Well, dear readers, may I just tell you that I am hornswoggled? Yes, Virginia, I, BK, am hornswoggled. And may I tell you why? I may. I am hornswoggled because it is May. I cannot believe it is may and yet I must for it is may. Where has this year gone already? In any case, it is May and May is a fine month. May I tell you why I’m so fond of May? I am fond of May because May spelled backwards is yam. I bid a fond farewell to April yesterday by spending a very relaxing day not doing much of anything. Oh, I jogged, and I made copies of the new play, and I did a few other things, but mostly I just sat on my couch like so much fish. I then went off with Miss Jessica Rush to sup at Stanley’s, and we had a lovelier than lovely time chatting away merrily whilst we decimated quite a bit of yummilicious food. After that, we came back to the house and I showed her a bit of What If, which I hadn’t viewed in quite some time, and which really is pretty good.
Yesterday, I also managed to watch a motion picture on DVD, the new two-disc Special Edition of The Dirty Dozen. I hadn’t seen the film in quite some time, so it was grand fun to partake of it again. It’s just about a perfect film in every regard – hilarious, horrifying, terrifically paced (and it’s a LONG film but never ever seems so), and wonderfully written, directed, and acted. What actors – Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, George Kennedy, John Cassavetes, Charles Bronson, Robert Webber, Robert Ryan, Donald Sutherland and on and on. You compare that cast with any movies made today and you see just how far Hollywood has fallen. The new transfer is anamorphic and looks really good. I’m sure that some of the wags on the various DVD sites will not understand that this is the way the film always looked – gritty, grainy, and not polished – it’s what Mr. Aldrich wanted. When we old codgers say “they don’t make ’em like this anymore” we’re right – they don’t. They don’t know how – not in the writing, not in the acting, and most certainly not in the directing. I first saw The Dirty Dozen at a sneak preview at the Chinese Theater and I am here to tell you it was like seeing Star Wars – the audience tore the roof off the theater. That’s the kind of reaction the film got (it was that year’s biggest grossing film). I’ve seen it many times since and it never ceases to entertain me, make me laugh out loud, and keep me on the edge of my seat.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because, after all, it’s May and May is a time for clicking on Unseemly Buttons.
Have I mentioned that it’s May? May I mention that it’s May? Perhaps it will even be The Lusty Month of May and we can all sing Tra La, Tra La.
Today I shall be a crazed person. I have to print out six copies of about six pages, because, silly me, I rewrote a few lines after I’d printed up the scripts. After that, I must insert said pages into said scripts. After that, at some point around noon, I must go to the editing room for a few hours. I must also ship some Kritzer books, which are overdue to be shipped. And then, Miss Tammy Minoff, our very own Miss Barbara Deutsch, Miss Tammy Minoff’s friend Billy, and myself will convene at the home environment to have a read-through of this new play. Dear reader PennyO is coming by and I’ll probably coerce her into reading the stage directions. I will, of course, have a full report on said read-through. I’m both nervous and excited to hear it out loud.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be a crazed person, I must try to find a half-hour to jog, and I must do all the other stuff that needs doing. Today’s topic of discussion: I deem today Dessert Day – I want to hear about desserts – the good, the bad, and the ugly and I don’t want anyone to stint on the descriptions. May we have loads of lovely postings on this lovely first of May? Mais oui? We May!