Kinsey Report

In high school I borrowed The Kinsey Report from the school library. Nowadays that might sound unlikely, so let me give the name of the HS: Lowell in San Francisco. It's still there, but, I believe it's moved to a new building. Lowell, if you will allow, is the pride of San Francisco. Just this minute I called Lowell HS Library and in answer to my questions found that The Kinsey Report is no longer in print (it's not in print!!??) but if it were, yes, they'd definitely lend it out again to teenagers. I was most happy to hear that, and speaking to the lovely older lady librarian just now my voice quavered as I told her how grateful I was to have gone to Lowell and particularly glad they lent me that most reassuring and scientifically accurate book.

When the Kinsey movie came out last year I was appalled that the promotion and reviews made the book sound prurient when it was no such thing. The movie, I guess - I will not see the movie for two reasons: the screenplay sounds yucky, and the actor playing Kinsey might be tall, but he's not tall enough to play Kinsey who was a daring pioneer to whom we should all be grateful, and about whom I consider it sacrilege to gossip as Hollywood has oh so true to form gossiped. 

During those last two years of Public High School I lived alone in the maids quarters behind a very tall luxury building on a hill overlooking the Bay and Alcatraz at 947 Green Street. My God, I even remember the address? My benefactors were Mr. and Mrs Clarence Morse. They had a son who built his own hotrod. Yes, it was that long ago. I was envious, of course, but in no way did I feel deprived, at least not consciously. It was in their apartment on the top floor that I first saw Television. The very first image was Garbo in Camille. I think I was born lucky.

I remember laughing at a lot of The Kinsey Report. One subject, an African American (in that book probably called Negro but I'm not positive) tied his member, he said, to a bell and his objective was to make the bell ring as many times in a day as he could. Gee, I have to tell you I'm still laughing.

America has advanced. Oh sure, hotrods today don't just go 125 MPH, no sirree, they go over 200 MPH. But do you figure we've improved? I have a doubt. Not gonna let it get too serious, but I have a doubt.

Barry