Forgotten comedian Sid Gould

PLAYING POST OFFICE

Lucille Ball and the Mail

Lucille Ball gets the mail at the end of the driveway to her Chatsworth home, Desilu Ranch, circa 1940s.

“Lady, we don’t mind the rain, or the snow, or the sleet. It’s kooks like you that drive us nuts!” ~ Postmaster, “Lucy & The Missing Stamp” (1964)

In 1943, Lucille Ball performed on the radio program “Mail Call,” a show only available to the troops overseas and not broadcast stateside.The term mail call was used when soldiers would get letters from home. 

“My Favorite Husband” (1948-1951)

Jay Novello played Mr. Negley the mailman on several episodes of Lucille Ball’s radio series. 

In “The Sleigh Ride” (1949) Mr. Negley uses his mail delivery motorcycle to pull the holiday sleigh, but the load proves to much and the milkman’s old horse is pressed into service instead. 

In “Liz The Matchmaker” (1949) Katie the maid decides that after three years of dating Mr. Negley that their relationship is not going anywhere, so she enlists Liz’s help.

In “Mother-in-Law” (1949), Liz (Lucille Ball) correctly assumes that Katie the maid (Ruth Perrot) is so happy because Mr. Negley the mailman has flirted with her. Katie says they were “playing post office.”

KATIE: “He’s so creative. He said my mouth was like a postage stamp. Then he canceled me!”

Katie hands her the mail and Liz finds a letter from her mother-in-law.

LIZ: “No one else addresses a letter ‘To George Cooper Only’ marked personal all over and then seals it with Scotch tape!”

“George Attends a Teenage Dance” (1948) ~ George and Liz chaperone a high school dance and we learn that ‘playing post office’ is a game, not just an institution. Post Office is a kissing party game played at teenage parties. It has been referred to in popular culture since at least the 1880s. The group playing is divided into two groups. One group goes into another room which is called "the post office”. To play, each person from the outer group individually visits “the post office”. Once there, they get a kiss from everyone in the room. They then return to the original room. 

The game of Post Office is mentioned again in “George Needs A Raise” (1949). In "The Charm School" (1954), Ethel mentions that Fred suggested they play Post Office the previous night when a beautiful guest arrived at their dinner party. In “Kiddie Parties Inc.” (1963) Vivian says she played Post Office when she was younger.

JIMMY: “Do you know how to play Post Office, Mrs. Cugat?” LIZ: “Know how? When I was your age they used to call me Jim Farley.”

James Farley was the the 53rd US Postmaster General from 1933 to 1940.  

Hans Conried played a weary mailman in “Valentine’s Day” (1949).

LIZ: “Are you picking up the mail?”

MAILMAN (sarcastically): “No, I’m a Confederate soldier and these are messages for General Lee.”

In 1949, General Robert E. Lee’s face was on a postage stamp commemorating the 200th anniversary of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

"I Love Lucy” (1951-1960)

“Drafted” (1951) ~ A letter from Fort Dix makes Lucy and Ethel think that Fred and Ricky have been drafted. The flap of the envelope is open, so Lucy reasons it is okay to read Ricky’s mail. Re-sealing Ricky’s letter from Fort Dix, Ethel says “I’ve had lots of practice at this.” 

Early in the episode, Lucy gets a postcard from the Bishers, who are on vacation in Florida. The comedy trope of the landlord / landlady (Ethel) reading the tenants’ mail to keep up on gossip is used here! 

The premise of a letter from the Draft Board will be used again on “The Lucy Show” in 1966, when Lou C. Carmichael is mistakenly called up. 

Unmailed and unfinished love letters to a former boyfriend haunt Lucy in “Lucy Changes Her Mind” (1953). When Ricky insists she finish everything she starts, she finishes the love letter to Tom Henderson and it mistakenly gets mailed! 

The “I Love Lucy” Comics created a similar storyline for an issue in 1954. 

Mailed postcards once again cause trouble in “Fan Magazine Interview” (1954) when a publicity scheme for the Tropicana maquerades as a ‘date’ with Ricky Ricardo. When Lucy finds one of the postcards, she naturally thinks Ricky is cheating!  She tracks down the woman: Minnie Finch (Kathryn Card). 

Turns out Minnie’s neighbors (Elvia Allman and Sunny Boyne) got similar invitations for ‘dates’ in the mail. 

“The Passports” (1955) ~ Lucy has trouble proving where and when she was born. At the end, Lucy gets a letter from her mother enclosing her birth certificate and saving the day. 

“Tennessee Ernie Visits” (1954) ~ Lucy gets a very wordy letter from her mother to explain the presence of Ernie Ford. Naturally the letter comes after Ernie has arrived. 

“Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (1954) ~ Lucy discovers an unmailed letter from Ernie to his Ma in Bent Fork, causing Lucy and Ricky to feel guilty for scheming to get rid of him. 

“Lucy Gets into Pictures” (1955) ~ Ricky discovers a postcard Lucy’s written to  Lillian Appleby, fibbing about having a part in a picture. In a rare blooper, Ricky calls Mrs. Appleby Lillian instead of Carolyn. She was only named Lillian in her very first appearance.  

To apply the stamp, Lucy borrows Ricky’s tongue. 

LUCY: “I've stamped so many cards, I'm all out of lick. Now, remember, don't read them.” RICKY: “Why not?” LUCY: “Because it's not nice to read other people's postcards.” RICKY: “Well, you and Ethel do it at home all the time.” LUCY: “Not until after they're mailed. It's illegal to read them before they're postmarked.”

“Don Juan is Shelved” (1955) ~ To save Ricky’s picture, Lucy decides to flood the studio with fan mail. She organizes an assembly line in her hotel room to churn out 500 handwritten and stamped fan letters.

“Paris at Last!” (1956) ~ Lucy goes to the American Express Office to change some money into Francs. Fred is in charge of collecting the mail, which has been forwarded to the American Express Offices along their tour route. 

