There was a time when Westerns dominated the screen, the radio, and television. Occasionally, a “shoot ‘em up”, as we used to call the Westerns when I was a kid many moons ago, will crop up on the motion picture circuit bringing back memories of the earlier films which inspired the game we p…

In New York City summer began not on June 21 but on June 30. Our school year began on the day after Labor Day and ended on June 30.

People have often asked me about the celebrities I have known when they learn about my background in advertising and publicity.

...And also “goneth” are all the other “men” whose daily or weekly visits were a part of our lives in the cities. There was the laundryman, the milkman, the Fuller Brush man, the Insurance man, and, best of all the Good Humor man.

The earliest memories I have of my paternal grandfather are somewhat hazy, dimmed by the mind clouding, but happy effects produced by alcohol.

When my television screen went blank the other night due to technical problems, out of sheer habit I kept staring at the screen.

Almost every day, a segment on a news program, or an article in a magazine will tout a potential medical or nutritional “breakthrough” that reverses long held theories and advice. The treatment and prevention of diseases and illnesses is an evolving and ever-changing science prompted by adva…

I have often written about the outdoor games I played as a kid growing up in the concrete and asphalt jungles of New York City. I were surprised to hear from readers who grew up in similar urban areas such as Philadelphia and Chicago who told me they played the same or similar games evoking …

A few years ago wrote about the oft repeated salutation “have a good day” and some of the things, some meaningful, some trivial, that add up to a good day for me. Since that long ago column I have received dozens of well meaning “good day” wishes from friends, store clerks, bank tellers, etc…

Every year for the past few years I attempt to play Nostradamus.

It has been a week now since the shopping frenzy and phenomenon known as Black Friday dominated the news with stories of mayhem and near riots by bargain hunting consumers, increased incidents of shoplifting, and generally impolite and violent behavior by normally polite and gentle folks par…

In my previous columns I wrote, nostalgically, about some of my experiences as a soda jerk in my uncle’s corner candy store.

On Nov. 11, there will be local and national events honoring the millions of men and women who have served our country in recent and past wars.

A few days ago, a gentleman approached me while I was shopping at Albertsons. He complimented me on my columns in this publication and then asked me about my profession before I retired.

Please, my more prudish readers, don’t turn the page.

When I was a youngster growing up back East, I loved cowboy movies, also known as Westerns.

One day last week I received a phone call reminding me of a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the following day. I looked at my calendar, and sure enough I had written the appointment down but it was made so long ago I had forgotten it, and also the reason for which I had scheduled my visit…

Apartment buildings were, and still are the dominant domiciles in the New York City Boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx, while private homes dominate the landscape of the other two boroughs, Queens and Staten Island.

I admit it. I’m addicted to those annoying TV spots, usually late at night, hawking useless items to tired listeners, all at the amazing low price of $19.95. Call within the next 10 minutes, the announcer answers breathlessly, and they’ll double your order. I turn away from the set, click on…

This column is being written on June 30, the day our summer began in New York City because it was the last day of the Spring term.

The rising rate of obesity in the United States is continually in the news because of its effect and cause of many illnesses. Until a few years ago,I sympathized with the struggles of my friends trying to shed a few pounds but never thought it would develop into a personal problem and challenge.

I consider myself to be of average intelligence.

It wasn’t so long ago when razor makers such as Gillette and electric shaver manufacturers were touting their products as the answer to 5 o’clock shadow, that wiry stubble that emerges on men’s faces in the late afternoon, hours after a morning shave.

The other day we were planning to go see “Going In Style” at the Fox and we were checking the time the movie began. This search suddenly brought back memories of the time not very long ago when movie houses advertised “continuous showing.”

Briefly watching and subsequently turning off the spate of inane TV shows like the “Kardashians” and the “Real Housewives of Timbuktu” makes me yearn for the time when variety shows provided great entertainment.

Some of my readers have criticized me for not adhering to the basic rules of grammar in some of my columns. I can assure these well meaning and bright grammarians that I can write with strict compliance to syntax and all the other rules if I choose to so do (or should it be “do so”).

The earliest memories I have of my paternal grandfather are somewhat hazy, dimmed by the mind clouding but happy effects produced by alcohol.

Almost every day, a segment on a news program or an article in a newspaper will reveal a potential medical or nutritional breakthrough that too often reverses long held theories and advice. The treatment and prevention of diseases and illnesses is an evolving, ever changing science prompted …

For the past few years at the start of a New Year I have gazed at the stars, stared into my crystal ball, scanned astrological charts, and in this column made some predictions for the coming year in my attempt to become a modern day Nostradamus.

I am writing this column on December 7, and therefore it is only appropriate that the subject is the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the day that changed the lives of so many of us.

A few years ago, when I first heard the phrase “Black Friday,” in my naïveté I thought it was a reference to Robinson Crusoe’s faithful companion in Daniel Defoe’s famous novel. I soon found out that the term was the country’s retailers description of the day after Thanksgiving when bargain …

Living and working in New York City, along with Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world, I often recall the well known personalities and celebrities that crossed my path as a result. Some encounters were brief, others a bit more lengthy. I thought my readers would appreciate a devi…

No, I am not referring to the comedians of the past whom we all fondly recall, especially when we tune into an HBO Special featuring one of today’s typical standup comedians prancing across the stage clothed like a homeless man and tossing out the “f” word which for some unexplainable reason…

When my TV screen went blank the other night due to technical problems, out of sheer habit I kept staring at the screen. That incident recalled the days of my youth when my family and I sat around the radio, staring at this magical box that helped us, at least for a few hours, escape from th…

Seeing the ads for the remake of “The Magnificent Seven” reminded me of the Westerns of old. I guess you could call “The Magnificent Seven” a Western or cowboy movie but I’m referring to the old time cowboy movies, the genre that usually featured one hero, one fair maiden in distress, ravagi…

Although I was a dedicated baseball fan as a youngster, my true love was football. Professional football had not yet reached the popularity it enjoys today and so it was the college game that kept me riveted to the radio on Saturday afternoons.

Years ago, the New York Daily News published a daily feature titled “Embarrassing Moments.” Readers were urged to submit a description of their most humiliating and embarrassing incidents, preferably, of course, on the humorous side. If published, the sender would receive the exorbitant fee of $5.

Fall is almost upon us and with it comes football with all its excitement, all its drama, and all the half time and post game interviews that leaves true fans scratching their heads in disbelief.

Each year the Summer’s seem to be getting shorter and shorter. No sooner does the school year end when back to school ads clutter up the Sunday papers and store displays of school supplies clutter the aisles.

I have often been asked by my loyal readers why I chose to pursue a career in advertising and public relations. Thinking back, I have no distinct answer other than I sort of drifted into that ulcer producing field.