50th Anniversary of the July 20, 1969 Moon Landing

History and astronomy buffs (not to mention those who are just nostalgic) have no doubt been revisiting the past today in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the July 20, 1969 Moon Landings by a trio of American astronauts (one from Ohio!).

My husband, Andrew, and I have been watching the PBS series, “Chasing the Moon” on “American Experience” PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chasing-moon/ That, in addition to seeing the movie, “First Man” last summer has largely made up my education about the whole Apollo program, so I feel pretty well informed, and also a little sad that I wasn’t yet born to experience the excitement.

“Chasing the Moon” in its six hour length spent quite a lot of the time setting the scene for what life was like during the 1960s, certainly a tumultuous time in history owing to the situation in Vietnam. I’m sure I would have been just as overjoyed as everyone else by this remarkable achievement. Depending on my age and cash flow, no doubt I probably would have sought out whatever souvenirs were available at the time (lately I’ve only seen Snoopy on the moon t-shirts, a souvenir edition of Time Life magazine, and these specially themed Oreos).

My friend Lisa who had just turned 6 had this story about her commemorative toy, “My sister and I had an Apollo 11 puzzle which we made many times. There was one piece that was a perfect picture of an eye of one of the astronauts. My sister and I would see who could find it first. We would also hide that piece or another so we could put in the last piece. I wish we still had it (the puzzle).”

I asked my mom (21) what her memory was of the day. She was a little fuzzy on the details, but said she definitely remembers watching it on TV, “It was on everywhere…It was quite a big thing.” She said she also remembers the worried looking faces of those in charge at NASA.

my uncle Russ in his early days of education

My uncle (27) had this memory of the day, “I had a grant to attend a six week geography institute at Syracuse University. I had driven from California to New York state. There were about 30 teachers housed in a big dormitory and we watched the landing on TV in the dorm lounge. Of course the TV was tuned to Walter Cronkite, often referred to as “the most trusted man in America.” Somebody had brought some champagne and we sipped from paper cups as we witnessed history.”

Lisa also shared her memory, “I would have just turned 6 earlier in July 1969.  So for me it was the summer between Kindergarten and first grade. At the time my family lived in Wisconsin. I don’t remember seeing the astronauts walk on the moon, but I do remember seeing the capsule come back to earth. Also, I remember seeing them in some kind of quarantine container. I asked my dad why they were in there, and he explained that since no one had been to the moon we did not know what kind of germs they might have on them.”

I love that they used an Airstream! (made here in Ohio)

As I said previously, as I was not yet born I have no memories of that day, but I can tell you where I was for the 25^th anniversary of the Moon Landing. I was 24 and had just graduated from college and was spending most of the summer in the UK traveling with my then boyfriend (now husband), Andrew. In mid July I took a solo trip to Ireland to visit my pen pal and happened to be staying at a youth hostel in Galway. Since it was yet another rainy day in Galway with nothing to do (or at least nothing to do on a student budget), I found myself, along with the other American students there, huddled around the TV watching the Moon Landing anniversary coverage from America.

Since my sister was born on the fourth anniversary of the Moon Landing, last night we had a little pre-birthday Moon Landing anniversary celebration (of which the Oreos were one of the presents).

Andrew and I have plans later to visit the Neil Armstrong Museum in Wapakoneta. https://armstrongmuseum.org/  and perhaps eventually stream a few more space-themed films.

CAPA THEATRES OPEN HOUSE WALKING TOUR

On Saturday my husband, Andrew and I went on the CAPA Theatres Open House Walking Tour. I believe this is an annual event, or perhaps the second year for it. At any rate, I heard one of the docent’s comment that last year only like 10 people showed up at one of the theatres, but he noted that lack of advertising could explain that. In fact, it’s only because Andrew received an email that I even found out about it, so when he suggested it, I was definitely agreeable to going.

We parked at the Columbus Commons and walked the short distance to the Southern Theatre first.

I believe we’ve only ever been there twice – the first time to attend a recording of the (former) NPR radio show, “From the Top,” and then later to attend a performance of “The Pirates of Penzance.”

According to the brochure, “The Southern Theatre opened in 1896 as part of a performance space and hotel complex called the Great Southern Fireproof Hotel and Opera House. However, the Southern departed from the classical opera house design by incorporating “modern” features such as electricity and concentric ceiling arches that created near-perfect acoustics. The Southern was ahead of its time but struggled to recover the cost of its construction and survive in a rapidly changing society. After several ownership changes and falling into extensive disrepair, the Southern closed its doors in 1979.

In 1986, the theatre was donated to CAPA, which again rallied the community and raised $10 million to fund a 14-month, total restoration. Reopened in 1998, the thriving Southern Theatre is Columbus’ oldest existing theatre and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.”

It definitely still has a very classical and historical look to it. I’m glad the effort was made to save this architectural gem.

Leaving there we made our way across town to the Palace Theatre which, quite honestly, is like an ugly step-sister, at least from the outside, compared to the grandeur of the Ohio Theatre and the charm of the Southern Theatre.

According to the brochure, “Also designed by celebrated architect Thomas Lamb, the Palace Theatre opened in 1926 as the Keith-Albee Palace. With a design inspired by France’s magnificent Palais de Versailles, the Palace was built for vaudeville, a popular “variety show” form of entertainment. During the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, it was Columbus’ most active live-show theatre with performances from the biggest names in entertainment. In 1973, the Palace was purchased by Frederick W. LeVeque with plans to incorporate a hotel, but after his death in 1975, his widow Katherine LeVeque announced she would save and restore the Palace, investing millions in renovation and improvements. As such, the Palace was closed during much of the ‘70s, reopening in 1980 and continuing to host concerts and Broadway shows throughout the decade.