Although primarily known for their credit cards today, in the 1950s American Express was an international banking company that issued travelers checks and was a trusted source of currency exchange. Their international offices were equipped with reading and writing rooms which offered the latest American newspapers and magazines. They also maintained a post office where clients’ letters could be forwarded. 

“Return Home from Europe” (1956) ~ Packing to sail home, a surprise in the mail changes their plans. 

RICKY: “Hey, did they have any mail for us at American 'Spress?” LUCY: “Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Oh, a letter from Mother! Here's a telegram for you.” RICKY: “How do you like that? A telegram and she forwards it in the regular mail. It takes three weeks to get here!”

It turns out to be very important - an offer to play at the Roxy in New York - staring immediately! 

“Lucy Raises Chickens” (1957) ~ After placing an ad for someone to help with the egg business, Ricky finds a reply in the mailbox - from Fred!. He put the letter in the box himself, saving the cost of a stamp and replacing it with an Easter Seal! 

“Lucy Meets the Mustache” (1959) ~ Lucy opens a letter from Ricky’s Uncle Alberto in Cuba, then must figure out a way to get it back into the envelope before Ricky comes home!  She employs a knitting needle using a technique she saw on television. 

STAMPS

MAILBOXES

“The Lucy Show” (1962-1968)

“Lucy and the Missing Stamp” (1964) ~ Lucy mistakenly uses a collectible stamp on an envelope she’s mailed then realizes its value.

She tracks it to the post office where she does everything she can to retrieve it. 

Herb Vigran plays the postman. Robert S. Carson plays the postmaster. 

“Lucy Goes Into Politics” (1964) ~ As volunteers working on Mr. Mooney’s campaign for Danfield Comptroller, Lucy and Viv are in charge of stamping hundreds of envelopes!

“Lucy Gets Caught Up in the Draft” (1966) ~ The mail that contains her draft notice is delievered by Joe the Postman (Sid Gould). 

Also in the mail is a letter from Lucy’s son, who is away at Military School. In probably the largest blooper in the history of “The Lucy Show,” the letter is signed “Jimmy Carmichael” instead of “Jerry Carmichael”.  It was Lucille Ball who insisted to the production people that it was Jimmy, remembering the actor’s name (Jimmy Garrett) and not the character’s!  

“Lucy the Bean Queen” (1966) ~ At the office, Mr. Mooney notes that it costs five cents postage to send a letter. This rate went into effect in 1963, rising a penny, and went up again another penny in 1968.

“Here’s Lucy” (1968-1974)

“Lucy’s Working Daughter” (1968) ~ When Kim must have her social security number to get a job at a boutique, Lucy confuses it for the Zip Code!  The US Post Office introduced Zip Codes on July 1, 1963.  

“Lucy Protects Her Job” (1969) ~ Kim disguises herself as new secretary -  gum-chewing Shirley Shoppenhauer. She returns from the post office with 500 postage stamps. Unfortunately for Harry, they are all balled up in a bunch and jammed into her purse. 

“Lucy and Lawrence Welk” (1970) ~ Lucy gets a letter from her old friend Viv, saying that she’s coming to visit. Naturally, the letter arrives moments before Viv walks through the door! 

The Harrison-Gould staff animating on a Krazy Kat cartoon circa 1928

Left to right: Ben Harrison, Manny Gould, Sid Marcus, Al Rose and Art Davis

From the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum website. I DO NOT own any of the stuff here. If someone wants me to take this down, I will!

Marineland Carnival - CBS - April 18, 1965

Family Special

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

The Munsters

Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster Al Lewis as Grandpa Butch Patrick as Eddie Munster Pat Priest as Marilyn Munster 

The New Christy Minstrels

Sid Gould as the Tour Guide

CALVIN HARRIS FT. ELLIE GOULDING, "MIRACLE"

Some of us believe in miracles, some of us don't...

[5.84]

Taylor Alatorre: This song made me check if my computer was Y2K compliant. This song made me surf the alt.politics newsgroup to find out the date of the next WTO conference. This song made me "borrow" my weird friend's Prima strategy guide for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. This song made me call up my local PBS station to see if it had any plans to air episodes of Serial Experiments Lain. This song made me print out and annotate the lyrics to my illegally downloaded copy of NOFX's The Decline EP. This song made me contemplate making an "Acceptable in the 90's" pun. This song re-taught me HTML.</br> [9]

Leah Isobel: I need Kingdom Hearts AMVs set to this song and I need them immediately. [8]

Jonathan Bradley: It's vintage trance rather than blockbuster eurodance, but Calvin Harris's '90s pastiche is more dead-on than anything found on the Planet of the Bass. Precisely, it's a dead-on recreation of "Children" by Robert Miles, though perhaps Ellie Goulding has been recruited to provide a point of differentiation. It took one-and-a-half listens to remind my that the odd warpings of her cellophane voice go from novel to vertiginous very quickly; they might be more welcome here if they were either less glassily pristine or more. The breakbeat at the end is its own work of miniature history: the years going on and club trends shifting to drum and bass. [6]

Edward Okulicz: When I first heard this song I was sure it must be a sped-up remix thing a la Robin Schulz/Oliver Tree's "Miss You". How could it not have been? It's just so much. I would suggest that if they want to squeeze any more virality out of this song, they might get some mileage by slowing it down. But then it might lose that tasty early 00s UK mainstream chart dance-pop energy it's channelling so well. [6]

Hannah Jocelyn: This gets a [6] because the way Ellie Goulding sings "Oh No" makes me think of Webcomic Name. But also because Goulding sounds the most like herself she has in years, after eras upon eras of producers wasting her fascinating vocal timbre. How many vocalists have a soprano voice that husky? How many have that weird vibrato? Goulding's voice already sounds sped-up before Harris even touches it, and if it is sped up, I need to hear the version of "oh no" that sounds like "MacArthur Park." [6]

