Baseball is Baseball

Well, I managed to go to a baseball game yesterday and not sign someone's arm. More successful grilling from me and I feel rather pleased by that. A skill may be forming in that regard.

Yesterday Miller Park hosted one of the Brewers minor league teams. Minor league baseball is still pretty good baseball. Both the Brewers and their minor league affiliate Timber Rattlers won last night, which is nice.

Maybe it's because the major league team names are so familiar, so many of them have years of history behind them, but the minor league team names seem to have a little more creativity behind them. On the board we saw a team named the Silver Hawks. You could have a whole Hawks division if you wanted: silver, red, blue... yes blue. Why not? The names can be silly if we like.

There was a Dragons, a Whitecaps, a Tincaps, a Loons, all sorts of different names. Still, who who want to play as a Loon. Well, besides me.

Ponderings

While I was pondering things the other day, I felt that we may be on the edge of a new vanguard in technology. Once we pass the edge and begin the transformation, jobs will be generated in the hubbub and this transition we are in economically speaking will end. I'd no idea what that next step would be but thought that might be what's going on.

A more disturbing thought occurred today. What if the technology is already here? What if this economic situation is due to the fact that we have the tools to transform our society but we were too slow to do so and are suffering because of it?

That does sound like something we would do.

Colin Solves the Case

We were standing in front of the Chinese House exhibit on the 3rd floor of the Milwaukee Public Museum today. Eric and I were discussing something, what exactly eludes me now. Perhaps how kung fu movies from the 1970s made this type of structure look familiar to us. If not that, no doubt it was something as intellectually stimulating. Eric's young son Colin was busily investigating the Chinese Dog Statues that guard the house; there's one on each side of the doorway.

My conversation died off suddenly as I heard a rattle. Or maybe a rumble. The noise of movement certainly. I looked down at Colin and the Chinese Dog and quickly knelt to investigate.

Some months ago while looking through my archive of saved newspaper articles, I found a few regarding the Museum. One mentioned the Chinese Dogs and that there was a ball in their mouths. The Chinese would rotate them for good luck. After reading the article, I tried to find this but was unable to do so. The mouth was cemented closed. Figuring something had changed between the article's creation and my re-reading of it, I stopped worrying about it.

I was wrong. Now that I was closer to Colin's level I could see how the mouth was structured. It was open, not sealed closed, and the sculpted tongue acted as part of the overall design. There was a gap if I reached back a little, a gap that I could poke my finger into and, lo!, there was a ball that could be pushed around, back and forth. I pushed it, Colin pushed it back to me, and I rattled it back and forth with glee.

The lad is not quite two. I don't think he could grasp how sincere and heartfelt I meant my 'thank you' to him. He had unlocked a mystery for me.

Before you start giving me a hard time about an almost two year old outsmarting me, I'd helped him with the snake button associated with the Bison Hunt diorama on the 2nd Floor about a half-hour before. Clearly he was just thanking me by trading information.

This is a good kid.

And Finally, Dinner

Once in the Chinese restaurant, Harold tries to reclaim his cool, even after Albert declares his lack of trust in the Chinese, feeling they are trying to steal his new gloves. Harold declares they're good people and briefly shuts Albert up by reminding his dad how he enjoys Charlie Chan movies. The menu gives Albert a new reason to complain. The names of the dishes all sound nasty to him and he's upset when he can't get his normal greasy spoon English food. Harold takes care of the food order, noting he'll like it once he sees it and realizes what's in it. Harold also takes care of ordering the drinks. Seeing another customer checking his bill, Albert goes to help him, loudly noting that the Chinese would likely cheat him given the chance. The gentleman tries to listen patiently to Albert as he natters on but almost loses his cool as he leaves with his party. Albert doesn't notice that he's been obnoxious, thinking he's made a new friend. Harold, now steaming, begins to disabuse him of this notion but the food arrives before he can get too far. Harold makes a big deal of sniffing the wine and sampling it before he approves of it but, once Albert gets a glassful, he quickly drains it. To make things that much more exotic, Albert ordered chopsticks as utensils. He tries to show his father how to use them but he needs some fingers to get the food to his mouth. Albert can't get them to work properly. Once he does manage to get food to his mouth, he immediately spits it out, claiming it's horrible. This is the final straw for Harold. He quietly explodes at his father, trying not to make a further scene, pays for the food and leaves.

