THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Maybe folks started listening for “goofs” when radio became a luxury during the Great Depression. (Until then, I suppose they occurred most often in simple, face-to-face communication, or maybe with megaphones.)  For the longest time, Harry von Zell’s alleged foul-up–purportedly heard from sea to shining sea when radio was yet young–has to be among

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Allen Saunders , an obscure Canadian cartoonist, is cited for an inscription in his 1956 “Mary Worth” comic strip. No doubt it had local impact, but much more the next year when repeated in the Reader’s Digest .  “Life is what happen to us while we’re making other plans” has been quoted often.  Sometimes, though, it simply

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Until 1955, before Elvis Presley got a sniff of stardom, he was on the brink of greatness. Months later, his name was “marqueed” in capital letters nationwide. A 20 year-old credited with making rock-and-roll music a national phenomenon, he could not have known how short “brinks” sometimes can be. About six months after crowding

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury When my Uncle Mort draws a bead on topics, he redefines “random.” He’s as likely to converse about frogs “belly-bouncing” into his favorite fishing hole as he is about whether there’s life in distant galaxies. Recently, he targeted a favorite snack, Graham Crackers. How’s that for random? His latest query may justify placement at

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The story goes that a long-ago West Texas man–beloved in his community–talked incessantly about Fort Worth, his favorite city, even though he’d never been there.  He usually referred to it as “Cowtown” or “Where the West Begins.” (The former nickname was introduced by cattle barons in the 1860s; the latter description started in 1923.

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury About two months ago–after more than 23 years of writing weekly columns–I took my leave. (OK, maybe it’s my “weakly” assembly of words masquerading as columns might be more accurate.) Whatever, I’m back.  Perhaps a few of my pieces have been tolerable, some meriting smiles that gave way to laughter, and –on rarest occasions–a

THE IDLE AMERICAN THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Readers with long memories yearn for more clean, creative humor. Sadly, folks in the first half of their lives are clueless about the golden years of radio. It featured 30-minute comedy shows with multiple thigh-slapping moments via radio. The late Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding teamed up for the Bob and Ray

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It’s no  longer likely that many sons and daughters will enter their parents’ professions.  There are exceptions, of course. Seventy-six-year-old Harold Barton is one, son of the late Sonny Barton, who opened his downtown Fort Worth business in 1949, then re-located Barton’s Garage in 1963 to its current location.  It could hardly be more obscure–1615

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Persons claiming to have the same mental faculties and physical capabilities that they had a half-century ago probably fib about other things, too. Some formerly judged such jokers to be guilty of committing “terminological inexactitudes,” a term far kinder than “bald-faced liars!”  Most readers  identify with old age and have heard the oft-told jokes about