Crystal Leww: Calvin Harris is like the cat with nine lives of EDM, having gotten his start during the days of freaking bloghouse, blowing up during peak girly-ass EDM, continuing to thrive through the UK pop-house era, and sliding and funk waving bouncing through the late-aughts. I thought that finally he would retire to hitting the play button on prerecorded headlining sets in Vegas and Ibiza, but alas, he's hopped on trance during a time when it's back, baby. Trance's grand return is something that's been building with a very specific set of underground dance nerds for a while, in a bunch of different formats (see: the hypertrance crew, the hard trance pop song edits, and the latest point of arrival for PC Music/-adjacent gang), and Calvin Harris takes it all the way to UK #1. "Miracle" joins him back up with Ellie Goulding, who was one of his best collaborators during the peak girly-ass EDM era (twice). Goulding's vocals have always felt like an intimate whisper - they're there and they emote, but they never overwhelm - perfect for a track that needs to speed and glide on the clouds. This may be a sanded down, corners smoothed out version of whatever is happening in the underground but damn if Calvin hasn't always been good at making a hook. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: Fuck Calvin Harris and anyone who wants him to make EDM. [3]

Scott Mildenhall: In lesser hands, this would be a facsimile, losing all joy in a vain search for an excuse to exist. In the hands of experts, it is joy afresh. "Miracle" is at one with its euphoric essence, granting it the space to diffuse and reveal itself not as pastiche, but as a reminder of the power of piano presets. Ellie Goulding in trance alien mode is the perfect fit: human, but not distractingly so. [8]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: I listened to this song twice this year, both times in the passenger seat of my middle aged uncle after not having seem him for years, stuck in traffic in Shanghai, singing along with broken English and appropriately and awkwardly bumping our heads. He thought it bumped. [6]

Ian Mathers: I can't remember if I've ever felt dismay when the beat comes in before, but on first listen that's exactly what happened. I'm not even sure why! It's not like I was much enjoying the song before that; maybe it just suddenly seemed clear this was going to be exactly what I'd expect from the combination of these two artists, neither of whom I love. It felt like I could have predicted the rest of the song from that point, and that's kind of how it played out. [3]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: I love dumb dance pop -- My favorite Madonna song is "4 Minutes"! This is too dumb even for me. How do you even do that? [3]

Katherine St Asaph: This kind of pop-trance was already a massively guilty pleasure for me because of the accumulated secondhand disgust of trance purists. "Miracle" has an additional source of guilt in being a pop-trance track by Calvin Harris, who has been around long enough that his releasing a Robert Miles rip this hacky has to be either condescension or a bit. Clearly I have no standards. [9]

Alfred Soto: Give me more anonymous dance tracks like "Miracle," which it isn't but it will do. Jessie Ware would do well to cast off her pearls before the swine who helped perpetuate her approximation of failed euphoria. [7]

Aaron Bergstrom: We have DJ Sammy at home. [3]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: What the hell... this literally ends right as I'm starting to believe how good it is? [4]

Brad Shoup: Feels like I should be rating the progressive-trance remix in my head, one that's 12 minutes long, shamelessly milks the piano decay and pushes Goulding to match the urgency of the BPM. She's as centered as ever, despite Harris's breakneck rave tempo: nearing the end, he tosses out some breakbeat like an anchor. But in my head, it's still going. [6]

Thomas Inskeep: I know I should be accustomed to it in 2023, but when I come across someone such as Harris who clearly has zero musical integrity, who'll do anything for hits -- well, it still catches me off-guard. And no one hops from one dance/pop trend to another faster than Harris. (Allow me to remind you that his 2007 album I Created Disco was pretty good!) Which is all to say that I shouldn't be surprised to hear "Miracle" hopping on the '90s trance revival bandwagon. He's got the ability to make it sound right, but by no means does that make this good. I disliked '90s trance at the time, and find it even more loathsome now as a big-budget no-ideas Hollywood sequel. Goulding could literally be any other female singer, as generic and over-processed as her vocals are here - and she's never been the most (ahem) distinctive singer to begin with. Truly, almost impressively awful. [1]

Will Adams: In our 2022 Amnesty post-mortem, I wrote about Romy's "Strong" and how trance music had been bubbling up in the pop landscape. Fast forward a year, and now we have mainstream acts -- Tove Lo, Icona Pop, David fucking Guetta -- all dialing up the tempos and the sawtooth synths. I should've known Calvin Harris -- who has contorted himself to align with the electronic genre du jour for over fifteen years -- would hop on the train, but "Miracle" still came as a welcome surprise. I spent better part of my tenure at the Jukebox yelling about how much I love trance, and this is no different. In the tradition of euro-trance classics, there are, at most, two key elements at play: the Robert Miles piano; the lyric "are you too cynical to believe in a miracle?" The rest is routine: the accelerated heartbeat BPM, a feather-light vocal from Goulding, reverb galore, all in service of creating that dream-like state on the dancefloor, when you close your eyes but still feel the strobe lights on you. [7]

Jackie Powell: I'll preface this by saying "Miracle" was my top song this year. When Spotify wrapped told me what I predicted was true, I wasn't surprised. "Miracle" was a song that stuck with me throughout the good and the bad in 2023. It was with me when I couldn't get out of bed, when I was driving or walking to my destination, when I was exercising, when I was transcribing an interview, and even when I was writing. I'm not the only one who proclaimed that the third Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding collaboration was an addictive listen. It's an earworm. It's meant to be looped. Calvin Harris knows how and when to introduce new sounds, something that happens from the first verse right into the second chorus. Those introductions stimulate the brain and since I've listened to the track so many times, I can anticipate each dynamic shift and new sound that arrives. I feel like a conductor when I know exactly when the "boots and cats" percussion finally hits. The lyrics aren't really groundbreaking on this track and they aren't supposed to be. To enjoy "Miracle" at its fullest, the appreciation comes in the diverse sounds, and its velocity. Hat tip to Chromatica producer BURNS who provides the listener with a similar type of movement and constant tempo changes following the drop in "Rain on Me." But that is to say, the most stunning part of the "Miracle" experience isn't what makes it the most addicting. It's Goulding's vocals. Not only does the melody written in give her the freedom to use her voice at its most natural, but this is a song that not many other pop artists could pull off convincingly. You want to know what her voice is going to do next because it's so unpredictable. This is a track that is exemplary of the fact that Goulding is a generational talent, her unique timbres and range aren't contained but rather are given a space to play. And if you can't hear that alongside techno and Eurodance beats, have no fear: Harris and Goulding put out a "Church version" of Miracle, stripping back until this version is truly all about Goulding. There's a euphoric sound when she's harmonizing with herself during the second verse. It's so satisfying and soothing. It's so stupefying and even a bit moving. [10]