In order to show his respect for his new hat, Fred gets an extra chair at the table to set it on and a napkin to protect it. Fred's concern for the restaurant isn't a shifty, can't trust Fu Manchu sort of thing like Albert, but he repeats the urban legend that you can't trust the origins of the meat in a Chinese restaurant. Lamont tells him not to worry and, like Harold, orders the food, noting his father will like it when he sees it. Fred's attempt to order soul food gets nowhere. Like Albert, Fred annoys a nearby customer, not grasping his conversation is unwelcome. Lamont's expressions of annoyance are cut off by the arrival of the food. Fred thinks the food smells like bug spray, accusing the cooks of spraying the food so it won't move after leaving the kitchen. That's the last straw for Lamont. He explodes, pays for the food and leaves.

Most of the reduction in the scene from Steptoe to Sanford is in the son's actions. Harold is continuing to try and act above his class, which Lamont has not been bothering to attempt. Lamont is just at these places because he enjoys them and is either accepted or doesn't care what other people think about him being there. Harold is looking for acceptance. He worked to fit in at the cocktail lounge and at the theatre. Here it's primarily with the selection of the wine. He puts on airs, working to sound like he knows what he's talking about, and showing off once it arrives. These are all believable actions for the character based on his previous activities. He's either working to elevate his class status or destroy the class structure.

Fred gets to do a piece of shtick getting a chair for his new hat. This connects nicely with his attempt to go home and let Lamont enjoy himself on his own. Not only is it silly, but it acts as an apology, saying that he's still pleased about this present and seeking to treat it with the respect it deserves.

The end of the night is very different for both. By the time Fred gets outside, Lamont is gone. It starts to rain, he gets flustered, removes the hat and protects it under his suitcoat. Despite their argument and harsh words, there's still a respect there, and we can see it reestablished the next morning during the coda sequence that I mentioned earlier. Fred and Lamont fight but during the fights we've seen enough evidence that they care for each other so that it blowing over by morning makes sense.

Once Albert gets outside, he bumps into Harold. Albert watches sadly as Harold stomps away. Before turning the corner and disappearing, he pauses to loudly remind his father to look after his new gloves. Albert wanders alone to the tube station. He takes his gloves off in order to retrieve money from his pants pockets, tucks his gloves under his arm, and promptly drops them without noticing.

No happy ending here. Despite the way this looks, has Albert subconsciously intentionally dropped the gloves? Possibly. The way the scene plays out, it seems odd that he wouldn't notice them being gone. He may even go back and collect them once the show we see ends. Here it acts as a symbol for the down note in their relationship. While we see Lamont and Fred happy the next day, losing the gloves will just give Harold and Albert more reasons to yell at each other.

The failure is with the sons. Instead of taking their fathers out for a good time that the fathers will like, they try to use the evening to educate their fathers. When these plans fail, they blame the attitude of the father moreso than themselves.


This became longer than expected. More than normal I'd appreciate some feedback on this to see if it was interesting or if I just rabbited on at length about TV. If this was interesting, or was close to it if I'd done this or that differently, I do have further episodes I can compare and contrast. Thanks.

To the Show

Next in the evening's proceedings is the show. There are some interesting if more subtle variations here.

The Steptoes attend a performance of 'Richard III' at the Old Vic. As in the lounge, Harold tries to elevate his social status by loudly asking questions of his father, trying to sound literate to the other people in attendance. Albert doesn't understand the Shakespearian era language and doesn't believe a king would act the way the actor is portraying him. Harold energetically explains this is an historical piece. He accuses Albert of knowing nothing of his own country's history, being more familiar with the American Old West from movies and TV. A bell sounds to announce the start of the second act. Once Albert finds out there's another two hours of play to go, he refuses to return to the theatre. Harold doesn't argue with him because he's seen it already. They'll just head for dinner.

Lamont has taken his father to see the film version of 'Fiddler on the Roof'. Fred's not enjoying himself because he doesn't understand it, although he might if he were Jewish. Lamont accuses him of not having it in him to understand, that he doesn't try to like anything deeper than a TV show. When the buzzer announces the second half of the film, Fred announces he's not going back in, Lamont can finish up the movie, Fred's happy with the nice evening they've had so far, but Fred will catch the bus and meet him at home. Lamont declares he promised him dinner and to dinner they will go.

Both sons take their father to something they hope will elevate the mind a bit, show them the finer things that art can offer. Neither father is interested. While Harold attempts to do some social climbing, Lamont is only concerned with his father's reaction. Lamont's not interesting in getting on the good side of other people here, just his father. Both sons feel that TV westerns are their father's main entertainment. Interestingly, they don't reference the same one: Harold declares Albert a fan of 'Bonanza' whereas Fred watches 'Gunsmoke'.

