EVERYONE KNOWS HIM BUT NO ONE SEES HIM…
By CHARLES ANDREWS
YOU HAVEN’T HEARD MUCH OUT OF HIM LATELY
Because it has been some months since he felt up to pounding out another column. Nor have you seen him. But who does see him? I can’t tell you how many people have told me they have been friends with Jack for ages, and they speak frequently on the phone, or correspond somehow – but when is the last time you saw him in person, I would ask. Often the response was, "Oh… well… I’ve never actually seen him in person…"
Until last week, it had been years since I had been with him in person, since he braved climbing that Ocean Park hill to join us for dinner. Such a rare event, though I thought at the time it would be repeated. I mean, we live so close. But that was it, despite dozens of later invitations. "Jack, I’ll come pick you up, and take you back, forget the hill!" When I think of it now, I think maybe he only did it to spend some time with my charming wife Dian, who he thinks is incredibly talented and wonderful. It was one of his running jokes with me, on the phone, to pause and ponder, out loud, "You know, I really don’t understand why she married you. What did she see? She could have done so much better…"
In declining one of the many dinner invitations, he said, "I’m getting to be a bit of a hermit." Hardly a news flash. Despite publishing his thoughts to the world every week or two for decades in his humor column in the Santa Monica Daily Press, he was a very private person, and worked to keep a very low profile. I think he liked being a Man of Mystery, that celebrity that no one ever sees. Yes, he is a celebrity, not just here, but he has avid readers literally all over the globe.
JACK NEWORTH –
Longtime Daily Press columnist (longer than me, longer than Bill Bauer), known for his bios of local characters (sometimes after they had passed, so their accomplishments and special human qualities wouldn’t pass with them, unrecognized), book reviewer, humor columnist ("Laughing Matters" - such a great title, though sometimes he wished his column idea could be published under the heading, "No Laughing Matter."), tennis enthusiast, philosopher, sports fan (especially the Dodgers, and the Lakers, who both broke his heart too many times to count), dog lover (well, Oscar anyway), one of the original occupiers of the Shores north building (but he left his heart in Idyllwild), and ever vigilant vilifier and mocker of Donald Jennifer Trump – I have some news about my good friend Jack. Some good, some not.
The "not" is, his health. Jack has cancer. Along with a few other fun things along the way, that have had him bouncing between hospitals, rehab facilities, and his longtime Shores home, for too many months.
But how about some
GOOD NEWS
That hospital-hopping is over, thanks to the generosity of his brother-in-law David, who has been looking after Jack through all this, and now has opened his lovely Encino home to him, complete with caregiver and big screen TV at the foot of his comfortable bed. What a relief. I asked Jack, did you not know where you were some mornings when you opened your eyes? "Most mornings," he quickly shot back.
And that is the other good news. Despite some misinformation that went around that Jack was suffering from dementia, I can assure you it ain’t so. When my wife Dian and I visited him last week, his voice may have been a little weaker but there is nothing (additionally) wrong with his mind. Dian sang two songs for him, with guitar, and he liked that. He was perfectly lucid, and telling jokes complete with arms waving and sarcasm. He also said he had been blessedly pain free for almost two weeks, and that is great news.
I think he would love to hear from friends, foes and fans, and now that he has stopped bouncing you can send a card or postcard to:
JACK NEWORTH,
The Shores, North Bldg
#322
2700 Neilson Way
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Charles Andrews has lived in Santa Monica for 38 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at mailto:therealmrmusic@gmail.com
