Born on this day – Moses Gunn:

Actor

October 2, 1929 – December 16, 1993

On this day in music history - Dead Ringer, by Meat Loaf (1981)

The album Dead Ringer, by Meat Loaf,

was released on September 21, 1981.

Written by Jim Steinman.

Album cover art by Bernie Wrightson.

Actress Teri Garr Calls Multiple Sclerosis a “Scum Sucking Pig of a Disease”:

November 5, 2018

Teri Garr is a 73-year-old actress best known for her roles in Young Frankenstein, Oh, God!, Tootsie, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She also played Phoebe’s biological mother on the TV sitcom Friends. One day in 1983, Teri went out for a run around Central Park in New York. She began to experience a tingling in her right leg and before long, she felt a sharp pain in her arm. During this time, Teri was at the peak of her career and she was not going to let a little pain and tingling get her down. “Every movie I did, I’d go see a different doctor in the location where we were shooting, and everyone had a different opinion about what it might be. Every so often someone would mention MS, but then someone else would think it was something else,” she said.

Over the next 16 years, she kept on working and her symptoms came and went. Finally, in 1999, she received a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Teri, who had also trained as a dancer, did not feel sad or depressed about her condition. Rather, she felt angry. She could not understand how her body could have deceived her and this anger brought up memories of her mother. 

Teri’s complicated upbringing

Teri grew up in a family involved in show business. Her father, Eddie Garr, was an ex-vaudevillian and her mother, Phyllis Garr, was a former Radio City Rockette. However, the family was struggling to make ends meet and at one point, they decided to split their house and rent out the front. At the age of 11, Teri’s father died, leaving her mother with three children to take care of. Despite the family’s devastation, her mother Phyllis remained optimistic and wore a pin on her blouse that read EGBOK – Everything’s going to be OK. In order to get by, Phyllis worked 18 hours a day and ultimately, she was able to put Teri and her two brothers through college. “That was my role model. Someone who takes care of things, copes. So, I was conditioned to do that,” said Teri.

Unfortunately, in Hollywood, a physical handicap can sometimes mean the end of one’s career, as the acting business is very judgmental. For this reason, Teri decided to keep her diagnosis quiet and tried her best to mask her symptoms. She knew that agents and producers would view her as being disabled, so she felt like she needed to protect herself. She frequently stumbled and dropped objects in the privacy of her own home, but she could handle the accidents. “Getting depressed or sad wouldn’t have helped me,” she said.

Revealing her diagnosis to the world

Finally, she decided to tell the world the secret she had been hiding because rumors were floating around and she wanted the information to come from her and not an outsider. “I thought, there’s too much drama here. What if someone went out and talked about it like a stand-up comic? If you get somebody laughing — and then stick in a point about something important — they’ll remember it,” said Teri. So, in October of 2002, she went on ‘Larry King’ and spoke publicly about her condition, all the while using her wit. She also used to same wit when she went on ‘Letterman’ to raise awareness on MS and uplift the spirits of MS patients and their families.

 

Advocating for MS

 

As a spokesperson for MS LifeLines, an educational and support service, Teri traveled the country to speak to individuals with MS. She aimed to encourage them to find out everything they could on available treatment options and to try to move forward with their lives. She spoke out about her own symptoms, including extreme fatigue, stumbling, and difficulty controlling her right hand. “I had weakness on the right side — arm, leg, and foot. Having to manage fatigue is something I and many people with MS have to deal with, and heat is no friend to my MS either; it can be devastating. However, each person with MS lives with his or her own special suitcase of symptoms. Yet, we all work around our symptoms and move forward with our lives,” she said. Teri also spoke out about how one type of approved disease-modifying drug, a healthy diet, and exercise have helped her in managing her symptoms and slowing down the progression of MS. In regards to exercise, she noted that it is crucial to her well-being and she favors a machine similar to that of a recumbent bicycle. “I try to use it an hour a day. It helps strengthen both my arms and legs and is aerobic as well. Plus, I can read or watch TV while I’m on it. In the summer I swim, which I really love. It’s vital to keep moving,” she said. Although slowing down was not in her nature, Teri realized that she had to because stress and anxiety were not good for MS. So, she learned to ‘simplify’ her tasks and do one thing at a time.

