Cuba and the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates

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Back in 1960, millions of Americans tuned in for a real "TV first" this week.   They watched a debate by the two major presidential candidates running for president in 1960.

Who won?  Did the debates impact the vote?

Senator Kennedy won by 114,000 votes out of 70 million cast that day.  It was 49.72% vs 49.55%.

The conventional wisdom is that JFK won "the video" and Nixon won "the audio".

Again, your guess is as good as mine.  It's like losing the pennant by one game and arguing about what "one game" made the difference.

What impact did it have?

Senator Kennedy hit the Eisenhower administration very hard about the growing communist menace in Cuba.  His debate comments actually had an impact on many Cubans, like my father, who were following the debates by shortwave radio.   Sadly, President Kennedy dropped the ball at The Bay of Pigs the next spring.  He contradicted with his actions what he promised at the debates.

What else do we remember from the 1960 presidential debates?  Vietnam was not a topic in the Kennedy-Nixon debates but it consumed the nation in the 1960's.

In 1960, we learned an important lesson.  Debates are important and we should continue the tradition.  However, the reality of the presidency often overwhelms campaign promises or 'tough talk" at the debates.  

For more on the election, check this.

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1963: "My favorite Martian" made its US TV debut

Yes, it was a silly but very funny show.

"My favorite Martian" landed on TV on this day in 1963.   It was the story of a Martian who ended up in Los Angeles by mistake.    

Like so much of TV in the 1960's, it was simple, funny and did not set out to change the world.    It was all about entertaining the audience and keeping you glued to the TV for 30 minutes.

Fun show and that's all you need to say about it.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1963: Stan Musial played his last game

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The amazing Stan Musial played his last game on this day in 1963.   His last base hit was a ground ball to right field that Pete Rose, the Reds rookie second baseman, could not reach.   Years later, Rose passed Musial on his way to breaking Ty Cobb’s all time hits record.    

He won 7 seven titles.  Only Ty  Cobb (11), Honus Wagner and Tony Gwynn (eight each) won more.  He retired with a .331 batting average and 3,630 hits.

Stan the Man died in 2013.

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1789: We remember another anniversary of The Bill of Rights

We remember another anniversary of the US Congress approving The Bill of Rights or the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution.

These "rights" are second nature to us today.  We assume that every person in the world has the right to practice his religion or freedom of the press.  In fact, most citizens in the world do not have these guarantees, from privacy to a jury trial to protections from cruel & unusual punishment.

Also, let's not forget that the Founding Fathers fought to include these rights in the Constitution.

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1970: Monday Night Football debut on US TV

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On this day in 1970, the NFL came to Monday night TV.    

It quickly became one of the most popular events on TV.  The Browns (now in Baltimore) beat the Jets, 31-21.  

In late 2005, Monday Night Football said goodbye to ABC and moved to ESPN.

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Sophia Loren is 88 today

Sophia Loren turned a year older and that is hard to believe.  Her movies with Marcello Mastrionni were absolute classics.  I guess that they'd be PG-13 today.  They had great chemistry on screen!  

Overall, one of the most beautiful women of the 20th century!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

1918, World War I and a young officer named George S Patton

We all know General Patton for his exploits in World War II.   I'm sure that you've seen that great movie "Patton".  As a young soldier, Patton served in World War I under General McArthur.

On this day in 1918, officer Patton wrote a letter to his parents:

“Dear Papa,” Patton began his letter, “we have all been in one fine fight and it was not half so exciting as I had hoped, not as exciting as affairs in Mexico, because there was so much company. When the shelling first started I had some doubts about the advisability of sticking my head over the parapet, but it is just like taking a cold bath, once you get in, it is all right.”

In the rest of the letter, Patton chronicles his experience in battle alongside a brigade commanded by General Douglas MacArthur (later the commander of all Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II) and his movement on foot across the battlefield, evading German shells and surveying the damage inflicted by the battle.

As Patton finally concluded, “This is a very egotistical letter but intersting [sic] as it shows that vanity is stronger than fear and that in war as now waged there is little of the element of fear, it is too well organized and too stupendous.”

Patton came home and served in World War II.   Recently, Bill O'Reilly wrote a book about General Patton.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

We remember Mickey Rooney (1920-2014)

We remember Mickey Rooney who was born in Brooklyn, NY on this day in 1920.  He died at age 93 in 2014.   From an early age, Rooney made a ton of movies.  My favorite is "Boys' Town" with Spencer Tracy and released in 1938.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

We remember Adam West (1928-2017)

We just heard that Adam West passed away.   He was 88.     We will always remember him as millionaire Bruce Wayne of Gotham City who became crime fighter Batman by going down the pole to the Bat Cave.

As a baby boomer, I grew up watching "Batman" on TV.   It was actually a fun show.  I enjoyed it a lot.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember Harvey Haddix (1925-1994)

(You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) .

We remember Harvey Haddix who was born in Ohio on this day in 1925. 

Haddix won 136 games with a very decent 3.63 ERA.   He even won 20 games with the Pirates in 1953.   In fact, he won 50 games over a 3-year span, 1953-55.    

