Don Rickles passed away this week. You know, Mr. Warmth.
I would guess to say that anyone age 50 or younger has no idea who that is.
I was standing in line at Meijer a few weeks ago and a father and son were behind me. They were looking at the gossip magazines. The son asked his dad, “Who is Bob Hope?”
REALLY? I mean BOB HOPE.
Funny how the huge names of movie stars, comedians and singers that I grew up with are somewhat unknown to my kids and my grandkids are totally clueless of who they are.
Chuck and I remember the words to most songs that we grew up with. Chuck will often make a comment and it will lead into him singing a song and I’ll join in. “Shine on, Shine on Harvest Moon…You are my sunshine . . . I write the songs that make the whole world sing . . . Unforgettable.”
It’s hard for me to imagine my grandkids being able to serenade someone they love with the songs of Snoop Dog, Eminem, or Kanye. If they sing them around their Grandma Janet they may get their mouths washed out with soap.
The truth is Chuck and I often have no idea what is being sung on the award shows. And that’s probably a good thing. I know a lot is beeped out. There are a few exceptions like Justin Timberlake.
I love the comic relief of the comedians that I grew up with. Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, Red Skelton and later Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and our own Hoosier, David Letterman.
If I had to choose my all-time favorite comedian it would be Carol Burnett. If you added her wit with the humor of Tim Conway and Harvey Corman you got a comedic delight. You could sit around the TV, in mixed company, and you never had to worry about what would be said or suggested.
And who could ever forget Art Linkletter and the segment on his show, Kids say the Darnedest Things . . . and they did! He would get tickled and struggled to maintain his composure when a little one would tell a family secret. Oh my.
I miss those shows. I miss the humor. I miss the music. They truly were unforgettable.