Three weeks ago here, I posted a video all about the history of Chef Hector Boiardi, better known to you as Chef Boyardee. That's the man whose face adorns many a can of what technically qualifies as Italian Food. In the video, a food chef/historian tried to re-create Mr. Boiardi's original recipe for spaghetti and meat sauce — and we're talking here about the recipe that made him famous as a restaurateur, not the recipe that others devised for the canned goods now bearing his likeness.

That video inspired my longtime friend Paul Dini to whip up a batch of Boiardi Meat Sauce. Most of you know Paul as a fine writer of cartoons, comic books and TV shows but he's also a pretty great cook. Someone oughta put his face on cans of Beefaroni.

As you may know, I'm recovering from a broken ankle. I've been having friends drop by for lunch and/or dinner…and tonight, Paul came by with dry spaghetti, butter, cheese and his version of that sauce. He took over my kitchen and proceeded to whip up a big pot of really terrific spaghetti which we devoured while talking about cartoons and comics and mutual acquaintances.

I generally do not let friends cook for me. My numerous food allergies and my narrow palette have led to some unpleasant experiences when someone whose feelings I cared about prepared something for me and I just plain couldn't eat it. But Paul is so good, I may try to sabotage his career. I'd like him to give up writing and open a restaurant, preferably down the street from me. Does that make me a bad person?

Robert Forman wrote to ask…

I looked up a few of my favorite TV shows from childhood in Wikipedia and noticed creator credit given to William Hanna and Joe Barbera. I guess I doubt that they came up with all of those characters. The Wikipedia entry for Quick Draw McGraw indicates Michael Maltese wrote all of the shows, and I'll guess he was the person responsible for the characters in that show. Is there a different standard for credits in animated shows?

Yes…and the different standard is often No Standard. There have been some cartoon shows in the last decade or two that were created under a Writers Guild contract and the creator credit on those (and writer credits) flow from the contract and the rules it lays down. But a lot of cartoon shows in recent years weren't done under that contract and not all that long ago, none were. So we were in that jungle where you could create a cartoon show and the guy who ran the studio could put on a "Created by…" credit for himself or his grandson or his Lhasa Apso.

Now — and from here on, we're in the land of Grand Generalizations — animation is more likely to lead to team creation work with writers and artists sitting around a conference table and tossing out ideas and maybe sketching. It might be hard to nail down the point in the process where a given character was officially "created." Bugs Bunny went through a couple of cartoons with changes to his voice, attitude and looks before he solidified more or less into the Bugs we know today. There are even disputes as to which cartoon exactly was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon.

That kind of "gang" creation has been the rationale for the claim that a given cartoon series was the creation of the team, not one or two individuals; ergo, crediting (for example) Hanna and Barbera as creators of everything their studio did for a period. I don't think that was usually fair, I think a lot of cartoons were the creations of one person or one team and I think almost all live-action films or shows have one or two creators.

But anyway: The answer to your question, Robert, is that Quick Draw McGraw is said to have been created by Hanna and Barbera because they owned the studio then.

You know what this world needs? It needs a production of My Fair Lady performed entirely by children…

As People magazine and other "news" sources will tell you…

Dick Van Dyke has made history with his 2024 Daytime Emmy Award nomination! On Friday, April 19, the 98-year-old actor became the oldest person to earn a Daytime Emmy nomination with his nod for guest performer in a daytime drama series after starring as Timothy Robicheaux on Days of Our Lives.

This is true and congrats to Dick. But what none of those sources seem to be telling you is who Dick would be beating out for the honor of being the oldest person to win a Daytime Emmy…

On Sunday evening, June 17 of 2012, I had the honor of escorting June Foray to the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony at the Bonaventure Hotel. That's me with the messy hair standing next to her, making sure she didn't fall off a rickety box they'd placed behind the podium so the audience could see her as she became (I believe) the oldest recipient of a Daytime Emmy as of this moment. She was 94 years, 8 months and 30 days old that day. A year later, she also received an honorary Emmy so if you count that, she was 95.

