It was 184 years ago that plucky little Uruguay decided it had had enough of being Brazilian and headed out on its own. It was only ten years ago that this gentleman, one Santiago Salaberry, was Mr. Uruguay, and I think he makes a very suitable envoy of his homeland to the Café on this august occasion, don't you?Sharing the day are both King Ludwigs of Bavaria (the second of whom is the mad and fabulous one), tap empress Ruby Keeler, actor Michael Rennie (who was ill, you might recall, the day the earth stood still), let's-make-a-dealer Monty Hall, appalling television creation Rachael Ray, appealing Scotsman Sean Connery, and, last but in absolutely no way least, the irreplaceable force of nature that was Leonard Bernstein.
The Maestro, I have a feeling, likely knew and was amused at the thought that he and Ludwig II had so much in common; ditto Ruby Keeler. Frankly, I'm relieved, in a way, that he was spared knowing anything at all about Rachael Ray.