 

Her advice to anyone who suspects MS

 

Teri’s advice to any individual who suspects that they may have MS is to see a neurologist right away, as early treatment is crucial. “I’d advise anyone recently diagnosed to relax. MS affects everyone differently. The status of MS research has never been more exciting and there are many therapies available that slow the progression of the disease. As we all know, knowledge is power. Get involved on a local level. Become a volunteer, be an advocate, join one of the many Walk MS or Bike MS events in your area. Bring your friends and family with you. It’s a good way to connect with people and you’ll feel better about not only helping yourself but helping others,” she said.

 

These days, from time to time, the actress can muster up the strength to walk for short periods of time. However, she frequently needs to use a cane or wheelchair, as is the case for over 60% of individuals who have MS. “I call it the scum sucking pig of a disease that treats everyone differently. Some people don’t get any symptoms, but I wasn’t one of them,” said Teri.

 

Still, despite her lasting battle with the disease, Teri remains positive in the face of her condition. “I think some people want you to be upset. Not only am I not upset, but I’m okay. I don’t see any profit in being down, I don’t see that it gets you anywhere. Maybe it has to do with my show-business background. You’re always being told that you’re not right for something, not tall enough, not pretty enough, whatever. I would say, ‘But I’m smart, I’m talented, I’m this, I’m that!’ I’ve always been able to do that, and I do it now with MS,” she said. Teri has inspired so many individuals and because of her, some are saying that they are no longer letting their symptoms get in the way of them living their lives to the fullest and pursuing their dreams. “Speaking out about multiple sclerosis to others who may be dealing with this disease is actually helpful to me, as well as, I hope, to others. It builds community, helps bring awareness to MS, and strengthens the MS movement that will ultimately lead to the end of this disease,” she said.

 

References:

 

https://www.findatopdoc.com/Healthy-Living/what-teri-garr-calls-multiple-sclerosis

 

https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/actress-terri-garr-battles-multiple-sclerosis

 

https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/786660/Teri-Garr-Multiple-Sclerosis-MS

 

https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Get-Involved/Personal-Stories/Ambassadors-Familiar-Faces/Teri-Garr

 

https://journals.lww.com/neurologynow/Fulltext/2005/01010/Teri_Garr_on_Life_with_MS.6.aspx

 

https://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple-sclerosis/living-with/teri-garr/

 

In support of Multiple Sclerosis research:

 

http://www.nationalmssociety.org

http://msfocus.org

https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com

http://mymsaa.org

http://positivelivingwithms.com

https://mssociety.ca

https://stumblingprincess.com

http://www.msra.org.au/

 

#BikeMS #brain #CureMS #demyelination #disease #FightMS #FuckMS #FuckYouMS #FUMS #lesion #MS #MSawareness #MSAwarenessMonth #MSeducation #MultipleSclerosis #MSstrong #MSSucks #MSwarrior #MuckFestMS #myelin #mymsme #OMS #ThisIsMS #vertigo #WalkMS #WalkTogether #WeAreStrongerThanMS #WorldMSDay

 

NEVER GIVE UP!

Jaws (1975) - the thing about a shark …

Review by Jack Kost

Movies, in general, are just movies – nothing more.
You see them – you forget them.
However, some movies are so good – you never forget them; they stay with you forever and get better every time you watch them.

Jaws (1975) has always had a special place in my heart.
It was the movie that made me fall in love with movies.
During my early teens, it was the first movie I saw on rental VHS video cassette.
When I was fifteen, I bought a four-hour video cassette and recorded Rollerball and Jaws when they were screened on TV.
Already a dyed in the wool movie fanatic, it felt great to have my own copies of two movies I love, and that video cassette was like gold to me – a treasure!
Both movies were released in 1975 – a great year for movies – and I will post a blog on Rollerball in the future.

I went through the usual precautions concerning prized video cassettes: broke the small, square plastic tab on the base of the cassette, preventing accidental erasure … affixed a label to the base of the cassette, on which I wrote ROLLERBALL & JAWS in bold, felt-tip-pen capitals … then hoarded it away in my bedroom.

Unless I was watching some other late-night movie on TV, then the double-feature of Rollerball and Jaws was my late-Saturday-night-into-the-early-hours-of-Sunday-morning treat.

During that period, settling to watch movies was something of a ceremony:
More coals on the fire to keep the room temperature comfortable … check!
Draft-excluder covering the gap at the bottom of the lounge door … check!
TV angle realigned, parallel with the rug in front of the fire … check!
Seat cushions banked with my bed pillow against the base of the couch … check!
Fresh mug of coffee … check!
Snacks … check!
Me laid on rug … check!
Cushions behind my shoulders … check!
Pillow behind my head … check!
TV screen perfectly positioned with my direct line of view … check!
TV remote strategically placed to the right of my coffee mug … check!
The ceiling light and corner lamps out; room lit only by the glowing coals and TV screen … check!
My German Shepherd dog stretched out asleep on the couch behind me … check!
Yep! You read that right! I was laid on the floor; my dog was on the couch. I spoil my pets.
Over the years, I’ve watched both those movies less frequently, but each new viewing has always felt like a special event and my appreciation for them has never waned.

