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

[mhardy6647]

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!

[cnh]

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

[brgman]

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!

[gdb]

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 !!

[gdb]

Fred Gwynne/ Herman Munster is/was another, IIRC.

[mhardy6647]

Yeah, but they all didn't go to Hopkins. Matthew, "Gomez", PJ, and I ahem... did... hon.

;-)

[Kenneth Swauger]

Also Woodrow Wilson was a grad.

[mhardy6647]

Good point; I forgot him :-P

[gdb]

Is John Waters an alum????

[brgman]

I believe the great Dr Ben Carson is isn't he?

[cnh]

Is John Waters an alum????

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/entertai...0,955898.story

cnh

[gdb]

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 !!

[nap]

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.

[drumminman]

Loved Fred Gynne - my favorite part of his was his turn as the judge in My Cousin Vinnie.

[cristo]

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).

[mhardy6647]

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.

[gdb]

Loved Fred Gynne - my favorite part of his was his turn as the judge in My Cousin Vinnie.

"Did you say yout ?" priceless !!!!

[Vette C6.r]

Just ran into Tom Clancey in O'Donnell square the other day.

[George Grand]

John Astin as Gomez Addams is probably my favorite tv character of all-time. F Troop had guys that were a close second.

[cnh]

Say, wasn't Gomez married to Patty Duke for a while? How's that for trivia?

cnh

[mhardy6647]

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...

[gdb]

Wuzzat?? Diner ???

[gdb]

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.

[mhardy6647]

Wuzzat?? Diner ???

mmm-hmm

[nap]

Yeah and they produced a Hobbit as a result of that union too.

A Hobbit named "Rudy" ???

[gdb]

Ruler of all meerkats !!

[nap]

Ruler of all meerkats !!

Nicely Done !