you baltimorons - and "Addams Family" TV show fans - may enjoy this

mhardy6647
mhardy6647 Posts: 33,770
edited June 2012 in The Clubhouse
Amusingly enough, the most famous alum of my alma mater probably isn't Matthew Polk... it's probably John Astin (Gomez Addams on the 1960s sitcom version of The Addams Family). :-P

There's a pretty good article about Astin, now in residence at JHU and, by all appearances, reviving the theatre arts program there, in the new issue of the alumni magazine. It's actually pretty good, and pretty interesting, so I thought I'd share it here.

http://magazine.jhu.edu/summer-2012/staging-revival

(in the interest of disclosure, JHU's best known "modern" alum might actually be P.J. O'Rourke... but I'll not debate the issue here and now)


EDIT: and just to be perfectly clear :-) as a born and bred Baltimoron myself, I use that epithet as a term of endearment, not slander!
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited June 2012
    That's really interesting, mhardy. So you're a local boy who made good. Took Organic Chem. (probably had a phenomenal memory because that's the worst part of that course?), Latin in Junior High (or earlier) helped you ace the verbal part of the SATs (I had a friend like that in H.S.--great memory, Latin, and great math skills--unfortunately he was a perfectionist and his 160+ IQ allowed him to graduate Berkeley at age 30 with a B.A. degree in BioPhysics?). You know I'm pulling your leg, right?

    I never would have guessed that John Astin was a JHU grad. On another note. One of my cohort in grad school, from Afghanistan, taught at Hopkins for a number of years before he took a job with the World Bank and then returned to his native country to become Minister of Education. He then ran a failed bid for the Presidency which he lost miserably to Karzai. When we knew him, he was the resident Marxist scholar--my HOW people CHANGE. He had James Carville on his advisory committee for the campaign. lol

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
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  • brgman
    brgman Posts: 2,859
    edited June 2012
    As a Baltimoron myself my vote is for-
    Frank Zappa
    although Gomex is a favorite as well.
    lots of great folks came from Bmore
    like ME!
    Hon!
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    amusingly enough, the most famous alum of my alma mater probably isn't matthew polk... It's probably john astin (gomez addams on the 1960s sitcom version of the addams family). :-p

    there's a pretty good article about astin, now in residence at jhu and, by all appearances, reviving the theatre arts program there, in the new issue of the alumni magazine. It's actually pretty good, and pretty interesting, so i thought i'd share it here.

    http://magazine.jhu.edu/summer-2012/staging-revival

    (in the interest of disclosure, jhu's best known "modern" alum might actually be p.j. O'rourke... But i'll not debate the issue here and now)


    edit: And just to be perfectly clear :-) as a born and bred baltimoron myself, i use that epithet as a term of endearment, not slander!



    OK , Hon !!:wink::lol:
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    Fred Gwynne/ Herman Munster is/was another, IIRC.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,770
    edited June 2012
    Yeah, but they all didn't go to Hopkins. Matthew, "Gomez", PJ, and I ahem... did... hon.

    ;-)
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,658
    edited June 2012
    Also Woodrow Wilson was a grad.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,770
    edited June 2012
    Good point; I forgot him :-P
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    Is John Waters an alum????:lol:
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  • brgman
    brgman Posts: 2,859
    edited June 2012
    I believe the great Dr Ben Carson is isn't he?
    Main Rig-Realistic AM/FM Record player 8 track boasting 4 WPC

    Backup Rig-2 CH-Rogue Audio Zeus w/Factory Special Dark Mods,Joule-Electra 300ME Platinum Preamp,OPPO-105 w/Modwright Tube Mod, Auralic Aries G2.1,Polk 2.3TL,3.1TL's,Dreadnought,RTA-15TL's,1C's All Fully Modded,2xRTA-12c's ,Benchmark DAC3 HGC,Synology NAS,VPI Scout w/Dynavector DV-20XH and Rogue Audio Ares Phono Preamp,Sony PCM-R500 DAT,HHB-850 Pro CDR,Tascam CC-222SLMKII Cassette/CDR,MIT S3.3 Shotgun Cables,Shunyata Hyra-8,Shunyata and Triode Labs Power Cords

    I’M OFFENDED!!!!
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited June 2012
    gdb wrote: »
    Is John Waters an alum????:lol:

    No, but he did attend the Calvert School in Baltimore and Calvert Hall College High School in nearby Towson but he ultimately graduated from Boys' Latin School of Maryland. WIKI

    And spent a few minutes enrolled at NYU before he, "wisely", realized that that was not for him. Supposedly Waters never abandoned his beloved Baltimore.

