The journey is so short. My friend Tim is a true champion--just like my mother was. When my mother was your friend, you had a real honest-to-goodness stand behind you person. I can't tell you how many times he's sent job opportunities my way. Who knows maybe my mother's spirit has settled into my dear friends of Tim and John Nugent, Tony westbrook, terry Snyder ,Bill Lewis and David Holmes: maybe that is the legacy I have received from her. Tim has taught me more about music than a college education's worth, and i will always be grateful to him for all of the many little blessings he has always given to me. So today I say "Happy Birthday" to my mother and thank you God for my friends, my companion John Long (another amazing guy) and the many blessings that He sends my way.

FROM AL CAPONE TO ALAN JACKSON TO MOTHER THERESA

Country favorite Alan Jackson turns fifty today. I first noticed this wonderful singer way back in 2001 when the 9/11 tragedy struck and he was right there writing and recording a song that will be around forever. That song of course is "Where Were You When The World Stopped Spinning." A classic. A songwriter can appreciate another songwriter who writes a bodacious amazing hit song. That song will play forever! Other songs of his I love include "Drive" and "Remember When". Today would also have been Rita Hayworth's 95th birthday- such a great star who died much too young. Today also is the day in 1931 that the world lost Thomas Edison. Imagine all the inventions of this great man that we simply take advantage of. I've included another comical set of street signs. These are from New Borgangles, Texas. Lord knows I've been on all of these "streets" in my life. John and I and John Nugent had a wonderful fun and peaceful day at Disneyland yesterday. The weather was perfect, but very crowded because it was "Mormon Week" and every Mormon and his brother seemed to be there in that park. We had wanted to have lunch at the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square, but when we got there in early morning, we discovered that it was completely sold out out through closing on SUNDAY. Wow, talk about crowds! A big thanks to our friend Bill Lewis who passed us all in. That little act of generosity saved all of us almost $300 in park admissions. It's nice to have friends in great places! Today was also the day in 1979 that Mother Theresa won the Nobel Peace Prize and Jimmy Carter in 1978 restored American citizenship to Jefferson Davis, the last act of let bygones be bygones from the Civil War. The insurance classes I'm talking go on and it's a lot of stuff to remember. We shall see if this pans out. Well, until later!

A RECORDING STUDIO SESSION

These are actual street names in Texas and they actually do follow one another in this sequence that you see here, believe it or not! Funny! Sometimes very real places and streets are so "unreal" seeming.

On this day when there is the release of the new four CD ultimate Sondheim album, John and I will be going into the recording studio today for the first time in six months to record eight songs and two overtures. The overtures will be from "The Runaway heart" and "Broadway Angels" and the songs will be mostly from our newest effort "The Broadway Angels". This we hope is going to be a really funny and wonderful show. John and I nickname this show "Nunsense with brains." Of course, it's a wild crazy fantasy-- even a bit more fantastical than "The Damn Yankees" But musical theatre was designed to be fun-- so you might as well have that grand and wonderful fun while you can. I grew with Dominican Sisters. They were a VERY BIG part of my life and most of the good sisters in this show are based and even named in honor of these amazing and sometimes a bit crazy ladies. I hope my patron saint Saint Michael, the Archangel has a great sense of humor as does his great friend Gabriel. But I am certain after dealing with mortal man after all of these centuries, they must have obtained a sense of humor rather than go completely insane. The songs include "Very Best Miracle," "I'm Gonna Pray," and my favorite "Tell 'Em A Whopper", Tell Him a Lie."