I’ll focus on Jaws for this blog.

Jaws was released in the United States on June 20, 1975.
The plot, based on the novel by Peter Benchley, is simple: the locals in the summer resort of Amity Island have their livelihoods – along with their lives! – threatened when a Great White Shark makes a smorgasbord of the swimmers.
Police Chief, Brody (Roy Scheider), Oceanographic expert, Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and shark fisherman, Quint (Robert Shaw), eventually team up and set out on Quint’s vessel, the Orca, to hunt down the shark and kill it.

There is so much to love and admire about this movie: superb script, beautiful cinematography, fully developed characters, suspense and humor.
I can’t choose one particular favorite scene – I love the entire movie and can’t find a fault with it.
From the classic opening, starting with those marine sounds, leading into John Williams’ now timeless and brilliant theme music:

Beach party tragedy:

Official report:

MAYOR VAUGHN:
Martin, it's all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, "Huh? What?" You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.

The moment of shock, zoom shot:

HOOPER:
This was no boat accident!

Dinner conversation:

Covert autopsy:

Sunken boat:

MAYOR VAUGHN:
(pointing to the billboard as he talks to BRODY):
Brody! Sick vandalism! That is a deliberate mutilation of a public service message. Now, I want those little paint-happy bastards caught and hung up by their Buster Browns!

Author, Peter Benchley’s cameo as the news reporter:

Estuary victim:

Working out differences and setting terms:

Gone fishing:

Keeping the chum line going:

False alarm:

BRODY:
"Slow ahead." I can go slow ahead. Come on down here and chum some of this shit.

BRODY:
You’re gonna need a bigger boat.

The first barrel:

Quint’s story:

HOOPER:
You were on the Indianapolis?

BRODY:
What happened?

QUINT:
Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin' back from the island of Tinian to Leyte. Just delivered the bomb – the Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. Thirteen-footer. You know how you know that, when you're in the water, Chief? You tell by looking from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn't know, was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn't even list us overdue for a week.
Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin', so we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know, it was kinda like old squares in the battle, like you see in the calendar named: The Battle of Waterloo, and the idea was: shark comes to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' and sometimes the shark would go away... but sometimes he wouldn't go away.
Sometimes that shark he looks right into ya, right into your eyes. You know, the thing about a shark, he's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living ... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then ... ah, then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin', the ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they ... rip you to pieces.

You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don't know how many sharks, maybe a thousand. I know how many men, they averaged six an hour.
On Thursday morning, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Bosun’s mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. He bobbed up and down in the water just like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he'd been bitten in half below the waist.

Noon, the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us. He swung in low and he saw us ... he was a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper. Anyway, he saw us and he come in low and three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and starts to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened ... waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again.
So, eleven-hundred men went into the water; three-hundred-and-sixteen men come out and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.

NOTE:
Although the story of Jaws is fiction, Quint’s story of the USS Indianapolis is rooted in fact.
Stacy Keach and Richard Thomas starred in a 1991 TV movie of the story: Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
Jack L. Chalker’s fictionalized novel of the event: The Devil’s Voyage, was published in 1981.
In 2016, Mario Van Peebles directed USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, starring Nicolas Cage, Thomas Jane, Tom Sizemore, and James Remar.

Shark attack:

The shooting stars in this scene were real:

Man against shark:

Final battle:

BRODY:
Smile, you son of a bitch!

For me, Jaws remains the best of the genre.

The sequels to Jaws didn’t come near the magic of the original and sank (pun intended) into the depths of the cinematic pit of movies so bad – they are woefully BAD!

There have been numerous other shark-themed movies, not connected to the Jaws franchise: Open Water … Shark Night … Deep Blue Sea … Red Water … Bait … The Reef … The Shallows …

Oh … yeah … and let’s not forget the cinematic classic that is Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus … and I still can’t believe I actually sat through it!!!

… but I have yet to see another shark-themed movie as exciting or entertaining as Steven Spielberg’s 1975 original: Jaws.

If you’re ever thinking of buying a suitable vessel for a shark fishing trip … always opt for the bigger boat!