Norm Nathan's Vault of Silliness - Ep 164

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Episode 164 brings us back to Thanksgiving morning, November 20, 493, for a Norm Nathan show that I will call storytime. Not only does our guest tell stories, but so do the callers. It's one I hope you enjoy all throughout this coming week. Norm's guest was uber successful film director Richard Fleischer, son of animation pioneer Max Fleischer. He had written a book called Tell Me when to Cry. Now he's directed such greats as Lawrence Olivier, Rex Harrison, Robert Mitchum, Sylvia Sidney, Orson Wells, Kirk Douglas, many, many others. And he regales us with all those stories from his career in what really is another great interview by Norm. They do take one call from Mark and Newton. Post interview I joined Norm and we talked a little turkey, including the Swell Music Quiz and an upcoming guest, Fred Goss of the Newsletter Association. How about some calls? Fred from Medford. There's a caller with a very familiar voice. I just can't recall the name. He reads a chapter from a story he was writing, and I believe it was titled the Castle. Charlie in Framingham, who keeps interrupting Norm. Gloria sharing grief and maybe a love connection. Danny from Revere, who tells a personal Thanksgiving story. Janet with a sweet call. Joe the Baker plumber with some cooking tips. Robert talking accents. Not that Robert, a different Robert and Joe from Quincy, who also chats about accents. Episode 164 Story Time turns to page one. Now. [00:01:40] Speaker B: In Lost an Here's no I'm really, hi. Hello. I'm really excited about tonight's guest. He's Richard Fleischer, who was a Hollywood director who directed so many movies and so many huge names. I just can hardly wait to talk to him. And we'll do that in just a little bit. Let me check a couple of things. First, in the sports, the Celtics won. They beat Detroit, and the jazz Singer and Dr. Doolittle. And the list just goes on and on and on from the 1940s when he worked for RKO Panthe News, remember the newsreels in movie theaters? Anyway, he talks about a lot of wonderful anecdotes in a book he's just come out with called Just tell me when to Cry, which is an absolute delight. I can't tell you how much of a kick it is for me to talk with you. Richard Fleischer, thank you for coming on with us. [00:02:39] Speaker C: I'm delighted to talk to you, Norm. [00:02:41] Speaker B: Okay. It's very hard for me to imagine directing people, some of the people that you have directed, Orson Wells, for example, or Sir Lawrence Olivier, Rex Harrison. And, I mean, the list just goes absolutely on and on. And on when you first became a director, among the first pictures you made, I know that you worked with the B pictures primarily, and we wanted to do more of a pictures. It's kind of funny because B and a pictures are things that people don't know much about these days. Was that kind of tough for you or intimidating to start working with these huge names? [00:03:24] Speaker C: Well, when I started, I wasn't working with huge names. I was working with hugely unknown names. The B pictures were the smaller budget films without long schedules, without big budgets, and without big stars, without any stars, really. But it was a great training ground. So when I did make my transition into so called a films, I had already had quite a bit of experience in making films. But still, when you step into a situation with very famous stars and you are a relatively unknown director, it's a little nervous making. Certainly. [00:04:16] Speaker B: You started out in newsreels as a title. Now, what was the first title that you had? [00:04:22] Speaker C: Title maker, assistant title writer. [00:04:25] Speaker B: Assistant title writer. Now, what does that mean? [00:04:29] Speaker C: Well, the newsreel was made up of several different short stories. [00:04:36] Speaker B: I remember them so well. [00:04:38] Speaker C: Yeah, not really current, because all of these things happened a few days before you saw it on the screen, not like television or radio is today, but in between the stories, there were titles that tells you what the next story is. It was like headlines in a newspaper, and I wrote some of those. There was a head writer who wrote above me and had to approve of what I was writing, but those were just titles for these stories. And then there were the commentaries that went on explaining what the pictures were that you were seeing, and I wrote some of those, but I ended up being the head writer for the newsreel and writing the commentaries and the titles and all that. [00:05:27] Speaker B: I know the early days of television news copied those same newsreels that you're talking about. They put music behind them. Do you remember that? Of course you do. When the television music and the narration would be very similar and all that, till television finally found its own niche and its own way of presenting the news. It would have been a natural move, I guess, for you to have gone from writing titles to actually writing news or to working in television news. And you didn't do that. You graduated the Yale Drama School. So was it more natural to go on the movies rather than television? [00:06:07] Speaker C: No, the usual progression was to go from theater school or whatever job you had into television. And usually theater people like myself would go into live television doing live drama. But I had an unusual situation because I was discovered by a talent scout for RKO Radio Pictures, who saw my theater work and sought me out after one of these performances and said, young man, how would you like to come to Hollywood and direct movies? [00:06:52] Speaker B: You said, you do not pass go. [00:06:57] Speaker C: So that's how I went to Hollywood, which was kind of real Cinderella story, and I was very lucky. [00:07:04] Speaker B: It really says we're talking back in the time. [00:07:08] Speaker C: Yes. [00:07:08] Speaker B: And where were you from at the time? Where had you grown up? [00:07:15] Speaker C: Well, I grew up mostly in New York City, but I went to prep school, to the Peak School Military Academy, which is Upper New York, and then to Brown University, which is very near Boston. I also took some courses in Boston University, and then I went to Yale. So I was still hanging around New England quite a bit. [00:07:47] Speaker B: So you was very young when you went out to Hollywood? [00:07:50] Speaker C: Yeah, I was the youngest director in Hollywood at that time. I was 27. [00:07:58] Speaker B: Do you recall? And incidentally, your book is just a delight. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. It's called just tell me when to Cry. It says Carolyn Graff. I don't know those names. Let's see. Carolyn Graff. I would guess the book is available just about everywhere. Carolyn Graff published Incorporated New York. But anyway, for anybody who's interested in films or just great anecdotes and stories about movies and the people who make them and the people who star in them and all that kind of stuff, I think would just be totally thrilled by just telling me what to cry, which was a quote from Sylvia Sidney. [00:08:35] Speaker C: Yeah. You want to know how that came about? [00:08:40] Speaker B: Please. [00:08:41] Speaker C: Well, I was trying to impress Sylvia Sidney with what a good director I was. I hadn't worked with her before, and it was our first day working together. So I was giving her lots of deep psychological motivations and going in great depth into her character and the plot and all of that stuff, really laying it on very heavy. [00:09:05] Speaker B: And she was knitting all the time. [00:09:06] Speaker C: She was knitting and not looking at me, but just knitting. And I thought, listening, hoping she was listening. And I was thinking, well, maybe I'm not deep enough for her. Maybe she needs a deeper director or another director, God knows what. So I kept digging away at this, and finally I ran out of steam and I said, well, Miss Sydney, there you are. What do you think? And she stopped knitting finally, and looked up to me with a twinkle in her eye, and she said, well, I'll tell you what, Mr. Fleischer. When we get on the stage, if you need tears, all you have to do is just tell me when to cry. It was as simple as. So, of course, it worked that way. She was marvelous. And I would turn to her and I'd say, sylvia, cry. And she burst into tears. So I didn't need all of that. [00:10:03] Speaker B: Method approach, the crying part. And I've forgotten who this applies to, but you write about somebody, you felt that there was one scene where if there was some crying in there, that would have really been kind of nice, but a person could not cry. I'm trying to think of what that was. [00:10:23] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Well, that was not crying, but aNger. I think you're thinking of the Neil diamond anecdote, I think. [00:10:32] Speaker B: Well, I don't think I was, but I'd like to hear that one anyway. [00:10:36] Speaker C: Well, I was doing a scene with Neil diamond and, you know, Neil diamond in the jazz Singer, and Neil had never acted in his life, and he was quite, I thought, quite remarkable in the picture. But I was doing a scene with him where he needed a great deal of anger and he wasn't giving it to me. He couldn't seem to get revved up enough to give me real anger. And his band was part of that scene. They were there. So he turned to the band and said something to them, and they started to play, and it sent Neil diamond into an absolute frenzy. He went completely berserk, and he started picking up instruments and throwing them. And he knocked over the music stands and the microphone. So I grabbed him quick and put him in front of the camera and rolled it and told him, action. Go ahead. And he did the scene and had all the anger I wanted. And finally, when we finished the scene, I cut it. I went up to him and I said, what happened, Neil? What did this to you? He said, well, I told my band to play something that would make me angry. I said, well, what happened? What did they play? He said, they played a Barry Manalo. I turned him on. [00:12:01] Speaker B: That was a lovely story. I really just got such a kick out of it. You've seen fits of temper, certainly by other performers as well. Robert Mitchum, you were mentioning while you were doing his. While you were doing redoing the ending of his kind of woman with the Howard Hughes Company. [00:12:19] Speaker C: Yes. [00:12:20] Speaker B: And there was one time when he went totally berserk. Apparently, he hit the bottle fairly often each night. [00:12:27] Speaker C: Yes, well, he had reason to because the picture was driving him nuts. He'd been on the film a year and had done parts of it over and over and over again. And I got him at the end of this long time. And the part that I did with him lasted several months. And we did that over three times for Howard Hughes. So naturally, Bob was taking some comfort in little glasses of vodka stashed around the stage. But we did have a run in one day, actually, it was the next of the last day of shooting, unfortunately, and he went completely bananas and smashed up the set, broke every light, put his foot through the walls and the doors and the windows went out. And that's what happened with Bob. I thought I would be the next thing to be demolished. He spared me. [00:13:33] Speaker B: Most of us have no idea about how you direct a movie or how could you go through the steps of it. From the time you see a script, deciding whether or not you want to actually direct that. And I know sometimes you're kind of forced into. Are you very often forced into directing things from scripts that you don't care about? [00:13:51] Speaker C: It depends on how financially stable you are. [00:13:54] Speaker B: Well, I guess that's true. Most any business to do with it, believe me. Okay. From the time then you get a script and you say, hey, I'm going to direct this and all that kind of stuff. What are the steps that happen at that point? [00:14:08] Speaker