Sondheim's new album has resulted in the handsome four-CD box set, "Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far." With Sondheim serving as co-executive producer and the accomplished team of Didier C. Deutsch and Darcy M. Proper as compilation producers, this is an intriguing collection covering the first 55 years of the composer's career. Consider the fourth disc of the set. It begins with what seems to be a radio transcription of a duo-piano version of "I Must Be Dreaming," from the 1949 college show All That Glitters, a track that I don't suppose many of us have ever heard. One song later, we go into four numbers from a 1954 backer's audition of the early musical Saturday Night (which went unproduced until 1997). We have indeed heard these songs by now, with two complete recordings of the show on our record shelf. Here, though, we get a bright young cast singing the songs back when they were written. Jack Cassidy was a young, strong-voiced singer with one major role to his credit — as the romantic waiter who got to sing the title song in Wish You Were Here — and the promise of a major career ahead if he didn't mess it up, which he did. But listen to him sing "Class." The excitement is palpable, as they say: This is a bright new show tune by a bright new songwriter with a bright new Broadway star, nothing but talent ahead. Arte Johnson, who only made it to Broadway (and briefly) some 43 years later but found fame on TV's "Laugh-In," scores laugh after laugh with "Love's a Bond." One can't tell what he was doing, but he certainly has the crowd in stitches (and not from the lyric).
Then comes the "At the Movies" sequence, and it is quite something. Alice Ghostley, who made a splash singing Sheldon Harnick's "Boston Beguine" in New Faces of 1952, hysterically delivers all Sondheim's lines about Vilma Banky's hanky panky and Conrad Nagel. (Unlike Cassidy and Johnson, Ghostley is not singled out in the song listings but that is unmistakably her.) Listening not to the song but to the audience at the backer's audition, though, you might pick up a hint as to why Saturday Night did not get produced in the era of The King and I and The Pajama Game; the laughter is vociferous but cliquish, oddly recalling the reaction to the '50s work of Franklin Shepard in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. ("Write more, work hard, leave your name with the girl.") Along comes the composer singing "Truly Content," his nifty "glamorous mooovie star" song for the pre-Apple Tree version of Jules Feiffer's "Passionella." (If she was a movie star, Ella would be truly content like Fay Wray or George Brent.) Incidental music for two Arthur Laurents plays is included, as well as five tracks from Alain Resnais' 1974 film "Stavisky," which contains some of Sondheim's most ravishing music in his Little Night Music-Debussy-Ravel mood. If you don't have the full soundtrack of "Stavisky," seek it out. That's only half of what comes on the fascinating fourth CD of the set. Which brings us to the other side of the coin. If "The Story So Far" exists to highlight the Sony BMG catalogue of Sondheim music, they understandably need to include said holdings in the box. But consider Chita Rivera's "America," Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence's "Tonight," Ethel Merman's "Everything's Coming Up Roses," Elaine Stritch's "The Ladies Who Lunch," Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou's "A Little Priest," Mandy Patinkin's "Finishing the Hat," and Bernadette Peters' "Children Will Listen." All are present, along with another 16 selections from Sondheim's popular original cast albums.

So think good thoughts about us today. And today is also the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Today was the grand and glorious "Miracle of the Sun" for three poor Portuguese children. What an amazing miracle as the sun itself seemed to dance in the sky and then for brief seconds looked even to be falling. So Dear Lady in Heaven, watch over our recording session today if you will!

A MOST NOTABLE DAY

Today would have been the 85th birthday of the great Orson Welles. A most amazing actor. Welles first gained a very wide notoriety for his October 30, 1938, radio broadcast of H. G. Wells The War of the Worlds. Adapted to sound like a contemporary news broadcast, it caused a number of listeners to panic. Some even took their lives. In the mid-1930s, his New York theatre adaptations of Macbeth and a contemporary allegorical Julius Caesar became legendary. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years. During this period he became a serious political activist and commentator through journalism, radio and public appearances closely associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1941, he co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in Citizen Kane, often chosen in polls of film critics as the greatest film ever made. The rest of his career was often obstructed by lack of funds, incompetent studio interference and other unfortunate occurrences, both during exile in Europe and brief returns to Hollywood.Although Welles remained on the margins of the major studios as a director/producer, his larger-than-life personality made him a bankable actor. In his later years he struggled against a Hollywood system that refused to finance his independent film projects, making a living largely through acting, commercials, and voice-over work. Welles received a 1975 American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement award, the third person to do so after John Ford and James Cagney. Critical appreciation for Welles has increased since his death. He is now widely acknowledged as one of the most important dramatic artists of the 20th century. Today would also be the 195th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi who was born in 1813. La Scala is perhaps his most known work. Today the world lost Yul Brynner and today Jerry Herman had his first Broadway show "Milk And Honey". Amazingly too, today marked the opening in 1947 of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro-- one if the strangest musicals of them all. I start my life insurance training tomorrow and I am hoping all of this works out. Until next time...

WE REMEMBER MATTHEW SHEPARD

Ten years ago this very day, a great sad event occurred. Young Matthew Shepard was beaten to a pulp, robbed and tied to a post. He died five days later. How very sad. Let us all say a prayer for his sacrifice and that prejudice against gay people will end forever. As I wrote once in my Journal "Prejudice is like tasting a fancy banquet with your nose-- all you get is a dirty face and you look more stupid than you ever have before!" How wise are the lyrics to Oscar Hammerstein's song from "South Pacific" called "Carefully Taught" Let us unite in brotherhood. The umpteenth rewrite for "The Brothers Laughter" goes on exploring an episode in Neil Simon's life and relationship with his older brother Neil. I will submit the manuscript soon to Gary DiSilva, Neil's Hollywood agent for family approval soon. The black and white picture on the blog today is that of Neil Simon back in 1966, at Jack Benny's classic age of thirty-nine! --one year after the blockbuster "The Odd Couple" premiered on Broadway. Danny was the real Felix Unger and one of the greatest persons I have ever met. Roll over, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, I think Danny Simon was the most honest person of them all. Happy Birthday to Al Paccino who turns eighty-one years young today. Today is also the anniversary of the opening of Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Cats" on Broadway in 1979.

