I have not read Sara Gruen’s book, “Water For Elephants” and now after seeing the outstanding musical of the same name, based on the book, it is now a book, I truly want to read.
The Broadway production is excellent with music, stunts and acting that was quite stirring.
It is an excellent, well told story.
Grant Gustin, Isabella McCalla, Gregg Edelman, Paul Alexander Nolan and Stan Brown head the cast, in the Jessica Stone directed show.
“Water For Elephants” is playing at The Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street).
Click below to purchase tickets. It is well worth seeing.
Left to right Gregg Edelman as the older “Jacob Jankowski,” Isabella McCalla (“Marlena” and Grant Gustin (younger “Jankowski”) are pictured.
“Save one life, and you save the world,” how about, many more than that, which is what Nicholas Winton, the central figure in the largely true story, depicted in the current, excellent, James Hawes directed film, “One Life,” which stars the great actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins leading a tremendous cast, did in the days before and as the second World War began.
The story is overwhelming, of course realism and death, horrible such, mixes with the uplifting, as the largely true story unfolds.
Hopkins, there is a scene, with Marthe Keller as Mrs. Maxwell, the wife of publisher Robert Maxwell, in which both display acting “chops” I have not seen in quite a bit.
The entire cast shines, Hopkins of course, Keller as cited with Johnny Flynn as the younger Nicholas Winton also doing a tremendous job.
Other truly worthy performances were turned in by Helena Bonham Carter as Nicholas’ mother Babi, Lena Olin as his wife Greta, Jonathan Pryce and Ziggy Heath as respectively, the older and younger Martin Blakes a contemporary and long time friend of Mr. Winton.
Finally, last, certainly not least, Romola Garai inspires as Doreen Warriner, a member of The British Committee for Refugees From Czechoslovakia.
I certainly covet more information about all that really happened and any such documentary would well be worth watching.
“One Life” tells the incredible story of an incredible feat, that of Nicholas Winton and others. A film really worth seeing!
Both Sir Anthony Hopkins above and the film (“One Life’) are superb.
An incredible hero, about whom the film, “One Life,” is based, Nicholas Winton is pictured above.
It is Saturday August 25, 1962 and the great broadcaster, Lindsey Nelson is promoting New York Mets’ broadcast sponsors, Rheingold beer and Viceroy cigarettes (not too strong, not too light, Viceroy has the taste that’s right–do not smoke and I never did, as I add that nearly 62 years later).
The Dodgers in their 5th L.A. season (they begin their 67th such, early tomorrow morning L.A. time, in Seoul, Korea, vs the S.D. Padres, who will improve this season), were in first place in the ten team National League, which that year expanded, with the admission to the loop of the Houston Colt 45’s and New York Mets.
Tommy Davis, a great player had already driven home 122 runs, while Maury Wills, also of the Dodgers had already “pilfered” (Bob Murphy, another broadcasting great, where have they gone?! — (cue Paul Simon about whom and his music, a film “In Restless Dreams, The Music Of Paul Simon,” has manifested), used that word and marveled at Maury’s incredible accomplishment, as he ended the season with a then record 104 stolen or “pilfered” bases) 69 bases.
The mind goes to nice places when hearing and recalling some of those 1962 names, including the sponsoring products.
Guy Lombardo, pictured above, sang in a Rheingold ad, asking who will be Miss Rheingold 1963?
Last night, North Carolina State completed a highly improbable, tournament “run” to qualify for the 68 team NCAA Tournament, whose field will be announced today.
N.C. State upset Duke in the “quarters” and won the final round tilt vs North Carolina last night. They also won as favorites vs Louisville and Syracuse and as a small underdog vs Virginia.
On Saturday night March 9th, 1974, in the last year only conference winners qualified for the NCAA Tournament, N.C. State won a classic game, A.C.C. Tournament final game, vs an excellent Maryland team.
“State” eventually won it all, surviving Pittsburgh and their great star, Billy Knight and a scary fall by the great, great N.C. State player and future NBA star, David Thompson 50 years ago yesterday, in the regional final.
It was the next Saturday, that North Carolina State, in a virtual home game, defeated 7 time defending champion, U.C.L.A. in another classic game, that a semi-final/virtual final round game.
The Norm Sloan coached “Wolfpack” claimed the crown on Monday night 3/25/1974, with a win vs the Al McGuire coached Marquette Warriors.
In 1983, under coach Jim Valvano, “State” had to win the ACC Tournament, did so and with a season ending 10 game win skein (1 “reg”, 3 ACC Tournament and 6 NCAA Tournament), including some classic ones, topped and capped off by a Lo Charles, title winning dunk, to break a tie vs heavily favored Houston in the final, and captured their second crown.
The 1973-1974 North Carolina State title winning basketball team is pictured above.
Holding basketballs and seated in the front row are #44 David Thompson and I believe, Monte Towe.
It is almost certain that year after year, the proliferation of college basketball conference tournaments will produce a number of upstart teams, that either will qualify for the 68 team NCAA Tournament, or at least create some added mystery to the selection process.
Thus far, I cite true longshot, Wagner College which qualified for the “tournie,” representing the Northeast Conference, having won their conference event.
Last season Merrimack, denied a tournament berth in this year’s final vs Wagner, was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament though they won the Northeast Conference Tournament.
