La50 Jan 2015

LOS ANGELES METRO JANUARY 2015

southern california

lifeafter50.com

The King of Conversation

Connect to your passion and live your dream in 2015 Make your New Year’s weight-loss resolution a reality Marsha Hunt – A life of acting and activism

CONTENTS

January 2015

14

22

Cover Profile

14 The King Of Conversation – Dick Cavett

Features

36 Departments 06 50-Plus: What You Need to Know

A quick look at things 50-plusers should be aware of.

22 Follow Your Goosebumps To Your Next Evolution

10 It’s The Law

26 Winning The War Against Weight In 2015

32 Tuned In To What’s On

29 The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables – The Marx Brothers

39 Let’s Get Out

Make 2015 the year you connect to your passion and dreams.

Making your weight-loss resolution a weight-loss reality.

Legendary notables everyone, of every age, must know.

36 The Look Of Life After 50 – Marsha Hunt A life of acting and activism.

Cover photo by Keith Munyan / www.keithmunyan.com

46

Mitchell A. Karasov on combating sibling strife.

The best in January television viewing.

Looking to get out and about? Our January/February calendar has some great suggestions.

43 Rick Steves’ Travels

Your green goes further in Europe during the gray days of winter.

46 And Finally…The Bookworm’s Best, A Look Back and Just A Thought Before We Go A book suggestion, memory, and a little something to leave you with.

All material published within this issue of Life After 50 and on www.lifeafte50.com is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. No individual, advice, product or service is in any way endorsed by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. or provided as a substitute for the reader’s seeking of individualized professional advice or instruction. Readers should seek the advice of qualified professional on any matter regarding an individual, advice, recommendations, services or products covered within this issue. All information and material is provided to readers with the understanding that it comes from various sources from which there is no warranty or responsibility by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. as to its or their legality, completeness or technical accuracy.

JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 3

Editor’s Note...

Yes, Mr. Cavett, It Is, In Fact, Wonderful!

T

he people we look up to – our heroes and inspirations – play such significant roles in our lives.

That has certainly been the case for me. Throughout my life, I have been blessed to have crossed paths with many individuals who, each in their own way, represent a piece in the puzzle of who I am.

While I owe a debt of gratitude to many, there are three men who will always stand at the top. At the pinnacle is a man from Western Pennsylvania by the name of Joe Namath who, since I was a kid, has taught me so many life lessons, such as always standing up for what I believe is right, and we all need one another, because life is a team sport. I am a far better person, in so many ways, because Joe has been, and is, a part of my life.

Also at the top of my list is the late Arthur Gordon, a writer from Savannah, Georgia who inspired me to pursue a career as a wordsmith. Gordon once advised me: “Be a storyteller and always strive to tell each story with emotional impact.”

Rounding out that trio is the Nebraskan who graces our cover – Dick Cavett.

I have been a devout Cavettphile since my mid-teens and have learned so many things from him, including pointers on how to conduct an interview. Simply put, I wouldn’t be doing what I do had it not been for watching him and thinking that talking to people who have made a significant impact on the world would be a pretty good way to make a living.

For a long time, I harbored a level of frustration that I was incapable of properly expressing to those three men how much they mean to me. In preparing for this issue, I shared that feeling with Cavett and asked if he ever felt

Advertising Director/Associate Publisher Valarie Anderson Editor-in-Chief David Laurell Associate Editors Steve Stoliar Claire Yezbak Fadden Art Director Kent Bancroft Editorial Assistants Max Andrews Marie Giusto Blauvelt

the same toward those he idolized.

“I have always wished I had an original way of expressing to some people what they have meant to me,” Cavett told me. “That would be wonderful.”

If someone such as Dick Cavett hasn’t figured out an original way to relay that information, then I guess it’s hopeless for me; although, I have tried my best and, because of the specialness of the big three who serve as my heroes, do feel that my frustrations have been alleviated somewhat. A handwritten note from Gordon that hangs in my office expresses his gratitude to me for my admiration, calling it “the fuel he runs on.” Nothing means more to me when I tell Namath I love him and he returns the sentiment. As for Cavett, I just know that I know he gets it, because we are kindred spirts when it comes to harboring great appreciation for those we admire. Having had the opportunity to personally express my gratitude to those three gents, and feeling that I have found some sort of original way to get my sentiment through, means as much to me as they do. It is, as Cavett says: “Wonderful!”

David Laurell, Editor-in-Chief

Account Executives Los Angeles/South Bay: Jackie Kooper Jackiek@lifeafter50.com Orange County: Herb Wetenkamp Herbw@lifeafter50.com San Diego County National Accounts: Phil Mendelson Phil@lifeafter50.com Ad Coordinator, Travel Landra DeLoach Landra@lifeafter50.cm VP Of Finance Michael T. Nagami Human Resources Andrea E. Baker Business Manager Linda Lam Billing Supervisor Kacie Sturek VP Of Operations David Comden

For advertising/distribution inquiries contact: Valarie Anderson (310) 822-1629 x 121, valarie@lifeafter50.com

To contact our editorial department: (818) 563-1007 davidl@lifeafter50.com 5355 Mcconnell Ave LA CA 90066 Valarie Anderson Valarie@lifeafter50.com 310 822-1629 x 121 Follow us on Facebook ©2015 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved

4 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 5

50

Traveling Is In The Forecast

A

Plus

What You Need To Know

By Claire Yezbak Fadden and Max Andrews

ccording to a new report on trends among travelers aged 50 and older conducted by the AARP, American boomers say they plan to take four to five trips in 2015. The report showed European and tropical destinations emerged as the most popular, with Italy and Great Britain tying for the top spot, followed by France.

Florida, California, Texas and NewYork topped the list for the most popular domestic destinations.

Other findings showed that nearly all of the respondents plan on taking at least one domestic trip this year, with 28 percent saying they will do so alone.

A Musical Force For Peace

S

ingers Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers began performing and recording just as America was entering one of its most dramatic periods of social and political change. With music being one of the great forces to bring people together, Americans united in unprecedented ways to try to create a more just and peaceful society. Folk music, with its ability to reach people’s hearts, became the soundtrack of this remarkable quest, and Peter, Paul, and Mary became three of the standard-bearers of America’s new hopes and dreams.

In their recently released book, “Peter, Paul and Mary: Fifty Years of Music and Life” (Imagine/ Charlesbridge, 2014) by Yarrow, Stookey and the late Travers, who died in 2009, the trio visually shares their story with stirring images. Thousands of photographs, many rare and never before published, taken over five decades by some of the world’s top photographers, show Peter, Paul and Mary at their earliest performances in the 1960s. The book includes photos of them at the historic 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr., appearing before half a million people in 1969 to call for an end to the Vietnam War, and singing at the Hollywood Bowl for 1978’s Survival Sunday that launched the anti-nukes movement – the world’s first international environmental movement.

Fifty Candles

F

ifty years ago this month, President Lyndon Baines Johnson gave his “Great Society” State of the Union Address; the musical variety show “Hullabaloo” premiered on NBC; and U.S. marshals arrested 18 men, including the sheriff and deputy sheriff of Mississippi’s Neshoba County, for the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers. Notable personalities born in January 1965 who are celebrating their 50th birthday this month include actresses Diane Lane and Julia Ormond, actor Alan Cumming, political analyst Mark Halperin, rhythm and blues disc jockey DJ Jazzy Jeff, playwright Peter Sagal and professional wrestler Mike Awesome.

6 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Gazing At The Crystal Ball For 2015 Housing

T

he outlook on the housing market is bright according to www.realtor.com chief economist Jonathan Smoke. With an accelerating economic recovery fueling job and income growth, Smoke says 2015 prospects are good for homeowners, sellers, and would-be home buyers.

The flip side of the improving economy is that mortgage rates will inevitably head upward again.

The Federal Reserve has indicated it will increase the federal funds rate – which has an indirect but significant effect on mortgage rates – next year.

Although the Fed might wait as late as early 2016, Smoke believes the increase will come in mid-2015.

“Our forecast for housing assumes the 30-year fixed rate will reach five percent by the end of 2015,” says Smoke.

Gazing into his crystal ball Smoke also foresees the children of the baby boomers finally entering the housing market. “About 65 percent of first-time home buyers will be 25 to 34, [but] with continuing tough credit-qualification standards and limited credit history, they are expected to buy more in affordable areas in the Midwest and the South.”

Smoke also predicts new housing construction will pick up in 2015 as the nation will close out the foreclosure crisis.

A Little More You Need To Know

Where You Need To Go Catch Cavett As Cavett In “Hellman V. McCarthy”

I

f you never had the opportunity to attend a taping of “The Dick Cavett Show” here’s your chance to do so – sort of – as the Los Angeles-based Theatre 40 will stage “Hellman v. McCarthy” starring Cavett as himself throughout February.

Back in 1979, during the run of his PBS show, Cavett, who became legendary for inviting the literati of the era to be his guests, played host to author and critic Mary McCarthy. During the show, McCarthy made disparaging remarks about her longtime nemasisis, dramatist and screenwriter Lillian Hellman. Constantly bickering contemporaries since the 1930s due to their strong ideological differences, McCarthy used the Cavett show to call Hellman a “dishonest” writer. Asked by her host to elaborate on that harsh judgment, McCarthy said: “Every word [Hellman] writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’ ” Hellman, incensed by McCarthy’s accusation, filed a $2.5 million libel suit against her, Cavett and his production company, and the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET).

This feud and legal battle became the basis for two plays, Nora Ephron’s “Imaginary Friends” and Brian Richard Mori’s “Hellman v. McCarthy.” Mori’s drama, which explores the impact the fracas had on the duo’s respective legacies, includes scenes in which the warring writers confront one another on Cavett’s show (a fictionalization; although both appeared separately on his program).

The play, directed by prolific television director Howard Storm, will debut at the Reuben Cordova Theatre located at 241 S. Moreno Drive in Beverly Hills, on February 6 and run through the 28th.

Tickets are $34.75, except for a February 8 fundraiser performance, when a portion of the proceeds of the $100 tickets will benefit the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild and Theatre 40. There will also be a special final performance and reception on March 1 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Tickets for that one performance will be available through Ticketmaster.

For more information and tickets call (310) 364-3606 or click on www.theatre40.org.

New Words

The Most Important Thing To Know This Month

A

ccording to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year, and weight-related resolutions top the list.

Unfortunately, only about eight percent achieve any type of success.

If you’ve made (and then broken) the same old resolutions each January, you’re not alone and it might be time to focus on approaches to get healthier that actually work. The Wheat Foods Council recommends:

Eat Breakfast: People who eat breakfast

tend to take in more nutrients, are more alert, can concentrate better, and may even have better success with weight management. Get yourself off to a strong start by combining protein, carbohydrates and low-fat dairy. Some possibilities: whole-grain cereal and a highprotein yogurt, an English muffin with peanut butter or an egg sandwich with fruit and yogurt.

Make Fiber a Priority: Fiber, found in

Y

whole-grain wheat, barley, corn and oats, as well as in fruits, vegetables and beans, helps keep things moving easily through the digestive tract.

Fiber is also filling, providing volume with few calories.

First World Problem: A cause of frustration or dissatisfaction regarded as trivial, arising from living in a wealthy, industrialized nation.

Move It: Walk, dance, work in the garden or ride your bike to run errands.

Group Hug: Three or more people embracing each other in a show of provide support or to express solidarity.

Keep track of progress by writing in a journal.

Note things such as how you feel before and after meals and exercise.

ou might not find them in a dictionary yet, but they’re a part of the everyday American vocabulary. Here’s what they mean.

Vape: To inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette, a personal vaporizer or electronic nicotine delivery system.

Schedule and Track Your Progress:

The Bottom Line: Eat when you are hungry,

strive for moderation and move more to feel good.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 7

8 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 9

It’s the Law Mitchell A. Karasov

Mitchell A. Karasov, Esq. has offices in Los Angeles, Ventura County and the Coachella Valley. He specializes in elder law with emphasis in estate planning, Medi-Cal eligibility, trust administration, probate, conservatorships of person or estate, estate and trust litigation and financial abuse litigation.

For more information click on www.karasovelderlaw.com or call (818) 508-7192.

Is a professional conservator the answer to sibling strife?

Q

My sister and I were named as co-powers of attorney for healthcare and financial management for our 89-year-old father. That probably wasn’t the best decision made by our father, because we don’t get along at all and she is not good with money. To make matters worse, the power of attorney for finances was written so either of us could act on our own.

Taking advantage of that fact, my sister went ahead and sold some of our dad’s stocks, even though I told her in advance that selling it would not be a good financial move. Our dad’s financial advisor and CPA also agreed with my feeling that selling those stocks was not a good idea at that time. The CPA now says we’re going to be hit with a big capital gains tax issue because of it. She insists that it was the right decision, because she thinks the bottom will fall out of the market. We didn’t need the cash. I think she was just worried about her own inheritance taking a hit if the market dropped. I wasn’t counting on taking her off as the co-power of attorney, because my father can’t sign a new power of attorney; however she filed a court suit to remove me of my duty. A friend recommended that we should both move on and let a professional conservator be named by the court do the job. It sounds expensive and I don’t know why it would be necessary when I’m capable of doing it myself.

A

I don’t think you necessarily need a professional conservator to take over the management of your dad’s finances. It sounds like not only are you capable, but you are authorized to seek the advice of professionals, like the CPA and financial advisor. However, I would suggest that you apply to be your dad’s conservator over his finances and healthcare. This is because, even if you are successful at suspending your sister as his financial power of attorney on the document, it might create confusion with the financial institutions. Also, a suspension doesn’t preclude her from having your dad sign a new power of attorney that doesn’t name you as his financial agent and instead only installs her as his agent. Even if he’s too impaired to sign, I’ve had to go to court many times to undo estate plans created by someone with mild to advanced dementia. If you’re worried that your sister is going to micromanage your every decision and make impulsive decisions of her own, then you can be reassured that the court can review major decisions such as selling real estate. You can also ask the court for approval of any financial transactions. Even if your sister opposes your appointment as conservator of estate and person and petitions for a professional conservator, I would still try to avoid the ongoing cost of having a professional conservator and their attorney.

Sometimes it makes more economic sense to incur the upfront legal fees to get yourself appointed as conservator than it would be to have the ongoing cost of a professional conservator’s legal fees. Also, with a professional conservator, you need to factor in the loss of control to a third party. Since your dad named you and your sister as co-agents, I’m wondering if he also named you as co-agents on his will. That may be something else you want to fix in a conservatorship. I wish you and your family all the best.

10 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 11

12 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 13

ªCover Profile ª

The Life After 50 Show with our special guest, the king of conversation…

Hosted by Life After 50 Editor-in-Chief David Laurell Photos by Keith Munyan / www.keithmunyan.com

D

avid Laurell (DL): We are honored to have a very special guest – a man who is no stranger to talk shows. He’s a former writer for Jack Paar and Johnny Carson who became the star of the 1968 ABC show “This Morning.” That show evolved into “The Dick Cavett Show,” which ran in various iterations on ABC, CBS, PBS, the USA Network, CNBC and TCM through 2007. While Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson stand as the founding fathers of the talk show, our guest rounds out that pantheon for bringing his viewers some of the most celebrated, controversial and colossal conversationalists of the 20th century. Erudite, urbane, intellectual and witty – with just the right touch of Midwestern likeability and straightforwardness – it was with those attributes he not only lured the biggest names – the “ungettables” – to take the seat next to his, but also attracted a loyal audience of viewers who were transfixed with his ability to engage his guests in genuine conversation. Along with Marlon Brando, Groucho Marx, Katharine Hepburn, Noel Coward, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he cajoled and confronted individuals from all walks of life in ways that led to classic tête-à-têtes between guests and host. It was this kind of television that oftimes saw his show make national headlines, have guests walk off in a huff, and got him named to President Richard Nixon’s infamous Enemies List. Nebraskan-born, Yale-educated and a sure-thing inclusion if they ever establish a Mount Rushmore to honor compelling conversationalists, please welcome the titan of talk, the king of conversation – Dick Cavett!

14 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

DL: Having just finished your new book [“Brief Encounters – Conversation, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks” (Henry Holt, 2014)], perhaps the best way to begin is to ask – have you had any good dreams lately?

Dick Cavett (DC): Ah yes, that’s something I cover in the first chapter of the book. Yes. Last night, I dreamed that everyone was able to jump what looked like a 20-foot gap over to a long grassy area on the other side. I kept thinking: “Everyone will think I’m a wimp but, this looks dangerous.” I kept looking at it and thinking: “Maybe if I get back far enough and take a running start, but, no, it’s way too far of a gap,” and then I awoke. When I have dreams like this, I think it’s a shame I’m not still in analysis [laughs].

DL: What do you think the analysis would be?

DC: Oh, obviously that it was a sex-frustration dream [laughs].

DL: You write in your book about having the classic actor’s dream on a recurring basis – preparing to walk onstage opening night and then realizing you have never read the script and don’t know one line.

DC: Once you have acted in even one high school or a college play, or have done any sort of theatrical performance, you have seemingly signed on to this dream for life. You find yourself desperate to find a script and no one has one, and then when they do find one, it’s not the right one.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

DL: While you have done many plays over the years, you have certainly done many more television shows than theatrical performances, which leads me to ask: Is your actor’s dream always based on a stage performance or have you also had it about doing your show?

DC: I never had it about doing my show, per se, but I have had a dream in which I am supposed to be doing a show and when I arrive at the studio, they tell me it is being done at another studio a block away, and when I look to where they are pointing, it’s acres and acres away and there is no way for me to get there. The man who asked me to call him “Larry” – Laurence Olivier – once told me about a recurring dream he had in which he is backstage ready to go on and finds himself opening door after door thinking each one will lead to the stage and none of them does; and that he could hear the other actors on stage adlibbing as they were awaiting his appearance.

DL: You have been extremely open about your longtime bout with a depressive disorder that started in college and worsened during the run of

your ABC and PBS shows. Were your dreams different when you were in the throes of debilitating depression?

DC: One of the great ironies of suffering with such severe depression that you don’t want to get out of bed is that you wake up having had a whole night of pleasant dreams, and you think: “Shit! Why am I not depressed in my dreams?” I never had a bad dream during depression. Isn’t that weird? You are, by the way, the first to bring that revelation out of me.

DL: So might we then assume dreams adhere to some sort of law of compensation?

DC: Interesting. And as Freud said of the anxiety of our dreams, they make us far more anxious and put us in far greater agony than we would be when we are awake and dealing with a similar situation. In real life, we would probably never get to the point of having an opening night without ever having read a script, but even if we did, it wouldn’t be killing you like it does in a dream. That is the best question I pose on the subject in my book: Who is the author of these wretched dreams – or any dreams for that matter?

DL: You last appeared on the cover of Life After 50 four years ago this month, and so you are now the very first person to have ever appeared on our cover twice.

DC: Wow! How about that. It’s like Bob Hope and TV Guide (laughs). Although I think it was 50 times for him.

DL: So that means we still have 48 more to go. You may find it interesting that by tracking our readers’ responses, your last appearance on our cover provided us with one of the two most popular and requested issues we’ve ever done.

DC: Oh come on. I bet you’ve told that to Leo Gorcey and everyone else who has appeared on the cover.

DL: Not true. I have only told that to you and Pat Benatar.

DC: I think – and some fact-checking may disprove this – that Pat made her very first television appearance with me.

DL: As did so many legends, which we will talk more about in a moment.

But right now, we have to take a break. We’ll be right back.  JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 15

Photo by Kim T. Sharp

The Los Angeles-based Theatre 40 will stage “Hellman v. McCarthy” starring Dick Cavett as himself, throughout February. In 1979, during the run of his PBS show, Cavett played host to author and critic Mary McCarthy. During the show, McCarthy made disparaging remarks about her longtime nemesis, the dramatist and screenwriter Lillian Hellman saying: “Every word [Hellman] writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’ ” Hellman, incensed

by McCarthy’s accusation, filed a libel suit against her, Cavett, his production company, and the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET). That show inspired Brian Richard Mori to write the play “Hellman v. McCarthy,” which explores the impact the fracas had on the duo’s respective legacies. The play will debut at the Reuben Cordova Theatre located at 241 S. Moreno Drive in Beverly Hills, on February 6 and run through the 28th. Tickets are $34.75 and available by calling (310) 364-3606 or clicking on www.theatre40.org.

DL: We’re back and our guest is Dick Cavett. You know Dick, there are so many people, like myself, who didn’t just watch your show, but revered you in the way you did Groucho Marx or Stan Laurel or Bob Hope. Can you get your mind around the fact that people embrace you the way you did the greats you idolized?

on history and accomplished great things – a play or a painting or a piece of writing – and you find yourself stuck with the same old phrases you use for even things you don’t like much, but that you use anyway because you feel you have to say you do. I have always wished I had an original way of expressing to some people what they have meant to me. That would be wonderful.

DC: No. When people do say that, I blush and look at my shoes and don’t know what to say. But I know what they mean. I once said, egotistically perhaps, that after a young lifetime of sneaking into various studios and theaters – “The Jackie Gleason Show” and Rex Harrison’s dressing room on opening night of “My Fair Lady” in New Haven – that if I had come to New York during the time I was doing my show, I would have been one of the people I would want to meet, although I don’t know if we would have gotten along.

DL: Well I can tell you, I wouldn’t be doing what I do for a living were it not for you. When I used to sneak into your show, before I was 18, I used to think: “Now there’s a good way to make a living – talking to people who have left a significant impact on the world.”

DC: Get out of here! Well then I find myself sitting here with a protégé!

DL: It is somewhat frustrating to me, and to others I know who feel the same way, that you don’t fully understand how much you mean to us.

Did you ever harbor a frustration when you got to meet and know your heroes – Groucho, Hope, Laurel – that they never understood how much they meant to you?

DC: Absolutely, yes. There is a frustration when you meet people you admire and have left their mark

DL: Absolutely! And I represent many people who went into television or broadcast or print journalism because they were inspired by you and all the legendary greats you introduced us to – the ungettables –  16 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 17

the people who would never have consented to be interviewed much less appear on a talk show. Dick, I know just about everyone who has ever interviewed you has asked how you did that, but I would like to switch that up a bit and make a few observations for you to comment on as to why I believe you were able to accomplish that. I think people in the public eye develop a certain sixth sense for those they encounter – if they are really fans in the purest sense of the word – those who have a true appreciation for what they have done. I think many of those so-called ungettables perceived that quality in you. Your response?

DC: Well, I love the sound of that and think that is probably true. I never really sat down and tried to analyze what it was. I do have memories of various guests telling me during a break or after a show that they had never felt so good on a talk show; or they questioned, with amazement, how I got them to recall something or tell a certain story. I think your explanation is the best I’ve heard for that by far. I think it may have also been that I had been a guest on talk shows, with [Merv] Griffin and with Johnny [Carson] as a comedian before I became a host, so I knew what a guest wanted to feel like when they were on a talk show.

DL: Here’s my second observation: The Hepburns of the world…

DC: If she were here she would interject, [launching into a Katharine Hepburn impersonation] “There’s only one!”

