Sweet Memories

I heard the news today, oh boy.

Could it be true? Was the Gaston Avenue Bakery, the finest in Somerville, NJ, the place that bonded our family together with rich chocolate filling and yummy layer cakes, really be closing? Granted, it had gone way downhill in recent years, but still. Could it be closed?

I drove by today, and the sign said, “Sorry, we are closed.” Sorry, yes, I am truly sorry.

This partially my fault, since I stopped buying cakes there years ago (after my friend Chris told me they sold her a cake with mold in it and didn’t even apologize when she returned it). And now that I am on Weight Watchers, cakes and cookies are verboten. But it can’t be all my fault. I am only one person, and my family contributed more than our share to the profits of this once-thriving bakery.

The original owner was a tough-as-nails guy who ran that place with authority and aplomb, turning out chocolate seven-layer cakes (seven luscious layers) that were always my favorite. My sister preferred the hazelnut cakes with the chocolate shavings on top. We all loved the cookies (especially the ones we called “dumbbells” with the big globs of chocolate on each end of a cylindrical wafer), which we often bought to take as a sweet treat when going to visit friends or relatives. How I remember those ubiquitous square cardboard boxes and the thin string that closed them!

At one time, many years ago, there were two bakeries in Somerville. Hochstein’s probably had the better bread, but Gaston Avenue, well, that was the Mecca of cakes in town. Birthday coming? A trip to GAB was a prerequisite. Special occasion? Plan your stop at the bakery. Once my mother sent me to GAB the day before Thanksgiving to pick up a variety of goodies and I was on line there for over an hour. When I got home I accused her of not loving me anymore because if she did, I reasoned, she wouldn’t have made me torture myself for that long in line at a bakery.

My mother would stop there nearly every Saturday, bringing home the tasty treats that we relished – a little too much, perhaps, which probably explains why I have had a weight problem for years. For a while we lived dangerously close to GAB, almost in walking distance – though we never did – and we always passed it on our way home from the Jewish Community Center Swim Club. You’d run into everyone in town there eventually. Once, while working on my high school reunion, I literally bumped into the mother of a classmate and got the contact information for him that we were missing. So it was a place of gathering as well as a place of delectable delights.

The Cort Theater, where I spent countless hours honing my love for movies, is long gone, as are the Candy Kitchen and Pop’s, the corner hangout opposite the school where we’d stop for nickel candy. Gaston’s, the local department store, closed decades ago, and Somerset Trust Company has changed its name dozens of times since I had my first account there. Johnny’s Diner and Howard Johnson’s are distant memories. Wald Drugs remains open on Main Street, though I doubt you can buy 5 candies for 25 cents (and they’d throw in a 6th for free) on the way to the movies, where tickets cost first 25 cents, and later 35 or 50 cents.

Even my elementary school, a holdover built in the late 1800s, was razed a few years ago, and my high school, the original Somerville High, is now the Middle School, with the “new” high school replacing it way back in the 1970s.

As we get older, our memories are increasingly filled with the sights, sounds and smells of days gone by. I used to think that just entering the door of the Gaston Avenue Bakery made me gain five pounds, so sumptuous were the smells. Though I understand that time passes and things change, I will always retain the sweetest memories of my favorite place in town and my years of growing up in Somerville. Somehow, ordering a cake at ShopRite will just never be the same as a delightful delicacy from GAB.

I always said that if I was told I had six months to live, I would immediately head over to the Gaston Avenue Bakery and depart this world with icing on my lips. I guess I’ll have to rethink that plan now.

RIP, Gaston Avenue Bakery. You will be missed.

Tina's January 2012 Movies

All films rated on a scale of 1 (not so good) to 5 (really great) tuna cans. Movies marked with an * are those that I have not seen previously.

1. Singing in the Rain* (1952) – “What a glorious feeling, I’m happy again.” I must confess that I had never seen this classic Gene Kelly musical, and that I enjoyed it more than I expected. Teamed with Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds, Kelly is full in charge, playing a silent movie star who transitions into talkies in the 1920s. The story is a loose structure for a pastiche of song and dance numbers where Kelly’s prodigious athleticism as a dancer is on full display. I actually got chills when watching Kelly and his umbrella in the iconic title song. Some people are Fred Astaire fans, others Kelly devotees. I just say, “Gotta dance!” 4 cans.

