Well, dear readers, I am beginning these here notes with the second sentence, because I am tired of waiting for inspiration to strike re a first sentence. Inspiration simply would not strike, despite low wages and poor working conditions. So, it was either sit here like so much fish waiting for inspiration to strike, or just get on with it and skip the first sentence entirely. You know, I feel this is way too much exposition, don’t you? I’m now in the swing of things and also in the thing of swings, so why dawdle, Amaryllis? Don’t I have notes to write? I do, I do. For example, I took a “me” day yesterday and just drove about in my motor car, visited a book store, and watched a couple of DVDs. I needed a “me” day and now I can get back to work today without delay, come what may. Not only did I have a “me” day yesterday, but I also had a fabulously fabulous dinner with my best pals, The Jones Clan. Margaret always makes the coziest dinners and last night was no exception. We had a yummilicious little salad, which included mozzarella, tomatoes, avocado, and celery in a light balsamic vinaigrette. The main course was a light and tasty chicken breast, some green beans, some carrots, some rice, and a roll. Afterwards, we had homemade chocolate cake. It was quite cozy, and after dinner we laughed and laughed and just when we thought we could laugh no more, we laughed again. All in all, a lovelier than lovely evening.
Yesterday I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD, both titles from the next batch of three Fox Noirs. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Fourteen Hours, not really a noir, but a crisp little suspense drama about a despondent man on a ledge who is thinking about jumping to his death. It’s not a brilliant film, but I found it compelling and riveting for most of its ninety-two minute running time. Only in the scenes with the despondent man’s parents did I get antsy – Miss Agnes Moorehead is so over-the-top as the guy’s mother that you just want HER to jump off the building. And the father is so gooey it’s nauseating. Richard Basehart is terrific as the man on the ledge, and the supporting cast is mind-boggling: Grace Kelly (her first film), Miss Moorehead, Frank Faylen, Howard da Silva, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jeff Corey, Jeffrey Hunter, Debra Paget, and, in very tiny roles (some just one line) the likes of John Randolph, Harvey Lembeck, David Burns, Joyce Van Patten, Richard Beymer, Sandra Gould, and many others (every time they cut to the crowd outside you see a familiar face that went on to a nice career). But the film belongs heart and soul to Paul Douglas, who is just wonderful as the cop with a heart who tries to talk Mr. Basehart down. Henry Hathaway’s direction is excellent, and I’m happy to say that the transfer is splendidly splendid. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Vicki. I’d never even really heard of Vicki before, so I was interested to watch it. Vicki IS a noir, just not a very good one. Imagine my surprise to find out that Vicki was a remake of I Wake Up Screaming, made twelve years earlier. It’s like seeing the third national company of a Broadway play, and it just seems weird. The screenplay is by the same fellow who wrote the first version. This time, instead of Betty Grable and Carole Landis, we get Jeanne Crain and Jean Peters. Instead of Laird Cregar we get a very young Richard Boone (who, despite being a completely different type, sounds astonishingly like Cregar, with some of the exact line readings). Instead of Victor Mature, we get lightweight Elliot Reid. Instead of Elisha Cook, Jr. we get – wait for it – Aaron Spelling. The film is competently directed by set designer Harry Horner, but there’s just no reason for it and it’s not nearly as good as the earlier version. Transfer is excellent.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst I hope that inspiration will strike before I get to the next section.
Inspiration has struck. It wants a seven-and-a-half cent raise, and to drive home its point, inspiration is wearing pyjamas.
Today, as noted, I will get back to work. I’ve got to do the fixes to the Brain script, plus rewrite my batch of scenes, and I must get back to the new play, as well as start entering fixes on the short stories. I’m also lunching with our very own Miss Adriana Patti.
A very busy upcoming week, what with writing and meetings and rewriting and meetings and lunches and dinners and fixing and meetings, not necessarily in that order.
I must also prepare many envelopes for so that when the Kevin Spirtas DVD arrives we can get it shipped out quickly.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, write, rewrite, lunch, and then watch a DVD or three. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we? And now that inspiration has struck whatever are we to do for inspiration around these here parts?