C: Well, this is a long story. [00:14:11] Speaker B: I know it. But I'm going to be on the air for millions of hours, and I'd love to hear that, because I've never had a chance to talk to a real successful director ever before. [00:14:22] Speaker C: Well, the first thing you do is you get a staff together that's going to make the picture. Production manager and a production designer, those are your key people, and you start breaking down the script, or if it is a script, sometimes you get a book and you have to turn it into a script. That's a much longer process. But going from the place where you suggested you get those people, you break it down and decide how you're going to make the picture, whether you're going to make it in a studio or on location or part of each. And then you have to draw up a budget for the film and the shooting schedule. And those are the things you have to live with later on, months and months later. The things you decide early on you have to live with later on. And then that has to get approved by the producer, and you make all kinds of adjustments and compromises when you do that in order to get the picture made, usually you come in, it's too expensive or the schedule is too long or whatever, and we lay out a story board and shooting board, and then you start casting and you see everybody that's humanly possible that might play some of those roles or all of the roles. You just keep going with that and eventually the day comes when you have to start shooting. By that time, you've selected a crew, a cameraman, costume designer, everything. There's hundreds of people that you have to work with and guide and make thousands and thousands of critical decisions all the time. And that's pretty much a very broad outline of what you go through. There's thousands of details I couldn't possibly go into with you now. [00:16:31] Speaker B: No, that would require at least one volume and maybe a whole set of volumes. But I noticed when I'm watching credits now, you watch the credits of movies and they include everybody, including the people who are catering the insurance companies and a whole bunch of stuff. What has brought this on? I can't imagine anybody who's watching a film really caring. Do you get a rake off from the caterer if he gets his name on the screen, or why is that done? [00:17:00] Speaker C: Well, I really don't know. And I feel as you do, I'm very much against the broadcast giving of credit. Everybody, a friend of the producer and a pal of the guy that sweeps the stage, they all get credit. And so many people have to work so hard and for so many years to get a deserved credit. I don't think these other people's contribution to what you see on the screen is significant enough. But there it is. A lot of it comes from the guilds and the unions who have made demands that their members who work on the picture have to get screen credit. It was some part of a bargaining process from years back. I don't know why that is, and I don't approve of it. [00:17:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I can understand that for the gaffer and the electrician or the people who have some technical interest. But when I see the cater and the insurance companies and all these other things. Anyway, that's a whole other thing. And also, the opening of movies usually presents about 9000 names. It says Sidney Lepkowitz in association with Ferenca Poopoo. And it goes on and on. Why are there so many names at that point? [00:18:24] Speaker C: That's vanity. [00:18:26] Speaker B: Okay, vanity. [00:18:29] Speaker C: I don't know. People want to see their names on the screen. They want to get credit. I don't know why. But when they make a deal with a producer or with a studio or whoever is making the picture, they say, fine, we'll make the deal, but I want a credit on the screen. And some of those credits really are meaningless. I've made pictures that have producers having credit on the film. And they're people I never met and never heard of until I saw the names on the screen. So it's all a vanity thing, and somehow they get a hook in it, these people, and say, I'll give you this that you want so badly, but you have to give me a screen credit. [00:19:17] Speaker B: Now you're speaking of screen credits, you have done so many movies. You must be way up there with the number of movies you have directed. There can't be too many other people who directed the number that you have. And certainly I wondered if anybody's even directed more. It doesn't seem possible. [00:19:37] Speaker C: Well, historically, yes, directors have made more, but not many. I've made 47 feature films. So that's a lot of movies, especially. [00:19:49] Speaker B: When you consider the steps that you were talking about going from the very beginning, maybe even before the script stages. You're just getting a book or something like that you want to make into a film, then getting the writers and all of that. And yet you've kept busy for 45 years or more. [00:20:08] Speaker C: I started 50 years ago. [00:20:11] Speaker B: Isn't that something? Do you keep your films at home? Do you have videotapes of the stuff you've done? Have you ever watched them? [00:20:18] Speaker C: Well, I have videotapes of all but about three. I just can't locate those. And no, I don't watch them because I don't like watching the videotapes. The picture is not as good as the film. And also, most of my pictures were made on widescreen, which you cannot get on videotape right at this moment. I think we'll have it in the near future. [00:20:49] Speaker B: Yeah, they sort of cut off the corners and it's not the whole. [00:20:57] Speaker C: Really, there's a third of the picture missing. So I get very upset when I see that. So I don't run. [00:21:04] Speaker B: I just wonder if you do happen to watch a film of yours, whether you think, well, if I were to do this now, I would not quite do it that way. Do you kind of redirect it? [00:21:16] Speaker C: No, I don't really feel that way because I'm usually surprised at how good the picture is. I usually have a much worse memory of the film than it actually is. I look at a lot of my films. Sometimes I can't help but see them or I have to see them at a festival or something like that. And I'm always surprised at how well they hold up and how good they look. And mostly I wouldn't change the films that I've made. [00:21:51] Speaker B: What I would like, if this is okay with you, Richard Fleischer, because I want to talk about your father and about people that you have dealt with and all kinds of questions I'd love to ask you if you can stick around for a little bit. We have news coming up, and then could we talk some more after that? Would that be okay with you? [00:22:07] Speaker C: I'd be delighted. [00:22:08] Speaker B: Oh, I'm pleased. [00:22:09] Speaker C: Great. [00:22:09] Speaker B: The book is called Just Tell me when to Cry memoir by Richard Fleischer, who's done just some outstanding things. And we'll talk more about that right after we check the news and see what else is going on in this troubled world of ours. Anyway, we're coming up to 1230 News. Retired now, Mr. Fleischer. [00:22:28] Speaker C: No, I am not. I'm happy to say I'm developing a couple of projects, and I'm also producing an animated feature film based on my father's creation, Betty Boop. [00:22:47] Speaker B: Oh, that's interesting. Let's talk about your father, Max Fleischer, because I remember back was. It was back in the 30s. Yeah. Because your father's nemesis, Walt Disney, came out with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. What, 1938 or 36? Was it somewhere in the 30s? Yeah, late thirty s. And your father had Gulliver's travels, and your father had done quite a lot along the animation line, including a rotoscope, was that called it to keep, so that the cartoons would not just flop all over the screen in a kind of irregular kind of way, but their action would be smooth. [00:23:26] Speaker C: Right? [00:23:27] Speaker B: Yes. Would you tell us about your father, Max Fleischer? [00:23:30] Speaker C: Yes. He was a pioneer in animation. His career started by 1912, and. [00:23:45] Speaker D: He. [00:23:45] Speaker C: Did invent the Rotoscope, which changed animation completely because up to that time, it was a very jerky motion to the cartoons. And he took a year and developing this machine called a rotoscope, which gave cartoons very lifelike, human smooth action, and they changed the look of cartoons. He started with a series called out of the Inkwell with Coco the Clown, and it was of great novelty because of the rotoscope. He developed a system where live action could be combined with cartoons, with animation. So his first series in 1914 was out of the inkwell with live action and cartoons combined. And nobody could use that for many, many years because he held the patents on that. [00:24:46] Speaker B: That's interesting because, of course, later on, Walt Disney did that with what? Song of the South. I don't know what that was the first one he did that. [00:24:53] Speaker C: Yeah, that's when my father's patents ran out and Walt used that. And a lot of people gave him the credit for developing this magical process. And Walt never really took any trouble. [00:25:08] Speaker B: To deny that, which drove your father crazy. I know he was not happy about that, his feeling toward Walt Disney. I know we're very angry, and I can well understand how he feels. Here's a guy who labored by himself and did all these great things, and this other Ginkhead comes along and takes credit for everything. Maybe Ginkhead is a little too strong. [00:25:31] Speaker C: I think that's a little strong because Walt was a, you know, my father developed, created Betty Boop, and then he also brought Popeye the sailor to the screen, and he invented the bouncing ball, cartoons and the sing along things. He was quite a great inventor and artist and had tremendous success with his films. But he's always in competition with Walt Disney. They are very bitter competitors. [00:26:04] Speaker B: Now, what year did your father die? [00:26:09] Speaker C: Well, let's see. I think it was about 1978. [00:26:13] Speaker B: The reason I was wondering is whether he had lived long enough to see the latest animated mixed with live action film. I always forget the name of that thing where the rabbit is in the title. [00:26:26] Speaker C: Who framed Roger Rabbit? [00:26:28] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I wonder what he would have thought of that. It seemed to me that was about, as I was going to say, it's about as far as you could go with that. But every time you say that, somebody comes up with something that goes just a little bit farther. [00:26:42] Speaker C: That's true. [00:26:42] Speaker B: Now, tell me about your tribute then with Betty Boop to your father. You said you were working on an animated thing with Betty Boop. [00:26:52] Speaker C: Now I see. Yes, we're making a feature film, animated feature film with. Starring Betty Boo. But it's all animation. It's not mixed live action and animation that will be developed and released, we hope, in about two years. [00:27:17] Speaker B: I look forward to that. That's one of the first cartoon characters I can remember. And the song was that I want to be loved by you. Was there a relationship between I want to be loved by you or just you and nobody else will do? Or maybe, I guess that was just borrowed from the Betty Boop character and worked into the song. [00:27:37] Speaker C: Well, not really, because that song, when it was first sung, was sung with a lot of boop boop a duping in it. But Betty Boop actually never sang that song yet. It's always related to that character. And in our film, she's actually going to sing that. It's, Betty Boop was the first and the only sexy female cartoon character. [00:28:10] Speaker B: Yeah, that's true. I have a guy on the line from Newton, a man named Mark, who I'm told is a big fan of yours, either yours or your father says, big fan of Fleischer. Would you mind talking with