DL: True, so let me reword that…While Katharine Hepburn or Marlon Brando or some other prominent actor may have been used to being in front of a camera, it was as a character and not as themselves. I always thought if they went on Carson, they may have felt pressure to be funny or amusing, but that pressure wasn’t there when they appeared with you. With you they didn’t feel they needed to “be on.”

DC: I bet that’s so.

DL: My last observation: You did your show without a desk.

DC: Ah, an interesting observation. You know, at first, after Steve Allen, everybody followed the tradition of the desk. I did use it on my first daytime show. But there was man, Joe Hardy, a stage director who had been at the drama school when I was at Yale. My [first] wife [actress Carrie Nye, who died of cancer in 2006], who had been directed by him and knew of his expertise in stage design, suggested I bring Joe in to see if he could come up with a more comfortable setting for the show. I remember the first thing Joe said was to take the desk away.

DL: So it was a conscious decision on your part to do your interviews without a desk?

DC: It was.

DL: People behind a desk are in a superior position. They’re protected and shielded while the person on the other side of the desk is exposed.

DC: It’s like being before a judge, isn’t it?

DL: Right. So I think your being open to them without a barrier made a huge difference in how you were perceived and why your interviewees were much more apt to open up to you.

DC: Yes. Especially when I would have two or three guests and we would all sit around and it became more conducive to conversation rather than interviews, which goes back to the advice I got from Jack Paar when I first started out, who called me and said: “Kid, don’t do interviews.” That whole David Frost clipboard Q-and-A what’s-your-favorite-this-or-that makes it feel like an inquisition. “Make it a conversation,” Jack said. And that is the secret – listening and responding and really having a conversation. I should say it is “a” secret, because there can surly be shitty conversations [laughs]. I remember one time when I first started out, my friend Chris Porterfield [Cavett’s Yale roommate who worked with him on his shows and first two books] once asked me if I had been listening to a guest I had on. When I said: “Yeah, why?” he said: “Well you went right to your next question without any sense of what he had just said.” It was THAT bad at first, like a guest saying: “...and then we opened the rusty old trunk lid and you’ll never guess what was inside!” and I would say: “Do you have any hobbies?” [laughs]. Johnny was frightfully uncomfortable during his first few weeks of doing “The Tonight Show.” People have forgotten that, because that uncomfortableness all vanished, of course.

DL: If you were still doing your show today, who would be the current ungettables you would be getting who might pass on the Jimmys – Fallon or Kimmel – or Letterman?

DC: I don’t know if there are any ungettables anymore. I think I coined the phrase: “We had redwoods back then and now we have elm trees.” That doesn’t mean we don’t have great actors today. But there is something missing,  18 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

and the only word I can come up with is the one my ex-manager Jack Rollins used to use, that the stars of that era had a certain “largeness” to them. There was a bigness that seemed to infuse Orson Welles and Marlon Brando and Katharine Hepburn, and that is rare, if not nonexistent, today.

DL: If I were to change the subject here, you won’t think I wasn’t listening, would you?

DC: Listening to what? [laughs] DL: Earlier, we touched on your history of depression, which we talked about quite a bit in our last conversion and, as mentioned, brought a great wave of response from our readers.

miracle cure. Have you ever thought back as to why you didn’t seek that help earlier?

DC: There is such a narrow range of thought available to you that I’m not sure I even considered that. My thoughts were largely that I wished I was under some rug, or under my bed, where people couldn’t find me and smile and tell me to go out and swim and play tennis and it would all go away. I don’t know who it was, but someone said that depression is the worst agony devised for man, which I know sounds like an exaggeration, to everyone except those who have dealt with it.

DL: I have one more thing I would like to ask you about, Dick – your feelings on getting older. But first, let’s take another short break.

DC: That always gets everybody, because everyone knows someone with cancer or depression, although the former is more openly discussed.

DL: That was the thing readers commented on the most – your willingness to be open about having a mental illness.

DC: My willingness to talk about it may have stemmed from embarrassment.

I never really thought about that before, but I guess you have to do something with it. You have to either hide it, which is stupid, or talk about it. Even though you don’t realize it as you are talking about it, there is a payoff that comes later when you hear from someone who tells you that you helped save their husband’s or daughter’s life who felt that if Dick Cavett could have this problem and talk about it and get through it, then maybe I’ll be okay too and should not find it so shameful to talk about.

DL: Dick, when you were in the depths of depression, did you ever experience feelings of guilt that those who love you and wanted to be of help were not able to play a role in making things better?

DC: Unfortunately, you are oblivious to anything about what anybody around you is or isn’t feeling. I appeared on numerous shows and wrote a piece on Robin Williams just hours after he died and said that thousands of people would be asking how he could do this to his wife and children and the answer is: EASY! No feeling or care for anything or anyone is available to you. How could someone drive into an oncoming car? Easy, because it will be all over and you’ll feel better. That is the craziness of how you are thinking. You really don’t care, nor are you even aware of anyone else’s feelings. I once said something when I was on Larry King’s show that hit a lot of people – veterans of depression – I said that if there were a magic wand on a couch across the room that could, with just a wave, alleviate my depression, it would have been too much trouble to go over and pick it up; and even if I did, I would be sure it wouldn’t work for me.

DL: And yet, even during the worst of it, you did get up and do a show five nights a week.

DC: I remember one time while we were taping a show and looking over at a monitor where I could see Ethel Merman next to me and we were singing and I was throwing my head back in laugher and I was thinking: “If anyone ever knew the pain I was going through and how I felt giving this fake laugh, they wouldn’t believe me.” I wrote to the great Stephen Fry [the English actor, writer and activist who has also suffered from depression] about my dealings with depression and we ended up doing a piece on it for HuffPost [www.

Huffingtonpost.com] that you can find on YouTube. During our conversation, I talk about how people would say to me: “You have so much – a beautiful home and a career and a family that loves you – what have YOU got to be depressed about?” And Stephen said the answer to that is to have them go and ask an asthma suffer what they have to have asthma about.

DL: You ultimately did reach out for a magic wand in the form of antidepressants and electroshock therapy, which you have called a 20 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

What do Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Taylor, James Gandolfini, Gore Vidal, and John Lennon have in common? They’re all featured in Dick Cavett’s new book, “Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments and Assorted Hijinks.”

In his latest tome, Cavett shares his recollections of the famous figures he encountered throughout his career. He also revisits his Midwestern upbringing, offers piquant commentary on contemporary politics, the indignities of travel, the nature of comedy writing, and the utter improbability of being alive at all. For those who grew up with and love Cavett, this book proves he remains as quick-witted and bold-minded as ever as he shares his reflections and reminiscences about Hollywood legends, American cultural icons, and the absurdities of everyday life. To get your copy visit your local bookstore or click on www.dickcavettshow.com.

DL: We’re back with Dick Cavett. Dick, since you last appeared on our cover, you and I have both gotten a little bit older. Having recently celebrated your 78th birthday, have you adopted any philosophy on the passing of years?

DC: I don’t have the obsession with aging or death that Woody Allen does.

Woody once pointed out to me, when my first book came out, that out of 20 books on the New York Times bestseller list, 16 of them dealt with the topic of death in some way. Groucho, who was also obsessed with death, had a favorite joke of Woody’s – “I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” That is the classic line on the subject that I don’t think can be improved upon. Oh, and speaking of Woody, the only thought I have on aging is something I once said to him – one of, I think, three things I’ve ever said that broke him up. We were walking down the street and I told him we were running out of good sides of each other to walk on [laughs].

DL: Dick, there is so much more I would love to talk to you about, but we’re out of time. Please come back and do this again.

DC: Well, I wish I could do all of these book tour interviews with you.

DL: No problem! Just keep writing books, because we still have 48 more to go if you want to beat Hope’s TV Guide record [laughs].

DC: [Laughing] Great. But for future reference, remember: Letting me get the  last laugh is better!

Follow Your Goosebumps To Your Next Evolution Make 2015 the year you connect to your passion and purpose and live your dream Special to Life After 50 by Barbara Niven Photos by Sabrina Bringiuer and Sue Melke

22 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

I

t’s a brand new year with a shiny slate of possibilities – another chance to make a fresh start, dust off your dreams and relaunch.

The beginning of a new year is a milestone. It is a time to check to see if you are on track with your purpose and goals, and, if not, then auto-correct them. For me, the passing of time makes me aware of how much I still want to do in my life. As I evolve, so do my dreams, and no matter how old I get, following my passion still gives me goosebumps.

When I feel those goosebumps, I know I am on the right track. Each one of those little bumps makes up a path that has always led me to my next evolution.

How about you? Are you living the life you want to be living? Are you excited to wake up every day and explore new possibilities or are you settling? Settling is a trap we can easily fall into, especially as we age. Being comfortable is a sedative, and it’s addicting.

IT’S 2015! TIME TO RECONNECT TO YOUR PASSION With 2015 just days old, it is the perfect time to start creating your next evolution.

Do you ever have a nagging feeling that there’s more to life than what you’re living? If so, there probably is. Stop deflecting the message and listen to it. Don’t settle if you know there’s something more you are here to do. Instead, use that feeling as a starting point on the path that will lead to the fulfillment of your dream.

Our dreams change as we evolve. It’s important to revisit them often to create new goals and strategies. If the rush is gone, go find it again. Recommit to an old dream or find a new one. Kick it up a notch and break out of your old routine.

Do you need to revise or reinvent anything in yourself or your surroundings? Do it by embracing your passion.

Fall in love again with your possibilities. Surround yourself with people who make things happen. Reinspire yourself through the work of artists, thought leaders, and revolutionary thinkers. Let their passion reignite yours. Get so hungry for your dream you can taste it and then take action.

Life is short and there are no guarantees. Stop squandering energy on things that don’t matter. If you knew you only had a short time to live, how would you spend your time? Would your priorities change? Why wait? Change them now.

Not sure where to begin? Well, here’s a great place to start, and it’s simple. Ask yourself: “What ignites my passion and gives me joy and goosebumps?”

That is what you must strive towards. You have got to see those goosebumps as a sign – a guide to be followed. Tap into your power and potential. Kick yourself into gear and start playing full out. Notice I use the word “playing.” I do so because living your passion should be fun and serve as your GPS to lead you to your purpose.

ALLOW COURAGE TO REEMERGE AND LEAD YOU If you’re like most people, as you get older, you start to question just who you think you are to continue to have big dreams. Throw that thought out. Take all the negativity out of the quest for making your dreams a reality and ask yourself: “What would I do if I knew I could not fail?”

What WOULD you do? What COULD you do? Are you getting goosebumps just thinking about the possibilities? Well, what’s stopping you? The only thing you know for sure is that if you never start, failure is a certainty.

Think back to when you were young and fearless and flew as high as you could go on a swing simply to try and touch the sky. Reconnect with that courageous and irrepressible kid you used to be. Hug, thank and applaud him or her. That courageous child is still there, jumping at the chance to reinvigorate you. Isn’t it time to allow them to reemerge and take the lead for a change?

Believe me, I know as well as anyone that courage and change can be scary.

When I was young, my dream to become an actress scared the heck out of me. But I remember thinking: “Twenty years from now, I don’t want to wonder ‘What if?’ I need to know if I can make it as an actress.” What a gift I gave myself then. I would have ended up this age anyway – dream or not. So I am grateful that I decided to take the leap when I did.

That’s not the only dream that has frightened me. I’ve constantly reinvented myself over the years, and each time I’ve had to push through scary personal barriers. One of the biggest was when I decided to become an entrepreneur and create my company, Unleash Your Star Power! Talk about being out of my comfort zone! It was a leap of faith all the way.

I remember when my first client, a CEO, was flying in to work with me. I was sweating bullets, but it worked out great and I was able to help him get over his public speaking fears. He said it was a life-changing experience. That’s still my favorite part about working with clients. I get goosebumps all over as I help them regain their courage, hone their message, step into their power, transform themselves and achieve their dreams.

IF I NEVER TRY, I’LL NEVER KNOW One of the phrases that has fueled and pushed me into taking great leaps in my life is: “If I never try, I’ll never know.” Most of the time, when I have tried something, I have, thank goodness, landed on my feet; or at least learned a valuable lesson.

Two years ago, I got a call that the Hallmark Channel wanted me to do the series “Cedar Cove.” At the moment I got that call, I was in Phoenix, ready to go on stage to speak. My agent told me I would have to be on a plane to Vancouver in two days to begin work and I had no idea how I was going to make that happen, because I

The secret to finding your true purpose?

Follow your goosebumps!

wasn’t even home to pack. But I didn’t worry about that. I courageously just said “YES!” and trusted that it would work out. It did and what a blessing it’s been. We are just getting ready to shoot our third season, and I’m so proud to be part of the Hallmark Channel family.

SAY “YES” TO WHAT SCARES YOU When was the last time you said “yes” to something that scared you?

If it’s been awhile, you’re playing life too safely.

Try something different. If your first inclination is to always say “no,” pause before that pops out of your mouth, say “yes” instead, and see what happens. Get out of your comfort zone. Remember, only with great risk comes great reward.

Fear and excitement are both manifested in the same way. They both create butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, heart palpitations – and goosebumps.

Embrace those things, steady yourself, and then take the leap – even if there is no net and you can’t see what is underneath you.

I hope that in 2015 you choose to leap at every chance you get. That first jump off the cliff is the hardest, and it may very well be a wild and bumpy ride as you find your wings. But it is the only way you’ll ever see how high you can fly.  JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 23

It’s never too late to become who and what you were always meant to be.

Believe me, it’s worth the risk. You have to get out of your comfort zone – that’s where the magic happens!

MAKING MY DREAM COME TRUE My big dream began when I was a little girl. I always knew I was going to be an actress, but by the time I was 21, I was still waiting for my dream to happen.

I actually remember thinking someone would just come and “discover” me. I didn’t understand that manifesting my dream would be up to me. That was so far out of my comfort zone that it didn’t even occur to me. When I think back on that time, I wish I could whisper to my younger self: “Take the leap! Follow your dream! Do it now! You will be just fine!”

Because I didn’t have the benefit of that advice, I put my dream on hold and began to live everybody else’s vision of what my life should be. I quit college, got a job, got married, had a baby and started a business with my husband. And yet, I still always thought that someday I’d pursue my acting dream.

One day an announcement for my 10-year high school reunion arrived in the mail. I couldn’t believe that a decade had gone by. The form asked numerous questions including: Have you achieved all you thought you would in your life?

That question hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a huge “ah-ha” moment. I realized that I had not, and that I alone was responsible for what I would – or would not – accomplish as I moved forward in my life. From that moment on, I began thinking like the CEO of my life and career.

The first thing I did was consider my options. I hadn’t finished college, had gotten divorced and was a single mother of a two-year-old. But I thought, “I can write and I’m great in front of the camera. Why don’t I become a television reporter?”

While many people around me didn’t believe that was possible, I went out and found two mentors. One was the news director at KGW Television, the NBC affiliate in Portland, and the other was a producer for “PM Magazine.”

They both took me on as interns and soon after, I heard that ABC Daytime was conducting a nationwide search for a role on the daytime drama “One Life to Live.” It didn’t matter to me that I’d never taken an acting class, I just knew I had to be a part of that search.

I auditioned and unbelievably, the next week ABC flew me to New York for a screen test. That’s when I knew I was on the right track. I didn’t get the part, but ironically, I did appear on that show 20 years later.

After that audition, I knew exactly what I wanted. I had plugged into my passion and I was covered in goosebumps. People thought I was crazy to risk everything for such an intangible career, but I did it anyway, because the thought of not trying was worse. And so I packed up a U-Haul, and with my little daughter as my co-pilot, moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start.

EVERY MOMENT OF THIS YEAR CAN BE A FRESH START Every moment is a fresh start – a new chance to either go toward your dream or away from it. Too many people allow these moments to turn into years as time and opportunities slip away.

If you’ve make a bad choice somewhere or are regretting missed opportunities, promise yourself that this year – right now – you will quit beating yourself up. It’s done. It was only a blip on the radar. Don’t dwell on 24 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

it. Move on. Hook back into your dream and leap into the next moment. Get yourself back on track armed with a fresh perspective from lessons learned.

Don’t ask: “What if?” If you’re ready for a change, take the drama of the unknown out of your life. Quit fretting over the “whats and whys and hows.”

Stop worrying, embrace courage, and just do it.

And remember: change doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a series of small actions, taken diligently, that will lead you to a different destination. If you don’t like where it is taking you, try something else. But keep moving. It is about progress, not perfection. Celebrate every small step, win and loss along the journey. Even the losses have lessons, so learn to embrace them too.

JOIN ME IN THE DREAM! I have been blessed to be living my crazy dream of being an actress and entrepreneur. I’ve had amazing mentors, and, using what they have taught me, started the Dreamers Network in 1998 as a way of paying it forward. I call it a “support group for dreamers,” because the world can be a very negative place.

We who embrace our dreams must help each other and surround ourselves with people who lift us up, not put us down.

So, at the dawn of 2015, you must ask yourself: “What’s my passion? What will I most regret never doing? What’s on my bucket list? What gives me goosebumps?”

One you have those answers you than must ask yourself: “What am I waiting for?”

Make this the year that changes everything. If you’re a fellow dreamer, I invite you to participate by clicking on to my Dreamers Network at www. facebook.com/barbaraniven. Look around and you’ll find an amazing flow of advice, inspiration and support.

So here’s to your success and the goosebumps that will pave your path to your next evolution! Make this the year you live your passion, connect to your purpose and make a difference. And don’t give up before the miracle happens  and your dreams come true!

Barbara Niven is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author and award-winning actress who currently stars in Hallmark Channel’s “Cedar Cove,” NBC’s Emmy Award-winning “Parks and Recreation,” and the feature films “Hamlet’s Ghost” and “Suburban Gothic.” She has also gained international acclaim as Hollywood’s top media trainer and video marketing coach and created “Unleash Your Star Power!” to help people realize their dreams. For more information, click on www.UnleashYourStarPower.com and join her Dreamers Network at www.facebook.com/barbaraniven.

See our digital issue at

.com

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 25

Winning The War Against Weight In 2015 Making your weight-loss resolution a weight-loss reality Special to Life After 50 by Dr. Claude Matar

E

very New Year’s Eve, seven out of 10 Americans make a resolution that, in some way, has to do with the improvement of their health and well-being. For most of them, that means losing weight and getting in better shape. In order to make that resolution a reality, it calls for embracing change, which isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to eating habits and lifestyle routines.

Yes, It’s true: Our BOdIes dO Change as We age Bodies change over time, both externally and internally. For many older adults, internal changes include a decrease in both muscle and bone density and an increase in fat around the mid-section, which is unsightly and dangerous. As a woman’s estrogen and a man’s testosterone levels start to drop, fat usually begins shifting to the body’s mid-section. Body fat, especially belly fat, if not addressed effectively using natural means, can put you at a higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, strokes and even breast cancer in menopausal women. In addition, excess fat increases the risk of gallstones and gall bladder disease, degenerative arthritis of the knees, hips, and the lower back, and sleep apnea (failure to breathe normally during sleep which lowers your blood oxygen).

BOdY Fat and CalOrIes Simply put, body fat increases when you eat more calories than you are burning. A calorie is a unit of energy – the amount of energy we get from what we eat or drink. For example, one apple equals 75 calories equals 75 units of energy. The body needs calories (energy) to survive and calories are “burned” through a process called metabolism. During metabolism, the oxygen in your body releases the energy units from the food you have eaten or the fat you store. This energy is used by the body for digestion, breathing, thinking, circulation and many other functions. How many calories your body uses to keep itself running depends on various factors, including age, sex, body size and activity level.

FOOd, energY and Fat Food is primarily meant to provide energy for your body to work. If this is in doubt, try fasting for a while and you will notice your energy decrease dramatically (initially, then it rises again as the body adapts to using its own fat for metabolism). So why is some food converted to fat instead of energy? When the body has excess energy, it stores the energy in a dense form so it can be carried more easily and used at a later time when it is needed. That dense form of energy is what we call “fat.” Back in the old (and I mean, the “really old”) days, we needed fat to survive harsh winters and long and sometimes failed hunts. Today, our only hunting consists of walking into the kitchen and foraging through the fridge. The amount of energy that is being used is, of course, far less than chasing, killing, skinning and preparing a buffalo.

26 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Eating LEss and stiLL REtaining WEight The biggest problem people who are trying to lose weight face is eating less and not seeing any results. That is why so many “dieters” get extremely frustrated and become depressed.

The reason for this is that, even though you are eating less, your nervous and endocrine systems are still generating signals that no energy is needed, so your body continues on with its fatpreservation mode. However, this is something that can be diagnosed and, for most people, corrected easily using natural means. tuRning On thE Fat-BuRning sWitch When your nervous and endocrine systems generate the signal that energy shouldn’t being used, your body holds on to (and adds to) its fat reserve. When your nervous system gets the signal that energy is needed, it converts the fat (and any new food) to energy. If you try to force a change in these signals by depriving the body of the food it needs (or thinks it needs) – also called a low-carb or low-fat or low-calorie diet – your body will start to shut down (due to insufficient energy) and weight retention and gain is inevitable. You will feel hungry, tired, and in most cases, have strong cravings for just the types of foods you shouldn’t be eating.

When this happens most people give up and go back to their old habits and routine which results in more weight gain. Many people think drugs are the answer to this problem but, when you take drugs or get shots to lose weight, you are simply overriding the body’s signals to eat and store what it eats (body fat) for later use. Bypassing these signals can actually weaken the body’s natural ability to manage its weight for years to come. This is evidenced by the fact that once you are off the pills and shots, your body will again demand whatever food it believes it needs to work properly. changing thE signaLs The easiest, healthiest and best way to lose weight – and keep it off permanently – can be accomplished by changing the signals themselves, so that your body only wants and needs the food that it can actually use to build abundant energy and stable health. When the signals are changed, your “fatburning switch” will also be reset. Once the signals are changed and your fatburning switch is reset, your body will automatically get rid of stored body fat.

MORE WatER, PLEasE Here’s something else you may not know: your energy needs to be quickly available when it is needed. Fat takes a long time to convert to energy that you can feel. So does food. Your body solves this problem by changing food into a molecule called ATP. The ATP molecule has a lot of energy that can be released very quickly. These molecules are stored inside the cells. When you need energy, they can be used right away. What is it that causes the release of energy from the ATP molecules inside the cells? WATER! When your cells don’t have enough water (dehydration), you will feel tired, lethargic and have difficulty focusing. When your cells have a sufficient supply of water (hydration), you will feel more alert, vital, focused and energetic. In regards to

weight loss, when you are hydrated on a cellular level, you burn fat. thE Missing ingREdiEnt Right now you may be thinking: “Great! I’ll just start drinking more water and lose weight!” or “That doesn’t make sense. I drink water all day long. I am not feeling more energetic and I am definitely not losing weight!” You think one of those two things, because water does not operate alone. It cannot remain in the cells of your body unless it combines with other substances. These other substances are minerals. Without minerals, any water you drink will pass right through you. People have actually had heat strokes while drinking a lot of water. The reason for this is that due to a lack of minerals the water did not get into the cells where it was needed.

