#thurston howell the third

[warrenwaskilledbyadeer]

Okay this line from Gilligan's Island is my current mood:

"Will you be silent, Lovey, I just want to have a small, quiet nervous breakdown!!"

[project1939]

Day 44- Film: Don’t Bother to Knock 

Release date: July 18th , 1952.

Studio: 20th Century Fox 

Genre: Noir 

Director: Roy Ward Baker 

Producer: Julian Blaustein 

Actors: Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe 

Plot Summary: Pilot Jed checks into a hotel where his estranged girlfriend Lyn works as a lounge singer, hoping to win her back. She spurns his advances, but when he goes back up to his room, he sees a beautiful woman named Nell across the courtyard. He calls her, eventually going to her room, where they drink and flirt. But some strange things are happening, and Jed slowly discovers something isn’t right with Nell. 

My Rating (out of five stars): ***½  

Overall, I enjoyed this film. It was short and pacey with its mysteries and suspense. It was not a glamorized or sentimental film at all, it was a typical edgy and cynical noir. Widmark and Monroe were both highly effective and helped elevate the material. 

The Good: 

The unsentimental realism. Like many noirs, no one was really a hero. Everyone was flawed, and the world they inhabited was flawed. It didn't try to shove sentimentality into a story it didn’t belong in. 

The lack of any non-diegetic sound. Like The Narrow Margin, this film had no scored soundtrack. The only sounds we heard came from the environment in the film. In The Narrow Margin it was the sounds of the train, in this movie, it was the sounds of the hotel, particularly the bar-room music. To me, all the ambient sound makes things much more dramatic.

The short space of time the plot took place in. It was basically just a few hours of one evening. I love the detail that movies like this are able to show when they aren’t moving from day to day and scene to scene at lightning speed. 

Monroe getting to really act and not just play a ditzy character. It’s nice to see her play these non-glamourous non-ditzy roles. She certainly wasn’t just sexy eye-candy in this. I wish she had gotten to do more roles like it. 

 Richard Widmark’s unlikability. He was so good at playing a pretty unlikeable guy, and I appreciated it. 

The way the mystery slowly unfolded. The film didn’t spoon-feed us information about Nell or Jed. I enjoyed piecing things together slowly as the film went on. 

Nice little noir details. I enjoyed the colorful details like the lady selling photographs in the bar, the speakers on the wall in the rooms that you could tune to the radio or the hotel bar, the patient bartender, the lady with the uncooperative Dalmatian, the nosy old couple who lived at the hotel...  

Anne Bancroft as Lyn. I didn't recognize it was Bancroft at first, but she was really interesting in this. I liked the character Lyn, although I didn’t always like her style of singing. 

Thurston Howell again! This is the third movie that he has showed up in now for 1952! (And Alan Hale, Jr. who played Skipper was in the Westinghouse movie tonight!) 

The Bad: 

The ending with Monroe was a little melodramatic. I wished it had reeled itself in just a bit. 

The reunion with Jed and Lyn. It kinda made me mad. She deserved better! It seems like there’s a trend in a lot of media from this time where the message to women is, “He’s not that bad! Maybe he was an asshole or treated you crappy... but he says he loves you now! Don’t be so choosy! He’s at least somewhat decent, so come on, take him!” 

[intothetlkverse]

Decided to challenge myself by drawing every single TLK character out there, up until this point in time, and post it here. You can see the finished project on my main account, though I figured to post it on my tumblr just show I could proudly show off my work and a few of my head canons.

Here is all the zebras across TLK:

From the Lion Guard we're starting off with the golden zebra of the Backlands herself, queen Dhahabu(gold) with her two bodyguards, siblings Raha(contentment) and Starehe(comfort). Though still prideful and dramatic, Dhahabu has matured as a leader since Kion and his guard reached out to her for help during the dry season, in return helping her gain the confidence and kick in the butt to act as a true leader to her herd. She still maintains a friendly relationship with the Pridelands, even attending summits between neighboring territories/kingdoms to represent her home and herd, though never without her two closest zebra bodyguards by her side. This is the third time I've drawn Dhahabu, first in pencil, second time relying heavily on bases, and now more free-handed, and I'm very pleased with how far I've come.

Returning to the Pridelands, we come across the first leader, one of several zebra herds in the Pridelands' territory, Thurston(The Stone of Thor)/Thusi(brass-Zulu). Conceited, easily-spooked, and dim-witted, it's astonishing to many how Thurston is still alive, much less the leader of his own herd for several seasons now. However, whatever he does is working, and heck, he's manage to keep his herd alive for this long as well, though that might just be relying on the Lion Guard for protection and their nigh-infinite patience. Let's hope the current one lead by Vitani maintains the self-control and strength to not cause an unfortuanutely accident for his hilariously buffoonish stallion. Also I'm torn between using his real name and the 'Africanized' one, though I'm kinda partial to the original, despite how out of place it is. A bit surprising, though considering there's animals like Zazu with British accents in TLK, hyenas dropping Spanish words, and the entire Shakespeare literature used as the basis for the plot , I think I should be less surprised.

Though speaking of surprising is the fact that Thurston has a son, Kwato(hoof). Since zebra herds tend to have a lead stallion with several females and their foals, Thurston does actually have a few foals, though Kwato seems the most promising of his offspring. Though mischievous and energetic, he does listen well to authority and understands the value of respect gained through noble action and experience. Kwato got a bit of a redesign along with Hamu, given that zebra foals have more dark brown stripes that darken over time, as well as big roundish ears.

Edit: I did have in mind to do some next-gen characters soon, and for Thurston I decided to name two of his other foals Tristan and Howell. Given that Thurston's name comes from Thurston Howell of Gilligan's Island, I wanted to sort of keep the theme of bizarre, notably non-African names going.

Next one of the leaders of the zebra herds is a curious case with the female leader, Muhimu(important), present here with her son Hamu(desire). Giving birth to her son during a migration has made Muhimu quite cautious, as well as making her weaker, more tired, and stress after the return, though she still maintains a reliable, compassionate leading example for her herd, if not having to make her take more frequent rests and breaks. Her son is well-liked in the Pridelands among the other animals his age for his playfulness and amiable nature. He particularly gets along with Kwato from Thurston's herd, seeing him as a bit of a big brother.

Coming to our most recent zebra character addition, from the Disney Villiains: Scar vol 2 comic we have Elder/Agadi(old man). A wise and observant zebra, he leads his herd during Mufasa's time, and is one of the herds, like the wildebeest, to be worried about Scar's presence and what it meant for the future, a prediction that ultimately turned out to be right. His wife and mother of his son ends up killed shortly before Scar's coup, prompting him to step up as parent, much like the Great Prince and Bambi. Though his son is deeply hurt by the loss of his mother to the pride's hunting party, of which he was previously close friends of one of the cubs, having to deal with the notion of predator/prey and the Circle of Life's final step, while also feeling that he has been betrayed. Agadi is able to instill in his son the responsibility of being perceptive, open-minded, strong, and thoughtful, things he'll take on when he'll succeed his father, something he does rather suddenly when Scar and his hyenas target Agadi, as Agadi had been a strong critic of Scar's rule and behavior. His herd and son remember him fondly as they decide to flee the Pridelands to survive, eventually to return back after Simba's return.