CAPTAIN SPAULDING AND MR. DINKLEPUSS

Today ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls is the day to say not farewell to people today but "Hello, I must be going". For today is Groucho's birthday. Groucho was born in 1890. How much laughter did the amazing Groucho provide all of us. So for all of us love dear old Captain Spaulding its the day to sing "Lydia, The Tattooed Lady"-- written by Irving Berlin, no less and have some fun. Today also is the birthday of the greatest straight men in the business: Mr. Bud Abbott, of the amazing team "Abbott & Costello". Bud was born in 1895. My favorite "Bud" roles included the Wick role in "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" In that film the monster was played by Glen Strange, but when Strange broke his foot during filming Lon Chaney Jr. took over. The comedians also kept Strange laughing at their antics and enormous pie fights used to take place during takes. The A&C Meet Frankenstein is the only film in which Bud Abbott is called by his own last name by error. Bud also played "Mr. Dinklepus" in "Jack & The Beanstalk" -- one of the most charming moments. Shortly after Bud Abbott passed away in 1974, Groucho Marx, himself called him "The greatest straight man who ever lived! God rest you both Groucho Marx and Bud Abbott.Who can ever forget "The Who's On First" routine they both made famous. Tomorrow John and i go exploring the world of insurance, loan making and securities training-- developing news later!

THE MODEL T IS ONE HUNDRED

The Amazing Henry Ford and The Legendary "MODEL T"

Today, October 1st , 2008 is the 100th anniversary of the "The Model "T" -- the great car invented by Henry Ford in 1908. Back then, each car sold for $825.00. I wonder what that would translate to in today's dollars? Of course, the "Model T was always the car that Laurel & Hardy drove in their countless movies. I wonder how many of them they wrecked or crashed just being Laurel & Hardy. Today is also Walt Disney World's birthday in Florida, opening to the public on this day in 1971. There's an interesting story with this connected with Disney. Up until the time that Walt passed away, the Florida project was simply going to be called "Disneyworld". After Walt passed away, his dear brother Roy decreed that henceforth the project would be named "Walt Disney World". Roy's reasoning was that everyone knew that the Model T was a Ford, but very few knew that it was HENRY FORD who invented it. This was WALT''S dream-- this new park would henceforth be called "Walt Disney World" Also a grand Happy Birthday to dear old Jimmy Carter. Ex-President Carter is eighty-four years young today. Carter, of course is a perfect example of a man who was a better ex-president than he ever was as a Chief Executive: move over Herbert Hoover. Jimmy of course was only of three presidents defeted for a second term as US President. The first being Hoover, the second being Carter and the third George W's daddy. George HW. Today is also Julie Andrews 74th birthday. Happy Birthday, Mary Poppins. Work continues on " Brothers Laughter" and John and I are now editing "The Ghost Who Saved Broadway". It is simply too long. A recording session is scheduled for Sunday and I'll keep you posted on that later.

A FEAST FOR THE ANGELS

Today is the feast day of my patron saint: Saint Michael, the archangel. It is also the feast day of Saint Gabriel of "Annunciation" fame and the archangel Raphael. John Nugent and i have written a Broadway bound musical featuring the two angels as the saviour of a group of Dominican nuns. I am sure my dear patron saint has a great sense of humor. There are some interesting facts about. Michael. The good angel was the voice of "The Burning Bush" in the Moses story and one of the angels who secretly buried him. To this day no one knows where Moses is buried. He is also the patron saint of policemen, emergency workers of any kind and the country of Germany. He was the angel who saved Isaac -- Abraham's son and who begged God to preserve the temple at Jerusalem. He is regarded in all religions in a very high and astute fashion. Of course the Mormons teach that Michael was actually Adam and that Gabriel was actually Noah. Strange. Oh well, different strokes, for different folks.The archangel is also attributed as the one who showed Joseph the way to Egypt, the one who prevented Queen Vashti from appearing naked before King Ahasuerus and his guests, and as we said before one of the angels who buried Moses. In Talmud Yoma 77a, however, it is stated that Gabriel once fell into disgrace "for not obeying a command exactly as given, being quoted as saying:"I remained for a while outside the heavenly Curtain." During this 21 day period, the guardian angel of Persia, Dobiel, acted as Gabriel's proxy.The Talmud describes the Angel Gabriel as the only angel who can speak Syriac and Chaldee. Gabriel is also, according to Judaism, the voice that told Noah to gather the animals before the great flood and the invisible force that wrestled with Jacob Gabriel is famous for making the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary.In the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel reveals to the Jewish Pharisee and Priest Zechariah that John the Baptist will be born to Zechariah's wife Elizabeth(Luke 1:5-20) Gabriel's annunciation to Mary has been one of the most frequent subjects of Christian art in general, and a key element in Roman Catholic Marian art. The scene has been depicted by masters such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo de Vinci, Caravaggio, Duccio and Murillo, among others. Also one should know that according to later legend, he is also the unidentified angel in the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse of John) who blows the final trumpet announcing Judgment Day Revelation 11:15. Of course both angels also appear in the first musical that John Nugent and i have written called "SEVENLY". I really hope that both had a great sense of humor with that one. I am also going into the insurance field or at least exploring the possibilities: more on that as time passes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

