I’ve been rationing my Twitter use lately so I missed out on Trump soup canapalooza. This week’s featured image is my sole contribution now that it’s been beat to death. I’m also tired of talking about the Impeached Insult Comedian. It’s Joey Shark’s secret weapon in the campaign: people would like a break from politics from time-to-time. I’m not the only one suffering from Trump fatigue.

It’s time for a First Draft housekeeping note. The Friday Cocktail Hour was bumped so My Uncle Was A ‘Loser’ wouldn’t have to share the spotlight. I put a great deal of emotion and passion into that post. The reaction has been most gratifying. The Friday Cocktail Hour will return next week with a Duke Ellington song. Nothing but the best for my readers.

This week’s theme song was written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford for the 1980 Genesis album, Duke. Rutherford’s lyrics are about someone who watches way too much teevee and confuses it with real life. Much like the Kaiser of Chaos. So much for my avowed Trump fatigue.

We have two versions of Turn It On Again for your listening pleasure: the studio original and a live version:

One could even describe the character in this week’s theme song as follows:

Since we’ve reached a turning point in this week’s outing, let’s jump to the break.

Lest you think I’m done using the word turning, here are two turning tunes:

We begin our second act in earnest with a piece about how the Catholic Church handled a child custody dispute in the days after World War II.

The Case of the Impious Pope: Historian David L. Kertzer won the Pulitzer prize in biography for his 2015 book The Pope and Mussolini. The Pope in that title was Pius XII but his two immediate successors Pope John XXII and Paul VI play in a role in the piece as well.

Kertzer came upon a cache of documents describing a French child custody case involving the children of Holocaust survivors. The boys had been baptized, which led to extraordinary efforts by the Church to keep them away from their Jewish relatives. The details of this fascinating but shameful episode can be found by following this link to the Atlantic.

Kertzer’s piece made me think of Louis Malle’s great 1987 film about Jewish children in Vichy France, Au Revoir, Les Enfants. It’s a four-star classic.

Here’s the trailer:

Let’s end the segment on a more irreverent note:

I’m a lifelong NBA fan but I can’t get into Basketball in Bubble so I’m not following it. I retain an intense interest in basketball history, especially when it intersects with Civil Rights.

Black Lives Matter Circa 1961: In 1961, the Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks were scheduled to play an exhibition game in Lexington, Kentucky. Each team featured a former Kentucky Wildcat star on their team: Cliff Hagan of the Hawks and Frank Ramsey on the Celtics. Both of those players were white. Black Celtics stars Sam Jones and Satch Sanders were refused service at the hotel dining room. They decided to boycott the game along with Bill Russell and KC Jones. Boston Head Coach Red Auerbach not only backed his players, he took them to the airport. Jeff Eisenberg has the details at Yahoo Sports.

On a lighter note, lets hop in the car and meet Elliot Easton of The Cars.

Rock and Roll Survivor: Time has not been kind to The Cars. Both Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr are dead but co-founder and lead guitar player Elliot Easton is still with us. Easton who is 67 recently sat for an interview with Vulture’s Devon Ivie. That was just what I needed as the song goes.

The Cars get the last word of our second act with a performance of Just What I Needed at Live Aid featuring one of Easton’s most celebrated solos:

We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.

Separated At Birth Casting Edition: Chadwick Boseman died last weekend at the age of 43. I’m not big on comic book movies so I’ve never seen him in the role that made him a superstar, Black Panther. Instead I think of him as the actor who played James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and Jackie Robinson.

Since I mentioned Jackie Robinson, it’s time to post the obligatory Count Basie song:

I never get tired of Bill Basie. I also never get tired of the actor featured in our next segment.

Movie List: I used an image from the 1944 film classic Laura for last week’s potpourri posts. That led Dr. A and I to watch that great movie for the umpteenth time. Among the special features on the DVD were episodes of Biography about Gene Tierney and Vincent Price. Hence this list.

My Top Ten Favorite Vincent Price Movies:

1. Laura
2. Leave Her To Heaven
3. House Of Wax
4. The Baron Of Arizona
5. House On Haunted Hill
6. House Of Usher
7. The Raven
8. The Tomb Of Liegia
9. The Oblong Box
10. The Abominable Dr. Phibes

I usually prefer actors who do not ham it up. Vincent Price was an exception to that rule. More typical of my taste is the actor featured in the next segment, Jim Garner.

Saturday GIF Horse: I recently got a deal on The Complete Rockford Files. I was delighted that my fond memories of the show were not misplaced. It’s as good as I remember it.

Saddle up for this week’s GIF horse featuring two GIFs of Jim Rockford chewing out Angel Martin. There’s no doubt that Angel had it coming.

I’ve long thought that Mike Post’s rocking Rockford theme song is one of the best in teevee history:

Weekly Vintage Video: Yeah, I know, Ric Ocasek wrote this song, not Elliot Easton. But it’s one of my favorite Cars videos. It’s also a tune for our crazy times.

Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.

Saturday Classic: This week a 2004 appearance on Australian teevee by the Finn Brothers. Tim and Neil were promoting Everyone Is Here, which was their second album as a duo. The late great former Crowded House drummer Paul Hester introduced his former bandmates. Hessie committed suicide the next year. I still miss his zany wit and flair after all these years.

That’s all for this week. The last word goes to my favorite teevee father-son combination: James Garner as Jim Rockford and Noah Beery as Rocky.