Speaking of Agadi's son and the current leader of his herd, here's Lemuta(let it go), the zebra originally from the "King of the Beasts" draft, though I've decided to combine him with the colt from "A Great Team" and "Monkey Magic" and he later is the zebra in TLK2 that sings "disgrace" towards Kovu during his exile. Lemuta and Simba used to be childhood friends, however, being predator and prey, as they grew older, the bond became frayed, especially after Lemuta's mother was hunted by Sarabi. Though both knew about the separation between them, after that event both avoided each other, feeling too awkward and severed. When Simba years later as king returned, Lemuta was more of a neutral party, having his own herd and several foals by then. They have met up, but their relationship, if any, is more civil and courteous. I'll be honest, when searching for reference for how to do him, since he is only mentioned and no concept art exists of him(that and he is described as having a pink blotch on his nose), I came across seven different designs across all of TLK fandom, however, I'll tell you one thing that my version of Lemuta has that no other depiction has.... the first strand of hair on his crest is white instead of black... I'm so creative. I decided to give him a moody and upset, yet agreeable expression, demonstrating his lingering resentment, yet willingness for acceptance to do the right thing.

Next of is Lemuta's mate, which I have made Zarah/Zahra(radiant/fair) from "The Disguised Zebra". Unlike Lemuta, she has a much more positive view of lions, understanding that they are predators and necessary for a helpful ecosystem, but respects the current rulers, as in their youths they helped her cross dangerous predator-filled territory and back safely to her herd. Growing up, she would share her experience with Lemuta, trying to help expand his idea of how there can be good, bad, and neutral predators, although while he does understand and has come to accept what happened was nature's way, he still remains salty about it. Zahra often acts as mediator in herd disputes with him, though is lately feeling worried for him as he and the leader of the oryxes, Odera, have been quite vocal about their displeasure about Simba's redaction of Kovu's exile and the Outsiders' integration into the Ndona pride, as well as how his attitude has been affecting their foal.

Next up we have Zebby/Zebaki(mercury) from "Spots and Stripes". Zebaki is Agadi's son and Lemuta's half-brother. He too had a relationship with Simba and Nala, and helped save them from a pair of cheetahs which attacked them, thinking that in their painted forms they were zebras. He did understand his half-brother's resentment towards the lions after his mother was hunted and did try to be supportive of him throughout the years, though his personal dislike of predators is not as strong as Lemuta's, and actually has a slightly more pleasant relationship with Simba. He is allowed to remain in Lemuta's herd, to help with the population, though has been slowly getting to know Muhimu and her herd more, even helping sire Hamu with her, though she maintains the fact that she is lead zebra of the herd, even if he should join.

And with that, we say goodbye to all the plains zebras for now. There are technically three different species of zebra; plains, mountain, and Grevy's, the first two having their own subspecies, including the extinct quagga in the plains zebra's case, though I digress. Point is that plains zebras are the most common, widespread, and viewed across TLK media, and in real life. The other two zebras species have their own behavior, habitat/range, and appearances, and I will go into that while describing them.

Finishing up with the Pridelands zebras we have two mother/foal pairs, both which are Grevy's/imperial zebras. While plains zebras live mostly in grasslands and savanna woodland, aka 50+% of the Pridelands, Grevy's/imperial zebras live in more semi-arid savanna, typically form smaller herds and are more antisocial, and are more 'mule-like' then 'equine-like' in appearance compared to the other two, are the largest species, and have the tightest stripe patterns of the three. Starting up from "Zebra Crossing" and we have Grevy's zebras Milia(stripes) and her son Punda(donkey). A bit of an odd pair, their herd migrated alongside the wildebeests. Punda had befriended Simba and Nala, though has not been seen since the migration. He's very cheery and playful, naive about what dangers the world possesses just yet. Milia is a graceful and gorgeous zebra, something she knows and is proud of. However, like most herbivores, she does have a disdain for predators, especially the two lion cubs that her son Punda has befriended. "Those are your future hunters, son. They won't always be fun and kind to be with when they're old enough to take you down for lunch." She does her best to try and protect him, even getting together with fellow herbivore and blue wildebeest Nyumbu, to provide a male role model and structure into his life. It does seem to work, as the three go on migration together and the two boys tale a liking to each other.

The next duo comes from 6NA's "How True, Zazu?", mother Muwa(sugarcane) and her son Sukari(sugar). Sukari is the last of the young animals to spread the rumors to discredit Zazu's name, only to regret his actions when they put both Zazu's credibility and the Pridelands in danger, in which he comes clean and takes on a temporary role as one of Zazu's info-gatherers. However since Scar's reign, he fled with his mother to lands elsewhere and has not been seen since.

Next up, starting with the Hakuna Matata magazine "Home, Sweet Home" we get some oasis, aka mountain zebras with Stripey/Sphiwe(gift-Afrikkans) and his mother/Zeyana(ornament-Afrikkans), in a herd with his half-brother Zak/Zakwani(thriving) from "Falling in Love". Mountain zebras differ in that they have bold stripes, pure white underbellies, and a noticeable dewlap, aka a noticeable flap of skin under the chin and on the neck. They are fond of more hill-y habitats, like mountain slopes and escarpments with a diversity of grass species. They also form smaller family herds, usually comprised of a single stallion and 1-5 mares with their offspring. This is the case with their herd, albeit larger then most herds, in which Sphiwe and Zakwani are two of his multiple foals sired by the head stallion. Sphiwe befriended Simba growing up in the Oasis, making him the fifth zebra colt to do so, though like Zuber, Zahra, and Punda his thoughts on Simba are positive, as Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa helped protect him and his herd from the trio of cheetahs from Lightfoot's coalition. Sphiwe, Zakwani, Zeyana, and their herd have remained friends with them, even after Simba grew up and left to go back.

Last on our list we have go back to plains zebras and into the Pridelands' past to meet Zebra/Nata(sticky) from "The Brightest Star". He was leader of his herd during the time of Mohatu, and much like his descendent Thurston, was very arrogant and conceited, though with a bit more aggression like his descendent Lemuta, as he was willing to endanger other animals in order to gain the advantage during a drought. When Mohatu found a new source of water and suggested they all behave in order to make the most of it to survive the drought, Nata reminded everyone of how the Selfish lion, one of Mohatu's species, broke the rule, hence forth why should any of they follow suit? This resulted in a riot with everyone rushing towards the water source, trampling and injuring each other to get there, only for Nata's actions to cause him get him trapped in quicksand around the surrounding area. Having to rely on others to get him out, he became more humbled and selfless in nature, agreeing to work with his fellow animals to help survive the drought, though this event does mark one of the notable riots/rebellions in the Pridelands history with the other Pridelands species rebelling against the lion ruler at the time.

[monstermayi122]

Friends send you pictures of their pets Best Friends send you pictures of your own pets with more amusing captions

[todaysdocument]

Roll Call Tally on the Expulsion of Preston Brooks, 7/14/1856

After Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner nearly to death with a cane in the Senate chamber, the House voted on whether to expel him from Congress. They failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed. 

Series: General Records, 1791 - 2010

Record Group 233: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789 - 2015

Transcription:

July 14. 1856

On LD Campbells 1st Resn from Sel Com

THIRTY-FOURTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

335

[column one]

YEA | NAMES. | NAY.

A.

|William Aiken...S.C. | 1

1 | Charles J. Albright...Ohio. |

| James C. Allen...Ill. | 2

2| John Allison...Penn. |

B.

