Tears for my friend David
SATURDAY NYC officials officially said farewell to former Mayor David Dinkins, 93. On his 90th birthday, he whispered to me: “They began partying for me three years ago, just to make sure.”
David and I were close. We survived a trunkload of lives together. In the ’80s, as city clerk handling marriage licenses, he’d drive around this town we loved and tell me he enlisted in the Marines in high school when he weighed 120.
His goal then? “I’ll bust my ass on a campaign to be mayor.” His goal now? “I just want once to play a judge on ‘Law & Order.’ ”
His outlet? Tennis. Even on icy winter mornings. The twinkle? “I look so good in shorts.” Me, his repeat date at the US Open.
Jan. 1, 1990. “I’ll never ever forget this first day in office. It was the coldest 24 hours ever in the history of mankind.” In ’93, beaten by Giuliani for mayor, we were at Le Cirque. He said: “OK. Providing I don’t have to look at anything about Rudy.” That year, drinking beer at the annual Inner Circle roast: “People made their choice — and now they must be punished.”
Returning from visiting Gov. Mario Cuomo in Albany, his helicopter ran out of gas.
’95, we flew to Chicago. Major Dem hooley. He’d packed trunks. Dandy David always praised the tailor who custommade his suits. Mid-flight, he came out of the can in changed clothes. I said: “I bet your shorts are color coded to your watchband.”
My suitcase went lost. His luggage arrived perfectly. Five days he’d say he couldn’t be seen with me in the wrinkles I arrived in. David called a local friend with my size and asked for a donation. It arrived that day — same morning we flew home.
I loved David Dinkins.
‘Miami’ nice
DIRECTOR Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” is about a 1964 fictionalized meeting. Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, Malcolm X discussing black men being successful during the civil rights movement. Leslie
Odom Jr., playing Cooke, says: “I’m thinking someone’s better for this than I. Me spending so much time carving out a place for myself with everyone wanting to make the next Will Smith, Wesley Snipes, Denzel. Scary. At my start I’m thinking, ‘ What if I’m not a great Sam Cooke?’ ” Obviously, he is. It opens Christmas Day.
Meh, just skip it
AFTER the bitter 1800 election, incumbent Adams ducked the swearing-in of Jefferson, who began the traditional march from Capitol to White House. 1828: the Andrew Jackson-John Quincy Adams rematch. Like his father, Adams split before Jackson took the oath. And Andrew Johnson who assumed the presidency after Lincoln’s assassination? He was “too busy” to attend Grant’s subsequent swearing-in.
WE hear President Trump will attend Biden’s big day. And how’s newie Biden whose leg is now in a boot? With lefties already attacking his Cabinet picks, Joe himself mightn’t even show.
Only in the USA, kids, only in the USA.