At the Dietrich by Hildy Morgan
So. What a gorgeous Memorial Day weekend! My sister (and Jerry and Gary) and I went down to East Stroudsburg to put flowers on our parents’ graves. And our grandparents. Petunias and dusty millers for Mamma, nasturtiums for Poppa, and geraniums for both. And the same on the other side of the stone where my grandparents bones rest. After we’d completed the plantings we looked out at the vast expanse of stones and realized that whoever it is who puts new flags on the graves of veterans on Memorial Day had done a superb job. There, fluttering in the summer breeze, were flags as far as the eye could see. I looked at the flag on Pop’s grave and I thought how it would please him to see them all. And I wondered, if at night, when there are no visitors to such a sacred place, if the old sailors and soldiers, the marines and the airmen, if their spirits rise up, and their ghosts sit atop their tombstones and tell each other war stories. And it won’t matter if they’ve heard the story before, because they all understand the need to tell it. And those old WW2 vets, so reticent about talking about the battles they fought, maybe there, in the quiet stillness of the night, under the shelter of the dogwood trees, maybe now they can tell their stories. Pop would like that. And from the looks of all those flags, he’d have, sadly, so much company.
Okay, speaking of soldiers, we have a wonderful program for you on Sunday, June 8 at 3:00! Ed McMullen will lecture on the events of June 6, 1944, D-Day. The largest fleet armada in history began to cross the English Channel toward the coast of Normandy. This would be the turning point of the war or, as horrible as it seems, the time when Hitler’s mad dreams could grow bigger and madder. Come join us as Ed McMullen takes you through the day and talks history and sacrifice. It will be a riveting hour, I promise you.
And on June 3, (yes, before the D-Day lecture) we have The Golden Days of Radio Players Performance. They’re doing a Fibber Magee and Molly, a Jack Benny and a one act play called Haunt Me A House. It sounds like great fun (as do the old radio shows) and as you probably know, everyone has a good time at the Radio Players, actors and audience alike. So come and enjoy! That’s June 3 at 7:00 p.m..
And now to the movies! So. Ronnie saw Blended the other day. Now he’s a lot like me – positively ruthless about bad films. And it’s true that Sandler hasn’t made a critically acclaimed comedy in awhile. But despite bad reviews, Ronnie said he really liked it (I’m seeing it tomorrow) and thought it was both sweet and charming. He said it had some good laughs and when it was over he felt good. So I ask all the reviewers out there who think everything good has to be some kind of masterpiece, just lay off Sandler. His sweetness shines through all his movies and, some being better than others, this one looks like a winner.
Of course we have the magnificent Maleficent! Angelina Jolie looks totally at home and as if she’s having the time of her life as the most wicked fairy ever (!!!!) until she isn’t. Great fun although if your kids are sensitive, you might want to watch the trailers on your computer before you bring the wee ones. I think it will be a hoot, but not for the very young. And a warning: it is dark. (As Jolie told an interviewer, “Disney Princesses bore me!”)
Following week we will have The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene. If you haven’t read the young adult novel, you ought to, just to see what the kids are reading. But even if you haven’t, do come see the movie. Ronnie says it’s magnificent. Which is good enough for me, (And we will be bringing in Million Dollar Arm and A Million Ways to Die in the West at some point soon. I promise.)
See you at the Dietrich.
