Where Is Hernando's Hideaway?

After playing golf today (see my prior post here) we had lunch at Elvira's Restaurant in Tubac, AZ. Elvira's was originally founded in 1927, not in Tubac but in Nogales, Mexico. Elvira's claims to have the best Mexican cuisine and award winning dishes (the food was great). They also play great Latin American Music. One song reminded us of Hernando's Hideaway from the musical Pajama Game (video above). After singing what we knew of the song, we went searching for the lyrics and uncovered this interesting bit of trivia (quoted from Wikipedia):

The Pajama Game is set in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hernando's Hideaway was a raunchy dive in East Dubuque, Illinois, perched on a high cliff overlooking the highway between Dubuque and Galena. The movie was based on the stage play of the same name which, in turn, was based on the book; it is only in the original book that there is information about where the story takes place.

My golfing partner and his wife are from the Dubuque-Galena area! And, a guy at the bar, who overheard our conversation was from Sterling, IL. Here are some of the lyrics:

I know a dark secluded place
A place where no one knows your face
A glass of wine a fast embrace
It's called...Hernando's Hideaway...OLE?
All you see are silhouettes
And all you hear are castanets
And no one cares how late it gets
Not at Hernando's Hideaway...OLE?

At the Golden Fingerbowl or any place you go
You can meet your Uncle Max and everyone you know
...

POP TRIVIA QUIZ

Where is Hernando's Hideaway?

1. A sleazy bar in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
2. The smoking room for British parliamentarians in the House of Commons.
3. A number of places around the world based on the popularity of the song.
4. All of the above

Answers can be found here.

Taking the Tin Cup Shot

Today I played a round of golf at Tubac Golf Resort in Southern Arizona. I had a great time playing and there are a number of interesting things about this course:

• Parts of the movie Tin Cup were shot on this course  and you can play one of the "impossible shots" seen in the film.
• Your first tee shot on the Rancho nine (the course has 27 holes, the Otero, Anaz and Rancho nines, we played Rancho/Otero) is made (literally) from a bull pen with a live bull in it (see the lower-left image in the graphic below, this is not BS but there was a lot of it around the first tee). Luckily, he's a pretty sleepy, over-weight guy--but not to be messed with or hit with an errant drive!
• This weekend, they are having a classic car show to be staged on the practice range. One of street machines arrived as we were leaving (see the lower-right image in the graphic below).

The most notorious "impossible shot" scene from Tin Cup is where Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy (played by Kevin Costner in the video above) has a chance to win the US Open (an impossible dream for Roy McAvoy, heavy drinking, down-and-out driving-range golf pro from West Texas). Instead of playing a sensible lay-up shot, Roy goes for the "impossible" 240-yard 3-wood shot over water, puts that one and a bunch more into the water to end up with a score of 12 on the hole (it was a par 5) to loose the tournament.

Earlier in the movie, Roy actually did make a similar impossible shot. That earlier scene was filmed at the Tubac Golf Resort (from the website):

Rancho # 4 - This long par 5, Tubac’s Tin Cup hole, requires three well struck shots to reach the green. Keep tee and second shots on the fairway’s right side, away from the trees and thick rough on the left. The pond fronting the green prevents all but the longest hitters from getting “home” in two. This hole was the setting for the scene in the movie “Tin Cup” where Kevin Costner was caddying for Don Johnson and Johnson wanted to lay up with a seven iron. Costner said he could do it and that is when Gary McCord, Peter Kostis, Craig Stadler and a young Phil Mickelson began to wager on whether or not he could pull it off.

On the Rancho #4 hole at the Tubac Golf Resort a plaque is set in the right rough, 240-yards over water to the pin. The plaque (upper-left image in the graphic above) says:

"Tin Cup-3 Wood" From this Spot "Roy McAvoy" hit it onto the green. GIVE IT A SHOT. 10-4-75

There were a handful of divots beside the plaque in the rough and it was a challenge I had to take. (Some background: I'm not really a great 3-wood player and seldom hit it from the fairway but in this case I was able to fluff the ball up on a tuft of grass in the rough so it was worth the try). My goal was to hit the ball into the water hazard (this would have been quite a poke for me since I can probably realistically hit the 3-wood between 210- and 220-yards) and say I took the tin cup shot.

I hit a pretty good shot but ended up well short of the water hazard (see the upper-right image in the graphic above). After the round, my playing partner asked the starter if any of the members have ever made the shot. He answered: "Hell no, they're all too old and none of them actually hit their driver 240-yards." Well, there you have it, another Bucket List checkmark: 

[X] Take the Tin Cup shot.

(My actual score on Rancho #4, after laying up with a 7-wood, was 5).

Homeland Security Update

Homeland Security spokesperson Craig Fenson (played by Robert Deniro) provides an SNL terrorism update. He was introduced by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (that scene was deleted from the video for security reason) who raised the terrorism threat level to MAGENTA before Mr. Fenson provides the "Most Wanted" list. The full transcript appears below:

 Tom Ridge: Good afternoon! Before we begin today's briefing, I wish to announce that, on the basis of change in the nature of Al-Queda chatter, we are changing the current threat level to Magenta. Let me repeat: the threat level is now.. Magenta. What is Magenta? It's a darker maroon. It's not quite an ox blood. It's more plum color than.. say.. a crimson. How serious is it? [ sighs ] I honestly don't have an answer for that. We'll try to have that for you by early in the week. In any case, I'd like to introduce Craig Fenson, the new senior spokesman for the office of Homeland Security, and he'll be happy to take your questions.

Craig Fenson: Good afternoon. In the past few weeks, through our national hotline, we have collected hundreds of names of suspected terrorists, and I'm proud to say that most of the calls have come from high school and college students nationwide. In fact, we received over 475 calls alone regarding this man: M'Balz Es-Hari. We also received information on such nefarious terrorists such as Graabir Boubi, and Haid D'Salaami and.. let this be a message to you, Haid D'Salaami: we will not play your dangerous games We are also currently searching for a man we believe to be a Al Queda leutinant: Hous Bin Pharteen, his cousin I-Bin Pharteen, and their close companion I-Zheet M'Drurz. Question over there?

 Reporter #1: Is there a way to identify Hous Bin Pharteen?

 Craig Fenson: Ah.. our operatives have picked up his scent. Also, according to our intelligence, he is targeting gas refineries, fertilizer plants, and, oddly enough, baked bean canneries. He is a silent, but deadly killer.

 Reporter #2: What can you tell us about I-Zheet M'Drurz?

 Craig Fenson: We're told that, when he was fleeing the scene of his last attack, he left skidmarks. He is extremely dangerous. Our sources say that he is planning on attacking the New York City sewer system with what we believe it is to be a dirty bomb.

 Reporter #3: Do you have any other names you're willing to release?

 Craig Fenson: Yes! Please call our hotline at once if you have any information on the following men: Shaif Hirboush.. Al-Suq Akweer.. Mustaf Herod Apyur Poupr. I hope I got that right! Awan Afuqya.. Yul Strokheet Al-Wauch.. Apul Madeek - who we believe will be targeting adult bookstores sometime in the near future. And this man, the notorious Yuliqa M'Diq, A.K.A. Uwana M'Diq, A.K.A. Usuqa M'Diq. Uh.. thank you, that is all, and, "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

 Thanks to Charles Spivey for this transcript!