Union Suit Fans in the Limelight

4/16/2024

Mark Twain's State of His Union Suit

https://youtu.be/V8Lpxw9XqpI?feature=shared

A special thanks to Retro Jeff for bringing this to my attention so I could pass it on to you!

4/08/2024

My Favorite Suit - Feedback

Since posting the ToastMaster entry on March 11th, I've heard from any number of you about your early speaking engagements. It seems many of us at least heard about visualizing your audience sitting there in just their underwear when speaking in front of a group. Seems that advice was passed down from parent to child or teacher to student for the past 60 years or more. Years ago, there was even a episode of The Brady Bunch when Jan had to speak in some type of forum and was given that same advice.

A few of you even sent me pictures of the experience. Here are a couple of samples:

And back in 2017, I posted this cartoon of Abe Lincoln giving an address. His audience sat there in their long underwear, all wearing union suits, of course:

4/03/2024

Retro Jeff Gives an Accounting of his Alien Abduction

In my companion blog, Union Suit Fan, Illinois' Retro Jeff explains his unusual disappearance a couple of weeks ago and his return to a more normal life. Take a look at the latest posting of this unusual, other-worldly encounter.

3/26/2024

A Look Back

On June 11, 2016, a couple years before I began my second blog, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight featuring actors in movies and theatre in their long one-piece underwear, I posted the following in my first blog, Union Suit Fan. It was taken from a Saturday morning television show. I thought it worth repeating here....

Jack and the Beanstalk

As reported in my previous posting, Ryan posed the question as to whether I had seen a televised theatre presentation of "Jack and the Beanstalk" wherein Jack, a poor boy, climbed the stalk and had adventures in his red Union Suit. You know the story which scholars date back (in some fashion) 5,000 years. Thanks to the emails sent to me by Shane, Gary, and others, I was able to identify this play presented by Fairie Tale Theatre in 1983. It was shown September 8, 1983, Season 2, Episode 4. It starred Elliott Gould as the boy-eating giant and his wife, Jean Stapleton. The boy, Jack, was played by Dennis Christopher. Jack did indeed climb the beanstalk in his long underwear having been awaken by its growth in to the sky. Following are photo clips of Jack and his adventure courtesy of Fairie Tale Theatre in 1983:

The rustling noise of the magical vine wakes up Jack:

He peers out his attic bedroom window in the bright morning sunshine....

And decides he should find out just where this beanstalk goes and so begins climbing without getting dressed.

Up Jack goes in his nightclothes, long red union suit underwear:

He climbs seemingly forever:

Jack wearing only his Union Suit
wonders to where he has climbed.

A Fairy warns Jack about the Boy-Eating Giant.

Soon, Jack confronts the Giant's Wife who answers the front door of their cottage:

Unfazed and seeminly unaware he is in his underwear,
Jack speaks to the Wife.

Jack Tells the Giant's Wife He is Hungry
and is Allowed to Enter

Once inside, Jack steals the Sleeping Giant's Gold:

Having barely escaped from the Giant and back home
arriving with the Giant's gold,
Jack, still in his Union Suit Underwear,
describes his adventures to Mother.

Jack is triumphant! He and his Mother are rich!

To enjoy this Fairie Tale with your kids copy and paste:

https://youtu.be/XyjKnWtLB_A?t=790

3/11/2024

My Favorite Suit

Union Suit Fans in the Limelight is devoted to those individuals who entertain us by performing in their union suits. Famous and not so famous, actors and singers, musical instrument players and, at least in one case, a public speaker. That’s right, a guy who delivers delightful discourses to his audiences. One memorable night he gave a speech commemorating his favorite suit.

When I was a young boy, I was faced with having to appear on stage in our school auditorium in front of fellow students, parents and teachers. I was to give an account on the life of the great inventor, Thomas Edison. At 14 years old, I was a mess. I was anxious, to say the least, of speaking in front of a hundred people.

Fortunately for me, my dad was a member of the local Toastmasters club, a support group focused on helping people, scared to death of public speaking. You know the type; perhaps you are one. A lot of people are.

The one thing I've remembered about my toastmastering dad was that nervous newcomers to Toastmasters were encouraged, when giving speeches, to think of themselves as the only person in the room who was wearing clothes. And, to imagine their audience sitting there in just their underwear.

So the night of my speech, my plan was to see myself with all my clothes on and everybody else, young and old, would be sitting there in only their underwear: boxer shorts, long johns, tighty whites (called briefs back then) and even union suits like grandpa wore! And the little girl that I had a crush on? Well, that night she was fully dressed, not in her unmentionables. That would come later as we grew older. And you know what? It worked! It actually worked! Oh, sure, I was nervous but not nearly as I would have been if the audience hadn't been sitting there in their underwear, listening to my little speech.

So when Lonestar Mike emailed me a Toastmaster video, it not only struck my funny bone, it hit home.

The orator, Craig Hadner, was the president of the Pikes Peak Toastmasters, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. One memorable evening, he gave a speech titled "My Favorite Suit."

As one of the leaders, his job was to teach and encourage members of his club to speak in front of audiences. Many members had joined to get over nervous tension in order to give a better, more comfortable talk.

But tonight, ToastMaster Craig turned the tables on my dad’s face saving advice by giving his speech to an audience who remained fully clothed while he stood before them in his underwear, his long underwear, his “favorite suit"….