It is rather amazing how different generations enjoy different types of entertainment. Sometimes though I guess there are avenues of similarities.
For example, I was reading a magazine the other day and came across a section where they compared Lucille Ball and Melissa McCarthy. I assume that the comparisons are valid. However, my problem was that I did not have the vaguest idea who Melissa McCarthy was. I guess I do now since I read the article, but since I seldom watch regular TV anymore I had no knowledge of her – and probably will not try to educate myself by locating some of her old programs.
On the other hand I found programing of all the Rowan & Martin Laugh-In sessions. Now they were funny – and still are at least if you are of my generation. Today, probably not so much since they could make you laugh without being coarse or worse. It is somewhat frustrating that comedians of today can’t say something (they think) funny unless it is smutty and use words we would not have been allowed to listen to when growing up. I sometimes wonder if the comedians of today aren’t as intelligent. Bob Hope where are you?
When I was young’un one of my mother’s favorite people was Arthur Godfrey. He had radio programs, TV programs, recordings – he had it all. He operated out of Miami Beach a lot, and they named a causeway after him. I would suspect that most of the people traveling that causeway today have no idea who Arthur Godfrey was. If they do think about it, they most likely figure that he was a long dead politician who was in power when the causeway was constructed. I doubt that old Godfrey would be as popular today. One of his hit recordings was “The Too Fat Polka,” That would certainly not fit in today’s political correctness agenda for probably good reasons.
However, while he had it all, he blew it one fair day. On his popular live morning program he abruptly and without warning fired his singer, Julius La Rosa. Now Julius was a very nice guy and while he was not Perry Como, he was a very adequate singer. When that happened public opinion of Godfrey plummeted, and he lost his mojo. Apparently, his success went to his head, and he figured he could do whatever he wanted. Now, if he had waited until today and had become a rap artist the arrogance would be ignored and he would still be successful – although not successful enough to rap “The Too Fat Polka.”
To go back to Julius La Rosa he had one thing that he would probably not have today. That is when he sang you could hear and understand him as the music behind him stayed behind and enhanced his performance. Nowadays, he would have to be like the pop singers of today and screech at the top of his voice with the forlorn hope that someone could hear him over the full volume music that is part of today’s world. If they had tried that back when Vaughn Monroe was singing, he would probably have punched the sound guy in the nose.
As I mentioned at the beginning each generation is different. It is not my fault that mine was the best!
Barry Evans writes about Life in The Villages for Villages-News.com
