Hey, Camp Fans!

He’s been held in high regard as one of the finest actors to ever come around. I wrote about Burgess Meredith in a previous Blog post from a handful of years back. We learned about his time spent at Camp Dudley summer camp in New York, his experience on Broadway, as well as his military service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. You can check out the last post about Burgess when you click right here.

That last post only scratched the surface, however. There’s a lot more to learn about this guy and we can get an idea of who he is by the roles he’s played throughout his time on the screen. Check out who he’s been on the screen…

In the Zone
Presented for your consideration: Mr. Meredith appeared in a few different episodes of the classic TV show, ‘The Twilight Zone’. One of his best-known roles from the show is the episode ‘Time Enough at Last’ in which he plays the character Henry Bemis. Henry one day discovers that he’s the last person alive. He takes solace in this as it finally gives him time to catch up on all his reading. But in a horrible twist of fate, his reading glasses fall off his face and break. “But…but that’s not fair! There was time now!”

Playing the Penguin
Along with his roles in ‘The Twilight Zone’, Burgess played The Penguin (a.k.a. Oswald Cobblepot) in the classic TV series ‘Batman’ that ran from 1966 to 1968 as well as the 1966 film that was based on the show. His portrayal of the Penguin character was so well-received that the show's writers made sure they always had a script ready to go that featured this birdlike villain whenever Burgess was available.

One Grumpy Guy
Contrary to his own personality, Burgess played one of the old grumps in the ‘Grumpy Old Men’ movies that debuted in 1993. He played as Grandpa Gustafsen alongside his fellow grumps played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. While, sadly, all three of the ‘Grumpy Old Men’ have now passed on, their humor is immortalized in this hilarious and high-profiting surprise-classic!

But whether he played the last man alive, a penguin, or a grump, Burgess became a huge star who was sought after during his time on the big (and small) screen. Hope you enjoyed learning more about this classic actor from over 60 years ago! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

You know who else is a fan of summer camp? As well as founder and chief executive of Dell computers Michael Dell is a former summer camper. In fact, this isn’t the first Blog post I’ve posted about Mr. Dell. But in our country’s time of need throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Michael Dell has decided to forgo his salary for this year and contributed $100 million to help fight the current pandemic.

In his previous post, we learned about his upbringing in Houston, Texas as well as his time spent at Camp Champions along the shores of Lake LBJ near Marble Falls. But that first post only scratched the surface. Let’s learn more about this business mogul right now!

Wunderkind
A wunderwhat?! A wunderkind refers to somebody who is very successful for their age. That’s exactly what Michael Dell was in his freshman year of college. He brought in $50-80,000 from his dorm room by supplying his fellow students as well as his teachers with computer services. It was easy after this to convince his parents he didn’t need college.

Giveaway
$100 million donated to the fight against the coronavirus is a huge amount of money, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to his total donations he’s made throughout his life. He’s currently at donated $1.5 billion to charity and he’s always giving more.

AI Deny
While contemporary thinkers and theorists such as Elon Musk or Michio Kaku have thrown in their warnings of the potential for AI (or artificial intelligence) to be developed beyond the control of mankind, leading to a takeover from digital and robotic entities. Michael has made himself clear that he does NOT believe AI takeover is a possibility.

On behalf of Everything Summer Camp, we’d like to say thank you to Michael Dell for his generous donations in response to the coronavirus pandemic. To everyone else, stay healthy and active. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

This isn’t the first time that we’ve posted about former summer camper and famous singer, Lady Gaga. But now, in our country’s time of need throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Lady Gaga is contributing to the cause by making donations to local charities to help those affected by COVID-19. Her beauty line, Haus Labs, announced a couple weeks ago that it’s donating 20% of their sales from the last week to local food banks in L.A. as well as New York.

In her previous post, we learned where her stage name comes from and how she went from Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta to Lady Gaga (you didn’t think she was born Lady Gaga, did you?) only scratched the surface about this celebrated performer! Let’s learn some more about Lady Gaga right now:

From a Young Age
Starting at the age of four, Stefani’s mother made her sit at the piano for an hour each day, insisting that she would become "a cultured young woman". This was enforced whether she was playing or not. Playing wasn’t mandatory, but sitting there was. It obviously helped develop her skills over time! Also, when she was 11, she found a vocal coach, Don Lawrence, who still, to this day helps her.