him? [00:28:24] Speaker C: I'd be delighted. [00:28:25] Speaker B: Okay, Mark, you're on WBZ. Hi. [00:28:27] Speaker C: I knew him. Another great guest as usual. [00:28:30] Speaker B: Thank you very much. [00:28:31] Speaker C: Mr. Fleischer, I just wanted to mention to you that the other night my seven year old daughter and I were watching a videotape of a cartoon of your father's made about 40, 50 years ago called play safe. And it was about a little boy that dreams that he is conducting a train. And it used the rotoscope process. The trains look so real. Do you know, even after 50 years later, this cartoon reached across the screen and just enthralled my daughter. Well, that's wonderful. I'm really happy to hear that. And then my twelve year old and I really enjoyed watching also on TV, which I agree with you, this is not the place to see them, but we just love 20,000 leaks under the sea. Well, thank you very much. I just wanted to convey to you, Mr. Fleischer, that the hours of enjoyments that you and your whole family have given us, and I really appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Listen, sure. More than welcome. I'm very flattered that you've said that. And I take a great deal of pleasure in hearing that our work has pleased some of the public. [00:29:44] Speaker B: I'm sorry I clipped the mic off a little too soon, but I'm sure there are a whole lot of people who would like to be saying that. But could I throw some names at you and you tell me what your impressions were? These are people that you have worked with through the years. [00:30:00] Speaker C: Yeah, sure. [00:30:01] Speaker B: For example, okay. Well, Robert Mitchum, you had mentioned the fact that he went on a rampage at one point when you had been called in to kind of clean up the ending to his kind of woman. Generally that happened only when he was drinking. The rest of the time was he a fairly decent guy. [00:30:22] Speaker C: Oh, he is terrific and is terrific. He's a wonderful guy and a tremendously underrated actor. He's a much, much better actor than he's ever been given credit for. And he knows his craft very well and he's a pleasure to work with. Lots of fun. [00:30:42] Speaker B: Now, Kirk Douglas, some of the things you wrote about him did not seem terribly flattering. [00:30:50] Speaker C: Well, he's a very difficult actor to work with and he's got a lot of difficult problems. He has a tremendous ego, and that ego has to be stroked and fed a lot. And I found when I first started to work with him that he had great difficulty in getting comfortable in a scene. And we would keep playing around with it because he would say, I can't do the scene because I don't feel comfortable. Well, feeling comfortable is making actors feel comfortable is really a director's primary job. And finally, I would keep staging things around and finally say, oh, yeah, that's fine. I feel comfortable with that. Let's do it. And I was never sure what magic I had wrought that would make him suddenly feel that comfortable. And I finally figured it out, and I found that if I staged the scene where Kurt was in the center facing the camera and all the other actors had their backs to the camera, he felt very comfortable. So that was the thing called upstaging. [00:32:05] Speaker B: Upstaging, that's right. Orson Wells. Tell us about him, if you would, because you did two films with him. [00:32:14] Speaker C: Yeah, I did two films with, you know, it's difficult enough for a director working with a acknowledged great actor because you never know whether you're up to his talent. But when you also work with a great actor who is also a great director, you've really got to be very careful because it's a challenge. And it was a real challenge working with Orson. But we got along extremely well. We became very good friends. And in the films I made with him, I was the director, he was the actor, and we got along. There was just one incident with him in compulsion where I knew that he was jealous of my directing the picture because he had been denied the privilege of directing by studios and producers because he was so profligate with time and money. They had no concept of what those things were. So finally, they really stopped Orson from directing and let him act because then he didn't have control of the budget the way a director does. [00:33:33] Speaker B: And you pointed out that his first movie, the one based on William Randolph first was Citizen Kane, was such a masterpiece. And he was so young at that time that. Where do you go from that point? That maybe he had peaked too early because he had a lot of legal problems? I know later on in life, there were a couple of things I remember about him here. There was a theater in Cambridge called the Orson Wells Theater. And he came in one night, sat on the stage and answered questions from people who were very disappointed because he stayed about 3 seconds, took off and hardly answered the questions. And one other thing, there was a bootleg commercial tape. Remember, he went through one period where he was doing a lot of voiceovers, commercial things. This was some peas or something, canned peas. I forget what the product was, but you can hear the dialogue between Orson Wells in the studio and on the talkback, the producer, who was an English producer, I guess, doing these films. And Orson is just. He's letting loose on this guy some fierce. No human being would read this, say this in this manner. You must be a knitwit. And apparently you came across that kind of conduct. You write about that in your book where he was it, assistant something, director or something he goes after. [00:34:53] Speaker C: No, it was our publicity man. [00:34:58] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Okay. [00:34:59] Speaker C: And, boy, he really lit into him up and down and sideways and tore him apart. And then, you see, we were rehearsing a scene. He was doing a scene with Diane Varsi in the courtroom in rehearsal when he caught sight of this guy coming on the stage. And he turned in the middle of the rehearsal and turned on this guy and really savaged him with words and insulted him and made this poor guy actually cry. And right in the middle of this tirade, he turned around and picked up the scene where he left off without losing a moment, without missing a word or a beat. It took us all by surprise that he suddenly turned into this other thing. So obviously what he was doing was giving us a performance. He was showing off. And it was very effective, I must say, very theatrical. [00:35:58] Speaker B: Before I let you go, I got to ask you one other story that you talked about. You never did direct John Wayne. I know, mainly because you had problems with the script. And you mentioned the fact John Wayne was kind of, even though he was friendly with you after that, kind of gave it to you, in a sense, some kind of a revenge tactic afterwards, if you could mention that. Also the scene at the beginning, you're talking about him being in a movie which is being held up in any way. If you could tell that that's suitable for radio, that's such a great story. I couldn't believe it when I was reading that. [00:36:38] Speaker C: Well, it's absolutely true, actually, it was the first time I ever went on a movie set in Hollywood, and I was very impressed with the glamour of it all. And it was a John Wayne movie that they were making at RKO, but it was about 10:00 in the morning, and they hadn't shot anything. By that time, they were all waiting for John Wayne. And I was with a producer, my boss, actually, and he asked the production manager, what's holding up production here? And they said, well, John Wayne hasn't had a bowel movement. That was my introduction. The glamour of Hollywood. [00:37:26] Speaker B: Apparently, he didn't do this at home. He had to come on the set and he would go to whatever thing was he going to. The trailer, his office there, whatever. And he wasn't really ready to film until he had that bowel movement. [00:37:42] Speaker C: He couldn't, I guess. I don't know. But, you see, to me, it was a demonstration of power. That's an enormous power when you can hold up a production for hours. A very expensive production for hours by Peristaltis alone. [00:38:03] Speaker B: I thought that was such a lovely story. And the other thing now is at that time, you're talking about a script which you did not like. It never seemed to be finished. That was it. They were working on a script, and they got to a certain point and didn't go anywhere at that point. And so you kind of called yourself out of it. And Wayne seemed to never forgive you for that. Or maybe, am I exaggerating a. [00:38:28] Speaker C: No, no, you're not exaggerating at all. He never forgave me, and I had never met John Wayne. But when I refused to do the picture. And I met him finally, quite by accident, in Spain, where we were both making films. And that was years later, mind you. And we were introduced. I certainly knew who he was, but I couldn't imagine that he would know who I was. And he gave no indication of that until we sat down at dinner. And as we sat down, he turned to me and he said, so you're the fellow that didn't want to make that movie with me. Really shocked me. I know. [00:39:15] Speaker B: Up to that point, you figure that he hadn't even remembered that. [00:39:18] Speaker C: Yeah, it was just a face in the crowd. How could he remember me? He'd never seen me. I had seen him, but he had never seen me. And why would he remember my name after thousands of people he'd met and worked with? But I had a reply to him. I said, I'm the fella that didn't want to make a bad John Wayne movie. And he thought that was very funny. And he said, you're right. I shouldn't have made that picture. And we became, I thought, very good friends after that, we had dinner several times. [00:39:51] Speaker B: Now, what was the name of that movie? [00:39:54] Speaker C: North to Alaska. North to Alaska that runs on TV all the time. I have never looked at it. I have a block. [00:40:01] Speaker B: Hey, listen, I want to thank you an awful lot. There's so much more to talk about, but I won't keep you any longer. Stanley Kramer and the Xanax and Dino de Lorettas. You have some fascinating stories about all of these people and many, many more. And the book is a great joy. Richard Fleischer, anybody who goes to the movies or cares at all about that, about the entertainment world, I think, would be excited by. Just tell me when to cry. Thanks. Thank you very much. Good luck on the Betty boop. [00:40:32] Speaker C: Well, thank you, Norman. I really appreciate speaking with you. [00:40:35] Speaker B: I hope we can do this again soon because I got 8 million other questions I never got to. [00:40:39] Speaker C: Well, please call me. I'll be delighted to talk to you anytime. [00:40:43] Speaker B: Wonderful. Thank you. Have a good holiday. [00:40:45] Speaker C: Thank you. You too. [00:40:46] Speaker B: Bye bye. Yes, it is. I'm going to my grandfather's. Well, he's a lovely old man, probably about my age, and so I don't want to know. What is he, about 80? Yeah, the 80 year old Sadie. That's right. He's just 80. Yeah. And that's really nice if that. This is the kind of holiday where families should get together. My aunt and I believe my mother's going to help the cooking. But if not my aunt. Is your mother a good cook? Yes, my mother's a good cook. Yeah. Okay. I don't eat a lot of things. She does cook, but that doesn't mean she's not a good cook. Other people eat them. You have a very select kind of appetite. Imagine you're kind of a pain in the butt. Probably pasta and vegetables. That's about all I eat. What is pasta and vegetables? Yeah, that's all right. That's all healthful stuff. That's true. Yeah. Well, anyway, our phone has two. 5410 30. Why am I saying that? Why am I giving it? They just want to hear you tell them to have happy Thanksgiving. Yes, they're going to hang up on. I enjoyed that. Richard Fleischer. We should have probably talked to him for another hour or two, but I hate to impose upon these guys. But he's interesting. He's the man who directed the Vikings. He did 20,000 leagues under the Sea. We're talking about the competition. His father, Max Fleischer, was an animator had with Walt Disney. 