Keep Moving
Page 16
One last note: I hope I don’t come off in this book as thinking I know everything—I don’t. I don’t claim to know much of anything unless it involves lyrics and a tune. But I do know this:
If you are young, get used to having old people around. There’s only going to be more of us—including you!
If you are middle-aged, don’t think about getting old.
If you are already old, congratulations, you now know what I know! There is no finish line. Stay open to whatever happens. Don’t be scared of dying. Be more frightened that you haven’t finished living. Make living a life achievement.
Keep moving.
Or, as the kids say, #KeepMoving.
Acknowledgments
Here we are, at the conclusion of this book. For those who didn’t close it a page earlier—and even for those who did—thank you for purchasing this book and spending time with me. I hope you enjoyed it and go on your way with a smile, a spring in your step, and some positive thoughts about aging. Remember, if nothing else, keep moving—and help other people do the same. We’re all in this together.
To that point, I want to thank all the people who helped make the stories and events I wrote about possible, starting with my parents (good genes cannot be underestimated); my extended family of grandparents, aunts, and uncles; my brother, Jerry, who provided some very funny lines; my immediate family of my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and my friends and colleagues with whom I’ve worked over the years, as I frequently think about the projects we worked on together and treasure the memories.
As I said in my 2012 memoir, I have lived a lucky life in and out of show business, lucky in so many ways, not the least of which is making it to eighty-nine years old in good health and with a sound mind, my sense of humor still intact, and someone special I wake up in the morning and look forward to spending the day with. This book would not have been possible without my wife, Arlene. Throughout the writing process she recalled stories, provided details, double-checked dates, rounded up photos, worked on corrections, and kept the writers writing. At each work session she also made sure we had plenty of hot coffee and fresh laughter.
Likewise, this book would not exist without Jeff Kolodny, my agent at Paradigm, and Dan Strone, my Literary Agent at Trident Media Group, who believed in and then convinced me that I had something to say on the subject of aging. At the outset I feared this would be a very short book, inasmuch as I thought I only had two words to say on the subject—“Keep moving”—a pretty short book if you ask me. Fortunately I was wrong and Jeff and Dan were right. So thank you to both of them. Also, as I sit here at my dining room table, I am applauding Dan’s assistants Jackie Triggs and Chelsea Grogan, who obtained the permissions that made it possible for us to use the photos in this book, and I extend a note—no, make that enough notes for an entire song—of appreciation to Amanda Murray, Editorial Director, and Georgina Levitt, Publishing Director, at Weinstein Books, and their team, including Patricia Mulcahy, Christine Marra, and Chris Roslan. And, of course, my thanks to Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company family. I turned a manuscript over to them, and they turned it into a book. As a lifelong fan of magic tricks, I think that’s a pretty good one.
And speaking of magic, I want to thank Todd Gold, my cowriter on this, our second book together, who spent the first six months of the year showing up at my house in the afternoon for a three o’clock cup of coffee. As we sat at the dining room table where I am now, he would laughingly assure me that our wide-ranging conversations would result in a book—and not just any old book, but one that people would enjoy reading. I had my doubts. My brother even stared him down one day and flat-out said, “What are you going to say? Everything about the subject has already been written.” Todd was not phased. “Let’s keep moving,” he said. “Let’s see what happens.” Lo and behold, this happened.
And now I’m going to see if my wife wants to go out to dinner.
Oh, one last reminder: never go down the stairs sideways.
Index
AARP, xiii, 18–19
acceptance, 82
Adult Songs for Children (Estelle Reiner), 204
After Six Award, 75
ageism, 63–64
aging
acting and feeling one’s own age, xiii, 2, 144
dementia, prevention of, 46
dessert, 51–52
disappearing ass, 24
disinterest in what other people think, 23
good habits for, 43–44
hobbies and passions, importance of, 42
how one feels inside, 24
inner child, 39–41
as new normal, 64
playtime, importance of, 42
pro-aging tips, 66