Water alone is not enough for effective cellular hydration. The missing ingredient is minerals that cause water to move in and out of the cells, causing the release of energy. Your body needs both sufficient oxygen and water (water plus minerals) to burn fat. In my years of helping people get healthy and achieve permanent weight loss, these are two of the five most typical barriers to weight-loss. The other three weight-loss blocks that can make losing weight difficult, if not impossible, are inadequate nutrition, body toxins and poor sleep. it cOMEs dOWn tO hOW yOuR BOdy WORks No matter what pills, potions, surgeries, or behaviors we undertake to rid ourselves of excess weight, controlling our calorie intake is still the basis for maintaining a healthy weight. This does not mean that we have to deprive ourselves of good food. In fact, that is actually counterproductive, because the body also thrives on pleasure and eating food can be very pleasurable. It is simply a matter of understanding how your body works, and then aligning what you eat and how you ª eat to its internal processes.

Dr. Claude Matar, MD is a certified naturopathic physician and clinical nutritionist. His research into the underlying causes of illness and disease led to the development of The Matar Method, a natural weight-loss program, and the founding of the Pasadena Weight Loss Center. His natural weightloss approach has helped thousands of clients of all ages, genders and body types rapidly shed unwanted pounds and improve their health. A free weightloss consultation can be scheduled by calling (626) 844-4686 or clicking on www.pasadena-weight-loss-center.com. january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 27

28 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

o T d e it v n I y ll ia d r o Y o u A re C f O g in n e p O d n a r T he G

l l a H d e w o l l The Ha Of s e l b a t w o n K M u st ur yo g in c u d o tr in in s u in P lease jo ren d il h c d n a r g d n a n e r d chil ne , o y r e v e s le b ta o n y r a d n to the lege fo every age, must know

A

s the editor-in-chief of Life After 50, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our newest feature – “The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables,” which you’ll find on the following pages.

The purpose of this new addition is to provide you with information to pass on to your children and grandchildren to introduce them to legendary and iconic notables they really must know.

The idea for this feature first bubbled up in 2010 while doing what would be our first profile of Dick Cavett. I had been working with the public relations manager of a Beverly Hills hotel who was assisting me in securing a place to conduct a photo shoot with Cavett. A woman in her 20s, balancing on stilt-like heels and wearing a skirt made of considerably less material than would be needed to make a scarf, she escorted me to the area we were to set up.

“Who is this [checking her notes] Dick Ca-Vett?” she asked me.

I felt my blood push against the walls of my veins as I spouted out more of Cavett’s biography than I’m sure she cared to hear. Her nonchalant acceptance of who would be walking into the room at any moment caused me infuriation that only slightly dissipated by imagining her dangling from a nearby chandelier – from the string of fabric she was passing off as a skirt.

Later, I relayed to Cavett my earlier agitation over Miss Twentysomething’s ignorance of him. Cavett shook his head. “Twenty-year-olds don’t even know the Marx Brothers,” he said with an expression that revealed pained exasperation.

“There seems to be a willful ignorance about anything that happened before their birth or about things that are not immediately relevant to them,” he continued.

“That was certainly not true with my generation. I knew plenty of people who were not my contemporaries in any way. I remember Woody [Allen] once said that while I grew up in Nebraska and he in New York, we both knew our Robert Benchleys and James Thurbers and George S. Kaufmans and Dorothy Parkers and S.J. Perel-

mans. One wonders if there is an onus on anyone today to share anything that is not contemporary with the younger generation. Sometimes it seems hopeless.”

Driving home after that photo shoot, I pondered Cavett’s questioning of just who this onus of sharing history is, in fact, on. The answer that kept slapping me back was that it is on anyone who has a child or grandchild, and also for those of us who toil in the fourth estate. “We should be doing something in our magazine,” I said to myself as I began to formulate an idea for a feature on the greats of the past who are now slipping into obscurity.

Sadly, within a few days, that idea itself fell to the same fate.

Then, this past month, I found myself again with Cavett, at yet another Beverly Hills hotel, preparing for our current profile.

Whilst deep in the process of conducting my interview with him, a thirtysomething representative of the establishment interrupted us. With an accent and demeanor reminiscent of Sergeant Schultz of “Hogan’s Heroes” and a physical appearance that one might expect of Mortuary Monthly’s Employee of the Month, it was more than evident he had no idea who Cavett was.

Interjecting his well-known wit, Cavett – knowing I’m a Marx Brothers fan – asked our annoying interview intruder for: “Two hard boiled eggs,” just as Groucho does in that famous scene from “A Night at the Opera.” Totally bewildered by the request, our interrupter asked if he wanted them right at the moment, there in the courtyard. Cavett, never missing a beat, continued the routine: “Make that three hard boiled eggs.”

I would have chimed in with the request for one duck egg and some stewed prunes, but as it was I had tears in my eyes from trying to maintain a straight face.

The stymied steward finally began to back away (perhaps to get the eggs?) as Cavett asked: “The Marx Brothers? ‘A Night at the Opera’?”

Convulsed with laughter, I finally composed myself enough to comment on the confused chap’s ignorance of either my interviewee or the Marxes and reminded Cavett of our discussion from four years earlier. I told him I had been thinking about doing a feature on legends of the past that grandparents and parents could share with their offspring.

“That’s a great idea!” said his wife, Martha Rogers, who was sitting with us.

With her four-word encouragement resounding in my ears, I again made the drive home with the realization that my idea would continue to benefit no one unless it became a reality. And so, the next day, I ran the concept of “The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables” past my boss, Valarie Anderson, who was immediately on board. “Let’s do it!” she snapped enthusiastically.

We quickly compiled a survey that was administered to a sampling of 18- to 30-year-olds on their knowledge of iconic individuals from the 1930s through the 1970s. The results were nothing short of horrifying.

While we found 100 percent of the respondents to be very knowledgeable about Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Mick Jagger and The Beatles (collectively as well as individually), as Cavett surmised, less than five percent recognized the Marx Brothers, and even those who did knew nothing more of them other than they were “old television stars” who “had mustaches.”

And the results got even sadder than that – a lot sadder!

While the names Johnny Carson and Dick Clark received a few “I’ve heard of ‘ems,” not one respondent recognized the names Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Lenny Bruce, Milton Berle, Buster Keaton. W.C Fields, Carol Burnett, Willie Mays, Mort Sahl, Billy Graham or (and these were the ones that hit me the hardest) Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy.

While conducting this survey, my head spun like Linda Blair’s (another name that received blank stares) in disbelief as Cavett’s words burned in my brain: “Is there an onus on anyone?”

“There is!” I once again answered myself. The onus is on anyone who knows someone who is unaware of the legends we always (incorrectly, it seems) thought of as being immortals.

And so, we will now throw the spotlight on a different individual each month, magnificently illustrated by artist Mark Hammermeister, for you to share with your offspring. It is our hope that it will not only “re-immortalize” these greats of the past, but also elicit conversation and shared memories between the generations.

– David Laurell JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 29

By David Laurell Illustration by Mark Hammermeister

The Marx Brothers – Leonard, born in 1887; Adolph (who went by Arthur after 1911), born in 1888; Julius, born in 1890; Milton, born in 1892; and Herbert, born in 1901 – were five real brothers who adopted the stage names of Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo and became comedy stars in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. The made 13 feature films, five of which have been selected as among the top 100 comedy films of all time by the American Film Institute (AFI).

A

ll five brothers were born in New York City to Jewish immigrants and were tagged with their nicknames by a vaudeville comedian named Art Fisher. Inspired by a popular comic strip of the day, “Sherlocko the Monk,” created by cartoonist Gus Mager, Fisher supposedly bestowed the nicknames based on the brothers’ personalities.

The core of The Marx Brothers act was the three elder brothers, who each developed distinctive stage personas: Chico (Leonard), as a charming but rather dim-witted con artist who spoke with an Italian accent; the silent and loveable Harpo (Arthur); and Groucho (Julius), the mustachioed, wisecracking wit and master of puns. The two younger brothers, Gummo (Milton) and Zeppo (Herbert), appeared in less-distinctive supporting roles and eventually left the act to pursue other careers.

Gummo left the act during World War I and did not appear in any of the brothers’ films, and Zeppo only appeared in the first five films, in non-comedic roles.

The Marx Brothers became popular in vaudeville just as silent motion pictures were evolving into “talkies.” Making the leap from stage to screen with Paramount Pictures, their first two released films were adaptations of the Broadway shows “The Cocoanuts,” which came out in 1929, and the following year’s “Ani-

mal Crackers,” both written by playwrights George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. Their third feature length film, 1931’s “Monkey Business,” was followed by “Horse Feathers” in 1932 and “Duck Soup” in 1933.

After the brothers’ Paramount contract expired, Zeppo left the act to build one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood, while Groucho and Chico went on to do radio. Shortly thereafter, film producer Irving Thalberg lured the brothers to sign on with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. (Gummo eventually became the manager for the other brothers.)

Thalberg insisted on a strong story structure that made the brothers more sympathetic characters, interweaving their comedy with romantic plots and musical numbers. The first Marx Brothers/Thalberg film was the 1935 success, “A Night at the Opera,” followed two years later by an even bigger hit, “A Day at the Races.” While both of these films proved to be smash hits for MGM, Thalberg had died suddenly of pneumonia at the age of 37 during filming of “A Day at the Races,” leaving the Marxes without an advocate at the studio, which terminated their contract.

After doing one film at RKO – 1938’s “Room Service,” the brothers returned to

This feature is intended for you to clip and give to you children or grandchildren because...they must-know!

30 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

MGM and made three more films between 1939 and 1941: “At the Circus,” “Go West,” and “The Big Store.” Prior to the release of “The Big Store,” the brothers announced their plan to retire from the screen. Four years later, however, Chico persuaded his brothers to make two additional films for independent producers: 1946’s “A Night in Casablanca” and 1949’s “Love Happy,” to help him settle his severe gambling debts.

From the 1940s onward, Chico and Harpo appeared both separately and together in nightclubs and casinos, while Chico fronted a big band – The Chico Marx Orchestra. During this time, Groucho began his solo career as the host of a popular comedy-game show, “You Bet Your Life,” which ran from 1947 to 1961, first on ABC radio and then on NBC radio and television.

The Marx Brothers and their films experienced a resurgence in popularity on college campuses during the 1960s and 1970s, and, in 1999, were collectively named Number 20 on AFI’s list of the Top 25 American Male Screen Legends.

Chico died of arteriosclerosis in 1961 and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Harpo died of a heart attack in 1964. He was cremated and his ashes were reportedly scattered over a sand trap at the seventh hole of the Rancho Mirage Golf Course.

Groucho contracted pneumonia, died in 1977, was cremated, and his ashes rest at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, California. Gummo died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1977 and is buried near Chico at Forest Lawn. Zeppo died of lung cancer in 1979. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

LEARN MORE

There are many books written about the Marx Brothers.

Among the best are: • “Groucho and Me” (Dell, 1950) by Groucho Marx • “Harpo Speaks” (Bernard Geis Associates, 1961)

by Harpo Marx • “Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo” (Simon & Schuster, 1973) by Joe Adamson.

• “Monkey Business” (Thomas Dunne Books, 2000)

by Simon Louvish • “Raised Eyebrows” (BearManor Media, 2011)

by Steve Stoliar • “The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia” (Titan Books, 2012)

by Glen Mitchell.

Mark Hammermeister is an award-winning artist. His work is available for purchase at www.markdraws.com JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 31

Ripley: Believe It Or Not – New Documentary, PBS – Airs Tuesday, January 6 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) Robert LeRoy Ripley rose to fame during the Great Depression, transforming himself from a skinny, buck-toothed boy into an entertainer who mesmerized the nation with a razzle-dazzle blend of homespun Americana, colorful exotica and freakish oddities. Over three decades, his “Believe It Or Not!” franchise grew into an entertainment empire, expanding from newspapers to every form of new media in the 20th century: radio, film and, ultimately, television. At the center of it all was Ripley himself, whose obsession with the odd and keen eye for the curious made him one of the richest men in the country. Americans not only loved his bizarre fare, but were fascinated by the man himself, and the eccentric, globetrotting playboy became an unlikely national celebrity.

Agent Carter – New Series, ABC - Premieres Tuesday, January 6 at 8 p.m.

ABC presents its second action series from the creative minds at Marvel – “Agent Carter” – inspired by the feature films “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Agent Carter.” But this time, the super-hero is a woman. The series takes place in 1946, where peace has dealt agent Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), Carter finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. She is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America.

Togetherness – New Series, HBO – Premieres Sunday, January 11 at 9:30 (also OnDemand) This half-hour comedy features four adults in their late 30s, who all live together in one house and are struggling to keep their relationships alive while pursuing their individual dreams. Mark Duplass plays Brett, the husband of Michelle, who is played by Melanie Lynskey – a couple who deals with the usual struggles that come with being married. The two are joined by Steve Zissis as Alex, Brett’s best friend, who is described as underemployed, and completing the quad is Amanda Peet, who plays Tina, Michelle’s sister, who is something of a free spirit.

The Best In January Television Viewing

By Sandi Berg

12 Monkeys – New Series, Syfy Channel – Premieres Friday, January 16 at 9 p.m.

Inspired by the 1995 film, which starred Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, “12 Monkeys” explores the provocative story of a time traveler from a decimated future in a high-stakes race against the clock. Utilizing a dangerous and untested method of time travel, he journeys from 2043 to the present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will all but annihilate the human race.

Sons Of Liberty – Three Night Miniseries, History Channel – Premieres Sunday, January 25 at 9 p.m.

This three-night, six-hour event follows a defiant and radical group of young men – Sam Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren – as they band together in secrecy to change the course of history and make America a nation. The cast includes Ben Barnes as Sam Adams, a naturalborn leader with charisma and a penchant for mischief; Ryan Eggold as Dr. Joseph Warren, a doctor and man of conscience and integrity; Michael Raymond-James as Paul Revere, a veteran who wholeheartedly joins forces with Sam Adams; Rafe Spall as John Hancock, the wealthiest man in Boston; Henry Thomas as John Adams, a lawyer and the conservative, smart cousin of Sam Adams; Jason O’Mara as General George Washington; and Dean Norris as the brilliant yet mischievous diplomat Benjamin Franklin.

32 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Tuned In To What’s On

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 33

34 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 35

Marsha Hunt A life of acting and activism Story and Photo

By David Laurell

I

n the spring of 1935, a stunningly beautiful 17-year-old model left New York to pursue her dream of becoming a Hollywood actress. Once in Tinseltown, her beauty caused quite a stir, and four major studios vied to bring her into their fold. Ultimately signing a contract with Paramount Pictures, she made her film debut in “The Virginia Judge” Thus began the career of Marsha Hunt, who would go on to appear in 62 films, star on Broadway, and make uncountable radio and television appearances.

In 1939, after marrying film editor and director Jerry Hopper, Hunt left Paramount for MGM. “I never wanted to play the ingénue role,” she says. “I wanted to be stretched as an actor – which I was in the film ‘These Glamour Girls’ that I did with Lana Turner. After that film, every time MGM had a casting problem they would say: ‘Give it to Marsha.’ That made me ecstatic because I never wanted stardom – I wanted to be an actress.”

In 1943, Hunt’s marriage failed, and three years later she married television and film writer Robert Presnell Jr. – a union that lasted until his death in 1986.

When World War II broke out, Hunt became involved in the war effort. Making war-related

36 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

films, she also worked at the Hollywood Canteen that offered food, dancing and entertainment for servicemen, did war bond tours, performed a USO tour of the Artic, and even trained as a volunteer ambulance driver.

The Dream Becomes A Nightmare

While Hunt’s teenage dream had become a reality, in 1947 that dream turned into a nightmare. Having always embraced and supported liberal ideals, Hunt watched as the House Committee on Un-American Activities held hearings looking into alleged Communist propaganda and influence in the film industry. As members of the Committee for the First Amendment, she and her husband, Robert, were outraged with what they saw taking place. They joined a group of like-minded actors, directors, writers and filmmakers including John Huston, Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Bacall and Danny Kaye who traveled to Washington, D.C. to protest the actions of Congress.

When she returned to Hollywood, the studios demanded she denounce her protest activities. Hunt adamantly refused to do so – not because she was either a Communist or a Communist sympathizer, but

rather because she was a staunch believer in Democracy, freedom of speech, opinion and advocacy.

“I didn’t know anything about Communism,” says Hunt. “Didn’t know, didn’t care – it didn’t interest me. But, what I was passionate about was my belief that the United States is a free country, where you could believe what you wanted, say what you wanted, and vote the way you wanted. When Congress threatened those rights I found it to be outrageous.

So that is why we all flew to Washington, sat in on the hearings, and loudly voiced our opinions.”

Eight months after returning from Washington, Hunt’s unwillingness to denounce her activism, saw her blacklisted. Wrongly accused of being a Communist sympathizer in “Red Channels,” a booklet published by the right wing organization, Counterattack, she found herself out of work and unemployable.

With work in the film industry closed to her, she and Robert decided to travel the world where they were exposed to abject poverty in countries including India and Pakistan – a plight that had a profound impact on Hunt. When she returned home, she vowed to do all she could to help alleviate the pain and suffering she had witnessed.

Off To Broadway

While the blacklist, foisted upon the film studios and television networks by companies and corporations, made getting film work impossible for Hunt, it did not affect Broadway. Realizing that, Hunt left Hollywood for New York in the late-1940s where she co-starred in a variety of stage productions with major stars of the era including Anthony Quinn, Vincent Price and – get ready for this one – Johnny Carson!

“No one knows Johnny ever appeared on Broadway,” Hunt says with a laugh. “We did a comedy together called ‘Tunnel of Love,’ but he never wanted anyone to know about that, which is why he never invited me to be on ‘The Tonight Show.’ He knew I would have told that story.”

During her time in New York, Hunt appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine and, as the blacklist subsided, on numerous New York-based radio and television programs.

Still The Active Activist

On October 17, 2007, in celebration of her 90th birthday, Turner Classic Movies honored Hunt by showing eight of her films. The following day she received the Ambassador of Peace Award from the Woman’s Federation for World Pease in recognition of her work with the United Nations. During that event she told the Associated Press that she had lived the fullest 90 years imaginable. “I can’t think of a year that was wasted,” she said. “They were so crammed with variety and privilege and opportunity. I can’t wait for the next 10. Then I’ll look around and see if it’s worth sticking around.”

Today, now seven years into her 90s, Hunt has remained busy. In 2008 she played the part of a serial killer

d courtesy of Ma Vir gil Apger an MGM photo by

By the latter part of the 1950s, Hunt was again being offered film roles. Having been baptized into activism during her world travels, she used her celebrity status to advocate for those from poverty stricken nations and was named to the board of the United Nations Association. This led to her and Robert producing a documentary, “A Call From The Stars,” in which they enlisted their celebrity friends such as Paul Newman, Bing Crosby, Joanne Woodward, David Niven, Harry Belafonte and Jean Simmons to appear in a nationally televised special that raised awareness and donations for the U.S. Committee for Refugees, on whose board she also served. The documentary aired on February 10, 1960 in commemoration of the United Nations, “Year of the Refugee.”

Continually working through the 1980s, Hunt also served as the honorary mayor of Sherman Oaks, California from 1983 to 2001. In this role she focused on planning issues and helping teens, the homeless and those suffering in poverty and from mental illness.

She formed the Valley Mayors’ Fund for the Homeless and was instrumental in opening a much-needed homeless shelter in North Hollywood that served as a refuge for battered women and children.

rsh a Hunt

Back in Hollywood

in the film “The Grand Inquisitor,” she has produced a recording of romantic standards and published an exquisite book, “The Way We Wore – Styles of the 1930s and 40s” (Fallbrook Pub Ltd, 1993), a magnificent coffee table tome showcasing her modeling and film work and fashions accompanied by the story of her extraordinary life. She has also served on the advisory board for the San Fernando Valley Community Health Center and remains passionalty involved with causes such as global pollution, worldwide poverty and population growth.

This past year she has continued working on a project that has been in the works for quite a while – a documentary on her life, “Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity,” that is being directed by filmmaker Roger Memos. She also debuted a clip of a song she wrote 40 years ago titled “Here’s To All Who Love,” about love and same-sex marriage that was recorded by “Glee” star Bill A. Jones.

“I’m still actively involved in numerous projects and causes,” laughs Hunt. “But my main cause is to try to bring back beauty. I feel our culture has grown ugly, and that our behavior and our lives are paying the price. We lost beauty in the 1960s. I didn’t like the ‘60s because I couldn’t figure out what the young people were revolting against. They certainly had the right to rebel against the Viet Nam War – that was a mess. But besides that, if you were young in the ‘60s, you had more options and opportunities and privileges than anyone ever had in the history of this world. I think our culture was forever changed during

the ‘60s in a way that has left us starved for gentleness and tenderness and beauty. Those things are now gone from our culture, our music, our dress and our lives.”

Grateful And Blessed

While in overall good health, Hunt does suffer from macular degeneration – a condition that has slowed her down, but hasn’t gotten her down. “I have a builtin Pollyanna attitude,” she laughs. “I was born with an optimistic outlook. Yes, I have trouble seeing, but I am just glad that I can see as much as I can. I’ve had macular degeneration for over 30 years and I am happy that it moves slowly so that I can still live alone, prepare my meals, answer my mail.”

Pressed for her philosophy on living well into her 90s with such a positive attitude, Hunt says she believes one must stay active and involved in life.

“Staying engaged for me stems from being curious and concerned about my fellow man,” she says. “But I think the big thing is to be grateful – be grateful for every blessed day that dawns. There is so much to be interested in, and so much to do with each day.”

For more information on the documentary “Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity,” and learn how you can become involved in the project, click on www.gofundme.com/ctgvpg.

JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 37

38 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Let’s Get OUt A Preview of Upcoming Events for January/February By Claire Yezbak Fadden

LA/Ventura

January/February 2015

eNteRtAINMeNt THURSDAY, JANUARY 15 DOWNTOWN ON ICE Get your glide on at this holiday season at L.A.’s biggest outdoor community skating rink. Enjoy festive, free events including a holiday concert series, the Snoopy Showcase, deejay nights, a Winter Holiday Festival, championship skating exhibitions and broomball games. Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive, Los Angeles. Through Jan. 19. $9/one-hour skate session. $3 skate rental.

(213) 624-4289. pershingsquareicerink.com.

BLITHE SPIRIT Researching for his new novel, Charles Condomine invites the implausible medium Madame Arcati (Angela Lansbury) to his house for a séance. While consumed in a trance, Madame Arcati unwittingly summons the ghost of Charles’ dead wife Elvira. Appearing only to Charles, Elvira soon makes a play to reclaim her husband, much to the chagrin of Charles’ new wife, Ruth. Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre At the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Tues.-Sun. through Jan. 18. $25-$115. centertheatregroup.org.

ICE AT SANTA MONICA Ice skate in this beachside community where an 8,000-square-foot outdoor seasonal ice skating rink transforms the corner of Fifth St. and Arizona Ave. A smaller rink for kids, 5 and under. 1324 Fifth St., Santa Monica.

