Uncelebrating July 4th

I've thought and thought, but I just can't come up with anything to say or show to mark our national day.

I love my country, and there are still good people in it - but when I look beyond our little home and neighborhood, what I see is a nightmare version of America, a Bizarro world turned upside down, inside out.  Not the country I grew up in.

Instead of a republic, we live now in a corrupt and corrupting dictatorship centered on the worship of a conceited egomaniac without a conscience, supported and sustained by supine legislators and venal judges.  He is the complete antithesis of everything an American president should be, a monumental disgrace to the office held by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, and so many other honest, honorable, decent men.

The dictatorship is not yet total, but his lickspittle lackeys, verminous henchmen, and deluded supporters are straining every nerve to make it so.  If they succeed, we shall have, not the blessings of liberty, but the scourging of a theocratic and plutocratic autocracy.  Which is just what the Founding Fathers feared and tried to prevent.  

The truth is, both the right and the left have gone far wrong, and no matter how the politics turn out, the old order of thing in this country and abroad has been shattered to pieces and will never return.  The clock never runs backward.  

This old man has outlived his time.  Things may get better eventually, or they may get worse - either way, there's nothing I can do to affect the course of events.  With the infirmities of advancing age, t's all we can do here just to keep ourselves and our little home in working order.

I could say many other things about politics and society, history and morality, but that's all I can manage for now - except a prayer:  God bless America and God help us all.

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I don't feel like singing today, but here is the late, great Kate Smith with the song she made famous when my dad was in England serving with the U. S. Air Force, and my mom was working in a defense plant here in Texas, turning out artillery shells:

Bonus, 5 p.m.:  Former President Bill Clinton has issued an encouraging statement on America 250 and the state of the country.  Excerpt:

Our Founders were wise when they gave us our mission to form a more perfect union. They knew America would never be perfect but could always be better. That’s what they meant by “more perfect.” We’ve done that by being courageous enough to acknowledge our flaws and missteps—and then bold enough to leave them behind for brighter tomorrows.

That’s the lesson of our first 250 years: we can always do better. In how we treat one another, in person and online; in building a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities; and in standing up, showing up, and speaking out for our democracy.

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In The Room Where America Was Born

Signing of the Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, 1819.
Click to enlarge.

Instead of the usual Friday assortment of several handsome men, today the Blue Truck features just one - which ought to satisfy everybody.

Independence Hall in Philadelphia is familiar to all Americans as the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as well as the original home of the Liberty Bell.  The Hall is in the care and custody of the National Park Service.  Those who remember fondly the denizens of Jellystone Park know that relations between bears and rangers have often been problematic.  

But now in this equal-opportunity era, here is Ranger Bigbear giving a really excellent and accurate narration of the events that occurred in the Assembly Room when the Founding Fathers gathered there.  Highly educational and enjoyable - if you can keep your mind on the history.

By the way, various authoritative sources tell me that the Assembly Room where the delegates met and debated is about 40 by 40 feet - more than twice the size of a typical high-school classroom today.  About 60 delegates attended in the summer of 1776; 56 of them signed the Declaration sometime in August - not on July 4th.  Believe it or not!

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America: What's It All About?

The late historian David McCullough (1933-2022), renowned author of presidential biographies and other best-selling books, discusses American ideas and ideals - and then-president Trump - with interviewer Charlie Rose in 2017.  One cannot understand the present without understanding the past.

This interview is well worth your time.  McCullough is easy to listen to, and his voice may sound familiar.  He has has narrated many Ken Burns miniseries and other PBS documentaries.

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How Far We've Come

The White House after the Obergefell ruling, June 26, 2015.
Click to enlarge.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence - founded explicitly upon the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - it is quite poignant for me to reflect upon the evolution of gay rights in my lifetime.  Here are some thought-provoking videos for old and young alike.

Here's Steve Hartman on CBS Sunday Morning in 2015, just after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage throughout the United States:

But CBS wasn't always so gay-friendly. Author and lecturer Steven Capsuto reviews two CBS News specials from 1967 and 1980:

In case you've never seen it, here is the full 1967 report, The Homosexuals, hosted by Mike Wallace (who later regretted the homophobic remarks he made at the time):

I was in high school then and never saw that report, which is just as well. I had fooled around with some boys my own age, but for many years to come, I still envisioned growing up and getting married to a woman one day - with the cozy cottage, the picket fence, the 2.5 kids - that happily-ever-after presented in books and movies and TV shows, not to mention the Bible.  Why wouldn't you want that?  That's just what grown-ups did, like your parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and everyone else in your church and your neighborhood.  A desirable, and indeed necessary outcome for most of the human race.