romance, 129, 143
sense of normal, changes in, 36–37
shoulder taps from Father Time, 11–12
shrinking, 18, 26
TV commercials, 17
white hair, 18
worrying, 10, 23, 144
See also old age
Alaska, cruise to
Arlene’s reaction to being at sea, 57–58
brochures, 54
cruise ship, boredom of, 56–57
dolphins, 60
food, 57
private tour of Parliament Building, Victoria, Canada, 60
purpose of, 54
in Skagway, Alaska, 59–60
toilet on train, 55–56
train ride to Vancouver, Canada, 55–56
whale watching, 58
Albinoni, Tomaso, 134
Amsterdam, Morey, 51, 75, 197
Andrews, Julie
Life Achievement Award, 111, 207
in San Francisco parade, 180
work, joy in, 209
animation software, 136
answers to life’s important questions, 145
anxiety, 74, 125, 215
apartheid, 174
Armstrong, Neil, 172
Asimov, Isaac, 86
Asner, Ed, 25
Astaire, Fred, 74–75, 210–211
atomic bombing of Japanese cities, 165
attitude, good, 97
audience, role of, 208
Baby Boomers
changing rules of aging, 66
curiosity about dealing with old age, 5
increasing number of seniors, xiii
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 68, 84
Baldwin, Alec, 207
“The Bare Necessities,” DVD’s lyrics for, 28
Beatles, 170
Benadryl, usefulness of, 149
Benny, Jack, 163
Benny Goodman Jazz Orchestra, 161
Betty Ford Center, 182
Beverly Hills, California, 19, 63, 177, 181, 193
birthdays, 4–5
Black, Shirley Temple, 209
Blake, Eubie, 44
Blanchett, Cate, 111
blazer from Mary Poppins, auction of, 73
blood pressure, 200
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, 81
Bonnie and Clyde, 158, 161
books, 85–86
bootlegging, 159
Bradbury, Ray, 86
brain, exercising, 46
brain, main job of, 151
Brennan, Eileen, 195
British Virgin Islands, 92
Britton, Barbara, 194
Brokaw, Tom, 65
Brooks, Mel, 65, 197, 204
Brownfield, Paul, 72
Buffet, Warren, 40
Burnett, Carol, 50–51
Burns, George, 19, 202
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, 85
Bye Bye Birdie (stage musical), 31, 43, 168, 195
Caesar salad dressing, 19
Cagney, Jimmy, 200
Capone, Al, 159
cardigan, Dick Van Dyke signature, 73–74
Cave Creek, Arizona, 5, 77
CG animation, 136
Champion, Gower, 31, 127
children’s hospital, singing at, 84–85
&n
bsp; Chimney Sweep Award, 76
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (movie), x, 12
Chulay, John, 169
Cialis, limerick about, 87
cigarettes, 190
Citizen Kane (movie), 170
Civil Rights Movement, 171
Clinton, Bill, 182–183
Clooney, George, 208
Coach (TV show), 21
Cobb, Lee J., 166
collecting things, 74
compassion, 188, 212
A Concise Encyclopedia of Gastronomy (Simon), 102
confidence, 13
Congregation Beth Ohr, 69–70
connecting with other people, 48, 118
Conrad, William, 6
Coolidge, Calvin, 158
Copner, Earl, 190–191
Cousins, Norman, 98
Cranston, Bryan, 208
Crawfordsville, Indiana, 125
Cronkite, Walter, 172, 195
Crosby, Bing, 47
Crosby, Gary, 47
crossword puzzles, 10, 46
curiosity, 81, 144
dancing, role of in preventing dementia, 46
Dancing with the Stars (TV show), 31
Danville, Illinois, 7, 22, 23, 67, 158, 179
Davis, Sammy Jr., 68
Day-Lewis, Daniel, 208
death, after, 98
death, of friends, 26
death camps for Jews, 165
Death of a Salesman (Miller), 166
death of loved ones, 103
Debbie (favorite grocery checker), 14, 44
Defore, Don, 173
dementia, prevention of, 46
dessert, importance of, 50
Diagnosis Murder (TV show), 6, 16, 136, 174
The Dick Van Dyke Show (TV show)
continual airing of, 198
effect of on DVD’s life, 159
first two seasons of, 168–170
as inspiration to writers, 198
Rob Petrie, childlike qualities of, 40
timelessness of, 169, 197–198
diet, 43
Dillinger, John, 158, 161
Disney, Walt, 14, 127, 171
Disneyland, 48–49, 157
doubt, 81–82
Duck Soup (movie), 161
Dunaway, Faye, 61
dying, 215
eagerness to learn, 82
earth, protecting and preserving, 188–189
Easy Street, 145
Ed Sullivan Show (TV show), 170
Einstein, Albert, 110
Eisenhower, Dwight D., 168
El Capitan Theatre, 111
Ellington, Duke, 67
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 50
Emory, Hamlin, 150–155
Empire State Building, 158
Erickson, Phil, 167
evolution, teaching the theory of, 158
experiences, 143, 144
family and friends, importance of, 79–80
Farnsworth, Philo, 159
Fellowship of Christian and Jews, 181
females, average life expectancy of, xii
Fitzgerald, Ella, 68
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 159
flashlight, tiny, 144
Floyd, Pretty Boy, 161
Fonda, Jane, 66
Ford, Betty, 181–182
Ford, Gerald, 181
Ford’s Theatre, 180, 183
forefathers, continuing the ways of, 188
forgiveness, 82, 144
Fox, Michael J., 19
Frankieburger, Nancy, 79
friendliness, 188
friends dying, 26
games, 50
Garfield Grade School, 190
The Garry Moore Show (TV show), 51
Geezer TV, 71
Gelbart, Larry, 16
