Fun on the Web

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Some people are just more industrious than the rest of us.

Of course, having talent and honing their skills are traits you’ll usually find in such achievers – and I’ve happened upon a fellow who falls in to that category.

Meet Don Edrington, a Californian who is right up there with Walter Bent among the people I admire for their ingenuity, resourcefulness, and industriousness. (More about Walt Bent another time!)

I found Don’s web site after Googling for one-time CBS Radio star Jack Kirkwood, whom a few of you might remember from the 1940s.

Unlike my good friend Walt Bent, whom Karen and I met about 30 years ago in Stillwater, Oklahoma, we’ve not had the pleasure of meeting Don Edrington. But his web site speaks volumes about his range of interests and his enthusiasm.

If you like “music with a melody” from the ‘40s, ‘50s, 60’s and 70s, you’ll find a wide variety of tunes on Don’s web site.

If you enjoy great storytelling, you’re sure to like Don’s glimpses into yesteryear, when he sold newspapers on the streets of Hollywood.

And if you’re a “senior” citizen with an interest in technology – but find it just a bit overwhelming at times – Don Edrington can help you steer your way around and over the brick walls of technological gobbledygook.

Here’s the link to Don's music pages at the The Senior Computer Tutor web site.

Let me know if you enjoy it as much as I have. Enjoy!

Whitmore - Going Strong at 85!

As a few of us have drifted into active “retirement,” I am amazed at those of our elders – a generation older – who show no signs of slowing down.

Such is the case of actor James Whitmore, who – at 85 – has returned to his roots at a summer theatre in New Hampshire as Sheridan Whiteside in the vintage play “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” According to reviewer Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal, Whitmore did it like the “youthful trouper” he was when he made his acting debut there after serving in the Marines in World War II.

I am not surprised.

Three decades ago, when I was managing public radio station KOSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma, I was witness to the creativity and professionalism of James Whitmore. One afternoon, OSU colleague John Bissonette and I decided serendipitously to drop in on a campus convocation featuring Whitmore at the Seretean Performing Arts Center. We were disappointed that so few students, faculty, staff or community residents showed up for the event. There were probably 40 of us in the audience.

Did that make any difference to James Whitmore? Not a bit.

Coming on stage despite an injury that caused him to hobble a bit, the diminutive actor with a booming voice engaged the audience in a way I’d not seen before. He talked about acting. He talked about life. He shared anecdotes about his career. In the end, he revealed his “injury” to be nothing more than a grand case of spoofing the audience with body language. It was all make believe.

And nobody does it better than James Whitmore – a real professional.

I first remember him as a cop in the classic sci-fi film “Them!” But he’s appeared in dozens of other great movies like Oklahoma, Kiss Me Kate, and Battle Cry. Television credits run into the hundreds – including classic series like Playhouse 90 and The Twilight Zone.” His portrayals of presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman in the 1970s were especially memorable, as was his rendition of humorist Will Rogers.

Bravo, James Whitmore! You’ve entertained millions of people the world over, and you continue to inspire those of us still stumbling around in early retirement.

You’ve demonstrated that keeping active and striving for excellence is a great formula for remaining “youthful troupers.” Well done!

I Never Liked Belle Fourche

It’s a warm summer afternoon. Soft breezes move gently through the trees. And the sun arches toward the western horizon as day nears end.

We’re at Herrmann Park in Belle Fourche, enjoying yet another pleasant surprise about our adopted home state. Barry Pitt, one of the regions top entertainers, is treating hometown folks to some down home music. Good friend Bill Kunerth had tipped me off about the free show, sponsored by the Belle Fourche Arts Council, the F. L. Clarkson Family Foundation, and the First Western Greater Belle Fourche Foundation.

A transplant from Kentucky, Pitt can do it all. He sings. He plays a mean guitar. And he knows how to pull together all the elements necessary for a good performance, making it look easy. And he does that not only in Belle, where is presides over the Center of the Nation Concert Association, but in Deadwood casinos, on the radio, and in other venues throughout the Black Hills.

His versatility is put to good use in his local recording studio, turning out projects for a range of musicians and cowboy poets. He also serves as theatre manager for the Belle Fourche Area Community Center.

But it’s not just Barry Pitt that catches our fancy. Herrmann Park is a real treasure. A splendid spot to kick back, have a picnic, enjoy the great outdoors, and appreciate what life can be all about in God’s country.

For reasons I’ll not divulge here, I never much liked Belle Fourche. That is, until we moved to Spearfish from back east two years ago. First we took our granddaughters swimming at Belle’s impressive community center. Then we found the rodeo. Soon we were munching lunch at Mish Mash, followed occasionally by an ice cream cone at one of the neatest Dairy Queens anywhere. Then last fall, Karen and I started joining old timers for golf at the Belle Fourche Country Club. And now – as of Wednesday, July 11th – we’ve discovered Herrmann Park!