3 | Edward Ball...Ohio |

4 | Lucian Barbour...Ind. |

|David Barclay [struck through] |

| William Barksdale...Miss. | 3

| P.H. Bell...Texas. | 4

5 | Henry Bennett...N.Y. |

| Hendley S. Bennett...Miss. | 5

6 | Samuel P. Benson...Me. |

7 | Charles Billinghurst...Wis |

8 | John A. Bingham...Ohio |

9 | James Bishop...N.J. |

10 | Philemon Bliss...Ohio |

| Thomas S. Bocock...Va. | 6

| Thomas F. Bowie...Md. | 7

| William W. Boyce...S.C. | 8

11 | Samuel C. Bradshaw...Penn. |

| Lawrence O'B. Braneh...N.C. | 9

12 | Samuel Brenton...Ind. |

| Preston S. Brooks [struck through]...S.C. |

13 | Jacob Broom...Penn. |

14 | James Buffinton...Mass. |

15 | Anson Burlingame...Mass. |

| Henry C. Burnett...Ky. | 10

C.

| John Cadwalader...Penn. | 11

16 | James H. Campbell...Penn. |

|John P. Campbell [struck through]...Ky. |

17 | Lewis D. Campbell...Ohio |

| John S. Carlile...Va. | 12

| Samuel Caruthers [struck through]...Mo. |

| John S. Caskie...Va. | 13

18 | Calvin C. Chaffee...Mass. |

| Thomas Child, jr [struck through] ...N.Y. |

19 | Bayard Clarke...N.Y. |

20 | Ezra Clark, jr...Conn. |

21 | Isaiah D. Clawson...N.J. |

| Thomas L. Clingman...N.C. | 14

| Howell Cobb...Ga. | 15

| Williamson R.W. Cobb...Ala. | 16

22 | Schuyler Colfax...Ind. |

23 | Linus B. Comins...Mass. |

24 | John Covode...Penn. |

| Leander M. Cox...Ky. | 17

25 | Aaron H. Cragin...N.H. |

| Burton Craige...N.C. | 18

| Martin J. Crawford...Ga. | 19

| Elisha D. Cullen [struck through]...Del. |

26 | William Cumback...Ind. |

D.

27 | William S. Damrell...Mass. |

| Thomas G. Davidson...La. | 20

| H. Winter Davis...Md. | 21

28 | Timothy Davis...Mass. |

29 | Timothy C. Day...Ohio. |

30 | Sidney Dean...Conn. |

| James W. Denver...Cal. | 22

31| Ale["xander" struck through] De Witt...Mass. |

[Column Two]

YEA. | NAMES. | NAY.

32 | John Dick...Penn. |

33 | Samuel Dickson...N.Y. |

34 | Edward Dodd...N.Y. |

| James F. Dowdell...Ala. | 23

35 | George G. Dunn...Ind. |

36 | Nathaniel B. Durfee...R.I. |

E.

37 | John R. Edie...Penn. |

| Henry A. Edmundson [struck through] ...Va. | 1

38 | Francis S. Edwards...N.Y. |

| John M. Elliott...Ky. | 24

39 | J Reece Emrie...Ohio. |

| William H. English...Ind. | 25

| Emerson Etheridge...Tenn. | 26

| George Eustis, jr...La. | 27

| Lemuel D. Evans...Texas. | 28

F.

| Charles J. Faulkner...Va. | 29

| Thomas T. Flagler [struck through]...N.Y. |

| Thomas B. Florence...Penn. | 30

| Nathaniel G. Foster...Ga. | - 31

| Henry M. Fuller [struck through] ...Penn. |

| Thomas J. D. Fuller [struck through] ...Me. |

G.

40 | Samuel Galloway...Ohio. |

41 | Joshua R. Giddings...Ohio. |

42 | William A. Gilbert...N.Y. |

| William O. Goode...Va. | 32

43 | Amos P. Granger...N.Y. |

| Alfred B. Greenwood...Ark. | 33

44 | Galusha A. Grow...Penn. |

H.

| Augustus Hall...Iowa. | 34

45 | Robert B. Hall...Mass |

46 | Aaron Harlan...Ohio. |

| J. Morrison Harris...Md. | 35

| Sampson W. Harris...Ala. | 36

| Thomas L. Harris...Ill. | 37

| John Scott Harrison...Ohio. | 38

47 | Solomon G. Haven...N.Y. |

| Philemon T. Herbert...Cal. |

48 | John Hickman...Penn. |

49 | Henry W. Hoffman...Md. |

50 | David P. Holloway...Ind. |

51 | Thomas R. Horton...N.Y. |

52 | Valentine B. Horton...Ohio. |

| George S. Houston...Ala. | 39

53 | William A. Howard...Mich. |

54 | Jonas A. Hughston...N.Y. |

J.

| Joshua H. Jewett...Ky. | 40

| George W. Jones...Tenn. | 41

| J. Glancy Jones...Penn. | 42

K.

| Lawrence M. Keitt...S.C. | 43

| John Kelly...N.Y. | 44

55 | William H. Kelsey...N.Y. |

| Luther M. Kennett...Mo. | 45

| Zedekiah Kidwell...Va. | 46

56 | Rufus H. King...N.Y. |

57 | Chauncey L. Knapp...Mass. |

58 | Jonathan Knight...Penn. |

59 | Ebenezer Knowlton...Me. |

60 | James Knox...Ill. |

61 | John C. Kunkel...Penn. |

[Column Three]

YEA. | NAMES. | NAY.

L.

| William A. Lake...Miss. | 47

62 | Benjamin F. Leiter...Ohio. |

| John Letcher...Va. | 48

| James J. Lindley...Mo. | 49

| John H. Lumpkin...Ga. | 50

M.

| Daniel Mace [struck through] ...Ind. |

| Alexander K. Marshall...Ky. | 51

| Humphrey Marshall...Ky. | 52

| Samuel S Marshall...Ill. | 53

63 | Orsamus B. Matteson...N.Y. |

| Augustus E. Maxwell...Fla. | 54

64 | Andrew Z. McCarty...N.Y. |

| Fayette McMullin...Va. | 55

| John McQueen...S.C. | 56

65 | James Meacham...Vt. |

66 | Killian Miller...N.Y. |

| Smith Miller...Ind. | 57

| John S. Millson...Va. | 58

67 | William Millward...Penn. |

68 | Oscar F. Moore...Ohio. |

69 | Edwin B. Morgan...N.Y. |

70 | Justin S. Morrill...Vt. |

71 | Richard Mott...i o |

72 | Ambrose S. Murray...N.Y. |

N.

73 | Matthias H. Nichols...Ohio |

74 | Jesse O. Norton...Ill. |

O.

75 | Andrew Oliver...N.Y. |

| Mordecai Oliver...Mo. | 59

| James L. Orr...S.C. | 60

P.

76 | Asa Packer...Penn. |

| Robert T. Paine [struck through] ...N.C. |

77 | John M. Parker...N.Y. |

78 | John J. Pearce...Penn. |

79 | George W. Peek...Mich. |

80 | Guy R. Pelton...N.Y. |

81 | Alexander C.M. Pennington. N.J. |

82 | John J. Perry...Me. |

83 | John U. Pettit...Ind. |

| John S. Phelps...Mo. | 61

84 | James Pike...N.H. |

| Gilchrist Porter...Mo. | 62

| Paulus Powell...Va. | 63

85 | Benjamin Pringle...N.Y. |

86 | Samuel A. Purviance...Penn. |

| Richard C. Puryear...N.C. | 64

Q.

| John A. Quitman...Miss. | 65

R.

| Edwin G. Reade...N.C. | 66

| Charles Ready...Tenn. | 67

| James B. Ricaud...Md. | 68

| William A. Richardson [struck through] ...Ill. |

87 | David Ritchie...Penn. |

| Thomas Rivers...Tenn. | 69

88 | George R. Robbins...N.J. |

89 | Anthony E. Roberts...Penn |

90 | David F. Robison...Penn. |

| Thomas Ruffin...N.C. | 70

| Albert Rust...Ark. | 71

[Column Four]

YEA. | NAMES. | NAY.

