Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

Humor

Expect Stories, One-liners, and Satire that Make the Point and Make You Laugh

Welcome to Humor—where I translate real life into laughs without losing the truth.

These posts deliver witty commentary, satire, and observational stories drawn from real estate, mortgage lending, private money, government policy, bureaucracy, and the economy.

Expect sharp takes on incentives, second-order effects, and the unintended consequences that show up after the press conference—usually with a bill attached. If you like humor that exposes the script while keeping you entertained, start here.

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Rodgers and Hammerstein II: Duo Composers from 1920 to the 1960s

Duo composers Richard Rodgers and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II. Careers from the 1920s until the 1960s and later.

Ennio Morricone: Italian Composer with 100 Scores in Cinema

Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpet player, composed more than 400 scores for cinema and television. Also has more than 100 classical works.

Maurice Jarre, Pioneering Film Composer

French composer and conductor, Active 1958 to 2001. Collaborations includes Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Train (1964), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Mohammad, Messenger of God (1976) Lion of the Desert (1981), A Passage to India (1984) Witness (1985), Fatal Attraction (1987) and Ghost (1990), A Walk in the Clouds, and many others.

Kay Kyser,

Band leader and radio personality between 1926 and 1950

Russ Columbo,

Baritone, songwriter, violinist, actor, Active 1921-1934.

Jimmy Dorsey,

Clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and prominent band leader. Brother Tommy. Active 1920-1957.

Capacity vs. Capability: Part II

Why Smart Decisions Require Both

“This Magic Moment”: Jay Black's Lasting Legacy

Jay & The Americans

Vera Lynn: WWII broadcast that became internationally famous-morales and longing for home

The Voice That Carried Britain Through War

Al Jolson

Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, and actor. Active between 1904 and 1950.

Ozzie Nelson, Band Leader, and Starred on Ozzie and Harriet

Band leader, actor, director, and producer. Active from the early 1930’s until 1975. Graduated from Ossie Nelson and His Orchestra to The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

Cole Porter: Composer and Songwriter. Active from the early 1920’s until 1964.

The Sophisticated Craftsman of the American Songbook

Count Basie,

Count Basie was a jazz pianist, band leader, composer, and organist whose versatile talents helped shape the genre. Jazz, swing, big band, and piano blues characterized his career, which spanned 30 years from 1924 to 1984.

Artie Shaw,

Clarinetist, composer, band leader, and actor. Active years 1925-1954,

Gene Krupa,

Drummer, band leader, with a super energetic style and extraordinary showmanship. Career spanned over 40 years. Active years 1920’s to 1973.

Cab Calloway,

Jazz singer, dancer, bandleader, and actor whose career spanned over 65 years. Active from the 1930s until 1994,

Louis Armstrong, Composter, Vocalist- 1919 to 1971

Trumpeter, composer, vocalist, actor, and jazz expert. Career spans 5 decades. Active from 1919 to 1971

Throw Someone Under the Bus

You’ve heard it in politics, business, and office drama: “He threw her under the bus.” It sounds brutal—because it is. But the phrase didn’t start as a meme; it grew out of British political slang and then exploded into modern English.

Tommy Dorsey; Band Leader-1905 to 1956

Jazz trombonist, composer, conductor, and bandleader. Active 1921-1956.

Benny Goodman, Considered the King of Swing.

Clarinetist and band leader. Active late 1930’s until mid-1970’s.