Willy was a salesman. And for a salesman, there is no rock bottom to the life. He don’t put a bolt to a nut, he don’t tell you the law or give you medicine. He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back – that’s an earthquake. And then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.- Arthur Miller
From Death of a Salesman, Requiem
Playwright Arthur Miller was born in New York City on October 17, 1915. His notable works include All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge (1955) and After the Fall (1964). His most celebrated play and his masterpiece is Death of a Salesman which deals with a character named Willy Loman and the failure of his American Dream. I studied Death of a Salesman in high school. The references in the play to Ebbets Field were the first time I learned about the long ago home of the defunct Brooklyn Dodgers. Several years ago I saw Death of a Salsman on stage with Dustin Hoffman playing the role of Willy Loman.
After the Fall is considered to be a thinly disguised reflection of Miller’s marriage to Marilyn Monroe from 1956 to 1961. He was her third and final husband. Arthur Miller died on February 10, 2005 at the age of 89.
RIDDLE ME THIS
What do get when you cross a detective with a skeleton?
Answer: Sherlock Bones
Note to readers: I invite you to send me some riddles and I will publish them on my blog.
BURTON CUMMINGS
My favourite Canadian band of all time is the Guess Who. On Friday night, I attended a Burton Cummings concert at Massey Hall. I’ve got to say that Burton really had the place rocking. The Winnipeg native really connected with the audience and made a point of expressing appreciation for his fan support. Backed by the Toronto-based Carpet Frogs, he played many of the old Guess Who standards. Cummings also performed a great version of Louie Louie, the 1960s hit by the Kinks. He ended the concert with Share the Land, which he described as “a song of optimism.”
REST IN PEACE, JUNE CLEAVER
Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played the ideal mother of the 1950s and early 60s on Leave it to Beaver, died yesterday at her home in Santa Monica, California. She was 94 years old. From 1957 until 1963, Barbara played June Cleaver, the mother of two sons, Wally and Beaver. Hugh Beaumont, who portrayed Barbara’s television husband Ward Cleaver, passed away on May 14, 1982. He died of a heart attack at the age of 73 while visiting his son in Munich, Germany.
To watch a video of the 50th anniversary reunion of Leave it to Beaver, click on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBWO1vWZXGY&NR=1
SPORTS
Hockey
How about those Leafs? They did it again. That’s four in a row, folks. On Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Rangers in overtime by a score of 4-3. Phil Kessel led the Leaf attack with two goals.
Baseball
It seems that Roy Halladay is human after all. He and his Philadelphia Phillies lost Game One of the National League Championship Series to the San Francisco Giants yesterday by a score of 4-3.
Football (CFL)
Well, the Toronto Argonauts were crushed 30-3 by the ferocious Hamilton Tiger-Cats at the dome on Friday night. Hamilton clinched a playoff berth.
- Joanne
