It’s Wednesday, July 27 (the day before I leave for Poland), and in Finland they’re celebrating National Sleepy Head Day—for real. Go read about the festivities, and Finnish readers should weigh in.
On this day in history, Vincent Van Gogh shot himself, dying two day slater (1890). And, in 1981, this momentous event occurred (as reported by Wikipedia): “On Coronation Street, Ken Barlow marries Deirdre Langton, which proves to be a national event scoring massive viewer numbers for the show.” I have no idea what that’s about.
Notables born on this day include Hilaire Belloc (1870) and Norman Lear (1922, still alive). Those who died on this day include William Wyler (1981; see his film “The Best Years of Our Lives”) and Bob Hope (2003). Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is seeing spirits:
A: What are you staring at?Hili: I have the impression that the ghost of Hamlet’s father is on the stairs.
Ja: Czemu się tak przyglądasz?
Hili: Mam wrażenie, że na schodach jest duch ojca Hamleta.
Also, reader “Dr. J.” sent a photo of his cat yawning that threw me for a loop for a minute. But it’s just a big yawn. The staff’s explanation:
Well, perplexing to some people, for some reason. But perhaps a perspicacious cat lover such as you might enjoy and understand it…. Just our cat Bombadil yawning…. The mystery? My wife’s friends are confounded by the mysterious tongue putatively sans lower mandible…. Is it really so baffling?
The answer is YES! But wait! There’s more. . .
Well, she certainly has a cavernous yawn. I speculate that she has some kind of reptilian detachable jaw. Crossbreeding you know. Hey if Noah’s schooner can carry dinosaurs, anything goes….
Indeed, post it if you like! Bombadil the cat. Famous for actually barfing up a hairball during one of Trump’s speeches, and licking the TV during Michelle Obama’s….
My one abiding memory of Deirdre is her spectacle lenses. Probably useful as a Hubble replacement, albeit a refractor.
The glasses were certainly huge in those days. And remember the furore when Deidre was sent to prison? It was even discussed in parliament.
But did you never notice the salmon mousse mould that hung on the kitchen wall? It was the shape of male genitalia and sometimes it was pointing up and sometimes down. I always wondered who was doing the signalling!
I used to be a regular, but haven’t watched the show for about 20 years. However, I still see many of the same characters in the shorts.
I can’t say that I watched it but my mum did and we only had one TV (monochrome) so all knowlege was passively acquired. I do remember episode 1 so I am of the Ena/Minnie/Martha in the snug generation who only remembers Deirdre with Ray and then Ken… we had a pub quiz question concerning her later incarceration which I had no idea about (luckily we had a Corrie watcher on our team).
My mother watched it throughout my childhood so I did passively through the 60s and 70s, and a little in the 80s too simply because there were so few choices on NZ TV in those days. Mum has only stopped watching it because at the moment it’s on at the same time as the rugby – at least she’s got her priorities straight! 🙂
I meant to mention NZ above … I am astonished that Corrie made it all the way down there, more so that people watch it.
I have to admit to having seen the Corrie exterior set, though I was over there to attend a Star Trek exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry (one of the few general museums to have live steam and working engines at the time) and my companion really, really wanted to visit T’street.
It used to be extremely popular here, and still gets very high ratings. We’ve got a lot of ex-pats, and when I was a kid even English history was taught as being our own as if we were almost the same country.
Cat meaowastics – when training to mouth off.
Coronation Street is a very long running, hugely followed soap set in the north of England. The goings are taken to be true by so many viewers that actors sometimes have to give account of themselves in the street! I have never watched it.
It’s the longest running in the world I think.
Can’t remember where I read it, but an interesting and convincing article claimed that Van Gogh did not shoot himself, but was shot, perhaps accidentally, by a teenager with a defective handgun.
A few years ago Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith published a biography of Van Gogh and made a case that somebody else shot him. I’m no Van Gogh historian but I found their arguments at least worth consideration.
Noah’s schooner, good way to put it. Maybe floating forest.
Wyler is the most nominated director in Oscar history with 12 nominations.
My two favorite William Wyler anecdotes.
1) Laurence Olivier was convinced film was an inferior genre to stage until he worked with Wyler on “Wuthering Heights” which essentially converted him to appreciating film in its own right.
2) After “Ben-Hur” revived the previously sleepy market for religious movies, Wyler went around saying “See, it takes Jew to make a really good Jesus movie” (though failing to mention that script was mostly written by the uncredited Gore Vidal who was of course gay.)
My own fave is his might be “Roman Holiday” but I confess to having not seen “Best Years of Our Lives”.