S.

91 | Alvah Sabin...Vt. |

92 | Russell Sage...N.Y. |

| John M. Sandidge...La. | 72

93 | William R. Sapp...Ohio. |

| John H. Savage...Tenn. | 73

94 | Harvey D. Scott...Ind. |

| James L. Seward...Ga. | 74

95 | John Sherman...Ohio. |

| Eli S Shorter...Ala. | 75

96 | George A. Simmons...N.Y. |

| Samuel A. Smith...Tenn. | 76

| William Smith...Va. | 77

| William R. Smith...Ala. | 78

| William H. Sneed...Tenn. | 79

97 | Francis E. Spinner...N.Y. |

98 | Benjamin Stanton...Ohio. |

| Alexander H. Stephens...Ga. | 80

| James A. Stewart...Md. | 81

99 | James S.T. Stranahan...N.Y. |

| Samuel F. Swope...Ky. | 82

T.

| Albert G. TAlbott...Ky. | 83

100 | Mason W. Tappan...N.H. |

| Miles Taylor...La. | 84

101 | James Thorington...Iowa. |

102 | Benjamin B. Thurston...R.I. |

103 | Lemuel Todd...Penn. |

104 | Mark Trafton...Mass |

| Robert P. Trippe...Ga. | 85

105 | Job R. Tyson...Penn. |

U.

| Warner L. Underwood...Ky. | 86

V.

106 | George Vail...N.J. |

| William W. Valk [struck through] ...N.Y. |

W.

107 | Edward Wade...Ohio. |

108 | Abram Wakeman...N.Y.

109 | David S. Walbridge...Mich. |

110 | Henry Waldron...Mich |

| Percy Walker...Ala. | 87

| Hiram Warner...Ga. | 88

111 | Cadwalader C. Washburne, Wis. |

112 | Ellihu B. Washburne...Ill. |

113 | Israel Washburn, jr...Me. |

| Albert G. Watkins...Tenn. | 89

114 | Cooper K. Watson...Ohio.|

115 | William W. Welch...Conn. |

116 | Daniel Wells, jr...Wis. |

| John Wheeler...N.Y. | 90

117 | Thomas R. Whitney...N.Y. |

118 | John Williams...N.Y. |

| Warren Winslow...N.C. | 91

119 | John M. Wood...Me. |

120 | John Woodruff...Conn. |

121 | James H. Woodworth...Ill. |

| Daniel B. Wright...Miss. | 92

| John V. Wright...Tenn. | 93

Z.

| Felix K. Zollicoffer...Tenn. | 94

[end columns]

MAY 21, 1856

NATHANIEL P. BANKS, JR., of Massachusetts, Speaker.

ex [sideways]

Y 121

N 95

[godlessondheimite]

headcanon that tom wambsgans had a pretty generic accent that he thought marked him as a folksy minnesotan so he trained himself by watching old hollywood movies for the midatlantic accent and gilligan’s island for thurston howell the third’s accent and thought that was the epitome of class

[oldshowbiz]

The memories of Jim “Mr. Howell” Backus who not only played Thurston Howell the Third on Gilligan’s Island, but James Dean’s father in Rebel Without a Cause.

[dk-thrive]

everybody past a certain age  ...pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives

“A few years ago it dawned on me that everybody past a certain age – regardless of how they look on the outside – pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives. They don’t want to be who they are any more. They want out. This list includes Thurston Howell the Third, Ann-Margret, the cast members of Rent, Václav Havel, space shuttle astronauts and Snuffleupagus. It’s universal.”

— Douglas Coupland, The Gum Thief (Bloomsbury Publishing, January 15, 2011)

[i-have-a-dc-problem]

In Her Arms, Chapter Two

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16219166/chapters/37981061#workskin

Jason had awoken once more to the sunlight piercing his room through the window he loved to sit in. "Master Jason," Alfred called from the hall. "It's time for school!" Jason had had trouble leaving his bed in the mornings at first, but he complied and walked to his wardrobe. "I'm up, Al, I'm up." He dressed in his Gotham Academy uniform which he despised at first sight. It was tight, itchy and stiff. Jason knew, however, that this school wasn't something he could pass up. He wanted to the best education he could get his hands on. Might as well, right? He'd probably never get a chance like this again. "Make the best of it," he smiled to his reflection in the mirror as he tied his tie. He grabbed his bag and headed down to the stairs to the parlor. He stood still as Alfred attempted to comb the boy's thick black hair.

"Forget it," Jason said, impatiently. He waved his hands above his head, disrupting Alfred's. Alfred took a step back and followed the boy to the kitchen, but he knew Jason was nervous. Alfred had already prepared breakfast, and Bruce joined them, dressed in one of his work suits. "Morning, Alfred. Morning, Jay," he smiled. Jason smiled at his father, taking a break from his strawberries and cream oatmeal.

"Morning, Bruce," he replied, but a bit of oatmeal came flying out, landing on Bruce's jacket. Jason's eyes widened in fear. Bruce looked at Jason, and laughed. "Gotta remember to swallow before you speak," he said.

"You're rather lucky, Master Jason. Whenever Master Bruce would speak with food in his mouth, his parents had me smack his bottom," Alfred laughed. Bruce rolled his eyes and smiled. He went upstairs to change blazers, and soon returned.

Jason had finished breakfast, and they headed to the Rolls Royce. Alfred sat in the driver's seat, as usual, and Bruce joined Jason in the back. "Nervous?" Bruce asked.

Jason was quiet, but he nodded. "Yeah," he finally spoke as Alfred started the engine and pulled out of Wayne Manor. "It's okay to be nervous, Jason. You're strong, you're smart, and you're brave. You can handle it."

Jason's quivering lips softened and curled into a smile. His blue eyes beamed with confidence. He nodded softly and looked up at Bruce. "I'll give it my all, old man," he smirked.

Bruce smiled back. "Good to hear. Now, let's do something about about that hair." He pulled out a comb and parted Jason's hair down the middle, curling up at the corners of his forehead. "How's that look?" he asked the boy.

Jason pulled out his phone and looked at his reflection in the front facing camera. "I look a hellova richer than I did a few weeks ago," Jason chuckled. "It'll do just fine." Alfred parked the car. "We've arrived, sirs," Alfred spoke. "Ready, champ?" Bruce smiled. Jason nodded and hugged Bruce before bolting out of the car. Alfred and Bruce smiled as the boy raced up the stone steps leading up to the Gotham Academy.

Bruce looked on with pride, and a bit of worry. He wondered how other kids would treat him, and how he'd react. Jason hid his anger well, but kids could be cruel. Bruce shook off the thought as Alfred pulled out into traffic, now headed for Wayne Enterprises. "As you said yourself, Master Bruce, he'll be fine."

Jason roamed the halls memorizing his surroundings and getting his bearings. He felt eyes upon him from his peers. Their stares pierced him as their whispers infiltrated his mind. "That's the new kid?" "I hear Bruce Wayne found him in a gutter." "I dunno, he's kinda cute." "Dick was cuter." "Nah, I heard he's killed a guy befor-" Jason couldn't take it. He held his head high, braving the world and walked to the nearest bathroom. He looked at himself, into his own eyes. "Everything is what you make of it, Todd. Even you, err, me. Whatever. We got this." He stepped out and struck up a conversation.

"So you're the newest heir to the Wayne fortune?" Cindy Highmore asked him, Lucy Westminster right beside.

