Today's FRIDAY FREAK is another dip into my old Kubert School days. Towards the end of the year, we would do sketches for each other, and this is one of my favorites from a very talented guy named Jim Rohn.
The guy had a great style, and he also had a great sense of humor.
This is a great drawing filled with a few inside jokes. The bird's thought balloon refers to an article on space travel that I had read in the now defunct OMNI magazine.
One of the problems of zero gravity is that the astronaut's organs migrate to the middle of the body,
and the fluids tend to collect high up inside the body.
"Getting my money's worth.." is pretty self-explanatory. : )
The potato salad remark is the real reason that I pulled this out of my files. I bought a jar of kosher dill pickles from COSTCO, marketed by the New York Carnegie Deli.
Towards the end of our last year at Kuberts, our Film teacher, Bruce Wands, took the class to
New York. We visited his studio, checked out the Museum of Broadcasting,(very cool watching Jonny Quest there), and a few other places.
For lunch, we went t the Carnegie Deli.
Let me paint the picture:
I'm sitting with a few of my friends, and the waiter, a chubby Jewish guy, takes our orders, and leaves.
My order : A hot pastrami sandwich,(this was back when I still ate red meat), potato salad, and a St. Pauli's Girl beer.
He comes back with all of this food and drink, and sorts it all out to us.
Now me, being a big goof from the Midwest, thought I would help this guy who obviously made a mistake.
I had my beer, and my sandwich, plus a pickle, but no potato salad.
I said.." Excuse me sir, but I think you forgot my potato salad."
Just like in the movies, it seemed as though everyone stopped talking, not wanting to miss a word of what was going to be said.
The waiter said .."What?"
I repeated myself, then added, " You brought my beer, and my sandwich, but you forgot my potato salad."
I found myself suddenly cast in the starring role of "Rube in the Big City".
He said, " Young man, the sandwich and the beer come from the front, the potato salad comes from the kitchen in the back. I didn't forget, I just didn't get it yet." He took a step and then turned back to me.
" You have a beer, and a sandwich..you don't have enough food in front of you?"
As I was trying to stammer out an apology, he kept pouring it on.
" This place is busy, but I should drop everything for you?"
" I should put roller skates on to get to you faster?"
"I should have a heart attack to get your potato salad?"
"Drink your beer, eat your sandwich, and I'll get your potato salad."
He finally left, and my friends were going nuts laughing. I was as red as I could be....and then the capper.
The waiter comes back and says, I kid you not, " Mr. Lucky, here's your potato salad," giving it to me with a flourish, just to bust my chops even more.
Jim used to do an impression of that guy that was spot on.