genetics, old age and, 154
Gershwin, George, 67
Getz, Stan, 68
Gilligan’s Island (TV show), 210
Ginsberg, Ruth Bader, 66
giving, 209
Golden Gate Park, 181
good things, sharing, 183
Goodman, Benny, 84, 161, 162
Gossett, Lou Jr., 25
Gould, Glenn, 68
Grant, Cary, 75, 188, 209, 210
Gray Rights Movement, 64–65
Great Depression, 160, 183
The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald), 159
Gunty, Morty, 194
habits, good for aging, 43–44
Halax, Stacy, 112
Haley, Bill, 167
Hamilton, George, 26
“Happy Days Are Here Again” (song), 160
A Hard Day’s Night (movie), 170
Harper, Valerie, 112
hate, 83
Head of the Family (TV pilot), 194
health foods, 144
hearing, diminishing, 144
Heaton, Patricia, 22
helping, 83
Herman, Woody, 67
higher power, 97–98, 211–212
Hiroshima, Japan, 165
Hitler, Adolf, 159, 164, 165
hobbies and passions, importance of, 12, 42, 205
Hohokam Indians, 77–78
homeless people, Depression era, 184
honesty, 209
Hopkins, Anthony, 61
Horne, Lena, 68
Hoss, Al, 162
Hulot, Monsieur, 195
humility, 82
humming, 43
humor, sense of, 86, 145
hypocrisy, 69
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, 152
hypothalamus, 152
ice cream sundaes, 51–52
illness, key to recovery from, 36
Inherit the Wind (movie), 158
insects, diminishing numbers of, 100
insecurity, 124–125
isolation, 48
J. Press, 75
Jake and the Fatman (TV show), 6, 174
jazz, 188
Jazz Cruise, 60
The Jazz Singer (movie), 160
Jefferson, Thomas, xiii
Jeopardy (TV show), 51, 122
Jessica (DVD’s granddaughter), 76
Johnson, Lyndon B., 180–181
Jolson, Al, 160
Jones, Shirley, 25
Kareem, Melanie, 1
Keaton, Buster, 210
Kelly, Gene, 167, 210
Kennedy, John F., 168, 169
Kenton, Stan, 68
Kierkegaard, Søren, 81
King, Martin Luther Jr.
character of, 174
as leader of protest march in Selma Alabama, 171
at Los Angeles rally, 82
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, 85–86
knees, old age and, 143
Kristen (DVD’s grandchild), 76
Lady Gaga, 134
Lange, Hope, 172
Laurel, Stan
as DVD’s idol, 83, 210
Laurel and Hardy movies, young people and, 188
in Sons of the Desert, 161
Laurel and Hardy, 161, 188
Leary, Denis, 37
Lemmon, Jack, 16
Leonard, Sheldon, 168, 194–196
Let’s Dance (radio program), 161
Levy, Shawn, 31
life expectancy, xii, 89–90, 214
life insurance, 15
life achievement awards, for non-entertainers, 211
Lincoln, Abraham, 180, 183
Linley, Chuck, 126
Little Caesar (movie), 200
Lockhart, Gene, 166
loneliness, 48
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 171
love, importance of, 129–130, 145, 176, 206, 212
Love Boat-themed party, 13–14
Lowry, Brian, 71
luck, 144, 213
Lynch, Jane, 177
Magic Castle nightclub, 115
males, average life expectancy of, xii
Malibu, California, xi, 16, 93, 177
Malibu Civic Theater, 1
Malibu Playhouse,
25
Mancuso, Fay, 2, 128
Mancuso, Frank, 2, 128
Mandela, Nelson, 174
Margie (first wife). See Willett, Margie
Marina del Ray, California, 91
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, 183
Marmalade restaurant, 177
marriage, same-sex, 176
marriage equality, 82
Martin, Dick, 93
Martin, Dolly, 93
Marvin, Lee, 90–91
Marx Brothers, 161
Mary Poppins (movie)
choreography in, 31
DVD as Mr. Dawes in, 14
DVD dancing in, 31
DVD getting role in, 127
DVD’s grandmother’s reaction to, 8
release of, 171
working in England, 170
material things, attachment to, 74
May, Elaine, 167
Mayo Clinic, 148
McHugh, Edna, 135
McRae, Carmen, 68
medications, 149
Mehta, Zubin, 152
Mein Kampf (Hitler), 159
mentality, physiology and, 151
Merry Mutes, 167
The Middle (TV show), 22
Midnight Mission, 48–49
Miles, Sylvia, 194
Miller, Arthur, 166
Million Dollar Theatre, 167
Mitchelson, Marvin, 91
The Modern Cook Book and Household Recipes (1904), 101
money, 143
Moore, George Tyler, 209
Moore, Mary Tyler
audition for The Dick Van Dyke Show, 196
DVD’s objection to, 196
Life Achievement Award, 207
refusal to change name, 209
Morris, Howard, 50
Mule Deer, Gary, 21
music, importance of, 84–85
Music Man (stage musical), 5, 18
My Mother the Car (TV show), 210
My New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (1937), 101
Nagasaki, Japan, 165
naps, 50
neighborliness, 177–178
Nelson, Baby Face, 161
Nelson, Harriet, 173
Nelson, Ozzie, 173
New Deal, 179
The New Dick Van Dyke Show (TV show), 172
New England Journal of Medicine, study on prevention of dementia, 46
New Orleans, Louisiana, 212
New York Times crossword puzzles, 10
Newhart, Bob, 65
Nichols, Mike, 167
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 110
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (movie), 30–32
Nixon, Richard M.
meeting with DVD, 181
Nixon-Kennedy debate, 168
resignation, 173
Watergate, 172–173
NOH8 (No hate) campaign, 82