An old man asks for explanations on variety of topicsDate: 5/9/2023 There is so much I don’t understand and so little time left in my life to try to comprehend it all. The following are examples of conundrums facing me.
If it’s good for Uncle Miltie it should be good enough for you
So, the other night I was cruising through my favorite streaming service, Tubi. If you don’t have Tubi, you’re missing a bewilderingly wonderful collection of movies. Sign up. It’s free,
The service has many odd items — a trait I love — and by accident I saw it had some classic Milton Berle show episodes. Now I’ve read many times how popular Berle was in the early days of TV and in fact, he was known as “Mr. Television.”
He was amazingly popular, although honestly, I thought there were many other comics who were funnier.
I clicked the button and started watching an episode of his show and after his introduction Uncle Miltie came out dressed as a bride — wig, make-up, dress, etc. Want to see for yourself? Here’s the link on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2NqUL3xJ9Y)
The audience — this was a film of a live performance — roared. It was a standard part of his comedy repertoire and he did it not only on his show in the early 1950s but through his career on television. If you want to see what I mean simply plug “Milton Berle Drag” into your favorite search engine and you’ll see quite a number of photos of Berle in women’s clothing, hair and make-up.
Knowing that drag has been part of American comedy for decades and has been done by many performers, I simply don’t understand why some people are so upset about it today. In the last few years, the outrage against drag performers has been completely unexplainable.
There have been outcries about children being exposed to drag and that it is damaging. What nonsense. What kind of damage?
In a nation where there is a significant number of people who rail constantly against the control of government over their lives, why aren’t they adopting a live and let live attitude towards drag? Instead, they want government to ban or regulate such performances. Does that make any sense?
Now we need to regulate drag performers but we can’t regulate guns. A guy dressed as a woman does more harm than a shooter entering a school and killing people?
I ask for an explanation.
Was the governor working?
On April 29, the elite of Washington, D.C., met for the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which featured the annual roast by a comedian. This year that performer was Roy Wood Jr. from “The Daily Show.”
I was watching his speech on YouTube and it was funny and hit the audience hard a few times, which, by the way, is his job.
The camera was going to the audience for reaction shots and there was our governor, Maura Healey, which then triggered a number of questions for me. Why was she there? Was she invited? Was this on the taxpayer’s dime? Was she in D.C. lobbying for money? Or was this just a good time that is part of the perks of being a governor?
Hey, I don’t mind a hard-working elected official having a good time, but considering there are major issues here in the Bay State that deserve her uninterrupted attention I couldn’t help but be curious about her appearance.
Understanding I will undoubtedly annoy local Democratic activists, I, nonetheless, ask for an explanation.
Two are gone, will there be more?
Easthampton has become one of my new favorite places to go in the region. It has fine eateries, the River Valley Co-op, neat shops and the best comic book store in the western part of the state.
And it’s now providing a political junkie such as me with some grim amusement.
The School Committee search for a superintendent has been the subject of national news and now a second member of the School Committee has resigned. There is no candidate for the position – as I write this column – in sight.
While the parade of mistakes has livened up discourse about local government – my friends Bax and Nagle on Rock 102 have had a field day with it — you can’t get away from the fact there are members of the committee who have failed their duty and the town.
I think many people deserve an explanation.
G. Michael Dobbs has worked for Reminder Publishing for 22 years of his nearly 50-year-career in the Western Mass. media scene, and previously served as the executive editor. He has spent his time with the publisher covering local politics, interesting people and events. The opinions expressed within the article are that of the author’s and do not represent the opinions and beliefs of the paper.
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