P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.The Cubans: The music of Ernesto Lecuona .........https://t.co/A04TgmataW— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) December 12, 2016
Thursday, December 31, 1970
The Cubans: The music of Ernesto Lecuona
We remember Rick Nelson (1940-1985)
Rick Nelson died in a plane crash in Texas in 1985. He was flying to Dallas for a concert. Nelson recorded many songs, from "Traveling man" to "Hello Mary Lou" to "Young emotions". My favorite is "Fools rush in", a tune from the 1940's that Nelson brought back in 1963.
You can get his music HERE.
You can get his music HERE.
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1967 Dallas vs Green Bay: A great game known as The Ice Bowl
It was as cold back in 1967 as it is today. Yet, nothing stopped those Packers' fans from showing up and watching a great finish to a great championship game. I guess that the highlight of the game was Green Bay scoring in that last drive.P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
We remember John Denver (1943-1997)
In the 1970's, Denver dominated the pop charts with songs like "Rocky Mountain High" and "Annie's song". Great songwriter and singer! His songs are HERE.
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We remember General George Marshall (1880-1959)
Marshall was a distinguished military man but we remember him for The Marshall Plan, an idea outlined in 1947.
Looking back, it was one of the greatest decisions of the 20th century. It probably saved Western Europe. (Postwar Challenges) It gave France, Germany, Italy, and others a chance to rebuild their cities and industries. This is a portion of the speech:
"Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist." (The Marshall Plan - George C. Marshall, Harvard University (June 5, 1947)
So we remember a great military man with a wonderful diplomatic achievement.
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1966: Eddie Matthews traded from the Braves to the Astros in the offseason
Matthews' greatest years came in Milwaukee where he hit over 450 HR. He led the league in 1953 and 1959 and was a huge part of the Milwaukee teams who won the NL pennant in 1957 and 1958. The Braves tied LA for the NL pennant in 1959 but lost a playoff.
Overall, Matthews finished with 512 HR and 1,453 RBI.
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Wednesday, December 30, 1970
We remember Michael Nesmith (1942-2021)
Most of us remember Nesmith because he was one of The Monkees, the rock group that recorded several hits in the late 1960's.
Nesmith wrote some of the group's hits, as well as "A different drum" recorded by The Stone Poneys. After The Monkees, Nesmith had a few solo hits in the 1970's.
Nesmith wrote some of the group's hits, as well as "A different drum" recorded by The Stone Poneys. After The Monkees, Nesmith had a few solo hits in the 1970's.
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We remember Davy Jones (1945-2012)
Here is Davy Jones and The Monkees.
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A word about Davy Jones (1945-2012)
Davy Jones was one of The Monkees, the pop group that had a bunch of hits for a couple of years in the late 1960's.
Davy was the girls' favorite. I remember that my sister had Davy Jones posters on her wall. She was a huge fan of the group's music and their weekly TV series.
The Monkees sold millions of records. They were actually a pretty good group and I liked many of their songs, too. However, their success faded as the TV show went off the air.
Davy was the lead vocalist on "Daydream Believer", a # 1 song in December 1967.
He also sang lead on "A little bit me, a little bit you", another chart topper from March '67 and the second Neil Diamond tune recorded by the group. (The other was "I'm a believer")
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Monday, December 28, 1970
We remember President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924)
Before The White House, Mr. Wilson was a college professor, university president and governor of New Jersey.
Mr. Wilson got 42% of the popular vote in 1912 but carried most of the states in a 3-way race. His reelection in 1916 was very close: 277-254.
A few months ago, I watched the movie "Wilson" released in 1944. It is a very favorable movie of Mr. Wilson and his presidency. We also leaned a lot about Mrs. Wilson, who died during his first term, and the second Mrs. Wilson, who was a rather controversial figure.
Overall, a good movie that takes you back to a time when men wore hats and ladies dressed rather elegantly.
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2011: We lost a very famous chimp!
As far as I can recall, we have never written a post about a chimp before.
At the same time, there have not been too many chimps like the one and only "Cheetah":
"A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s has died at age 80. The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure."
Cheetah was Tarzan's only jungle friend until he met Jane and the rest is history. Tarzan & Jane had a son in the story. The chimp was always in the middle of every episode.
Some of us are old enough to remember these movies, specially when we were kids and fascinated with stuff like that.
Of course, my dad's generation actually watched these movies at the theatres and enjoyed Cheetah's comic relief.
Johnny Weissmuller, or Tarzan, died in the 1980's. He won swimming gold medals in the 1924 Olympics and became Tarzan in the 1930's. He made movies until the 1950's.
Jane was primarily played by Maureen O'Sullivan who died in the late 1990s. In retrospect, Jane always looked so nice and feminine. Wonder if they had a beauty parlor near Tarzan's home in the jungle?