Nevertheless, we remember him for one game that he lost on May 26, 1959.  This is the game where he pitched 12 perfect innings and lost the game in the 13th!

Haddix died in 1994.   Haddix was very effective in the 1960 World Series against New York:

We remember Greta Garbo (1905-1990)

Greta Gustafsson was born in Stockholm on this day in 1905.   She died in 1990.  We know her as Greta Garbo, the outstanding actress of so many great movies.       P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

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We remember Lauren Bacall (1924-2014)

We remember Lauren Bacall who was born on this day in 1924.  She died in 2014.

One of her great movies was "Dark  Passage".   The movie starts with Bogart escaping out of prison.   Then Bacall walks into his life and takes him to her apartment.    

The rest is on you.    You will enjoy it, specially hearing Bogart's voice for much of the movie without seeing his face.     

Watch it!   It's a little slow but you will enjoy it!

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

RIP Ebby Halliday: A truly amazing lady!

We learned of the passing of Ebby Halliday.....she was 104.....her name was synomous with real estate around here............she was also a great community leader and generous lady......The Dallas Morning News remembers her this way:

"Ebby Halliday Acers was the grand dame of Dallas real estate, a pioneering businesswoman who once said she succeeded by working like a dog and acting like a lady."

RIP Ebby Halliday....

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page. 

We remember Arnold Palmer (1929-2016)

We remember  Arnold Palmer was born on this day in 1929 and passed away in September 2016.   

He was one of the greatest sports figures ever.  

Palmer began his professional career in 1954 and quickly picked up his first PGA Tour win at the 1955 Canadian Open.    

Overall, he won 62 titles on the PGA Tour and 92 including international and senior victories. 

Palmer was the PGA Player of the Year twice (1960 and '62) and the tour's leading money winner four times.

He made golf popular all over.  A really nice man as well.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

The story of Adele Astaire, or Fred's older sister!

We remember Adele Astaire (1896-1981) who was born on this day in 1896.  She was Fred's sister.  However, Adele gave up her dancing career and married a prominent English man.  She never danced professionally again.  Her brother Fred went on to make movies with Ginger Rogers.....  

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

September 4, 1964: Our family arrived in the US

It was 1964 or many years ago today that my dad, mom, and the three kids landed in Miami and began our life in the US.  We left Cuba in July, spent some time waiting for our papers in Jamaica and then our trip to the US.   And then we found our way to Wisconsin thanks to the generosity of a church.   

My father and mother are now gone and my brother and sister have their own lives and families.   

It just does not seem possible that it happened so long ago.  We definitely learned about liberty and how a powerful and ruthless central government can crush the individual.    I always make sure that everyone understands that. 

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1964 and we made it to Miami

Where did the time go?   The answer is that it flew by very fast.

It was on this day in 1964 that our family landed in Miami after a 2 month odyssey that began on July 2nd when we departed Cuba via Mexico City.

Along the way, our plane had mechanical problems landing in Mexico City, we experienced our first “minor” earthquake and then spent almost two months in Jamaica in a one room flat and had some fun too.

Our family left via Mexico City because there were no flights between Cuba and the US in the “pre-freedom flights” era.  Our two options were Madrid and Mexico City.  My parents chose the latter because it was a better fit for our eventual destination or the US.

In Kingston, Jamaica, the five of us spent two months in waiting for our papers to come to the US.

It was a long summer with no money and living “on a wing and a prayer”.

On the day that we landed in Jamaica, we found a room from a local man who had lived in Cuba.     He was like a “guest worker” cutting sugar cane in the island.

We all slept in the same room.  My parents on the bed with my sister stuck in.  My brother & I on the floor.

My biggest memory was staying up late with my father and listening to the news on a little short wave radio that he bought in Mexico.  It was fascinating talking to my father about world events.  He was a very well informed man who had a thought on every topic.

As always, we recall our wonderful parents and their sacrifice.

Another memory was playing “catch” with a ball that my mom made out of a rock and a sock.

We recall our  little sister.  We were all very protective of her because I don’t think that she understood what this trip was all about.

It was an awesome experience that summer of 1964.  Where did the years go?

We lost our father in late 2015 and mother in 2021.  The 3 of us have our own families and busy lives.

Nevertheless, this is one memory that we will always remember.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

"Gentleman's Agreement": A very nice movie from 1947

We remember Gregory Peck who was born in California in 1916 and died in 2003.

God for the retro movie channels.   It has connected people like me with the movies made before I was born or too young to watch.    

Let's add "Gentleman's Agreement" to that list of movies.   It was released in 1947.   

The plot goes like this:  

A reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a story on Antisemitism, and personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred.

The  cast was Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and John Garfield.     Peck played the journalist and McGuire the pre-school teacher.     

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

1970: Happy anniversary Barry & Linda Gibb

Today, we say happy birthday to Barry Gibb, one of our very favorite songwriters and performers of the pop/rock era.    Barry was born in 1946.

We add that Barry and Linda were also married on this day in 1970.   Happy anniversary to them!

Barry, and his younger brothers (Robin & Maurice), composed and recorded some of the greatest songs of the last 40 years! The Bee Gees sold over 200 million records during their remarkable musical career.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.