Friday Blog

On December 13,1931 Winston Churchill stepped out of a taxi in New York City and was hit by a car travelling at 35 MPH. Had the future British Prime Minister succumbed to his injuries, the fate of western civilization would have been forever changed.  Brief Career Recap Earlier that year, Churchill had resigned from the Conservative Business Committee AKA the Shadow Cabinet. It was a rather sudden end (actually “a pause”) to Churchill’s controversial career. In 1911, at age 37 he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Unfortunately, Churchill’s tenure was marred by his backing of the disastrous 1915 naval attack on Turkish forces in the Dardanelles. In 1924, Conservative P.M. Stanley Baldwin appointed Churchill as Chancellor of the Exchequer (comparable to America’s Treasury Secretary). When Baldwin’s government was ousted by the Labor Party in 1929, Churchill resigned from his post and joined Baldwin’s shadow government. He resigned in 1931 because of policy disagreements. Even though he had once controlled Britian’s economy, Churchill had never paid much attention to personal finances. Now 57 years old and accustomed to an extravagant lifestyle he decided to pursue writing as a way to earn income and also remain in the public eye. He decided to begin a book tour and scheduled his first lecture in New York City. Bang Just after 10:00 pm on December 13, Churchill hailed a taxi to get to a meeting with American financier Bernard Baruch. Disembarking from the taxi, the future P.M. forgot that Americans drove on the opposite side of the road from the British. Churchill looked right instead of left and was soon being rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital where he was treated for scalp wounds, cracked ribs, severe bruises and pleurisy. The unemployed truck driver whose car hit Churchill was extremely upset about the incident. When he visited Churchill in the hospital the future P.M. put the man at ease and took responsibility for the accident.  Churchill was forced to cancel the remaining tour dates because of lingering weakness.  He did find time to send a telegram to his science advisor, Professor Frederick Lindemann, “to calculate the precise force of the impact.” Lindemann couldn’t provide a precise answer but couldn’t resist suggesting that Churchill’s ample girth cushioned the impact. Irony Earlier that year, John Scott-Ellis, scion of a prominent British family was driving his brand-new Fiat in Munich when he struck a pedestrian. The victim insisted his injuries weren’t serious and accepted the driver’s apology.   As Scott-Ellis drove away his passenger exclaimed ‘Don’t you know you just knocked down Adolf Hitler?’ Later, the Englishman recalled “For a few seconds, perhaps, I held the history of Europe in my rather clumsy hands…. [Hitler] was only shaken up, but had I killed him, it would have changed the history of the world.”  In Churchill’s case, had his New York mishap proved fatal would anyone else have been able to save Britain from Hitler?  Probably not. Politicians like Neville Chamberlain or Lord Halifax did not have the backbone to stand up to Hitler. And certainly, no other leader had the oratorical skills needed to rally the public.     Wit and Wisdom All of us in the Western world are indebted to Winston Churchill for his fearless leadership in World War II. And we can also thank him for his many memorable quotes. These are some favorites: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.” “This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.” “Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put”. Lady Astor once said to Churchill: “Winston, if you were my husband, I’d put poison in your coffee.” Churchill replied: “Nancy, if you were my wife, I’d drink it.” Playwright George Bernard Shaw once wrote to Churchill: “I have reserved two tickets for you for opening night. Come and bring a friend, if you have one.”  Churchill replied: “Impossible to come to first night. Will come second night, if you have one.” Have a great weekend. Be sure to look left. If you are looking for the perfect holiday gift or stocking stuffer, check-out my book “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. Visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for to see reviews and connect to online retailers.

