The daily 6:30pm lecture was entitled “The Jewish contribution to Broadway and Hollywood” but actually turned out to be “Irving Berlin’s contribution to the music of the USA”. An excellent lecture presented most professionally. The sound was good and the slides, many of them clips from ancient movies, were great. Both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable appeared in clips from musicals of bygone years. Both sexes of the residents sighed…
Irving Berlin lived from 1888 to 1989, and wrote something like 1,250 songs, most of which are very well-known and are an important part, not only of the American stage and screen but of the general world of music. Of course, the moment that the lecturer played the most famous of all Berlins songs, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”, the entire audience hummed along, not missing a note. That song was written in 1911 and was part of the senior’s years. They, umm, we, loved it. We knew it, we whistled it and we sang it.
When the lecturer at any one of our lectures touches a memory nerve he or she has the audience in his or her hands. We all enjoy being reminded of the good times in our lives and we love the lecturer who does the reminding. After the hour was up, we stood reluctantly, not wanting the magic to end. Come back here soon.
