Kristol Clear #149: "Car 54" and All That

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	March 13, 2017


	Your weekly newsletter direct from the keyboard of Bill Kristol, featuring timely observations and reflections.

Car 54

I begin my editorial in this week's issue by asking, "Who can forget watching in one's youth the great sitcom Car 54, Where Are You?" It turns out the answer is that many of you also can't forget watching Officers Toody and Muldoon. Who knew there were so many fans of that two-season show—which did however, stay alive through reruns, and whose theme song (listen here) acquired a fame of it own? I don't know whether our president will take my recommendation that he learn some lessons from how Toody and Muldoon dealt with the challenges that faced them. But I've learned at least two things from correspondents who saw my piece. First, Geoffrey Norman emailed that he recalled reading somewhere that the great novelist William Faulkner, who despised television, somehow had encountered the show, and so liked it that he'd go to a friend's house on Sunday nights to watch. A bit of googling confirmed that Geoff's memory was right. (Actually, Faulkner could only have seen the first season, as he died during the summer before the second and final one. I must say this bittersweet, not to say tragic, aspect to his enjoyment of the show somehow seems appropriate for Faulkner.) Second, Phil Terzian remarked that he assumed I knew that Fred Gwynne, who played Officer Muldoon (and then of course went on to star in The Munsters) was a Harvard man, class of '51. I'm embarrassed to say I was unaware of this important fact. I'll have to ask Harvey Mansfield (class of '53) if he knew him. Gwynne's counterpart, Joe E. Ross (born Joseph Roszawikz), on the other hand, dropped out of Seward Park High School on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Needless to say, Ross was the more lovable of the two characters. But Gwynne often used his intelligence and tact to save the day. A Harvard man. Well, enough already about Car 54. I'm pleased the editorial appeared in an issue featuring Joseph Epstein's terrific piece on "The Cultured Life: And why it is worth pursuing." You can't be cultured all the time. Car 54 has its place, I'm sure, in a full and complete life. In any case, that's my line and I'm sticking to it.

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More on the high and the low

Speaking of the high (Joseph Epstein) and the low, Car 54, at a reception recently a cocktail-sipping guest told me how much he liked the Conversations I conduct with various eminences. In this case, he'd heard about the appalling treatment of Charles Murray at Middlebury College (you can read Jonathan Last's excellent discussion of this here). And this fellow had then looked around online to see for himself what Murray had to say, and had come upon one of the Conversations I'd done with Charles (you can take a look or a listen, here and here). I was of course pleased the Conversations were doing what they're supposed to be doing--introducing thinkers worth reading and public figures worth knowing to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. And I mentioned to my interlocutor that we release a new Conversation every two weeks, and that an interesting one was teed up for today, a Conversation with Vin Weber, the former congressman from Minnesota.

I do think you'll enjoy Vin's thoughtful analysis of where we are now in American politics and in the world. Vin's especially interesting in discussing the implications of the Trump presidency for the Republican Party, and whether Trump’s election might portend a breakup of the two party system. Okay, so that's all the high stuff. But my acquaintance at the reception, after praising the conversation with Charles, said he also particularly liked the Weekly Substandard. That's the terrific movie and pop culture-oriented podcast that Jonathan Last, Vic Matus, and Sonny Bunch bring you weekly. Even I find it awfully entertaining, and I'm ignorant of about 90 percent of what they're discussing. And it really seems to have found an audience—it's up to #44 on the iTunes ranking of TV and movie podcasts. No accounting for taste, one supposes! I'm told that this week they'll be discussing King Kong. So take a listen, and if you like it, subscribe on iTunes or on Google Play. Needless to say, it's not Car 54, Where Are You? But what is? * * * An Amazing Sports Year Continues The Cavs and Cubs come from down 3 games to 1, the Patriots have the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. And now, Israel, seeded #41, is 4-1 in the World Baseball Classic? This morning, Israel finally lost a game. Before that, Israel had continued its amazing streak, defeating #5 seed Cuba 4 to 1, after having defeating South Korea (#3), Taiwan (#4), and the Netherlands (#9). Now, to advance to the final round, Israel will have to defeat Japan in the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday. It would be amazing upset. Do read Lee Smith's great write up of the underdog Israeli team, "The Golden Age of Jewish Baseball." It's not a star-studded lineup, like the Dominican Republic's, for instance, but they play good baseball. They're also playing role of lovable underdog. One broadcaster read aloud from the promotional material concerning Israel's slick-fielding shortstop during Wednesday night's game like a mother boasting about her son. In high school, "Scott Burcham was selected top defensive shortstop in the Southland by the Los Angeles Times prior to his senior season." We are all very proud of Scotty.
Yes, even people who aren't normally baseball fans are pulling for Israel. Even before the U.S. team has taken the field (the Americans open Friday night against Colombia), the Israeli squad has generated an unusually high level of interest in the WBC. Initiated in 2006, followed by the 2009 and 2013 tournaments, the WBC is roughly modeled after the FIFA World Cup, held every four years. Previously, the WBC seemed to get lost in that strange gre -zone of spring training, somewhere between catchers and pitchers first reporting the second week of February and opening day. For scouts and baseball executives, it's an opportunity to get a closer look at foreign talent, especially Asian players and the Cubans. In past WBCs, Cuban stars who eventually signed major league contracts after fleeing the island, like Aroldis Chapman and Jose Abreu, showed they could more than match up with big leaguers. Read the whole thing here, and if you're up early Wednesday morning (6:00 a.m.), catch Israel play Japan on MLB.TV or on cable, depending on your specific channel arrangement. * * * College Hoops It's March Madness and all that, and I'm sure you're all engaged in too many brackets already. So we won't impose another one on you. We'll do what we do best at TWS, and keep it simple. So here's our competition: just pick the final four, the final two, the winner, and the score of the final game. Picks are due by noonon Thursday, March 16. I'm off for a morning of study of the teams records, recent performances, matchups, etc. The big question: Am I sufficiently loyal to the Ivy League to pick Princeton to go to the final four? Tempting... In any case, here's a bracket to consult if you wish, before entering your picks in the contest here. * * * Onward. Bill Kristol