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Personally, I try to avoid listening to Christmas music but it’s an impossible task due to seasonal songs blaring in every store and in my house. Despite my Scroogelike demeanor I do enjoying learning about how these songs came to be. Here are some Christmas music factoids. After composing “White Christmas”, Irving Berlin told his secretary that he just written the best song of all-time. However, when Berlin played it for Bing Crosby, the crooner was indifferent and casually commented “I don’t think we have any problems with that one, Irving.” Ironically, Crosby’s “White Christmas” has become the best-selling single of all time, with over 50 million copies sold. Berlin so despised Elvis Presley’s 1957 version of “White Christmas” that he tried to get it banned from the radio. Berlin also composed “Happy Holidays” and “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm”. Mel Tormé and Bob Wells wrote “The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) on a blistering hot summer day as a way to stay cool. “Silver Bells” was inspired by Salvation Army bell ringers. It was originally titled “Tinkle Bells” until composer Jay Livingston’s wife pointed out the unsavory connotation of “tinkle,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” was written as a prayer for peace by Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. “Oh, Holy Night” was composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847. The hymn became the first song ever transmitted wirelessly during the first radio show ever broadcasted. On Christmas Eve,1906 host Reginald Fessenden broadcasting from Brant Rock, Massachusetts played the song on his violin. Fessenden, an employee of Thomas Edison, was a genius who held over 500 patents. The German hymn, “Stille Nacht” was first performed on Christmas Eve,1818. The hymn was then translated into other languages including the English version, “Silent Night”. British troops, shivering in their Northern France trenches on Christmas Eve 1914, heard German soldiers singing “Stille Nacht”. The Brits began singing the English version and soon both sides emerged from their trenches to meet, exchange gifts, and even play soccer. The brutal warfare resumed on December 26. Quick question: How old do you think Brenda Lee was when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1960. (answer below). Voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in the 1966 TV movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” Ravenscroft also did excellent work as the voice of Tony the Tiger in Frosted Flakes commercials. On December 16, 1965, aboard NASA’s Gemini 6A space flight, “Jingle Bells” became the first song to be played in space. The first Christmas song to top Billboard’s top 100 pop singles was 1958’s “The Chipmunk Song” (Christmas Don’t Be Late). The Chipmunks also won three Grammy’s that year. So much for those who believe the 1950s were America’s most sophisticated decade. The Chipmunk Song was the only Christmas song to top the Billboard charts until 2019, when Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” finally hit number one.    Mariah Carey and co-writer, Walter Afanasieff, reportedly wrote “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in just fifteen minutes. The song provides Mariah with roughly $500,000 in additional income every year.  The Pogues allegedly earn 1M per year for “Fairytale of New York”.  Slade’s “Merry Christmas Everybody” also rakes in an estimated 1M per holiday season. Angus Wielkopolski, considered to be Britain’s most prolific goat farmer, claims that his goats produce 20% more milk when listening to Mariah’s hit. Angus had previously experimented with heavy metal tunes and “Old Macdonald had a farm” before settling on “All I want for Christmas”. Trivia Answer: Brenda Lee was thirteen when she sang that Christmas hit. Finally Finally, if you are ever hired by forces of evil that want to extract sensitive information from me, know that there is an extended version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” called “The “179 Days of Christmas”. It runs for 8 hours and 56 minutes but I would probably start spilling my guts by the start of the third verse. Have great weekend.   If you are looking for the perfect holiday gift or stocking stuffer, check-out my book “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. Visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for to see reviews and connect to online retailers.