20,000 leagues under the Sea was produced by Walt Disney. So there was Max Fleischer's bitter enemy hiring his son to do a very important movie that got some great ratings credible. As I was reading the book, I was looking up in one of these movie know, they tell you the movies that are on television, how they rate them, and plots. So many of his movies rate very high. Three and a half, four stars, the whole thing. And yet I don't think I'd really heard of him. Richard fly a little bit on the name. I think when you mentioned Matt's Fly Show. I've seen the name on cartoons. I spend most of my days eating pasta and vegetables and watching cartoons. Watching cartoons? I know, because you were young at heart and fancy free and a bubble head. Well, keep the book. We'll have him on again. Why not? Yes, we will. No, I asked him. He said he would come back again. That'd be very nice. So he must have enjoyed your interviewing skills. He probably did. They all do. They all say, boy, what am I going to go at some little Dink Boston Station? And then they realize how different that is. You're the king of the knife. King of. Either that or he felt really bad for you. Yeah. Anyway, tonight you'll be on with us for the swell music quiz. That's good. Okay, we'll do that. That's this coming night at 11:00. Thanksgiving night. Eleven. Friday night at midnight. We will have Fred Goss, who publishes a thing called the Newsletter Association. And what that is is it's a newsletter association publication. There are tons of newsletters about every subject you can think of. And he wraps it all up with that because we get a publication. Also, there's a publication on museums, all odd kinds of museums. And that comes out quite often. I haven't seen that for a while. But, no, I haven't either. I don't know what happened to that. Maybe it doesn't exist that we got a few. We did? Yeah. We call several museums. There are some small museums that people have not heard of generally. That specialize in all kinds of offbeat kinds of stuff. We put them out of business. They scratch off the mailing list. Yeah, like a ketchup bottle museum. Sure, I made that up. But there are some that are that specialized. I think you may have something there. If there is, there's a market for everything. Have you figured that out? If you watch late night TV and every infomercial possible and every item, it's available. Don't get me started. Don't get me started with Mike Levitt. Mike Levy. Yeah. I think this guy needs some help psychologically. I think there's something wrong. I'm saying that he's probably making a new one in so long. Everything I keep seeing with him on it was produced, like, last year. You mean the computer can do all that? Wow. Jeez. [00:44:57] Speaker C: Wow. [00:44:59] Speaker B: That's Mike Lee? Very. Does it sound like him? I would like to see you on an informal. What could you sell? Anything? [00:45:05] Speaker E: Think so? [00:45:06] Speaker B: Anything. Particularly sex. I made that up. I'd like to see you selling naughty 90s. Listen. Go away. Happy Thanksgiving. Hey, happy Thanksgiving. We'll see it tonight. 11:00. Yes. Thanksgiving night. Eleven. [00:45:24] Speaker C: Thanksgiving dinner, when you're eating it that you get the chance to have. What is it? Another cup of coffee and another piece of pie. [00:45:33] Speaker B: Oh, let's have another cup of coffee. That's right, Anne. Let's have another piece of pie. Just around the corner there's a rainbow in the sky. That was one of the Depression year things which probably would fit now for many families. There's a rainbow in the sky so let's have another cup of coffee and let's have another piece of pie the. [00:45:52] Speaker C: Best things in life are free. [00:45:53] Speaker B: The best things in life are free was another song, and there was also a song from the Depression. Brother, can you spare a dime? Which was not quite so happy as the others. That was a rough song. Once I built a railroad and built a building a skyscraper and now they're all done and so, brother, can you spare a dime? Such a tough song. That was a tough one. [00:46:16] Speaker C: I think economically we're getting a little better day by day. [00:46:19] Speaker B: Oh, well, we're not anywhere near as bad as we were back in the Great Depression days. No, that was unbelievably awful. [00:46:25] Speaker C: Yeah. I hate to tell you, but I missed the birthday game last night. [00:46:32] Speaker B: I thought you taped and collected every single one in your treasure trove. [00:46:36] Speaker C: I have many. But can I ask you, did Jack Hart win again? [00:46:41] Speaker B: No, he didn't. As a matter of fact, he didn't even do well. I think Mike Epstein, who was our producer yesterday, he won. I don't think he's won before. I think that was the first thing. So there were all kinds of upsets and you missed them all poor. [00:47:00] Speaker F: Yes. [00:47:01] Speaker C: But I've heard reference on a few of the birthday games of recent to someone by the name of Peter Casey. Is that an insider joke? [00:47:09] Speaker B: I suppose it is. Peter Casey is the assistant program director here at WBZ, a very nice young man who I work with at another radio station. He was just hired here not too long ago. He's a nice man and competent and quite good. And he's fun. And he also hires and is in charge of the producers. And so since we deal with the producers here a lot and we had two of them on the game yesterday, we kid about Peter Casey a lot, but we like him. We look upon him with great affection. [00:47:38] Speaker C: I noticed you have a whole variety of producers now. It's not just like having in the past where you just had Tony. What kind of background does the average producer. [00:47:49] Speaker B: Have to have the average producer in order to make it here at WBC, first of all, you have to be a chief executive officer at a major corporation. [00:47:57] Speaker C: I knew I wouldn't get. [00:47:58] Speaker B: Yeah, you have to get several medals of Honor and that kind of stuff. Also, you have had to held a high political elective post, perhaps mayor of a large city, some sort of number of things. No, I guess you have to look like you know what you're doing and tell you there's a training period, obviously, but you have to have a bright glint in your eye and you have to be able to work for practically nothing and give up the best hours of your life. No, they're sharp people. We have some good producers here. I'm very proud of them. Oh, yeah, they are paid, of course. They're paid lavishly. You know, Westinghouse, I was just making jokes there. This is a high paying glamour field. This whole broadcasting thing. We all get big, big bucks. [00:48:45] Speaker C: Yeah. Plus, on the side, you all take apart alarm clocks and put them back together to make helicopters so you can fly over the Atlantic Ocean and make money growing mushrooms in your basement and stuff. [00:48:57] Speaker B: Fred, I'm trying to be serious with you. And you're making sport. [00:49:00] Speaker C: You're trying to be serious. [00:49:02] Speaker B: I thought I was. Maybe not. Anyway, let me wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. [00:49:07] Speaker C: Can I be on the game tonight? [00:49:09] Speaker B: Can you be on the game? I bet maybe you can if you're not boring. You promise not to be boring? I'm going to turn you over to Mr. Evan. [00:49:17] Speaker E: And they had a man with a hatchet. He was chasing after a gobbler, and it was his kids on the fence all with their thumbs down. [00:49:30] Speaker B: Okay, I somehow missed that cartoon, but the way you recreated it brought it to life. [00:49:37] Speaker E: Anyway, I think it has to be visualized. [00:49:42] Speaker B: Something you have to be there, I think, is the way people phrase it. [00:49:45] Speaker E: Yeah. Well, I wonder if I can tell you another chapter on the castle. [00:49:50] Speaker B: A chapter on the castle that would indicate that you already told us one chapter on the castle, and I don't remember that. So if you could recap several chapters. I told you on the castle. What is the castle? [00:50:07] Speaker E: I'll recap the whole thing about 30 seconds as well. [00:50:12] Speaker B: Okay. If you would just move your mouth a little more open and stuff. Sometimes a little hard to understand you. [00:50:18] Speaker E: I'm sorry. [00:50:19] Speaker B: I have a feeling you have what we used to call in broadcasting school a lazy lip. [00:50:24] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:50:25] Speaker B: You kind of talk like this and you're hardly moving more. So sometimes it's hard to follow what you're saying. [00:50:31] Speaker E: Okay, I'll try. [00:50:32] Speaker B: Okay. [00:50:32] Speaker E: How is it now? [00:50:34] Speaker B: Same as it was before. Exactly the same. See? Speak clearly and move your mouth to the point where it's embarrassing to whoever you're talking with face to face. [00:50:46] Speaker E: Okay. [00:50:46] Speaker B: So that they're looking at you and saying, boy, look at that mouth. [00:50:49] Speaker E: Just go, wow, there are allocation lessons he can do. One is how now, Bronco. [00:50:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:50:57] Speaker E: Or meow me. [00:50:59] Speaker B: Yeah, or I'll weather the weather. Whatever. The weather, whether I like it or not, was a big one. And there's also old man Kelly has a pimple on his belly. His wife cut it off and made it into jelly. I think that's what we used to jump rope to. [00:51:17] Speaker E: I hope that isn't the last thing I remember before I go into the next world. [00:51:21] Speaker B: Okay, just move your mouth. Just open it and close it really nice. And tell us recap the story you were telling about the castle. [00:51:28] Speaker E: Well, you see, this man fell in love. He was taking a trip across the Atlantic Ocean, and he met a woman. He fell in love, and they had an affair, and they landed in Europe. And she said she was going to be gone for just a little while. And he went off to a castle. And he's sitting in this castle for 30 years, waiting. And he made a picture of her, a painting above the heath. And he's sitting there with a cup, a chip cup. He's in tweeds. And there's a hunchback playing the organ, playing Bach on the organ. And after 30 years, she shows up and she goes, has it been long? He goes, it was just a little while. But then he notices the guy with her, and they rip off their clothes, and they make wild love on the carpet in front of him. And he's in shock, and he throws them out and he loses his mind. And he's sitting on the heath going, she'll be here in just a little while. She'll be here. And months go by. And finally this woman comes, and she's a new housekeeper. And he notices a resemblance between her and the painting. And after a while, she tells him that she's his daughter that was conceived aboard the ship. And she rips down the curtains like great expectation. And all the dust falls to the ground, and she takes them out into the garden, which she has restored. And she gives him sunglasses to protect his eyes. He's not used to the sun. And they sit there. But all is not bliss, for she knows the father is dying of cancer and only has a couple of months left. To live. That's as far as I've gotten. [00:53:30] Speaker B: I thought this was going to be a joke. Obviously, this is no joke at all. [00:53:34] Speaker C: No. [00:53:35] Speaker B: What is this? What was the shoot telling us? I lost total track of the whole thing. I was geared for humor. [00:53:41] Speaker E: I'm sorry. [00:53:42] Speaker B: No, this is a story that you're writing. [00:53:44] Speaker E: Yes. It's something I've been writing. I write it in chapters, and I've been telling you the chapters over the past. [00:53:50] Speaker B: Oh, I see. So this is a summation of the two of the chapters. [00:53:53] Speaker E: Yes. I'm