A blog post from Jack Alphey, a work experience placement student from King’s College London

For the last several weeks, I have been working on reading through and cataloguing 18th century legal manuscripts within the Middle Temple Library. Having readily available and digitized information about the contents of manuscripts will allow easier access for researchers to the information they want to find. Thus far, I have found many interesting cases. From questions as to whether the theft of live pigeons was a felony to complex cases of financial fraud. Perhaps the most interesting thus far, however, is the case of theft from the Indian John Morgan in 1765 found within a manuscript of notes made at the Old Bailey from 1765-1769.[1]

On the surface, the case is very simple. Three prisoners allegedly stole money and several items of clothing from Morgan. Morgan’s origins in India came up both in the crime and the legal proceedings, and it appears that two of the prisoners were found guilty. After this case, however, the manuscript records a following argument in court over whether John Morgan was guilty of perjury. What was unique about Morgan was that he was a “Mahometan” (an earlier English term for someone of the Muslim faith) and he was only willing to swear an oath on the Qur’an instead of the Bible. My assumption here was that the solution would be a fairly simple yes.

In contrast, however, the court came to a conclusion which upheld Morgan’s testimony. Once the court had become “satisfied of the Belief of Mahometans in a Deity” they deemed the Qur’an “to be their method of being sworn”. Seemingly the importance was in a valid belief that would make an oath taker stay honest instead of requiring a state sanctioned ‘true God’. Hidden at the back of the manuscript, however, is a copy of a letter from “Mr Gould” (that is, Sir Henry Gould, 1710-1794) addressing the case written in 1784, nineteen years after the ruling. This letter provides an admonition on the ruling citing the importance of “corporal oaths”. This was something, in Gould’s eyes, that could only be undertaken by a Christian touching the Bible in front of the Christian God. According to Sir Henry’s reasoning, Morgan’s oath on the Qur’an made his testimony perjury. What happened to John Morgan does not seem public. Did the letter almost two decades later pertain to his actual future or simply to future theory? 

This case is useful, however, in letting us address the lives and trials of non-Western and non-Christian individuals within Britain in this period. Morgan was clearly a man of means: he had a significant amount of money stolen, as shown by the case. This lines up in name, location, and time to be the Indian John Morgan seen working with the artist George Stubbs during his paintings of exotic animals.[2] When a crime was committed, however, Morgan’s testimony put him in danger with the Christian rigidity of the courts. Rare cases like these provide insight into the British system’s struggles and resistances to adapting to a world in which differences such as other religions would more commonly find their way integrating and how this challenged existing institutions.

Jack Alphey, MA student King’s College London

[1] https://www.middletemplelibrary.org.uk/client/en_GB/default/search/results?qu=ms47&te=

[2] Mark Sorrell, ‘A Zebra, A Tigress, and a Cheetah: New Light on George Stubbs’ Exotic Animal Subjects’, British Art Journal, 15 (2014), https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA389175724&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=14672006&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7Efd5ab7ed? (accessed 28th February 2023).

HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES - 20th Anniversary Blu-ray Box Set & Steelbook

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When Rob Zombie’s “House of 1000 Corpses” slashed its way into theaters 20 years ago, 1970s-style horror – and camp – returned with bone-snapping, scream-inducing vengeance. Zombie’s directorial debut, this first film of a trilogy introduces the Firefly family, backwoods sadists who plunge two young couples into a nightmare world of torture, satanic ritual, and cannibalism. With a killer cast including horror legends Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, and Karen Black, “House of 1000 Corpses” is both a homage to a golden era and a scary good time from an innovative, unrivaled shock-master.

Cast:                                      Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson, and Chris Hardwick Writer:                                  Rob Zombie Directed by:                           Rob Zombie Produced by:                         Andy Gould Executive Producers:            Andy Given, Guy Oseary Director of Photography:     Alex Poppas, Tom Richmond Production Designer:            Gregg Gibbs Art Director:                          Michael Krantz Edited by:                              Kathryn Himoff, Robert K. Lambert, Sean Lambert Costume Designer:               Amanda Friedland Composers:                           Rob Zombie, Scott Humphrey

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DISC 2 – Bonus Disc of Never-Before-Seen Special Features from Rob Zombie • Cast & Director Interviews • Rob Zombie • Sid Hai • Bill Moseley • Sheri Moon • Karen Black • Rainn Wilson • Chris Hardwick • Erin Daniels • Irwin Keyes • Jennifer Jostyn • Wayne Toth

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Geneticists find clues to sudden unexplained child deaths | Science

In 1997, Laura Gould put her 15-month-old child, Maria, down for a nap and returned to find her unresponsive. She had actually dropped dead, without any clues to describe the catastrophe besides a fever the night prior to. When her child’s body was sent out to the medical inspector’s workplace, “I thought they’d call me in an hour and tell me what happened … like on TV,” Gould states. Months later on, neither that workplace nor independent pathologists had a description. “I hated ending it with ‘the autopsy was inconclusive, go on and live your life now,’” she states. “It just didn’t really feel like that was an option.”

