Well, dear readers, might I just ask how the month of July is now half over? Why don’t we just say it’s December already, since it undoubtedly will be in a day or two. I must say, time is like a gazelle doing the hundred-yard dash with a hotfoot. Oh, well, there’s nothing one can do for time marches on. Conversely, on marches time occasionally, just to switch things up. Do you know something? I no longer have a clew as to what the HELL I’m talking about, but why should that stop me from continuing down the road of insanity? I originally wrote “inanity” instead of “insanity” and perhaps that road is more appropriate to these here notes. In any case, the month of July is, in fact, more than half over and I, for one, am dumbfounded. Speaking of dumbfounded, yesterday was quite a hot day and I stayed out of the heat as much as possible. After getting a lovelier than lovely sleep, I awoke and jogged. After awaking and jogging, I showered and joined a friend for a late breakfast and/or early lunch (depending on one’s perspective about such things) at Hugo’s in West Hollywood. At first, I was going to have a late breakfast, but in the end I went for an early luncheon of macaroni and cheese with some steamed vegetables on the side. It was a small but nice luncheon. I then did some annoying errands that needed doing, and then I came back to the air-conditioned home environment. I returned some telephonic calls, answered some e-mails, wrote a reprise of a song for PennyO’s show (completely new set of lyrics), and then wrote a bit of the new book, which is going slowly whilst I’m still getting used to its style. I figure in about a week I’ll start doing four or five pages a day, and I now have to sit with a notepad and sketch out the next few chapters, but only in a general way as I don’t like to outline. After that, it was finally time to sit on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I managed to watch two count them two motion pictures on DVD, and both were divoon. That is because they both starred Miss Jayne Mansfield and were directed by Mr. Frank Tashlin. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, which also stars Mr. Tony Randall. It’s quite an amusing little film with a wonderful performance by Miss Mansfield, playing film star Rita Marlowe (she originated the role on Broadway). The opening is classic Tashlin, and some of the gags are just laugh-out-loud funny. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled The Girl Can’t Help It, which stars Mr. Tom Ewell and Mr. Edmond O’Brien. Made prior to Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, The Girl Can’t Help It also has a classic Tashlin opening. Along the way we are treated to hilarious laughs and great rock-and-roll and the eye-popping Miss Mansfield and the so-over-the-top-it’s-got-to-be-seen performance of Mr. O’Brien. Mr. Ewell is, as always, very droll. Mr. Tashlin began as a director of cartoons and The Girl Can’t Help It can best be described as a live-action cartoon. The gags are very cartoon-like and they come fast and furious. The transfers are very nice, with almost-right garish colors (these films give garish colors a whole new meaning). If you’ve never seen these two films, you should – you’ll be in for a completely divoon time.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, whilst I recite for you the story of The Randy Vicar and the Portobello Mushroom.
Today I shall be lunching with Miss Cindy Williams (unless she cancels, which she’s certainly been known to do). I shall also be doing a whole slew of other things. I can’t remember what the slew is, but hopefully it will all come back to me soon.
I’ll be seeing Miss Heather MacRae on Wednesday, at her rehearsal with pianist John Boswell. That will be fun, and then Thursday evening Miss MacRae and I will be doing the Peter and Miriam show on the radio. I’ll have more details about that on Thursday. And then, of course, on Friday and Saturday we have Miss MacRae’s performances to attend.
We had four count them four correct answers to our Unseemly Trivia Contest. The question was:
This epic play had a healthy run on Broadway. It was written by a playwright who, ten years later, would have a big hit play which would be followed by another big hit play, both of which were turned into films. In the cast was an actor who was about to have his biggest success in an incredibly successful motion picture. Also in the cast was an actor who would go on to be a character actor in a number of films, including a terrific role in a late film by one of the most well known directors in the world. Also in the cast was an actor who would go on to star in a successful TV series. Also in the cast was a strange character actor who’d had a role in a well-known fantasy film some years earlier, a film in which the character said actor played did a particularly nasty thing, a heinous thing to something particularly lovable. So:
Name the play, the author, and the authors two big hit plays that followed.
Name the actor who was about to have his biggest success in an incredibly successful motion picture.
Name the actor who would go on to be a terrific character actor, and name the film in which he appeared that was directed by one of the most well known directors in the world.
Name the actor who would go on to star in a successful TV series, and name the series.
Name the strange character actor, name the fantasy film said actor appeared in, and name the particularly nasty thing that said actor did to something particularly lovable.
And the answers are:
The Royal Hunt Of The Sun/Peter Shaffer/Equus/Amadeus
Christopher Plummer/The Sound of Music
John Vernon/Topaz/Alfred Hitchcock
David Carradine/Kung Fu
Thayer David, Journey To The Center Of The Earth. He ate Gertrude the Duck.
Congratulations to our winners FJL, TCB, Dan-the-Man, and SGurey. We put the four names into our handy-dandy Electronic Hat, which randomly chose our High Winner, sgurey. If sgurey will send his handy-dandy address we will send him a sparkling prize.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, write, lunch, write, do a slew of other things just as soon as I remember what they are, and I must be sure to buy some Diet Coke, since I will be running out by noon. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all time favorite performances in TV movies and mini-series? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and let’s make all the posts divoon.