just reeling it off from the top of my head. [00:53:58] Speaker B: I see. Okay. So one day we'll get a chance to see it in full detail. Probably in book form, maybe. Or just maybe off the Xerox machine. [00:54:10] Speaker E: But actually, I have no talent. [00:54:12] Speaker B: I see. Well, I wish it said that back at the beginning. We could have skipped this whole segment here. Hey, may I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving, big guy. [00:54:22] Speaker E: Okay, you, too. [00:54:23] Speaker B: Okay. Take care of yourself. Let's see. I think another call will go to Charlie, who's out in Framingham. Hi, Charlie. [00:54:30] Speaker C: Happy birthday. Thanksgiving. I went tonight to the first town, to a temple. Temple Baptist Ecumenical Service in Framingham. [00:54:37] Speaker B: Yeah. That's nice. [00:54:38] Speaker C: I know somebody's missed your wife. And I knew her and your wife and Jack Kennedy. I met Jack Kennedy twice. [00:54:43] Speaker B: Son of a gun. You already gotten around, big guy. [00:54:45] Speaker C: Yeah. And guess what? I'm going to run for House authority School Committee. Town meeting. Selectman first time. [00:54:50] Speaker B: Brian, you're going to do all of those things? Yeah. Going to run for three. [00:54:53] Speaker C: Four officers. No, four. [00:54:55] Speaker B: You're running for four. Meeting. [00:54:56] Speaker C: House and Authority school committee. Selectman. Republican. [00:54:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Don't think you can be a select man and a school committee person at the same time. I don't believe so. Well, I don't know. [00:55:04] Speaker C: They give me the papers. [00:55:05] Speaker B: They give me what? [00:55:06] Speaker C: They gave me the papers around. [00:55:08] Speaker B: Well, I know that, but I think then when you file, then comes the legal challenges. [00:55:12] Speaker C: What about town meetings? What about two officers? [00:55:15] Speaker B: Well, I don't know. [00:55:17] Speaker C: Aren't you a moderator? [00:55:18] Speaker B: Yes, I am. [00:55:20] Speaker C: Can I run a moderator? [00:55:21] Speaker B: You? [00:55:21] Speaker C: Town meeting or just one? [00:55:23] Speaker B: No. How can he be a town meeting member and a moderator? [00:55:26] Speaker C: Well, the moderator, Binmingham. He's a town meeting member, I think. [00:55:31] Speaker B: No, he's not. No. A town meeting member. No. Also, I live in a small town. We don't have town meeting members. Anybody in the town who's a registered voter in our town can vote. And how can you sit there debating things if you're also the moderator. That doesn't make. Good point. Good point. [00:55:49] Speaker C: In other words, this force of Democrats running for threaten. I want to run Republican. [00:55:54] Speaker B: No, wait a minute. Wait a minute. In Framingham, you run as a Republican, a Democrat, for these offices. That's crazy. No, it isn't. You know why? [00:56:01] Speaker C: We have nonpartisan. [00:56:05] Speaker B: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Hold on a minute. [00:56:08] Speaker F: Sorry. [00:56:09] Speaker B: If it's nonpartisan. Wait a minute. Let me ask the question. Okay. Can you hold back just little bit? Yeah, just hold back. That's it. Just sit down, relax. Close your mouth a little bit. If you're running as a nonpartisan election, how can you talk Republican or Democrat? [00:56:24] Speaker C: I'll tell you, you don't fault. Used to be the primary. Democrat, Republican. [00:56:28] Speaker B: They changed it. [00:56:29] Speaker C: See the primary, you can run either way. You follow me? Used to be like, say, the state of. [00:56:35] Speaker B: If it's nonpartisan, why would you vote? Oh, I can't stand talking with him. Jim Brown of Grand Prairie, Texas, is telling us about his itchy chafing problem. There was itching. I'm doing okay. How are you doing? [00:56:50] Speaker D: I'm well. Been a long tent waiting to talk to you. [00:56:55] Speaker B: Well, I'm glad you hung in there, and I appreciate you, and I apologize for the long Wait. [00:57:00] Speaker D: That's not your fault. [00:57:02] Speaker B: Okay. Thank you. What can I do for you, Gloria? [00:57:06] Speaker D: I just wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. [00:57:08] Speaker B: Well, I wish you the same. You got a big day planned? [00:57:13] Speaker D: Met some Mets. [00:57:15] Speaker B: Yeah. Not to kind of come see. Come say. Yeah. You're going to spend it with your family. [00:57:21] Speaker D: I tattooed a few weeks ago. My husband died about the same time as your wife did. [00:57:27] Speaker B: He died a couple of years ago? [00:57:28] Speaker D: Yeah, he did. [00:57:29] Speaker B: Around this time of the year? [00:57:31] Speaker D: Yeah. Your wife died? [00:57:34] Speaker B: She died November 9, 1991. Just two years ago this month. [00:57:40] Speaker D: In October of 91. [00:57:42] Speaker B: Really? [00:57:43] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:57:43] Speaker B: How are you holding up? [00:57:45] Speaker D: I'm doing well. [00:57:46] Speaker B: Yeah? You have good moments and bad moments? [00:57:49] Speaker D: Big time. Big time now. [00:57:52] Speaker B: What do you mean, big time? [00:57:54] Speaker D: You go through a lot of emotions, I think. [00:57:56] Speaker B: Oh, you sure do. You sure do. I don't think you ever get over it. Totally. I think it's always there and maybe it eases after a while. I don't know. I found that hasn't even eased after two years. I think it's still as difficult as it was. Maybe in some cases even more so. Did you and your husband have a good relationship? [00:58:19] Speaker D: Oh, we did. [00:58:20] Speaker B: How long were you married? [00:58:23] Speaker D: 18 and a half years. [00:58:24] Speaker B: Yeah. You have children? [00:58:26] Speaker D: No. [00:58:27] Speaker B: Yeah. What makes it worse, but I think it does. [00:58:30] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:58:30] Speaker B: I think if you had children to put their arms around you and sort of make you feel a little bit better. So without children, it's a little tougher. What do you do now? Do you work? [00:58:41] Speaker D: Oh, yes. [00:58:42] Speaker B: Well, that helps. [00:58:43] Speaker D: Oh, I have to. [00:58:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:58:44] Speaker D: I wasn't born poor and hide. No, I was born poor and hide out. [00:58:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, even then, I think when you run into a tragedy like you run into, it just makes it a lot easier if you get to work and do something, try to keep your mind occupied with other things hanging around the house and stuff, I think would just be awful. [00:59:04] Speaker D: I know. [00:59:05] Speaker B: You sound like a nice person. Are you a nice person, Gloria? [00:59:07] Speaker D: I am indeed. [00:59:09] Speaker B: The guys call you now that they know you're available. [00:59:12] Speaker D: That's probably one of the most difficult things. How to get back into the quote unquote dating scene. [00:59:21] Speaker B: Yeah. It's a lot easier for guys to do that than for women. But are there guys that you know are available and that. Would you call them? [00:59:30] Speaker D: No. [00:59:30] Speaker B: Why not? [00:59:31] Speaker D: I don't know, Norm. [00:59:33] Speaker B: There's no reason why not to. They might be very flattered to hear from you. Invite. Just invite them out. Say, hey, let's talk a little bit. Let's have a drink together so much. [00:59:43] Speaker D: And I don't know if you miss this or what, the phone call at work. Well, I'm just going off golfing. [00:59:54] Speaker B: Or somebody to have at home that you could talk about. When something nice happens, you want to say hi. [00:59:58] Speaker D: Davis. [00:59:59] Speaker B: That's right. I know it. Yes, I missed that, too. [01:00:02] Speaker D: It's big time. [01:00:04] Speaker B: No, I understand that part. [01:00:07] Speaker D: I don't mean to depress you, but it's realistic. [01:00:09] Speaker B: No, you're not depressing me. We're both in exactly the same boat, so I know what you're talking about. But I wondered from a woman's viewpoint, because you sound young, too. Are you in your 40s? [01:00:20] Speaker D: Yes. [01:00:21] Speaker B: Okay. See, you're probably very desirable, and probably a lot of guys would like to meet you. Are you really? I'm getting excited. Glory. [01:00:30] Speaker D: I knew you would. [01:00:31] Speaker B: Oh, gee, we're in the same. [01:00:32] Speaker D: It's very difficult. I think it's far more easier for a man to meet another. [01:00:38] Speaker B: It is, it is. But I'm thinking that it may not be all that difficult for a woman if she knows how to go about it. [01:00:46] Speaker D: Well, what am I going to do? The bar scene? Thank you very much. [01:00:49] Speaker B: No, I'm not talking the bar scene. But are there guys you work with or people that you deal with every day or somebody? [01:01:00] Speaker D: I wouldn't go out with somebody I work with. I've worked for my company almost 25 years, and I just have this thing that I would never do iT. I never did it before I was married. [01:01:15] Speaker B: Yeah. What kind of work do you do? [01:01:18] Speaker D: I work in marketing. Customer service. [01:01:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:01:24] Speaker D: Very difficult to meet somebody. And you know what I'd like more than anything in my life is someone to call to say, how's your day? [01:01:34] Speaker B: Yeah, I know. Again, we have no children to do that. See, I have a couple of grown children, and we are in communication with each other all the time, so that really helps. [01:01:45] Speaker D: Very fortunate. [01:01:47] Speaker B: I am. [01:01:47] Speaker D: You have to thank you. [01:01:49] Speaker B: Oh, I am. I really am. I'm very grateful for that. So that helps a lot. But you want to have somebody you can talk to, you say, after you have a day, and you want to say, hey, you know what happened today? You want to talk to somebody about that? [01:02:01] Speaker D: Not only that, I want somebody to share. [01:02:05] Speaker B: Well, how are we going to get you to meet guys? [01:02:07] Speaker D: I don't know. You're going to have to help me. [01:02:09] Speaker B: Okay. I don't know quite how to do that. You have a special hobbies or someplace where they can be meetings of people with similar hobies? Some kind of clubs or church groups or some kind of social activities within your town or someplace where people hang out? [01:02:31] Speaker D: I don't know. [01:02:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Because they got to be places besides the bars. [01:02:36] Speaker D: Well, I'm just saying, on a talk show a whole lot, it's very difficult to meet someone. I'd love to go out to dinner with someone. I'd love to go to a movie. I'd like to take a walk in a beach. [01:02:53] Speaker B: Yeah. It's really tough for guys, too, in many ways. I don't know. They seem to be the guys here and the women there, and each would like to meet each other, and they're probably couples that would go great together. And yet the problem about really getting together and meeting and finding these people is really tough. I don't know how you do that. [01:03:14] Speaker D: I mean, I don't want a long term relationship or anything. Well, maybe I don't want to hop in the sack or anything like that. I'd be realistic. [01:03:22] Speaker B: Well, you can't really predict those things. They just come. Maybe you do want to hop in a sack if you meet somebody you like, or maybe you do want a long term relationship with somebody you like, but at the moment, all you want is just somebody to talk with. It might develop into any of those things. I'm sitting here talking like, I know what I'm talking about Gloria, and I'm not sure I do. [01:03:44] Speaker D: Your daughters aren't there all the time? [01:03:46] Speaker B: No, no, neither one lives at home, actually. No, that's true. [01:03:50] Speaker D: But I've listened to you all week. Fact. [01:03:54] Speaker