The Terrible Catsafterme

As one of the world’s biggest fans of Seinfeld, I was naturally interested in trying to meet Ian Abercrombie – the elderly gentleman who portrayed Elaine’s rich and spoiled boss Mr. Justin Pitt. He had performed in the reading of Casablanca to benefit the Actor’s Fund at the Pantages Theater on October 2, 2005. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a photo for him to sign but was hoping to meet him nonetheless. I was a bit disappointed when he didn’t come out with many of the other celebs from the performance after the show to meet and greet the press. Read the rest of this entry »

On May 20, 1986, as I stood there dressed to the nines in my white sportjacket and yellow slacks in preparation of attending the Ankeney Junior High School Banquet of Excellence, my Mom remarked to me that at that very moment, she was noticing how much weight I had lost. My transformation was complete. I had blossomed from the awkward fat kid into a gangly teenager. That evening I accepted my award certificate for achieving one of the top ten scores in the school on the Language Art Olympiad – an event of which I have no recollection. Eighth grade was about to come to an end and I was heading into the Summer with a new lease on life. Read the rest of this entry »

After our return from the Hollywood ’80 convention, I was forced to return to my suburban Ohio lifestyle. I spent out the rest of the lazy days of Summer watching TV and playing outside, being babysat by Kelly Nye on the days that Mom worked. To fill my hours, I began compliling a list of all of the performers from the Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang films – as listed in the books Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang: The Life and Times of The Little Rascals. I would write each name down and then put the corresponding number of each film that they appeared in. It was a very early and rudimentary version of the Internet Move Database. Read the rest of this entry »

Although I had been whisked away from the comfortable surroundings of home for a brief weekend getaway at Woodland Altars during the Spring of 1972, my first big vacation didn’t come until mid-Summer later that year. My parents and I traveled along with Bill and Dottie and their kids to a tiny cottage owned by Dottie’s parents located on Manistique Lake in Curtis, Michigan. From July 29 – August 4, we spent the week boating, fishing, picnicking, and from what I understand…freezing. Read the rest of this entry »