Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe

Subject: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 09:50 AM

U.S. troops may soon hear harmonicas

Sons of late variety show host want to give 400 mouth harps to U.S. troops

The Associated Press
updated 3:46 p.m. CT, Wed., Nov. 28, 2007

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The sons of a late harmonica player want to pass along hundreds of his signature, pocket-size instruments to troops overseas.

Herb Shriner's 53-year-old twin sons, actors Wil and Kin, found about 400 vintage harmonicas in their father's warehouse near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. They considered donating the instruments to schools or to youth groups, but now want to send them to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It beats sending them tubas," Wil Shriner said. "They're pretty easy to pick up and play."

Herb Shriner and his wife died in a car crash in 1970. Shriner hosted a radio show, TV variety show and a game show.

The harmonicas were made by the Hohner Co. in Germany in 1949. Made of wood and brass, the blues harps are about 5 inches long and feature Herb Shriner's nickname, "Hoosier Boy."

"It's a gift to maybe lighten up a tough day. It just slips into the pocket," said Wil Shriner's wife, Rebecca Baughman.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press

I'd guess the only thing to discuss is "would you rather have the tuba?"

I do remember Herb Shriner as a TV show host, but don't much recall hearing him play the harmonica. Does anyone know more of his history?

John

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Peace
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 10:05 AM

Lotsa people there with the blues.

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Les from Hull
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 10:14 AM

Weapons of Mass Distraction?

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Peace
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 10:17 AM

That's what they're called. She says so herself!

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 01:40 PM

I vaguely remember the name Herb Shriner, but not ss a harmonica player. Now I'm curious about him.

I'd ask for details, maybe a website reference, but I suppose it's on me to Google his name myself first, before asking others for help...

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 01:50 PM

Wikipedia article (with links to more)

Seems that Herb started out as a harmonica player, and then became a storyteller/humorist by default when his split lip prevented him from blowing the harp. His real fame and career came as a talker, not a player...

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 02:25 PM

Great idea. And remember the story about the Russian soldiers "liberating" the Kohner factory as they reached the Elbe I think...great load of music that day. mg

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Ernest
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 02:36 PM

The Hohner factory is located in Trossingen (roughly Black Forest area)in the American zone far west of the river Elbe - but there are/were harmonica and other instrument-manufacturers in the Vogtland area in Saxony (russian zone). So it could be the Seidel factory instead...or another company named Koch (which belonged to Hohner I believe).

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 02:49 PM

Dang! I wouldn't mind one of those Hoosier harmonicas. There was a used one on eBay recently, but I would want a new one (there's a reason selling used harmonicas is against the law).

I remember Herb. He used to start his act by saying, "H'lo." He was a sort of aw-shucks Will Rogers kind of story-teller, and I strongly suspect Garrison Keeler remembers him as well, to judge by his style.

Bob

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Alec
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 09:03 AM

Harmonicas were commonly used by combatants in the U.S Civil War for recreation.They've been used in a lot of conflicts since.
I think this one is actually a nice idea.

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 09:58 AM

So, this thread's title isn't a play on words of the title of this Mudcat thread:

BS: Our Monica to Iraq

thread.cfm?threadid=106650&messages=27

??

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 09:59 AM

I'm sooo disappointed.

:o)

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: PoppaGator
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 04:30 PM

Azizi:

THIS was the original thread ~ "our Monica" is the copycat title, and a pretty witty one at that.

Anyone who hasn't already done so, I recommend checking out the BS section for "Our Monica to Iraq." Not only is the thread title a cute play on words, more than a few of the responses are good for a laugh as well.

I was particularly impressed that Ernest, a native speaker of German, came up with more than one inventive English-language pun...

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Mikefule
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 04:40 PM

A mouse went into a music shop and asked for a mouse organ...

(Insert long ad lib conversation, relying heavily on repetition and the rule of three, and ending with the revelation that a young lady mouse had been in the day before and bought the last mouse organ.)

"Oh, that'll be our Monica."

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 06:16 PM

THIS was the original thread ~ "our Monica" is the copycat title, and a pretty witty one at that.


I guess I coulda figured that out if I had looked at the date and time both of these threads started.

That's what I get for reading Mudcat on the rush at work.

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Azizi
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 06:43 PM

PoppaGator, I forgot to say thanks for setting me straight.

I hope that egg on the face is good for the skin.

:o}

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Art Thieme
Date: 01 Dec 07 - 11:15 AM

In an quite old thread, I coined HARMONICA Lewinsky.

I ain't proud. Just, simply, a fact!

Art

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Art Thieme
Date: 01 Dec 07 - 11:20 AM

March 16, 1998 5:54 PM

Instruments for Physically Handicapped thread(or something like that.)

Art

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: RangerSteve
Date: 01 Dec 07 - 02:51 PM

I've got a Hoosier Boy. It's basically a Hohner Marine Band, and only came in the key of C.

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: GUEST,steve baughman
Date: 22 Mar 16 - 05:30 PM

In 2010 the Supreme Court dealt with the question of what "material support" to terrorists means.

Justice Sotomayor opined that "under the government's definition, teaching these members to play the harmonica would be unlawful."

To which Justice Scalia replied: "Well, (Sept. 11 attacker) Mohamed Atta and his harmonica quartet might tour the country and make a lot of money."

As a protest I thereafter sent a harmonica by US Mail to Mullah Omar with a letter offering to travel to his cave to give him lessons. I never heard back. (I am glad because I don't really play harmonica. I would have had to fake it.)

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: Jack Campin
Date: 22 Mar 16 - 07:19 PM

A few years ago, a Quaker woman in Edinburgh started an appeal for musical instruments (mainly whistles) to take to children in Palestine. I relayed it to uk.music.folk, where it got an astonishing followup from a guy called Julian Flood who up to that point had given every indication of comete normality. It was a full-blown frothing-at-the-mouth, carpet-chewing tantrum about terrorism expressed in language I genuinely didn't expect from even the most bottom-feeding of racist reactionaries. I think that would even have shocked Scalia.

Subject: RE: Harmonicas to Iraq Maybe
From: GUEST,steve baughman
Date: 22 Mar 16 - 07:21 PM

Well, with whistles I can understand :-)

Actually, that is so sad. People tend to hate even the children of the perceived enemy. Hey, Trump wants to take out the terrorists' children.