2. The Special Relationship* (2010) – This HBO movie explores the relationship between Britain’s Tony Blair (Tony Sheen) and U.S. President Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid). Blair was the neophyte Labor Party leader when he met Clinton, just before Clinton’s reelection and Blair’s selection as Prime Minister in the mid -990s. The two strike up a friendship based on mutual admiration and political convenience, Clinton serving as the older brother, doling out practical advice as Blair moves into 10 Downing Street. However, with the Monica Lewinsky scandal tainting Clinton’s reputation and support, Blair grows wary of his friend. When it comes time to act decisively in the Kosovo conflict, it is Blair who takes the lead. Both actors lend credibility to their parts, though Quaid’s Clinton is played like a buffoon at times when he isn’t portrayed as the political shark he was. 3 cans.

3. The Music Man (1962) – There’s trouble in River City all right, but it is in the form of Professor Harold Hill, a con man who arrives in Iowa to fleece the locals into buying band instruments and uniforms before he skips town. Composer Meredith Wilson took seven years to write the score of this musical, which features a tour de force performance by Robert Preston as the “professor” and a boatload of songs and dances. Shirley Jones is Marian the librarian, and a mop-topped Ronny Howard lisps his way through his performance as her kid brother. If you like old-time musicals, you’ll find this one highly entertaining. 3½ cans.

4. Mr. Mom (1983) – Michael Keaton is perfectly cast in this broad comedy as Jack Butler, an auto engineer laid off from his job and forced to become Mr. Mom at home while his wife (Teri Garr) takes a job in advertising. Remarkably inept around the house, Jack copes with the exploding washer and battles the scary vacuum “Jaws” as he cares for his three young kids and his wife handles success at work. Whether Jack is playing poker with the ladies in the neighborhood (using coupons as chips in a hilarious scene) or turning the wrong way when entering the school driveway, it is clear that caring for a home and family is a tough job for anyone. After nearly 30 years, I still find this little comedy quite amusing. 3½ cans.

5. Big (1988) – Tom Hanks gives an amazing performance as Josh Baskin, a 13-year old who suddenly finds his wish to be “big” granted in a way he never imagined. He wakes up the next morning as a full-grown man, awkward and clumsy in his new and strange body. With the help of his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton), he moves into New York City to find the carnival machine that granted his wish and restore his 13-year old self, but first he takes a job at a toy company to give him needed financial support. Who’s better to think of and try out new toys than a kid? Josh succeeds at business without really trying, and, in the process, wins the heart of an aggressive co-worker played by Elizabeth Perkins. The memorable scene in this movie has Hanks and Robert Loggia performing “Heart and Soul” on a giant, dance-on piano at FAO Schwartz, but there are so many little touches, glimpses and body language that Hanks makes believable as a big kid. This is a sweet and charming movie. 4 cans.

6. The Artist* (2011) – Let me start by saying that this movie is not about the Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Instead, this is a silent movie about silent movies. Wouldn't you love to have been there to hear the pitch when the producers tried to get financing for such an off-the-wall idea? Except -- It works! A cross between "A Star Is Born" and the movie I saw first this year, "Singing In the Rain," "The Artist" focuses on fictional silent screen star George Valentin (Oscar nominee Jean Dujardin) in 1927, just as talking pictures hit the theaters. A swashbuckling silent hero, George is not ready for the talkies and eventually he is dropped by his studio. In the meantime, he has met a young dancer, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), whose star ascends as his declines. Eventually, he is left only with his loyal butler, Clifton, whom he fires because he cannot afford to pay him, and his precious little dog. The dog should win an Oscar for his performance, and I suspect the Academy will find many people associated with this production to honor. I didn't miss the dialog, didn't mind reading the cards on the screen and couldn't help admiring how the whole movie looked, felt and sounded, with great music punctuating the action. I wouldn't want to see a silent movie every time I go to the theater, but I'm almost speechless when describing this one. 4½ cans, including a full case of Alpo for the canine co-star.

7. Forrest Gump (1994) – Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his role as another wide-eyed innocent in this fantasy about a simple man in a not-so-simple life. Even I could suspend my sense of reality to enjoy this tale about a boy with leg braces who grows into a man who can run. Forrest becomes a football star, a college graduate, a war hero, an internationally-renowned ping pong player and the owner of a successful shrimp company. But none of his success – which he doesn’t seek – matters as much to him as the girl he loves, Jenny (Robyn Wright). This moving film won the Oscar and it was well-deserved. 4½ cans and a box of chocolates.

8. Back Street* (1941) – I love the later Susan Hayward-John Gavin version of this romantic movie, sappy as it is, but I had never seen this original version. The story, which takes place at the turn of the century (that’s 1900), is a simple one. Man and woman meet, fall in love, and though he is bound to another, their relationship passes the test of time. Like “An Affair to Remember,” there is a major “what if?” moment in this movie that changes its course. I have to admit that I am not a Charles Boyer fan, though Margaret Sullivan did a good job in her role. Judging by the very modest attire she wore, this looks like the most chaste romance in movie history. I much prefer the later version, and even though John Gavin may be one of the worst actors this side of Troy Donahue, he is a feast for the eyes compared to the boring Boyer. 3 cans.