Through Jan. 19. $15. (310)461-8333. downtownsm.com/ice.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 AN IDEAL HUSBAND Sir Robert Chiltern, a brilliant politician and perfect gentleman, can do no wrong in the eyes of his charming wife Lady Chiltern. But when the calculating Mrs. Cheveley appears on the scene, Sir Robert’s marriage, reputation and promising career are put at risk. Kentwood Players, Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., Westchester. Fri.-Sun. through Feb. 14. $20-$25. 310-645-5156. kentwoodplayers.org.

COLLIN RAYE One of the true hit makers of the 1990s country artist Collin Raye still continues to crank out soulful, heartfelt material with the honesty and richness that is signature to his vocals alone. Pepperdine University, Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. $25-plus. arts.pepperdine.edu.

TOWER OF POWER One of those rare bands, Tower Of Power is the real deal, 100 proof, aged-to-perfection, ground zero soul. The Canyon, 28912 Roadside Dr., Agoura Hills. $39-$78. (818) 879-5016. canyonclub.net.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22

SHEN YUN 2015

As a gong strikes, sounds from 5,000-year-old Chinese instruments rise to blend with a 40-piece Western orchestra. Sixty dancers take the stage in front of a 30-foot tall video backdrop as audiences embark on an adventure to long-ago dynasties through this all-new, enchanting spectacular. Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun 2015 weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends and modern heroic tales, taking the audience on a journey through Chinese culture. Dolby Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Also Jan. 23-25. Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. Jan. 27-28. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Jan. 29-Feb. 1. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Feb. 3-4. Terrace Theater, 300 E Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Feb.7-8. $50-$200. (800) 880-0188. shenyun.com/la.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17 ALL-AMERICAN GIRL Who will save the children? Playwright Wendy Graf explores the journey of an “all-American girl” as she develops from innocent youth to terrorist bomber. The Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Los Angeles.

Fri-Sun. through Feb. 22. $15-$20. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com.

DON RICKLES Since the ‘60s, Don Rickles has been the one of the world’s funniest comedians, earning the nicknames “The Merchant of Venom” and “Mr. Warmth.” His style of humor pokes fun at people of all ethnicities and walks of life. Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. $59-$138. (888) 645-5006. sabantheatre.org.

CREATING AN ORGANIC GARDEN A three-week workshop led by horticulturist and radio personality Mike

Brown. Each session includes a lecture and hands-on practice. Learn about composting, soil preparation, choosing plants and designing a sustainable garden. Bring gardening gloves. Descanso Gardens, Center Circle 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Three classes. $20per class/$55 for series. (818) 9494200. descansogardens.org.

TOMMY TUNE: TAPS, TUNES AND TALL TALES Known as one of the most prolific director/ choreographers of the 20th century, Tommy Tune has enchanted audiences over the past 50 years with his charisma, vision and innovation. Backed up by the multi-talented Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Tune takes the audience on an autobiographical stroll, from his arrival in New York City, through his most popular roles on stage and screen. Pepperdine University, Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. $27-plus. arts.pepperdine.edu.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 ANNA CHRISTIE Real-life father and daughter Jeff and Zoe Perry, star as a sailor and the daughter he has not seen for almost 20 years in Eugene O’Neill’s 1922 Pulitzer Prize winner. This surprisingly contemporary classic crackles with fierce physicality, humor and drama.

Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Dates vary through March 8. $30-$34. (310) 477-2055 x2. odysseytheatre.com.

WESTERN MUSIC ASSOCIATION JAM Musicians and cowboy poets perform stories and songs of the romantic days of the Old West, contemporary music of the American West and songs of the open range and the American cowboy. The Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, Los Angeles. $6-$10.

(323) 667-2000. theautry.org.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 39

CALENDAR

January/February 2015 LA/Ventura SATURDAY, JANUARY 24 SNOW DAYS AT THE L.A. ZOO The wintery fun features a rare opportunity to watch inquisitive animals exploring snowy wonderlands in their habitats and more. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Griffith Park, 5333 Zoo Dr., Los Angeles.

Also Jan. 25. $16-$19. (323) 644-6042. lazoo.org.

UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN Forget drums, pianos, backing tracks, or electronic trickery – it’s just catchy, foot-

storm illuminates what’s left of a once majestic plantation home, three Jewish men prepare for Passover—the owner’s son, and his family’s former slaves. Only one of them, Simon, remains strong in his faith, but it is threatened with truths about what happened in this house—and in their lives—during its antebellum days.

Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Tues.-Sun. through March 1. $30-$75. (626) 356-7529. pasadenaplayhouse.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS First Baptist Church of Glendale, 209 N. Louise St., Glendale. Free. (818) 242-2113. glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6

stomping tunes on ukuleles. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. Also Jan. 25. $30-$65. (562) 467-8818. cerritoscenter.com.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24

DAME EDNA’S GLORIOUS GOODBYE

In a side-splitting, historic finale, Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) is capping a spectacular career spanning 50 years of bravura showmanship in this celebratory show. Surrounded by spectacular sets and gorgeous, talented dancers, Dame Edna keeps her audience enthralled with her sparkling wit, mischievous wisdom and razor-sharp banter. With her take-no-prisoners comedy and hijinks, you can be certain Dame Edna is not going out with a whimper. Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, 135 North Grand Ave., Los Angeles through March 15. $55-$115. centertheatregroup.org.

ROCKIN’ AT THE BEACH Starring Frankie Avalon and the Jan and Dean Show featuring Dean Torrence and the Surf City All Stars. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. $45-$75. (562) 467-8818. cerritoscenter.com.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS Carole Mukogawa. Viola solo recital.

First Baptist Church of Glendale, 209 N. Louise St., Glendale. Free. (818) 242-2113. glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 MUTANT OLIVE Mitch Hara offers up tales of a soul-sucking childhood, monstrous substance abuse, rampant sex, crashed cars, an out of body experience and a black cape — all during the course of an audition for “Death of a Salesman.” Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa

40 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thurs.-Sat. through Feb. 28. $25. (323)960-7861. plays411.com/mutant

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 SOUTHWEST ARTS FESTIVAL Featuring traditional, contemporary and abstract fine works of art by more than 250 acclaimed artists. Includes clay, drawing, glass, jewelry, metal works, painting, photography, sculpture and textile. Empire Polo Club, 81-800 Avenue 51, Indio. Also Jan. 24-25. $8-$12. (760) 347-0676. southwestartsfest.com.

COMPANY Stephen Sondheim’s score is packed with some of his best-known tunes. This honest and witty look at love and relationships is as contemporary as ever. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Scherr Forum Theatre, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

Through Feb. 8. $40-$55. (805) 449-2787. civicartsplaza.com.

REBORNING A young artist who crafts custom made dolls begins to suspect that a demanding client may be the mother who abandoned her at birth. As she tries to unravel the mystery, she discovers the path to her own “reborning.” The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles. Thurs.-Sun. through March 15. $20-$34. (323) 6631525. fountaintheatre.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27 VENTURA BLUEGRASS JAMS Milano’s Italian Restaurant, Patio, Ventura Harbor Village, 1559 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura.

(805) 658-0388. milanositalianrestaurant. com.

FEBRUARY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 THE NIGHT ALIVE Tommy owes more than he earns. When he is unexpectedly compelled to help Aimee, a young woman with much harder luck than his own, the taste of turmoil he suffers becomes a full-blown meal. With his trademark humor and humanity, Conor McPherson makes Phoenix Park, Dublin a place where anyone can rise from the ashes. Gil Cates Theater, Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles. Tues-.

Sun. through March 15. $39-$79. (310) 2085454. geffenplayhouse.com.

THE WHIPPING MAN The Civil War has ended, leaving destruction in its wake. As a raging

MAMA MIA A feel-good tale about a mother, a daughter and the daughter’s quest to uncover the true identity of her father. Set on the idyllic Greek islands, the musical features ABBA’s timeless songs. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. Also Feb. 7. $50-$70. (562) 4678818. cerritoscenter.com.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7 AMERICAN BUFFALO Three small-time crooks plan to rob a man of his valuable coin collection, including what they believe to be an extremely valuable Buffalo nickel. A little out of luck and way out of their league when the con goes awry, it’s every man for himself in this modern classic that weaves humor and menace throughout an emotionally charged struggle for identity and dominance. Mature audiences. Deaf West Theatre co-produces with CSULA. State Playhouse, 5151 State University Dr. Los Angeles. Thurs.-Sun. through March 15.

(818) 762-2998. deafwest.org.

NEIL SEDAKA Singer. Songwriter. Composer. Pianist.

Author. Just a few of the titles that can be used to describe Neil Sedaka.

His impressive 50-year career includes many hits, like “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,” “Calendar Girl,” “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” and “Laughter In The Rain.” Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. $68-$98. (888) 6455006. sabantheatre.org.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 FREE FIRST SUNDAY Free admission to the Museum of Ventura County including its galleries and any special events. Museum of Ventura County, 100 East Main St., Ventura. First Sunday of each month. (805) 653-0323. venturamuseum.org.

CALENDAR

January/February 2015 LA/Ventura TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 VENTURA BLUEGRASS JAMS Milano’s Italian Restaurant, Patio, Ventura Harbor Village, 1559 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura. (805) 658-0388. milanositalianrestaurant.com.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 STOMP The musical theatre event of the ‘90s features a talented ensemble of dancer/ musicians beating out a spell-binding rhythm on everything from brooms and industrial size trash cans to cigarette lighters. thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Fred Kavli Theatre, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Also Feb. 12. $54$64. (805) 449-2787. civicartsplaza.com.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12 DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ART WALK This self-guided, public art walk brings art lovers and community friends together in downtown Los Angeles. 411 S. Main St., between Second and Ninth Streets, Los Angeles. Free. downtownartwalk.org.

PATTI LUPONE In “Coulda Woulda Shoulda…Played That Part,” LuPone performs the songs from roles in musicals that she could have played, would have played or should have played, along with those that she did play or will play. Included in the program are songs from “Hair,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Gypsy” and “Evita.”

Bram Goldsmith Theater, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. Also Feb. 13. $39-$89. (310) 746-4000. thewallis.org.

EXHIBITIONS SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 ARMIN HANSEN: THE ARTFUL VOYAGE In the West, Hansen became the first to realize the potential beauty of commercial fishing, and he chose the theme in large part because he knew it well from firsthand experience. His vibrant, blustery scenes of the sea communicate broadly the impact of hardship and physical labor and the importance of bravery. Pasadena Museum of Art, 490 East Union Street, Pasadena.

Through May 31. $5-$7. Wed.-Sun. (626) 568-3665. pmcaonline.org.

GRANDES MAESTROS Great Masters of Iberoamerican Folk Art, Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex.

A showcase of more than 1,200 works: colorful masks, intricate textiles, handcarved miniature sculptures, yarn paintings, clay animals, religious and political altarpieces — associated with daily use or ritual purpose, and immersed in the traditions and identity of Iberoamérica.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Gem Vault, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. Through Sept. 13. $9-$12.

(213) 763-3466. nhm.org.

LYNN FOGEL Initially Fogel only painted in the Plein Air format, but now she paints indoors, allowing her to put thought, refinement and her own imagination into her works.

Influenced by several artists including Edward Hopper and Van Gogh, Fogel paints primarily in oils which allows for their thick textures. Using her artistic license, she enhances colors to create more vibrancy than what might be seen in reality. Gardens of the World, 2001 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Through Jan 25. (805) 557-1135. gardensoftheworld.info.

LIGHT AND NOIR Exiles and Émigrés in Hollywood, 1933–1950. The birth of Hollywood is a Jewish and an American story alike. It is a story of immigration and innovation, beginning with the handful of visionary émigrés who founded the American film industry in the early twentieth century.

Less widely known are the stories of the German-speaking actors, directors, writers, and composers—many of them Jewish—who fled Nazi persecution in Europe and went on to shape Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” This exhibition pays tribute to their lives and work, revealing the profound ways that the émigré experience left a mark on American movie-making. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.

Tues.-Sun. through March 1. $7-$10.

(310) 440-4500. skirball.org.

DONNA SUMMER: FOUR SEASONS OF LOVE Donna Summer rocketed to international superstardom in the mid-1970s with her groundbreaking merger of rhythm and blues, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco and avant-garde electronica catapulted.

The display from the first exhibition highlighting the legendary “Queen of Disco,” includes gowns, costumes and set designs sketches designed by Summer, written lyrics and notes as well as photographs spanning Summer’s entire career. Maintaining an unbroken string of hits throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, most of which she wrote, Summer holds the record for most consecutive double albums to hit number one on the Billboard charts. The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live, Fourth Floor, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. Through Spring 2015. $12-$13.

(213) 765-6803. grammymuseum.org.

BRUCE DAVIDSON/PAUL CAPONIGRO Two American Photographers in Britain and Ireland. The exhibition features approximately 150 works by the photographers to examine the work of two master photographers as they trained American eyes on enduring landscapes and changing cultural scenes. Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens, MaryLou and George Boone Gallery, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Through March 9. $12-$15. (626) 405-2100. huntington.org.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29

INTELLIGENCE-SLAVE

This deeply moving drama by Kenneth Lin reveals the story of Curt Herzstark, an Austrian industrialist and concentration camp prisoner. Sent by the Nazis at the end of the War to an underground salt mine, Herzstark begins experimenting with a device that would become one of the most significant inventions of the 20th century: the hand-held calculator. Starring Dakin Matthews and Josh Stamberg.

L.A. Theatre Works at the James Bridges Theater, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, 235 Charles E. Young Dr., Los Angeles. Through Feb. 1. $15-$60.

(310) 827-0889. latw.org.

KIM STRINGFELLOW’S JACKRABBIT HOMESTEAD Through photography and audio interviews, this exhibition details how the desire to flee the urban sprawl of Los Angeles and stake a claim in the fierce California desert resulted in both a collection of derelict cabins in the 1950s and the reclamation of the land for a burgeoning artistic community today. The exhibition also explores issues of land use and ecology that continue to complicate the settlement of the arid West. The exhibition also explores the commercial promotion of homesteading alongside the reality of life in the desert through primary sources including vintage magazines and audio interviews with area residents.

The Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, Los Angeles.

Through Aug. 23. $6-$10. (323) 667-2000. theautry.org.

PRIDE AND JOY The Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the 1980s and bridged the gap between blues and rock like no other

artist had since the late 1960s. His tragic death in 1990 at age 35 cut short a brilliant career in blues and American rock ‘n’ roll, just as he was on the brink of superstardom.

Exhibition includes: several guitars, including Vaughan’s “Number One” Fender Stratocaster, early family photographs, original stage outfits, including Vaughan’s famous Indian headdress and handwritten lyrics. The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live, Fourth Floor, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. Through July 2015. $12-$13. (213) 765-6803. grammymuseum.org.

Get the Word Out. E-mail your announcements to Claire Fadden, cfadden@lifeafter50.com.

Include a brief description, location, date, time, cost, phone and website. Submission does not guarantee publication. Deadline for the February/March calendar is January 2.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 41

42 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Rick Steves’ Travels Your green will go further during Europe’s gray days of winter

By Rick Steves

E

ach summer, Europeans welcome a stampede of American tourists, sightseers and shoppers with eager cash registers hungry for the dollars they will be leaving behind. And so, as we celebrate this first month of the year, let me offer some New Year’s advice: Before jumping into the European peakseason pile-on, consider the advantages of making an off-season trip.

Given the current weakness of our dollar overseas, the potential price-savings of an off-season trip are enough to brighten even the grayest of winter days. Airfares are often hundreds of dollars less, and with fewer crowds vying for lodging, many fine hotels drop their prices and budget hotels have plenty of vacancies.

Note that while tourist-oriented places may be cheaper in the off-season, the opposite is true of big city business centers (especially Brussels and the Scandinavian capitals), which are busiest and most expensive in the off-season.

For many travelers, “shoulder season” – April, May, early June, September, and early October – offers the best mix of peak-season and off-season pros and cons. In shoulder season, you’ll enjoy decent weather, long days, fewer crowds, and a local tourist industry that is still eager to please and entertain.

Outside of peak-season – from November through March – adventurers can loiter alone through Leonardo da Vinci’s home, ponder un-pestered in Rome’s Forum, kick up undisturbed sand on empty beaches, and chat with laid-back guards by log fires in French châteaux. In wintertime Venice, you can be alone

atop St. Mark’s bell tower watching the clouds of your breath roll over the Byzantine domes of the church and a horizon of cut-glass Alps.

Without the crowds, you can enjoy step-rightup service at tourist offices and experience a more “European” Europe. Although many popular tourist-oriented parks, shows, and tours will be closed, off-season is in-season for the high culture: plays and operas are in their crowd-pleasing glory.

For instance, in Vienna, while the Boys Choir, opera and Spanish Riding School are scarce in the summer, all have a busy schedule of performances through the rest of the year.

Europe’s major cities crackle with energy yearround. In London, you can spend your days at the British Museum and National Gallery, and your nights at a cozy pub or a world-class play. In Paris – the City of Light that always sparkles – you can get face-toface with Mona’s sly-smile at the Louvre and then scale the Eiffel Tower without a wait. In Florence, you’ll see Renaissance paintings and Michelangelo’s David without fighting peak-season crowds.

But winter travel does have its drawbacks.

Because much of Europe is in Canadian latitudes, the days are short. It’s dark by 5 p.m. The weather can be miserable – cold, windy, and drizzly – and then turn worse. But just as summer can have its wet and gray days, winter can be crisp and blue, and even into mid-November, hillsides blaze with colorful leaves.

To thrive in the winter, you’ll need to get the most out of your limited daylight hours.

Start early and eat a quick lunch. Tourist offices close early, so call ahead to check

hours and confirm your plans. Pack for the cold and wet – layers, rainproof parka, gloves, wool hat, long johns, waterproof shoes, and an umbrella. Use undershirts to limit the washing of slow-drying heavy shirts. Dress warmly. Cold weather is colder when you’re outdoors trying to enjoy yourself all day long, and some hotels are not always adequately heated in the off-season.

Off-season hours are limited. Tourist information offices normally stay open year-round but have shorter hours in the winter. While most sights stay open through the winter, they typically operate on shorter schedules (such as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. rather than 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.), with darkness often determining the closing time. Winter sightseeing is fine in big cities that bustle year-round, but it’s more frustrating in small tourist towns, which often close down entirely. You’ll also find many beach resorts are shut up as tight as canned hams.

While Europe’s wonderful outdoor evening ambience survives year-round in the south, wintertime streets are empty in the north after dark.

English-language tours, common in the summer, are rare during the off-season, when most visitors are natives. Another disadvantage of winter travel is loneliness. The solo traveler won’t have the builtin camaraderie of other travelers that you would find in peak season. Still, this can be a plus, since it encourages you to really connect with the locals.

Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and radio.

You can e-mail him at rick@ricksteves.com and visit his website at www.ricksteves.com.

JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 43

44 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 45

And Finally...

The Bookworm’s Best A Life After 50 book review

by Terri “The Bookworm” Schlichenmeyer

Identity Theft Alert

By Steve Weisman

Y

our credit card was declined.

Such an annoyance. You paid your bill, the expiration date was right, your signature was on the back, and it should’ve worked.

Eventually it did, much to your relief, but that made you think: Is your credit report, your privacy, your identity safe from criminals? Find out if it is – and what you can do to keep it safe – by reading “Identity Theft Alert” by Steve Weisman.

Hacking and spamming and theft – oh, my! Every time you hear another report of credit information being breached (and the attendant hassle involved), it might seem like thieves are everywhere these days – and that suspicion might not be so wrong.

“Identity theft is one of the most pervasive and insidious crimes of today,” Weisman says. In fact, more than 12 million people became victims last year.

So what can you do to avoid joining them? Weisman lists the ways…

Online, use strong passwords and encryption and beware of sites you visit. Never open a link in an e-mail unless you’re certain it’s “legitimate,” and have your antivirus program up-to-date at all times. By the way, Mac users shouldn’t feel safe anymore; hackers are purposely creating Mac viruses now.

Also, be cautious when clicking on links you see online. “Curiosity killed the cat,” says Weisman. “Let the cat live.”

When answering the phone, remember that your bank will not ask for your debit card number or PIN. Neither will the FBI or the IRS; the general rule of thumb is not to release any personal information unless you initiated the call.

That’s especially true if the person on the other end of the line seems to only have half of your information. Chances are they’re only waiting for you to get flustered and fill in the rest.

Monitor your credit rating and your monthly bills with eagle-eyes. Keep those eyes on your credit card as much as possible when it’s not in your possession. Know where the safest ATMs sit and why you should never use public copiers for important document duplication. And finally, remember that it’s almost impossible to guarantee complete safety of your identity – even after you’re dead.

Though it sometimes seems a little sensational and leans toward repetitiveness, I found the information in “Identity Theft Alert” to be overwhelmingly good. Part of the reason for that is, while you’ve been warned at great length about identity safety, Weisman offers tips I doubt the average person would generally consider. He is, after all, an expert in this category – something you’ll notice, once you get past the commonsensical and into the quieter threats that exist.

It’s also helpful that Weisman doesn’t assume anything about his readers. Instead, his advice is methodical and simple to understand. The info is especially seniorfriendly, although beware that the print size isn’t.

I think this is a great book to read and refer to often. Buy “Identity Theft Alert,” highlight it, flag it, heed it, and you may avoid the worst during this season, when last month’s gift-buying bills start rolling in. Why would you decline?

“Identity Theft Alert” by Steve Weisman, 2014, FT Press, $16.99, 174 pages The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer who lives on a hill with two dogs and more than 12,000 books. You can read all of Terri’s book reviews, updated weekly, at www.lifeafter50.com. Just click on “Entertainment” and then “Book Reviews.”

Just A Thought Before We Go

A Look Back

T

Photo by Flip Minott

his month marks a half-century since the New York Jets signed University of Alabama quarterback Joe Namath. A first-round selection by both the National Football League’s St. Louis Cardinals and the upstart American Football League’s Jets, Namath opted for the Jets, lured by a then-record salary of $427,000. Tagged with the nickname “Broadway Joe” by a teammate following his appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated, in uniform, standing in Times Square, the flashy Namath became known for his onfield passing prowess and white shoes and off-field fur jackets, enjoyment of the company of beautiful ladies, and endorsements of clothing and food items, cologne, shaving cream and, most famously, pantyhose. He went on to became the first quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season and led the 1968 Jets to Super Bowl III in which he “guaranteed” and delivered a win over the favored Baltimore Colts. That game, credited for establishing the AFL, saw Namath named Super Bowl III’s Most Valuable Player. Following his 1977 retirement, Namath worked as a sports commentator and actor and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 2006, at the urging of his daughter, Jessica, Namath enrolled in the University of Alabama’s External Degree program and completed the 15 credits he needed to earn his B.A. degree. Today, at the age of 71, Namath is a grandfather who continues to work in various business ventures and as a celebrity spokesman.

46 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt, and fear, To love and laugh and give!” ~ William Arthur Ward

ORANGE COUNTY JANUARY 2015

southern california

lifeafter50.com

The King of Conversation

Connect to your passion and live your dream in 2015 Make your New Year’s weight-loss resolution a reality Marsha Hunt – A life of acting and activism

CONTENTS

January 2015

14

22

Cover Profile

14 The King Of Conversation – Dick Cavett

Features

36 Departments 06 50-Plus: What You Need to Know

A quick look at things 50-plusers should be aware of.