Yes, indeed, Hip, Hip, Hurray, Hurray today is my 61st birthday. I have now lived longer than my father (1966) , my grandmother (1952) and grandfather on my Mother's side, both grandparents on my father's side and have matched my mother's age of 61 (she passed in 1974) That of course is a bit disconcerting, but I will get through it. Today would also would have been Jim Henson's 78th birthday and F. Scott Fitzgerald's 90th birthday. The great novelist died at age forty-six. And Jim Henson left us in 1990 at age 60-- there's that number again. John Nugent and John Long and I will be going out for lunch today and Mr. Nugent and I will be going to see "Rent"-- the filmed version of the Broadway play. Work on "The Runaway Heart" and "Broadway Angels" is almost finished and I am still putting finishing touches to "The Brothers Laughter" and "The Wild Swans". I have never written this much in all of my life, so that pleases me. I received birthday greetings from two of my sisters so far and birthday accolades from dear Tony Westbrook, and my former employee Andrew Arohnson now attending school at Columbia University. Andrew's dad of course is Lee Arohnson who has created two of the funniest shows on television "Two and a Half Men" and "Big Bang Theory". All hopes are resting on Vermont and the Barter Theatre. I am still unemployed, but I have decided to go after my real estate license and my securities certificate. The company I am joining pays for three licenses and the training and has no quotas. Well, I thank God for all of His many blessings. These include my brilliant collaborator John Nugent, my dearest friend Timothy Doran and my life partner John Long. I have a great cat named Simon, my health is still okay and I'm writing more than i ever have written in my life. I love the freedom being out of work has given but sure wish i had done some saving--oh well. Thank you, Dear God, for all of your help and a big thank you to all of the performers who have given their talents to our recording sessions especially Westbrook & Snyder, Bill Lewis, and Karmyn Tyler. Plus Molly Summer, Brian Martin and Paul Hovannes. And Tim Doran, you are so appreciated my friend- you are sixteen hundred birthday presents all rolled into one. well, let the birthday begin!

A FIDDLER, A PATRIOT, A SONGWRITER AND A MANAGER

On this date in 1964, one of the greatest musicals of all time opened at the Imperial Theatre in 1964 and remained on Broadway (although it changed theatres for over three thousand performances. Fiddler on the Roof was originally entitled Tevye. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem which he wrote in Yiddish and published in 1894. Back in 1964, the stories would still be under copyright, but no longer. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters—each daughter's choice of husband moves progressively further away from established customs—and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.The musical's title stems from a painting by Marc Chagall one of many surreal paintings he created of Eastern European Jewish life, often including a fiddler. The Fiddler is a metaphor for survival, through tradition and joyfulness, in a life of uncertainty and imbalance. "Fiddler On The Roof" was the first musical to surpass the 3,000 performance mark, and it held the record for longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. Now here's something, dear reader that you need to pay attention to: The original Broadway production (not any revivals) earned $1,574 for every dollar invested in it. The show was capitalized at four million dollars. That's four million times 1,574-- or a small fortune.The show was highly acclaimed and nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned four Broadway revivals, ( the first three were busts, however) a successful 1971 film adaptation, and has enjoyed enduring international popularity. It is also a very popular choice for school and community productions. I remember that this was the very first musical that I had ever seen. The year was 1980. The place: The Gallery Theatre-- for which I attended an amazing reunion on Saturday night. Mr. Duane Thomas (who was at this re-union) played Teyve so brilliantly, it absolutely hooked me on musical theatre. He was so good, it brought tears to my eyes. Mark Shipley was also at the reunion had directed it. I remember the dream sequence as brilliant. The Broadway revivals were almost embarrassing however. The first stayed open only 176 performances in 1976 and a really embarrassing 53 performances in 1981. In 1990, it was a bit better at 241 and the most recent stayed open for 781 performances. The songwriter in our headline was the amazing Irving Berlin. We lost him on this date in 1989 at the age of 101. Irving wrote fifteen hundred songs in his lifetime. If you read this, play some Berlin today. He'll hear it-- trust me. Maybe play a verse or two of "There's No Business Like Show Business! Maybe Tony can sing that song today and my friend Tim can play it on his grand piano! The patriot we honor today is none other than Nathan Hale-- "If I only have one life, let me give it to my country" He was hung as a spy today. The manager is Tommy Lasorda. Today he is 81. Tommy won us Dodger fans two World Series . The first was 1981. the second was 1988. Twenty years since we've won a World Series! Oh well. Today is another interesting day for history-- Sara Jane Moore tried to assassinate Gerald Ford in 1975. What a crazy woman1! Oh well. She still sits in jail. And interesting-- Gerald Ford remains the only US president to serve only two years and the only president in that two years who had two attempts upon his life. I've completed a new musical book based on my experiences with Danny Simon, the older brother of Neil. It's called "The Brothers Laughter" and it really turned very funny and pretty damn good. Well, my birthday is in two days-- imagine that. I'm going to be 61.