Dick and June are two of the nicest, most talented people it has ever been my good fortune to know…so I'm not sure who to root for. Dick has five prime time Emmys and a Tony Award so I think I'm going to hope he loses so June can retain her honor for a little while longer.

As longtime followers of this blog are sick of hearing, I love the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I usually refer to it as my "favorite" movie rather than the "best" movie ever made…and I pick that adjective because when you use the word "best," there's always some clown who wants to correct you as if you'd stupidly said that 2 + 2 equals 749 or that the Mona Lisa was painted by Desi Arnaz. Like it's an established fact that whatever he thinks is the best movie is The Best Movie — end of discussion, you chowderhead!

"Favorite" cuts down on that, at least a little…though a few years ago, I did have one guy stop me at a convention and try to convince me that my favorite movie was not my favorite movie; that my favorite movie was actually his favorite movie. In fact, it was probably your favorite movie too, even if you didn't see it.

All that is one of the reactions I get when I say Mad World is my favorite movie. Another is that every few months, I get a call or e-mail from someone who wants me to tell them how to go visit The Big "W" from that film. I got one this morning from someone who read this article that I posted here. That piece was written by my dear, no-longer-with-us friend Earl Kress, who did once make the sacred pilgrimage to visit the location.

I need to inform the gent who wrote this morning that, first of all, that article is about thirty years old. Secondly, I have never bothered making that trek because I've been informed — reliably, I think — that the current owners of the property do not indulge visitors the way the previous owners did. I have also been told that there is absolutely nothing left there that in any way matches up with what was there when the movie filmed in 1962. The last of the four palm trees that formed The Big "W" fell down or was cut down a long time ago.

There are locations that can be visited. Stick "it's a mad mad mad mad world filming locations" into any search engine and you'll find all you need. The most recognizable and easiest-to-get-to is probably the California Incline, which is a road/ramp in Santa Monica that leads down to the Pacific Coast Highway. The ramp itself was completely rebuilt a few years ago but the area there still has the feel of the same period and a couple of key scenes were shot there.

But there's no reason to visit The Big "W" today, starting with the fact that there is no Big "W" there. And the $350,000 payroll from the tuna factory was dug up a long time ago.

Okay, another post about Trump. I was going to try to back away from the topic here but I was struck by what George Conway had to say in this interview, especially in the latter portion where he explained why he, a longtime Conservative attorney and Republican operative, donated the maximum amount to Joe Biden's campaign…

Here's a good overview by Andrew Farago of the life, times and accomplishments of the wonderful Trina Robbins.

Let's see: It's been 93 days since I did an oopsie in the bathroom and busted my left ankle.  It's healed but I feel like I'm now recovering from the operation that put things back together.  I basically have a balance problem right now but a little less of one each day.  My physical therapist has been enormously helpful and I expect to be up and about in plenty of time for Comic-Con.*  That is said with an asterisk because there's always the chance that I'll do something stupid 'n' clumsy and break the other one.

All in all, it hasn't been as horrible as I would have thought if some fortune teller had told me how long I'd be hospitalized, confined to a rehab center and, since the end of February, largely confined to the second floor of my home.  This is not to suggest that even one minute of it has been fun.  I'm extremely satisfied with the medical care and grateful for all the friends who've helped, offered to help and/or come by to visit.  But I wouldn't describe any of it as "fun."

In other words: Don't try this at home, kids!

Today's Video Link is a flashback to another time in another place…a time when you couldn't have a discussion longer than ten minutes without venturing into the question of "Did O.J. do it?" I spent much too much of my life following the case, reading books and articles about it and talking about it with friends. I'm not sure I can explain why we did this, especially given the fact that I — and everyone I knew — decided that yes, he did it. I remember "Hitler left fewer clues" as an oft-repeated comment.

