Well, dear readers, the gardeners, who are usually here at eight have shown up at seven-thirty. I was sleeping peacefully and suddenly the sound of mowers jolted me into a waking state (California). I looked at the clock and expected to see eight, and yet what I saw was seven-thirty. That is too early to mow if you ask me. For example, what if someone is sleeping peacefully? Wouldn’t said mowing jolt someone into a waking state? Well, I’m in a fershluganah waking state and there is nothing to be done about it because this will go on for the next hour. Damn them, damn them all to hell.
The second of my blurbs is from Mr. Gary Owens (if you missed the first, do check yesterday’s notes). Here it is:
“Gott in Himmel it’s Bruce Kimmel! Everything Bruce writes is a fun adventure in nostalgia. I can identify with every chapter in Bruce’s new book, Kritzerland. I love it! How about Benjamin Kritzer’s thoughtful chapter on Pig Latin Explained? When Benjamin entered Louis Pasteur Jr. High, I remembered Louis’ last words – ‘Does this milk taste funny to you?’ Enjoy!”
I’m hoping to have Mr. Rupert Holmes’ blurb shortly and then I will be fully blurbed, as the pundits say. Do the pundits say that? Would somebody please call the pundits and check?
Over the weekend I watched the new special edition DVD of Winter Kills, a supremely strange late 70s film written and directed by William Richert (from the novel by Richard Condon). I’ve always been fond of this film and this presentation is wonderful. Lots of extras, including a retrospective documentary, and a commentary track from Mr. Richert, whose first non-documentary film this was. How he was able to get this cast and crew, and how the film was shut down no less than three times is a terrific story. The film itself hold up very well indeed, and the cast is great – it includes Jeff Bridges, Anthony Perkins, John Huston, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Boone. Mr. Richert has hilarious stories about all of them. Take a chance on this one if you haven’t seen it.
I also watched The Awful Truth of Mr. Leo McCarey, starring Mr. Cary Grant and Miss Irene Dunne. I’d never seen it, and I’m sure I would have liked it more if I’d seen it with an audience, but it’s one of those screwball comedies that’s a little too screwy for me. I enjoyed it, and I did laugh a few times, and the players are, as you’d expect, excellent, but it’s no Trouble in Paradise, or so say the pundits. Who are these pundits anyway and why are they saying these things?
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below before the pundits say we should.
As someone pointed out in yesterday’s notes, the Prologue of Kritzerland is now available to peruse at www.1stbooks.com. First you have to type in “Kritzerland” in the title search box, then on the title once that page comes up, then simply scroll down and you’ll find it, or so the pundits say. Damn these pundits, they always have something to say and they are always saying it. They are bold, these pundits are, and they will comment on anything no matter how trivial. And from this they make a fine living, they live the high life, they live high on the hog, they have a high time, they perceive themselves as high and mighty. Oh, well, let them pundit away whilst we go about our merry business.
I just had an Unseemly Computer Freeze, but thank goodness I’d just “saved”. This is only the second time this has happened – it normally only happens when I have AOL open and I’ve always thought it was an incompatibility with Windows XP. I see now that it isn’t. I had one count them one program open (writing these here notes) and suddenly, right after I’d saved, I could see it happening, everything started fragmenting – you could see everything, but it was like it was half there and half not. When this happens all you can do is power down and start up again. Does anyone have a clue or even a clew as to why this is happening. It gives me concern.
We had a rather surprising amount of correct answers to our trivia question. I thought it would be a really tough one, but not, apparently, for the likes of you dear readers. Here was the question:
A virtually forgotten comedy from the 1950s that had a quite successful run of 251 performances. It starred a beloved female film star from the 30s and 40s. Also starring was a gentleman who would shortly go on to create the lead in one of the all-time classic musical comedies. After that, he would go on to star in several other musicals, all flops of one kind or another. When the movie star left the show, she was replaced by another beloved movie star, who was then replaced by a beloved television star.
Name the virtually forgotten comedy, the beloved film star and her two replacements and the gentleman who would shortly go on to create the lead in one of the all-time classic musical comedies.
And the answers are:
Janus
Margaret Sullavan, Claudette Colbert and Imogene Coca
Robert Preston
Several people didn’t get Imogene Coca but I made them High Winners anyway, just because I was so impressed that people got any of the answers. Our High Winners are William F. Orr, Arnold M. Brockman, MattH, Macchus – those who got all the answers, our Higher Winners, were Jrand52, JMK, Michael Shayne, Dennis Clancy and Steveg. And with the help of our electronic hat, our Highest Winner is Michael Shayne. Congratulations to one and all and also all and one.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must meet with various and sundried people and make various and sundried phone calls. Today’s topic of discussion: What are you favorite Bob Fosse numbers? I’ll start – Magic to Do (one of the great opening numbers in terms of its original staging), Who’s Got the Pain?, Steam Heat, With You (the dance section), Money, Money, Rich Man’s Frug, and Crunchy Granola Suite. Your turn.