There are good fathers, and there are godfathers. Vito Corleone was modeled after fourth degree, Sam Giancana and other mob bosses. He died 36 years ago today. Here is part 3 of a 4 part series on Mr. Giancana, it shows his connection to Frank Sinatra, Jack Kennedy, and many more.
Giancana was closely associated with Frank Sinatra. Giancana helped resurrect Sinatra's career by arranging Sinatra to appear in various night clubs along the Las Vegas Strip in the 1950s. Sinatra favored The Sands, as it was the only hotel his good friend, Sammy Davis Jr., a black man, could stay. The following documentary is a wonderful ride through the making of the original Oceans 11. Get some popcorn popped, pour yourself a tasty beverage, and enjoy! Watch more free documentaries
President Kennedy met Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI. Here is a clip of Kennedy meeting Paul VI.
Ron Howard (middle) with Don Knotts and Andy Griffith
Ron Howard directed "Apollo 13", the movie story about the near-failed
mission to the moon.
Pope Paul VI lead prayers for the Apollo 13 crew when they were in crisis.
He also met President Kennedy, who also received the astronauts after
their safe landing back on earth.
Fourth Degree, Bill Cosby was interviewed with New York restaurateur, Gianni Gavelli, by David Susskind in April of 1986. Cosby is a legend of American comedy. I cannot say enough about him. Enjoy the video.
Third Degree, David Susskind interviewed Nikita Khrushchev on the ninth of October, 1960. Interviewing the Soviet Premier was so controversial, that there was violent reaction to the interview even taking place. Susskind's children were threatened by anti-Communist Americans.
David Susskind and Nikita Khrushchev
October 9, 1960
Second Degree, Nikita Khrushchev invited Pope John to some event or meeting. I am not sure what that event or meeting was.
It may have been the Time-Life luncheon, but it is probably mentioned somewhere between pages 220-242 in
"John XXIII: Pope of the Century." Whatever the case, The Holy Father felt obliged to respond to the Soviet Premiere. He rejected the cold letter offered by his secretary of state, and penned this response to Khrushchev.
Cordial thanks for the courteous message and good wishes. We return them from the heart in words that come
from on high: Peace on earth to people of good will.
We bring to your attention two Christmas documents from the year which call for the consolidation of a just
peace between peoples.
May the good Lord hear and respond to the ardour and sincerity of our efforts and prayers.
Fiat pax in virtutue tua, et abundantia in turribus tuis. ["Peace within your walls, and security within your towers":
Psalm 122.7]
Joyful good wishes for the prosperity of the Russian people and all the peoples of the world.
(letter, p. 438)
Second Vatican Council
First Degree, Pope John XXIII: opened the Second Vatican Council in 1962. A council attended by Pope John Paul II.
Or you could just link Khrushchev to Fidel Castro.
There have been many times when I'm writing a post, that I go off on several different tangents. One of these tangents leads back to John Paul II, and that is the one I publish. But often, there are interesting story lines that aren't published.
Here's one.
Discovering David Susskind's interview videos was really fun. I had heard Alan Sherman refer to him in his music, but never actually seen one. Here is a line of connection that I may pursue at another time. Hope you enjoy the video. I sure did!
David Susskind interviewed President Harry Truman, mentioned in the John Adams post. In this interview, President Truman confessed that Chopin's Opus 42 Waltz in A flat major was his favorite piece of music.
Let's listen to that marvelous piece of music, played by the best person to interpret Chopin's music, Sergei Rachmoninoff. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
Rachmoninoff first recorded for Edison Records, one of the earliest record labels. Edison didn't care for Rachmoninoff's touch and referred to the pianist/composer as a "pounder." Listen to a clip of one of those early Edison Diamond recordings. Here, Rachmoninoff plays his Prelude, opus 3, number 2.
For Christians on the old calendar, tomorrow is Christmas! Let's examine a connection to John Paul of a Russian Orthodox little girl, Natalie Wood.
3 Degrees
Third Degree: Natalie Wood
She's the last in the Christmas series of posts because of her iconic role of Susan Walker in "Miracle on 34th Street."
In 1960, while making "Splendor in the Grass," Natalie met and dated Second Degree: Warren Beaty. Mr. Beaty was fresh from Broadway, young, dewy, and really really really horny! More about that later. Here's the trailer for "Splendor in the Grass."
So, I mentioned Warren Beaty's sex drive. Warren Beaty found "splendor" in many "grasses." It's safe to say that anyone who's had sex is somewhere in Warren Beaty's sex web. He has directly or indirectly screwed almost the entire planet! Among those in his sex web are several first degreers like Queen Elizabeth II and John F. Kennedy. Warren Beatty's sex web is here.
Let's Talk About Sex:
As a general rule, the greater the gift that God gives us, the more chance of evil coming from the misuse of that gift.
It's easy to slam those who struggle with homosexual attraction or another sexual struggle that you may not have. But what about "the players." Promiscuity is a sin that tears at the hearts of both women and men. With each relationship, the heart grows colder.
Using another person for sex is a grave sin.
When we make the following comments about celebrities, we are participating in the sin and setting a really crappy example for our kids. I wrote the captions, so this is obviously a sin I need to address.
"Who can blame him, IT'S MARYLIN MONROE!"