So long Cheetah and thanks for those laughs.
At the same time, there have not been too many chimps like the one and only "Cheetah":
"A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s has died at age 80. The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure."
Cheetah was Tarzan's only jungle friend until he met Jane and the rest is history. Tarzan & Jane had a son in the story. The chimp was always in the middle of every episode.
Some of us are old enough to remember these movies, specially when we were kids and fascinated with stuff like that.
Of course, my dad's generation actually watched these movies at the theatres and enjoyed Cheetah's comic relief.
Johnny Weissmuller, or Tarzan, died in the 1980's. He won swimming gold medals in the 1924 Olympics and became Tarzan in the 1930's. He made movies until the 1950's.
Jane was primarily played by Maureen O'Sullivan who died in the late 1990s. In retrospect, Jane always looked so nice and feminine. Wonder if they had a beauty parlor near Tarzan's home in the jungle?
So long Cheetah and thanks for those laughs.
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.
Saturday, December 26, 1970
1967: The Beatles and "Magical Mystery Tour"
Where did the time go? On this day in 1967, The Beatles released their second LP of the year or "Magical Mystery Tour". The other one was "Sgt Pepper's".
Side A were songs from the film. Side B were the 1967 singles, including their new one "Hello Goodbye" already on its way to # 1 on Billboard USA.
The film was horrible, a boring movie about The Beatles going around in a bus. It was nothing like "Help", "A hard day's night" or later "Yellow submarine".
The soundtrack was very good, specially the title song, "The fool on the hill" and "Your mother should know". It's surprising that they weren't released as singles in the US.
Rolling Stone ranked this LP as #19 of movie soundtracks.
So we remember The Beatles and this week in 1967.
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We remember James Brown (1933-2006)
James Brown died in 2006, or many years ago this week. I remember seeing this:
"James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died Monday, his agent said. He was 73."In the late 1960s, I was a big fan of James Brown. His legacy is a string of hits and songs! You can get his collection HERE.
Rest in peace, James Brown. You left us a lot of good music.
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Christmas 1967: The Magical Mystery Tour and The Beatles
It was not their best album but pretty good.
Christmas 1967 and The Beatles released Magical Mystery Tour. It was the soundtrack of a British TV movie but it flopped in the US.
Nevertheless, there were some pretty good songs, including the title song and The Fool on the hill.
The LP also included the 1967 singles, including my very favorite Hello Goodbye and its crazy B-side I am the walrus. (What was that song all about anyway).
By the way, isn't the Hello Goodbye video great? Did The Beatles invent MTV? I think so!
The other singles were Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever. These two songs are about Liverpool, their hometown in Northern England. Penny Lane is a street in Liverpool. Strawberry Fields was a Salvation Army children's home. John and Paul spent much of their childhood around these two places.
Also included was All you need is love! The Beatles performed this song on the BBC and it was shown across the world by satellite. Last, but not least, Baby you're a rich man, another one of those songs that has been lost over the years.
Overall, a decent LP. It was not as revolutionary as Sgt. Pepper's. It was not as melodic as Revolver (For no one) or Rubber Soul (I'm looking through you).
But it was OK.
But it was OK.
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We remember Phil Spector (1939-2021)
From "Be my baby" "You've lost that loving feeling" to the excessively produced Beatles "Let it Be" LP to a great "Christmas album", Spector was regarded as a master of production.
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President Truman (1972) and President Ford (2006)
We remember two amazing men who died on this day. President Truman died in 1972 and President Ford in 2006.VP Truman became president when President FDR died in 1945. He was not well known and followed a political giant of the 20th century. It was President Truman who made the decision to drop nuclear bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He put in motion "The Truman Doctrine" that guided US foreign policy until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. In other words, his presidency was one of the most consequential of the 20th century,
VP Ford became president when President Nixon resigned in 1974. He served about 30 months but did much to restore confidence in the presidency after Watergate. His pardon of Nixon was vindicated over time, a profile in courage!
They were both Midwestern men, of great integrity and character.
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December 1957: Pat Boone's "April Love" was # 1
In 1957, Elvis Presley and Pat Boone were the two most popular vocalists. Elvis was the king of rock and Pat was the king of romantic tunes.
On this day in 1957, it was Pat's turn to sit in the # 1 spot with "April Love". He displaced Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock" from the top of the charts.
You can get it here! It was based on a movie of the same name, although the song was more memorable than the film!
You can get it here! It was based on a movie of the same name, although the song was more memorable than the film!
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Friday, December 25, 1970
We remember Ken Stabler (1945-2015)
After Alabama, Stabler was drafted by the Raiders in the second round, No. 52 overall, in the 1968 NFL draft. He threw for 27,938 yards during his 15-year career in the NFL, compiling a 96-49-1 record as a starting QB.
