1965: Charlton Heston and a big cast in "Major Dundee"

The Western retro channel was showing "Major Dundee" with Charlton Heston this week.    

It was released in 1965 and includes quite a cast:   Richard Harris (Capt. Tyreen), Jim Hutton (Lt. Graham), James Coburn (Samuel Potts), and Senta Berger (Teresa Santiago).   

"Major Dundee" is the story of an officer punished by being sent to command a Texas prison camp.  The story is often a bit slow but it makes sense at the end.   

Please watch the film but you may have to view it a few times to understand what the whole thing is about.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

 

Martin & Lewis: "At War With the Army" was so funny!

Martin & Lewis: "At War With the Army".......

Click HERE to get the movie:

The story of the Sullivan brothers

A couple of years ago, I was flipping channels and saw a bit of a movie about 5 brothers who enlisted in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor.   

All 5 were killed in 1942 when the USS Juneau was hit by enemy fire and exploded on the way back to port.  

It's a true story!   Shortly after, the US restructured its policy on siblings serving together. 

Later, two destroyers were named after the Sullivans. 

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

The incredible life of Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

Who are the most consequential men of the last 50 years?  Let me suggest President Reagan, Pope John Paul II and Dwight Eisenhower, the World War II general and then the consequential 34th President.

How about Milton Friedman, the greatest economist of our generation?

Friedman died in 2006.   He was born on this day in 1912.    We still miss him.

My Milton Friedman memories go back to college and the 1980 Reagan campaign.

First, he wrote that great book "Free to choose".   It became a TV series and many of us learned a lot by watching it.

Second, he was the leader of the "Chicago Boys" who fixed Chile after Pinochet overthrew Allende.

Friedman was a consequential man.  He left us a lot of books, essays. documentaries and a wonderful foundation for future generations!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

A new book about The Beatles for a rainy day

Rain and more rain!  So we have a little time to discover a good book about The Beatles:   

July 1991: Natalie Cole reached #1 with an album of her father's songs

It was a great musical moment.  Natalie Cole used modern technology to sing with her late father:  The result was a #1 album.

Natalie died on December 30, 2015, after a long and very successful career as a female vocalist.  In my opinion, this album was her greatest accomplishment.

Click here for a digital version of the wonderful album.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Andy Garcia's "The lost city" was a great movie

Let me issue a disclaimer.   I am not a movie critic.  Frankly, I don't watch movies with a critical eye but rather to be entertained.  

In recent years, I enjoyed "Gods and Generals" because I love anything about the US Civil War.  

"March of the Penguins" was well done.  
I liked "The Rookie" because it is such an uplifting story.   "I walk the line" was fun and informational about Johnny Cash.

"The Lost City" tells a story that most Cuban exiles can relate to.  This is not a pro-Batista movie or presents Cuba as a pre-Castro paradise.

This is a movie about the betrayal of Cuba by Fidel Castro and Che Guevarra.

This is about the young men who died to restore the 1940 Constitution rather than impose a communist dictator.

This is about the Cuban middle class who stood up to Batista.

This is about Fidel Castro canceling elections and bringing the Soviets into Cuba.

This is about Che Guevarra's firing squads.

I was there but too young to remember most of it.  Yet, our home in the US was always full of Cuban stories.  My parents always reminded us of what we left behind.

I won't spoil it but the movie is about a family caught up in the turmoil of 1958-61.

Want more? Watch the movie!

The music is spectacular. The choreography of old Havana is stunning. Close your eyes and you will feel back in the elegance of La Habana.

You need to watch or download "The Lost City" by Andy Garcia.

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

The Boone baseball family

This is a really neat story:

Ray Boone joined the fathers & sons list when his son, Bob Boone, made his Major League debut on September 10, 1972.

Bob Boone joined the fathers & sons list when his son, Bret Boone, made his Major League debut on September 19, 1992, then added another name to the sons “column” when his second son, Aaron Boone, made his debut on June 20, 1997.

The Boone family was the first in baseball history to be included in the Baseball Grandfathers, Fathers and Sons section of the Baseball Almanac Baseball Family Tree.