"It probably depends on how I behave," he said, showing off his cocky grin. The girls giggled. "Say, it's my first day. Mind showing me around?" Jason asked politely. The girls agreed and each took one of his hands, leading him down each and every hall. Jason felt more powerful than ever. He knew he wasn't ugly, but the thought that he was cute hadn't occured to him. Mrs. Walker would pinch his cheeks and give her two cents, but Jason was no more than a tyke then. He had no idea how he remembered that, let alone Mrs. Walker herself.

"Soooo this is the gymnasium, and over here is the science wing, biology, chemistry, geology, physics, you name it," Lucy spoke up. They led him all over the school, showing him the art room, all of the literature and language art rooms next. After showing him the mathematics department, they pulled him out of view from the hall, and Lucy and Cindy pecked Jason's lips. Jason stood there, stunned. His face ran red, and he went to the office to get his schedule.

Even though Jason had said nothing of it, the girls had spread it through the school like wildfire. Jason was still uncomfortable with the attention. By lunchtime, he had his tray in hand, and sat at a table with friends he made in English Literature. He was chowing down on his food when some older kids came to the table.

"Are you Jason Todd-Wayne?" One young man asked. His newfound friends ran, scared.

Jason kept eating, not even looking up. "That's what it says on my underwear, more or less.

He grabbed Jason's collar and lifted him off the ground. "You have insulted the Highmore name, and the honor that comes with!"

"Normally, at this point, I would ask 'What did I do?', but let's be honest. You're obviously a tool and I have enjoyed upsetting you. I mean look at you. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a voice like Thurston Howell the Third. You're like a villain out of a cheesy '80's movie. What are you gonna do, tear down the ski lodge my ragtag orphanage friends go to?" His friends start to snicker, and he gets angrier still.

"You little shithead! Do you know who I am?!" He roared.

"Honestly, I don't know and I don't care. I've just been stalling until someone of authority shows up. Gotta pick your fights, pal. Oh, and by the way, your sister and her friend kissed me. I didn't make the first move," Jason replied. Highmore was baffled as some teachers ran in. "What did you think was gonna happen? That I was gonna challenge you to a duel? Please." Andrew Highmore let go of Jason. "This isn't over!" he snapped. "Yes it is," Jason replied as Andrew was sent to the Dean's office.

Jason let out an exasperated huff and sat down to finish his lunch. "Entitled prick," he muttered under his breath.

The next period they had physical education. Jason had been looking forward to it. His blood had already been pumping. Unfortunately, he and his classmates were instructed to watch videos, explaining how to play the sport they would do for the next two weeks. To make matters worse, it was croquet.

The final bell of the day rang, and Jason left. He felt eyes of someone on him. He looked around, to find Andrew Highmore glaring at him from a third story window. Jason promptly hooked each side of his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and crossed his eyes at him. Jason looked for the Rolls Royce, but didn't see him. He shrugged and started walking home, back to Wayne Manor. It wasn't long after that Bruce and Alfred pulled up to the school, completely forgetting that they had a child. Bruce ran all around the block, looking for Jason.

Jason was already 3 blocks away. "He's a CEO," he shrugged as he talked to himself. "He's probably working hard, doing... hell, I don't know what CEOs do, but it's important." Jason kept stepping when a car pulled up. "Jason!" A voice called out. The boy turned his head and saw Bruce. "Where were you? I was worried sick!"

"I was just walking home from school," he shrugged. "Don't kids normally do that kind of thing?"

"Not when the walk is 14 miles!" Bruce said, wrapping his arms around the boy. "I'm sorry, Jason. The time slipped away from me. I-"

"It's okay. I get it," Jason replied. "Let's go home?"

Bruce nodded and helped him into the car. "So, how did school go today?"

"Well, to be honest, there was a lot more drama than I was expecting," he sighed. "Why do white kids have to be so damn dramatic?" The willpower it took for Alfred to not laugh, especially at Bruce, could have earned him a Green Lantern's power ring, but a knowing smirk shined through.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Bruce asked. Jason shrugged. "Well, these two girls were showing me around, and then they kissed me. I wasn't expecting it, but you won't hear me complain," he blushed. Bruce was surprised. "Well, they told like all of their friends and it got back to her older brother, and he got pissed on me. 'A plague upon thine house,' quoth the dweeb, or something like that. He got detention for putting his hands on me so he's probably gonna try something again."

"Well, I know a thing or two about bullies," Bruce smiled. "If you want, I could show you a few moves. A little bit of fencing, a little bit of boxing, or your Uncle Oliver can come down from Star City to show a few things with a bow and arrow if things get too out of hand," Bruce chuckled.

Jason thought on it, and nodded. "Yeah, better safe than sorry." Bruce smiled and nodded. "We'll lace up some gloves as soon as we get home. Besides, I have a few secrets I want to tell." Jason nodded again, with a smile, and looked out the window for the rest of the ride, watching Gotham get just a little smaller than it already was.

[papermoonloveslucy]

BACHELOR MOTHER

March 8, 1951

Screen Directors Playhouse was a radio anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcast adaptations of films, and original directors of the films were sometimes involved, although their participation was usually limited to introducing the radio adaptations, and a brief “curtain call” with the cast and host at the end of the program. The series later had a brief run on television. The radio version ran for 122 episodes and aired on NBC from January 9, 1949 to September 28, 1951 under several different titles: NBC Theater, Screen Director’s Guild Assignment, Screen Director’s Assignment and, as of July 1, 1949, Screen Director’s Playhouse.

“Bachelor Mother” was sponsored by Chesterfield, Anacin, and RCA and heard on NBC radio. 

Bachelor Mother (1939) is an RKO romantic comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, and starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven and Charles Coburn. The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna based on an Academy Award-nominated story by Felix Jackson written for the 1935 Austrian-Hungarian film Little Mother. It was included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies. The film featured future “Lucy” actors Barbara Pepper, Irving Bacon, Jack Chefe, Florence Lake, Nestor Paiva, Harold Miller, and Amzie Strickland.

It was remade as Bundle of Joy starring Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher in 1952. The original film was re-released in 1945 and made its television debut in 1964. 

RKO disliked the title Little Mother and tried out Nobody’s Wife and She Said I Do before settling on Bachelor Mother.  In Denmark it was known as Polly’s Baby. 

Bachelor Mother was adapted for radio on nine occasions between 1940 and 1952:

January 22, 1940 ~ “Lux Radio Theater” starring *Ginger Rogers, Frederic March, and *Frank Albertson

February 1, 1942 ~ “Screen Guild Theater” starring Laraine Day, Henry Fonda, and *Charles Coburn 

November 23, 1942 ~ “Screen Guild Theater” starring Ann Sothern, Fred MacMurray, and *Charles Coburn

November 21, 1944 ~ “Theatre of Romance” starring Shirley Booth, Richard Kollmar, and Jack McBride 

December 24, 1944 ~ “Old Gold Comedy Theater” starring Brenda Marshall, Louis Haywood and Jack McBride

May 6, 1946 ~ “Screen Guild Theater” starring *Ginger Rogers, *David Niven, and Francis X. Bushman

April 28, 1949 ~ “Screen Guild Theater” starring Lucille Ball, Joseph Cotton, and *Charles Coburn

March 8, 1951 - “Screen Director’s Playhouse” starring Lucille Ball,  Robert Cummings, and Arthur Q. Bryan

April 20, 1952 ~ “Screen Guild Theater” starring Ann Sothern and Robert Stack  

* = original film cast repeating their roles

Synopsis ~ An unemployed woman discovers an abandoned baby on the steps of an orphanage, and accepts an offer to take responsibility for the child in return for a job.

