Reminiscences in the rear view mirror (Part II)

.....I went to a show at our theatre last night and heard a "chanteuse" sing some songs that have always been favorites of mine, such as Send in the Clowns, and from Evita, Don't Cry for me Argentina. I have, fortunately, lived a long and eventful life and those songs reminded me of all the wonderful people and events that I have enjoyed. So let's begin with movies I've enjoyed: Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, Hamlet (with Olivier), The Razor's Edge, City Lights, Dracula, Frankenstein, King Kong, Duck Soup, It Happened One Night, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, The Grapes of Wrath, Citizen Kane, Great Expectations, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Sunset Boulevard, Singin' in the Rain, High Noon, On the Waterfront, La Dolce Vita, The Graduate, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Midnight Cowboy, The Godfather I & II, Blazing Saddles, Annie Hall, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Pulp Fiction, and probably many more that have lapsed into my memory and can't get out. But I am totally thankful that I have lived to see these films starring great actors.

.....And I am thankful that I have lived to see Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Woody Allen, Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Ingrid Bergman, Kenneth Branagh, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo, Sir John Gielgud, Katherine Hepburn, Charles Laughton, Laurel & Hardy, Marx Bros., Marilyn Monroe, Paul Muni, Laurence Olivier, Tyrone Power, Spencer Tracy, John Travolta, Humphrey Bogart, and who knows how many more I've enjoyed. If this is a long list, don't forget I was born in 1924 at the height of the Great Depression.

.....and I've seen some tremendous athletes up close and in person: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Bob Feller, Hank Aaron, James Brown, Greg Davis & "Doc" Blanchard, Sid Luckman, Tom Seaver, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Carl Lewis, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Gale Sayers, Johnny VanderMeer, Ewell Blackwell, James Brown, Tommy Harmon & Barack Obama. Sure, I left several out--but these guys, to me, are memorable.

.....and I've seen and heard some truly great vocalists: Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston, Neil Young & Elton John. ....and dancers, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, James Cagney, and Gene Kelly. Oh there be many other singers and dancers you and I can add to the list, but it's not your list--it's my list. If you care to name a few that I haven't mentioned, that you may care to write in a comment, well be my guest. I'd love to hear from you. I haven't even begun to mention all the technological and magical machines that I've witnessed, such as radio, TV, Records, Eight Track Tapes (Ugh!), CDs, Computers, Jet planes, Atomic Bombs, Cell Phones, iPods, 3D, HD, and etc.

.....What about Presidents? Well, it's a short list: FDR, JFK, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Sue me.