Once again, I looked into the bathroom mirror this morning and found some new kind of idiot.
"I could write about you, call you Edward G. Washingmachine and put a cigar in your mouth, right there where that gap is in the corner."
"But you won't, because..."
"It would be disrespectful. Robinson was an admirable man. He collected art but always said art collected him. He was extremely talented, spoke seven languages. He felt every role he assumed professionally was a big responsibility..."
"And don't forget."
"Don't forget what?"
"That old story..."
"Oh (how could I?), the kid in the 1950's who had to take an a plane trip back to his family. He boarded the plane and the only seat available was next to Edward G. Robinson, who calmed the kid down, was kind to him and, after the plane landed, waited with the kid until his family showed up to collect him."
"Yeah n'yeah, now you're talkin'"
"Just one other thing. You don't have to answer..."
"Kid, In two days I've seen enough of your dirty laundry to know you're on the up and up. Ask."
"That last film in '73, Soylent Green, about global warming --You did a death scene. Did you know?"
"Know that I'd do a real one two weeks later? Don't be an idiot. Important thing is you turned out alright. Now go on outside and see what Norma arranged for the equinox. I may not be around any more but I still know what art is. Get!"
I got:
To all, a pleasant autumn.
Love Norma's work.
ReplyDeleteAnd a happy equinox to you. And your verbose washer.
Thank you, EC, and please excuse my failure to wish your hemisphere a pleasant and refreshing springtime. Enjoyable Floriade to you!
DeleteIf only my washing machine could hold a decent conversation, instead of making annoyed grumbling sounds and ignoring me.
ReplyDeleteEdward Goldenberg Robinson - definitely one of a kind. So talented, so many great films....but I'm thinking of "Double Indemnity" and "The Red House". He was indeed a kind an intelligent man.
The kid on the plane........very intriguing...........
Autumn is my favorite time of year. Have an incredible autumnal equinox, Geo!
Excellent films, both. Robinson arrived in the U.S. from Romania at age ten. I'd say he accounted for himself pretty well. And yes, autumn. Shorter days and hopefully some weather. This poor state needs weather. Happy autumn to you too, Jon!
DeleteOkay, Geo - I'm curious, and so far nobody asked the question so I will.
DeleteDid that boy on the plane happen to be you?
By the way, I like old-fashioned dials and I loathe digital controls.
Jon, I like analog controls too. They just seem nearer my world. Not sure humans were meant to be exact, just closely approximate. Airline anecdote came from an old memory. In early 1973, various national magazines invited articles and letters about E.G Robinson and that was in one of them. Let's just say I was strongly affected by it.
DeleteWhat a delightful setting, Norma is very creative... now off to learn more about Mr. Robinson.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Will relay compliment to Norma. And yes, Mr. Robinson's remarkable life rewards further study.
DeleteGreat thoughts indeed. Greetings and best wishes!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Blogoratti! Happy autumn to you.
DeleteThese new appliances have so many choices and sensors that I hoping my old simple one will last me for more than 20 years. My learning curve seems to be on a downward spiral.
ReplyDeleteEdward G Robinson often played the bad guy. It is nice to know that he was really a very kind man who would comfort and look after a young boy.
We must be on the same slope of the learning curve, Arleen. The feature we looked for was old-fashioned dials instead of digital controls.
Deletepleasant autumn to you, also. I'm looking forward to fall. It will be my first one in years since I've been living somewhere without seasons.
ReplyDeleteWell, it is a favorite season, I'll enjoy this one with you. But having been deprived of autumn, it will a special treat and I hope you enjoy every golden atom of it.
DeleteEG Washingmachine is so fortunate to be the reincarnation of EG Robinson. What I have read about EG Robinson was that he was a gentle and kind man. It was his characters in the movies who were dirty scoundrels. Perhaps this is his way of trying to clean them up.
ReplyDeleteOh I think he had no regrets about his gangster characters being so different from his personality. He was an actor and knew what his face was about. His work was so fun to watch!
DeleteWe bought a new washing machine four years ago when our 32-year-old Maytag finally bit the dust. It was the a top-loading, manual-dialed machine which was the closest thing I could find to the original. But it has never talked to me in all that time. I must be doing something wrong.
ReplyDeleteYes, to echo Jon, was that little boy you?
Delightful arrangement by Norma! Happy equinox to both of you.
Thanks Jenny, from Norma and me. I answered the "little boy" question at Jon's comment as fully and candidly as I can. 32 years?! That's got to be some sort of record. We have a closet light bulb that hasn't been changed for 34 years. Some electric things just like us, I guess.
DeleteEnjoy the autumn season and Soylent Green, it's been a long time since I recalled that movie
ReplyDeleteIt was a film of remarkable prescience but I'm not sure I could watch it again comfortably, knowing what I know now. I recall the premise was about what might happen if the plankton died. Frightening.
DeleteI'm going to go look at what kind of smile our washing machine offers.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to the artist for a lovely autumn center piece.
Most kind, and most appreciated. I'm sure your washer loves you, Tom.
DeleteAnother nice flight of fancy, Geo. Appreciate them, one and all. I pluck from memory the scene in the Steve McQueen film, Cincinnati Kid...at the end. "You're good kid...." Autumn seems to have come on here in a rush, the last couple weeks. The trees seem to have turned overnight. They remind me of me.
ReplyDeleteWashing machines.,...nothing to add. Mine is at least 20 years old, and function fine, thank you. If it started attempting conversation, I'd find one of those old ones, the ones with the ringers outside?
Cheers,
Mike
Oh my. I remember the old ringer washers. They stood on steel stilts in back porches --an inviting height. When I was little, I stuck my finger under where the belt turned the agitator. Still have the scar --luckier to have a finger for a scar to be on. Automatic washers are unimpeachable paragons of humane engineering. Their conversation is kinder than their troubled predecessors.
DeleteI used to watch, mesmerized, as my mother fed sopping clothes through the rollers and they came out in flat, steamy, unrecognizable shapes on the other side. I probably drove her crazy, thinking I would put my hand in - or do something else along the lines of your experiment, Geo.!
DeleteMy washer has never spoken to me, but it does play a sweet little tune to let me know when a load is finished. So does the dryer. I never imagined that I'd one day be serenaded by my own appliances.
ReplyDelete