Well, dear readers, I survived yesterday and I am here to tell the tale. I can only say to you that it is utter madness and utter chaos every day. I was asked to be an “actor” again this Saturday, but I turned it down. Originally, they said it would be a half-day, then that, of course, changed into six or seven hours, so I declined.
I finally picked up the Carry On DVD box set – apparently Anchor Bay screwed up their shipments and many stores haven’t gotten their supply yet. I’ve looked at some of the transfers, which are lovely. Then I watched half of That’s Carry On, a That’s Entertainment-style compilation of funny scenes from most of the twenty-eight films. Maddeningly, some of the funniest bits are from film not included in this box set, like Follow that Camel, which has Phil Silvers. However, what is included is cherce. I really like the first two films, and then they get sillier and sillier, but are always giddy fun. Carry on Nurse is surprisingly randy for a 1958 film, as are several others. The comic actors are a wonderful lot, and musical theater fans should be happy that in most of the sixties films, Jim Dale is one of the regulars and is delightful. A few of the bits in the compilation had me roaring with laughter, especially a truly silly inspired gag from Carry on Cleo, where she takes out a snake and says, “One bite from this ought to do it” at which point Sidney James bites off the head of the snake. It’s all oddly and sweetly endearing stuff and the box set is a true bargain – seventy bucks gets you twelve movies and the compilation film.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Shouldn’t I carry on with the notes? I should and shall and shall and should, not necessarily in that order.
I was nosing around classmates.com last weekend, and I just happened to look under my classes’ “friends” section, just to see who was listed. There was a woman who had a last name I recognized. Now, I didn’t know the woman with the last name I recognized from a spatula, but the last name I recognized immediately brought back a wonderful image – a girl I knew in both grammar school and junior high. I had quite a little crush on her for a time, and I do remember that we were fine friends. So, I wrote to the woman, and she told me that the long-lost girl was her cousin, and she told me she’d pass my e-mail along. Well, guess what? The long-lost girl wrote me, and we’ve been having a good time catching up. I just sent her Benjamin Kritzer, because I thought she’d really get a kick out of it, since she lived just blocks from where Benjamin lives in the book. It’s weird and interesting talking to people forty years down the line. I’ll let you all know what she thought of the book when she lets me know.
Well, after long delay, the marvelous Buddy Bregman interview is up and running and also running and up. I know some of you don’t know his name, but you will be amazed at his career and accomplishments if you don’t. Buddy arranged, orchestrated and conducted albums for Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McCrae, Bing Crosby… well, I don’t want to spoil the fun. He talks about all the legends he’s worked with, including Ella, Bing, Carmen (hold on to your hats), Jerry Lewis, Judy Garland, Anita O’Day, Jane Powell, and on and on. It’s a lengthy fun-filled anecdotal interview – and will also be of interest to all musical comedy lovers, since Buddy did the orchestrations for the film of The Pajama Game, and since Buddy had an uncle who is as famous as it gets in musical comedy circles. I recommend you carry on and read it as soon as you finish reading these here notes.
Well, why don’t we all carry on and click on the Unseemly Button below so we can carry on in the next section? Carry on.
Has anyone noticed that today’s notes have a carry on flavor about them? Last night, when I went to bed, I did what I always do – I turn on the TV, set the timer for thirty minutes, and then fall asleep to the quiet drone of the sound. The channel is set, as it has been for four years, to AMC, a station that has turned itself into a quite disgusting thing. In any case, they were showing Mr. Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America – I happen to tune in towards the end, just before the final scene between Robert DeNiro and James Woods. I knew it was the “long” version (I don’t think they’ve ever shown the short version since it was released theatrically) because I saw the end of a scene that wasn’t in the short version. In any case, I was lying in bed, but the sound mix in the final scene made me sit up and watch – there was something “off” about it (I will watch the end of the laserdisc to find out) – they interrupted this final scene, which runs ten minutes, twice for commercials. But that’s not the point – the point is, after the scene DeNiro leaves the house, and then we have the little coda outside with the garbage truck and then the car with the kids going to a costume party drives by (I believe the music here was also not what I’m used to – again, I’ll check) and then the film ends, literally just stops, end credits and out. Of course, the point is, that is not where the film ends, there is one more scene, in the opium den. So, was this some weird hybrid? The end credits also rolled over stills, which is different than the long version. I shall do some research and find out what in tarnation is going on with this mutant version of a film I adore.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must carry on BK, and drive to Woodland Hills knowing that the work-week is finally over and I have the blessed weekend to recuperate and write and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Dear reader Craig (I think it was dear reader Craig) asked to do favorite Frank Loesser songs, and I realized, with all the songwriters we’ve done we’ve somehow neglected Mr. Loesser, who is one of my all-time favorites. So, what are your favorite Frank Loesser songs? I’ll join the party later with my choices, but for now, carry on and post away, my pretties, and post often and post long.