Monthly Archives: January 2013

When the father of Jamie Farr (who played Klinger on TV’s M*A*S*H) died, Jamie was broke and needed money to get to Phoenix, Arizona, for his father’s funeral. Jamie started to tell a long-time friend, Andy Fenady, his problem, and … Continue reading →

Rich and famous comedian Danny Thomas, whose birth name was Amos Jacobs and who was raised in Toledo, Ohio, once paid for tickets at a box-office booth, and when he received his change, he dropped a dime. Lots of people … Continue reading →

One winter while Walter Damrosch was conducting at the Metropolitan Opera, he and his family stayed at the Cambridge Hotel on Fifth Avenue, where their waiter, Roberto, taught Mr. Damrosch’s young daughters about hospitality and wine. For example, he criticized … Continue reading →

Ed McMahon knew a very wealthy man named Dan Kelly who often talked to waitresses about their children. One meal, he found out that a waitress named Ruth had a son who needed an operation. The next morning, Mr. Kelly … Continue reading →

Arturo Toscanini played second cello in an orchestra that played the music of Giuseppe Verdi—with Verdi conducting it! While playing Verdi’s opera Otello, Toscanini played the music as Verdi had written it, including a pianissimo in the last scene of … Continue reading →