B: Has that been like an says, it's been wonderful? [01:04:00] Speaker D: All week long I've listened to you because I knew you, Bob Raleigh was off and gone. So I wake up in the night and listen, and I listened to know last night. [01:04:13] Speaker B: Is this the holiday kind of tough for you, the fact that it's Thanksgiving big time? When you say big time, you mean awful. [01:04:20] Speaker D: Yeah, I do. [01:04:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:04:24] Speaker D: There's nothing that can change that. What happened happened, and it happened to you. [01:04:29] Speaker B: No, that's true, but obviously you can't change that. But what you do is try to make life a little sweeter by doing other things. [01:04:36] Speaker D: Oh, you know what I did tonight? [01:04:37] Speaker B: Yeah? [01:04:40] Speaker D: I bought a timeshare in Aruba. [01:04:42] Speaker B: Hey, that's pretty good. [01:04:44] Speaker D: Well, friends invited me more times before my husband died, and I went there once. I loved it so much I bought a timeshare. [01:04:52] Speaker B: So now you're going to go to Aruba? [01:04:54] Speaker D: No, but I met a priest there. Or we met a priest there. I mean, girlfriend. [01:05:00] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:05:01] Speaker D: He's like a breath of fresh air. [01:05:03] Speaker B: Yeah, well, that's kind of nice as a friend, but maybe you want somebody just a little beyond that. [01:05:09] Speaker D: More than that. [01:05:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:05:10] Speaker D: I'm an intelligent person. [01:05:12] Speaker B: Yeah, and you sound like you're incredibly attractive. [01:05:15] Speaker D: Oh, I am. [01:05:16] Speaker B: Okay. [01:05:17] Speaker D: And I'm humble, too. [01:05:19] Speaker B: You're humble and modest. Hey, would you call me from time to time, let me know how you're doing? We'll share notes. [01:05:25] Speaker D: Well, what I want you to do sometimes, because I've been listening all week long, the stupid birthday games or the stupid games that I've been allied in my bed all night long and say it was 72 and none of them. [01:05:39] Speaker C: Got it or whatever. [01:05:42] Speaker B: Would you like to play the number of game with us today? [01:05:45] Speaker D: I would love to. [01:05:46] Speaker B: Okay, I tell you what. I want to turn you over to Mr. Evan, okay? No, you don't. JUst call him Mr. Evan. And he's a young guy, and if he sounds good to you, maybe you can flirt with. [01:06:00] Speaker D: Okay. [01:06:01] Speaker B: Okay, here he is. And he'll tell you whether or not we're filled up for the dumb birthday game or whatever. Meantime, we'll go to Danny and Revere. Hi, Danny. [01:06:10] Speaker C: Hi, Norman. [01:06:11] Speaker G: Happy Thanksgiving. [01:06:12] Speaker B: Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. [01:06:14] Speaker C: I really felt bad for your last caller. [01:06:17] Speaker B: You know, there are a lot of people in that position, both male and female. And not only people whose spouses have died, but people who never married, say young people even. And they're probably very decent people. They'd like to meet somebody. It's very hard to. Apparently, from what I gather, it's very hard to meet people. [01:06:34] Speaker G: Well, I've been married 19 years. [01:06:36] Speaker B: Hey, that's great. [01:06:37] Speaker G: Have two wonderful children, wonderful wife. [01:06:40] Speaker B: Good. [01:06:41] Speaker G: Anyway, when I was in high school, Gloria made me think of it. I went with a girl named Gloria at that time, and it was around Christmas time, and of course I had this mad crush for her. And we used to sing a Desti fidelis, one of the faithful Christmas carousels where it says Gloria, gloria and a Chelsea stale. And of course, I emphasized the Gloria. The teacher stopped us and she said, I know you're going with a girl, but you don't have to emphasize it. But anyway, Norm, the reason I called, I'd like to tell you a Thanksgiving story that happened in my life. [01:07:21] Speaker B: Lovely. Good. [01:07:22] Speaker G: Hope it won't bore you, but it was a very important part of my life. I'm originally from Wisconsin, and so anyone who is listening from Wisconsin, hello. But back in 1957, I was going to school down in Jamesville, school for the Blind. [01:07:47] Speaker B: Jamesville, Wisconsin. Obviously. [01:07:49] Speaker C: Right. [01:07:49] Speaker B: Okay. [01:07:50] Speaker G: And I did not have a very. [01:07:53] Speaker C: Happy childhood at the beginning. [01:07:55] Speaker G: My folks divorced early and I was an orphanage for a while in a foster home, and I started school there. And the only time I would go home would be Christmas and summer. [01:08:06] Speaker C: Those first few years. [01:08:10] Speaker G: In 1957, I was twelve years old and I was planning to spend Thanksgiving at the school. There was not a lot, but a few of us who had to stay because my folks lived like 200 miles away. Well, Thanksgiving, I think it was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. I was listening to the radio. Do you remember Queen for a day with Jack Bailey? [01:08:39] Speaker B: I certainly do. [01:08:40] Speaker G: I was listening to that and all. [01:08:44] Speaker C: Of a sudden. [01:08:47] Speaker G: My twin brother came up and told me that her dad was there, my stepdad. And I didn't believe him, of course, I thought he was just kidding because we'd pose little jokes on each other once in a while. So he said, no, really. I went down to the main entrance of the school. There was a big bench, that big oak bench, and went down there. And sure enough, he was there. And he used to drive a truck for a cherry company produce thing. And he said, I came to pick you up to come home for Thanksgiving. And we came home. Of course, my mother had no idea this was happening. He didn't tell her that he was. [01:09:33] Speaker C: Going to do this. [01:09:34] Speaker G: And so we were riding in this big truck, and we were riding along, and he said, now, when I say cops, one of you duck down, because there's only supposed to be two in the front seat. And there was, of course, three of us. And that was kind of fun to do that. You say, there's a cop coming. So I would duck down, or my brother would. And we were very small, so he would have never seen through the cab. Anyway, so we got home, and my dad said, no, you duck down. And so we both scrooged down on the floor. And one of my other brothers came out. So he called my mother. He told him to call my mother out on the porch. And she comes out on the back porch. We lived in a farmhouse. Didn't do any farming, but a big farm, right? And she comes out and she's a little tiny thing. She's still living. My dad stepdad died about 1990, but she was out there. [01:10:33] Speaker C: It's very cold out there at that. [01:10:34] Speaker G: Time of the year in Wisconsin. It was like maybe 20 degrees or something like that. And she's standing out there. [01:10:40] Speaker C: He said, I brought a surprise for you. [01:10:43] Speaker G: And she said, oh, my God, not another turkey. I already got an 18 pound turkey. He said, no, it's not a turkey. He says, you got to guess. And she's trying to guess. And she said, I'm getting cold standing out here. And I could hear her shivering. So I raised my head because I felt so bad for her. And she flung the cab door open and picked me up in her arms and carried me in the house. It was kind of a. [01:11:08] Speaker C: That's nice thing to remember. [01:11:09] Speaker G: And then my older brother came home from high school, and she had a stand behind the door, and she was talking to her best girlfriend. And he comes in and she says, well, close the door, won't you? So he closes the door, and he sees us both standing there behind the door, and his eyes got his biggest. Know when Thanksgiving comes, I always think of that. [01:11:29] Speaker B: Yeah, that's really nice. What brought you out to this area from Wisconsin? [01:11:34] Speaker G: Well, I moved out here because I had a job with the IRS for a while. For about a month or so I worked, and it just didn't work out. And now I got a better job. [01:11:46] Speaker C: I work at Perkins. [01:11:48] Speaker B: Oh, that's great. [01:11:49] Speaker G: Yeah, I inspect the brailers out there, and I really love the job, and I really like the people I work with. And I must say, I really have a happy life. [01:11:59] Speaker B: Oh, that's nice. [01:12:00] Speaker G: I take the subways and the buses. [01:12:02] Speaker B: Every day you go from Revere to. So you're able to go by yourself. Even your cyclist. You're okay, Danny. [01:12:13] Speaker C: Well, you get a lot of help. [01:12:14] Speaker G: Along the way, although I know my way, but, I mean, you get to know people every day that can help. [01:12:20] Speaker B: Is your wife sighted? [01:12:21] Speaker G: Yeah, she works at Boston College. [01:12:23] Speaker B: Okay. And your children are, too. Were you blind when you married? [01:12:27] Speaker C: Oh, yes. [01:12:29] Speaker B: Okay. [01:12:29] Speaker G: Yeah, I was blind all my life. But anyway, I hope I didn't bore you with it. [01:12:38] Speaker B: No, you didn't bore me at all, Danny. And I hope you and your family. And what do you have? Two girls? Boys. I hope your whole family has a great Thanksgiving Day. [01:12:47] Speaker G: We're just staying home, relaxing. [01:12:50] Speaker B: That's the way to do it. [01:12:51] Speaker G: Well, Norm. Anyway, just keep up the good work. I'm sorry to say I missed your interview. [01:12:57] Speaker C: I just caught the tail end of it. [01:12:58] Speaker G: I was doing something else with the director there. I enjoy that kind of thing, and. [01:13:03] Speaker B: I really felt it was kind of fun. One other interview that I was kind of excited about was Steve Allen. We talked with him yesterday and he just opened up. He was lovely. We'll do a lot more of these things. So whenever you get a chance to tune in, that would be right. [01:13:16] Speaker G: I listen to you quite a bit. [01:13:18] Speaker C: Because I really enjoy you. [01:13:20] Speaker G: I've talked to you before. [01:13:21] Speaker B: I know it. I remember that. And I appreciate that. And a happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for calling. [01:13:27] Speaker G: Bye bye. [01:13:27] Speaker B: Bye bye, now. [01:13:30] Speaker H: All right. I've been waiting so long, but I have to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. [01:13:36] Speaker B: I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. [01:13:38] Speaker H: Talked to you through the years. [01:13:39] Speaker B: I know you haven't, like once or twice a year. Well, I wish you the very best. [01:13:44] Speaker H: And I have your picture. And like you say, I get so excited. [01:13:50] Speaker C: Really? That's two of like. [01:13:52] Speaker H: I must call mom if I have to wait all night. [01:13:55] Speaker B: Well, I thank you very much. [01:13:57] Speaker H: Sent me a nice picture and you always sent me a little note with it. [01:14:02] Speaker B: You got big plans for this coming day? [01:14:05] Speaker H: Well, no. Actually, no. I've been sick. [01:14:07] Speaker B: Oh, I'm sorry. [01:14:08] Speaker H: I had pneumonia. [01:14:10] Speaker B: Oh, you're feeling any better now? [01:14:11] Speaker H: Oh, yes. [01:14:13] Speaker B: Good. [01:14:16] Speaker H: I don't know how much I'm going to be able to eat, but I'm. [01:14:19] Speaker B: Going to try now. Will you be spending it just alone, you mean? [01:14:23] Speaker H: Well, I'm going to stay home because I had to go back to the doctor, and he suggests I just stay at home and rest and just eat what I can, so I won't do it. My family, well, they're going with my other part of the family. And naturally they want me to go. And I said, oh, no, doctor suggests I just stay home and rest and try and eat what I can. [01:14:48] Speaker B: Well, maybe they'll come by later on and visit with you anyway. [01:14:50] Speaker H: That would be nice. [01:14:52] Speaker