Well, dear readers, here we are on the Friday after the Thursday before the Saturday, which, of course, is also a song by Meltz and Ernerst.
THE FRIDAY AFTER THE THURSDAY BEFORE THE SATURDAY
Music by Hinky Meltz Lyrics by Ernest Ernest
If it’s Friday after the Thursday before the Saturday,
Would Wednesday be the former and Thursday the
latter day?
And if Sunday is the one day
That comes after Saturday
If you ate more on Sunday
Would that be a fatter day?
The days of the week can sometimes be confusing,
The days of the week can sometimes be obtuse.
Though the days of the week are sometimes oblique
They’re always unique even if you are Greek
If it’s Friday after the Thursday before the Saturday,
Then can Sunday be far away?
If it’s suddenly Sunday
The next day is Monday
We’re off on a rondelay
For the days of the week keep rolling along
And as long as you know that then what can be wrong?
And so open your mouth and start singing so strong
This Friday after the Thursday
Before the Saturday
Song!
What a fine Meltz and Ernest song that is. The march tune is very catchy, too. There’s such an optimistic yet frantic air about it, isn’t there?
Has anyone noticed how long the Thursday notes have become? It’s like a novella, the Thursday notes are. So, I’m keeping the Friday notes brief because you deserve a break from long notes. I also deserve a break from long notes, because I need to recharge my batteries, replenish the well, cleanse the cranium and so forth and so on and also so on and so forth.
I went to dinner at a friend’s house last night and later in the evening she wanted to watch her favorite television program, entitled CSI or something. First we watched Friends, where someone had a baby. I was told it was very funny, but since I had never seen an episode of Friends I had no idea who the characters were so hence no idea why it was funny. I haven’t watched much television in the last ten years and haven’t seen most shows – although I did watch a few episodes of Third Rock From the Sun. Other than that, the only shows I’ve seen are the ones that come out on DVD, like The Sopranos, which I love, and The Larry Sanders Show, which is pretty funny. Anyway, then there was something on called Will and Grace, which I found totally unfunny (I know everyone loves it) – and I, who love stereotypes, was mildly amazed at the actor portraying Will’s gay boyfriend (not sure if he was a boyfriend or not, actually) – it bordered on offensive in my opinion. Then came CSI, which seemed like an okay show – I like William Peterson, but again, it was a bit shocking to see how far television has come since the last time I watched (I mean network television, of course). There were some very bold things on the show, very nasty indeed. Why am I talking about television? I like My Three Sons and I was quite fond of Zorro and The Name of The Game.
I don’t even know what I’m talking about right now. That is because it’s the Friday after the Thursday before the Saturday, when my mind is discombobulated and even discombillulated. My mind is a jumble, an olio, a stew. I think the best thing we can all do at this point is to click on the Unseemly Button below and move along to the next section.
Has anyone noticed that my mind is a jumble, an olio, a stew? It is a hodgepodge of disconnected thoughts, none of which are coming together to form anything coherent. But isn’t that what we’re all about here? Not being coherent? Has anyone noticed that it’s the Friday after the Thursday before the Saturday? That also sounds like something that Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford might have written.
I got a copy of my favorite Jack Benny show on a home-made DVD yesterday. I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m here to tell you that it’s one of the funniest half-hours ever done on television or anywhere else. It’s one of his “in one” shows – no sketches, no plot, just guest star Julie London, and a little girl named Toni Marcus, who comes up from the audience to get Jack’s autograph. Jack asks her some questions and then finds out she plays the violin. They end up doing a duet together that is totally hilarious (he first did this bit with Giselle McKenzie, but it works better with twelve-year-old Toni Marcus). My favorite thing in this show besides the duet happens during his monologue. He’s telling the audience about how much fan mail he’s been getting and that he wants to read some of it. A stagehand opens the curtain and hands Jack this huge duffle bag, which gets a big laugh, especially when Jack does one of his great takes. He then goes to open the bag but it tips over and out spills huge amounts of food – lettuce, packages of meat, loaves of bread, candy… Jack does his famous stare, and then says, “Oh, for heaven’s sake, this isn’t my fan mail – this is Don Wilson’s lunch”.
Now, that’s comedy.
I’m still watching the film of Mr. Rod Serling’s Requiem for a Heavyweight, and one thing that’s very interesting is how good a dramatic actor Jackie Gleason was. Really excellent, and amazingly subtle. And Julie Harris is wonderful in this film. If you’ve never seen it, I recommend it to you, especially in this beautiful new transfer from Columbia/Tri Star.
Oh, another thing I did last night was attend the open house of my friend’s ten-year-old daughter. I found it fascinating – the world has become a totally different place from when I was a kid, and yet open house remains exactly as I remember it. I found that very comforting at a time when very little is comforting.
Don’t forget, tomorrow is our handy-dandy Unseemly Trivia Contest here at haineshisway.com. And, of course, by tomorrow my batteries will be recharged, my well will have been replenished, my cranium will have been cleared and I will once again be pithy and clever as all get out, although I have never really found “all get out” that clever.
Here is another thing I’d like your opinion on. It was suggested to me that it would be fun to have the occasional interview with the occasional performer and/or writer and/or director and/or whoever. What do you think of that idea? In other words, every couple of weeks, we’d supplement the notes with an actual interview with an actual person, and hopefully an interesting one. If you like the idea, post about it and if the majority rules in favor of the idea, then I shall begin to make arrangements for the first interview.
Do you know that my phone has not stopped ringing this morning? Over and over it rings, and I must answer it, and speak to the various and sundried callers, which is why these here notes are going up so late today. In any case, I must go greet the day and do the things I do. Today’s topic of discussion: They’ve been turning so many television shows into films these days – what television show would be your pick to make a hit film (and I mean a hit film)? I’ll start: Bonanza (it’s actually shocking they haven’t done it) and The Partridge Family (this would work particularly well right now, I think). Your turn.