Totally Random, and Connections

Sometimes a totally random thought comes to me and I want to explore it. Today, while I was stripping finish off a table leaf a scene from "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation" was in my head. The scene was in a casino. The Griswold's had lost all their money and were lamenting on what to do. Then, Sid Caesar won the big prize in Keno and had a heart attack. he gave the ticket to the Griswolds.

Then, as I was preparing my coffee and washing dishes, a different scene came to me. This was from the original "Vacation" movie where the Griswold's were travelling to Wally World by car. They are out in a very rural area having lunch with Mrs. Griswold's cousin and that family. Out walks Imogene Coca and surprises Mr. Griswold by saying "You're driving me to Phoenix!!" On the way, she dies (and so does her nasty little dog).

The connection. Both Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca die in those movies. Both were tremendous comedians. Both were regulars on a 1950's TV show called "Your Show of Shows." I was too young to have seen that show when it first aired, but have seen a clip here and there throughout my life.

But WHY did my mind decide to make that connection today?

By the way, I used to love a PBS show called "Connections" with a host named James Burke. In that show, Burke would pick up little bits and pieces of information and show how one thing led to a completely different thing over time. For example, he might demonstrate how Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo led to the discovery of Super Glue. Two things seemingly random, yet if you look deep enough you can find a connection.