A GALLERY CELEBRATION, THE LAST STEINWAY, AND MILTON BERLE

This is my 366th journal posting, so now since June of 2006, I have written the equivalent of a "Leap Year's" worth of journal entries. Last night was a very special night. I have told you that my beginnings in songwriting came from an association from the Gallery Theatre in Ontario. I wrote two musicals, played the Scarecrow on one and took a lot of pictures over the years. Last night was a reunion. Mark Shipley and his ex-wife, Jeannie were there. I had not seen either of them in just about twenty-five years. Mark looks absolutely wonderful: as witty as ever and ever so relaxed as he now lives in Hillo, Hawaii helping Down Syndromed kids communicate and do dramatics. I saw Howard and Pam Wilson. Howard in those days played some wonderful parts, most notably "The Modern Major General" from Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance". Pam played a lot of great parts. I saw David Poole, Laurel Shipley (who had played Dorothy in my very first musical "Wizard of Oz" and of course the Shipley kids, Josh, Eric and Tannie. All grown up. Ron Vandermolen now owns a antique shop in Pasadena at 60 North Lake Street. There were so many memories. There were quite a few who couldn't make it, but I had made contact with Larry Newman and Mike Tosha before and of course Tim Corvin. All in all it was a wonderful evening. I'll post some pictures soon. The gentleman you see in the picture is the last Steinway. He has just passed over the weekend . His name was Henry Steinway Ziegler — and this gentleman was the great-grandson of Heinrich Engelhard Steinway, the illiterate German immigrant before the ampersand in the company Steinway & Sons. Henry was born on Aug. 23, 1915, in his parents’ apartment on Park Avenue, between East 52nd and 53rd Streets. The location was important to his tradition-minded father, Theodore E. Steinway. The Steinways’ factory, the largest piano plant in New York City when it opened, had occupied that site from just before the Civil War until about 1910. Theodore rented an apartment in the building that took the factory’s place. (The apartment house was demolished in the 1950s to make way for Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building.)By the time Henry was a boy, the name Steinway had become almost synonymous with pianos, famous on concert stages as well as in Tin Pan Alley. Irving Berlin paid homage in “I Love a Piano” with the lyric “I know a fine way to treat a Steinway.”After shuttering its Manhattan factory, Steinway & Sons moved its manufacturing operations to Queens, and as a child Henry wandered through a labyrinth of sawdust-strewn workrooms. He joined the company after graduating from Harvard in 1937 and began his career by building pianos, just as his father and uncles had. “I learned a respect for work that is actually done,” Mr. Steinway said years later.He also discovered that making instruments that have thousands of tiny parts under the lid is not easy. He said it took him a day and a half to do what the workers at the factory did in four hours. In the 1940s, following the death of a cousin who had been the company’s general manager, Mr. Steinway began overseeing operations at the company’s three factories in Queens. Poor eyesight kept him away from the front lines during World War II; the Army stationed him on Governors Island in New York Harbor. He became the factory manager after the war and president of the company in 1955, when his father made a surprise announcement that he was stepping down, immediately.By then the piano business was struggling against changing technologies and tastes. Phonographs and radios had displaced pianos as home entertainment choices, and television was on the rise. As Mr. Steinway recalled in 2003: “People would say: ‘You’re in the piano business? That doesn’t exist anymore.’ ”So, being a very smart businessman, he decided to downsize the company — though he preferred the term “right-sized” — closing two of the plants in Queens. He decided that concert artists to whom the company had lent pianos would have to return them, unless they bought them.He also arranged to sell Steinway Hall, the company’s building on West 57th Street, to Manhattan Life Insurance Company. He moved most of the company’s offices, including his own, to Queens. But the showroom, with its big front window and arched ceilings, remained. In 1972 he sold the company itself. “It was the hippie time,” he recalled in 2003. “Nobody in the next generation —”
He left the rest of the sentence unsaid. He said he did not believe that any of his younger relatives could take over, so he proposed a $20.1 million stock swap with the CBS Corporation. The deliberations split the family, with his mother, Ruth, calling the sale “a betrayal,” although she ultimately voted for it. CBS replaced him as president in 1977, naming him chairman. He gave up that title when he retired at 65, but he never really left. Until a few months ago, he went to Steinway Hall most days. He also went to the factory to autograph just-finished pianos, signing the cast-iron plates with felt-tip pens. At times he served as a goodwill ambassador, visiting piano dealers and attending music-industry conventions. Last year President Bush presented him with the National Medal of Arts, the Federal government’s highest award in the arts. Mr. Steinway was also the founding president of the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, Calif. And today is another anniversary of sorts, because on this day in 1948, Milton Berle became the permanent host on the Texaco Star Theatre becoming officially "Mr. Television". Does anybody know that Milton Berle had a lifetime contract with NBC? How about that? I have now been completing a play with music (as opposed to a musical) about my memories of Danny Simon, the brother of Neil Simon and Milton figures into the last scene. Today in 1958 saw the premiere of the television series "Perry Mason"-- the lawyer who never lost a case. Yeah, wouldn't that be something if it were real? Of course, I think Andy Griffith as "Mattlock" never lost a case as I remember it. My 61st birthday approaches on Wednesday the 24th : I have now met the full age of both of my parents (my dad fifty-eight) (my mom sixty-one) before they passed. That's a very scary thought. Well, it's a beautiful Sunday, and I'm still looking for work. Hold good thoughts for me.