CAST

Lucille Ball (Polly Parrish, Toy Department Clerk at Merlin & Son and Bachelor Mother) previously appeared for Screen Directors Playhouse in “Her Husband’s Affairs” (May 22, 1949), “Miss Grant Takes Richmond” (May 19, 1950), both films she had appeared in on screen, and “A Foreign Affair” (March 1, 1951), the previous week. 

On screen, the role was played by Ginger Rogers.

Robert Cummings (David Merlin, Son of the owner of Merlin & Son Department Store) first worked with Lucille Ball in “The Ricardos Go To Japan” (November 1959), and in a 1972 episode of “Here’s Lucy.” In 1973, Cummings returned to "Here’s Lucy”.

On screen, the role was played by David Niven.

Arthur Q. Bryan (J.B. Merlin, owner of Merlin & Son Department Store) had appeared with Lucille Ball in Look Who’s Laughing (1941). He is best remembered as the original voice of Elmer Fudd in the Warner Brothers cartoons. He played Mr. Chambers, new owner of the Tropicana in “Ricky Loses His Voice” (ILL S2;E9) in 1952. 

On screen, the role was played by Charles Coburn. 

Frank Nelson (Mr. Hargraves, Merlin & Son Floorwalker) was born on May 6, 1911 (three months before Lucille Ball) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He started working as a radio announcer at the age of 15. He later appeared on such popular radio shows as “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Burns and Allen,” “Fibber McGee & Molly”. and a dozen episodes of Lucille Ball’s “My Favorite Husband.”  On “I Love Lucy” he holds the distinction of being the only actor to play two recurring roles: Freddie Fillmore and Ralph Ramsey, as well as six one-off characters, including the frazzled train conductor in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5), a character he repeated on “The Lucy Show.”  Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs, often playing store clerks like this one. 

On screen, the role was played by Paul Stanton. 

Herb Vigran (Freddie Miller, a co-worker of Polly’s at Merlin & Son) occasionally turned up on Lucille Ball’s radio show, “My Favorite Husband” (1948-50) in various roles. He appeared on “I Love Lucy” as Jule, Ricky’s music agent, in “The Saxophone” (ILL S2;E2) and “The Anniversary Present” (ILL S2;E3). He also played Mrs. Trumbull’s nephew Joe in “Never Do Business With Friends” (ILL S2;E31) and Al Sparks in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23). He went on to appear on select episodes of “The Lucy Show” and Here’s Lucy.” 

On screen, the role was played by Frank Albertson.

Sidney Miller (Jerome Weiss) was an actor turned director who performed opposite Lucille Ball in “Lucy Helps Ken Berry” (TLS S6;E21), Yours, Mine and Ours  (1968), and “Lucy Moves to NBC” (1980). 

On screen, the role was played by Leonard Penn.

Jim Backus (Mr. Meachy) had appeared on Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband” but is best remembered as Thurston Howell the Third (aka The Millionaire) on TV’s “Gilligan’s Island”. His unique voice also gave life to Mr. Magoo. He appeared in two films with Lucille Ball: Easy Living (1949) and Critic’s Choice (1963).

On screen, the role is played by Ernest Truex.

Jerry Hausner (Johnnie the Baby) was occasionally heard on Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband” (1948-51) and played Jerry the agent in the “I Love Lucy” pilot and eight episodes of “I Love Lucy”. He also provided the off-screen crying of Little Ricky, Lucy Ricardo’s baby. 

Jimmy Wallington (Announcer) 

EPISODE

After acknowledging their sponsors, announcer Jimmy Wallington introduces “Bachelor Mother”.

Polly Parrish is working at a the toy counter of a Merlin & Son for demanding floorwalker Mr. Hargraves (Frank Nelson), who insists she keep the wind-up ducks wound at all times. Tomorrow is Polly’s last day due to the store’s ‘retrenchment’. 

Hargreaves comes by the toy counter with the store owner’s son, David Merlin (Robert Cummings). Polly is not very friendly to him. Freddie (another store employee), however, is sweet on Polly. When he asks her out dancing she is not interested, until she hears there’s a dance contest with a $100 prize. 

After leaving work with her friend Mary, Polly notices an old lady leaving a crying baby on a doorstep. Polly picks up the baby to soothe it. When the door opens, it is Mr. Meachy from the Atkins Foundling Home. He assumes that the baby is hers and she was about to leave it with them. She is unable to change his assumption. 

POLLY: “My baby? I got this baby when I was waiting for a bus!” 

Polly leaves the baby with Mr. Meachy and goes home. 

Next morning at Merlin and Son, J.B. (Arthur Q. Bryan) chastises his son for being tardy. David says was out last night with a chorus girl named Gladys. Mr. Meachy has tracked down Polly at Merlin and Son and tells her that they have something for her - something that makes squealing noises and keeps the neighbors awake.

POLLY: “Mr. Merlin!  A television set!” 

Taking pity on her and as a birthday present, David re-hires her with a $5 a week raise. He says that that tonight Mr. Meachy will bring her the gift. 

That night, Polly opens the door to Mr. Meachy, who presents her with the baby  - still believing she is the mother - and goes before she can object. Freddy knocks on the door for their date and Polly hides the baby.  Every time Freddy starts to talk - the baby cries and Polly brings it out from behind the sofa. Freddie wants to know where it came from. 

POLLY: “I got it for my birthday.”

Polly tells Freddy they are going to bring the baby back to the man who gave it to her - David Merlin!  

End of Act One

Jimmy Wallington does a live RCA commercial, touting their new Fairfield model televisions. He then introduces the second act.

Act Two

Freddie and Polly arrive home after dropping off the baby and winning the dance competition. Unfortunately, it the first prize was not $100 but a silver loving cup. When Freddy tries to kiss her at the door, it swings open and David Merlin is there. He slugs Freddy, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Merlin has brought her back the baby.  

DAVID: “Any mother who’d dance the Charleston after giving her baby away - it makes my flesh crawl.”

Polly is adamant that she is not the mother of the baby. He fires her and refuses a letter of recommendation. Before he goes, she decides to beg for her job back and lies that it is indeed her baby - saying the abusive father ran off and left her.  She convinces him and he leaves. 

Mrs. Weiss, the landlady, comes in. She thinks the baby is adorable and tells Polly she will help her take care of the baby - just the way she did with her son Jerome when he was small. Mrs. Weiss asks the baby’s name and Polly quickly replies “Joan” - until they open the diaper! 

POLLY: “Oh!  I didn’t say Joan, I said John. Hello, Johnnie!”

Freddie notices that Polly is exhausted at work. He asks her to put in a good word with Mr. Merlin for him regarding a promotion, and she sleepily agrees. David comes by and says that all babies demand lots of attention at that age. Mr. Hargreaves stops David and says he wants to know who to promote to assistant floorwalker. David suggests promoting the senior of the team - Freddie Miller.  

At home Polly is trying to feed a fussy Johnnie. David Merlin drops by to bring her a book - “Guide for a Happy Baby”.  

POLLY: “I’m sure he’ll enjoy reading it.”

David thinks she may be doing it wrong. They consult the book. He insists she rub the oatmeal on the baby’s navel, but when she reads for herself, he has skipped a page and given her directions for relieving gas. To distract the baby, he winds up a mechanical duck - but overwinds it.  The baby gurgles and calls David “daddy”! 

POLLY: “Grab a spoon, Mr. Merlin, you’ve just become a father!” 

The next day at work, Freddie Miller has let his promotion go to his head, shouting orders to Polly and Mary. Wearing a disguise, David arrives to exchange the duck he broke at Polly’s last night. The exchanges clerk says that he’d have to take the duck back to the Banzai Toy Company in Yokohama!  

