Fiddler on the Roof

Last night I went to Fiddler on the Roof at the Omaha Community Playhouse with my parents. Wow! What a treat. I have seen the movie and the play more than once. We went because the man playing the lead, Tevye, is Mark Thornburg, a native of Beatrice.

This is what Bob Fischbach of the Omaha World Herald had to say in his review:

"If you're like me, you've probably seen “Fiddler on the Roof” a time or two since the musical became a Broadway smash in 1964.

But you haven't yet seen the Omaha Community Playhouse's revival. And you probably haven't seen Mark Thornburg as Tevye, the folksy Jewish milkman always talking to God amid troubles in his Russian village.

And both are something to go out of your way to see.

Not since “Ragtime” in 2006 has the playhouse's main stage been filled with a show this strong in absolutely every aspect of the theatrical arts."

I couldn't agree more. My parents loved it. They are friends with Mark's parents and we wanted to see it. Mark and the rest of the cast were fabulous. I personally love the music in Fiddler. My favorites are Matchmaker, Matchmaker and Sunrise, Sunset.

I cannot wait to see Mark Thornburg when he performs again. He definitely has three new fans. Then entire cast was fabulous. This story has humor and sadness in it.

Unfortunately, today is the last performance or I would be telling all my friends to go.

Another thing I want to discuss is the Omaha Community Playhouse. What history it holds for theatre in this part of the country. Marlon Brando's mother taught acting there. Henry Fonda made his debut there. Henry Fonda discovered Dorothy McGuire when acting with her in a play at the Omaha Community Playhouse. One of the theatres is named for them. I have been to the playhouse before but it has been years. I do not plan to make it so long again. I knew these celebrities had made their starts here and I enjoyed seeing their pictures.

It couldn't have been a more enjoyable evening for my parents and me. I know some people think there is nothing to do in Nebraska. There is a lot to see and do. Go find it.

Nebraska Nellie

Ursulla Thiess Taylor

Ursula Thiess Taylor, widow of Robert Taylor, and mother to Terry and Tessa Taylor, died on June 19, 2010, at the age of 86. She was brought to the United States from Germany by Howard Hughes and was on the cover of Life Magazine in 1951. It is easy to see why Howard Hughes thought she was the most beautiful woman. She was in several pictures, such as Bengal Brigade and Bandido.

In 1954, she married one of our famous (and one of my favorite) Nebraskans, Robert Taylor. She had two children with Taylor. In 1996, she attended a conference on Robert Taylor with her children in Beatrice. It was wonderful to meet the family.

I am sorry for the loss to her family.

Nebraska Nellie

Storm approaching

Last night, as I was approaching Lincoln, a storm was brewing. I didn't get any photos of the lightning, but we saw a lot of lightning and heard thunder before the storm hit as we got to Lincoln. Today I went back to Beatrice and drove through Cortland and hit a downpour. I drove 30 miles per hour at times because it was raining so hard. Then it began to hail. Cars were pulled over. The weather this weekend was very unusual but it makes for some good photos.

Nebraska Nellie

Homestead Days at the Homestead National Monument

Saturday afternoon I went to the Homestead and saw some of the arts and crafts that were being demonstrated. I thought this young lady's dress was very attractive. They also showed knitting, tatting and other lace making. Outside, they had blacksmithing and leather tanning.

Nebraska Nellie

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day. I spent time with mine today. I'm lucky to have a dad that cared so much for all his kids. Both my parents let us learn to be very independent people.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Nebraska Nellie

Buggy rides

Later Kent Thornburg gave rides in the horse and buggy. What fun for everyone! Thanks Kent.

Nebraska Nellie

Homestead Days

This was the sky shortly before the storm during the parade. Very interesting, but not what you want to have during the parade.

Nebraska Nellie

Homestead Days

This past week, Beatrice celebrated Homestead Days. There were numerous festivities, including but not limited to a ribfest, activities at Chautaqua Park, lots of things happening at the Homestead. Daniel Freeman was the first homesteader in the US to sign up for the free land. There was also a parade Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't completely cooperative and we had a storm in the middle of the parade, but it was still fun.

This photo is of the Grand Marshals of the the Homestead Days Parade. Kent Thornburg is driving the beautiful horse and buggy. Garold and Clarice Kleveland are the grand marshals. They were all dressed in pioneer garb. The buggy is followed by the pooper scooper cart being pulled by Kent's son.


Nebraska Nellie

Happy Birthday, Dorothy McGuire.

