Happy Dada Day

That's my Pop.

Chris Rock is right about fathers. Compared to moms, dads don't get shit. Take a look at the ads this month as opposed to last. How many Mother's Day sales and specials were there compared to Father's Day? In fact, Father's Day is now bundled with another June event, mainly graduation. Take a look for yourself at how many things are geared toward Dads and Grads. Feh. At least Chris' dad got the big piece of chicken.

Maybe it's just not MANLY to care about being doted upon in such a manner. I know that my own father would always sluff off a gift we'd give him with a self-effacing, "You shouldn'ta done it."

My father, Adam Cherney (no middle name), passed away in 1983. For some reason, I used to have a little good luck ritual before I'd go out on stage in any show I appeared in after that. Before I'd make my first entrance, I'd look up and say, "Daddy, look down on your son. He needs it." Now I don't recall ever calling my father "Daddy". He was always Dad. Or sometimes "A". Our greeting was sometimes . "Hi, A" to which he'd reply, "Hi, Hole." Good old fashioned Cherney humor. I guess maybe I really sought his approval after all, even after death. Maybe that's why I do it to this very day, even though my stage appearances are very few and far between.

In honor of my Pop for Father's Day, I've included a couple of pictures of Marlene Dietrich from one of his favorite films and subsequently mine, The Blue Angel.

Here's an excerpt from my book In the Dark: A Life and Times in a Movie Theater:

It's somewhat telling that Dad's favorite picture bcame one of mine too, Josef von Sternberg's THE BLUE ANGEL. Maybe he felt homesick for the Old Country, even though he was Hungarian and not German. Could be he was nostalgic for the Old World in general. More likely, maybe my pop just had the hots for Marlene Dietrich. Why not?

I know.

I should'nta done it.