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Some evening, if you are watching a movie and thinking “this is the worst movie ever”, be aware that there is an organization that annually recognizes the worst films and performances. The Golden Raspberry Awards for Failure in Cinematic Achievement, better known as the Razzies was founded in 1980 as a joke at an Oscar Awards viewing party. A few years later, the organization started holding its annual ceremony on the evening before the Oscars gala, This ensures coverage of their event by the worldwide media that descends on Los Angelas for the Oscars weekend. Nobody’s Perfect: In 1976, Faye Dunaway won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in “Network”. Five years later she won the Worst Actress Razzie for her portrayal as Joan Crawford in “Mommy Dearest”. Dunaway blames that movie for derailing her career. Al Pacino has excelled in many films but has won only one Oscar (1992’s “Scent of a Woman”). Two decades later Pacino won the 2012 Worst Supporting Actor Razzie for his role in Adam Sandler’s “Jack and Jill”.  Although he was nominated eleven times, Lawrence Olivier’s only Oscar was for his performance in 1948’s “Hamlet”. In 1982 Olivier won the Worst Actor Razzie for his performance as General Douglas MacArthur in “Inchon”, which is considered to be the worst war movie ever made. In 2010, Sandra Bullock accepted a well-deserved Oscar for her performance in “The Blind Side”. That same weekend she accepted her Razzie in person for her performance in the odious “All About Steve”.  She graciously accepted her Worst Actress Razzie and the Razzie for Worst Screen Couple (playing opposite Bradley Cooper). Kevin Kline won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his hilarious performance in 1988’s “A Fish Called Wanda”.  In 2000, he was awarded the Worst Actor Razzie for his portrayal of Artemis Gordon in the atrocious “Wild Wild West”. Kline and co-star Will Smith won the Razzie for Worst Screen Couple. In 1998 Leonardo DiCaprio played twin brothers in “The Man in the Iron Mask”. The Razzies membership didn’t appreciate either of the twins and handed DiCaprio the Razzie for Worst Screen Couple. Leo finally won an Oscar for his performance in 2015’s “The Revenant.”. In 2002, Halle Berry made history as the first Black actress to win an Oscar (“Monster’s Ball”). Three years later, Berry made history by being the first actress to accept her Worst Actress Razzie in person (for the dreadful “Catwoman”). Berry delivered a tearful parody of her Oscars acceptance speech while clutching her Oscar and Razzie. 1990’s “Dances with Wolves” garnered Kevin Costner Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. Seven years later Costner received Razzies for “The Postman”, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Director. He has seven well deserved nominations for Worst Actor.  Sylvester Stallone is the King of the Razzies, He’s been nominated for Worst Actor fifteen times and for Worst Supporting Actor three times. Sly was also named Worst Actor of the Decade for his 1990s roles. That said, I love his current show, “Tulsa King”. After being nominated nine times, John Travolta’s finally won the Worst Actor Razzie for the 2001 bomb, “Battlefield Earth”. Travolta also won Worst Screen Couple receiving the award with “anyone sharing the screen with him”. The film has the lowest possible IMDB rating (2.5/10) and was awarded the Worst Picture of the Decade in 2010.   Madonna’s fifteen Razzie nominations are only exceeded by Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone. However, nobody tops Madonna’s nine Razzie trophies. She also edged out Brooke Shields for Worst Actress of the Century.  Redemption Ben Affleck received three Razzies for his early 2000s films, “Daredevil”, “Paycheck” and “Gigli”. In 2015, he became the first person to win a Razzie Redeemer Award for his excellent work in “Argo” and “Gone Girl”. In 1981, the Razzies’ first year, Shelley Duvall was nominated as worst actress for “The Shining”. Years later, it became known that Duvall had been subjected to constant mental abuse by the film’s director, Stanley Kubrick. In 2022, two years before Duvall’s passing, the Razzies commendably revoked her 1981 nomination. Have a great weekend. I’m going to see if “Battlefield Earth” is streaming somewhere.   Thanks to everyone who has bought my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. If you haven’t purchased your copy yet, please visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information and links to online retailers.

