Haines Logo Text
Column Archive
June 14, 2005:

MARK SPITZ

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, this is the first sentence of the notes. I tell you, where else can you find such information on all the Internet? I had no choice but to write that first sentence, because I was just staring at the page like so much fish, and nothing was coming to me. I sat and I sat, and then I decided to write, “Well, dear readers, this is the first sentence of the notes” so that I could move on to the second sentence. Once I get past the first sentence, the second sentence and everything thereafter flows uninterrupted, like a gazelle doing an impression of Mark Spitz. My goodness, that was random, wasn’t it? When was the last time you heard the name Mark Spitz? Well, you heard it two sentences ago, but I mean before that? I haven’t heard the name Mark Spitz since I was knee-high to a grasshopper or even elbow-high to a zebu. That reminds me of the song “If You Knew Zebu Like I Knew Zebu.” I must say, these notes have a decidedly dada flavor today. What is a dada flavor? Cherry? Lemon-lime? These are the questions that are going round like a circle in a spiral like a wheel within a wheel in the windmills of my mind. Aren’t you impressed that we’ve had Mark Spitz and a zebu in the same notes? I am. In any case, I had a very busy day yesterday, and I don’t even remember what I did that made it so busy. Well, I got up at nine, then had to proof the After the Ball booklet, which, unfortunately, isn’t close to being done. Right now, it’s an eight-page booklet with ten pages worth of text and photos. I either have to cut some stuff, lose a couple of photos, or go to a twelve page booklet. I fear it’s going to be the latter, which will, of course, up the cost of the printing. We shall see what the difference is – if it’s minor, I’ll do it, if it’s major, I will cut photos and/or text. I also had to make several long telephone calls, and then Miss Tammy Minoff came over and we had another working lunch. The most amazing thing about the lunch is that we never mentioned Mark Spitz. I didn’t get back to the home environment until three, and then I had to go out immediately to pick up packages and do some mailing. By the time I was finished with that, it was four-thirty, and I hadn’t written one word of my short story. So, I opened the document and wrote three pages in an hour. That felt good. Then I sang a chorus of “If You Knew Zebu Like I Knew Zebu” and that was the end of my day.

Last night, I watched a documentary on DVD entitled Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. I managed to score a copy of a DVD sent out to Emmy voters. Like many others, I had Z Channel back in the early 1980s, and, like many others, I loved it. I cannot swear to it, but I do believe my little film played on Z Channel at some point. I know it played on ON TV and Select TV, too, but I’m almost positive we got at least one airing on Z. Z Channel was very much ahead of its time, and that was thanks to Jerry Harvey, who ran it. His programming was eclectic, fascinating, and it introduced the world to director’s cuts, lost films, unappreciated films, neglected films, of every type and genre. Of course, what happens when you have such a channel, and one that’s beloved by so many, especially in Hollywood. Well, I’ll tell you what happens: Other bigger cable channels come along, channels with more money, higher profiles, and they simply steal what you’re doing. They don’t do it better, mind you, but the theft is overt and outright and harmful. The amazing thing is that Z Channel held on as long as it did, given the onslaught and downright dirty politics of HBO and Showtime. Xan Cassavetes’ documentary is very interesting, even at its rather long running time of just under two hours. I do wish people would get off of this taking new footage and putting “dirt” and “scratches” on it for “style” – we’ve had it, we’ve seen it, it’s old, it’s a bore, and, above all, in this documentary, it’s totally unnecessary. Ms. Cassavetes (daughter of John and Gena Rowlands) does a fine job of organizing her material. She is also to be commended for having the good taste to leave 98% of the film unscored – no music. One can only imagine what the twits who do those Warners puff-pieces, or Laurent Bozeareau would have done – they would have used relentless, non-stop music, and they especially would have tried to use “sad” music for the sad bits. Thank goodness, we have none of that here. However, Ms. Cassavetes makes one incredibly stupid mistake, and it’s a mistake that is so annoying as to boggle the mind – she never, not once, identifies any of the many people being interviewed. Not one chyron with a name. That is just unbelievably wrong. Some people you can figure out, a handful I knew, but there were still five or six interviewees where I had no clew as to who they might have been. Other than that, it’s a really interesting piece, and a look back at a really interesting time and a really strange man, whose demons finally got the best of him. Oh, and who do you suppose takes the prize for the most obnoxious person interviewed? That’s right, you guessed it: Quentin Tarantino.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, because we’ve got us a trivia question to answer, don’t we? And the answer to that trivia question will not be Mark Spitz.

Where was I? Oh, yes, we’ve got us a trivia question to answer, don’t we? And so, by gum and by golly and buy bonds, why don’t we just get to it right this very minute? Here was our Unseemly Trivia Contest question:

This musical of old only played 111 performances, and was based on another musical of old. It starred one of the musical theatre’s great leading men. It also featured an actor who would go on to star in two count them two hugely successful 1960s musicals. It also featured amongst its players a man who would go on to be both a popular theatre and motion picture director. The older musical of old also served as the source material for yet another musical. The score to this musical of old was by someone not usually associated with Broadway. This musical of old also had a different title when it was trying out, as well as a different leading lady.

Name the musical of old.

Name the musical of old it was based on.

Name the leading man.

Name the actor who would star in two 1960s hit musicals

Name the actor who would go on to become a popular theatre and film director

Name the other musical derived from the original musical of old.

Name the composer.

Name the original title the show tried out under.

And the answers are:

Beggar’s Holiday.

The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay.

Alfred Drake.

Zero Mostel.
Herbert Ross.

The Threepenny Opera.

Duke Ellington.

Twilight Alley

Apparently, I’m not making these questions difficult enough, even though I always think no one will be able to figure them out. This week we had a plethora of correct guesses. Our winners were: Mark Spitz… Only kidding. Our winners were: JMK, Dan-the-Man, George, Robert Armin, Pogue, FJL, Michael Shayne, and Jrand. Congratulations to one and all and also all and one. Alas, there can only be one High Winner, and, as always, our High Winner was chosen randomly by our handy-dandy Electronic Hat. This week’s High Winner is Pogue, so if Pogue will send his address, we will get him and last week’s winner their sparkling prizes. Stay tuned for next Saturday’s Unseemly Trivia Contest. I’m going to make it difficult.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must write, I must meet a potential casting choice for our play reading, I must pick up something from Kinko’s, I must pick up a package or three, I must figure out the booklet situation (the good news is that the Guy Haines package is completely done and approved), and I must do a bunch of other stuff that needs doing. Today’s topic of discussion: As long as we’ve been speaking of Mark Spitz, what are your favorite Olympics memories – the stuff that’s really excited you, and the stuff that’s really moved you, and the stuff that’s really gotten to you? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? The zebu says we shall.

Search BK's Notes Archive:
 
© 2001 - 2024 by Bruce Kimmel. All Rights Reserved