Barra Grant, the daughter of Bess Myerson, gives a spirited, humorous and pathos producing performance in a play she wrote, “Miss America’s Ugly Daughter: Bess Myerson and Me,” now through March 1st at Marjorie S. Dean Little Theater (10 West 64th Street).
Ms. Grant plays herself as she goes over what was a difficult mother/daughter relationship with Ms. Myerson, to date still the only Jewish woman to win the Miss America crown.
Anna Holbrook is not seen until the curtain call, is splendid as Bess Myerson’s voice, making “middle of the night” calls to Ms. Grant.
Humor abounds (Shavous as a Jewish holiday, but most Jewish people (I add others) do not know when it is) but also the depth of hurt Barra Grant endured does the same.
There is more, I will not spoil it, as I highly recommend people see the splendid performance. I will say I still feel good about Bess Myerson and all she accomplished, flaws and all.
Much admiration goes out to Barra Grant for enduring and evolving the pattern in raising her daughter, Samantha.
Eve Brandstein directed this truly fine show. Click below for tickets information.
Bess Myerson
Last night’s not so hot, often “doubled up, still too short Academy Award’s “In Memoriam” did get it right by ending with the incredible Kirk Douglas, who died last week at the age of 103.
Mr. Douglas gave and left us an incredible body of work in film and in a number of books that he wrote. He endured despite suffering a stroke and made the most of the longevity granted him.
Critic and friend Chris MacLeod, not given to gushes even for the just deceased, was bereft at the loss and heaped high praise on Kirk Douglas.
Ms. MacLeod cited the transition by Kirk Douglas from a milquetoast character in his debut film, “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946) to the snarling boxer he played three years later in “Champion,” which garnered him his first Academy Award nomination.
Other highly assertive roles included Oscar nominated performances in “The Bad and the Beautiful” and “Lust for Life.”
Somehow in “the apples/oranges” Oscar process, Kirk Douglas was not nominated for his performance in “Spartacus.”
The list of Mr. Douglas’ accomplishments is long and incredible.
I saw him once and stood on the other side of the room, as he signed copies of one of his books.
From that distance I thanked him for putting the blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo’s name on the screen credits for “Spartacus.” (1960).
The distance made Mr. Douglas’ “thank you,” not all that audible.
However, his action in fighting that injustice, rings loud, so loud and so relevant, as history arcs on.
The one and only, Kirk Douglas, pictured above.
Today another fine episode of the television show, “What’s My Line?”
Tony Curtis, then married to Janet Leigh, who along with Dorothy Kilgallen, Fred Allen (did you get that rhyme?) and Bennett Cerf, comprised the panel, but word leaked and tennis star Bill Talbert “pinch hit.”
However, Mr. Curtis did appear. John Charles Daly is the show’s host.
Enjoy watching.
The current baseball and pro football champions, the Washington Nationals nee Montreal Expos and the Kansas City Chiefs nee Dallas Texans have some similar history and links.
Most relevant, each as a current champion staged numerous post-season comebacks, a total of seven (the Chiefs in all 3 post-season games and the Nationals four times in games facing elimination from the ‘offs), all of a significant margin in games facing elimination.
The last and only other World title before the one gained in Supe 54 for the Chiefs was in 1969, the year/season the Nationals franchise began play as the Montreal Expos.
The Montreal Expos had some terrific players, including Gary Carter, pictured above.
A day after the Kansas City Chiefs won the 54th such game and raised their Super Bowl record to (2-1), sadly, Willie Wood, the player who had the key interception and run in KC’s lone loss in that game, died at the age of 83.
Willie Wood was a superb player, one of many on the great Green Bay Packers’ teams coached by Vince Lombardi, that won an incredible 5 NFL titles in 7 seasons (1961-1967).
The fourth such title was clinched in Green Bay’s (35-10) Supe 1 win vs the Chiefs. It was a competitive game, only (14-10) Green Bay when Willie Wood intercepted a Len Dawson (Len led the Chiefs to their last title before this one, 50 years ago) pass and returned it 50 yards to the K.C. 5.