B: Yeah, that would be nice. And then maybe you can kind of aim for Christmas. We can make it up then. [01:14:56] Speaker H: Oh, yeah, I plan on that. [01:14:59] Speaker B: Okay, well, that's good. [01:15:00] Speaker H: Actually, I just wanted to call you and wish you the best. [01:15:04] Speaker B: Thanks a lot. I wish you the best. [01:15:06] Speaker H: Thank you. And I'm glad you're on this week. [01:15:09] Speaker B: Hey, thanks a million. The best to you, Janet. And a happy Thanksgiving, even if you spend it alone. I hope it's A good day for. [01:15:16] Speaker H: You, and you can send me a letter anytime. [01:15:18] Speaker B: Okay. [01:15:19] Speaker H: But I'm probably too old for you, though. [01:15:21] Speaker B: No, you're not too old for me. Send me a letter. Okay. So I'll be happy to respond. [01:15:25] Speaker H: All right. Thank you, Norm. [01:15:27] Speaker B: Thank you, Janet. [01:15:28] Speaker H: Holidays. [01:15:29] Speaker B: Thank you. Same to you. Jeez. Okay. Is it plumber now? [01:15:35] Speaker F: Yeah, I guess so. But I almost hate to change my name, Norm, because I was kind of calling about Maria's call, and I was going to tell her how to cook her Cornish game hens. [01:15:42] Speaker B: Oh, okay. [01:15:45] Speaker F: What she wants to do, it depends if she wants to split them or stuff them. Now, to split them takes a lot quicker. And she wants to put her oven on, broil and cook them, like, six to eight inches away from the heat, away from the flame for about ten minutes. Okay. And then she wants to make a base up with. I use apricot preserve, and I mix it with, like, a quarter cup of water to loosen it up a little bit. Heat that on the stove, so breaks up. You want to thin it out a little bit, then put it in the oven at about 350. And you don't want to overcook them. It's going to take about 45 minutes. You want to leave them to broiler for about ten minutes, just so they start to get crispy. So you keep all the juices in them and then cook them for about a half an hour, and then start baste them for the remainder of time, maybe 40, 50 minutes to no more than an hour, and they'll come out. Multobende. [01:16:39] Speaker B: Sounds great. [01:16:40] Speaker F: Yeah. And the best thing you do is you get some wild rice, and you have not just plain old rice, but wild rice with them. Because it's a Cornish game. It's kind of like an outdoorsy type meal. [01:16:52] Speaker B: What's the difference between wild rice and regular rice. [01:16:55] Speaker F: It's the long green rice, isn't it? It's different colors. [01:16:58] Speaker B: Oh, I see. [01:16:59] Speaker F: It's richer. [01:17:00] Speaker B: I thought that must be a funny joke there. So I'll see. I know wild rice is. No, I can't think of the joke. Otherwise I would have thrown it in anyway. Are you cooking Thanksgiving dinner for your family? [01:17:11] Speaker F: I'm working. [01:17:13] Speaker B: You work now? Not as a baker, as a cook. You mean as a plumber? No, as a plumber. You're not Working on Thanksgiving Day as a plumber? [01:17:21] Speaker F: Sure I am. [01:17:22] Speaker B: Really? [01:17:23] Speaker F: Yeah. What I'm going to do is we have kind of a skeleton crew going, so I'm going to go in, we're going to have dinner in my in laws and grandparent in laws, I guess you'd say it or something. And I'm going to go to work about after dinner, and then I'll work about eight at night. [01:17:41] Speaker B: What? Isn't that. Is that making the rounds of people who call in with plumbing problems? [01:17:44] Speaker F: Are you kidding me? [01:17:45] Speaker C: That's a big day for us. [01:17:46] Speaker B: I would guess so. [01:17:48] Speaker F: Everybody pours it grease down the kitchen sink. [01:17:50] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I'd say. I never thought anybody would expect they were going to get a plumber to call on them on Thanksgiving. [01:17:58] Speaker F: Company I work for. You're guaranteeing this? Actually, I like that kind of thing. That's a nicer time because you show up at people on, they're more appreciative. I mean, I'm not saying people are bad. I meet so many nice people. Every 100 people I meet, I get one jerk. [01:18:14] Speaker B: Not a bad set of odds. [01:18:16] Speaker F: It really is most people. And even when someone's kind of angry when I show up, I usually can pacify them and I'm their friend by the time I leave. But I like that I work weekends all the time for the same reason people are amazed that I'll show up at their house on 11:00 at night on a Sunday. [01:18:33] Speaker B: I would be amazed, especially since I haven't called you Joe. So get out of here. [01:18:37] Speaker F: You can call me anytime you want. [01:18:39] Speaker B: Well, no, I was making bad jokes there, Joe. [01:18:43] Speaker F: Norm, did you ever do something stupid? I really got to confess, I never. [01:18:46] Speaker B: Did anything stupid my entire life. No, everything I did was calculated to be intelligent and smooth. [01:18:52] Speaker F: And then you screwed up. [01:18:53] Speaker B: Of course I did. About every other minute, I do something really stupid. [01:18:57] Speaker F: I'm driving home tonight and it was kind of late. I had a late job and I was in Sargas, and it's the North Riviera. [01:19:07] Speaker C: I'm driving along and people are flashing. [01:19:09] Speaker F: Their head at me. So I'm saying up the speed trap coming. I look down, my headlights are on. All the lights are on my dashboard. I'm driving along, people are flashing their lights, flashing their Lights. So I'm slowing well below the speed limit, waiting for the speed trap. Because this is the holiday weekend and everything else. The dummy here didn't have his headlights on. [01:19:26] Speaker B: You didn't have your headlights? [01:19:27] Speaker F: Yeah, I thought they were, but they weren't. Switch wasn't pulled all the way. And when I glanced down, it looked like it was out all the way. I felt like such dope. And I had to admit it to 38 states right now. [01:19:38] Speaker B: Yeah, love. Do you feel better? [01:19:40] Speaker F: I feel a lot better. [01:19:41] Speaker B: Oh, that's good. Just don't do that again, Joe, because that is really so stupid. I can't believe how stupid. Am I overreacting? [01:19:50] Speaker F: I was actually starting to yell at the people saying, where's this cop? I'm waiting for looking. And I'm looking for speed limit signs. And I'm such a dummy. [01:20:00] Speaker B: Yeah, there were a lot of police cars out there. In fact, there was hardly any other cars, though I found the traffic much less active than normally when I'm driving. [01:20:09] Speaker F: It was nice driving tonight. [01:20:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I thought it was very quiet. [01:20:13] Speaker F: Did you see the snow? [01:20:15] Speaker B: We had a little bit up where I live, a little sort of icy mostly. More than snow. Yeah, I think a little further north or maybe west, they might have had some snow. [01:20:25] Speaker F: I was up in your neck of the woods, man. It was almost like it was turned into a white Christmas there for a second. It actually kind of stuck for a few minutes and then it kind of. [01:20:32] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, by the time I left, I think that had changed. [01:20:35] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:20:36] Speaker F: I got to give Middleton credit for what a nice downtown that is down there. [01:20:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's beautiful. The town has really done a whole lot of interesting things. We put a lot of our wires and stuff underground. Yeah, kind of nice street lights and they're not wires that are going across the road and all that. Plus we put new sidewalks in some with the old bricks and a whole downtown area. I really like that a lot. [01:21:04] Speaker F: I kind of pulled over up there and I had my coffee that I grabbed and sat and looked at. I wish Malden looked like that. It really did look nice. [01:21:12] Speaker B: Well, Chris, Malden is a real city. You got real stores and everything in Malden. What more do you want? [01:21:18] Speaker F: Well, you guys have. What's the name of that restaurant there? The house? [01:21:23] Speaker B: Oh, Georgio's is in the center. No, we have a number of Angelica's. We have the Daniel Fuller house. [01:21:30] Speaker F: Daniel Fuller House? That's the one. I'm thinking that's a real place. [01:21:34] Speaker B: No, it really is. As a matter of fact, we have a whole lot of stores now that we never had before. We even have travel agents in town. I think you have a Dunkin Donuts and florist shops. Yes, we have. Yeah, we do. I mean, we're just real stuff up there. We're getting to have real stuff. [01:21:49] Speaker F: But I'll tell you, I know you must have some kind of hand in it. Because you're a big shot up there. [01:21:54] Speaker B: But I am. I'm a big deal. I'm Mr. Big deal. [01:21:58] Speaker F: But I'll be. I never knew him. I'd never been up there until just recently. [01:22:04] Speaker B: Hardly anybody has been there. Or if they've been there, they don't know. Because they just go through. And they're never quite sure whether they've been there or not. [01:22:11] Speaker F: Well, I think everybody drives through. Either coming from Danvers, going to North Andover or something like. [01:22:15] Speaker B: That's right. Yeah. We had a lot of the Lawrence folk coming down. Or folks from Salem, New Hampshire, who live like a deprived area, like New Hampshire coming down. [01:22:25] Speaker F: But I had to call you up for my recipe. [01:22:28] Speaker B: That was nice. I think Maria will be very pleased to hear that. [01:22:31] Speaker F: It comes out really good. You can use any kind of preserve you want. But don't buy a cheap one. That's how it comes out real good. Get something like the rinds and stuff in it. Yeah, and it comes out really yummy. [01:22:41] Speaker B: Oh, bad. [01:22:43] Speaker F: I dropped a line to you tonight. You'll get it shortly. [01:22:46] Speaker E: Can I ask you one favor? [01:22:47] Speaker B: Sure. [01:22:48] Speaker F: Because I called you tonight. I don't want to call tomorrow night. [01:22:51] Speaker B: You can if you want. [01:22:52] Speaker F: Can I really? [01:22:53] Speaker B: Sure. [01:22:53] Speaker F: Because I was going to ask your newsletter guy if there was a newsletter on ice fishing. I've never heard of one. [01:22:58] Speaker B: Okay. The newsletter guy, by the way, will not be on with us till the answer tomorrow. That's Friday night, Saturday morning. [01:23:07] Speaker F: That's kind of like your regular night. [01:23:09] Speaker B: That is tomorrow, isn't it? That's right. Because today is Thanksgiving. Yeah. Tonight is the music thing. Starting 11:00, the Swell Music quiz. [01:23:16] Speaker F: I wish you'd make up your mind. [01:23:17] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right. Because you lose track of days when you work overnight. You never can figure out what day it is. But it is now Thursday. So, Friday or Saturday? No, tonight. Thursday. Friday morning. Swell music. With Friday night. Saturday morning at midnight. Fred Goss of the Newsletter Association. Yes. And you're more than welcome to call him. Sure. [01:23:41] Speaker F: Can I? [01:23:42] Speaker B: Of course. [01:23:42] Speaker F: Because that's kind of like your regular night, and I don't want to be too pushy. [01:23:45] Speaker B: Oh, you're not pushy. Come on. No. As long as you're bright and intelligent, say witty, provocative things. [01:23:51] Speaker F: I wanted to call up and be. [01:23:54] Speaker B: Then. Then they better call somebody else. [01:23:57] Speaker F: No, just quickly. Speaking of being stupid. [01:23:59] Speaker B: Yeah? [01:24:01] Speaker F: When Bob O'Neill used to call you, my little dash Hound, used to growl at him all the time. [01:24:05] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, that's Robert from Everett. For people who don't know who Bob O'Neill was, is. [01:24:10] Speaker F: And we just recently adopted