inktober52: elf

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For someone who didn’t grow up celebrating Christmas, I sure do love Christmas movies. The end-of-the-year holiday season has produced some great films, including classics like Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas in Connecticut, It Happened on 5th Avenue (recently discovered on Turner Classic Movies), White Christmas (and its cringe-inducing predecessor Holiday Inn), It’s A Wonderful Life, as well as the numerous versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. More recently, a new crop of movies have kept the holiday spirit going, with offerings like… like… um… well, right now, I can only think of Die Hard.

Through the glut of Hallmark Christmas movies and the umpteenth showing of Disney’s Santa Clause trilogy, Mrs. Pincus and I discovered a charming holiday film that we have been ignoring for two decades. The film is Elf. The reason I steered away from Elf was its star — Will Ferrell. I never thought Will Ferrell was funny. Yeah, yeah… I know. I am in the overwhelming minority. His movies are popular. I just find him to be annoying and embarrassing and too much like Chevy Chase — who I also find annoying and unfunny.

But one evening last December, my wife and I were going thorough the plethora of channels available from the good folks at Comcast and we reluctantly gave Elf a chance… and we loved it. Everyone in it was was terrific! The characters were endearing when they had to be and comical when that was called for. It’s filled with repeatable quotes and memorable scenes — and stars! Bob Newhart, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner,  the irrepressible Amy Sedaris and a perfectly-curmudgeonly James Caan who looks as though he’d like to have a word with his agent. The lovely Zooey Deschanel — in a blond wig and adding just the right amount of quirkiness to a character that ends up dating an elf — keeps her actual quirkiness in check long enough to pull off the part. Plus there’s Andy Richter and  Kyle Gass (the other half of Tenacious D) as the comedy pairing you didn’t know you needed.  Oh, and in a brief cameo, good sport Peter Dinklage hilariously deadpans the role he was meant to play. It’s an hour and a half of mindless, heartwarming, silly holiday entertainment. In all honesty, Elf kind of falls flat in the third act, but all-in-all, I found it to be a well-made, well-written, well-acted bit of escapism. No, it’s not Citizen Kane, and it doesn’t pretend to be.

Sure, I’m late to the party, but I am making up for lost time. I think I watched Elf (or parts of Elf) over a dozen times this year,

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DCS: sticky vicky

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Victoria María Aragüés Gadea studied classical ballet for fifteen years, eventually performing on stages in and around her native Barcelona. Victoria had a sort of novelty act with her sister, a contortionist.

After the death of dictator Francisco Franco, Spain began to relax its strict laws on the sexual explicity of entertainment. Victoria, ready to push the envelope and explore new avenues, took the advice of a magician friend and introduced “magic” into her act. Specific kind of magic…

Victoria began performing in Barcelona cabarets to the delight of audiences. She appeared nude on stage and her unique magic act included extracting various objects from her vagina. After slowly undressing to musical accompaniment, Victoria would lie back and begin removing small items from her vagina. First ping pong balls, eggs and handkerchiefs. As the act progressed, she worked her way up to razor blades and machetes and eventually, a lit light bulb. For her grand finale, Victoria would open a bottle of beer using her vagina. Audiences would offer overwhelming approval.

Victoria never considered her performances to be “pornographic.” She insisted her act was “delicate” and “classy.” She earned herself the nickname “Sticky Vicky.” When her reputation grew and spread, she sued another performer with a similar act for using the name “Sticky Vicky” and soon trademarked the moniker to avoid further confusion.

A hip operation sidelined Vicky in 2015 and her act went on hiatus. In 2016, Vicky was diagnosed with uterine cancer and she stepped out of the spotlight. Her daughter confirmed that Vicky had succumbed to cancer in November 2023 at the age of 80.

 

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DCS: william “dummy” hoy

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After a bout of meningitis, William Hoy was rendered deaf at the age of three… but it never hindered his determination. After graduating as valedictorian from the Ohio State School for the Deaf, he opened a shoe repair business and played baseball on the weekends. Impressed with William’s on-field prowess, baseball manager Frank Selee signed him to a contract. In 1888, William found himself playing outfield for the Washington Nationals, becoming the third deaf player in the National League. He was an outstanding player, setting and breaking records left and right. William was equally adept at hitting as he was in the field. Upon his retirement with the Cincinnati Reds in 1902, William was second all-time in walks and among the top outfielders in putouts.

William also preferred the name “Dummy” to his given name.

In his time, the word “dumb” was used exclusively to describe someone who could not speak. However, the ability of speech became equated with intelligence and soon, “dumb” came to mean “stupid.” But, William was far from stupid. He was acknowledged as one of the most intelligent ball players of his time and is sometimes credited (although this has been widely disputed) with developing a system of hand signals used by umpires to designate balls, strikes and other on-field actions. When addressed as “William,” he would offer a correction to call him “Dummy.”

