Happy 39th Birthday Again, Mr. Benny

If you knew me like I knew me, I have a slight hatred of this day of love. However, I do celebrate the 14th day of February and not because of the obvious. It was on this day back in the grand old year of 1894 that the biggest comic star in the history of radio was born. A true labor of love truly was little Benjamin Kubelsky, or known to the world over as Jack Benny.
Although one of the many running gags was Benny forever turning 39, in reality, it has been 116 years since Jack was born and after twenty years spent on the Vaudeville circuits, he came to radio in an interesting way. A fellow Vaudevillian later famous for his television work, Ed Sullivan, invited Jack on his radio show in 1932. The first line spoken by Mr. Benny was "This is Jack Benny talking. There will be a short pause while you say, 'who cares?'"
A few weeks later, Jack became the host of The Canada Dry Program. In those days, the shows are put on and paid by the sponsor in the title, not the network. That first program, a more musical than comedy-based outings, earned listeners due to Jack's comments, mainly on the sponsor. Jack, in turn, changed over to Chevrolet and General Tire as sponsors before he signed up with the makers of a popular dessert: JELL-O. Later sponsors were Grape Nuts (1942-44) and Lucky Strikes (1944-55)
It is this show that the program that all of us fans known came to pass. Jack's wife in real life, Mary Livingstone, played the unwed female sidekick to Benny's character. The two had met through one of Mary's distant relatives: Zeppo Marx. Married in 1927 after a brief courtship, the two stayed together until Jack's passing in 1974. Their marriage was never mentioned on the air except once, in a dream sequence.
Hired in 1934, announcer Don Wilson had the honor of doing the mid-show commericial for the product, doing it in interesting and funny ways. Another gag about him was his size. He was portrayed as a large fellow, whose very size made for some interesting jokes at his expanse (pun very well intented). In many instances, the point was made that this was always the case, with one joke having the stork that delivered him remark, "Oh, my aching back!"
There was the leader of the show's band, as played by Phil Harris. The running gag with Phil and his boys was their musical knowledge was highly suspect or nonexistent. Another runner was Phil's off-air drinking. One joke had Phil being able to feel the opening of any liquor bottle from miles away and running to it in seconds. A third runner was the shape of Phil's band, with it being implied that all or most were ex-cons.
Then, there was the young naive boy singer, who as musically sharp, was as dim as a three-watt bulb. That position, at first played by Kenny Baker, was eventually filled by Dennis Day, whose annoyance of Jack became the stuff of gags. Dennis also proved to be a good impressionist as his impersonations of well-known celebrities were used in various scenes and jokes. Dennis, despite being young, got the better of his ever-unaging boss time and again.
Then, there was Rochester, Jack's ever ready valet. In an age of stereotypes, Rochester as played by the black Eddie Anderson was a groundbreaking character in that he was allowed to one-up his white boss. Jack, also the victim of discrimination (he was Jewish), made sure to keep things that way, especially after learning the horrors of the Holocaust. Rochester became Jack's equal but still his valet.
As always, there was the revolving door of bit players and characters. Two stick out to me. One of them was Frank Nelson, who played the various professionals that Jack ran into in his life and cause more pain than help. His characters included doctors, dentists, radio announcers, floorwalkers, and the list goes on. He always came on the scene with a rising "Yessss?" That intro has become a standard gag by many, who always make sure to credit the man who first spoke it.
The other was a man of a thousand voices: Mel Blanc. Mel first joined the show in the mid-1930s and stayed until the end of Jack's television program in 1965. His roles included playing Jack's Maxwell automobile, always one step away from death. For those who wonder, yes, Mel's cartoon alter egos did stop by. Bunny and Benny had a couple of meetings to the delight of the studio audiences present. After all, Bugs Bunny was a big movie star and as part of that stardom, he needed to appear on radio.
The gags that Jack and his writers came up with are legendary comedy bits still remembered by those who have no idea who Jack Benny is. That, to me, tells of influence, when you use a gag and don't question or know where it came from. That included the aforementioned Maxwell, a car whose manufacturer went out of business in 1925 and as the span between then and each broadcast increased, so did the amount of age the car gained, due to its owner's unwillingness to spend a cent on upkeep.
Another gag was Jack's vault. Buried an untold distance below the surface of the Earth and surrounded by various security measures, it held Jack's wealth. One might say that Jack had more money than there was in circulation. The most well-known security measure Jack employed to guard his money was Ed, a character played by noted radio and television actor Joseph Kearns, who was the vault guard. The amount of time he has spent down there has included since the Revolutionary War, the discovery of America, and even the dawn of civilization.
Another amount of time also centered around another running gag: since Jack first turned 39. In reality, Jack hit 39 during his first year in radio in 1933. When his birthday came up again in 1934, he simply turned 39 again because he felt there was nothing funny about turning 40. If you wish to know, Jack turned 39 on radio and television 32 times. It was such a identifying mark of Jack's character that at Benny's death in 1974, many newspapers reported the event happening to him at age 39, if only for a joke.
The running gags and jokes would take too long to list. In real life, Jack is nothing like he was on-air. He was very generous with his money and gave to charities the world over. As stated before, he was married to Mary Livingstone and the two enjoyed an interesting marriage that lasted for 47 years, despite the odd fight now and then. The two had only one child, an adopted daughter named Joan, who appeared on her parents' show from time to time and had to fill in for her mother at times due to Livingstone suffering from stage flight which got worse over her career.
Jack Benny left us at age 80 on December 26th, 1974. Even death could not stop Jack from being generous. In his will, he had it made that a fresh long-stemmed red rose being delivered to his widow Mary every day for the rest of her life, which ended on June 30th, 1983. Those of us left on Earth have the countless radio episodes and television broadcasts to enjoy Jack's unique brand of comedy. Although they were made upwards of 75 years ago, they sound as fresh as if they were made last week. So, I give you a new holiday to celebrate every 14th of February: Jack Benny Day.
Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 5