Stabler played for the Raiders from 1970-79, was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1974 and earned Pro Bowl honors four times.
He led Oakland to victory in Super Bowl XL in January 1977.
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We remember Clara Barton (1821-1912)
We remember Clara Barton who was born in Massachusetts on this day in 1821. She died in 1912.
During her travels to Europe, she saw the work of the Swiss Red Cross over there. She was inspired to start the organization in the US.
During her travels to Europe, she saw the work of the Swiss Red Cross over there. She was inspired to start the organization in the US.
On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton and others started the branch in Washington DC.
We remember a great humanitarian and organization.
We remember a great humanitarian and organization.
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December 2012: Let's talk a little tango with Georgina & Oscar
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO LISTEN:
Let's talk a little tango with Georgina & Oscar 11/29 by Silvio Canto Jr | Current Events Podcasts:
Guests: Leslie Eastman joined me for a chat with Georgina Vargas and Oscar Mandagaran. They are a lovely tango couple from Argentina:
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We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a very Merry Christmas!
"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them."
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1864: Christmas and President Lincoln
Today, we remember President Lincoln and Christmas 1864:
One hundred fifty years ago, the United States experienced its last holiday season of the Civil War. For the past three Decembers, President Abraham Lincoln had been frustrated by defeats on the battlefield and the continuation of a seemingly endless war. This Christmas of 1864 however, President Lincoln had much to celebrate. He was glad First Lady Mary Lincoln had returned safely from a shopping trip to Philadelphia; on December 21 he had telegraphed her: “Do not come on the night train. It is too cold. Come in the morning.”1
In addition to being elected to a second term in November, President Lincoln had good news from the front indicating the Confederate war effort might be coming to an end. General Philip Sheridan drove the Confederates out of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and a Confederate effort to capture Nashville, Tennessee resulted in the defeat and near collapse of Confederate forces in the Western Theater. Perhaps the largest victory of all, however, came as an early Christmas gift to Lincoln in the form of a telegram from General William Tecumseh Sherman. The telegram read, “I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about 25,000 bales of cotton.”2
With Savannah in Northern hands, victory seemed that much closer to President Lincoln. Washington celebrated the news of the fall of Savannah with a 300-gun salute. The same day Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles attended the Lincolns’ Christmas reception for the cabinet at the White House, where he bragged “of the achievements of the South Atlantic Blockading squadron in capturing Savannah, while also being kind enough to acknowledge that the forces under General Sherman had rendered the navy some not inconsiderable help!” After the navy secretary left the room Lincoln and several other military officers observed ruefully that Welles seemed to think the capture of Savannah was a naval victory.3
On Christmas Day 1864, Tad Lincoln, the President’s young son, embraced the spirit of the holidays, inviting several cold and hungry newsboys he had met into the White House for Christmas dinner. Although the unexpected guests were a surprise to the White House cook, the president welcomed them and allowed them to stay for dinner. Thomas Pendel, a bodyguard and doorkeeper appointed during the Lincoln administration, recalled in an interview: “’We didn’t have many doings in those days’ says Mr. Pendel, ‘there were too many grave things to think about. . . Mrs. Lincoln used to buy a great many presents for Tad, but he could amuse himself with the ‘bucktails’ better than with playthings.’”4
As Lincoln celebrated his last Christmas both in the White House and during his life, he probably reflected upon previous loss and a hopeful future. During Lincoln’s last peacetime Christmas in 1860, the Lincoln family was in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln had been elected president. Although war had not broken out, war clouds loomed over the nation. That Christmas Eve, Lincoln’s close friend Senator Edward Baker visited Lincoln. One year later, Baker was dead, having been killed at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff in October 1861. In February 1862, the President experienced another personal loss when his son Willie suddenly fell ill and died in the White House. The holiday season of 1862 was marred by the Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg only a few weeks before Christmas. On January 1, 1863 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation redefining the purpose of the war and, by the end of 1863, victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg had bolstered the Union cause.
Members of Company K of the 150th Pennsylvania Infantry celebrated Christmas in winter quarters on the grounds of the White House in 1863 and 1864. While several years previously they had enjoyed the holiday season with their families in Pennsylvania, they were now celebrating with their fellow comrades protecting the president and his family. The White House functioned as Lincoln’s command hub. Within the War Department, a short walk from the executive residence, Lincoln stayed in constant communication with his generals by telegraph.
The Lincoln White House celebrated the Christmas of 1864 on a more positive note as the end of the war was in sight. While challenges remained, Union victory seemed inevitable that Christmas season. Although Lincoln would not see another Christmas, the decisions he made during his time at the White House to prevent the dissolution of the Union ensured the nation would endure, and through Lincoln’s presidency the White House came to symbolize for all time the trials of the office.
Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad.
