Lunedi Lunacy

Tuesday night was variety night on television when I was growing up - and chief source of the variety was The Garry Moore Show.  I was never sure what talent Garry Moore himself had other than the ability to be a genial and charming host but he surrounded himself with some of the best and some of the up and coming best in the entertainment business.  Durward Kirby, Marian Lorne (before Aunt Clara), Dorothy Loudon, Jonathan Winters and, of course, Carol Burnett were to become household names and the list of guest stars was the who's who of New York entertainment.

In this little number Broadway stars Julie Andrews and Gwen Verdon join Carol and the Ernie Flatt Dancers (a fixture on both Garry and Carol's shows through the years) in a little jab at the exercise fad that was gripping North America in those days - THOSE DAYS?????

Its dedicated to my friends MJ, Bev, Michael, Esteban and all the other gym rats I know and love.

I gather the Santa Claus outfits have something to do with the fact that this was broadcast at Christmastide 1961 and the JFK reference was in league with the President's Fitness Programme - yep even back in 1961 the obesity thing was a concern.  And that would be Garry Moore himself at the end donating to the cause.

February 3 - 1947: The lowest temperature in North America - -63.9c - is recorded in Snag, Yukon.

Lunedi Lunacy

On my upcoming foray to London I thought that perhaps I would look into tea at one of the posh establishments - The Savoy? The Ritz?  But when looking at the menus I realized that "tea" wasn't meant for people with gluten intolerance. As lovely as those sandwiches, scones and cakes are the wheat content is enough to send the old gluten counter almost as high as the bill. And as I recall the last time I had tea at the Savoy with my darling Deb it was not the treat we expected it to be - though I am wondering if that invitation to let them make amends is still in force or has the statute of limitations taken effect?  Probably not!

However the thought of taking tea reminded me of this wonderful sketch from one of the most unlikely but marvellous pairings in show business in the days when television was more than talentless shows and fax-reality bimbi and bimbe exposing parts of their bodies that had been left covered.

Julie and Carol were perfect foils for each other - their timing was always totally in sync and they brought out the considerable best in each other.

When Julie makes the crack about opportunists avoiding taxes I am thinking there had been some to do about her being a "tax exile" just before this special was recorded. 

And by the way what they are having is not "high tea" but "afternoon tea" - for some reason the "afternoon tea" served to the more affluent between 3 and 5 has become confused by North American establishments with the working class or children's  meal of "high tea" served between 5 and 7.  The former was a "snack" howbeit a rather substantial one, the later being the main evening meal. 

26 November - 1917: The National Hockey League is formed, with the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas as its first teams.