A busy day for the STS-130 crew began at 4:14 pm EST with the sending of the wake-up call. Today's wake-up was "Beautiful Day" by famed rock group U2, played for Kay Hire. Today was the big day as the station would grow in size for the final time. The first spacewalk for the mission began at 9:17 pm EST as the two spacewalkers, Patrick and Behnken, exited the Quest airlock.
Their goal: to get Tranquility ready for its new home. First, the spacewalkers prepared the area where Tranquility was to be docked. Also, they worked on the station's Dextre robot as they waited for the station's robotic arm to take Tranquility out of the shuttle's cargo bay and move it to its final location, on the port side of Node 1 Unity.
Once Tranquility was mated to Unity, the spacewalkers made their way over and began hooking up cables and lines needed to bring vital power and support to the module. The spacewalkers were very fast in their work, being an hour ahead of their planned work schedule at one point, forcing Mission Control ordering the astronauts to pace themselves. The spacewalk concluded at 3:49 am EST as the astronauts climbed back into the airlock.
There was also important work inside the station as new parts were added to the station's Water Recovery System and samples were prepared for return to Earth as part of the troubleshooting process involved. Just imagine, all this for the world's first space plumbing service call. The system is planned to be moved into Tranquility once fixed.
With all that, the shuttle crew hit the sack at 8:14 am EST. Over all, today was a busy day in space. The days to follow will bring more surprises and will also bring the station to 98% completion by the end of the mission. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 4

Day 4 for STS-130 is a quiet one compared to the previous three flight days but it will be a rest compared to the days to follow. The first full day of docked operations for shuttle and station began at 4:19 pm EST with the playing of "Also sprach Zarathustra", the theme from 2001, for Nick Patrick, one of the two spacewalkers for the mission and today would be busy in prepping for the first of three excursions.
The crew spent a good chuck of time getting ready for the first spacewalk by examining the suits, which led to an interesting event. It was found that the suit meant for the other spacewalker Bob Behnken was faulty. Instead of trying to repair the suit, they simply did a swap of parts from a spare suit on board the station.
The six members of the STS-130 crew along with fellow station-bound Americans Jeff Williams and TJ Cramer also performed an interview event with KXTV-TV in Sacramento, CA, WKRG-TV in Mobile, AL, and KMOX-FM in St. Louis, MO. Incidentally, the three cities are the hometowns of shuttle crew members Robinson, Hire, and Behnken, respectively.
The joint crew then spent the rest of their afternoon off-duty. The crew then finished off the day with the final activity needed for the spacewalk: the beginning of the camping-out time for the spacewalkers in the Quest airlock. Camping-out is a procedure where the spacewalkers sleep in the low-pressure environment that they'll have in their suits, as to avoid the bends.
With all that, the shuttle crew hit the sack and are scheduled to begin their super-busy Day 5 at 4:14 pm EST. On that day, the moment we've all been waiting for will occur. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 3

Day 3 of STS-130 began with the wake-up call. Today's wake-up was "Katmandu" by Bob Segar, played for the mission's commander, George Zamka. Today was the day that the shuttle arrives at the ISS. You see, after a shuttle is launched, it spends the next two days playing a game of catch-up until it manages to arrive at the station.
Over a good portion of the day, the shuttle closed in on the station slowly. As it made its final approach, the shuttle performed a 360 degree flip, in order for the station crew to do an extra inspection of the heat shield for damage. Once that is finished, the shuttle continues its way to docking with the station slow as it goes.
The docking took place at 2:06 am EST 215 miles above the western coast (as if there's a eastern coast) of Portugal. Around that time, the station and shuttle passed into an orbital sunrise (there's one every 90 minutes or so). The motion seemed to welcome Node 3 and the cupola to the station.
The hatches between the two craft were opened at 2:16 am EST and the five-member crew of ISS Expedition 22 met the six-member crew of STS-130 in a traditional welcoming ceremony, led by current ISS commander Jeff Williams. Following a safety briefing from the station crew, the shuttle crew began transfering supplies and such to the orbiting lab.
Among the items transferred were replacement parts for the station's water recycling system (and it does what you think it does). Spacewalkers Nick Patrick and Bob Behnken also moved their suits into the station's Quest airlock to ready them for their upcoming spacewalks. The crew also had the OBSS handed off to the station for the duration of docking.
After all that activity, the shuttle crew went to bed at 8:14 am EST this morning and are scheduled to receive their next wake-up call at 4:14 pm EST. This concludes our look into flight day 3. The next couple of days promise to be very busy ones. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 2

A second day in space arrived at 6:14 pm EST on Monday with the sending of the wake-up call. Today's wake-up call was "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath (one wonders why so many astronauts are devout Christians, not there's nothing wrong with that), played for pilot Terry Virts. Virts happens to be the lone rookie of this flight and today will add experience.
The majority of the day was spent performing a very needed task: inspection of the heat shield. Using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, or OBSS, attached to the shuttle's robotic arm, the crew went inch by inch over the heat shield tiles that cover the bottom and wing edges. The reason for this is obvious once one remembers what happened to shuttle Columbia seven years ago.
Also, the two spacewalkers for the mission, Nick Patrick and Robert Benhken, checked out their space suits they'll be using during their three planned spacewalks to install Node 3 Tranquility to the station. They also prepared the spacewalk equipment and readied supplies for transfer to the ISS.
The crew concluded the day by going over the tools needed to dock with the ISS on Day 3. The two spacewalkers also installed a centerline camera and extended the shuttle's docking ring, so it may dock with the station when it arrives. The crew then went to bed at 9:14 am EST and are scheduled for wake-up at 5:14 pm EST. Until the next posting, see ya later!