In 1989, Mrs. LeVeque gifted the Palace to CAPA, which immediately assumed responsibility for the care and management of the magnificent historic venue.”

After walking around the lobby and the Mezzanine, the French influence is very obvious, just from the choice of paintings alone. There are also dressing rooms named for various cities. It was kind of nice seeing where performers get ready.

Sadly, these are hardly glamorous spaces. I think it was the Brooklyn room that had a tiny dorm-size fridge in the corner as what appeared to be the only amenity. I guess show biz isn’t always glitter and diamonds…

I liked the playbill covers painted on the back wall of the stage, which were then signed by the various actors. I didn’t take the time to look, but I’m sure there were several famous signatures scribbled here and there.

Our last stop, only because we were the most familiar with it (having already toured it several years ago, and visited on dozens of occasions), was the Ohio Theatre. The Ohio Theatre, besides being the Cinderella of the trio, has prime real estate being located across the street from the Statehouse (and just a few doors down from the historical Planter’s Peanuts shop).

According to the brochure, “When Robert Karlsberger, Lawrence Fisher, Jean Whallon, and Scott Whitlock formed CAPA on May 21, 1969, its immediate mission was to save the historic and stunning Loew’s Ohio Theatre from being destroyed. The 1928 Spanish Baroque-style movie house, designed by world-famous architect Thomas Lamb as “a palace for the average man,” was closed by Loew’s on February 24, 1969, and sold to a local development company with plans to raze it to build an office tower. The newly formed non-profit leapt to rally the community in a “Save the Ohio” campaign that ultimately raised more than $2 million in less than a year. The unprecedented effort met its mark, and the glorious and beloved Ohio Theatre was safe.”

I’m glad they were able to save it, because it’s one of my favorite places to visit year-round, but especially in the summer when classical films are shown with old-time admission prices.

The highlight of the summer movie series is the annual showing of a silent film accompanied by Clark Wilson on the Mighty Morgan organ (which sinks down into the orchestra pit at the start of each movie while playing “Hurrah for Hollywood.”)

Until Saturday, I didn’t realize that the boxes (which would normally seat the wealthier patrons – like Julia Roberts & Richard Gere in “Pretty Woman”) are actually facades. Instead, those areas are used to rig the lighting. If you want box seats, you can get them at the other two theatres.

All in all, a fun afternoon out (and not too hot for all the walking we had to do between theatres, though complimentary bottles of water was provided). Also, we (and anyone else who visited all 3 theatres) were rewarded for our efforts with a pair of tickets to a movie of our choice at the Ohio Theatre in the summer movie series. Life doesn’t get any better than that…

"Yesterday"

Last week on the eve of Fourth of July Andrew and I enjoyed some “cool” entertainment in the form of a movie. I had been dying to see “Yesterday” since it was released the previous weekend.

For those who are unfamiliar with the plot, the entire planet experiences a brief EMP or blackout which simultaneously erases certain parts of pop culture with the biggest being the formation of the “Beatles.” Once our main character, Jack (played by Himesh Patel), realizes people really don’t know who they are, he decides to cash in on his knowledge of the Beatles library. So he slowly records each and every song he can remember. Of course Jack isn’t immune to the moral dilemma here taking credit for songs he never wrote.

It’s difficult to say much more without giving away all the little hidden gems in this film. It was fun hearing many of the Beatles’ best hits and rooting for Jack’s success.

The casting director did an excellent job selecting each actor as they were all perfect for their respect roles from Lily James as Ellie to Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal (aka “The Kumars”) as his parents. Kate McKinnon was also excellent playing Jack’s American agent, “See, we pay, and you write songs, and you make a ton of money, and then we take most of it.” Of course a huge shout out should also go to Ed Sheeran who had a pretty significant role in the film (for discovering Jack and then getting overshadowed as he rose to stardom).

All I can say is, if you’re a Beatles fan, or a fan of Ed Sheeran or any of the other amazing actors in this film, definitely head to your nearest cinema and check out this film. It’s funny, it’s sad (just a little), it’s nostalgic, and just an all-around great film. Don’t wait until tomorrow to check out “Yesterday.”

Yesterday: What the surviving Beatles REALLY think of new movie about their music

YESTERDAY is out today in cinemas - a movie revolving around the music of the Beatles.

By Shaun Kitchener

PUBLISHED: 17:29, Fri, Jun 28, 2019 | UPDATED: 17:37, Fri, Jun 28, 2019

Speaking in promotion of the movie, it’s been revealed that the surviving members of the Beatles - Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr - both gave their seal of approval.

“I got the sweetest note from Paul [McCartney],” Curtis said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“And I also had a very sweet letter from [George Harrison’s widow] Olivia and one from Ringo.”

Ringo himself told the Times: “I loved it. It's a great premise — he's like us but nobody knows him.”

The very fact that permission was given to use all the songs is also proof enough that the musicians were happy with the venture.

Patel himself also recently confirmed that they were on board.

He told The Guardian: “We got their blessing – the project wouldn’t have gone ahead without that – but I’m not sure if they’ve seen it.

“It’s weird to think about a Beatle watching me sing their songs.”