"What a guy! He banged the prime women at their most beautiful!"
"I can't believe he was nailing those ugly girls when his wife was so hot."
Respect is respect, regardless of how attractive, powerful, rich, or talented a person is. All people deserve respect from their spouses.
If you would like to calculate how many sexual partners you are "related" to, click here. That site is put out by Lloyds Pharmacy, and it is humbling. It's also a great tool for teaching teens about sex.
I can find no evidence that Dick Clark ever met the Holy Father, but he sure does rub elbows with people who are close to the pontiff. Let's take a "Rockin' New Year's Eve" look at celebrities who Dick knows who know the pope or are close to someone who knew the pope.
This post is in the spirit of Janus, the Roman god of the new year. This god has two faces, one looking back and the other looking ahead. Let's see who Dick Clark knows who has already been mentioned in the blog or who may be mentioned in 2011.
Dick Clark and Bono: 2 Degrees
As mentioned in a previous post, Bono met Pope John Paul II and gave him so rad shades.
Dick Clark and Nicole Scherzinger: 4 Degrees
A member of The Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger met Dick as we see her performing at last year's show below. She also appeared in "Dancing With the Stars" with second degreer, Buzz Aldren as see in this post from October.
Dick Clark and Betty White: 5 Degrees
Betty White appeared on $25,000 Pyramid, a game show hosted by Dick Clark. She also appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Johnny Carson filled in for Red Skelton when Red was in Europe with his family, see that post here. Red Skelton and his family met and were blessed by Pope Pius XII.
Dick Clark to Ralph Edwards: 5 Degrees
Dick Clark was on "This is your life" hosted by TV giant, Ralph Edwards in 1959.
Ralph Edwards is pictured here with
Marilyn Monroe
Lovely Marilyn was the girlfriend of President John F. Kennedy. The Jerry Lewis post in which President Kennedy and Miss Monroe are degrees is here. President Kennedy met Pope Paul VI, the pope who elevated John Paul II to cardinal.
Jerry Lewis is an icon of physical American comedy performance. He was a role model for Jim Carey and scores of other great comedians of the 20th and 21st Century. But in 100 years, Mr. Lewis will be more remembered for opening our hearts than for his comedy.
This weekend is the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon. Last year's telethon raised over 60 million dollars for muscular dystrophy and ALS research. Jerry Lewis has been a champion for the young victims of these diseases for decades.
I could have done this in fewer degrees by going through celebrities who have appeared on the Jerry Lewis telethon. I chose a different way that I think will entertain and delight you!
Fifth Degree: Eleanor Gehrig
Eleanor Gehrig and Jerry Lewis
Scanning the MDA site, I was surprised to find that ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, is under the MDA umbrella. It has been for years. Thanks to the dedication of Gehrig's widow, Eleanor, the effective treatment and cure for ALS is much closer. Read about the Gehrig connection to Jerry's Kids by clicking here.
Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig played his entire career for the New York Yankees. His official website has wonderful video and information about his life and career. That site is also a good place to see his "Luckiest Man" speech which is currently not available on youtube.
Sweet Fact about Lou Gehrig:When he gave his "Luckiest Man" speech, he knew full well the devistating nature of his illness. In those days it was common to withhold disgnosis and prognosis from patients. (Now, such a practice is not only unethical, but illegal.) Lou knew, and he kept the fact that he knew from his wife out of love. He wanted her to think that he was blissfully unaware. I learned this watching History Detectives on PBS. For a transcript of that show and the site for that episode, click here.
Fourth Degree: Joe DiMaggio
January 15, 1954
I think it's safe to say that the Yankees and their immediate families knew each other in the 1920s and 1930s. While Lou was slugging out a lifetime (15 years) .340 batting average and almost 500 home runs, he played with Joe DiMaggio.
This funny-lookin', first generation, Italian-American guy from Martinez, California, somehow managed to snag the most beautiful woman in the world. In January of 1954 he married Marilyn Monroe. To read the original story from the archives of the San Francisco Museum, click here.
Third Degree: Marilyn Monroe
The connection to the third degree is titillating and painful. You see, Ms. Monroe was one of a collection of women who invaded the Catholic marriage bed of John F. Kennedy. There seems little doubt that this was the case. Here is lovely Marilyn singing her famous Happy Birthday to JFK.
Second Degree: President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Kennedy and his wife met the pope on a couple occasions during his brief presidency. Jaqueline had a private audience with the pope, speaking in French with the Holy Father. For more photos and loads of interesting facts and circumstances, visit the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library in Boston.
Paul VI and John Paul II
First Degree: Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul became pope during the second Vatican council. Less charismatic than his predecessor, Pope John XXIII, he never enjoyed the same popularity. He wrote Humanea Vitae and other influential and beautiful encyclicals. To show love for this man and their commitment to the real teachings of Vatican II, the next popes took both their names, John Paul!
Hey, Lapsed Catholics!!!!
8 pages, that's it. Just 8 pages and I won't pester you any more this week. Read Humanea Vitae (in English, not Latin), and open your mind to it. Just read it and let it sit in your heart. I swear you won't regret it. It is a prophetic writing about the sexual revolution. Just give it a read. It's always good to be able to argue both sides of an issue to fully understand it. Read the whole thing here.
