All,
With the the holiday season upon us, my thoughts turn to Murray Smith - a departed Jester. Unbeknownst to me, for the longest period of time, Murray would send out holiday cheer to his friends. Cheerful? Murray? When I was an undergraduate at Cal, who was just learning how to play our wonderful game, my take on him was that he was a curmudgeon of the highest order. I mentioned this to a fellow Jester, David Body, and to my utter surprise and delight, he dispelled this misplaced notion by forwarding me a few copies of the holiday cheer that he and others received from Murray that he kept over the years; and I'm glad that he did. Here they are for all to read and enjoy.
The lighter side of Mr. Smith. A lyrical Jester!
John
******
Hubba Hubba! For Bubba you opened the gate, 1998, Year of the
Tiger. Give us five high here!
But it might require Jesse's headlock, or Big Mac's 71st knock, to
get him through it. Killer apps: Buzzword Bingo, Chindogu,
Powerball.
Seinfeld sentenced to reruns; Ripken dechilled 3B buns. Chep Lap
Kole dethrilled Kai Tak; Muslim and Hindi tested Geiger.
Be nice, Ginger Spice! A salmon day of onograms at the cube
farm? Prairie dog the floor; RTM, WIWF, 404. Short of
bandwidth? Uninstall!
Hang in there, DiMag! Final bell, ball and whistle, Archie Moore,
not at all frag; airy Luckman, wearing Hall badge; Brickhouse
and Caray. Ordonez folded the cape, Mayor Joe escaped, Flojo
nailed the tape.
Sonny - Heavenly tree got you, Babe. Candidate Barry, slowed by
Dr. Cary met Angel Gabe. Beam up The Great Deemus;
Johnny screamed up seeking Mr. Morris.
Wally closed the place; Helen Wills' Wimbledon Grace. Eldridge
had Soul, not taste; Stephane and Django again faced.
Terpsichorean Justice Powell shed silk for crepe.
Tammy stood by her man, The Chairman put it in the can. Divers'
Honoria rangedrivers Roy and Gene, with euphoria, rode a
sunset cruise Ms.Carter: "Baby, It's Cold Outside"; Mr.
Perkins: "Put On Your Blue Suede Shoes". Octavio Paz,
mystic Carlos Cas. lit il up for us.
Enter stage left, Villain bin Laden; exit stage right, Contract win
maven. Retaliations or diversions? Conflicting versions.
Olympic hockey team scored only the bed; Pro Tara skated on
into drivers' ed.
SF lights out, Yanks in a rout. Sosa broke it too; global warming
hahabrou. On The Hill a terrorchilled day.
WorldCom/MCI interwired, Eck retired, Florida bush fired. (Florida
Bush hired too!) Citicorp Travelers 'neath the red.
AOL/Netscape, Compaq/DEC, Chrysler/Benz; X Files in the lens.
Mr. Giannini customer/friends? DEA.
Hey, mon, I'm not for the Taliban, but PC not here; Murray Smith sends good cheer:
Merry (pick it) Christmas, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa - and a fine New Year!!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1998
******
Slice of Heaven or Night Train on the rocks, '97, Year of the Ox?
What line of play to define ye?
Brits sailed from Hong Kong: Bosnia, how long? El Niño floweth.
Quoth La Reño: Slick and sidekick phoned no wrong.
My Stars! What a Mars landing! On the Thames, Blairly a Tory left
standing. Bellevue digerati groaning: Scot sheep cloning.
Bleep cell phoning! Budget balance? IRS give us a chance?
Maybe.
A Beatle knighted, Old Sparky lighted, Mir problems righted(?) A
billion shares long! Tiger funds sold for a song.
TJ, replay as you rest: those times were short but the best. Mother
Teresa left prime mort lull blossod. Bantam Bon holed out.
Baron de Rothschild sold out, Wino Willie rolled out.
Bush Millie. Skelton silly, Dolph Camilli, Square Xiaoping, Sirs
Bing and Solti all bowed; Jacques Y. loll a world not loud.
John Henry missed the jet plane; riffed out
Chuck Wayne, Royko spoken plain, Bagdad fan Caen, Tiger
Stew overflew D.C.
Overexposed: Princess Spencer; last questions posed: Justice
Brennan, side bencher, chronicles closed: Jim Michener.
