Rant #4,004: Johnny Angel

Shelley Fabares finally met up with "Johnny Angel" the other day.

Fabares, the quintessential TV actress who started her career as a teen pop star, died over the weekend at age 82.

I briefly spoke about her yesterday, as the news came in of her passing, but there is more I want to say about her.

The niece of fellow actress Nanette Fabray, Fabares acted in several TV productions as a young child, but she became a huge star in her early teens, as her portrayal of the very prissy "Mary Stone" on the ultra-popular "The Donna Reed Show" (1958-1963) made her a teen idol for the ages, a teen idol for a much more innocent time.

She became every young boys' fantasy girl--even if us boys weren't at the point in our lives where we could know or understand just why--and her every move was chronicled by the teen mags, just a few years prior to these magazines' pivot to the Beatles.

She was so popular that the fledgling Colpix record label--Columbia-Screen Gems' record label--decided that they could market her popularity into a singing career, and her rendition of "Johnny Angel" hit the top spot in the singles chart in March 1962.

Like Ricky Nelson with his hits, she performed "Johnny Angel" on the sitcom, and it propelled sales of the tune into the millions.

Even though she wasn't much of a singer, Fabares was one of those teen pop star TV actors that was groomed for records--Paul Petersen, James Darren were others--and the success of this way of creating pop stars certainly laid the groundwork for the later Monkees project, with Colpix morphing into Colgems, and everything that followed.

She had a couple of other mild hits during the next year or so--the followup "Johnny Loves Me" hit #21 three months later--but that was pretty much it. 

Fabares remained as a regular on "The Donna Reed Show" through 1963, as the storyline moved her to college ..,

But the real reason for her departure was that she was gradually moving into a big screen career, and Fabares appeared in several movies of the time, including three films with Elvis Presley, "Girl Happy," "Spinout," and "Calmbake," and one with Herman's Hermits, "Hold On!," with these films establishing her as the female lead and pairing this female pop idol with two male pop idols, Elvis and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits.

During this period, she remained faithful to the show that launched her, making a couple of return appearances to "The Donna Reed Show" during its three remaining seasons on the air.

Teen idols have notoriously short runs of popularity, and the same thing happened to Fabares, as movie roles dried up, so she went back to television, and guest starred on numerous TV shows during the early 1970s.

And she found fame again from the mid-to-late 1970s into the late 1990s with regular roles on "One Day At a Time" and especially on "Coach," two of most popular sitcoms of the era.

Fabares continued to act into the early 2000s, both in movies and on television, but she pretty much retired in the early 2000s, a period during which she had a liver transplant.

She was married to actor Mike Farrell of "M*A*S*H" fame.

Fabares did many things in her extraordinary career, but I think even with her later successes, I believe that her role as "Mary Stone" on "The Donna Reed Show" will always stand out from the rest.

She was the perfect, prissy antagonist versus Paul Petersen's less "perfect" "Jeff Stone" character, and even with Oscar winner Donna Reed at the helm, it made the show a never-miss sitcom of the time, especially for younger viewers.

And her "Johnny Angel" just floats into your consciousness every time you hear it.

Funny, I had only recently stumbled onto a podcast where Fabares was interviewed, and she seemed to be quite a humble person, astonished to this day about her success.

R.I.P. Shelley Fabares. You left quite a legacy to us all on film, TV and records.

Rant #4,003: Good Thing

We celebrated our son's birthday on Friday evening, by going out to a local restaurant.

The place wasn't very crowded, and the food was good, so it was a nice way to celebrate his special day.

We mentioned to the waiter that it was his birthday--which was actually yesterday--and the waiter gave us a free dessert for him, on the house.

I thought that that was a really nice gesture.

Our son had to work on his actual birthday, so I hope it was a good day for him even though it was also a workday.

Otherwise, it was a pretty slow weekend, which is a nice thing.

This coming week is a busy one, starting with today, when I have to go to my regular doctor for medical clearance to get that eye surgery in late September.

I am sure I won't have a problem getting the clearance, as my recent exam with him showed that in spite of all the surgeries, I am pretty healthy for an old codger of 69 years young.

That is the befuddling thing ...

