More Art

Art Carney (Source)

Of course, I remember him best as...

Yup, Norton, the guy who always seemed to be tangled up in one of Ralph Kramden's schemes. Much to Alice's displeasure. (Source)

I watched that show all the time as a kid, my kids watched it in reruns. The Nuke and The WSO would go into hysterics when the announcer announced the cast. Not sure what they found so funny about that, but I start chuckling when the Blazing Saddles theme is played at the beginning of the movie.

Okay, I'm a loon, perhaps some of that rubbed off on the progeny. (Perhaps?)

Loved this guy's music. Well, him and that Simon fellow.

Art Garfunkel (Source)

Speaking of which, this was, is, and shall remain a favorite when I'm in a contemplative mood.

I read this fellow's column religiously. I wept when he passed. A brilliant humorist.

Art Buchwald (Source)

Then there was this guy and his ukulele. Yup, we watched his show as kids.

Arthur Godfrey (Source)

Mr. Godfrey was also a pilot and served in the Navy.

Godfrey learned to fly in 1929 while working in broadcast radio in the Washington, D.C., area, starting with gliders, then learning to fly airplanes. He was badly injured on his way to a flying lesson one afternoon in 1931 when an oncoming truck lost its left front wheel and hit him head on. Godfrey spent months recuperating, and the injury would keep him from flying on active duty during World War II. He served as a reserve officer in the United States Navy in a public affairs role during the war. 

Godfrey used his pervasive fame to advocate a strong anti-Communist stance and to pitch for enhanced strategic air power in the Cold War atmosphere. In addition to his advocacy for civil rights, he became a strong promoter of his middle-class fans vacationing in Hawaii and Miami Beach, Florida, formerly enclaves for the wealthy. He made a television movie in 1953, taking the controls of an Eastern Airlines Lockheed Constellation airliner and flying to Miami, thus showing how safe airline travel had become. As a reserve officer, he used his public position to cajole the Navy into qualifying him as a Naval Aviator, and played that against the United States Air Force, who later successfully recruited him into the Air Force Reserve. At one time during the 1950s, Godfrey had flown every active aircraft in the military inventory.

His continued unpaid promotion of Eastern Airlines earned him the undying gratitude of good friend Eddie Rickenbacker, the World War I flying ace who was the president of the airline. He was such a good friend of the airline that Rickenbacker took a retiring Douglas DC-3, fitted it out with an executive interior and DC-4 engines, and presented it to Godfrey, who then used it to commute to the studios in New York City from his huge Leesburg, Virginia, farm every Sunday night. W

Another show I watched as a kid was hosted by this fellow...

Art Linkletter (Source)

Here's a clip from the show -

The first kid in the video, little Stevie. You know damn well the kid was a fighter pilot later in life. Six girlfriends at the age of six!?!

Bob Ross (Source)

Okay, his name wasn't art. But he painted art...

Okay, as for this whole "Art" thing...

I blame Suldog. Perhaps "inspired by" is a better turn of phrase. (His comment referring to Art Linkletter in yesterday's post set me off, I mean, "inspired me.")

Anyway, real art follows. I do so enjoy Monet.

Mouth of the Seine at Honfleur, 1865 - Claude Monet (Source)

The Magpie, 1868–1869 - Claude Monet (Source)

Good stuff.