RSS FeedHumorous Assassinations?
“Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the show?”
Mrs. Columbo & I recently took family visiting from out of town to see The Complete History of America (Abridged), and the first half of the show ended with what was intended to be a humorous dramatization of the Lincoln assassination. When I realized what we were to see, I turned to look at Mrs. Columbo knowing that she would not be pleased. In the show a man dressed in a over-sized coat (pulled up to cover his head) a balloon in place of his head with face drawn on in marker, is shot/popped by a Snidely Whiplash looking Booth.
Had we seen this show a year ago, we’d have laughed with the rest of crowd. But at the National Book Festival 2007 we were camped out at the History & Biography tent listening to the various authors speak. That was when we first heard of James Swanson & his book Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase For Lincoln’s Killer.
Rather than reading from his book, Swanson spent most of his time discussing how history has turned Lincoln’s assassination into a joke, calling Ford’s Theatre a monument to the killer & his work, not president Lincoln. In what was a revelation to the Columbos, Swanson asked the audience to try to imagine people laughing & joking about the events in Memphis on April 4th, 1968, the way they do Lincoln’s murder. I think we can all agree that it’s inconceivable that the actors we saw would have done that. But Lincoln’s murder? Funny stuff for any show, based on the laughter in the theater that evening.
This is no condemnation of the show or the audience, but after having my eyes opened to the lack of respect for Lincoln & his death, it’s hard to find jokes like that funny anymore.
“Other than that Mrs. Columbo, how was the show?”
DC Emancipation Day Event Tomorrow At MLK
Wednesday, April 16, is DC Emancipation Day. What is that you ask? From the DC government website:
The holiday commemorates the day in 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, which ended slavery in the District of Columbia and freed more than 3,000 slaves. This act was passed nine months before President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. It was the first time that the government of the United States acted formally to abolish slavery and telegraphed the eventual end of slavery to the rest of the country.
And, you can read the actual text of the Act for yourself at the National Archives web site here. In celebration, a number of events are taking place around town including one tomorrow at lunchtime at our very own MLK Library. Continue Reading >>
From the Darrin Stephens School Of Advertising
You know how on Bewitched, when Endora would have Darrin turned into a Donkey or a Monkey or some other wacky animal? And because he was Donkey/Monkey/Other Funny Mammal he wasn’t able to work on his big account, that if he lost it Mr Tate was going to fire him? And this all built up in the end to where he just knew he was going to be fired, but Samantha would come up with some clever rhyme-campaign that the client LOVED! So Mr White would promise Darrin a big raise, and put the carrot of a partnership in front of him so he wouldn’t quit his job after the terrible way Mr Tate had treated him.
What? Didn’t everyone spend their youth watching these shows?
Yes, the TV was my best friend growing up. My point is I think this recent press release highlights a contest that could have come straight from one of Samantha’s spur-of-the-moment ad campaigns. The AT&T Store in PQ, apparently the largest in the Mid-Atlantic (in your face Wilmington!) is going to hold singing auditions (in the store?) on April 19th from 11 am to 5 pm. The “winner” will get a trip to LA and tickets to a season 7 American Idol show. Tickets to the show will no doubt be a big draw for many people, but as for me, I’d rather let someone else watch so I don’t have to.
Lets Go CAPS!!!!
We caught Slapshot riding through downtown PQ this afternoon drumming up support for our Washington Captials. I admit I’m late to the bandwagon this season (I dropped my season tickets after the first round loss to Tampa a few years ago) but I’ve been sporting red for the last couple of months.
The Caps are the hottest team in the NHL right now, can’t wait for tonight’s playoff game, just have to figure out the best PQ bar to see it.
