A quirky habit passed from one generation to the next

Doughnuts from Kuipers Family Farm near Maple Park.

I have many habits, but can honestly say most are harmless and not too strange.

A few of my habits are adopted from friends and relatives, including my father. I recently caught myself practicing one of dad’s quirkier habits.

I visited Kuipers Family Farm, a favorite site in Maple Park. Kuipers offers an apple orchard, a corn maze, a variety of autumn attractions, natural Christmas tress and other items. They also have a country store, where the merchandise includes baked goods, including cinnamon doughnuts.

Lori, my wife, sent me to Kuipers to buy a bag of honeycrisp apples and ordered me to stay away from the bakery counter. I forgot Lori’s ban on baked goods the moment I stepped through the store’s front door, and I purchased a dozen cinnamon doughnuts without hesitation. 

I felt guilty about ignoring Lori’s ban, and she scolded me later that night. I had consumed two of the delicious doughnuts by then and was planning a schedule for consuming the remaining ones, so I guess I didn’t feel too guilty about ignoring Lori. Besides, I shared some of the doughnuts with her.

It was that night when I realized what I had done was similar to what my dad frequently.

Dad came home with tasty treats. His work took him throughout Chicago and northern Illinois, and dad became familiar with bakeries, restaurants and farm stands in the area. 

Dad carried home pies, cookies, coffeecakes, fruit, vegetables, fresh meats and ice cream. It was all great stuff to a child, and my siblings and I enjoyed every bite.

There was little regularity to dad’s food presentations. He’d return home with fruits and vegetables at the end of a work day one week and present a rich-tasting coffeecake on the weekend. He then might reverse the order of presentations the next week. Some weeks didn’t include any treats, but other weeks might involve several items. 

Some of Dad’s food purchases became annual traditions. He would bring home boxes of holiday cookies from Chicago’s renown Maurice Lenell bakery. The pinwheels and the raspberry jellies were my favorites. The bakery closed its doors in 2008, but it lives on in my Christmas memories.

Dad passed away in 1995, but I still miss him and think about him nearly every day.  He was a wonderful dad for many reasons, and I cherish my memories of his quirky habits.

I suppose Lori and the rest of my family will just have to endure me bringing home tasty treats. I wonder if I can build an annual tradition around cinnamon doughnuts.

A few thoughts about TV's supporting characters

The late Frank Banks as Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford.

    News of the recent passing of Frank Banks, the actor who played Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford in the “Leave it Beaver” TV series from the late 1950s set me to thinking about something I find lacking in contemporary television shows.

    This isn't about the absence of quality in the writing and programming, although I think that is significant.

    I am thinking about the absence of what I consider to be original supporting characters and truly talented actors to play those roles. Many TV viewers might challenge my assertion, and that’s OK.

    I don't like much of what TV offers these days. I detest "reality" TV, and I don't like the extended story arcs that make up most of today's TV dramas. I don't care for the soap-opera style of storytelling that is the foundation of most current TV dramas. I find the stories predictable and the pacing terribly slow.

    Television programming from the 1950s through the 1970s had a lot of flaws, and most of it doesn't stand the test of time. However, it did have many strengths, and one of them, I think, was its ability to contain engaging stories to a single episode while developing recurring characters that audiences grew to like nearly as much as the central characters. Banks’ Lumpy Rutherford was one such character, but many other comes to mind.

    The most recent TV producers who were successful with the "old school" use of supporting actors were Stephen J. Cannell ("The Rockford Files," "Wiseguy") and Donald P. Bellisario ("The Rockford Files," "Magnum, P.I."). Both producers effectively used recurring supporting characters, although Cannell adopted the extended story arc for "Wiseguy."

    Many critics and fans slam the recurring supporting role as a device that leads to the typecasting of actors. 

Stuart Margolin

    It's a point that has some merit, but I think that's an issue that most viewers are not concerned about. Besides, I never heard Stuart Margolin complain about being typecast because of his work as Angel Martin on "The Rockford Files." I once saw an interview with Margolin in which he said the voice messages that he left on Rockford's answering machine were some of the funniest, most original lines he ever spoke as an actor.

    To a larger point, I think some of the supporting actors who gained popularity through their TV work also provided some strong performances in motion pictures, too. 

    One example is "Hour of the Gun," a John Sturges' 1967 film about the aftermath of the shootout at the OK Corral. 

   

William Windom

While not a great film, I think most viewers would find it entertaining. It has some big names, including James Garner, Robert Ryan and Jason Robards, but the supporting actors contribute mightily to the film's value. The cast includes some great supporting actors from the era, including Monte Markham, William Schallert and the truly talented William Windom. 