Workin’ It
In attendance of the oldest independent girls’ school in Manhattan, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Stefani was a student alongside Caroline Kennedy as well as Nicky and Paris Hilton. One of the only students with an after-school job, Stefani worked as a waitress at an Upper West Side diner to help make money for her lower class family.

Never Say Never
Stefani went on to study at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. During her time there, an anonymous person created a Facebook group which was titled ‘Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous.’ Goes to show that you certainly can’t trust anything you read on Facebook!

On behalf of Everything Summer Camp, we’d like to say thank you to Stefani (Lady Gaga) as well as Haus Labs for your generous donations in response to the coronavirus pandemic. To everyone else, stay healthy and active. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Summer Camp Fans!

More than five years ago, I posted on this Blog about the man of steel. You know, the guy who dresses in the blue suit and the red cape. You know…*Ahem*…Clark. Kent. In case you’re not picking up what I’m putting down, let me spell it out for you. I’m talking about Superma—I mean…Christopher Reeve.

In his previous post, we learned that Christopher went to camp along Squam Lake amidst the White Mountains of New Hampshire at Camp Deerwood. But we only scratched the surface in that last Blog post. Let’s dig a little deeper and talk some more about former summer camper Christopher Reeve right now:

Super (skinny) Man
Chris was rejected time and again by the casting director for the role of Superman. He had a good look and he played the part well, but the chief reason for his rejections was his weight. At a mere 170 lbs., they dismissed him three times over. He was tall, but he was a string bean. He couldn’t possibly be Superman, they thought. But Chris eventually won them over as they came to realize that, while he wasn’t bulky enough yet, they could bulk him up.

Superman gets Beefed up by Darth Vader
Chris went through a rigorous bodybuilding regime in order to acquire the shredded body like Superman. In walks his training supervisor: David Prowse. Queue the ‘Imperial Death March’. David Prowse is the actor wearing the dark suit of the Sith Lord Darth Vader from the original Star Wars trilogy. A rather hulking presence himself, David Prowse whipped Christopher right into shape, helping him bulk up from 170 pounds to 212 by the time they began filming!

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s…a Hang Glider
With the film’s tagline being “You’ll believe a man can fly,” it was important to the filmmakers that the flying scenes were convincing. Chris, being an experienced hang glider, brought his familiarity with the feeling of flying through the air to the screen. Even so, they spent $2 million dollars just failed flying tests.

What a life when you get to play Superman on the big screen! Unfortunately, Chris’ life was cut rather short. He passed away at the young age of 52 after a spinal cord injury caused complications. His indomitable spirit lives on as his determination can still inspire us today! Get your own summer camp experience. Check out Camp Deerwood by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Julia Fans!

Today I’m revisiting Julia Louis Dreyfus! I posted about this celebrated actress a number of years ago when this Everything Summer Camp Blog was still young. Since I posted about her some while back, I thought we’d go back in order to get to know Julia just a bit better.

In her previous post, I discussed how she attended Sidwell Friends Tennis Camp and some other information like her most notable projects in her acting career. Today, however, I want to go real deep so we can attempt to really get to understand who Julia is, not as a celebrity, but as a person:

Julia Adventurer Dreyfus

Julia has a successful marriage with her husband Brad Hall. What keeps them going so strong? Well, they enjoy going on adventures with each other. They travel the world over with their free time and they practice several adventure sports such as River Rafting, Hiking, and Skiing. Julia enjoys going for hikes around the Pacific Palisades at least four times a week.

She’s Been Everywhere, Man

Because of Julia’s step-father’s occupation as a member of a non-governmental organization called Project Hope, Julia and her family would frequently stay on the move from country to country for a number of years. In the past, she’s lived in Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Tunisia as well as several different states in America.

Now That’s Inspiring

Liz Lemon, Tina Fey’s character from the hit comedy ’30 Rock’ was said (by Tina Fey) to have been heavily inspired by Ms. Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She was so touched by the sentiment that Julia went on ’30 Rock’ for a guest appearance in 2010.

Julia has made an impression on us all and likely inspired many more than she’ll ever know. She’s quoted to have said, “If you feel rooted in your home and family, if you’re active in your community, there’s nothing more empowering. The best way to make a difference in the world is to start making a difference in your own life.” And, with that, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John