I have
finally figured out something very interesting and actually meaningful to me
about this election. (And it has nothing to do with the candidates.) There's
always been something intriguing to me about Political commentator, Charles
Krauthammer, often seen on FOX News shows. His distinct facial features,
his slow and succinct cadence and articulate way of presenting himself.
There has just always been something about him that was vaguely nostalgic and
familiar to me. Then.It.HIT.Me. The comparison between the two
individuals. Their facial features, mannerisms, fascinating backgrounds,
etc. What is she talking about you may be wondering…. Do any of you in my
age range (mid 50’s) remember Fantastic Features that came on in the 60's and
70's? {We got it in NE Arkansas on a Memphis TV station on Fri and Sat
nights at midnight?} Sivad was the name of the “Monster of Ceremonies” – who
introduced the double feature horror shows with the drama and flair of
Hollywood. He drove a horse drawn carriage through what looked like a
cemetery, fog and all (but it was really shot in Overton Square at the
Mid-South Zoo). He had jet black hair, wore a long black cape, a black
top hat, and had a deep scary voice and laugh. Occasionally, he bared his
vampire-like teeth. [He even has a fb page, right now! Fans of Sivad] He
was a spooky-looking character – but he and Mr. Krauthammer could have been
brothers – many of their facial features were the same. (See pictures
below). After googling both men, I discovered so much about Sivad that I
never knew. Like, the name, Sivad was actually the name Davis spelled
backwards. His real name was Watson Davis and sadly, he died in 2005 at
age 92 and he was from Stuttgart, Arkansas! He once broke the attendance
record at the Mid-South Fair with over 30,000 screaming fans! He was
always a little scary to me but (somehow) I knew deep down he wouldn’t harm a
fly! I recall so many nights spent at my grandparents’ house, staying up
late and watching it with my mamma Ruby (we pronounced her name as Mam-Maw) and
maybe my cousins who were around my age who would often spend the night with me
at our grandparents - or at home watching it with my sister. When I
watched with mamma Ruby, I would be curled up in the floor on my belly, inches
from the TV set while mamma whipped up something scrumptious for us to eat
while we watched. Those were definitely the good old days and reminiscent
of the many wonderful times I always had at my grandparents’ home. We
ALWAYS watched the show after much anticipation throughout the long week.
After his dramatic entrance, Sivad would introduce the ‘featured’ scary movie
and interject his ‘spookiness’ during commercial breaks, Each show and
began with his trademark, “Goood EEEEvening” and signed off with “Join me next
week, with another episode of Fannntastic Feeeatures!” And then he rode
off on his carriage…into the foggy mist. I recall lying in the floor at
my grandparents home one particular night, waiting for FF to come on, and lo
and behold, without warning, I never saw another episode! The show had
been replaced with Roller Derby (which we also enjoyed watching and became huge
fans of!).
Dr.
Charles Krauthammer, I discovered, is of French descent and an American
Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist. He has many more accolades than I
have time or space to mention here. But, when he was only 22 years
old, he was forever changed by a freak accident. He was in his first year
of medical school – on a blistering hot July day, he and a friend stopped to
cool off between classes with a dip in the campus pool. He knew from the
very moment his head hit the concrete bottom of the pool that the situation was
dire. He hit at just the right angle that immediately severed his spinal
cord. He was paralyzed from the waist down, was in the hospital more than
a year and has been wheelchair bound ever since. (I never noticed he was
sitting in a w/chair – all these years I’ve watched him on the various news
panels) Ironically, when hospital staff retrieved his personal effects
left at the pool, two things stood out: one was a medical book about the
spinal cord he had been studying for a class and the other about Man’s fate in
life. But, man oh man – that never stopped him from all he wanted to
accomplish in life! He finished his medical degree in Psychiatry from Harvard and went
on to become a leading syndicated writer, political commentator and Fox News
Contributor. He has contributed to more than 400 newspapers
worldwide and has weekly columns in many of them. He is considered an
excellent opinion writer and inspires many, including me. I always look
forward to hearing what he has to say and can’t believe I never noticed he was
sitting in a wheelchair and never knew of his unique ‘story’ until now. So what? Krauthammer and Sivad are both beloved; at least by me. (See picture below of young man on beach - taken just before the horrific accident)
Maybe it’s a “Mid-South” (Memphis - or as some of my peeps like to affectionately refer to it as “Mempho”) kind of thing and if you lived in NE Arkansas or feel a ‘connection’ to Memphis; it’s a certain kind of ‘vibe’ – a distinct nostalgic feeling derived from the 70’s and 80’s when Memphis seemed to have it all – the “Overton Square” area was booming with fun places like Silky Sullivans, TGIF, the Public Eye, Solomon Alfred’s. Indeed, Memphis was magnificent back in the day - - - Elvis, Sivad, the Mid-South Fair, Mid-South Championship Wrestling, and Memphis was flourishing with things to do, new malls, one with a huge double-decker carrousel and one with an ice-skating rink! Suffice it to say, Memphis was in its hay-day. This was also during the big boom-town time of Charlie Vergos’ restaurant, “The Rendezvous” – best atmosphere and ribs in the south, still today, btw. Already infamous, “The Rendezvous” was featured in John Grisham’s movie, “The Firm” with Tom Cruise and had all of Memphis buzzing with wanna be extras in the movie. From the square on Madison Avenue, all the way downtown was booming in those days. Other things buzzing with excitement were restaurants like “The Pier” and “Britling’s Cafeteria”, the activities of Mud Island on the banks of the Mississippi River. I especially enjoyed the nail biting scenes in the movie made on the monorail at Mud Island. {Note: During the 60’s and 70’s, Beale Street was famous but not yet booming, as it is today.} But another very special place throughout this time period was during the Christmas season at Goldsmiths Department Store in downtown Memphis. They had the “Enchanted Forest” on display every year from Thanksgiving till New Years - and it was truly a magical place and a family tradition to go there and be a part of it each year. But perhaps the most precious and poignant memories I have of this time is of me and my sweet daddy or my sister and me and daddy and granddaddy Homer feeding the pigeons at the park in downtown Memphis while mom and mamma Ruby shopped at the Goldsmiths and Woolworth stores after we all ate at Britlings Cafeteria. We went there almost every Sunday after church, just so long as we were back in time for the evening church service. (My brother's wife, Robbie's sweet daddy (Bro. Coots) was our pastor so we dare not miss services. Besides, my sister and I played the piano and organ for the choir and special singers.) Anyhoooo----The neatly kept park was full of friendly pigeons and you could pet them and feed them handfuls of food for a mere penny from a machine. My daddy fished many a penny out of his pockets for us! Those were the days, my friends! If you have read this far, you are probably thinking, so why is she writing about all this? Because it’s election day in America, and frankly – this story was much more interesting to me than politics. And hopefully, I’m not the only one that might have learned something today. J
Krauthammer Today
Sivad, 1970's
Krauthammer Today
Last Picture of Krauthammer - standing on his own.
Sivad, 1970's
