I tell myself that I'm going to sit down and answer the over three hundred emails waiting in my inbox, but then I find myself procrastinating in all ways awful.
Examples?
I spent a good chunk of time today visiting a website about everyone's favorite "confirmed bachelor," Paul Lynde.
As Uncle Arthur, Paul Lynde was the best thing about Bewitched -- and I was reminded of this fact after watching Bye Bye Birdie (where he appears as Ann-Margaret's father) the other day
My visit to Paul Lynde world also reminded me to take the time to look up the birthdate of another Bewitched regular, Bernard Fox a.k.a Dr. Bombay. As a child, I saw Dr. Bombay as an ancient -- he seemed to be in his fifties or sixties. So, when I saw him in Titanic a couple years back, I wondered if he was immortal. It turns out he is one of the only surviving members of the cast and he's only 75.
Next step in my procrastination odyssey was a visit to IMDB to check out the ages of William Frawley and Vivian Vance -- I Love Lucy's Fred and Ethel. I've always known that there was a large age difference between those two actors but it amazes me that they cast an actor, who during their last season, was seventy. This was to Vance's forty-eight.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Vivian Vance was contractually required to remain twenty pounds overweight during filming. This clause was to guarantee that she look older than her actual age. Although I've believed this for years, I have my doubts about the legitimacy of this fact.
After this visit through TV Land past, I remembered I woke up this morning thinking about Lucille Ball -- actually thinking about one of the most traumatizing things I had ever seen on television.
It was a television movie called Stone Pillow -- and Lucille Ball played an elderly homeless woman who -- and this is the traumatizing part -- eats an alley cat!
What a day.
I always thought it was 15 pounds...
In any event, the best Uncle Arthur ep was the one where he and Serena lost their powers and had to work mortal jobs. Even though it featured a pure ripoff of the Lucy/Ethel candy conveyor belt scene, I still liked it.
I Dream of Jeannie was also pretty good, and very parallel to Bewitched.
Posted by: Paul | April 09, 2002 at 05:38 PM
Yeah, when "researching" this fact today, I saw both 15 and 20 lb references.
Posted by: Mena | April 09, 2002 at 05:44 PM
Ya know... I've been thinking about this kind of thing as I get older. When I was in elementary school, I remember thinking my teachers were in their 50s and 60s.
Then, I saw them again when I was in college teaching at their school or elsewhere... and they looked better... younger, even. One of them, I learned, was my dad's age!
Amazing how seeing things through the eyes of a child is so worldly compared to an adult's eyes.
Posted by: meryl | April 09, 2002 at 06:26 PM
I love "I Love Lucy" I always thought she looked a bit younget than William. So it turns out a good bit. Huh.
Posted by: Rosie | April 10, 2002 at 12:49 PM
When you take a look at photographs of our grandparents they look ancient! Of course, they were in their 60s or early 70s when the photos were taken. I think old is "older" these days. Of course, the babyboomers will keep moving the border further and further away as they age! -grin
Posted by: Jeff | April 10, 2002 at 02:16 PM
As the self-proclaimed “Resident Crone of Blogdom,” at 62 I have to say that I look a hell of a lot younger than my grandmother looked when she was that age during the I Love Lucy era. (If b!X ever gets my new site up, I’ll post a photo.) Lots of reasons why “this is what 62 looks like” – to steal and tinker with a statement by Gloria Steinhem. Better health, less taxing physical labor – but most of all a different attitude. Or should I say “Attitude.”
Posted by: Elaine | April 10, 2002 at 07:41 PM
No one in my mind is as ageless as Carol O'Conner. I thought he was old old old in All in the Family and yet here he continues to act and doesn't look all that much older (in my mind)than he did thirty years ago.
It's a little "Dorian Grey" for me... spooky
Posted by: slack | April 11, 2002 at 10:37 AM
Dr Bombay would be Dr Mumbai now.
Dr Mumbai, Dr Mumbai, come right a...
Hmm.
Dr Mumbai, Dr Mumbai, you're quite a guy?
Dr Mumbai, Dr Mumbai, hurry 'fore I die?
Posted by: Eeksy-Peeksy | April 13, 2002 at 05:14 AM