22 Follow Your Goosebumps To Your Next Evolution

10 It’s The Law

26 Winning The War Against Weight In 2015

32 Tuned In To What’s On

29 The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables – The Marx Brothers

39 Let’s Get Out

Make 2015 the year you connect to your passion and dreams.

Making your weight-loss resolution a weight-loss reality.

Legendary notables everyone, of every age, must know.

36 The Look Of Life After 50 – Marsha Hunt A life of acting and activism.

Cover photo by Keith Munyan / www.keithmunyan.com

46

Mitchell A. Karasov on combating sibling strife.

The best in January television viewing.

Looking to get out and about? Our January/February calendar has some great suggestions.

43 Rick Steves’ Travels

Your green goes further in Europe during the gray days of winter.

46 And Finally…The Bookworm’s Best, A Look Back and Just A Thought Before We Go A book suggestion, memory, and a little something to leave you with.

All material published within this issue of Life After 50 and on www.lifeafte50.com is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. No individual, advice, product or service is in any way endorsed by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. or provided as a substitute for the reader’s seeking of individualized professional advice or instruction. Readers should seek the advice of qualified professional on any matter regarding an individual, advice, recommendations, services or products covered within this issue. All information and material is provided to readers with the understanding that it comes from various sources from which there is no warranty or responsibility by Life After 50 or Southland Publishing, Inc. as to its or their legality, completeness or technical accuracy.

JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 3

Editor’s Note...

Yes, Mr. Cavett, It Is, In Fact, Wonderful!

T

he people we look up to – our heroes and inspirations – play such significant roles in our lives.

That has certainly been the case for me. Throughout my life, I have been blessed to have crossed paths with many individuals who, each in their own way, represent a piece in the puzzle of who I am.

While I owe a debt of gratitude to many, there are three men who will always stand at the top. At the pinnacle is a man from Western Pennsylvania by the name of Joe Namath who, since I was a kid, has taught me so many life lessons, such as always standing up for what I believe is right, and we all need one another, because life is a team sport. I am a far better person, in so many ways, because Joe has been, and is, a part of my life.

Also at the top of my list is the late Arthur Gordon, a writer from Savannah, Georgia who inspired me to pursue a career as a wordsmith. Gordon once advised me: “Be a storyteller and always strive to tell each story with emotional impact.”

Rounding out that trio is the Nebraskan who graces our cover – Dick Cavett.

I have been a devout Cavettphile since my mid-teens and have learned so many things from him, including pointers on how to conduct an interview. Simply put, I wouldn’t be doing what I do had it not been for watching him and thinking that talking to people who have made a significant impact on the world would be a pretty good way to make a living.

For a long time, I harbored a level of frustration that I was incapable of properly expressing to those three men how much they mean to me. In preparing for this issue, I shared that feeling with Cavett and asked if he ever felt

Advertising Director/Associate Publisher Valarie Anderson Editor-in-Chief David Laurell Associate Editors Steve Stoliar Claire Yezbak Fadden Art Director Kent Bancroft Editorial Assistants Max Andrews Marie Giusto Blauvelt

the same toward those he idolized.

“I have always wished I had an original way of expressing to some people what they have meant to me,” Cavett told me. “That would be wonderful.”

If someone such as Dick Cavett hasn’t figured out an original way to relay that information, then I guess it’s hopeless for me; although, I have tried my best and, because of the specialness of the big three who serve as my heroes, do feel that my frustrations have been alleviated somewhat. A handwritten note from Gordon that hangs in my office expresses his gratitude to me for my admiration, calling it “the fuel he runs on.” Nothing means more to me when I tell Namath I love him and he returns the sentiment. As for Cavett, I just know that I know he gets it, because we are kindred spirts when it comes to harboring great appreciation for those we admire. Having had the opportunity to personally express my gratitude to those three gents, and feeling that I have found some sort of original way to get my sentiment through, means as much to me as they do. It is, as Cavett says: “Wonderful!”

David Laurell, Editor-in-Chief

Account Executives Los Angeles/South Bay: Jackie Kooper Jackiek@lifeafter50.com Orange County: Herb Wetenkamp Herbw@lifeafter50.com San Diego County National Accounts: Phil Mendelson Phil@lifeafter50.com Ad Coordinator, Travel Landra DeLoach Landra@lifeafter50.cm VP Of Finance Michael T. Nagami Human Resources Andrea E. Baker Business Manager Linda Lam Billing Supervisor Kacie Sturek VP Of Operations David Comden

For advertising/distribution inquiries contact: Valarie Anderson (310) 822-1629 x 121, valarie@lifeafter50.com

To contact our editorial department: (818) 563-1007 davidl@lifeafter50.com 5355 Mcconnell Ave LA CA 90066 Valarie Anderson Valarie@lifeafter50.com 310 822-1629 x 121 Follow us on Facebook ©2015 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved

4 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 5

50

Traveling Is In The Forecast

A

Plus

What You Need To Know

By Claire Yezbak Fadden and Max Andrews

ccording to a new report on trends among travelers aged 50 and older conducted by the AARP, American boomers say they plan to take four to five trips in 2015. The report showed European and tropical destinations emerged as the most popular, with Italy and Great Britain tying for the top spot, followed by France.

Florida, California, Texas and NewYork topped the list for the most popular domestic destinations.

Other findings showed that nearly all of the respondents plan on taking at least one domestic trip this year, with 28 percent saying they will do so alone.

A Musical Force For Peace

S

ingers Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers began performing and recording just as America was entering one of its most dramatic periods of social and political change. With music being one of the great forces to bring people together, Americans united in unprecedented ways to try to create a more just and peaceful society. Folk music, with its ability to reach people’s hearts, became the soundtrack of this remarkable quest, and Peter, Paul, and Mary became three of the standard-bearers of America’s new hopes and dreams.

In their recently released book, “Peter, Paul and Mary: Fifty Years of Music and Life” (Imagine/ Charlesbridge, 2014) by Yarrow, Stookey and the late Travers, who died in 2009, the trio visually shares their story with stirring images. Thousands of photographs, many rare and never before published, taken over five decades by some of the world’s top photographers, show Peter, Paul and Mary at their earliest performances in the 1960s. The book includes photos of them at the historic 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr., appearing before half a million people in 1969 to call for an end to the Vietnam War, and singing at the Hollywood Bowl for 1978’s Survival Sunday that launched the anti-nukes movement – the world’s first international environmental movement.

Fifty Candles

F

ifty years ago this month, President Lyndon Baines Johnson gave his “Great Society” State of the Union Address; the musical variety show “Hullabaloo” premiered on NBC; and U.S. marshals arrested 18 men, including the sheriff and deputy sheriff of Mississippi’s Neshoba County, for the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers. Notable personalities born in January 1965 who are celebrating their 50th birthday this month include actresses Diane Lane and Julia Ormond, actor Alan Cumming, political analyst Mark Halperin, rhythm and blues disc jockey DJ Jazzy Jeff, playwright Peter Sagal and professional wrestler Mike Awesome.

6 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Gazing At The Crystal Ball For 2015 Housing

T

he outlook on the housing market is bright according to www.realtor.com chief economist Jonathan Smoke. With an accelerating economic recovery fueling job and income growth, Smoke says 2015 prospects are good for homeowners, sellers, and would-be home buyers.

The flip side of the improving economy is that mortgage rates will inevitably head upward again.

The Federal Reserve has indicated it will increase the federal funds rate – which has an indirect but significant effect on mortgage rates – next year.

Although the Fed might wait as late as early 2016, Smoke believes the increase will come in mid-2015.

“Our forecast for housing assumes the 30-year fixed rate will reach five percent by the end of 2015,” says Smoke.

Gazing into his crystal ball Smoke also foresees the children of the baby boomers finally entering the housing market. “About 65 percent of first-time home buyers will be 25 to 34, [but] with continuing tough credit-qualification standards and limited credit history, they are expected to buy more in affordable areas in the Midwest and the South.”

Smoke also predicts new housing construction will pick up in 2015 as the nation will close out the foreclosure crisis.

A Little More You Need To Know

Where You Need To Go Catch Cavett As Cavett In “Hellman V. McCarthy”

I

f you never had the opportunity to attend a taping of “The Dick Cavett Show” here’s your chance to do so – sort of – as the Los Angeles-based Theatre 40 will stage “Hellman v. McCarthy” starring Cavett as himself throughout February.

Back in 1979, during the run of his PBS show, Cavett, who became legendary for inviting the literati of the era to be his guests, played host to author and critic Mary McCarthy. During the show, McCarthy made disparaging remarks about her longtime nemasisis, dramatist and screenwriter Lillian Hellman. Constantly bickering contemporaries since the 1930s due to their strong ideological differences, McCarthy used the Cavett show to call Hellman a “dishonest” writer. Asked by her host to elaborate on that harsh judgment, McCarthy said: “Every word [Hellman] writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’ ” Hellman, incensed by McCarthy’s accusation, filed a $2.5 million libel suit against her, Cavett and his production company, and the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET).

This feud and legal battle became the basis for two plays, Nora Ephron’s “Imaginary Friends” and Brian Richard Mori’s “Hellman v. McCarthy.” Mori’s drama, which explores the impact the fracas had on the duo’s respective legacies, includes scenes in which the warring writers confront one another on Cavett’s show (a fictionalization; although both appeared separately on his program).

The play, directed by prolific television director Howard Storm, will debut at the Reuben Cordova Theatre located at 241 S. Moreno Drive in Beverly Hills, on February 6 and run through the 28th.

Tickets are $34.75, except for a February 8 fundraiser performance, when a portion of the proceeds of the $100 tickets will benefit the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild and Theatre 40. There will also be a special final performance and reception on March 1 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Tickets for that one performance will be available through Ticketmaster.

For more information and tickets call (310) 364-3606 or click on www.theatre40.org.

New Words

The Most Important Thing To Know This Month

A

ccording to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year, and weight-related resolutions top the list.

Unfortunately, only about eight percent achieve any type of success.

If you’ve made (and then broken) the same old resolutions each January, you’re not alone and it might be time to focus on approaches to get healthier that actually work. The Wheat Foods Council recommends:

Eat Breakfast: People who eat breakfast

tend to take in more nutrients, are more alert, can concentrate better, and may even have better success with weight management. Get yourself off to a strong start by combining protein, carbohydrates and low-fat dairy. Some possibilities: whole-grain cereal and a highprotein yogurt, an English muffin with peanut butter or an egg sandwich with fruit and yogurt.

Make Fiber a Priority: Fiber, found in

Y

whole-grain wheat, barley, corn and oats, as well as in fruits, vegetables and beans, helps keep things moving easily through the digestive tract.

Fiber is also filling, providing volume with few calories.

First World Problem: A cause of frustration or dissatisfaction regarded as trivial, arising from living in a wealthy, industrialized nation.

Move It: Walk, dance, work in the garden or ride your bike to run errands.

Group Hug: Three or more people embracing each other in a show of provide support or to express solidarity.

Keep track of progress by writing in a journal.

Note things such as how you feel before and after meals and exercise.

ou might not find them in a dictionary yet, but they’re a part of the everyday American vocabulary. Here’s what they mean.

Vape: To inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette, a personal vaporizer or electronic nicotine delivery system.

Schedule and Track Your Progress:

The Bottom Line: Eat when you are hungry,

strive for moderation and move more to feel good.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 7

8 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 9

It’s the Law Mitchell A. Karasov

Mitchell A. Karasov, Esq. has offices in Los Angeles, Ventura County and the Coachella Valley. He specializes in elder law with emphasis in estate planning, Medi-Cal eligibility, trust administration, probate, conservatorships of person or estate, estate and trust litigation and financial abuse litigation. For more information click on www.karasovelderlaw.com or call (818) 508-7192.

Is a professional conservator the answer to sibling strife?

Q

My sister and I were named as co-powers of attorney for healthcare and financial management for our 89-yearold father. That probably wasn’t the best decision made by our father, because we don’t get along at all and she is not good with money. To make matters worse, the power of attorney for finances was written so either of us could act on our own. Taking advantage of that fact, my sister went ahead and sold some of our dad’s stocks, even though I told her in advance that selling it would not be a good financial move. Our dad’s financial advisor and CPA also agreed with my feeling that selling those stocks was not a good idea at that time. The CPA now says we’re going to be hit with a big capital gains tax issue because of it. She insists that it was the right decision, because she thinks the bottom will fall out of the market. We didn’t need the cash. I think she was just worried about her own inheritance taking a hit if the market dropped. I wasn’t counting on taking her off as the co-power of attorney, because my father can’t sign a new power of attorney; however she filed a court suit to remove me of my duty. A friend recommended that we should both move on and let a professional conservator be named by the court do the job. It sounds expensive and I don’t know why it would be necessary when I’m capable of doing it myself.

A

See our digital issue at

.com 10 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

I don’t think you necessarily need a professional conservator to take over the management of your dad’s finances. It sounds like not only are you capable, but you are authorized to seek the advice of professionals, like the CPA and financial advisor. However, I would suggest that you apply to be your dad’s conservator over his finances and healthcare. This is because, even if you are successful at suspending your sister as his financial power of attorney on the document, it might create confusion with the financial institutions. Also, a suspension doesn’t preclude her from having your dad sign a new power of attorney that doesn’t name you as his financial agent and instead only installs her as his agent. Even if he’s too impaired to sign, I’ve had to go to court many times to undo estate plans created by someone with mild to advanced dementia. If you’re worried that your sister is going to micromanage your every decision and make impulsive decisions of her own, then you can be reassured that the court can review major decisions such as selling real estate. You can also ask the court for approval of any financial transactions. Even if your sister opposes your appointment as conservator of estate and person and petitions for a professional conservator, I would still try to avoid the ongoing cost of having a professional conservator and their attorney. Sometimes it makes more economic sense to incur the upfront legal fees to get yourself appointed as conservator than it would be to have the ongoing cost of a professional conservator’s legal fees.

Also, with a professional conservator, you need to factor in the loss of control to a third party. Since your dad named you and your sister as coagents, I’m wondering if he also named you as co-agents on his will. That may be something else you want to fix in a conservatorship. I wish you and your family all the best.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 11

12 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 13

ªCover Profile ª

The Life After 50 Show with our special guest, the king of conversation…

Hosted by Life After 50 Editor-in-Chief David Laurell Photos by Keith Munyan / www.keithmunyan.com

D

avid Laurell (DL): We are honored to have a very special guest – a man who is no stranger to talk shows. He’s a former writer for Jack Paar and Johnny Carson who became the star of the 1968 ABC show “This Morning.” That show evolved into “The Dick Cavett Show,” which ran in various iterations on ABC, CBS, PBS, the USA Network, CNBC and TCM through 2007. While Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson stand as the founding fathers of the talk show, our guest rounds out that pantheon for bringing his viewers some of the most celebrated, controversial and colossal conversationalists of the 20th century. Erudite, urbane, intellectual and witty – with just the right touch of Midwestern likeability and straightforwardness – it was with those attributes he not only lured the biggest names – the “ungettables” – to take the seat next to his, but also attracted a loyal audience of viewers who were transfixed with his ability to engage his guests in genuine conversation. Along with Marlon Brando, Groucho Marx, Katharine Hepburn, Noel Coward, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he cajoled and confronted individuals from all walks of life in ways that led to classic tête-à-têtes between guests and host. It was this kind of television that oftimes saw his show make national headlines, have guests walk off in a huff, and got him named to President Richard Nixon’s infamous Enemies List. Nebraskan-born, Yale-educated and a sure-thing inclusion if they ever establish a Mount Rushmore to honor compelling conversationalists, please welcome the titan of talk, the king of conversation – Dick Cavett!

14 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

DL: Having just finished your new book [“Brief Encounters – Conversation, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks” (Henry Holt, 2014)], perhaps the best way to begin is to ask – have you had any good dreams lately?

Dick Cavett (DC): Ah yes, that’s something I cover in the first chapter of the book. Yes. Last night, I dreamed that everyone was able to jump what looked like a 20-foot gap over to a long grassy area on the other side. I kept thinking: “Everyone will think I’m a wimp but, this looks dangerous.” I kept looking at it and thinking: “Maybe if I get back far enough and take a running start, but, no, it’s way too far of a gap,” and then I awoke. When I have dreams like this, I think it’s a shame I’m not still in analysis [laughs].

DL: What do you think the analysis would be?

DC: Oh, obviously that it was a sex-frustration dream [laughs].

DL: You write in your book about having the classic actor’s dream on a recurring basis – preparing to walk onstage opening night and then realizing you have never read the script and don’t know one line.

DC: Once you have acted in even one high school or a college play, or have done any sort of theatrical performance, you have seemingly signed on to this dream for life. You find yourself desperate to find a script and no one has one, and then when they do find one, it’s not the right one.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

DL: While you have done many plays over the years, you have certainly done many more television shows than theatrical performances, which leads me to ask: Is your actor’s dream always based on a stage performance or have you also had it about doing your show?

DC: I never had it about doing my show, per se, but I have had a dream in which I am supposed to be doing a show and when I arrive at the studio, they tell me it is being done at another studio a block away, and when I look to where they are pointing, it’s acres and acres away and there is no way for me to get there. The man who asked me to call him “Larry” – Laurence Olivier – once told me about a recurring dream he had in which he is backstage ready to go on and finds himself opening door after door thinking each one will lead to the stage and none of them does; and that he could hear the other actors on stage adlibbing as they were awaiting his appearance.

DL: You have been extremely open about your longtime bout with a depressive disorder that started in college and worsened during the run of

your ABC and PBS shows. Were your dreams different when you were in the throes of debilitating depression?

DC: One of the great ironies of suffering with such severe depression that you don’t want to get out of bed is that you wake up having had a whole night of pleasant dreams, and you think: “Shit! Why am I not depressed in my dreams?” I never had a bad dream during depression. Isn’t that weird? You are, by the way, the first to bring that revelation out of me.

DL: So might we then assume dreams adhere to some sort of law of compensation?

DC: Interesting. And as Freud said of the anxiety of our dreams, they make us far more anxious and put us in far greater agony than we would be when we are awake and dealing with a similar situation. In real life, we would probably never get to the point of having an opening night without ever having read a script, but even if we did, it wouldn’t be killing you like it does in a dream. That is the best question I pose on the subject in my book: Who is the author of these wretched dreams – or any dreams for that matter?

DL: You last appeared on the cover of Life After 50 four years ago this month, and so you are now the very first person to have ever appeared on our cover twice.

DC: Wow! How about that. It’s like Bob Hope and TV Guide (laughs). Although I think it was 50 times for him.

DL: So that means we still have 48 more to go. You may find it interesting that by tracking our readers’ responses, your last appearance on our cover provided us with one of the two most popular and requested issues we’ve ever done.

DC: Oh come on. I bet you’ve told that to Leo Gorcey and everyone else who has appeared on the cover.

DL: Not true. I have only told that to you and Pat Benatar.

DC: I think – and some fact-checking may disprove this – that Pat made her very first television appearance with me.

DL: As did so many legends, which we will talk more about in a moment.

But right now, we have to take a break. We’ll be right back.  JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 15

Photo by Kim T. Sharp

The Los Angeles-based Theatre 40 will stage “Hellman v. McCarthy” starring Dick Cavett as himself, throughout February. In 1979, during the run of his PBS show, Cavett played host to author and critic Mary McCarthy. During the show, McCarthy made disparaging remarks about her longtime nemesis, the dramatist and screenwriter Lillian Hellman saying: “Every word [Hellman] writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’ ” Hellman, incensed

by McCarthy’s accusation, filed a libel suit against her, Cavett, his production company, and the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET). That show inspired Brian Richard Mori to write the play “Hellman v. McCarthy,” which explores the impact the fracas had on the duo’s respective legacies. The play will debut at the Reuben Cordova Theatre located at 241 S. Moreno Drive in Beverly Hills, on February 6 and run through the 28th. Tickets are $34.75 and available by calling (310) 364-3606 or clicking on www.theatre40.org.

DL: We’re back and our guest is Dick Cavett. You know Dick, there are so many people, like myself, who didn’t just watch your show, but revered you in the way you did Groucho Marx or Stan Laurel or Bob Hope. Can you get your mind around the fact that people embrace you the way you did the greats you idolized?

on history and accomplished great things – a play or a painting or a piece of writing – and you find yourself stuck with the same old phrases you use for even things you don’t like much, but that you use anyway because you feel you have to say you do. I have always wished I had an original way of expressing to some people what they have meant to me. That would be wonderful.

DC: No. When people do say that, I blush and look at my shoes and don’t know what to say. But I know what they mean. I once said, egotistically perhaps, that after a young lifetime of sneaking into various studios and theaters – “The Jackie Gleason Show” and Rex Harrison’s dressing room on opening night of “My Fair Lady” in New Haven – that if I had come to New York during the time I was doing my show, I would have been one of the people I would want to meet, although I don’t know if we would have gotten along.

DL: Well I can tell you, I wouldn’t be doing what I do for a living were it not for you. When I used to sneak into your show, before I was 18, I used to think: “Now there’s a good way to make a living – talking to people who have left a significant impact on the world.”

DC: Get out of here! Well then I find myself sitting here with a protégé!

DL: It is somewhat frustrating to me, and to others I know who feel the same way, that you don’t fully understand how much you mean to us.

Did you ever harbor a frustration when you got to meet and know your heroes – Groucho, Hope, Laurel – that they never understood how much they meant to you?

DC: Absolutely, yes. There is a frustration when you meet people you admire and have left their mark

DL: Absolutely! And I represent many people who went into television or broadcast or print journalism because they were inspired by you and all the legendary greats you introduced us to – the ungettables –  16 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 17

the people who would never have consented to be interviewed much less appear on a talk show. Dick, I know just about everyone who has ever interviewed you has asked how you did that, but I would like to switch that up a bit and make a few observations for you to comment on as to why I believe you were able to accomplish that. I think people in the public eye develop a certain sixth sense for those they encounter – if they are really fans in the purest sense of the word – those who have a true appreciation for what they have done. I think many of those so-called ungettables perceived that quality in you. Your response?

DC: Well, I love the sound of that and think that is probably true. I never really sat down and tried to analyze what it was. I do have memories of various guests telling me during a break or after a show that they had never felt so good on a talk show; or they questioned, with amazement, how I got them to recall something or tell a certain story. I think your explanation is the best I’ve heard for that by far. I think it may have also been that I had been a guest on talk shows, with [Merv] Griffin and with Johnny [Carson] as a comedian before I became a host, so I knew what a guest wanted to feel like when they were on a talk show.

DL: Here’s my second observation: The Hepburns of the world…

DC: If she were here she would interject, [launching into a Katharine Hepburn impersonation] “There’s only one!”

DL: True, so let me reword that…While Katharine Hepburn or Marlon Brando or some other prominent actor may have been used to being in front of a camera, it was as a character and not as themselves. I always thought if they went on Carson, they may have felt pressure to be funny or amusing, but that pressure wasn’t there when they appeared with you. With you they didn’t feel they needed to “be on.”

DC: I bet that’s so.

DL: My last observation: You did your show without a desk.

