JULY 28, 2010 The Roaring Twenties

"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change" -Carl Rogers

It has taken a long time to accept who I am. The good news is that I have. I am a sober gay professional who loves unconditionally. It is difficult to love anyone if you cannot love yourself. While working in the Coronary Care Unit in 1994, I had the pleasure of caring for the late Jeessica (Cronin) Tandy. One day Ms. Audrey Hepburn came to visit Ms. Tandy. As I was introduced to Ms. Audrey Hepburn she asked me, "Why did God give you two hands?" At that particular time in my life in 1994, I could not answer that question. Of course I was in awe of her as well, but my tongue was not tied. I just felt I could not answer that question properly. In answer to her own question, this Academy Award winner for Roman Holiday stated, "One hand is to help yourself, and the other to help other people." Today with all honestly and assurance I can do that with confidence. I could have never done anything in life without first helping myself in any way I can.


The bottom photograph are boy-girl female impersonators. I do not like to call them drag queens. I prefer to call them performers of the highest quality. They are the Cherry Grove Flappers from the Roaring 20's. You couldn't ask for a nicer group of fellas. I can also state they are my friends. Yes, friends I can rely on. These friends are doing a benefit performance for the Doctor's Fund for which I have volunteered my medical service.

Miss Tandy was already on the stage in the 1920's. My grandparents were married in the 1920's, actually October 18, 1925. My grandfather was 21 and my grandmother, only 18. It is hard to imagine but both lived through the roaring 20's , only to end up ending the decade with Black Tuesday in 1929.

For the last two weeks I have been concentrating on the mouth, eyes and ears. Due to the nature of the Roaring 20's photograph I should tell you about heart disease and diabetes briefly. It is important to realize that there was not documented heart disease and diabetes in large numbers if at all in the 1920's. That is difficult to comprehend since my grandparents ate butter, cheese, and meat. The difference is that the goats in the backyard of 2 Elizabeth Street (for my granmdmother) and Myrtle Avenue (Brooklyn for grandfather) that provided the milk were fed grass. There were no hormonal injections. The milk was raw. It had many enzymes. It was not homogenized. The meat they eat was fresh. It was from cows, sheep, lambs etc that were raised nearby. New York City was a different place than today. I would encourage you to read The Untold Story of Milk.

So when did the first documented heart attack occur ? We do know it occurred when Wonder Bread became popular. Ever since refined carbohydrates hit the store shelves we have had an increase in heart disease and diabetes. Look at the numbers today! The numbers are staggering. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States. Is this preventable? Of course it is. It takes a diligent dietary and exercise lifestyle change. The next weeks of blogs will be devoted to my specialty- Cardiology

A popular song written in 1920 was Avalon. I have the recording on a Decca 78 rpm by Al Jolson. Avalon is a 1920 popular song written by Al Jolson, Buddy DeSylva and Vincent Rose. It was introduced by Jolson and interpolated in the musicals Sinbad and Bombo, both conducted by Benny Goodman. Jolson's recording rose to number two on the charts in 1921.

Until tomorrow...


Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was an English stage and film actress. She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films. Following the end of her marriage to Jack Hawkins, she moved to New York, where she met Canadian actor Hume Cronyn. He became her second husband and frequent partner on stage and screen.

She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Blanche Dubois in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948, sharing the prize with Katherine Cornell and Judith Anderson in her portrayal of Medea. Over the following three decades, her career continued sporadically and included a substantial role in Alfred Hitchcock's film, The Birds (1963), and a Tony Award winning performance in The Gin Game (playing in the two-character play opposite her husband, Cronyn) in 1977.