When he is unsuccessful at making a return, he pockets a new duck. Freddie spots him and calls Mr. Hargraves, who recognizes him as Mr. Merlin. David orders Hargraves demote Freddie. Angry, Freddie says he has written a letter to J.B. Merlin about Polly and David!  

It isn’t long before J.B. is confronting his son about the letter. J.B. is upset that David hasn’t told him about his grandson!  Without realizing that his father thinks he is the father of Polly’s baby, David decides to ask Polly to a fancy party that evening. 

He arrives at Polly’s apartment with a new duck and a request for a date. Mrs. Weiss can sit with the baby. 

POLLY: “Is it a big party?” DAVID: “Oh, tremendous. Everybody’s a millionaire. Except the butlers, they’re just regular Republicans.” 

At the party, David introduces Polly as just over from Sweden. Polly gamely attempts some pidgin Swedish. 

POLLY: “Ein, zwie, drie, drop dead!” 

Polly is terribly popular at the party - so much so that David doesn’t see her until the taxi ride home. He passionately kisses her goodnight. A long, lingering kiss. David says he will meet them tomorrow on their Sunday walk through the park. 

Next day, David and Polly meet in the park. David still doesn’t understand why his father is upset with him. J.B. has followed his son to the park and introduces himself to Polly. He asks her if he can hold the baby. After his father leaves, David suddenly realizes that his father thinks that Johnnie is his child! 

At the office, J.B. yells at David that he’s been waiting 30 years for a grandson. He insists that he marry Polly at once. When David refuses, J.B. vows he will do whatever he has to do to get custody of his grandson.  

David tells Polly that his father will take legal action to take Polly’s baby. When David tells her of J.B.’s ridiculous notion that he marry Polly, she dissolves into tears. She confides in Mrs. Weiss, who suggests she marry her boy, Jerome, instead. Polly convinces Jerome to come with her to see J.B. Merlin.  

David Miller knocks on the door of Freddie Miller, and demands to know if he is the father of Polly’s baby. Freddie is taken aback - he thinks David is!  David convinces him to help him with a scheme.  

In J.B.’s office, Polly presents Jerome as her husband. David bursts in with Freddie, who he introduces as the father of Polly’s baby!  Freddie and Jerome both contend to be the father! David assumes that Jerome is the REAL dad - the long-lost piano player of Polly’s past. Freddie confesses that he has been lying. They all accuse each other of fatherhood while J.B. asserts his grandparent’s rights!  

Back at home, Polly tearfully packs. As she is leaving, David and J.B. approach and Polly and the baby hide in the landlady’s apartment. The men ask about Polly Parrish.

MRS. WEISS: “I don’t know any Lolly Poppish.” 

Mrs. Weiss says that Polly left long ago. They step into her apartment to talk and David wonders aloud why he didn’t marry Polly - declaring his love for her.  A mechanical duck suddenly waddles through in from the other room and David discovers Polly and the baby hiding. Before proposing to Polly, he sticks his head through the door and tells is father he IS the father of the baby after all. 

POLLY: “You still think I’m the mother of that baby?” DAVID: “Why certainly.” POLLY: “Oh, David. Have I got a surprise for you!” 

The End

Announcer Jimmy Wallington reminds viewers to tune in next week for “Thelma Jordan” starring Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey with screen director Robert Siodmak. 

“Bachelor Mother” was presented courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures, distributors of the Howard Hughes production Vendetta starring Faith Domergue and George Dolenz

Lucille Ball can be currently seen in Columbia’s The Fuller Brush Girl

Robert Cummings can soon be seen in the Columbia Picture The Barefoot Mailman

‘BACHELOR’ TRIVIA

The film version of Bachelor Mother (1939), is mentioned in two episodes of “The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood” as a film Ginger Rogers at first refused to do - until she was taken off payroll for three weeks and finally relented.  Although audiences loved it, Rogers continued to loathe the film calling it “a dog.”  Coincidentally, Lucille Ball is also interviewed in the same two episodes. 

The wind-up ducks in the 1939 film were played by Disney’s Donald Duck, who even gets screen credit, although on radio their identity remains vague .Clarence Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck, provided the quacking in the film, although there is no record of who provides it here.  

The original film was set around Christmas and New Years, with several reference to the holidays and a huge New Year’s Eve party scene. Those were omitted from the radio broadcasts so as not to feel like holiday programming. 

The Lucy character worked at a department store in “Lucy Bags a Bargain” (TLS S4;E17) on January 17, 1966. Although she worked in many departments, toys was not one of them!

She did, however, sublet the Unique Employment Agency to a toy wholesaler in a 1972 episode of “Here’s Lucy”.  Although it was not a duck, Lucy seemed particularly amused by the wind-up dog and drumming bear, toys that also delighted Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy.” 

Although not mechanical, Little Ricky previously played with Mr. Squawker, a rubber duck squeeze toy manufactured by Rempel Manufacturing of Akron, Ohio, that also turns up when “Lucy Tells the Truth” (ILL S3;E6).  For more, take a look inside Lucy’s Toy Chest!

A snooty Elroy P. Clunk (Charles Nelson Reilly) dealt with returns and complaints at an unnamed department store in “Lucy the Crusader” (HL S3;E5) on October 12, 1970. Like the clerk at Merlin & Son, Clunk insists Lucy Carter’s broken stereo needs to be returned to the manufacturer. The script also jokes about the poor quality of products made in Japan. 

Lucille Ball had done five films with the original Bachelor Mother Ginger Rogers, all of them before Rogers played Polly Parish for RKO.  Ball and Rogers finally reunited on a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy” with Rogers playing herself. 

An October 1976 episode of “Laverne and Shirley” is titled “Bachelor Mothers” and has the girls looking after a baby.  Laverne and Shirley were often compared to Lucy and Ethel on “I Love Lucy.”  

[timbitthepug]

Capitan Dapper here! just chilin out pretending I'm Thurston Howell the third and the SS Minnow is waiting for me at the dock for our three hour cruise! Youtube link in my bio if you want to get an ascot and join me 😘 #gilligansisland #ascot #pugbasement #grumble_inc #lovepug #calgarydogs #dogsofcanada #dogsofcalgary #furfriends #ourcanadiandogs #pugstar #pugsarethebest #pugdog #pugsofig #pugslife #fawnpug #scribblepug #badassclub #pugloversclub #cutedogs #timbitthepug — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JGfetY

[denimsnake]

love how he calls you while you’re crawling around an air duct just to catch up & talk about mice

[mredwinsmith]

Kid of the Year

The following is an excerpt from Ultimate Glory: Frisbee, Obsession and My Wild Youth available now on Amazon.

It was during my sophomore year of college that ultimate began to devour the rest of my life. While my throws were still just developing, it was my hands that were my real strength as a player. During my freshman year I became obsessed with catching–“You are what you catch,” read a note on my wall over my desk–and this obsession, like most of mine, ran like a parent stream back to my father. When I was eight or nine I loved nothing more than playing football with him on our front lawn. He had been a scrappy high school athlete himself and would line up at quarterback, taking the imaginary snap, while I’d run patterns: buttonhooks and down-and-outs and square-outs. I remember the square-outs best because they sent me directly into the front hedges. He threw tight mean lefty spirals and if they were out of my reach I would dive for them, often ending up sprawled and cut in the bushes. If the ball tipped off my fingertips he always said the same thing: “If you can touch it you can catch it.” This was a phrase that stayed with me, sometimes resurfacing in my dreams. Now, playing Ultimate at eighteen, I felt I could catch anything, however poorly thrown.