DC: Ah, an interesting observation. You know, at first, after Steve Allen, everybody followed the tradition of the desk. I did use it on my first daytime show. But there was man, Joe Hardy, a stage director who had been at the drama school when I was at Yale. My [first] wife [actress Carrie Nye, who died of cancer in 2006], who had been directed by him and knew of his expertise in stage design, suggested I bring Joe in to see if he could come up with a more comfortable setting for the show. I remember the first thing Joe said was to take the desk away.

DL: So it was a conscious decision on your part to do your interviews without a desk?

DC: It was.

DL: People behind a desk are in a superior position. They’re protected and shielded while the person on the other side of the desk is exposed.

DC: It’s like being before a judge, isn’t it?

DL: Right. So I think your being open to them without a barrier made a huge difference in how you were perceived and why your interviewees were much more apt to open up to you.

DC: Yes. Especially when I would have two or three guests and we would all sit around and it became more conducive to conversation rather than interviews, which goes back to the advice I got from Jack Paar when I first started out, who called me and said: “Kid, don’t do interviews.” That whole David Frost clipboard Q-and-A what’s-your-favorite-this-or-that makes it feel like an inquisition. “Make it a conversation,” Jack said. And that is the secret – listening and responding and really having a conversation. I should say it is “a” secret, because there can surly be shitty conversations [laughs]. I remember one time when I first started out, my friend Chris Porterfield [Cavett’s Yale roommate who worked with him on his shows and first two books] once asked me if I had been listening to a guest I had on. When I said: “Yeah, why?” he said: “Well you went right to your next question without any sense of what he had just said.” It was THAT bad at first, like a guest saying: “...and then we opened the rusty old trunk lid and you’ll never guess what was inside!” and I would say: “Do you have any hobbies?” [laughs]. Johnny was frightfully uncomfortable during his first few weeks of doing “The Tonight Show.” People have forgotten that, because that uncomfortableness all vanished, of course.

DL: If you were still doing your show today, who would be the current ungettables you would be getting who might pass on the Jimmys – Fallon or Kimmel – or Letterman?

DC: I don’t know if there are any ungettables anymore. I think I coined the phrase: “We had redwoods back then and now we have elm trees.” That doesn’t mean we don’t have great actors today. But there is something missing,  18 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

and the only word I can come up with is the one my ex-manager Jack Rollins used to use, that the stars of that era had a certain “largeness” to them. There was a bigness that seemed to infuse Orson Welles and Marlon Brando and Katharine Hepburn, and that is rare, if not nonexistent, today.

DL: If I were to change the subject here, you won’t think I wasn’t listening, would you?

DC: Listening to what? [laughs] DL: Earlier, we touched on your history of depression, which we talked about quite a bit in our last conversion and, as mentioned, brought a great wave of response from our readers.

miracle cure. Have you ever thought back as to why you didn’t seek that help earlier?

DC: There is such a narrow range of thought available to you that I’m not sure I even considered that. My thoughts were largely that I wished I was under some rug, or under my bed, where people couldn’t find me and smile and tell me to go out and swim and play tennis and it would all go away. I don’t know who it was, but someone said that depression is the worst agony devised for man, which I know sounds like an exaggeration, to everyone except those who have dealt with it.

DL: I have one more thing I would like to ask you about, Dick – your feelings on getting older. But first, let’s take another short break.

DC: That always gets everybody, because everyone knows someone with cancer or depression, although the former is more openly discussed.

DL: That was the thing readers commented on the most – your willingness to be open about having a mental illness.

DC: My willingness to talk about it may have stemmed from embarrassment.

I never really thought about that before, but I guess you have to do something with it. You have to either hide it, which is stupid, or talk about it. Even though you don’t realize it as you are talking about it, there is a payoff that comes later when you hear from someone who tells you that you helped save their husband’s or daughter’s life who felt that if Dick Cavett could have this problem and talk about it and get through it, then maybe I’ll be okay too and should not find it so shameful to talk about.

DL: Dick, when you were in the depths of depression, did you ever experience feelings of guilt that those who love you and wanted to be of help were not able to play a role in making things better?

DC: Unfortunately, you are oblivious to anything about what anybody around you is or isn’t feeling. I appeared on numerous shows and wrote a piece on Robin Williams just hours after he died and said that thousands of people would be asking how he could do this to his wife and children and the answer is: EASY! No feeling or care for anything or anyone is available to you. How could someone drive into an oncoming car? Easy, because it will be all over and you’ll feel better. That is the craziness of how you are thinking. You really don’t care, nor are you even aware of anyone else’s feelings. I once said something when I was on Larry King’s show that hit a lot of people – veterans of depression – I said that if there were a magic wand on a couch across the room that could, with just a wave, alleviate my depression, it would have been too much trouble to go over and pick it up; and even if I did, I would be sure it wouldn’t work for me.

DL: And yet, even during the worst of it, you did get up and do a show five nights a week.

DC: I remember one time while we were taping a show and looking over at a monitor where I could see Ethel Merman next to me and we were singing and I was throwing my head back in laugher and I was thinking: “If anyone ever knew the pain I was going through and how I felt giving this fake laugh, they wouldn’t believe me.” I wrote to the great Stephen Fry [the English actor, writer and activist who has also suffered from depression] about my dealings with depression and we ended up doing a piece on it for HuffPost [www.

Huffingtonpost.com] that you can find on YouTube. During our conversation, I talk about how people would say to me: “You have so much – a beautiful home and a career and a family that loves you – what have YOU got to be depressed about?” And Stephen said the answer to that is to have them go and ask an asthma suffer what they have to have asthma about.

DL: You ultimately did reach out for a magic wand in the form of antidepressants and electroshock therapy, which you have called a 20 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

What do Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Taylor, James Gandolfini, Gore Vidal, and John Lennon have in common? They’re all featured in Dick Cavett’s new book, “Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments and Assorted Hijinks.”

In his latest tome, Cavett shares his recollections of the famous figures he encountered throughout his career. He also revisits his Midwestern upbringing, offers piquant commentary on contemporary politics, the indignities of travel, the nature of comedy writing, and the utter improbability of being alive at all. For those who grew up with and love Cavett, this book proves he remains as quick-witted and bold-minded as ever as he shares his reflections and reminiscences about Hollywood legends, American cultural icons, and the absurdities of everyday life. To get your copy visit your local bookstore or click on www.dickcavettshow.com.

DL: We’re back with Dick Cavett. Dick, since you last appeared on our cover, you and I have both gotten a little bit older. Having recently celebrated your 78th birthday, have you adopted any philosophy on the passing of years?

DC: I don’t have the obsession with aging or death that Woody Allen does.

Woody once pointed out to me, when my first book came out, that out of 20 books on the New York Times bestseller list, 16 of them dealt with the topic of death in some way. Groucho, who was also obsessed with death, had a favorite joke of Woody’s – “I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” That is the classic line on the subject that I don’t think can be improved upon. Oh, and speaking of Woody, the only thought I have on aging is something I once said to him – one of, I think, three things I’ve ever said that broke him up. We were walking down the street and I told him we were running out of good sides of each other to walk on [laughs].

DL: Dick, there is so much more I would love to talk to you about, but we’re out of time. Please come back and do this again.

DC: Well, I wish I could do all of these book tour interviews with you.

DL: No problem! Just keep writing books, because we still have 48 more to go if you want to beat Hope’s TV Guide record [laughs].

DC: [Laughing] Great. But for future reference, remember: Letting me get the  last laugh is better!

Follow Your Goosebumps To Your Next Evolution Make 2015 the year you connect to your passion and purpose and live your dream Special to Life After 50 by Barbara Niven Photos by Sabrina Bringiuer and Sue Melke

22 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

I

t’s a brand new year with a shiny slate of possibilities – another chance to make a fresh start, dust off your dreams and relaunch.

The beginning of a new year is a milestone. It is a time to check to see if you are on track with your purpose and goals, and, if not, then auto-correct them. For me, the passing of time makes me aware of how much I still want to do in my life. As I evolve, so do my dreams, and no matter how old I get, following my passion still gives me goosebumps.

When I feel those goosebumps, I know I am on the right track. Each one of those little bumps makes up a path that has always led me to my next evolution.

How about you? Are you living the life you want to be living? Are you excited to wake up every day and explore new possibilities or are you settling? Settling is a trap we can easily fall into, especially as we age. Being comfortable is a sedative, and it’s addicting.

IT’S 2015! TIME TO RECONNECT TO YOUR PASSION With 2015 just days old, it is the perfect time to start creating your next evolution.

Do you ever have a nagging feeling that there’s more to life than what you’re living? If so, there probably is. Stop deflecting the message and listen to it. Don’t settle if you know there’s something more you are here to do. Instead, use that feeling as a starting point on the path that will lead to the fulfillment of your dream.

Our dreams change as we evolve. It’s important to revisit them often to create new goals and strategies. If the rush is gone, go find it again. Recommit to an old dream or find a new one. Kick it up a notch and break out of your old routine.

Do you need to revise or reinvent anything in yourself or your surroundings? Do it by embracing your passion.

Fall in love again with your possibilities. Surround yourself with people who make things happen. Reinspire yourself through the work of artists, thought leaders, and revolutionary thinkers. Let their passion reignite yours. Get so hungry for your dream you can taste it and then take action.

Life is short and there are no guarantees. Stop squandering energy on things that don’t matter. If you knew you only had a short time to live, how would you spend your time? Would your priorities change? Why wait? Change them now.

Not sure where to begin? Well, here’s a great place to start, and it’s simple. Ask yourself: “What ignites my passion and gives me joy and goosebumps?”

That is what you must strive towards. You have got to see those goosebumps as a sign – a guide to be followed. Tap into your power and potential. Kick yourself into gear and start playing full out. Notice I use the word “playing.” I do so because living your passion should be fun and serve as your GPS to lead you to your purpose.

ALLOW COURAGE TO REEMERGE AND LEAD YOU If you’re like most people, as you get older, you start to question just who you think you are to continue to have big dreams. Throw that thought out. Take all the negativity out of the quest for making your dreams a reality and ask yourself: “What would I do if I knew I could not fail?”

What WOULD you do? What COULD you do? Are you getting goosebumps just thinking about the possibilities? Well, what’s stopping you? The only thing you know for sure is that if you never start, failure is a certainty.

Think back to when you were young and fearless and flew as high as you could go on a swing simply to try and touch the sky. Reconnect with that courageous and irrepressible kid you used to be. Hug, thank and applaud him or her. That courageous child is still there, jumping at the chance to reinvigorate you. Isn’t it time to allow them to reemerge and take the lead for a change?

Believe me, I know as well as anyone that courage and change can be scary.

When I was young, my dream to become an actress scared the heck out of me. But I remember thinking: “Twenty years from now, I don’t want to wonder ‘What if?’ I need to know if I can make it as an actress.” What a gift I gave myself then. I would have ended up this age anyway – dream or not. So I am grateful that I decided to take the leap when I did.

That’s not the only dream that has frightened me. I’ve constantly reinvented myself over the years, and each time I’ve had to push through scary personal barriers. One of the biggest was when I decided to become an entrepreneur and create my company, Unleash Your Star Power! Talk about being out of my comfort zone! It was a leap of faith all the way.

I remember when my first client, a CEO, was flying in to work with me. I was sweating bullets, but it worked out great and I was able to help him get over his public speaking fears. He said it was a life-changing experience. That’s still my favorite part about working with clients. I get goosebumps all over as I help them regain their courage, hone their message, step into their power, transform themselves and achieve their dreams.

IF I NEVER TRY, I’LL NEVER KNOW One of the phrases that has fueled and pushed me into taking great leaps in my life is: “If I never try, I’ll never know.” Most of the time, when I have tried something, I have, thank goodness, landed on my feet; or at least learned a valuable lesson.

Two years ago, I got a call that the Hallmark Channel wanted me to do the series “Cedar Cove.” At the moment I got that call, I was in Phoenix, ready to go on stage to speak. My agent told me I would have to be on a plane to Vancouver in two days to begin work and I had no idea how I was going to make that happen, because I

The secret to finding your true purpose?

Follow your goosebumps!

wasn’t even home to pack. But I didn’t worry about that. I courageously just said “YES!” and trusted that it would work out. It did and what a blessing it’s been. We are just getting ready to shoot our third season, and I’m so proud to be part of the Hallmark Channel family.

SAY “YES” TO WHAT SCARES YOU When was the last time you said “yes” to something that scared you?

If it’s been awhile, you’re playing life too safely.

Try something different. If your first inclination is to always say “no,” pause before that pops out of your mouth, say “yes” instead, and see what happens. Get out of your comfort zone. Remember, only with great risk comes great reward.

Fear and excitement are both manifested in the same way. They both create butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, heart palpitations – and goosebumps.

Embrace those things, steady yourself, and then take the leap – even if there is no net and you can’t see what is underneath you.

I hope that in 2015 you choose to leap at every chance you get. That first jump off the cliff is the hardest, and it may very well be a wild and bumpy ride as you find your wings. But it is the only way you’ll ever see how high you can fly.  JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 23

It’s never too late to become who and what you were always meant to be.

Believe me, it’s worth the risk. You have to get out of your comfort zone – that’s where the magic happens!

MAKING MY DREAM COME TRUE My big dream began when I was a little girl. I always knew I was going to be an actress, but by the time I was 21, I was still waiting for my dream to happen.

I actually remember thinking someone would just come and “discover” me. I didn’t understand that manifesting my dream would be up to me. That was so far out of my comfort zone that it didn’t even occur to me. When I think back on that time, I wish I could whisper to my younger self: “Take the leap! Follow your dream! Do it now! You will be just fine!”

Because I didn’t have the benefit of that advice, I put my dream on hold and began to live everybody else’s vision of what my life should be. I quit college, got a job, got married, had a baby and started a business with my husband. And yet, I still always thought that someday I’d pursue my acting dream.

One day an announcement for my 10-year high school reunion arrived in the mail. I couldn’t believe that a decade had gone by. The form asked numerous questions including: Have you achieved all you thought you would in your life?

That question hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a huge “ah-ha” moment. I realized that I had not, and that I alone was responsible for what I would – or would not – accomplish as I moved forward in my life. From that moment on, I began thinking like the CEO of my life and career.

The first thing I did was consider my options. I hadn’t finished college, had gotten divorced and was a single mother of a two-year-old. But I thought, “I can write and I’m great in front of the camera. Why don’t I become a television reporter?”

While many people around me didn’t believe that was possible, I went out and found two mentors. One was the news director at KGW Television, the NBC affiliate in Portland, and the other was a producer for “PM Magazine.”

They both took me on as interns and soon after, I heard that ABC Daytime was conducting a nationwide search for a role on the daytime drama “One Life to Live.” It didn’t matter to me that I’d never taken an acting class, I just knew I had to be a part of that search.

I auditioned and unbelievably, the next week ABC flew me to New York for a screen test. That’s when I knew I was on the right track. I didn’t get the part, but ironically, I did appear on that show 20 years later.

After that audition, I knew exactly what I wanted. I had plugged into my passion and I was covered in goosebumps. People thought I was crazy to risk everything for such an intangible career, but I did it anyway, because the thought of not trying was worse. And so I packed up a U-Haul, and with my little daughter as my co-pilot, moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start.

EVERY MOMENT OF THIS YEAR CAN BE A FRESH START Every moment is a fresh start – a new chance to either go toward your dream or away from it. Too many people allow these moments to turn into years as time and opportunities slip away.

If you’ve make a bad choice somewhere or are regretting missed opportunities, promise yourself that this year – right now – you will quit beating yourself up. It’s done. It was only a blip on the radar. Don’t dwell on 24 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

it. Move on. Hook back into your dream and leap into the next moment. Get yourself back on track armed with a fresh perspective from lessons learned.

Don’t ask: “What if?” If you’re ready for a change, take the drama of the unknown out of your life. Quit fretting over the “whats and whys and hows.”

Stop worrying, embrace courage, and just do it.

And remember: change doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a series of small actions, taken diligently, that will lead you to a different destination. If you don’t like where it is taking you, try something else. But keep moving. It is about progress, not perfection. Celebrate every small step, win and loss along the journey. Even the losses have lessons, so learn to embrace them too.

JOIN ME IN THE DREAM! I have been blessed to be living my crazy dream of being an actress and entrepreneur. I’ve had amazing mentors, and, using what they have taught me, started the Dreamers Network in 1998 as a way of paying it forward. I call it a “support group for dreamers,” because the world can be a very negative place.

We who embrace our dreams must help each other and surround ourselves with people who lift us up, not put us down.

So, at the dawn of 2015, you must ask yourself: “What’s my passion? What will I most regret never doing? What’s on my bucket list? What gives me goosebumps?”

One you have those answers you than must ask yourself: “What am I waiting for?”

Make this the year that changes everything. If you’re a fellow dreamer, I invite you to participate by clicking on to my Dreamers Network at www. facebook.com/barbaraniven. Look around and you’ll find an amazing flow of advice, inspiration and support.

So here’s to your success and the goosebumps that will pave your path to your next evolution! Make this the year you live your passion, connect to your purpose and make a difference. And don’t give up before the miracle happens  and your dreams come true!

Barbara Niven is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author and award-winning actress who currently stars in Hallmark Channel’s “Cedar Cove,” NBC’s Emmy Award-winning “Parks and Recreation,” and the feature films “Hamlet’s Ghost” and “Suburban Gothic.” She has also gained international acclaim as Hollywood’s top media trainer and video marketing coach and created “Unleash Your Star Power!” to help people realize their dreams. For more information, click on www.UnleashYourStarPower.com and join her Dreamers Network at www.facebook.com/barbaraniven.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 25

Winning The War Against Weight In 2015 Making your weight-loss resolution a weight-loss reality Special to Life After 50 by Dr. Claude Matar

E

very New Year’s Eve, seven out of 10 Americans make a resolution that, in some way, has to do with the improvement of their health and well-being. For most of them, that means losing weight and getting in better shape. In order to make that resolution a reality, it calls for embracing change, which isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to eating habits and lifestyle routines.

Yes, It’s true: Our BOdIes dO Change as We age Bodies change over time, both externally and internally. For many older adults, internal changes include a decrease in both muscle and bone density and an increase in fat around the mid-section, which is unsightly and dangerous. As a woman’s estrogen and a man’s testosterone levels start to drop, fat usually begins shifting to the body’s mid-section. Body fat, especially belly fat, if not addressed effectively using natural means, can put you at a higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, strokes and even breast cancer in menopausal women. In addition, excess fat increases the risk of gallstones and gall bladder disease, degenerative arthritis of the knees, hips, and the lower back, and sleep apnea (failure to breathe normally during sleep which lowers your blood oxygen).

BOdY Fat and CalOrIes Simply put, body fat increases when you eat more calories than you are burning. A calorie is a unit of energy – the amount of energy we get from what we eat or drink. For example, one apple equals 75 calories equals 75 units of energy. The body needs calories (energy) to survive and calories are “burned” through a process called metabolism. During metabolism, the oxygen in your body releases the energy units from the food you have eaten or the fat you store. This energy is used by the body for digestion, breathing, thinking, circulation and many other functions. How many calories your body uses to keep itself running depends on various factors, including age, sex, body size and activity level.

FOOd, energY and Fat Food is primarily meant to provide energy for your body to work. If this is in doubt, try fasting for a while and you will notice your energy decrease dramatically (initially, then it rises again as the body adapts to using its own fat for metabolism). So why is some food converted to fat instead of energy? When the body has excess energy, it stores the energy in a dense form so it can be carried more easily and used at a later time when it is needed. That dense form of energy is what we call “fat.” Back in the old (and I mean, the “really old”) days, we needed fat to survive harsh winters and long and sometimes failed hunts. Today, our only hunting consists of walking into the kitchen and foraging through the fridge. The amount of energy that is being used is, of course, far less than chasing, killing, skinning and preparing a buffalo.

26 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Eating LEss and stiLL REtaining WEight The biggest problem people who are trying to lose weight face is eating less and not seeing any results. That is why so many “dieters” get extremely frustrated and become depressed.

The reason for this is that, even though you are eating less, your nervous and endocrine systems are still generating signals that no energy is needed, so your body continues on with its fatpreservation mode. However, this is something that can be diagnosed and, for most people, corrected easily using natural means. tuRning On thE Fat-BuRning sWitch When your nervous and endocrine systems generate the signal that energy shouldn’t being used, your body holds on to (and adds to) its fat reserve. When your nervous system gets the signal that energy is needed, it converts the fat (and any new food) to energy. If you try to force a change in these signals by depriving the body of the food it needs (or thinks it needs) – also called a low-carb or low-fat or low-calorie diet – your body will start to shut down (due to insufficient energy) and weight retention and gain is inevitable. You will feel hungry, tired, and in most cases, have strong cravings for just the types of foods you shouldn’t be eating.

When this happens most people give up and go back to their old habits and routine which results in more weight gain. Many people think drugs are the answer to this problem but, when you take drugs or get shots to lose weight, you are simply overriding the body’s signals to eat and store what it eats (body fat) for later use. Bypassing these signals can actually weaken the body’s natural ability to manage its weight for years to come. This is evidenced by the fact that once you are off the pills and shots, your body will again demand whatever food it believes it needs to work properly. changing thE signaLs The easiest, healthiest and best way to lose weight – and keep it off permanently – can be accomplished by changing the signals themselves, so that your body only wants and needs the food that it can actually use to build abundant energy and stable health. When the signals are changed, your “fatburning switch” will also be reset. Once the signals are changed and your fatburning switch is reset, your body will automatically get rid of stored body fat.

MORE WatER, PLEasE Here’s something else you may not know: your energy needs to be quickly available when it is needed. Fat takes a long time to convert to energy that you can feel. So does food. Your body solves this problem by changing food into a molecule called ATP. The ATP molecule has a lot of energy that can be released very quickly. These molecules are stored inside the cells. When you need energy, they can be used right away. What is it that causes the release of energy from the ATP molecules inside the cells? WATER! When your cells don’t have enough water (dehydration), you will feel tired, lethargic and have difficulty focusing. When your cells have a sufficient supply of water (hydration), you will feel more alert, vital, focused and energetic. In regards to

weight loss, when you are hydrated on a cellular level, you burn fat. thE Missing ingREdiEnt Right now you may be thinking: “Great! I’ll just start drinking more water and lose weight!” or “That doesn’t make sense. I drink water all day long. I am not feeling more energetic and I am definitely not losing weight!” You think one of those two things, because water does not operate alone. It cannot remain in the cells of your body unless it combines with other substances. These other substances are minerals. Without minerals, any water you drink will pass right through you. People have actually had heat strokes while drinking a lot of water. The reason for this is that due to a lack of minerals the water did not get into the cells where it was needed.

Water alone is not enough for effective cellular hydration. The missing ingredient is minerals that cause water to move in and out of the cells, causing the release of energy. Your body needs both sufficient oxygen and water (water plus minerals) to burn fat. In my years of helping people get healthy and achieve permanent weight loss, these are two of the five most typical barriers to weight-loss. The other three weight-loss blocks that can make losing weight difficult, if not impossible, are inadequate nutrition, body toxins and poor sleep. it cOMEs dOWn tO hOW yOuR BOdy WORks No matter what pills, potions, surgeries, or behaviors we undertake to rid ourselves of excess weight, controlling our calorie intake is still the basis for maintaining a healthy weight. This does not mean that we have to deprive ourselves of good food. In fact, that is actually counterproductive, because the body also thrives on pleasure and eating food can be very pleasurable. It is simply a matter of understanding how your body works, and then aligning what you eat and how you ª eat to its internal processes.

