Can we talk?

Trivia

  I had an animated, but fun, conversation with two of my brothers this afternoon and one sister-in-law. We decided that we are walking volumes of useless trivia.

  For instance, did you know that James Arness was 6'7. He couldn't appear in a movie with John Wayne because it would make the Duke look short. Wayne was considered for the part of Matt Dillon, but he didn't want a TV commitment. Peter Graves was brother to James Arness.

  Yul Brynner was short and self-concious about it. He would not appear on screen with other men unless he had a box to stand on and the lower half of their bodies did not show on camera. He understood the relation between height and power. Live on stage, he only appeared standing with women or children. He would sit to deal with men. His deep voice and commanding presence never led anyone to question his height.

    Cary Grant was gay. So was Randolph Scott, a "man's man". Takes on a whole new meaning. They had an apartment together, even while both married to women. Rich unsuspecting, virtuous women who fell for the romance and glamor. Their wealth supported their handsome, gracious husbands. Their timidity and fear of embarassment kept them quiet. According to his biography, Grant was more gracious with his wife and attempted a more enduring friendship with her. The studio did everything it could to protect their images.

    My brothers know a lot about tools, old cars, plumbing, collectibles. We're too slow to play on Jeopardy. And we wouldn't know chemistry or foreign politics. But we can swap info that nobody cares about easily for hours. Listening to us, I realized it's a family trait: we think everybody else is as interested as we are.