Well, dear readers, I have some august news to impart. Yes, you heard it here dear readers, I, BK, have some august news to impart, and that august news is that it is August. Can you believe it? It seems like only yesterday it was July. Of course, it WAS only yesterday that it was July so that explains that. That explains That. Is that like Weill Sings Weill or Brecht on Brecht? In any case, it is August and as Augustus Caesar would say – “Wow.” However, before we move along to August, perhaps we’d better close out July. On the final day of July, for example, I had to do quite a few things during the morning hours to free myself up for a visit from new dear reader Jeanne. I had to do errands and whatnot, not necessarily in that order. Once the errands and whatnot were finished with, new dear reader Jeanne arrived in the city of Los Angeles. Now, you must keep in mind that I haven’t seen this person in forty-one years. Of course, the minute I laid eyes on her it was like I’d just seen her yesterday, because she basically looks as I remember her. We immediately left to go on a nostalgia tour of both my and her old neighborhoods. We drove by the Sherbourne Drive house (the Benjamin Kritzer house), we drove by a few landmarks and then we headed to Culver City to see her old house. As we were driving down Washington we stopped at the old Helms Bakery building. The antique mall that was there is gone now (apparently antique malls are becoming extinct), replaced by a disgustingly hip furniture store. However, the good news is that they’ve kept the little mini Helms museum inside – so we saw the Helms Truck and lots of fun photographs. We then went to Jeanne’s old house and the neighborhood was instantly familiar to me. We visited with her neighbor, Anna, who was very nice. We then drove by Bluth Brothers Theater (Beach Brothers in Kritzer Time) – it’s an auto body shop now and isn’t even recognizable as what it once was (what once housed Bluth Brothers was an old supermarket, but it’s been torn down). Another interesting thing is that driving past the old Bay Cities offices (located directly next door to the old Selznick Studios (where The Creature Wasn’t Nice was shot), everything is completely different there. They’ve made it so you can’t even drive past the office – it’s still there but you can only walk to it because of the weird way they’ve completely redone the streets. Across from it (on the same side of the street) is now a Cineplex. It was very strange and I have no idea when all that was changed.
After all that, we had a nice meal at Casa Vega, where I do adore the foodstuffs – I had a beef taco and two count them two cheese enchiladas and Jeanne had a veggie burrito. And that was my day and evening.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because, after all, it is August and one simply must.
Aren’t we feeling very august in August? Is that like feeling Sleepless in Seattle? I feel that August will be a very august month, at least I hope it will be. And we’ll take all the synonyms for august, as well – impressive, grand, imposing, majestic, dignified, noble, and eminent, not necessarily in that order.
Today I have quite a busy little day, don’t I? For example, I must arise early and attend to several things, which includes, I hope, beginning to write a new play. In the early afternoon, I must toddle over to rehearse for a few hours with Mr. Kevin Spirtas, whose show is, I’m happy to say, completely sold out. Our cabaret space normally seats ninety-eight people, but for Kevin and Jason Graae we’re adding tables and squeezing in one hundred and twenty five. This entire weekend of three shows should turn a nice profit. After rehearsal, I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing but whatever it is it will involve foodstuffs.
We had several winners in our Unseemly Trivia contest. The question was:
This particular theatrical season produced a few hits, a few near-hits, and quite a few misses. Once such miss managed to eke out a run of just under three months before it gave up the ghost. The play was by a writer (the writer’s first and only play) who would go on to write the book for a hugely successful musical, as well as the book for a much beloved musical. The star of the show once starred in the play that the writer would adapt to become the hugely successful musical. Also in the cast was an actress who had a very important connection with a hit musical that was running concurrently with this play. Also in the cast was an actor who played a leading role in a classic suspense film. Also in the cast was an actor who would go on to star in a hugely successful television series. So:
Name the play and the writer, and name the hugely successful musical for which he did the book.
Name the star of the show, and the play she starred in that would become the source material for the hugely successful musical.
Name the actress who had a very important connection with a hit musical that was running concurrently with this play, and name the musical and the connection.
Name the actor who played a leading role in a classic suspense film.
Name the actor who would go on to star in a hugely successful television series and name the series.
Bonus question: There is a six degrees of separation in this quiz – name it.
And the answers are:
The Warm Peninsula/Joe Masteroff/Cabaret
Julie Harris/I Am A Camera
June Havoc/Gypsy/the character of Baby/Dainty June was based on her
Farley Granger/Strangers On A Train
Larry Hagman/Dallas
The six degrees of separation could have been several things – but the most obvious is Farley Granger’s character of Guy Haines, the titular head of this here site.
And our winners were: Ginny, FJL, Dan-the-Man, Steve Gurey, and JMK. We put all our winners’ names into our handy-dandy Electronic Hat, which randomly chose our High Winner – Ginny. So, if Ginny will send her address, she shall soon receive a sparkling prize.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, write, rehearse, eat, and other things. Today’s topic of discussion: We had a Jane request, so here it is – what are your favorite names in fiction. I, of course, love Atticus Finch, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, Simon Templar, Perry Mason, Jack Torrence, and I would be remiss to leave out Benjamin Kritzer. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? And let’s have a truly august August.