In the summer of 1937 the nation lost the brilliant composer George Gershwin to a brain tumor at the age of 38. Then just three months later tragedy struck another renowned American songwriter when 46-year-old Cole Porter's legs were crushed in a horseback riding accident. He was riding with friends at a country club near Oyster Bay, Long Island on October 24, 1937 when the accident occurred. (1937 also saw the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and the death of blonde bombshell Jean Harlow.)
The accident left Porter crippled and in constant pain for the rest of his life (he died in 1964). However, despite the challenges posed by this debilitating accident he continued working and wrote classics such as From This Moment On; I Love Paris; Begin the Beguine; and the score to the Broadway musical Kiss Me Kate.
In the summer of 2013 actress Shirley Jones (The Music Man; The Partridge Family) published her memoir, and in one chapter she discussed the homoerotic dalliance her ex-husband, actor Jack Cassidy, had with Porter after his accident. As she tells it, Cassidy would make Porter crawl to him if he wanted to service Cassidy and his legendary huge cock.
As the saying goes, "It is better to take care a hundred times rather than die once." It pays to take extra care in everything we do. By taking care, we limit our risks of figuring in accidents at the minimum.
Posted by: Ethan Rehman | 01/17/2012 at 05:06 PM