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Post by flossieskid on Jan 1, 2023 21:29:03 GMT -5
I am pleased to read so many comments that Forum members share and realize how much we all have in common. Like reading PatriciaAnne’s confirmation name was “Elizabeth” - so was mine and so was my Mom’s!
Also, good to know some people still remember Johnny Carson. He was truly a unique talent. I think I may have spent more nocturnal hours with him than with my husband!!
When he retired in 1991, my future sister-in-law Jenny Jones’ new talk show was in its premiere year on Channel 4 in LA - the same station where Johnny taped his nightly show in “…beautiful downtown Burbank.” So, the publicist for Jenny’s show was somewhat of a bigwig at the station.
Although Jenny’s show was shot in Chicago, she knew this lady very well, and asked if my daughter Nikki and I could get tickets during Johnny’s last week of shows. Believe it or not, we were thrilled to get tickets to Johnny’s last show with guests featuring Bette Midler. She sang the most incredible song to Johnny that it brought Johnny to tears and a standing ovation from us in the audience. After her song, she left the stage - we thought due to her emotions. But she was going backstage to bring back a Hawaiian lei to give to Johnny as a token of love and appreciation. She was raised in Hawaii, so this was an important symbol to her.
When I was entering my teens, my brother taught me how to make a very loud whistle with my fingers. The nuns and priests at my school were not thrilled when I would use them during our sports activities, as it seemed very unladylike. But I never lost the touch. So it was a delightful surprise when I heard Bette Midler‘s rendition of that special song to Johnny on one of her albums. At the end of the song, you can hear my VERY loud whistle over all the applause.
It is a fun way to have that final connection to the show I watched for decades!
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Post by Easton on Jan 1, 2023 21:54:00 GMT -5
So, you photobombed Bette in a pre-selfie sort of way!
As Bob Hope often said: "Thanks for the memories." And thanks for YouTube which brings back those memories:
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Post by carol on Jan 2, 2023 0:28:42 GMT -5
My confirmation name is also Elizabeth.
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Post by goodnight on Jan 2, 2023 2:18:15 GMT -5
flossieskid, So if I understand correctly, you were the person in the audience whistling during the applause for Bette Midler's song. In the video that Easton posted above?
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Post by flossieskid on Jan 2, 2023 6:40:28 GMT -5
Yes, to goodnight’s query: my one claim to eternal fame is that, dismissing my years of ladylike demeanor, I put two fingers from each hand into my mouth and BLASTED my approval for her amazing song through some prolonged whistles. I think Bette was very pleased with my high decibel appreciation!! However, the man standing directly in front of me, I’m sure was NOT thrilled by my outburst. I did apologize, but he still seemed none too pleased.
I just found out 5 years ago when I heard Bette’s rendition of that song, on one of her albums, that my whistles live on!
Of COURSE, I knew Easton would find it on You Tube, using his super research skill and would post it. Thanks for the memories - it still brings me to tears!
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Post by flossieskid on Jan 2, 2023 6:56:45 GMT -5
I guess I didn’t remember that night correctly. When I saw this 31 year old clip - Bette was handed the Hawaiian lei from someone on the stage and after she gave it to Johnny, she kissed both his cheeks and ran off stage. She was very emotional, as you can well imagine, and this clip easton posted brings me right back to that very special night. The ticket to that show is the ONLY one I have ever saved - and heck, I saw the Beatles at Dodger Stadium! Now, if I could only find it ……..!!!🤞🙏
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Post by Easton on Jan 2, 2023 9:23:39 GMT -5
Of COURSE, I knew Easton would find it on You Tube, using his super research skill and would post it. Thanks for the memories - it still brings me to tears! It took me all of 5 minutes, and that included the 4 minutes 41 seconds to watch the video.
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Post by Easton on Jan 2, 2023 9:58:19 GMT -5
By the way, Tracey, you can do what I and my 4 older brothers could never do: Whistle with our fingers. Buck teeth were prominent in my family and, although we could whistle naturally (put your lips together and blow), we could not whistle with any number or combination of fingers.
