Screening
RIP actor/comic Art Metrano, 84, one of Bensonhurst’s own. Born Harpo Mesistrano, of Greek-Jewish-Italian ancestry, his career spanned 1960–2001. There are 120 titles under his name at IMDb. I recall his appearances on variety shows such as Ed Sullivan, where he would do a pseudo-magic act while humming his own background music: “Da-da-da-da-de-da-da-da-da,” which I thought hilarious back in the day. He will probably be remembered most for his turns in the Police Academy series. He is a father of four. Thanks for the laughs, sir.
For the second week in a row, Movies!, channel 5–2 on ota in NYC, aired a film noir I’d never heard of: This Woman Is Dangerous (1952), starring the great Joan Crawford as a brainy criminal losing her eyesight. It has its moments but is routine overall and the ending is anti-noir. I’ll concentrate on the director and one of the players. NYC’s Felix E. Feist has 75 titles under his name at IMDb. He began doing shorts, then B movies, and was racking up scores of credits helming prime time fare when he was taken by cancer at 55 in 1965. He also served as a producer on TV’s Peyton Place. His most intriguing big screen title is The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947), starring Hollywood bad boy Lawrence Tierney. I hope Movies! shows that soon… Mari Aldon, born in Lithuania, was completely unknown to me despite a career spanning 1946-’68. She has 45 titles under her name, mostly in TV. Her most notable big screen credit is The Barefoot Contessa (1954). Her final role came in an Elvis vehicle, an uncredited part in Live a Little, Love a Little (1968).
A while ago it was reported that illegals, blacks and evangelicals were the groups most vax resistant. The mainstream media played up the latter, linking them to Trump, and ignored the other groups. I don’t know if that breakdown remains steady. If it does, how will the Biden vaccine mandate for government workers play out? Will a high percentage of minorities lose their jobs? Will there be cries of racism?… I just spotted this foxnews.com headline: “Biden’s vaccination mandate doesn’t include illegal immigrants.” I guess that group won’t be crying racism… Interesting sidebar from an article by Eric Mack at newsmax.com: Log Cabin Republicans (Gays) have come out against mandates, although they endorse vaccination.
The floating book shop had to contend with strong wind for the first time in a while. Other than that, it was a picture perfect day. My thanks to the woman who not only settled her tab but picked out nine more books in Russian; and to Ira, who bought a pictorial on The White House; and to movie buff, who purchased The Hit by David Baldacci and Deception by Jonathan Kellerman.
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