All of a sudden, Belle Fourche has become a “destination” spot for the Millers. If you’ve not been there lately, you’re missing a treat!

Oh, did I mention the neat coffee shops?

If She's Missin'...She's Fishin!

Juni Fisher concedes that she's always adored Roy Rogers. And I reckon if Roy had come along a generation later and had never met Dale Evans, he'd have been smitten by Juni Fisher. She's pretty. She writes great music. And she has a voice to die for.

A packed house at the High Plains Western Heritage Center near Spearfish, South Dakota gave Juni a warm "welcome back" last night (June 27, 2007). For those of us in the audience, it was very easy to see why Juni Fisher was selected 2006 Western Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year. She's a terrific performer.

Her warm and charming vocal styling is surpassed only by an uncanny ability to mesmerize her audience with great stories. From Calamity Jane to Chinaman Jack, Juni Fisher brings to life a wide range of western characters using a rare blend of good yarns set to her own original music. She is a master lyricist and a great storyteller.

Although she grew up in the central San Joaquin Valley of California, Juni now hangs her hat in Tennessee. That is, when she's not on the road. In the past six months, she's performed at some 33 locations across the west. She's had little time to enjoy her Louis L'Amour books. But she does try to take along her fly rod and get a little stream time. Fishing has been a passion since she was seven years old, and she readily confesses that "if she's missin'......she's probably fishin'." Keep an eye on Spearfish Creek the next couple of days, you just might see her.

Juni and her husband (sorry, Roy, she's already spoken for) make their home at Franklin, Tennessee -- just outside Nashville, and she plays Bluegrass and old time music for the sheer fun of it! If you want to know more about this talented country gal, check out her web site or give a listen to the Wednesday (June 27, 2007) edition of the "Live With Jim Thompson" radio program on the web.

My old friend Terry Lickona at Austin City Limits should book this talented lady. I believe Ranger Doug of Riders in the Sky said it best. "Though she is one of Nashville's great undiscovered secrets, she won't be for long."

And Ranger Doug wouldn't lie. It's not the cowboy way.

Back in the Saddle....Again!

Even as a 10-year-old growing up in Nebraska, I knew that Gene Autry had his title "King of the Cowboys" stolen from him by that upstart Leonard Slye (Roy Rogers). And how unfair it was, I thought.

After all, Gene had heroicly volunteered for the Army Air Corps in World War II, leaving his royal cowboy throne - only to have Roy steal it from him. Gene was flying "the Hump" in the China-Burma-India theatre, defending his country, while Roy was back home staging a coup!

With the recent release of Holly George-Warren's biography of Gene, Public Cowboy No. 1, all those old memories of my childhood hero were re-awakened. Not only was I among the millions of lads glued to the Gene Autry radio broadcasts from Melody Ranch, I must have had at least three autographed photos of Gene tucked away in my bedroom. I wouldn't miss any of his movies, which I still re-visit on DVD from time to time, sometimes a bit disappointed with the plot -- but never with Gene!

In the late 1940s and early '50s, kids in our neighborhood fell into one of two categories: Roy fans -- or Gene fans. I opted for the somewhat less flamboyant Gene Autry, whose humble beginnings in Texas and Oklahoma gave rise to a hero we (Gene fans) admired and tried to emulate. Roy, on the other hand, was just too flashy! Both had cool horses and pretty female sidekicks -- and that was usually the order in which we measured the good taste and wisdom of our Saturday afternoon idols.

Gene Autry came back from the war, re-established himself at the box office, and went on to amass a fortune in the record industry, real estate, broadcasting, and sports. He achieved a long-time goal of owning a major league baseball team, the California Angels.

In later years, of course, I came to admire Roy Rogers, too. His devotion to his adopted family and enduring benevolence was truly remarkable. But he would never supplant those early memories of my real hero, Gene Autry.

Some 50 years after I had put Gene up on his pedestal, and after raising my own family and traversing the country in search of a "career," the unthinkable happened. As a manager with the Oklahoma Educational Televison Authority (OETA, the state public TV network), my boss, Bob Allen, and I were invited to an open house at neighboring Oklahoma City station KAUT-TV, owned by Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasting. Late for the gathering, we slipped in through a side door and were navigating the hallways in search of the official reception. As we turned a corner, we came face-to-face with....yup....Gene Autry. Conducting his own solo examination of the newest Golden West property, Gene obliged us, nonetheless, with a warm greeting and a handshake.

We had exchanged pleasantries, but there was no time for me to tell Gene how much he had affected my young life. I, and millions of other cowboy wannabes, grew up wanting to be just like our hero. Well, I never quite made it as cowboy hero, but for those few short moments, I was "back in the saddle again"!

Thanks for the memories, Gene.