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April 9, 2005:

GOING OFF ON A TANGENT IN A PICKLE

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I must keep these here notes short and sweet because she of the Evil Eye will soon arrive and I shall have to hie myself out of the home environment for a few hours. Therefore, I have no time to go off on my usual tangents. Have you ever gone off on your usual tangents? How did your usual tangents feel about it? I mean, had your usual tangents done anything to deserve you’re going off on them? Well, there, you see, I’ve gone off on a tangent, and a usual one at that. Speaking of tangents, what a sweet day I had yesterday. It began with a visit to Mr. Grant Geissman – whilst there I heard all of the Guy Haines tracks thus far. He’s added quite a bit to all of them, and they are now sounding quite splendidly splendid. We still have a horn date in a week, and we’re bringing in a pianist to do two songs which Grant felt he couldn’t play well enough. I took a CD of the tracks so that Mr. Guy Haines can now rehearse and be ready for his vocal sessions. I then had a last-minute invite to join Miss Barbara Deutsch and her friend Allison for lunch. I can’t remember the name of the jernt where we ate, but I had one of the best salads I’ve ever had – a chopped salad with turkey, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and lots o’ lettuce, all doused in a deliciously delicious and very light vinaigrette dressing. It was quite yummilicious. I then came home, did some stuff around the home environment, then picked up the package I’ve been waiting for, which finally arrived from the UK. It’s a huge coffee table book as big as a coffee table. It is entitled The Stanley Kubrick Archives and it is a beautifully-produced tome, filled with never-before-published photographs and notes and drawings and storyboards. A treasure trove for the Kubrick aficionado. Aficionado – that word sounds fishy to me.

Last night I attended the opening of William Inge’s Bus Stop at Los Angeles City College. I haven’t been back in quite some time to see a show there. I was dismayed at the small turnout – not even a third of the three-hundred-fifty seats were filled. I like Bus Stop very much, but his production had its share of problems. First problem was combining the first two acts into one very long act (ninety-two minutes). If one is going to go that route (which I don’t advise), then you have to direct the actors to pick up the pace. The show’s director was also playing a leading role (he’s one of the head professor’s at the school), and I’m sure that’s part of the problem. The show’s leading roles are Bo and Cheri. Not in this production. They sort of faded into the background and the roles of Elma Duckworth and Dr. Gerald Lyman (played by the director) took front and center. Unfortunately, the play is not about them. I think that someone also forgot to read the subtitle to Bus Stop: A Comedy. There were almost no laughs in the first forty minutes of the play, which is not good. Part of the problem was the actress playing Grace (a role created by Elaine Stritch) – this gal hadn’t found the character or the personality, and so the role just made no sense. The Cherie was okay, the Bo a bit weak. But, the kids are a cut above most college theater kids, and the show had a pretty handsome set. I think I’ll watch the movie later today.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below before I go off on a tangent.

Now I’m in a pickle – it is almost time for me to post these here notes, and yet I am still writing these here notes, hence I am in a pickle. Have you ever been in a pickle? It is most uncomfortable. First off, there isn’t much room in a pickle, so for a claustrophobe like myself it is not a good thing. I wonder if you can go off on a tangent in a pickle? That would be some voyage.

There, that’s one paragraph down, two more to go. Tonight, I shall be seeing a motion picture entitled Melinda and Melinda, un film de Woody Allen. I’m not holding out much hope, but maybe I’ll be surprised. If not, I shall be in a pickle whilst going off on a tangent.

Two down, one to go.

Well, that did the trick.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must hie myself out of the home environment for a few hours, I must do some errands, I must return to the home environment and then watch some DVDs, and then I must go to a screening. Today’s topic of discussion: I’m sure we’ve done this at some point, but I have no time to be brilliant – what are your all-time favorite westerns? I’ll start – The Searchers, High Noon, Once Upon a Time in the West, For a Few Dollars More, The Professionals, Ride Lonesome (and all the Boetticher/Randolph Scott westerns, and, of course, Mr. Peckinpah’s two great contributions, the sublime Ride the High Country and The Wild Bunch. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and do feel free to now go off on any tangents you like.

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