On Tuesday, I posted an entry about Denzel Washington along with a plea for help. I asked readers if they could find the link to an interview I’d heard last week between him and the host of Fresh Air, Terry Gross. Well, one of my former students, now a post-grad studying library science, came through and located the interview link.
Thank you, thank you, a thousand times, thank you, Miss Cara. I wanted the link, not only so people who hadn’t heard it before could listen in, but so I could again listen to Denzel share his faith story with grace and humility.
Believe me, the second go-around was even better than the first. You see, during last week’s broadcast, which turned out to be a rebroadcast of an earlier show, the station had sound problems, and they had to break away before the interview ended. When I listened this time, I discovered Denzel and I share a common 1960s television legacy:
- We both looked forward to the annual Sunday night broadcast of The Wizard of Oz with great excitement.
- He thought Danny Kaye’s annual introduction to the annual broadcast of The Wizard of Oz was the best thing since sliced bread.
- On the other 51 Sunday nights of the year, he watched Bonanza and Ed Sullivan, just like we did.
- He watched The Red Skelton Show on Tuesday nights, just like we did. In fact, when he signs autographs, he always writes “God Bless” and then his name, because that’s what Red Skelton said at the end of every show.
So if you listen to the interview, be sure to hang on until the very end. You won’t want to miss Denzel Washington singing Follow the Yellow Brick Road in a munchkin voice.
Thank you, Miss Cara. And thank you, Denzel. The two of you made my day.