Gould co-founded a not-for-profit structure to assistance mourning moms and dads, raise research study funds, and boost awareness of sudden unexplained death in youth (SUDC), a term utilized for kids older than 12 months. In the United States, approximately 400 deaths fall under this classification each year—about one-quarter as numerous as are identified sudden crib death syndrome (SIDS). Two current hereditary analyses, one moneyed in part by Gould’s SUDC Foundation, now recommend possible causes for a minimum of a little portion of cases: anomalies in genes related to epilepsy, heart arrhythmias, and neurodevelopmental conditions.

“Having this data is important,” states Marco Hefti, a neuropathologist at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine who was not associated with the brand-new research studies. SUDC is not a single illness, however “a grab bag of different things—and the more of those different things you can pull out, the better for everybody.” Neither research study can state with certainty that an anomaly is accountable for a child’s death. But the findings supply a basis for animal research studies that might expose how the hereditary modifications disrupt crucial functions. They may likewise notify future child death examinations and possibly even screening programs to avoid deaths.

Research on SUDC has actually lagged that on the more typical and much better understood SIDS. Yet, biologically, SIDS and SUDC “may be part of a spectrum,” states Ingrid Holm, a medical geneticist at Boston Children’s Hospital. In both, death frequently takes place throughout sleep, and scientists presume factors consisting of undiscovered heart flaws, metabolic conditions, and main nerve system irregularities. The kids who pass away are approximately 10 times most likely than the average child to have a history of febrile seizures—convulsions that feature fevers in young kids, notes neurologist Orrin Devinsky of New York University (NYU) Langone Health.

Following a death, medical inspectors consistently take blood or tissue samples and in some cases order hereditary tests to try to find harmful recognized anomalies. With SIDS, research studies that sequenced whole exomes—the proteincoding areas of DNA—linked specific uncommon hereditary anomalies. But previously, no whole-exome research studies have actually taken a look at a big collection of SUDC cases to find hereditary clues.

A computer system registry of SUDC cases established by Gould and Devinsky at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in 2014 made such a research study possible. Their group sequenced the exomes of 124 “trios,” each comprised of moms and dads and a child who dropped dead and without description in between the ages of 11 months and 19 years. The scientists looked for anomalies in genes formerly related to heart dysfunction or epilepsy. They discovered variants in eight genes that they think contributed to 11 of the deaths, they reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December 2021.

In 7 of those cases, the anomaly was de novo, suggesting neither moms and dad brings it—a finding that boosts the case that it contributed to death. Six of the versions impacted genes associated with calcium signaling—the circulation of ions throughout cellular channels, which manages varied procedures, consisting of heart contractions and nerve cell shooting.

In a 2nd research study, Holm and associates checked out 352 cases of death in either babies or kids. They looked for anomalies in 294 genes connected to neurologic conditions, heart dysfunction, and conditions that impact metabolic process or numerous organ systems. In the 73 cases where DNA from both moms and dads was offered, they likewise looked throughout the exome for de novo versions. “Likely contributory variants” emerged for 37 of the deaths, consisting of six of the 32 deaths in children older than 1 year, the group reported last month in Genetics in Medicine. Two of these versions remained in genes currently related to uncommon neurodevelopmental conditions however not with sudden death, recommending an unacknowledged possible repercussion of those conditions. Both research studies determined anomalies in SCN1A, a gene understood to be associated with epilepsy.

The percentages of deaths with possible descriptions in the brand-new research studies might appear little, Hefti states, however the method used broadly might supply brand-new info to lots of households in the United States alone. Learning that the possible reason for a child’s death is a de novo version might assure moms and dads that they’re not likely to have actually passed a harmful anomaly to their other kids, he states.

In contrast, if a possible hereditary cause is acquired, other member of the family might be evaluated and take preventive actions if they’re impacted, notes Rachel Rabin, a hereditary therapist at NYU Langone. For example, if moms and dads or brother or sisters bring a diseaselinked variation of SCN1A, a neurologist can run tests and might recommend medication if seizures are determined, Rabin states.

Despite the possible worth of hereditary screening in child or crib death examinations, it’s not constantly done. “The factors are mostly money, of course,” states Michael Klintschar, a forensic pathologist at Hannover Medical School. Among U.S. medical inspectors’ workplaces, “I would guess that the majority do not do [genetic testing] on every case,” states Kathryn Pinneri, director of Montgomery County Forensic Services in Conroe, Texas, and president of the National Association of Medical Examiners. But decreasing expenses have actually made it more typical in the previous 5 years, she states.

The New York City medical inspector’s workplace examines unexplained deaths amongst babies and kids utilizing its own panels of hereditary tests. Geneticist Yingying Tang, who heads the internal molecular genes laboratory there, states the brand-new research study results make her “pretty confident with the cardiac and epilepsy panels I have.” Investigations of pediatric deaths because workplace have actually exposed anomalies in numerous of the genes determined in these research studies, she states.

Some moms and dads of kids who dropped dead hope hereditary analysis will make it possible to screen embryos for a harmful hereditary version prior to another pregnancy, states Richard Goldstein, a palliative care pediatrician at Boston Children’s and coauthor of the brand-new research study. Developing and validating such screening would need very first tightening any causal link in between an alternative and sudden death. His group strategies to look into the systems of a few of the just recently determined versions by placing them into zebrafish to try to find distinctions in habits or life expectancy.

In concept, some harmful versions might be included to those consistently evaluated for in babies, Devinsky states. “I think that’s where [the field] should probably go.” But oftentimes the repercussions of an anomaly stay odd, Klintschar notes. Linking a child’s death to an uncommon anomaly in an arrhythmia-related gene doesn’t inform scientists the threat of heart attack in a living child with the exact same anomaly. Giving all such kids implants to right irregular rhythms may trigger more issues than it resolves, he states.

Gould, whose child’s death stays unexplained, hopes the SUDC computer registry can assist clarify the threat elements. It now consists of 292 households, and her group continues to welcome moms and dads to take part. “If you want your child’s information to benefit research,” she states, “that opportunity can sometimes be comforting.”