Ray Boone was an All-Star in 1954 and 1956. Bob Boone was an All-Star in 1976, 1978, 1979, and 1983. Bret Boone was an All-Star in 1998, 2001 and 2003. Aaron Boone was an All-Star in 2003.

The Boone family was the first in baseball history to send three generations of players to an All-Star Game.    

A few years ago, Bret Boone wrote a book about his baseball family.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

We remember Dave Henderson (1958-2015)

We remember Dave Henderson who was born in California on this day in 1958.   He died in 2015 at the age of 57.

Who remembers watching the Red Sox and Angels in the 1986 ALCS?   It was Dave Henderson who hit that 9th inning HR to keep Boston alive.    It was one of the most dramatic swings in baseball history.  

The Angels were one strike away from winning the AL pennant.    Instead, the ALCS went back to Boston and the Red Sox won.   

Overall, he hit 197 HR with 708 RBI.   His best years were with Oakland (1988-93) when he was an outfielder in those great A's teams.

He will always live in the hearts of Red Sox fans.

 

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send drop a dime here.

We remember Moe Drabowsky (1935-2006)

    

Myron Walter Drabowsky was born on this day in 1935 in Ozanna, Poland.    His family came to the US and Moe started playing baseball.       Moe broke with the Cubs in 1957 and won 13 games in 1958.    

In 1966, Moe was traded to Baltimore and was a part of the team that won the World Series.     Moe played with the 1970 Orioles, too.    

The underdog Orioles got off to a great start in the top of the first inning of the 1966 World Series.

Eventual MVP and Triple Crown winner Frank Robinson hit a 2-run HR and Brooks Robinson followed it with a solo shot.    It was suddenly 3-0 Baltimore vs Los Angeles Dodgers!

Dave McNally could not get out of the 3rd inning but Moe Drabowski pitched 6-plus innings of relief to preserve the win.    It was one of the great long relief performances ever in the post season.   How often does a guy go 6-plus in relief anymore?

Final score: Orioles 5, Dodgers 2.    The Dodgers did not score again in the series.

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.

Elvis and the 1956 mystery kiss

We finally know the story of that famous Elvis kiss:   

"“The Kiss”—as the photograph is sometimes called—is in fact the most enduring of the 3,800 exposures that photographer Al Wertheimer made of Elvis Presley, many of the best taken during a two-day period in June 1956. 
While chronicling the rock prince on the threshold of becoming the King, Wertheimer, then 26, famously caught Elvis on the road and at his home in Memphis with his family and entourage. 
But that prize frame has become one of the classics in the rock-photography canon: Elvis, in a stairwell at the Mosque Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, minutes before a concert, darting a mischievous tongue toward the deliciously reciprocating mouth of a mysterious girl in black."

And now we know.......The Elvis-Kiss Mystery-Solved! https://t.co/HyuifENVeC

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) July 28, 2016

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

We remember Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960)

We remember Oscar Hammerstein II who was born in New York on this day in 1895.  He became one of the greatest American composers of the 20th century.   

Over the years, he worked with Jerome Kern on "Show Boat".   

Later, he collaborated with Richard Rodgers on "Oklahoma!", "Carousel", "South Pacific", "The King and I", and "The Sound of Music".

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Getting To Know Him: A Biography Of Oscar Hammerstein II by Hugh Fo... #PrimeDay https://t.co/tIOcFmi1e8 via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) July 12, 2016

The "John Adams" mini-series is worth every minute!

(P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.)

As a naturalized US citizen, I've always had a passion for everything about US history.

I think that the US is the greatest nation in history.

It has done more good for mankind than anyone else.

Its sons have liberated millions.

It's economy has brought more prosperity to more people than anything else.

Last, but not least, I don't have patience for those who take cheap shots at the US.

This great nation opened its arms to our family.   It gave us a chance at a new life. 

It has given me so much.  Therefore, I don't stand quietly when people take "cheap shots" at the US.

Let me recommend the new "John Adams" series on HBO. It aired recently and I watched all 7 hours this weekend.

