William Noble, principal.
Robert Redford and Tom Cruise
were sure to extend their bestest from their movie making world weary locations.
But in attendance was the
football coach , Colonel Tucker( Major Bob Waterfield, his aide de camp ((Jane
Russell’s ex )), Jim Mercer, son of Johnny Mercer, founder of Capitol Records
that cavernous roof as seen from the flowing freeway traffic.
II
A cussing Jim Mc Connaughy, a stalwart of the
Ucla line... an upper body strong armed
Don Paul. Backup center, Leon C. McLaughlin and
Bruin icons...
Moose Myers, Jerry Shipkey,
Ernie Case, Cal Rossi Skip Rowland in the backfield.
Tom Fears and Burr Baldwin at
ends.
For the newly structured Rams,
Pete Rozelle, their p.r. whiz kid ..from his office on Olympic&South
Beverly Drive..a block up from Herzbrun&Herzbrun, Stanley Gleis, the
partrner, whose office was opposite
Roselle’s, the NFL’s pioneer on Olympic..
III
“The raison d’etre for our calling is not to collect dues as
usual Buto see if there is an underlying cause de celebre in the calibration of their mortal flaws..
To calibrate the fatalities from 1945 thru the present.
Six decades of
horrors. A chain of causation which bespeaks of a haunting dimension beyond any
Fatty Arbuckle crushing entendre, which destroyed his persona and more deadly
his self esteem and reputation..
IV
“It behooves us as
Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident settles in with his weife and
children into his Fellow role at NYU’s Law School where he will study and play
out his daemons and angst with the Peking Communists.
Domiciled? Where else? Washington
Village,
“Where else could he find solace for his berrating the
leadership for their stinging rebut of criticism of their regime, silencing any
note that sounds original than their blanketing brain washing..
Confucius would have
none of it. But Mao’s “Nixon ion China” (John Adams opera), the American opera
gives you the reality scene’s reality. “Off with their togues, mates”
“ Ask Bill. He’s the principal. Didn’t you seer Rita
Hayworth’s “The Shanghai Gestuire”? Chaing Kai Shek’s imperial wrife,
living the good life on Long Island.
“ Now Linn insanity is playing out a moral dynamic that
transcends playing out his point guard role with the NBA’s Knickerbockers.”
(All the way from Taiwan ((Formosa))
“Good for NYU. Rescuing him and his family from the
inevitable gulag. A support system for
the foe of quiet tyranny. Pearl Buck’s”Good Earth” Paul Muni and Luise Rainer
digging in the coolies. Winning our sympathy.”.
V
But above it all, the imaginative caper from his guards,
climbing over barriers at night, in a state of blind alley defiance. Giving him
a second chance at denying his captors...liberating him.
Charlie Chan’s “Dead men tell no tales”.... Warner Oland,
Sidney Toler, Key Luke, his number onew son, the King Fu black belt fantasy
morphs into the NYU law scene in and around Greenich Village. Bank Street. Chen
Christopher Street environs, disocvoering the good life, playing out Warner
Baxter’s “Fugitive from a Chain Gang”
VI
“Awesome”
echoed the Alum of Van Nuys High School, their school two blocks from Bob’s Big Boy on Van Nuys
Boulevard,...their leitmotif decked out in his bespeckled red & white checkered jacket
“We’ve come a long way from those Friday nights cruising the Boulevard,” cried the acxtor bearing his name...rushing to the chair, bearing his name “I’m ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille” mimicking Gloria Swanson.
Vll
About the decadent list..... Will Rogers in a plane
crash.... Agent.Bert Allenberg in a car accident. Ted Husing.
Ernie Kovacs. “
“Jayne Mansfield, Carole Landis, Sharon Tate
Pier Angeli, Ramon Navarro Joyce Jamison Gia Scala Dorothy Dandridge..”
“James Dean on his flight from “Giant”. Getting his escape
on that highway ”.
“The Black Dahlia and her bludgeoned body......not to forget
Bobby Kennedy at the Ambassador Billy Wilder playing bridge in the hotel.
Sirhan Sirhan’s
daemons, sweating out his brain washing as a “working stiff” in a Pasadena
grocery store.
VIl
“Jeff Chandler ‘s demise in a Culver City hospital. “I’ve
lost track of the world” Gustav Mahler vintage and
late Dietrich Fisher Dictasu, his lider passing. at 87.
Public radio archived George Jellinek;s “Vocal scene” revisiting the baritone’s
encyclopedia of Shubert Schuman Brahms Faure Debussy Liszt Wagner Richard
Straus songs and lieder..
VIIl
“Yes, Gentleman Jim”? You have a Dietrich Fischer contribution in
German?”
“Die Easidlerinslein. O trust die Welt du stitl hacht. Der tage hat mich so mich gem acht
”Colleagues, fellow
alum, Schuman deserves better. Jan Popper’s UclaOpera Workshop.
“Forgive our fractured German,” said the Bruin lineman,
sitting down, in his alum chair..
“Bravo bravo,” responded the aging alums.
“A parable of
mortality.”
“Indeed” said Cololel Tucker, the football coach and
authority figure, who knew first hand about fractures, internal bleeding and
concussions..
IX
Meanwhile at Washington Village Chen Cuangcheng, his wife
and chlldren blessed NYU Law supporters for their own daring .. unsilencing his voice. Playing out his role as a Fellow at the campus.
******
‘Give me your tired your poor. Your huddled
masses yearning to be free’
The Statute of Liberty, Emma
Lazarus (1883)
The City that never sleeps, March 20, 23012