THE PARDON OF THE CENTURY

On this historic day in 1974, Gerald Ford pardoned Richard M. Nixon of all possible crimes that related to Watergate. It was a very brave move that most probably cost Gerald Ford the opportunity to have his own term of being the President of the United States. This was one reason Mr. Ford cited for granting the pardon, saying that he had concluded that "many months and perhaps more years will have to pass before Richard Nixon could obtain a fair trial by jury in any jurisdiction of the United States under governing decisions of the Supreme Court." During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused, our people would again be polarized in their opinions, and the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad," Mr. Ford said all of this in a 10-minute statement that he read that fateful morning in the Oval Office upon signing the paperwork for the official pardon itself. Mr. Ford's decision had not been unexpected, especially in the light of his previous statements that he thought the former President had suffered enough by being forced from office. Yet the unconditional nature of the pardon, taken without the recommendation of Mr. Jaworski, was more generous to Mr. Nixon than many had expected. Today was famous also for the first publishing of Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and The Sea". If you have not read this classic book, I urge you to do so. Well, more writing ahead and a job fair happens on Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles. I am also hoping to hear from Office Depot. A special birthday I would like to note due to my devotion to The Blessed Mother of Jesus. This day is the celebration of her Nativity. My lady has rescued so many times by going to the Lord and interceding on my behalf. She is my personal champion! Happy Birthday, dear lady!

RENT CLOSES SHOP

Today, September 7th is the final day for the Broadway show "Rent"-- the Pulitzer prize winning, seventh longest running show in Broadway history. As someone who aspires to Broadway, himself the story of Rent although tragic that's its author never got to see any of its fame and success is a phenomenal "dream come true" story.So many amazing performers got their start with this show including Adam Pascal and Indna Menzel. The Broadway lottery of offering twenty dollar orchestra seats by lottery on the day of the performance began its tradition with this show. Even tonight with every seat anticipated to be completely sold out, the producers have reserved several of these $20 seat opportunities. The "Rentheads" as the show's ultimate fans are labeled should be absolutely delighted. Today is also the birthday of television-- as way back in 1927 the first antiquated transmission took place. So put a fancy cloth over your television tonight, kids-- and wish it "Happy Birthday" Speaking of birthdays, it would also been the birthday of another great artist: dear old "Grandma Moses"-- what an absolutely amazing painter she was. And for those of us who grew up in that era, today would have been the 72nd birthday of rockster Buddy Holly. Well, another Sunday and a day at church. Tim Doran goes off on his well earned vacation today! Boy, does he deserve that! And John and I continue developing our new musicals. Right now, John is trying to complete the music for "Broadway Angels". This is one funny show!