9. Iron Lady* (2012) – The magnificent Meryl Streep portrays British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in this biopic about the daughter of a grocer who becomes one of the most powerful women in the world. Unfortunately, the movie isn’t equal to the talents of Streep. It is filled with flashbacks that show her ascension to power and her resolve, but too many scenes merely show her as the only pair of pumps in a room full of wingtips. Aside from being convinced that she was always making the right decision, Thatcher and her greatness is missing. As avowed a Meryl Streep fan as my sister is, even she had to concede that the movie was boring despite the fact she swears, “I’d listen to Meryl read the phone book.” This movie wasn’t quite like the phone book, but my sister posed this question: “Would you go and see a movie about Margaret Thatcher if Meryl Streep wasn’t in it?” Clearly, not this one. 5 cans for Meryl and her make-up and hair people, 3½ for the movie itself.

10. Only the Strong Survive* (2002) – If you like good music, that sweet soul music, you will like this documentary about the soul sounds of the 60s and 70s. Filmmakers AJ Pennemaker and Chris Hegedus focus on the recording legends of that era, most of whom have stories of hardship that add grit to their talented pipes. From the Memphis sounds of Stax records to Detroit’s legendary Motown to Chicago came Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla, Sam Moore of Sam & Dave (the original “Soul Man” singers), Isaac (“Shaft”) Hayes, Wicked Wilson Pickett, the Chilites and ex-Supreme Mary Wilson. All are still performing their hits, enjoying their lives and showcasing their talent, and all are shown in concert in this documentary. A little more background would have been good, but the filmmakers deliver plenty of the performers’ personalities. Clearly, only the strong survive. 3½ cans.

11. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) – Charlie and his cousin Paulie (Mickey Rourke, at his best, and Eric Roberts) have their dreams as they live their lives in New York. Charlie wants to own a restaurant. Paulie just wants to be a big shot with plenty of dough in his pocket. To get there, Paulie suggests teaming up with a safecracker (Kenneth McMullan) to make a big score. They don’t expect a crooked cop to show up in the middle of the heist, and then things get really complicated. Roberts is twitchy and annoying, yet somehow endearing even to his cousin, despite his ineptitude as a thief and wise guy. Charlie is smarter, yet not smart enough to avoid Paulie’s get rich quick scheme. With opening music by Sinatra (“Summer Wind”) and a real feel of New York, this drama paints a vivid picture of the lives of these cousins. I love Mickey Rourke in this movie, and even Darryl Hannah as his decidedly non-Italian, waspy girlfriend does a credible job. He’s very cool, nattily attired and just short of truly dangerous. 4 cans.

12. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close* (2012) – I thought this movie was going to be about my basketball seats at the Rutgers Athletic Center and their proximity to the pep band, but no, it was actually about the devastating aftermath of 9/11. Oscar (Thomas Horn) is a gangly, quirky kid, a bit OCD and very smart, whose special relationship with his father (Tom Hanks) revolves around intellectual games they play. A year following his father’s death during 9/11, Oscar finds a box of his belongings and a key in a small envelope labeled “Black.” Thinking the key must fit a lock that contains more information about his father, Oscar sets out to meet all of the people in New York named Black to see if they knew his father. Oscar is desperate to maintain any kind of tie to his late father, and along the way, he unlocks more than what a simple key can do. Sandra Bullock is his mother in a relatively small role and Max Von Sydow plays “The Renter,” an old man who cannot speak but agrees to accompany Oscar on his journey. I didn’t know what to expect here, but I found a special movie that I highly recommend. 4½ cans.

13. 50-50* (2011) – Finding out you have cancer is a jolt, and Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon Levitt) has to face it with an overbearing mother (Angelica Huston in a role similar to the one Shirley Maclaine had in “Terms of Endearment”), a good-intentioned but crazy best friend (Seth Rogen) and a girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) who can’t provide him with the support and love he needs. To make matters worse, his cancer is a rare form that gives him only 50-50 odds of survival. A therapist might help, except the one he is assigned (Anna Kendrick ) takes him on as her third-ever patient. The odds seem against him, but this very controlled and emotionless young man faces it the best he can, making friends at his chemo sessions and going out with his buddy to pick up girls. There is touching humor in what otherwise might be overwhelming sadness here, and Seth Rogen is in charge of most of it. I know first hand the shock of getting a diagnosis of cancer (don’t worry, I’m fine now), so I sympathized with Adam’s plight. Levitt, whom I loved in “500 Days of Summer,” is excellent as the young man fighting the odds. 4 cans.