The main character is John Adams, our first VP and second president.

The series covers the Declaration of Independence (a great segment), his trip to Europe, his service as VP, President and the retirement years when he reconciles with Thomas Jefferson.

You can not understand John Adams without understanding his amazing wife, Abigail.

During their long and very happy marriage, Abigail and John wrote an amazing number of letters. The "letters" have given historians so much background about the events and passion of that period. They tell the story of a man and a woman living in the early days of a new nation.

Here is a historical gem:  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were two of the key players for independence.  They died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, or the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Watch it. You will love every minute of this great series.

John Adams HBO....https://t.co/WQLei4TJd6 via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) December 30, 2016

Summer reading: The sad story of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson

Many of us learned the story of Shoeless Joe in the movie or book "Eight men out".    He was one of those White Sox banned from baseball.   It was a tragedy because Jackson had the second highest career batting average ever (.356) and an even more amazing on base pct. of .424!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Happy birthday USA

Today, our message is very simple:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Happy July 4th.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Happy 4th of July

Today, our message is very simple: 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Happy July 4th.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Happy birthday to the USA

We take a minute today and say "happy birthday to the USA".

We loved this story from 2009: Why would a 61-year-old civilian surgeon volunteer for Iraq?

It turns out that Dr. Bill Krissoff lost a son in Iraq:

"Marine First Lt. Nathan Krissoff, was killed in Al Anbar Province in December 2006.

A Williams College grad, athlete and musician, he'd left for Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

He was 25."

So Dr. Krissoff, at age 61, volunteered and went to Iraq.

It's a great story and it should be shared with everyone.

Like many of you, we plan to watch fireworks and just enjoy a nice day.

We will also remember the Krissoff family and their commitment to the country that they love so much!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

July 4, 2015: "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" with Frank Burke.................

 

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" with Frank Burke..... http://t.co/DonMpyd3BA

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) July 3, 2015

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

'Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' with Frank Burke

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO LISTEN:

'Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' with Frank Burke 07/03 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics Podcasts:

Guest: Frank Burke, businessman, contributor to American Thinker and co-author of 'A law unto themselves', joins me for a discussion of The Declaration of Independence.......what inspired these men to sign such a revolutionary document?........what does 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness' mean.............John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, or the 50th anniversary of the declaration....

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Happy July 4th and the men who signed The Declaration of Independence

Back in 1776, 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration is forever known for this:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The signers understood the risk in putting their name on this document. This is how they concluded the declaration:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

This is a list of the men who signed the document. Let's remember them today:

Delaware
• George Read
• Caesar Rodney
• Thomas McKean

Pennsylvania
• George Clymer
• Benjamin Franklin
• Robert Morris
• John Morton
• Benjamin Rush
• George Ross
• James Smith
• James Wilson
• George Taylor

Massachusetts
• John Adams
• Samuel Adams
• John Hancock
• Robert Treat Paine
• Elbridge Gerry

New Hampshire
• Josiah Bartlett
• William Whipple
• Matthew Thornton

Rhode Island
• Stephen Hopkins
• William Ellery

New York
• Lewis Morris
• Philip Livingston
• Francis Lewis
• William Floyd

Georgia
• Button Gwinnett
• Lyman Hall
• George Walton

Virginia
• Richard Henry Lee
• Francis Lightfoot Lee
• Carter Braxton
• Benjamin Harrison
• Thomas Jefferson
• George Wythe
• Thomas Nelson, Jr.

North Carolina
• William Hooper
• John Penn
• Joseph Hewes

South Carolina
• Edward Rutledge
• Arthur Middleton
• Thomas Lynch, Jr.
• Thomas Heyward, Jr.

New Jersey
• Abraham Clark
• John Hart
• Francis Hopkinson
• Richard Stockton
• John Witherspoon

Connecticut
• Samuel Huntington
• Roger Sherman
• William Williams
• Oliver Wolcott

Maryland
• Charles Carroll
• Samuel Chase
• Thomas Stone
• William Paca

Happy July 4th! 

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Happy July 4th!

