Yesterday’s competition pits Roald Dahl, an author who was also an intelligence officer, against Jane Fonda, a traitor (according to Phil) who was also an author of a bestselling book.
John finds another connection between the two:
Jane Fonda and Roald Dahl’s careers butted against each other exactly once, in the April 1974 issue of Playboy. The mag featured an interview with Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden, followed immediately by Roald Dahl’s short story “The Switcheroo”. But the highlight of the issue had to be the photo spread featuring Zero Mostel.
Shame Zero Mostel didn’t qualify for the competition. You’ve got people known by initials, but not people known by numerals. It’s not fair!
It’s too late this year for 0, but this does make me wonder who else would be in this category. R2-D2 and C-3PO for sure. Barbara Feldon. Gilbert Arenas, as long as we have a metal detector at the door. Bo Derek. OK, that’s six people in this group; just need two more.
Bob presents the serious case for Dahl:
Dahl was an amazing individual. I have read (cannot find the reference right now) that Ian Fleming modeled James Bond’s ability to charm women after that of Dahl’s. Dahl wrote the screenplay for the Bond movie You Only Live Twice,
Dahl met and worked with an amazing range of well-known people. Eleanor Roosevelt invited Dahl to White House dinners and to stay with them at Hyde Park. At this time Dahl was working for British intelligence. He ended up spending many weekends at Hyde Park.
Apparently, spurred by medical problems of his son and equipment failures, he put together and coordinated a team that developed a valve for drainage of head injuries. it was used about 3000 times before superior technology was developed. The team refused royalties and the device was basically sold at cost.
Dahl would have lots of material for a talk.
This clincher came from Manuel:
Karma would seem to dictate Dahl is chosen, but I cannot help thinking that Jane Fonda is witty and brilliant enough to turn the tables and show that the joke is on us, if given the opportunity. I go with Fonda, but I would just ask her politely not to include workout videos in the slides.
But . . . we can’t do that! So Fonda might well include workout videos in her slides, and we wouldn’t want that!
Let me tell you a story. A few years ago I was invited to speak at an Ivy League university, in a department that was neither statistics or political science. The seminar organizer said I could speak on what I wanted, as long as I did not bring up a certain topic, as it might bother one of the faculty in the department. I did as asked—and it didn’t even matter because that professor didn’t even come to my talk! Ever since, I’ve been bothered by any request that a speaker avoid some sensitive subject.
Jonathan writes regarding Dahl that “you need to be *really* careful what you serve at the seminar buffet, lest you find yourself an accessory to something-or-other.” But that’s ok. I won’t stand for any constraints on speech, but food restrictions are fine.
The rules
One more comment came in. Person asks:
Who wins the rules?
Rule of Cool: Fonda was in “9 to 5”, a decidedly uncool movie, however funny. Dahl was an ace fighter pilot.
Rule of Kill: Fonda tried to save lives by ending the Vietnam War. Dahl, once again, was an ace fighter pilot, which means he must have killed at least five people.
Rule of Law: Fonda was obviously a bit transgressive, you know how those actor types are. But Dahl was out there committing legitimate crimes as a child.
Rule of Three: Fonda had three husbands and three children. Dahl had only two wives and five children.
Rule of the road: Fonda was American, so she drove on the right side of the road. Dahl was British, so he drove on the wrong side of the road.
This doesn’t really answer the question of whom to invite, but it seems worth sharing.
Today’s matchup
Miles Davis is so damn cool that he might well give the entire talk facing away from the audience. How cool is that?? On the other side is atomic spy Ethel Rosenberg, who might have some atomic secrets to share with us!
What do you think?
“It’s too late this year for 0, but this does make me wonder who else would be in this category. R2-D2 and C-3PO for sure. Barbara Feldon. Gilbert Arenas, as long as we have a metal detector at the door. Bo Derek. OK, that’s six people in this group; just need two more.”
Jeri Ryan?
Howard:
I have no idea who is Jeri Ryan, and I’m not gonna cheat by googling!
Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager.
I’ve probably listened to almost everything the Miles recorded and he is super-cool. My favorite single track has always been ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’ with Wynton Kelley (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums) and the estimable John Coltrane (sax), great solos from everyone. As a seminar speaker, Coltrane is a more obvious choice but he is not one of the contestants (maybe next time). I think Miles would probably turn his back on the audience but no mind, just to hear him talk about the conception of ‘Kind of Blue’ and why he moved on to fusion in the late 1960s would be worth the price of admission. Even if he didn’t speak but just played his trumpet would be outstanding. Perhaps he can bring along Gil Evans and they could discuss ‘Sketches of Spain’ that is maybe my favorite Miles album.
Miles Davis might blow us the best colloquium ever. I’d rather hear him in a smoke filled club than in the large hall you’d have to find, though of course I’d join the crowd.
But I can hear Miles all over the internet – (search Miles Davis youtube). I’ve no idea what Ethel Rosenberg would say. I want to find out. Let’s move out of our comfort zone.
I’m glad the US never converted to the metric system. I’d hate to have to listen to Kilometers Davis.
Ethel only lived until 37. Davis lived twice as long. Age is of course imperfectly correlated with wisdom, but I think the correlation is positive. (I have to think that….)
When I was an undergrad I would sometimes sit in the Music Library at Berkeley and listen to CDs while working on homework, sometimes making my way through music I felt that I should be familiar with but wasn’t. I listed, therefore, to all of “Miles Davis: The Columbia Years,” which got me hooked on Miles Davis. (Despite not being fond of Disc 4.) I also listed to John Adams, so I was preparing myself for this tournament.
I never listened to anything by Ethel Rosenberg…
It would be great to hear from Miles Davis, as others have pointed out.
Quickly skimming her Wikipedia page, there’s a danger in having Ethel Rosenberg win the series: it seems contentious as to whether she was actually a traitor. “In 2021 Ethel’s sons restarted the campaign to pardon Ethel, as they were more optimistic that President Biden will consider this favorably.” What do we do if, just before the final round, she’s declared not to be a traitor? All the other contestants in the traitors category would protest.
> who was also an intelligence officer
We’ve already had what, three British intelligence officers come through? I think Ethel’s our only shot at balancing this dang thing out! Also this’ll give the MI-whatever people something to do — we can put Ethel later than them in the batting order and it’d for sure drive them crazy.
Jazz drummer Art Taylor is often referred to as A. T., so he qualifies in both the initials category and the number category.