Howling Lunch: Ginsberg and Burroughs beat the gout.
Arcaro by a nose! VanderMeer, not many throws; Zale and Grazi
rained blows. Bird Curt Flood, chain breaker: R&B Famer
Vern Baker; Charlie Kuralt, ambulator; joined Shogun Mifune.
Yoyos come back. An lowan sevenpack! Taj Mawillie off track.
Tropical blazes, X Game crazes; trophy Fish thrown back.
Away with McVeigh! Book to Bill lost its charm; Chelsea cooled
Ivy for The Farm. Mobutu ruled in Icar: Tyson dined on car.
Affirmative Action, what say?
Bad scene at Luxor; Lucy, sexy warrior. Ladies, curb those SUVs!
Beanie babies? Oh, please. Sadobirthday for a flack; Iraq's
badman is back. Sildenafil may have what you lack.
Wilter/Stanley! Solly/SmithB! Coopers/Pricey! Jackal in the arms
of gendarmes. Red River soaked farms; 13p dancing had
charms. Giants on Bay will play.
Late to the wall perhaps, perceptibly slack of synapse, but still beating room temps:
Murray Smith, your rhymer, no Holiday nickel-dimer, wishes you high ROI for a '98 glimpse!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1997
******
Drat! '96, Year of the Rat. 'Bout politics we'll say no more. Tupac
Aniaru, here and Peru, barred the door.
More like Tiger's Year, certainly not for rotten Zaire. Brit cows
silly; Trashtalking Willie blindsided Grby.
Disengage that cork in the Chunnell Palestinian rage at Old City
tunnel. With a shrug gutsy Strug stuck the floor.
What's the score, Soccer Moms? No more Unabombs. Michael not
muzzled by the Sonics. Puzzled by Ebonics we be.
Macanudos for Productos, George Burns at C! Tuned out: Leary,
Dr. T.; Gov. Edmund G. David resigned H-P, Scott Beach The
Committee.
Dolce Immortalita, Marcello! Speech forever flow, Savio, Charley
O., Pete Ro. Blanche's deck was main, Kelly danced in the
rain, Mercer motored the A Train.
Gibson left Abilene, Colbert the silver screen. Ascending recently:
Laureate Brodsky, ivorist Norma Tea, Ella Fitzg., Piedmont
Brownie McGhee.
Appeal, Crocodile! Retain Belli, plea deal! Scratched: Fats
Wanderone, E. Hecksher tone. Capp cornered; Alice and
Ralph Honeymoon again,
Come do us The Macarena! Some dufus torched Cafe Sena. WWW
chock-a block, in gridlock, alas!
Klein Joe Anonymous for awhile; ticklish Elmo, don't smile!
Kasparov out foxed Deep Blue. Slew of Russ docs unblocked
Boris' ticker.
What killed TeeDub 800? Voters will by fed judge sundered.
Medicinal grass? That too may pass.
ValuJet in the swamp; Yankees in a romp. Grinch's pinch made libs
snicker; Niners finally got a kicker.
At the end of this hit and miss year, Good Cheer to you, your kin and your kith!
And don't be too hard on your tardy old bard - Murray Smith.
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1996
******
B Drive, CD ROM, backslash dotcom, '95; dis us no more, Year of
the Boar! Contract hacked, but still intact.
What history in Bosnia? Sir, your lawyer's callin' ya. Barings'
vaults blown, jury faults shown; Israel murders her own.
Train wreck in D.C.? S'cuse me. Scary ones in Egypt and AZ. Oke
City motive tragically cracked.
Work ethic? Cal Ripken, Bernie Witkin! Quirk epic: Quebecois
splittin'. (Sobs!) Calvin and Hobbes flown.
Long, with a little hook, right into St. Peter's book, Jim
McClanahan! Joe the Toe, you was the Man! Steve Silver
blanketed the Beach.
Checkered flag, fleet Fangio; Dr. Salk beat polio. Deadheads and
Fulbright eds: See ya, Jerry Garcia!
Into the sky, Blue Tail Fly; No. 7 to pinstripe heaven; Lana Turner,
Justice Burger, upreach. Evelyn Wood, quick teach.
Sour Howard told it like it was; Pancho G. beat on the fuzz.