Instead, Fairleigh Dickinson qualified and became just the second “16” seed to upset a regional top seed in the first round.
Wagner College, pictured above.
Research, not the all powerful, (once it was Frigidaire that became generic), with this post’s name and that of the great singer/writer/performer, Eric Carmen, who died days back at age 74, yields at least three entries, the most recent just after the 2023 Supe with a promise of Eric as lead singer, performing “The Raspberries’ ” “Go All The Way.”
Today, a promise of Eric’s so meaningful “All By Myself,” inherent in which, is the impossible task of conveying the emotions of time eroded loneliness and failure.
Yet, in doing so and looking back at Eric Carmen and all he did, perhaps highlighted by the Sergei Rachmaninoff influenced “All By Myself,” (the verse from Mr. Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor) was lift us, as the greats often do, whether from the open canvas of happy/sad or the good/evil of life itself, the latter a “myself,” with the hope of an added someone.
He was praised by John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen, had another stint with “The Raspberries” and had songs covered by myriad artists as diverse and talented, as Shirley Bassey and Shaun Cassidy.
I will show some of his work and aforementioned “research” combining andybsports.com with Eric Carmen (an honor for me) will yield a song, as Mr. Carmen noted, as obviously different from “All By Myself,” namely “Go All The Way.”
Lighter: Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes” plays in a scene from “Dirty Dancing.” Sitting down is Patrick Swayze, and left to right, Cynthia Rhodes, I believe and Jennifer Grey are working toward a dance gig.
Many of the more esteemed college basketball, conference tournaments begin today with the remaining ones commencing tomorrow.
On Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, when in past years the NCAA Tournament staged some big games, the 68 team field for that event will be announced.
Among the perceived top contenders for this year’s crown and very likely regional top seeds are defending champion, Connecticut, which has 5 tournament crowns and Purdue, who last year became the second top seed to lose in the round of 64 in a 1 vs 16 tilt.
The other one, Virginia in 2018 bounced back and in some memorable close games won the 2019 title.
Purdue has never won the NCAA Tournament but does have claim to the 1932 college crown before there was a tournament.
A player on that team, the great John Wooden coached 10 tournament title teams with U.C.L.A.
The great John Wooden, pictured above, was the star player on that 1931-1932 top ranked Purdue team.
Apples, oranges and license plates refers to tomorrow night’s Academy Awards, likely to be dominated by the film “Oppenheimer,” and a big coincidence involving another highly regarded and nominated film.
That film is “Maestro,” with Bradley Cooper in the role of Leonard Bernstein.
Mr. Cooper was a guest on “The New Yorker Radio Hour,” hosted by David Resnick on today’s broadcast, surely recorded earlier.
As he spoke rather intensely about Mr. Bernstein, I drove along and noticed the license plate directly in front of me was Len#### (4 #’s, 2 two digit ones).
Maybe Mr. Bernstein was “conducting,” perhaps a message from my father, who often watched and loved Bernstein’s efforts, on this the thirtieth anniversary of my father’s death.
The great Leonard Bernstein, pictured above.
An always happy occurrence, some recent on Carol Burnett Show reruns on MeTV, was seeing and hearing the charismatic, tremendously gifted performer, Steve Lawrence, who died yesterday at age 88.
There are such fond memories of watching the legendary duo, married for 55 years until her death, of Steve and Eydie (Gorme).
Steve Lawrence starred on Broadway as “Sammy Click” in the musical adapted from Budd Schulberg’s novel.
“”Sline and Fine” as Steve was in “The Blues Brothers” as memorable manager, “Maury Sline and on TV’s “The Nanny,” as Fran Drescher’s character’s father, “Morty Fine.”
It was with Eydie, his beloved wife, that Steve was most memorable, in so many shows, especially in Las Vegas, where they flourished.
I wish I had seen them live, however, cherish those appearances on television and will continue to watch and do so.
Maybe they are preparing a big show in a better place. Thank you Steve for the moments that yield wonderful memories.
“Go Away Little Girl” was one such great song, moment and memory. When a remake by Donny Osmond 9 years later, also hit #1 on the charts, “Go Away Little Girl” became the first song to do so with two different performers as it also reached the top of the charts con Steve in 1962.
Click below to hear Steve Lawrence perform “Go Away Little Girl.”
Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence, pictured above.
The most recent Super Bowl, contested between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, marked the sixth time a 2nd such game was played between the same teams/franchises.
One matchup, that between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys has occurred thrice.
In five of the six, second game Supe matchups, the team that won the first tilt, prevailed in the second such game.
Those 5 include the Chiefs in ’23 after winning in ’19 vs S.F. and the Niners in turn won in ’88 after also beating the Cincinnati Bengals in ’81.
As with the 49ers, the Patriots have been on both sides of the note, as they beat the Rams in ’18 after having done so in the ’01 Supe and while the New York Giants upset them in both the ’11 and ’07 Super Bowls.
In the first two of what are three Supe clashes between the Steelers and Cowboys, the Steelers won both before Dallas prevailed in the third one.
The one split in the first two games also involved the Pats, as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in ’04 but lost to them in ’17.
Click below to view the great John Stallworth’s TD catch and run in the Steelers’ repeat victory vs the Cowboys in the 13th Supe.
Andy B Sports 