Dr. Claude Matar, MD is a certified naturopathic physician and clinical nutritionist. His research into the underlying causes of illness and disease led to the development of The Matar Method, a natural weight-loss program, and the founding of the Pasadena Weight Loss Center. His natural weightloss approach has helped thousands of clients of all ages, genders and body types rapidly shed unwanted pounds and improve their health. A free weightloss consultation can be scheduled by calling (626) 844-4686 or clicking on www.pasadena-weight-loss-center.com. january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 27

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Stop Investing In CDs And Bonds – Right Now!

R

emember when you could invest your money in a certificate of deposit (CD) at five percent? Those were the days: Excellent yields on your money and great security knowing it was safe. But those day are gone. Today, interest rates on a CD hover at one percent. At those levels, you aren’t even keeping up with inflation. And, as regular readers of my column know, bonds no longer offer a safe alternative. So where can you go for high yields while still protecting your money?

For the last four years, my clients have earned seven percent or more by investing in what I call “double secured first trust deeds” – a simple and secure opportunity to earn great income on the money you would have otherwise put into a CD or bonds. If you have been sitting on the sidelines, unsure of just how safe these assets really are, you have been missing out on great interest rates for three years now. No client of ours has lost a cent of their principal and every client has earned seven percent or more. And the good news: There is no reason to expect any change in the security of trust deeds for many years to come.

The trust deed is really just a mortgage. It is secured by real estate worth almost twice the amount of money you loan, confirmed with a current appraisal. Everyone understands how mortgages work, and in this case, you get to be the bank, but with a higher return for yourself. There is also a performance protection plan that provides for an independent fund or investor to back up your interest and principal payment. Bottom line: You have safety, control and a yield that should exceed seven percent.

While all investments have risks, I have found that once my clients consider the risks of a trust deed compared to the potential yield, they have been more than comfortable agreeing with my opinion that this is currently the best alternative to a CD or bonds. In fact, if you currently have any significant money in CDs or bonds, I cannot stress how strongly I suggest you inquire about alternatives to both immediately. Bonds are the next bubble to burst and the risks are higher than most realize.

I strongly encourage you to educate yourself on this excellent fixed-income investment option and see how you can be earning seven percent or more on your safe money. For more information, contact my office for a free electronic copy of my book “The Seven Percent Solution,” or you can order a physical copy through www.Amazon.com. We also offer a complimentary income review of your current investments to confirm the amount of interest you could expect to receive. Call us today to schedule this free review.

By William Jordan, financial advisor

William Jordan is a nationally recognized wealth manager and a well-known speaker on financial and investment topics. To request a meeting to discuss William’s “Seven Percent Solution,” contact his office at (949) 916-8000 or click on www.WJIca.com

28 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

o T d e it v n I y ll ia d r o Y o u A re C f O g in n e p O d n a r T he G

l l a H d e w o l l The Ha Of s e l b a t w o n K M u st ur yo g in c u d o tr in in s u in P lease jo ren d il h c d n a r g d n a n e r d chil ne , o y r e v e s le b ta o n y r a d n to the lege fo every age, must know

A

s the editor-in-chief of Life After 50, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our newest feature – “The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables,” which you’ll find on the following pages.

The purpose of this new addition is to provide you with information to pass on to your children and grandchildren to introduce them to legendary and iconic notables they really must know.

The idea for this feature first bubbled up in 2010 while doing what would be our first profile of Dick Cavett. I had been working with the public relations manager of a Beverly Hills hotel who was assisting me in securing a place to conduct a photo shoot with Cavett. A woman in her 20s, balancing on stilt-like heels and wearing a skirt made of considerably less material than would be needed to make a scarf, she escorted me to the area we were to set up.

“Who is this [checking her notes] Dick Ca-Vett?” she asked me.

I felt my blood push against the walls of my veins as I spouted out more of Cavett’s biography than I’m sure she cared to hear. Her nonchalant acceptance of who would be walking into the room at any moment caused me infuriation that only slightly dissipated by imagining her dangling from a nearby chandelier – from the string of fabric she was passing off as a skirt.

Later, I relayed to Cavett my earlier agitation over Miss Twentysomething’s ignorance of him. Cavett shook his head. “Twenty-year-olds don’t even know the Marx Brothers,” he said with an expression that revealed pained exasperation.

“There seems to be a willful ignorance about anything that happened before their birth or about things that are not immediately relevant to them,” he continued.

“That was certainly not true with my generation. I knew plenty of people who were not my contemporaries in any way. I remember Woody [Allen] once said that while I grew up in Nebraska and he in New York, we both knew our Robert Benchleys and James Thurbers and George S. Kaufmans and Dorothy Parkers and S.J. Perel-

mans. One wonders if there is an onus on anyone today to share anything that is not contemporary with the younger generation. Sometimes it seems hopeless.”

Driving home after that photo shoot, I pondered Cavett’s questioning of just who this onus of sharing history is, in fact, on. The answer that kept slapping me back was that it is on anyone who has a child or grandchild, and also for those of us who toil in the fourth estate. “We should be doing something in our magazine,” I said to myself as I began to formulate an idea for a feature on the greats of the past who are now slipping into obscurity.

Sadly, within a few days, that idea itself fell to the same fate.

Then, this past month, I found myself again with Cavett, at yet another Beverly Hills hotel, preparing for our current profile.

Whilst deep in the process of conducting my interview with him, a thirtysomething representative of the establishment interrupted us. With an accent and demeanor reminiscent of Sergeant Schultz of “Hogan’s Heroes” and a physical appearance that one might expect of Mortuary Monthly’s Employee of the Month, it was more than evident he had no idea who Cavett was.

Interjecting his well-known wit, Cavett – knowing I’m a Marx Brothers fan – asked our annoying interview intruder for: “Two hard boiled eggs,” just as Groucho does in that famous scene from “A Night at the Opera.” Totally bewildered by the request, our interrupter asked if he wanted them right at the moment, there in the courtyard. Cavett, never missing a beat, continued the routine: “Make that three hard boiled eggs.”

I would have chimed in with the request for one duck egg and some stewed prunes, but as it was I had tears in my eyes from trying to maintain a straight face.

The stymied steward finally began to back away (perhaps to get the eggs?) as Cavett asked: “The Marx Brothers? ‘A Night at the Opera’?”

Convulsed with laughter, I finally composed myself enough to comment on the confused chap’s ignorance of either my interviewee or the Marxes and reminded Cavett of our discussion from four years earlier. I told him I had been thinking about doing a feature on legends of the past that grandparents and parents could share with their offspring.

“That’s a great idea!” said his wife, Martha Rogers, who was sitting with us.

With her four-word encouragement resounding in my ears, I again made the drive home with the realization that my idea would continue to benefit no one unless it became a reality. And so, the next day, I ran the concept of “The Hallowed Hall Of Must-Knowtables” past my boss, Valarie Anderson, who was immediately on board. “Let’s do it!” she snapped enthusiastically.

We quickly compiled a survey that was administered to a sampling of 18- to 30-year-olds on their knowledge of iconic individuals from the 1930s through the 1970s. The results were nothing short of horrifying.

While we found 100 percent of the respondents to be very knowledgeable about Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Mick Jagger and The Beatles (collectively as well as individually), as Cavett surmised, less than five percent recognized the Marx Brothers, and even those who did knew nothing more of them other than they were “old television stars” who “had mustaches.”

And the results got even sadder than that – a lot sadder!

While the names Johnny Carson and Dick Clark received a few “I’ve heard of ‘ems,” not one respondent recognized the names Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Lenny Bruce, Milton Berle, Buster Keaton. W.C Fields, Carol Burnett, Willie Mays, Mort Sahl, Billy Graham or (and these were the ones that hit me the hardest) Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy.

While conducting this survey, my head spun like Linda Blair’s (another name that received blank stares) in disbelief as Cavett’s words burned in my brain: “Is there an onus on anyone?”

“There is!” I once again answered myself. The onus is on anyone who knows someone who is unaware of the legends we always (incorrectly, it seems) thought of as being immortals.

And so, we will now throw the spotlight on a different individual each month, magnificently illustrated by artist Mark Hammermeister, for you to share with your offspring. It is our hope that it will not only “re-immortalize” these greats of the past, but also elicit conversation and shared memories between the generations.

– David Laurell JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 29

By David Laurell Illustration by Mark Hammermeister

The Marx Brothers – Leonard, born in 1887; Adolph (who went by Arthur after 1911), born in 1888; Julius, born in 1890; Milton, born in 1892; and Herbert, born in 1901 – were five real brothers who adopted the stage names of Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo and became comedy stars in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. The made 13 feature films, five of which have been selected as among the top 100 comedy films of all time by the American Film Institute (AFI).

A

ll five brothers were born in New York City to Jewish immigrants and were tagged with their nicknames by a vaudeville comedian named Art Fisher. Inspired by a popular comic strip of the day, “Sherlocko the Monk,” created by cartoonist Gus Mager, Fisher supposedly bestowed the nicknames based on the brothers’ personalities.

The core of The Marx Brothers act was the three elder brothers, who each developed distinctive stage personas: Chico (Leonard), as a charming but rather dim-witted con artist who spoke with an Italian accent; the silent and loveable Harpo (Arthur); and Groucho (Julius), the mustachioed, wisecracking wit and master of puns. The two younger brothers, Gummo (Milton) and Zeppo (Herbert), appeared in less-distinctive supporting roles and eventually left the act to pursue other careers.

Gummo left the act during World War I and did not appear in any of the brothers’ films, and Zeppo only appeared in the first five films, in non-comedic roles.

The Marx Brothers became popular in vaudeville just as silent motion pictures were evolving into “talkies.” Making the leap from stage to screen with Paramount Pictures, their first two released films were adaptations of the Broadway shows “The Cocoanuts,” which came out in 1929, and the following year’s “Ani-

mal Crackers,” both written by playwrights George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. Their third feature length film, 1931’s “Monkey Business,” was followed by “Horse Feathers” in 1932 and “Duck Soup” in 1933.

After the brothers’ Paramount contract expired, Zeppo left the act to build one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood, while Groucho and Chico went on to do radio. Shortly thereafter, film producer Irving Thalberg lured the brothers to sign on with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. (Gummo eventually became the manager for the other brothers.)

Thalberg insisted on a strong story structure that made the brothers more sympathetic characters, interweaving their comedy with romantic plots and musical numbers. The first Marx Brothers/Thalberg film was the 1935 success, “A Night at the Opera,” followed two years later by an even bigger hit, “A Day at the Races.” While both of these films proved to be smash hits for MGM, Thalberg had died suddenly of pneumonia at the age of 37 during filming of “A Day at the Races,” leaving the Marxes without an advocate at the studio, which terminated their contract.

After doing one film at RKO – 1938’s “Room Service,” the brothers returned to

This feature is intended for you to clip and give to you children or grandchildren because...they must-know!

30 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

MGM and made three more films between 1939 and 1941: “At the Circus,” “Go West,” and “The Big Store.” Prior to the release of “The Big Store,” the brothers announced their plan to retire from the screen. Four years later, however, Chico persuaded his brothers to make two additional films for independent producers: 1946’s “A Night in Casablanca” and 1949’s “Love Happy,” to help him settle his severe gambling debts.

From the 1940s onward, Chico and Harpo appeared both separately and together in nightclubs and casinos, while Chico fronted a big band – The Chico Marx Orchestra. During this time, Groucho began his solo career as the host of a popular comedy-game show, “You Bet Your Life,” which ran from 1947 to 1961, first on ABC radio and then on NBC radio and television.

The Marx Brothers and their films experienced a resurgence in popularity on college campuses during the 1960s and 1970s, and, in 1999, were collectively named Number 20 on AFI’s list of the Top 25 American Male Screen Legends.

Chico died of arteriosclerosis in 1961 and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Harpo died of a heart attack in 1964. He was cremated and his ashes were reportedly scattered over a sand trap at the seventh hole of the Rancho Mirage Golf Course.

Groucho contracted pneumonia, died in 1977, was cremated, and his ashes rest at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, California. Gummo died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1977 and is buried near Chico at Forest Lawn. Zeppo died of lung cancer in 1979. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

LEARN MORE

There are many books written about the Marx Brothers.

Among the best are: • “Groucho and Me” (Dell, 1950) by Groucho Marx • “Harpo Speaks” (Bernard Geis Associates, 1961)

by Harpo Marx • “Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo” (Simon & Schuster, 1973) by Joe Adamson.

• “Monkey Business” (Thomas Dunne Books, 2000)

by Simon Louvish • “Raised Eyebrows” (BearManor Media, 2011)

by Steve Stoliar • “The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia” (Titan Books, 2012)

by Glen Mitchell.

Mark Hammermeister is an award-winning artist. His work is available for purchase at www.markdraws.com JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 31

Ripley: Believe It Or Not – New Documentary, PBS – Airs Tuesday, January 6 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) Robert LeRoy Ripley rose to fame during the Great Depression, transforming himself from a skinny, buck-toothed boy into an entertainer who mesmerized the nation with a razzle-dazzle blend of homespun Americana, colorful exotica and freakish oddities. Over three decades, his “Believe It Or Not!” franchise grew into an entertainment empire, expanding from newspapers to every form of new media in the 20th century: radio, film and, ultimately, television. At the center of it all was Ripley himself, whose obsession with the odd and keen eye for the curious made him one of the richest men in the country. Americans not only loved his bizarre fare, but were fascinated by the man himself, and the eccentric, globetrotting playboy became an unlikely national celebrity.

Agent Carter – New Series, ABC - Premieres Tuesday, January 6 at 8 p.m.

ABC presents its second action series from the creative minds at Marvel – “Agent Carter” – inspired by the feature films “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Agent Carter.”

But this time, the super-hero is a woman. The series takes place in 1946, where peace has dealt agent Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad.

Working for the covert Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), Carter finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. She is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America.

Togetherness – New Series, HBO – Premieres Sunday, January 11 at 9:30 (also OnDemand) This half-hour comedy features four adults in their late 30s, who all live together in one house and are struggling to keep their relationships alive while pursuing their individual dreams. Mark Duplass plays Brett, the husband of Michelle, who is played by Melanie Lynskey – a couple who deals with the usual struggles that come with being married. The two are joined by Steve Zissis as Alex, Brett’s best friend, who is described as underemployed, and completing the quad is Amanda Peet, who plays Tina, Michelle’s sister, who is something of a free spirit.

The Best In January Television Viewing

By Sandi Berg

12 Monkeys – New Series, Syfy Channel – Premieres Friday, January 16 at 9 p.m.

Inspired by the 1995 film, which starred Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, “12 Monkeys” explores the provocative story of a time traveler from a decimated future in a high-stakes race against the clock. Utilizing a dangerous and untested method of time travel, he journeys from 2043 to the present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will all but annihilate the human race.

Sons Of Liberty – Three Night Miniseries, History Channel – Premieres Sunday, January 25 at 9 p.m.

This three-night, six-hour event follows a defiant and radical group of young men – Sam Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren – as they band together in secrecy to change the course of history and make America a nation. The cast includes Ben Barnes as Sam Adams, a natural-born leader with charisma and a penchant for mischief; Ryan Eggold as Dr. Joseph Warren, a doctor and man of conscience and integrity; Michael Raymond-James as Paul Revere, a veteran who wholeheartedly joins forces with Sam Adams; Rafe Spall as John Hancock, the wealthiest man in Boston; Henry Thomas as John Adams, a lawyer and the conservative, smart cousin of Sam Adams; Jason O’Mara as General George Washington; and Dean Norris as the brilliant yet mischievous diplomat Benjamin Franklin.

32 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

Tuned In To What’s On

See our digital issue at

.com

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 33

34 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 35

Marsha Hunt A life of acting and activism Story and Photo

By David Laurell

I

n the spring of 1935, a stunningly beautiful 17-year-old model left New York to pursue her dream of becoming a Hollywood actress. Once in Tinseltown, her beauty caused quite a stir, and four major studios vied to bring her into their fold. Ultimately signing a contract with Paramount Pictures, she made her film debut in “The Virginia Judge” Thus began the career of Marsha Hunt, who would go on to appear in 62 films, star on Broadway, and make uncountable radio and television appearances.

In 1939, after marrying film editor and director Jerry Hopper, Hunt left Paramount for MGM. “I never wanted to play the ingénue role,” she says. “I wanted to be stretched as an actor – which I was in the film ‘These Glamour Girls’ that I did with Lana Turner. After that film, every time MGM had a casting problem they would say: ‘Give it to Marsha.’ That made me ecstatic because I never wanted stardom – I wanted to be an actress.”

In 1943, Hunt’s marriage failed, and three years later she married television and film writer Robert Presnell Jr. – a union that lasted until his death in 1986.

When World War II broke out, Hunt became involved in the war effort. Making war-related

36 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

films, she also worked at the Hollywood Canteen that offered food, dancing and entertainment for servicemen, did war bond tours, performed a USO tour of the Artic, and even trained as a volunteer ambulance driver.

The Dream Becomes A Nightmare

While Hunt’s teenage dream had become a reality, in 1947 that dream turned into a nightmare. Having always embraced and supported liberal ideals, Hunt watched as the House Committee on Un-American Activities held hearings looking into alleged Communist propaganda and influence in the film industry. As members of the Committee for the First Amendment, she and her husband, Robert, were outraged with what they saw taking place. They joined a group of like-minded actors, directors, writers and filmmakers including John Huston, Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Bacall and Danny Kaye who traveled to Washington, D.C. to protest the actions of Congress.

When she returned to Hollywood, the studios demanded she denounce her protest activities. Hunt adamantly refused to do so – not because she was either a Communist or a Communist sympathizer, but

rather because she was a staunch believer in Democracy, freedom of speech, opinion and advocacy.

“I didn’t know anything about Communism,” says Hunt. “Didn’t know, didn’t care – it didn’t interest me. But, what I was passionate about was my belief that the United States is a free country, where you could believe what you wanted, say what you wanted, and vote the way you wanted. When Congress threatened those rights I found it to be outrageous.

So that is why we all flew to Washington, sat in on the hearings, and loudly voiced our opinions.”

Eight months after returning from Washington, Hunt’s unwillingness to denounce her activism, saw her blacklisted. Wrongly accused of being a Communist sympathizer in “Red Channels,” a booklet published by the right wing organization, Counterattack, she found herself out of work and unemployable.

With work in the film industry closed to her, she and Robert decided to travel the world where they were exposed to abject poverty in countries including India and Pakistan – a plight that had a profound impact on Hunt. When she returned home, she vowed to do all she could to help alleviate the pain and suffering she had witnessed.

Off To Broadway

While the blacklist, foisted upon the film studios and television networks by companies and corporations, made getting film work impossible for Hunt, it did not affect Broadway. Realizing that, Hunt left Hollywood for New York in the late-1940s where she co-starred in a variety of stage productions with major stars of the era including Anthony Quinn, Vincent Price and – get ready for this one – Johnny Carson!

“No one knows Johnny ever appeared on Broadway,” Hunt says with a laugh. “We did a comedy together called ‘Tunnel of Love,’ but he never wanted anyone to know about that, which is why he never invited me to be on ‘The Tonight Show.’ He knew I would have told that story.”

During her time in New York, Hunt appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine and, as the blacklist subsided, on numerous New York-based radio and television programs.

Still The Active Activist

On October 17, 2007, in celebration of her 90th birthday, Turner Classic Movies honored Hunt by showing eight of her films. The following day she received the Ambassador of Peace Award from the Woman’s Federation for World Pease in recognition of her work with the United Nations. During that event she told the Associated Press that she had lived the fullest 90 years imaginable. “I can’t think of a year that was wasted,” she said. “They were so crammed with variety and privilege and opportunity. I can’t wait for the next 10. Then I’ll look around and see if it’s worth sticking around.”

Today, now seven years into her 90s, Hunt has remained busy. In 2008 she played the part of a serial killer

d courtesy of Ma Vir gil Apger an MGM photo by

By the latter part of the 1950s, Hunt was again being offered film roles. Having been baptized into activism during her world travels, she used her celebrity status to advocate for those from poverty stricken nations and was named to the board of the United Nations Association. This led to her and Robert producing a documentary, “A Call From The Stars,” in which they enlisted their celebrity friends such as Paul Newman, Bing Crosby, Joanne Woodward, David Niven, Harry Belafonte and Jean Simmons to appear in a nationally televised special that raised awareness and donations for the U.S. Committee for Refugees, on whose board she also served. The documentary aired on February 10, 1960 in commemoration of the United Nations, “Year of the Refugee.”

Continually working through the 1980s, Hunt also served as the honorary mayor of Sherman Oaks, California from 1983 to 2001. In this role she focused on planning issues and helping teens, the homeless and those suffering in poverty and from mental illness.

She formed the Valley Mayors’ Fund for the Homeless and was instrumental in opening a much-needed homeless shelter in North Hollywood that served as a refuge for battered women and children.

rsh a Hunt

Back in Hollywood

in the film “The Grand Inquisitor,” she has produced a recording of romantic standards and published an exquisite book, “The Way We Wore – Styles of the 1930s and 40s” (Fallbrook Pub Ltd, 1993), a magnificent coffee table tome showcasing her modeling and film work and fashions accompanied by the story of her extraordinary life. She has also served on the advisory board for the San Fernando Valley Community Health Center and remains passionalty involved with causes such as global pollution, worldwide poverty and population growth.

This past year she has continued working on a project that has been in the works for quite a while – a documentary on her life, “Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity,” that is being directed by filmmaker Roger Memos. She also debuted a clip of a song she wrote 40 years ago titled “Here’s To All Who Love,” about love and same-sex marriage that was recorded by “Glee” star Bill A. Jones.

“I’m still actively involved in numerous projects and causes,” laughs Hunt. “But my main cause is to try to bring back beauty. I feel our culture has grown ugly, and that our behavior and our lives are paying the price. We lost beauty in the 1960s. I didn’t like the ‘60s because I couldn’t figure out what the young people were revolting against. They certainly had the right to rebel against the Viet Nam War – that was a mess. But besides that, if you were young in the ‘60s, you had more options and opportunities and privileges than anyone ever had in the history of this world. I think our culture was forever changed during

the ‘60s in a way that has left us starved for gentleness and tenderness and beauty. Those things are now gone from our culture, our music, our dress and our lives.”

Grateful And Blessed

While in overall good health, Hunt does suffer from macular degeneration – a condition that has slowed her down, but hasn’t gotten her down. “I have a builtin Pollyanna attitude,” she laughs. “I was born with an optimistic outlook. Yes, I have trouble seeing, but I am just glad that I can see as much as I can. I’ve had macular degeneration for over 30 years and I am happy that it moves slowly so that I can still live alone, prepare my meals, answer my mail.”

