The Popcorn Stand: Trying to be silly in difficult times
I must admit it’s hard to keep writing “silly crap” as one reader dubbed this Popcorn Stand when it was written in another form.
It just doesn’t seem right to be silly in this Popcorn Stand with everything that’s been going on over the past few months. I must admit there was a time when I thought of myself as the holier-than-thou, moralistic journalist who was going to write columns that change people’s hearts and minds and the world in the process. I found I was actually doing more harm than good.
It’s just people who choose to read this Popcorn Stand seem to find my “silly crap” more useful for some reason. Oh sure I get serious in this column from time to time especially when I can mention the six degrees of Porterville, how Porterville has something to do with anything and everything in one way or another.
But I believe it’s more important now than ever to be silly. I dunno, for some reason the other day I decided to show Marisa Servantes my impersonation of James Cagney in “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” I absolutely love that movie.
My impersonation of James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy really doesn’t even come close to what Cagney actually does in the movie. It’s a combination of how people impersonate Cagney if that version of Cagney was singing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
The version of Cagney who says “You Dirty Rat” although Cagney never actually said “You Dirty Rat.” Cagney said something like “you yellow-bellied rat.”
It’s like when Humphrey Bogart is quoted as saying “Play It Again, Sam” when he actually never uttered that line in “Casablanca,” another movie I absolutely love. What Bogart actually said was “Play it! Play it Sam! If it’s good enough for her it’s good enough for me.” And Bogart did actually utter the words “Here’s looking at you kid.” But I digress.
Anyway I showed my impersonation of the “You Dirty Rat” James Cagney complete with hand gestures that everybody does when they impersonate Cagney singing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” to Marisa. Again I don’t know where these hand gestures came from because I’ve never actually seen Cagney himself use those hand gestures, although he may have, I dunno.
I also tried to do the tippy-toe walk that Cagney does during his “Yankee Doodle Dandy” performance while waving my arms in an exaggerated manner.
I then showed Marisa a Youtube clip of Cagney’s performance of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and she absolutely loved it. Especially the part when Cagney does that tippy-toe walk.
Marisa has Down Syndrome, but she’s as smart as a whip. She began doing the “Charles” version of James Cagney singing “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” complete with the exaggerated arm waving.
Her impersonation is much better than mine and absolutely adorable. Just as adorable as when she asks are we going to have a real picnic (in which sandwiches are actually made) or a “Charles” picnic (Subway).
Even in times like these it’s still good to be silly.