Dean Stockwell recently died. I thoroughly enjoyed just about every role I saw him in. It's hard to believe now, but back when he was in stuff like Night Gallery, he was considered a sex symbol and was touted to be the new James Dean. Weird, right? But that's how it went.
Of course my favorite character of his was Al Calavicci, Sam's best friend and holographic partner on Quantum Leap. The things that I always dug were the ridiculous outfits he would wear in the long distant time of the 'Nineties. Goddam, look at that picture above. Al would wear any crazy shit he could think of, and sometimes his outfits blinked. The most normal thing he ever wore was his Navy uniform.
And it reminded me and my brothers of Gramps. Whenever there was an important event--like a graduation, funeral, etc.--he would dress up in this ridiculous suit that hurt the eyes. He was either fucking with us or he really loved that fucking outfit. He was a vain main when it came to clothes, so I think it was the latter. It was so crazy we called it his Al Calavicci suit. Al would have worn something like that.
I didn't have much to do with the final arrangements for Gramps, but I had a sneaking suspicion that turned out to be true for his own funeral. I went up to the coffin and saw that, yes, he was wearing that suit even in death. It made me smile.
Then I sat with my family while we waited for my brothers in Crystal Lake to show up. When they did, they both laughed and pointed. One of them said, "He's wearing the Calavicci suit!"
I wish I had a picture of him in that get up. You wouldn't believe the lunacy of it. But when we get down to it, the littlest things sometimes bring us the greatest joys. Yeah, I know, I'm not the first to say that, and I won't be the last, but conversely the littlest things can anger us the most. It's a testament to their power.
Enjoy the little things. They'll help you get through life.
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| Bonus Al! |
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