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November 8th marks the fourth anniversary of Alex Trebek’s passing. In honor of Alex, I am recycling this blog from 2018. On November 30, 2004, Nancy Zerg, a Los Angeles realtor dethroned reigning Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings. The champ had recorded an unprecedented 74 consecutive victories and was so dominant that in 64 of his matches he entered Final Jeopardy with an insurmountable lead. In his 75th appearance. Jennings had a slight lead over Zerg going into Final Jeopardy. The category was “Business & Industry” and the clue was “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year”. Jennings incorrectly responded, “What is FedEx?”. Zerg responded correctly with “What is H&R Block?” resulting in her first and only Jeopardy victory. Jennings won over $3M during his streak and receives complimentary financial services for life from H&R Block for the free publicity he gave the company. Jennings also made it to “Letterman” where he presented the “Top ten ways to irritate Alex Trebek.” My favorite is “Ask Alex on air: So, who did your Botox”? Jennings, a computer scientist/author was a star of his quizbowl team at Brigham Young University however he claims that his greatest asset for Jeopardy were his quick reflexes. The buzzers don’t work until after the host has finished the question. Contestants are locked out if they answer too early so timing is crucial. The Franchise While on an airplane flight in 1963, emerging media mogul, Merv Griffin and his wife Julann began creating a game show called “What’s the Question?”.  It was renamed “Jeopardy” and debuted on NBC in 1964 with Art Fleming as host.  The syndicated version with Alex Trebek launched in 1984.  Jeopardy has won 30 Emmys and has adaptations in 30 countries including Japan, New Zealand, Russia, and Turkey. Griffin sold Merv Griffin Enterprises to Coca Cola in 1986 for $250M but he retained the rights to “Think!”, the instrumental played during Final Jeopardy.  Griffin originally wrote the song as a lullaby for his son entitled “A Time for Tony.” A royalty is paid every time and anywhere the song is played earning Griffin and his estate nearly $100M. More than 100,000 people take the Jeopardy online application quiz each year. Only 3,000 applicants are chosen for an interview. They are then given a 50-question test and play a live round before being chosen to appear. Only 0.4% applicants are eventually chosen causing one observer to advise that you are more likely to write a New York Times bestseller than compete on Jeopardy. It would be worth the effort if you could become the first person to win the maximum winnable sum in a single game. You only need to sweep both boards, find all three Daily Doubles, make them true Daily Doubles and then wager everything in Final Jeopardy to make $566,400. Nuggets A list of all questions and answers from Jeopardy can be found online at the J-Archive. This unofficial website is maintained by fans and covers most games from the past twenty years. It is a fountain of information: The category which appears most often is the incredibly annoying “Before and After”. Its 114 appearances edges out “Literature” (106).  “Before and After” gives you clues such as “Mouselike boy in an E.B. White story traveling through the heavens as Ursa Minor” The correct question is ‘Who is Stuart Little Dipper”. Ugh. “Presidents” has 49 Final Jeopardy appearances easily topping second place “Word Origins”. “Classical Music,” is the toughest category with just 72% of its clues being solved. “Art and Artists” at 76% and “Word Origins” at 79% are the next-hardest. Contestants have a 90% success rate solving “Sports” “Stupid Answers” “Food” and “The Movies”.  There has only been one three-way tie in Jeopardy history. The most common answer given by contestants on Jeopardy is “What is Australia?” although it isn’t the most common correct answer. If you ever find yourself on Jeopardy and are stumped for the answer, know that the most common correct response is “What is China?” This is different than the advice of my Jeopardy-loving wife who advises when in doubt, say “Who was Copernicus?”    Have a great weekend.  Thanks to everyone who has bought my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. If you haven’t purchased your copy yet, please visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information and links to online retailers.