From there, Elijah Pitts went in for a touchdown and soon after, a Green Bay rout manifested.
Wood was a superb player, a Hall of Fame player, before the days seemingly, “everyone and their grandmother” qualifies.
The great player, Willie Wood pictured above.
It was a truly entertaining, informative and moving night as Edie Falco, eloquent and so attractive on a “jeans night,” was interviewed at 92 Y.
Ms. Falco is a great talent and she shared many thoughts and insights.
She is a tremendous actor on both the stage and television. Last night she exuded confidence and is as “together” as anyone I have encountered in many “moons.”
I look forward to Ms. Falco’s portrayal of a Los Angeles police chief in “Tommy,” which premieres tonight at 10 P.M. Eastern Time on the CBS Network.
The marvelous Edie Falco, pictured above.
The great hitter, Rod Carew achieved many great things in the game of baseball.
One big milestone was his 3,000th hit on a Sunday afternoon in Anaheim for the home team Angels vs Rod’s first team, the Minnesota Twins.
I have included a video of the Twins’ broadcast, which includes another great player, Harmon Killebrew conducting a post-game interview with Mr. Carew.
Harmon Killebrew with the microphone and Rod Carew, pictured above.
Click to view Rod’s 3,000th hit and the interview with Harmon. Both great players and guys, whom I was fortunate to meet, however briefly.
This is the first time that both St. Louis and Kansas City, the two Missouri cities that house major North American sports league teams (as was the case concerning “Dorothy” when she was in “Oz,” the former is NOT in Kansas) have simultaneous league champions.
The NHL St. Louis Blues, baseball’s Washington Nationals and the NBA title holding Toronto Raptors have been joined by the Kansas City Chiefs, as current pro league champions.
Both St. Louis and Kansas City have but two professional teams.
Each has a major league baseball team and in fact, the Kansas Royals and St. Louis Cardinals met in the 1985 World Series.
Neither city has an NBA team while K.C. has a professional football team, the now champion Chiefs and St. Louis is the home of the current NHL champion Blues.
In winning the title, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, whose center, Ben Garland, then with the Denver Broncos, is pictured above.
Of course Judy Garland, portrayed by almost certain upcoming Academy Award winner, Renee Zellweger, in the film, “Judy,” had the iconic role of “Dorothy” in “The Wizard of Oz.”
The Kansas City Chiefs won their second Super Bowl crown, fifty years after their first, again overcoming a double digit deficit (they did so in all three ‘offs wins), beating the San Francisco 49ers (31-20) in the 2019 season title deciding game.
Damien Williams scored on a 5 yard pass and then ran 38 yards for K.C. touchdowns, less than 3 minutes apart, to cap a comeback from a (20-10) 4th quarter deficit.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes and scored a touchdown, (the run score, another “M”player first touchdown in either a Chiefs or Niners Supe (7 of 9, see post from February 1st) and was named the game’s MVP.
Honors easily could have gone to Williams or Tyreek Hill, each with over 100 yards, Williams rushing and Hill, who gathered in a huge 3rd and 15, (with KC down by the aforementioned (20-10) score with less than seven minutes remaining/4th quarter) not so great Mahomes pass, doing so receiving.
Kansas City has 4 sports titles, the Royals 30 years apart in 1985 and 2015 and now the Chiefs, fifty years apart in 1969 and 2019.
Damien Williams, pictured above.
The 49ers won the first 5 San Francisco titles in major North American sports leagues. (For this, I am considering the Golden State Warriors–NBA champions in ’75, ’15, ’17 and ’18 as Oakland and not S.F.).
Next and currently the baseball Giants have the next three, the most recent vs a Kansas City team, the Royals in 2014.
The Niners are (5-1) in previous games for the NFL crown, all Super Bowls. The Chiefs representing the old AFL, in both previous such games are (1-1).
Baseball’s Kansas City Royals are (2-2) in World Series play while the Giants are (3-2).
Salvador Perez, pictured above, was World Series MVP when the Royals copped the 2015 baseball crown.
