Just to show that the human race is capable of better things than the state of our colleges and our politics might indicate, here’s Jimmy Durante on Steve Allen’s TV show, vintage 1960. Don’t ask me to sum up what the two of them are doing, besides treating us to a wholesome breath of sanity.
For those of you who are too young to have caught Durante’s act (to say nothing of Steve Allen’s: he was pretty sharp, too)–well, here it is, and better late than never.
Inka-Dinka-Doo, by the way, was one of Jimmy’s signature songs, and a great hit in its time. Nuff said.
They didn’t set the piano on fire, they didn’t swear, they didn’t make suggestive comments: what a relief.
Steve Allen would have been 39 years old at the time of that show, but somehow, he acted and looked like an adult. You don’t meet many 39 year old adults these days; most 39 year old people are still stuck in adolescence.
Right you are. Thanks, Lee for the post. It is high time for a little light-hearted, simple entertainment.
Sure reminds me that this generation won’t have the wonderful memories we do. Very sad. Jimmy Durante was always a favorite. He had a way of making his smile and his kindness show through in his voice. Thanks, Lee.
Durante always left me with the feeling that he liked me personally. Obviously, he had no way of liking some anonymous kid watching TV, but I suspect that he truly did care about his audience in general terms.
He was always kind and humble, always positive and cheerful. Compared to the primadonnas of today’s entertainment world; well, there is no comparison.
Well said, Unknowable 🙂