    Although this is off topic. I found this rather amazing: Look at all the films that had at least some of their scenes shot in Baltimore. It's almost mind-boggling! How about some Product Placement, Polk??

    Enjoy! Actually, I've always had a certain fondness for the small big town flavor of Baltimore!

    http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/movies/bal-artslife-mdmovies07,0,955898.story

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    My neighbor, Bill Porter, worked sound for John W. on Pink Flamingos and tells a hilarious story of Divine calling the hospital after eating the doggie poo, asking if he/she were going to die !! :lol:
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited June 2012
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Yeah, but they all didn't go to Hopkins. Matthew, "Gomez", PJ, and I ahem... did... hon.

    ;-)

    Let's not forget that all of the Polk Audio founding fathers: George, Matthew, Sandy and employee number one, the late Craig Georgi were all grads. Fred Gwynne lived in Carroll County and is buried there. Regarding John Astin, he appears on local morning TV from time to time and is doing well, a good actor. :cool:
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  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
    edited June 2012
    Loved Fred Gynne - my favorite part of his was his turn as the judge in My Cousin Vinnie.
    "Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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  • cristo
    cristo Posts: 231
    edited June 2012
    Interesting stuff.
    I'm originally a Baltimoron and a JHU alumni as well - Class of '81 undergrad.
    And a Zappaphile (although he wasn't a JHU alum).
    And a John Waters fan (I already have tickets to see him talk when he comes to the Strand Theatre here in York PA next winter).
    cristo

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,770
    edited June 2012
    heh. Class of '80 myself (Biology, German minor)... and PhD '86 (EDIT: well, OK... technically, Ph.D. '87... I defended about two weeks late for the '86 degree deadline, but, dammit, I was done well before '86 turned to '87!).
    Remember the white Polk Model Nines in the Rat? You could...

    I knew that Matt & Sandy were Hoppies; I didn't know about the others.
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    drumminman wrote: »
    Loved Fred Gynne - my favorite part of his was his turn as the judge in My Cousin Vinnie.


    "Did you say yout ?" :lol: priceless !!!!
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  • Vette C6.r
    Vette C6.r Posts: 1,560
    edited June 2012
    Just ran into Tom Clancey in O'Donnell square the other day.
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited June 2012
    John Astin as Gomez Addams is probably my favorite tv character of all-time. F Troop had guys that were a close second.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited June 2012
    Say, wasn't Gomez married to Patty Duke for a while? How's that for trivia?

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,770
    edited June 2012
    John Astin and Patty Duke (Astin) were married for quite a while, in fact.

    FYI and FWIW (speaking of the B-more movie tie-ins mentioned earlier) - my own best "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" story involves a rather iconic Baltimore-themed motion picture and a red Triumph TR-3...
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    Wuzzat?? Diner ???:confused:
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    cnh wrote: »
    Say, wasn't Gomez married to Patty Duke for a while? How's that for trivia?

    cnh


    Yeah and they produced a Hobbit as a result of that union too.:lol:
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,770
    edited June 2012
    gdb wrote: »
    Wuzzat?? Diner ???:confused:

    mmm-hmm
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited June 2012
    gdb wrote: »
    Yeah and they produced a Hobbit as a result of that union too.:lol:

    A Hobbit named "Rudy" ??? :biggrin:
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  • gdb
    gdb Posts: 6,012
    edited June 2012
    Ruler of all meerkats !!:lol:
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
    edited June 2012
    gdb wrote: »
    Ruler of all meerkats !!:lol:

    Nicely Done !
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