Teresa Jade LeYung's BLOG

Posts Tagged ‘Lost In Yonkers’

08:29 Friday July 31, 2026

[ Thank you, dear Dr. Kerry Lilley, for your podcast Episode 45: About Stress Relief  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3u_pK8eiiEw

Dr. Kerry Lilley’s YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@HealthyByChoicePodcast ]

13:12  le 17 février 2026  Avignon, FRANCE

14:53-21:39 July 30, 2026 Half Moon Bay, California, USA

Hello, everyone / Bonjour, à tous

There is much suffering in the world. And illness in every direction. I had started this blog post (about the character Aunt Bella in Neil Simon’s play LOST IN YONKERS) in February this year while I was in France.  Today, July 30, 2026, while thinking about friends who are dealing with illness and/or helping loved ones who are dealing with illness… I think about the courage of each person… each person is her/his own Hero.

What archetypes do Aunt Bella in Neil Simon’s play LOST IN YONKERS personify?

Quels archétypes personnifient tante Bella dans la pièce LOST IN YONKERS de Neil Simon ?

Bella’s mother calls her 36-year-old daughter “a child”.

Bella’s nephew Jay tells his younger brother Arty that in school, they called Bella “Whacko” because Bella’s mother would whack Bella on the head every time Bella did or said something “wrong”. While looking at a family photo of their father with his mother and siblings, Jay comments that there was something wrong with everyone in the family.

Bella tells her nephews that her mind wanders. “The kids in school used to say ‘Hey, Bella, Lost-and-Found called and said come and get your brains,’ except I didn’t really think that was so funny.”

Yet, Bella is the one who makes decisions that profoundly improve her nephews’ lives.

Pourtant, c’est Bella qui prend les décisions qui améliorent profondément la vie de ses neveux.

In Christopher Vogler’s list of archetypes, Bella would be:

Herald; Mentor; Ally; Hero

Bella is vibrant, compassionate, loving, and brave.

Dans la liste des archétypes établie par Christopher Vogler, Bella correspondrait aux rôles suivants :

Héraut ; Mentor ; Alliée ; Héros

Bella est pleine de vie, compatissante, aimante et courageuse.

Mercedes Ruehl portrays Bella in the stage play and also in the movie.

Mercedes Ruehl incarne Bella aussi bien dans la pièce de théâtre que dans le film.

Thank you, YouTube Movies & TV, for posting the movie version of LOST IN YONKERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A94Jes2rhd0

Story setting: Yonkers, New York, USA; summer 1942 (USA at war with Germany and Japan)

Narrator:  15-year-old Jay

Opening scene:  Jay’s father is driving a car that doesn’t belong to him. Jay is sitting in front passenger seat; his younger brother Arty is in the back seat. Everyone is sweating.  They are going to see their father’s mother whom they haven’t seen in two years.  Jay and Arty’s mother died three months ago.

Movie – Casting by Jennifer Shull

Movie – Music by Elmer Bernstein

https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/neil-simon

The article: ‘LOST IN YONKERS’ AGAIN MERCEDES RUEHL RECREATES AWARD-WINNING ROLE FOR FILM

https://www.mcall.com/1993/05/14/lost-in-yonkers-again-mercedes-ruehl-recreates-award-winning-role-for-film/

Here’s the link to my blog post: “Story Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “When illness takes us onto a Hero’s Journey” published on October 23, 2023.

https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/story-consultant-teresa-jade-leyung-says-when-illness-takes-us-onto-a-heros-journey-2/

I wish everyone vibrant health and happiness always!

Je souhaite à tous une santé éclatante et beaucoup de bonheur pour toujours !

Sincerely,

Teresa Jade LeYung

Author / Blogger / Story-Theme Consultant / Photo Historian

https://m.youtube.com/@teresajadeleyung/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@teresajadeleyung/shorts

http://www.OurBeautifulBrains.com   and  https://LoveMadeOfHeart.com/blog/ 

go to Teresa Jade LeYung’s Blog on Wellness, Story Themes, Archetypes

Thank you, Linguee DeepL Translate !

23:40  28 July 2020 California

14:58  31 July 2020 California

Studying the performance by actress Marsha Mason (portraying Maggie Paul) in the movie CINDERELLA LIBERTY  (screenplay by Darryl Ponicsan) led me to watching (again) the movie THE GOODBYE GIRL (written by Neil Simon) where Ms. Mason portrays Paula McFadden.