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Post by flossieskid on Jan 3, 2023 9:44:44 GMT -5
I was never a great "regular" whistler, but I did have a fairly good singing voice and, at one point in my life, I gave considerable thought to becoming a singer and perhaps following my parents into a different part of "show biz"! I acted a bit in high school, but only in a local teenage theater group. We went to local high schools to present short plays with subjects that most teenagers face as they move into adulthood. None of them were exactly on anyone's radar but it was a lot of fun and it gave me the chance to see if I really liked acting and performing in front of people. However, I realized I never wanted to pursue acting as a career -- I love to sleep in too much!! Plus I saw my Mom, in her middle 60's, getting up at 4am to be in make-up by 6, ready to shoot by 7 or wait ALL DAY LONG for her scene to be filmed at 8 o' clock that night. Not my cup of tea. But my Mom loved it until the day she collapsed in the middle of a scene, on a pilot for a new show and began her slow health decline. I thought it was kind of like a "cowboy dying with his boots on". That was the way my Mom would have wanted it.
A good friend of our family was Broadway producer, Hal James, who had produced "Man of La Mancha" and had won, several Tony Awards. One night he came over for dinner and my parents, I think after significant alcohol intake, asked him to listen to me sing and give me an honest opinion of my voice and see if Hal thought I should pursue this as a career. I look back on that "instant audition" with horror! Our dear friend, a captive audience, listening to me sing --- what in the world could he possible say? "Sorry Tracey, but you sound like a cow in labor!" Of course he said I had a good voice and suggested some singing lessons to strengthen my projection. Then he said, "After you graduate, come on back to New York and I'll put you in the chorus of La Mancha."
I relate this story because when I did take my singing lessons, I was having trouble reaching a certain note and I just could not get it! Then the teacher asked me to whistle any song I wanted. This was in the late '60's and I picked "Eleanor Rigby" a Beatle classic. I had absolutely no problem whistling it. I hit every note without thinking. The teacher told me when we whistle, we don't have to think of reaching a note - it just happens organically. He says our brains just translates the action so quickly to your mouth, you don't have time to screw it up! He told me to do that when I sang - don't force it but just know you will hit the right note. So, of course I practiced whistling all the hard songs I knew. My voice got stronger and more confident but I decided being a gypsy or chorus member on Broadway was not the life for me.
Last comment on whistling and its value at important times in one's life. One afternoon, when I was 16, I had to go to my brother's all boy school then, Notre Dame, in Sherman Oaks to go to the athletic field and pick him up. I was up against the outside of the fence, when I did my trusty old four fingered whistle to get his attention. The sun was in my eyes and I really couldn't see him, Suddenly, I hear an adult man's voice walking toward me saying, "Is that you whistling, young lady?" I knew in an instant it must be one of the brothers/teachers at the school as no other adults were around. Of course I stopped whistling immediately and said, "Yes, it's me. I am just trying to get my brother's attention." He said, "Well, you know, most young ladies don't do that kind of whistling, don't you?" I meekly replied, "Well, I thought screaming his name at the top of my lungs would be much LESS ladylike." He laughed and then said, "Well, I have only one more thing to say to you." I gulped, thinking he would ask me to stop, leave the area at once, phone my parents, or get my brother in trouble (remember Catholic guilt is usually inherent in every parochial school kid - I think they add it to their curriculum!) But then he smiled and said, "Would you teach me how to do that?" So, I spent the next 15 minutes showing Brother Thomas how to whistle with his fingers!
I have used that whistle in my workplace, to get my children's attention, to quiet down noisy kids when I was "Room Mom" , to alert my husband without having to scream and to flag down AAA trucks or, more importantly, to let our Dominos delivery guy know where we live! But, most of the time I use it whenever I am in an audience and am blown away by a performance - such as I was with Bette Midler. It also came in very handy when I wanted to congratulate our son when he won first prize at FIDM (a design school in LA) by creating an amazing chair. He won $11,000 and had the chair displayed for one month at the Pacific Design Center in LA - very prestigious! I do think I permanently injured the eardrums of the couple sitting in front of us, first with my screams and then my prolonged whistles. But, just like with Bette - there is just no better way to express my joy. I kept apologizing to the couple in front of us, but Nikki said, "Mom, you blasted their eardrums - stop talking!"