New post published on: https://livescience.tech/2022/02/10/geneticists-find-clues-to-sudden-unexplained-child-deaths-science/

Burlesque is Alive and Well in Downtown Burbank (1969)

MOVIES on TV!

Part 2 ~ The Movies of “The Lucy Show”

Lucille Ball was a famous film star who became one of the biggest TV stars of the 1950s. She continued her trailblazing TV career in the 1960s with “The Lucy Show” where her character, Lucy Carmichael, was a huge film fan. 

~FACTUAL FILMS~ 

“Lucy Goes To a Hollywood Premiere” (1965) 

Lucy is movie mad!  When her plans to go to a Hollywood premiere with Mary Jane fall through, she disguises herself as one of the theatre’s ushers to work the red carpet and get autographs from the celebrities.

Lucy’s movie poster collection includes: Radio City Revels (1938), which was filmed at RKO, the studio that became Desilu; The Overland Express (1938); and Suspicion (1941), another RKO picture.  

Kirk Douglas is introduced as “The star of two great films: ‘The Heroes of Telemark’ and 'Cast a Giant Shadow.'” The Heroes of Telemark was released in the UK in November 1965, but would not premiere in the US for a month after this episode first aired. One month later (March 30, 1966), Cast a Giant Shadow premiered.

Memorabilia crazy Lucy says she bought a pink chiffon nightgown from Lillian Goodman’s Goodies for $75 that was worn by Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959).  Mr. Mooney says he wouldn’t buy a second hand nightie if it had been worn by Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot (1959).

“No More Double Dates” (1963) 

Lucy and Harry (Dick Martin) and Viv and Eddie (Don Briggs) can’t agree on where to dine or what movie to see. They decide to pick out of a hat. 

Searching for possible movies to see, Eddie prefers Ben-Hur (1959) at the Ritz over Two for the Seesaw (1962), because you get more actors for your money. Ben-Hur famously had a cast of 30,000. The movie was also mentioned in “Lucy’s Sister Pays a Visit” (1962). Ralph Hart (Viv’s son Sherman) was an extra in Two for the Seesaw. Although the play lived up its title with a cast of two, the film was fleshed out with many more characters. 

Viv wants to see What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), but Lucy thinks it will be too scary. The film starred Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, who will make a guest appearance on “The Lucy Show” in season 6. Lucy says she wants to see “the Cary Grant picture at the Danfield Theatre.”  She is probably referring to That Touch of Mink (1962). Herschel Graham, an extra in this episode, is also an extra in the film. Lucy notes that movie tickets are $1.50. 

CLEOPATRA ~ “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (1963)

At the Danfield Community Theatre, Lucy lands the plum role of Cleopatra. 

Lucy says she should get the part because she saw the film twelve times. Sarcastically, Viv says “She means the one with Theda Bera.” Lucy is referring to the 20th Century Fox's 1963 extravaganza Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as Mark Antony. Viv is referring to Cleopatra, a 1917 silent film. All known prints of this film were destroyed in a Fox Studios Fire in 1937. The writers might have also referenced Cecil B. DeMille's 1934 film Cleopatra starring Claudette Colbert.  

GASLIGHT - “Lucy Gets Mooney Fired” (1967)

Lucy and Mary Jane watch Gaslight  (1944) on TV. Lucy sums up the plot for Mary Jane: “Charles Boyer tries to convince Ingrid Bergman that she is seeing things that aren’t there.” This inspires Lucy to try to make Mr. Cheever think that he is going crazy, much like the plot of the film. The movie was based on Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play Gas Light (known in the United States as Angel Street). It inspired a 1940 British film before the 1944 Hollywood version.

WINGS ~ “Lucy and Carol Burnett: Part 2″ 

Lucy and Carol get their wings as flight attendants and perform a graduation revue about the history of aviation with the stars of the 1927 silent motion picture Wings, Buddy Rodgers and Richard Arlen. The film was the first to win an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1929. 

In Part 1, the in-flight movie unravels, causing Carol and Lucy to do live entertainment in the aisle. 

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA ~ “Lucy the Disc Jockey” (1965)

Listening to the hourglass (egg timer) to win a radio contest, a sleepy Viv makes a joke about hearing Lawrence of Arabia calling for help. Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 epic historical film based on the life of  T.E. Lawrence and taking place mostly in the desert. It won seven Oscars including Best Picture. The film was also mentioned in “Lucy the Stunt Man” (1965). 

GONE WITH THE WIND ~ “Lucy and Robert Goulet” (1967)

When Mr. Mooney helps Chuck Willis (Robert Goulet) get on a horse for his photo, he comments that there probably was not this much trouble making Gone with the Wind. Lucille Ball was considered for the lead role in the 1939 epic, which went to Vivian Leigh (right) instead.  

DANGER IN PARIS ~ “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (1966)

Lucy admires (and later wears) a red beaded jacket she recognizes as one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Paramount’s 1937 film Danger in Paris (aka Cafe Colette aka K-33). She says it was sent over by Paramount. In reality, Danger in Paris did not star Hepburn and was not released by Paramount. This is likely something Lucille Ball wanted to wear so a story was made up for it.

MILDRED PIERCE ~ “Lucy and the Lost Star” (1968)

Viv calls Joan Mildred Pierce. This was the name of the title character of the 1945 film that won Crawford her only acting Oscar.

GOLDFINGER ~ “Lucy and the Starmaker” (1967)

When Mr. Mooney threatens to send Lucy to Fort Knox to be made into gold bars, Lucy says to Tommy (Frankie Avalon): “Who does he think he is? Goldfinger?” Goldfinger was a James Bond film released in the US in early 1965. 

In “Lucy and the Undercover Agent” (1965) Lucy, Rosie (Ann Sothern), and Mr. Mooney have just seen a James Bond film. Although the title is never mentioned, Goldfinger was released in the USA in January 1965. A few weeks after this episode aired, Thunderball premiered.

