"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
-Benjamin Franklin
One of the good things about having a mother who was legally insane, was that it was perfectly ok for me to completely skip my bedtime in favor of watching The Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson. LOL. I don't know why I have been having so many memories of my family coming up in my brain lately, but if the truth be told, those memories aren't always so bad. Like the night my mother, my sister and I watched Tiny Tim marry Miss Vicki on the Tonight Show. It was December 17th, 1969, and I really thought that must have been the wedding of the century. Actually, I found out from TV.com that it was the highest rated episode of the tonight show, during it's entire run! We were one of 40 Million households that tuned in that night.
My sister and I always stayed up late watching TV or gabbing away as sisters do. She is 10 years older then I am, and so often times she is the one who took care of me. Mom would be in some dark, vacant place that depression takes you, so bedtime wasn't strictly enforced. Dad worked the graveyard shift, so it was just my sister and me... watching Carson. It's a happy memory, it only sounds sad. On the night Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki, sis and I went all out. We made cheese puffs in the oven, Jiffy pop on the stove, and drank a few bottles of very cold Coca-Cola, you know, out of those little green bottles. :)Yum. And we laughed. But when the wedding started, everything went quiet. Mom came in the living room about half way through, and sat down with us on the sofa. She smiled, then she laughed, then we all laughed. You could just feel the usual tension lift away.
I was hoping I could find a video of Tiny Tim's wedding to Miss Vicki on YouTube, but it was nowhere to be found. I did however find this video of him singing, "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. It is worth watching, so give it a look see. He will make you smile, if not for his quirkiness, then certainly for his charm. I miss his brand of odd charm and silliness. He was an original to be sure. Do you know, my whole life, whenever I get scared I sing. I have no idea why, but I do. I usually sing some novelty song, such as "People Are Strange" by The Doors, or "Home On The Range," or my very favorite for when I am truly petrified, "Tiptoe Through The Tulips." :) I think I have Tiny Tim to thank for seeing me through a lot of panic attacks! Thanks old friend! :)
Tiny Tim Memorial Site
Tiptoe Through The Tulips
As Sung By Tiny Tim and Carly Gordon :)
Tiptoe through the window
By the window, is where I'll be
Come tiptoe through the tulips with me
Oh, tiptoe from the garden
By the garden of the willow tree
And tiptoe through the tulips with me
Knee deep in flowers from the garden
We'll keep the showers away
And if I kiss you in the garden, in the moonlight
Will you pardon me?
And tiptoe through the tulips with me
Go ahead... sing that song to yourself and try not to smile. :) I dare you! :)
-OndineMonet
Pictures 1, 2, 3
Golden Gate Park
Tulip Garden and Windmill
San Francisco, California
March 21, 2007
Late Afternoon
3 comments:
it's weird sometimes to think of things we share in common. i credit mommy-dearest for my late night tv watching as a youngster. but then again, watching tiny tim wed miss vicky was an event i will always remeber and will share with the grandkids someday.
Oh boy. Tiny Tim. I was called "Miss Vicki" for years after that guy showed up. Still, you're right. You could not watch him and not smile.
Lovely memory you share with your sister, there. Thanks for sharing it with us.
:)
Vicki
There was a student bookstore on Marshall Street in Syracuse when I was in college, whose owner liked having his picture taken with celebrities when they came through. I think he must have developed a bit of a friendship with Tiny Tim, because he came through several times. The only famous person I met there was Harry Chapin (and that was great!).
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