Tag Archives: biographies

A Guide To A Good Life, Reviews

Mister Ed and Me, by Alan Young with Bill Burt

Mister Ed and Me(1994, St. Martin’s Press, New York)

The TV show “Mister Ed” is my perennial favorite. My wife and I love it, and we watch it regularly. I was thrilled to discover that Mr. Young had written a book about the history of the show – and also included a short autobiography. The book proved to be a wonderful read. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it! Mr. Young revealed himself to be the same nice person in real life as in the TV show. I highly recommend buying this book. If you do, get it directly from Mr. Young’s website, where you can get an autographed copy!

Recommended: Yes

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Reviews

The Tartan Pimpernel, by Donald Caskie

The Tartan PimpernelReverend Caskie was an amazingly brave Scottish minister who helped Allied soldiers escape from Nazi-occupied France during WWII.

He wrote about those incredibly dangerous and trying years of his life in this wonderful little book. The camaraderie that developed between those working for the common cause of defeating the Nazis is heartwarming, and shows how well human beings can work together to achieve a noble goal.

His prose is so well written you’ll think you’re reading one of the Classics, and his story will inspire you to stand up for what’s right when and if a future time of trouble comes.

Recommended: Yes

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Reviews

Rhapsody in Blue (1945)

Rhapsody in BlueJust saw “Rhapsody in Blue” (1945) tonight, and what a great movie! It’s a movie biography of George Gershwin. Some of the plot was fictional, but that’s okay. The talent in the movie more than made up for that. What’s amazing to me is that the people who knew him and were his friends while he was alive were in the movie: Oscar Levant, Al Jolson, George White, Hazel Scott, Paul Whiteman.

There were three great pianists in this movie, whose dexterity amazed me. Oscar Levant, of course, then Hazel Scott, who must be noted. Robert Alda left me speechless with his rendition of “Rhapsody in Blue”. His dexterity on the piano was natural. Robert Alda, of course, is the father of Alan Alda of M*A*S*H fame.

How talented the actors were back then! They could sing, dance and act. Nowadays, we’re lucky if they can act…

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Thoughts

Elie Wiesel: biography of a Holocaust survivor

About.com has a biography of Elie Wiesel, the author of “Night”, the best-selling novel about the Holocaust. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for speaking out against violence and oppression. And, he’s Romanian, from my native Transylvania nonetheless! 🙂

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