Bill Daily (1927–2018)

Astronaut, pilot, neighbor: the actor Bill Daily has died at the age of ninety-one. The New York Times has an obituary.

Recently updated

The Avital Ronell story Now there’s an account from the former chair of the NYU German department.

Today’s Saturday Stumper

Is it in fact Saturday? Because today’s Newsday Saturday Stumper, by Frank Longo, is not stumpy. Or would that be stumping? I don’t know. But it’s a highly solvable crossword today, Saturday.

Two clues that I especially like. 22-Across, five letters: “Straight to the left.” And 10-Down, seven letters, “Heavy wind.” No spoilers: the answers are in the comments.

Potrzebie

[Zippy, September 8, 2018.]

Little Zippy and Little Wernick are trying to decide whether to admit Little Zerbina, “a lapsed Unitarian,” to their clubhouse.

Do you recognize potrzebie? Explanation here.

Related reading
All OCA Zippy posts (Pinboard)

Obama in Illinois

Barack Obama, speaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign this morning, describing the present moment: “It did not start with Donald Trump. He is a symptom, not the cause.”

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And: “It’s not conservative. It sure isn’t normal. It’s radical.”

And: “What happened to the Republican Party?”

And: “Better is always worth fighting for.”

And: “Vote.”

Sad to say, I’m not sure there’s anyone in view for 2020 who can make the case against the Republican Party as succinctly and powerfully as Obama is making it this morning.

*

Here’s a “rush transcript” of Obama’s speech.

[I’m thrilled to see that Obama us speaking in Foellinger Hall, where Rachel and Ben had their graduation ceremonies.]

Remembrance of spam past

Spam used to come from the most improbable and wonderful names, names I collected as the spirit moved me. I just found an old file of spam names and curated — yes, curated — the best ones. Enjoy:

Thaddeus G. Blankenship : Larue Caridad : Son Dawkins (a bluesman-spammer?) : Pearlie G. Dukes : Fortunato (“For the love of God, Montresor!”) : Jesus Goldberg : Rosemarie Ham : Vonda Lamb : Agamemnon Sandra : Benito Shoemaker

With the exception of Fortunato, these names seem to have been made from lists, one from column A, one from column B. Thus Jesus Goldberg. Middle initials may have been meant as a touch of realism, but “Thaddeus G. Blankenship” sounds like someone from a W.C. Fields film.

Related posts
Mr. Berenguer Bolivar Basilio : Smog Q. Carafe and others : Horace Fish, Madge Herring, and others : Coley Georgette and others : Lothario Vanvliet and others

[Ipswich Nordisk might join these names from the past.]

Remembrance of comics past

[Zippy, September 7, 2018.]

Ipswich Nordisk, race-car driver, comes to a realization. I can think of three explanations: 1. Ipswich doesn’t like the Olivia Jaimes version of Nancy. 2. He doesn’t realize that Ernie Bushmiller died in 1982. 3. He longs for what no longer is. No. 3 makes the best sense, in the Zippy world or in ours.

Venn reading
All OCA Nancy posts : Nancy and Zippy posts : Zippy posts (Pinboard)

“Unraveling”

Bandy Lee, the psychiatrist who edited The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President, has revealed that White House officials have been in touch with her about Donald Trump’s mental health:

“Two White House officials actually contacted me in late October, stating that Trump was ‘scaring’ them, that he was ‘unraveling.’ Not wishing to confuse the role I chose, as an educator of the public, and a potential treatment role, I referred them to the local emergency room without inquiring much further.”

Pocket notebook sighting

[Kid Glove Killer (dir. Fred Zinnemann, 1942). Click for a larger view.]

Forensic investigator Gordon McKay (Van Heflin) explains: “It’s my gunpowder bible — it’s got everything from firecrackers to 2,000-pound aerial bombs for the B-17s and who makes them.” The six rings are a mark of true dowdiness.

More notebook sightings
Angels with Dirty Faces : Ball of Fire : Cat People : City Girl : Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne : Dragnet : Extras : Eyes in the Night : Foreign Correspondent : Fury : Homicide : The Honeymooners : The House on 92nd Street : Journal d’un curé de campagne : The Last Laugh : Le Million : The Lodger : Ministry of Fear : Mr. Holmes : Murder at the Vanities : Murder by Contract : Murder, Inc. : The Mystery of the Wax Museum : Naked City : The Naked Edge : The Palm Beach Story : Perry Mason : Pickpocket : Pickup on South Street : Pushover : Quai des Orfèvres : Railroaded! : Red-Headed Woman : Rififi : La roue : Route 66 : The Sopranos : Spellbound : State Fair : A Stranger in Town : Time Table : T-Men : 20th Century Women : Union Station : Where the Sidewalk Ends : The Woman in the Window

A timely notepad

[Kid Glove Killer (dir. Fred Zinnemann, 1942). Click either image for a larger view.]

That’s Samuel S. Hinds as Mayor Daniels, using his notepad. A police forensics investigator later applies iodine spray to reveal a crucial to-do: “Investigate source of Jerry’s income. Illegal?”

I’ve never seen a notepad of this sort in real life. But there’s one just like it at Etsy. It’s called a Time Secretary, with pages divided into the hours of the day.

[If you’re wondering, as I was, why Samuel S. Hinds looks familiar: he played Peter Bailey, Pa Bailey, in It’s a Wonderful Life.]