Happy Birthday, Larry Fine!

Today would have been the 107th birthday to one of the alltime great movie funnymen, Larry Fine (Louis Feinberg) of The Three Stooges.

Thanks for all the laughter, Larry! You shall live forever in the hearts of your fans!

One of the true greats passes away

Sad to report that one of my favorite actors and personalities of all time, Mr. Charlton Heston, passed away at his home this past Saturday, April 4. One of my greatest thrills was meeting Mr. Heston at a book signing in the late 1990s, promoted by The Learning Annex. Mr. Heston will be missed.

RIP Charlton Heston

1923-2008

The AP ran a nice obituary, so I decided to post most if it here:

Film legend Charlton Heston dead at 84

By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press WriterSun Apr 6, 2:30 PM ET

Charlton Heston, the Oscar winner who portrayed Moses and other heroic figures on film in the ’50s and ’60s and later championed conservative values as head of the National Rifle Association, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said. He declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

“Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played,” Heston’s family said in a statement.

Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer’s disease.

With his large, muscular build, well-boned face and sonorous voice, Heston proved the ideal star during the period when Hollywood was filling movie screens with panoramas depicting the religious and historical past.

“I have a face that belongs in another century,” he often remarked.

The actor assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

With age, he grew more conservative and campaigned for conservative candidates. In June 1998, Heston was elected president of the NRA, for which he had posed for ads holding a rifle.

Heston famously used to say that the only way his gun would be taken away is “from my cold, dead hands.”

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Liberalism is a mental disorder

So Long, Skipper

Sad to report that one of my favorite political commentators, the legendary William F. Buckley, Jr., passed away earlier today. He passed away while at work, and I suspect he would have liked to have gone out that way, doing what he loved.

RIP William F. Buckley

1925-2008

Mr. Buckley had a long and wonderful career, with his thoughtful advocacy for conservative principles. He founded National Review in 1955, a political journal that has been at the vanguard of mainstream conservative throught.

A complete account of his long career is beyond the scope of The Silver State Chronicles, so I’ll just direct readers to National Review’s website, which will no doubt have a very thorough analysis of his life.

That being said, there are some real standout moments in his career I will briefly mention. He ran for the mayor’s office of New York City back in 1965. challenging incumbent Republican/Independent John Lindsay along with famed NYC bureaucrat Abe Beame. In one of my favorite moments in American politics, he was asked what he would do first were he to win the race, and he responded “demand a recount!”

But he was ahead of his time in many ways. In that race he proposed charging a fee for autos entering midtown during business hours, and a network of bicycle lanes to ease urban congestion. Both proposals have found their way into the debate in the 21st Century.

Buckley appeared in a series of televised debates with Gore Vidal during the 1968 Democratic Party convention. In their penultimate debate on August 22 of that year, the two disagreed over the actions of the Chicago police and the protesters at the ongoing Democratic Convention in Chicago.

At one point Vidal called Buckley a “proto- or crypto-Nazi,” to which Buckley replied, “Now listen, you queer, stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I will sock you in your goddamn face, and you will stay plastered.”  Haha!

He hosted the excellent television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and penned a nationally syndicated newspaper column into 2008.

Going down William F Buckley, Jr.’s memory lane is indeed a treat! So long, skipper! Thanks for all your contributions to the political discourse over the decades.

You shall be missed.

VV

Remember When We Had a Great President? 1860s Style

I’m actually old enough to remember when we celebrated both Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday, rather than the poorly conceived “Presidents Day.” Who wants to honor every president? Not me! I just like to honor the greats!

And ‘Honest’ Abraham Lincoln is one of the true greats! Here’s to you, Sir, and your tireless efforts to keep the Union intact during our great, terrible Civil War.

Remember when we had a great President?

Today would have been the 97th birthday of my favorite modern-era President, Ronald Wilson Reagan! It’s times like this that I really miss Ronnie – we could use his wisdom and sure hand to help guide our nation throug the dangerous waters of the 21st Century.

Ronald Wilson Reagan
1911-2004

“We, the members of the New Republican Party, believe that the preservation and enhancement of the values that strengthen and protect individual freedom, family life, communities and neighborhoods and the liberty of our beloved nation should be at the heart of any legislative or political program presented to the American people.”

“We believe that liberty can be measured by how much freedom Americans have to make their own decisions, even their own mistakes.”

“Families must continue to be the foundation of our nation. Families-not government programs-are the best way to make sure our children are properly nurtured, our elderly are cared for, our cultural and spiritual heritages are perpetuated, our laws are observed and our values are preserved… We fear the government may be powerful enough to destroy our families; we know that it is not powerful enough to replace them.”

“Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business… frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise. They are the residue of centralized bureaucracy, of government by a self-anointed elite.”

“We must be ever willing to negotiate differences, but equally mindful that there are American ideals that cannot be compromised. Given that there are other nations with potentially hostile design, we recognize that we can reach our goals only while maintaining a superior national defense, second to none.”

“Our party must be based on the kind of leadership that grows and takes its strength from the people… And our cause must be to rediscover, reassert and reapply America’s spiritual heritage to our national affairs. Then with God’s help we shall indeed be as a city upon a hill with the eyes of all people upon us.”

I could go on and on about President Reagan, but I know if I did, and if he were here, his basic humility would prompt me to not go on at great length. With a smile & a twinkle in his eye, he would say “Vinnie Vegas, there you go again!”

Honoring The Civil Rights Movement

Wishing everyone a happy Rev. Martin Luther King Day, and I would like to take this opportunity to honor the countless people who contributed to The Civil Rights movement also!

We have liftoff!

I’m very happy to report that NORAD tracking satellites have confirmed that Santa & crew have had a successful launch from his home base in the North Pole! He is on his way!

Be good!!!

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A Classic Never Goes Out of Style!

Well, three of my favorite things on God’s green earth are Christmas, O Henry stories, and Mr. Lorne Greene. Then again, who doesn’t rank those three things high on their own personal list?

It brings me great pleasure that these three things converge in a wonderful record album released around 1965. So for your listening holiday pleasure, kick back and enjoy Mr. Greene’s reading of this classic Christmas tale!

But takes a few sips too many…

Leave it to screen legend Orson Welles to make a few extra bucks here and there by shilling for all sorts of stuff. In this case, he was taking a check from Paul Masson Champagne for just a few words endorsing their product.

Needless to say, the people at Paul Masson got more than they bargained for!