Thanksgiving, Uncle Miltie and Me

While attending Barnard College in New York during the fall of 1949, I began to suffer a bit of depression, especially as Thanksgiving approached. This would be the first holiday I spent away from family and friends. Homesick and lonely, I looked forward to a trip to Brooklyn to visit some distant relatives I had never met.

With visions of sparkling conversation and a delicious turkey dinner dancing in my head, I took my first ride on the subway from New York to Brooklyn – which turned out to be my second favorite trip of all time. My first involved going to the doctor’s office for a tonsillectomy. Still, I felt optimistic about meeting new relatives.   

Standing at the doorway with snow swirling around me, I eagerly rang the bell. No one answered, but I could hear voices inside. I rang the bell three or four more times. Then I knocked rather loudly on the door. Finally a smiling cousin who was three, four or five times removed opened the door and apologized matter-of-factly for the delay by explaining, “We were watching Uncle Miltie.”

Thinking Miltie might be an ailing relative, I replied, “I hope he’s feeling better now.” How was I to know he was referring to the Milton Berle Show? After all, television remained untapped then as family entertainment back in Pueblo, Colorado. We were still “movie people.”

Walking into the cozy living room, I made my way through a group of individuals huddled around a small box with a screen showing figures moving around in what looked like the same kind of snow falling outside. “Hi!” I called out in my most cheerful voice. They all nodded and kept watching their new toy.

Needless to say, I didn’t get well acquainted with my distant relatives on that Thanksgiving Day. But what an introduction to television! We watched every program scheduled that afternoon and on into the evening. Much later, a cold turkey dinner was served – on TV trays, of course. I am now a vegetarian.

(Excerpt from CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT, published by Wheatmark)

  

Something Is Afoot!

When I was a teenager back in days of yore, it was such a treat to watch all those wonderful Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone. I am still an avid Sherlock fan, so I feel excited about the opportunity to talk with Ed Fitzelle concerning Sherlock Holmes movies and the actors who have portrayed this fictional master detective.  Ed, a Sherlock expert, will be dropping by Movie Addict HQ to discuss this fun topic. 

Did you know that more than 70 actors have appeared in upwards of 200 cinema projects featuring this popular character? The latest actor signing on as Sherlock is Sir Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes, a film scheduled for release in 2015. McKellen adds his name to an impressive list including such diverse actors as Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Charlton Heston, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Nicol Williamson, John Cleese, Douglas Fairbanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Downey, Jr.

Ed Fitzelle’s company, EverythingSherlockHolmes.com, is a portal designed to help viewers enjoy Sherlock Holmes. The site contains 40 hours of moving image content (movies and TV series) plus a news section with reports relating to Sherlock as well as an international events calendar focused on Sherlock-related events around the world.

This interview airs on BlogTalkRadio at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Pacific Time) on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. During the live show, listeners are invited to call in and to participate in a chat. An archived segment is also available.

CALL-IN NUMBER: 646-478-5668

HOST:  Betty Jo Tucker

PRODUCER: Nikki Starr

LINK: 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movieaddictheadquarters/2014/11/04/ed-fitzelle-everything-sherlock-holmes