But some of us are not called to that conclusion.  I didn't know I was gay in 1967 - "gay" meaning homosexual was not part of everyday speech until the Gay Liberation marches and protests in 1970 and thereafter made national news. And I certainly didn't think of myself as a homo or a queer - those awful monsters who lurked in dark alleys that everyone hated - but no one ever saw in the light of day. Mainly they were just schoolard taunts. 

But the awful, unwelcome truth dawned on me before I finished high school, and I spent most of the next decade trying to pray it away.  By 1980, though, I had come out at college, and after Woodstock, Vietnam, and Watergate - not to mention Deep Throat, Playgirl and Barbara Eden's navel - the big-city world had changed a great deal. News coverage of Gay Lib - later Gay Pride - made people aware of things they never knew existed before, and gay people far from the east and west coasts began to come out and find one another - but changes in traditional attitudes in the Deep South were still small and slow. 

It was nothing at all like San Francisco - which from this late date appears as a carnival of the doomed, as shown in this report, Gay Power, Gay Politics:

Still to come were the AIDS crisis, ACT UP, and the Quilt; and beyond that, the long struggles in the courts and legislatures to gain the right to hold a job, join the military, and get married.  I'll be posting more historical videos and links this month that may touch on those subjects and others.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

--George Santayana

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My 5000th Post - Happy Pride!

Do you know that June 26 is a momentous day in gay rights history?  On this date in 2003, 2013, and 2015, the United States Supreme Court made three major rulings that firmly established our right to love whom we love, serve in the military, and get married.  Look those up here.

And today the Blue Truck has passed a big milestone - 5000 posts, over 9000 comments, nearly 4 million pageviews, according to my Blogger dashboard:

Click to enlarge.

So instead of the usual Friday men, here's a rerun of me and M.P. back in June of 2010, cooling off and splashing around at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, a beautiful big green park up in Oklahoma.

Now much less adventurous in our 70s, we're content just to stay home, out of the sun and under the a/c.  We well recall a time when "homosexual" was a dirty word, a mortal sin, a major crime, and a psychotic disorder, and are very grateful that we have lived to see gay couples living together openly and happily just as all other ordinary people do.

Hope all my truckbuddies are having a great weekend wherever you are.  Life is fleeting - enjoy what you can while you can. 

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Southern Pride Chicken

We didn't think to take a picture, but it looked like this,
with an even coating of golden brown crust.
Photo by David Reber from Paschal's restaurant in Atlanta via Wikipedia.

If you're wondering what to make for Sunday dinner this coming weekend, why not treat yourself to some honest-to-God Southern fried chicken?  I learned how to cook it from my grandmother, and made it a couple of weekends ago for M.P., who raved over it.  I was proud of my chicken, M.P. was proud of me, and it's Pride Month - hence the name.  It's a simple thing, but as all us Southern boys know, the best thing in the world!  Mmm-mm.  I tell you what!

So here is the recipe as my dear Grandma made it (minus the tenderizer and hot sauce) nearly every Sunday when I was growing up.  Read everything before doing anything.  Enjoy!

SOUTHERN  PRIDE  CHICKEN

by Russ Manley, June 2026

Ingredients:

4 leg quarters, disjointed

(= 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks)

1½  to 2 cups flour

salt and pepper

celery salt

Adolph’s meat tenderizer

Louisiana Hot Sauce™ or cayenne (optional)

2 eggs, beaten to a froth

1½ to 2 cups canola oil

¾ cup milk (for gravy)

Allow 2 or 3 pieces per serving, depending on age and appetite.

Prep time, about half an hour.  Rest time for chicken, 1-2 hours.  Cooking time, about an hour.

Directions:

1.  Rinse chicken under cold running water and pat dry.  Dust with salt, pepper, and Adolph’s (especially on the meaty parts).  Add a pinch of cayenne or Louisiana Hot Sauce if you like.  Place in 2-quart bowl.  Pour beaten eggs over chicken, and toss chicken pieces to coat completely.  Let sit, loosely covered, for 1 to 2 hours, coming to room temperature.  (Cold chicken dropped in hot oil may not cook evenly.)

2.  Heat oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until a pinch of flour thrown in bubbles and sizzles.  (You can use any straight-sided skillet, but not a sauté pan or deep fryer.)

3.  In a paper or plastic bag, combine flour with a teaspoon each of salt and celery salt, and 2 teaspoons of black pepper.  Mix well.  Put in 2 pieces of chicken, close bag, and shake several times to cover chicken with flour.  Then repeat with 2 more pieces. 