a new dog. We had to put my little dash on us for adoption because he would go after my daughter. [01:24:17] Speaker B: Oh, my. [01:24:18] Speaker F: It's kind of good because my mother in law took him, so we get to see him all the time. [01:24:21] Speaker B: Oh, that's good. What kind of a dog do you have now? [01:24:23] Speaker F: It's a big difference. It's a Rotweiler Dolman Cross. [01:24:27] Speaker B: Oh, that sounds nice. [01:24:29] Speaker F: He's a gentle giant. He's great. He's about four months old, and he's in the 50 pound plus range right now. He's a big boy. But when Bob was on the other night and you were arguing with him. [01:24:40] Speaker B: Yes? [01:24:40] Speaker F: Rocky started growling. [01:24:43] Speaker B: Really? [01:24:43] Speaker F: His lip curled back. [01:24:45] Speaker B: Maybe he was growling at me. I don't know. I'm assuming he's growling at the other guy. [01:24:49] Speaker F: He's laying on the floor right now. We listen to the show together at night when I come home. [01:24:52] Speaker B: And he's not growling now. [01:24:54] Speaker F: No. [01:24:57] Speaker B: Okay. Hey, talk to you Friday or Saturday, whatever night. [01:25:00] Speaker F: I will. [01:25:00] Speaker C: I'll call. [01:25:01] Speaker B: Okay, Joe. [01:25:01] Speaker F: Bye bye. [01:25:02] Speaker B: Bye bye. [01:25:03] Speaker E: Wanting to say that a lot of. [01:25:05] Speaker C: People tend to forget that SouthErners of 100, 200 years ago didn't frequently associate with slaves, and that the language. [01:25:21] Speaker B: The. [01:25:22] Speaker C: Accents, are primarily a tradition of Scottish and Welsh and Elizabethan English. [01:25:29] Speaker B: Well, that's where the Southern accent comes from. [01:25:32] Speaker C: Yeah. Plus a lot of French and Spanish thrown in. I imagine that it's probably more closely resembling something you might find in northern. [01:25:51] Speaker G: Areas, like Minnesota, Canada. [01:25:54] Speaker C: There aren't too many people who seem to speak like Northeasterners. I'm not really sure why that is. [01:26:02] Speaker B: Well, even here in the Northeast, there are lots of different accents. We always talk about the New England accent, but there is not any one New England accent. [01:26:11] Speaker C: There are a lot of different dialects. [01:26:13] Speaker B: Well, yeah, around Boston, it's different than, say, a country New England accent. And in the west or down East? [01:26:19] Speaker C: Maine. [01:26:19] Speaker B: Well, that's right. [01:26:20] Speaker F: Vermont. [01:26:21] Speaker B: Well, that's what I mean. Yeah. The country kind. Maine, New Hampshire. Vermont is different. And in fact, even within those states, there are subtle differences. Western Massachusetts and Connecticut have the same accent, which is very much like upstate New York and which is not at all like the greater Boston accent and. [01:26:39] Speaker C: Not at all like Brooklyn East. [01:26:41] Speaker B: No, as a matter of fact, western Massachusetts and Connecticut really has no accent at all. That's about as accent free as you can get. It's very much like the Midwest. Midwest, upstate New York. Although parts of upstate New York have some funny accents. [01:26:57] Speaker C: It could be that what's commonly associated as Charlestown area and area accent. [01:27:06] Speaker B: Yeah, the Boston area. You have the people who say, let me see if I can imitate that. I live in Dorchester and call me in the morning and maybe we'll go to the show or know they talk that way. And out in the country, which is the accent that I really love. It'll sound like Montauk Kettle, if you remember that series. Let's see. I understand Thanksgiving Day. I hope we ain't too cold, because we get lots of folks coming in from all over the know. They talk more like that, which certainly is not DorcHester, which is that. I'm putting on such a great show here, Robert, and you don't sound at all impressed. [01:27:50] Speaker C: Well, yeah, I wanted to point out that you can find a lot of our pronunciations in areas of the British. [01:27:55] Speaker B: Isles as well, and the lack of pronouncing ours. [01:28:00] Speaker C: They actually do pronounce their R's in certain areas. [01:28:03] Speaker B: Oh, I see. Well, we don't believe in that. We believe putting ours where they don't exist. Yeah. [01:28:10] Speaker C: I just basically probably wanted to address one caller's question. [01:28:18] Speaker B: Well, I appreciate that, and I thank you very much, Robert. Hope you have a great day. [01:28:21] Speaker C: Yeah, you, too. [01:28:21] Speaker B: Goodbye. Thanks a lot. Bye bye. I thought I was terribly amusing with those accents. Did you have a feeling? He didn't think so at all. Oh, that's so humiliating. Just like a lot of the women I used to date. How come you don't appreciate how humorous I am, Mary? Anyway, this is Joe in Quincy. Hi, Joe, you're on WBZ. Hello? Yes, Joe, you're on. Norman, this is. [01:28:50] Speaker C: Well, you know, I was reading in the Smithsonian magazine, I send a raid of France to the museum. I got a copy of the diary. During the time of Washington, Louis XVI visited him. He was then Crown Prince of France. He wasn't king yet. And in his diary, he spoke of his visit at Washington, where the people there took such pride in their British accents. Meanwhile, he observed in his diary, which is in the French Museum in Paris, that he noticed that the children that were being raised by Negro slaves and that they were mimicking the Negro draw the white children. [01:29:42] Speaker B: Yes. [01:29:42] Speaker C: So, to me, at that time, people took great pride in their British accents. And I have to assume that the accents comes from the nannies, as they prefer to them. The Negro woman who raised the white children. [01:30:01] Speaker B: Well, now, wait a minute. You're talking about the South. You're talking about the Southern states. And in the south, they prided themselves on their British accents. [01:30:10] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [01:30:11] Speaker B: I thought there was only, like, up here on Beacon Hill. [01:30:14] Speaker C: No, Washington put a great emphasis. Jefferson Adams, John Quincy Adams. I mean, they were mean. They used to have people coming in from England just to correct their accents. Nay and yay. You know what I mean? They never say yes or no. You know what I mean? [01:30:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:30:33] Speaker C: And there was a common knowledge amongst the common people. But you're above the people when you said nay for no and yay for you. [01:30:41] Speaker B: Well, I think there's still a feeling, certainly in many places, certainly here in New England, that there's something cultured about the British accent. And some people try to affect it as a know. [01:30:54] Speaker C: Well, it's like that woman from Belmont. She's trying to do the King's English. She's very close. [01:31:00] Speaker B: Well, she's very good. [01:31:02] Speaker C: I don't know why anybody can critic. If she's pulling a phony boy. I admire her. I could talk to her. [01:31:08] Speaker B: No, no. Actually, she lived a lot of years in England, which is where the accent came from, so it's not an affected thing. But up on Beacon Hill, they tend to have the frozen jaw, and some talk in this manner, and that's kind of a cultured accent to it. Sort of halfway between the way rest of us talk in British. [01:31:29] Speaker C: Well, even in Ireland, island, and I've picked up about twelve or 15 distinct accents, and some accents, I knew they were speaking English, but I couldn't understand them. It's like Cockney. Uneducated. It's like a foreign language. [01:31:44] Speaker B: No, Cockney is a little hard to follow, that's true. But you speak so clearly, I can understand about every fourth word, Joe, so I appreciate that. [01:31:53] Speaker C: No, but I'm saying about the Southern accent, I don't have my teeth. [01:31:56] Speaker B: No, I'm just joking. Don't make apologies. You sound fine. [01:32:00] Speaker C: But actually it was in the diary of Louis VI. I can't say Louis XVI because he was crowned prince when he visited Washington. And to me, that's where the Southern accent came from. [01:32:12] Speaker B: I believe it. I take your word for anything, Joe, because you convince me. [01:32:17] Speaker C: Yeah. And tell them to prefer to the French archives. They do send English translations of the diary, and I think it's $30. [01:32:26] Speaker B: Okay. [01:32:26] Speaker C: If they want a translation of the diary in his own words when he visited Washington. [01:32:32] Speaker B: Okay, fair enough. [01:32:33] Speaker C: Right. [01:32:34] Speaker B: Happy Thanksgiving, Joe, and God be with you. God be with you, too. Thank you very much. I seem to be striking out with my humor with these folks. Everybody seems to be terribly intense. Is that you? Are you terribly intense? Come on. Like, not forgot sakes, Chase. Anyways, that was a dramatization, too. It's 254. You're tuned to WBZ, and we take another, maybe another call before 03:00 or maybe not. And then we'll have the dumb birthday game right after that. Take different political viewpoints. Mary Madeleine helped with President Bush, with his campaign, his recent campaign. Anyway, she's marrying James Carville today. She's an interesting lady and so is he, but they're both on different sides of the fence politically. He was a leader in the Clinton 1992 campaign while she was helping President Bush. But today they get married. James Carville and Mary Madeleine, they tie the knot as others break the wishbone. I love literary sentences like that. They will be meeting on neutral ground this day. Today they will be married at the New Orleans French Quarter. That's where the wedding will be, in the party featuring Dixieland jazz music. Details have been closely guarded, but a few have slipped out. The civil ceremony will be conducted by Kitty Kimball, Louisiana's first female Supreme Court justice and a classmate of Jim Carville at law School. So anyway, there, I don't want the, see Mary. She says she's a nice looking lady. She's got a good sense of humor. I mean, for a conservative, usually conservatives, I'll hear about this, but it's easily. Conservatives very rarely have really wild senses of humor. She's a very funny lady and an attractive lady. And so today, best wishes to Mary and James Carville. Thank you very much. I just could hardly wait to get on the air to give you that story. Got other interesting Thanksgiving Day stories, too. We'll maybe sprinkle them in a little bit later on. Then again, if you look terribly bored, I may not even ever mention them ever again. 03:00 Coming up in about 20 seconds, news time. [01:34:57] Speaker A: Norm made a small fortune on late night TV with his infomercial, Norm's naughty 90s. We nearly put Vermont Teddy bear out of business. What? You don't remember that? Maybe it was all just a dream. Have a very happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Closing the vault and leaving this world a little sillier than we found it for. Dr. Doolittle. Robert Fleischer. Max Fleischer. The Rotoscope animation. Sylvia Sidney. Deep psychological thinking, knitting. Now, let me see if I can get this correct. Garrickin Poopoo. Betty Boop boop Oopa doop. 20,000 leagues under the sea, rampaging Robert Mitchum. Orson Wells. Bubbleheads. God of infomercials. Mike Levy. Coffee and pie. Lavishly paid, award winning producers. The high paying glamour field of broadcasting. Lazy lips. Eloquen old man Kelly and his pimple cutting, jelly making wife. Town moderators sitting there talking like you know what you're talking about. Timeshares in Aruba, Jamesville, Wisconsin. Queen for a day. [01:36:07] Speaker B: Jack Bailey. [01:36:08] Speaker A: The Perkins School for the Blind. Wild long grain rice, Middleton, Massachusetts. The Dan Fuller House accents. Pasta and vegetables. Greg Ebbin. And the calculated, intelligent, and smooth king of the Night, Nam Nathan. I'm Tony, the epitome of a hugely unknown name. Nesbitt.