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Thursday, December 24, 1970
The midnight mass, one of the great traditions
It is one of the most beautiful Catholic traditions. My favorite part of the mass is the Gospel Reading from Luke 2:1-14:
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustusthat all the world should be registered.Merry Christmas to all. Let's remember to keep Christ in Christmas.
This was the first registrationand was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
All went to their own towns to be registered.
Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galileeto Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem,because he was descended from the house and family of David.
He went to be registered with Mary,to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
While they were there,the time came for her to deliver her child.
And she gave birth to her firstborn sonand wrapped him in bands of cloth,and laid him in a manger,because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields,keeping watch over their flock by night.
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,and the glory of the Lord shone around them,and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them,Do not be afraid; for seeI am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,who is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign for you:you will find a child wrapped in bands of clothand lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angela multitude of the heavenly host,praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace among those whom he favours!
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Wednesday, December 23, 1970
1951: The first NFL title game on national TV
Remembering a couple of war heroes who died over Christmas
We got the news yesterday that two war heroes of the past died over the holidays.
First, we heard about Edwin A. Shuman:
"As Christmas 1970 approached, 43 American prisoners of war in a large holding cell at the North Vietnamese camp known as the Hanoi Hilton sought to hold a brief church service. Their guards stopped them, and so the seeds of rebellion were planted.The other "war hero" was Rodolfo Hernandez of California:
A few days later, Lt. Cmdr. Edwin A. Shuman III, a downed Navy pilot, orchestrated the resistance, knowing he would be the first to face the consequences: a beating in a torture cell.
"Ned stepped forward and said, 'Are we really committed to having church Sunday? I want to know person by person,' " a fellow prisoner, Leo K. Thorsness, recounted in a memoir. "He went around the cell pointing to each of us individually," Mr. Thorsness continued. "When the 42nd man said yes, it was unanimous. At that instant, Ned knew he would end up in the torture cells."
The following Sunday, Commander Shuman, who died on Dec. 3 at 82, stepped forward to lead a prayer session and was quickly hustled away by guards. The next four ranking officers did the same, and they, too, were taken away to be beaten. Meanwhile, as Mr. Thorsness told it, "the guards were now hitting P.O.W.s with gun butts and the cell was in chaos."
And then, he remembered, the sixth-ranking senior officer began, "Gentlemen, the Lord's Prayer."
"And this time," he added, "we finished it."
The guards had yielded.
Everett Alvarez Jr., who was the first American pilot captured in the Vietnam War when his Navy plane was shot down in 1964, said in an interview that the defiance Commander Shuman engineered was emulated by senior officers in other large holding cells.
"It was contagious," said Mr. Alvarez, who was in another cell during the first prayer service. "By the time it got to the fourth or fifth cell," he said, the guards "gave up." He said the prisoners were also singing patriotic songs. Commander Shuman remained incarcerated at the Hanoi Hilton for more than two more years. But by then the prisoners' right to collective prayer had been established.
"From that Sunday on until we came home, we held a church service," Mr. Thorsness, an Air Force pilot and recipient of the Medal of Honor for heroics on a mission in 1967, wrote in his memoir, "Surviving Hell: A POW's Journey" (2008). "We won. They lost. Forty-two men in prison pajamas followed Ned's lead. I know I will never see a better example of pure raw leadership or ever pray with a better sense of the meaning of the words."
"Mr. Hernandez was an Army corporal trying to hold a hill in May 1951 when his platoon was overwhelmed by attackers accompanied by heavy mortar, artillery and machine gun fire.We say thank you for your service. Also, we remind the younger readers that Mr Shuman and Mr Hernandez served in unpopular wars.
Corporal Hernandez had already been struck by grenade fragments and was bleeding heavily from a head wound when his commanding officer ordered his platoon to fall back. He continued firing until his rifle malfunctioned, then threw six grenades and charged at the opposing foxholes.
"I took my rifle and fixed the bayonet," he was quoted as saying in "Beyond Glory: Medal of Honor Heroes in Their Own Words," by Larry Smith, "and then I yelled, 'Here I come!' "
He managed to kill six attackers before falling unconscious from grenade, bullet and bayonet wounds. His action allowed his unit to retake the hill. Corporal Hernandez was so badly wounded that his comrades initially took him for dead. They were placing him in a body bag when someone noticed movement in his hands, said his wife, Denzil. His injuries were so extensive that he had to relearn how to walk, how to speak and how to write with his left hand (his right arm was permanently damaged).
By the time Corporal Hernandez received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman in the White House Rose Garden on April 12, 1952, he was able to speak a few words."
Most of the country was back here arguing about Vietnam when Mr Shuman was defying the Hanoi Hilton guards.
Korea was also very unpopular and most of its heroes largely forgotten, as Clay Blair wrote a few years ago.
Again, thanks for their service and courage.
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