3.  Lay chicken pieces carefully in hot oil, skin side down.  Cook on medium-high heat uncovered 10-15 minutes; oil should come up only halfway on the sides of chicken, bubbling vigorously.

4.  Once chicken pieces have browned on the underside (check by lifting one end with a fork, keeping your face away from the hot oil), carefully turn over and cook covered on medium-low 15-20 minutes.  The oil should still be bubbling vigorously around the chicken.  Do not peek; turn only once.

5.  When chicken is golden brown on both sides, remove to drain on paper towels or on a rack; cover to keep warm.  Repeat flouring and frying with the remaining chicken pieces; you may add a half cup more oil to the skillet if need be. 

To make brown gravy:

1.  Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of oil from the skillet. Add the same amount of flour from the bag you floured the chicken in. Equal parts flour and fat make a paste – a roux – like wet sand, full of bubbles when heated.  Cook, stirring constantly with fork, spoon, or whisk, over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the roux has browned to the degree you like.  

(If the roux smells burnt, it is burnt, so throw it out and start over.  Never serve burnt gravy.)

2.  Then add a tall drinking glass (about 12 oz. or 1.5 cups) filled with equal parts of milk and water; hold the glass at arm’s length as you pour; it will bubble ferociously, but keep stirring for another minute or two until well blended.  The gravy will thicken as it cools.  

Notes:

The beaten egg is not strictly necessary, but it helps the flour stick to the chicken and brown evenly all around, as does cooking the pieces in two small batches instead of one.  There are many possible variations, but the house chef, M.P., declared this one "Excellent!" and gave me an A+++.

Properly cooked chicken should have crispy skin and tender meat, neither soggy nor dried out.  The meat should be entirely white, and juices should be clear.  To test, cut through the meat nearest the bone or leg joint.  If any pink meat or juices appear, cook further before serving.  

Best side dishes are mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans or turnip greens, and hot buttered biscuits with honey or syrup.  And iced tea, of course.  Lemon meringue pie or peach cobbler with ice cream will complete a true Southern dinner, simple and delicious!

Disclaimer:

This recipe works well for me in our kitchen, but your results may vary.  

Assemble all ingredients beforehand, proceed carefully through the steps, and cook at yuur own risk.

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As Boys Grow (1957)

Sixty years ago, I saw this film, or one very like it, in my high-school P. E. class.  Quite well-made for the time.  There was much nervous laughter in the room: the shock of recognition.

Since puberty had already begun for me the previous summer, this was a timely message.  But even more helpful was the book Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy, one of Dr. Kinsey's associates.  It told me everything I needed to know and more, simply and clearly, without moralizing.  A great help to a gay boy just beginning the long, often painful journey of self-discovery in an uncomprehending world.

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Sunday Drive: Barber, Adagio for Strings

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  --I John 1:5

One of your Head Trucker's all-time favorites, which speaks to me of spiritual things.  I would like to have this piece played at my funeral one day.  It is performed here by the Vienna Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel conducting, in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace on June 20, 2019.

The Adagio was written by American composer Samuel Barber (1910-1981) in 1936; thirty years later, he used the music for his choral arrangement of the Angus Dei.  He was partnered with the composer Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) for more than forty years.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Falling Slowly" by Vintage Photomontage. Summer's here - time to strip down and get wet!

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Why Young Men Sound Less Manly

Your Head Trucker has noticed in the last several years that many girls and young women have developed the irritating habit of ending every sentence on a higher note - as we normally do when asking a question.  For example:  I live in Boston?  I am majoring in biology?  I want to work in hydroponics?  This is a childish habit born of insecurity, it seems to me:  as if the speaker is asking permission to say something, or unsure if she is saying the right thing.  A careless, highly annoying habit they should have gotten over by third grade.

Recently, I've noticed boys and young men - straight guys - adopting this same rising tone at the enf of their sentences, which is different from the "gay voice" that some gay boys and gay men have.  We know it came from unconsciously imitating the cadence of our mother's voices, and other female relatives; some of us grew out of that, while some embrace it.  To each his own.

Whatever the case may be, grown men and women should speak clearly and confidently, not like shy little kids; that's just my opinion - you can take it or leave it.  But here is Dr. Taylor Jones, a linguist who explains what the research shows about this "unmanly" speech phenomenon.  I don't have the experise in that field either to agree or disagree with him.  See what you think.

