Last-Minute Costume Ideas
I guess this is more for the adults who are going to a Halloween party this weekend, because kids had their costumes picked out a month ago.
The secret to a last-minute costume is to do something that’s not only easy but also comfortable. The easiest costume, of course, is to just wear what you usually wear. If you’re an accountant for a corporation, wear a suit and just say “I’m an accountant.” If you’re out of work, wear sweatpants and a t-shirt and say “I’m an unemployed accountant.”
You could put on a baseball jersey and a baseball cap and say you’re a ballplayer. Turn the cap around and you can say you’re a catcher.
Sticking with sports, you could put on a tennis shirt and shorts and carry a racket and go as a tennis player. Wear ordinary street clothes and carry a racket and you can say you’re “guy who strings tennis rackets.”
Wear one of those full-length aprons and tell people you’re a cook. If you want to be current and hip, tell them you’re the cook from The Bear.
Google says the number one trending idea for a costume is Buddy the Unicorn. I wasn’t sure what that was either. It’s the title character from the new horror movie Buddy, about the host of a kid’s TV show who kills people. (It’s a long way from Barney.)
The Mystery of Houdini’s Death, 100 Years Later
Just how did Houdini die on Halloween, 1926? Did he even die on Halloween or was it the day before? CBS Sunday Morning investigates!
Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning
Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year
Isn’t this a little early for all of the dictionaries to be releasing their “Word of the Year” picks?
First up: “Maxxing,” which, if you have never heard I envy you. Dictionary.com defines it as “the practice of pursuing an activity to the fullest, or optimizing a certain aspect of your life.” That makes it sound so positive! Who doesn’t want to pursue things to the fullest and have a better life?
But what’s really going on is a lot less positive than that.
Product We Don’t Really Need of the Week
Pringles Pickled-Flavored Vodka
RIP Patrick Stewart, Tom Skerritt, Susan Saint James, Walter Koenig, Donnie Iris, Peggy King, Ryu Murakami, John Anderson, Eric Bauza, and Michael Gray
Patrick Stewart was probably best known for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard (as well as several big-screen Star Trek films), but he was also an acclaimed stage actor. He starred in such movies as the X-Men series, Excalibur, Dune, and A Christmas Carol, and was a regular voice on American Dad! The Saturday Evening Post interviewed him in 2020. He died Wednesday at the age of 86.
Tom Skerritt starred on the TV series Picket Fences and appeared in such films as Top Gun, Alien, M*A*S*H, Steel Magnolias, A River Runs Through It, The Turning Point, and Contact, and guest-starred on dozens of TV shows. He died last week at the age of 93.
Susan Saint James starred on Kate & Allie (one of my favorite shows), McMillan & Wife, and The Name of the Game (for which she won an Emmy). She also appeared in such films as How to Beat the High Cost of Living, Carbon Copy, and Love at First Bite. She died Monday at the age of 80.
Walter Koenig played Chekhov in the original Star Trek and in several movies. He died Sunday at the age of 90.
Donnie Iris was known for the classic rock song “Ah, Leah.” His 1985 album No Muss, No Fuss is fantastic too. He died Monday at the age of 83.
Peggy King was a singer and actress. She was a regular on The George Gobel Show and sang on such shows as The Steve Allen Show and The Perry Como Show. She appeared in Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, The Bad and the Beautiful, and Zero Hour! and was one of the first people to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. She died Sunday at the age of 96.
Ryu Murakami was an acclaimed novelist and short story writer. He died earlier this month at the age of 74.
John Anderson was a country music star known for such songs as “Seminole Wind” and “Swingin’. He died last week at the age of 71.
Eric Bauza was the voice of many Looney Tunes characters, including in the new movie Coyote vs. Acme, where he voices Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Daffy Duck. He died Sunday at the age of 46.
Michael Gray played Billy Batson on the CBS Saturday morning show Shazam! He died last week at the age of 75.
This Week in History
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Premieres (October 27, 1966)
Even as a kid I knew the Great Pumpkin wasn’t going to show up.
(Oh, sorry, spoiler alert!)
Harvard University Founded (October 28, 1636)
The Ivy League school is 390 years old. I could have done a 400th anniversary post in 10 years but I don’t want to wait that long.
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Old Gold (October 28, 1950)
If they made a sequel to It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and it was a horror movie, this is what it would look like.
November Is National Fun with Fondue Month
You can’t hand out fondue to the kids this weekend, but I did candy last week so…
Allrecipes has a recipe for a classic Cheese Fondue (using Swiss, gruyère, and wine), while Well Plated’s Cheese Fondue has fontina, gouda, gruyère, wine, and brandy.
If you’re looking for more of a sweet, dessert fondue (I guess anything where you use a stick to dip something into a pot of liquid can be called a fondue?), Simply Recipes has a Chocolate Fondue and Bigger Bolder Baking has a Butterscotch Fondue.
I think I’ve experienced a fondue only once in my life, and that was in the 1980s. Gay Haubner has a great piece about forgotten foods, and it includes fondue.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
TCM Classic Horror Movie Marathon (October 31)
It actually starts on October 30, with films like The Haunting, The Fly, House of Wax, and a new documentary on Vincent Price. On Halloween day and night they’ll have several films including the original Dracula, The Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein, and several horror-themed Looney Tunes cartoons.
Daylight Standard Time Begins (November 1)
After you eat some of your kid’s Halloween candy on Saturday night, turn your clocks back an hour before you go to bed.
Election Day (November 3)
The best thing about election day finally being here? No more ads.
Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now
