1957: "Leave it to Beaver" made its TV debut

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

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"Leave it to Beaver", one of my all time favorite shows, made its debut today in 1957.    The show had four characters that everyone could love:  Dad Ward Cleaver, Mom June Cleaver, Wally and Beaver.    And let's not forget Eddie Haskell, who probably drove every mother crazy!

"Beaver" lasted until 1963 so I saw it in reruns.    

It is just a fun show with no deep meanings or messages about this or that.    Just a kid growing up with a responsible dad, loving mom and older brother.    In fact, I think that the show's success is that so many of us see our family in those characters.

By the way, I voted Mrs Cleaver as my favorite TV mom a few years ago.    Still love the show:

We remember F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

We remember F. Scott Fitzgerald who was born on this day in St. Paul, Minnesota.   He served in World War I and moved to France where he wrote "The Great Gatsby" or his most famous work, in 1925.

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.

1979: Yaz got # 3,000

On this day in 1979, Carl Yastrzemski got # 3,000.   Yaz hit a fastball from Jim Beattie past Willie Randolph's glove.  I remember watching the highlights in the evening news.

The 1967 season was Yaz's greatest season.

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.

   

Buddy Holly # 13 in Rolling Stone's Top 100 artists

In 1972, Don McClean introduced our generation to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in the # 1 song"American Pie". 

It started like this:     

"A long, long time ago...I can still remember How that music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while. But February made me shiver With every paper I'd deliver. Bad news on the doorstep; I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride, But something touched me deep inside The day the music died."

The "day the music died" was on this day in 1959, a big triple loss for pop music. 

McClean's tune got me very interested in Buddy Holly, a native of West Texas.

I bought his records. I visited his grave during a business trip to West Texas about 20 years ago. I have followed the creation of The Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, TX.

I learned that Paul McCartney was also a huge fan of Buddy Holly. He toured England in 1958!

The Beatles recorded Holly's "Words of Love" in one of their early LP's. The Rolling Stones recorded "Not fade away", another of Holly's songs.

Buddy Holly was only 22 but ".....In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Holly #13 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

You can hear Buddy Holly's influence in every rock song recorded over the years. You can specially hear it in garage bands or every 15-year old who has played a rock guitar.

Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were killed in the same plane crash. They were not as popular as Holly but Valens had incredible potential since he was only 17!

The day "the music died", a sad day in the history of rock.

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 Billy Preston (1946-2006)

William Everett “Billy” Preston was born in Houston, Texas, on this day in 1946 and died in 2006.    

He met The Beatles in Germany before the band was famous.   Preston reconnected with them and played keyboards on “Get back” and the B-side of “Don’t let me down”.    Later, he had a string of solo hits and also played with The Rolling Stones.    

Preston was a fabulous organist.    One of my favorite songs was “Outaspace”.

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.

1979: The day that Thurman Munson was killed

As I recall, the Yankees had a day off.  Also, the first place Orioles were scheduled to play a weekend series in New York.

Then we got the news that Thurman Munson had been killed in a plane crash.  It was crushing to say the least.

Munson was a great catcher and ranks with some of the great Yankees of all time.

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

1979 and the week that gave us ‘malaise’ and ‘disco sucks’

For many of us, the summer of 1979 was a tough one. It certainly appeared as if President Jimmy Carter was in over his head and radio was saturating us with disco music.

It was no coincidence that two of the most famous days of that summer happened this week.

On the political front, we had “the malaise speech” or the speech that left most people dumbfounded.

On July 15, 1979, a frustrated President Carter gave that famous “malaise” speech that probably sank his presidency.      

Fair or unfair, the speech and the word he didn’t use, defined President Carter.  He spoke of a “new age of limits” and that just exposed him to attacks from Ronald Reagan, the ultimate optimist about the U.S.  The U.S. is not a country of “limits.” It does not seem to like leaders who tell them to “downsize” their dreams.

In other words, the speech did not work.

Then came “disco night” at the old Comiskey Park in Chicago.  By the summer of 1979, disco was here, there, and everywhere. It got to a point that Frankie Avalon recorded a disco version of “Venus” and we heard a disco version of the “I Love Lucy” theme.

On July 12, 1979, the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers were scheduled to play a doubleheader.  The Chisox needed a promotion and they got one by joining forces with Chicago DJ Steve Dahl, one of many rock fans who resented how disco threatened rock ’n’ roll.

The “Disco Demolition” promotion called for fans to blow up disco vinyl 45’s and LP’s between games.

What could possibly go wrong? Everything did, as the Chicago police department will tell you.

It happened one week in 1979.  As for disco, it probably died that night, but, assailed by punk and new wave, it was dying already anyway. 

As for “malaise”, it got worse for President Carter, from the Iran embassy hostages, to the failed rescue, the challenge from Senator Ted Kennedy and the humiliating defeat in 1980.

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.

June 29, 1941: DiMaggio got 41 & 42 in a doubleheader

On this day in 1941, the amazing Joe DiMaggio singled in the sixth inning in the first game of a doubleheader to tie George Sisler's A.L. consecutive-game hit record of 41 games. 

In the second game, he set the record at 42 games with a single in the seventh inning.  

His next goal was the N.L. record of 44.  

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.

Berlin 1948: Another sad day in the brutal history of communism

We've reported on this blog about the violent and ugly story of communism, from the USSR to Cuba to North Korea to China.  In a nutshell, it is an ugly story where the state dominated the individual. 

