You Can Always Catch Her Act at the Met

For no particular reason I woke up this morning thinking of one of my favorite people, the delightful all-American mezzo Marilyn Horne. Then I found this, which does rather tie in with yesterday's Barbra-effusion.

While the details of this particular episode of The Odd Couple elude me, it finds our diva outfitted for Carmen and accompanied by Mr. Tony Randall en toreador. It also reminds me how sad I find it that this kind of high-middle-low-culture crossover has gone the way of ... well, of opera singers appearing on hit sitcoms.

Birthday Odd Couple

To me, the most surprising thing about today's birthday couple is that they are only one year apart - and Betty's the younger.

That Most Unlikely of Heterosexuals, Tony Randall isn't necessarily the first star (or even among the first five hundred) I think of shirtless, but he appears to carry it off gracefully enough.

And here we have a characteristically demure shot of Miss Betty Hutton, as the world's first Hindu deity in a prom gown. What do you suppose they were taking that day in the portrait gallery?

Sadly, neither are still with us at what would have been 89 and 88; just another symptom of all that's wrong with this low world...