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November 2 marks the 270th anniversary of the birth of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France. Born  Maria Antonia in Vienna, Austria, she was the youngest of fifteen children born to Empress Maria Teresa and Emperor Francis I. When the Austrian duchess was fourteen a marriage was arranged between her and Louis, the teenage Dauphin of France. The marriage was the capstone of negotiations to create a political alliance between traditional rivals Austria and France. The duchess moved to France accompanied by an entourage of 57 carriages, 117 footmen, and 376 horses. Her arrival in Paris was met with mixed reactions. Many in the upper class didn’t approve of her because they opposed the French-Austrian alliance. However most commoners were charmed by her striking grace and beauty. After Louis XV died in 1774, The Dauphin became King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette became queen. Marie Antoinette became known for her conspicuous displays of wealth. She grew a pouf that was four feet high. Her wigs were powdered white with flour which was an affront to many peasants who couldn’t afford bread. The royal couple were portrayed as being greedy, stupid, and immoral. Louis was often portrayed in artwork as a pig while a popular painting featured snakes in the queen’s hair- a la Medusa. The young king was not intellectually or emotionally up to the job. We are talking about a guy who took seven years to finally consummate his marriage. The public’s disapproval of the hapless king drove him into a severe depression. A woefully unprepared Marie Antoinette became more involved in day-to-day  governance. Meanwhile, she was ostentatiously spending on personal luxuries while peasants were starving to death. Marie Antoinette was accused of defrauding the state treasury in order to purchase a diamond necklace worth two million livres (about $15M in today’s dollars). The queen was proven innocent in court but the people’s discontent was bubbling over. Fearing for their safety, the royal family disguised themselves as commoners and fled Paris in June,1791. Their escape to the eastern border ended when they were apprehended in Varennes. The family was brought back to Paris and placed under house arrest in the Tuileries Palace. In January 1793, Louis XVI was put on trial and executed by guillotine. The 37- year-old queen’s execution by guillotine followed on October 16, 1793. About That Cake Marie Antoinette probably never uttered the phrase “Let them eat cake” but her alleged words became part of a vicious propaganda campaign. One hundred years before Marie Antoinette was born, Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau attributed those words to Marie-Therese, the Spanish princess who married King Louis XIV. The Queen was one of the first casualties of the Reign of Terror. A revolutionary tribunal tried her on trumped-up crimes against the republic that included high treason and sexual deviance. She was even charged with having incestuous relations with her son Louis-Charles. The ten-year-old boy was forced to testify that his mother had molested him. It took only two days for the tribunal to find Marie Antoinette guilty on all charges and condemn her to the guillotine. Classy to the end During her final days in prison, Marie Antoinette conducted herself with dignity and courage. Her last words were spoken as she ascended the guillotine stairs. She accidentally stepped on the foot of the executioner and exclaimed “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l’ai pas fait exprès” (“Pardon me, sir, I did not do it on purpose.”).   I am certainly not an expert on Marie Antoinette, however, my cursory view is that she was thrust into a leadership role for which she had neither the qualifications nor intellect. It’s unfortunate that she didn’t just remain in the comfort of her parent’s Vienna palace. Although, those must have been some fabulous soirees at her French palais.   C’est tout. Passez un bon weekend. Thanks to everyone who has bought my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. If you haven’t purchased your copy yet, please visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information and links to online retailers.

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Most people are on pins and needles as election day approaches. So it is a good time to step back, count our blessings and maybe have a laugh or two. To that end, here are some observations from two comedic giants: George Carlin and Steven Wright. George Carlin – Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things. – Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. – I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. – Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. – One nice thing about egomaniacs: they don’t talk about other people – The reason I talk to myself is that I’m the only one whose answers I accept. – I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me – they’re cramming for their final exam. – Think of how stupid the average person is and realize half of them are stupider than that. – Here’s all you have to know about men and women: Women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. – Not only do I not know what’s going on, I wouldn’t know what to do about it if I did. – The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. – What was the best thing before sliced bread? – When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny? – If the “black box” flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn’t the whole damn airplane made out of that s–t? – I’m desperately trying to figure out why Kamikaze pilots wore helmets. Steven Wright: – I intend to live forever … So far, so good. – The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. – Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. – Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines. – My mechanic told me, “I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.” – Why do psychics have to ask you for your name – I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. – Borrow money from pessimists — they don’t expect it back. – Half the people you know are below average. –  99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. – A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. – OK, so what’s the speed of dark? – How do you tell when you’re out of invisible ink? – Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now. – What happens if you get scared half to death twice? – A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. – Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. – The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. – If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you. – The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up. – The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. – I almost had a psychic girlfriend, ….. But she left me before we met. – They say it’s a small world, but I wouldn’t want to paint it.   Hope you got to chuckle. Have a great weekend My book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed” does not reach the genius levels of George or Steven. However, the reviews on Amazon are great and many buyers end up ordering additional copies for family and friends. Visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information, review snippets, and direct links to Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

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