Trank was “erratic” and “very isolated.”

That was my first thought — a barbecue restaurant with a 5' ceiling, and Orson Bean as the maitre d'.

Buy it, overinsure it, and then "Imagine a can of gasoline… This is your sun!"

I'll give you that, though I think it took maybe 4-5 years — by the time his bits with the studio neighbors, like Mujibur and Sirajul, had worn out.

I'd probably tune in to watch that, but I get your point.

That “People just liked watching his show more than they liked watching my show.” line is so very like him — I just want to buy him a drink and give him a pep talk or something. How big was the margin of victory in their "competition" really, and how many viewers did he ever "lose" to Leno so much as their simply…

I remember his afternoon show where he got to goof around with NBC elder-newsman Edwin Newman — That was about the same time.

My mother experienced that once or twice, so I'm a bit more cognizant of it, as you are. I specifically remember the issue coming up with Lee Remick, whose "weight gain" the gossip papers (in those pre-internet days) started tittering about when she was being treated for the kidney cancer that ultimately killed her.

And "conga" line, for that matter.

He shovels very well.

I guess I can understand the guy at the studio's panic, but the viewers would probably love that. You'd think it would be ratings gold.

Agreed. Not only would trimming the hair make it less unsightly, it would probably help keep the her pits dryer and better alleviate the rash. It's just possible, though, that the trimmed hair would be a little prickly and irritating in its own right. Anyone here have experience with this grooming issue?

I dunno… Sounds a little too The Day The Clown Cried for me.

A low "average life expectancy" statistic can be misleading. Infant and child mortality drag that number down without necessarily reflecting anything about how much longer post-adolescents can expect to live. If the average life expectancy is 50, that doesn't necessarily mean that a 45 year-old is considered "old".

I'm not sure how many gun rights advocates actively agree with the legitimacy of other weapon bans, so much as they're disinclined to expend much effort on things that they don't see as applying to them. I do think such things discourage rational discussion, though — "First they came for our neighbor's nunchucks, and…

I wonder if similar "niceties" might have suppressed any possible depiction of a Soviet-influenced plot back in 1949, when the Cold War was really just getting off the ground.

Strange as it may seem, I don't think there's anything inherently incompatible about nuclear physics and creationism, much less mere belief in an interventionist God. There are definitely creationists (mostly closeted) out there in the sciences, and many more theists.

Logically swords should be covered, but states and municipalities seem to ban long blades and "martial arts weapons" pretty casually, so you can see what effect the absence of a "National Sword Association" has had.

I agree it probably was a real crime, though I'm not sure whether they chose to showcase it because of their close experience with it, or (more likely I think) just because the involvement of kids as victims was more likely to touch a nerve with the audience.

I actually thought of that argument, though ten years earlier they'd have had sulfa drugs — less effective, but better than nothing. Perhaps 50 years gets them back before effective drugs, though even then we might be looking at the difference between a life-saving amputation and futilely waiting for the drugs to work…