    Markham and Schallert are still with us, but Windom is part of heaven's Cavalcade of Stars that now includes Frank Banks.

— Email comments to kbotterman@gmail.com.

Start the season with my top baseball movies

Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs in "The Natural."

I thought I'd observe the start of the 2013 Major League Baseball season with a list of my favorite baseball movies. 

I'm not a film critic or a serious MLB fan, but I enjoy watching movies and baseball, so I think that qualifies me to comment on both. My list, along with two honorable mentions, appears below, but I preface my offering with two observations. 

• Movies made for entertainment should not be considered completely accurate in the image they attempt to create of a specific sport or other industry. Viewers seeking films for insight about “how things really are” in any area of life should look for documentaries containing balanced, objective information.
• Exceptionally good movies about sports typically offer engaging stories about human characters, not a particular sport. The sport is just a backdrop, a stage set, not the centerpiece of the movie. I think the movies I list here best represent my point.

1. "The Natural" — (1984) Director Barry Levinson’s film adaptation of Bernard Malamud’s novel about a baseball player with superior talent who gets a chance to play in the major leagues many years after being involved in a scandalous shooting. Levinson’s storytelling makes this one of my all-around favorite movies, and my favorite baseball film. I think it stands the test of time. While some continue to criticize the casting of Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs (too old at the time he appeared in the film), I am hard-pressed to name another actor who might have played the role in 1984, or today. As Hobbs, I think Redford is at his best in the scenes that focus on Hobbs reflecting on the few moments that can change the direction of one's life forever. To view a scene from the movie, click here.
2. "Moneyball" — (2011) Brad Pitt delivers a strong performance in this engaging story (screenplay by Aaron Sorkin) about Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s effort to build a major league team with a limited budget. In assembling his team, Beane opts for computer analysis over his staff of professional scouts. This is a movie that is about so much more than baseball, and Pitt deserves credit for adding an interesting dimension to what could have been a by-the-numbers film about hapless misfits at the ballpark. To view a scene from the movie, click here.
3. "Pride of the Yankees" — (1942) Directed by Sam Wood and starring Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright, this classic Hollywood biopic tells the story of Lou Gehrig, who played more than 2,130 consecutive games before being struck down at age 37 by ALS. Considered by many to be one of Cooper’s best performances and one of the best films about baseball, “Pride of the Yankees” is a classic on several levels. I think it works well as simply a human drama set against the background of baseball. No matter how you label it, just sit back and enjoy viewing this one. To view a scene from the movie, click here. 
4. "Long Gone" — (1987) The story of the Tampico Stogies, a minor-league baseball team in the 1950s. It is, in my opinion, a much better movie about life in the minors than “Bull Durham.” William Petersen stars at Stud Cantrell, the Stogies’ player/manager. Virginia Madsen offers an enticing performance as Dixie Lee Boxx. Whenever I mention this movie, most people tell me they've never heard of it. That might be because it originally aired on HBO. Many of those who have viewed it, consider "Long Gone" one of the best films about baseball. I just find it highly entertaining. To view a scene from the movie, click here. 
5. "Bang the Drum Slowly" — (1973) A baseball movie worth watching even for viewers who can’t stand baseball. A somewhat dated movie, its stars a young Robert De Niro and Michael Moriarty and tells the story of a friendship between a star pitcher and a catcher, who has a terminal illness. Vincent Gardenia nearly steals the movie as the team’s manager. To view a scene from the movie, click here.

Honorable Mentions:

"Field of Dreams" — (1989) The film adaptation of W.P. Kinsella’s novel tells the story of an Iowa farmer who replaces his corn field with a baseball diamond and lights. “If you build it, he will come.” The movie includes a wonderful performance by Burt Lancaster as Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham. To view a scene from the move, click here. 

"Major League" — (1989) A fun, often sophomoric, tale about misfit players and a season with the Cleveland Indians. Don’t take it seriously in any manner, just enjoy the entertainment. To view a scene from the movie, click here. 

— Share your top baseball movies here. Offer a comment or email me at kbotterman@gmail.com. Remember, always hit 'em where they ain't.

Works about Ike, Doolittle offer informative reads

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

I recently completed reading two engaging books — a biography and an autobiography — that I enjoyed and wish to offer a few comments about them.

The first was a biography about President Dwight David Eisenhower, and the second was autobiography produced by General James “Jimmy” Doolittle. 

Jean Edward Smith’s “Eisenhower in War and Peace” (Random House, 2012) is a thorough work about Ike, and a fine addition to the body of work about his service as supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II and his terms as President. 

Smith offers a good account of Eisenhower’s early years and devotes a large portion of the book to Eisenhower’s military career, particularly his years directing the war in Europe. Students of World War II history will find the time spent with this section of the book rewarding.

