The Terrible Catsafterme

I was very familiar with the work of actor Bob Cummings when I sent him an autograph request on July 22, 1985. Although his name might be vanishing into obscurity today, at the time I was enjoying watching The Bob Cummings Show on television. Being a huge Hitchcock fan, too, I was also a fan of his work in Dial M for Murder. He was the star of another of Hitch’s classics that I hadn’t seen yet at this point, too: Saboteur. Finally, and perhaps most important at the time, he was an extra in Laurel and Hardy’s Sons of the Desert (although in later years he denied it, stating he was already an established actor when he came to Hollywood in the 1930’s). Read the rest of this entry »

I offered up a few anecdotes from 1975 in prior postings (namely here), but this one deserves one all of its own. There is no way I can be certain that this actually occurred in 1975, but I would imagine I was not much older than three or possibly four when it happened. I well-remember shopping at the downtown Rikes department store in Dayton, formerly on the corner of Second and Main. I loved to browse the toys, records, and View-Master slides. In that day and age, there were seldom any worries about leaving me alone for a few minutes to peruse the merchandise. Read the rest of this entry »

On Sunday, June 3, 1990, two days after the official graduation ceremony, we had an Open House at 3:00 pm at our place where friends and family could drop by and congratulate me on a job well done…and present me with a smattering of gifts. The only photos I have to commemorate the event picture either only me, or Ashleigh and me – so I’m not exactly sure who all showed up. Doubtlessly Christi, my parents, my Grandparents, and various aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends all came over. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is my Mom’s 57th birthday. (She’s the little one at left). I won’t be seeing her today to celebrate because we are currently crossing paths in the skies between California and Ohio. I am heading there and she is heading home. Before she left, she had been talking up a blue streak about the trip she had already taken there a few weeks ago, as well as about the preparations and plans for the one she is coming home from now. I’m sure she’ll have lots of stories and tiny details to tell us and everyone else. Denise and I will hear the stories upteen times each and will give each other a knowing glance every time she starts to tell it again. Read the rest of this entry »