Victor Borge and Itzak Perlman

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11/26/2006

Victor Borge and Itzak Perlman

I am currently watching a PBS fundraising special about Victor Borge which Itzak Perlman is narrating. For some of you that are too young to remember Victor Borge, he was a very talented and accomplished pianist but his act revolved around comedy. He was quite often on the variety shows, such as Ed Sullivan, Carol Burnet, and even The Muppet Show. His comedy is so funny that many in his audience would laugh to tears, (myself included). He was a comedian of the variety whose shows were completely clean, yet hysterically funny. Red Skelton is another. I remember when my sons were teenagers and a Victor Borge special was on, I was laughing so hard that my sons came to see what I was watching. I didn't expect them to be interested because kids can be so jaded when it comes to comedy but they were entranced and watched the rest of it and laughed along with me. If you've never seen Mr. Borge's shows, be sure to find one of his tapes and enjoy.

Itzak Perlman, for those that don't know (although you'd have to be living in the middle of the boondocks to not know) is a classically trained violinist and world famous. As I said, he is narrating the Victor Borge special and so reminded me of an experience I had. Over 20 years ago, I lived in North Carolina and was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Itzak Perlman in concert. I am not a big fan of classical music but I have always been impressed with Mr. Perlman because he has a silly side and does shows for and with children including Sesame Street. Also, he is a victim of polio, has braces on his legs and walks with crutches so he is a great example to children. The concert was of course wonderful. As people were leaving, I noticed some were going over to the curtained area that Mr. Perlman had disappeared behind. I took a chance, went over and joined the line of people saying hello to Mr. Perlman.

As I waited, I heard people talking to him about the pieces he had played and his remarkable ability with the violin. You know, all that nose in the air, classical stuff. When it was my turn, as I was shaking his hand, I told him how much I enjoyed his skit with Slimey the Worm on Sesame Street. The people behind me got real silent as if I made a faux pas but Mr. Perlman's face just lit up with a huge smile and gave me a very warm thank you. I always knew he was a down to earth, classy guy and that was proof.

I have a few stories about my momentary meetings with other celebrities but that is my most favorite encounter.

Love, Light, and Laughter,

Starstuff

10:25 PM | Blog it | Entertainment

Comments (8)

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	Kadrinwrote: http://healingbranches.com/forum/index.php A Soft Place to Fall, A Safe Place to Heal, A Great Place to Grow Jan. 23
	Lakota Claywrote: In total agreement about Red Skelton and Victor Borge. They were a class act! Lakota Jan. 4
	No namewrote: Miss your entries! Hope everything is okay and that it's just the "season" that's keeping you quiet. Hugs, MuMo Dec. 25
	Osinwrote: Cool space. I remember V Borge....so good Dec. 15
	Jorgewrote: I saw that special on PBS, as well. And since Mr. Perlman has been a longtime favorite of mine, I especially enjoyed the tale of your personal meeting. It fit so well with what I've seen of is interactions with others. Be well, j. Dec. 9
	Tom Stormcrowewrote: Hi Starstuff! No worries, I've been pretty busy myself! I'm still a full time student, and also training for several races next season. If you could do me a favor and mention my Tour de Cure page (link at my blog), I'd be beholden to you! I won't post it here, don't weant to Spam you. I would like to get the page spread around though! Dec. 7
	Pilgrim wrote: Itzak and Yehudi - two of my all-time favorite violinists ( I DO love classical music). How fortunate for you that you were able to meet him in person! Having lived in California, and specifically Hollywood, for so many years, I have of course met many celebrities face to face. Almost without exception, I found that they really appreciate being treated like any other normal human being. Guess it gets tiring, listening to all that fauning adulation all the time huh? Remind me to tell you sometime about the conversation I had on a San Francisco street corner with Sidney Poitier. What a fine, classy gentleman he is. Very much the man in person that he often plays on the silver screen. Glad you're writing again my friend. You have such a talent for it, and I miss it when you go "silent", although I understand the need to do that from time to time. See you again soon, steve Dec. 5
	Margewrote: What a wonderful story, StarryStuff! In your brief meeting with Mr. Perlman, what you experienced was class. Although I've not seen many of his performances, but have seen enough (including Sesame Street) to have seen a part of the content of his character. He's a true class act, and a good human being. I have, however, seen much of Mr. Borge's work and have, like you, laughed myself silly at his impish humor. I have to confess that at times when he was playing a piece "straight" I found myself just waiting for him to throw in a comic passage... Thank you for this entry today, my friend; I'm sitting here smiling from ear to ear with good memories! Peace and love, always... Marge Nov. 28

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