There were other things to discuss about the case besides Simpson's obvious culpability: Did he act alone? Did the Los Angeles Police "enhance" the evidence against a guilty man? What did it all mean, racial-wise? How could the defense get away with doing so-and-so? But really, it was an enormous waste of time…which is not to say I'm not making the same waste with current trials. I wish I had more perspective on my own interest in it all.

With Simpson's death, there may be a new opportunity for the family of Ron Goldman to finally get some serious payments on the money Simpson owed them after the civil trial found him liable. That's what Devin "Legal Eagle" Stone discusses in the latter part of this video. The first part is refreshing our memories of the whole case…or informing anyone too young to have followed it at the time. You may be able to skip ahead if you don't need the refresher…

A lot of folks are praising House Speaker Mike Johnson for breaking with the Ultra-Maga and moving a Ukraine aid bill. Before you join in on that praising, read what my man Fred Kaplan has to say.

I'm going to try to get other things done today but I'll have about half-an-eye on the trial in New York where Opening Statements are about to commence. If you're wondering what's likely to happen, take twenty minutes and watch Michael Popok explain it all for you.

Apparently, the prosecution is calling as their first witness, David Pecker, who was formerly a head honcho at the National Enquirer. I was intrigued this morning to read this post on Facebook from my pal Paul Levitz…

Here's your little known comics connection to the events of day: some four decades ago, the young finance executive of CBS' Fawcett magazine group negotiating the sale of Shazam and the other Fawcett comics properties to DC was…David Pecker.

Let's see if we can find any other connections between this trial and the comic book industry. I'll bet there's at least one more.

Murray Sawchuck (aka "Magic Murray") is a popular, Vegas-based magician who was a fixture recently at the Tropicana Hotel there until its recent closure. Now, he's touring and he seems to be welcome everywhere…except at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. He was told his presence was no longer welcome there and this article headlined "Magic Castle Trial: 'America’s Got Talent' Magician Charged With Revealing Secrets" will explain the situation better than I can.

What is Mr. Sawchuck's side of this controversy? Again, I can't explain it as well as someone else can — in this case, it's Magic Murray himself on a recent podcast with Howie Mandel. The other performer weighing in is actor/comic Jamie Kennedy…

Last Wednesday, Magic Murray did visit the Magic Castle. He spoke to the Board of Directors and I have not heard anything about what they may have decided. In the meantime, I got a whole mess o' messages like this one from Jim Graves…

Curious to know if you've seen this article regarding Murray the Magician spilling "secrets" in YouTube videos and being called on the carpet by the Magic Castle for it. If you're uncomfortable commenting on this due to your membership there, I understand.

I'm not uncomfortable commenting on it because of my membership there. I'm uncomfortable because I don't think I know enough about the matter. But before I say what I think I can say, let me clarify some terminology here…

I am not a member of the Magic Castle. No one is. We're members of a group called The Academy of Magical Arts. The Magic Castle is the clubhouse for The Academy of Magical Arts. When you're a member of the Academy — which I joined in 1980 — you have special access to the clubhouse. But for shorthand, some of us say, "I'm a member of the Magic Castle."

Magicians everywhere frown on "exposing" magic but like most things in life, there are degrees of this supposed crime and it's hard to tell where the minor infractions leave off and the felonies begin. Most magicians will do a little teaching in their performances. As a tot, I got interested in magic because every week on his show, The Magic Land of Allakzam, magician Mark Wilson would teach a simple, you-can-do-this-at-home magic trick. So did a local kids' show host in Los Angeles, Chuck Jones the Magic Man on KCOP, Channel 13.

Often, teaching a magic trick was part of performing a magic trick. The magician would do it, show us how it was done, and then proceed to do it in a different, unobvious way. Some of the most impressive magical performances I've seen have been a matter of "Here's how other magicians do this and how the books tell you this is done…and here's how I do it, which as you can see is not at all the same way!"

A lot of the performers who impress Penn & Teller on Fool Us are doing a classic trick that both of those stars know well but at the same time, the performer is proving that he or she is not doing it the way Penn & Teller know. A lot of them are also demonstrating physical dexterity so skillful that it's almost more impressive when you do know how they're doing it.