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Sixteen Going on Seventeen

I'd always wanted to see this delightful scene from The Sound of Music played by a couple of gay men - and whaddaya know, somebody else finally had the same thought.  Here are Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Jay Armstrong Johnson flawlessly performing the scene at the Broadway Backwards benefit in 2017.  Both were about 30 at the time.  Johnson, the taller one, is a Texas native and rather studly, too.  Enjoy.

For comparison, here's the lovely 1965 original, played by Charmian Carr and Daniel Truhitte:

What I Say:  The lyrics don't quite work between two boys, though it's all in good fun.  But I dare say, they wouldn't work between a boy and a girl either, in this modern age.  For a couple of generations now, girls have been raised to be as tough and indpendent as boys.  How well that has succeeded, others may judge.

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God Is Good

Today I just want to share an excerpt from a poem I happened to come across that speaks to me in the midst of this foolish, frantic, fractured, frightful modern world, so cruel and so cynical.

Excerpt from "God Is Good" from Bees in Amber by John Oxenham, 1913.

God has been good to me and M.P. here in our little bungalow, and I am deeply grateful.  Gratitude is one of the secrets of happiness.

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Sunday Drive: Begin the Beguine

 One of my all-time favorite tunes, from MGM's Broadway Melody of 1940.  Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell were the top dancers of the time, and it shows.  Consider this:  there is no animation or special effects in this film.  All the music was performed by human beings on real instruments, and all the dancing was done by human beings who rehearsed and rehearsed for weeks on end until every step, every move was perfect. 

Computers hadn't been invented yet - hell, even transistors hadn't been invented.  There was no videotape. either - all that you see was created by light and sound on 35 millimeter film, which had to be bathed in chemicals before it could be projected and viewed.  A great collective work of artists in many fields, in front of and behind the camera.  Human creativity at its peak.  I'm afraid we will never see such a thing again. 

Part 1 is slow and languid as a tropical night:

Part 2 picks up the pace:

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Trooping the Colour, 2026

The King's Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, live from London on what the news commentator says is "a perfect summer day" there - temperature 68 F:

Bonus, 4 p.m.:  It's 93 degrees here Texas on a beautiful sunny afternoon.  English historian Allan Barton, who styles himself The Antiquary, gives an in-depth explanation of the Trooping and its history, if you can stand it:

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Born in Brazil," a male-nude drawing demonstration by artist Douglas Simonson:

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Sandow the Magnificent

Life-size bronze statue of Sandow, taken from plaster casts of his body in 1901.  Better views of the statue can be seen here.

An excellent documentary about the Father of Modern Bodybuilding, whose physique and feats of strength awed the Victorian world:

 

In other places, I have read that he had a longtime male partner the public did not know about, but you'll have to look that up on your own.  It's my nap time here.

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Sunday Drive: Baby Blue

This song recalls for me another springtime and the bittersweet memory of my first love, more than half a century ago. I've written about Pat before, if you care to read the story - that chaste and secret love we shared came to a sad ending, but I've never forgotten the sunshine days of fun and friendship - that special cameraderie of boys becoming men together.

Other loves and other disappointments followed; but at this late age, living contentedly with M.P., I realize how blessed I was to have those friendships and passing joys. How true the saying is - better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

Yesterday, I happened to come across this recording by the Mike Faraci Band, a local NYC group, which is an amzingly good cover of the 1972 Badfinger original.  Huh.  How do those young'uns even know about such antique music, I wonder.

By the way, Mike is a man of parts: lead singer, guitarist, composer, artist, interior designer, and is highly skilled at carpentry and other DIY projects.  Rather studly, too.  Check out this tour of his New York City apartment - his aesthetic is not mine, but I can appreciate what he's done with colors, textures, and light:

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Waitin' for the Weekend

Hooray! June has returned with beach weather and fun in the sun.  Here's "He and Him" by Vintage Photomontage:

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Why Pride Month?

This was my "coming out music" - reminds me of happy times, hot summer nights, and one very hot guy in particular.  Much fun.

Today's Google doodle celebrates the beginning of "Pride Month" with a spinning disco ball:

I got to wondering, just when did this Pride Month business start, so I looked it up on Wikipedia.  To my surprise, I find that Bill Clinton first recognized Pride Month in 1999.  I must have missed the memo.

I've never changed my belief that gays and lesbians make up about 3 percent of the population; that's 3 out of 100.  You can look at the whole field of statistics on this subject and debate it all you want to, but I'm not going there.  So by very simple arithmetic, that tells me there are about 10 million gays and lesbians in the United States, the population of which is 342,543,550 as I type this sentence.  