After retiring, William worked as an executive for the Goodyear Company, supervising the company’s deaf workers. In 1961, at the age of 99, he was brought to Cincinnati’s Crosley Field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Game 3 of the World Series. He passed away two months later on December 15.

In 2001, the ball field at Washington DC’s Gallaudet University was named in William’s honor. In 2003, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. There are on-going efforts and campaigns to induct William into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

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DCS: norma cappagli

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21-year old Argentine model Norma Cappagli entered the 1960 Miss World contest and, much to her surprise, was crowned the winner. She was the first representative from Argentina to win the title since the pageant’s inception a decade earlier. She became an ambassador of the contest, making goodwill appearances all over the world. In 1962, she even recorded a song that became very popular in her native country. After her reign, she continued to model until she retired from the spotlight.

Norma was living in Buenos Aires. On December 17, 2020, she was run over by a municipal bus. She passed away five days later from the injuries she sustained. Norma was 81.

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DCS: henry kissinger

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Anthony Bourdain was a renowned chef and world traveler. He was also well known for speaking his mind and calling things as he saw them. In his 2001 travelogue/memoir A Cook’s Tour, Bourdain visited Cambodia. After viewing —  first-hand — the long-term devastation the country suffered as a result of illegal military directives orchestrated by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Bourdain said:

“Once you’ve been to Cambodia, you’ll never stop wanting to beat Henry Kissinger to death with your bare hands. You will never again be able to open a newspaper and read about that treacherous, prevaricating, murderous scumbag sitting down for a nice chat with (former television host) Charlie Rose or attending some black-tie affair for a new glossy magazine without choking.”

“Witness what Henry Kissinger did in Cambodia — the fruits of his genius for statesmanship — and you will never understand why he’s not sitting in the dock at The Hague next to (former Yugoslav and Serbian president Slobodan) Milošević. While Henry continues to nibble nori rolls and remaki at A-list parties, Cambodia, the neutral nation he secretly and illegally bombed, invaded, undermined, and then threw to the dogs, is still trying to raise itself up on its one remaining leg.”

In a 2018, shortly before his shocking suicide, the always-outspoken Bourdain said:

“Frequently, I’ve come to regret things I’ve said. This, from 2001, is not one of those times.”

In the same interview, when asked about his animosity towards — and later reconciliation with — fellow chef Emeril Lagasse, Bourdain said:

“Emeril didn’t bomb Cambodia.”

Henry Kissinger died on November 29, 2023 at the age of 100.

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DCS: freddie prinze

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Frederick Pruetzel realized he had a knack for making his classmates laugh while a student at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. He ditched his career aspirations of becoming a ballet dancer in favor of stand-up comedy. He started performing at small clubs alongside future stars David Brenner and Jimmie Walker. Freddie chose the stage name “Prinze” as both homage to comedic idols like Alan King and a nod to his Puerto Rican heritage. He told audiences that he was “HungaRican” — part Hungarian, part Puerto Rican — although he had no Hungarian ancestry.

In 1973, Freddie appeared on The Jack Paar Show and later on the Tonight Show, where he was asked by Johnny Carson to take a seat on the couch following his well-received stand-up routine. This was a rarity — and a honor — for young comedians. He made more television appearances including several stints on the late-night music series The Midnight Special.

Hoping to capitalize on Freddie’s whirlwind popularity, NBC tagged the young comic to costar with veteran actor Jack Albertson in the sitcom Chico and the Man. The series was an instant hit and led to Freddie’s appearances on a few Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts and the release of a comedy album. He also appeared on his friend Tony Orlando’s variety show. Freddie even sang back-up on a few of Tony Orlando’s recordings. By the end of 1976, Freddie had signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract with NBC.

But the fame affected Freddie’s personal life. He was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs. His wife of just over a year filed for divorce. His life-long battle with depression deepened. He purchased a gun and would often play Russian Roulette in front of his friends for his own amusement. On January 28, 1977, Freddie was visiting with his business manager. As the evening progressed, Freddie produced his handgun and shot himself in the head. He was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support following surgery. His family made the difficult decision to remove Freddie from life support and he passed away on the afternoon of January 29. He was just 22 years old.

Freddie had made several “farewell” phone calls and left a note explaining his plans of suicide. However, the results of a 1983 civil case brought against the Crown Life Insurance Company determined Freddie’s death to have been accidental. His mother, estranged wife and his son, Freddie Prinze Jr., collected $200,000 in life insurance payments. They also received a one million dollar settlement in a malpractice suit against Freddie’s psychiatrist for allowing the comedian access to a gun and over-prescribing Quaaludes.

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