Three-oh, Wolfman Jack! Phil and Dean knocked the last one
back. Don Cherry, Jess Stacy - play a hymn with Sunny Slim
and Almeida!
Native Series great; Purple and Rose a late mate. Shutters 95.
Retired Joe, high five! Captain O'Grady happily home alive.
Action affirmative? Maybe not. Brown fans, they be hot. DiFi got a
hair dye. Ponzi lives, in Philly! Hooters ruling silly; Shannon,
nice try.
Bay Area awash, ablow and afire; Packwood chose to retire. Can
Niners pass five? Yeltsin blew a tire; SATAN programs, thrive.
Hilary poured in Beijing; Giants new stadium the thing. Willie's Da
Mayor. Subway nervegas; Budget hardass - sorry, but deficit
won't fly.
It's a late-breaking story, tho conceived twenty-foury. (Well the
muse smelled a rat.)
Now Murray Smith, new friends Aubrey and Maturin with Holiday
Cheers, Prosperous New Years' and all that!
San Francisco, California
December 25+, 1995
******
You showed 'em the door, '94, Year of Man's Best Friend! Willie
might keep the floor, but we like the trend.
Whitewater, cow futures slaughter, Hillary hairdo a week. Health
care take a chair! Cabinet hide-and-seek.
Three Strikes and You're In; can Pentium calc a sum and win? Mr.
Jenkins' eye a vous. Picabo comin' at you; Michael Fay got it
in the end.
Jupiter mugged, O.J. jugged, big Northridge shake. Georgia Lake,
KJAZ wake; Pacific Avenue sprung a leak.
Cleared for takeoff, upbeat John Sweet! Davidoff drifted off in
wonderful smoke. Ellison Invisible, Morgan risible; Boros and
Bell had a helluva stroke.
Can't kick Dick around any more; open the Gates for sweet Dinah
Shore! Adios: Jrs. Tip O'Neill and E.J. Kâhn, Donald Swann;
Arnold Cream hit the floor.
Checkered flag for Ayrton Senna; Tom Jobim left The Girl from
Ipanema. Respectfully interred: Absurd lonesco, elegant bird
Jackie K.O. Marvelous Mary's.
Silenced: Carmen McRae, Berton Roueché, Cab Calloway. Dr.
Pauling, C OD; perfect Harvey, Red Rodney, Jess Tandy. Burt
left A.C. shore.
Orange derived a lemon; Cubans sailin', paddlin', swimmin'. Power
Rangers, Korean dangers; Tonya gave Nancy a whack.
Baseball capped in its nest; Rodman, give it a rest! Sharks nearly
best. Wonderbra, oo-la-la! Mexican elections, assassins,
unrest.
Ceasefire, IRA; first tire on InHiway. Niners lookin' good.
Woodstock Redux, Streisand big bucks; Generation X on main
track.
Nabbed: Carlos the Jackal; Warriors cold as a mackerel. The King
turned in his grave (?). Tragic Baltic wave; World Cup zest,
Jimmy Carter aquest.
As always, good news and bad, and some wonderful folks left the
pad. And as usual (nothing fools ya), not much rhymes with
"Smith" or "Murray".
But that won't stop this scribe from wishing you and your tribe:
Holidays silky; New Year furry!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1994
******
Did you crow reveille or battle, '93, Year of the Cock? Is there a
Returns window? Can I unblock?
Slaughter at 101 silo, floods above the bayou, arson 'round L.A.
WhatACookOut! Cheersio! Don't ask, don't say.
NAFTA passed by a bit; was that Sound jobs, or the raves of a twit?
Aspin went, graspin'; who's next of the flock?
Babysitters, banjo hitters, fluid facts and retrotax; health cost jitters.
Bad hair day on the runway.
Dodgers battery in the sky; Rudi and Agnes leapt high; Ruby
tapped. No more suds for good ol' Spuds (Honey Tree Evil
Eye).
Portly Perry's last case; Gen. Jimmy flew back to the base; Hepburn
and Hayes won Gilliatt's praise. Fellini trod La Golden Strada.
Stegner found Repose; chords from Carlos and Conway arose.
Escobar zapped; The Cat napped. Don Ameche, Lillian
peachy, fly!
Bop to the top, Billy E., Hawk, John Birks G.! Mosconi banked the
ultimate three. Ashe served out, Sr. Chavez had clout; Ms.