As usual this post far exceeds normal expectations., I apologize for the length of this post, but it is 6am and pouring rain in LA and I can't sleep. But, I was wondering - I don't remember a lot of music coming from the Waltons except Jason's piano playing and the duet that Ben and Ike did for a talent contest, was it? Do I remember correctly that sometimes Grandpa would be the only whistler in the family? Or in my sleep deprived state am I completely imagining that?!?!
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Post by patriciaanne on Jan 3, 2023 10:36:49 GMT -5
I am pleased to read so many comments that Forum members share and realize how much we all have in common. Like reading PatriciaAnne’s confirmation name was “Elizabeth” - so was mine and so was my Mom’s! Also, good to know some people still remember Johnny Carson. He was truly a unique talent. I think I may have spent more nocturnal hours with him than with my husband!! When he retired in 1991, my future sister-in-law Jenny Jones’ new talk show was in its premiere year on Channel 4 in LA - the same station where Johnny taped his nightly show in “…beautiful downtown Burbank.” So, the publicist for Jenny’s show was somewhat of a bigwig at the station. Although Jenny’s show was shot in Chicago, she knew this lady very well, and asked if my daughter Nikki and I could get tickets during Johnny’s last week of shows. Believe it or not, we were thrilled to get tickets to Johnny’s last show with guests featuring Bette Midler. She sang the most incredible song to Johnny that it brought Johnny to tears and a standing ovation from us in the audience. After her song, she left the stage - we thought due to her emotions. But she was going backstage to bring back a Hawaiian lei to give to Johnny as a token of love and appreciation. She was raised in Hawaii, so this was an important symbol to her. When I was entering my teens, my brother taught me how to make a very loud whistle with my fingers. The nuns and priests at my school were not thrilled when I would use them during our sports activities, as it seemed very unladylike. But I never lost the touch. So it was a delightful surprise when I heard Bette Midler‘s rendition of that special song to Johnny on one of her albums. At the end of the song, you can hear my VERY loud whistle over all the applause. It is a fun way to have that final connection to the show I watched for decades! Tracey, you are part of TV history!! What a very special memory. And how thrilling it's memorialized on a recording of the event! I love it!! I am proud to share my confirmation name with you and your mom. 🥰
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Post by patriciaanne on Jan 3, 2023 10:47:07 GMT -5
Ok, I'm rarely given to envy, BUT...I do envy your whisting prowess! I would love to be able to whistle a song or even just whistle for my horses.
But the good Lord did give me a powerful voice (not a melodic one, sadly, but a powerful one). Every NYPD promotion of my father's I attended, I was the loudest cheerleader in the crowd. (He made it to Deputy Chief before retiring, so that was several promotion ceremonies, and I got louder with each one!)
I also used my cheering talent at a taping of America's Got Talent, at Radio City Music Hall when my friend's son made it to the finals. Judging by the hands that flew up to the ears and the dirty looks I got, I believe I also caused some ear drum damage. 😳
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Post by Easton on Jan 3, 2023 12:52:48 GMT -5
My favourite whistler: Roger Whittaker.
The video is misnamed. The tune is actually Elizabethan Serenade and is performed live in Edmonton, Alberta, 1976.
The 'real' Mexican Whistler follows below.
Enjoy.
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Post by patriciaanne on Jan 3, 2023 14:32:38 GMT -5
^^ Wow! Amazing!
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Post by flossieskid on Jan 3, 2023 16:36:11 GMT -5
Amazing talent! But even MORE amazing that people would actually pay money to hear it!!
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Post by Easton on Jan 3, 2023 17:37:12 GMT -5
Roger was more known for his singing, but his fans also knew him as a tremendous whistler.
It's not the type of whistling that one thinks of when one thinks of whistling.
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