I am healthy on one level, but unhealthy on several others.

Hopefully, the eye surgery will be the end of the cutting for this year, and for any year in the near and long-term future.

But I know that I have several other doctors' appointments coming up, so who knows what fear will lurk in the heart of Larry?

I certainly don't know.

But my wife and son also had their physicals over the past few weeks, and they also came out of it with good health, so hopefully, I am on the road to that goal.

Just one more surgery ...

Anyway, enough about that.

I also have a work meeting this week, which I am sure will go pretty well.

Our online magazine really looks great, and in this issue, we have a remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001--9/11--that is really, really good.

I helped put this section together with several others, based on the reminiscences of one of the executives of the association I work for who was actually on the ground when this horrible day happened, 25 years ago.

I think it is the best thing that the book has ever had in its electronic pages, and I will give you an update when it comes out so you can read this man's story, too.

We all have stories about that day--I do, too--and that will all come out in the ensuing weeks.

For the rest of this week, I have several other things I have to attend to, so it is going to be a busy Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ...

Leading into several other busy weeks in September, October, November and December.

It will all keep me on my toes, which I guess is a good thing--

Even if some of the things I have to do aren't really in the "good" category.

But so be it.

They have to be done.

So let's get them done ASAP.

(And rest in peace, Shelley Fabares. She died over the weekend. 

Who could ever forget her, from her regular stint on "The Donna Reed Show" to "Johnny Angel" to everything else she did in front of the camera, and mostly on TV? 

She will be missed.)

Rant #4,002: This Could Be the Start of Something Big

Well, we just about made it through another week!

It is finally Friday, and the weekend is just around the corner.

Tonight, we are going to celebrate my son's 31st birthday.

We have to do it then, because he works on Saturday and on Sunday, the latter of which is his actual birthday.

I know i say it every year, but I am going to say it again--

I simply cannot believe he is 31!

Time does fly!

And before you know it, my daughter will be married, so this us an exciting time for both my kids.

Thinking about it kind of takes me away from my own problems, so that is a good thing.

And in between it all, one if my nephews is also getting married, so there are a blitz of fun things happening during the next few months ...

And that isn't even including my wife's xxth birthday in November, another milestone celebration.

I have to be healthy for all of this, and I will do my darndest to make sure that I am just that.

It all should be a lot of fun, hopefully making the year go out in a good note.

And it all starts tonight, when we take our son out for his big day.

Maybe that will be the start of something big!

Heaven knows that my family and I could use some good news at this point.

And I am sure you have heard, doctors believe that they have a cancer drug that works in a different way for people with skin cancers like I had--

And if trials continue to be successful, not only will it help fight the re-occurrence of those horrid skin lesions, the way it works--by attacking cancer cells that remain after the lesion's removal, and is done on a person-by-person, individual basis based on what is happening in a person's own body--might be a clue for combatting ALL cancers.

Maybe things are looking up during the remainder of this absolutely dreadful year.

So have a good weekend, i will speak to you again on Monday--

And I will try to enjoy myself as we celebrate our son's birthday!

Rant #4,001: Worryin' Kind

In my seemingly never-ending quest for good health, I went to the dermatologist yesterday morning for my latest skin checkup.

Two things were outstanding, and had to be removed, for further tests.

One was on my forehead, and the other was on my scalp.

The forehead one was this little thing that had come about a little while ago, and I pretty much knew it had to come off.

The thing on my scalp was kind of strange.

I had some work done on my scalp--not the cancerous growth I had removed a few months ago--and it led to a thick scab that would not come off my head.

It wasn't really that noticeable, but it was there.

About two weeks ago, it began itching really badly, and on Wednesday morning, it finally fell off, right in my hands in the shower.

A combination of shampoo and hot water took it off my head.

I was able to save the scab--it measured maybe a quarter of an inch and came off right in my hand--and I brought it with me to the skin doctor.

I pointed out to him the previously scabbed area when the examination started, and I even gave him the scab, which I had saved in my pants pocket.

He told me that what was under the scab was of importance, so he threw away the scab and took a culture of that area.

I just hope that neither of these areas prove to be a problem, as I have had enough problems this year to fill a large dumpster.