Anderson: encantada!
Agassi shaved; Beavis and Butt-head misbehaved. Air Jordan
retired. Lorena bobbed it; Ditka sought job fit. Reality
virtually wired.
Nobel to jailor/jailee; gingerly handshake in D.C. What are we
doing in Haiti? Cowboy woes for Buffalos; Bluejays dropped
on Philly.
NASA looked for Mars and got lost; Hubble saw stars-at some cost.
Barney a bit tired. Mr. O. to the Hall; taggers covered all.
Sherry Davis' candlewick fired.
NBC faked blowaway; Antioch counseled slowforeplay; Bosnia
worse by the day. Pepsi fraud uncovered; immigrant
smuggling discovered. Minstrel Ted not p.c.
Poetically disadvantaged, politically undermanaged, Murray Smith
yet sends you good cheer.
Recess has to stop: get out there and shop! Merry Christmas!
Unbandaged New Year!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1993
******
Gripman, pull the red handle! We're astounded. What have you
done, '91, to leave us so breathless, guessless, confounded?
Evil Empire's no more; Gorby uncouped but out the door. Al home,
who's minding the store? IBM and Apple a digit?
Pinatubo lit up the candle; BCCI a Cliffhanging scandal. Pee-wee
showed up for fun; Embarcadero Freeway undone. PanAm,
Eastern, Air Sununu grounded.
Stormin' Norman led a desert crusade; barbarian liar gave up the
trade. Magic retired: Agnos fired. Sex harassment: Fridge it.
Tick tock: Harry Reasoner, Happy Chandler, Mozart's
Hildesheimer; writers' last block: Singer Isaac B; heartwringer
Grahaim G. Got Thera: Jerzy Kosinski.
Heavy rock, T. Ernie, Bill G. The Lip finished (last?), SF. Porter off
Times' mast, Goren passed. Luke A., Smoky B. lost clout.
Celestial brass: Charlie B., Buck C., Bud Free., Stan G., Jimmy
McP., Miles. Exit r. Bill Ball, Eva Le G,; alas another Gandhi.
Dismiss class, twirler Teichman; dance on clouds, Ms. Graham,
Dame Fonteyn. Serkin's last concert sold out'. Joc Dey holed
out.
Black, white, which, what, Michael? Israel-Palestine hope, but not
likel'. Come with me, love, into Biosphere II.
Flaming disaster cleft East Bay hills, faster and faster leapt health
care bills; Kennedys in Jeopardy on Rush's EIB.
Could Wilt slam-dunk 20 thou? Yes! Recession! Here and now,
despite rate drops. Collar those L.A. cops; madman Saddam
too!
Tito’s cardhouse blew down; hello again, St. Petersburg, lovely
town! Manny Hanny wed Chem. B., A.P.sipped a ring
on SecP.
Cheers, cheers, ol' dears; and beers on the cuff! Thirty odd years of
this doggerel may be enough. Here’s Murray Smith, blurry
rhymer with: Merry, Merry! Happy, Happy! and all that good stuff.
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1991
******
1990, Year of the Horse, maybe you weren't bred for the course:
broke slow, not much go, came up lame in the stretch.
Tote down, drugs around, a nut said he'd burn down the stable.
(We'll stop him - if we’re able)
Nobel glory at mantlepiece gleams, while laureate's country comes
apart at the seams; Mandela freed, 'mid tribal screams. Intifada
makes Israel a wretch.
Steinbrenner banned, Musburger canned, Iron Lady's last stand.
Now that he's Prez, Georgie to Barb sez, “No broccoli on the
table!"
Midnight tolled for Dexter Gordon; Malcolm Forbes, Mary Martin
soared on. Lenny and Rex and The Chairman's ex, left this
vale.
Oxy Petc's Hammer; Art Blakey, jammer: Squire Stoneham had a
last rammer. Founder or Intel Quartet's Durrell, Alice's serve
swell- no more.
Garbo at last alone, Copland found a thirteenth tone, the Bhagwan
again has flown. Graziano drew with Zale.
Henson left the Street, Stevie Ray and Sarah lost the beat; Walker
Percy, Bronko Nagurski, Paley and Sammy shut the door.
Who killed Laura Palmer? Should we build a Stealth Bomber?