The greatest sin in magic seems to be revealing a trick that is understood to be the property of another magician who is still earning his or her living by doing (or selling) a trick. I can explain this better in terms of stand-up comedy…

There are jokes that all professionals understand belong to no one. For example: At a Comedy Club, the performer often finds themselves looking out at a threesome in the front row…two guys and a gal. Many a comedian would point them out and then say, "I wonder which one takes the porn photos…oh, it's her!" One night when I was at the Improv, there was a trio like that at the front table and something like four out of six comics did what was basically that joke.

And there was a time when half the new comedians I saw seemed to have a joke with the punch line, "Exactly which part of the chicken is the McNugget?"

No one complained. No one accused anyone else of stealing their material. But if you got up on that stage and did part of Jeff Ross's act (as I have seen new comedians do) or Jay Leno's or Jerry Seinfeld's or anyone's, it would be a different matter. This distinction dates back as far as the concept of one person standing on a stage and trying to make others laugh. In burlesque, there were certain sketches — "Slowly, I Turned…" or "Pick Up Your Hat" or "Crazy House," to name three — that were understood as public domain. Anyone could do them. And then there were acts that belonged to one performer because he'd written the act or bought it from someone.

When The Masked Magician was on Fox exposing tricks, he earned the wrath of most magicians. The snide tone of those shows was insulting to the profession and many of the tricks he exposed were tricks that someone was performing or manufacturing to earn a living. He was said to be ruining someone else's career. I don't see anyone accusing Magic Murray of that…but like I said, I don't know a lot about this specific matter.

Maybe there's something going on here that I don't know about. We'll see. Any day now, the Board of Directors of the Academy of Magical Arts will announce its decision on whether Murray Sawchuck should be kicked out and have his wand broken in half. Maybe then we'll find out exactly what he did that caused this accusation and trial. I hope it turns out to be one of those nothingburgers we hear about because from what I've seen, he's a pretty entertaining guy.

Are you familiar with The Remotes? I wasn't until recently. They're a local band — local meaning "Los Angeles" — that bills itself as "Southern California's only TV theme song tribute band." Here's their main promo video. Keep your eyes and ears out for these folks. They're movin' on up and not just to the east side…

I'm not spending a whole lot of my life watching or thinking about Donald Trump but when I do, it's with more curiosity these days than anything else. He's starting to remind me the fleeing car in one of those police chases where you see the auto disintegrating — tires shredding, bumpers falling off — and you're just watching to see how long it's going to be before he crashes or gives up. His speeches are getting more incoherent, filled as some of them are with mystery words and demands that everyone feel sorry for the poor, abused zillionaire who's being treated worse than any of the great martyrs of history.

What I really don't get are the tweets…or I guess they're now called "truths" in the same reverse nomenclature that gave us a bald Stooge named Curly. You would think that even the stupidest person in the world — and I never thought Trump was that — would have some menial who would proofread them before sending. Or some built-in time delay where he writes them and has to wait two hours to post them so he or someone can ask, "Is it a good idea to send this?"

Someone with all the legal problems he has would (you'd think) have some lawyer check out his tweets/truths before transmission so they could advise him when applicable, "Hey, this one could conceivably be used against you in a court of law." Because some of them will be. And some of them, like when he gets a name wrong or confuses Jimmy Kimmel with Al Pacino just make him look sloppy and reckless. Is the man really so outta control that he doesn't care about such things? I've never thought he was honest but I thought he was smarter than this.

Someone actually wrote me to complain that I haven't posted a new Randy Rainbow video for quite a while…like it's my fault he's not making any while he's on tour. The tour goes on hiatus after May 5th and doesn't resume until October 11 so maybe we'll get something then.

In the meantime, some of you have sent me links to others who are working the same side of the street, especially a gent named Patrick Fitzgerald. Here's one of his…