Let Me Tell You About Perry Como

By Rich Kozlovich

 

Over this last week I've posted two articles about AOC (Part I and Part II) and her whining about how she's suffering.  As it turns out I also came across this piece by Marta Djordjevic about Perry Como, which she titles a Tragic Real-Life Story.  I thought the comparison between Como and AOC would be worth discussing.   A pampered petulant pouting crybaby, versus Perry Como, a man who represented what Americans were and need to be again.

Like Como, I grew up in Southwest Pennsylvania, and all this brought back many memories.  I'll be 76 in a few weeks, and I remember Perry Como, his songs, his career and all the talk about him, and the similar life patterns of my parents, grandparents and family during the Great Depression and WWII.  Stories I heard so often I felt like I lived through it also.  Como's story was well known, and he was admired by everyone for starting out with nothing and becoming one of the greatest singers of his time, but mostly for his commitment to his family over his career.

While Perry Como had his share of pain and hard times, I wouldn't consider his life tragic. I would consider it a life well lived, with his life being and example of how a life should be lived.  Djordjevic starts out saying: 

During the course of Perry Como's life on the A-list, it was difficult to find a single soul who had a negative thing to say. It turns out, the post-World War II-era singer's lighthearted and easygoing tunes were just as enjoyable as his personality. "He doesn't have an enemy in the world — personally or professionally," recalled singer Steve Lawrence to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He's not a controversial person, and he has a wonderful personal life with his wife and kids," Lawrence added, noting that Perry is simply "at peace with himself."

"I'm a bad interview because, aside from making records and my radio and television activities, not a lot has happened to me in the past fifteen years," he once told The Saturday Evening Post, quipping, "I was a barber. Since then I've been a singer. That's it."

Born in 1912 he was number seven of thirteen children of Italian immigrants, and started working at age 10, not uncommon in those days as times were hard, especially with a family that large, all of whom turned out well.  He started his day by getting up at 6 a.m. and going to the a barbershop sweeping the floors, then went to school only to return after school to shine shoes and perform other odd jobs around the shop. At 14 he became a barber at 50 cents a week, and he sang at the shop for the pleasure of singing. 

His father had serious heart problems and at 14 he became a important bread winner for the family.  His father got him his own barbershop, making what was big money in those days, a net profit of $125.00 a week.  Remember the Great Depression was in full swing.

He gave it all up to start his singing career for $28 a week and got married to Roselle Belline, who he spent the rest of his life with, and whom he absolutely adored saying, "If it wasn't for her I'd have the best barbershop in town", and she returned that love and devotion saying:   "When you make your wedding vows as a commitment to each other and to God, you will keep them." They had three children, two adopted, and family always came first.   Her death so many years later completely devastated him.  

He once said, "My only regret in life is that I didn't spend as much time with my kids as I now wish I had"...... "I missed out on a lot of wonderful moments, missed watching my kids grow into the wonderful people they are today."

While they struggled, they were careful and lived on his earnings, he nonetheless considered giving up until he got a singing job with a band and started earning $50 a week.   Again, big bucks in the midst of the Great Depression.  That would be the purchasing power of $1,051.42 today.  

He was a great singer, extremely popular and successful, but I'm not going to cover his songs and career because it's not important to what I'm wanting to say.  Perry Como was all about family, hard work, humility, caring for others and strong moral values, all the things that make a society successful, and according to Eddie Fisher:  "After 60 years in show business, they say Perry Como hasn't lost a friend."

At the end of his life he suffered from bladder cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and died at the age of 88, beloved by thousands of fans, but most importantly beloved by his children and 13 grandchildren.  

We're now seeing violence, crime and massive discontent and one the major reasons is the destruction of the American family.  The abandonment of the Judaic/Christian ethic that made this country great in favor of that neo-pagan secular religion of socialism has promulgated the massive illegitimacy rates that are destroying the values and cohesiveness of American society.  The problem in America isn't guns, its culture, and we need to stop rationalizing about this and recognize the true reasons our society is crumbling, something I never dreamed could ever come into being during my youth.  

There has been a effort over the last 125 years to destroy of the American culture, the American identity, the American economy and the Constitution.  It's being done deliberately because destroying the foundational social bonding of family eliminates parameters for social behavior generating violent fanaticism that creates conditions totalitarians need in order to take control, all of which we're seeing playing out today.

Perry Como's values were the admired norm, not the exception, so when I see these celebrities screaming they "don't recognize their country any longer" because Roe v Wade was overturned, it boggles my mind because they and their vision of America is what's abnormal, not the normal that existed in America until the late 60's, when America's institutions became infested with leftist misfits, and then the transformation really began.

Perry Como was a clear representation of who we once were, and who we need to be again.  Not AOC and her misfit colleagues in the Congress and these bands of "mostly peaceful" rioters with it's wave of destruction, all supported by a corrupt deep state, corrupt politicians, corrupt academia, a corrupt media and Hollywood, but we need to get this:  Hollywood isn't America, nor are the media or the rest of these misfits.