Trouble with the Hubble Let's do The Lambada, see another
Godfadda, rename manhole tops. Perrier recalled, Tyson
stalled; come on, raindrops!
Quakes in Iran and Luzon; Madonna, put it on! Milken, to the
slammer, on the double! The Donald on the bubble.
Silli, silli, who cares who sang it? Shape up, Bart, now dang it! Olé,
Manhattan Dartman! Mayor Barry stung by the cops.
Now, tear up your ticket, off to the Turf Club for a quick hit of Holiday cheer.
Your bard Murray Smith, race card herewith, picks '91 as a much faster year!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1990
******
You poured some fine wine, '89, Year of the Snake, and set a full table therewith.
A blockbuster year! We can hardly believe what we hear: gore in
Tiananmen Square and Timisoara, war over Medellin flora;
Brandenburg ajar once more.
Alaskan waters oiled, Cory's pot boiled; a Big Bay Shake. Evil Empire now a myth?
Red dominos reneging Man of the Decade double pegging; Pete Rosc out on his car. S&L bailout,
Roseanne's tail out, Alar gone from the store.
Marshmallow salesmen now safe, Ayatollah finally a wraith; Sugar
Ray, keep the faith! A proprer Martin to you, Jack Dicks!
Beckett found Godot, Roy Eldridge took a blow, Sakharov said
Nyet! Exit up, Sir Laurence O! Dali melted off the Big Table.
Horowitz plays no more, Berlin rolled up his score, Red Warren to
the Big Snore. Abbie Hoffman left it Six.
Tooz vanished uptown, Big Red put down; Mel Blanc, articulate
down. Miss Kitty, lissome Luci Glenna V., Lefty G., Barbara
T., Malcolm C., Bette D., A. Bart G., now fable.
Niners won XXIII, Thursday's Child ran free, Satanic contract on
Rushdic; Steve Garvey still had pop in his bat. Neptune, hello!
Leona and Jim, do not pass GO!
Mustang Ranch aired an IPO, Zsa Zsa slapped together a show;
game ball to Pete Ro! Dalai Lama had good karma for the
Nobel.
Bay Bridge(less) Series, cold fusion theories, Stealth Bomber
queries. Consort of Nancy found it chancy chasing buffalo.
Tower not approved, Noriega removed, Scars prices improved (?).
Brave Draveck; big crane a wreck; Maine Man didn't angle so
well.
Hey, foot off the pedal, 1990! Double clutch, downgear! Best
wishes to all, while we respectfully call for a breather
herewith.
A New Year greeting please hear, with hope your holidays held
cheer, to my friends from late wreather Murray Smith.
San Francisco, California
December 31, 1989
******
It’s time to rate or double-eight; Read My Lips and raise the flagon.
What do the spin dorin say about this Year of the Dragon?
Yea! Israel discovered by Arafat. Boo! Neither Shimon nor Shamir
wanted to chat. Rodon in my salon? What about that!
Yea! A ceasefire knock on the doors of Iraq and Iran; Gorby leaving
Afghanistan. Boo! Cat moving free, bribery at DOD. KKR led
the buyout bandwagon.
Oprah shed sixty-seven; Mickey Mouse fifty-one plus eleven.
Benazir voted in; did Rangoon want Ne Win? Kirk Gibson
rewrote Casey at the Bat.
We lost Paulie Robinson, Smith Barney's John Houseman,
Nashville's Roy Orbison. No more Billy Beer.
Wimpy racked his cue; whoʻll hit for Big Klu? Poindexter, Pony;
Kurt Adler toner; Baron Philippe left Premier Grand Cru.
Greengrocer Joe; Ferrari, Enzo; Raymond Carver and Alan Paton
left their Beloved Countries. Hammering Henry, Carl Hubbell
heard their last cheer.
Bird's Countess Nika, Scott's palesse Sheilah, ghoulmaster Addams
flew. Armenian quake toll grew.
A virus caught SunMicro and DEC; the Spelling on the Stone -
please check; Noriega pain in the neck. An albino M&M!
Midwest dry, Yellowstone fry; was Christ a temptable guy? Denver
tendered ten for a rocket mountin' high.
Katerina beat Debi, both lovely and regal; no gold, but they broke
the mold after Eddie the Eagle! Janet Evens the Princess of
Swim.