Pressed for her philosophy on living well into her 90s with such a positive attitude, Hunt says she believes one must stay active and involved in life.

“Staying engaged for me stems from being curious and concerned about my fellow man,” she says. “But I think the big thing is to be grateful – be grateful for every blessed day that dawns. There is so much to be interested in, and so much to do with each day.”

For more information on the documentary “Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity,” and learn how you can become involved in the project, click on www.gofundme.com/ctgvpg.

JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 37

38 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Let’s Get OUt

San Diego/Orange County/Inland Empire

A Preview of Upcoming Events for January/February By Claire Yezbak Fadden

January/February 2015

eNteRtAINMeNt THURSDAY, JANUARY 15 THE LION IN WINTER The legendary story of King Henry II of England and the battle between his fiercely competitive sons to become the next in line is a modern day classic. This classic tale of sibling rivalry, adultery and deception will draw you into its irresistible web, not letting you go without a fight. AVO Playhouse, 303 Main St., Vista. Thurs.-Sun. through Feb. 1. $30-$32.

(760) 724-2110. moonlightstage.com.

THE KING AND I Set against a dazzling and exotic backdrop of Siam in the 1860s, the musical shares the moving story of Anna, a governess, who tries to help an Eastern king to come to terms with the modern world, but finds himself challenged to resist the forces of ancient customs. Welk Resorts Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr., Escondido. Dates vary through April 5. $45-$75. (888) 8027469. welktheatre.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 C.S. LEWIS ON STAGE Adapted from the books, poems, novels and letters of C.S. Lewis, award-winning actor Tom Key looks into the wit, wisdom and work of one of the 20th century’s most engaging thinkers and hugely popular writers. Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $22-plus. Through Jan. 18. (619) 437-6000. lambsplayers.org.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17 CINDERELLA Journey to a fantasy kingdom “once upon a time” in the world’s best-known fairy tale. Can an angelic Godmother help Cinderella find true love? This hilarious classic features a sparkling score and fun surprises that will delight all. LifeHouse Theater, 1135 N. Church St., Redlands.

Weekends through Feb. 15. $14-$18. (909) 335-3037 ext. 21. lifehousetheater.com.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 JAZZ AT THE MERC Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. $15.

(866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 TRISTAN AND YSEULT King Mark is victorious in battle and Yseult is destined to be his bride. But when he sends Tristan to bring her back, trouble begins. A cabaret band plays high above the stage as this classic myth about star-crossed lovers unfolds. South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Through Feb. 22. $22-plus. (714) 708-5555. scr.org.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15

HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN

Called “the greatest songwriter that has ever lived,” by George Gershwin, Berlin is known for innumerable American classics such as “White Christmas,” “God Bless America,” “Anything You Can Do,” and “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails.” Laguna Playhouse, Moulton Theatre Main Stage, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach. Through Feb. 8. $36-$66. (949) 497-2787. lagunaplayhouse.com.

A TOAST TO 2015 Dinner, entertainment and raffles. San Dimas Community Center, 245 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas. $8. (909) 394-6290.

TROUBLE IN MIND This 1955 classic comedy is still one of the smartest plays about race. Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd Suite N, San Diego.

Through Feb. 22. $27-plus. (619) 220-0097. moxietheatre.com.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24 MURDER FOR TWO Multi-millionaire Arthur Whitney has been murdered at his own birthday party, and his killer could be any one of the guests. But this is no ordinary murder mystery. The entire world of this hilarious musical is brought to life by two incredible performers: one plays the detective, the other plays all 10 suspects, and both play the piano. The Old Globe Theatre, Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $29-plus.

Through March 1. (619) 234-5623. theoldglobe.org.

CABARET AT THE MERC: RISING STARS The best of Broadway. Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. Sundays. $20. (866) 6538696. temeculatheater.org.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 LIVE JAZZ ON THE PATIO Jimmy and Enrique. Bernardo Winery, Tasting Room Patio, 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, San Diego. Free. bernardowinery.com.

MONDAY, JANUARY 26 WHALE WATCHING Witness the longest mammal migration in the world, when approximately 20,000 gray whales pass San Diego on their annual 10,000-mile round-trip journey from the Bering Sea to the lagoons of Baja California.

Learn about gray whale baleen, barnacles and prey from Birch Aquarium at Scripps naturalists. Leaves daily from San Diego Bay. $38-$43. Through April 19. (619) 2344111. flagshipsd.com. (858) 534-7336.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 DINNER-DANCE The Widow or Widowers Club (WOW) of San Diego hosts a dinner/dance at the El Cajon Elks Lodge on Washington Ave., El Cajon. Wednesdays. $14-$18. (619) 4617652 wowsd.org.aquarium.ucsd.edu.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30 RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES A multi-media spectacular that takes you on a musical journey through the life and

times of the world’s most celebrated band.

Featuring hits such as “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Let It Be,” “Come Together,” and “Hey Jude. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. Also Jan. 31. Prices vary. (760) 3402787. mccallumtheatre.com.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31 THE DARRELL HAMMOND PROJECT Based on Hammond’s acclaimed memoir, the show takes the audience on a heartbreaking and hilarious journey inside the life and mind of an American comic genius, trying to unravel the mystery of how a man repeatedly climbed out from the depths of despair to become a worldclass comedian. La Jolla Playhouse, UCSD Campus, Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., La Jolla. $58-$68.

Through March 8. (858) 550-1010. lajollaplayhouse.org.

COMEDY AT THE MERC PseudoRandomNoise offers their unique style of audience-participatory improvised comedy where you play too by helping to write, direct and even star onstage with some of the region’s most talented comedic actors. Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. Sundays. $12. (866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 39

CALENDAR

January/February 2015 San Diego/Orange County/Inland Empire Great Depression. Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $22-plus.

Through March 22. (619) 437-6000. lambsplayers.org.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14 THE TWENTY-SEVENTH MAN In a Soviet prison in 1952, Stalin’s secret police have rounded up 26 writers, the giants of Yiddish literature in Russia. As judgment looms, a 27th suddenly appears: a teenager, unpublished and unknown. Baffled by his arrest, he and his cellmates wonder at what has brought them together and wrestle with what it means to write in troubled times. The Old Globe Theatre, Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $29-plus. Through March 15. (619) 234-5623. theoldglobe.org.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17

SONG OF EVA PERON

Tango Buenos Aires, one of Argentina’s greatest cultural treasures, is known throughout the world as the most authentic and uncompromising purveyor of the Argentine Tango. In this show, the company performs a sparkling and poignant work in music and dance that traces the fabled and tragic life of Argentina’s legendary first lady. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa Also Jan. 18. $49-plus. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org.

TOUR DE PALM SPRINGS Annual bicycle ride (routes in varying lengths from five to 100 miles) to raise money for a variety of charities. A two-day vendor fare of Coachella Valley nonprofit organizations, bicycle manufacturers, bicycle gear, apparel, other bicycle ride programs, Food Court and Tour de Jazz live entertainment. On North Palm Canyon between Tahquitz and Alejo, Palm Springs.

(760) 674-4700. tourdepalmsprings.com.

EXHIBITIONS THURSDAY, JANUARY 22

FEBRUARY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 CLASSICS AT THE MERC Chamber performances by the region’s best professional musicians. Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. Sundays. $12.

(866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 DIRTY DANCING This record-breaking live theatre sensation, explodes with heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensational dancing. Featuring hit songs, “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love me?” and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Through Feb.15. $29-plus.

(714) 556-2787. scfta.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 WOW: FIRST WEDNESDAYS: THE UPTOWN RHYTHM MAKERS Guitarist Jimmy Patton and percussionist Enrique Platas have combined their talents to form this award-winning duo, performing music with an international flair as they incorporate flamenco, Middle

40 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Eastern, salsa, calypso, Brazilian, and other world rhythms. California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Center Theater, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Free. $12.

(800) 988-4253. artcenter.org.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5 THE ADDAMS FAMILY Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family—a man her parents have never met. As if that weren’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before: keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. Through Feb. 22. $10$25. (866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6 THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE Edward Tulane is a very dapper china rabbit—a birthday present for 10-year-old Abilene, who loves him almost as much as Edward loves himself. But when he gets lost at sea, Edward finds he has a lot to learn.

South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa.

Through Feb. 22. $22-plus. (714) 708-5555. scr.org.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7 COUNTRY LIVE! Old Town Temecula Community Theater, The Merc, 42051 Main St., Temecula. $15.

(866) 653-8696. temeculatheater.org.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 LIVE JAZZ ON THE PATIO Chini and Camberos. Bernardo Winery, Tasting Room Patio, 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, San Diego. Free. bernardowinery.com.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 DINNER-DANCE The Widow or Widowers Club (WOW) of San Diego hosts a dinner/dance at the El Cajon Elks Lodge on Washington Ave., El Cajon. Wednesdays. $14-$18. (619) 4617652 wowsd.org.aquarium.ucsd.edu.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12 BE MINE BAR Happy hour mocktail social. San Dimas Community Center, 245 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas. $8. (909) 394-6290.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13 YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WIT YOU George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s comic masterpiece set during America’s

IN THE STUDIO: ARTIST DIALOGS The exhibitions explores the art-making process from 1970 to the present through stories and artwork emphasizing the life of both the artist and assistants.

California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Center Theater, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Through Feb. 22 $12. (800) 988-4253. artcenter.org/museum.

NAKED Taken from the wide-ranging art collection of Bram and Sandra Dijkstra, this exquisite group of works contributes to the museumwide focus on artwork concerning figurative and portrait themes. This group of works spans the 20th century including figurative paintings, drawings, and photographs specifically featuring the nude human figure, created by a wide array of artists Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Through March 8. $5-$8. (760) 435-3720. oma-online.org.

MY SISTER’S VOICE Forty large-scale, high-resolution black-and-white photographs present intense portraits of a culturally diverse, international and local group of women who demonstrate how deeply women participate in society at all levels. These women range in age from 18 to 92, showcasing the courage, wisdom and talents of women of all ages in our society and global discourse. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside.

January/February 2015 San Diego/Orange County/Inland Empire Through Feb. 8. $5-$8. (760) 435-3720. oma-online.org.

CHINA’S LOST CIVILIZATION: THE MYSTERY OF SANXINGDUI During the summer of 1986, construction workers accidentally uncovered an astounding cache of more than 200 ancient jades, weapons, burned animal bones, some 60 elephant tusks, monumental bronzes and a life-sized statue of a nobleman at Sanxingdui, about 24 miles outside of the Sichuan Province capitol of Chengdu. Objects in

CALENDAR

IN THE REALM OF NATURE Kay Sekimachi (1926-) and Bob Stocksdale (1913-2003). Throughout her 60-year career, Sekimachi has created unique works of art using skeletal leaves, hornet’s nest paper and grass.

The exhibition includes examples of her translucent sculptural hangings and room dividers, along with other woven forms— accordion-formatted books, vibrant scrolls, seamless nesting boxes and jewelry. Hailed as a father of American woodturning, Stocksdale revitalized the craft of lathe-turned bowls. In his works, Stocksdale unveiled a compelling beauty in diseased and rare woods. Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park 1439 El Prado, San Diego. Through March 15. Closed Mondays. $5-$8. (619) 239-0003. mingei.org.

ELIZABETH TURK: SENTIENT FORMS In a multi-media installation, Turk continues her exploration of the recurring themes of time, matter and space. The exhibition features marble sculptures from her “Cage and Collars” series, the fragility and fluidity of which are a stark contrast to the heavy materials from which they are made. It also includes X-ray mandala LED illuminated prints, an installation of scholar stones, and a cabinet of curiosities consisting of objects and drawings that have played a part in the artist’s imaginative and working processes. Laguna Art Museum, Main Level Gallery, 307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach. Through Jan. 25. Closed Wednesdays. $5-$7. (949) 494-8971. lagunaartmuseum.org.

the exhibition date to about 1,200 BC, a time when it was thought that the cradle of Chinese civilization existed 745 miles to the northeast on the Yellow River in China’s Central Plain region. Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Through March 15. $12. (714) 567-3679. bowers.org.

INGENIOUS! THE WORLD OF DR. SEUSS The highly popular traveling Dr. Seuss exhibition will include signature elements for the Balboa Park Centennial, emphasizing San Diego as the renowned author’s home and Theodor Geisel as the world’s most celebrated children’s author and an innovator. The lively and whimsical exhibition features rare early works, ephemera, illustration and editorial cartoons, as well as two newly released Geisel illustrations. The Seuss-land gallery features giant bronze Seuss character sculptures, anchoring interactive family activities that emphasize the important themes and innovative nature of Seuss books. San Diego History Museum, Casa De Balboa, Balboa Park, 1649 El Prado, San Diego. Through Dec. 31, 2015. $6-$8.

(619) 232- 6203. sandiegohistory.org.

NEW VISIONS Art and Invention in the 19th Century.

Photography captured people, places and architecture of the 19th century.

This exhibition displays how pioneering photographers brought the world to people with images. The Grand Tour of Europe, Egypt and the Holy Lands, and the American West are presented in the selection that includes featured artists: James Anderson, Eadweard Muybridge, Samuel Bourne, Francis Frith and William Henry Jackson. Museum of Photographic Arts, Balboa Park, 1649 El Prado, San Diego. Through Feb. 8. $7-$8. (619) 2387559. mopa.org.

LITA ALBUQUERQUE: PARTICLE HORIZON The exhibition highlights Pigment Figure No. 1, consisting of a human figure in a horizontal position and is made of plaster and covered in blue pigment. The figure lies in a state of suspended reality, at one time referencing the past self, at another alluding to the future, the never-ending now. The sculpture and the earth around it give form and shape to the matter that surrounds and composes the everyday.

Laguna Art Museum, Segerstrom Gallery,

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1

INTIMATE CLASSICS: JIAYAN SUN, PIANO

With an impressive performance index that includes Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Severance Hall in Cleveland and the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Jiayan Sun has blown audiences away with his masterful playing. The Julliard trained pianist has been the recipient of numerous international awards and has collaborated with prestigious conductors such as Michail Jurowski, Sir Mark Elder and Kerry Stratton. California Center for the Arts, Escondido at The Center Theater, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Prices vary. (800) 988-4253. artcenter.org.

307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach. Through Jan. 25. Closed Wednesdays. $5-$7. (949) 494-8971. lagunaartmuseum.org.

THE DISCOVERY OF KING TUT The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 is considered the most famous discovery in the history of archaeology, and in modern times, the context of its discovery has been lost.

The exhibit allows visitors to experience a rush of excitement as they step into a moment only ever witnessed by Howard Carter, Lord Carnarvon and a handful of others. Through stunning

and scientifically produced replicas, the exhibition invites visitors to enjoy the magnificent splendor of these priceless Egyptian treasures. San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. 15-$27. Through April 26. (619) 232-3821. sdnhm.org.

Get the Word Out. E-mail your announcements to Claire Fadden, cfadden@lifeafter50.com.

Include a brief description, location, date, time, cost, phone and website. Submission does not guarantee publication. Deadline for the February/ March calendar is January 2.

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 41

42 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

Rick Steves’ Travels Your green will go further during Europe’s gray days of winter

By Rick Steves

E

ach summer, Europeans welcome a stampede of American tourists, sightseers and shoppers with eager cash registers hungry for the dollars they will be leaving behind. And so, as we celebrate this first month of the year, let me offer some New Year’s advice: Before jumping into the European peakseason pile-on, consider the advantages of making an off-season trip.

Given the current weakness of our dollar overseas, the potential price-savings of an off-season trip are enough to brighten even the grayest of winter days. Airfares are often hundreds of dollars less, and with fewer crowds vying for lodging, many fine hotels drop their prices and budget hotels have plenty of vacancies.

Note that while tourist-oriented places may be cheaper in the off-season, the opposite is true of big city business centers (especially Brussels and the Scandinavian capitals), which are busiest and most expensive in the off-season.

For many travelers, “shoulder season” – April, May, early June, September, and early October – offers the best mix of peak-season and off-season pros and cons. In shoulder season, you’ll enjoy decent weather, long days, fewer crowds, and a local tourist industry that is still eager to please and entertain.

Outside of peak-season – from November through March – adventurers can loiter alone through Leonardo da Vinci’s home, ponder un-pestered in Rome’s Forum, kick up undisturbed sand on empty beaches, and chat with laid-back guards by log fires in French châteaux. In wintertime Venice, you can be alone

atop St. Mark’s bell tower watching the clouds of your breath roll over the Byzantine domes of the church and a horizon of cut-glass Alps.

Without the crowds, you can enjoy step-rightup service at tourist offices and experience a more “European” Europe. Although many popular tourist-oriented parks, shows, and tours will be closed, off-season is in-season for the high culture: plays and operas are in their crowd-pleasing glory.

For instance, in Vienna, while the Boys Choir, opera and Spanish Riding School are scarce in the summer, all have a busy schedule of performances through the rest of the year.

Europe’s major cities crackle with energy yearround. In London, you can spend your days at the British Museum and National Gallery, and your nights at a cozy pub or a world-class play. In Paris – the City of Light that always sparkles – you can get face-toface with Mona’s sly-smile at the Louvre and then scale the Eiffel Tower without a wait. In Florence, you’ll see Renaissance paintings and Michelangelo’s David without fighting peak-season crowds.

But winter travel does have its drawbacks.

Because much of Europe is in Canadian latitudes, the days are short. It’s dark by 5 p.m. The weather can be miserable – cold, windy, and drizzly – and then turn worse. But just as summer can have its wet and gray days, winter can be crisp and blue, and even into mid-November, hillsides blaze with colorful leaves.

To thrive in the winter, you’ll need to get the most out of your limited daylight hours.

Start early and eat a quick lunch. Tourist offices close early, so call ahead to check

hours and confirm your plans. Pack for the cold and wet – layers, rainproof parka, gloves, wool hat, long johns, waterproof shoes, and an umbrella. Use undershirts to limit the washing of slow-drying heavy shirts. Dress warmly. Cold weather is colder when you’re outdoors trying to enjoy yourself all day long, and some hotels are not always adequately heated in the off-season.

Off-season hours are limited. Tourist information offices normally stay open year-round but have shorter hours in the winter. While most sights stay open through the winter, they typically operate on shorter schedules (such as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. rather than 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.), with darkness often determining the closing time. Winter sightseeing is fine in big cities that bustle year-round, but it’s more frustrating in small tourist towns, which often close down entirely. You’ll also find many beach resorts are shut up as tight as canned hams.

While Europe’s wonderful outdoor evening ambience survives year-round in the south, wintertime streets are empty in the north after dark.

English-language tours, common in the summer, are rare during the off-season, when most visitors are natives. Another disadvantage of winter travel is loneliness. The solo traveler won’t have the builtin camaraderie of other travelers that you would find in peak season. Still, this can be a plus, since it encourages you to really connect with the locals.

Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and radio.

You can e-mail him at rick@ricksteves.com and visit his website at www.ricksteves.com.

JANUARY 2015 LIFEAFTER50.COM 43

44 LIFEAFTER50.COM jAnuARy 2015

january 2015 LIFEaFTEr50.COM 45

And Finally...

The Bookworm’s Best A Life After 50 book review

by Terri “The Bookworm” Schlichenmeyer

Identity Theft Alert

By Steve Weisman

Y

our credit card was declined.

Such an annoyance. You paid your bill, the expiration date was right, your signature was on the back, and it should’ve worked.

Eventually it did, much to your relief, but that made you think: Is your credit report, your privacy, your identity safe from criminals? Find out if it is – and what you can do to keep it safe – by reading “Identity Theft Alert” by Steve Weisman.

Hacking and spamming and theft – oh, my! Every time you hear another report of credit information being breached (and the attendant hassle involved), it might seem like thieves are everywhere these days – and that suspicion might not be so wrong.

“Identity theft is one of the most pervasive and insidious crimes of today,” Weisman says. In fact, more than 12 million people became victims last year.

So what can you do to avoid joining them? Weisman lists the ways…

Online, use strong passwords and encryption and beware of sites you visit. Never open a link in an e-mail unless you’re certain it’s “legitimate,” and have your antivirus program up-to-date at all times. By the way, Mac users shouldn’t feel safe anymore; hackers are purposely creating Mac viruses now.

Also, be cautious when clicking on links you see online. “Curiosity killed the cat,” says Weisman. “Let the cat live.”

When answering the phone, remember that your bank will not ask for your debit card number or PIN. Neither will the FBI or the IRS; the general rule of thumb is not to release any personal information unless you initiated the call.

That’s especially true if the person on the other end of the line seems to only have half of your information. Chances are they’re only waiting for you to get flustered and fill in the rest.

Monitor your credit rating and your monthly bills with eagle-eyes. Keep those eyes on your credit card as much as possible when it’s not in your possession. Know where the safest ATMs sit and why you should never use public copiers for important document duplication. And finally, remember that it’s almost impossible to guarantee complete safety of your identity – even after you’re dead.

Though it sometimes seems a little sensational and leans toward repetitiveness, I found the information in “Identity Theft Alert” to be overwhelmingly good. Part of the reason for that is, while you’ve been warned at great length about identity safety, Weisman offers tips I doubt the average person would generally consider. He is, after all, an expert in this category – something you’ll notice, once you get past the commonsensical and into the quieter threats that exist.

It’s also helpful that Weisman doesn’t assume anything about his readers. Instead, his advice is methodical and simple to understand. The info is especially seniorfriendly, although beware that the print size isn’t.

I think this is a great book to read and refer to often. Buy “Identity Theft Alert,” highlight it, flag it, heed it, and you may avoid the worst during this season, when last month’s gift-buying bills start rolling in. Why would you decline?

“Identity Theft Alert” by Steve Weisman, 2014, FT Press, $16.99, 174 pages The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer who lives on a hill with two dogs and more than 12,000 books. You can read all of Terri’s book reviews, updated weekly, at www.lifeafter50.com. Just click on “Entertainment” and then “Book Reviews.”

Just A Thought Before We Go

A Look Back

T

Photo by Flip Minott

his month marks a half-century since the New York Jets signed University of Alabama quarterback Joe Namath. A first-round selection by both the National Football League’s St. Louis Cardinals and the upstart American Football League’s Jets, Namath opted for the Jets, lured by a then-record salary of $427,000. Tagged with the nickname “Broadway Joe” by a teammate following his appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated, in uniform, standing in Times Square, the flashy Namath became known for his onfield passing prowess and white shoes and off-field fur jackets, enjoyment of the company of beautiful ladies, and endorsements of clothing and food items, cologne, shaving cream and, most famously, pantyhose. He went on to became the first quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season and led the 1968 Jets to Super Bowl III in which he “guaranteed” and delivered a win over the favored Baltimore Colts. That game, credited for establishing the AFL, saw Namath named Super Bowl III’s Most Valuable Player. Following his 1977 retirement, Namath worked as a sports commentator and actor and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 2006, at the urging of his daughter, Jessica, Namath enrolled in the University of Alabama’s External Degree program and completed the 15 credits he needed to earn his B.A. degree. Today, at the age of 71, Namath is a grandfather who continues to work in various business ventures and as a celebrity spokesman.

46 LIFEAFTER50.COM JANUARY 2015

Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt, and fear, To love and laugh and give!” ~ William Arthur Ward