A DAY REMARKABLE

SEPTEMBER 5th IS AN AMAZING DAY IN HISTORY--

Yes, indeed September 5th is a most remarkable day in history. The Olympic tragedy in Munich, Germany was in 1972. What a terrible tragedy. On the almost tragic side of the ledger
1698. Gerald Ford escaped an assassination attempt by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Of course dear old "Squeaky" had been an avid follower of Charles Manson. Today was also the first meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774 led by George Washington. Good old George it turns out was a terrible pessimist. When he was the general in the Revolution, he sometimes sent Congress four to five messages a day that said things like "I think we're gonna lose" or "There is no way out of this" or the now famous phrase "Situation: hopeless"-- yes, dear old George originated that one!-- but hey if you had wooden teeth you might be a pessimist yourself. In the same year, "The Reign of Terror" better known as The French Revolution began in 1793 and in 1693, one hundred years before, Peter the Great in Russia imposed a tax on beards-- and you thought you were paying crazy taxes. In 1939, in what we might call the "famous last words" category, The United States of America proclaimed its complete neutrality in World War II. My My-- how history changes perspectives. And speaking of World War II history, on this date in 1945, dear old Tokyo Rose, whose real name was Iva Toguri D'Aquino was arrested in Yokohoma-- write one up for freedom, boys! In 1977, The United States launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft two weeks after launching its twin, Voyager 2. And tragically Nobel Peace Prize winner and living saint Mother Teresa died in Calcutta, India, at age 87. Not much happening for me. I looked into selling insurance from Afflex--but it required an investment of over $300-- an out of work guy can't afford that kind of investment. But I did get a call from Office Depot out of the clear blue sky on Labor Day afternoon inviting me to apply on line and come in for one of their personality and honesty tests which I did easily. More submissions going out today-- ten in all. I am at least promoting the shows that we have and we are still awaiting news from the Barter Theatre in Virginia. Well, you know what they say "No news is good news!" Heard a funny one: a vet and a taxidermist go into business together and came up with a real catchy slogan "Either way you get your dog back" --funny!

VAN JOHNSON'S BIRTHDAY AND 42ND STREET

Today is Van Johnson's 98th birthday. and today was the premiere on Broadway of "42nd Street"produced by David Merrick at the Winter Garden Theatre back in 1980. Speaking of the The old trooper first, however, Van was the star of such films as "Everybody Dance" "Till The Clouds Roll By" and of course "Brigadoon" lives now in quiet retirement in New York. His acting career began in earnest in 1936 in the Broadway revue New Faces of 1936. In 1939, he landed a part in Rodgers and Harts Too Many Girls in the role of a cute college boy (after being Gene Kelly's understudy in Pal Joey). RKO then signed him to a short-term contract to star in the film adaptation of the play which became Johnson's film debut. Good old MGM picked up his contract from RKO soon after and cast him in several bit parts. In 1942, while en route to a preview screening for Keeper of the Flame, he was involved in a car crash that left him with a metal plate in his forehead. Fate? Maybe! This little accident exempted him from service in World War II. After this incident, MGM built up his image as the "all-American boy" by co-starring him in films with June Allyson and Esther Williams, among others. He also had serious roles in films such as "A Guy Named Joe", "A Week-End at the Waldorf, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and that war classic "Battleground". In the 50's, Johnson even made a very memorable appearance on "I Love Lucy". Johnson left MGM for Columbia Pictures to co-star in The Caine Mutiny (1954) to much acclaim. (His scar from the car crash is very visible in this film.) He also enjoyed one of his most memorable leading roles in the 1954 musical Brigadoon, with Gene Kelly. In 1955, Johnson made a memorable appearance on I Love Lucy.Since 1960, his film career has been minimal. Johnson guest-starred on television shows such as Batman, Here's Lucy and The Love Boat and in the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man. In 1985, he enjoyed something of a comeback. He toured with the hit Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles and appeared in a supporting role in Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo.For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Van Johnson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6600 Hollywood Blvd. The story of the premiere was amazing. Here was this incredible musical that was opening to rave reviews and good old David Merrick steps up to the mike after all of the applause and announces .. "But this is tragic..." He went on to say that Gower Champion had died that very afternoon. Good old publicity hound Merrick had kept this quiet from everyone except book writer Michael Stewart-- even the young girl in the cast that Gower was having an affair with at that time! All for publicity! David Merrick was a creep-- a piece of work. Some day I should attempt a musical on this creep-- it might just sell.

LOST GENIUS

Who could forget "Singing In The Rain" Here is Gene in that classic scene!