At Seoul, a steroid patrol; FloJo flashy and droll; Louganis hit the
board but scored: Roger Rabbit led a jolly Toonerville Trolley
fly-by.
So there it is, for what it's worth, some good, some bad, some tears, some mirth.
Murray Smith, your scribe, wishes you and your tribe Happy Holidays, and a fine ‘89 rebirth!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1988
******
Well.. hoist up your habit, hop to the year of the rabbit: swift but
not always a winner.
Quaff a flute with Spuds MacKenzie; ne'r with toot nor quite a
frenzy toast perestroika and glasnost.
A hopeful summit, Black Monday plummet, passage in the
Gulf'ceting thinner.
Corked bats and scuffed balls; hoopla, Fawn and Ollie in Congress'
halls. Oprah the mostest host.
No musical chair for Fred Astaire, Great One rare, Oz land's Danny
Kaye; Heifctz, Segovia, Turk Murphy no longer play.
Down the Road faded Erskine Caldwell, Ralph Guldahl, Andy
Warhol. Big Daddy footed Cal.'s books.
Huston's brilliance flickered, Lib watchers wept or snickered; Dave
Susskind, Max Taylor, Claire Luce called it a day.
Conner's craft left Kookaburra aft; Gary Hart: a one-man draft.
Sugar Ray showed Marvelous hooks.
Harmonic convergence? Cuban prison insurgence; bodlock for a
Bridge birthday Flock.
Fiji coups plotted, Conrail/Amtrak potted; Sierra conflagration.
Dincs altered the equation; earthquake in Illinois.
H-h-h-hi, Max Headroom! Evangelism in the bank and the
bedroom; freeway shootings our latest culture shock.
Short final in Red Square, Baby M to her père; bimbos want to join
with the boys.
Peaks and valleys, sprints and rallys, cold reason and myth,
But withal and wherewith - in the clear for another year. Holiday greetings, good cheer from - Murray Smith!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1987
Say, Whoa, before you go, '86--let us savor your kicks, question your tricks, try to get a fix
On arms to a fanatic, bombs on a nut; deficit gigantic, our taxes: were they cut?
Meltdown at Chernobyl, exploring Titanic a thrill; Baby Doc Pres. for Life? Nix!
Hands Across the Continent; we'll find how much Yamani meant. Marcos fled Malacanang Hut.
Last Weekend for Ray Milland, Glubb Pasha under the sand; Sonny
Terry wailed so long to Brownie McGhee.
Now only reruns of suave Archie Leach, Admiral Rickover at last
on the beach; Windsor's Duchess rejoined her Duke.
Fleeting image of Georgia O'Keefe, H. Moore's forms challenged
belicf; tapped out, Yankee Doodle Dandy.
T.H. White will make no more Presidents, Sterbo detrained from
his residence; Averell Harriman, Howard Jarvis shuttered the
soul.
Tip and Barry retired, Levine and Boesky conspired; Nick Daniloff
made news, but it wasn't much fun.
Voyager 2 flew by Uranus, Gramm-Rudman you'll have to explain
to us; Challenger's plunge left us shocked.
See ya 'round, Cometa Halley; Wells Fargo added Crocker to the
tally. Will Pinola get the Bigger One?
Rose Bird degaveled, Hunt Boys' fortunes unraveled; Miss Liberty refrocked.
As this Year of the Tiger growls “Who Knows?” and prowls to a close,
Your buddy Murray Smith heartily herewith wishes you Holiday Cheer and coming good shows!
Monterey, California
December 25, 1986
******
You thought you shook me, but after a year's playing hooky I'm
back for a look-see; only Boom Boom is able to drop the
habit.
Lucky for you, unlike Gary Tru, I can't demand more column. But
I'll try to recall two years of what all, without being solemn.
'83 and '84, Years of the Rat and the Boar (vice versa, actually):you
brought usual of the following -- and more:
Four More Years; Indian, Ethiopian tears. If you can find a Cabbage
Patch Kid, grab it!
Abstraction for Miro; who thumbed Aquino? No doubt about
Father Popieluszko. Season's end for Bears Bryant and Halas.
Long count on Dempsey this time; Streetcar Desire to the end of
the line. Great birds, Ethel Merman, Mabel Mercer!
Ansel Adams', Kobayashi's plates were fine.