By the way – the term “Cinderella Liberty” is used in the Navy -  a pass that expires at midnight.

In the movie The Goodbye Girl,  Richard Dreyfuss portrays Elliot Garfield (Mr. Dreyfuss’s performance brought him the Best Actor Oscar award.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-whraNgiWH0 )

In the movie version of the play LOST IN YONKERS (written by Neil Simon), Mr. Dreyfuss portrays Louie Kurnitz (Uncle Louie the gangster).

One video leads to another to another ….

Mindscape: Oscar-winning Actor Richard Dreyfuss on Living with Bipolar Disorder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsE6c4XkiAc

The Menninger Clinic Chief of Staff John M. Oldham, MD, MS interviews actor Richard Dreyfuss who talks about his experience living with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder also known as manic depressive disorder.

Mr. Dreyfuss said:

“I started calling myself manic-depressive when I was 14.”

“… when people say ‘I looked up at the stars, I realized how small I was.’  Well, when I looked up at the stars, I knew how big I was.”

Dr. Oldham asked Mr. Dreyfuss about stigmas.

Mr. Dreyfuss said:

“I did not fall into the trap of hating myself.”

“One of the reasons I said that my manic-depression worked for me was that I was able to turn every bad thing into a good thing … when I was not a good academic student, I became the best glib talker in class. They couldn’t fail me because I was too vivid….”

“Right protocol of medication. I am Richard inclusive of my drugs.”

“The darkness of depression”

Mr. Dreyfuss didn’t use one-word adjectives; he told us stories (his experiences), he painted pictures for us.

Thank you, Mr. Dreyfuss! You have helped me gain understanding of how my mother suffered, also how she thrived, living with mental illness.

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Stamp Out Stigma is a consumer driven advocacy and educational outreach program designed to make positive changes in the public perception of mental illness and inform the community about the personal, social, economic and political challenges faced by people living with mental illness. Founded by Carmen Lee. Ms. Lee has moved to eastern USA. Ms. Lee, wherever you go, you educate, inspire, and empower us. Thank you!

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To: Mr. Sam Huss, Community Outreach Specialist at RehabSpot.com

Thank you for your email of July 30, 2020 asking me to include your page  “Determining If You Need Rehab or Detox” https://www.rehabspot.com/treatment/before-begins/determining-need-rehab/

BOOKS:

The Brain’s Way of Healing: Stories of Remarkable Recoveries and Discoveries by Norman Doidge, M.D.

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge, M.D.

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http://californiaclubhouse.org/

California Clubhouse… Working to bring Clubhouse to San Mateo County in 2014  
     Our mission The mission of California Clubhouse is to give those whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness the opportunity to recover meaningful work and relationships as they reintegrate into the broader community.

Thank you, Diane W., for telling me about California Clubhouse’s  immediate goal to raise $350,000 to finance the 2014 launch.  June 2016 now – California Clubhouse’s home is in San Carlos!

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https://nami.org/

National Alliance on Mental Illness

From its inception in 1979, NAMI has been dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

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https://bringchange2mind.org/

 1 in 6 adults and almost 1 in 10 children suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. Yet, for many, the stigma associated with the illness, can be as great a challenge as the disease itself. This is where the misconceptions stop. This is where bias comes to an end. This is where we change lives. Because this is where we Bring Change 2 Mind.

BringChange2Mind.org is a not-for-profit organization created by Glenn Close, the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF), Fountain House, and Garen and Shari Staglin of IMHRO (International Mental Health Research Organization).

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How the movie The Goodbye Girl and the movie Lost In Yonkers led to Dr. John M. Oldham’s interviewing Oscar-winner Actor Richard Dreyfuss Living with Bipolar Disorder, Manic Depression… led to my gaining a better understanding of how my mother suffered and also thrived living with mental illness.

I wish you and everyone around you safety, kindness, excellent health, clear water, blue sky, delicious eats, and sweet laughter!

Sincerely,

author Teresa Jade LeYung, mask by Emily O, July 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

Author and Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung

“To help prevent spread of COVID-19, I wear face-covering AND keep at least 6-foot distance with people who don’t live with me.  No blaming No shaming; I protect myself and everyone else.”