We lost today what I might call the world's greatest lyricist of all times. Oscar Hammerstein was the pioneer of everything that musical theatre holds dear today. Before Hammerstein, Broadway musicals had meaningless little trifle stories and plots upon which great songs were hung. The story meant nothing but a means to the end to get a great song to the audience. Oscar began this tradition with "Showboat" in 1927 with the incredible Jerome Kern. Oscar died on this day in 1960. I was thirteen years old at the time. Little did I know how much influence this amazing man was going to have on my very own life. Broadway mourned Oscar's passing by darkening all the lights in the Broadway community (the first time this had been done since World War II) for one whole minute. Imagine that! The second gentleman featured on the page today is playwright/screenwriter Sydney Howard. Mr. Howard wrote a little play that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1924 called "They Knew What They Wanted". It was the story of an Italian grape grower who woos a woman in a letter to get her to marry him but has supplied her with another man's picture with his correspondence. She arrives, finds out the truth, but forgives him and marries him. Later when she has had relations with one of the man's stewards and becomes pregnant, he forgives her and remains married to her, regardless. Funny thing, that play was later the basis of the Frank Loesser Broadway musical, "The Most Happy Fella" Sidney's biggest kudo came with winning the Academy Award for adapting the Margaret Mitchell novel "Gone With The Wind". But due to a tragic tractor accident on his farm, that happened on this day in 1939, Mr. Howard never got to see that award. To this day, however, posthumously or not, he is the only individual to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy Award. Today also would have been Gene Kelly's 96th birthday. What an incredible entertainer. Now, I'm sure, he's teaching the angels how to dance! A real funny thing: the last movie he did while alive was "Xanadu"-- an amazing flop! But today, the Broadway musical version continues to play to big audiences. I was sorry to learn that Stephen Schwartz's revival of the new production of "Godspell" has been delayed to the pulling out of a major investor. And so the show will NOT go on as planned. I am surprised. Stephen is the hottest ticket on Broadway these days with "Wicked" approaching it's five year anniversary at the Gershwin Theatre in New York. And bad economy or not, "Godspell" is still a wonderful and very established show. Interesting note: There will be a special Broadway concert on October 14th at the Gershwin called "The Yellow Brick Road: The Roads Not Taken" in which all of the cut songs and scenes from the original incarnations of the Wicked musical before 2003 will be presented in a special one night charity concert. Stephen, I am told is busy at work dusting off these forgotten treasures and orchestrating them all-- it just goes to show you-- composers must never throw anything away and they must keep everything they write properly filed and ready to go--just in case. This is going to be a major fundraiser!

A VISIT TO THE PAST

This is the present day Santa Monica Pier and the new Pacific Park amusement comple. It should not be confused with the classic Pacific Ocean Park that oopened on July 27, 1958 and was on a totally different pier a mile south of this. For a while Pacific Ocean park really competed with dear old Disneyland. This park although much smaller has a lot of charm and color.

Yesterday, August 21st, John Nugent and I decided on a day at the Santa Monica Beach. It was a beautiful summer's day on the sand and on the pier which is pretty damn amazing. It simply has more life and more color and more characters than you will ever meet anywhere. We had packed a really nice lunch and cold drinks and sat out in the sun for a couple of hours. Then we walked to the pier and played some amusement games and actually played 9 holes of miniature golf. I hadn't played miniature golf in at least 6 years. The concert that evening was really wonderful. First there was Gerry & The Pacemakers who's amazing hits from the 1960's were "A World Without Love" and "Don't let the Sun Catch you Crying. As unfathomable as it seems from the distance of over 30 years, for a few months, Gerry & the Pacemakers were the Beatles' nearest competitors in Britain. Managed (like the Beatles) by Brian Epstein, Gerry Marsden and his band burst out of the gate with three consecutive number one U.K. hits in 1963, "How Do You Do It," "I Like It," and "You'll Never Walk Alone." If the Beatles defined Mersey beat at its best in early 1963, Gerry & the Pacemakers defined the form at its most innocuous, performing bouncy, catchy, and utterly lightweight tunes driven by rhythm guitar and Gary Marsden's chipper vocals. Compared to the Beatles and other British Invasion heavies, they sound quaint indeed. That's not to say the group were trivial; their hits were certainly likable and energetic and are fondly remembered today, even if the musicians lacked the acumen (or earthy image) to develop their style from its relentlessly upbeat and poppy base. Gary formed the group in the late '50s featuring himself on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Fred on drums, Les Chadwick on bass, and Arthur Mack on piano (to be replaced in 1961 by Les McGuire). They worked the same Liverpool/Hamburg circuit as the Beatles, and ran neck and neck with their rivals in local popularity. They were signed by Epstein in mid-1962 (the first band to do so besides the Beatles), and began recording for the EMI/Columbia label in early 1963, under the direction of producer George Martin. Their first single was a Mitch Murray tune that Martin had wanted the Beatles to record for their debut, "How Do You Do It?" The Beatles did record a version (found on the Anthology 1 release), but objected to its release, finding it too sappy, and in any case more interested in recording their own, gutsier original compositions. It suited Gary's grinning, peppy style well, though, and went to number one before it was displaced from the top spot by the Beatles' third 45, "From Me to You." But there was more: next came Peter & Gordon-- wow do you remember "Lady Godiva" "A Knight In Rusty Armor" and "Woman" which was really written by Paul McCartney under a pseudonym. Then surprises: The Tremeloes performed "Silence is Golden" and Joan Baez made a special appearance. It was really a wonderful day.