To Abq Jew, consolation and That Thing You Do! are, of course, synonymous.
Last week, Abq Jew introduced (or re-introduced) you to TTYD! the movie. Last week, Abq Jew guided you through the first of the many, many great songs from TTYD!
This week, Abq Jew is honored to introduce you to two vitally important characters in TTYD! First, jazz pianist Del Paxton. And then, cocktail waitress Marguerite.
Del Paxton is played by Bill Cobbs. IMDb says:Bill Cobbs was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where his parents were hard-working people, who instilled in him a sense of self-reliance and humility.
As an amateur actor in the city's Karamu House Theater, he starred in the Ossie Davis play "Purlie Victorious".
Cobbs was an Air Force radar technician for eight years; he also worked in office products at IBM and sold cars in Cleveland.
In 1970, at the age of 36, he left for New York to seek work as an actor. There he turned down a job in the NBC sales department in order to have time for auditions. He supported himself by driving a cab, repairing office equipment, selling toys, and performing odd jobs.
His first professional acting role was in "Ride a Black Horse" at the Negro Ensemble Company. From there, he appeared in small theater productions, street theater, regional theater and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater. His first television credit was in "Vegetable Soup" (1976), a New York public television educational series, and he made his feature film debut in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974).
In his free time, Cobbs enjoys music, reading, and playing his drums. He lives in New York City and Los Angeles, California and continues acting.
She originally met Tom Hanks in 1981 on the set of "Bosom Buddies" (1980) when she guest-starred as Peter Scolari's Satan-worshiping girlfriend. But their relationship wasn't kindled until they were reunited on the set of Volunteers (1985).
Half Greek (mother Dorothy, born and raised in a Greek village on the Albanian border) and Pomak (Bulgarian Muslim) from Bulgaria (father, born in Greece and lived in Bulgaria and Turkey, and who worked at a racetrack).
Older sister, Lily (teacher); and her younger brother, Chris Wilson, is the composer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).
She is widely credited with landing Nia Vardalos a movie deal for My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) (now the top money making independent film of all time, surpassing the $200 million mark), after seeing Vardalos perform her autobiographical one-woman show.
She got her husband (Tom Hanks) to set up the film at his company, Playtone, which shopped it around to financiers and distributors on the strength of the Hanks-Wilson seal of approval. (Side note: Rita and Tom had a "Big Fat Greek Wedding" of their own in 1988).
Her father chose to change their last name to Wilson, because that was the name of the street they lived on.
Won a Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award for Best Actress for her stage performance in "As You Like It".
Made her Broadway debut as a Roxie Hart replacement in "Chicago".All of which shows, or so Abq Jew claims, that you never know where people have come from or where people are going.
Here is Del and Marguerite's scene together - with Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) - one of the classiest in the movie. What you don't see (or hear) is the sound (Abq Jew apologizes; he couldn't resist) advice Del gives Guy:
"You got to keep on playing."
Join us next week - same time, same place - for another edition of
Sabbaths of Consolation - That Thing You Do!
Until then -
Shabbat Shalom, Albuquerque!
Good Shabbos, New Mexico!
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