STS-130 - Day 1

At 4:14 am this morning, space shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Launch Pad 39A on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. Its purpose: to deliver the final major piece of the station and a seven-panel bay window. The module, also known as Node 3 Tranquility, is the last of the station nodes. The first was Unity, which was the second space station module installed and Harmony, which was installed in 2007.
To be attached to Node 3 will be the Cupola. The Cupula will allow the astronauts onboard the station to enjoy wonderful views of the home planet below and also serve as a workstation to operate the station's robotic arm. Both additions will bring the station to 98% complete.
The launch was the second attempt to do so. The first attempt, Sunday at 4:39 am, was scrubbed due to low clouds over the pad. That danger actually showed up during tanking, or fueling, of the External Tank but moved out of the area by launchtime.
Another interesting fact about the launch had to do what was occurring about 150 miles away in Miami: Super Bowl XLIV. Althought the astronauts did not get a chance to view the game, the crew on the space station received a video uplink in case anyone on board wanted to watch. The shuttle crew did receive news of the winner before lift-off. Incidentally, the ET was built in New Orleans and a group of NASA engineers enhanced a photo so the tank carried the Saints logo.
Once in orbit, the usual routine was begun, of opening the cargo bay doors and making sure that data downlink was being received by Mission Control in Houston. Several hours later, the astronauts tucked themselves in for the night, so to speak. The astronauts are due their musical wake-up call at 6:45 pm EST.
Might I say that this posting will mark the first in a series. During the four remaining launches of the space shuttle program, I will be posting my own daily status reports, giving you the best of whatever sources I can find, with my usual flare, of course. Until the next posting, see ya later!

J.D. Salinger, We Hardly Knew Ye

On January 27th, the world lost one of its most famous literary talents at the age of 91. Of course, his most famous work was his classic 1951 novel Catcher in the Rye. The book has become one of the most-taught books and also the most banned book in schools. For years, every major movie producer from Jerry Lewis to Steven Spielberg has made the efforts to secure the right to make the movie version and all have failed.
The book, to me, has become an American rite of passage. To receive a copy of the book is to receive a treasure, for one is taken into the world of Holden Caulfield as he tries to make it in a world, to him, full of "phonies". Readers, especially teens, can identify with Holden and his struggle. Although his manner of speaking is less than great, the way he tells it is the way it is.
Salinger also became famous for being a recluse. He shunned the world that idolized him and made efforts to not interact with the world at large. His death can be taken as the last step in his reclusion. Awhile back, a writer noted that "The only one who could have played Holden Caulfield was J.D. Salinger" and they were right. Both came from above average backgrounds and saw the world the same way.
The book's title stems from what Holden thinks is a line in a poem, "Can a body catch a body, comin' thru' the rye?" In his mind, he sees himself stationed at a cliff, next to a field of rye, where children are playing tag. His job is to stop them from falling off the cliff by catching them when they get too close, thus becoming a catcher in the rye. The cliff, to Holden, is adulthood and towards the end of the book, gives the role of catcher to his sister Phoebe, as Holden is hoping she'll catch him before his own fall.
I first read the famed tome back in high school and I can't describe my joy at finally being able to read such a talked-about story. As I thumbed through the pages, I found himself as Holden, mad at the world around him and trying to do the best he can. By book's end, Holden hasn't changed a bit. In fact, he's more bitter as the world has forced him, in his mind, into a mental hospital. To me, it is a symbol of Holden's Park Avenue background, as his parents, after his misadventure, sent him away to avoid embassassment.
The book has also been at the center of some of history's most gruesome events. Most notably (and I use the term loosely), it was the favorite book of Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon. Chapman was such a fan of the work that he tried to change his name to Holden Caulfield. Chapman was found reading the book after the shooting and used the book as his statement upon arrest.
Many other would-be killers have had the book in their collections and since the book is very well-known, is used to explain such actions, as said before. No other book in American literiture has been such a guiding force. Many first-time writers (yours truly among them) can only dream of such. In my mind, after the events of the book, Holden became a writer, as every other Caulfield had writing talent. Holden's writings probably match that of the man who created him, and that creating force shall be missed.