~FILM INSPIRATION~

MY FAIR LADY ~ “My Fair Lucy” (1965) 

LUCY: “Rosie, I have a plan. Did you see ‘My Fair Lady’?” ROSIE: “Yes.” LUCY: “Now listen…” [fade to commercial]

The episode is inspired by My Fair Lady, a 1956 stage musical by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe that was turned into a major motion picture in 1964. To con a rich couple into funding their charm school, Rosie claims that under her tutelage, she can transform an uncouth, slovenly woman into a refined lady at an elegant soiree. Lucy’s cleaning lady character is named Liza Lumpwhomper. Eliza Doolittle is the name of Audrey Hepburn’s character in My Fair Lady.  

The film starred Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, recreating the role he played on stage. The film won eight Oscars and was phenomenally successful at the box office. It premiered in New York City on October 21, 1964, five weeks before this episode was filmed. In the feature film, a couple of familiar faces from Lucy sitcoms appear: Walter Bacon, George Holmes, Barbara Morrison, Jerry Rush, Bert Stevens, Ben Wrigley, and Lucille Ball’s good friend, Barbara Pepper. Although set in England, the film was shot exclusively in Hollywood.

In 1965′s “Lucy Saves Milton Berle”, Lucy Carmichael disguises herself as a poor flower seller, bearing more than a passing resemblance to Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. 

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT ~ “Lucy the Camp Cook” (1965)

After Mr. Mooney runs out of gas (because the last filling station didn’t give trading stamps), Lucy and Viv try hitchhiking. Viv says “Let’s give it that old Claudette Colbert try.”  Viv is referring to a scene from the 1934 film It Happened One Night in which Colbert ‘schools’ Clark Gable in how to get a driver to stop by hiking up her skirt above the knee. 

THE KID ~ “Lucy Meets Mickey Rooney” (1966)

In Mickey Rooney’s theatre school recital Lucy plays Charlie Chaplin and Rooney is the Kid. The sketch is inspired by The Kid (1927) a silent classic starring Chaplin and Jackie Coogan. Praising Mickey Rooney, Lucy tells him “Those father and son talks with Judge Hardy helped a lot.” Lucy is referring to Rooney's portrayal of Andy Hardy in 16 films between 1937 and 1958.

FOLLOW THE FLEET / ROBERTA ~ “Lucy and George Burns” (1966) 

Lucy says that Ginger Rogers is her very favorite star. She describes a film she saw on “The Late Late Show” in which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers fell in love despite her accidentally kicking him from the chorus line. Lucy is probably describing Follow the Fleet (1936) or Roberta (1935) in which Lucille Ball had supporting roles. Both films were made by RKO, which became Desilu Studios.

~FICTIONAL FILMS~

“Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (1965)

Dimitri Orloff (Sid Gould) is the composer of “I Left My Kidney with Dr. Sidney,” the theme song from the film Doctors and Nurses A-Go-Go.

Mimi Van Tysen (Beverly Powers) and Coconuts (George Barrows) are stars of the Love in the Jungle.

“Lucy and the Monsters” (1966)

Lucy tells Viv that Jerry and Sherman are at the State Theater to see the double-feature The Surfing Werewolf and The Eggplant That Ate Philadelphia, both made-up horror films. Their worries about the effect of the horror films on their boys leads them to have a shared horror film dream. 

“Lucy Meets the Berles” (1967)

To earn extra money Lucy takes a job working as a secretary for Milton Berle. When Lucy hears overhears him rehearsing a love scene with Ruta Lee, she jumps to the conclusion that he is being unfaithful to his wife.  The film they are rehearsing is titled The Friendly Skies, although the script he holds is titled The Friendly Sky. 

“Lucy and the French Movie Star” (1967) 

Lucy says she saw Jacques DuPre (Jacques Bergerac) in the film Kisses at Dawn where he did his own stunts playing a lion tamer. He even goes so far as to demonstrate, using an office chair and a whip (Lucy's raincoat belt) with Lucy acting as the lion. When Mr. Mooney bursts in and sees the reenactment, he jumps to the conclusion that Lucy is attacking DuPre, instead of the other way around!  

“Lucy the Stunt Man” (1965) / “The Return of Iron Man” (1965) / “Lucy and Bob Crane” (1966)

In all three episodes, Lucy makes extra money appearing in films as gruff stunt man Iron Man Carmichael. The title of the films go unmentioned, but in Iron Man’s first outing he is in a barroom brawl in a Western. In his return he is shot out of a canon in a Pirate movie. And when she meets Bob Crane she parachutes in during a World War One epic resembling “Hogan’s Heroes”, Crane’s hit series filmed at Desilu Studios. 

~FILM HOMAGE~

DANCE, GIRL, DANCE ~ “Lucy the Gun Moll” (1966)

In an “Untouchables” parody, Federal Agent Briggs (Robert Stack) is in the dressing room of Rusty (Lucille Ball). Behind Stack is a photo of Lucy singing “Jitterbug Bite” in the 1940 film Dance, Girl, Dance. Ball met Desi Arnaz while filming this movie. It was filmed at RKO, the studio that became Desilu, producer of “The Untouchables”. 

And that’s a wrap on OC-Tober 2020!! Thanks for followin along!~ If you wanna see any of these characters individually, go to the posts linked below~

WEEK 1 // WEEK 2 // WEEK 3 // WEEK 4 // WEEK 5

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Bad movie I have Silent Movie 1976

Silent Movie

Silent Movie    [trailer]

A film director and his strange friends struggle to produce the first major silent feature film in forty years.

The slapstick takes a little time to get used to, but it gets better and funnier as the movie moves along.

Some scenes are a bit silly. But there are a lot of highlights like James Caan in the trailer, the wheelchair race with Paul Newman and obviously the classic cameo of Marcel Marceau.

The number of stars making an appearance is remarkable. And Engulf & Devour is just as apt a name now as it was back then.