But at least they were taken care of, preliminarily, this time around.

Let's see if they prove to be troublesome ...

If they call me, I know that I am doomed once again.

2026 has been a year of major health concerns for me, and I don't need another one--

Certainly not with my eye operation just around the corner.

And again, I feel fine, although I do feel pinches where the lesions were removed.

But I really feel fine, which I guess is both a blessing and a curse.

It is a blessing because I have not really suffered prior to any of my operations ...

But it is a curse because if I had suffered, perhaps I would have gotten the work done earlier, and maybe it all would have gone smoother.

Who knows?

I just hope that this latest episode doesn't prove to be anything worse than it could be.

Having had one cancer removed, I don't need to go through that again--

But if it is what I hope it isn't, then I will just have to grin and bear it.

What else can I do?

There has been this "black cloud" over me this year, and while I try to hang in, it is very, very difficult.

But as usual, whatever happens, I will make it ...

And I will be OK.

It is just that the worry does get to you after a while ...

And I just want that "worry wart" to go away--

Permanently.

Rant #4,000: Ready, Willing and Able

Congratulations to the Ranting and Raving Blog, having reached the 4,000 rant mark today.

Or, is it congratulations to me for getting this Blog that far?

I guess it is a combination of the two.

4,000 ... that is a lot of Rants, a lot of things to say, and most importantly, a lot of things to think about.

Since the spring of 2009, I have put up plenty of what I have to say, what I believe in, and what I feel you--my audience--might be interested in.

It has been a fun endeavor, and I have really enjoyed my time sharing my thoughts with you--

Even if you disagree, which is your right to do, as long as you do it civilly.

I never would have guessed that we would reach 4,000 entries, but we have.

Looking up exactly what "4,000" refers to beyond just another number, this is what I found throughout the Internet:

It is a natural number in between 3,999 and 4,001, and it is a decagonal number, meaning that it is, according to a definition posted on Wikipedia, "a figurate number that extends the concept of triangular and square numbers to the decagon, a 10-sided polygon."

This is all gobbledegook to me, so just let's say that reaching 4,000 Rants is a pretty nice achievement.

In the context of this site, we will probably reach 4,100 posts sometime early next year, and we will reach 5,000 posts ...

Sometime in 2030!

That is if I can last that long.

I sure hope I can.

This Blog is nothing but fun to me, giving me a direction each and every weekday ...

Or as many weekdays as my body will allow, and it hasn't been too cooperative this year.

I have eye surgery coming up in late September, which will certainly impede me here, but I just look at it as another speed bump--

Because even if I have to take a few days off, I will be back as soon as I possibly can.

I just don't know how long it will be until I can get back in the saddle again, but hopefully, it won't be that long.

Whatever the case, we have reached #4,000 here, andI think that that is quite an accomplishment.

And as far as the future ...

I don't know where the Ranting and Raving Blog is going, and that is all part of the fun.

I don't know if TikTok or OnlyFans is in my future--I sure hope not--but you never know.

Personally, I would just like to keep this the way it is, because it is small and very personal.

But I will never say never, just let's say that I doubt that this site will expand visually, in particular on those platforms, which I only mentioned in jest.

So lock yourself in for the next 1,000 posts, because I am ready, willing and able to do it!

Will you be with me?

That is your choice.

Rant #3,999: Stuck Like Glue

My family's vacation ended two weeks ago--

But due to modern technology, it actually ends today.

Why do I say this?

Because today, I have the sincere pleasure of paying a few tolls that we had while driving to and from our destination.

Rather than having the ability to pay the tolls right then and there--and get them right out of the way right then and there--due to modern technology, we get to pay them later.

Our license plates are read by an overhead scanner, and while this does speed along the traffic without any stoppage, it bleeds my wallet two weeks after we came home.

I know that the two such bills that we accrued during our travels are coming today, because I receive mail alerts from the post office, and those two bills are in there, according to the alert.

Honestly, I would rather pay the toll exactly when I accrue it, but that is not how it works related to certain tolls in and out of New York State and elsewhere.

Modern technology is nice, but it extends the cost of the vacation well beyond where it should be.

But I have to say, things have improved.