Dorothy McGuire was born on June 14, 1918 in Omaha, Nebraska. She was discovered by Henry Fonda, when she was a teenager in A Kiss for Cinderella at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Fonda was starring as a visiting alumni member.

She was on Broadway in a number of plays before she was in the movies. Her second was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when she replaced a pregnant Gene Tierney. I loved her in The Enchanted Cottage and A Spiral Staircase. I think most remember her best as the mom in Old Yeller. However, I think my favorite film with her is A Gentleman's Agreement.

Dorothy McGuire is both beautiful and a great actress. Check out imdb.com for a list of all the television and movie roles she was in. She died September 13, 2001 in Santa Monica. She is another of my favorite famous Nebraskans.

Happy birthday, Ms. McGuire.

Nebraska Nellie

Sunken Gardens

I love this flower. It will soon be a card. What images do you like best?

Nebraska Nellie

Blue Spruce

Blue spruce. I will be having this framed for my office soon.

Nebraska Nellie

Sunken Gardens

Look at the single blossom among the leaves.

Nebraska Nellie

Water lilies at the Sunken Gardens

Today I decided to experiment with photos taken in RAW. Check out the double shadow of the lily in the water. The flowers at the Sunken Garden are just starting to bloom. I plan to go several times this summer to see the variety of flowers as they bloom.

Nebraska Nellie

Catalpa Blossoms

Look how the design in each flower looks painted delicately in the center. Some have bright yellow and some have bright red stripes. So pretty against the big catalpa leaves.

I used this photo to make a card for a wedding. They complimented me on the card and were surprised when they found out I had made the card.

Nebraska Nellie

Thistle

Can you believe how pretty this noxious weed is? Farmers hate them. Yet, look at how elegant it is.

Nebraska Nellie

My mulberry tree....

Several mulberry trees have sprung up with all the rain this spring. It's hard to believe that these volunteer trees can grow so large so quickly. If I had planted them and wanted them to grow, my brown thumb would have killed them. They are not where I want them in my yard and they will be cut down in the next few days. However, I had to go out tonight and pick the purple berries.

Until I was 7 years old, my family lived in a house near downtown Beatrice. We had a mulberry tree in the backyard and I remember picking them in the summer and eating a bowl full with cream and sugar on them for breakfast. One of my family stories from when I was too young to talk was when I was being cared for by my grandma while my mom was in the hospital having my baby sister. Grandma knew I wanted something but I couldn't say the words to communicate it to her. Finally, I got the bowl she had put the mulberries in the day before and she got me some more mulberries. I would have been 16 months old. I cannot remember it, of course, but I loved the story when my grandma told it. Mulberries make me think of grandma.

Mulberries are, at least to me, an old fashioned berry. They do not have a lot of taste but are sweet. When I went out to pick some of the berries, my neighbor came out and she had never had mulberries. She got a bowl to pick berries also. She is about half my age. We had fun picking berries and visiting and feeling like we were getting back to nature with our berry picking.

I'm going to keep picking the berries until they cut it down. Seems like a waste to do otherwise. I know what I'm having for breakfast in the morning.

Nebraska Nellie

Spangler Arlington Brugh

Robert Taylor was born Spangler Arlington Brugh on August 5, 1911 in Filley, Nebraska.

He passed away at the age of 57 on June 8, 1969 in Santa Monica, California from lung cancer. His funeral was attended by many Hollywood celebrities and the eulogy was performed by long time friend and then Governor of California, Ronald Reagan. Taylor and Reagan were long time friends and the Reagans were godparents to the Taylor children. I was able to find his eulogy online.

Today is 41 years since his early death. It seems such a loss that he wasn't around for many more years. Taylor is the center of my famous Nebraskans collection because he grew up and graduated in my home town of Beatrice. My high school has a scholarship in Taylor's honor for fine arts students.

There are several authors that have written about Taylor. Linda Alexander has written Reluctant Witness: Robert Taylor. Jane Ellen Wayne wrote The Man with the Perfect Face. I recommend them both.

TCM honored Robert Taylor in April as the star of the month. I recorded as many of his movies as possible. This last weekend I watched The Last Hunt. This western starred Taylor and Stewart Granger on a buffalo hunt. In many movies, Taylor plays a romantic lead or a hero. In this film, he is the bad guy and Granger is the good guy. His son Terry, said at a conference about his father, that Westward the Women was Taylor's favorite movie. I think it's mine as well. It certainly shows women in strong roles. I enjoy watching Taylor in the wide variety of roles he played.

I wish I had had the honor of meeting him but we are fortunate to have his film legacy to enjoy forever.

Nebraska Nellie