Chess for Oldtimers --- Good Idea !

or,

"History has taught us that man doesn't learn from the past"

there are some that use the knowledge from the past, and, they may be leaders in the future.

and, let me be clear. i don't mean political leaders-mlk held no public office.

If by indulgence you mean Jaques thinks but never acts, then your criticism is a typically American one reflecting a can-do attitude that with sufficient optimism everything can be put right.  Willy Loman believed the world was his oyster if he had a smile on his face and a shine on his shoes, and we know where that got him.  The Brits know better, and so does history.

As far as Jaques indulging in cynicism just to hear himself speak, that is found in the director's and actor's interpretations and not in the text.  I guess a similar charge of indulgence could be leveled at a well known contrarian who enjoys his textual monkey wrench thrown in the works to provoke a reaction.

Anyway, I prefer to think of Jaques as this Wikipedia entry describes him, namely as a character providing "a sharp foil for the wit of other characters, but also to create a shadow within the sunny forest. Jaques is a constant reminder that in the real world time is not suspended, and grief, sorrow and death provide a counterpoint to all human joys, a kind of embodied presentiment of Poussin's 'et in arcadia ego'."

Yes, it is ironic.  Though a bit too Freudian at times for my taste, this entry at The Newton Project reveals a complicated man and not the black and white caricature some authors have portrayed.  The truth is, what makes us good makes us bad, and, naturally, vice versa.

Thanks a lot for all of the nice new posts.

There is a nice new thread on the go here that ties-in somewhat with this one. It is entitled " Tales of a Septuagenarian " and the OP is Ponz111. 

I hesitate to contradict anyone, especially you, fightingbob, but I must say HueyWilliams seems pretty atypical ... in almost every way I can think of. :-)

On that note, Mil, here is a tribute to Mr. Williams and the most "atypical," surreal childrens show ever to appear on Saturday morning TV: H.R. Pufnstuf.  It's Dali does puppetry in the guise of Sid and Marty Krofft.

I forgot Jack Wild played the boy, but I certainly remember him in Oliver!  Perhaps Mr. Williams ought to take up the nom de plume, The Artful Codger.

My son used to Love H.R.Pufnstuf, and we'd watch it together on Sunday mornings. (I still remember the song!) :-D

I also remember most of the song from "Hercules," another favorite TV cartoon from that era ---- sample lyrics:

"Hercules! Hero of song and story! / Hercules!  Winner of ancient glory!

With the strength of ten / Ordinary men  .....(etc.)

Hercules! People are Safe when near him / Hercules! Only the Evil fear him!

Softness in his Eyes!  Iron in his Thighs!  Virtue in his Heart!  Fire in Every Part --

Of the Mighty Hercules!"

(Those last lines used to crack me up... ;-D)

   ---   Thanks for the posts.   ---   In my case I am afraid that I'm just you typical confused human being   lol. 

You're not alone, dear.

   Thanks for the nice post Motherinlaw. However your thought worries me just a little. You mean I'm not alone and someone is watching me ? ( Aliens perhaps ? ). Just kidding, anyone watching me would get bored rather quickly   lol. 

Aliens?  Their getting "bored" with us, and moving on, would be way better than some other  scenarios ...... how many of us Oldtimers still remember 1962's Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man?" 

Hi Mil,

Count me in as a lover of Rod Serling and his creation, The Twilight Zone.  I've read several biographies about Mr. Serling and own quite a few retrospective books on the series.  It wasn't just the themes, his narrations just crackled.

Sure I remember To Serve Man, the one with the tall Kanamits just looking for an ambulatory meal.

My favorites are the melancholy, nostalgic ones written by Serling himself such as The Lonely, Walking Distance, Time Enough at Last, One for the Angels, The Big Tall Wish, A Stop at Willoughby, Kick the Can, The Changing of the Guard, The Night of the Meek and A Passage for Trumpet.

If you want something darker, often menacing, the ones written by Charles Beaumont fit the bill such as Perchance to Dream, Long Live Walter Jameson, Long Distance Call, Shadow Play, Living Doll and Printer's Devil.

Then there are the cultural (or political) commentaries of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, Eye of the Beholder, The Lateness of the Hour (one of the most perverse episodes, in my opinion), Two, Deaths-Head Revisited and saving the best for last, The Passersby, The Obsolete Man and Number 12 Looks Just Like You.

Oh, and The After Hours scared the hell out of me as a child.  I don't like department store mannequins to this day, but Anne Francis was always one attractive lady.

If I had to pick just three episodes to take with me to a desert island they'd be The Lonely, A Passage for Trumpet (one my late father just loved, and so do I) and Walking Distance, all from the first season.

Mil, you don't know what you started.

Best,
Bob

Good lord!  I bow before the Trivia Master!

But, Mil, The Twilight Zone isn't trivial, however my knowledge of the various writers and themes may be.  I forgot to mention that Serling's series was influenced stylistically if not always thematically by film noir, another genre I favor.

TV had some substance back then, at least some TV.  The last series I thought worthwhile was Northern Exposure.

By the way, try to catch some Twilight Zone episodes at Daily Motion.  Here's a link to A Passage for Trumpet.

Best,
Bob

check out the big brain on bob!

I liked Northern Exposure too!  Does that mean I have a "big brain?" ... I hope so.  

Thanks for the new posts.

Today is a sad day as we have lost an oldtimer from our game. Viktor Korchnoi passed away at age 85 and I'm including him in this thread as he kept playing Chess late into his life ( keeping the little grey cells active ).