When they first instituted these overhead readers probably at least 10 to 15 years ago, I remember that it used to take months to get the bill.

It would come, and you really had to think about what it was all about, because it was so out of your memory.

Now I see that they have sped up the process, so I don't have to think about the bill--

I just have to pay it.

And these bills are often quite costly.

I don't remember what the cost of going over the Verrazanno Narrows Bridge is off hand, but I think it is something like $24 each way, so it is going to cost me $48 or so to pay this one off.

I accrued another toll bill due to an errant GPS direction--GPS is not always correct, this one taking me through a toll area rather than around it--and that one will be much less, about half the bridge toll at best.

That amounts to about $72 in total toll bills that need to be paid, not a small price any way you cut it.

So when I write the checks for these bills, our vacation will finally be over and done with.

You add up these costs, plus the cost of the other tolls we accrued that we paid right then and there as we moved through several states on our journey, and it all really adds up to a pretty penny as you arrive to, and get home from, your destination.

All told, it is nearly $100 in tolls.

And while modern technology allows you to speed through some of these tolls spots, you pay for that convenience with your wallet later on.

If I had a choice, even though I hate traffic like everyone else does, I would rather pay as you go rather than pay later on.

It puts a slight stench on a fun trip, but what can you do?

I guess I could get EZPass, but 1) it doesn't pay for me, as I only have to use it when we go on such trips, which is not regularly to warrant such an expenditure, and 2) New York EZPass is generally not accepted out of New York State--

So what would I be saving?

Not much, if anything, so it really doesn't pay.

I guess I am stuck ...

Stuck like glue.

What else is new?

Rant #3,998: I've Got the Music In Me

The weekend is over, and today is the first day of the work week.

For me, it is the first day of another same-old, same-old week.

Not that I am complaining ...

I have had too many weeks that are just the opposite ...

Featuring too many doctors telling me about what ails me.

I did get the final eye drops that I need for my upcoming eye surgery, and I did that this past Friday.

This week, I have to take my son to the dentist, and as for me, later in the week, I have to go to the dermatologist for another followup after that cancer was taken off my scalp several weeks ago.

If it is not one thing, it is another.

Hopefully, he doesn't find anything untoward, but if he does, let him take it off and hopefully, that will be the end of it.

I can't take any more of these health episodes ...

And yes, I feel fine, which I have learned does not necessarily mean that I am fine, it just means that I feel like myself, but who knows what is happening inside my body?

What do I do in the meantime, in between health journeys?

Lately, I have been digging into my CD collection, and digging down deep.

Now that it is all in order, I can really investigate what I have, and archive it onto my computer and a thumb drive so I can listen to these CDs in the car.

I don't like it that for the past several years, CD players are not built into cars, so you have to be creative in listening to your CDs there--

Just like if you want to listen to your records in the car.

I just digitize everything, so I can listen to my heart's content.

Getting back to CDs, I have been archiving a lot of stuff, things that you simply cannot get on vinyl record, or at least it is very difficult to get on vinyl.

It is just as fun as digitizing LPs and singles, and it goes much faster, because you don't have to listen to the music to archive it--

You just feed the CD into an exterior drive that I have, and you pretty much let your computer do all the work.

(And yes, I also don't like that computers don't have this drive built into them anymore, but again, you have to roll with the flow.)

It is fun, passes the time, and allows me to listen to this music in my car.

And lately, I have been listening to a lot of CDs this way.

I guess I simply like physical media a lot, and streaming does pretty much nothing for me.

I like to have something in my hand, and whether it is vinyl, CDs or even cassettes, that is preferable to me than just streaming something.

I can digitally transfer over just about anything to my computer and thumb drive--yes, I have a gadget that does this for cassettes--so it really is an easy thing to do.

So as I prepare for another examination--and another surgery--this is what I do to keep busy, in between work, of course, and all the usual things I have to do.

So yes, it is the same old, same old, but I try to make it all fresh and new.

I at least try to do that, but I don't always succeed ...

As I ponder my future, health-wise, and as I count the days for 2026 to end--

Hopefully, on a good note.

So, while I have no idea what is happening in my body at any given time, I do know that I have the music in me ...

And that, at least to me, is a reassuring thought.