Waldina

"The Jazz Singer" - Lux Radio Theater (August 10, 1936)

Starring:  Al Jolson, Karen Morley

Today is the 70th birthday of Randy Shilts, the author of the Harvey Milk biography and the book And The Band Played On, of which I can see my copy as I type this.  You absolutely have to read the book and/or watch the film, it is your job as a human to understand, empathize, and learn.  Always strive for more understanding.  I first read And The Band Played On one Summer at Interlochen, it was before I had any direct connection to HIV/AIDS.  Since then, I have worked with, befriended, and loved people living with HIV.  I have volunteered hundreds of hours and raised thousands of dollars to support people living with HIV/AIDS, to educate youth about HIV/AIDS, and to research a cure for HIV/AIDS.  The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

"You Only Die Once" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - August 8, 1974

Plot:  After being widowed, Marge Miller found love in the arms of her new husband. Her peaceful life is threatened when her ex comes back from the dead demanding his share of the insurance money she received for his death.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - August 7, 1974

Plot:  In exchange for eternal youth, a man makes a deal with the devil and gives up his soul. As he is consumed by evil, his portrait changes to mirror the abomination he has become.

Today is the 110th birthday of Lucille Ball.  He comic timing and trailblazing genius has made TV what it is today.  The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Today is the 93rd birthday of Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol died my junior year of high school. Shortly after that, I became obsessed with him, his life, Interview magazine, but more specifically, his collections. I read every article I could find about the lists of belongings found in his house at the time of his death, the cookie jars, the stacks and stacks of contemporary art by his peers, the art deco furniture, the endless lists. He would go to flea markets every day and collect everything that interested him with very few criteria. Sotheby’s produced a staggering list of objects cataloged from his cram-packed six story Upper East Side townhouse when they were getting ready for the ten day auction: 1,659 pieces of Russel Wright pottery, 267 watches, 72 Navajo blankets and rugs, 61 lots of early 19th-Century American furniture, 37 Art Deco cigarette cases, 33 works by Man Ray, 18 by Marcel Duchamp, 12 Rauschenbergs.

Andy was a hoarder, but when it is a dozen Rauschenbergs, it is a collection. Hoarders have a dozen cats, Andy had rooms so full of Duchamps, he just closed the doors to avoid tripping on them. By the way, that townhouse sold for $35M (and his Montauk house for $50M) recently. He collected all the right things, he pushed the prices and demand of early 20th century utilitarian kitsch items through the roof. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

"The Headstrong Corpse" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - August 6, 1974

Plot:  After his death, Lord Berly of Moreland is kept in an open crypt by his physicians in deference to his fear of being buried alive. When his body mysteriously vanishes, murder and mayhem become the key facets in this Gothic thriller set in 1874.

Today is the 91st birthday of the astronaut Neil Armstrong. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Today is the 101st birthday of the musician Charlie Parker. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Song:  The Bird - Charlie Parker Quartete

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://waldina.com/2021/08/05/happy-101st-birthday-charlie-parker/

"I Thought You Were Dead" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - August 5, 1974

Plot:  After murdering her husband and partner, an authoress begins to get phone calls from her deceased spouse. She is tormented by his reminders about who possesses the real talent between them.