(See the  U. S. Census Bureau's Population Clock for up-to-the-second figures on the U. S. and world population.  See Statistics Canada for Canadian figures.  And here's a cheat sheet for you:  roughly speaking, the U.S. population is about 8 times bigger than Canada's, and about 3 times bigger than Mexico's or Russia's.  However, both India and China have about 4 times more people than the United States.)

Well, anyway, is a whole month of Pride really necessary?  It matters not to me, because I'm an old man who doesn't get out of the house much anymore.  I've never been to a Pride parade.  M.P. and I did go to a Pride celebration at the county fairgrounds on a June night in 2019 - we got there in the cool of the evening about 9 p.m., when it was all winding down.  

We nibbled things from the food trucks, listened to a few speakers and singers, and bought some trinkets to take home:  a friendly, pleasant, down-home crowd of all ages, very like what you'd find at a real county fair - plus a lot of rainbow flags.  There were even some straight couples there, pushing babies in strollers - why, I have no idea.  The next year, it was cancelled on account of the pandemic, and we've never heard any more about it in this vicinity.

But I guess there has to be a Pride Month, because you just know that 10 million screaming queens could never agree on a single week, let alone a single day!

P. S. -- M.P. is offended by the disco ball.  He says it only represents the little twinkly barflies, and leaves out the butch gays and the lesbians.  I guess he's right.  We are thinking of suing Google now, and we will certainly file a discrimination complaint with the Grand Gay Cabal.  Stay tuned for further updates.

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Sunday Drive: Chopin, Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2

Gleaming Waters by Henry Scott Tuke, 1911

As performed by Vadim Chaimovich, 2010:

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"The Love We Are" by Clint Collide:

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I Think We're Gay

Apparently this is from some TV show in 2003.  I never saw this before, but it's a laugh riot!

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Footprints in the Sand

I came across this little story about forty years ago, when I was returning to the Christian faith after a long period of agosticism.  It meant a lot to me then.  It means even more now, looking back across the years.  

There are things you can't really understand until you have lived a long life, travelled a long way, loved much and lost much.  And then you see the footprints.  Thanks be to God.

Click to enlarge.

And in the wilderness (as thou hast seen) the Lord thy God hath carried thee, as a man is wont to carry his little son, all the way that you have come, until you came to this place.

--Deuteronomy 1:31 (Douay)

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Sunday Drive: Over the Rainbow

It was Judy's song until Eva gave it a whole new interpretation - poignant and beautiful beyond words.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

Something for everyone -- "Simply Irresistibles #1" by Clint Collide:

 

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In Memoriam: Barney Frank, 1940-2026

Official photograph of Representative Barney Frank, 2008.

Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, one of the first openly gay congressmen and a champion of gay rights, died yesterday at his home in Ogunquit, Maine.  He was 86 and had been receiving hospice care.  A mainstay of the Democratic Party for many years, he brought his considerable intelligence, shrewd pragmatism, and outspoken personality to bear on many important issues during his thirty years in the House, and was the co-sponsor of the landmark Dodd-Frank reform bill in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

Frank is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, two sisters, and a brother.  He was a hero of our community who will be much missed and long remembered. Here are some videos recounting his life and accomplishments:

The Associated Press:

The Washington Post:

NBC10 Boston:

CBS 60 Minutes interview, 2008:

Frank was the author of a number of books on political subjects; his final work, The Hard Path to Unity:  Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy, will be published by Yale University Press this fall.

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Tired Old Queen at the Movies: Blithe Spirit (1945)

Click to enlarge.

Steve Hayes reviews the classic celestial fantasy, filmed in glorious Technicolor in England at the end of World War II, based on the play by the great Noel Coward.  Never mind what the critics said at the time, or later - this is a beautifully filmed, delightfully upper-crust comedy of the kind that isn't made anymore.  And darling Margaret Rutherford, the old dear, is a complete hoot!  If you've never seen it, your're in for a treat - enjoy!

Bonus:  The English country house that was used for exterior shots is still standing just outside London, and just as lovely as it looks in the film.  Check out the real estate listing from 2019 to see some stunning photos of the inside and outside.

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Pete Speaks at Montana Town Hall

On Sunday, Pete Buttigieg spoke at a town hall in Butte, Montana, once the copper capital of the world, where a citizens' initiative, the Montana Plan, is a lively topic just now.  He's been going around the country in recent months making speeches and taking questions at events like this.  I haven't watched any of them because I know I would agree with just about everything he says; and also because I'm sick to death of political speechmaking, which seems so futile in the face of the calamity that has engulfed our country.  

