Sometimes I get in a mood where only a classic will do. One week found me watching Curley Top which starred Shirley Temple, reading a biography of the young child star by Lester David, finishing Dean & Me: A Love Story by Jerry Lewis, starting a biography about Johnny Carson written by Ed McMahon, and pausing at a couple of I Love Lucy episodes as I channel-surfed. My kids like to tease me by saying those things aren’t classics for me, but the boys are not quite right. Sure, I grew up watching Johnny Carson late at night, but the other shows were only contemporary for my parents and grandparents.
I was chatting with my husband about my re-infatuation with the classics and how sad it makes me to know my children are not exposed to the same brand of comedy today. I Love Lucy first aired October 15, 1951, and has never been off television since then. Somehow, I can’t quite imagine the same longevity for Malcolm in the Middle. Since Friday May 22, 1992, we haven’t climbed into bed at the words, “Here’s Johnny!” Sure, we have Jay and David to keep us company, but somehow it’s just not the same as watching the Amazing Carnack. Nostalgia for the wacky comedy of Jerry Lewis and the crooner tunes my mother used to play has found me watching an old Matt Helm movie starring Dean on Encore a few days ago and watching Jerry turn into The Nutty Professor trying to impress the lovely Stella Stevens on a local station as well. Newer versions of Jerry’s films tend to run more crass than funny, and remakes of Dean’s movies seem to be stuck at Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen. Both the Shirley Temple selections came to me thanks to the Spanish Fork library.
When it comes to books, too, sometimes only a classic will do. It’s amazing the great stories that are out there, waiting to be read by a whole new generation of readers. As you join me in this column and at Lu Ann's Book Review, I plan to provide a balance between the old and the new. I hope you’ll give both kinds of books a try and maybe by reading something old you’ll discover something new.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment