Update 9-21-10

Hi,

Sometimes, the pieces of obituaries I pass on resonate with other people.  Sometimes, I miss deaths that mean more to other people than to me.  But a couple of people also remembered Kevin McCarthy.

From Ryki Zuckerman:  Kevin McCarthy also had a very small, brief speaking role in the remake of the Body Snatchers.

[Rich -- More specifically, as noted in McCarthy's Times obit:  "He also made a cameo appearance in the 1978 remake of Body Snatchers, playing a man who throws himself at the car driven by Donald Sutherland (the remake’s star), shouting, ' Help!  They’re coming!  Listen to me! ' and sounding much like his character in the original film."]

Barnet Kellman, in a Facebook comment, also noted McCarthy's death.  But, as with so many quickly vanishing comments on Facebook, that one is gone.  Still, go on to Facebook today and see if you can read a poem by Ryki Zuckerman and a blog entry Robert Fiveson linked about Panama.]

Back to Kevin McCarthy, Allen Moss wrote:  Moss in Maine with some memories.  Thanks for the obit on Kevin McCarthy.  Many dedicated sci-fi/horror afficiendados have long recognized the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers as one of the true cinema classics belying it's "B" movie origins.  It's nice that it finally got the "high class" recognition it deserved from the American Film Institute.  Along with The Thing and Them, it just shows what can be done on a limited budget in order to create an atmosphere of terror or horror.
    I remember my dad taking me to see the movie at the old Criterion theater on Atlantic Avenue in Lynbrook, when the film first came out in 1956.  What a great old movie house that was!  Regrettably, it was torn down in the early 1980s, along with the Arcade, close to Five Corners in Lynbrook, and the old Valley Stream theater, near Merrick Road on Rockaway Avenue.  I believe the old Lynbrook theater is still standing.  Amazing.

[Rich -- Allen's comments reminded me of another classic sci-fi movie I'd seen in the Valley Stream theater, probably with Jeff Levin, my then usual movie-going partner:  The Blob.  Yeah, it was only about Jell-O, and, yeah, it was obviously about Jell-O, but, yeah, I still didn't eat Jell-O much for about a year afterward.
    Also, in checking the official spelling of Jell-O -- which is often just capitalized JELL-O -- I happened on this link:  http://brands.kraftfoods.com/jello/explore/channel/ and its explanation:  Sit back and enjoy the wiggle.  In case you can't get enough Jell-O action, we're delivering uninterrupted Jell-O programming, 24/7.  Feel free to spread the wiggle to friends and family -- it's highly contagious.
    Except when you go to click on the link, the site merely says "Coming soon."]

More on Ryki Zuckerman and Robert Fiveson.  The poem Ryki offered on Facebook is called "the birthday party," and I'll ask her if we have permission to see it here.  The blog Robert liked so much is linked at:  http://thingspanamanianslike.com/   Here's a sample:
    Panamanians don’t fly much.  But if you are looking to assimilate with those Panamanians who do fly, there are several requirements... it is an unwritten rule in Panamanian air travel that applause and/or cheering accompany the landing.  If they are traveling with kids, Panamanians like to encourage their kids to clap, too, in order to train them for when they are adults.  Since landing the plane safely is one of the pilot’s two main requirements, many foreigners simply thank him and get on their way.  But for Panamanians, it is not unusual to celebrate, when a professional has done a job correctly.

Returning to the United States, from Jean Cohen Oklan:  Hi, all.  Brag Time!  (I apologize in advance.)
My son, Ezra, who resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will be on a West Coast tour with Nicole Atkins starting September 25th.
    Nicole Atkins, who just got a new band together, will be featured with the Black Keys at some pretty big venues in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Salt Lake City, Denver, Tulsa, Echo Park, and Seattle.  Go to www.nicholeatkins.com, click on "TOURS," and you will see the dates and venues.  If you venture to the shows, introduce yourself to the drummer, my son.  Living in Brooklyn, he is very familiar with Valley Stream.
    Summer is winding down in northwestern Vermont, and I'm sure all you who experience the beautiful fall color have noticed some "early" trees starting.  There are always a few that just can't wait!

Another seasonal adjustment -- though on Long Island and, again, noted in Facebook -- Valerie Nelson Gillen mentions that she's drained her pool for the winter, and her dog is now drinking out of a bowl.  Hmmm.  Some of us swam in that pool.

A pair of invitations from Emily Kleinman Schreiber -- Valley Stream South High School alumni, you are invited to attend the following:
    # 1 -- Homecoming 2010.  On October 2, 2010, the class of 1960 will be honored, beginning at 11:00 at South.  Also, the class's 50th Year Reunion will be at the Oceanside Knights of Columbus from 1:00 to 5:00.  The cost:  $60/person.  For further information, please contact Richard Zappa at:  guyazp@aol.com
    # 2 -- Help celebrate Booker Gibson’s 80th birthday on October 14, 2010 at 7:00.  We'll be gathering at the Bordeaux Wine Bar at:  324 Sunrise Highway, Rockville Centre.  The restaurant's phone number is:  516-442-1529
    If you’re planning to attend either or both events, please write me at:  cre8em@aol.com.  We'd like to know as soon as possible, so we can plan accordingly, and if you could RSVP by September 24th, that would be terrific.  Also, if you'd like to send Booker Gibson a special birthday message that can be passed along to him at the party, please also send it to me.  Thanks.

Finally, a poem, not by Ryki Zuckerman or Emily Kleinman Schreiber, and not by anyone the Internet can identify.  This version was passed on by Evelyn Roedel Read, and it seems to be one of many.

It’s better to say, "I'm fine" with a grin,
Than to let people know the shape we are in.
I’m fine.  There's nothing wrong with me.
I'm just as healthy as healthy can be.

I'm fighting arthritis in both of my knees,
And when I start talking, I talk with a wheeze.
My pulse is too weak, and my blood's growing thin,
But I'm awfully well for the shape I am in.

Arch supports, I need for my feet,
Or I wouldn't be able to walk on the street.
Sleep is denied me, night after night,
But every morning, I find I'm all right.
My memory's failing, my head's in a spin,
But I'm awfully well for the shape I am in.

Old age is golden, I've heard it well said,
But sometimes I wonder, while lying in bed,
With my ears in the drawer, and my teeth in a cup,
And my eyes on the table, until I get up,
And as I start dreaming, I think to myself,
“Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?”

The reason I know that my youth has been spent,
Is my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went.
But I really don't mind, when I think with a grin,
Of all the places my get-up has been.

I wake up each morning and dust off my wits,
And pick up the paper and read the obits.
If my name is still missing, I'm therefore not dead,
So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed.

The moral of this, in the tale I have told,
Is that for you and me, who are growing quite old,
It’s better to say "I'm fine" with a grin,
Than to let people know the shape we are in.
I’m fine.  How are you?

The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com

The South '65 photo site:  picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65


Rich