But I said to myself, you ought to listen to him and post his video for others who just might want to hear what he has to say.  So here you go, fellas.  I will just add that I admire Pete tremendously, and he will certainly get my vote for president, if I live long enough to see another free and fair election.  

In my estimation, Pete is a damn good man, a fine man, honest, honorable, intelligent, compassionate, and courageous.  A man at once humble and inspiring.  I wept listening to his simple speech, which seemed to me the prologue to a noble story:  David versus Goliath, perhaps.  He is marked out for some high destiny, I do believe.  

But what do I know.  Listen and judge for yourself.

P. S. -- I will note here that I don't quite agree with Pete's thesis that "the system is broken."  When a man's body is overwhelmed by a filthy contagion, it's not his system that is broken.  Our body politic has been overwhelmed by disease and corruption that may prove fatal unless a remedy is found, and soon.  That's how I would put it.

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Sunday Drive: Welcome to the Future

In 2009 and again in 2011, President and Mrs. Obama hosted a series of concerts in the East Room of the White House, each one showcasing a different genre of contemporary American music.  In the July 2009 concert, country star Brad Paisley debuted his new single "Welcome to the Future," which your Head Trucker thinks ought to be counted one of the all-time great country songs:  full of hope, optimism, love of country and of our fellow human beings.  

The song and video together constitute a brilliant work of homegrown American art - celebrated in the White House by a decent and dignified President, and not for his own glory.  At that time, we still had hope, the country was still holding together, and the misty future seemed a green and pleasant land.

But here in this gray, grim, and ghastly future, this performance makes me weep for our country and the world - for several reasons.  Do I really have to explain why?

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Waitin' for the Weekend

Okay, fellas, hot weather will be here soon, and you know you need to buff up to look your best at the beach.  Just follow this easy buddy routine, and you'll both be pumped up before you know it.

Presented as a public service by the Blue Truck. Watch out for those rug burns, though.

Many and many a year ago, I remember a summer when a buddy and I would drive down to the coast every weekend to lie out on the sand, drink beer, and broil ourselves brown. We also had a workout routine we often practiced in the living room of his pad . . . but, um, not quite like this one.

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Johnny Mac: Pork Chops and Gravy

Johnny promises you'll have something good in your mouth in just five minutes.

In recent months, M.P. and I have become fans of Johnny Mac, the Sauce and Gravy Guy on YouTube.  Not only does he really know his stuff (he has a diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris), but he's a Southern boy like us and really loves what we call home cooking.

It grieves M.P. and me no end to hear of so many people today who have no idea how to cook for themselves, and are afraid to try.  So they send off for factory-made food that comes in a box, and spend twice as much money to eat half as much food!  I tell you, we sometimes sit around the kitchen table and just cry our eyes out, thinking of the terrible waste and ignorance afflicting this country.  It's so sad!

So as a public service, I propose to present some of Johnny Mac's videos here to encourage all the poor, helpless non-cooks to give it a try.  Cookery is NOT HARD.  (Baking is tricky, but that's another story.)  And the beautiful thing about Johnny Mac - apart from his studly big beard - is that he shows and tells you all you need to know, quickly and simply, without fuss or fanfare.

As the first in what may become a series on this blog, here's a simple, delicious dinner idea that anyone can make who can cut butter with a knife:  first the pork chops, and then the gravy to go over them.  This is something our mamas used to cook often, only they made a much simpler gravy from just oil, flour, milk and/or water.  If you want to learn to cook for yourself, this is a great place to start.

Here's how to fry pork chops - but if you don't have a meat thermometer as Johnny does, just cook the chops until they begin to brown and all the meat inside is white, but not longer; pork chops get tough when overcooked.

And here's Johnny's deluxe gravy recipe:

For a simple side dish, make a box of mac & cheese, or some instant mashed potatoes; easier still is to bake a potato or two in the oven or microwave.   For your second veggie, open a can of beans, peas, greens, carrots, or corn, which are already cooked and only have to be hotted up on the stove or in the microwave.  Butter a piece or two of plain bread, pour yourself a beverage, and there's your dinner - for less per person than the cost of burgers and fries at McDonald's.  Enjoy!

P. S. -- For an even quicker and simpler dinner:  when your pork chops are about done, open a can of pork & beans, blackeyed peas, or creamed corn, and pour over the pork chops. Stir around in the hot oil and let bubble a couple of minutes until all is hot, then turn off the fire and help yourself.  This method mingles the pork flavor with the veggies in a delicious way.  