I particularly enjoyed Smith’s work on Eisenhower as president. Smith presents a principled political and world leader deeply involved in the key decisions of his administration, despite serious health problems. 

General histories of the 1950s and ‘60s typically portray Eisenhower as a pleasant but benignly neglectful president, particularly when compared to the younger, more energetic John Kennedy. Smith’s work compels the reader to question such a simplistic view of Eisenhower and asserts that Eisenhower was as successful as any recent American president, but far less dramatic than most. It is a valuable point.

General James "Jimmy' Doolittle

Doolittle’s “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again” (Bantam Books) was published in 1991 and was sitting on my bookshelf for many years. I started reading it as I was nearing the completion of the Eisenhower biography. I can’t explain what led me to pick it up now, after neglecting it for many years. That was my loss. I learned much about Doolittle, including details of his formative years in Alaska, where he was raised as a boy. 

Doolittle spends a fair amount of time recounting his legendary raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities in April of 1942, and it’s fascinating stuff. He also commits a good portion of his book to his years as commander of America’s Eighth Air Force, leading the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Much of this was new material to me, although I have read other books about the allied air offensive in Europe. 

An interesting item of candor from Doolittle is his inclusion of the poor relations he shared with Eisenhower, his overall commander in the European Theater.  He attributes the poor relations to professional disagreements, but acknowledges that many believed they were rooted in a personal dispute.

I don’t often comment about books, but I can endorse these two, even to readers who do not have a deep interest in either World War II or presidential politics. 

— Thank you for reading my posts. I welcome your comments. You may submit them here, or you can reach by email at kbotterman@gmail.com.

Reflecting on some St. Louis memories

I just returned from an annual trip to St. Louis, where I attended the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.

My brother, Mark, has access to a suite at the stadium where the tournament is conducted, and he has hosted friends and family in the suite for more than 20 years. I have attended the MVC tournament since 1996, missing only a tournament or two along the way.

Many things have changed in our MVC weekends over the years. During the first 10 years, the weekends were one long party that continued for two, sometimes three days. They consisted of over indulgence in food and alcohol, and included hangovers strong enough to last three days.

The attendees in those days included some regulars — two more of my brothers, a brother in-law, and friends of Mark, our host. Participants also included an assortment of one-time guests — the rowdy, the tame, and the pleasant but forgettable. The rowdies are the ones I remember, the personalties so odd and outrageous that they live on in my memories even though I met them only once.

The tournament weekends are different for us today. We don’t drink as much as we once did. We’re not as loud and crude as we once were, and many of the rowdies have drifted away. During recent years, most of nights have ended early enough for us to be home and asleep by 11 p.m. Some of this tame behavior can be attributed to the natural slowing that accompanies age and the passing of time, but I know there is more involved more than this.

The 2008 tournament marks the demarcation point when our trips to St. Louis evolved from journeys through Arch Madness to pilgrimages heavy with memories that are both happy and sad.

At about 3 p.m. on March 10, 2008, my brother, Patrick, died unexpectedly at the age of 44, struck down by a massive heart attack, one day after returning from the MVC tournament, which he had attended with me, Mark and Mike, another brother. Patrick's death was a devastating shock to my family and his many friends and associates. His death also had a lasting impact on our MVC tournament weekends

Mark scaled back the number of participants beginning with the 2009 tournament, inviting only those who attended the full slate of games in 2008 — Mike, me and three of Mark’s friends. The tight guest list continues today, but a few others, including my wife, have made guest appearances.

This year's tournament ended on March 10, the fifth anniversary of Patrick's death. Mike, Mark and I spent nearly three days together during the weekend, but there was no mention of the anniversary and little mention of Patrick at all. I was aware of this, and I am sure my brothers were, too. I think Patrick’s death remains too painful for us to discuss.

I also became aware of something else during a post-dinner conversation Saturday night, following completion of the semifinal round of games. Mike, Mark and I were in a pub, sharing stories from previous tournament weekends. It occurred to me that all the stories we were sharing involved experiences from tournaments before 2008. We shared no wild stories from the weekends of the last five years, because there were none to offer. It was as though we had subconsciously laid to rest that quality of our MVC weekends after we lost Patrick.

The tone is more subdued today and the nights out are shorter, but I still enjoy the annual pilgrimage of the MVC tournament weekends. I enjoy watching the games with the crew that continues to attend, and I cherish the time spent with Mike and Mark. 

I have good memories from each of the last five MVC weekends. They reflect a new chapter in my life, a chapter that is different from the preceding ones. I think that’s the way life is when we grow and move forward with it.