The most important variation comes with the exit. Harold is tired of arguing. He's seen the play before so he can live with missing the rest. Annoyed he drags his father off to dinner.

Unlike Albert, Fred offers to go home at this point. He doesn't want to spoil Lamont's night out. While both fathers expressed that they wouldn't enjoy the evening if it was too posh, Fred is the only one of the two to try and gracefully leave, thanking his son and wanting the son to enjoy himself. Lamont doesn't indicate he's already seen the film, it's implied he hasn't already, but by this point he's so upset with his father that he's taking his father to dinner because that's what he's promised to do.

While both are funny, I think the Sanford scene accomplishes more. Fred offering to go home is an interesting 'I want my son to be happy' piece that the Steptoe episode doesn't offer. Due to the variation in length for the restaurant scene between the episodes, it's important for Lamont to be angry now. He doesn't have time to slowly boil over in the next scene like Harold does.

Just a Nice Drink

Both sets of fathers and sons next head to the cocktail lounge. Both fathers are keen for beer and are dismayed when they find out there's no beer on tap. Bottled beer is available but they can't drink that as it gives them gas. Both fathers find the prices way too expensive and suggest alternatives. Both are dismayed that there are no games to play. Nothing the son can do will calm the father and they quickly leave to go to the show.

Both of these sequences start the process of the father getting on the son's nerves. In both cases, the son wants to do something nice, to do something fancy for a change but the father is uncomfortable is such a nice place and would just as soon be somewhere more relaxed. Both of these sequences amuse me for different reasons.

Albert grouses about the lack of draft beer. Their local pub, the Skinners Arms, has draft beer so why doesn't this place? The bartender suggests a drink for Albert and Harold agrees to it. From the 'deer in the headlights' look Harold gives the bartender, it appears that he doesn't know what is in the drink. For himself, Harold orders a specifically made vodka martini. Albert knows why. He's trying to look cool as it's the drink 'James Bond orders in that Doctor No film'. Harold insists it's his normal drink, but Albert disagrees, knowing what he orders at the Skinners Arms. There's no dart board here, the drinks are too expensive, and Albert's drink looks like a fruit salad. When Harold sees a young lady at the end of the bar needing a light for her cigarette, he hurries to help her. Upon noticing he's gone, Albert yells for his son to return. Uncomfortable, they leave. Harold pauses to look back on the young lady, but she's already happily talking to someone else.

The comedy here is on the shoulders of both characters. Harold is desperately trying to look cool and being let down by his father. Albert is uncomfortable and willing to share that with others. Nothing goes like it should.

In the American version, Lamont is just trying to have a good time which his father spoils. While Lamont has things to do, Fred leads the comedy here.

First Fred doesn't want to take his hat off, not quite grasping it's impolite. Finding a drinks menu on the bar, he first tries to order a Shirley Temple. Lamont stops him from doing so and the conversation about beer begins, Fred adding a request for canned beer as that doesn't make him burp and he doesn't want to burp. The bartender steps away, allowing Lamont to express his annoyance. Fred tried to order the Shirley Temple because it was the cheapest thing on the menu. Lamont's reassurance that he's got the money does nothing to slow Fred who suggests they head to a supermarket, get a six pack, and drink it in the parking lot. He's also annoyed that there's no pinball machine. The bartender returns with the suggestion of an old-fashioned but, not realizing it's a drink, Fred takes it as an insult. Lamont orders it for him and a vodka martini for himself. Fred is shocked by the price of the drinks. He sips his drink and reacts poorly, comparing it to drinking maple syrup. As Fred won't settle down, they leave, but on their way out, Fred yells for them to get a pinball machine.

I'm not sure why Fred and Lamont don't have a local bar of their own to reference. Later in the series, they will have specific establishments they frequent. Perhaps I consider the idea of a 'local' more natural as I'm from Wisconsin where such things are more commonplace? The idea of drinking a six pack in a supermarket parking lot seems so much sillier to me that it works for me. It just seems so wrong.

Fred is also much louder than Albert. Albert raises his voice but not to the degree Fred does. Fred clearly does not care who hears him. The most notable difference being in the search for games. Albert asks Harold where the dartboard is and grumbles when there isn't one. Fred loudly asks for the location of the pinball machine and his declaration to get one as they leave is not subtle. Fred's negative reaction to his drink is also meant for sharing. He keeps nothing to himself while they are in the lounge, slowly embarrassing Lamont more and more until they leave. This is Redd Foxx's moment to take charge and he does.