Ticktock for Ray Kroc - Mr. Padre and Mr. McD; the bubble burst
for high flying Maxie. SeaTac became Jackson. A loss for
words, R. Brautigan; bottoms up: Vic Bergeron, Truman
Capote!
Alas, poor Burton, we knew him well; Pres. of the Pacific, Bill
Basie, Earl Hines, Harry James terrific! 007 downing most
callous.
A braless spaceRide! Kilauea lava tide; California beaches left and
returned. Orphan embryos; James Watt no-no's; snowman
DeLorean reborn - sans Cristina.
Shergar purloined, Grenadian buildup enjoined; "The Day After"
showed what's in store. An A for LA: Retton, Moses,
Louganis et al. - medailles d'or!
Michael Jackson a Thriller! Clara looked for the beef; America's
Cup to the Great Barrier Reef. VanNess jukebox fired; Yaz
retired. As yet, no AIDS relief.
More MidEast terror; Hitler diaries an error; 727 joined DC 3.
Artificial and not so artificial hearts; adieu Beach Street tarts.
For all, flare a Flor Fina!
At the end of '84, after verses more than a score, your mime has run out of rhyme for his handle.
So from the underprinted, wishes for holiday happiness unstinted - and let's light up a big '85 candle!
Murray Smith
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1984
******
Adieu, '82, Year of the Dog (more or less): often in fog, low
on the hog, frequently tough to get by the scruff, I confess!
Th' economy snoozed, Columbia cruized, crashes in D.C. and N.O.
Gretsky had the nets' key, Iwa gave Kauai a blow.
Prince Bill Art Phil Louie arrived; NFL no-play long-lived.
Hark to that Clarkbeat unique! Koo-Bare and Andy walked on
the candy shores of Mustique.
Jupiter Effect had none; Ms. PacMan ate on the run; De Lorean
snowed under. 49ers' XVI; Bowie said, "Phooey, a pop fly!"
Perilous Inverness thunder.
Ilsa, here's lookin' at you kid. So long, Big Bear Leonid!
Princess Grace went over the face. Arkansas Traveler holed
out; we'll miss the Animal House lout. Lion of Kashmir lay
down the mace.
Deadline met by Smith of the Times; Rexroth and Mac Leis
footed their rhymes. From the pond a last walk for Fonda.
Watergate's sage, no-run Satch Paige found higher climes. Melodics no longer from El Paso's songster; Jeritza sung
Tosca to the curtain. Farewell, Wapshot conceiver; Khalid, a
Believor, Monk, Tjader, Stitt left jazz world hurtin'
Abe Fortas resigned; Bess and Harry realigned. 130 widows
mourned Sobhuza II. Mourn Marsha Owen too, if so inclined.
NATO's Jim Dozier left th' enclosure of Padua's Red Hun. Argies
and Brits in Falklands' cold pits fought a war just for fun. Queen Liz rudely awoken; Tylenol's strength murderously broken.
What slant on the Levant? (Sabra and Chatilla enjoyed no
scintilla of Begin's recant!)
It cost us five mil for the dubious thrill of convicting Corona
once more. Fire frightful hot swept tunnel Caldecott; Alpine
Mcadows came down with a roar.
Apple's Steve Woz tried programming big shows, El Sal's gran mal
seemed mostly a crime. Revisiting Waugh, surprisedly we saw
the gentry navigate entry on prime time!
Well, so the Year didn't rhyme. Murray S. weathered the stress
one more time.
Let Ron look for Kris Kringle; here's a heartfelt jingle from
Smythe wishing you a lithe '83 climb!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1982
******
Wait a minute, '81-- of all things under the sun, you'd have us
believe: Raiders win XV, 'Niners o’er NFC, run by dudes
named Montana and Plunkett?
Hard to believe, as well, Sadat fell — or Pope John,
President Ron, Bear Brady’s survival.
This year of the Rooster found many a booster of Pole Solidarity.
Nuclear disarmity, D.C. budget denial.
Five high for Charlie and Di! Columbia, good fly! Danny Ainge
decided to change -- ‘stead of hot corner he’d like to dunk it.
A deep swirl for Jim Dean’s girl; Bill Saroyan, Moshe Dayan
closed an eye or two.
Sorry you had to go: Joe Barrow, Network’s Holden,
Ponselle’s chords golden.
