Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, a little misty-eyed with the news that a true Los Angeles hero, a weekday hero as I called him in my 1984 KABC documentary, Sheriff John has passed away at ninety-three. There’s no sadness when someone has lived a long and wonderful life all the way to ninety-three, only celebration of a long and wonderfully lived life. But Sheriff John was like a parent to LA kids. Anyone who’s read Benjamin Kritzer knows how important Sheriff John was to me and other LA kids. He was a fixture in our lives. He went on the air live every day, five days a week, with his Lunch Brigade show. Over the years he was so popular that he also did shows at other times, but the Lunch Brigade was a constant from the early 1950s till going off the air in the early 1970s. There were others of his ilk – Chucko the Clown and Engineer Bill, but Sheriff John outlasted all of them. Every town had its weekday heroes, its live kiddie show hosts, but I would bet my bottom dollar that none of them had the magic that Sheriff John had. Why? Because he seemed like and was the nicest man in the world. He wasn’t pushy, he didn’t “sell” – he was gentle and kind and your FRIEND. He taught us to do good deeds, to eat up our food, to be positive people. He wished LA kids happy birthday on every show, reading the names of those kids whose parents sent their names to him and then singing “The Birthday Song” (“Put another candle on the birthday cake, and when you do, a wish you’ll make”). Growing up, I never ever missed Sheriff John. I don’t remember quite how it worked, I only know I ran home at lunch time when I was in grammar school, watched as much as I could, and ran back. When that wasn’t possible anymore, when I’d need my Sheriff John fix I’d feign illness so I could watch him. His mantra and his theme song was “Laugh and be happy.” The Sheriff John show was where I discovered the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons, Roger Ramjet, and, most importantly, Clutch Cargo.
When I was given the opportunity of making a show for KABC I thought of Weekday Heroes instantly and got the green light instantly. We decided to pay tribute to three of the LA kiddie hosts – Chucko, Engineer Bill, and Sheriff John. They were all living outside of LA but we flew them in for the show. All three were surprised anyone remembered them. The day of the shooting will go down as one of my most memorable days ever – to meet and chat with and become friendly with these three men was incredible for me. They each brought me their 45s – they’d recorded songs during their heyday. The Chucko and Engineer Bill segments went wonderfully. And then it was time to tape Sheriff John. He was as gentle and kind in 1984 as he’d been all those years on TV. I thought he looked really old, but, you know, he was sixty-six, two years older than I am now. We’d made him a little desk to sit behind and we had a birthday cake on it. I had my questions and we began filming his interview. He was charming and funny and genuine and I felt like I was eight again. Towards the end he told a little story of a child whose life he’d touched. The child had a serious disease and he loved Sheriff John, and when the child had died his mother had contacted the Sheriff to tell him and to tell him how much he’d meant to the child. He told the story quickly, rushed through it really, and we went on to other things. When we had to stop and change tapes, I went to him and kneeled down and said that I thought he’d rushed through that beautiful story almost as if he were afraid of it. I asked him to tell it again and this time take all the time he wanted. He said he would and when we resumed, he did. That’s the take that’s in the show and it is one of the most moving moments I’ve ever seen.
We took a few photos that day, and I just went looking for them but they’re in a box or in a drawer and I can’t find them at the moment, although at some point I did scan into iPhoto my signed 45 of Laugh and Be Happy so I can post that. So, rest in peace, dear Sheriff John – if I am in any way a good, decent person, you are definitely one of the reasons why.
Yesterday was a nice day. She of the Evil Eye arrived and I did a two-mile jog, then had an omelet and a bagel at Jerry’s Deli. After that, I did some errands and whatnot, picked up one little package and no annoying mail, and then came back home. I answered e-mails and stuff, and then it was time for our stumble-through. It all went very well – it’s a little ballad-heavy but they’re great ballads so I think it’s fine. I did swap two songs after hearing it in order – it’s only the second time I’ve done that in twenty-six shows, but I just felt that flipping those two numbers would help the pace and even the emotion of the show. I gave some nitpicky notes and we ran a few things afterwards.
Then I wrote the blurbs for our two count them two Monday releases, then got the web guy the audio samples and now all I have to do today is prep the eBlast. After that, I went to Gelson’s and got a couple of small chicken tenders for a snack. Then I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching Dr. No on Blu and Ray – I’m going straight through the Bond set, for better or for worse. Dr. No has some fun stuff, but I don’t really like it all that much, although Connery is just terrific in it. They simply haven’t found the tone of the piece yet. Then I watched the first twenty-five minutes of From Russia, With Love and that’s the film where the pre-credits sequence was first done (and it’s a great one), where the quips come in, where the relationship with M and Moneypenny really gets going, and, most importantly, where John Barry makes all the difference in the world. That and the fact that it’s a very strong supporting cast – Robert Shaw is great, and Lotte Lenya is fantastic as Rosa Klebb. She almost walks away with the film.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall hopefully get up after a good night’s beauty sleep, then I’ll definitely do a jog, then I’ll prep the eBlast. Then it’s sound check and show time. I will, of course, have a full report.
Tomorrow, I’ll be up at six in the morning to announce two new titles. There’s a lot going on this week, but the most important things are casting one more person for the next Kritzerland show, finding a guest star, and then finishing choosing the songs and gathering all the music to get to the singers, and casting the next two Outside The Box episodes. Then there are meetings and meals, and I’m seeing some shows, too.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, prep an eBlast, have a sound check, and do a show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall fall asleep singing Laugh and Be Happy.