What A Week It Has Been, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             I guess I will start with Lauren Chapin.  All of the baby boomers who grew up with TV will recognize her as Kathy "Kitten" Anderson on the show "Father Knows Best.'  

                             But her life off camera was far from the beaming smiling face shown here.  I shall never forget reading her 1989 autobiography "Father Does Know Best," wherein she recounts living with a stage mother who was a tramp, an uncle who sexually abused her, and a brother, Billy Chapin, who, while he worked too, resented her higher success.  Life was only safe for Lauren on set.

                                 That is, until director Peter Tewkesbury, to elicit a crying scene, verbally abused her in front of the entire company.  And no one said a word.  But Lauren did.  She fired back at him with a torrent of obscenities and walked off the set.  She did not return for three days, and even her mother backed her up!  I have to give the mother credit for that.

                                       Do you think I would have tolerated that behavior from anyone?  Those who know me on here know the answer to that one already.  Like that Joe Mantello, who is going to direct the upcoming "Death Of A Salesman."  I'd like to see him try his intimidation tactics with me!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         When the show ended, the great Jane Wyatt said of Lauren, "Life was not kind to her."  She went from drugs to prostitution, to religion, finally finding comfort there, never regaining the fame she had as a child

                                             Two days ago, on February 24, she passed away, at the age of 80.  Hers is still the most harrowing account I have read of a child actor.  May she get the rest and recognition she deserved all her life in the afterlife.

                                                 Rest In Peace, Lauren.  You will be remembered forever.

                                                  But--

                                                 The day before Lauren passed, actress Sondra Lee died.  Theater Queens at once will know she originated the role of Tiger Lilly in Mary Martin's 1954 Broadway version of "Peter Pan."  She also originated the role of Minnie Fay in the 1964 Carol Channing-led "Hello, Dolly!" Hers was a good run, having died at the age of 97!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Blessings to you, Sondra.

                                                  Two deaths this week were simply tragic as their cause was suicide.  And they were both on the same day as Sondra, so that makes three deaths in one day.  What is going on here?  Has the universe gone awry?  The first, Robert Carradine, youngest of that acting clan, having struggled all his life with bi-polar disorder, shot himself, at the age of 71.  Which happens to be my age.   Scary.  On that same day, Katherine Short, daughter of actor comedian Martin Short, and a Los Angeles social worker, also ended her life by gunshot.  She was only 42 years old.

                                                     This is enough for one week, isn't it?  Well, there is more.

                                                  There has been a plethora of other deaths.  And one disaster.

                                       This is Neurgard Pharmacy, in Bay Ridge, at 7311 Third Avenue.  Up till recently we have been thrilled as customers with their service.  But something is going on that customers are not being told about.  Some kind of renovation is in progress, making it difficult for customers, many more needy than I, to get their prescriptions.  What's more, they did not come up with a contingency plan for patrons.

                                        I find this unacceptable.  If customers are not given an explanation or a contingency plan, they will just take their business somewhere else.

                                         We hope not, because I love Neugard.  But I don't want to wait till I need the ER before I get medication.

                                            How has your week been, girls??????????????????????????