Let's take a minute from politics and remember July 4, 1776.

The US is the only country ever founded on an idea, as Jeff Jacoby reminds us:

"America was the first nation self-consciously founded as the embodiment of an idea — the “self-evident” truth that “all men are created equal” and endowed by God with an “unalienable” right to life and liberty. 
In a world that had always connected nationhood and citizenship to blood, soil, and ethnicity, the democratic republic born in 1776 presented a prospect that was revolutionary in the profoundest sense imaginable — and Americans from the outset were certain that their model of self-government was destined to radiate outward, shaping the course of human events."

It may sound a bit old fashioned now but those ideas were very revolutionary when they were written in 1776.

Happy July 4th:  Remember that today is about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

"Dead of night" from 1946 was a strange movie

Not long ago, I came across "Dead of night" on the retro channel.   It is apparently a classic among British horror films.  

Frankly, it was very interesting but would like to watch it again to understand the plot better.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

Dead of Night [VHS] Republic Pictures https://t.co/yfjJqMfqVO via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) July 11, 2016

2010: A chat with the late Joel Akerman (1938-2019)

Our friend Joel Akerman passed away July 2019.   This is a show that we recorded with him in 2010............

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.

---

July 2, 1964: We left Cuba

It was 1964 or many years ago today that my dad, mom, and the three kids woke up in Cuba knowing that things would never be the same.   My mom had talked to us the night before and told us to be strong and stick together as one family. 

Nobody said a lot that morning.  My parents had decided to leave after the Cuban Missile Crisis and the “communist radicalization” of Cuba.  They did not want us to attend government schools where kids were taught communist ideas and history was rewritten to justify “la revolucion”. 

My parents knew that this day would come but it was still a bit hard for them to take.  Cuba was all that they knew.  They were born there and never expected to leave their country to pursue a better life anywhere else.   

We got to the airport knowing that we’d be harassed by Castro’s thugs.  It was customary for these government workers to harass “los gusanos” (or “worms” as we were called).  The idea was to pick a fight and then delay your departure. 

The five of us sat at the airport fearing the personal searches.  This is where the men and women were separated and “searched” to make sure that you weren’t taking jewelry or anything of value beyond clothes.  My parents had left their wedding rings with my aunt so they wore plain rings just in case some government thug decided to take it. 

The plane finally took off and we landed in Mexico City a few hours later.  We went to Mexico because there were no flights to Miami after the Missile Crisis.  The Miami flights were started in 1966 or what became known as the “freedom flights.”   Thousands of Cuba came to the U.S. in those flights.   

A week later, we flew to Jamaica where we waited for the U.S. government to grant us entry.  We spent two months there and were supported by our two uncles in the U.S. who sent weekly money drafts.  We lived in a small room and spent our day throwing around a baseball that my mom had put together for us from a rock and my father’s sox. 

Eventually, we got our “papers” and arrived in the U.S.  And then we found our way to Wisconsin thanks to the generosity of a church.   

My father died at the end of 2015.  My mother died a day after turning 92 in 2021.   Last, but not least, my brother and sister have their own lives and families.   Nevertheless, I will remember them all today.

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.

---

1863 and the battle of Gettysburg

We remember 1863 or another anniversary of The Battle of Gettysburg.

It was a horrific and brutal 3-day battle.  At the end, over 50,000 men died on that Pennsylvania field.

Today, we remember the valor on both sides.  

Professor Allen Guelzo has a nice column over at The Wall Street Journal about Gettysburg and what it meant to his grandfather:

"The Battle of Gettysburg ended 150 years ago. But the democratic principle it was fought for still requires defending. And in the long view, its best defense may be the 272 words Lincoln uttered at Gettysburg. My great-grandfather seems to have thought so, and so do I."

Yes, I agree with Professor Guelzo's great grandfather.  You never stop defending freedom or our democratic principles.

Click here for the movie:

"Gettysburg" the movie..... https://t.co/unEC40NsEN via @amazon

— Silvio Canto, Jr. (@SCantojr) July 3, 2017

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, click send, and drop a dime here.