The Golden Girls (Full TV Series) 1985 -1992

An American television sitcom created by Susan Harris that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty as four older women who share friendship and a home in Miami, Florida. It was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions, in association with Touchstone Television. Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas and Harris served as the original executive producers. The Golden Girls received critical acclaim throughout most of its run and won several awards including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice. It also won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. Each of the four stars received an Emmy Award, making it one of only four sitcoms in the award's history to achieve this. The series also ranked among the Nielsen ratings Top 10 for six of its seven seasons. In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Golden Girls number 54 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. In 2014, the Writers Guild of America placed the sitcom at number 69 in their list of the "101 Best Written TV Series of All Time". The show had an ensemble cast and the plot revolves around four older single women (three widows and one divorcée) sharing a house in Miami. The owner of the house is a widow named Blanche Devereaux (McClanahan), who was joined by fellow widow Rose Nylund (White) and divorcée Dorothy Zbornak (Arthur), after they both responded to an ad on the bulletin board of a local grocery store a year before the start of the series. In the pilot episode, the three are joined by Dorothy's 80-year-old mother, Sophia Petrillo (Getty), after the retirement home where she has been living has burned down. The first episode featured a cook/butler named Coco (played by Charles Levin), but the role was dropped before the second episode. The writers observed that in many of the proposed scripts, the main interaction between the women occurred in the kitchen while preparing and eating food. They decided that a separate cook would distract from their friendship. In addition, the character of Sophia had originally been planned as an occasional guest star, but Getty had tested positively with preview audiences that the producers decided to make her a regular character. As a result of her late addition to the regular cast, Sophia appears in very few of the earliest publicity shots for the show that would be used to promote the first season. The Golden Girls came to an end when Bea Arthur chose to leave the series. In the hour-long series finale, which aired in May 1992, Dorothy meets and marries Blanche's uncle Lucas (Leslie Nielsen) and moves to Hollingsworth Manor in Atlanta. Sophia is to join her, but in the end, she stays behind with the other women in Miami. This led into the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. The series finale of The Golden Girls was watched by 27.2 million viewers. As of 2016, it was the 17th-most watched television finale. Cast and characters - Beatrice Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak (née Petrillo), a substitute teacher. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, to Sicilian immigrants Sophia and Salvadore Petrillo, Dorothy became pregnant while still in high school, resulting in a marriage to Stanley Zbornak (Herb Edelman) to legitimize the baby. Stan and Dorothy eventually moved to Miami, but divorced after 38 years when Stan left her for a young flight attendant. Betty White as Rose Nylund (née Lindström), a Norwegian American from the small farming town of St. Olaf, Minnesota. Often slightly naive and known for her humorously peculiar stories of life growing up in her hometown. Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux (née Hollingsworth), a Southern belle employed at an art museum. Born into a wealthy family, Blanche grew up as the apple of her father's eye on a plantation outside of Atlanta, Georgia, prior to her relocation to Miami, where she lived with her husband, George, until his death. Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, Dorothy's mother. Born in Sicily, Sophia moved to New York after fleeing an arranged marriage to Guido Spirelli. She married Salvadore "Sal" Petrillo, with whom she had three children: Dorothy, Gloria, and Phil, a cross-dresser who later dies of a heart attack (episode "Ebbtide's Revenge"). Initially a resident of the Shady Pines retirement home after having a stroke prior to the start of the series, she moved in with Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy following a fire at the institution. Herb Edelman as Stanley Zbornak, Dorothy's cheating, freeloading ex-husband who left her to marry a young flight attendant, who later left him. Stan married another woman in season 4, but they divorced off-screen in season 5. Stanley worked as an unsuccessful novelty salesman until he became a successful entrepreneur by inventing a baked potato opener that made him wealthy. Harold Gould as Miles Webber (or Nicholas Carbone/Samuel Plankmaker) is Rose's professor boyfriend from season 5 onwards. In season 6, Miles reveals he is in the witness protection program and was a bookkeeper for a mobster. Gould also guest-starred once in the first season as Arnie Peterson, Rose's first serious boyfriend after her husband Charlie's death. Sid Melton as Salvadore Petrillo, Sophia's late husband, who is usually seen in dreams or flashback sequences. Melton also appears as Don the Fool, a waiter at a medieval-themed restaurant in season six. Guest stars Celebrities Alex Trebek, Merv Griffin, Johnny Gilbert, Jeane Dixon, Burt Reynolds, Marvin Mitchelson, Edwin Newman, Bob Hope, Sonny Bono, Lyle Waggoner, and Julio Iglesias all guest starred as themselves on various episodes. Future Academy Award-winning filmmaker Quentin Tarantino had one of his first paid acting credits on the show, playing an Elvis impersonator at Sophia's second wedding. Billy Barty played Rose's father, Edgar Lindström, in a dream sequence in the Season 1 episode "A Little Romance". Mario Lopez appeared in the Season 2 episode "Dorothy's Prized Pupil" as Mario, a Hispanic boy being tutored by Dorothy until he's revealed to be an undocumented immigrant. Musician Jenny Lewis appeared on the show as a child actress, in the Season 3 premiere "Old Friends," as a Sunshine Cadet scout who holds Rose's teddy bear hostage. Actor George Clooney guest starred as a rookie undercover police officer in Season 2, Episode 24 entitled "To Catch a Neighbor" in one of his first paid roles. Opening theme "Thank You for Being a Friend", performed by Cynthia Fee Ending theme "Thank You for Being a Friend" (instrumental) Composer George Tipton

Passages - The Golden Girls 

Beatrice Arthur  (May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009)

Betty White  (January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021)

Rue McClanahan  (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010)

Estelle Getty  (July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008)

Herb Edelman  (November 5, 1933 – July 21, 1996)

Harold Gould  (December 10, 1923 – September 11, 2010)

Bill Dana  (October 5, 1924 – June 15, 2017)

Sid Melton  (May 22, 1917 – November 2, 2011)