News of the Week: Good Dogs, a New Rod Serling Story, and the Best State in the U.S.

Best in Show

Sage, a miniature poodle, won Best in Show at the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

I guess I should type Sage, The Miniature Poodle, because that’s how all of the news outlets are saying it. It’s not only what she is, it’s her title.

But Sage doesn’t even look like a real dog. I don’t mean that as an insult. It’s just that she looks like a stuffed animal. All that fancy sculpting of the hair. If I hadn’t seen her run I would have thought she was fake. I wonder if she also won the Topiary category?

From now on I want to be addressed as Bob, The Miniature Writer. Wait, forget I said that.

U.S. News & World Report Says This Is the Best State

Here’s a hint: it has four letters.

My state of Massachusetts comes in at number 10. The Post’s home of Indiana is 30.

Submitted for Your Approval …

A never-before-seen story by Rod Serling was published this week in The Strand. But it’s not a Twilight Zone story. It’s set during World War II and based on his experiences as a paratrooper in the Philippines during the war. Each chapter of the 11,000 word “First Squad, First Platoon” tells the story of a different soldier he knew and how that soldier died.

Serling was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service.

How Would You Like to Own a Typewriter Shop?

There’s one for sale in the city of Arlington. That’s in Massachusetts, the 10th-best state to live in.

The Most Boring Video of All-Time

That’s what a lot of people are calling this 1989 Microsoft Word tutorial, which has become really popular for some reason. It’s almost two hours long but you will learn everything you need to know about an old version of Word.

Uploaded to YouTube by Whamtan

RIP Roger Corman, Alice Munro, Sam Rubin, Mary Wells Lawrence, Ilon Specht, David Sanborn, John Barbata, Pete McCloskey, Gloria Stroock, and Susan Backlinie

Roger Corman was the king of the “B” movies. He produced and/or directed such films as Little Shop of Horrors, House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven, Grand Theft Auto, Dementia 13, The Wasp Woman, and so many others. He died last week at the age of 98.

Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her short stories. She died Monday at the age of 92.

Sam Rubin was a veteran Hollywood reporter for KTLA. He died last week at the age of 64.

Mary Wells Lawrence was an influential advertising icon whose agency created the “I Love New York” campaign. Before that she was part of the team at another agency that came up with the Alka-Seltzer “Plop plop, fizz fizz” ad. She died Saturday at the age of 95.

Ilon Specht was an important part of advertising history too. She came up with the “I’m Worth It” campaign for L’Oréal Preference hair color. She died last month at the age of 81.

David Sanborn was a Grammy-winning saxophonist who released 17 solo albums and also played with Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, and The Eagles, among many other musicians. He died Sunday at the age of 78.

John Barbata was the drummer for the Turtles, known for such songs as “Happy Together,” and also had stints with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship as well as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. He died recently at the age of 79.

Pete McCloskey was the congressman from California who defeated Shirley Temple Black and then challenged Richard Nixon for the 1972 Republican nomination. He died last week at the age of 96.

Gloria Stroock played Rock Hudson’s secretary on the last few seasons of McMillan & Wife. She also appeared on Captain Video and His Video Rangers, and Studio One, and in films like Day of the Locust and Young Joe, The Forgotten Kennedy, where she played Rose Kennedy. She died earlier this month at the age of 99.

Susan Backlinie was the first victim of the shark in the classic film Jaws. She died Saturday at the age of 77.

This Week in History

Katharine Hepburn Born (May 12, 1907)

The actress was the subject of a five-part series in the Post in 1941 and 1942.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Published (May 17, 1900)

Did you know that author L. Frank Baum wrote 13 other Oz books, as well as other stories and newspaper columns based on the characters?

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Irish Setter” by Rutherford Boyd (May 15, 1943) 

This dog looks like he/she could have been in the Westminster Dog Show.

May Is National Egg Month

Let’s dive into eggs – if eggs are something you can dive into – with three recipes from the online pages of the Post.

Let’s start with Curtis Stone’s Herbed Deviled Eggs and then his Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Chives. And here’s a recipe for Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Spinach.

Natasha’s Kitchen has a video that shows you how to make a Perfect Omelette. Over at Love & Lemons you can learn how to make the Best Egg Salad. And here’s a recipe for Huevos con Salchicha, an Eggs and Hot Dog Scramble, because you knew I had to work in “dogs” in the recipes somewhere (though none of these recipes contain sage).

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Armed Forces Day (May 18)

This was started in 1949 to replace separate official celebrations for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Victoria Day (May 20)

It’s the federal holiday in Canada that celebrates Queen Victoria.