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Sunday Drive: Debussy, Clair de Lune

As performed live by Liberace, 1983.  Somewhere along this same time, I took my mom to see him when he brought his show to our town.  I knew she would enjoy it, but didn't think I would get much out of it - Liberace was very old hat by that time . . . and besides, he was more a than a little, um, flamboyant.  You know what I mean, fellas?  I wasn't comfortable with that.  Just keep it to yourself, I thought.

But we went, and both of us had a grand time.  He truly was Mr. Showmanship - a consummate entertainer, and from the moment he stepped onto the stage in a glittering sequined suit and fur-lined cape, he enthralled everyone in that huge arena, individually and collectively, and held them spellbound until he played his last note.  Virtuosity.  Spectacle.  Magic.  

I've never seen anything like it, before or since.  Not a dull moment in the whole show, musically or visually, and the outfits kept getting more and more flamboyant - oh Mary, don't ask!  But never a hint of vulgarity, and the audience just begged for more, blue-haired ladies and manly men alike.

So this is for you, my darling red-haired Mama. I miss you so.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Shape of My Heart" by Osvaldo:

Music by Sting.

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R. I. P. Ted Turner, 1938-2026

There's just something about a man with a cigar . . .
Ted Turner, 1977 

Ted Turner, the colorful billionaire and philanthropist, 6 feet tall with a rakish mustache and a cocky, Rhett Butler swagger, has died at the age of 87 at his plantation home in northern Florida.  A shrewd, talkative businessman full of boyish exubarance, with big dreams and big wins, he was called "The Mouth of the South" for his sometimes outrageous public comments. Among many other accomplishments, he was the father of CNN and Turner Classic Movies, and for some years was the owner of the champion Atlanta Braves baseball team.  He wasn't born in the South, but we'll claim him anyway.

I recollect when he started his first TV station in Atlanta, where I was living at the time.  Channel 17 was a low-budget start-up that I chiefly remember because it would play Top 40 songs all morning? / afternoon? on Saturday - producing the first music videos, all done in-house by using special effects with the TV cameras - like mirror images, upside-down dancers, a rain of polka dots, and so forth.  Primitive, but fascinating at the time.  I watched them on my nifty little Sony TV with a 5-inch screen, which was the last word in cool back then.

He was married three times and had five children.  His third wife, from 1991 to 2001, was Jane Fonda, who has written this lovely tribute:

He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same. He needed me. No one had ever let me know they needed me, and this wasn’t your average human being that needed me, this was the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies, who had won the America’s Cup as the world’s greatest sailor . . . 

He was a good-looking rascal, but straight as a board, and therefore typically boring:  not someone I kept track of; I hadn't thought about him in years.  But as far as I know, he wasn't hateful or malicious, nor was he a thief or a rapist, as we hear so much about today.  And looking over his obituaries, I am struck by all the many good things he did or tried to do for the country and the world.  He actually cared about other people - what a concept - and had a big heart.

If you can spare the time to look at some of these retrospectives, you will see that, unlike some other big-mouthed billionaires, he actively promoted world peace, nuclear disarmament, environmental regulation, wildlife protection, responsible journalism, and other noble causes.  He put his money where his big mouth was, too - lots of it.

So I have to say, Good on you, Ted.  You used your time on earth wisely and well, and your treasure too.  Rest in peace.

TCM: 

PBS: 

WSB (Atlanta, 1988): 

 

And a 52-minute interview with Charlie Rose from 2004 - it's most interesting to hear Turner's condemnation of Bush's invasion of Iraq, and contrast that with the insane, homicidal ravings of the current occupant of the White House:

P. S. -- Turner was no dummy, either.  He wanted to major in classics (Latin/Greek literature and history) in college, until his daddy threw a fit and made him choose something else.  In one of the videos above, Turner quotes from memory a famous passage from "Horatio at the Bridge" by Macaulay:

To every man upon this earth, death cometh soon or late;

And how can man die better than facing fearful odds,

For the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods . . . .

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Sunday Drive: Strolling through the Park One Day

. . . in the merry, merry month of May!

And I know what you're thinking.  I was, too.  Here's a compilation of those Looney Tunes we all remember:

 

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Waitin' for the Weekend

It's May Day!  "Oh Happy Day . . . To Be Gay" by Clint Collide:

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The King's Speech

Screen capture of the speech from the Associated Press broadcast.
Queen Camilla, in white, is seated to the King's left.

