Old friends can be like a fine wine that we savor as pleasant thoughts linger in our memories or they can be like leftovers gone bad in the refrigerator leaving a bad smell. I think it's time to clean out my fridge...
The Year of Side Show
Arlee Bird in Ottawa Ontario
The yearly vacations that my wife have taken have been the highlights of the past decade plus-- those years since I lost the last job I had until being forced into retirement. During those years we were able to spend quality time with family and friends, including those who have since passed on. If I had still been working we would not have been able to take such lengthy trips. Fortunately, my wife was still deriving a good income from her teaching job and with her summers off we had several weeks that allowed us to travel. They were good times. Some of the best.
One of the most memorable summers was that of 2016. We drove north from Los Angeles to British Colombia and then for several days traversed the breadth of Canada to Quebec where we veered back down into the United States via New England as we continued to stays in New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas before heading back home to California.
It was a grand tour filled with so many amazing places and so many wonderful people. And so so many good memories. Part of those memories were in the music that served as our soundtrack for that remarkable summer trip.
Shortly prior to embarking on that journey I discovered a musical that latched onto my interest like few have ever done. I have long been a fan of musicals and finding the Broadway musical Side Show was an exciting discovery for me. As I recall, I first heard a song from the musical on some radio show and it so captured my attention that I began investigating this hitherto unknown to me musical.
After discovering that two different Broadway show recordings had been released I then found that most of the songs could be found on YouTube. As I listened to the songs on YouTube it was a quick decision for me to locate both versions on Amazon and order them before we would leave on our vacation trip. We would have our trip soundtrack.
We listened to both CDs daily, sometimes more than once and even repeatedly. I memorized every detail of the music. My wife and I would try to decide which version was best. Our preference would change from day to day, but the two of us fell in love with the musical.
Part of the draw for me was the story--it was based on true life characters. The Hilton Sisters were very attractive twins who performed in vaudeville and films. They were hugely popular in Europe and the United States. What made them particularly unique was the fact that they were Siamese twins conjoined at the hip. Their attractive appearance made them all the more appealing to audiences.
Gaining fame and popularity in side shows and stage show circuits, they caught the attention of Hollywood. You may have seen them in their most well-known film, Tod Browning's Freaks. After that film appearance their popularity lessened and they struggled to keep working. They starred in one more film in 1951. Chained for Life was loosely based on their lives and the musical Side Show seems to have taken some ideas from that film. After that it was tough times for the Hiltons.
My late former boss Philip Morris from Charlotte NC used to tell stories about meeting them in the sixties when he was working as a theatrical agent. Morris related how he was in a grocery store and saw them bagging groceries. Apparently the store manager had felt bad for them and gave them the job since they were now essentially destitute and nearing sixty years old. Philip Morris befriended them and found them occasional jobs at movie shows and other appearances.
The deaths of the sisters seems especially poignant in our time. Sometime around New Year of 1969 they had contracted Hong Kong Flu (the pandemic that killed millions from 1968 to 1969) and Daisy died. No one can say exactly what transpired at that point, but the forensic investigation suggested that Violet Hilton probably lived on another 2 to 4 days with her dead sister at her side. They were discovered on January 4, 1969 after the grocery store owner reported to police that they had not shown up for work and he feared the worst.
It's a sad story, but we got a decent musical from it. Granted the musical has never gained much traction with the critics or the public, but I think the subject matter was perhaps too politically incorrect for our times. Despite that, at least the Hilton Sisters got some final recognition that will live on for many. In 2018 the city of Brighton and Hove, England honored them with a plaque in front of the house where they were born. At least they have some kind of legacy.
If you're a fan of musical theater I recommend that you check out some of the recordings that can be found on YouTube. I'd like to see a movie made of the show, but I doubt that it will ever happen.
Battle of the Bands Results My most recent Battle used three different songs with the same title of "The Devil You Know." Two of the choices were pretty standard modern rock fare by the artists Kovacs and Blues Saraceno" while the third came from the Broadway musical Side Show.
If you read my opening story then you can likely easily deduce that my own favorite tune was the one from Side Show. But I really liked the other two picks as well. That's why I used them of course! As I might have expected, my choice was the least favorite. And Blues Saraceno's song sounded pretty good to me too. Not a bad outcome over all.
Final Vote Tally
Kovacs 4
Side Show 3
Blues Saraceno 5
Next Battle on Sunday November 15th
Lord willing and I don't choke to death on my face mask, I'll have another Battle of the Bands installment on my usual 15th of the month appearance.
Do you have any Facebook friends that actually aren't friends and you really don't know? Have you ever purged your friends list? What has been your greatest benefit from being on Facebook?
