Have you noticed? There’s been a change in the weather?

There’ll be a change in the weather;

And a change in the sea

From now on there’ll be a change in me;

My walk will be different, my talk and my name —

Nothin’ about me gonna be the same

I’m gonna change my way of livin’

And if that ain’t enough

I’m gonna change the way I strut my stuff

Cause nobody wants you when you’re old and gray —

There’ll be some changes made today

There’ll be some changes made.

Julie London was a mainstay in our country at the time. Lots of arguments going with what’s going to happen to advertising, but the fact was if you were around it did nothing but good. And if you happen to be interested…I directed Julie London on a VO audition a little more than 40 years ago. The biggest money spenders on TV advertising at the time were the tobacco companies, mainly cigarettes. I mean you couldn’t watch a movie without seeing a noted star smoking. “Julie London” was one of them. Who was known to smoke three packs every day. Her cause of death was attributed to lung cancer. Didn’t come as a surprise.

Never the less we had an awful lot of good things going on to look up to. On April 1, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed legislation officially banning cigarette ads on television and radio. You could safely say my dear friends, that- that legislation by our congress, men and women, have been some of the great moves ever by our politicians. Some fifty plus years ago! Can you imagine that? The diminishing factor of not smoking has considerably helped cut into the main cause of lung cancer. Not just in our beautiful United States of America, but all over this planet. FYI: What was a twenty cent per pack of cigarettes then. Today in many places costs as much as six bucks.

But long before that, there was a time that I was in the group known as little kids it was a given. Dad came home from work, and somehow, some way we played catch. It became our father and son ritual. Most importantly, my father was teaching me how to learn a thing or two of value each and every day we were together. Baseball became his driving force for making it easy for him to teach me things. Well, here’s kind of an example:

It was just one single day, I guess. When he came home from work. He was saying to me: “Well, there’s going to be a lot more scoring in baseball next year.” And I said: “What do you mean by that, Dad?” And he said: “Well, rumor has it that they’re going to make the ball livelier, there’s going to be more scoring because people are going to be hitting more home runs.” And I said to him: “How in the world, did you know that?” I was interested. He had my attention. He said: “Well, the inside of a baseball, was stuffed with things. You find out that what’s inside is pretty dead. You know, the ball doesn’t bounce very well anymore. So, baseball, it’s just made to be hard and last a little longer.” That was the year of buying something and making it last. As opposed to the enjoyment it gave you. “But now whatthey’re talking about doing is. Putting a livelier like piece of cork inside so that when the batter hits it, it’ll go further.”

He went on to tell me how it wasn’t really that difficult to do. He pointed out to me the people who run baseball did the very same thing many years ago. When a ballplayer named “Babe Ruth” broke the home run record and hit sixty in one season. The owners were giving the people what they wanted: More excitement at the games. (Well, It’s just like today. The more people who come out to the ballpark, the more money the team owners make. It’s good for all concerned. They call it “Capitalism”)

The clock kept ticking, I kept growing and low and behold then came along… “Only In America”

Many years ago, I read a book entitled “Only In America”. It was written by an author named “Harry Golden”. Hard to believe, the year was 1958. (The not yet da harv was twenty-five years of age). Free of being as prideful as I am today. (It wasn’t any comparison; I still had a long way to go with the army and all.) About our American accomplishments, “Harry Goldens” in-depth observations struck a lasting note with me forever more.

Thinking back often times for me has been the direct stimulus for forward movement. The story of the greatest country in the history of the world continues to be told. Writers, politicians, and the most ardently meaningful human contributors to life and the betterment of man continue to unabashedly sing the praises of what the American way of life continues to build from within.

Please listen to my patriotic credo that musically follows.

It’s entitled: “Vote Them Out. It’s What Americas All About”.

Music by Todd Carlon

Lyrics by Harvey Kalmenson AKA da harv