Oh, You Mean THAT Guy?

Maybe you've heard of him? (Photo: Frank Sinatra Enterprises)

Sometimes just being a fly on the wall is the way to go.

I'm sitting in a place where the regulars come and go.

There's one guy. You know...that one.

He thinks he runs the place. He takes over the TV and, without fail, insists on watching old movies.

Currently, he's telling the girl behind the counter about Peter Lawford.

"He was married to President Kennedy's sister," he says. Which, OK, fair enough. She might not have known that one.

"His career fizzled in the early '60s," he continued. "He fell out of favor with a guy named Frank Sinatra."

"I might have heard of him a few times," she said, laughing.

I mean, seriously. I realize not everyone is a history buff. He went on to tell her about June Allyson, which, I get it. Allyson is remembered by older movie fans (like...oh...me), but a girl working the day shift might not care.

But...Sinatra?

I can just hear him now: "So here are these four boys from England called The Beatles."

"There was a guy named Elvis Presley, whose hips gyrated on TV."

"So we had a president named George Washington, who is more than just a bridge."

Can we give people a little more benefit of the doubt, as opposed to being a condescending fool?

There are ways to phrase it and let her retain a slice of dignity.

Try it.