Well, dear readers, here we are on a Monday and the beginning of a brand spanking new week here at haineshisway.com. My dance card is filling up quite quickly. My goodness, two “q” words in a row – that doesn’t happen very often, does it? In any case, my dance cared is filling up quite quickly. For example, today I do the mambo, tomorrow the samba, Wednesday the pachanga, Thursday the frug, and Friday the Lambada. That’s quite a full dance card, don’t you think? Why am I going on about a dance card? Then again, why shouldn’t I go on about a dance card, especially when I don’t have anything else to go on about? Well, that’s not true, I have plenty to go on about. Of course, if I have plenty to go on about, why aren’t I going on about it? These are the kinds of probing questions were known for here at haineshisway.com. I no longer have a clew as to what the HELL I’m going on about. Speaking of dance cards, I had quite the day yesterday. I am really overdoing the word “quite”, aren’t I? Quite. Where was I? Oh, yes, I had quite the day yesterday. It began with my attending an actual estate sale. The sale took place here in the City of Studio, only about five minutes from my home environment, south of Ventura Blvd. and east of Laurel Canyon. I wouldn’t exactly call the house it took place at an estate, even though it was on a large piece of property. I would call it a funky house on a large piece of property. Quite. I perused the goods that would be up for auction. Prior to doing that I filled out my bid card and was happy to find out that the two hundred dollar deposit wasn’t being asked for. There were many paintings, some statuary, some bronze smaller statues, lots of furniture, and assorted bric-a-brac – or was it assorted brac-a-bric? Quite. I saw a few items that were of interest. The other people all seemed like neighborhood types, except for a couple of slick types. The first thing I realized is that this sort of Estate Auction is a bit of a scam – it was stuff from various estates, we were told, but I’m sure it’s just the usual crap the auctioneers have sitting around. The gentleman calling the auction proudly proclaimed that this auction company has been around for a long time – seven or eight years. The auction began with two matching vases that went for ten bucks. I managed to win a lovely bronze statue (see yesterday’s posts for a photograph), and a couple of Disney serigraphs of Mickey Mouse. I may have slightly overpaid for the latter, but it’s hard to know. The only information I’ve found says that they originally went for around four hundred fifty each. I got the two for less than that, so if I did overpay it probably wasn’t by much. But, I got a very good deal on the bronze. I found most of the other bidders to be extremely amateurish and annoying. Just prior to the auction beginning, there was some gross woman in the row in front of me – you know, one of those faux wealthy Valley types with the botox lips and the pulled-tight face. She kept getting up from her seat, leaving via my row (climbing over my feet) and then coming back the same way. This she did about six times in five minutes. She got up a seventh time and I do believe I heaved a rather loud sigh. She left another way, then turned to me and said, “What do you care – I’m going a different way.” I gave her a withering glance and left it at that. If I hadn’t left it at that, I was about to say, “Listen to me, you ignorant faux wealthy type with the botox lips and pulled-tight face, why don’t you shut your botox gob and just sit down and stay down.” As the auction progressed, she could not sit still – chomping on gum, fidgeting in her seat constantly. I think she needed a botox fix or something. Many things went inexpensively, but there were some high ticket items, mostly jewelry and oriental rugs and a couple of signed lithos. I stayed for two hours and got bored and left. I’m still in the first paragraph?
There, that’s better. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button because my dance card in this section is all filled up.
Last night I watched two count them two motion picture entertainments on DVD. The first motion picture entertainment was entitled Jubal, starring Mr. Glenn Ford, Mr. Ernest Borgnine, Mr. Rod Steiger, and Miss Felicia Farr. The direction is by the excellent Delmer Daves. I’d never seen Jubal before – it’s quite a good film. There I go with the “quite” again. The acting is especially good – Glenn Ford has always been a favorite of mine in his westerns, and Borgnine is really excellent. Steiger chews the scenery, but is, for example, subtle compared to the histrionics of Lee J. Cobb in Man of the West. The only thing I found jarring about the film was the score – one of the only misfires I’ve ever heard from the great David Raksin. The transfer is excellent – very colorful and sharp. I then watched the second motion picture entertainment, which was entitled Jumbo, starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Martha Raye, and Jimmy Durante. I missed the film on its initial release, and I’ve tried to watch it over the years but never seem to get beyond the first ten minutes. Well, I’ll be consarned if I didn’t find it very enjoyable for most of its longish running time. The Rodgers and Hart songs can’t be beat, and the orchestrations by Conrad Salinger are incredibly incredible. Doris has never looked lovelier – I really prefer her with long hair that just hangs down. In the case of Jumbo, it’s a wig, but she looks great in it. Stephen Boyd is a little out of his element – he doesn’t seem really comfortable doing a musical. His songs are mostly dubbed. Martha and Jimmy are very amusing. “What elephant?” And Jumbo the elephant is great. I liked all the circus footage, although it is very obvious that Miss Day and Mr. Boyd are not doing their own stunts. The film ends poorly – they really should have come up with a better finish than the lame one they have. It almost ruins the film. Transfer is lovely, and the newly remixed 5.1 sound is robust.
I have several potential things that I may be doing later, and I’ll keep you posted if/when they happen.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must do a spot of work, I must drive about in my motor car, and I must wait to see what events I will or will not be participating in. I do hope a package or two arrives as well. Today’s topic of discussion: When you were growing up, if you could have your mommy make you anything, what was your favorite home-cooked mommy meal – the one you’d always beg her to make, the one dish she made better than everyone else in the whole world? Let’s have loads of lovely posts, shall we, as my dance card continues to fill up quite quickly. Quite.