King Charles III addressed a joint session of Congress yesterday, as his mother had done in 1991.  Surveying the whole field of our common heritage from Magna Carta to the present, and displaying a deep understanding of American history and politics, his eloquence and humor went over well with the assembled representatives, who interrupted him with standing ovations a number of times.   A lovely speech by a kindly old friend, full of warmth, wisdom, and gentle warning - well worth heeding by those now in power.

If only they would!

The Associated Press transcipt of the speech can be found here.

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Sunday Drive: (You're My) Soul and Inspiration

This gold single by the Righteous Brothers was #1 this week in 1966 on the Billboard charts.  It holds up very well, I think.  They had a unique sound, a masculine sound that must have appealed to every gay boy and man in America.  It certainly appealed to me, just beginning the mysterious ascent to manhood.  Enjoy.

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Waitin' for the Weekend: Gay Swim Party, 1946

From the collection of Harold T. O'Neal, a gay home movie buff who made many films of gay life in California from 1939 to 1989.  This one begins with a well-dressed but rather dull garden party, followed by scenes of several beautiful young men splashing about in various states of undress somewhere along the American River.  A lovely glimpse of what seems a much more innocent time.

Double-click the screen to go full size; hit escape to exit.

Once again, I state what M.P. says, and he ought to know:  if they're only swimming, it's not porn.

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First Gay TV Movie, 1959

This popped up in my YouTube feed the other day:  South, a surprisingly early gay drama shown on British television in 1959 - long before there was any such thing in America.  Newspaper critics were hostile to the display of "perversion" on the small screen, but the fact that it was shown at all proves that the British were ahead of us in that regard.  

The first gay-themed TV movie over here that I recall was That Certain Summer in 1972; Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen played the lovers.  Young people today would not understand the trepidation of watching something so taboo and forbidden.  I watched it with fascination - and no little repugnance.  I was attending college, but still deep in the closet, and terrified of actually encountering any of those wicked ho-mo-sexshuls.  (Oh but I fantasized often . . . then begged God to forgive me . . . over and over again.  An absurd agony that blighted all my teenage years.)

The play was written by Julian Green (1900-1998), born to expatriate American Southerners in Paris.  (The family home in Savannah is now a museum.)  He was a prolific writer, mostly in French, among whose many honors and awards was election to the Olympic heights of the Académie Française in 1971, the first non-French person to be chosen.  Besides which, to judge by the contents of his meticulous lifelong diaries - published in 19 volumes after his death - he was, shall we say, rather energetically gay.  Perhaps, as a Catholic, he had his own struggles with l'absurdité.

The full movie can be seen here (1:19:31).

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King Charles Commemorates 100th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II

A lovely tribute and an inspiring one.

P. S. - I must say, I'm disappointed and a bit shocked that the UK Government has not yet erected some kind of memorial to their late beloved monarch, who served them so long and so well.  Shame on them!

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Sunday Drive: There but for Fortune

My dream girl once upon a time . . ..

Cher, 1967.  An old favorite of mine.  The message still resonates in today's world.

Backup music - by turns ethereal and dramatic - provided by the Wrecking Crew.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

Caution - a few scenes of old-fashioned nekkid swimming.

"If I Had a Boat" by Osvaldo:

M.P. says if they're only swimming, it's not porn.  I'm glad to get clarification on that.

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To Tell the Truth - Undercover Cop, 1973

For several years now at dinnertime, M.P. and I have enjoyed watching episodes of To Tell the Truth from the early 1960s.  I remember it well from my childhood, and I think it is the most entertaining of all the old game shows - perhaps because, unlike with other game shows, neither the panelists nor the audience knows who the real featured character is, so it's fun to try guessing who it is.

This particular episode is perhaps the most entertaining of all, for reasons you will discover if you watch it.  Big laughs.

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Sunday Drive: Debussy, Reverie

Music by Debussy; Art by Parrish.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Slow It Down #2" by Clint Collide:

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The Pork Boys Do Easter 2026

 Some pics of our latest festive dinners.  I post these mainly for our own future reference.

No pictures of the food, but our Palm Sunday dinner was a simple one of breaded cod, fondant potatoes, and steamed broccoli.  The table setting was simple too, as we like to do for Holy Week:

M.P. laid folded green napkins in a cross pattern under the center candles.

Easter Sunday:

They're hard to make out in these pics, but in the centerpiece are three
Easter eggs on sticks, yellow, pink, and blue.

Braised lamb shanks, herbed carrots, baked potatoes.
The first course was creamed chicken soup.  
Dessert, not shown, was lemon mousse in parfait glasses.
Everything was quite delicious.

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