On this day in 1948, President Truman confronted a serious communist challenge in Berlin: The Berlin Blockade.    

He responded with The Berlin Airlift or one of President Truman’s finest moments! It was a wonderful demonstration of US presidential leadership. 

It also gave us the story of  “the candy bombers” or US pilots who dropped candy for the children of Berlin.

On May 12, 1949, the Soviets officially ended the blockade and the citizens of West Berlin were saved.    

The good guys won in Berlin in 1948-49 and later when the wall came down in 1989. 

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

We remember June Carter Cash (1929-2003)

We remember June Carter Cash, who was born on this day in 1929.   She died in 2003.

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.

John Wayne died in 1979

The great John Wayne died on June 11, 1979.    

His career goes back to the 1930’s:  "Fort Apache" (1948), "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949), "Rio Grande" (1950), "The Quiet Man" (1952) and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" (1962).

“The shootist” from 1976 is my favorite movie.  It was ironically the story of an old cowboy dying of cancer.

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 Thurman Munson (1947-1979)

We remember Thurman Lee Munson, who was born in Akron, Ohio, on this day in 1947.    He died in a plane crash in 1979!

Munson had some great seasons with the Yankees.   He was the 1976 AL MVP when New York returned to the World Series for the first time since 1964:  .302 average, 17 HR & 105 RBI's.      He drove 307 RBI's over a 3 year span, 1975-77.

Overall, Munson hit .292 with 113 HR & 701 RBI's over 1,423 games.

My memory of Munson is that he was a great competitor and extremely tough in the clutch.   In other words, you didn't want to pitch to Munson with the winning run in second base.

 

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 Orioles 1979-83, the best team in the AL

We remember one of the best teams in recent AL history, the 1979-83 Orioles.    There were future Hall of Fame players on that squad:  Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray & Cal Ripken.   There were some great players, like Mark Belanger, Al Bumbry, and Ken Singleton.   The pitching staff included Scott McGregor, Dennis Martinez & Mike Flannagan.

They were a great team..

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.

Memories of 'Semana Santa' in Cuba

Guests: Carmencita Romanach, President, Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc. & Carmen Valdivia, Member of Board of Directors, & Historic Committee Chair............Click to listen:

Memories of "Semana Santa" in Cuba.......

1979: Weaver won # 1,000

On this day in 1979, the Orioles opened the season by beating Chicago.    It was Earl Weaver's 1,000th win as a manager, all of them with Baltimore.

Weaver became the O's manager in July 1968, won the 1970 World Series, the 1969 & 1971 AL pennants, plus the 1973 & 1974 AL East titles.   

In 1979, Weaver's O's won 102 and returned to the World Series but lost to the Pirates.  In 1980, the O's won 100 games but finished 3 behind the Yankees.

He retired in 1982 with 1,480 wins and a .582 winning pct.    He went into The Hall of Fame in 1996.

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.

Why do we love George Washington?

We remember another of George Washington’s birthdays. Back in our early days in “el exilio”, we used to celebrate this day exclusively. No Presidents’ Day but rather President Lincoln on February 12th and President Washington on the 22nd. I regret that we changed that.

George Washington was vital to the success of the new American nation. Our friends at Power Line call him the indispensable man and they are right:

Today is the anniversary of the birth of George Washington. Of all the great men of the revolutionary era to whom we owe our freedom, Washington’s greatness was the rarest and the most needed. At this remove in time, it is also the hardest to comprehend.

Take, for example, Washington’s contribution to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Washington’s mere presence lent the undertaking and its handiwork the legitimacy that resulted in success. The convention’s first order of business was the election of a presiding officer. Washington was the delegates’ unanimous choice.

Washington led an army of colonists and then held together the new constitution by serving as the first president. He could have been “president for life” or reelected to a 3rd term. However, he respected the constitution and set the example by walking away from power. We’ve had orderly transfer of power ever since and that’s no small accomplishment in world history. He died in 1799.

He was indeed the indispensable man to the new nation. Where would we be today without the work or presence of George Washington?

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 Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007)

We remember Boris Yeltsin who was born on this day in 1931.  He died in 2007.

It's hard to think of Boris N. Yeltsin without recalling the end ot the USSR.  I can still remember Yeltsin with a Russian flag and surrounded by lots of happy faces. That was a happy moment for him and the Russian people.

Yeltsin was consequential, although he had his problems. At the same time, no one is perfect, specially the leader of nation without any democratic traditions.

 

How will Yeltsin be remembered?

 

My guess is that history will be kind to Yeltsin.  

 

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.

 

1944: Siege of Leningrad

On this day in 1944, the siege of Leningrad ended.  It was the 900-day German-enforced containment of the city and cost thousands of Russian lives.

We discussed Hitler's decision to invade the USSR with Barry Jacobsen.

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.

1979: Iran and the day that the Shah left

As you may remember, Iran was in the news for much of 1978.

On this day in 1979,  the Shah fled the country and traveled to several capitals before entering the United States in October for medical treatment.

Iran demanded the return of the shah but the Carter administration refused to negotiate.  

On November 4th, 1979, militants stormed the U.S. embassy in response  to the Shah entering the US.  The hostages were held for 444 days.  The Shah died in Egypt in July 1980 or in the middle of the hostage crisis.

The Shah's departure was quite a blow for the US and our interests in the region.   He was our ally in the region.  He wasn't perfect but did not invade his neighbors or start wars.  

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.