Last rites for Wyszynski; Wilkens left N.A.A.C.P. Rita Jenrette
left Georgetown’s Set for centerfoldin’.
Kennedy finally split; Al Robbins’ teenybopper acquit.
Baseball began its season anew.
Can B.J. lick galimony? Napa fire hardly left a tree;
‘bye ‘bye Med Fly (?)
Slam dancing frantic. Stockman sunk in Atlantic; hostages
home from Teheran.
Skywalk fall in K.C. O’Conner climbed to S.C. Begin annexed
Heights of Golan.
AWAC’s to Arabia, F-14 tough over Libya; PATCO lost
control of our sky.
Well, ’81, who’d deny it’s been fun - whether Mum told of
morn’ sickness or not?
Now jingler Murray Smith brings clear greetings
with hopes for an ’82 hot!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1981
******
A curtain call, '80, quick twirling lady, prima ballerina
of a new decade- .
What have you brought us, what withdrawn; war in the trenches, tennis on the lawn!
Peanuts interruptus, pyramids one-upped us;
J.R. got laid.
Right on, Nancy and Ron! (But to decorate, wait for the dawn.)
Sabres of petrol neighbors were drawn.
World-rocking Lennon is gone. Tough Tito proved no pawn; the top plumber's last dues were paid.
Existence faded for Sartre; Mae West had an affair of the heart.
Owens' last race, Clouseau's last case; exit Raft, flipping four
hits.
Umbriago left the stage, Henry Miller seared his last page; the
Final Law Bill Douglas obeyed.
Hitchcock will scare us no more; the Colonel closed up the store. Luke gave black-hat dad.the fits.
• Reds befriended Afghanistan, and now smile toward John Paul's
clan. Rosie Ruiz seemed too rapid a maid. ·
Inferno towered at MGM Grand; St. Helens spread ash o'er the
land.
Little pang for the uncultured Gang of Four.
Italy quaked, our Southwest baked, Brother Billy may have looked silly but Libya paid.
At hockey our country did swell; at hostage rescue less well.
Prinzendam sunk, Love Canal stunk; please, Cuba, no more!
Now your rhymist, Smith, Murray, brings Christmas cheers,
a flurry - and wishes unallayed:
Good fun in '81 and and on!
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1980
******
"The dice are cast, '79's off the board at last - but the number on the
number on the cube's still rough:"
"Ayatollah K. prayed for the Mid Ages, surrounded by firing
squads, ""students"" and hostages. Terror for awhile"
at Three Mile Isle; fires in Bart.
"Prime out of sight, but a Pulitzer for the Point Reyes Light -
it wasn't all bad, this Year of the Ram."
Miz' Rose and Miz' Lil let their boys run; on his knees Bob
Clampett hit it a ton. Patty penned enough; Ms. Derek
scored lQ in the buff.
"Tough pilot Munson grounded out; Duke the Shootist's last
bout; 'bye 'bye, M. Pickford, Sweetheart."
"Rocky never quite made it, but Mingus and Kenton sure played
it; say hi to Ike, Mamie, ma'm!"
"S. J. Perelman, wit sublime; Conrad Hilton, hotelier prime;
clown of reknown Kelly; Mr. Dodger O'Malley; all ran
out of time. ."
"An Atari safari for Ronstadt and Brown; Carters rode Delta
Queen down. Meany retired, John Paul inspired, Michelle
Marvin got a (100) grand new start."
"Wide-body lO's dropped from the sky; a cloudy eclipse passed .us
by. Borg, Watson, Smith all missed the Grand Slam."
"As the septuagesimal lens clears,"
"what a ten years it's been! Gas supplies thin, Idi
Amin, in Indo-China no reason or rhyme."
"Beirut demise, soaring gold price, war and peace in Sinai;"
"Peoples Temple, price controls simple, Equity Funding, IOS,
SLA."
"Lady libbers, Watergate fibbers, Doonesbury ribbers; disco
freakers, wall to wall streakers. SST, Prop. One Three,
so long Canal Panaro."
"Another year in the pan, a decade in the can, and maybe 20
years of these home-flicks is enough."
"Well, off your duff! With Murray Smith, your scribe, a cup
of Holiday cheer imbibe - and in the 80's hang tough!"
San Francisco, California
December 25, 1979
******
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