My father loomed over my athletic life, and I suppose he still does. He is long gone, dead almost twenty years now, but he lives on in me in middle age whenever I bitterly lose a ping-pong game or fret to myself, the next day, over not having tossed a bocce ball better. His peculiar brand of competitiveness–cocksure, slightly crazed, nearly constant–marked my childhood in a thousand ways. From the rounds of “duck-duck goose” where if you dared tag him goose he would tag you right back (without once in recorded family history leaving his own seat), to the games of Hearts where I would run bawling from the room after he had stuck me, once again, with the deadly queen of spades.

He had gone to Harvard, and was a snob about it, though in his own unique and boisterous way. No Thurston Howell the Third, he had grown up in less than opulent surroundings in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was as much street urchin as patrician. The main thing he seemed to like about Harvard was that he could use it as a cudgel to bludgeon those of his friends who had gone to what he liked to refer to as “lesser” schools. He did this in an arrogant chortling manner that he thought funny.  And it wasn’t just his buddies who he liked to tease and pick and prod. Many of us hear little whispers of doubt when we shoot a foul shot late in the game or serve on match point, but unlike most I have no problem putting a face to that whisper. Since I was more athletic than he was, he worked on my weakness: my young mind.

My father gradually learned that my less-competitive brother was better left unteased, and he also went a little easier on my two sisters. Whether this was subtly sexist or just inherent in the father-daughter relationship, I don’t know. For whatever reason I, the firstborn male, bore the brunt, which in retrospect I don’t really mind.

I do regret, however, that I never won our family’s coveted annual award, KID OF THE YEAR. My father gave the award at random times (often it seemed to me, more than once a year) and made quite a ceremony out of it for a few years running until my mother finally made him stop. During the peak years of the award he actually, to my mother’s chagrin, had trophies made up at Olympic Sports in downtown Worcester.  They were just like the trophies you won at junior tennis or swimming competitions, but these little people, instead of serving or diving into the pool, just stood there doing nothing.  KID OF THE YEAR was engraved on one trophy, and on another KID OF THE YEAR– RUNNER UP.  I was never quite sure what the criteria for KID OF THE YEAR was, but as I got older I began to suspect that it was based on varying parts pity, whim, and perceived need. Whatever the case, the best I ever did was runner-up, and I began to understand that this was because it was assumed that I could take it, which by then I could. During one of the final years of the tournament, my mother insisted that, if he was going to give out the damn trophies, he better at least give everyone a trophy. This was much more in the spirit of equality popular in today’s schools, grating against my father’s child-rearing philosophy, which was equal parts Darwin and Teddy Roosevelt, but he relented and bought four trophies. At that year’s ceremony he made his usual speech before announcing the results and handing out the trophies in reverse order in the manner of beauty contests.  It was a while ago and I don’t remember all the specifics, but I’m pretty sure my brother won and that I was handed either the first or second trophy. What I do know for certain is what it says on my trophy, because it sits here in front of me like a muse as I type. It reads:

KID OF THE YEAR: PARTICIPANT.

The post Kid of the Year appeared first on Skyd Magazine.

from Skyd Magazine http://ift.tt/2kk0MsP

[a-steamy-roll]

To nathan, who was a Republican and talked like thurston howel the third unironically and wore a full length black leather trench coat and black leather gloves all the time. You looked and sound like a cartoon villain, sir.

Report: White Man in Local College Class Will Not Shut the Fuck Up

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WHAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY

The best way to get rich from a startup is not the usual one, which applies even when you know which basket is best. I'm going to demonstrate this phenomenon by describing some. Different users have different requirements, but I think it needs even more emphasizing. And what we do is useful, why wasn't anyone doing it before, just haphazardly on a smaller scale. A price range like $20-25 yields two tokens, $20 and $25. During the Bubble a lot of thoughtful people in it, but to write a spec for it, but to write a prototype that solves a subset of text classification, which is the worst kind. I didn't understand before going into it is that persistence is the name of each person with an MBA, you'll learn something important about business school. This new protocol should give more power to the recipient than email does. During the Bubble a lot of founders are surprised is that because they work fast, they expect everyone else to. They did it because they were afraid of Google, and Google was in the nature of a practical joke, like letting a bat loose in a room, they squash the high-end products against the ceiling. Those hours after the phone stops ringing are by far the best for getting work done.

A Dutch friend says I should use Holland as an example of a tolerant society. The market price is less than the measurement error. That last test filters out surprisingly few people. Thanks to Sam Altman, Trevor Blackwell, Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris, and my father for reading drafts of this. To launch a taboo, a group has to be poised halfway between weakness and power. The woman in charge of the taxi line. I used to feel sorry for potential customers on the phone with them. Once you realize how little most people judging you care about judging you accurately—once you realize that because of the normal distribution of most applicant pools, it matters least to judge accurately in precisely the cases where judgement has the most effect. Better still, answer I haven't decided. It had been an apartment until about the 1970s, and there was still a claw-footed bathtub in the bathroom. The third false positive was from a vice president at Virtumundo. When people used to ask me how many people our startup had, and I think they're onto something.

Future startups should learn from that mistake. It would be a remarkable coincidence if ours were the first era to get everything just right. So everyone is nervous about closing deals with you, and you have no way to make something customers actually want, and to spend as little money as possible. A lot of my friends who did not start companies. The ones on startups get tested by about 70 people every 6 months. Most rich people are looking for good investments. This is what real productivity looks like. Like skirmishers in an ancient army, you want to figure out what we do. Making a new search engine means competing with Google, and Google was in the throes of the Counter-Reformation and was much more worried about unorthodox ideas.

In any competitive field, you can win big by seeing things that others daren't. This weakness often extends right up to the CEO. We thought so when we started ours, and we won't have to work to maintain your relationship. But can you think of one that had a massively popular product and still failed? If your software miscalculates the path of a space probe, you can't outsell an Oracle salesman. But I want to do it in off hours—which turn out to be ridiculous, it's almost as if they were deliberately trying to do, but I watched it happen to Reddit. Few encourage you to continue to the point where they got rich from some multilevel marketing scheme. I like being part of this world.

Launching companies isn't identical with launching products. But one wonders, do we tell them this stuff for their sake, or for ours? Whatever you build, make it through a PhD program in French literature, but few professors of French literature could make it through a PhD program in French literature, but few professors of French literature could make it through a PhD program in physics. Another effect of a larger vocabulary is that when you look at a, img, and font tags, and ignore the rest. Early stage companies need a lot of people trying to be Thurston Howell. The only reason to hire someone is to do a better job than VCs do now. But in fact there is a second much more common type of judgement, the type where judging you is the end goal. Neither Bill Gates nor Mark Zuckerberg knew at first how big their companies were going to start a startup today, there are at least some people who know that a high performance car looks like a Formula 1 racecar. Of course, if they have time machines in the future we'll know these numbers the way we now know something like our weight. Just imagine what a company would be able to bear a good deal of moral weight, had to have a blurry one.

And since all the hackers had spent many hours talking to users, I guarantee you'll be surprised by what they tell you. Sometimes when you return to a problem after a rest, you find your unconscious mind has left an answer waiting for you. Startups were not of course a creation of the Bubble, but they do on News. Sometimes judging you correctly is the end goal. For example, in the current filter, free in the Subject line becomes Subject foo. The two words are pulling in opposite directions. Often they're people who themselves got rich from technology. It's only by looking from a distance.

Thanks to Paul Gerhardt, Qasar Younis, Carolynn Levy, and Peter Norvig for sharing their expertise on this topic.

[stiwfssr]